🟪 Early voting turnout in Travis County is the highest it has been for a primary election since 2008 (KUT)

🟪 Austin's Homeless Strategy Office unveils strategic plan to combat homelessness through 2027 (KVUE)

🟪 Legal questions stall Hays County moratorium on water-heavy projects (Community Impact)

🟪 Pflugerville City Manager Sereniah Breland announces retirement (Community Impact)

🟪 This South Texas region flipped for Trump. Now it's seeing red over his immigration policies. (NBC News)

🟪 Live fact-checking Trump's 2026 State of the Union address (PBS News)

READ ON!

Meetings:

Memos:

✅ Early voting turnout in Travis County is the highest it has been for a primary election since 2008 (KUT)

Early voting turnout in Travis County — so far — is the highest it's been for any primary election since 2008, according to data from the Texas Secretary of State.

Nearly 9% of Travis County’s more than 920,000 registered voters cast a ballot in the first week of early voting. Roughly 7% — or close to 63,000 people — have voted in the Democratic primary, and just over 16,000 people have cast a ballot in the Republican primary, according to the Travis County Clerk's office.

The turnout sails past almost every primary election in the past two decades — including presidential ones.

In 2016, for example, when Texas’ own Ted Cruz was on the ballot alongside Donald Trump, then Sen. Marco Rubio and then Ohio Gov. John Kasich, roughly the same percentage of registered Republican voters had hit the polls during the first week of early voting compared to this election. At the same time, less than 4% of registered Travis County Democrats, who were deciding between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, had voted… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin's Homeless Strategy Office unveils strategic plan to combat homelessness through 2027 (KVUE)

The city of Austin’s Homeless Strategy Office has released a strategic plan outlining its priorities through fiscal year 2027. The plan, presented during a city council work session on Tuesday, is intended to provide a roadmap for targeted investments and measurable outcomes in the city’s homelessness response.

“It's how we will build on what's working, scale what's proven, and stay accountable to measurable results,” said David Gray, director of the Homeless Strategy Office.

According to city officials, the plan has been in development for eight months, but it will need additional revisions before council members can sign off on its adoption. 

Gray said that although the city has made notable progress in recent years, additional goals still need to be established… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin Police doubled the number of speeding tickets after a lag in enforcement (KUT) 

Tickets for speeding and distracted driving have more than doubled in Austin since 2024 as the Austin Police Department puts a focus back on traffic enforcement.

That's according to city data which also shows the number of speeding tickets issued by APD has gone up nearly 200% from 2024 to 2025. Citations for distracted driving during that same time period increased by 156%. Tickets issued for expired registration and driving without car insurance also increased.

These increases come after Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis made it a priority in 2024 to make streets safer by putting more police on patrol and increasing traffic enforcement… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Legal questions stall Hays County moratorium on water-heavy projects (Community Impact)

The Hays County Commissioners Court did not take action on three agenda items related to emergency drought response, conservation and a development moratorium during a Feb. 24 meeting. The items would have addressed concerns surrounding water availability in the region and potential developments that use large amounts of water.

The commissioners’ agenda featured three water-related items aimed at addressing extreme drought conditions across the state. The conditions were outlined in a renewed drought disaster proclamation issued by Gov. Greg Abbott on Feb. 16.

A moratorium on the issuance of new permits to developments that would utilize an immense amount of water was considered by the court at the meeting. Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra tabled the item following community testimony and court discussion.

“I don't believe this is something that the county will be able to legally do going forward,” said Chase Young, Hays County assistant criminal district attorney, during the meeting. “I think we would be exposing ourselves to significant legal liability.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Pflugerville City Manager Sereniah Breland announces retirement (Community Impact)

Pflugerville City Manager Sereniah Breland announced her retirement Feb. 24 during a City Council meeting.

The council unanimously approved a voluntary exit agreement that will keep her in the role through July 1, after which she will serve in an advisory capacity through the end of the year.

Breland, who has served as city manger since August 2018, told employees and council members that the decision was about recognizing the completion of a chapter rather than walking away.

“I’ve decided that it’s time to retire,” Breland said during the meeting. “This decision is not about leaving something behind. It’s about recognizing that this chapter, the one that we created together, is complete and it’s strong." 🟪… (READ MORE)

✅ This South Texas region flipped for Trump. Now it's seeing red over his immigration policies. (NBC News)

More than a year since President Donald Trump flipped the traditionally Democratic Rio Grande Valley, his deportation agenda is running headlong into the region’s workforce.

Several homebuilders who spoke to NBC News said they’re worried about whether they will make it through the year without the framers, foundation pourers, drywallers and other workers who were arrested in construction site immigration raids or who are too afraid to work.

Several builders openly acknowledge that the region relies on immigrant workers, many of them undocumented, a number of whom have been working and living there for years.

“This will put us out of business if it continues,” Ronnie Cavazos, president of the South Texas Builders Association and the owner of The Structure Team construction company in Mission, said this month at a luncheon in nearby McAllen, Texas.

