This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateFormer Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart will run again for his old job, he confirmed Wednesday, joining two other Republicans seeking their party’s nomination for the November special election.Incumbent clerk Diane Trautman, who in 2018, announced earlier this month she May 31 because of undisclosed health concerns.The Democratic and Republican parties must nominate candidates to fill the remaining two years of her term.“I’ve got eight years’ experience, and the name ID necessary to win in November,” Stanart said in a phone call....…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateFormer Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart will run again for his old job, he confirmed Wednesday, joining two other Republicans seeking their party’s nomination for the November special election.Incumbent clerk Diane Trautman, who in 2018, announced earlier this month she May 31 because of undisclosed health concerns.The Democratic and Republican parties must nominate candidates to fill the remaining two years of her term.“I’ve got eight years’ experience, and the name ID necessary to win in November,” Stanart said in a phone call....WW…

A week after Harris County Clerk Diane Trautman announced she because of health concerns, Commissioners Court on Tuesday debated whether to appoint an independent administrator to run county elections.The move would put a single office in charge of running elections and managing the voter roll, both gargantuan tasks in the state’s largest county, which has 4.7 million residents. Voter registration is currently the responsibility of the tax assessor-collector, owing to the office’s historic role collecting poll taxes. The county clerk’s office administers elections.The county attorney’s...…A week after Harris County Clerk Diane Trautman announced she because of health concerns, Commissioners Court on Tuesday debated whether to appoint an independent administrator to run county elections.The move would put a single office in charge of running elections and managing the voter roll, both gargantuan tasks in the state’s largest county, which has 4.7 million residents. Voter registration is currently the responsibility of the tax assessor-collector, owing to the office’s historic role collecting poll taxes. The county clerk’s office administers elections.The county attorney’s...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateWhen local Texas officials began restricting public life to slow the spread of COVID-19, Gov. Greg Abbott lauded their early response to the developing crisis. By the time he ordered all Texans to stay home except for essential activities March 31, all the state’s major counties already had adopted similar measures.Now, as he implements his plan to reopen the Texas economy in phases, Abbott is overriding county judges who favor tighter restrictions, which they say forces them to adjust on the fly.Harris County, for instance,...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateWhen local Texas officials began restricting public life to slow the spread of COVID-19, Gov. Greg Abbott lauded their early response to the developing crisis. By the time he ordered all Texans to stay home except for essential activities March 31, all the state’s major counties already had adopted similar measures.Now, as he implements his plan to reopen the Texas economy in phases, Abbott is overriding county judges who favor tighter restrictions, which they say forces them to adjust on the fly.Harris County, for instance,...WW…

