Articles by Paul J. Weber

Texas Governor Urges Masks as Virus Cases Rise

Texas’ surging coronavirus numbers will not slow the state’s reopening, according to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has prescribed an emphasis on face coverings and social distancing to curtail sobering trends, including hospitalization rates that have doubled since Memorial Day. …

Refusing to Dismiss Lawsuit, Texas Judge Orders Alex Jones to Pay $100K in Sandy Hook Case

A Texas judge ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay $100,000 in legal fees and refused to dismiss a lawsuit that targets the Infowars host for using his show to promote falsehoods that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre was a …

Chemical Plant Fires Renew Safety Debate in Oil-Friendly Texas

Two major chemical plant fires near Houston just 17 days apart closed schools, leaked toxic chemicals into coastal waters and killed a worker, but there’s a good chance they won’t lead to big industry crackdowns in oil-friendly Texas. Federal investigators …

Poll: Many Harvey Victims Say They Still Need Help

More than three months after Hurricane Harvey walloped Texas, many affected residents say they’re still not getting help they need and President Donald Trump is getting low marks for his handling of the disaster, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation/Episcopal …

Houston Mayor, Texas Governor Battle Over Harvey Costs

A clash over Houston’s mounting expenses from Hurricane Harvey escalated on Sept. 25 when Gov. Greg Abbott accused the mayor of holding the state “hostage” by pushing a local tax increase unless an emergency Texas piggybank of nearly $10 billion …

‘Future-Proofing’ Texas a Political, Bureaucratic Challenge for Harvey Recovery Czar

The man tasked with overseeing Texas’ Hurricane Harvey rebuilding efforts sees his job as “future-proofing” before the next disaster, but he isn’t empowered on his own to reshape flood-prone Houston or the state’s vulnerable coastline, which has been walloped by …

States Faced with Massive Well Cleanup from Oil Bust

The worst oil bust since the 1980s is putting Texas and other oil producing states on the hook for thousands of newly abandoned drilling sites at a time when they have little money to plug wells and seal off environmental …

Hurricane Patricia Takes It Relatively Easy on Texas

Drenching storms that the remnants of Hurricane Patricia dragged into Texas finally cleared on Oct. 25 without leaving behind the death or devastation of torrential rain and floods that hit the state earlier in the year. Some parts of Texas …

Government Emergency Response Tested by Texas Storms

Deadly severe weather in Texas over the long holiday weekend tested government alert and evacuation procedures, as officials scrambled to deal with storms and historic flooding that left more than a dozen people dead and a similar number missing. Crews …

Prosecutor Accused of Misconduct in Texas Arson-Related Execution Case

A prosecutor who handled the case of a Texas man executed for the fire deaths of his three daughters has been formally accused of misconduct over allegations that he concealed evidence during the 1992 murder trial. The State Bar of …