To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:X Democrats in Texas are blaming their failure to flip the state and the Texas House of Representatives on an inability to campaign during the pandemic, according to a new report obtained by Houston Public Media.In an examination of how the Texas Democratic Party came up short in the election, the report puts much of the blame on how the party campaigned during the pandemic, finding that Democrats lost the get-out-the-vote battle to Republicans largely because they would not put their volunteers at risk for COVID-19 to...…To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:X Democrats in Texas are blaming their failure to flip the state and the Texas House of Representatives on an inability to campaign during the pandemic, according to a new report obtained by Houston Public Media.In an examination of how the Texas Democratic Party came up short in the election, the report puts much of the blame on how the party campaigned during the pandemic, finding that Democrats lost the get-out-the-vote battle to Republicans largely because they would not put their volunteers at risk for COVID-19 to...WW…

To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XLt. Gov. Dan Patrick blasted Houston-area leaders for enacting voting laws that he said were unconstitutional, after they called out state legislators for pushing for new strict voting laws.would ban 24-hour voting and drive-through voting, and would bar local election officials from mass-mailing absentee ballot applications to all eligible county residents — measures that Harris County pioneered or attempted to enact in the 2020 election cycle.Speaking in the State Capitol, Patrick criticized the county for what he said was...…To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XLt. Gov. Dan Patrick blasted Houston-area leaders for enacting voting laws that he said were unconstitutional, after they called out state legislators for pushing for new strict voting laws.would ban 24-hour voting and drive-through voting, and would bar local election officials from mass-mailing absentee ballot applications to all eligible county residents — measures that Harris County pioneered or attempted to enact in the 2020 election cycle.Speaking in the State Capitol, Patrick criticized the county for what he said was...WW…

More than three dozen Texans have been arrested and charged with various crimes in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. That's more than almost any other state in the country.Those arrested range in age from their early 20s to their mid-60s. They hail from Houston and Dallas, Lubbock and Midland. They include veterans, police officers, and Realtors — people you might find in any Texas community.The question is what drew so many of them to march on the Capitol.Jenna Ryan is perhaps one of the best known Texans accused of breaching the U.S. Capitol. The Frisco real...…More than three dozen Texans have been arrested and charged with various crimes in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. That's more than almost any other state in the country.Those arrested range in age from their early 20s to their mid-60s. They hail from Houston and Dallas, Lubbock and Midland. They include veterans, police officers, and Realtors — people you might find in any Texas community.The question is what drew so many of them to march on the Capitol.Jenna Ryan is perhaps one of the best known Texans accused of breaching the U.S. Capitol. The Frisco real...WW…

To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XRepublican lawmakers have filed seven bills that would change voting access in Texas, including a law to limit the hours counties can keep ballot locations open during the state’s early voting period.State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, who authored the bills, argued they're necessary to force local governments to comply with the Texas Elections Code.“The seven bills themselves really represent my ideas to make sure that we have integrity in the voter roll as well as in the election system,” Bettencourt said.One of the...…To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XRepublican lawmakers have filed seven bills that would change voting access in Texas, including a law to limit the hours counties can keep ballot locations open during the state’s early voting period.State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, who authored the bills, argued they're necessary to force local governments to comply with the Texas Elections Code.“The seven bills themselves really represent my ideas to make sure that we have integrity in the voter roll as well as in the election system,” Bettencourt said.One of the...WW…

Updated 11:11 p.m. CTThe head of the state's power grid operator on Thursday defended the group’s decision to order widespread blackouts during last week's winter storm, telling state lawmakers that doing so helped prevent a larger disaster.Last week’s freezing weather led to skyrocketing demand and unprecedented strain on the power grid, forcing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to enact sustained outages across the state to keep its grid from collapsing.But in response to a question from state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, ERCOT CEO Bill Magness said that he had no regrets about...…Updated 11:11 p.m. CTThe head of the state's power grid operator on Thursday defended the group’s decision to order widespread blackouts during last week's winter storm, telling state lawmakers that doing so helped prevent a larger disaster.Last week’s freezing weather led to skyrocketing demand and unprecedented strain on the power grid, forcing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to enact sustained outages across the state to keep its grid from collapsing.But in response to a question from state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, ERCOT CEO Bill Magness said that he had no regrets about...WW…

