Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is threatening to sue Bexar County over an initiative to mail voter registration forms to unregistered county residents.
Such a legal battle could impact all Texas counties.
Paxton says the state Election Code does not explicitly grant local governments the authority to send forms to voters who haven’t requested them, and that mail applications could entice felons and other ineligible people to register. (Austin American-Statesman)
“At best, this proposal is ill-advised because it potentially confuses residents of Bexar County about whether they are eligible to vote. At worst, it may induce the commission of a crime by encouraging individuals who are ineligible to vote to provide false information on the form. Either way, it is illegal.”
— Texas AG Ken Paxton in a letter to Bexar County officials
Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai said Tuesday the voter registration initiative came after requests from citizens and is meant to increase participation in the democratic process.
The attorney for the Bexar County Commissioners Court told officials he “disagreed with the basis of” Paxton’s legal assessment, saying he’s relying on a Texas Supreme Court case that did not address voter registration forms.
The Texas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 1 in 2021, making it a state crime to solicit or distribute applications to vote by mail when voters have not requested them. The legislation also tightened vote-by-mail restrictions, expanded the power of partisan poll watchers and expanded early voting hours.
A state district judge has ruled Austin police must release records of officer complaints previously kept in house, known as “g-files”, to the police oversight office.
Judge Maria Cantú Hexsel ruled the city and APD “unlawfully failed to perform their mandatory duty to end the City of Austin’s use of the g-file” as mandated by the Austin Police Oversight Act, which was passed last year. Hexsel said by violating the city charter, the city was violating state law. (Austin Monitor)
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson says he does not believe the city government should appeal that decision. (KEYE-TV)
It looks like repairs to old leaky pipes at Barton Spring Pool will take weeks to complete.
Two large holes formed in an abandoned skimmer pipe believed to be around 80 years old.
To accommodate local swimmers, Deep Eddy Pool will open daily at 6 a.m….two hours earlier than normal.
Early this morning, a cyclist was struck and killed by a vehicle. It happened in South Austin in the 5500 block of South Congress Avenue near Stassney Lane just before 1:00 a.m.
The incident is being investigated as the city’s 61st fatal crash of 2024, resulting in the 66th fatality of the year.
Austin police have identified the driver of a fatal two-vehicle crash on northbound I-35 last week.
42-year-old Sherman Johnson was rescued after being pinned inside and taken to a Dell Seton Medical Center in critical condition after the accident on August 29. Johnson later died in the hospital. (KEYE-TV)
A 31-year-old woman has been charged in connection with a road rage incident that started in the parking lot at Pecan Springs Elementary School last week.
Misty Lee Gonzales was involved in a physical altercation with the driver and occupants of another vehicle on August 27.
The next day, as Gonzalez was dropping her daughter off at school, she said she saw the same car. They left the parking lot and Gonzalez saw the car in the center turn lane of Springdale Road with a woman standing outside, waving a metal tire iron. Gonzalez told police that the woman demanded that she exit her vehicle, but Gonzalez, with her two daughters in the car, refused.
When the woman stepped closer to her car, Gonzalez’s daughter urged her to drive away. Gonzalez said she drove forward, striking the woman with her side mirror.
— News4 San Antonio
The victim sustained severe injuries. Gonzalez is charged with Aggravated Assault causing serious bodily injury.
Austin police arrested a man for allegedly pointing a gun at another driver on I-35 last week. (KEYE-TV)
Round Rock ISD has a new police chief. (KVUE-TV)
The Hutto Police Department have arrested five people who they believe stole valuables from cars in a south Hutto subdivision. (KXAN-TV)
A suspect was arrested and charged with three felonies after a fire at a Luling business. At the scene, investigators found evidence of tampering and found guns, suspected liquid meth, and about $820,000 worth of cash, gold, and silver. (Fox7 Austin via Yahoo! News)
A man who has been terrorizing a South Austin neighborhood for years is back on the streets after escaping custody from a mental health facility.
San Antonio authorities are seeing a rise in the number of homicides in the city.
Service operations have been restored after a technology and scheduling system outage caused “significant service delays” for one of CapMetro’s service operations earlier on Tuesday. (KXAN-TV)
Much needed rain fell throughout Central Texas yesterday but Llano County saw more than its fair share after receiving nearly six inches. Several low-water crossings were closed.
A Flood Warning was issued for the Llano River.
As a result of the heavy rains, Llano ISD will have a two-hour delayed start today which will also delay bus schedules by two hours. (KEYE-TV)
San Antonio also saw heavy rain and flooding.
Following an unusual August with limited tropical activity in the Atlantic basin and the first Labor Day weekend without a named storm in decades, forecasters are reducing their forecast for the number of tropical storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes during the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. (AccuWeather)
•16-20 named storms
•6-10 hurricanes
•3-6 major hurricanes
•4-6 direct impacts to the United States
The forecast of 16-20 named storms is still above the historical average of 14 named storms.
— AccuWeather
The National Hurricane Center is currently monitoring several tropical disturbances.
How many driverless vehicle companies are operating in Austin? (KXAN-TV)
A South Korean-based electric vehicle manufacturer has announced the selection of Buda as its first American location. (KXAN-TV)
UT Austin researchers believe they’ve made a big discovery to fight all future variants of COVID-19. (Fox7 Austin)
Austin officials announced Tuesday that a series of candidate panels for the upcoming city council election will be held in September and October. (KEYE-TV)
An Ethics Commission complaint alleges Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and challenger Doug Greco violated campaign finance laws. (Austin Monitor)
The Department of State Health Services confirmed Tuesday that Texans will no longer be able to use a court order to change the sex on a birth certificate.
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in connection with House Bill 18, which is a new state law named the SCOPES Act, designed to protect children from harmful online content. The law was set to take effect September 1. (KXAN-TV)
It’s illegal to point lasers at aircraft, yet nearly 700 incidents were reported in Texas this year. Houston had the most attacks with 256 reported laser strikes, followed by 255 attacks in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. (Fox44 Waco)
The Texas Department of Public Safety is asking for the public’s help finding a suspect accused of human smuggling.
A 76-year-old Texas man with dual U.S. and Iranian citizenship has been arrested, accused of smuggling restricted parts and components to Iran. (Lonestar Live)
A federal agency has paused some of SpaceX’s plans in South Texas amid concerns over the environment. (Texas Tribune)
A plan to add more lanes to a busy road in Round Rock is now underway. Crews are starting work on a $27 million project.
Another Republican is challenging Dade Phelan for Texas House speaker. (Texas Tribune)
Texas law allows political signs on property, despite HOA regulations.
62 days before Election Day and the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is very tight.
Donald Trump argued Tuesday that President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were personally responsible for the deaths of 13 US service members killed during the botched 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal — claiming it was “just like they pulled the trigger.”
Don’t trust the election forecasts. (Politico)
Donald Trump is entering a not guilty plea following a superseding indictment last week related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, the former president said in a court filing Tuesday. (NBC News)
A Cedar Park archer saw his time at the 2024 Paris Paralympics come to an end.
In baseball, the Houston Astros had the day off Tuesday. The Texas Rangers, however, were in action hosting the New York Yankees and won the game in stunning fashion, 7-4 with a ninth-inning walk-off grand slam by Wyatt Langford. He is the first Rangers rookie to ever accomplish the feat. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Texas Longhorns are coming off a dominant season opening victory against the Colorado State Rams, but can that continue as they head to Ann Arbor to face Michigan?
A new theme park aimed at kids is in the planning stages for an opening in 2026 in Frisco, Texas.
Here’s an update…
