Tag Archives: Texas

The Austin Statesman reports: Texas Republican Party Chair James Dickey said today that the state would gladly host the Republican National Convention in August if North Carolina can’t guarantee full occupancy, according to the Austin American-Statesman. “Texas would welcome President Trump and the RNC Convention,” Dickey told the American-Statesman. “Until then, based upon Gov. Abbott’s progress in opening Texas, we …

The Houston Chronicle reports: Just after sunrise, several Texas families decided to make an early start to be the first in line at Big Rivers Waterpark in New Caney. “Boy, it was wild,” guest Anthony Welsh said. “We’ve been waiting in line since 7:30 a.m. They wouldn’t let anybody move until about 10 a.m.” Right outside the gate, crowds gathered …

Fox News reports: Allen West, a former Florida congressman who is now a candidate to lead the Republican Party of Texas, was hospitalized Saturday after being injured in a motorcycle crash, according to reports. In a series of posts using the hashtag #PrayersForAllen, “Team West” reported that a car had cut off West while he was riding his motorcycle, causing …

The Dallas Morning News reports: Wylie, Texas, Mayor Eric Hogue says he believes women can do “anything and everything” — so long as they don’t lead public displays of religion. Hogue is defending his beliefs after the release of an email in which he requests that only male members of a Christian missionary group say a prayer before a City …

San Antonio’s CBS News affiliate reports: Bexar County Republicans on Friday afternoon set up camp outside San Antonio City Hall to call out local leaders for some of the mandates they’ve established during the ongoing pandemic. Republican Party Chair Cynthia Brehm, along with many others, took to the mic, claiming their constitutional rights have been infringed upon by Mayor Ron …

The Washington Post reports: Dallas, Houston, Southeast Florida’s Gold Coast, the entire state of Alabama and several other places in the South that have been rapidly reopening their economies are in danger of a second wave of coronavirus infections over the next four weeks, according to a research team that uses cellphone data to track social mobility and forecast the …

Fort Worth’s CBS News affiliate reports: The email exchange began Thursday when a Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Forrester asked Mayor Hogue if a local missionary group could “come to our next meeting and lead us in prayer before the meeting.” Mayor Hogue agrees saying with one stipulation: “…that those leading the public prayer be young men.” In the …

The Austin Statesman reports: Large events like the Austin City Limits Music Festival or Texas Longhorns football games are not likely through the end of the year as the coronavirus pandemic continues, Austin Public Health officials said Wednesday. “The large events are the first thing that we turned off and are going to be the last thing we’re going to …

The Texas Tribune reports: A federal judge opened a path for a massive expansion in absentee voting in Texas by ordering Tuesday that all state voters, regardless of age, qualify for mail-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic. Days after a two-hour preliminary injunction hearing in San Antonio, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery agreed with individual Texas voters and the Texas …

Houston’s CBS News affiliate reports: A Catholic church in the Houston area is closed again after three priests tested positive for COVID-19. According to Holy Ghost Catholic Church, they recently learned three members of the Redemptorists community living and working at Holy Ghost Parish have tested positive for the coronavirus. “While the individuals themselves are asymptomatic, they, and the other …

The Austin Statesman reports: Gov. Greg Abbott Monday unveiled his plans for an accelerated return to a semblance of normal life Monday, immediately reopening child care centers, Scouting and other youth clubs, as well as massage, tattoo, piercing and other personal services, with a limited reopening of bars, bingo halls and bowling alleys Friday, when restaurants will be allowed to …

Reuters reports: With jury trials on hold throughout the United States because of the coronavirus pandemic, court officials in Texas are preparing to try something new: let jurors hear a case through Zoom. Lawyers in an insurance dispute in Collin County District Court on Monday will present their case by videoconference, in what officials believe will be the first virtual …

The Austin Statesman reports: State health officials reported 58 new deaths related to the coronavirus and 1,448 new cases Thursday, the highest single-day increase for both numbers. The record number of fatalities brings the statewide death toll from the coronavirus to 1,216, according to the latest data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. The previous high was 50 …

The Washington Post reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked the state’s highest court on Wednesday to stop election officials from allowing voters to cast absentee ballots while citing fears of the coronavirus. In a filing with the Texas Supreme Court, Paxton argued that officials in five counties overstepped their authority by recommending that voters who are concerned about contracting …

Austin’s ABC News affiliate reports: On Tuesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a letter to Travis County and the city of Austin, warning some requirements in the city and county’s stay-at-home orders are unlawful and must change to meet the state’s most recent order. According to Paxton, those requirements include “strict and unconstitutional demands” on houses of worship, restrictions …

Courthouse News reports: The Thompson & Knight law firm fired a Dallas-based administrative manager Friday after he allegedly posted a threat on social media against businesses with Covid-19 face mask requirements that had references to a handgun and hollow point-bullets. Screenshots of the “no more masks” rant began appearing on Twitter Friday, with several users claiming it was authored by …

The Daily Beast reports: Shelley Luther, the Texas hair salon owner who received national attention for defying orders to keep her shop temporarily closed during the coronavirus pandemic, admitted on Monday morning that she had received $18,000 in stimulus funds days before her fateful court appearance. Luther was also the beneficiary of a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $500,000. …

Texas Monthly reports: On Friday, Ted Cruz flew to Dallas for a haircut. He hadn’t been looking particularly shaggy, but as hair salons have become the latest front in the culture war, Cruz—never one to miss an opportunity to declare which side he’s on—invited photographers to join him before he donned a face mask and a leopard-print smock for his …

Fox News reports: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, arrived Friday for his first haircut in three months at Salon à la Mode, one day after owner Shelley Luther was released from jail for defying the state’s coronavirus restrictions. Cruz visited on the first day salons were legally allowed to open, saying he was proud to support Luther. Luther, crying, thanked Cruz …

CBS News Dallas reports: After supporting the actions of a Dallas salon owner who was jailed for violating executive stay at home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Greg Abbott has now modified his executive orders and eliminated confinement as a punishment for violating the mandates. “Throwing Texans in jail who have had their businesses shut down through no fault …