TBB Staff

As 2021 gets underway, so too will the 87th Texas Legislative Session, and this one promises to be unlike any other in recent history. The coronavirus threat will loom large, dramatically changing both the topics considered by lawmakers and the process by which they do so. Legislators will likely spend much of the 140-day session working on public health issues directly related to COVID-19, but the virus will also shape other issues, including the state’s budget. The Texas Constitution requires that the legislature pass a balanced budget, and with coronavirus-related shortfalls in tax revenue projected, it will not be an easy task.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced the arrest of Rachel Rodriguez for election fraud, illegal voting, unlawfully assisting people voting by mail, and unlawfully possessing an official ballot.

The Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission (THGC) is now accepting applications for the 5th Annual Dr. Anna Steinberger Outstanding Texas Educator Award.

Laredo, Texas –– In an effort to enhance the public education of Laredoans, Dr. Michael A. Hochman, the local retina surgeon and ophthalmologist, has endowed monies to fund The Nineteenth Annual Rochelle and Sidney Hochman Educational Support Grant, available for local public-school teachers in both the Laredo Independent School District and the United Independent School District.

EDINBURG – Hidalgo County health officials, in conjunction with Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD, will be hosting a community COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Wednesday and Thursday, Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez said.

Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Lori I. Valenzuela to the Fourth Court of Appeals for a term set to expire on December 31, 2022, or until her successor shall be duly elected and qualified.

Judicial Watch announced today it obtained three videos of body cam footagefrom the Montgomery County, MD, Police Department (MCPD) detailing the scene of the fatal shooting of Duncan Socrates Lemp earlier in 2020. The videos show the covered body of Mr. Lemp; detained individuals in the house; and various weapons found at the scene. Judicial Watch blurred images of occupants of the house who appear in the video to protect their privacy.

Governor Greg Abbott has appointed James Stainton as the District Attorney of the 271st Judicial District in Jack and Wise Counties

Today, the McAllen City Commission oversaw the swearing in ceremony of Isaac Tawil and Lauren Renee Sepulveda, newly appointed City Attorney and Municipal Court Judge, respectively, for the City of McAllen. Both were appointed by the McAllen City Commission following the retirement of Kevin Pagan and Katie Henley, who previously held those positions. According to the charter of the City of McAllen, these positions are appointed by the McAllen City Commission.

EDINBURG, Texas– Over the weekend, Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents seized over 322 pounds of marijuana in two separate events.