INSIDER
Republicans win Tarrant County, moving local government further to the right
Read full article: Republicans win Tarrant County, moving local government further to the rightFormer state Rep. Matt Krause’s win may push the commissioners court even further away from the bipartisanship on which it once prided itself.
In South Texas, university students accuse Democratic county officials of suppressing their votes
Read full article: In South Texas, university students accuse Democratic county officials of suppressing their votesThe county decided to not have an early voting site at a Laredo university because of historic low turnout. It will have one on Election Day.
Long lines but few problems as Texas wraps the first week of early voting
Read full article: Long lines but few problems as Texas wraps the first week of early votingA Bexar County election worker was assaulted Thursday, officials said. In Tarrant County, officials encouraged voters to review their ballots before voting.
Tarrant County GOP sought an election advantage with failed effort to shutter college voting locations
Read full article: Tarrant County GOP sought an election advantage with failed effort to shutter college voting locationsIn a resolution signed Friday, the party blasted two Republicans who voted against the measure and accused them of undermining its electoral chances.
GOP bid to remove polling sites from Tarrant County college campuses fails
Read full article: GOP bid to remove polling sites from Tarrant County college campuses failsCounty Judge Tim O’Hare said he proposed the cuts to save costs. Critics accused Republican leaders of suppressing the vote of young people who back Democrats.
Predator accused of trying to meet woman in Montgomery County to sexually assault her 13-year-old daughter
Read full article: Predator accused of trying to meet woman in Montgomery County to sexually assault her 13-year-old daughterDuring the investigation, authorities learned (via conversations with the woman) that Scott Jacob Baldwin "detailed his sexual interest in children and recounted previous sexual contact he's had with other victims in the Tarrant County area."
“War on white America”: Influential Texas group hosting pro-Christian nationalism conference
Read full article: “War on white America”: Influential Texas group hosting pro-Christian nationalism conferenceTrue Texas Project has for years worked with Attorney General Ken Paxton, Sen. Ted Cruz and other prominent Republicans.
Feds investigate another Texas school district for its gender identity mandate
Read full article: Feds investigate another Texas school district for its gender identity mandateKaty ISD’s board voted this past fall to require staff to notify parents if their child wants to use a different pronoun or identifies as a different gender.
Texans get their first crack at electing the people overseeing the state’s complicated property appraisal process
Read full article: Texans get their first crack at electing the people overseeing the state’s complicated property appraisal processIn the state’s larger counties, voters can now elect people to the agencies that appraise property values.
Tarrant County DA wants Crystal Mason’s illegal voting conviction reinstated
Read full article: Tarrant County DA wants Crystal Mason’s illegal voting conviction reinstatedA Texas appeals court recently overturned Mason’s five-year prison sentence for casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 election while on supervised release for federal tax evasion.
Texas appeals court overturns Crystal Mason’s conviction, 5-year sentence for illegal voting
Read full article: Texas appeals court overturns Crystal Mason’s conviction, 5-year sentence for illegal votingMason gained national attention after she was convicted for voting while under supervised release for felony tax fraud. She said she didn’t know she was ineligible to vote.
The EPA sets tougher national soot standards. These 10 Texas counties already exceed them.
Read full article: The EPA sets tougher national soot standards. These 10 Texas counties already exceed them.Some environmental experts are skeptical that Texas can meet the new rules on particulate matter, which can cause serious respiratory problems.
GOP donor, voter fraud activist is a finalist to run elections in Tarrant County
Read full article: GOP donor, voter fraud activist is a finalist to run elections in Tarrant CountyKaren Wiseman previously sued former election administrator Heider Garcia and participated in a right-wing group’s search for 2020 voter fraud. She’s one of the three finalists, none of whom have experience running elections.
Have you seen Noel? Amber Alert issued for 6-year-old boy reported missing since November in Tarrant Co.
Read full article: Have you seen Noel? Amber Alert issued for 6-year-old boy reported missing since November in Tarrant Co.An Amber Alert was issued for a 6-year-old boy who was reported missing in Tarrant County.
Ex-Fort Worth cop sentenced to nearly 12 years for manslaughter of Atatiana Jefferson
Read full article: Ex-Fort Worth cop sentenced to nearly 12 years for manslaughter of Atatiana JeffersonA jury found Aaron Dean guilty of manslaughter last week for the fatal shooting of Jefferson, a 28-year-old Black woman, while she was babysitting her nephew in a family home.
Jury deliberates ex-Texas officer’s sentence in killing
Read full article: Jury deliberates ex-Texas officer’s sentence in killingA jury deciding the sentence for a former Texas police officer who was convicted of manslaughter last week for fatally shooting Atatiana Jefferson through a rear window in her home in 2019 deliberated for over seven hours Monday.