To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XCounty leaders on Friday will debate a proposal to leave the power grid managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, after ERCOT has come under fire for its role in sustained power outages that left millions without heat and electricity amid the winter storm.Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia asked the county attorney to look into what power he and his fellow commissioners have to pull Harris County out of the state’s power grid. In a letter to Judge Lina Hidalgo and his fellow commissioners, Garcia wrote that...…To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XCounty leaders on Friday will debate a proposal to leave the power grid managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, after ERCOT has come under fire for its role in sustained power outages that left millions without heat and electricity amid the winter storm.Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia asked the county attorney to look into what power he and his fellow commissioners have to pull Harris County out of the state’s power grid. In a letter to Judge Lina Hidalgo and his fellow commissioners, Garcia wrote that...WW…

Attorney and former judge Jay Karahan has known Dr. Steven Hotze since the 1990s. And for just as long, he’s had firsthand experience of Hotze’s influence in Harris County politics.The two had begun interacting in 1996, when Karahan was running for office and seeking Hotze’s endorsement.“As I was moving up in Republican politics back then, it was made very clear to me that a Republican would not be able to become a judge unless they had Steven Hotze's approval and blessing, if you will,” Karahan said.It was an endorsement that never came — turns out, Karahan had served on the board of the...…Attorney and former judge Jay Karahan has known Dr. Steven Hotze since the 1990s. And for just as long, he’s had firsthand experience of Hotze’s influence in Harris County politics.The two had begun interacting in 1996, when Karahan was running for office and seeking Hotze’s endorsement.“As I was moving up in Republican politics back then, it was made very clear to me that a Republican would not be able to become a judge unless they had Steven Hotze's approval and blessing, if you will,” Karahan said.It was an endorsement that never came — turns out, Karahan had served on the board of the...WW…

To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XHarris County did not find any evidence of election fraud in the November election, despite widespread allegations of fraud from individuals ranging from President Donald Trump to local Republicans.That's the of a multi-agency, bipartisan task force set up to monitor the safety and security of the election — the Harris County Elections Security Task Force — composed of individuals from the Harris County District Attorney's Office, the County Attorney's Office, the County Clerk's Office, and the Office of Precinct One Constable...…To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XHarris County did not find any evidence of election fraud in the November election, despite widespread allegations of fraud from individuals ranging from President Donald Trump to local Republicans.That's the of a multi-agency, bipartisan task force set up to monitor the safety and security of the election — the Harris County Elections Security Task Force — composed of individuals from the Harris County District Attorney's Office, the County Attorney's Office, the County Clerk's Office, and the Office of Precinct One Constable...WW…

Texas received $11.2 billion in to cope with bills run up in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.But there's a catch: it has to spend everything by the end of the year.Anything left over goes back to the federal treasury. And many state lawmakers and county officials are complaining that Gov. Greg Abbott has been less than transparent as to how his administration is spending the money. To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XEver since the pandemic hit Harris County, Commissioner Adrian Garcia has been bombarded with pleas from constituents: Can the county help me...…Texas received $11.2 billion in to cope with bills run up in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.But there's a catch: it has to spend everything by the end of the year.Anything left over goes back to the federal treasury. And many state lawmakers and county officials are complaining that Gov. Greg Abbott has been less than transparent as to how his administration is spending the money. To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XEver since the pandemic hit Harris County, Commissioner Adrian Garcia has been bombarded with pleas from constituents: Can the county help me...WW…

To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XTwo Houston lawmakers want to ban no-knock warrants statewide.A filed in the upcoming state legislature that would ban the practice is in response to the 2019 that led to the deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas.State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, said the House bill would work to protect both civilians and police, by requiring officers to identify themselves before attempting to break down a door."I think a lot of the problems that we had with search warrants in the Harding Street (raid) and other places, with , was...…To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XTwo Houston lawmakers want to ban no-knock warrants statewide.A filed in the upcoming state legislature that would ban the practice is in response to the 2019 that led to the deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas.State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, said the House bill would work to protect both civilians and police, by requiring officers to identify themselves before attempting to break down a door."I think a lot of the problems that we had with search warrants in the Harding Street (raid) and other places, with , was...WW…