A federal judge opened a path for a massive expansion in absentee voting in Texas by ordering Tuesday that all state voters, regardless of age, qualify for mail-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic. Days after a two-hour preliminary injunction hearing in San Antonio, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery agreed with individual Texas voters and the Texas Democratic Party that voters would face irreparable harm if existing age eligibility rules for voting by mail remain in place for elections held while the coronavirus remains in wide circulation. Under his order, which the Texas attorney general said he would immediately appeal, voters under the age of 65 who would ordinarily not qualify for mail-in ballots would now be eligible.

Early voting for the July 14 primary runoffs will begin June 29, and of course there is a national election coming up on November 3, 2020. Many may be worrying about going out to the polls during COVID-19. According to the office of the Texas Secretary of State, you may vote by mail if:

Mary Flores didn’t realize just how much 1 ton of produce was until she arrived at River City Produce to see her donation being given to several local nonprofits and group homes on May 13. It’s enough to feed about 4,000 people.

Watch Fred Cardenas of  Family Services Association, read an excerpt from "Georgie and the Giant Germ," a coloring book to help children understand the COVID-19 pandemic:  

By Alexa Ura, The Texas Tribune May 14, 2020

The state of Texas is easing some restrictions, but the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are deep and lasting across the community. Many residents have suffered job loss or furloughs, others have been unable to gain immediate physical or mental healthcare access. Others cannot afford to buy food or other basic necessities. But several area organizations are furnishing a variety of services to help the public. Here are a few:

Social isolation imposed under the coronavirus stay-at-home mandates pose a substantial risk for people in recovery from opioid dependency, says Dr. Adam Bruggeman, an addiction medicine doctor. He worries people will fall into a repeat pattern of opioid abuse.

For healthcare workers and first responders who like to hit the road on their motorcycles, Caliente Harley-Davidson would like to thank them for risking their health and safety during the coronavirus outbreak by offering free scheduled maintenance services through May 30.

San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) has launched two new funding initiatives to assist residents facing financial hardship during the COVID-19 crisis as part of efforts to assist more than 19,000 public housing and SAHA owned and managed mixed-income community residents. SAHA is contributing $350,000 to the City of San Antonio’s COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Program, formerly known as the Risk Mitigation Fund, to help SAHA residents with rent assistance. SAHA will also provide staff to support the program’s application review.

Allee Wallace recently returned home after spending a month at death’s door, slowly recuperating from a life-or-death struggle against the coronavirus. But Allee refused to answer death knocking. At 85 years old, the odds were stacked against him. But he credits his savior, Jesus Christ – as well as doctors and nurses at Brooke Army Medical Center and Post Acute Medical Specialty Hospital – for saving his life and restoring him back to health.