#harris county texas

[eraserdude6226]

I stand with the freedom loving people defending the Texas border against an illegal immigrant invasion!!

Good advice in 1775 and maybe even better advice in 2024!!

[oconnor2023]

Harris County Property Tax Appeal

Texans should appeal every property every year. This is because it is impossible for the appraisal district to accurately and equitably share the tax burden of Harris County. For more information, visit https://harriscountypropertytaxtrends.com/

[destielmemenews]

"La Porte city spokesperson Lee Woodward told KTRK-TV that they don’t yet know what flows through the pipeline or how it will be shut down. People in nearby schools were told to shelter in place as law enforcement blocked off a wide area."

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[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

I'm actually shocked and amazed that Florida did not pass Amendment 3 to legalize marijuana. I'm so proud of y'all

[andromeda3116]

doing math on voter turnout is making me twitch with fervent hopeless hope bc like

there are now 2.7 million registered voters in harris county, which had a turnout of 66% and went to biden by 56% in 2020

if kamala matches those percentages now, that will account for just shy of a million votes -- more than 300k raw votes more than in 2020

...when trump won texas by around 600k votes

and that's matching those figures -- if turnout is higher, if her margin is higher, that eats sharply away at that margin even more

i'm just... there's a reason she came to houston less than ten days before election day and it wasn't to see the astros

[screamingwombatgirl]

Kay-Alana Turner has been missing from Tomball Texas since March 10th 2023. It is believe she is suffering a mental health crisis but she is not dangerous. She was last seen wearing a pink dress with black sharpie on her arms; If anyone has any information on her whereabouts please call the Harris County Sheriffs Office at 713-755-7427 or her mother Rosa Calhoun at 409-363-0837

For more information her father’s Facebook is Robby Calhoun and her family has setup a Facebook page for her. Please share

[missing-girls-and-women]

Ilsy Jaqueline Puac-Alvarado, 15

Last seen in Newport News, Virginia in 2014. She was 8.5 months pregnant at the time of her disappearance, and reportedly delivered her baby in Harris County, Texas a month after she went missing. There has been no contact.

[gwydionmisha]

This is the end of democracy in Texas.

[eraserdude6226]

Good advice in 1775 and good advice in 2024!!

[ausetkmt]

A Texas House committee on Wednesday heard explosive new testimony from lawyers investigating Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, including that he appeared to provide a friend with confidential FBI documents and committed other potentially impeachable crimes in an effort to help him retaliate against adversaries and federal officials.

Many of the details have been outlined in a whistleblower suit that accuses Paxton of firing four top aides as retaliation after they reported the alleged misconduct to federal authorities.

BACKGROUND: Donor in Ken Paxton bribery case loses appeal as he seeks to avoid jail time for contempt of court

But Wednesday’s testimony painted the fullest picture yet of the ways in which Paxton allegedly leveraged the resources of his office to help the friend and campaign donor, Nate Paul. It also created a new and immediate threat for Paxton, who has denied all wrongdoing, since the House General Investigating Committee could recommend that the chamber censure him or begin impeachment proceedings.

“Would it be fair to say the OAG’s office was effectively hijacked for an investigation by Nate Paul through the attorney general?” asked Houston state Rep. Ann Johnson, D-Houston.

“That would be my opinion,” said investigator Erin Epley, a former Harris County prosecutor.

The investigators listed a number of laws that Paxton may have violated, including abuse of official capacity and misuse of official information, both of which are felony offenses. The FBI is reportedly investigating the allegations, though no charges have been filed.

The revelations come as tensions are boiling over between Paxton and House Republican leaders in the final days of the legislative session. On Tuesday, the attorney general called for House Speaker Dade Phelan to resign after claiming he presided over the House while drunk, alluding to a video that appeared to show him slurring his speech. He also slammed Phelan for not passing enough conservative priorities.

A spokeswoman for Phelan said Tuesday that Paxton’s statement was “a last-ditch effort to save face” in anticipation of Wednesday’s hearing. Phelan has publicly opposed a request from Paxton that the Legislature use taxpayer dollars to settle the whistleblower suit.

Paxton has survived repeated scandals, including a federal securities fraud case that has stalled for nearly eight years. On Wednesday, he accused Phelan, a fellow Republican, of trying to "disenfranchise Texas voters and sabotage my work."

"The false testimony of highly partisan Democrat lawyers with the goal of manipulating and misleading the public is reprehensible," he said in a statement. "Every allegation is easily disproved, and I look forward to continuing my fight for conservative values." 

LATEST: AG Ken Paxton calls for House Speaker Dade Phelan to resign over slurred speech

The House investigators, a group of attorneys with experience in public integrity law and white collar crime, said they reviewed hundreds of pages of documents, including emails, contracts and criminal complaints, and interviewed 15 people since March. All but one of those interviewed said they had “grave concerns” about Paxton retaliating against them for their participation.

