The November elections are just around the corner and there is a lot to keep track of when it comes to things like registering to vote, absentee ballot applications and voter ID requirements.
That’s why Marfa Public Radio is here with your guide on what and when you need to do to vote in the 2020 elections.
Marfa Public Radio is one of the most awarded small-market stations in the nation for excellence in journalism. MPR serves approximately 30,000 square miles of Far West Texas, plus an online streaming audience worldwide.
Texas mail-in ballots require voters to sign the outer envelope. (Charlie Pearce for The Texas Tribune)
By Karen Brooks Harper, Texas Tribune
Texas election officials may continue rejecting mail-in ballots if they decide the signature on the ballot can’t be verified, without notifying voters until after the election that their ballot wasn’t counted, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday.
The National Guard conducting coronavirus testing at Greenwood Volunteer Fire Department in Midland County. (Mitch Borden / Marfa Public Radio)
By Public Radio Staff
As the state of Texas heads toward a possible third surge of coronavirus cases, the Big Bend region is seeing its own uptick. In the last week, cases have cropped up in Marfa, Alpine, Presidio and even in the small town of Valentine.
Now, for the second time this month, the state is planning to send staff to the Big Bend region to conduct free public testing. While testing for COVID-19 is available in the region—at area clinics and at Big Bend Regional Medical Center—resources are severely limited and local health officials have largely reserved testing for residents who are exhibiting symptoms or have had direct contact with a person diagnosed with the coronavirus.
In a 5 to 2 vote, Midland Independent School District's board voted to renamed Robert E. Lee High School to Legacy High School. (Mitch Borden / Marfa Public Radio)
By Mitch Borden
After a three-hour meeting Wednesday night, Midland Independent School District’s board of trustees voted to rename Robert E. Lee High School—which residents commonly refer to as Midland Lee—and now call it Legacy High School.
Republican Jim Wright, left, and Democrat Chrysta Castañeda are both running for Texas Railroad Commission on very different platforms. (The campaign websites of Jim Wright and Chrysta Castañeda)
By Kyra Buckley, Houston Public Media
Voters casting a ballot in Texas have the opportunity to choose the next state oil and gas regulator — and the two candidates in the race would have very different approaches to that role.
(Photo credit: Brewster County Sheriff's Office Facebook)
By Carlos Morales
As early voting for the Nov. 3 elections begin, voters in Brewster County will weigh in on who they believe should be the next sheriff.
Since the summer, the race for the county’s top cop has turned contentious. One candidate dropped out of the election after racist tweets he wrote years ago resurfaced. The current, longtime Sheriff had his cellphone hacked, which the FBI is investigating. And a write-in candidate, and current Alpine police officer, found himself in hot water after allegations of a wrongful arrest appeared on social media.
Since it began entering the awards competition in 2011, Marfa Public Radio has received 54 Regional Murrow Awards and 5 national awards. (Carlos Morales / Marfa Public Radio)
By Public Radio Staff
Marfa Public Radio has received a National Edward R. Murrow award for excellence in journalism from the Radio Television Digital News Association.
Permian Basin reporter Mitch Borden was recognized in the hard news category among small-market radio stations. His reporting followed the convoluted and controversial story of Midland Independent School District’s 2019 bond election, where over 800 ballots disappeared—and when found, changed the outcome of the election.
El Paso, Texas. (Photo via Björn Blanck/Pixabay)
By Travis Bubenik, Courthouse News
Texas Governor Greg Abbott is sending more than 70 health workers to the border city of El Paso as a resurgence of the coronavirus has officials warning of “virus fatigue” and urging residents to take precautions.
The November elections are just around the corner and there is a lot to keep track of when it comes to things like registering to vote, absentee ballot applications and voter ID requirements.
That’s why Marfa Public Radio is here with your guide on what and when you need to do to vote in the 2020 elections.
Marfa Public Radio is one of the most awarded small-market stations in the nation for excellence in journalism. MPR serves approximately 30,000 square miles of Far West Texas, plus an online streaming audience worldwide.
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By Mitch Borden
In Midland, the fight over Robert E. Lee High School could be resolved soon as district officials move closer to selecting a new name.
The monthslong back-and-forth over what to rename the school began with an online petition in June that quickly garnered over 10,000 signatures. Now, the Midland Independent School District’s board of trustees are left with a decision: completely rename the school, or leave a trace of the Confederate general’s name on the building.
The choice could cost Midland millions and further divide a community that already finds itself at odds with each other.
The Senate Judiciary Committee begins up to four days of hearings Monday on President Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.
If confirmed, Barrett, 48, would replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the high court.
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By Patrick Svitek, Texas Tribune
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and his Democratic opponent, MJ Hegar, butted heads Friday evening in a debate over a host of timely issues — the coronavirus pandemic, race and policing, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
As the two appeared together in Austin, Cornyn repeatedly bashed Hegar as a puppet of Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C., suggesting her views are too liberal for Texas. She in turn challenged him to train his attacks on her and argued he has lost touch with the state after 18 years in the Senate.
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By Carlos Morales
Five students and one employee at Marfa Independent School District have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, forcing officials to close the district’s two campuses and shift to remote-instruction for the next week.
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By Mitch Borden
The Lubbock man who illegally sold an AR-style rifle to the gunman who carried out a deadly attack in West Texas last year has pleaded guilty to illegally dealing firearms.
Marcus Anthony Braziel admitted to federal authorities he illegally sold weapons without a license—including, in 2016, to Seth Ator, the Odessa gunman who killed seven people and injured dozens more last year.
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