The special prosecutors in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s fraud case have suffered another loss in their fight for back pay. The First Court of Appeals in Houston ruled on Thursday that a lower court erred in ordering the prosecutors to be paid $300-an-hour for their work on the case.
Paxton was indicted on three felony fraud charges in 2015. He was accused of defrauding investors in a McKinney tech company and failing to register as an investment adviser representative.
After fighting the charges for years, Paxton cut a deal with the special prosecutors in March to do community service and pay restitution in lieu of going to trial. (KUT 90.5)
Paxton’s attorney on Thursday announced the Texas Attorney General will work at a food bank as part of the deal. (Houston Chronicle)
A Travis County judge granted state prosecutors a stay in the tampering trial against former Williamson County sheriff Robert Chody and a former county prosecutor on Thursday. The stay effectively pauses the trial for an undetermined amount of time.
Williamson County prosecutors have dropped the charge against Austin Independent School District’s Chief Financial Officer Eduardo Ramos. Ramos was arrested by the Austin Independent School District Police Department on July 31 on an insurance fraud charge unrelated to his work at the district. Austin ISD officials said on Thursday they received a letter from the Williamson County District Attorney’s Office declining to prosecute the insurance fraud charge. (KXAN-TV)
Ramos will not be returning to the AISD…
The Travis County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance to help solve a homicide cold case that has languished for two years. (Austin American-Statesman)
A man was arrested and charged with murder in connection with a deadly shooting in north Austin in July. (KXAN-TV)
A man has been charged in the 1980 death of a University of Texas at Austin nursing student. (KVUE-TV)
The Texas legislature could push for greater implementation of law enforcement’s use of less-lethal weapons. Last session, the Texas Senate passed a bill that would have largely protected law enforcement officers from prosecution in cases where a less-lethal weapon was used, though it died in the House. (KEYE-TV)
Texas election officials are dealing with a flood of challenges to voter registrations. (Texas Tribune)
How Texans with disabilities can vote in the November election. (Texas Tribune)
Why are we under a heat dome?
Even though Hurricane Ernesto will stay well offshore of the United States through this weekend, waves expanding outward from the storm will create rough surf and strong rip currents along the Atlantic coast beaches.
Texas may be nowhere in the path of Ernesto but based on data through 2022, Texas has been hit by more hurricanes than 48 other states. Only Florida has seen more hurricanes. (Austin American-Statesman)
1907’s chill summer and other Austin weather records that might surprise you. (Austin Monthly)
A fatal collision Thursday afternoon in Cedar Park caused temporary road closures and traffic delays. (KEYE-TV)
A 13-year-old Rouse High School student was struck by a vehicle in the school’s parking lot during morning arrival Thursday in Leander. (KVUE-TV)
One in five students in Texas are considered chronically absent, according to a new analysis. (Dallas Morning News via MSN)
A typical Austin homeowner could pay nearly $1,000 more in property taxes next fiscal year. (KXAN-TV)
The head of the Texas Division of Emergency Management said state and local agencies continue to have issues communicating at large scale events. (Fox7 Austin)
The Texas Department of Transportation is packing in more lanes through Travis County as part of the largest-ever expansion of I-35 in Austin. The biggest changes will happen through the center of the city, where four new “managed lanes” will be reserved exclusively for vehicles with more than one person inside. (KUT 90.5)
Another toll road text message scam is targeting Texas drivers. (KVUE-TV)
The new city budget Austin City Council passed this week was good news for parks and park lovers with the creation of a land acquisition fund, improved parks maintenance, additional funding for tree-planting projects and a dog park in Southwest Austin. (Austin Monthly)
Travis County officials are still seeing large numbers of attempted auto emissions fraud. (KXAN-TV)
Austin officials are in the process of creating a new way to explain and track how policy decisions impact water quality in the city. (Austin Monitor)
Some of the 500,000 residents in outlying areas of Bexar County may soon have other options to dispose of bulky items. (Texas Public Radio)
Human cases of the mosquito-borne West Nile Virus are the highest in Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the federal government to stop a rule requiring minimum staffing standards in nursing homes nationwide. (KXAN-TV)
A Texas megachurch embroiled in controversy over its founder’s alleged child sex abuse is facing another lawsuit involving accusations of abuse by a youth group member. (CBS News via MSN)
The Boerne Little Leaguers from Texas won their opening round match in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
In MLB, the Minnesota Twins are playing like contenders. The Texas Rangers are not.
Carlos Santana hit a sacrifice fly off Rangers closer Kirby Yates in the ninth inning in Arlington last night to give the Twins a 3-2 win in the opener of a weekend series.
The Houston Astros did not play Thursday. They are sitting atop the AL West and host the Chicago White Sox beginning tonight. Houston has won eight straight.
The NBA released its league-wide schedule Thursday with the San Antonio Spurs playing back-to-back nights Feb. 20-21 in Austin at Moody Center. The opening night will feature a familiar face for Texas Longhorns fans: Kevin Durant. (KXAN-TV)
Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers has secured numerous lucrative name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, including one with Nicholas Air, a private jet company that gave him access to flights. (Athlon Sports)
In 1974, three prisoners used smuggled weapons to take hostages in the library at the Texas State Prison in Huntsville, an ordeal that lasted nearly two weeks. This summer marks fifty years since the incident.