The investigators said Paxton’s involvement with Paul set off a chain of departures at the agency that has since gutted it of experienced senior staff. Because of that, they said, Paxton has had to increasingly rely on outside counsel for casework – at a big expense to taxpayers.

“At this stage, the office of the attorney general spends approximately $40 million on outside counsel in an office that previously was well-funded and had a deep roster,” Epley said. 

Paxton signed a tentative settlement with the whistleblowers in February for $3.3 million, but the deal is effectively dead because the Legislature has declined to fund it, which whistleblowers have said was a condition of the agreement. The session ends on Monday. 

“The state must honor its solemn promise to compensate them for their lost wages and other demands,” attorneys for the four whistleblowers said in a statement, adding: “No public employees, especially those left at the AG’s office, are going to report this kind of public corruption in the future if the Legislature leaves our clients hung out to dry.”

The investigators also touched on the criminal securities fraud allegations against Paxton and suggested that he may illegally hold more than one homestead exemption — a type of tax break that applies to a person’s primary home. They did not provide additional details.

State Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, the committee chair, said it was “alarming” and “very serious” that taxpayers are being asked to foot the bill for Paxton and others’ wrongdoings.

“That’s something we have to grapple with,” he said. “That’s challenging.”

ALSO READ: Corruption investigation into Texas AG Ken Paxton's shifting to Washington

Paxton allegedly ignored staff to step in for Paul

Over three hours of testimony, investigators described a pattern in which Paxton would bypass staff and ignore their recommendations, aggressively pushing for actions that benefited Paul.

Terese Buess, longtime former Harris County prosecutor who headed the public integrity division, said Paxton violated the state’s open records law to help Paul obtain information about the FBI’s activities involving his case, including a raid it had executed against his home and business office.

Paul, who is in the middle of multiple bankruptcies proceedings and financial litigation, had wanted the attorney general’s office to uncover details about the federal investigation into him and his businesses, the investigators said. Paul donated $25,000 to Paxton’s re-election campaign in 2018.

The attorney general’s office, which is charged with determining whether information needs to be released, had issued a “no-opinion” ruling on the matter – the first time it had done so in decades. The office receives about 30,000 requests per year.

Buess said Paul should have been denied the documents, since the open records law has a clear exception for law enforcement matters, yet Paxton pushed for its release. 

Paxton told staff he did not want to use his office “to help the feds” or the state Department of Public Safety, Buess said.

According to Buess, Paxton obtained his own copy of the documents and then directed an aide to hand-deliver a manila envelope to Paul at his business. After that, she said, Paul's attorneys stopped asking for the FBI records. Investigators don’t know whether the documents were in the envelope.

Another former Harris County prosecutor, Mark Donnelly, told the committee that an attorney of Paul’s had recommended that Paxton’s office hire a young and inexperienced lawyer named Brandon Cammack as outside counsel to help Paxton investigate the federal officials looking into Paul. It was a conflict, since Paul had requested the investigation in the first place.

Donnelly did not name the attorney who referred Cammack, but Hearst Newspapers has reported on the relationship between Cammack and an attorney who represented Paul, Michael Wynne, both from Houston.

Paxton hired Cammack as a “special prosecutor” against the advice of his staff, according to the investigators. They suggested that Cammack was able to use the unredacted FBI report from Paxton to pinpoint the targets of 39 subpoenas, which went to Paul’s business interests and law enforcement officials.

Backing up another claim from the whistleblower suit, the investigators said Paxton pressured his office to issue a legal finding during the pandemic that foreclosure sales had to stop because of public health restrictions – a ruling that went against the advice of his staff.

Such opinions can take up to six months to publish, but Paxton pushed for it to be finalized in two days. Donnelly said the only logical explanation for that was he wanted it “complete before the foreclosure sale of certain properties related to Nate Paul entities” coming up the next week.

Paul’s attorneys went on to cite the attorney general opinion in about a dozen foreclosure sales involving his properties, Donnelly said.

Investigators also found that Paxton pressured his office to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the Roy F. & Joann Cole Mitte Foundation, an Austin-based nonprofit, against Paul alleging fraud. Again, Paxton’s staff had disagreed with his efforts.

The attorney general’s office withdrew from the suit in October 2020, immediately before the whistleblower letter went out reporting Paxton to federal law enforcement.

[dixiedrudge]

Texas Buys Border Properties for Security and Conservation Efforts

The state of Texas has purchased more properties along the Texas-Mexico border to continue its border security and conservation efforts. View Source The Texas General Land Office acquired a 1,402-acre ranch in Starr County whose property backs up to the Rio Grande River, making it “a crucial location for enhanced border security and placement of a border wall,” the GLO said in a statement. The…

[youthchronical]

Texas mother arrested after attempted sale of her unborn baby on Facebook - Times of India

<p>Juniper Bryson faces felony charges for attempting to sell a child (Photo: X) <br></p> A mother from Texas, Juniper Bryson, has been arrested for attempting to sell her baby on Facebook. Bryson, 21, is now in Harris County Jail facing a felony charge of trying to sell a child.According to court records, Bryson posted in a Facebook group called “Birth Mothers Looking for Adoptive Parent(s)” on…

[harriswalz4usabybr]

Tuesday, September 24, 2024 - Tim Walz

Wrapping up the final stretch of main events the campaign will be visiting Lubbock and Amarillo today. The Governor is excited too spend some time in Texas, even as the campaign events com to a close. The Governor is excited to spend some additional time in Texas after today's events come to a close because he will be doing his debate prep in Amarillo, TX. Below is the 'official' schedule for today.

