Kerr County river authority’s offer to fund flood protection raises doubt The Upper Guadalupe River Authority put off new flood protection measures for a decade. Now lawmakers are skeptical of its pledges to follow through.

NEW: Last week, we reported that the river authority in Kerr County spent down its 3.4m reserve & lowered taxes instead of paying for an upgraded flood warning system

This week they promised to spend at least $1.5m on flood protection & mitigation measures

www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...

Exclusive: Kerrville texts reveal tension with county after July 4 floods Communications from Kerrville city officials offer a window into how Hill Country leaders handled the July 4 Texas floods, and shed light on their frustrations with Kerr County officials.

EXCLUSIVE: @keribla.bsky.social
got the text messages of key Kerrville city officials in the wake of the devastating July 4 floods. Among the highlights -- "the county is reacting poorly"
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...

Exclusive: Kerr County river authority chose tax cuts over alert system upgrades The Upper Guadalupe River Authority had a $3 million reserve, but cut taxes rather than replacing an outdated flood alert system before the July 4 Hill Country flood.

NEW: Despite having $3.4 million in reserves, the Upper Guadalupe River Authority in Kerr County chose to cut taxes and turn down a 0% interest loan from the state rather than fund a $1 million flood warning system upgrade. W/
@keribla.bsky.social www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...

County provides ARPA Fund update Veteran’s Pathway and the new first responder emergency radio system for Kerr County were the major projects funded by the $10.2 million in funds received by Kerr County in 2021

Thanks! Some citizens did advocate for rejecting the funding, but other news reports indicate that Kerr County did end up spending the $10 million it was awarded in ARPA funding, mostly on emergency radio communications. See here: www.hccommunityjournal.com/article_fd3f...

Inside Kerr County’s quest for a new flood warning system on the Guadalupe River Kerr County and the Upper Guadalupe River Authority have tried several times to get funding to upgrade flood alerts on the river, dating back to 2016.

NEW: After the July 4 flood, a Kerr official said “nobody saw this coming." But it seems they did - a 2016 study recommended key flood alert system improvements. The county has been trying to get the state to fund it ever since. W/ @neenareports.bsky.social: www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...

Texas leaders vowed to make CenterPoint pay after Beryl's blackouts. Did they? Vows of a $480M refund for CenterPoint customers have yet to be fulfilled a year after Hurricane Beryl left nearly a million Texans without power for four days.

NEW: We asked TX leaders if they're REALLY sure CenterPoint is giving back $100s of millions consumers spent on unused generators -- since documents indicate otherwise.
They pointed us to a spreadsheet that is VERY scant on detail. w/
@clairehao.bsky.social
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...

Houston Housing Authority files legal brief filled with fake quotes A brief, submitted by a firm that often represents cities and agencies in the Houston area, cited over a dozen cases. The only problem? Almost none of the quotes actually exist.

Incredible story today from
@raschuetz.bsky.social: Attorneys representing the Houston Housing Authority filed a legal brief with fake quotes. These lawyers are getting paid $280/an hour with YOUR TAX DOLLARS.
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

NEW: Following our report that a Houston man was jailed for 18 years without a trial, authorities say the investigation into the murder he was charged with - that of Joel Osteen's great-aunt - is "very much active."
High-profile Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee is now representing the man.
t.co/1aS4jftjRr

Does CenterPoint's proposal make ratepayers 'whole' for unused generators? Texas lawmakers will no longer push CenterPoint Energy to directly refund Houstonians for generators that went unused after Hurricane Beryl.

MUST-READ from @clairehao.bsky.social:
TX leaders, incl. Dan Patrick, claim CenterPoint will refund consumers >$900M for its massive, mostly-unused generators. But the utility had already agreed to a huge chunk of those refunds for unrelated reasons. 👀
www.houstonchronicle.com/business/ene...

Houston man held in Harris County Jail for 18 years without a trial A man accused of killing Joel Osteen's great-aunt waited almost two decades in the Harris County Jail without a trial.

NEW (and my first BlueSky post!): How overwhelmed is the Houston-area criminal justice system? Read my story about a man who spent 18 years in the Harris County jail pre-trial. www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...

Thanks Keri!!