This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateMore than one in five coronavirus-related deaths in Texas have been linked to skilled nursing homes, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data, illustrating the vulnerability of older residents in group settings to the deadly virus.Data shows that 22 percent of deaths related to COVID-19 as of Monday were connected to nursing homes, while another 8 percent were linked to assisted-living facilities, which provide a less-intensive level of care.The figures help clarify what has been a murky understanding of how the...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateMore than one in five coronavirus-related deaths in Texas have been linked to skilled nursing homes, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data, illustrating the vulnerability of older residents in group settings to the deadly virus.Data shows that 22 percent of deaths related to COVID-19 as of Monday were connected to nursing homes, while another 8 percent were linked to assisted-living facilities, which provide a less-intensive level of care.The figures help clarify what has been a murky understanding of how the...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateCoronavirus cases are two to three times more prevalent in some of Houston’s poorest ZIP codes compared with Harris County overall, clustering in several predominantly black neighborhoods where experts worry the virus will be particularly fatal because many residents have underlying medical conditions.A Houston Chronicle analysis of 4,977 positive COVID-19 tests reported in Harris County through April 20 shows that seven of the 10 ZIP codes with the highest rates were majority black and low-income.ZIP codes that include some of...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateCoronavirus cases are two to three times more prevalent in some of Houston’s poorest ZIP codes compared with Harris County overall, clustering in several predominantly black neighborhoods where experts worry the virus will be particularly fatal because many residents have underlying medical conditions.A Houston Chronicle analysis of 4,977 positive COVID-19 tests reported in Harris County through April 20 shows that seven of the 10 ZIP codes with the highest rates were majority black and low-income.ZIP codes that include some of...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateANAHUAC — The horrific death struck some people as strange. One day after 59-year-old caregiver Christine Rollins was found dead in a yard, with portions of her legs gnawed away, the Chambers County sheriff said a medical examiner determined feral hogs had killed her.“We had suspected that,” Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said Nov. 25.and drew national attention. People were used to feral hogs in this rural part of Texas, and they knew the animals usually ran when confronted. But for a hog to kill someone is so exceedingly rare that some...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateANAHUAC — The horrific death struck some people as strange. One day after 59-year-old caregiver Christine Rollins was found dead in a yard, with portions of her legs gnawed away, the Chambers County sheriff said a medical examiner determined feral hogs had killed her.“We had suspected that,” Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said Nov. 25.and drew national attention. People were used to feral hogs in this rural part of Texas, and they knew the animals usually ran when confronted. But for a hog to kill someone is so exceedingly rare that some...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateWhen Adrian Garcia was Harris County sheriff, he wanted to rethink what kind of energy the jail used. Could the building have solar panels? Backup batteries? County leaders then didn’t embrace the idea, he said.Now a county commissioner, Garcia is pushing the county toward directly buying renewable energy such as wind and solar, a potentially significant shift in the so-called energy capital of the world.“For me,” the first-term Democrat said, “it just makes sense.”His fellow commissioners unanimously agreed to reconsider how they...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateWhen Adrian Garcia was Harris County sheriff, he wanted to rethink what kind of energy the jail used. Could the building have solar panels? Backup batteries? County leaders then didn’t embrace the idea, he said.Now a county commissioner, Garcia is pushing the county toward directly buying renewable energy such as wind and solar, a potentially significant shift in the so-called energy capital of the world.“For me,” the first-term Democrat said, “it just makes sense.”His fellow commissioners unanimously agreed to reconsider how they...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateSuzy Mitchell watched with growing concern last summer as storm after storm entered the Gulf of Mexico and neared Texas, their winds pushing water over the sand toward her Surfside Beach home.Sand dunes, built up over years, protected her. But last year’s storm season saw than ever. The seemingly ceaseless tidal surges eroded the dunes until some broke through.Now, with their defenses weakened or gone, the 84-year-old Mitchell and other Surfside Beach residents know they need to start building their dunes back. How? They’re hoping...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateSuzy Mitchell watched with growing concern last summer as storm after storm entered the Gulf of Mexico and neared Texas, their winds pushing water over the sand toward her Surfside Beach home.Sand dunes, built up over years, protected her. But last year’s storm season saw than ever. The seemingly ceaseless tidal surges eroded the dunes until some broke through.Now, with their defenses weakened or gone, the 84-year-old Mitchell and other Surfside Beach residents know they need to start building their dunes back. How? They’re hoping...WW…

