AUSTIN, Texas, April 11 -- The Austin Community College District issued the following news: Austin Community College (ACC) will receive $13,907,800 through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund to support students through the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The fund was authorized as part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The first portion should be available as early as next week and will help ACC better support students directly impacted by COVI  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 15 -- The Baylor College of Medicine issued the following news release: Baylor College of Medicine and the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center are joining on a study to procure plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients and provide it to critically ill patients with COVID-19. The plasma is available to Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center as well as a community resource to other hospitals who have approval to do transfusions. Potential donors should complete the online questionnai  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 16 -- The Baylor College of Medicine issued the following news release: Doctors have said for years that a healthy diet can support a healthy body, but now researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have found evidence that it's not just what you eat, but when you eat that can be beneficial. In a recent study published in the Journal of Proteomics and funded by National Institutes of Health, Dr. Ayse Leyla Mindikoglu, associate professor of medicine and surgery at Baylor   more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 16 -- The Baylor College of Medicine issued the following news release: After eluding researchers for more than 30 years, the VP3 protein of rotavirus has finally revealed its unique structure and function to a team led by scientists at Baylor College of Medicine. The researchers discovered that VP3 consists of four molecular modules that uniquely integrate five enzymatic activities that are necessary for capping messenger-RNA (mRNA), a process essential for the synthesis   more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 13 -- The Baylor College of Medicine issued the following news release: If you test positive for COVID-19, it is essential to know the proper steps to take to monitor symptoms and keep from infecting others. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends home isolation for positive COVID-19 patients who are not hospitalized," said Isabel Valdez, physician assistant and instructor of general internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "They can leave isola  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 16 -- The Baylor College of Medicine issued the following news release: The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed our daily lives, often increasing stress and anxiety and putting added pressure on relationships. Population scientists at Baylor College of Medicine are recruiting people across the U.S. to share their experiences and how the pandemic is impacting their health and well-being in an online survey. "COVID-19 has caused major disruptions in all aspects of Ame  more

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, April 16 -- Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences issued the following news release: Many so-called "super-food" fads come and go before the scientific community has a chance to study them, but new research suggests that one recent trend--coconut oil--may mitigate the features of metabolic syndrome. Dr. Annie Newell-Fugate, an assistant professor in the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences' (CVM) Departme  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, April 14 -- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio issued the following news release: UT Health San Antonio played a major research role in the FDA's recent approval of a new process that nearly triples the five-day shelf life of blood platelets, commonly used for treating trauma patients. The breakthrough is expected to increase the availability of platelets, a key blood component that is often in high demand across the state of Texas. "This is a gam  more

CHAMPAIGN, Illinois, April 14 -- The University of Illinois System Urbana-Champaign campus issued the following news release: Health care and social service providers who assisted victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico had double the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety symptoms nearly a year after the disaster compared with peers who helped victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, a new study found. More than 49% of the workers in Puerto Rico met the diagnostic criteria for PTS  more

WACO, Texas, April 16 -- Baylor University issued the following news: Religious Americans were better able than less religious ones to weather the economic storm of the 2008 recession, at least in terms of well-being, according to a study that may have implications for the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Scholars at Baylor University, Duke University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology analyzed data from the Gallup organization's U.S. Daily Poll between 2008 and 2017, wh  more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 14 -- Rice University issued the following news release: Two groups of Rice University researchers are asking for the public's help to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing policies are impacting people's lives, livelihoods and mental wellbeing. They've launched complimentary online surveys -- CovidSense.org and the COVID-19 Registry -- that can be completed by smartphone in a matter of minutes. The surveys are designed to collectively provide   more

HOUSTON, Texas, April 17 -- Rice University issued the following news release: The U.S.-China Phase 1 Trade Agreement should be reinterpreted for the long term so both countries can benefit from a multibillion-dollar energy component of the deal -- a reinterpretation that can lead to job creation in the U.S. energy sector -- say experts at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. Ken Medlock and Steven Miles, fellows at the Center for Energy Studies at the Baker Institute, are avai  more

FORT WORTH, Texas, April 17 -- Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary issued the following news release: The new Master of Theology (Th.M.) in the School of Church Music and Worship will expand music students' opportunities for advanced study and research at the master's level, and also serve as "an incredible launch point" for them to advance to the Ph.D. program, says the school's administration. The degree was approved by The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's Board of Trustees d  more

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, April 18 -- Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences issued the following news release on April 16: Dr. Noah Cohen, the Patsy Link Chair in Equine Research at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM), has identified an alternative treatment for foal pneumonia that avoids the use of often over-prescribed antibiotics. In research funded by the Morris Animal Foundation, Cohen and collaborators found that   more

