Good morning, 

This is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

North Texas School District Rejects Request to Host Islamic Games

• A North Texas school district says it will no longer be hosting an “Islamic Games” event sponsored by a foreign terrorist organization, after pushback from citizens and multiple state officials. Addie Hovland has the details.
     
• The Islamic Games, an athletic event for Islamic youth, were originally slated to take place in Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District on May 9-10. An advertisement for the event listed the Council on American-Islamic Relations as a sponsor. In November, Gov. Greg Abbott designated CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization under Texas law.
     
• Grapevine-Colleyville ISD told Texas Scorecard that the district was aware of a facility request for the 2026 Islamic Games but was still in negotiations when told of CAIR’s sponsorship of the event. Now, they have rejected the request for facility use due to the terrorism ties.
     
• Meanwhile, the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, located in the Houston area, is planning to hold its own Islamic Games in mid-October.
   
• NOTE: GCISD only did the right thing after getting massive pushback. Apparently, hosting the "Islamic Games" didn't raise any red flags ... which should be a red flag to voters and taxpayers.

Early Voting Begins Today in High-Profile North Texas Senate Runoff

• Brandon Waltens reports that early voting begins today in the special election runoff for Texas Senate District 9. Republican Leigh Wambsganss faces Democrat Taylor Rehmet in a high-profile contest to fill a vacant seat in a normally Republican district.
     
• The runoff was necessary because neither candidate secured a majority in the initial special election. The election was called to replace former State Sen. Kelly Hancock, who resigned last year to become the state’s acting comptroller.
   
• While Senate District 9 has long been held by Republicans, Democrats have expressed optimism that the unusual timing of the runoff, paired with low turnout in special elections, could give Rehmet a path to victory.
      

• However, the political fight for Senate District 9 will continue beyond the runoff. The district will be back on the ballot again in November’s General Election, which will determine who serves the next full term beginning in January 2027.

ICE Nabs Venezuelan Gang Member in Dallas

• A Venezuelan national and member of the notorious transnational gang Tren de Aragua has been apprehended in North Texas after entering the country illegally, reports Sydnie Henry.
      
• It is not known when Alberth Jose Simancas‑Garcia illegally entered the country, but an immigration judge issued his removal last August. In December, Homeland Security learned he was wanted in Peru for questions connected to a homicide.
     
• According to ICE, 70 percent of all its arrests involve individuals who have criminal charges or convictions on their records in the United States. Those figures do not fully capture illegal aliens who are known gang or terrorist organization members or are wanted for serious crimes in their home countries. 

Wrestling Coach Pleads Guilty to Sex With Student

• Nick Herrmann, a former high school wrestling champion-turned-coach in the Amarillo Independent School District, is facing 10 years to life in federal prison after pleading guilty to having sex with a student he groomed for months via thousands of texts. Erin Anderson follows up on the story.
     
• At the time of his first arrest, a year ago, Herrmann was an assistant boys’ wrestling coach at Tascosa High School but was allowed to resign when the allegations surfaced.
      
• Online records show Herrmann began working for Amarillo ISD in 2020. He was certified in 2022 as a special education intern and received a standard teaching certification in November 2024—at the same time he was sexually grooming a student, and less than three months before his arrest. In the 2023-24 school year, Herrmann was named the 5A Assistant Coach of the Year by the Texas High School Wrestling Coaches’ Association.

Corpus Christi Pursues Water Projects

• Amid a severe drought, Paige Feild reports that the City of Corpus Christi approved an agreement with Valero’s refinery in an effort to conserve potable water. Corpus Christi is currently in stage 3 water restrictions, with reservoirs hitting dangerously low levels. 

Quote-Unquote

"Liberty is not provided by government. Liberty pre-exists government."

– Don Willett​

The Directory of State and Federal Officials

Contact information, biographies, and campaign finances.

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

📧 If someone forwarded the Texas Minute to you, and you like what you see, it is easy to get on the list yourself!