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POSSIBLE TOPICS: May 4^th HCAD and Runoff Elections; OPINION: Timeline unclear for next steps in Grand Parkway loop though Fort Bend, Brazoria counties; Plans develop for improving Freedmen’s Town streets with focus on historic bricks; Mayor Whitmire, Judge Hidalgo. Judge Hidalgo, Mayor Whitmire.; EPA to track source of chemicals in Greater Fifth Ward that exceed screening levels; Report: Texas summers will keep getting hotter, drier; The century-old transmission line is getting a 21st century upgrade; FTC votes to ban most employers from using noncompete clauses. But legal challenge is expected, The Supreme Court’s Five Male Justices Are Fully in the Tank for Trump; Kremlin Disputes Report Putin Didn’t Order Navalny’s Death; Undersea ‘hybrid warfare’ threatens security of 1bn, Nato commander warns; US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia’s ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says; Russia’s adapting air defenses means Ukraine’s new F-16s are an example of weapons that are ‘no longer relevant:’ senior Ukrainian officer; US finds Israeli units committed human rights abuses before Gaza war;

Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig where we discuss local, state, national, and international stories. My co-host, assistant producer and show editor is Andrew Ferguson.

Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio) is now on Wednesdays at 11AM (CT) or Thursdays at 6PM on KPFT 90.1 FM-HD2, Houston’s Community Media. You can also hear the show:

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Except for timely election info, the extensive list of voting resources will now be at the end.

1. Primary Election runoffs will be held on Saturday May 4^h. Polls will be open that day from 7am to 7pm.
   1. Harris County election information is available at HarrisVotes(dot)com.
   2. A list of election day polling places can be found here.
   3. Links to county election sites for Harris and adjacent counties can be found at the bottom of this week’s show post.
   4. At the bottom of this blog post, I’ve also included three reference links that may help you choose among the HCAD candidates on your ballot. The HCAD races are perhaps the most under-the-radar races I’ve ever seen. There’s almost no coverage of them, a point made in my link to Charles Kuffner’s story on the HCAD elections.
   5. While these races are technically non-partisan, we all know that’s a lot of baloney. Party ideology matters in governance.
   6. REFERENCE [Shows which HCAD candidates are Democrats]: Harris Democrats
   7. REFERENCE [Story contains useful links]: Good luck finding any info about those county appraisal board elections — Posted on April 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner
   8. REFERENCE [Story mentions Labor-endorsed HCAD candidates]: A little-known board oversees Houston property taxes. Voters will now elect members for first time — By Jen Rice, Staff writer | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM | April 16, 2024
2. Timeline unclear for next steps in Grand Parkway loop though Fort Bend, Brazoria counties; By Kelly Schafler | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 4:35 PM Apr 19, 2024 CDT / Updated 4:35 PM Apr 19, 2024 CDT. TAGS: Grand Parkway, Fort Bend County, Brazoria County,
   1. MIKE: Unusually for this show, I’m not going to read parts of this article because there is so much specificity that it will be hard to digest for radio listeners, but I wanted to point you to it. For people along the path of the planned southern section of the Grand Parkway, I think it will be of significant interest. Just go to the show post at ThinkwingRadio[dot]com and click on the story link.
3. Plans develop for improving Freedmen’s Town streets with focus on historic bricks; By Shawn Arrajj | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 6:29 PM Apr 24, 2024 CDT / Updated 10:48 AM Apr 25, 2024 CDT. TAGS: Houston Public Works Department, Freedmen’s Town,
   1. Details are emerging on a project seeking to improve street surfaces and underground infrastructure along two historic streets in Freedmen’s Town, with project officials emphasizing the importance of preserving the town’s historic brick streets.
   2. What happened — Officials with the Houston Public Works Department and TEI Planning + Design—the engineering firm brought on to lead the development of a design concept report—gave updates on the project at an April 23 community meeting.
   3. The project targets the portion of two one-way streets: Andrews Street from Genesee Street to I-45 and Wilson Street from Dallas to Andrews streets. …
   4. The backstory — Freedmen’s Town was founded by freed African Americans shortly after the emancipation of slavery in Texas in 1865, with early founders laying the bricks by hand for the streets that run throughout the community.
   5. Over time, the town’s original footprint was reduced as development occurred in the area, according to Texas State Historical Association. Freedmen’s Town was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
   6. The latest — The DCR was prioritized for the Freedmen’s Town project as a way to ensure more robust planning and community engagement, said Donald Buaku, a planner and manager with Houston Public Works. …
   7. Zooming in — Geoff Carlton, a senior principal with TEI, said preserving the town’s historic bricks is considered a top priority. In addition to existing bricks, he said more bricks from the time period could be brought in from city of Houston storage to fill in gaps.
   8. … For the parts of the road where asphalt was laid down, Carlton said it is unknown the extent to which historic bricks are underneath the asphalt.
   9. Bricks found in sidewalks elsewhere in the community, including along Richmond Avenue, could have originated from Freedmen’s Town, Carlton said. Officials are working with subject matter experts to determine the origin of the bricks and, if they do come from Freedmen’s Town, how they could be relocated back into the community as part of this project.
   10. Other project goals include: Upgrading underground utilities, some of which are more than 100 years old and contribute to street flooding issues, to current standards; Improving walkability; Designating street car tracks in a way that recognizes their historical significance; Creating other opportunities to tell the story of Freedmen’s Town.
   11. The details — The process of preserving the historic bricks has involved a visual assessment almost by the square foot, Carlton said. Thus far, the process has not involved actually touching or digging up any bricks, he said. Once that process starts, the city of Houston has committed to bringing a cultural monitor on board to oversee the handling of the bricks.
   12. Two alternatives have emerged from the DCR work done so far, each of which could be incorporated at different points within the project scope: 1. Minimizing brick disturbance. … ; 2. Largely rebuilding the street with a new foundation. Where this alternative is implemented, crews would take out bricks and care for them before placing them back.
   13. In the areas where the street is rebuilt, a sidewalk, roughly one foot wider than the existing sidewalk, would run along the northern part of the street, while the historic street car track motif would be implemented along the southern side.
