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THURSDAY || 9/12/24
Good Thursday afternoon.
Thank you for being a paid subscriber.
“If something of importance is known in Texas, Matt knows it. With a decline in the number of credible news organizations, the Must Read Texas morning email is indispensable for anyone that wants to continue to be informed.” – Former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX)
TOP NEWS 
“Residents hear shots in downtown Dallas, police responding,” Dallas Morning News' Aria Jones, Jamie Landers, Claire Ballor and Matt Kyle — “Three people were wounded in a shooting Thursday afternoon in downtown Dallas [ [link removed] ], police say.
A police spokeswoman said just before 3 p.m. that the three were taken to hospitals, but their conditions were unknown. No information about the suspect was available, she said.
Police said officers responded about 12:15 p.m. to the 1800 block of Commerce Street, near South St. Paul Street. More than 20 police units responded to the shooting Thursday afternoon, according to an online police call log. Police at a news conference declined to take further questions, citing an active investigation.
Dallas Fire-Rescue also responded to the Continental building and sent multiple units, two of which took patients to hospitals, a spokesman said. Residents of the building told The Dallas Morning News that they heard more than a dozen shots.
Three people were wounded in a shooting Thursday afternoon in downtown Dallas, police say." DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)
“Texas Children's Hospital's longtime CEO, Mark Wallace, retires,” Houston Chronicle's Julian Gill — “Mark Wallace, who served as the top executive at Texas Children's Hospital [ [link removed] ] for more than three decades, announced his retirement Thursday.
His last day is Oct. 4.
“I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on when my last day would be since announcing the search for a new President last year,” Wallace said in a news release.  “I knew back then that my final chapter was beginning and I’m so happy with how everything has fallen into place. Now, as I embark on this new season— one filled with more time with my wife and my family, friends and perhaps even a few new adventures — I leave with a full heart and deep appreciation for my incredible team. I know that Texas Children’s will only get better and better in the years to come and I will always be cheering this phenomenal organization on from wherever life takes me.”
Wallace was the longest serving chief executive [ [link removed] ] in the medical center. He took the helm in 1989 [ [link removed] ] at 36 years old and saw the institution through a massive expansion throughout the Houston region, including Katy and The Woodlands. He also integrated women's health care with the opening of the Pavilion for Women in 2012. Texas Children's recently opened a hospital in Austin, where it plans to continue its expansion.
"After 35 years of dedicated service, Mark has not only led this hospital with unparalleled vision and integrity but has touched the lives of every single person who walked through these doors,” Park Shaper, Chair of the Texas Children’s Board of Trustees, said in the release. “His compassion, unwavering commitment and genuine care for our patients and staff have made this place more than a hospital and as we bid farewell, we are grateful to know that his legacy will continue to guide our every step.”" Houston Chronicle [ [link removed] ] ($)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT 
“Harris County Justice of the Peace issues blanket recall of all warrants,” The Texan's Holly Hansen — “A Harris County justice of the peace has recalled all warrants issued through his court, thwarting law enforcement efforts in his jurisdiction to enforce traffic laws, pursue fraudulent check writers, and detain individuals who had failed to appear in court.
Judge Steve Duble, justice of the peace for Harris County’s Precinct 1, sent a letter on August 22, 2024, to staff working for Constable Alan Rosen notifying them that he had recalled the warrants.
“Please accept this official notification that after extensive research and thoughtful consideration, I have decided to recall each and every outstanding warrant issued from this court, Justice of the Peace Court, Precinct 1, Place 2,” wrote Duble.
Duble noted that the recalled warrants included those for bad checks and capias warrants which require police to detain an individual until they appear in court. Warrants may also be issued to individuals who have failed to appear in court.
On Wednesday night, Duble released a statement [ [link removed] ] to explain his action. He wrote, "The recall was ordered to comply with the Constitution. Notwithstanding the recall, the court will promptly abide by and comply with instructions of any superior court of competent jurisdiction holding that this court’s understanding of its constitutional obligations in this regard is mistaken."
Justice of the peace courts in Texas handle some civil matters and class C misdemeanors that are punishable by fine. Cases may include traffic violations, disorderly conduct, and misdemeanor assaults.
Texas law gives magistrates some authority to recall warrants, but Duble’s blanket recall may conflict with the Texas Criminal Code of Procedures [ [link removed] ], which states that “If an accused fails to appear as required by [an] order, the judge of the court in which the accused is required to appear shall issue a warrant for the arrest of the accused.” The law also states that magistrates must issue warrants for suspects who fail to appear in court for certain citations [ [link removed] ].
