- Full Transcript of The Watchdog’s 2020 Property Tax & Appraisal Protest Seminar
- Pandemic Wrecks Many State Budgets, Could Trigger Deep Cuts
- Sen. Hinojosa: What the economic downturn means for the State of Texas budget
- More Than $110 Million Taxpayer Dollars Spent on Lobbying This Election Cycle
- SNAP [food stamp] program launches to allow online grocery buying in Texas
- Here’s what the 2020-21 school year calendar may look like, according to the Texas Education Agency
- Coronavirus pandemic hammers Texas school budgets – spending is what hammers their budgets. Frankly with school facilities largely closed, even with payroll continuing, school budgets should be in better shape than if they had not closed due to Wuhan virus. As to future revenue fall-off, why do government folk seem to believe they do not need live in the world as it is, the one we live in? They like all others must re-size spending and taxing to fit the economy as it is.
- AG Paxton Joins Amicus Brief Defending State Sovereignty
- Texas 14th Court of Appeals: Expanded mail-in voting ruling must be followed, for now – this makes it easier for the Supreme Court to rule quickly
- Texas AG Asks Court to Block Mail-In Voting Over Virus Fears
- SD14: Special election lineup set in race to replace Kirk Watson, more
- North Texas Democrats look to galvanize Latinos
- Once butt of Saturday Night Live joke, Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw has last laugh with ‘cultural guidebook’
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- Coronavirus related
- Let’s Not Pretend This Is Constitutional
- Dr. John Lee: Ten reasons to end the lockdown now
- Texas cities, counties abused their emergency power with COVID-19 restrictions, task force says
- Why has Texas fared better than many states in confronting the coronavirus?
- COVID-10 in Texas: An update with context.
- Map of Texas COVID-19 Test Collection Sites
- Texas COVID-19 situation report for 5/14/2020 (pdf) – 1158 deaths in Q1 plus half of Q2. Official Texas 2018/19 flu season P&I deaths were 9249 by end of July last year, over 10,000 for the year. Should our rights have been scuttled for that, around 10% of a “regular” year’s flu death rate? Even if it grows by 5 times it would still be half the rate of annual P&I deaths.
- Are daily local COVID-19 case number proclamations useful?
- There Is No Evidence Lockdowns Saved Lives. It Is Indisputable They Caused Great Harm
- Eschenback: The #COVID19 Emergency Is Over!
- Can we trust COVID modeling? The evidence from Sweden suggests not.
- Antibody studies of Spain and France show just five percent of population has been infected – “Given how dangerous COVID-19 appears to be, there’s a benefit to it not being as easily transmitted as modelers expected.”
- Podcast: Pratt on Texas Interview with Dr. Stephen Balch AUDIO
- Health officials wasted time on the speculative, didn’t harden the known
- Brownwood Health Department ‘doing all that we can’ about COVID infected nursing home – yes, now, way after action was warranted
- San Angelo ‘goes gold’ to support individuals in senior care facilities – symbolism over substance
- Texas Democratic Party director, Manny Garcia, says Texas should still be shut down! – the Dem line: In ‘re-opening’ Texas, it’s clear the donors are in charge – Leftists universally resent work and productivity
- Lock down failure
- People Power vs. Police Power
- Gretchen Whitmer Lashes out at Michiganders: Lockdown ‘Not Optional,’ Orders ‘Not Suggestions’ – time for armed response? Authority only comes from the consent of the governed – America 101.
- Gov. Whitmer goes on The View to lay blame for likely extension of stay-at-home orders
- WI Supreme Court Strikes Down Gov. Evers’ Stay At Home Order
- Leftist Democrats Jubilantly Exploiting “Pandemic” Hardship and Suffering
- Public Officials Cite Virus While Limiting Access to Records – typical
- Airports are testing thermal cameras and other technology to screen travelers for COVID-19
- Harris County Ramps up Virus Tracing Efforts – from what we now know heavy contact tracing is likely unnecessary and a waste of limited resources.
