Good morning, 

Here is the Texas Minute for Thursday, September 14, 2023.

– Brandon Waltens 

Testimony Destroys Claim Paxton Received Granite Countertop Bribe

• As the clock ticks down in the Senate’s impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton, another witness for the prosecution has undermined the allegations made by the House.
   
• This time, the subject was an alleged kitchen renovation at Paxton’s Austin home that House impeachment prosecutors say was funded by Nate Paul, a real estate developer that has been at the center of many of the charges against Paxton.
   
• The renovation project, they allege, amounted to bribery and is spelled out in the tenth article of impeachment, with those seeking to impeach Paxton as well as leftist media reporting he received “granite countertops” in exchange for giving Paul favorable access to the Attorney General’s Office.
   
• Photos provided by Paxton’s legal team, however, show there are no granite countertops. In fact, the kitchen renovation never happened.
   

• This came to light during the defense’s cross-examination of Drew Wicker, Paxton’s former aide and the suspected initial source of the rumors surrounding the supposed kitchen renovation.
   

• When confronted with the images by Tony Buzbee, one of Paxton’s lawyers, Wicker conceded the kitchen appeared unchanged. 
   

• Late yesterday, the House prosecutors accidentally rested their case early. Testimony in the impeachment trial is expected to conclude today or tomorrow. Senators will then be given the opportunity to deliberate before making their decision. The prosecution needs 21 senators, or a two-thirds majority, to remove Paxton from office.

Odessa Becomes First Texas City to Ban Mask, Vaccine Mandates

• The City of Odessa passed a resolution opposing the enforcement of any COVID-19 mask or vaccine mandates implemented by the federal or state government. Emily Medeiros has the details. 
   
• The resolution passed with six in favor and one council member abstaining. The Councilmembers voting in favor agreed that they would not subject their residents to mandates that “violate their right to freedom and liberty.”
   
• The resolution states that the City of Odessa and the State of Texas were subject to injustices in the form of overreaching, government-imposed mandates during the COVID-19 lockdowns. They cite that harm was done to citizens of Odessa due to masking mandates, which violated “the free conduct a citizen should expect to enjoy,” and vaccine mandates, which violated “a citizen’s right to control their own body.” 
   
• State Rep. Brian Harrison (R–Midlothian), who attended the council meeting in support of the resolution, told Texas Scorecard that he’s proud to stand with the city to protect medical freedom.
   
• “Texans should be leading the fight against COVID tyranny, but since Texas House Leadership made the shocking decision to keep COVID vaccine mandates in Texas I’m proud to partner with local officials to help deliver medical freedom,” said Harrison. “With Biden trying to bring back COVID tyranny, hopefully this will inspire all elected Republicans to fight back.”

Soccer Coach Resigns After Using School Credit Card at Strip Club

• A soccer coach at Bridgeport Independent School District resigned after being accused of using a school credit card at The Men’s Club in Houston this summer.
   
• Katy Marshall reports J.D. Bales allegedly spent $5,455 at the strip club during a coach’s clinic in July.
   
• Bales resigned from his position as soccer coach and special education teacher soon after the district launched an investigation into the charges.
   
• Although police said they would not file criminal charges against Bales, the former soccer coach had to pay the school back for his strip club activity.
   

• This is not the first time Bridgeport ISD’s soccer program has come under fire. Earlier this year, the Bridgeport Police Department arrested six of the school’s soccer players—one juvenile and five legal adults—on hazing charges.

Texas Education Agency Delays Release of School Accountability Ratings

• The Texas Education Agency announced a ‘temporary’ delay in releasing the A-F accountability ratings that are assigned to school districts according to their performance. Sydnie Henry has the story. 
   

• School districts receive A-F ratings based on student achievement, student progress, and how well they are closing the gaps in academic performance for certain groups of students.
   

• “The postponement of ratings for approximately one month [from September 28] will allow for a further re-examination of the baseline data used in the calculation of Progress to ensure ratings reflect the most appropriate goals for students,” a press release issued by the TEA stated. 
   

• However, school districts across the state have sued the TEA, claiming the new metrics will lower school districts’ ratings.

Dallas Church to Host Drag Show

• A Dallas church has announced they will host a drag show to support “drag queens who have contributed to our community in such inspiring ways.”
   

• Emily Medeiros reports Cathedral of Hope—a church that claims to be ‘LGBTQ owned’—invited their members to show up for the 10 a.m. Sunday service to “celebrate and embrace our drag queens.”
   

• A new law prohibiting sexually explicit performances in the presence of minors, was set to go into effect on September 1. However, earlier this month, a U.S. district judge put a temporary restraining order on it, preventing the state from enforcing the new law.

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