   14. Throughout the project, officials will try to consolidate above ground utility poles while putting underground utility lines away from historic bricks, including under the sidewalk or where the street car lines run. …
   15. Also of note — Other design options are being considered with an eye toward highlighting the community’s history, including:
   16. Blue tile street names; Sidewalk material accents and inlays that could potentially be used to tell stories related to Freedmen’s town; Ways to designate the historic street car track …; Street lighting styles; Street signs styles; Street scape elements, such as benches, trash cans and bike racks; Landscaping.
   17. Officials are also looking to make use of a triangular section of city-owned right of way at West Dallas and Wilson streets that could function as a gateway to the community. The space could be used as a plaza with historical markers, Carlton said, while also allowing for crossing improvements for children who walk to school.
   18. What they’re saying — Elmo Johnson, a Freedmen’s Town resident since 1977 and pastor of Rose of Sharon Baptist Church on Valentine Street since 1984, said the work being planned is long overdue.
   19. “I commend the city on bringing the community out to look at what’s happening,” he said. … .”
   20. Johnson said he thought some of the most crucial elements of the work will involve the installation of better street lighting and green spaces, which he said will facilitate the gathering of community members and allow people to feel safer when walking at night.
   21. What’s next — Buaku said officials are hoping to be done with the DCR in May, around which point a preferred alternative and cost estimates for the work will be released. The design process will follow, including the procurement of a consultant, which could take 8-12 months. The actual design work could take another year.
   22. Once construction begins, Buaku said it could take 18-24 months based on which alternative is selected.
   23. MIKE: There are a lot more specifics in this story that are worth reading. You can go to this show post and click on the link for the rest of this story.
   24. MIKE: Houston specifically and much of Texas generally has been bad at historical preservation of physical places. I’ve read about this project planning over the last couple of years. The historic bricks were a specific point of contention within the community. I’m glad to see that there is now attention being paid to this and other community concerns and that there’s now something almost concrete, to use a pun, moving forward.
4. This is from OFFTHEKUFF. I’m just going to read what Charles Kuffner wrote and excerpted. There’s really nothing I can add to his comments. — Mayor Whitmire, Judge Hidalgo. Judge Hidalgo, Mayor Whitmire.; by Charles Kuffner | OFFTHEKUFF.COM | Posted on April 28, 2024. TAGS: Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo,
   1. Excerpted from “’I can’t force someone to meet with me’: Despite repeated attempts, Mayor Whitmire has yet to meet with Judge Hidalgo”, by KHOU.
   2. KUFF: What are we doing here?
   3. April made four months into Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s administration and he had yet to meet face-to-face with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.
   4. “It has me worried, but it’s outside my control,” said Hidalgo. “I can’t force someone to meet with me.”
   5. Whitmire held countless meetings since becoming mayor of Houston, but one person who was never on his schedule was Hidalgo, who is head of the state’s largest county.
   6. “We’ve had ongoing requests to meet, offered different times, I’ll go there, whatever, but he’s too busy,” said Hidalgo.
   7. In March, when President Joe Biden visited Houston, Hidalgo thought she’d get her chance.
   8. “Normally we all wait in one room with the pastries and coffee and I didn’t see him,” said Hidalgo. “Turns out he was in a different room. We always are in the same room.”
   9. Hidalgo said building a relationship with Whitmire is “critical,” especially with hurricane season approaching.
   10. “The problem is that there’s real policy at stake,” said Hidalgo. “It’s about to be hurricane season. I still haven’t walked him through the emergency operations center. We haven’t been able to get us at this level to build a relationship and work together.”
   11. There is a complicated history between Hidalgo and Whitmire. Hidalgo endorsed Whitmire’s opponent in the mayoral race – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.
   12. “As I said during the campaign, if he wins, I’ll work with him, that’s how it works,” said Hidalgo. “I’ve had to work with a lot of people who didn’t support me. You have to do the job.”
   13. A key part of that job is partnership during crises. It’s something KHOU 11 political analyst Brandon Rottinghaus said voters saw up close between past administrations.
   14. “If there is some disagreement, that has to be put aside,” said Rottinghaus. “The good of the region is in the hands of these two critical leaders.”
   15. KUFF: Campos and Stace have had their say on this. I’m going to keep this simple. I can understand where the Mayor is coming from. There’s a reason why most elected officials pick their spots carefully when endorsing in local races, and why the answer I almost always get when I ask Council candidates who they’re supporting for Mayor is some variation on “I’ll work with whoever is elected”. Judge Hidalgo picked a side, her side lost, and now here we are. Politics ain’t beanbag and all that.
   16. KUFF: But come on, the election is long over, and last I checked nearly everyone who is represented by Mayor Whitmire is also represented by Judge Hidalgo. There’s tons of shared interests, which go well beyond just disaster and emergency preparedness and response. Mayor Whitmire, to put it gently, is not new at this. He himself has told us at length of his ability to work with people who are not on his team. Why that is not the case here remains a mystery – he did not respond to KHOU’s request for a comment. For a guy who brags about how good his relationship is with state government, it’s quite remarkable how he seems to have no such relationship with county government.
   17. KUFF: All of which, I say again, would seem to be counter to the Mayor’s own interests, as he tries to reduce costs and tame the city’s finances. To wit, from the Council meeting on Wednesday the 24^th [Cited from “Emily Takes Notes”]:
   18. CM Kamin remarked on climate change and the increasing likelihood of extreme weather related events in Houston, like hurricanes, droughts, extreme temperatures, air quality, etc. She said the City is not prepared and the region needs both large infrastructure projects (Ike Dike, North Canal Project) and small ones, like the drainage projects that often accompany street improvement plans. She said, “We desperately need the planned projects that we have in place for flood mitigation … We need those projects now. We needed them yesterday.” I can’t be sure because she didn’t name names, but I’m pretty sure she’s talking about the Montrose Blvd drainage and street improvement plan that has been in the news recently because some trees need to be removed (and replaced).
   19. Mayor Whitmire defended the City’s preparedness and advocated for partnerships with the County and the State Emergency Center.
   20. KUFF: (Source) You know what might help facilitate those partnerships with the County? Picking up the [G-damn] phone when the County Judge calls to get together for a meeting. I’m just saying.