WASHINGTON — Just as a Texas judged opened the door to more voting by mail amid the coronavirus outbreak, the state’s attorney general is trying to slam it shut.Voters cannot cast ballots by mail just because they are afraid of getting the coronavirus at polling places, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Wednesday, even as a state district judge in Austin said he will rule that voters can vote by mail if they believe doing so in person puts their health at risk.The judge’s apparent decision was an early victory for the Texas Democratic Party and a slew of civil rights and voter...…WASHINGTON — Just as a Texas judged opened the door to more voting by mail amid the coronavirus outbreak, the state’s attorney general is trying to slam it shut.Voters cannot cast ballots by mail just because they are afraid of getting the coronavirus at polling places, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Wednesday, even as a state district judge in Austin said he will rule that voters can vote by mail if they believe doing so in person puts their health at risk.The judge’s apparent decision was an early victory for the Texas Democratic Party and a slew of civil rights and voter...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateBy the time Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo ordered residents to cover their faces in public April 22, Dallas, Bexar and Travis counties already had issued similar measures intended to blunt the spread of the novel coronavirus. Laredo’s mask rule, already 17 days old, also carried a potential $1,000 fine.Only Hidalgo’s order drew the ire of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.He as an abuse of Hidalgo’s authority. U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, another Republican, said potential fines of up to $1,000 for violators would lead to government tyranny. The...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateBy the time Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo ordered residents to cover their faces in public April 22, Dallas, Bexar and Travis counties already had issued similar measures intended to blunt the spread of the novel coronavirus. Laredo’s mask rule, already 17 days old, also carried a potential $1,000 fine.Only Hidalgo’s order drew the ire of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.He as an abuse of Hidalgo’s authority. U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, another Republican, said potential fines of up to $1,000 for violators would lead to government tyranny. The...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateFor the eight months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has been a bearer of bad news.Even as Gov. Greg Abbott has reopened Texas in phases beginning in May, Hidalgo since June has steadfastly urged residents to stay home when possible, leading critics to see her as Houston’s Chicken Little as virus cases and hospitalizations declined for months after the summer spike.More Coronavirus NewsHidalgo on Tuesday made her latest and most dire request, asking residents to cancel their Thanksgiving plans and avoid...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateFor the eight months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has been a bearer of bad news.Even as Gov. Greg Abbott has reopened Texas in phases beginning in May, Hidalgo since June has steadfastly urged residents to stay home when possible, leading critics to see her as Houston’s Chicken Little as virus cases and hospitalizations declined for months after the summer spike.More Coronavirus NewsHidalgo on Tuesday made her latest and most dire request, asking residents to cancel their Thanksgiving plans and avoid...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateHarris County health authority Dr. Umair Shah will step down to take a job as Washington state’s health secretary, his office announced Tuesday.As the executive director of Harris County Public Health, Shah has led the county’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. His last day will be Dec. 18.His departure comes as the pandemic worsens in Harris County. The Houston area reported 1,273 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Monday, higher than any point since Labor Day.More from Zach DespartShah said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon that...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateHarris County health authority Dr. Umair Shah will step down to take a job as Washington state’s health secretary, his office announced Tuesday.As the executive director of Harris County Public Health, Shah has led the county’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. His last day will be Dec. 18.His departure comes as the pandemic worsens in Harris County. The Houston area reported 1,273 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Monday, higher than any point since Labor Day.More from Zach DespartShah said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon that...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe worsening COVID-19 pandemic in Texas, which this week became the first state to , demands a more aggressive response that may include more restrictions, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Thursday.Hidalgo used her annual State of the County address to criticize what she views as a half-hearted state and federal response that has led to unnecessary deaths and a laggard economy stuck in a cycle of halted reopenings.She called for the adoption of science-based shutdown thresholds, similar to the county’s threat level system,...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe worsening COVID-19 pandemic in Texas, which this week became the first state to , demands a more aggressive response that may include more restrictions, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Thursday.Hidalgo used her annual State of the County address to criticize what she views as a half-hearted state and federal response that has led to unnecessary deaths and a laggard economy stuck in a cycle of halted reopenings.She called for the adoption of science-based shutdown thresholds, similar to the county’s threat level system,...WW…

Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved $2 million for a taxpayer-funded legal services program for poor immigrants facing deportation, as well as $500,000 to assist those who are crime victims secure special visas reserved for that purpose.The court voted 3-2 along party lines, with the Democrats in support, to fund the program the group approved in February. The goal is to end the practice of indigent immigrants representing themselves in deportation proceedings, which a county memo said results in defendants being removed from the country when they often have a legal right...…Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved $2 million for a taxpayer-funded legal services program for poor immigrants facing deportation, as well as $500,000 to assist those who are crime victims secure special visas reserved for that purpose.The court voted 3-2 along party lines, with the Democrats in support, to fund the program the group approved in February. The goal is to end the practice of indigent immigrants representing themselves in deportation proceedings, which a county memo said results in defendants being removed from the country when they often have a legal right...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateUPDATE (8:33 a.m., June 22): As of Monday morning, Lina Hidalgo's new mask order is now in effect for Harris County. The order officially expires June 30, though Hidalgo hinted she'd seek an extension.ORIGINAL STORY: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued an order Friday mandating that businesses require customers to wear masks, her latest effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.She and other county leaders increasingly are worried about a surge in COVID-19 cases since Memorial Day, which has resulted in eight straight...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateUPDATE (8:33 a.m., June 22): As of Monday morning, Lina Hidalgo's new mask order is now in effect for Harris County. The order officially expires June 30, though Hidalgo hinted she'd seek an extension.ORIGINAL STORY: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued an order Friday mandating that businesses require customers to wear masks, her latest effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.She and other county leaders increasingly are worried about a surge in COVID-19 cases since Memorial Day, which has resulted in eight straight...WW…