Federal judge tells Beaumont election officials not to harass or discriminate against Black voters
Claims of misconduct during early voting were raised in a federal lawsuit filed Monday by the Beaumont chapter of the NAACP, accusing election workers of scrutinizing Black votersโ identities and shadowing them while at voting stations
Gov. Abbott discusses broadband access legislation
Greg Abbott on Monday held a press conference at Hamshire-Fannett Elementary School in Beaumont on expanding broadband access across Texas. Abbott was joined by Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, State Rep. Trent Ashby, and Hamshire-Fannett ISD Superintendent Dwaine Augustine to discuss the importance of reliable broadband for education, business, and health care. Earlier this year, Abbott named broadband access an emergency item for the 87th legislative session. AdโBroadband access is no longer a luxury, it is an essential tool for all Texans,โ Abbott said. โSchools need broadband to connect with students, businesses need it to remain competitive, and our doctors and nurses and their patients need it for telemedicine purposes.
After slow start, Texas lawmakers pick up the pace on GOP priorities as legislative session passes halfway mark
The optimism comes after a two-week stretch dominated by a tense standoff among the House, Senate and Gov. As of Thursday, more than half โ 16 โ had at least gotten a committee hearing. Senate Bill 25 would give nursing-home residents the right to have a designated caretaker visit them regularly during a public health emergency. On Thursday, a Senate committee approved legislation โ SB 3 โ that would overhaul the stateโs energy industry. AdBy Friday afternoon, Cainโs bill was rescheduled for an April 1 hearing, according to a committee hearing posting notice.
Ward accounts for 5 TDs, Incarnate Word beats Lamar 42-20
BEAUMONT, Texas โ Cameron Ward passed for 341 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 24 yards and a TD to help Incarnate Word beat Lamar 42-20 on Saturday. Kevin Brown ran 13 times for 196 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 38 yards and a TD for Incarnate Word. Chaz Ward ran 26 times for 105 yards and a touchdown for Lamar (0-2, 0-2). Jalen Dummett passed for 116 yards and a touchdown, and Marcellus Johnson caught seven passes for 88 yards. Incarnate Ward outgained Lamar 626-360 in total offense.
Texas House elects Dade Phelan speaker as 2021 legislative session gets underway
State Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, held a press conference at the capitol to declare that he had enough votes to become Speaker of the House. (Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune)The Texas House on Tuesday elected state Rep. Dade Phelan as the next House speaker, ushering into office a new leader who will oversee a chamber facing its toughest set of legislative challenges in years against the backdrop of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The House voted 143-2 for Phelan, with four members not voting. The two members who voted against Phelan were GOP freshmen Bryan Slaton and Jeff Cason. Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, replaced former House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, who retired from office thanks to a secret recording scandal that fractured relationships in the 150-member lower chamber.
Texas GOP Chair says party will not "support or accept" Republican Rep. Dade Phelan as next House speaker
Phelan said last week he had support from a "supermajority of the Republican caucus" and a "broad coalition of support" from Democrats. West does not get to vote on the next speaker since he is not a House member. And past speaker candidates, including current Republican House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, who will retire at the end of his term, have claimed support from Democrats in their bids to help get to a majority of votes needed to preside over the House. Phelan, who has served in the lower chamber since 2015 and chairs the powerful House State Affairs Committee, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Phelan filed paperwork to run for speaker after a group of GOP members gathered and picked the lawmaker as their preferred candidate.
State Rep. Dade Phelan says he has votes to become speaker of Texas House
State Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, on the House floor in 2019. Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas TribuneState Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, announced Wednesday he has the votes needed to become the next speaker of the Texas House. "The race is over," Phelan said at a noon press conference at the Texas Capitol. On Tuesday night, one Republican in the race, state Rep. Geanie Morrison of Victoria, announced she was backing Ashby for the job. Phelan has served in the House since 2015 and is currently chair of the powerful House State Affairs Committee. He was a top lieutenant of House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, a Republican who will retire at the end of his term thanks to a political scandal last summer.
