This is TPR's roundup of the latest headlines and news developments. It provides a succinct and clear summary of the stories TPR is following.
Today's weather: The week continues to be sunny and warm in San Antonio, with an expected high of 93 and a low of 75. After Wednesday, the workweek will see cooler temperatures as a cold front moves through the area, with highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s. The weekend will warm back up into the 90s. But the fall's cooling trend has begun. Next Tuesday will see highs in the 80s again.
The tropics: The National Hurricane Center is tracking Tropical Storm Helene south of Cuba. It poses no threat to Texas. Helene was expected intensify into a major hurricane before striking the Florida Panhandle by Thursday. The Atlantic hurricane season ends on Nov. 30.
Election 2024: In Texas, early voting starts on Monday, Oct. 21. If you’re one of the thousands of people who’ve recently moved to the state, make sure to register by Oct. 7. Learn more here.
Voter discussion: Join Texas Public Radio on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at our downtown San Antonio headquarters for a young voter discussion moderated by TPR's Joey Palacios. This session will create a space for voters to talk freely and share their thoughts, ideas, aspirations, experience and knowledge, while our news team will listen and learn from them. Learn more here.
Paxton continues to fight voter registration programs
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed supplemental motions in lawsuits against Travis County and Bexar County regarding voter registration programs, after an application was reportedly mailed to a deceased resident.
His office said it obtained documents that show that Travis County mailed an unsolicited voter registration form on Sept. 18 to a resident who passed away 44 years ago in 1980.
Last week, a state district judge did not grant a temporary injunction sought by Paxton to stop a Bexar County-funded program to print and mail out voter applications through a third-party firm. Judge Antonia Arteaga found the state's case moot after learning from the DA's office that the forms had already been mailed out.
Paxton maintains the county lacked the statutory authority to mail out the applications and sued.
Proposed voting law may keep married women away from ballot box
There is no evidence that non-citizens are voting in federal elections. But a Republican-led effort to prevent non-citizen voting could keep eligible voters — especially married women — from voting.
The SAVE Act — which stands for Safeguard American Eligibility — was introduced by Congressman Chip Roy. He said the proposed law requires voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship at the time of registration.
But the SAVE Act could actually prevent the majority of married women from being able to cast a ballot, according to Kristin Hook, Roy’s Democratic challenger in the upcoming election. “In order to register to vote you have to show proof of your birth certificate," she explained, "Proof of your citizenship. And it would have to match what’s on your driver’s license. Well, many married women don’t have the same last name.”
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, one third of all women do not have citizenship documents that match their current names primarily because of name changes at marriage. And they would be disenfranchised.
Second gentleman Emhoff campaigns for Kamala Harris
Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff led a get-out-the vote rally at Candler Physical Education Center at San Antonio College on Monday. The event attracted more than 500 people.
The husband of Vice President and Democratic nominee for president Kamala Harris spent most of his half-hour speech touting her campaign's economic proposals.
Many national polls give Republican presidential nominee and former president Donald Trump higher marks on handling the economy. But Emhoff said the billionaire is not self-made but inherited his wealth and had filed multiple business bankruptcies.
He also reminded the crowd that Harris backs first time homebuyer assistance, child tax credits, and help for new business startups.
UTSA poll: Bexar County residents split over new Spurs arena
New polling from UTSA’s Center for Public Opinion Research found that voters living in Bexar County are split on support for a possible new Spurs arena in downtown San Antonio.
The poll reported that 41% of people were against a new arena, and 36% supported it.
The results show a slight increase in opposition to a new arena compared to a June UTSA poll that found cost and traffic were the two biggest issues for voters against it.
Negotiations between the city and the Spurs are underway behind closed doors. The former Institute of Texan Cultures has been identified as a likely location, but the city has not publicly shared any information about costs or timeline.
VIA riders have new payment options
VIA Metropolitan Transit will introduce new payment options for riders including tap to pay and Apple Pay. New fareboxes on buses will allow passengers to use contactless credit cards, mobile wallets, and more.
Passengers can currently only pay for rides using the mobile app, a VIA goCard, or with cash on the bus.
Installation of the fareboxes on all VIA buses is expected to begin in mid-October.
VIA says the expanded options will speed up boardings and reduce delays.
Coming this fall: New ways to pay on VIA! 🚌💳
— VIA Metro Transit (@VIA_Transit) September 23, 2024
Starting September 30th, our new payment system will bring more ways to pay, faster boarding, and fewer delays.
For more details, visit https://t.co/q5SnL2iDoY.#RideVIA #SanAntonio #PublicTransit pic.twitter.com/lMBuXUAZgu
Mexican president said Sinaloa violence linked to drug lord arrests
Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador said this week that the recent surge in violence in Sinaloa is linked to the detention in the U.S. of two drug lords: Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Loera.
Lopez Obrador added that Mexico has not received further information of the alleged agreements between U.S. authorities and criminal groups.
Cecilia Farfan, a researcher at the Institute of Global Conflict and Cooperation at UC San Diego, said the arrests created a power vacuum and shifting criminal dynamic in the northwestern state.
While the violence has become normalized for many in Sinaloa, Farfan explained that people are fleeing because they feel unsafe. Hundreds have left small towns, while many more have self-imposed lockdowns.
