News for North Texas
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Top Stories: Abbott Proposes Sexual Harassment Policy Overhaul; Denton Wants Bike-Share Rules

Shutterstock

The top local stories this evening from KERA News:

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants the state's top criminal investigators to begin handling sexual misconduct complaints against lawmakers, judges and other elected officials.

Abbott called for changing how sexual harassment allegations in the state Capitol are investigated during a campaign stop in Houston. He says letting the Texas Rangers handle complaints would ensure that public officials take allegations against them seriously. The Texas Legislature would have to approve the change in process next year.

Currently, sexual harassment allegations in the Legislature are reported to state Senate and House leadership. That has drawn criticism since lawmakers may be wary of punishing their own colleagues.

Other stories this evening:  

  • Dallas isn't the only North Texas city trying to get a handle on the thousands of rental bikes that cover streets and sidewalks. The Denton City Council says bike-share companies that want to rent out bicycles first need to get permits, and the council is voting on a permitting policy. 

  • Last week, the Trump administration announced it will deny an Obama-era request to make "Latino" a racial category on the U.S. Census. Under the current guidelines, Latinos must choose to identify as white, black or another race. Today on Think, guest host Courtney Collins talked with sociologist Laura E. Gómez about why many Latinos don't feel any of the current options apply to them. 

  • Amazon is seeking a second headquarters, and North Texas and Austin remain in the hunt. Last month, the online retail giant narrowed its list of contenders to 20 regions in the U.S. and Canada. Emma Platoff has been covering the competition for the Texas Tribune and she joins KERA's Justin Martin for a look at the state's chances of landing the so-called HQ2

You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM.

    Gus Contreras is a digital producer and reporter at KERA News. Gus produces the local All Things Considered segment and reports on a variety of topics from, sports to immigration. He was an intern and production assistant for All Things Considered in Washington D.C.