   21. KUFF: UPDATE: Okay then. [Cited from COM]:
   22. Facing mounting pressure from Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s office, Houston Mayor John Whitmire finally responded to inquiries as to why the top two city officials have not yet formally met: He doesn’t have time for games.[…]
   23. On Thursday, Whitmire released a statement at long last explaining why he and Hidalgo have not even been photographed together since the two met with President Joe Biden on Air Force One. (Hidalgo has met President Biden twice.)
   24. “Mayor Whitmire says he doesn’t have time for games or meet and greets,” the statement began. “He is busy running the city of Houston, which includes preparing for Hurricane Season with the assistance of the City’s Office of Emergency Management.”
   25. Whitmire went on to say that he has hired employees to coordinate with the county on hurricane planning, and the two teams have met at least ten times to discuss emergency management.
   26. “Mayor Whitmire has met with Harris County Commissioners Garcia, Briones, and Ramsey, and he is confident he and Judge Hidalgo will meet when it’s time.”
   27. KUFF: Again, I am mystified how someone who has been in politics since approximately the Roosevelt administration can be this cavalier about the need to work with others, especially those that ought to be generally in alignment with him. I’m just gonna leave this here:
   28. KUFF: It would be a lot funnier if it didn’t directly affect me, I’ll say that much.
   29. REFERENCE: ‘Don’t have time for games’: Whitmire responds to Hidalgo’s complaint that he won’t meet with her; County Judge Lina Hidalgo told KHOU 11 News that she’s concerned that Mayor John Whitmire still hasn’t met with her to discuss plans for hurricane season. Author: Marcelino Benito, Michelle Homer | KHOU.COM | Published: 11:58 AM CDT April 26, 2024 / Updated: 6:07 PM CDT April 26, 2024
5. EPA to track source of chemicals in Greater Fifth Ward that exceed screening levels; by Elena Bruess | HOUSTONLANDING.ORG | April 30, 2024. TAGS: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Greater Fifth Ward, Union Pacific railyard, Creosote, Benzene, Naphthalene,
   1. The Environmental Protection Agency released its second set of test results measuring contamination near the Union Pacific railyard in Greater Fifth Ward, finding that 13 percent of the locations tested so far exceed EPA’s levels of creosote-related chemicals. 
   2. Results for another 26 locations have yet to be reported, but of the 91 tested so far, chemicals exceeding EPA’s level were found in sanitary sewers, storm sewers, monitoring wells and in soil gas north, east and west of the railyard. 
   3. [Casey Luckett Snyder, EPA project manager for the Greater Fifth Ward sampling project, told residents at a public meeting Tuesday,] “There are some chemicals that are exceeding the EPA screening level. We have found six creosote chemicals and five other chemicals. What we need to do next is to track those chemicals and do some additional investigation.”
   4. In six cases, the creosote-related chemical Benzene exceeded limits in water tested as much as 51.5 times the EPA screening level. Benzene can cause cancer in humans. Another chemical – Naphthalene – was detected in water as much as 283 times the EPA screening level. Naphthalene is a probable carcinogen that has been shown to cause larynx and intestine cancer. …
   5. While most of the EPA tests near Union Pacific’s railyard didn’t raise concerns, about 13 percent exceeded the agency’s screening thresholds for creosote-related chemicals. The substances with the highest levels were Benzene and Naphthalene. Both are potential carcinogens.
   6. Luckett Snyder told Greater Fifth Ward community members the testing effort is nearly complete. 
   7. “We don’t have the final lab data yet,” said Luckett Snyder. “So this is a good dataset, but it’s not the entire dataset. We just didn’t want to wait until the 100 percent came back. I want you guys to know what I know.” …
   8. From 1899 to 1984, Southern Pacific Railroad used the hazardous substance creosote for wood preservation at a rail-yard site in Greater Fifth Ward. The still-operating railroad is now owned by Union Pacific and since November, the company – monitored by the EPA – has been testing the groundwater and soil in the surrounding community. …
   9. [MIKE: There is a chart included in the story here showing the results breakdown so far. You can access it by going to this show post at ThinkwingRadio[dot]com and clicking on the story link.]
   10. In 2019, the state designated Greater Fifth Ward, along with Kashmere Gardens and Denver Harbor, a cancer cluster – which means a higher-than-average rate of cancer cases. …
   11. Detecting Creosote-related chemicals in the vapor and water is just the first step in a longer EPA process. The agency will now have to determine if these locations with higher levels of creosote-related chemicals are directly related to the rail-yard operations. …
   12. In a statement, Union Pacific said that the EPA’s scientific explanation of the test results released so far is crucial to drawing accurate conclusions about the next steps, and that they remain committed to transparency and open communication until the work is done. …
   13. Some residents at the public meeting were ultimately frustrated with the presentation, however.
   14. Deborah Amador, a resident living in Greater Fifth Ward, expressed concerns that her property was not being tested. Her home is right across the street from the EPA testing area. Four of Amador’s family members have passed from cancer after living in Greater Fifth Ward for decades. …
   15. Luckett Snyder said this was only the first pass through the neighborhood. If anything alarming popped up after sampling, the EPA could expand its search to spots like Amador’s. 
   16. Another resident – Kourtney Revels – asked if there was a program to educate residents in the community on how to test in their own communities, rather than get outside work. 
   17. “It’d be great if there was an opportunity for the community to be put in the position where we could be doing the testing and getting compensated for it,” Revels said. “What if they could give us careers in environmental science? It’s our community.”
   18. Starting in May, the EPA will begin testing soil in the neighborhood and at the site as well as vapor sampling in the hotter summer months, compared to the cooler months the agency already sampled. In the fall, the EPA will produce a human health risk assessment and ultimately determine if clean-up is necessary. 
   19. MIKE: This has been a local story for many years now, and of course for the people living in these neighborhoods, it’s been a multigenerational story of hazardous chemicals believed to be killing friends and family members, but without evidence to make the causative case.
   20. MIKE: It’s great that a truly comprehensive study is being made of what chemicals are in the air, soil, and plumbing in this area, and the evidence is now accumulating. Ultimately, decisions will have to be made about what mitigation must be performed and precisely where and how that is to be done.
   21. MIKE: And at the end of this, there will no doubt be class action suits claiming compensation. Between any cleanup efforts and the lawsuits going forward, we’re probably still looking at decades before this tragic situation is, in some manner of speaking, resolved.
