AUSTIN — A federal judge on Friday found Texas in contempt of court — again — for continuing to expose thousands of children to “an unreasonable risk of serious harm” while they are in foster care. U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack threatened to levy fines of $75,000 a day against the state Health and Human Services Commission, starting Jan. …

Health authorities are closely watching an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a new strain of coronavirus known as COVID-19. Here are the answers to key questions about the outbreak: What is the virus? Scientists have identified the virus as a novel, or new, coronavirus. The name comes from the Latin word for crowns or halos, which coronaviruses resemble under …

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — When school started this fall, Ana Troya got a list of 105 Alief Independent School District students who hadn’t showed up to Bush Elementary School. She spent day after day driving around town trying to track down those students, each one of them worth about $5,500 in state funding for the district. “We found a lot …

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The latest Texas jobs report shows the unemployment rate is heading in the wrong direction, but experts point to other areas that show the economy is on the rebound. Looking for work hasn’t been easy for some people in southeast Texas. “I’m not going to lie, I think I have applied, these past six months, to …

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A cold front will bring widespread thunderstorms to Houston and Southeast Texas on Saturday. We’ll stay cloudy through the night with temperatures holding steady in the upper 50s and lower 60s. Widespread light showers are likely during the morning, then widespread thunderstorms are expected during the afternoon as the cold front blows into Houston. By the …

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Doctors compared it to Christmas morning as thousands of doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived in Houston this week. “The look of both excitement and relief for a lot of our staff is just wonderful,” said Dr. Roberta Schwartz, Executive Vice President of Houston Methodist. Now, there’s another gift. Pharmacists are able to get an extra …

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Derion Vence, the primary suspect connected to the death of Maleah Davis, appeared before a judge for a bond condition hearing Friday morning after writing a letter asking for a bond reduction. Vence is charged with tampering with evidence, namely a corpse. He is also charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury. As …

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) —  50,000 felonies are waiting for trial in the Houston area – a number that’s grown by more than 15,000 cases during COVID-19 pandemic-related court shutdowns. For crime victims, it means months of reliving the worst moments of their lives. A domestic abuse survivor recently told 13 Investigates her abuse started when her then-boyfriend beat and kicked …

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The mother of a Houston murder victim is turning tragedy into hope. This weekend, Syble Davis is hosting a toy drive in memory of her son, Chase Simon. “Chase was just funny. He was loving,” Davis said. “He was just this guy who was a wizard. He could make things happen.” The 24-year-old was shot on …

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee shared a photo Friday night of her getting the new Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Lee is one of thousands of Texans who are getting the Pfizer shot. According to the states vaccine dashboard, more than 15,000 people have received the Pfizer vaccine in its first week of distribution.