Herschel Walker, running for U.S. Senate in Georgia, still gets tax break on $3 million Texas residence
Read full article: Herschel Walker, running for U.S. Senate in Georgia, still gets tax break on $3 million Texas residenceUnder Texas law, homeowners can claim a homestead exemption only on their primary residence. The GOP Senate candidate registered to vote in Georgia last year.
Texas’ execution of Stephen Barbee was prolonged while officials searched for a vein
Read full article: Texas’ execution of Stephen Barbee was prolonged while officials searched for a veinBarbee, convicted in the 2005 murders of his pregnant ex-girlfriend and her child, was unable to straighten his arms, which caused the delay. Courts allowed Barbee’s execution despite concerns from his lawyer that his disability would make the process “torture.”
Austin mayor’s race heading to a runoff, Dallas county judge wins reelection
Read full article: Austin mayor’s race heading to a runoff, Dallas county judge wins reelectionIn three key local elections, the Austin mayoral race will be decided in a runoff, Republican Tim O’Hare won the Tarrant County judge race and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins won reelection.
Can Democrats in Tarrant County replicate the success they had in 2018 and 2020?
Read full article: Can Democrats in Tarrant County replicate the success they had in 2018 and 2020?Democrats hope population growth and Republican infighting will help them win in the state’s third-most-populous county — and finally break through in statewide races.
For Republicans, winning Hispanic voters will be a bigger fight than South Texas
Read full article: For Republicans, winning Hispanic voters will be a bigger fight than South TexasNearly half of Hispanic Texans live in the state’s five largest counties, a voting bloc Democrats cannot afford to lose as they struggle to compete in the state’s vast rural areas.
Tarrant County sends more kids to youth prisons than any other in Texas. Many blame this judge.
Read full article: Tarrant County sends more kids to youth prisons than any other in Texas. Many blame this judge.Critics say state District Judge Alex Kim is sending too many children to the state’s failing youth prison system. The longtime GOP politician points to a rise in teen gang violence.
Two Republican foes of Dan Patrick support Democrat Mike Collier for lieutenant governor
Read full article: Two Republican foes of Dan Patrick support Democrat Mike Collier for lieutenant governorBoth Republicans have been at odds with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and neither of them are running for reelection.
Crystal Mason’s contentious illegal voting conviction must be reconsidered, criminal appeals court says
Read full article: Crystal Mason’s contentious illegal voting conviction must be reconsidered, criminal appeals court saysMason said she didn’t know she was ineligible to vote when she cast a provisional ballot in 2016, but she was sentenced to five years in prison. Now, the Court of Criminal Appeals says an appellate court that affirmed her conviction must look again at the evidence of Mason’s intent.
Candidates backed by conservative PAC sweep Tarrant County school board elections
Read full article: Candidates backed by conservative PAC sweep Tarrant County school board electionsAll but one of the 11 Tarrant County conservative school board candidates, who were backed this year by several high-profile donors and big-money PACs, defeated their opponents during Saturday’s local elections, according to unofficial results.
With piles of campaign cash, Christian activists make North Texas school board races a state battleground
Read full article: With piles of campaign cash, Christian activists make North Texas school board races a state battlegroundIn Tarrant County, conservative PACs animated about the teaching of race and sexuality are flooding school board races with hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Many voting locations throughout Texas did not open because of staff shortages
Read full article: Many voting locations throughout Texas did not open because of staff shortagesIn some voting locations where a party’s appointed polling judge didn’t show up, election officials allowed the other party’s judge to operate both parties’ voting machines in an effort to keep the polling place running.
Live primary election updates: Polls close in most of Texas, but final results won’t be known for hours
Read full article: Live primary election updates: Polls close in most of Texas, but final results won’t be known for hoursVoters are heading to the polls Tuesday to choose party nominees for the general election. Here’s the latest.
Federal judges won’t halt Texas primary in state Senate district being challenged for alleged discrimination
Read full article: Federal judges won’t halt Texas primary in state Senate district being challenged for alleged discriminationThe redrawn state Senate District 10 splits Black and Hispanic voters in Tarrant County. A full trial on whether GOP lawmakers intentionally discriminated against voters of color is expected later this year.
Texas violated voting rights law during redistricting, retiring state GOP senator says in sworn court statement
Read full article: Texas violated voting rights law during redistricting, retiring state GOP senator says in sworn court statementA three-judge federal panel is hearing arguments in a lawsuit claiming that Texas Republicans violated the Voting Rights Act when they redrew state Senate District 10 in Tarrant County to lessen Black and Hispanic voting power.