   22. MIKE: It’s a literal shame that it’s taken this long to get to this point. Some might consider it to be a figurative crime. At some point in the future, it might be determined to be a literal crime of negligence, but it would likely be a corporate crime, with monetary penalties. No humans would likely be held responsible, and in any case the responsible humans will probably have all passed from this mortal coil.
   23. MIKE: The people who live in these areas are mostly trapped in one way or another. Their properties are likely unmarketable. They probably don’t have the resources to relocate, and in some cases, they resent the prospect of being forced to abandon their neighborhoods for no fault of their own.
   24. MIKE: Some areas will likely have to be condemned for mitigation efforts to occur, displacing an indeterminate number of people to points unknown, possibly against their will.
   25. MIKE: In the end, there will likely be financial awards and relocation deals, but it’s hard to see how far into the future these families will have to wait for those options, while remaining at risk.
6. Report: Texas summers will keep getting hotter, drier; By Hannah Norton | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 4:32 PM Apr 29, 2024 CDT / Updated 4:32 PM Apr 29, 2024 CDT. TAGS: Texas Climate, Global Warming, Texas A&M University, Dispatchable Energy, Iron-Air Batteries, Utility-Scale Renewable Energy Storage,
   1. Texans can expect more 100-degree days and longer wildfire seasons in the coming years, according to a new report from the state climatologist at Texas A&M University.
   2. Rising temperatures will also exacerbate severe weather conditions from droughts to strong rainstorms and flooding.
   3. State climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon used historic weather data to forecast climate trends through 2036—the year Texas turns 200—and beyond. The April 22 report is an update to information released in 2021. …
   4. In 2036, average temperatures in Texas are expected to be 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than averages from 1991-2020, researchers predict.
   5. Last year was Texas’ hottest on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Temperatures in Big Bend National Park reached 119 degrees Fahrenheit on June 23.
   6. “Extreme heat in recent decades has become more frequent and more severe, while extreme cold has become less frequent and less severe overall,” the report reads.
   7. Triple-digit days will likely be four times more common in 2036 than they were in the 1970s and ‘80s.
   8. Rising temperatures and varying rainfall can cause drier conditions, leading to an increased risk of wildfires. With higher temperatures occurring earlier in the year, researchers expect the spring and summer wildfire seasons will last longer. …
   9. Heavy rain will also become more common as temperatures increase, researchers found. The report said about 4% more rain falls for every degree of warming, although the risk of extreme rainfall varies across Texas. Flooding is expected to increase in urban areas as rainfall becomes more severe, while river flooding will stay roughly the same, according to the report.
   10. “The long-term trend of precipitation in Texas has been positive,” researchers wrote. “Over the past century, parts of central and eastern Texas have experienced precipitation increases of 15% or more, while in much of the western part of the state the long-term trend is flat or even slightly downward.” …
   11. “To accommodate this escalating demand, Texas will need to attract additional electric generation capacity.” …
   12. The demand for electricity is expected to increase by 74% through 2050 as Texas’ population grows and temperatures rise, according to public policy nonprofit Texas 2036. …
   13. MIKE: If Texas and the world in general are to make a successful transition to renewable energy, there must be rapid and significant investment in developing power storage capabilities and implementing them. Lithium-based batteries are not necessarily the best choice for utility-sized storage. Storage can take many forms, from pumping water up towers or holding lakes and letting gravity power turbines as the water drains, to giant weights being lifted and dropped to generate energy by turning generators, again driven by gravity.
   14. MIKE: Of the various technologies being used or explored for utility energy storage, Iron-Air batteries may be the best solution currently known. They’re not useful for device storage because they charge and discharge more slowly, and they are not as energy dense as lithium-based batteries. But for utility-scale renewable energy storage, they are much cheaper per kilowatt hour of storage than large lithium batteries. Iron-air batteries are also much more massive per kilowatt of storage, but that doesn’t matter much for large utilities. And they are much less prone to catch fire than lithium-based batteries. There are pilot projects for these batteries in current development.
   15. MIKE: Utility-based renewable storage is the best answer to intermittent renewable energy, and represents the best chance to replace gas-, oil-, and coal-fired so-called “dispatchable energy” plants for on-demand supply.
   16. MIKE: As an additional note, it would be nice if Texas would connect to the national grid so that we could import and export power within the grid as necessary, but Texas conservatives want to keep the feds out of Texas’s grid management, thus preserving their option (they seem to think) to secede from the Union again.
   17. MIKE: In an article from February of this year which I have referenced below this story, there is discussion of limited linkage via a transmission line running through Louisiana and Mississippi that would still avoid federal regulation. I’ve also provided a link to a story about Iron-Air batteries.
   18. REFERENCE: Startup Form Energy’s ‘100-hour’ iron-air battery tech attracts another US utility’s attention; By Andy Colthorpe | ENERGY-STORAGE.NEWS | January 8, 2024
   19. REFERENCE: Plan to link Texas ERCOT electric grid to southeastern U.S. states is in the works; Federal regulators will have no say, so Texas independence isn’t going to be compromised. By Dave Lieber | DALLASNEWS.COM | 5:30 AM on Jan 3, 2024
7. Staying on the topic of energy — The century-old transmission line is getting a 21st century upgrade; By Bloomberg Wire | DALLASNEWS.COM | 7:00 AM on Apr 14, 2024. TAGS: Power Grid, Green Energy Transition, Long-Distance Conductor,
   1. The green energy transition has been stymied by a lack of long-haul transmission lines to carry clean power from remote wind and solar farms to cities and power-hungry data centers where it’s needed.
   2. The most discussed option is building more transmission projects. But startup TS Conductor Corp. says the key to addressing the shortfall isn’t just adding lines to the grid; it’s installing better ones that can deliver more electricity and potentially lower costs.
   3. The Huntington Beach, Calif.-based company has developed a power cable that weighs less and can carry more electricity than the standard wires that have been used for more than a century. While lining up permits and approvals to build new transmission projects can take years, TS Conductor contends that utilities can boost capacity now by replacing existing towers’ wires with its product. Tests are already underway, including by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
   4. “We’ve used the same conductor for the past 100 years,” said Chief Executive Officer Jason Huang. “This is a different kind of wire.”
