Another software glitch in Texas voter rolls

A software error has caused another problem with Texas’ voter registration logs, KUT radio’s Texas Newsroom in Austin reported.

This is an early bulldog edition of Capital Highlights to accommodate early holiday deadlines. It will be updated Sunday if needed.

Early voting begins Oct. 19

Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election begins Monday, Oct. 19, and ends on Friday, Oct. 30. A convenient place to find out where to vote and what is on the ballot where you live is the Texas Secretary of State’s website: votetexas.gov. You can also verify that you are registered to vote on that site.

Paxton, Talarico spar over gas taxes, diesel prices

U.S. Senate candidates Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee, and Democratic nominee James Talarico traded jabs last week over rising gas and diesel prices, The Texas Tribune reported.

At a gas station in Carrollton, Talarico called on Paxton to condemn the Iran war and join his call to suspend federal gas and diesel taxes. Hours later, Paxton said the gas tax should be permanently eliminated.

Voter registration deadline nearing

The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 general election is Oct. 5. Early voting starts Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 30, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s office.

The last day for an application to vote by mail must be received by Friday, Oct. 23.

Medicaid funding restored to Texas hospitals

Nearly $12 billion in Medicaid funding to Texas hospitals will be restored after a nearly year-long stalemate between the state and the federal government ended, the Texas Standard reported.

Gov. Greg Abbott hailed the end to the impasse.

Senate GOP opens wallet for Paxton’s campaign

The Senate Republican leadership is pouring tens of millions of dollars into the U.S. Senate campaign of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is locked in a tight race with Democratic nominee James Talarico.

EDITORS: This is an early bulldog edition of Capital Highlights to accommodate early holiday deadlines. It will be updated Sunday if needed.

Texas hospitals could lose $27 million daily in Medicaid funding

Industry warns of blackouts if data center opposition overreacts

The pushback against booming data center construction continues to grow, even as the state’s grid operator warns of rolling blackouts in West Texas if new transmission lines aren’t built, the Texas Standard reported.

Border barrier construction halted in Big Bend

Amidst mounting public outcry, the federal government last week halted construction of border barriers through state park property in far West Texas, The Texas Tribune reported.

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodeny Scott personally stopped construction until he could visit the region.

Texas schools see little change in TEA grading

Texas public school campuses and districts received their state report cards late last week from the Texas Education Agency, with most showing little change from the previous school year, The Texas Tribune reported.