Elected in 2022, Duble campaigned on establishing eviction diversion programs and promised to bring a “social justice lens” to his courtroom.
Duble did not return a request for comment by the time of publication.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office (HCDAO) told The Texan that they had only recently been made aware of the blanket warrant recall.
“We only recently were made aware of Judge Duble’s inexplicable decision to grant fugitives a free pass in his courtroom,” said an HCDAO spokesperson. “This decision can endanger the lives of the public and of our law-enforcement officers. Accountability is fundamental to justice, and without it, the public loses faith in our entire judicial system.”
State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) told The Texan he thought a formal complaint should be made to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC).
“There is no way this is a legitimate legal move by this JP that the public will believe or understand,” said Bettencourt." The Texan [ [link removed] ]
“Gerald Goines trial: Ex-officer testifies sergeant may have had camera,” Houston Chronicle's Nicole Hensley — “Former Houston police officer Steven Bryant's testimony in the Gerald Goines trial [ [link removed] ] came to a halt after he revealed a sergeant who participated in the Harding Street raid may have been wearing a personal body-worn camera, when up until now, it was believed there was no video inside the home.
Bryant, who pleaded guilty in 2021 to federal charges in connection with the raid, told jurors that former Sgt. Clemente Reyna had his own personal device, rather than a department-issued camera, that he would wear on raids. He assumed Reyna was wearing the device as the Squad 15 narcotics team stormed into the Harding Street [ [link removed] ] home of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas, who were shot and killed, according to his testimony.
The former officer said he did not see the camera but he based his assumption on a conversation he had with fellow officer Felipe Gallegos, who had told him Reyna had the camera. Gallegos was previously charged with felony murder as well, after the raid. Reyna, but not Gallegos, has been asked to testify, according to court records.
Reyna is charged with three counts of tampering with records and theft in connection with an alleged overtime scheme uncovered amid the Harding Street raid scandal.
The Chronicle reported in the raid's aftermath none of the narcotics officers who took part in the heroin bust had video from body cameras for investigators to examine. At the time, police management had yet to deploy recording devices among undercover units engaged in tactical operations.
Prosecutor Tanisha Manning ceased her questioning as Bryant disclosed the possibility that camera footage may exist of the disastrous raid that left two people dead and five police officers wounded. One of the officers, Goines, is on trial for two counts of felony murder in connection with the deaths.  He is accused of killing the couple by lying about a confidential informant on the sworn no-knock warrant used to raid the couple’s Pecan Park home.
Bryant's disclosure happened on the fourth day of testimony in Goines’ trial." Houston Chronicle [ [link removed] ] ($)
2024 
“Texas Supreme Court orders Dallas City Council to ditch anti-accountability, anti-police charter propositions,” via Dallas Express — “The Supreme Court of Texas ruled Wednesday afternoon that the Dallas City Council must remove three proposed charter amendments it placed on the November ballot.
As previously reported [ [link removed] ] by The Dallas Express, a majority of council members advanced the three propositions (K, M, and N) in a bid to undercut three proposed amendments stemming from a citizen-led campaign seeking to increase accountability on the part of City officials and bolster public safety resources.
The bipartisan nonprofit Dallas HERO, which organized the campaign, and a Dallas resident filed a lawsuit against the City after the council members passed their poison pill amendments, which would have overridden the public safety and accountability propositions if approved by voters.
“[T]he propositions contradict each other, and the ballot language as a whole will confuse and mislead voters because it does not acknowledge these contradictions or address the effect of the primacy provisions, which are chief features central to the character and purpose of the council-initiated propositions,” wrote Justice J. Brett Busby for the court.
“Because the citizen-initiated propositions must appear on the ballot and the parties have agreed to the ballot language for those propositions, we conclude the proper remedy is to direct the city council not to include its duplicative propositions on the ballot. …[W]e conditionally grant mandamus relief in part and direct the City to remove Propositions K, M, and N from the ballot,” the ruling states.
The council members complied with the ruling, voting to remove the three proposed amendments to the Dallas City Charter.