   5. Next-generation power lines remain a fairly niche product, but they could prove vital in the coming years. The world has a tall task to create grids that align with net-zero emissions goals. Adapting and expanding grids to meet net-zero needs by 2050 amounts to at least $21.4 trillion, according to BNEF. That includes installing nearly 50 million miles of wires to transmit and distribute clean energy.
   6. The industry standard for long-distance conductor — the technical name for this type of transmission wiring — wraps strands of aluminum that carry power around a steel core to provide strength and support. While the technology is tried and true, surging electricity demand from artificial intelligence, electric vehicles and other sources will require a grid overhaul.
   7. TS Conductor’s solution is to replace the steel with a carbon fiber core, which is stronger and about 80% lighter. The change means the core can be thinner and the product can pack more strands of aluminum in the same size conductor. Huang says his product can carry as much as three times more electricity than today’s wires. …
   8. Advanced conductor designs are still new to the industry, and remain expensive and not widely used. However, they offer numerous advantages, and will likely become more common in the near future, according to Eric Holdsworth, managing director of clean energy and environmental policy for the Edison Electric Institute, a utility industry trade group.
   9. “There’s no doubt we need to build more transmission,” said Holdsworth. “But if we can get more out of today’s grid, that’s less we need to build.”
   10. The West and South regions of the U.S. are where the transition is likely to happen first. Wildfires and hurricanes are becoming more severe threats, and utilities are already trying to make their grids more resilient. Advanced conductor can be stronger than current cables, making it attractive to utilities seeking to make their systems more resistant to natural disasters.
   11. Early results from the Tennessee Valley Authority’s tests of TS Conductor’s technology are promising. …
   12. Some of TVA’s wiring is 75 years old, said Scott Fiedler, a spokesman for the authority, which is owned by the U.S. government and serves 10 million people. That means a lot of old conductor out there is ready for replacement. And it’s not just the TVA system that’s ripe for new long-term transmission cables.
   13. “It’s something that’s probably needed around the nation,” he said.
   14. MIKE: New towers and energy corridors will likely still be necessary as the US converts to more electricity use and generation, but getting more value and efficiency out of existing infrastructure is always a first-choice. Using higher capacity wires strung on existing towers avoids lots of expense, time, permitting, and new rights-of-way that would be necessary for new towers.
   15. MIKE: Some folks may be surprised that long-haul wires use aluminum rather than copper as a conductor after aluminum has been so demonized as a wiring choice for homes.
   16. MIKE: Aluminum is much cheaper and lighter than copper, but is a less efficient conductor. The only problem with aluminum as a consumer wiring choice is that homeowners don’t know how to connect to it properly. If you connect aluminum wires to a switch or junction designed for copper, the heat buildup at that interface becomes a fire hazard. There are switches and other fittings designed specifically for use with aluminum wiring, but most consumers are just not familiar enough with how to seek them out.
   17. MIKE: Hence the bad reputation for aluminum wiring.
   18. MIKE: But back to the story, replacing old power cables with higher capacity long-haul wire is almost like replacing copper phone lines with fiber optics. The higher transmission capacity will greatly aid enhancement of the power grid going forward.
8. FTC votes to ban most employers from using noncompete clauses. But legal challenge is expected, By Jeanne Sahadi | CNN.COM | Updated 5:06 PM EDT, Tue April 23, 2024. TAGS: Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Noncompete Clauses,
   1. The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday voted to ban for-profit US employers from making employees sign agreements with noncompete clauses. Such a ban could affect tens of millions of workers.
   2. President Joe Biden soon after the announcement said, “The FTC is cracking down on ‘non-compete agreements,’ contracts that employers use to prevent their workers from changing jobs even if that job will pay a few dollars more, or provide better working conditions. Workers ought to have the right to choose who they want to work for.”
   3. [MIKE: I might observe here that this amounts to a “right to work” issue, so you might think that Conservatives would be philosophically all for it. But to continue …]
   4. The FTC’s decision was the result of a 3-to-2 vote among its five commissioners Tuesday afternoon. The two commissioners who dissented from the majority said they believed the rule to be “unlawful” and “won’t survive legal challenge.” The US Chamber of Commerce has already said it will sue the FTC as early as this week for what it views as the agency exceeding its administrative authority.
   5. The FTC estimates that 30 million people – one in five US workers – are bound by a noncompete clause in their current jobs. And for most of them, the agency asserts, such a clause restricts them from freely switching jobs, lowers wages, stifles innovation, blocks entrepreneurs from starting new businesses and undermines fair competition.
   6. The final rule is a somewhat narrower version of the proposed rule that the agency put out for public comment in January of 2023.
   7. It will ban for-profit employers from issuing new noncompetes to anyone.
   8. And – with one exception – it makes currently existing noncompete agreements unenforceable after the rule’s effective date, which is set at 120 days from the rule’s publication in the Federal Register.
   9. The rule, however, does allow currently existing noncompete agreements for senior executives to remain in force. Senior executives are defined as workers earning more than $151,164 annually who also are in a “policy-making position.”
   10. An FTC staff member presenting the final rule to the commissioners during Tuesday’s meeting characterized noncompete agreements as “exploitative and coercive” for employees other than senior executives. Typically, senior executives are more likely to have a lawyer represent them in contract negotiations and secure compensation in exchange for signing a noncompete agreement. Whereas rank-and-file employees normally don’t negotiate such agreements, which may be presented to them along with other paperwork on their first day on the job.
   11. The FTC contends that businesses seeking to protect their trade secrets and other confidential information can do so through the use of confidentiality clauses.
   12. The ban would apply nationwide, overriding state laws regarding noncompete agreements. Currently three states (California, North Dakota and Oklahoma) plus Washington, D.C., already have near-complete bans on the books, while some other states – such as Colorado, Maryland, Oregon and Rhode Island – allow them but only within certain parameters, such as limiting them to high-wage earners, said Stefanie Camfield, assistant general counsel at Engage PEO, a human resources services firm.
   13. The FTC estimates that its ban would boost wages and benefits by up to $488 billion over a decade.
   14. Employment lawyers expect there to be legal pushback from employers and business groups that may delay enforcement of the rule while it is challenged in court, and possibly prevent it from ever going into effect if those suing the FTC prevail.