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, April 17 -- Texas A&M University's College of Engineering issued the following news: For millennia, metallurgists have been meticulously tweaking the ingredients of steel to enhance its properties. As a result, several variants of steel exist; but one type, called martensitic steel, stands out from its steel cousins as stronger and more cost-effective to produce. Hence, martensitic steels naturally lend themselves to applications in the aerospace, automotive and defense   more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 16 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott announced that his Public Safety Office (PSO) will provide $38 million in federal funds to local units of government in Texas. These funds come from the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Program authorized by the federal Emergency Appropriations for Coronavirus Health Response and Agency Operations Act. Jurisdictions may use this funding to prevent, prepare for, and respond to  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 14 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Eric Lindsay, Elyse Lieberman, Ph.D., and Kristie Orr, Ph.D. and reappointed Ellen Bauman, Archer Hadley, and Dylan Rafaty to the Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities for terms set to expire on February 1, 2021. Additionally, he appointed Kori Allen and reappointed Aaron Bangor, Ph.D., Evelyn Cano, Richard Martinez, Emma F. Rudkin, and Amy Scott for terms set t  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 14 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Margon Dillard to the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists for a term set to expire on February 1, 2025. The board may set reasonable and necessary fees to be charged applicants and license holders, including fees for application, examination, licensure, and renewal of a license. In addition, the board shall base a fee for examination in a discipline of geoscience o  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 14 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Kara Cashteen, Anne Esquivel, Ph.D., Dan Freeland, D.O., Lisa Formby, Sarah Garrett, Suzanne Gazda, M.D., Lisa Hardy, Anthony Infante, M.D., Ph.D., Qazi Javed, M.D., Paula Kruppstadt, M.D., Sharon Lemons, Darcy McMaughan, Ph.D., Amy Offutt, M.D., and Carol Trautman, Ph.D. to the Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome Advisory Council for terms set to expire on Aug  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 14 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Abbott has reappointed Jody Anderson and Thomas Murphy, and appointed Kimberly "Kim" Childs, Ph.D. to the Angelina and Neches River Authority Board of Directors for terms set to expire on September 5, 2025. Jody Anderson of Lufkin is the president and co-owner of Timberland Mobile Housing, LLC. He is a member of the Texas Manufactured Housing Association and the Angelina County Chamber of Commerce  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 13 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation extending his Disaster Declaration for all Texas counties in response to COVID-19. Originally issued on March 13th, the Disaster Declaration provides the state a number of resources to effectively serve Texans as the Lone Star State continues to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. "By extending my Disaster Declaration, we are ensuring the state of Texas continues t  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 18 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release on April 17: Governor Greg Abbott held a press conference where he issued three new Executive Orders to begin the process of reopening the state of Texas while revising hospital capacity and certain social distancing guidelines. Within the orders, select activities and services that pose minimal to no threat of spreading COVID-19 are allowed to reopen using a "Retail-To-Go" model, certain restrictions on sur  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 17 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott's Office of Economic Development and Tourism (EDT) yesterday launched the Governor's Small Business Webinar Series to provide Texas small business owners and entrepreneurs with timely, relevant, and actionable information on COVID-19 recovery resources. The first webinar, specifically tailored to Central Texas, was attended by over 3,000 Texans. The Webinar Series takes the place of the  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 13 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following statement: Governor Greg Abbott tonight has lit the Texas Governor's Mansion blue in honor of frontline health care workers in Texas. In a statement, the Governor thanked these hardworking men and women for their commitment to serving their fellow Texans as the state responds to COVID-19. "The State of Texas is forever grateful for the committed health care workers serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response. "T  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 14 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott has reappointed Arden C. "Trey" Hill, III and Kelly K. Lovell to the Board of Pilot Commissioners for Galveston County Ports for terms set to expire on February 1, 2024. The Board has exclusive jurisdiction over the piloting of vessels on navigable streams wholly or partially located in the board's jurisdiction. Arden C. "Trey" Hill, III of Friendswood is president of Hill Sand Company  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 14 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott announced that Goldman Sachs and the LiftFund, along with other community development financial institutions (CDFIs), are partnering to provide $50 million in loans to small businesses in Texas that have been affected by COVID-19 as part of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. These loans, made through the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Paycheck Protection Prog  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 16 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following joint statement: Governor Greg Abbott and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced two new COVID-19 drive-through testing sites for Harris County in partnership with Walgreens. These sites are set to come online Friday, April 17th, and will have the capacity to conduct 200 tests per day at each location. For the past week, Governor Abbott has been working with Judge Hidalgo and Walgreens to bring these sites online and  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 18 -- The Public Utility Commission of Texas issued the following news release on April 17: In today's open meeting, the Public Utility Commission of Texas approved a number of refinements to the agency's efforts to mitigate the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on low-income Texans. "As the world deals with an unprecedented array of challenges, we are working closely with industry participants, consumer advocates,and other state agencies to ensure we are taking th  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 18 -- The Public Utility Commission of Texas issued the following news release: The Public Utility Commission of Texas is reminding customers eligible for enrollment in the COVID-19 Electricity Relief Program (ERP) that third-party organizations cannot legally enroll them in the program. Further, the PUC is warning customers that solicitations for information relating to enrolling in the ERP may be fraudulent attempts to steal personal financial data. According to program   more

FORT DAVIS, Texas, April 16 -- The University of Texas at Austin's McDonald Observatory issued the following news release: A team of transatlantic scientists led by The University of Texas at Austin's Andrew Vanderburg has used reanalyzed data from NASA's Kepler space telescope to discover an Earth-size exoplanet orbiting in its star's habitable zone, the area around a star where a rocky planet could support liquid water. Scientists discovered this planet, called Kepler-1649c, when looking thr  more

CHARLESTON, West Virginia, April 16 -- The Public Service Commission of West Virginia issued the following order (Case No. 20-0314-C-PW): TAG MOBILE, LLC, a limited liability company, Carrolton, Texas, Request for Lifeline tariff waiver. COMMISSION ORDER The Commission dismisses this case. BACKGROUND On March 27, 2020, TAG Mobile, LLC (TAG) filed a letter notifying the Commission that from March 18, 2020, to May 17, 2020, it will provide a "free 5GB data top up" to all of its Lifeline subscr  more