Good morning,

This is the Texas Minute for Friday, January 9, 2026.

– Brandon Waltens

NOTE: Michael Quinn Sullivan will be back with the Texas Minute on Monday.

More Buoy Barriers for Texas-Mexico Border

• The Department of Homeland Security is rolling out additional buoy barriers in the Rio Grande, expanding on Texas’ floating “wall” strategy to deter illegal crossings and cartel activity along the southern border. 
    
• Sydnie Henry reports the modular buoy lines are part of President Donald Trump’s “smart wall” approach—combining physical barriers, technology, and patrols to make it harder and more dangerous for smugglers and illegal aliens to cross.​
   
• Officials say about 130 miles of these barriers are already under contract and in the process of being installed, with plans to eventually cover roughly 500 miles of river.
   
• The project builds directly on Texas’ own 1,000‑foot buoy line at Eagle Pass, first installed in 2023 and later expanded after Trump returned to the White House.

Texas Puts Murder Suspect on 10 Most Wanted List

• The state is offering a reward of up to $30,000 for information leading to the arrest of Reynaldo Mata-Rios, who is wanted in connection with the murder of Eddy Betancourt, a state appointee who was found shot and killed late last month.
   

• Betancourt was found deceased on December 27, 2025. The following day, the McAllen Police Department issued a warrant charging Mata-Rios with murder. 
   

• The Texas Department of Public Safety has since added Mata-Rios to its 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List. Authorities say Mata-Rios, 60, was last seen crossing the U.S.–Mexico border in a red truck on December 28 and should be considered armed and dangerous.
   

• To be eligible for the cash reward, tipsters must submit information through Texas Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-252-TIPS or by submitting online.
   

Texas Water Board Seeks Public Input on Project Funds

• Addie Hovland reports the Texas Water Development Board is seeking public input on a newly released implementation plan outlining how it will distribute a one-time state funding infusion.
   

• Legislation passed last year appropriates $1.038 billion to the Texas Water Development Board to be distributed as local grants for water supply or water infrastructure projects. The funds will be awarded before August 31, 2027, after which they will no longer be available.

Cleveland ISD Teacher Arrested for Sexual Misconduct With Student

• Amanda Greenwood, 33, was arrested and charged with improper relationship between educator and student. Erin Anderson has the details. 
   

• Greenwood is a teacher at Cleveland High School in the Cleveland Independent School District, located northeast of Houston. The offense is a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison and includes sexual contact or sexually explicit communication with a student, regardless of the student’s age.
   

• Greenwood was taken into custody on January 6 by the Cleveland ISD Police and booked into the Liberty County Jail. Bond was set at $30,000.
   

• Cleveland ISD Superintendent Glenn Barnes released a statement on January 7 confirming that the district was “recently made aware of an allegation of inappropriate conduct involving a student."

Houston Advances $30M Demolition Plan Using Stormwater Dollars

• The Houston City Council voted 9–7 to approve using $30 million from the city’s Stormwater Fund to demolish abandoned buildings, pushing forward a plan championed by Mayor John Whitmire and sharply opposed by City Controller Chris Hollins.
    
• Michael Wilson reports Whitmire has argued the demolitions are a flood-mitigation measure, saying abandoned structures attract illegal dumping that ends up clogging ditches and drainage systems.
   
• Hollins has said the connection does not hold up, legally or practically. In a statement released after the vote, the controller said council had chosen to pull money from a fund that was created for one narrow purpose: drainage and flood control.
   
• The vote allows the mayor’s administration to move forward with the demolition plan, even as the dispute over whether the spending fits within the fund’s intended purpose remains unresolved.

This Sunday on REAL TEXANS

Quote-Unquote

"Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again."

– Ronald Reagan

Directory of Officials

* The new congressional boundaries for representational purposes will not take effect until January 2027.