Here are things you need to know for Wednesday, Sept. 23:
1. Ted Cruz blocked Senate resolution to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg, citing a ‘partisan’ amendment
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A ceremonial resolution honoring the life of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg failed in the Senate Tuesday, after U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz objected to language his Democratic counterparts added noting her dying wish that a successor not be chosen until after the presidential inauguration early next year.
2. Dozens of elderly residents rescued from unlicensed group home in southeast Harris County
Harris County Precinct 7 deputy constables forced their way into an unlicensed group home in southeast Harris County and found more than three dozen elderly residents, most with medical conditions, crammed into a four-bedroom house with only one working toilet.
On Monday afternoon, a woman living in New York called the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and said she’d received a phone call from her 62-year-old brother, who has a mental illness, saying that he was being held against his will and feard for his life as a resident at the home.
3. Former top official with HISD accused of taking kickbacks from contractor, according to court records
An FBI raid of the headquarters of Houston Independent School District and the home of then-Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby in February stemmed from allegations that Busby was taking kickbacks from a district contractor, according to a document filed in court.
Federal agents descended on the district’s administration building and Busby’s home on Feb. 27 to conduct a “court-authorized law enforcement activity at the Hattie Mae White, HISD Administration Building.”
4. MAPPED: More than 100K gallons of wastewater spilled in 5 locations in Houston due to TS Beta, officials say
Houston officials say more than 100,000 gallons of domestic wastewater have been spilled in five locations in Houston as of 6:30 p.m. Tuesday due to the “intense, sustained, rainfall of greater than 10 inches in the last 24 hours,” during Tropical Storm Beta.
5. Houston announces no jury trials, jury duty until Nov. 30
The city of Houston announced the suspension of jury duty and jury trials has been extended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a news release, the extension will now last through Nov. 30. People who have a trial scheduled from June 1 through Nov. 30 will be given resets in-person at all city court location.