From Must Read Texas <[email protected]>
Subject MRT 3/28/25 (free): TX Tops 2B Barrels of Oil // Senate Bill Favors Nat. Gas over Renewables // TX Dems to Elect New Chair // Reitz Confirmed for Senior DOJ Role
Date March 29, 2025 4:41 PM
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**FRIDAY** || 3/28/2025 & **SATURDAY** || 3/29/2025

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* **TOP NEWS**

“**Texas tops 2 billion barrels of oil for the first time**,” Midland Reporter-Telegram's **Mella McEwen **— “The Railroad Commission reports Texas produced over 2 billion barrels of oil in 2024, crossing the 2 billion barrel threshold for the first time.

For the first time in its storied history, the Texas oil and gas industry produced over 2 billion barrels.

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The Railroad Commission reports Texas oil production reached 2,003,844,281 barrels in 2024 while natural gas production reached 12.62 trillion cubic feet.

**Top 5 Oil Production Years (crude oil and condensate)**

> 2024: 2.00 billion barrels
> 2023: 1.99 billion barrels
> 2022: 1.87 billion barrels
> 2019: 1.86 billion barrels
> 2020: 1.77 billion barrels

**Top 5 Gas Production Years (gas well and casinghead gas)**

> 2024: 12.62 trillion cubic feet
> 2023: 12.30 trillion cubic feet
> 2022: 11.43 trillion cubic feet
> 2021: 10.51 trillion cubic feet
> 2020: 10.24 trillion cubic feet

“The oil and natural gas industry has continued to embrace new technologies that have delivered amazing results,” **Todd Staples**, president of the Texas Oil & Gas Association, told the Reporter-Telegram in response to the report. “Texans have benefited tremendously from these record-setting production numbers, and almost 500,000 Texans are employed by the Texas oil and natural gas industry. Every Texan benefits from a robust oil and natural gas economy and the build out of infrastructure will enable future growth. We need to continue to support the industry with policies that encourage continued growth to meet the world’s energy demand.”

The 2024 output broke the record set in 2023 and continued a five-year growth streak.

The Railroad Commission also reported preliminary crude and natural gas production for 2024 that came from 158,989 oil wells and 83,536 gas wells. Preliminary crude production was 122,364,931 barrels, averaging 3,947,255 barrels per day. Updated December 2023 production totaled 143,343,601 barrels, compared to preliminary reported volumes of 110,727,499 barrels.

Preliminary natural gas volumes totaled 953,033,615 Mcf in December, averaging 30,743,019 Mcf per day. Updated December 2023 volumes totaled 1,069,512,625 Mcf, compared to preliminary reported volume of 847,732,706 Mcf.

Once again, Martin and Midland counties dominated the list of top 10 crude oil producing counties, and once again, it wasn’t even close. Martin County produced 19,047,071 barrels, closely followed by Midland County with 18,286,234 barrels. The remainder of the top 10 include:

> Upton: 7,788,737 barrels.
> Howard: 7,379,333 barrels.
> Loving: 7,362,960 barrels.
> Reagan: 5,683,530 barrels.
> Reeves: 5,590,182 barrels.
> Karnes: 5,556,198 barrels.
> Glasscock: 4,397,701 barrels.
> Andrews: 4,263,112 barrels" [MRT]([link removed])

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* **TOP NEWS**

“**Why a Hill Country water utility said no to 9 new developments**,” San Antonio Express-News' **Liz Teitz **— “A private utility company in the Hill Country says it doesn’t have enough water to supply nine planned Comal County housing developments —leaving the fate of those projects unclear and highlighting the impact drought and population growth are having on the region.

Texas Water Company, which serves about 78,000 people in seven Hill Country counties, had received requests to provide water service for the developments, which combined call for more than 4,000 new homes._** **_

But in a letter to developers, Texas Water Company said that the state's [ongoing drought]([link removed]) has placed "unprecedented demands" on its resources and that it must give priority to its current customers.

The company has about 30,000 water connections in its system, and that number has been climbing by about 1,000 to 1,200 people per year, said Aundrea Williams, president of Texas Water Company. The utility gets more than half of its water from Canyon Lake, which is currently at a record low.

“These combined factors have placed unprecedented demands on our water resources, requiring us to make difficult but necessary decisions,” Williams wrote in a letter to the developers, which was [shared on Facebook]([link removed]) by Comal County Commissioner** Jen Crownover**.