The region has largely avoided clashes between federal agents and opponents of Trump’s immigration policies, despite high immigrant populations. Many support strict border policies and targeted enforcement and deportations… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Tony Gonzales defiant after affair revelations: ‘Not gonna resign’ (San Antonio Express-News)

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales on Tuesday declared he will not give in to mounting pressure from Republican colleagues to step down over his affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. “I’m not gonna resign,” Gonzales, a third-term Republican from San Antonio, told CNN in the halls of Congress Tuesday afternoon.

“I work every day for the people of Texas.” Gonzales was set to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson later in the afternoon. On Monday, Johnson, R-La., called the “allegations” about the staffer “very serious” but said he was waiting on the House Ethics Committee to investigate the matter.

On Tuesday, former California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a Republican who served as House speaker before Johnson, told CBS News that Gonzales should step down. "If this was in a business, he would've been fired," McCarthy said. Several hard-right GOP members of Congress publicly condemned Gonzales in recent days, after the San Antonio Express-News reported that Gonzales had repeatedly pressed an aide in 2024 to send him “a sexy pic.” She pushed back and told him he was going “too far, boss” in the text messages, which the Express-News obtained.

Last week, the Express-News was first to publish a verified text message in which aide Regina Santos-Aviles told a coworker that she had “an affair with our boss.” U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and Nancy Mace of South Carolina on Monday called Gonzales’ behavior “disgusting” and “disturbing.” Two Texas Republicans – U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill of Flower Mound and Rep. Chip Roy of Austin – have urged Rep. Tony Gonzales to drop out of his competitive GOP primary race. Roy previously endorsed Gonzales’ opponent, YouTuber and gun manufacturer Brandon Herrera, in 2024.

On Tuesday, Gonzales did not address CNN’s question about the authenticity of the text messages or answer whether he had an extramarital affair with a staffer, and has repeatedly refused to answer detailed questions from the Express-News. However, he told CNN on Tuesday, “There will be an opportunity for all the details and facts to come out. What you've seen is not all the facts." U.S. House ethics rules prohibit members from having sexual relationships with their employees.

Gonzales has been under investigation by the Office of Congressional Conduct over his relationship with Santos-Aviles since at least November, according to a letter of inquiry the office sent to Santos-Aviles’ widower, Adrian Aviles, that month. Mace on Tuesday filed a resolution directing the House Ethics Committee to “preserve and publicly release” records pertaining to inquiries into “sexual harassment and unwelcome sexual advances” by members of Congress. "This is an abuse of power,” Mace posted on X. "Congressional staff serve their country. They should never have to endure predatory behavior from the people they work for.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Live fact-checking Trump's 2026 State of the Union address (PBS News)

President Donald Trump delivered the first State of the Union address of his second term on Tuesday, where he touted his accomplishments and laid out a vision for the next year.

Even before his speech, Trump claimed he has already delivered on all of his campaign promises. An analysis from PolitiFact found that, while 19% of those pledges have been fulfilled, many more remain stalled or even broken.

During the president's speech, our partners at PolitiFact provided live fact-checking in the chat below… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivers Democratic response to Trump's State of the Union (Associated Press)

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger offered a sharp contrast to President Donald Trump's depiction of the nation as being in a "golden age" during his State of the Union, arguing in her Democratic rebuttal that costs remain high for many Americans more than a year into his second term.

Her message, that families are still struggling under Trump's policies, is one Democrats plan to carry nationwide ahead of the midterm elections. Party leaders point to Spanberger's double-digit victory in Virginia last November as validation of a disciplined, cost-focused campaign they now hope to replicate across the country… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Hundreds of American nurses choose Canada over the U.S. under Trump (NPR)

Many nurses have felt the draw of Canada's progressive politics, friendly reputation, and universal health care system, which stands in contrast to what they see as authoritarian policies under Trump along with deep cuts to funding for public health, insurance, and medical research.

Additionally, some nurses were incensed last year when the Trump administration said it would reclassify nursing as a nonprofessional degree, which would impose strict federal limits on the loans nursing students could receive.

Canada is poised to capitalize. Two of its most populous provinces, Ontario and British Columbia, have streamlined the licensing process for American nurses since Trump returned to the White House. British Columbia also launched a $5 million advertising campaign last year to recruit nurses from California, Oregon, and Washington state.

"With the chaos and uncertainty happening in the U.S., we are seizing the opportunity to attract the talent we need," Josie Osborne, the province's health minister, said in a statement announcing the campaign… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Gavin Newsom says he's 'punching a bully back' when he trolls Trump (NPR)

Gavin Newsom is in his final year as governor of California, but lately he's been touring the country to energize voters ahead of the midterm elections.

"I think it's really important for the Democratic Party not to give up on red states and rural parts of the country," he told NPR at an event organized by local Democrats in the town of Manning, S.C. Newsom is also widely considered a potential presidential candidate for 2028 — a possibility he has not ruled out — and he sees himself as a leader of Democratic opposition to President Trump, often mocking his brash style on social media… 🟪 (READ MORE)