Abbott orders the closure of ballot drop offs
Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the closure of some ballot drop off locations throughout Texas, citing ballot security. Democrats are calling it voter suppression. The governor’s proclamation would limit ballot drop off sites to just one per county. Harris County alone currently has 12. Governor Abbott says it will strengthen ballot security protocols throughout the state. Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa calls it voter suppression and a sign of desperation by Texas Republicans.
“Stop messing with voters in Texas. Let them vote. It’s their constitutional right. This is a democracy. Everybody should be allowed to participate in the electoral process, and you shouldn’t make it difficult for them to vote. You should make it easier to vote,” says Hinojosa.
The Travis County clerk is very unhappy with Governor Abbott’s order on the ballot drop off locations, Dana DeBeauvoir tells CBS Austin it’s a deliberate attempt to manipulate the election.
“I intend to see what I can do to challenge the governor’s order on this and protect voters rights under existing Texas law to hand deliver their ballots,” says DeBeauvoir.
She says the drive through lanes to drop off those ballots will grow extremely large at that one location now at Airport Boulevard. She expects that will slow down the entire process. Abbott’s order does take effect today.
COVID-19 update
For a second day in a row, COVID hospitalizations have crept back upward in Travis County, although the number of people requiring a ventilator has gone back down. 83 people are in the hospital today. But even amid that slight increase, the number of active cases has fallen for consecutive days. Now it’s 615. The split between total cases and recoveries has also narrowed again. 29,576 cases have been found since March, 28,532 are recoveries.
Williamson County has added another 20 recoveries to it’s numbers over the past day. Right now, 8,672 coronavirus cases are confirmed, and 8,408 of those are recoveries. A dozen people are hospitalized, and that number really hasn’t moved very much either way throughout most of the week.
Teachers pledge not to return to campus
Just days away from the Austin school district opening up its campuses once again and hundreds of teachers are saying they won’t come back. Austin ISD Employees Union Education Austin says 850 teachers are pledging not to go back to campus. Instead, they are willing to still work from home, citing COVID fears and a lack of a cohesive plan from district leaders. Kindergarten teacher Traci Dunlap says there’s still too many unanswered questions about safety, COVID and the mix of digital and face-to-face learning.
“And if we can’t answer these questions, we’re not ready for face to face instruction,” says Dunlap.
SAVES fund
The Austin City Council approved redirecting $15 million to the SAVES fund, which will go to support local music venues, restaurants and childcare. However, many people like Jodi Mozeika of the Black Star Co-op says that is just not enough money
“Our small businesses, restaurants, bars and venues remain an incredibly large part of what makes a city of Austin a unique and desirable place. Please do not overlook our cultural importance and the significant economic impact we continue to provide,” says Mozeika.
City leaders say it’s just the tip of the iceberg, and the next step will be leveraging those dollars into more tangible support.
Mental health program
The council has also approved $4 million in additional funding for a mental health program, diverting more emergency calls away from police. Council Member Greg Casar says that will mean the city has enough trained mental mental health responders to handle the calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We’ll be able to respond to well over 5,000 calls away from traditional 911 response into trained mental health first responders,” says Casar,
Casar says it’s a program that could save lives and ultimately end up serving the community.
San Marcos officer returns
San Marcos police officer Franco Stewart has returned to duty almost six months after he and two others were ambushed while responding to a domestic violence call. Officer Stewart and Officer Justin Mueller were both hurt. Officer Justin Putnam was killed in that attack. Mueller was able to return back in June.
This news and more on News Radio KLBJ:
https://omny.fm/shows/klbjam-flash-briefing-1/am-newscast-10-2-20
Hosted by Author and Wealth Manager, Chris Heerlein, in-studio with Austin’s Retirement Coach, Sandra Newman. Wealth Radio provides a LIVE, interactive broadcast that guides successful families and driven entrepreneurs towards building a life of significance. Listeners can engage in discussions around key areas that are of real concern with today’s most successful families and entrepreneurs – Our Austin financial advisers help families achieve greater financial confidence and independence in retirement. Are you ready to make work optional? Click here to learn more.