“After extensive evaluation, we regret to inform you that we are unable to provide water service for your project at this time,” the letter said. “Given current conditions, we must temporarily pause new service commitments to uphold our responsibility to provide customers water when they turn on their faucets and remain in compliance with state regulatory requirements for system redundancy and resiliency.”

The letter said the company would issue a refund of the developers’ deposits.

Texas Water Company is a subsidiary of SJW Group, a California-based company that also operates in Connecticut and Maine. In Texas, it operates in Bandera, Blanco, Comal, Hays, Kendall, Medina and Travis counties, with the largest number of customers in Comal.

The company has implemented Stage 4 watering restrictions in Comal, Blanco and Kendall counties, banning its customers in those counties from all outdoor water uses except for sustaining livestock, vegetable gardens and orchards. Less restrictive rules are also in place in other parts of its service area." [SAEN]([link removed]) ($)

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* **#TXLEGE**

Editorial:** “Texas Senate bill aims to tip electricity generation market toward natural gas**,” via San Antonio Express-News** **— "Many Texas Republican lawmakers’ disdain for renewable energy and willingness to find dastardly ways to hinder its evolution and development borders on Wile E. Coyote’s obsession to annihilate the Roadrunner.

The [latest cartoonishly ill-conceived legislation]([link removed]) comes from state Sen.** Phil King** of Weatherford, whose [Senate Bill 388]([link removed]) proposes rules of the energy-generation road that would make it nearly impossible for natural gas-powered generation to fall behind renewable sources.

In a [Senate committee report on SB388]([link removed]), King’s statement of intent says he’s seeking to “incentivize additional dispatchable generation.” In doing so, he describes such energy as “including but not limited to natural gas generation.”

But who does he think he’s fooling? Other forms of dispatchable generation either are not feasible in Texas, such as hydroelectric; currently take too long to build to make a difference in the near future, such as nuclear; or have limited scalability today, such as geothermal and biomass. Of course, there is stored battery power, but we’ll get to that shortly.

King wants to crown natural gas as the never-to-be-defeated Texas champion, even if it means depriving Texas of a more robust energy competition in the future.

The bill proposes declaring that at least 50% of generating capacity added to the Texas grid after Jan. 1 [be sourced from dispatchable generation]([link removed]). There’s one caveat — that it’s not from battery storage.

SB388 would mandate that power generation companies, electric cooperatives and municipally owned utilities, such as CPS Energy, do one of two things:

> Own or buy the rights to sufficient dispatchable generation capacity to meet the 50% threshold.
> Buy a new type of credit, which the bill requires the Texas Public Utility Commission to create a program to administer. And, of course, those credits can’t come from battery storage.

Oddly, the bill specifies that a power-generation company that “exclusively operates battery energy storage resources” would not have to buy dispatchable generation credits.

So a company that solely operates 100 megawatts of battery storage would not have to buy credits. But a company that operates 100 megawatts of battery storage and 100 megawatts of solar-powered electricity generation would be penalized for the offense of not generating 100 megawatts of electricity from natural gas — ahem, dispatchable generation.

This is not the first time the Texas Legislature has tried to put its thumb on the scale for natural gas. King’s bill updates a law passed in 1999 that sought to ensure that natural gas provided at least half the state’s electricity. But at that time renewable energy was in its infancy.

King is saying that the 1999 Texas Legislature didn’t do enough to game the system in natural gas’ favor.

King has argued he is merely out to “level the playing field” tilted by federal subsidies for renewable energy. As a result, renewable energy “came in too fast and too heavy.”" [SAEN]([link removed]) ($)

“**Texas Senate committee mulls abortion bills, including clarification on emergencies,**” Dallas Morning News' **Emily Brindley **— “SpaceX’s future [city of Starbase]([link removed]) would control weekday access to nearby [Boca Chica Beach]([link removed]) under a bill being considered by the Legislature.

The measure would give the [private company]([link removed]) led by** Elon Musk **authority to close the public beach and roads leading to it, long sore points for those opposed to SpaceX’s steady encroachment on the remote coastal area.

