In Harris County, there are 2.68 million people registered to vote.
Harris County is known for its long ballots. To prepare before entering the voting booth, check HarrisVotes.com to familiarize yourself with it and create a plan to vote confidently.
Before you arrive at your polling location, make sure to have some personal identification. That could be a driver’s license, voter’s registration card, or passport.
All polling location hours will be from 7 a.m.- 7 p.m.
The early voting window for the 2024 election ends on Friday, Nov. 1.
For those relying on public transportation, METRO will offer voters free rides to and from the polling locations. Voters will disclose to their bus driver if they’re coming from a voting location or going to one.
Efforts are also still being made to encourage people to get out and vote. Denver Harbor Cares, an East Houston voter outreach group, spoke with ABC13 as they knocked on doors, reminding people of the upcoming election.
The group’s work can be seen as risky, as SB1- a controversial bill that made it a felony for voter outreach organizations to assist people “in the presence of the ballot” or during the voting process”-has led to other groups being investigated for voter harvesting.
The group told ABC13 they aren’t trying to sway voters, just get them to vote.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an apparent double murder-suicide in northeast Harris County where three people, including two brothers, were shot and killed during what officials are calling a domestic dispute among neighbors Thursday evening.
Officials said it started in the 11700 block of S. Spicewood Lane around 11 p.m. when a woman and her boyfriend were fighting.
HCSO said during the argument that the woman took her two children to the home next door where three brothers lived for safety reasons. Police said they were unclear about how well the men knew the woman but were told that the woman felt safe enough to go there for help.
The woman’s boyfriend then came over, where he was confronted by the three brothers outside. Police said that is when the boyfriend reportedly pulled out a gun and fatally struck 2 of them.
HCSO said one of the three brothers also pulled out a weapon and returned fire at the suspect, who ran back to the home where he shared with the woman.
HCSO said that shortly after, the woman’s boyfriend then turned the gun on himself once deputies arrived. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators said the two brothers who were killed were in their 30s and 50s.
While looking at the scene, deputies said this was not the first time law enforcement was called to this home. Officials said just a few days earlier, there had been a family violence call between the woman and the boyfriend, but details on the incident were limited.
No names have been released of the victims, and officials said the surviving brother, the woman, and her two kids are said to be OK and are cooperating with law enforcement.
The Safi family, who fled war-torn Afghanistan three years ago and settled in southwest Houston, recently experienced an unimaginable loss when their 8-year-old son, Zakirullah Safi, died from meningitis.
On Oct. 10, Zakirullah, a third-grader at Bonham Elementary, fell ill at school with a fever and headache. His family took him to the hospital, where he passed away shortly after.
Parents at Bonham Elementary expressed concern about the school’s sanitation, with some pointing to recent budget cuts at HISD. One parent, Haylie Buckhan, said she hadn’t been informed about the meningitis case right away and was worried about the school’s cleanliness. Buckhan plans to keep her son home for 10 days as a precaution. Other parents, like Alph Coleman, felt the school seemed clean and supportive.
The Houston Health Department is investigating the case, and HISD has made counselors available for those in need. The Safi family, who had moved to the U.S. after working for the military, is grieving the loss of their son, who had a passion for cricket and loved playing with friends.
H-E-B is facing a $1 million lawsuit over an incident that occurred at a Bellaire location earlier this year, when a 3-year-old girl lost four fingers in an accident on the store’s escalator. The lawsuit against TK Elevator Corporation and H-E-B, LP was filed Wednesday in Harris County.
What the hell is happening to the Whole Foods Berry Chantilly cake?
Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the child identified as “A.W.,” said the incident occurred on March 30 when the 3-year-old became trapped “by a dangerously wide gap between the escalator steps and the skirt.” Her parents were unable to free her, and four fingers were severed down to her palm, leaving only her thumb on her right hand. Doctors were unable to reattach the fingers.
The lawsuit alleges that the escalator wasn’t maintained and that its safety features were inoperable, resulting in the accident, which occurred at the store located at 5106 Bissonnet St. “This tragic incident has forever altered the life of a 3-year-old child and her family,” Crump said in a statement. “The defendants failed in their basic duty to keep customers safe, and their negligence resulted in a young child losing her fingers in a horrific incident that could have been avoided with proper maintenance. This was completely preventable.”
“At H-E-B, we are deeply committed to our customers and their safety,” the company said in a statement to MySAFriday afternoon. “This was an incredibly unfortunate accident that we are taking seriously. Although, based on our current investigation of this matter, the escalator was serviced by a third-party company, we will do our best to support the family through this difficult time.”
