Early voting comes to a close, El Paso County judge orders shutdown, Seattle woman last seen in Deep Ellum: Your Friday morning roundup

Through Wednesday, about 8.5 million Texans — or more than half of the state’s 16.95 million registered voters — had cast their ballots early, according to Derek Ryan of Austin-based Ryan Data & Research.  [Morning roundup]( 10/30/2020 By Carla Solórzano Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌞 Weather: Sunny and cool. High of 62. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [her]( ADVERTISEMENT [El Paso County judge’s order shutting down nonessential businesses for 2 weeks sets up possible COVID-19 confrontation with Abbott]( [Weekly jobless claims fall to lowest level since March, but rising virus infections cause concern]( [Dallas police seek person of interest in disappearance of Marisela Botello, Seattle woman last seen in Deep Ellum]( [State investigating Frisco memory care center after 10 COVID-19 deaths in less than a month]( [Is rapid coronavirus testing the answer to getting back to normal?]( [In competitive Collin County, Texas Democrats see a chance to flip GOP House seats]( [New trail will help connect southern Dallas neighborhoods in act of ‘urban alchemy,’ officials hope]( [Exxon Mobil job cuts to total 14,000 globally over next two years, including contractors]( [DeSoto lowers flags to half-staff in memory of Mayor Curtistene McCowan, who died this week]( [Muslim community in McKinney partners with food pantry to feed families in Collin County]( Daythan (from left) and Wanda Brooks receive a pamphlet from Jeremy Marshall with Genevieve Collins' campaign at the Collin College campus in Wylie on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020. (Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer) ELECTIONS [North Texas voters cast their ballots as final day of early voting nears]( Through Wednesday, about 8.5 million Texans — or [more than half of the state’s 16.95 million registered voters]( — had cast their ballots early, according to Derek Ryan of Austin-based Ryan Data & Research. On Thursday, some approached their civic duty with practiced poise; others hadn’t voted in ages. But many others, it was clear, were voting for the first time, roused by recent flurries of get-out-the-vote messaging, the buzz of discussion among friends or their own sense of urgency about the national state of affairs. Some voters said they hoped to take care of voting early because they anticipated long lines on Election Day. ADVERTISEMENT  👋 That's all for this morning! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. Share the love! If you like this newsletter, please forward this email to a friend and [check out our other newsletters here](. Do you have feedback? Send your thoughts, questions, praise and corrections to [the newsroom.](  STAY CONNECTED WITH US [Unsubscribe]( | [Free newsletters]( | [Dallasnews.com]( | [Subscriber login]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact us]( Copyright 2020 - [The Dallas Morning News, 1954 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75201, United States](