Authors of the measure — Rep. **Janie Lopez**, R-San Benito, and Sen. **Adam Hinojosa**, R-Corpus Christi — say it’s intended to streamline administrative processes and wouldn’t increase closures. Cameron County, which currently has authority over the beach and roads, would maintain that authority on Friday afternoons and weekends.

Beach access has been a main concern of residents and beachgoers since SpaceX landed in South Texas more than a decade ago. That’s led to [a lawsuit]([link removed]) from environmental and native groups that say closures for SpaceX violate the Open Beaches Amendment to the Texas Constitution. It’s currently under review by the Texas Supreme Court.

“We believe Senate Bill 2188 flies in the face of that constitutional amendment,” said **Craig Nazor**, conservation chair of the Sierra Club’s Lone Star chapter, during a hearing Wednesday in the Texas [Senate Committee on Natural Resources]([link removed]). The Sierra Club is a plaintiff in the case.

Nazor said the unpredictability of access has made planning beach trips difficult and the situation could worsen under SpaceX control.

“Local communities have already been negatively impacted by Boca Chica Beach closures,” he said. “This will put beach closures directly in the hands of SpaceX, which at this time is handing the power to Elon Musk. Is that what this committee wants to do?”

Hinojosa said the current process, outlined in an amendment to the Natural Resources code in 2013, has worked well for a decade but needs revision as Starship operations increase under the company’s NASA and Defense Department contracts. That allows SpaceX to close Texas 4 to the beach for as much as 500 hours a year for normal operations and another 300 hours for anomalies, such as cleaning up debris when a rocket explodes.

“The bill does not increase the number of closures permitted, it simply allows the future city of Starbase to oversee closures during weekdays only, while the county retains authority over closures on Friday afternoons and weekends,” he said.

Musk has long sought to reimagine the area surrounding his Starship factory and launch site as the city of Starbase. Attempts to rename the area through U.S. Postal Service and the [U.S. Board on Geographic Names]([link removed]) have, so far, been unsuccessful. But the company’s petition to incorporate the city of Starbase is on the ballot in the county’s May 3 election.

People living within the footprint of the proposed city, roughly 1.45 square miles of land along Texas 4, will vote on incorporation as well as candidates for mayor and two city commissioner seats." [SAEN]([link removed]) ($)

“**Texas Senate committee mulls abortion bills, including clarification on emergencies**,” San Antonio Express-News' **Liz Teitz **— “Dozens of Texans spoke before state legislators on Thursday, voicing both support for and concerns over three [abortion-related bills]([link removed]), including one that would clarify exceptions to the state’s abortion ban.

The Senate Committee on State Affairs heard several hours of testimony on the three bills. The committee then left all three bills pending, meaning the committee has not yet taken action on any of the bills.

[Senate Bill 31]([link removed]) — authored by Sen. **Bryan Hughes**, R-Mineola —** **aims to make clear that Texas doctors are permitted to provide abortions in cases where the life or health of the pregnant woman is at risk.

Hughes presented his bill at the beginning of the committee hearing on Thursday morning, and emphasized the bill would not expand abortion access in the state.

Doctors and advocates have said repeatedly that the state’s existing law is [vague and confusing]([link removed]), and does not give medical providers enough leeway to discuss or provide medically necessary abortions.

They’ve worried also that this confusion has had a direct impact on women who are experiencing pregnancy complications.

The investigative news outlet ProPublica [has reported]([link removed]) on [several women]([link removed]) who [died after]([link removed]) the state’s abortion ban went into effect. Medical experts have said those deaths were likely preventable.

Texas has among the most restrictive abortion bans in the country, prohibiting abortion at all stages of pregnancy and having no exceptions for rape or incest. Senate Bill 31 would not open up exceptions for early-stage abortions, or for abortions in cases of rape or incest.

The bill has garnered support from both medical providers and anti-abortion rights advocates. But some told the committee on Thursday that they’re opposed to the bill because it doesn’t do enough to protect pregnant Texans.

**Kaitlyn Kash**, who was [a plaintiff on an abortion lawsuit]([link removed]) against the state, told the committee that she had a pregnancy with a fatal fetal anomaly in 2021. She said she hopes the clarification bill helps during medical emergencies. But she still opposes the bill.