The lawsuit also alleges that the escalator was put back in service before state authorities investigated, thus destroying potential evidence. The plaintiffs are seeking more than $1 million in damages for A.W.’s injuries, emotional distress, and ongoing medical needs.
In an effort to keep our neighborhoods safe, Crime Stoppers of Houston and the Office of the Inspector General are seeking the public’s help locating the following individual that has active Felony and/or Misdemeanor Warrants.
Crime Stoppers may pay up to $5,000 for information leading to the location and arrest of the suspects featured. Information may be reported by calling 713-222-TIPS (8477), submitted online at www.crime-stoppers.org or through the Crime Stoppers mobile app. All tipsters remain anonymous. Only tips and calls DIRECTLY TO Crime Stoppers are anonymous and eligible for a cash reward.
All warrants are active at the time this press release was created and is subject to change. Crime Stoppers of Houston and this news organization are not making any legal claims that this is the most current legal status. ###
The following individuals all have active warrants as of October 17, 2024 at 5:00 pm.
SKYLER NELSON BOGGANB/M 12-13-91 6’02”/170 Lbs. Blk/Bro Warrant #: 1885737 ENGAGING IN ORG CRIM ACTIVITY Last known location: Houston Texas
ERIC SEBASTIAN BORNSHEUERW/M 08-01-71 5’10”/150 Lbs. Bro/Haz Warrant #: 1886102 THEFT >=2,500 <30,000 Last known location: Humble Texas
Robert Roberson, the first person in the U.S. set to be executed based on the controversial “shaken baby syndrome” hypothesis, has been granted a temporary reprieve. Late Thursday, the Texas Supreme Court issued a stay, delaying his execution and capping a series of legal maneuvers. Roberson, convicted of murdering his 2-year-old daughter, expressed shock and gratitude upon learning of the delay, proclaiming his innocence.
His legal team, led by attorney Gretchen Sween, lauded bipartisan Texas lawmakers for intervening to allow Roberson to testify in an upcoming legislative hearing focused on “junk science” used in legal cases. Roberson’s conviction was largely based on medical testimony supporting “shaken baby syndrome,” a diagnosis now widely questioned by experts.
New evidence suggests that Roberson’s daughter had pneumonia at the time of her death, which could have led to her fatal condition. Over 30 medical experts and a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers have urged a review of Roberson’s case, arguing that the new scientific evidence warrants a new trial. Roberson’s execution, initially set for Thursday, was put back on track briefly before the Texas Supreme Court intervened. A legislative hearing, where Roberson is set to testify, is scheduled for Monday.
Controversial YouTuber and former Disney Channel star Jake Paul is stepping into the restaurant business, partnering with fast-casual chain Dog Haus to open four new franchise locations in Texas. This expansion includes at least one location in Houston.
Paul, who has shifted from a social media career to professional boxing, is now adding “restaurateur” to his résumé. As part of the deal, Paul will join the board of directors at Dog Haus and has committed to opening 25 franchise units nationwide. The first four locations are set to open in major Texas cities including Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston. Specific locations and opening dates for Houston are yet to be announced.
“I’ve been a fan of Dog Haus for years, and I’m fired up to push the limits and help take this amazing brand to a whole new level,” Paul said during a visit to the Arlington location of the California-based chain.
Alongside his franchise ambitions, Paul will be promoting Dog Haus in the lead-up to his much-anticipated boxing match against legend Mike Tyson, scheduled for November 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The chain is planning special menu collaborations and promotional events tied to the fight.
Dog Haus is renowned for its gourmet hot dogs, sausages, and burgers, all served on grilled King’s Hawaiian rolls. The chain’s Houston-area locations, currently in Spring and Cinco Ranch, are already known for dishes like the avocado-topped Sooo Cali hot dog and the chili-loaded Chili Idol.
Paul’s partnership with Dog Haus follows a trend of celebrity-backed eateries making their way to Houston. Olympic champion Simone Biles recently announced plans for her restaurant, Taste of Gold, set to open at George Bush Intercontinental Airport next year. Additionally, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken chain has also made its debut in the city.
With Paul’s involvement, Dog Haus is expected to ramp up its presence in Texas, with plans for more locations in the future.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz said.
The IDF initially said it was “checking the possibility” that the Hamas leader was among three killed in Gaza and were working to confirm identification through dental images and DNA testing.
The 62-year-old has served as Hamas’ leader in Gaza since 2017 and assumed leadership of the group’s Political Bureau after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran this July.
