We are living in Fort Worth at a time when the Tarrant GOP is pushing for power while our city leaders seem unsure if they want the mantle. During an event that Ann Zadeh attended, Mattie Parker and others were asked if they plan to run again. The big story is what we should do if Mattie Parker does or doesn't run and what could be the worst outcome. Enjoy the show!

SHORT STORY #1: Tarrant GOP wants to control everything
- O'Hare scripted’ TAD agenda items. Attorneys question whether it’s legal
- Amid scrutiny of Tarrant County Jail deaths, internal records reveal scrapped policy recommendations
- Appeals court blocks Tarrant GOP from filling contested precinct chair position — for now

SHORT STORY #2: Tarrant GOP Rhetoric Attacks  TCU Professor

SHORT STORY #3: FW proposes increasing taxes while Tarrant County passes a tax cut
- Fort Worth proposes tax increase as property values cool
- Proposed Fort Worth budget would raise the tax rate for the first time since 1995
- Tarrant County plans another tax cut, but one commissioner is concerned about what looms
- Dallas Real Estate Audit Story

BIG STORY: Mayor Parker Raises Hand When Asked If She is Running Again But Her Staff Said She is Still Uncommitted

WINS AND LOSSES:

Ann:
👎 Fernando Costa Retirement
👍 Urban Villages projects

EJ:
👎 Loss of Lazar Ducic Cross Fit member and Police Officer and Sgt. Billy Randolph
👍 The New Heights Adult High School

Ann and EJ spent time analyzing UTA's new west campus, which is projected to open in 2028 on Walsh Ranch. The duo also updates you on proclamation drama between the council, Tarrant County Jail updates, and the impact of the new appraisal rules on new homeowners.

SHORT STORY #1: Fort Worth’s proclamation process has council members divided.

SHORT STORY #2: Tarrant commissioner wants sheriff to explain how jail operates. He says there’s no point

- Family members of Anthony Johnson Jr. call on officials to release full video of in-custody death

- Another death in the jail (we did not discuss)

- Amid scrutiny of Tarrant County Jail deaths, internal records reveal scrapped policy

SHORT STORY #3: The new Tarrant tax appraisal directors want change. But their idea is all wrong. | Opinion

BIG STORY: UTA is going West. What does it mean for the city and surrounding areas?

- ‘A game changer.’ UT Arlington plans new campus in this booming Fort Worth development

WINS AND LOSSES:

Ann:
👍 Marc Veasey Federal Dollars Programs Gives to FW Non-profits
👎 People who say Jim Walz was a radical pick

EJ:
👍 The listeners and Bud Kennedys shout out
👎 Nearly 12% of TX Voters are on the suspended list

Ann and EJ were off for two weeks, and boy, were there historical moments while we were gone. They go through all the national news and break down Biden's legacy. They also share their excitement for Kamala Harris and what it means to the future of America.

SHORT STORY #1: Mercy Culture Church files permits for ‘religious discipleship center’ in Fort Worth

SHORT STORY #2: Bo French is Bad for Tarrant County

Tweet #1: Attacking Mattie

Tweet #2: Attacking TCU

SHORT STORY #3: Tarrant County bans pastor and an ex-lawmaker from Commissioners Court meetings. Here’s why

BIG STORY: Biden Steps Down. Harris Steps Up.

Biden Legacy
Biden Master Oil Trader
Donald Trump is now the oldest candidate to run for president
Harris in Texas
Local Inflation

WINS AND LOSSES:

Ann:
👎 Art Fort Worth Vacates Community Art Center
👍 Eureka Event for Artists and their Ideas

EJ:
👎 FWISD
👍 Southside Community Gardens Grant

Short Story #1: Fort Worth’s ban on discriminatory events on city property ‘very likely’ to be removed

Short Story #2: Reforming the County and State Criminal Courts in Tarrant County

Short Story #3: Education Round-Up
- Texas kids lose up to 4 months of learning with new uncertified teachers, study finds
- Zeros on STARR writing test
- FWISD said it cut 133 jobs due to fleeting COVID funds. Records say differently
- Texas Is the Largest GOP Stronghold Without Pro-School Voucher Legislation. Gov. Abbott Is on a Crusade to Change That

BIG STORY: Tourism in Fort Worth: From Sports, Arts, to Cowboys
- Metroplex Quality of Life Survey
- Arts economic impact on FW
- Bud Kennedy's piece
- Mac Engel on FW's lack of major league sports team
- E-Sports in Dickies Arena

Wins and Losses:

Ann:
👎 New Study Indicates Fort Worthians Take the Shortest Drives
👍  Art Event in FW

EJ:
👎 Young people not voting
👍 Hispanics are the majority of Texas

Short Story 1: Media
- Six Takeaways From the First Presidential Debate
- Texas Ethics Commission will require influencers to disclose when they’re paid for advertisement
- Traffic to traditional news outlets in the US is collapsing

Short Story 2: Development 
- Council Approves Phase 2 of the Stockyards
- East Fort Worth’s Woodhaven neighborhood could see new investment
- East Fort Worth neighborhood will undergo major development soon
- Fort Worth moves forward with affordable housing efforts through first land trust

Short Story 3: Housing
- As more Texans struggle with housing costs, homeownership becoming less attainable
- Fort Worth’s housing inventory has climbed to the highest level in a decade. Is a price drop coming?
- Fort Worth moves forward with affordable housing efforts through first land trust

Big Story: Who is planning the future of Fort Worth?
- Share Rates and Thoughts with FW City Staff
- Vision Summit
- Connect FW
- Comprehensive Plan
- Move A Million
- Trinity Metro

Wins and Losses

Ann:
👍 Trinity Ridership!
👎 Trinity Funding

EJ:
👍 United Fort Worth and Coach Hughes
👎 Gateway Church

We have a firehose of information to share this week! We will not be doing an episode next week, so please enjoy and listen deeply to the topics we discuss. Fort Worth is at a pivotal time, and for once, we have a say on what the city can be. Let's jump in!

