The sweeping changes to Texas’ election code that GOP Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Tuesday make it harder — sometimes even legally riskier — to cast a ballot in the state, which already has some of the nation’s most restrictive voting laws, the Associated Press reports. Democrats gridlocked the state Capitol for 38 consecutive days after more than 50 fled to Washington, D.C., in July to deny Republicans a quorum, which is required to conduct the state’s business. Enough of them returned about three weeks ago to end the impasse, and GOP leaders made quick work of pushing the bill through both chambers. Abbott immediately said he would sign it, which happened Tuesday. Texas is among at least 18 states, including Florida, Georgia and Arizona, that have enacted new voting restrictions since the 2020 election, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. The national GOP campaign to tighten voting laws has been partly driven by former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen. Here’s a closer look at what’s in the new Texas law: Empowering Poll Watchers Some of the most significant changes in Texas law concerns partisan poll watchers, the volunteers deployed by both major…

Through tears, Elizabeth Holguin talks about her son. “He was a great kid,” Holguin said. “He was my son.” A marine she says was killed in the suicide bomber attack in Afghanistan. “He’s my hero,” Holguin said. “My marine and he’s served his country.” The family said military is what he always wanted to do since he was about 14 years old. “I think all veterans are going to be disturbed,” The Veterans Center of North Texas Executive Director Paul Hendricks said. Hendricks is also a veteran of the Vietnam War and knows what’s happening in Afghanistan can trigger other veterans. “There was certainly a mass exodus out of Vietnam just like there is going on today with Afghanistan,” Hendricks said. He knows veterans of previous wars or even from this one may need help.  Their nonprofit is one that provides resources. “We’re here to provide referral,” Hendricks said. “Where can I go to get services in the community and help on that integration and just help to be stable in the community.  And then we do have resources to provide direct financial assistance if that’s warranted.” Hendricks added for many veterans seeing what’s happening overseas or just returning from Afghanistan…

A state-wide Blue Alert was issued Monday night after a Clay County sheriff’s deputy was shot during an attempted traffic stop Monday night southeast of Wichita Falls. Clay County Sheriff Jeffrey Lyde said on Facebook Monday night that Deputy Chip Wood was shot in the chest during an attempted traffic stop at the Jolly Truck Stop.  Wood was hit in his bulletproof vest and is expected to be OK. Lyde said Wood was able to return fire multiple times but it’s not clear if he hit the shooter. What is a Blue Alert? The gunman, who drove away in a white Cadillac four-door sedan that is believed to have a stolen Texas plate (FXJ 1334), is at large and is considered armed and dangerous. Lyde said multiple agencies arrived after the shooting to try to prevent the gunman from escaping the area but that he managed to slip away. “We threw a net around this place and unfortunately didn’t get him. I’m hoping that he’s leaking somewhere,” Lyde said. Lyde said the deputy described the gunman as a “white male, mid 20s, kinda thin, didn’t get a real good look because as soon as he got to the door frame…

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported more than 13,500 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, along with continued rises in the positivity index and the number of people hospitalized with the virus. According to data released by the DSHS Thursday, 10,912 new confirmed cases and 2,737 new probable cases combined for a total of 13,649 cases of the COVID-19 virus. The 8,130 reported hospitalizations was an increase of 445 patients since Wednesday and the highest number of hospitalizations since Feb. 12. Preliminary data suggested over 75% of the new cases were due to the delta variant, according to Dr. Jennifer Shuford, the state epidemiologist for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. W. Stephen Love, president, and CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, said there were 1,979 COVID-19 patients in North Texas hospitals Thursday. “This represents 13.40% of bed capacity and 32.81% of adult ICU patients which means over a quarter and almost a third of our adult ICU patients have COVID-19,” Love said in a statement Thursday. “As a point of reference, we had 415 COVID-19 patients in the hospitals on July 5 so as you can tell, our hospitalizations have increased significantly in 30 days.” Love, along with other medical experts, said both hospitalizations and deaths are a lagging indicator of the severity of the pandemic and are likely to rise for some time after cases. “Hospitalizations are a lagging indicator so as case numbers increase, we anticipate hospitalizations will increase,” Love said. The state also reported 76 more coronavirus-related deaths on Thursday. The rolling 7-day average of deaths has increased from 22 per day on July 5 to 49 per day on Aug. 5. The molecular positivity index climbed to 18.07% on Thursday. The last time the positivity index was that high was Jan. 11 as the second wave began to decline. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) had previously said a positivity index of 10% and stark increases in hospitalizations would be a red flag. Amid the latest surge, Abbott restated personal responsibility and said the state government would not issue lockdowns or mask mandates at a Dallas conference Wednesday. The all-time high for the molecular positivity index is 20.98% which was reached during the winter peak of the third wave on Jan. 4. On Thursday, the Texas Education Agency said contact tracing is not required if and when…

Fake Texas temporary vehicle tags are showing up in crime scenes as far away as New York and a recent FBI investigation found more than a half-million fraudulent paper tags were sold by just three people to buyers across the country. “One reason it helps them is it’s a ghost car,” New York Police Department detective Maureen Stefenelli said. “That’s what I call it, a ghost car. It’s pretty much — it could be undetectable.” The paper tags are supposed to be used after someone buys a car and before permanent metal plates are issued. Police in New York said Texas made it a little too easy to obtain temporary tags online with few questions and little verification. “You really didn’t have to go to a middleman,” Detective Thomas Burke said. “You could just go to Texas DMV and say, ‘Hey listen, this is my VIN number, can I get a temporary tag?’” And that’s not the only way to get fake tags. In May, an FBI investigation found three people in Houston set up “fraudulent and fictitious” used car dealerships — and got more than 500,000 tags from the DMV that appeared legitimate to any police officer. “On the street, these are up to $200, $300,” Burke said. “You can just look at the profit margins on this.” They’re sold to people who can’t get registration or don’t want to pay taxes or insurance or tolls. Fake tags have been a problem in Texas for years. In 2017, NBC station KPRC-TV in Houston went undercover showing just how easy it is to buy them. The tag the station received was issued by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles – but was registered to a car dealer that wasn’t even in business. Back then, state DMV officials acknowledged the problem, especially with its all-too-easy website. “If someone has an invalid driver’s license that is not something that is verified or checked during the title and registration process,” said Jeremiah Kuntz, a top DMV official. The state made some changes, like adding bar codes to the tags. But it wasn’t until this year, Texas lawmakers took more action, tightening the process and putting limits on how many paper tags used car dealers can get. Texas DMV spokeswoman Wendy Cook said the department is still working to implement those changes. “The department recognizes the impacts of fraudulent use of temporary tags and is…