He has been credited as the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that led to the deaths of 1,200 people, the worst terrorist attack in Israel’s history.
President Joe Biden had been briefed on Israel’s investigation into whether Israel killed Sinwar, according to a senior administration official.
The Israelis also notified U.S. Department of Defense officials, including Secretary Lloyd Austin, about Sinwar’s potential death, a U.S. defense official said per a pool report.
In 1989, an Israeli court sentenced Sinwar to four life sentences for his role in killing suspected Palestinian informers and plotting to murder two Israeli soldiers.
Sinwar spent the following 22 years in prison before becoming one of more than 1,000 Palestinian detainees released in 2011 in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held hostage by Hamas for five years.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
HOUSTON, Texas — A Texas man who could be the first person in the U.S. executed for a murder conviction tied to a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome is facing a lethal injection Thursday evening amid assertions by his attorneys and a diverse coalition of supporters who say he’s innocent and was convicted on faulty scientific evidence.
The video above is from a previous report.
Robert Roberson waited to hear whether his execution might be stopped by either Texas Gov. Greg Abbott or the U.S. Supreme Court – his last two avenues for a stay. He is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. A Texas House committee is also trying to delay the execution by taking the extraordinary step of issuing a subpoena for Roberson to testify at a hearing next week about his case.
Roberson, 57, was condemned for the 2002 killing of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis, in the East Texas city of Palestine. Roberson has long proclaimed his innocence, backed by some notable Republican lawmakers, Texas GOP megadonor and conservative activist Doug Deason, and the lead detective on the case. Roberson’s lawyers and some medical experts say his daughter died not from abuse but from complications related to pneumonia.
“He’s an innocent man, and we’re very close to killing him for something he did not do,” Brian Wharton, the lead detective with Palestine police who investigated Curtis’ death, said.
Lawyers ask Texas governor and Supreme Court to intervene
Roberson’s lawyers waited to see if Abbott would grant Roberson a one-time 30-day reprieve. It’s the only action Abbott can take in the case as the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Wednesday denied Roberson’s clemency petition.
The board voted unanimously, 6-0, to not recommend that Roberson’s death sentence be commuted to life in prison or that his execution be delayed. All members of the board are appointed by the governor. The parole board has recommended clemency in a death row case only six times since the state resumed executions in 1982.
In his nearly 10 years as governor, Abbott has halted only one imminent execution, in 2018, when he spared the life of Thomas Whitaker, whose father had asked that his son not be put to death. The father had survived a shooting Whitaker had masterminded.
“We pray that Governor Abbott does everything in his power to prevent the tragic, irreversible mistake of executing an innocent man,” Gretchen Sween, one of Roberson’s attorneys, said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Abbott did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.
Roberson’s lawyers also have a stay request pending before the Supreme Court. The nation’s highest court has rarely granted 11th-hour reprieves to people on death row.
Bipartisan committee takes extraordinary step to try to stop execution
The Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee on Wednesday held an all-day meeting on Roberson’s case. In a surprise move at the end of the hearing, the committee issued a subpoena for Roberson to testify next week. It was not immediately known if the committee’s request could delay Thursday’s execution.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice, or TDCJ, is aware of the subpoena and is working with the Texas Attorney General’s Office on next steps, Amanda Hernandez, a TDCJ spokesperson, said.
During its meeting in Austin, the committee heard testimony about Roberson’s case and whether a 2013 law created to allow people in prison to challenge their convictions based on new scientific evidence was ignored in Roberson’s case.
Anderson County District Attorney Allyson Mitchell, whose office prosecuted Roberson, told the committee a court hearing was held in 2022 in which Roberson’s attorneys presented their new evidence to a judge, who rejected their claims. Mitchell said the prosecution’s case showed Curtis had been abused by her father.
“Based on the totality of the evidence, a murder took place here. Mr. Roberson took the life of his almost 3-year-old daughter,” Mitchell said.
Most of the members of the committee are part of a bipartisan group of more than 80 state lawmakers, including at least 30 Republicans, who had asked the parole board and Abbott to stop the execution.
Execution puts spotlight on shaken baby syndrome
Roberson’s scheduled execution has renewed debate over shaken baby syndrome, known in the medical community as abusive head trauma.
His lawyers, as well as the Texas lawmakers, medical experts, and others, including bestselling author John Grisham, say his conviction was based on faulty and now outdated scientific evidence. The diagnosis refers to a serious brain injury caused when a child’s head is hurt through shaking or some other violent impact, like being slammed against a wall or thrown on the floor.