“I want Texans to demand more, though, from their legislature,” she told the committee." [SAEN]([link removed]) ($)

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* **2026**

**“After years of disappointment at the polls, Texas Democrats will select new party leader**," Texas Tribune's** Renzo Downey **and** Kayla Guo **— "After a morale-shattering performance at the 2024 ballot box, a panel of Texas Democrats are about to choose the party’s next leader, someone who they hope will put back the pieces and restore faith in its future.

The State Democratic Executive Committee will meet on Saturday to elect the successor to party Chair **Gilberto Hinojosa **and complete the remainder of his term. He served nearly 13 years as the party figurehead leading Democrats’ efforts to end more than two decades of Republican control in Texas.

That goal seemed within reach in 2018 and 2020. But after President Donald Trump’s resurgent victory in November, and as Hispanic voters in South Texas drifted further to the right, Democrats worry they’re losing ground on the gains they made throughout Hinojosa’s tenure.

“We’re at a crossroads right now,” said Texas Democratic Party Treasurer **Odus Evbagharu**. “We know that we’re the right ones in this moment to lead, but in order to do that, we have to win, and we have to go get power. That’s why this TDP chair race is so important.”

Hinojosa [announced his resignation]([link removed]) shortly after the election last year, acknowledging Democrats’ dismal performance up and down the ballot.

“It is imperative that our Democratic leaders across the country reevaluate what is best for our party and embrace the next generation of leaders to take us through the next four years of Trump and win back seats up and down the ballot,” he said at the time, calling on Democratic leaders “at all levels to join me in lifting up the next generation in order to unite our party.”

**Matt Angle**, a veteran Texas Democratic operative and director of the Lone Star Project, said the leadership race gives the party an opportunity to reset and elect someone who can “internalize the responsibility to help other people get elected.”

“The expectations are not that any chair — regardless of who wins — is able to turn everything around on their own,” he said. “It’s a matter of being able to create a sense of confidence that the party is run competently, to create some financial stability and to create a real incentive for others to step up and do their part.”

Because Hinojosa resigned before the end of his term, his successor will be decided by the party’s 121-member governing board, rather than a larger group of delegates at the party’s convention.

[Eight candidates]([link removed]) are running for chair.

The leading contender is **Kendall Scudder**, the party’s current vice chair for finance and an East Texas native from a family with lesbian moms. He said he comes from the type of nontraditional family Democrats should be advocating for. He worked in affordable housing and real estate analytics, and came onto the state party stage through the executive committee.

Scudder says his role would be to listen to the will of the party and build confidence that the party is advocating for working-class people.

But Scudder also has a reputation among some in the party as being divisive, including for his past willingness to criticize leadership for not listening to the grassroots.

“It’s important that our leadership listens to activists and grassroots on the ground when they tell us things are important to them, and that hasn’t been happening,” Scudder said.

In May, Scudder was elected to the Dallas Central Appraisal District board after two unsuccessful bids for the Legislature. However, he resigned that seat on Thursday to quell concerns after the Texas Democratic Party’s lawyer issued an opinion saying he couldn’t hold the DCAD and run for party chair at the same time.

Scudder’s top opponents include** Lillie Schechter**, who chaired the Harris County Democratic Party from 2016 to 2020, and **Patsy Woods Martin**, who for four years led Annie’s List, an organization that helps elect progressive women in Texas.

Schechter, a native Houstonian and 7th generation Texan, pointed to her experience flipping local elected seats blue, reaching voters and fundraising as chair of the Harris County Democratic Party during the 2018 and 2020 elections.

She said she was “devastated” by Trump’s reelection, and felt the Texas Democratic Party wasn’t acting as the “central hub” for organizing and volunteers that she thought it could be.

“We need to continue to show Democratic voters that they have an alternative,” she said. “We can’t just be the minority party. We need to be the opposition party.”

Her roadmap to power for the state party stretches through 2032, when she hopes Democrats will have a “fighting chance” after redistricting in 2031 and gains over the next two election cycles. She wants to turn the party into a “year-round organizing machine,” breaking the state down by region and population to meet and galvanize voters in their communities.

Woods Martin began her career in politics as a state Senate campaign volunteer in Lubbock and later worked with **Ann Richards **before she became governor. Since her time with Annie’s List, Woods Martin helped launch a political action committee for state House Democrats in 2020 and was former U.S. Rep. **Beto O’Rourke’s **finance chair at the start of his gubernatorial campaign.

The party needs to provide help, assistance and guidance to Democratic activists, she said.

