EVENING NEWS BRIEF
Judge grants temporary sign protection • Voting ends Friday • Rain tonight
October 29th, 2026AD
TONIGHT’S HEADLINES
1. Judge protects signs for now
2. Early voting ends Friday
3. Gas leak; clocks fall back
4. Texas income trails U.S. median
5. GOP seeks statewide hand count
6. Voucher oversight at stake
WEATHER
CURRENT: 68° with light rain at the Granbury airport at 5:15 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
TONIGHT: A 40% chance of rain showers, with a low around 62, according to the National Weather Service.
HAZARDS: No active Hood County weather alerts were listed in the NWS check at 5:37 p.m. Thursday. No county burn ban was listed by the Texas A&M Forest Service.
3-DAY OUTLOOK
Friday: rain showers likely, 72°/59°
Saturday: chance showers and thunderstorms, 74°/60°
Sunday: partly sunny, 81°/65°
TRAFFIC
Loop 567 film work between FM 4 and Highway 377 near Granbury Regional Airport may bring temporary stops of up to 10 minutes between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. through Tuesday, Nov. 3, the city says.
Full closures in both directions are scheduled from 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, to 6 a.m. Friday, and from 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, to 6 a.m. Saturday.
FM 4 bridge replacement: Expect delays at the one-way traffic-control signal and follow posted detours, according to TxDOT DriveTexas.
LOCAL LEAD
JUDGE GRANTS TEMPORARY SIGN PROTECTION
U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor granted temporary protection Thursday for five political signs and a banner at 1506 W. Pearl St. in Granbury, according to the order in Kolton Krottinger’s lawsuit against the city.
The order temporarily bars the city from removing or confiscating those signs and banner, or citing Krottinger over them under the provisions specified in the order.
It does not halt pending Granbury Municipal Court proceedings.
The temporary restraining order runs until 11:59 p.m. Nov. 12. A hearing on whether the protection continues is set for 9 a.m. Nov. 9 in Fort Worth. The temporary order does not finally resolve the lawsuit.
Disclosure: Kolton Krottinger, co-owner of the Hood County Express and the reporter on this story, is the plaintiff in this federal lawsuit and leases the property where the signs stand.
LOCAL PRIDE
EARLY VOTING ENDS FRIDAY
Early voting ends Friday, Oct. 30. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Hood County is in the Countywide Polling Place Program, so voters may vote at any polling location in the county on Election Day, according to election information compiled by TexPolls.
INFRASTRUCTURE WATCH
TWO CITY NOTICES: GAS LEAK AND CLOCK CHANGE
The City of Granbury said Thursday that Atmos Energy crews were repairing a gas leak affecting only Hoffbrau restaurant.
According to the city, the leak posed no danger to area residents. If you smell natural gas, call 911, the city advised.
In a separate reminder, the city said daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. Set clocks back one hour before bed Saturday, Oct. 31.
NEWS FROM AROUND TEXAS
TEXAS INCOME TRAILS U.S. MEDIAN
Texas’ estimated median household income was $82,625 in 2025, compared with an estimated national median of $84,780, The Texas Tribune reported, citing Census Bureau data. The figures describe household income, not individual pay.
POTTER GOP SEEKS STATEWIDE HAND COUNT
The Potter County Republican Party asked a federal judge in Amarillo to require every Texas ballot to be hand-counted before Nov. 3 election results are certified, Houston Public Media reported.
This is a request, not a court order.
Party officials argue, without proof, that machines could be vulnerable. Texas already requires a portion of paper ballots to be hand-counted, the report says.
COMPTROLLER RACE SHAPES VOUCHER OVERSIGHT
Texas’ next comptroller will oversee the $1 billion Texas Education Freedom Accounts school-voucher program, Houston Public Media reported.
The program drew more than 274,000 requests, with awards for more than 100,000 students before reaching its funding cap.
Republican, Democratic, Libertarian and Green candidates differ on how to manage the program.
BOTTOM LINE
Temporary protection for the Granbury signs runs through Nov. 12; the next hearing is Nov. 9.
Early voting ends Friday. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Rain chances continue tonight and into the weekend. Clocks fall back Sunday.
Hood County Express — Est’d 1/26
© 2026 Hood County Express. All Rights Reserved
HoodCountyExpress.com
#HoodCounty #GranburyTX #TexasNews #News #USNews #EarlyVoting #FortWorth #Loop567 #TxDOT
