📰 NEWS AROUND TEXAS 📰
Record 19M voters • Flood tax relief ask • $78M for rural health 👇
📅 October 18th, 2026AD
⭐ TEXAS' DAILY FRONT PAGE — THE STORIES MOVING THE LONE STAR STATE ⭐
📋 TODAY'S TOP 5
1. 🗳️ Record 19M Texans registered
2. 🌧️ Abbott seeks flood tax relief
3. 🏥 $78M for rural health care
4. 📊 Polls show close governor race
5. 🏈 Florida stuns No. 7 Texas
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🗳️ RECORD 19 MILLION TEXANS REGISTERED AS EARLY VOTING OPENS MONDAY
Texas has a record 19,041,684 registered voters heading into the Nov. 3 general election, Secretary of State Robert Howden announced Friday.
That is up 2.2% from the November 2024 general election and 2% from the March primary. Hood County has 54,192 registered voters, according to the state's county figures.
Early voting runs Monday, Oct. 19, through Friday, Oct. 30. Voters may cast ballots at any early voting location in their county of registration.
The record comes as election offices work through registration errors.
A Texas.gov glitch delayed about 15,000 voter updates in Travis, Williamson and Hays counties, the Secretary of State's office said Friday, according to The Texas Flyover.
📅 Mail ballot applications must be received by Friday, Oct. 23.
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🌧️ ABBOTT ASKS TREASURY TO PAUSE FEDERAL TAX DEADLINES FOR JULY FLOOD VICTIMS
Gov. Greg Abbott asked U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday to suspend federal tax filing and payment deadlines for Texans hit by the storms and flooding that began July 14, the governor's office said.
The request covers all 62 counties in Abbott's state disaster proclamation. A federal Major Disaster Declaration approved Sept. 1 covers only 23 of them.
Abbott's letter lists Kerr, Kendall and Uvalde among those 23 and seeks relief for 39 more, including Bexar, Travis and Harris. He also asked Treasury to waive late fees and penalties.
"Texans who took damage from the July storms and floods need this relief," Abbott said.
📝 Next: Treasury has not announced whether it will approve the request, FOX 7 Austin reported.
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🏥 STATE PLANS $78 MILLION IN GRANTS FOR 216 RURAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission plans to award $78 million in Rural Texas Strong grants to 216 rural health care providers, Gov. Greg Abbott's office announced Thursday.
The money will help rural hospital districts fight chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
It will also help rural communities recruit and keep doctors and emergency workers, and help providers replace aging medical equipment.
The grants are part of an estimated $1.4 billion in federal funding over five years for rural health care in Texas.
This round is a slice of the $281.3 million first-year award from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
📝 Next: Money flows after contracts are finalized. HHSC says it will keep announcing awards weekly.
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📊 POLLS SHOW A CLOSE RACE BETWEEN ABBOTT AND HINOJOSA FOR GOVERNOR
The race for Texas governor is closer than many expected, CBS News Texas reported Sunday.
A Real Clear Politics average of polls from Sept. 18 to Oct. 11 has Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ahead of Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin by 1.8 percentage points, 48.4% to 46.6%.
Abbott is seeking a fourth term. The Cook Political Report rates the race "Lean R."
"People want change," Hinojosa told CBS News Texas. "They know who Greg Abbott is, and they're angry."
Abbott said he is not worried about the tight polls. "I see the reality," he said, adding that when Texans learn who Hinojosa is, "they react very negatively."
📅 Election Day is Nov. 3.
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🏈 FLORIDA HANDS NO. 7 TEXAS A SECOND STRAIGHT LOSS, 27-24
Florida beat No. 7 Texas 27-24 Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, handing the Longhorns their second straight loss.
Texas led 17-10 at halftime, but Florida outscored the Longhorns 17-7 after the break, according to the official box score. Florida held the ball for 38:11, compared with 21:49 for Texas.
Arch Manning was sacked five times, and star edge rusher Colin Simmons left in the fourth quarter with an apparent ankle injury, The Texas Flyover reported.
Texas fell to 4-2. Florida improved to 5-2.
📅 Next: Texas plays Ole Miss on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 6:30 p.m.
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🌤️ HOOD COUNTY WEATHER WATCH
☀️ Observed 11:29 a.m., AccuWeather (Granbury): sunny, about 66°F, southeast wind near 2 mph
☀️ Forecast (NWS Fort Worth): partly sunny, high near 73, wind 0 to 5 mph
🌙 Tonight: mostly clear, low around 49
☀️ Monday: sunny, high near 77
🌙 Monday night: mostly clear, low around 52
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💬 COMMUNITY PULSE
The state plans $78 million for rural health care providers. What kind of care do you wish were closer to home?
Hood County. Our Home. Our News.
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Hood County Express — Est'd 1/26 🚂
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