Court in the community

Fort Worth residents can clear warrants at one-day court event

Class C criminal cases filed with the Court include traffic violations, ordinance violations, and penal code violations.

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Fort Worth residents with outstanding municipal court citations will have a chance to resolve their cases without fear of arrest during an upcoming, one-day community event.

Fort Worth Municipal Court will host a Court in the Community Warrant Forgiveness event from 9 am-12 noon Saturday, August 8, at Southwest Community Center, 6300 Welch Ave.

The event will assist up to 120 people with outstanding Fort Worth citations on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the City of Fort Worth. As a "Safe Harbor" event, it allows residents with eligible outstanding citations to appear in court and address their cases without the risk of being arrested.

"They also may be eligible for alternatives such as community service or a reduction in their fine based on ability to pay," the city says.

To be clear: The event applies only to Fort Worth citations, including Class C criminal cases filed through the Municipal Court, such as traffic violations, city ordinance violations, and penal code violations issued by citation.

In addition to court services, the event will offer walk-up resources for community members, including employment and career assistance from Goodwill North Central Texas. Services will include job placement support, one-on-one career counseling, resume writing assistance, interview preparation, and job search training.

The City of Fort Worth's EnVision Center will also be on-site with its EnCAP program, which provides tuition assistance for short-term training, financial education, employment support, and resources designed to help residents build job skills and pursue financial stability.

For more information about Court in the Community, visit the City of Fort Worth Municipal Court website or call 817-392-6700.

municipal warrant forgiveness crime

money woes

Texas ranks 4th for most financially distressed residents in U.S.

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Texas actually improved in this year's ranking.

After spending an unfortunate year as the No. 1 state with the most people in financial distress, Texas has slightly recovered. But the Lone Star State isn't out of the woods yet: it's still among the five most financially distressed states in America for 2026.

According to WalletHub's 2026 report, Texas sits in the No. 4 spot this year, while Kansas, Louisiana, and Florida moved up to become the top three states with the most financially distressed residents.

The personal finance website's experts compared all 50 states based on residents' average credit scores, the share of people with "accounts in distress" (meaning an account that's in forbearance or has deferred payments), the one-year change in bankruptcy filings from March 2025, and search interest indexes for "debt" and "loans."

Despite improving in the overall ranking, the study found Texas has had the fourth-biggest spike in bankruptcy filings nationally from March 2025 to March 2026. Texas residents also have the 10th worst average credit scores in the country, according to the findings.

This is how Texas ranked across the study's six key dimensions, where No. 1 means "most distressed:"

No. 4 – Change in bankruptcy filings from March 2024 to March 2025 rank
No. 5 – Average number of accounts in distress rank
No. 8 – "Loans" search interest index rank
No. 8 – People with accounts in distress rank
No. 12 – Credit score rank
No. 13 – “Debt” search interest index rank

It feels like inflation and affordability are top-of-mind for many Americans over recent years, and uncertainty around the national economy also adds another level of distress. That's especially true for Fort Worth residents, which were dubbed the 12th most financially distressed people in America earlier in 2026.

"Americans have faced significant financial challenges in recent years, as inflation, shifting unemployment levels, public health emergencies, and natural disasters have made it more difficult for many households to stay on top of their bills," the report said.

The top three states that have the least financially distressed residents are Maine (No. 50), Rhode Island (No. 49), and Hawaii (No. 48).

The top 10 most financially distressed states in America for 2026 are:

No. 1 – Kansas
No. 2 – Lousiana
No. 3 – Florida
No. 4 – Texas
No. 5 – South Carolina
No. 6 – Wyoming
No. 7 – Georgia
No. 8 – California
No. 9 – North Carolina
No. 10 – Kentucky

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