SHORT STORY #1: Fort Worth Cancels Pride Month Proclamation

SHORT STORY #2: Fort Worth Allows True Texas Project to Use the Botanic Gardens
- “War on white America”: Influential Texas group hosting pro-Christian nationalism conference
- City Hall told the Botanic Garden to host the True Texas Project. Here’s what we get | Opinion

- Fort Worth rally for Trump draws over 100 people

BIG STORY: What will Fort Worth look like in 2050?
- Elevated High-Speed Rail Through Downtown Dallas Appears Dead
- Mayors letter
- As Fort Worth population booms, pushback against new apartments isn’t budging
- Most of Fort Worth’s investor-owned homes are outside Loop 820, city data shows
- City plans $140 million overhaul of Fort Worth’s ‘Central Park.’ Here’s what’s planned
- Downtown Fort Worth parks project gets one step closer to reality with $1M donation
- Will Fort Worth Stockyards lose historic character with $1B expansion? Here’s what we know
- Monopoly Round-Up: FBI Raids Big Corporate Landlord Over Nationwide Rent Hikes
- Comprehensive Plan Vision Summit 2050

WINS AND LOSSES:

Ann:
👎: Negative politics distracting us from real issues
👍: This pod is not being negative for once ;)

EJ:
👎: Opal Lee having to go to Dallas for her walk
👍: This episode and the listeners!

Ann and EJ record early and update you on TAD, the Election Integrity Committee, and an overview of what was shared at the Democratic National Convention in El Paso. The big story is Cooks Children fighting for their Medicaid program and Dr. Brian Byrd becoming the Tarrant County Public Health Director.

SHORT STORY #1: Chair of Tarrant Appraisal District review board resigns just days before hearing cases

SHORT STORY #2: Tarrant County Election Integrity Task Force reports 82 voter fraud complaints, no cases filed

• Here’s how many illegal voters Tarrant County’s election integrity unit has investigated

SHORT STORY #3: Texas Democratic Convention Brief Overview

• Unlike Republicans, Texas Democrats are not interested in closed primaries

BIG STORY: Health News in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, and Texas

• State rejects health insurers' pleas to halt plan that will shake up coverage for 1.8 million Texans
• Texas stands by its decision not to award major Medicaid contract to Cook Children’s
• Fort Worth cancer support center to close as Tarrant health care challenges escalate
• Former Fort Worth council member Dr. Brian Byrd to serve as Tarrant public health director

WINS AND LOSSES

Ann:
👍 Lost and Sound and Trinity Pride Fest
👎 Anthony Johnson's sister removed from commissioners court

EJ:
👍 Follow Juneteenth Museum
👎 Texas Stock Exchange

Ann and EJ discussed the cancellation of the plan to consolidate a few FWISD middle schools, as well as how the election results have provided Abbott with the necessary votes to pass vouchers. They also delved into the topic of housing stock in both urban and suburban areas, exploring ways to expand housing affordability. Enjoy!

SHORT STORY #1: Election Results: Who Really Won?

SHORT STORY #2: Who owns Fort Worth homes?
- An estimated 26% of Fort Worth’s single family homes are owned by companies, city says
- Baby-boomers are loaded. Why are they so stingy?
- As Fort Worth redevelops its oldest public housing complex, residents look back fondly
- First-of-its-kind house is being ‘printed’ in this Fort Worth neighborhood. Cost: $150K

SHORT STORY #3: Tarrant Jail Has Another Death On Ther Hands

- Inmate dies in Tarrant County jail custody. Cause of death hasn’t been determined
- Tarrant chief deputy over jail says retirement unrelated to deaths in sheriff’s custody

BIG STORY: The Future of Texas Education and Why FW Saved Their Middle Schools
- Fort Worth ISD pulls plan to close middle schools, moves forward with campus renovations
- Fort Worth ISD board caved on closing middle schools. It’s a bad sign for the district | Opinion
- Governor predicts victory for his ‘school choice’ plan after primary, runoff wins

WINS AND LOSSES:

Ann:
👎 State politicians influencing local elections
👍 New leadership for Historic Hispanic Northside

EJ:
👎 TX gaslighting women in abortion cases
👍 FWISD scholars 

Ann and EJ sit down with Beto O'Rourke, a legendary Texan who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 16th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. He has invested time in all 240 counties, running grassroots campaigns for senate and governor. He founded and currently leads Powered by People, a Texas-based organization that works to expand democracy and produce Democratic victories through voter registration and direct voter engagement. Enjoy the conversation, as this episode is a rare opportunity to hear Beto's perspective and strategy when looking at Tarrant County and its influence on Texas!

SHORTY STORY #1: Tarrant County Jail Updates
- Tarrant County jailers fired after in-custody death reinstated, put on leave
- Sheriff Waybourn says Tarrant doesn’t need jailers in SWAT-like gear
- Family calls out Tarrant jail medical staff in inmate’s death

SHORT STORY #2: May 28th Run-Off Election
- Tarrant County Commissioner Precinct 1 candidates make final push ahead of runoff race
- Runoff for Granger’s US House seat shows split in GOP
- Texas House District 97 Democratic runoff election
- Cheryl Bean, John McQueeney trade barbs in House District 97 race