Roberson’s supporters don’t deny head and other injuries from child abuse are real. But they say doctors misdiagnosed Curtis’ injuries as being related to shaken baby syndrome and that new evidence has shown the girl died from complications related to severe pneumonia.
Roberson’s attorneys say he was wrongly arrested and later convicted after taking his daughter to a hospital. They say she had fallen out of bed in Roberson’s home after being seriously ill for a week.
Roberson’s lawyers have also suggested his autism, which was undiagnosed at the time of his daughter’s death, was used against him as authorities became suspicious of him because of his lack of emotion over what had happened to her. Autism affects how people communicate and interact with others.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, other medical organizations, and prosecutors say the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome is valid and that doctors look at all possible things, including any illnesses, when determining if injuries were attributable to it.
Roberson’s scheduled execution would come less than a month after Missouri put to death Marcellus Williams amid lingering questions about his guilt and whether his death sentence should have instead been commuted to life in prison. Williams was convicted in the 1998 killing of Lisha Gayle, a social worker and former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter.
Roberson’s execution is scheduled to take place on the same day Alabama is set to execute Derrick Dearman, condemned for killing five people with an ax and gun during a 2016 drug-fueled rampage.
The Harris County Clerk Office is ready to receive more than 2.68 million registered voters in Harris County this Nov. 5 election and has shared everything voters should know ahead of early voting and Election Day in a Thursday morning press conference held in the county’s new election headquarters building.
Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth encouraged voters to take advantage of the 12-day early voting period.
“Life is unpredictable; voting early ensures voters have adequate time to vote and reduces a little congestion that can take place on Election Day,” Hudspeth said.
In 2020, Harris County saw an increase in early voting with 76.9% of voters choosing to vote early.
When is Early Voting and Election Day?
Early voting runs for 12 days: from Monday, Oct. 21 through Friday, Nov. 1
When can I vote?
Hours of Operation
Mon., Oct. 21 – Sat., Oct. 26 7 AM – 7 PM
Sun., Oct. 27 12 PM – 7 PM
Mon., Oct. 28 – Wed., Oct. 30 7 AM – 8 PM
Thurs., Oct. 31 7 AM – 9 PM
Fri., Nov. 1 7 AM – 7 PM
Tuesday, Nov. 5 7 AM – 7 PM
Where can I vote?
During early voting, Harris County voters may choose any of the 88 polling locations in the county.
During Election Day, 700 voting locations will be open from 7 a.m.- 7 p.m.
Who’s on the Ballot?
Voters will choose the next president, state and local positions such as District Attorney with their ballots. To see your specific sample ballot, Harris County voters may visit harrisvotes.com.
Voters may also bring a printed sample ballot to help guide their voting process at the polls.
What form of identification am I required to bring?
Any one of the seven forms of id below are acceptable.
Texas Driver License issued by DPS
Texas Handgun License issued by DPS
United States citizenship certificate containing your photograph
Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS
Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
United States Passport (book or card)
United States Military Identification Card containing your photograph
What if I don’t speak English?
There’s help available for voters who speak a language other than English.
The ballots are printed in four languages including: English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese.
Voters may bring a relative to assist them and make the voting process more comfortable.
“You may bring someone to help you,” Irene Nunez, spokesperson for the Harris County Clerk’s office said in Spanish. “Or…you may request that assistance at the polls.”
More questions? Feel free to reach out to the Election Hotline at 713-755-6965 or the harrisvotes.com website which has information in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese.
SKYLER NELSON BOGGANB/M 12-13-91 6’02”/170 Lbs. Blk/Bro
ERIC SEBASTIAN BORNSHEUERW/M 08-01-71 5’10”/150 Lbs. Bro/Haz
ESPERANZA DELGADOW/F 03-18-94 5’00”/165 Lbs. Blk/Bro
WILLIE LEE ONEAL EDMONSON JRB/M 06-01-03 5’07”160 Lbs. Blk/Bro
MEGAN LYNNE HOWEW/F 02-05-91 5’03”/187 Lbs. Bln/Bro
THERESA NICHOLE JACKSONB/F 05-05-87 5’02”/159 Lbs. Blk/Bro
CRYSTAL MELODY MULFORDW/F 08-04-81 5’09”/180 Lbs. Bln/Bro
DAVID QUAID PORTERW/M 10-29-87 6’04”/195 Lbs. Blk/Bro
ELMER SANCHEZ-CUBASB/M 11-27-96 5’07”/140 Lbs. Blk/Blk
JAMIA CHARNEYE TURKB/F 12-21-99 5’07”/100 Lbs. Bro/Bro