One of her top priorities is to address the party’s losses among Hispanic voters in South Texas, but also in cities. She plans to do that with year-round investment and organizing.

“My sense is we have taken our voters for granted,” Woods Martin said. “We have not listened to them. We have talked to them with a more nationalized message than we should have.”

Thanks to her time at Annie’s List, she boasts being the only party chair candidate who “has run a winning Democratic statewide organization” and has a track record of raising millions of dollars, an important point at a time when the party is strapped for cash, and donors could be weary about a change of personnel at the party." [Texas Tribune]([link removed])

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* **LOCAL GOVERNMENT**

**“Exclusive: New renderings show MacGregor Park's $57.5 million transformation,**” Houston Chronicle's** Amber Elliott **— "Conversations surrounding [MacGregor Park, a 65-acre green space in Third Ward]([link removed]), adjacent to [Riverside Terrace]([link removed]), began in 2016. A master plan was conceived initially, before project leaders thought it best to revisit the drawing board in 2019.

"We were trying to build support, and have people embrace the transformation of MacGregor Park by being able to take that master plan back to the community," said **Beth White**, president and CEO of Houston Parks Board.

As a result, after more than 2,500 participants provided feedback, and with approximately $57.5 million secured through a public-private funding partnership, MacGregor Park's final, conceptual redesign was unveiled Wednesday.

[The Kinder Foundation]([link removed]) contributed a lead gift of $27 million.

"We're very passionate about all our parks in Houston, and MacGregor Park has been our radar for a long, long time," **Nancy Kinder**, president and CEO of the Kinder Foundation, told the Chronicle. "When I found out how many parks we have in Houston that are more than 100 years old, I was kind of shocked. This reinforces why **Rich **(**Kinder**) and I think parks are so important. It's why we want to take care of some of the city's famous parks, and MacGregor Park is one of them."

Named for **Henry Frederick MacGregor**, who first conceptualized the park — though he died in 1923 before its completion — and whose widow, **Elizabeth "Peggy" MacGregor**, donated the land, it today functions as the home field of the Texas Southern Tigers baseball team. And the University of Houston owns a 42-acre section.

These details were on the mind of landscape architect **Walter Hood**, of the California-based Hood Design Studio, when he responded to the request for a proposal.

"Well, the big thing was this juxtaposition of playing baseball in the woods," he said. "We don't think we can do multiple things at the same time. But why can't we have wildlife and amazing ecology in a way that's sustainable, healthy, provides shade and introduces a layer of biodiversity? Our studio is really into places and people, and how you tell their narratives and stories over time."

White says that community feedback revealed a consensus ask for "more green, more trees, and more places to just hang out and be in nature." It's one of the reasons Houston Parks Board, in partnership with the City of Houston’s Parks and Recreation Department, hired Hood for the job.

"We wanted someone who really responded to the history of the park and call for more nature. And how do we augment what's already there?" White said. "We're bringing back landscaping, native grasses and shrubbery, and removing lots of concrete, which makes the park a lot safer. There are still those areas for parking, but it won't dominate the park the way it has in the past."" [Houston Chronicle]([link removed]) ($)

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* **TEXANS IN DC**

**“Former Paxton, Cruz staffer taking DOJ post has long fought against DEI, abortion and immigration**,” The Hill's** Saul Elbein **and** Cheyanne M. Daniels **— "A veteran of Texas Attorney General **Ken Paxton's** [legal battles]([link removed]) on immigration, diversity initiatives and abortion is poised to play a central role in the Trump administration's efforts to remake the federal government.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday** **confirmed** Aaron Reitz**, most recently chief of staff to U.S. Sen. **Ted Cruz** of Texas, as the new assistant U.S. attorney general over the Office of Legal Policy. The vote was 52-46, with all Democrats in opposition.

The position within the Justice Department will give Reitz authority to direct the administration's selection of federal judges and coordinate legal fights on cultural issues. For instance, Attorney General **Pam Bondi **directed Reitz's new** **office last month [to recommend legal actions ]([link removed])that could be brought to stop corporations from engaging in diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

Reitz, a 37-year old Marine Corps veteran and graduate of the University of Texas Law School, could not immediately** **be reached for comment through Cruz's office or the White House. During his almost three years in Paxton's office, he fought for the same conservative causes now championed by the Trump administration, at times partnering on [litigation with America First Legal]([link removed]), the activist group founded by Trump advisor Stephen Miller.