If approved by voters, Dallas HERO’s three charter propositions would require the City to increase police pay, require roughly 1,000 more officers to be hired, bolster the Dallas Police & Fire Pension System, tie the city manager’s bonus pay to an annual resident survey, and enable citizens to sue City officials for failing to abide by the Dallas City Charter, Dallas City Code, or state laws." Dallas Express [ [link removed] ]
“National Dems target Texas, but focus remains on protecting Senate incumbents,” Texas Tribune's Matthew Choi — “Texas’ senate race is not the priority for national Democrats who face a difficult map this year, but they still see promising signs of a flip in the state, Democratic Senate Campaign Committee Chair Gary Peters said Tuesday.
"To be candid, my number one priority is to bring back all of the incumbents," Peters said when asked how important Texas is for the Democratic fundraising and organizing group. “But we also want to go on the offense, and the offense is going to be very important. And right now our focus is Texas and Florida. Both of them are very real.”
U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, is challenging Sen. Ted Cruz this November. It’s Cruz’s first challenge since his close 2018 reelection where former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke came within 3 percentage points of beating him.
The DSCC showed early interest in the race when it included Texas in its $79 million ad reservation last spring and funded staffers to work in Texas tracking Cruz. The DSCC named Texas and Florida as its top flip opportunities this cycle.
A DSCC aide declined to say what other investments the group would make or how much of the spring ad reservation was going to Texas, though Politico reported [ [link removed] ] a seven-figure amount would go to the state. The Senate Majority PAC, an independent super PAC linked to Senate Democratic Leadership, has not yet announced any investments in the state.
“We're committed. We have investments we're making on the ground,” Peters said. “It's very real. Ted Cruz did not win his last race by very much. It showed that he was vulnerable.”
But flipping any seats has always been second place to Democrats’ uphill battle to keep its current majority. Democrats have a one-seat majority, with several incumbents up for reelection in otherwise red or purple states. ...
Peters said there are signs to stay optimistic about Texas. Cruz’s national fame as a right-wing celebrity could be a vulnerability for Republicans, he said.
“Ted Cruz has very high name recognition. He also has very high negatives,” Peters said. “High name recognition with high negatives is not a strength, and it's a weakness that Colin Allred is going to be able to exploit.”" Texas Tribune [ [link removed] ]
“Russian captive's father blasts Ted Cruz in ad endorsing Colin Allred,” Texas Tribune's Matthew Choi — “Two years ago, Joey Reed excoriated U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz for not doing more to help free his son Trevor, who was being held captive in Russia. Now his son is free, and father and son are working to help kick Cruz out of office.
Joey Reed announced his support for Democrat U.S. Rep. Colin Allred — who is running against Cruz — in an ad released Thursday morning [ [link removed] ].
“When my son Trevor Reed was detained by the Russian police, he was given nine years. We were frantic. We tried to stay focused and not just break down every day crying,” Joey Reed said in the ad. “The first politician we called was Ted Cruz. They basically said, ‘Oh we’re not going to be able to help you.’ Ted Cruz didn’t lift a finger for us when everybody else in the state did.”
Trevor Reed echoed the call to oust Cruz on social media, shorty after the ad went public.
"That's my Dad everyone!" Trevor Reed wrote, linking to the ad. "Remember if you're a Texan and you're voting this year that Ted Cruz doesn't care about you. Vote for a man who will."
Trevor Reed, a Marine veteran from Granbury, was arrested in Russia in 2019 on charges of assaulting a police officer during a trip to visit his Russian girlfriend in Moscow. He and the U.S. government denied the charges. He was incarcerated for nearly three years of his nine-year prison sentence until he was freed in a prisoner swap in April 2022.
Cruz’s office didn’t dispute Joey Reed’s account at the time. He previously said he did not get involved in the rescue effort because he was worried his involvement could make things worse.
“We were repeatedly advised by Administration officials that my taking a public role in this specific case would be counterproductive, and that because of my role fighting to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, leaders in Russia may well have linked the two issues,” Cruz’s office said in a statement [ [link removed] ] to the Dallas Morning News in 2022." Texas Tribune [ [link removed] ]
BUSINESS NEWS
“American Airlines flight attendants ratify new contract,” Dallas Morning News' Alexandra Skores — “American Airlines flight attendants have ratified a new 5-year contract with the carrier which adds a combined $4.2 billion to their current contract.
The nearly 28,000 flight attendants at American, represented by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, have been in negotiations since 2019 [ [link removed] ], with a halt during the pandemic, but came back to the table in Aug. 2021. The new contract [ [link removed] ] includes immediate wage increases up to 20.5% and retroactive pay to address the time flight attendants spent negotiating.
