Bexar County may create system to manage indigent defense cases, help reduce jail population
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District Court Judge Ron Rangel, shown appearing before Bexar County Commissioners Court in April, called creation of a new system to manage indigent defense cases “the next step in criminal justice reform in Bexar County.”Billy Calzada /Staff Photographer
Bexar County commissioners backed a plan Tuesday to create a system that would track and reform indigent defense.
Commissioners supported a proposal to apply for a five-year grant for a managed assigned counsel program, or MAC, to improve the quality of legal representation for indigent defendants. If approved, the Texas Indigent Defense Commission would provide 80 percent of the $1.86 million cost in the first year of the grant program, with the county paying the remaining $372,577. The county’s share of responsibility for the cost would gradually increase each year to the full amount in the fifth year.
An artist rendering of the potential visitor center and museum at Alamo Plaza.
Bexar County Commissioners on Tuesday approved the county s share of funding for a new Alamo Museum.
The county plans to spend $5 million each year for five years on the museum, which includes exhibits on the grounds, and across the from the famous façade of the Alamo.
The museum could be open in three to five years.
Community members urged commissioners to make sure the $450 million museum, also backed by the city and state, tells the ethnically diverse story of the more than 300-year old mission turned fortress, and not only the Battle of the Alamo.
Alamo museum funding, preventing power outages on Bexar County commissioners agenda expressnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from expressnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Editorial: Signs of end of COVID-19 encouraging, not simple
Express-News Editorial Board
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Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden smile and walk off after speaking about updated guidance on mask mandates. Progress in the fight against COVID abounds, but recent CDC guidance on masks is confusing.Evan Vucci /Associated Press
Despite popular sentiment, the pandemic is not over, and we have entered a confusing time about masking and best practices.
The thought of a 100-percent-capacity Fiesta, just a month away, should make many locals smile. But should that smile be behind a mask? Only for the unvaccinated, say local leaders. This follows a shift in national guidance a shift we find confusing for families with children who can’t yet be vaccinated and potentially burdensome for businesses.
Coronavirus update May 13: More than 955K first-dose COVID-19 vaccines administered in Bexar County, mayor says
7-day average is 202 cases
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SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Commissioner Trish DeBerry updated the community about the local response to COVID-19 in the Thursday night briefing.
Nirenberg reported 220,517 total COVID-19 cases and 3,404 total deaths in Bexar County, an increase of 265 new cases as of Thursday. No new deaths were reported today.
The 7-day rolling average is 202 cases.
City officials also reported that 200 patients are hospitalized, 55 are in the intensive care unit and 26 are on ventilators. There are 8% of staffed beds available and 70% of ventilators available.