In his [farewell letter to Paxton in 2023]([link removed]'s%20Departure%20Letter.pdf), Reitz catalogued a series of lawsuits against "woke corporations," "the left’s attempts to corrupt Texas elections" and "radical LGBTQ activists."

"We’ve held the line against the lawless federal government’s worst excesses," he wrote.

The Senate vote came amid increasing attacks by members of the [Trump administration on the federal courts]([link removed]), with Vice President J.D. Vance** **recently questioning judges' authority to overrule White House decisions.

At his [confirmation hearing last month]([link removed]), Reitz came under questioning by Democrats over a social media post in which he appeared to support state officials flouting a federal judge's ruling that blocked their efforts to shutter an abortion clinic during the Covid-19 pandemic. "Now let him enforce it," Reitz [wrote in a 2020 post that has since been deleted.]([link removed])

"Do you stand by your tweet," U.S. Sen. **Dick Durbin**, D-Ill., asked. "Should an elected official be allowed to defy a federal court order?"

Reitz replied, "It would be too case specific for me to make a blanket statement."

At the Texas Attorney General's Office, Reitz was tasked with coordinating the department's strategy and litigation against the federal government and corporations who ran afoul of the state's Republican politicians.

While rarely appearing in court himself, [he worked on litigation opposing]([link removed]) a Biden administration pause on deporting undocumented immigrants during the pandemic and a federal order requiring companies to allow employees to use bathrooms and dress based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex.

During his tenure, the Texas Attorney General's Office threatened [the nation's largest banks ]([link removed].)that so-called ESG investing strategies discriminating against oil and other fossil fuel companies could result in legal action. The office also [sued Planned Parenthood]([link removed]) to halt the distribution of abortion pills.

"Aaron Reitz is an anti-abortion extremist who has dedicated his career to blocking Texans from accessing reproductive health care," **Freya Riedlin**, an attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement. "Now, President Trump has given him the keys to the DOJ."

For Reitz, joining the Trump administration presents an opportunity to continue the partisan legal battles he began in Texas.

[Speaking on a podcast in 2021]([link removed]), he said of the Texas Attorney General's Office, "our soldiers are lawyers and our weapons are lawsuits and our tactic is lawfare.”

"The sort of hyper-caution that I think too often Republicans demonstrate, not just in the legal space but political and elsewhere, the time for that is over,” he said." [SAEN]([link removed]) ($)

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* **NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE**

> TX TRIB: "**Texas officials’ claim that school funding is at an all-time high ignores inflation and temporary federal money**" _[TX TRIB]([link removed])_

> HOU CHRON: "**John Cornyn leans heavily on pro-Trump message as he begins reelection bid**" _[HOU CHRON]([link removed])_

> AAS: "**Texans share emotional testimony on bills to further restrict abortion pills, travel**" _[AAS]([link removed])_

> AAS: "**Funding to fight measles outbreak in Texas hit by DOGE cuts**" _[AAS]([link removed])_

> AAS: "**Here's why a Texas lawmaker is threatening to defund UT if it keeps LGBTQ, gender studies**" _[AAS]([link removed])_

> AAS: "**Migrant crossings have plummeted, but funding for Texas Operation Lone Star unlikely to drop**" _[AAS]([link removed])_

> THE TEXAN: "**Texas Senate to Consider Siting Mandate for Renewables, Sparking Property Rights Fight**" _[THE TEXAN]([link removed])_

> KXAN: "**Poll shows what issues Texans think state legislators should focus on**" _[KXAN]([link removed])_

> HOU CHRON: "**Walz, O'Rourke criticize both Dems and GOP at Fort Bend County town hall**" _[HOU CHRON]([link removed])_

> MRT: "**NY county clerk refuses to file Texas' fine for doctor accused of prescribing abortion pills**" _[MRT]([link removed])_

> KXAN: "**Bill to expand medical examiner access in Texas closer to law**" _[KXAN]([link removed])_

> MY RGV: "**Edinburg hero removed from naval history website under Trump’s DEI purge**" _[MY RGV]([link removed])_

> AAS: "**How did Texas school districts vote on school chaplain programs? Here's the data.**" _[AAS]([link removed])_