At-home COVID-19 tests are in scarce supply in Texas while public testing sites see a rise in demand
Read full article: At-home COVID-19 tests are in scarce supply in Texas while public testing sites see a rise in demandMost local officials insist they still have testing capacity at their public testing sites, but Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said demand has outpaced supply.
Republican state Rep. Matt Krause drops out of attorney general’s race to run for Tarrant County district attorney
Read full article: Republican state Rep. Matt Krause drops out of attorney general’s race to run for Tarrant County district attorneyKrause had been among the primary challengers to Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose legal problems have made him a target for both parties next year.
This historically red Texas county diversified in the last decade. Now, Republicans are trying to divide up its voters of color.
Read full article: This historically red Texas county diversified in the last decade. Now, Republicans are trying to divide up its voters of color.Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, said the maps were drawn “race-blind.” But Democratic Sen. Beverly Powell, whose district would be turned into a majority-Republican district, said they’re an attempt to deny voters of color their voice in elections.
Child dies after being infected by brain-eating amoeba likely at splash pad in Texas, reports say
Read full article: Child dies after being infected by brain-eating amoeba likely at splash pad in Texas, reports sayA child has died after being infected by a rare, brain-eating amoeba which was detected at a splash pad he visited in Arlington, Texas.
Texas county officials call election audits an unnecessary partisan ploy while voicing confidence in 2020 results
Read full article: Texas county officials call election audits an unnecessary partisan ploy while voicing confidence in 2020 resultsOfficials in some counties targeted by audits accuse Republican Texas leaders of pandering to conspiracy theorists and undermining faith in elections. They also say the secretary of state’s office hasn’t provided details on what the audits entail.
Mattie Parker declares victory in Fort Worth mayoral runoff
Read full article: Mattie Parker declares victory in Fort Worth mayoral runoffParker, the former chief of staff to retiring Mayor Betsy Price, declared victory in the runoff against Deborah Peoples, who recently stepped down as chair of the Tarrant County Democratic Party.
Polling places for urban voters of color would be cut under Texas Senate's version of voting bill being negotiated with House
Read full article: Polling places for urban voters of color would be cut under Texas Senate's version of voting bill being negotiated with HouseVoters in some urban, Democratic areas of Harris and Tarrant counties would see a drastic drop in polling places under the Senate version of Senate Bill 7, a Texas Tribune analysis shows.
Texas mayoral races, Austin homeless measure among key issues on Saturday ballots. Here’s what you need to know.
Read full article: Texas mayoral races, Austin homeless measure among key issues on Saturday ballots. Here’s what you need to know.Local elections are happening across Texas on Saturday, some of which have drawn statewide — and even national — attention. Here are the four that we are watching most closely, plus a few other contests to keep in mind.
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals will review Crystal Mason’s controversial illegal voting conviction
Read full article: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals will review Crystal Mason’s controversial illegal voting convictionBut Tarrant County prosecutors pressed forward with charges, arguing Mason’s case came down to intent. The all-Republican court’s decision to review Mason’s case is notable. The Court of Criminal Appeals isn’t required to review non-death penalty convictions, and it rarely grants requests to do so. Mason turned to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals late last year after a state appeals court panel affirmed the trial court’s judgement. In her petition to the court, Mason’s lawyers argued the appeals court erred in upholding her conviction because the state’s illegal voting statute requires a person to know they are ineligible to vote and Mason did not.
Tarrant County sees record COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations as Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price tests positive
Read full article: Tarrant County sees record COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations as Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price tests positiveMedical Assistants with Mi Doctor operate a testing clinic at the La Gran Plaza in Fort Worth. Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas TribuneTarrant County reported a pandemic high of more than 2100 new cases and nearly 800 hospitalizations Wednesday, the same day Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price tested positive for COVID-19. Price’s husband had tested positive for the virus just hours earlier. Public health officials are alarmed at the trends. On Tuesday, Vinny Taneja, the county’s public health director, issued a “public health warning” asking residents to help flatten the curve.
Texas approaches 7,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations amid spike
Read full article: Texas approaches 7,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations amid spikeAlmost 7,000 COVID-19 patients were in Texas hospitals Thursday, the most in almost three months, as infections of the coronavirus that causes the disease continue statewide, nationwide and worldwide. The 6,925 hospitalizations are the most Texas has counted since Aug. 12, according to reports by the Texas Department of State Health Services. However, state figures appear to be lagging indicators of the present COVID-19 outbreak in Texas when compared with statistics compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The state coronavirus count for the pandemic that began in March was 993,841, while the Johns Hopkins count for Texas topped 1 million earlier this week. Overall, 62,525 new coronavirus infections and 698 new COVID-19 deaths have been reported in Texas in this past week alone, according to Johns Hopkins statistics.
