After no contest plea, a Texas representativeโs charges for impersonating a public servant are dismissed
In June 2022, state Rep. Frederick Frazier was indicted on two charges of impersonating a public servant. A Collin County district judge dismissed the misdemeanor charges as part of his deferred adjudication.
Man gets life in prison after pleading guilty in the sexual assaults of 4 women in their Texas homes
A man was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty in the attacks of four women who were sexually assaulted in their homes throughout the Dallas area, including three women who were alumnae of the same national Black sorority.
โLetโs clean houseโ: Paxton tells supporters to lead charge in removing his Republican rivals who impeached him
Paxton named House Speaker Dade Phelan, a fellow Republican, in his brief remarks Saturday in North Texas. The suspended attorney general faces a trial Tuesday that would remove him from office permanently.
Ken Paxton impeachment updates: Texas Legislature set to decide fate of embattled attorney general
A Texas House committee has filed 20 articles of impeachment, but itโs not yet clear when the full chamber will take them up. Republicansโ attempts to remove one of their own sets up a dramatic showdown in the waning days of the 2023 regular legislative session.
Judge stops Texas execution after questions raised in case
A Texas judge has stopped next weekโs scheduled execution of a death row inmate who has long said heโs innocent so there can be more time to review his claims that he was convicted more than 20 years ago with false testimony and questionable evidence.
Despite GOP gains across the state, voters in the Austin-area suburb of Round Rock rejected conservative school board candidates
Slates of conservative candidates endorsed by the Republican Party of Texas failed to flip school boards in several suburban races across Texas, including in Round Rock and Wylie.
2 constables, 4 police chiefs and over 3,000 other Texans were members of the Oath Keepers, report says
A recent analysis of Oath Keepersโ membership rolls leaked last year found that Texas had more members of the far-right extremist group than any other state โ and the most who worked as elected officials, law enforcement officers or members of the military.
U.S. Rep. Van Taylor ends reelection campaign after he admits to affair
Taylor made the stunning announcement hours after he finished his five-way primary with 49% of the vote. Former Collin County Judge Keith Self, who finished second, is now likely to become the next congressman for the 3rd District.
Texas county officials call election audits an unnecessary partisan ploy while voicing confidence in 2020 results
Officials in some counties targeted by audits accuse Republican Texas leaders of pandering to conspiracy theorists and undermining faith in elections. They also say the secretary of stateโs office hasnโt provided details on what the audits entail.
Collin County detention officers won't face charges over in-custody death of Marvin Scott III
Since Scottโs death, family members had led regular demonstrations outside the Collin County Jail. Multiple news outlets reported that a grand jury recommended the formation of a group to study Scottโs death, which had been ruled a homicide.
Lawyers prosecuting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtonโs fraud case challenge decision to move trial back to his home county
Last month, a divided three-judge panel ruled that the case should move back to Collin County. Prosecutors are asking the full 1st Court of Appeals to review and reverse that ruling, potentially further delaying the 6-year-old case.
Fort Bend County clinches second-highest early voter turnout rate among Texas' largest urban counties
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas โ Fort Bend County clinched the second-highest early voter turnout rate among Texas' most populous urban counties, according to data from the Secretary of Stateโs office. Additionally, the early-voting turnout in Fort Bend County has surpassed the countyโs total voting turnout for the 2016 election. Collin County is the only urban Texas county with a higher early voting turnout rate than Fort Bend County. โOur neighbors, friends, and family members in Fort Bend County are excited about participating in this historic election and continue to lead the State,โ Fort Bend County Judge KP George said in a statement. Fort Bend County County polling locations will remain open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Collin County is the center of a political storm as the Texas suburbs become more competitive for Democrats
Republicans have dominated Collin County for years. Six years ago, Collin County was so solidly Republican that many of its representatives in Austin and Washington didnโt even draw Democratic opponents. Collin County was among the first Texas counties this week to exceed its 2016 turnout, and 62% of its voters had already voted as of Wednesday. At the same time, Democrats also see opportunity in injecting the president into the Texas House races in Collin County. โWhatโs happening in Collin County is whatโs happening all across the country,โ Leach said.
Judge rules Ken Paxton's 5-year-old criminal case can be heard in his hometown of Collin County
The case was sent to be tried in Houston in 2017 given Paxtonโs close political ties in Collin County. Paxton once represented the region in the state Legislature, and now his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, does. Prosecutors argued they could not get a fair trial in a part of the state where the Paxtons are so well connected. In July 2019, Paxtonโs defense attorneys asked a judge to send the case back to Collin County, arguing that the judge who removed it to Houston had not had the authority to do so. Judge Jason Luong sent the case back to Collin County on Friday.
White evangelicals hope to keep changing Texas red for Trump
During a break between morning church services, Beverly Sides, right, with the Prestonwood Cultural Impact Team shows Suzie Brewer election voter guides for various north Texas counties at Prestonwood Baptist Church Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020, in Plano, Texas. He spoke in the parking lot of a pizza place in McKinney, Texas, the county seat. Jeffress, the leader of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, also sees the changes underway in his state. Despite the United Statesโ troubles with the pandemic and economic crash, white evangelicals remain among the presidentโs most loyal supporters. Texas evangelicals expect Barrett, whose confirmation hearings are underway in the U.S. Senate this week, to uphold more limits to abortion.
Five health experts on the states coronavirus data backlog and what to expect as schools reopen
The agency has fast-tracked the onboarding of more than 300 labs to provide testing data as quickly as possible, Anton said. Question: Whats the effect of the backlog and the later data dump from a public health standpoint? However, there are relatively few positive TB tests, and there's no expectation that you report negative tests, only the positive ones. Second factor: the poor analysts at the state, they're getting data feeds from I think 600 different laboratories across the state. So I think we're going to see a surge, I think we'll see a surge of positive cases in the next 10 days to two weeks.
Criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will return to his native Collin County, judge rules
A judge moved Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons case to Harris County years ago, after prosecutors said they could not get a fair trial in Collin County. REUTERS/Bill ClarkYears after it was sent to Harris County, the criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will move back to his native Collin County, a Harris County judge ruled Thursday. A judge moved Paxtons case to Harris County years ago, after prosecutors said they could not get a fair trial in Collin County, Paxtons home and former district from his time in the state Legislature. The two attorneys prosecuting Paxton, Brian Wice and Kent Schaffer, disputed that at a December hearing and said the case belongs in Harris County. But when the Texas State Securities Board reprimanded him for soliciting clients without being properly registered, he signed a disciplinary order without disputing its findings.
Texas church frees residents of $2.2M in medical debt
FRISCO, Texas โ For many in Collin County, mounting medical debt will soon be erased thanks to the generosity of one Frisco church. โIn just Collin County this week we purchased $2.2 million worth of medical debt and forgave it all,โ Josh Craft, the executive pastor at Elevate Life Church in Frisco announced at last Sundayโs service. One of the best ways to change someoneโs life is to pay off their debt.โThey are working with RIP Medical Debt to do this. โOver the next couple of months people in Collin County will be getting letters that say hey we just love you and your debt is forgiven. It says God so loved the world that he gave and the cool thing is we get the opportunity to really find a way to just be that for people.โRIP Medical Debt estimates thereโs currently $740 million of unpaid medical debt in Texas.