> AAS: "**Bipartisan contingent of Texas senators advance bill to teach 'horrors of communism'**" _[AAS]([link removed])_

> THE TEXAN: "**Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Board Candidates Answer Questions at Forum Ahead of May Election**" _[THE TEXAN]([link removed])_

> SA REPORT: "**Conservatives take aim at Courage's District 9 council seat**" _[SA REPORT]([link removed])_

> KXAN: "**‘The Botox party bill’ moving forward in legislature**" _[KXAN]([link removed])_

> THE TEXAN: "**Texas Officials Target East Plano Islamic Center, 'EPIC City' Development Near Dallas**" _[THE TEXAN]([link removed])_

> SA REPORT: "**Without new state protections, Texas’ neighborhood pharmacies are at risk of closing**" _[SA REPORT]([link removed])_

> THE TEXAN: "**Pro-Palestine Activists Force Cancellation of Houston Republican Event with Jewish City Council Member**" _[THE TEXAN]([link removed])_

> TPR: "**Trump pulls Stefanik nomination for UN ambassador because of thin GOP House majority**" _[TPR]([link removed])_

> SA REPORT: "**Who is running for mayor in San Antonio? Here’s the full list.**" _[SA REPORT]([link removed])_

> HOU CHRON: "**After bans, court orders and prayers, Draggieland goes on at Texas A&M**" _[HOU CHRON]([link removed])_

> HOU CHRON: "**Yolanda Saldívar denied parole for the murder of Selena, Texas board says**" _[HOU CHRON]([link removed])_

> SAEN: "**Before dying in Lake Lewisville, Texas kayaker Taryn 'Taz' Zinszer calls dad, says 'I'm so sorry'**" _[SAEN]([link removed])_

> HOU CHRON: "**Man accused of stabbing double amputee former Afghanistan translator to death**" _[HOU CHRON]([link removed])_

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* **EXTRA POINTS**

Recent Texas sports scores:
Thurs
> NCAAM: #10 Arkansas vs. #3 **Texas Tech **(TBS)
> NBA: **San Antonio** at Cleveland
> NBA: **Dallas** at Orlando
> NBA: **Houston **at Utah
> MLB: Boston at **Texas**
> MLB: NY Mets at **Houston**
> NHL: **Dallas** at Calgary
Fri
> NCAAM: #1 **Houston** 62, #4 Purdue 60
> MLB: **Texas **4, Boston 1
> MLB: NY Mets 3, **Houston **1

This weekend's Texas sports schedule:
Sat
> 5:09pm: NCAAM: #3 **Texas Tech** vs. #1 Florida (TBS)
> 6:05pm: MLB: Boston at **Texas**
> 6:15pm: MLB: NY Mets at **Houston** (Fox)
> 7:30pm: MLS: **Dallas** at Kansas City
> 9:30pm: NHL: **Dallas** at Seattle
Sun
> 1:15pm: MLS: St. Louis at **Austin**
> 1:20pm: NCAAM: #23 Tennessee vs. #1 **Houston**
> 1:35pm: MLB: Boston at **Texas**
> 6pm: NBA: Golden State at **San Antonio**
> 6pm: MLS: Portland at **Houston**
> 8pm: NBA:** Houston** at Phoenix

**DALLAS COWBOYS**: "Cowboys star Micah Parsons wants to become the NFL’s first $200 million defensive player" [DMN]([link removed]) ($)

**DALLAS COWBOYS**: "Texas Tech prepares for No. 1 seed Florida in the Elite 8 following March Madness comeback" [DMN]([link removed]) ($)

**HOUSTON MEN'S BASKETBALL**: "Houston's play to beat Purdue. Kelvin Sampson called '51.' Then Milos Uzan and Joseph Tugler improvised" [Houston Chronicle]([link removed]) ($)

**TEXAS TECH MEN'S BASKETBALL**: "Texas Tech prepares for No. 1 seed Florida in the Elite 8 following March Madness comeback" [DMN]([link removed]) ($)

**HOUSTON ASTROS**: "Mets 3, Astros 1: Houston's bats shut down as New York takes middle game of series" [Houston Chronicle]([link removed]) ($)

**TEXAS RANGERS**: "Jack Leiter gave the Rangers everything they could ask for in his first major league win" [DMN]([link removed]) ($)




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