On Tuesday, abortion activists began traveling to Mississippi as part of a “Liberate Abortion Caravan,” a journey from Austin to Mississippi to raise awareness about the nationwide attack on abortion rights. The caravan departs from Austin on Tuesday, will stop in...
Fernando covers Texas politics and government at the Texas Signal. Before joining the Signal, Fernando spent two years at the Houston Chronicle and previously interned at Houston’s NPR station News 88.7. He is a graduate of the University of Houston, Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, and enjoys reading, highlighting things, and arguing on social media. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email at fernando@texassignal.com
Texas Court Blocks DFPS From Investigating Families of Transgender Youth
Civil rights and LGBTQ advocactes are celebrating a legal victory on Friday after the Travis County District Court granted a temporary restraining order blocking the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services from investigating families of transgender youth...
Three Out of Four Texas Teachers Don’t Want To Be Armed, Survey Shows
A new survey by the American Federation of Teachers Texas shows 77 percent of school employees do not want to be armed or expected to intercept a gunman. The recent survey of 5,100 school employees provides plenty of pushback for lawmakers like Sen. Ted Cruz that have...
Family of Uvalde, Buffalo Victims Testify in Congress
Family members of the victims of mass shootings, including Buffalo and Uvalde, testified in Congress on Wednesday during a hearing on gun violence with the Committee on Oversight and Reform. Zeneta Everhart, mother of 21-year-old Zaire Goodman who was injured in the...
Matthew McConaughey Visits Washington to Push Senate on Gun Violence
Texas actor Matthew McConaughey delivered remarks at the White House Press Briefing on Tuesday, speaking to reporters about the victims of the mass shooting in Uvalde last month. McConaughey, who was born in Uvalde, said he had recently met with the families of the...
Climate Change Denialism, Outdated Rainfall Data Are Recipe for Disaster
Industries across Texas are relying on dozens of outdated rainfall regulations that could dangerously impact infrastructure used in waste treatment, petrochemicals and oil & gas. A new report by Public Citizen Texas finds that these rainfall regulations have...
Father of Uvalde Victim Demands Gunmaker Hand Over Communications With Shooter
The father of ten-year-old Amerie Jo Garza, one of the 19 children killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting, is demanding the gun manufacturer of the AR-15 used in the shooting hand over any communications they had with the Uvalde shooter who purchased and used...
‘We Need to Ban Assault Weapons’ Says Joe Biden in Speech About Gun Violence
In a major speech Thursday evening, President Joe Biden called on assault weapons to be banned following the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. “We need to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,” Biden said in his speech where he also supported strengthening...
As Governor Calls for Another Committee, Lawmakers Urge Special Session
Following the mass shooting in Uvalde, Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday called for the formation of “special legislative committees” to examine and develop legislative recommendations on school safety, mental health, police training and firearm safety. The committees...
How the Starbucks Union Movement Kicked Off in Texas
More and more Starbucks stores in Texas are beginning to unionize, part of a nationwide trend that has seen dozens of locations in the country organize and win union representation. In Texas, several have already filed petitions and are awaiting an election to...