   15. Daryl Joseffer, chief counsel of the U.S. Chamber’s Litigation Center, characterized the FTC rule banning noncompetes as an “administrative power grab.” “They’re trying to regulate a century-old business practice across the entire economy,” Joseffer said.
   16. If the rule is allowed to stand, it opens “a pandora’s box, where they can micromanage any aspect of the economy,” the Chamber’s chief policy officer, Neil Bradley, asserted.
   17. In December of last year, New York State Governor Kathleen Hochul vetoed a bill passed by the state legislature to completely ban noncompete agreements in that state.
   18. A nationwide ban on noncompete clauses can make things easier for rank-and-file workers who want to change jobs and not fear retaliation from their former employer.
   19. “Having a bright line saying you can’t do it at all would be a major help to employees,” said employee-side attorney Anne Clark at Vladeck, Raskin & Clark P.C.
   20. But unless and until a nationwide ban goes into effect, any employee who has already signed a noncompete or is being asked to do so should understand the contours of it.
   21. “Understand what you’re being asked to sign. And if you don’t, ask questions,” said Amanda Wait, a partner at the law firm DLA Piper and a former lawyer with the FTC.
   22. You might start by checking the particulars of the law in your state governing employee agreements and what, if any prohibitions there are on employers. You might also consult with an attorney to help you interpret your noncompete, since courts may use a lot of different factors in determining whether a noncompete is unfairly restrictive, Clark said.
   23. MIKE: There was a time when non-compete agreements were mostly confined to high-level employees who might have important insider knowledge of customers or technology.
   24. MIKE: The problem is that non-competes have now been applied all the way down to fast food workers. This means that someone at fast food company A can’t apply for a better or higher paying job at fast food company B, allegedly because they might have insider knowledge of how the business is run or how the French fries are fried, or how the order interface works.
   25. MIKE: This has resulted in effectively trapping lower-level workers and middle management from changing jobs into similar industries and building a career path. Instead, under the threat of action for violating noncompete agreements, they’re always having to take entry level jobs in new industries.
   26. MIKE: This rule change will be liberating for the vast majority of workers, and could even be life-changing.
9. The Supreme Court’s Five Male Justices Are Fully in the Tank for Trump; During the former president’s immunity hearing, Roberts & Co. made clear that they’re going to do everything they can to delay Trump’s criminal reckoning. By Elie MystalCOM | April 25, 2024. TAGS: US Supreme Court (SCOTUS), Presidential Immunity, Donald Trump, Joe Biden,
   1. [MIKE: This is a long opinion piece that I’m going to severely abbreviate. If you’re interested, I would suggest going to ThinkwingRadio[dot]com and clicking on this story link for the fully reasoned piece.]
   2. … Heading into oral arguments, the justices-for-Trump crowd had three ways to stand by their man: They could grant Trump absolute immunity; they could reject immunity but release their ruling as late as possible; or they could send the case back down to the DC Circuit court for an additional ruling (lawyers call this a “remand”) that would trigger another appeal and another opportunity for delay.
   3. The first option is kind of a nonstarter. …[T]the Republicans on the Supreme Court are generally careful to make sure that their pro-Trump rulings cannot be turned against them later and used by a Democratic president. Giving Trump blanket, absolute immunity could be used by people like the current president, Joe Biden, to do whatever he wanted. … [G]ranting future presidents total immunity from criminal prosecution sets a precedent that even Republicans can see is dangerous.
   4. The second option of just delaying the decision rejecting Trump’s argument has always been in play. But that option might not get the Supreme Court and Trump all the way to the next election. There is a timeline, albeit an unlikely one, where special counsel Jack Smith could still get through a trial before November, so long as the court rules against Trump by the end of the term.
   5. That brings us to the third option: Remanding the case back to the DC Circuit. This is the option that causes maximum delay of Trump’s reckoning, allowing him to avoid it entirely if he wins the next election, while still preserving the court’s ability to say that blanket immunity is unconstitutional later down the line, should Trump lose. Remand is therefore the best possible option for the Republican justices if they want to see a Republican president elected in November—and at oral arguments, most of them signaled that’s exactly what they’re going to do.
   6. MIKE: The rest of this article is the reasoning behind this summary of Supreme Court options. It’s an informative read for those interested in these things.
10. In weird international news — Kremlin Disputes Report Putin Didn’t Order Navalny’s Death; OWNING UP? Dmitry Peskov said the report had “very empty reasoning.” By Amanda Yen, Breaking News Intern | THEDAILYBEAST.COM | Published Apr. 27, 2024 @ 6:12PM EDT. TAGS: Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny,
    1. Russia has dismissed a report claiming Vladimir Putin did not order the killing of famed dissident Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison in February.
    2. Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, told Russia’s state-run media on Saturday that he had seen the Wall Street Journal report, which cited an assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies, and that there was little reason to believe it. He derided its logic and said it wasn’t worth looking into.
    3. “I would not say that this is high-quality material that deserves any attention. Some very empty reasoning,” Peskov said.
    4. The Kremlin’s rejection of the U.S. report oddly puts them in agreement with Navalny’s allies, who have also disputed its findings.
    5. MIKE: This is a very odd story. In essence, the Kremlin spokesperson is saying, in effect, that Putin did order the killing of Alexei Navalny. Can this even be called a non-denial denial? Was something literally lost in the translation of this Wall Street Journal story when it was given to Spokesman Peskov? I’ve rarely been left so confused by a government statement.
11. Undersea ‘hybrid warfare’ threatens security of 1bn, Nato commander warns; Underwater infrastructure vulnerable to Russian threats, says V Adm Didier Maleterre, after suspected sabotage of gas pipelines. By Miranda Bryant in Stockholm | THEGUARDIAN.COM | Tue 16 Apr 2024 00.00 EDTLast modified on Tue 16 Apr 2024 07.22 EDT. TAGS: Nato, Europe, Russia, China, Nord Stream 1 pipeline, Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Hybrid Warfare,
    1. The security of nearly 1 billion people across Europe and North America is under threat from Russian attempts to target the extensive vulnerabilities of underwater infrastructure including windfarms, pipelines and power cables, a Nato commander has warned.
