It is almost the first of the month. Rent is due - and in Texas, evictions can resume after a two-month halt due to the economic effects of coronavirus.

The coronavirus pandemic has kept people home for months, itching for sunshine and social interaction. But favorite summer activities are going to be different this year.

More than 675 people in Lubbock have been diagnosed with COVID-19. But the worst of it seems to be over, said Dr. Prakash Shrestha, an infectious disease specialist for Covenant Health.

About 57% of Lubbock residents have responded to the U.S. Census. That’s pretty good – but there’s still a way to go with unique challenges to collecting this year’s data. 

For the undocumented community COVID-19 has complicated an already stressful situation. It’s easy to see why one would worry about what personal information might be needed to get a test. David Strange, an immigration attorney at Wittenberg Law Firm, says that while he understands that fear hospitals and doctors office are safe spaces.

It’s 7:30 on a Thursday night as I approach the front porch of Texas Tech music professor Christopher Smith. He leans back on his chair, banjo in hand and a glass of whiskey to his left.

We exchange helloes as the gravel crunches under my feet. The music fades to a halt and Smith takes a sip of his drink. He’s settling in for his nightly porch performance. It’s given him a daily routine and has become his way of connecting with his quiet neighborhood, Tech Terrace. But he doesn’t really remember when it started.