Masks at polls ruling
A ruling requiring masks at the polls is on hold. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has granted a temporary stay of the ruling while it considers the case. That disappoints State Director of Mi Familia Vota, Angelica Razo.
“Enforcing that and making sure that folks are wearing masks is one of the ways that we can take some serious precautions against COVID-19. For the lot of the latinx community and the black community, who have been disproportionately impacted for COVID-19, that’s a priority for us,” Razo says.
Her fight is not over. Mi Familia Vota will continue to fight to require masks at the polls.
National Guard troops
Governor Abbott has 1,000 Texas National Guard troops said to be deployed to four of the five largest cities in the state as early as this weekend. The governor says they’ll play no role in the election process. At his Wednesday press conference in Houston, Governor Abbott was asked about why the National Guard needed to be deployed to Austin, Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth. He said it’s his job to make sure the cities are safe.
“In the event that there are any protests after the elections concluded, we will have adequate personnel in place to make sure that we will be able to address any protest that could turn into riots,” says Abbott.
Governor Abbott did not comment on why those cities were chosen. Apparently, San Antonio was removed from the original list.
Proposition A
As the November vote nears, the Project Connect tax hike Proposition A is getting another push by city leaders. However, local businesses already fear the tax that will push them over the edge. Austin Mayor Steve Adler says the additional cost is small and the benefit is great.
“We get to actually do something about traffic. We get to meet our responsibility on climate change. We actually get to provide mobility equity in our city,” says Adler.
Opponents say Proposition A would hike city property taxes by 25%. Adler and others retort saying in actuality is just a 4% increase.
Record breaking voter turnout
Travis County is the latest county in the area to surpass its entire 2016 vote total during this year’s early voting period. Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir says this election could break pretty much every record on the books when it comes to voter turnout. Early voting ends tomorrow with Election Day set for next Tuesday.
Holiday COVID surge
With the fall holidays upon us, some fear a COVID surge. Health leaders say they do have more beds available and can even use the Austin Convention Center still if need be. However, they do worry a surge could devastate hospital staff.
“This is a call to action for Austin and Travis County. This can be avoided. We can come together as a community, and we could make a decision that we’re not going to overrun our hospital systems,” says Austin Public Health’s Stephanie Hayden.
That starts with getting flu shots, washing your hands, social distancing and wearing masks.
Former assistant chief sues APD
Former Austin Assistant Police Chief Jason Dusterhoft has filed suit against the City of Austin, the Police Department, and Chief Brian Manley among others. He claims he was fired because he was a whistleblower. Dusterhoft was fired back in 2018 after he was accused of assault by someone he formerly dated. However, he claims in his lawsuit that the real reason he was fired was because he blew the whistle on wrongdoing and cover ups within APD.
This news and more on News Radio KLBJ:
https://omny.fm/shows/klbjam-flash-briefing-1/am-newscast-10-29-20
