Local 167
Texas Education Agency Announces State Takeover of Fort Worth ISD
Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Mike Morath announced the state takeover of the Fort Worth Independent School District (ISD) in an interview this morning. Morath attributed the takeover to “chronic academic underperformance,” citing an increase in “multiple-year academically unacceptable campuses.” He said these are schools where fewer than one third of students are on grade […]
Texas Sues to Stop Loving County Man’s Free Home Plan, Government ‘Takeover’
It did not take long after Indiana political activist Malcolm Tanner announced his plan to resettle new voters on his desolate desert property in Loving County for him to face legal trouble, with the Texas Office of the Attorney General now seeking a court order alleging multiple violations of state law. × This page requires […]
Fort Worth City Council Reduces Number of Public Comment Meetings Next Year
The Fort Worth City Council will have fewer opportunities for public comment over the next year than it has had in the recent past. A resolution passed by a vote of 7 to 4 that reduces the number of public comment meetings to 10, down from 15 scheduled in 2025, with only one public comment […]
Fort Bend Redistricting Committee Recommends More GOP-Friendly Commissioner Precincts
A citizen redistricting committee has chosen potential new electoral maps for Fort Bend County with the top proposals keeping two safe seats for Democrats on the commissioners court while giving Republicans an edge in the two others. While Democrats currently wield an electoral advantage in three of the four commissioner precincts under the current boundaries, […]
Eli Lilly Latest Recipient of Texas JETI Award, Totaling $6.5 Billion Harris County Investment
Gov. Greg Abbott today announced a $5.5 million grant from Texas for the construction of a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Harris County — one of multiple projects approved under the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation (JETI) program over the past year. Abbott joined Eli Lilly and Company executives for a press conference on Tuesday […]
New Texas Bail Law May Clash with Harris County’s Federal Consent Decree
A new Texas law prohibiting personal recognizance (PR) bonds for certain offenses may conflict with a federal consent decree governing misdemeanor bail in Harris County, and an attorney has warned that judges and magistrates who adhere to the state law could be found in contempt of court and face criminal charges. Texas Senate Bill (SB) […]
21-Year Age Minimum for Purchasing THC Products Adopted by Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
In one of the more highly anticipated Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) meetings, the commissioners took up and approved emergency rules to regulate the sale of hemp-derived THC products. The meeting held on Tuesday saw the TABC unanimously adopt emergency rules that will create a 21-year age minimum for retail purchases of hemp-derived THC products, […]
District Judge in Harris County steps down and decides to ignore GOP’s lawsuit involving the 2022 election.
District Court Judge DaSean Jones has resigned and moved to reject his own complaint against a pending lawsuit brought by Republican candidate Tami Pierce nearly three years after a tense Harris County election that resulted in a court-ordered do-over. Visitor Judge David Peeples declared last year that the 2022 election for the 180th District Criminal […]
Kerr County adopts a no-new-revenue charge while Kerrville raises its tax rate.
People of Kerrville are being asked to pay a higher income level in the future time in response to the city’s and its surrounding areas, which were both severely flooded on July 4. The Kerrville City Council approved the disaster tax rate of$ 0.5711 per$ 100 of assessed value by a 4 to 1 vote, […]
Corpus Christi City Council Meeting Over Desalination Project Leads to Multiple Arrests
Details of the project were delivered in a January 2023 presentation, where beginning with an initial meeting in 2018, the City of Corpus Christi and other “key stakeholders” would begin exploring options for building a seawater desalination plant in an effort to curb regional drought vulnerability. The estimated cost of constructing the plant in 2019 […]
U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Takes Up Kemah, Texas Property Rights ‘Takings’ Case
A panel of judges of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on Tuesday for a property rights lawsuit against the City of Kemah, questioning the parties about steps property owners must take before seeking relief from the federal courts when the government has rendered property unusable through regulation. In July 2021, […]
Court to Hear Kemah Lawsuit Against Paxton Over Concealed Police Chief Complaints
Although the City of Kemah continues to defy the Texas Office of the Attorney General, several residents, and a state lawmaker over disclosure of documents related to an investigation into former Police Chief Holland Jones, on Monday a Travis County judge will hold a hearing on the city’s lawsuit against Attorney General Ken Paxton over […]