    2. [Vice] Adm Didier Maleterre, the deputy commander of Nato’s Allied Maritime Command (Marcom), said the network of underwater cables and pipes on which Europe’s power and communications depend were not built to withstand the “hybrid warfare” being pursued by Moscow and other Nato adversaries.
    3. “We know the Russians have developed a lot of hybrid warfare under the sea to disrupt the European economy, through cables, internet cables, [and] pipelines. All of our economy under the sea is under threat,” he said.
    4. … [“We are not naive and [the Nato countries] are working together.”
    5. The comments come after two incidents of suspected sabotage on gas pipelines in the Baltic in the last 18 months – first on Nord Stream 1 and 2 in September 2022, followed by the Balticconnector in October last year. Despite extensive investigations by multiple states both remain unsolved, although Finland said in December that “everything indicated” a Chinese ship had purposely damaged the Balticconnector with its anchor.
    6. Maleterre, a submariner who said he had himself spent “more than 1,000 days under the sea”, said the environment had changed dramatically since much of the current infrastructure was first developed by the private sector, leaving it extremely vulnerable. …
    7. Despite the increasing role of offshore wind power to meet climate goals, the infrastructure still has “system vulnerabilities,” he said. …
    8. At any one time, Maleterre said that Marcom had “more than 100 ships, nuclear submarines and conventional submarines” patrolling waters including the Arctic, Black Sea, Atlantic, Baltic and the Mediterranean. …
    9. But even with a significant presence, it was impossible for Nato to guard every piece of undersea infrastructure, he said, with primary responsibility [still] lying with nations to protect their own infrastructure. …
    10. [Maleterre] added: “We have particular attention on the Russians at the moment, but it’s very difficult to have a permanent surveillance of every cable; it’s not possible. A lot of nations – Norway, Sweden, Denmark as well – have developed drones, sensors, [and] UUVs (uncrewed underwater vehicles) to be able to detect very rapidly [something] suspicious or something going wrong.”
    11. Such is the heightened nature of fears over undersea security that Nato is in the process of setting up a centre dedicated to the issue at Marcom’s UK-based headquarters in Northwood, on the north-west outskirts of London, alongside Nato’s shipping centre. …
    12. [MIKE: Malterre then goes into some of the means used to track potential sabotage actors.]
    13. … Being able to identify the actors behind hybrid attacks was vital, said Maleterre, but he admitted it could be challenging, comparing it to tracking down the perpetrator of a cyber-attack. …
    14. The addition of Finland to Nato’s fleet last year, and more recently that of Sweden, which became a full Nato member in March, is seen as especially important for the protection of the Baltic and Arctic. Sweden’s experience in both regions “will immediately increase Nato’s ability to detect and deter any regional aggression.
    15. “And when we talk about aggression, we think about Russia obviously,” added Maleterre, who said Sweden’s membership in particular brought submarines, mine warfare ships, special forces and fast, powerful boats.
    16. MIKE: As far as I can recall, the term “hybrid warfare” started being used commonly around the time of Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014.
    17. MIKE: It began with significant cyberattacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure that were assumed to originate in Russia, but were hard to attribute with certainty. The actual invasion of Crimea by so-called “little green men” — essentially forces in green military garb without any insignia — were initially believed to be Russian special forces, but Western sources were publicly saying that they could not definitely attribute these forces to Russia.
    18. MIKE: At the time, Russia denied it was responsible for these forces, claiming that they might be Ukrainian separatists. It was only later that Putin admitted that Russia was indeed involved in the invasion of Crimea and later annexed it.
    19. MIKE: I have found a definition of hybrid warfare as follows: “Russia initiated a “hybrid war” that uses all components of hybrid warfare, including “political, diplomatic, economic, and financial warfare, [and] legal (law–fare)”, as well as socio–cultural efforts, with infrastructure, intelligence, and criminal groups also widely used…”
    20. MIKE: I would add to this that an advantage of “hybrid warfare” as I currently understand it is that it’s harder to attribute to any specific actor, thus avoiding an obvious need for what would historically be a so-called kinetic retaliation.
    21. MIKE: Instead, with new technologies and new doctrines, we have a conflict that is gray; almost invisible to most nations’ citizens. Effected nations retaliate with their own almost-invisible hybrid warfare. It’s warmer than a Cold War, but cooler than a Hot War.
    22. MIKE: But the stakes are still very high, and the risks of hybrid retaliation turning into military confrontation are not negligible.
    23. MIKE: Below this story post, I’ve included a link to a Wikipedia article on the Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea.
    24. REFERENCE: Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation — From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
12. I thought that this was an interesting story — US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia’s ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says; By Rebecca Rommen | BUSINESSINSIDER.COM | Apr 28, 2024, 6:35 PM CDT. TAGS: Moscow, Ukraine, Soviet-Era Combat Aircraft, Kazakhstan,
    1. The US has acquired 81 [old, obsolete, unusable] Soviet-era combat aircraft from Kazakhstan, the Kyiv Post
    2. Kazakhstan, which is upgrading its air fleet, auctioned off 117 Soviet-era fighter and bomber aircraft, including MiG-31 interceptors, MiG-27 fighter bombers, MiG-29 fighters, and Su-24 bombers from the 1970s and 1980s.
    3. The declared sale value was … an average value for each plane of $19,300. …
    4. The motive behind the US purchase remains undisclosed, said the Post, but it raised the possibility of their use in Ukraine, where similar aircraft are in service. …
    5. Given Ukraine’s continued reliance on Soviet-era weapons, the aircraft could either serve as a source of spare parts or be strategically deployed as decoys at airfields, said the Post. …
    6. [MIKE: The story then delves into the histories and attributes of the various aircraft purchased by the US. It then continues …]
    7. Kazakhstan, formerly part of the Soviet Union, has maintained close ties to Russia and historically was one of its strongest allies. But the relationship has shifted since Russia invaded Ukraine, with Kazakhstan aligning itself more with the West, drawing the fury of some in Russia.
    8. The Central Asian country’s efforts to upgrade its military capabilities coincide with its increasing engagement with Western nations, signaling a shift away from historical ties with Moscow, per the Kyiv Post’s analysis. …
    9. Some of Russia’s outspoken propagandists have suggested that Russia should look to Kazakhstan following its invasion of Ukraine. …
    10. Agreements on trade, education, environment, and mineral supplies reflect the deepening ties between Kazakhstan and Western nations as it navigates geopolitical challenges posed by neighboring countries like Russia, China, Afghanistan, and Iran.
