We spoke with Dione Sims, the granddaughter of Opal Lee, about her run for Congress in Texas' 25th Congressional District.

https://dionesimsforcongress.com/

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SHORT STORY 1: Republicans are scared

• Empty seats, socialism and Trump dominate the Republican midterm convention
• How the Dallas GOP convention speakers addressed their Christian base
• US appeals court rejects Trump mail-in ballot restrictions as Supreme Court considers rule
• Tarrant County mentioned in Talarico’s interview with Jimmy Kimmel
• Related: Tim O’Hare hosts Gov. Abbott as group of protestors condemn voter suppression

SHORT STORY 2: FWISD 

• FWISD put cameras in classrooms at struggling schools. Why?
• ‘That’s on us’: FWISD managers apologize for speech therapist shortage following cuts
• FWISD changes course, says donors, district split $188,000 Dickies convocation cost
• OpenAI partners with FWISD on ChatGPT for teachers. Questions remain
• Fort Worth ISD’s uneven enrollment prompts shuffling of teachers to balance class sizes / Fort Worth ISD will reassign staff to address imbalance at schools across district
• Fort Worth school district removes parent from community listening session
• Fort Worth ISD faces staffing shakeups, curriculum questions. Here’s what to know
• Fort Worth ISD partners with OpenAI to provide teachers with expanded ChatGPT
• ‘Us vs. them’: Parents confront FWISD superintendent, leaders over growing trust gap
• Students, parents voice concerns over AI use in Fort Worth ISD schools
• Wearable panic buttons coming to staff in Fort Worth school district
• Tax rate remains level as FWISD expects bigger shortfall amid frozen appraisals
• How to get involved: 
  • FORT (Families Organizing Resisting Takeover)
  • FWISD 4 All hotline (817) 814 - 1920
  • 817 Gather

SHORT STORY 3: The state of local media

• McClatchy laid off 30% of its unionized workers; here’s how local coverage will suffer
• Tarrant leaders’ election cut saves dollars. Does it cost GOP votes? | Opinion
• To our readers: A message about AI, journalism and the Fort Worth Report’s mission

WINS: 

• TAD voted to do reappraisals in 2027. (They also voted for a freeze in 2028, but if we get the slate of TAD candidates elected, they can undo that).
• Community market celebrates 4 years of sustaining, supporting east Fort Worth
• Fort Worth breaks ground on $1.76M Smiley Park in southeast’s Ash Crescent area
• Food truck yard with seven dining options opens off East Berry Street
• Historic Bedford school building to become community arts space, events venue
• Opal Lee event was a success

LOSSES: 

• ICE is terrorizing Tarrant County
  • bit.ly/donatemutualista
• Fort Worth girl’s death highlights guns as leading killer of Tarrant kids
• Fort Worth drivers had hundreds of accidents at these top spots. Here’s where
• COVID case prevalence very high in Texas
• ‘The Excel of the 21st century’: Why Tarrant County universities are turning to AI degrees
• Once teeming with birdlife, this Fort Worth migration stop has dried up

ACTIONS: 

• Lights out: How Fort Worth residents can help protect migrating birds this fall
• North Texas homeless shelter issues urgent plea after fire destroys storage facility
• September 15 - La Linea Rosa grand opening
• September 16 - CDFW’s Transit Mixer
• September 15 - October 15 - Latin American cultures show off pride at these Tarrant County heritage month events
• September 15 - Tarrant County & Fort Worth City Council Budget Vote
• September 19 - Fall Gallery Night
• September 20 - 817 Gather at 3pm
• October 5 - last day to register to vote
• October 7 - Michelle Obama is speaking in Fort Worth

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We sat down with Eric Crile, an appointed board member for the Tarrant Appraisal District to learn the nuances of how it works, and understand how the property tax freeze has been so devastating to the way that taxing entities are funded.

This might be our wonkiest episode yet, so prepare yourself!