Plainclothes and uniformed U.S. Capitol Police officers moved swiftly onto the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, ushering out Speaker Nancy Pelosi and instructing members of Congress to stay seated — U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls among them.Three days earlier, the former Fort Bend County sheriff had been sworn in as the representative for Texas’ 22nd District, which covers suburbs south and southwest of Houston. The pro-Trump Republican was among a group planning Wednesday to vote against certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s election as president, citing baseless voter fraud...…Plainclothes and uniformed U.S. Capitol Police officers moved swiftly onto the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, ushering out Speaker Nancy Pelosi and instructing members of Congress to stay seated — U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls among them.Three days earlier, the former Fort Bend County sheriff had been sworn in as the representative for Texas’ 22nd District, which covers suburbs south and southwest of Houston. The pro-Trump Republican was among a group planning Wednesday to vote against certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s election as president, citing baseless voter fraud...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateSarah Bernhardt read the Army Corps of Engineers’ latest ideas on how to reduce flooding along Buffalo Bayou, feeling disappointed.The agency had eliminated a proposed tunnel to carry water to the Houston Ship Channel because of cost. It nixed an option to expand the capacity of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs as not effective enough.Instead, the Corps proposed digging Buffalo Bayou wider and deeper, or channelizing it. Officials also suggested building a hulking third dam and reservoir — right on the painstakingly protected...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateSarah Bernhardt read the Army Corps of Engineers’ latest ideas on how to reduce flooding along Buffalo Bayou, feeling disappointed.The agency had eliminated a proposed tunnel to carry water to the Houston Ship Channel because of cost. It nixed an option to expand the capacity of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs as not effective enough.Instead, the Corps proposed digging Buffalo Bayou wider and deeper, or channelizing it. Officials also suggested building a hulking third dam and reservoir — right on the painstakingly protected...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe National Hurricane Center issued an alert May 16 for Tropical Storm Arthur — the year’s first named Atlantic storm.On Saturday, they put out a warning for Tropical Storm Eta — a tie at 28 for the most tropical or subtropical cyclones formed in a year.National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Reilly expects next to see that record broken, highlighting how unusual this so-called “hyperactive” season has been.All summer, a grueling storm season kept Houstonians . Hurricane Hanna hit Padre Island in July. Hurricane Laura grazed...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe National Hurricane Center issued an alert May 16 for Tropical Storm Arthur — the year’s first named Atlantic storm.On Saturday, they put out a warning for Tropical Storm Eta — a tie at 28 for the most tropical or subtropical cyclones formed in a year.National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Reilly expects next to see that record broken, highlighting how unusual this so-called “hyperactive” season has been.All summer, a grueling storm season kept Houstonians . Hurricane Hanna hit Padre Island in July. Hurricane Laura grazed...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateBefore the sun rose on Monday, Feb. 15, backup power generators at Houston’s Northeast Water Treatment Plant already were failing. Ten tripped offline as ice, snow and frigid temperatures plunged Texas’ power grid into its worst crisis in decades. Even as workers battled to reset generators and keep the electricity on, 20 city drinking water facilities would lose all or some power that day.It was the same for much of the state as water suppliers struggled against the long-lasting outages. A falling tree knocked out power lines to...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateBefore the sun rose on Monday, Feb. 15, backup power generators at Houston’s Northeast Water Treatment Plant already were failing. Ten tripped offline as ice, snow and frigid temperatures plunged Texas’ power grid into its worst crisis in decades. Even as workers battled to reset generators and keep the electricity on, 20 city drinking water facilities would lose all or some power that day.It was the same for much of the state as water suppliers struggled against the long-lasting outages. A falling tree knocked out power lines to...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateResidents huddled under blankets in freezing homes following massive power outages. Vaccination plans were scrambled, delaying efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19. And, adding to the injury, Houston-area refineries and plants emitted hundreds of thousands of pounds of pollutants while state air monitors went offline.Facilities released roughly 700,000 pounds of excess emissions between Feb. 11 and Feb. 18, according to early company estimates reported to the state and analyzed by the Houston Chronicle. The data reinvigorated...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateResidents huddled under blankets in freezing homes following massive power outages. Vaccination plans were scrambled, delaying efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19. And, adding to the injury, Houston-area refineries and plants emitted hundreds of thousands of pounds of pollutants while state air monitors went offline.Facilities released roughly 700,000 pounds of excess emissions between Feb. 11 and Feb. 18, according to early company estimates reported to the state and analyzed by the Houston Chronicle. The data reinvigorated...WW…