PHOENIX (AP) – Nonprofits, advocacy groups and some businesses are recruiting younger people to serve as poll workers for the general election amid fears that the coronavirus will keep many traditional older poll workers away. They have an added emphasis on recruiting people who are bilingual and ensuring that the poll worker pool reflects the…… MORE
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The Oklahoma Department of Corrections says it will take part in a pilot project intended to find cellphones being used by inmates in state prisons. The department on Thursday said the 60-day project will begin in October at the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center with inmates required to wear ankle monitors.…… MORE
Georgetown (AP) – Two former employees of a Texas sheriff’s office say leaders rewarded officers with gift cards when they used force on the job. The Texas Rangers and the Williamson County prosecutor’s office are investigating the Williamson County sheriff’s office in suburban Austin. A former deputy whose use of force is under investigation told…… MORE
Austin (AP) – Texas health officials on Friday reported more than 3,978 new cases of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, along with 123 more COVID-19 deaths. Hospitalizations from COVID-19 also continued to fall with 3,172 beds filled Friday, 74 fewer than the day before. The trend encouraged Republican Governor Greg Abbott to loosen restrictions on…… MORE
Undated (AP) – A hurricane watch is in effect for coastal Texas as Tropical Storm Beta gains strength in the Gulf of Mexico. A storm surge watch and a tropical storm watch are also in effect for the area during an exceptionally busy Atlantic hurricane season. Beta is forecast to become a hurricane on Sunday.…… MORE