Democrats didn’t get a blue wave, but some of the fastest-growing suburbs in Texas are still moving to the left
Read full article: Democrats didn’t get a blue wave, but some of the fastest-growing suburbs in Texas are still moving to the leftCredit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas TribuneAlthough they didn’t get the blue wave they expected, Democrats narrowed the gap with Republicans in five of the most competitive and populous suburban counties in Texas. Meanwhile, Democrats won over many voters like 28-year-old Rachel Copeland, who said she voted for Libertarian Gary Johnson in 2016. Not all suburban counties became as competitive as Tarrant. “I think we need to rethink how we talk about the blue wave,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, political science professor at the University of Houston. It’s certainly changing, we saw it with how close Beto came in 2016, and the demographics have changed drastically,” Cross said.
Texas 2020 elections: Voters deciding a bevy of heated races could shatter state's turnout record
Read full article: Texas 2020 elections: Voters deciding a bevy of heated races could shatter state's turnout recordMore than 9.7 million Texans cast ballots during early voting. Nearly 127,000 Harris County voters cast drive-thru ballots during the early voting period at 10 polling sites across the county, a safer option for some voters during the coronavirus pandemic. A federal judge earlier Monday denied that group's attempt to have the drive-thru ballots cast during early voting tossed out, but continued to file appellate challenges over drive-thru voting late Monday. At least 9,718,648 voters cast early ballots, according to preliminary final numbers released Sunday by the Texas secretary of state. Early voting, which Gov.
Tarrant County faces delayed counts for its tightest races due to staffing shortages
Read full article: Tarrant County faces delayed counts for its tightest races due to staffing shortagesIn the nearby Tarrant County, county officials worry there could be delayed counts due to staffing shortages. Tarrant County officials are warning that coronavirus-related staffing shortages mean elections workers are unlikely to finish counting mail-in ballots on Tuesday night, potentially leaving the county’s tightest races undecided until later this week. Tarrant County, the largest Republican-controlled county in the state, is home to a number of state legislative races and at least one congressional race that are expected to be tight. While both parties and the county government say they hope winners will be declared Tuesday night, Whitley was more cautious. Greg Abbott on Monday took notice of the staffing concerns and called on Tarrant County Republicans to volunteer as poll watchers and poll workers.
Kamala Harris visits Houston during Texas campaign swing
Read full article: Kamala Harris visits Houston during Texas campaign swingKamala Harris’ trip to Texas on Friday will include three stops across the state, including in the Rio Grande Valley, according to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s campaign. Fort Worth’s Tarrant County was the state’s most populous county that Republican President Donald Trump won in 2016. Harris will be the highest-profile Biden surrogate to come to Texas in the general election yet, following visits in recent weeks by Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, and Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff. Harris’ visit is not the only notable activity by the Biden campaign this week in Texas. Sign up for The Brief, the Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
Texas has a record number of new voters. Where they are shows how the state has become more competitive.
Read full article: Texas has a record number of new voters. Where they are shows how the state has become more competitive.But it’s also thanks to a surge of 1.8 million new registered voters since the 2016 election. But looking at where the new registered voters are can help us understand how the balance of voting power is subtly shifting in the state. Since 2016, they saw an increase of 630,796 registered voters, according to data collected by the Texas Secretary of State. These counties have had huge turnout and huge increases in registered voters this year, adding 533,098 new voters since 2016. They have gained 522,972 registered voters in total, and show no sign of turning blue.
Ex-Texas officer’s trial set for next year in woman’s death
Read full article: Ex-Texas officer’s trial set for next year in woman’s deathFORT WORTH, Texas – A judge in Texas has tentatively set an August trial date for a white former police officer charged with murder in the shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson, a Black woman who was fatally shot through a window. Judge David Hagerman on Tuesday said the scheduling may be fluid but that the case of former Fort Worth officer Aaron Dean “needs to be tried next year,” the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Dean resigned after he was charged with murder in the Oct. 12, 2019, shooting death of Jefferson. Jefferson had been babysitting her 8-year-old nephew at her mother's home when a neighbor called a non-emergency police line to report that a door was ajar. At Tuesday’s pretrial proceedings, Hagerman said he would likely consider a motion to change the venue of the trial from Tarrant County, which is home to Fort Worth.
2 North Texas counties to remove Confederate monuments
Read full article: 2 North Texas counties to remove Confederate monumentsFORT WORTH, Texas Officials in two North Texas counties voted Tuesday to remove Confederate monuments from their courthouse grounds. Commissioners of Tarrant and Denton counties voted Tuesday to remove the monuments. The Tarrant County monument had been erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1953. The Denton County monument was erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy in 1918. Both counties said their monuments would be placed in storage until alternate sites could be found.