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We spoke with the three best candidates for the Tarrant Appraisal District Board, Phyllis Durbin Grissom for Place 1, Ambika Sharma for Place 2, and John Adams for Place 3.

We learned about how damaging the freeze on property valuations has been for taxing entities and taxpayers, the inequities that taxpayers face, how we got into this mess, and what these candidates can do about it.

All three will appear on the ballot county-wide in November at the bottom of the ballot, so be sure to vote all the way up & down your ballot.

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SHORT STORY 1: Voter Suppression in Tarrant County

• Residents, families rally to protest Tarrant County Jail deaths days after woman dies in custody
• Tarrant County honors Charlie Kirk despite Democrats’ vehement opposition
• Tarrant County’s November elections will have 92 fewer places to cast ballots than 2022
• Republicans' midterm convention in Dallas is anything but conventional. Why is it happening?

SHORT STORY 2: Flock in Texas

• Fort Worth police crime-fighting drone program takes off in partnership with Flock Safety
• How a $1 Texas insurance fee funded thousands of Flock cameras
• Gov. Abbott blocks state agencies from spending money on Flock cameras
• Flock cameras key to Tarrant County crime reduction, sheriff says as scrutiny mounts / Tarrant County sheriff says Flock cameras are their most valuable asset
• After Abbott’s order limiting Flock cameras, DPS to continue using its vast surveillance network

SHORT STORY 3: Corruption in Fort Worth City Council

• State sues Fort Worth City Councilman Chris Nettles, his nonprofit for $787,872 / Fort Worth council member owes Texas up to $1M, mismanaged food program: lawsuit
• Mattie Parker: Woman in the Arena - Fort Worth Magazine

WINS: 

• Fort Worth moves toward budget cut restorations, higher city tax rate
• Bedford considers property tax rate increase for 2027
• Como Arts Festival
• This Tarrant County College campus offers childcare to students. Here’s why.
• Fort Worth’s ‘flying saucer’ set to depart, taking with it decades of memories

LOSSES: 

• Tarrant commissioners move to lower JPS tax rate for fourth year
• Woman dies at Tarrant County Jail — the 6th jail death this year / Woman recently gave birth before she died at Tarrant County jail, records show
• Federal judge dismisses Fort Worth ISD lawsuit filed by reassigned principal
• ICE present in Fort Worth for ‘daily enforcement,’ agency confirms after video circulates

ACTIONS:

• September 8 - FWISD Board of Managers meeting
• September 9 & 10 Protests at  Republican Midterm Convention
• September 12 - TCDP Sneaker Soiree 
• September 15 - Tarrant County Budget Vote & Fort Worth City Council Budget Vote
• September 19 - Fall Gallery Night
• September 20 - 817 Gather at 3pm
• October 5 - last day to register to vote

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BIG STORY: We spoke with Katie O'Brien Duzan, the Democratic candidate for Texas House District 94, going agains the Republican Cheryl Bean.

katiefor94.com

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SHORT STORY 1: Republicans attack on Democracy

• More than 1.2 million Texas voter registrations are flagged. Here’s what voters should know
• Following backlash, Tarrant County elections head proposes cutting 92 voting sites for November
• Map comparing 2022 Voting Sites to 2026
• Tarrant County task force finds 2 election violations among 193 allegations from the public
• Free speech lawsuits against Tarrant County judge awaiting decision from US appeals court / Tarrant County meeting arrests raise First Amendment concerns

SHORT STORY 2: 

• Tarrant County the model for property tax relief across Texas, governor says / Gov. Abbott praises Tarrant for lowering property taxes, proposes new tax plan
• The Budget Tim Doesn’t Want You to Read - by Chris Tackett
• $33.9M Tarrant Appraisal District budget reflects lowest staff headcount since 1999
• Tarrant water district proposes rate bump, tax increase to address demand, aging pipes
• What you need to know before TCC trustees consider a property tax rate increase
• Colleyville City Council moves toward higher property tax rate to counter lower appraisals
• Fort Worth City Council deliberates proposed budget cuts, fate of Alliance pet adoption program

