And then there were three. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has announced plans for a third special session of the Texas Legislature. What we already knew? That the main event would be redistricting. Also known: that battle lines have already been drawn over potential changes to the political maps of Texas and that lawsuits are as likely as politicians in the majority drawing the lines to protect themselves and their majorities. But there are other items on the agenda too, from a ban on transgender students competing on teams that don't align with their sex assigned at birth, to legislation regarding, as the governor's office put it, "whether any state or local governmental entities in Texas can mandate that an individual receive a COVID-19 vaccine and, if so, what exemptions should apply to such mandate (italics added). A bit of a surprise on one level, as the Governor has already precluded state and local COVID-19 vaccine mandates by executive order. But with coronavirus numbers rising to levels unprecedented since the start of the pandemic, is the governor having second thoughts now that almost 100 Texas hospitals have run out of intensive care beds and some school districts are moving to shutter classrooms? With the governor's re-election campaign getting ready to kick into gear and his interest in appealing to his political base, that seems highly unlikely. But as UT legal scholar (and frequent Texas Standard commentator) Steven Vladeck and co-author Lindsay F. Wiley note in a recent story for the Lawfare blog, "so far, the Supreme Court has declined to interfere with lower court rulings upholding vaccination mandates (for all members of a defined geographic area)." Vladeck and Wiley add that government defendants who are fearing suits against mandates "may find that they have little to lose at this point in the battle – and they may be surprised at how much more sympathetic courts … are to vaccination mandates." The numbers themselves are staggering: among the 57,000 people who have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, almost a tenth of those deaths occurred within the last month alone. We are witnessing a new pandemic 'peak' for Texas, though it may not be obvious to the naked eye. While no one wants to overstate the situation or create panic, nearly every medical expert we have spoken with on the subject says the same thing: without more vaccinations, we can't win the battle against COVID. And despite so many signs of the return of the "old normal," with fewer than 50% of all Texans fully vaccinated, the battle's far from over. You can check out the latest in our political and pandemic coverage below and at TexasStandard.org. Until next Wednesday, we'll see you on the radio.

- David Brown

Work safe, Texas. Texas Work Comp Insurance

Texas A&M Virologist Says COVID-19 Doesn’t Have To Be Endemic

“Giving up is the thing that happens naturally after you lose. I’m not ready to lose yet.”

New Poll Gives Greg Abbott His Highest-Ever Job Disapproval Rating

50% of Texans surveyed in the UT Politics Project/Texas Tribune poll disapprove of Abbott’s job performance. 52% say the state is on the wrong track.

Three Texas Gulf Cities Bid For Final Docking Place Of Battleship Texas

The ship sailed in both world wars. Where it ends up matters, because it requires millions per year to be maintained.

This Austin Company's Aiming To Fill The Wind Industry's Employment Gap

Wind jobs are plentiful – but there haven’t been enough skilled workers to fill open positions.

Texas Governor Defends Abortion Law, Saying State Will ‘Eliminate All Rapists’ (Associated Press)
Texas NAACP, Students File Federal Civil Rights Complaint Over UT Austin’s ‘Eyes Of Texas’ (Texas Tribune)
UTSA Ends Use Of ‘Come And Take It’ As Football Rallying Cry (Texas Public Radio)
Dallas Students Experiencing Homelessness Have A New Place To Go — And It’s Not One Size Fits All (KERA)

Hey there! I’m Kyra Buckley, I cover the energy industry for Houston Public Media. I moved to Texas in February 2020 after three years in Northern Colorado.I started my public radio career in my hometown of Eugene, Oregon. Because I joined Houston Public Media right as the pandemic was taking hold, a lot of my reporting has centered around how COVID-19 is impacting the energy workforce. I’ve also been following how Houston – long known for its dominance in oil and gas – is working to remain the “energy capital” as the world transitions to cleaner, more environmentally-friendly fuel sources. Companies and energy industry leaders say that the pandemic has actually accelerated their move to lower emissions, and I’m excited to be in the center of it all here in Houston, documenting, researching, and experiencing this energy transition. When I’m not reporting, you can usually find me reading (I love sci-fi and fantasy), teaching Jazzercise, and I’m a huge women’s basketball fan (both WNBA and college, Go Ducks!). Please feel free to email me if you have an energy story to tell, or a good book recommendation!

- Kyra Buckley
@krbuckle

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