- Texas pushes to double its force of coronavirus contact tracers by May 31
- Dispute flares in Eagle Pass over hospital’s coronavirus testing
- City of Midland will be ‘ready to go’ with 50% occupancy
- Big Bend National Park eyes June reopening
- Cats without any symptoms can spread coronavirus to other cats, study finds
- Texas spending $45 million on coronavirus tests prisoners are administering to themselves
- Amber Alert issued for missing Texas teen; second ‘person of interest’ named
- Lubbock non-profit says domestic violence cases rise amid COVID-19
- Lubbock committee offers micromanagement guidelines for gyms reopening
- Houston Methodist study reports plasma therapy safe, helped three fourths of patients
- We need the rule of law, and more of it, in a time of crisis
- Local Officials Defend Their ‘Orwellian’ and ‘Unlawful’ Orders
- Dallas to offer mobile coronavirus testing in hot spots where many people lack access to cars
- Previously Jailed Salon Owner Shelley Luther Lights Up Laredo
- Gov. Greg Abbott is cracking down on cities’ enforcement of COVID-19 orders, but many already took a lax approach
- Governor Abbott to announce more reopening plans
- Austin health officials release 5-stage chart to guide travel, dining
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- Federal/DC related to Texas
- White House opens door to state aid despite opposition from conservative groups, some GOP lawmakers – oppose, oppose, oppose
- 15 Texas Mayors Request Federal Funds Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, Some Have Billions in Unfunded Liabilities
- ‘Not an acceptable answer:’ Trump disagrees with Fauci on keeping some schools closed this fall
- Sens. Cruz, Coons, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Enhance Medical Partnerships with Israel, Lessen U.S. Dependence on China
- Sens. Cruz, Cornyn on Committee Approval of Drew Tipton as U.S. District Judge in Corpus Christi
- Sen. Cruz Applauds Senate Passage of USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act of 2020
- TX19: In depth on COVID-19 with Congressman Jodey Arrington VIDEO
- List of Obama officials who illegally used wiretaps to spy on Americans
- Graham: Without Nat’l Security Reason, Flynn Unmasking Spying, Eavesdropping on a Political Opponent
- Rand Paul: Unmasking for Political Purposes ‘Illegal,’ ‘An Abuse of Power’ that Needs to Be Investigated
- Clapper: Unmasking was so routine to me that I don’t recall doing it to an incoming national security adviser, or something
- Flashback: Former NSA director explains unmasking VIDEO
- AGs in 14 states to Trump: Let’s hold China accountable
- Court allows to proceed lawsuit on President Trump’s business operations at his D.C. hotel
- Federal food program knocked for hiring San Antonio event planner
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- Presidential race / national politics
- Biden Admits He Was Aware ‘They’ Asked for Investigation of Michael Flynn
- List of Obama Officials Who May Have ‘Unmasked’ Michael Flynn Includes Joe Biden
- Biden now in hot seat over ‘unmasking’ revelations
- Biden’s Revival of Obama’s Middle East Policies Won’t Bring Peace
- Obama Looking Panicked and Guilty
- Andrew Cuomo is a deadly failure
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- Border / immigration
- Five Mexican Migrants Arrested After Crossing Canadian Border into Maine
- Five Bangladeshi Migrants Apprehended Crossing Border into Arizona
- Mexico Explores Relaxed Lockdown Measures, Surpasses 40K Coronavirus Cases
- Maquiladoras to open in Chihuahua, Aguascalientes and Queretaró
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- Business
- Texas bar owners say they’re going broke and are desperate for Abbott to lay out a reopening plan
- Coronavirus Finishes the Retail Reckoning That Amazon Started – “Roughly 100,000 stores are expected to close over the next five years— more than triple the number that shut during the last recession…” Thanks gov’t officials.