SHORT STORY 3: Fort Worth City Council

• Fort Worth OKs $10B data center site plan with more green space, distance from homes / Tensions flare at Fort Worth City Council meeting over $10B data center
• Fort Worth police crime-fighting drone program takes off in partnership with Flock Safety

WINS: 

• Here are the candidates for Tarrant Appraisal District board election in November
• A greater good is coming to west Fort Worth — through coffee, thrifting and giving
• Texas Health to launch new maternal health program for continuity of care
• This historic Fort Worth building will become affordable housing
• Heartland Flyer funded through ’27 as proposed state budget item targets future allocations
• Trinity Metro kicks off transit-oriented development plans with first public meeting
• Council of governments executive director leaves job

LOSSES: 

• Trinity Metro plans to cut spending in 2027 but will advance train improvements
• EngageFW cancelled due to budget cuts. Possibly delayed until Spring.
• The Last Picture Show: Coyote Drive-In fading to black
• Changes planned for Fort Worth street following troubled bike-friendly makeover
• ICE seen in Fort Worth

ACTIONS:

• September 1 - Tarrant County Commissioner’s Court Meeting and Rally
• September 2 - Gather at the Table (District 9)
• September 2 - Arlington Chamber candidate forum with SD9 & HD94
• September 12 - TCDP Sneaker Soiree 
• September 15 - Fort Worth City Council Budget Vote
• September 20 - 817 Gather at 3pm
• October 5 - last day to register to vote

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BIG STORY: We spoke with Nathan Smith, the Democratic candidate for Tarrant County District Clerk, who will unseat 30-year incumbent Republican Tom Wilder.

nathan4tarrant.com

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SHORT STORY 1: Fort Worth City Council & Data Centers

• Fort Worth council asks Tarrant County to reject proposed cut in November voting sites
• Fort Worth City Council reapproves increased legal fees for ex-police officer Aaron Dean
• Data center moratorium takes first steps after Fort Worth City Council’s unanimous vote / Fort Worth makes major moves towards data center moratorium, regulations
• Newly formed commission set to advise Fort Worth on data center regulations
• Parker touts Fort Worth City Council’s unanimity in confronting data center issue
• Beyond the Algorithm and the 'Smart' Phone, Fort Worth’s People Instilling Hope, Action

SHORT STORY 2: EJ’s Arrest

• Man arrested after profanity at last week’s Tarrant commissioners meeting
• Fort Worth activist arrested a week after his removal from Tarrant County Commissioners Court
  • NBC DFW / CBS / WFAA
• Support for EJ

SHORT STORY 3: TAD is starving local budgets

• Colleyville proposes tax rate increase in 2027 budget to offset lower property valuations
• UNT Health Fort Worth expects nearly flat revenue, higher spending in 2027
• Tarrant County proposes lower property tax rate for 4th consecutive year

WINS: 

• Can Fort Worth duplicate Grapevine’s rail station success? City leaders are taking steps
• Trinity Railway Express on track for improvements
• Settlement reached in dispute between transportation body, council of governments
• Casey Kleeb is ArtsGoogle’s featured artist
• Pre launch 817 Day with Patrice

LOSSES: 

• Council OKs incentives for defense tech firm that could bring 1,000 jobs tol Fort Worth
• Fort Worth’s new data center rules aren’t stopping this project

ACTIONS:

• August 12 - September 3 - Fort Worth City Budget Meetings
• August 17 - Focus Local PAC’s new candidate recruitment event
• August 19 - CDFW’s Transit Academy
• August 25 - Black Mountain data center vote
• September 1 - Tarrant County Commissioner’s Court Meeting
• September 12 - Dr. Opal Lee Empowerment Gala Sneaker Soiree
• September 15 - Fort Worth City Council Budget Vote

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BIG STORY: We spoke with Heli Rodriguez Prilliman, the Democratic candidate to represent Texas District 12 in US Congress, who will unseat Republican Craig Goldman.

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