State Rep. Dade Phelan files to run for Texas House speaker
At right, Chairman Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, listens to testimonies during a State Affairs committee hearing on Feb. 27, 2019 Credit: Emree Weaver/The Texas TribuneState Rep. Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, filed Sunday evening to run for Texas House speaker, he confirmed to The Texas Tribune. Phelan's filing comes after a group of House Republicans gathered Sunday afternoon and picked the lawmaker as their preferred speaker candidate, according to multiple people familiar with the meeting. During that hours-long meeting, some members expressed concern over holding a vote on a speaker candidate before each party knows the partisan breakdown in the 150-member House. House members will vote on the next speaker on the first day of the 87th legislative session in January. Phelan, who has served in the lower chamber since 2015, chairs the powerful House State Affairs Committee.
Salvation Army deploys team to feed first responders, residents impacted by Hurricane Laura
BEAUMONT, Texas โ A two-man team in a canteen truck is heading to Beaumont, Texas to assist in the Hurricane Laura aftermath. The team was deployed through the Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services Texas Division in New Braunfels. Officials said the team will serve food to first responders and residents impacted by the storm. Read also:Videos, photos show Hurricane Laura hitting Gulf Coast, damageAerial footage shows damage over Texas, Louisiana following Hurricane LauraGov. Greg Abbott surveys Hurricane Laura damage, calls no widespread deaths โmiracleโ
Follow KSAT Meteorologist Justin Horne as he reports on location as Hurricane Laura aims for Texas coast
Hurricane Laura is expected to make landfall sometime late Wednesday into Thursday morning. San Antonio is helping out those that may be impacted by Hurricane Laura. Greg Abbott is scheduled to give an update on Hurricane Laura response at noon. LIVE RADAR:You can follow along with Your Weather Authority as we continue to track Laura by downloading the KSAT Weather Authority app for Apple or Android. Our KSAT Hurricane Tracker app also allows you to monitor the tropics from your phone during the Atlantic Hurricane Season, which runs until November 30.
San Antonio Pets Alive! saves 12 dogs and cats fleeing tropical storms Laura and Marco
SAN ANTONIO โ The San Antonio Pets Alive! team reported on Monday that it brought in 12 pets who were evacuated from Beaumont due to Tropical Storms Laura and Marco. According to the animal shelter, Beaumont Animal Care and the Humane Society of the United States reached out for safe homes for their animals, and the Alamo City team was happy to help. In total, four dogs and eight cats were brought to the San Antonio shelter. โThese precious dogs and cats need heartworm treatment, vaccines, preventatives, and even a third eyelid removal surgery,โ the shelter said in a statement.
Gold in secret vault is traced to Hugo Chvez's former nurse
So Daz allegedly turned to one of the oldest ways of moving vast sums of money anonymously: buying gold. She radically denies having had any gold ingots or any bank account in Liechtenstein, Oliver said. Wire transfers from Panamanian shell companies were routed through CBH to Greenhill and Amblia's accounts at the state-owned Liechtensteinische Landesbank in 2012, according to the Liechtenstein court. However, U.S. prosecutors in their exchanges with Swiss authorities in 2018 suggest the bank had itself been defrauded by Beaumont. The gold bars allegedly belonging to Daz represent just a small fraction of the total amount looted from Venezuela.
COVID-19 outbreak reported at Southeast Texas Chick-fil-A restaurants
BEAUMONT, Texas โ More than a dozen Chick-fil-A employees have now tested positive for COVID-19 in Beaumont, according to 12NewsNow. The ABC affiliate reported that 11 more employees were confirmed to have tested positive on Friday evening after four earlier in the week. More than 100 employees from two Beaumont Chick-fil-A locations were tested for COVID-19 throughout the week. BREAKING: Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick has told me that 11 more Beaumont @ChickfilA employees have tested positive for #coronavirus. #12NewsNow #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/XFnC8L8XUi โ H. Tyler Seggerman (@TylerSeggerman) April 24, 2020Two Beaumont Chick-fil-A restaurants have been closed for several days, the Dowlen Road and College Street locations.