    11. MIKE: You look at the diplomatic challenges facing nations that are in ‘rough neighborhoods’, and you have to sympathize with the difficulties they face trying to navigate among all their potential threats.
    12. MIKE: But putting that aside, I think it’s pretty safe to conclude that these planes will be going to Ukraine, either as usable parts or for possible rehabilitation into usable aircraft. And even possibly as decoys for absorbing useless Russian attacks.
13. Russia’s adapting air defenses means Ukraine’s new F-16s are an example of weapons that are ‘no longer relevant:’ senior Ukrainian officer; By Matthew Loh | BUSINESSINSIDER.COM | Apr 4, 2024, 2:52 AM CDT. TAGS: Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine War, F-16s,
    1. Ukraine’s long-awaited F-16s are an example of weapons systems that are “no longer relevant” once they end up in Kyiv’s hands, a senior Ukrainian officer told
    2. Russia has already learned how to counter F-16s in a way that would minimize their battlefield potential, said the unnamed officer, who, per Politico, worked under former Ukraine armed forces head Valery Zaluzhny.
    3. In an article published on Wednesday, Politico’s opinion editor Jamie Dettmer wrote that the outlet spoke to several top officers under the condition of anonymity.
    4. One of Dettmer’s sources was this officer, who lamented about the F-16s and said they were arriving too late to make a difference.
    5. “Every weapon has its own right time. F-16s were needed in 2023; they won’t be right for 2024,” the officer said. …
    6. According to this high-ranking officer, the Kremlin has been preparing for the arrival of the F-16s on the southern front by range-finding with missiles.
    7. He said that these missiles, fired without their warheads, are informing the Russians on how to best place their S-400 defense systems to cover the frontline and limit where the F-16s can operate. … Kyiv is expected to soon receive up to 60 of the NATO aircraft.
    8. The F-16s are expected to greatly increase Ukraine’s strike capacity if fitted with long-range missiles. …
    9. One [Ukrainian] pilot told Ukrainian media they’re a massive step up from the Soviet MiGs he usually flies, comparing the upgrade to going from “a Nokia, straight to an iPhone.” …
    10. It’s unclear if this one [anonymous] officer’s [negative] assessment is shared widely among Ukraine’s forces and the country’s military brass. …
    11. But another officer who spoke to Politico shared a philosophy about the war that reflected his colleague’s F-16 remarks — that weapons quickly become redundant once used.
    12. “The Russians are always studying,” he told the outlet. “They don’t give us a second chance. And they’re successful in this.” …
    13. MIKE: I thought that this story was an interesting analysis by at least some officials in Ukraine. In support of these assessments, it’s reported that the American Abrams main battle tanks have been withdrawn from the front lines after some significant losses. I’m feeling that to the degree that the new F-16s can provide more air cover for ground forces, and that other weapons now in the pipeline can degrade Russian antiaircraft defenses, we’ll just have to see how things develop. The Ukrainians have proven to be nothing if not supremely resourceful in how they use their forces.
14. I’ve had to cut this story more than I prefer to fit it into the show, but more of it will be included in the show post. — US finds Israeli units committed human rights abuses before Gaza war; By Julian Borger in Washington | THEGUARDIAN.COM | Mon 29 Apr 2024 16.51 EDT / First published on Mon 29 Apr 2024 15.54 EDT. TAGS: Israel, US foreign policy, Middle East and North Africa, Gaza, Palestinian territories, Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Netzah Yehuda,
    1. The US has found five units of the Israeli security forces responsible for gross violations of human rights, over incidents in the West Bank before the current Gaza war, the state department has said.
    2. The findings come at a time when Israel is facing potential accountability from the international criminal court and the state department for its conduct of the conflict in Gaza, in which more than 34,000 people have been killed.
    3. [MIKE: I will insert my usual caveat here that the 34,000 number includes an unknown number of Hamas fighters, which the Hamas sources do not break out separately.
    4. The units found to be involved in abuses in the West Bank are mostly from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) but include at least one police unit. They have not been sanctioned, however, the state department said.
    5. Four of the units were judged to have carried out effective remedial action after the US state department shared its findings with Israel.
    6. The fifth, an ultra-orthodox military unit known as Netzah Yehuda, drawn in part from West Bank settlers, was about to be blacklisted earlier this month under the Leahy laws, which ban US funding of any foreign military units involved in atrocities. …
    7. Netzah Yehuda is notorious for a series of incidents involving abuse of Palestinians in the West Bank. In 2022, the battalion commander was reprimanded and the platoon commander and company commander were removed from their positions following the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian American man, Omar Assad, who suffered a heart attack after being detained, bound and gagged by members of the unit at a West Bank checkpoint.
    8. The IDF admitted Assad’s death was a consequence of “moral failure and poor decision-making” by the soldiers who had detained him. …
    9. The prime minister himself is facing possible war crimes charges for his leadership of the Gaza war. Reports in Israeli media in recent days have said that the government expects the international criminal court to issue arrest warrants as early as this week against Netanyahu, the defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and other military leaders. …
    10. Asked about the prospect of ICC warrants, the White House spokesperson, Karine Jeanne-Pierre, said: “We’ve been really clear about the ICC investigation, we don’t support it, we don’t believe that they have the jurisdiction.”
    11. Meanwhile, Reuters has reported that several senior US officials in the state department have advised the secretary of state that Israeli assurances that it has used US-supplied weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law, are not “credible or reliable”.
    12. Under a national security council memorandum issued by Joe Biden in February, the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, must report to Congress by 8 May, on the credibility of the Israeli assurances. A negative report could lead, in theory, to the suspension of US military aid.
    13. MIKE: I have said recently that any Israeli individuals or units that are credibly accused of war crimes or human rights abuses should unequivocally be investigated and appropriately dealt with. It is absolutely in Israel’s best interests to be transparent, cooperative, and proactive on the world stage in policing and disciplining its own personnel.

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1. Make sure you are registered to vote! VoteTexas.GOV – Texas Voter Information
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