All posts tagged: County

Officials powerless to stop 8 new data centers that could transform small Texas county

Officials powerless to stop 8 new data centers that could transform small Texas county

Published by Sam Flores

This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center. HOOD COUNTY — Brian Crawford points to the top of a hill northwest of his family’s home garden, just past their gently sloping yard dotted with live oaks beginning to flower. “All of this would be buildings,” said his wife, Laura Crawford. “A slab of concrete,” Brian added. Their property is a 118-acre paradise along the Paluxy River Valley where the couple care for a menagerie of animals including their two enormous donkeys, Little Joe and Hoss, chickens and a herd of African antelope that they inherited when they bought the property nine years ago. Instead of green, about 600 yards away from their garden, they could soon be looking at 2,100 acres of warehouse-like structures filled with computing servers that process the digital world, flattening their scenic view into something industrial. The site plan calls for a campus that spans almost six times the size of University of Texas at Austin’s main campus. Its Florida-based developer refers to it as the Comanche Circle project, but the …

Nottinghamshire County Council urged to stop subsidising faith school transport – Humanists UK

Nottinghamshire County Council urged to stop subsidising faith school transport – Humanists UK

Published by Sam Flores

Humanists UK has called on Nottinghamshire County Council to stop funding its discretionary faith-based home-to-school transport, arguing that the current policy is unfair and an inappropriate use of public funds. Nottinghamshire County Council is currently reviewing its ‘discretionary faith-based home to school transport offer’, arguing that the council is ‘currently facing significant financial pressures across all services’. The council estimates that continuing the current arrangements would cost between £7.25 and £7.5 million over six years, compared with between £2.25 and £2.5 million if discretionary faith-based transport is withdrawn from September 2027. The current scheme supports families who choose faith schools on religious grounds, but offers no equivalent support to families who choose schools with no religious character. In its consultation response, Humanists UK said the scheme is unfair and discriminatory in effect. It strongly argued for the withdrawal of the scheme from 2027, and against delaying withdrawal until 2031 or retaining the scheme with higher parental contributions. Commenting on the proposal, Humanists UK’s Policy and Campaigns Manager Lewis Young said: ‘Nottinghamshire County Council’s current policy …

Early returns show L.A. County voter doubts about healthcare sales tax

Early returns show L.A. County voter doubts about healthcare sales tax

Published by Sam Flores

Los Angeles County’s half-cent sales tax to fund healthcare services was trailing Tuesday, with early returns showing a majority of voters rejecting the measure. The tax — a half-penny of every dollar spent in the county — is meant to prop up local hospitals and clinics that are hemorrhaging funding after recent federal cuts. The sales tax, which needs a simple majority to pass, would take effect Oct. 1 and last five years. Officials say it would pull in $1 billion annually to help plug the budget holes hitting local hospitals and clinics. L.A. County health officials anticipate the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Trump last summer, will slash more than $2 billion from the county’s health services budget within the next three years. Due to eligibility changes, the county will no longer be able to get reimbursements for many Californians who have lost Medi-Cal. The measure was championed by a coalition of healthcare advocates called Restore Healthcare for Angelenos who warned that mass layoffs and emergency room closures could …

Live Election 2026 primary results, updates: California, Los Angeles County and local races

Live Election 2026 primary results, updates: California, Los Angeles County and local races

Published by Sam Flores

p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text clearfix”> The Times’ results pages reveal how Californians voted for governor, U.S. House seats and in local city, school board and ballot measure races. Every registered voter in the state receives a ballot by mail. Polls close at 8 p.m. on June 2, and mailed ballots need to be postmarked on or before that day. Winners may not be known on election night due to the high volume of mail-in ballots arriving after election day. The vote counts on these pages update periodically as results are reported by the Associated Press and the L.A. County registrar. On election day, those results include in-person voting as well as any mail-in ballots already received. In the days and weeks following, votes will be reported approximately once a day, as they are processed by county registrars. Voters can track their own cast ballot here. The Associated Press surveys the numbers posted by local election officials. The AP projects the winner for all statewide and federal races using vote returns and other data. A race may be called …

Galveston County raids target alleged gambling network across multiple properties

Galveston County raids target alleged gambling network across multiple properties

Published by skeptic

A sweeping law enforcement operation unfolded across Galveston County on Monday (June 1) as investigators moved to break apart what they say was a long-running illegal gambling network centered in La Marque and surrounding communities. Members of the Galveston County Organized Crime Task Force began serving 21 search warrants at about 9:30 a.m. on June 1. According to the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office, the coordinated action stemmed from an investigation into suspected organized criminal activity and money laundering connected to illegal game rooms. Galveston authorities target illegal gambling rooms and financial records Investigators focused on several game room businesses, related properties in Fort Bend County and a number of financial institutions believed to be tied to the operation’s finances. Seven warrants were carried out at game rooms in and around La Marque. Those locations included Gold Chest, Pig Pen, TJ’s, Rusty’s, Purple Building and Double Diamond, along with the 24/7 game room in Alvin. Rusty’s game room in La Marque was among the businesses targeted during a multi-agency gambling investigation. Credit: Google Maps Authorities also …