Lubbock, TX Event Location: Texas Tech University Event Type: Get Out the Vote Event: Time: 10:00 - 13:00 CT *The team split up for this! Tim Walz and Beto O'Rourke went door knocking off-campus and focused on the community in Lubbock County. Stacey Plaskett and Jasmine Crockett focused on student groups on-campus meeting with various groups and doing some dorm door knocking. There was also some student influencers who we signed up for being campaign voices, like we have at other universities.

Amarillo, TX Event Location: Amarillo College Event Type: Listening Tour (Dinner Provided) Event: Time: 17:00 - 20:00 CT *During this even the campaign invited Assistant District Attorneys, District Attorneys, and law makers from across the panhandle to come and discuss their lives, challenges, and needs with us. The campaign is very invested in making sure that those enforcing the law across our great country from the cities to the most rural of counties have the resources they need. Jasmine Crockett was the moderator and Tim Walz did take questions.

~BR~

[wyrmfedgrave]

Texas KAMALA Convoy

We've got us a Harris convoy - deep in the Republikkkan heart of Texas!!

Enjoy.

End?

[macwantspeace]

Sorry. This is long. I would post snippets and then a link, but Electoral-Vote rotates everything thru the front page. Sort of like Hare today, Goon tomorrow. [I wish you could have been there when Wally {nee Karen} told that story. See, there was a hare with a bad attitude. Wandered thru the woods Bopping the other critters. In poofs the Woodland Fairy to say, "stop that shit or I'll turn you into a goon". "Ha and Ha", says the hare while doing some more Bopping. Poof! Zap! Goon! Hence the moral: hare today, goon tomorrow.] Texas Hates Democracy {here it comes. brace yourselves} In a just world, someone would arrest, convict, and imprison Gov. Greg Abbott and AG Ken Paxton (both R-TX) and then would throw away the key. They are the most anti-democratic, corrupt, power-abusing, self-interested one-two punch in state politics right now. In fact, they might be the worst one-two punch in state politics in the last half-century (go back further than that, and you run into the segregationists, who were also really bad).

Every reader of this site knows that Texas has allegedly been on the cusp of turning purple for at least a decade, if not more. It hasn't actually happened, but that doesn't mean that the thought doesn't keep Texas Republicans up at night. And they go into full freak-out mode when they see a poll like this one from Public Policy Polling, which has Donald Trump leading Kamala Harris by just three points, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) {hiss, boo, I add} leading Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) by just two. It's almost certainly an outlier, but it's also a reminder that Texas' status as a one-party state could be in jeopardy.

One solution to this problem would be to pursue ideas and programs that will curry public support. You know, that thing called "politics"? The preferred approach of Abbott and Paxton, however, is to abuse their positions of power to disenfranchise Democratic voters. To that end, the Texas state government, with Paxton taking the lead, has booted 1 million people off the voter rolls since the last presidential election. Roughly half of those individuals have died or left Texas. The other half, however, simply failed to respond to inquiries from the state demanding that they confirm their voting status. "Coincidentally," the folks removed from the rolls are disproportionately people of color and/or disabled, which means they are also disproportionately Democrats.

And it gets even sleazier. Abbott and Paxton are all-in on the fantasy that vast numbers of undocumented immigrants are casting votes in Texas elections. In order to fight this "problem," Paxton recently executed search warrants {squads of cops with guns drawn} on a bunch of homes in Texas. No undocumented voters, and no evidence of votes by undocumented Texas, were found. By pure chance, however, the homes all belonged to Democratic activists, particularly members of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

This week, Paxton is still busy. Harris and Bexar counties (home to Houston and San Antonio, respectively) were busy at work on plans to allow people to register to vote via mail. On Monday, the AG sent letters to officials in both counties telling them they better not try it, and that he would sue them if they did. {ha and ha, I add, they done did it Tuesday} Paxton claims that the program would "confuse" noncitizens and "induce" them to register fraudulently. Those just so happen to be among the most heavily Latino counties in the state. Paxton probably didn't even know that, though, right?

At the start of this item, we proposed that Abbott and Paxton are as bad as the segregationists of the 1950s and 1960s. Now that we think about it, is there even a distinction? Whether it's Ken Paxton or George Wallace, they're doing everything they can to keep Black and brown people from voting. ~~~~~ The request for voter registration form is a fillable pdf on the Sec State webpage. Just gots to mail it.