- After Delay, JBS Meatpacking Plants Agrees to Testing
- As state reopens, gas prices rise in Texas
- Jobless San Antonians ‘Make Hard Decisions’ as Pandemic Roils Economy
- Coronavirus Has Medical Labs Struggling For Business
- Wind Energy Lives Off of Tax Dollars
- How And Why America’s Food System Is Cracking
- Unemployment claims in San Antonio area top 106,000
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- Crime & general news of Texas
- Former Monahans police officer sentenced 87 months in prison
- Ex-Matagorda Co. deputy sheriff pleads guilty to exploiting young girl
- First responders on scene of fatal train versus vehicle wreck near Jolly VIDEO
- Additional arrest made in Petrolia HS Band Booster Club embezzlement
- Wichita Falls man torched mom’s business to steal safe
- Driver hospitalized after semi-truck flips on I-20 in east Abilene
- Ex-wife of former Abilene church worker describes grooming tactics used to prey on victims
- Law enforcement activity at property in Schleicher Co.; man in Facebook Live video says he’s being ‘oppressed by Texas Rangers’
- Police: Woman threw knives, iron pan at husband
- Headstones and vases destroyed at Abernathy Cemetery
- Up to $5,000 reward offered in deadly shooting New Years Day in downtown Lubbock
- Man dies in possible homicide near Galleria, Houston police say
- Men in reflective vests rob credit union inside Houston Budweiser brewery
- Child found safe after being taken in west Houston car theft
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- Local government
- Full Transcript of The Watchdog’s 2020 Property Tax & Appraisal Protest Seminar
- Why are local officials just now looking at budgets? Coming shortfall was known in March.
- More Than $110 Million Taxpayer Dollars Spent on Lobbying This Election Cycle
- 15 Texas Mayors Request Federal Funds Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, Some Have Billions in Unfunded Liabilities
- Coronavirus pandemic hammers Texas school budgets – spending is what hammers their budgets. Frankly with school facilities largely closed, even with payroll continuing, school budgets should be in better shape than if they had not closed due to Wuhan virus. As to future revenue fall-off, why do government folk seem to believe they do not need live in the world as it is, the one we live in?
- Carrollton Drops Plan to Spend Coronavirus Cash on Social-Distancing Surveillance
- Dispute flares in Eagle Pass over hospital’s coronavirus testing
- Lake Wichita water quality deemed safe after algae bloom tests
- Sex offenders in direct violation of Breckenridge ordinance or are they?
- Taylor Co. implements ’emergency pay’ benefiting employees during pandemic
- Abilene council approves DCOA purchase of Cypress home
- Plainview City Council tables aquatic center contract vote
- Harris Health System is About to Face COVID Crisis
- Local Officials Defend Their ‘Orwellian’ and ‘Unlawful’ Orders
- Watauga City Council Draws Voter Anger
- Collin and other North Texas counties are distributing hundreds of millions in federal CARES Act funds to help residents recover from the impact of governments’ coronavirus shutdowns
- San Antonio Must Rethink Arts Funding Post-Pandemic
- South San Board Names Superintendent Finalist from Beeville ISD
- Bell County Residents Voice Concern Over Solar Farm Proposal
- How Lina Hidalgo is navigating coronavirus and conservative backlash in Texas’ biggest county
- Gov. Greg Abbott is cracking down on cities’ enforcement of COVID-19 orders, but many already took a lax approach
- Option would allow Longview to adopt rollback tax rate without voter approval
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- Colleges & universities
- MSU moves forward with Texas Tech membership consideration, more, more VIDEO
- Texas Tech Regents focus on COVID impact during Thursday board meeting
- Lori Rice-Spearman Named Sole Finalist for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center President
- TTU Landscape Architecture Students Venture Outside While Staying Inside
- Midland College plans for summer and fall
- HSU Faculty Spotlight with Dr. Scott Hamm
- HSU: A Small Religious University In West Texas Foreshadows What May Become Of Higher Education – “…budget cuts ought to be targeted at the unnecessary spending that occurs on so many campuses, not the academic programs that lie at the core of the university’s educational mission.”
- Pandemic impacts ACU’s two newest Fulbright Scholars
- Wayland Refunds Students, Opens CARES Applications
- Some SPC graduates receiving associate’s degrees before graduating high school
- Former U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego named sole finalist for Sul Ross State University presidency – why not? His name was plastered all over it when in the legislature.
Pratt’s post for 5/14/2020
May 14, 2020 by Leave a Comment
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