2026 L.A. County voter guide: Judges, healthcare tax, sheriff

2026 L.A. County voter guide: Judges, healthcare tax, sheriff

Published by Sam Flores

With long ballots, you can excuse voters for knowing more about some races than others. This is especially true this year, with such heated races for California governor and Los Angeles mayor. But even some of those down-ballot choices can have major ramifications. We have selected three to explore that have not received the spotlight. 1. Judges One of the more challenging decisions for voters is L.A. Superior Court judge. In this election, 15 races are on the ballot and 11 are competitive. So what do Superior Court judges handle? The Judicial Branch of California provided this breakdown: All civil cases (family law, probate, juvenile and other civil cases) All criminal cases (felonies, misdemeanors, and infractions like traffic tickets) Small claims cases and appeals of small claims cases Appeals of civil cases involving $35,000 or less Appeals of infraction (like traffic) and misdemeanor cases Source: California Courts Self-Help Guide The Times researched the races and here is our guide: 2. Healthcare Healthcare is a vexing issue in L.A. County, The half-cent sales tax on the …

County supervisor races: Horvath seeks reelection, Durazo running for Solis’ seat

County supervisor races: Horvath seeks reelection, Durazo running for Solis’ seat

Published by Sam Flores

Los Angeles County voters will cast ballots Tuesday in two very different races for county supervisor. In District 1, state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) is one of five candidates vying to succeed Hilda Solis, who is up against the term limit after more than a decade on the Board of Supervisors. A former labor leader, Durazo has a big lead in campaign contributions, collecting nearly $75,000 this year, leaving her with about $642,000 on hand as of May 16, according to the latest finance reports. District 1 includes East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. In District 3, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath is hoping to secure a second four-year term representing an area that includes the San Fernando Valley and the fire-ravaged communities of Pacific Palisades and Malibu. Horvath has raised about $190,000 this year for her reelection effort, far outpacing her three challengers and leaving her with nearly $413,000 on hand on May 16. There has been no public polling on either race, so it’s unclear which candidates are favored among voters. …

Best beaches in Los Angeles County

Best beaches in Los Angeles County

Published by Sam Flores

Santa Monica State Beach has beautiful, white sand beaches, temperate surf conditions, restaurants with romantic ocean views and bike path access for riding and rollerblading, not to mention a bustling pier with an amusement park, trapeze school, snacks-on-a-stick, street performers and, underneath, Heal the Bay Aquarium. But swimming within 100 yards in either direction of the pier (or the Pico-Kenter storm drain) is not on the agenda. For the fifth year, that area made Heal the Bay’s dirtiest beaches list last week. Outside of those areas, the water tends to meet quality standards for the rest of the 3.5-mile stretch of shoreline. The city of Santa Monica has spent millions to fight the water pollution in that area to no avail. A new task force is underway. Santa Monica State Beach is also the “birthplace” of beach volleyball, according to the city, and there are ample courts along the sand. Don’t miss the Original Muscle Beach workout area and Chess Park, across from it. Best for: Families, tourists, surfing Parking: 13 beach lots, $7 to …

Inside U.S. soccer’s World Cup camp at Orange County Great Park

Inside U.S. soccer’s World Cup camp at Orange County Great Park

Published by Sam Flores

On a recent spring morning, Championship Soccer Stadium, which sits in a corner of the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, was quiet and empty save for the dozen sprinklers quenching a newly laid grass carpet. Normally the well-used stadium is a buzz of activity. But its main tenant, the Orange County Soccer Club, which plays in the second-division USL Championship, has been temporarily evicted, left to train in the nearby park and play its final home game before the World Cup at Eddie West Field in Santa Ana, 12 miles away. (Not that it was necessarily a bad thing since the club drew a home-record crowd of 7,651 to its 3-2 win over Oakland on Saturday, which allowed it to hold onto second place in the Western Conference table.) During the next month, the nine-year-old venue will have just one occupant, the U.S. national soccer team, which has chosen the stadium as its main training base for the World Cup. The temporary change in ownership is heralded by a giant orange orb the size …

Newsom Declares Emergency In Orange County; EPA Head Says Chemical Tank Will “Likely Fail”

Newsom Declares Emergency In Orange County; EPA Head Says Chemical Tank Will “Likely Fail”

Published by Jenni Sidey

The head of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said Sunday that a chemical storage tank in Southern California that has forced officials to declare an emergency and prompted evacuation orders for tens of thousands residents is likely to fail. Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the EPA, told CNN’s “State of the Union” program on Sunday that the “most likely scenario” is a “low-volume release” of the tank, where officials will be able to “monitor, neutralize, and contain the threat.” “The Orange County Fire Authority is working to keep the temperature of the tank down. That is very important,” he said on CNN, referring to the fire department in the Southern California county. He said keeping the temperature under 85 degrees F is key. But, as Jack Phillips reports for The Epoch Times, Zeldin warned: “We’re being told that the tank will fail, but there are different scenarios as to what that means, the most catastrophic scenario being an explosion that results in other tanks to explode. That’s the reason why you see such a big …