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9 Mar, 4 tweets, 2 min read
.@utaustin released the findings of a report — months in the making — exploring the history of its alma mater song, "The Eyes of Texas."

Read it here: bit.ly/3cdQUuO
The song — played to the tune of "I’ve been working on the railroad" — was historically performed at campus minstrel shows, and the title is linked to a saying from Confederate Army Commander Robert E. Lee.
Emails we obtained show that hundreds of alumni and donors demanded that the school stand up to "cancel culture" and firmly get behind the song as students protested against it— or else donors were going to walk away. bit.ly/3bskLjM
Football players say they were forced to stay on field for the song to appease angry donors and fans: bit.ly/3l0Rpwk

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More from @TexasTribune

Texas Tribune Profile picture
9 Mar
A report released Tuesday by a University of Texas at Austin committee found that the controversial alma mater, “The Eyes of Texas” debuted at a minstrel show where students likely wore blackface. bit.ly/30uHHZz
The report said that William Prather, the university president who coined the phrase at the turn of the 20th century, said he took it from stories he heard and read about Confederate leaders who used a similar phrase to urge troops on during the Civil War. bit.ly/3cdQUuO
But the 24-member committee could not find primary documents that specifically tied the phrase to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, despite it long being believed that Lee was part of the song’s origin story. bit.ly/30uHHZz
Read 6 tweets
Texas Tribune Profile picture
27 Feb
The U.S. House passed the $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package, but the provision to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour isn't likely to make it through the Senate. bit.ly/3uLsnWv
The Texas delegation voted along party lines: all Democrats supported the bill, while all Republicans voted against it.

In the larger House, passage nearly fell along party lines, with the exception of two Democrats who opposed it.
The bill will now head to the U.S. Senate where it is likely to face some changes — particularly on the minimum wage issue — and is expected to pass mostly along partisan lines before it heads back to the House.
Read 4 tweets
Texas Tribune Profile picture
22 Feb
Thread: @FEMA has warned that scam artists tend to head to disaster areas to prey on people who have already endured hardships.

Here are some things for Texans to watch out for ⬇️
2/ According to @FEMA, people can pose as housing inspectors or building contractors, charge for free services, and make bogus donation pleas and fake offers of municipal or federal aid.

Read their list of tips for detecting scams here: fema.gov/news-release/2…
3/ Some of those tips include:

—Never pay in advance
—Do your research
—Get agreements in writing
—Verify insurance
—Don’t wire money or pay with reloadable debit cards or gift cards
—Report your concerns
Read 4 tweets
Texas Tribune Profile picture
20 Feb
1/ Nearly half the state of Texas is facing water disruptions, ranging from having no running water at all to being forced to boil it.

Here’s what boiled and unboiled water can be used for: bit.ly/3pG5e3M
2/ Water needs to be boiled or come from bottles if used for:
• Brushing teeth
• Preparing and cooking food
• Feeding babies with formula
• Giving water to pets
bit.ly/3pG5e3M
3/ Unboiled water is safe for:
• Showering and bathing if it doesn’t go in the mouth
• Laundry

For children, it may be safer to do a sponge bath with boiled water to ensure they don’t accidentally swallow untreated water. bit.ly/3pG5e3M
Read 5 tweets
Texas Tribune Profile picture
19 Feb
As snow blanketed much of Texas on Sunday, an 11-year-old gleefully played outside. It was his first time seeing snow.

Less than 24 hours later, as temperatures plunged to near single digits and homes lost power, the boy died. bit.ly/3sbFHkF
Many Texans have died because of the winter storm. Just how many won’t be known for weeks or months. bit.ly/3sbFHkF
In Abilene, first responders found a 60-year-old man dead in his home on Wednesday.

His wife was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. She said they hadn’t had power in days. Fire department members said it felt as cold inside the home as outside. bit.ly/3sbFHkF
Read 5 tweets
Texas Tribune Profile picture
18 Feb
Texas’ power grid was “seconds and minutes” away from a catastrophic failure that could have left Texans in the dark for months, officials with the entity that operates the grid said Thursday. bit.ly/37tzqch
2/ The decision grid operators made early Monday morning to begin what was intended to be rolling blackouts — but have lasted days for millions of Texans — occurred because operators were seeing warning signs that massive amounts of energy supply was dropping off the grid.
3/ As natural gas fired plants, utility scale wind power and coal plants tripped offline due to the extreme cold brought by the winter storm, the amount of power supplied to the grid to be distributed across the state fell rapidly.
Read 8 tweets

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