The Office of the Purchasing Agent is requesting approval for a $25.75 million agreement with Management & Training Corp., a contractor that operates prisons, to outsource inmates to the Giles Dalby Correctional Facility in Post, outside of Lubbock.

Prior to entering a contract with MTC on June 28, commissioners had already approved two separate appropriations of $1.52 million and $7.62 million earlier this year to divert the jail population. According to agenda documentation, a jail renovation project, a mandate from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards and increases in the average inmate stay from 65-85 days pre-Hurricane Harvey and COVID-19 to up to 200 days in 2022 led the sheriff’s office to make the funding requests.

The sheriff’s office anticipated outsourcing may be required for up to seven years, according to its funding request.

Source: CommunityImpact

Results of a survey released Thursday morning indicate incumbent Lina Hidalgo and challenger Alexandra del Moral Mealer may be in a statistical dead heat for Harris County judge.

Conducted by the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston, the survey queried 321 registered voters between June 27 and July 7, 2022, and the school gives a confidence interval of =/-5.47%.

Among likely voters, Democrat Hidalgo led with 48 percent to Republican del Moral Mealer’s 47 percent. Another 5 percent said they were undecided.

At the same time, Harris County voters showed a 9 percent preference for Beto O’Rourke over incumbent Governor Greg Abbott  — 51 to 42 percent.

Some results may indicate strength for del Moral Mealer among Independent voters, and the survey notes that among the “small number of voters who plan to vote for a minor party gubernatorial candidate or are unsure about their gubernatorial vote intention, del Moral Mealer holds a nearly two to one advantage over Hidalgo.” 57 percent of these respondents chose del Moral Mealer, 29 percent chose Hidalgo, and 14 percent were undecided.

In the demographic breakdown, del Moral Mealer held a 31 percent advantage with white voters, while 66 percent of black voters preferred Hidalgo. However, in results that mirror trends throughout the state, Latino voters preferred del Moral Mealer by 3 percent.

According to U.S. Census numbers, as of July 2021 Harris County is 69 percent white, 44 percent Hispanic or Latino, and 20 percent black.

In a region that has seen skyrocketing homicide and violent crime, 78 percent of survey respondents listed crime and public safety as being among the most important issues in this year’s election. Another 72 percent listed government corruption, which may be a reflection of various county scandals including the felony indictment of three of Hidalgo’s staffers earlier this year.

Secondary issues listed by respondents include voting rights at 59 percent, flooding at 53 percent, election administration at 53 percent, and property taxes at 62 percent of respondents.

In favorability ratings for Harris County officials and candidates, respondents gave del Moral Mealer +17 percent and Hidalgo +7 percent.

Second to del Moral Mealer, Democratic Sheriff Ed Gonzalez had a net favorability rating of +16 percent followed by both Commissioner Adrian Garcia (D-Pct. 2) and his Republican challenger, former Precinct 2 Commissioner Jack Morman, at +10 percent.

Commissioner Jack Cagle (R-Pct. 4), who is facing Democrat challenger Lesley Briones this year, has a net favorable rating of +9 percent to Briones +2.

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, who handily won re-election in 2020 and has sparred with Hidalgo over funding for prosecutors, was viewed favorably by 30 percent of respondents and negatively by 40 percent.

In a statement in response to the survey, del Moral Mealer said the poll showed what residents “already knew – the ideologically driven policies of Lina Hidalgo’s government do not reflect the priorities and values of Harris County residents. Crime and corruption are the top issues for Harris County voters, and she has failed miserably on both.”

“We all deserve to live in communities of which we are proud and in which we feel safe.”

Hidalgo had not issued a response at the time of publication.

Source: thetexan

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) will hold the next series of Silver Line Regional Rail Biannual Community Meetings beginning on Monday, July 25. DART staff and the design-build contractor, Archer Western Herzog (AWH), will be on hand to outline the latest design and construction developments and answer questions.

Monday, July 25, 2022, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
The Sound at Cypress Waters
3111 Olympus Boulevard, Coppell, TX 75019

Wednesday, July 27, 2022, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Crosby Recreation Center
1610 E Crosby Road, Carrollton, TX 75006

Thursday, July 28, 2022, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Addison Treehouse
14681 Midway Road, Addison, TX 75001

Tuesday, August 2, 2022, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Shiloh Missionary Baptist Annex
1302 I Avenue, Plano, TX 75074

Wednesday, August 3, 2022, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Richardson Civic Center
411 W Arapaho Road, Richardson, TX 75080

Thursday, August 4, 2022, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Campbell Green Recreation Center
16600 Park Hill Drive, Dallas, TX 75248

With revenue service scheduled for 2024, the 26-mile Silver Line project will traverse seven cities between DFW Airport, Grapevine, Coppell, Dallas, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson, and Plano, and include 10 new stations. The primary purpose of the Silver Line is to provide passenger rail connections and service that will improve mobility, accessibility and system linkages to major employment, population, and activity centers in the northern part of the DART service area.

The Silver Line will connect with the Trinity Metro TEXRail commuter rail line at DFW North station providing access to Downtown Fort Worth and various other Tarrant County locales. The Silver Line will also connect with the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) A-train commuter rail line providing access to various Denton County locations, DART’s Green Line providing access to Dallas Love Field and Downtown Dallas via Downtown Carrollton Station, and DART’s Red and Orange Lines at CityLine/Bush Station, giving riders easy access to Downtown Plano and the eastern side of the DART network.

More information about the DART Silver Line Regional Rail project can be found at www.dart.org/silverline.

Source: Dart.org

Governor Greg Abbott today commended the hard work of small businesses – many of which are restaurants and bars – and spotlighted their importance to the Lone Star State’s thriving economy at the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA)’s Texas Restaurant Show in Dallas. Addressing hundreds of event attendees, the Governor noted TRA’s contributions in keeping Texas the best state for small business job growth, the top state to start a business, and the number one economic destination in America.

“Small businesses – many of which are restaurants and bars – are the heartbeat of our mighty economy and communities, and I thank TRA for their tireless efforts to support Texas entrepreneurs in this critical industry,” said Governor Abbott. “Through partnerships with organizations like TRA, the Lone Star State will continue creating more jobs, developing and educating our workforce, and providing bars and restaurants the opportunity to unleash their full economic potential. Together we are keeping Texas an economic juggernaut and a place where every Texan can flourish.”

TRA is the leading business association for Texas’ $52.4 billion foodservice industry, which spans over 43,000 locations throughout the state and employs a workforce of 1.2 million Texans.