In what’s beginning to seem like a daily occurrence, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday sued Travis County officials for hiring a company to identify names and addresses of eligible, unregistered voters.
The move comes just days after Paxton sued officials in Bexar County for the same reason.
“Travis County has blatantly violated Texas law by paying partisan actors to conduct unlawful identification efforts to track down people who are not registered to vote. Programs like this invite fraud and reduce public trust in our elections. We will stop them and any other county considering such programs.”
— Texas AG Ken Paxton
“Travis County is committed to encouraging voter participation and we are proud of our outreach efforts that achieve higher voter registration numbers. We remain steadfast in our responsibility to uphold the integrity of the voter registration process while ensuring that every eligible person has the opportunity to exercise their right to vote. It is disappointing that any statewide elected official would prefer to sow distrust and discourage participation in the electoral process.”
— Travis Co. spokesman Hector Nieto
Several Democratic Texas lawmakers are asking the Justice Department to investigate recent raids of South Texas homes and businesses by Ken Paxton’s office in its efforts to eradicate voter fraud. (KXAN-TV)
Attorney General Ken Paxton and a pattern of voter suppression. (Texas Public Radio)
The city of Austin has been awarded a multimillion dollar grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve safety for pedestrians. (Fox7 Austin)
Since the beginning of 2020, serious crashes on South Congress Avenue in Austin between Ben White Boulevard and Slaughter Lane have resulted in eight deaths and eleven serious injuries.
In just the last week, Austin-Travis County EMS has responded to several accidents in the South Congress area, one involving a fatality. (KVUE-TV)
A child was seriously injured after they were hit by an alleged intoxicated driver in Pflugerville Friday afternoon. (KEYE-TV)
Negotiations between the Austin Police Association and the city have resumed.
The family of a Travis County inmate claims he died from a severe clot in his leg after he was denied blood thinners while in custody.
Williamson County officials are continuing truck mounted spraying for mosquitoes after another mosquito trap sample tested positive for West Nile virus in Georgetown last week. (KEYE-TV)
Texas health experts say for those who have recently had COVID, they can wait for a vaccine. For others, it’s time to get one. (Texas Public Radio)
The City of Austin released more information on Friday about the ongoing repairs at Barton Springs Pool and the origins of the abandoned pipe causing all the issues.
A break from extreme heat arrives this weekend. Highs will reach into the 80s to near 90 in some areas under sunny skies but the real story will be overnight lows in the lower 60s. Not a record, but perhaps a more October feel than September.
Is it illegal to harvest rainwater in Texas? (KXAN-TV)
Forecasters had their hands full earlier this week as five tropical disturbances with potential activity in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Things have since calmed, leaving only two disturbances on Friday — one that might strengthen into a tropical depression. (Market Watch)
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited Austin Friday, and spoke at the city’s IRS processing center ahead of her Saturday appearance at the Texas Tribune Festival.
During her remarks, Yellen announced the IRS has collected $1.3 billion from high-wealth tax dodgers since last fall. (Associated Press via MSN)
Also at the Texas Tribune Festival, former U.S. representative Liz Cheney said her father, former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, will vote for Kamala Harris in November.
Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, also endorsed Democrat Colin Allred in his race to beat Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. (Texas Tribune)
Texas schools took the spotlight Friday during the annual Texas Tribune Festival downtown. (KEYE-TV)
Former Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Chief of Police Pete Arredondo is asking the court to declare his child endangerment indictment invalid. (Fox7 Austin)
The State Fair of Texas announced new attractions for 2024.
A 79-year-old woman who was critically injured after the collapse of a section of bleachers at the Kendall County Fair Grounds has died after nearly a week in the hospital. (KENS-TV via MSN)
After $18 billion in tax relief in 2023, Texas senators are looking for more cuts. (Austin American-Statesman)
A new poll finds Donald Trump is leading Kamala Harris by five points in Texas.
Donald Trump may be leading in Texas but enthusiasm among Democrats is on the rise. (Texas Public Radio)
The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal case in Manhattan postponed his sentencing until after Election Day, a significant victory for the former president as he seeks to overturn his conviction. (New York Times)
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign launched a new ad focused on “Project 2025”, taking direct aim at Donald Trump and his MAGA base. (NBC News)
A top ten showdown in Ann Arbor today is a marquee matchup in the second weekend of college football in 2024.
Longhorns fans headed to Michigan for the game were feeling confident. (KEYE-TV)
A full slate of high school football action last night around Central Texas. Here are all the scores. (KXAN-TV)
NFL football went to Brazil last night.
The Packers and Eagles battled in Sao Paulo with Philadelphia edging out a 34-29 win. (NFL.com)
Elvis Andrus signed a ceremonial one-day contract Friday to officially retire with the Texas Rangers. (Associated Press)
In Arlington last night, the Rangers lost to the Angels, 5-1. (Yahoo! Sports)
Yordan Alvarez hit two three-run homers and Framber Valdez pitched seven innings in the Houston Astros’ 8-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.
Today we’re getting schooled in how to be a Texan.
