Here are the links to the stories mentioned in today’s podcast. Can’t read them? Subscribe to ExpressNews.com today. CLICK HERE
The Trump administration is looking to name Ed Whitacre Jr., a former chief executive of General Motors and AT&T, as the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, replacing Roberta S. Jacobson, who is stepping down.
Whitacre, who lives in San Antonio, is well-known for his business and community leadership. He has received numerous accolades for his business acumen, most recently for turning around GM.
https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/politics/article/San-Antonio-s-Whitacre-reported-to-be-Trump-s-12721585.php
On his way out of office, House Speaker Joe Straus is funneling campaign cash to political allies who Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is trying to oust in the March 6 primary. Since January, the San Antonio Republican has poured $600,000 into two GOP political committees backing sitting House members who face challengers from the right, finance reports show. The five-term speaker also cut a $10,000 campaign check in January to Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, who is facing Abbott-endorsed Chris Fails, the Hollywood Park mayor.
https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/politics/article/Outgoing-House-Speaker-Straus-spends-big-to-12721137.php
The City Council on Thursday voted unanimously to reform an ordinance that some say infringed on residents’ First Amendment rights, making it easier to assemble, protest and march in San Antonio. The overhaul of the city’s decade-old parade ordinance removes fees associated with permitting and traffic safety, creates an office to handle permits for processions and public assemblies, protects spontaneous assemblies, reduces the amount of required advance notice from 30 to 15 days and identifies “free-speech zones” at the San Antonio International Airport.
https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/politics/article/City-OKs-reform-of-assembly-and-procession-policy-12720230.php
The heavy lifting for the San Antonio firefighters union’s controversial charter-amendment push is not coming from the firefighters, but from out-of-state contract workers. The petition workers, who were hired by an Austin firm called Texas Petition Strategies, are getting paid $2 per valid signature they obtain, multiple sources told the Express-News.
https://www.expressnews.com/news/news_columnists/gilbert_garcia/article/Buda-firm-does-the-heavy-lifting-for-12721366.php
Bexar County voters who want to avoid the polls on election day have from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, the final day of early voting, to cast their ballots for the primary election.
https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/politics/article/Early-voting-for-March-primaries-ends-Friday-in-12721382.php
Stories we are working on today:
Following the arrest of a boyfriend for the sexual assault and murder of Trinity University cheerleader Cayley Mandadi, questions have been raised about what university officials knew about the couple's troubled relationship and when they learned it. Leading up to Mandadi's death, Mark Howerton – who was not a student at Trinity -- exhibited a pattern of abusive behavior toward Mandadi, including allegedly assaulting her multiple times on campus and trashing her dorm room in September. A look at what resources are available to students and what steps private universities can take in dangerous situations where only one of the parties in question is a student.
Texas state lawmakers picked up thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from pro-gun groups over the last three years while chiseling away at firearm restrictions, such as permitting the open carry of handguns and reducing the fee for a license, campaign finance records show. But the donations -- which total roughly $72,000 between two groups -- are paltry in a state with no limits on campaign contributions. Where the National Rifle Association and the Texas State Rifle Association wield clout among voters here is in their endorsements and promotion of candidates who support a pro-second amendment agenda, advocates say.
As a thorny debate over Confederate monuments rages in Texas and nationwide, the issue is dividing the Republican race for land commissioner and fueling opposition against an agency proposal to relocate the Alamo Cenotaph. First-term Land Commissioner George P. Bush is seeking to fend off three primary challenges, including predecessor Jerry Patterson. Though the General Land Office doesn’t directly oversee Confederate monuments on state property, the candidates’ viewpoints are shaping public perception about how they will manage the historic Alamo battlefield -- the office’s most high-profile duty.
