WEEKEND TOP NEWS LINKS:
KTRK 13 News
Yesterday was Election Day for many voters across southeast Texas.
More than half of Harris County’s 1.9 million registered voters were eligible to cast a ballot in Saturday’s elections for municipalities, as well as school and utility districts.
Bond elections voted on today for school districts across our area include Tomball ISD and Lone Star College.
Voters turned down a nearly $500 million bond proposal from Lone Star College. Lone Star wanted $497.7 Million dollars from taxpayers. The school planned to use part of the money to increase security after an on-campus shooting in January and a mass stabbing last month. And while voters in Harris County approved the measure, voters in Montgomery County overwhelming rejected it, causing the proposal to fail.
The bond would have paid for new cameras, lighting, automatic door locks along with new workforce training facilities.
More than $1 billion in school bonds were on the ballot. Tomball ISD will build new schools after voters approved a $160 million bond issue. Residents in Clear Creek ISD agreed to a property tax increase to help build a replacement for Clear Creek High School. And a $40 million bond issue for Lee College district in Baytown passed after gaining the support of 72 percent of voters.
It looks like Clear Creek ISD’s bond referendum also has been approved by voters. With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, nearly 67 percent of voters approved the $367 million bond. The would renovate several schools, address safety, growth within the district, upgrade technology in the district and build co-curricular and extracurricular facilities.
(Read the full story at KTRK 13 News)
RELATED COVERAGE:
• Voters generally kind to school bond issues (Chron.com)
• Lone Star College bond issue fails (Chron.com)
• Voters reject Lone Star’s $498M bond (Your Houston News)
LOCAL AREA HEADLINES:
- Residents in southeast Houston complain city isn’t doing enough about flooding (KHOU 11 News)
- Houston makes smart phone app for job seekers (KTRK 13 News)
- M.D. Anderson president’s backing of now-rejected cancer drug questioned (Houston Chronicle)
- New Magnet Policy Will Create Online Application For Students (KUHF Public Radio)
- Aide sentenced to 9 years in Medicare fraud case (Chron.com)
- Texans kick off Volunteer Day (KPRC 2 News)
- TSU, UH tip their caps to famous alums (Chron.com)
- BWI! Boating While Intoxicated (KRIV 26 News)
STATE HEADLINES:
- Report: Texas Kids Benefit From Child-Focused State Spending, and Suffer When Spending Drops (KUHF Public Radio)
- West paramedic charged with having explosive device (Chron.com)
- Hispanics Now Majority In Texas Schools, Politicians Take Note (Texas Monthly)
- Librotraficantes Ends Up Victorious, Killing Bills That Would Restrict University Ethnic-History Courses (Houston Press)
NATION & WORLD:
- Execs’ cushy health care could trigger fines (USA Today)
- Free On Mother’s Day, Former Captives Ask For Time, Privacy (NPR)
- ‘More Than A Count,’ Infant Mortality Is Societal Struggle (NPR)
- Guatemala’s Maya finally find justice over civil war crimes (Reuters)