“The flight attendants have waited for five years for a payment, and what this means is they finally are getting an agreement that they have earned and deserve after a very long fight with American Airlines,” said Julie Hedrick, national president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. “This isn’t just the flight attendants at American Airlines. This is definitely for flight attendants across the industry to raise the industry [standard] up.”
The union reported 95% of eligible flight attendants voted and 87% of those who voted, voted in favor of the deal.
Among the many perks to the deal include a new “sit rig” for compensation during long sits between flights and pay for boarding. Pay for boarding has been highly sought after among flight attendant unions with new contract deals. The contract also improves scheduling, rescheduling and reserve work rules.
“Reaching an agreement for our flight attendants has been a top priority, and today, we celebrate achieving this important milestone,” said Robert Isom, CEO of American. “Both the APFA and company negotiating teams had a shared mission of delivering an agreement our flight attendants have earned, and I greatly appreciate their work and relentless focus.”
Wage increases take effect on Oct. 1. The contract becomes amendable on October 1, 2029." DMN [ [link removed] ] ($)
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE   
 > TX TRIB: "Texas leads push for faster certification of mental health professionals" TX TRIB [ [link removed] ]
 > HOU CHRON: "Former Texans QB Watson denies allegation in new sex assault complaint" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
 > TX MONTHLY: "Why Many More Delivery Drones Will Soon Fly Dallas-Fort Worth’s Skies" TX MONTHLY [ [link removed] ]
 > DMN: "Texas prison inmates swelter amid persistent guard staffing shortages, critics say" DMN [ [link removed] ]
 > FWST: "Students, elected leaders slam Tarrant County’s ‘blatant attempt’ to silence votes" FWST [ [link removed] ]
 > FWST: "Public calls for firing of Fort Worth officer who shot driver after hit-and-run on I-35W" FWST [ [link removed] ]
 > FWST: "Police increase presence on Fort Worth ISD school campuses in response to online threats" FWST [ [link removed] ]
 > FWST: "Democratic candidates threaten lawsuit against Tarrant County over voter access on campus" FWST [ [link removed] ]
 > HOU CHRON: "Houston puts $10.6M toward finding nearly 900 displaced families post-Harvey" HOU CHRON [ [link removed] ]
 > TPR: "Are greedy companies to blame for grocery inflation? We looked at the data" TPR [ [link removed] ]
 > TPR: "Francine weakens to a tropical storm as it moves across Louisiana" TPR [ [link removed] ]
> TPR: "Progressive is the latest insurance company to stop offering homeowner coverage in Texas" TPR [ [link removed] ]
 > DMN: "Dallas adopts plan to fix $4 billion shortfall amid fight with police, fire pension system" DMN [ [link removed] ]
 > DMN: "Plans for new downtown Dallas convention center get funding boost" DMN [ [link removed] ]
 > SA REPORT: "More money, more staff: troubled city agency that certifies small, minority-owned businesses stabilizes" SA REPORT [ [link removed] ]
 > SAEN: "Appeals court overturns theft conviction for former Comal ISD official" SAEN [ [link removed] ]
 > SAEN: "BCSO arrests 12-year-old accused of threatening to shoot up school, student" SAEN [ [link removed] ]
 > THE TEXAN: "Texas Ethics Commission Has Exclusive Jurisdiction Over Campaign Violations, Court Rules" THE TEXAN [ [link removed] ]
 > VALLEY CENTRAL: "Region One, UTRGV receive over $62 million grant" VALLEY CENTRAL [ [link removed] ]
EXTRA POINTS   
Last night's Texas sports scores:
  > MLB: Diamondbacks 14, Rangers 4
  > MLB: Athletics 5, Astros 4
Tonight's Texas sports schedule:
  > 1:10pm: MLB: Athletics at Astros
  > 6:30pm: NCAAF: Arizona St. at Texas St. (ESPN)
  > 7pm: MLS: New York at Dallas
  > 8:40pm: MLB: Rangers at Diamondbacks
DALLAS COWBOYS: Cowlishaw: “Dallas Cowboys' success this season could hinge on this' DM [ [link removed] ]N ($)
TEXAS FOOTBALL: Golden: “Sarkisian to Texas football team after Notre Dame loss: 'Don't let that be us'" AAS [ [link removed] ] ($)
UH BASKETBALL: “UH basketball: 5-star shooting guard Isiah Harwell commits to Cougars" Houston Chronicle [ [link removed] ] ($)

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