Rep. Jackson Lee Running For Mayor of Houston

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Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) revealed on Sunday that she is running for mayor of Houston, entering an already crowded field in the Lone Star State, The Hill reports.

Jackson Lee — who has represented Texas’s 18th Congressional District since 1995 — made the announcement at City Cathedral Church in Houston.

(Full story HERE.)
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State To Take Over Houston Schools

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The Texas Education Agency announced Wednesday that it's taking over the Houston Independent School District, a move that's been in the works since 2019.

According to TEA Commissioner Mike Morath, there will be no immediate changes, though Superintendent Millard House II and the current trustees of HISD's board will eventually be replaced by the TEA with an appointed Board of Managers.

(Full story HERE
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Former Democrat US Senate Candidate Running For Mayor Of Houston

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Amanda Edwards, the 2020 Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and former member of the Houston City Council, is running for mayor of the city, a contest that is already garnering statewide attention despite being over a year away.

The field already includes two names well-known in Texas politics: veteran state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, and Chris Hollins, the former Harris County clerk who oversaw election changes in 2020 that became a lightning rod for Republicans concerned about election integrity.

(Full story HERE.)
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Nine Republicans Seek Newly Drawn Houston Congressional Seat

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At least nine GOP candidates are running to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady in the newly configured 8th Congressional District, drawing the interest of prominent elected Republicans who are aiming to shape the outcome of the crowded Houston-area primary.

The race is developing into a proxy battle with former Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw endorsing former Navy SEAL Morgan Luttrell, and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz backing his former campaign aide, Christian Collins.

(Full story here.)
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GOP Gov. Candidate West Calls For Impeachment of 3 Harris County Judges

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen West is calling on the state's leaders and the state legislature to impeach three Houston area judges that he says have released violent felons back onto the streets.

In a press release, West said, "Judges Morton, Jones, and Cornelio should be brought up on impeachment charges by Speaker Phelan and Governor Abbott. Their release of violent criminals back onto the streets of Houston and streets across Texas is a dereliction of their duty. By releasing dangerous felons back into our community, these three judges are responsible for dozens of needless deaths."

The judges he referred to are Chris Morton, DaSean Jones, and Natalia Cornelio.

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Rep. Romero Takes Aim At Private Toll Road Where Deadly Ice Storm Pileup Occurred

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Texas State Rep. Ramon Romero, Jr. is asking tough questions after the deadly pileup on Interstate-35W in Fort Worth that happened early Thursday morning. He’s also pursuing legislation to prevent it from happening again, reports ArkLaTexHomepage.com.

Around 100 vehicles were involved in the deadly pileup that killed at least six people, and trapped and injured dozens in the multiple collisions around 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning.

Rep. Romero, Jr. represents District 90, which covers much of the Fort Worth area, says he’s pursuing an investigation into exactly how the pileup occurred in the first place, if weather warnings were clearly issued beforehand.

Romero tweeted that the private toll road should have been salted prior to the storm.

"I don’t believe that @fortworthpd should be held responsible for the maintenance of the roads. This is the matter that maybe wasn’t as clear in the press conference... private toll road with private road maintenance responsibilities"

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Sen. Bettencourt Opposes "Crime Bomb" Release Of 1,540 Prisoners

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As the Harris County Jail reaches capacity amid a lingering pandemic a federal judge has ordered county officials to review 1,543 cases, reports Fox26 Houston TV.

Judge Lina Hidalgo and others are again pushing for the immediate release of almost 2,000 criminal defendants, citing the on-going health risk of so many people living and working in confinement. As of this week, 2,609 inmates have tested positive and 6 have died of COVID-19.

State Senator Paul Bettencourt and others are pushing back in federal court, calling the proposed mass release "a crime bomb" that will pose a clear and immediate danger to public safety.

Bettencourt tweeted his opposition and about the brief he filled with the court along with other legislators, citing Houston's already high crime rate.

"Filed brief w/ 8 Reps to stop "crimebomb" from @SheriffEd_HCSO asking release of HC inmates! Fox26 panel hosted by @GrooganFox26 said, murders skyrocketed in COH, @WSJ rated Houston #21 (Chicago #36) on crime, & majority of inmates victims are minorities!"

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Houston Could Host Axiom, Company Will Build Commercial Space Station

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Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced a planned partnership between Houston and Axiom, a company that plans to build the first commercial space station, reports Community Impact newspapers (Houston/Bay Area.)

Under the agreement, which will go before Houston City Council in a few weeks, Axiom would build a 386,000-square-foot facility on a 14-acre plot of land in the Phase 1 area of the Houston Spaceport at the Ellington Airport.

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Long-Delayed Houston Election Made National Headlines Over Candidates With Felony Convictions

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Houston Public Media reports that some 200,000 Houston residents in District B had to wait more than a year to elect a City Council member as the race was delayed because of an legal question: Can a candidate with a felony conviction run for office in Texas?

"The top two vote-getters in the November 2019 general election, Tarsha Jackson and Cynthia Bailey, faced a runoff, after a nine-month legal battle about Bailey's eligibility. After Bailey and Jackson made the runoff in a crowded field, the third-place candidate sued both Houston and Harris County, arguing that Bailey's felony conviction disqualified her under state law. ...The Houston election has put second chances on the ballot for the whole state. Council Member Jerry Davis, who's term limited, has stayed on during the election legal battle, while over the past year."

Bailey won in court, with State judges ruling three times in her favor, but on December 12, Jackson bested her at the polls, garnering 68.5% of the vote in the runoff election, to beat Bailey.

Texas election law states that, “A finally convicted felon is not eligible to be a candidate for public elected office in this state unless they have been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities.” Bills have been filed in the legislature to allow felons to run for office.

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