State Capital Highlights
It is cedar season in Texas, meaning runny noses and watery eyes especially affecting folks living in Central Texas where juniper trees are prominent.
“Cedar fever is irritating to many due to the quantity and density of Ashe junipers in Central Texas that all produce pollen at the same time, which leads to a high concentration of pollen in the air,” said Robert Edmonson of the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Don’t feel safe or smug if you live in East Texas. The eastern red cedar also releases pollen around the same time and can provoke similar irritating reactions.
Both types of trees begin producing pollen in mid-December, with production reaching its peak in mid-January, and relief setting in by the beginning of March.
After a hot and dry October, the state for the most part received much-needed rain in November, though temperatures remained above average for this time of year, according to Mark Wentzel, hydrologist with the Texas Water Development Board.
As a result, the percentage of the state in drought dropped 24 percentage points by the end of November. However, half of Texas is still in drought, mainly in Far West Texas and a piece of Central Texas around San Antonio.
“November was a welcome relief from October's statewide record-setting heat and near record- setting dryness,” Wentzel wrote. Drought conditions are expected to remain relatively stable through the winter months, he added.
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Agency seeks $300 million to bolster Medicaid
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is seeking a $300 million transfusion of funds to bolster the state’s Medicaid application process, The Texas Tribune reported.
The public health insurance program provides coverage for people or families with limited income, as well as pregnant women and people with disabilities. Wait time for applicants in Texas has been as long as 71 days, with nearly 132,000 pending applications last month.
The proposed funding would allow hiring more than 1,000 additional workers and upgrading a decades-old computer system to speed up the Medicaid application process in Texas.
The agency’s request notes the COVID-19 pandemic put considerable stress on the eligibility system.
If lawmakers approve the $300 million request, the state could receive an additional $100 million in funding, largely from the federal government.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com.