Texas Early Voting Draws Record Crowds

Voters in some of Texas’ biggest counties set first-day early voting records for a midterm on Monday, led by Harris County, where 104,660 people voted in person, blowing past the 2018 mark of 63,188.

Dallas County drew 76,079 voters, more than double its 2022 count and nearly 20,000 above its first day in the 2024 presidential race. Tarrant County counted 50,409 ballots, up from 41,956 in 2018 and 29,197 in 2022.

Collin and Denton counties each topped 34,500 voters, nearly double their 2022 totals, despite printer glitches at about 10 sites in Collin. Lines ran 30 to 45 minutes at many Dallas-Fort Worth polling places, with some Tarrant County waits nearing two hours.

Bexar County’s 42,776 ballots set a record for a non-presidential election, and Travis County’s 40,777 voters beat 2022 by more than 15,000. Early voting runs through Oct. 30, and Election Day is Nov. 3.

30 Years for Quintana Road Smuggler

A federal judge sentenced a Guatemalan smuggler to 30 years in prison Tuesday for his role in the 2022 San Antonio trailer deaths, the deadliest migrant smuggling case in U.S. history.

Smugglers packed 64 people into a trailer with no working air conditioning and drove it about 156 miles from Laredo in 90-degree heat. Fifty-three died, including six children and at least one pregnant woman, and 11 survived.

Rigoberto Ramon Miranda-Orozco charged families $12,000 to $15,000 to move three Guatemalans north, and two died in the trailer, prosecutors said. Arrested in Guatemala in 2024 and extradited in 2025, he pleaded guilty in July.

Miranda-Orozco told U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia he felt remorse but believed he was doing his clients a favor. His lawyer said he tried to talk them out of the trip. Prosecutors said he began arranging new trips within weeks of the deaths.

Houston, Dallas Schools Top Rankings

Houston and Dallas-area schools swept the top five spots in U.S. News & World Report‘s 2027 rankings of Texas elementary schools, led by a Houston campus that serves just 174 students, every one of whom tested proficient in math and reading.

Spring Branch Academic Institute, with one teacher for every five students, topped both the elementary and middle school lists. Houston ISD’s T.H. Rogers School climbed nine spots to No. 4 among elementary schools and ranked fifth among middle schools.

Dallas’ Sudie L. Williams Talented and Gifted Academy ranked second, and Grand Prairie’s School for the Highly Gifted debuted at No. 3 after going unranked last year. Schools in Longview, Austin, Texarkana, Round Rock, and Corpus Christi made the elementary top 10.

Houston landed four of the state’s 10 best middle schools, more than any other city. The rankings weigh math and reading scores against how schools are expected to perform given their students’ backgrounds.

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➤ Statewide: The Texas Department of Insurance launched a website showing why insurers cancel, drop, or deny home and auto coverage. Since April, just over 14,000 home insurance applications have been denied due to a property’s location. (More)

➤ Houston: The U.S. Energy Department, CenterPoint Energy, and state emergency officials announced a $50 million grid investment Tuesday. The money aims to clear bottlenecks on power lines so existing plants can deliver more electricity and push prices down. (More)

➤ Cedar Hill: Police arrested a 33-year-old man accused of shooting an Amazon delivery driver twice outside a home during an early-morning delivery Oct. 12. One bullet grazed her head, but her injuries aren’t life-threatening. (More)

➤ Statewide: Hundreds of thousands of Texas homeowners may qualify for a homestead exemption but haven’t claimed it, including an estimated 113,000 in Harris County. The break cuts at least $140,000 off a home’s taxable value for school taxes. (More)

➤ Klein: A data breach involving Klein ISD employees may have exposed Social Security and driver’s license numbers for nearly 38,000 people. Hackers got into Frontline Education, the district’s software vendor. (More)

➤ Dallas: The Dallas Zoo closed two bird exhibits, including its Forest Aviary, after bird flu cases were confirmed within 100 miles. The closures guard against visitors tracking in infected wild-bird droppings on their shoes. (More)

➤ Dallas: The Perot Museum filed state plans for a $90 million expansion with a four-level parking garage, new entrance, event space, and covered walkway. Work could start in early 2027. (More)

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➤ Tarleton State rose to No. 1 in the Stats Perform FCS poll Monday, a first for a program that began playing in 1904. The 7-0 Texans beat Central Arkansas 49-35 on Saturday. Unbeaten Stephen F. Austin is No. 2. (See Top 25)

➤ Kyrie Irving said Dwight Powell will be “severely missed” after Dallas waived the 12-season center Monday. Irving called it “a little heartbreaking.” He’s now the Mavericks’ longest-tenured player. (More)

➤ Texas men’s basketball opens at No. 7 in the AP preseason poll, its highest preseason ranking since 2021-22. Coach Sean Miller, with 11 newcomers and one returning starter, said the ranking is “not to our advantage.” (More)

Yesterday’s Results: NBA | NCAAF | NHL | Soccer | NCAA Volleyball

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➤ A Spring restaurant replaced its only server with an AI host named Haniya after the server quit. Wok & Karahi’s owner says the switch saves or recovers about $9,650 a month, and the kitchen now keeps every tip. (Meet Haniya)

➤ Dallas film production jumped 75% last year to 277 projects, city officials said. The shoots pumped $133.5 million into the local economy in fiscal 2025, filled 31,552 hotel and rental nights, and hired 3,747 local crew members. (See Numbers)

➤ A vacant Walgreens on Corpus Christi’s Westside will become a bakery and regional distribution center after city leaders approved up to $363,000 in incentives for Houston-based El Bolillo. The $6 million-plus project aims to create 121 jobs. (More)

➤ Trader Joe’s plans three new Texas stores, in Bellaire, Cedar Park, and Mansfield, as part of roughly 30 openings across 16 states. The chain lists them as “coming soon.” (See Locations)

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➤ Height limits kept the Spurs’ 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama off every ride during a team outing at Six Flags Fiesta Texas before Tuesday’s opener. “I can’t do it safely,” he joked. “I didn’t pass the height requirement.” (See Outing)

➤ A Marvel exhibition opens Dec. 19 at the Houston Museum of Natural Science with more than 150 artifacts, including Iron Man’s armor, Captain America’s shield, and Thor’s hammer. (See Details)

➤ School mariachi programs keep spreading across Texas, from 55 schools at the first UIL state contest in 2016 to 100 campuses this year. The nation’s first mariachi class started at San Antonio’s Lanier High School in 1970. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. 

➤ What are Americans’ favorite fast food chains, and which ones land at the bottom? (Hear List)

➤ Ohio’s Democratic candidate for governor is being denounced as a liar by her mother in a new ad. (Hear Story)

➤ Robert and Ethel Kennedy’s granddaughter has died at 42, years after a paralyzing spinal cord injury. (Listen Now)

How do you feel about giving your order to an AI server at a restaurant?

1. It’s fun!
2. I’ll get used to it
3. I’d rather not
4. Kind of hate it

Yesterday’s Results:

F1 is coming back to the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin this weekend. Would you take a lap in an F1 car?

1. Yes, please!: 48%
2. No way!: 17%
3. Can I be a passenger?: 14%
4. Staying in the stands: 11%
5. What’s that?: 10%

Where in Texas did the U.S. Navy build a base for blimps to patrol the Gulf Coast during World War II?

Show me the answer