From Must Read Texas <[email protected]>
Subject MRT 4/6-8/26 (free): Lt. Gov. Patrick: GOP to “Have a Tough Time” Holding TX House Majority in ‘26 // Dallas Fed: 278k Jobs to be Added in TX in ’26 // TX Data Centers Receive $1B in Yearly Tax Breaks
Date April 9, 2026 2:59 AM
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**MONDAY** 4/6/2026 - **WEDNESDAY** 4/8/2026

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* **TOP NEWS **

**“More than 278,000 jobs to be added in Texas in 2026, Dallas Federal Reserve report predicts”** via [CBS News]([link removed])‘s **Matthew Ablon** – Hundreds of thousands of new jobs are predicted to be added in Texas in 2026, according to a new report from the Dallas Federal Reserve.

The Texas Employment Forecast, released on April 3, indicates jobs will increase by 1.9% this year, with an 80% confidence band of 1.1-2.7%. The Dallas Fed said the forecast is based on an average of four models that include the projected national gross domestic product (GDP), oil futures prices, and the leading indexes for both Texas and the United States.

“Texas employment growth strengthened notably in December and January, contributing to an increase in the employment forecast for 2026,” said Dallas Fed senior business economist **Luis Torres** in a statement. “However, our expectations are for Texas employment growth in 2026 to be more in line with the lower end of the confidence band at 1.1% given several headwinds. Declining immigration is constraining labor supply, higher productivity is suppressing labor demand, business activity captured by our Texas Business Outlook Surveys recently moderated, and geopolitical uncertainty is elevated. High oil prices, meanwhile, are expected to boost state economic activity only if they are sustained.”

The forecast, according to the Dallas Fed, suggests that 278,400 jobs will be added this year, with employment reaching 14.6 million in December 2026. The Fed also reports that employment in Texas grew at an annualized 2.3% in January, while December job growth was 2.2%. _(__[CBS News]([link removed])__)_

**“Texas Rangers investigating complaints of neglect filed against Camp Mystic”** via KVUE — The Texas Rangers are now involved in investigating complaints of neglect filed against Camp Mystic.

During the Fourth of July floods last year, 25 campers and two counselors died at Camp Mystic in Kerr County. In the wake of those deaths, several lawsuits have been filed against the camp.

Now the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) confirms that the Texas Rangers are assisting the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) in an investigation regarding complaints of neglect by the camp.

KVUE reached out to DSHS for more information. The department sent the following statement: “Since early February, the Texas Department of State Health Services has received hundreds of complaints regarding Camp Mystic’s operations in the summer of 2025. DSHS is investigating alleged violations of the Texas laws governing youth camps and has asked the Department of Public Safety to assist with investigating allegations concerning the camp’s operations. DSHS will consider any relevant information shared with the agency as part of its ongoing investigation.” _(__[KVUE]([link removed])__)_

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**“Monday marks application deadline for Texas business owners seeking financial assistance after 2025 floods”** via [KVUE]([link removed]) — Monday, April 6, is the last day for Texas business owners and private nonprofits to submit applications for federal financial assistance following the fatal July 2025 floods.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering the chance for applicants in multiple statewide counties to receive low interest loans for flood-related property damage that happened between July 2-18 of last year. In Central Texas, those in Travis, Hays, Williamson, Mason and Bastrop counties are all eligible to apply.

According to the SBA, a disaster declaration permits small business owners, nurseries, private nonprofits and more to receive the administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL).

The SBA also says that small business owners, nurseries, etc. can apply even if their organizations weren’t physically damaged in last year’s deadly floods. _(__[KVUE]([link removed])__)_

**“Texas businesses await tariff refunds after Supreme Court ruling”** via [Spectrum News]([link removed]) — President **Donald Trump** called it “Liberation Day” a year ago on April 2, 2025, as he ordered massive increases in tariffs for almost everything imported into the U.S. Those tariffs were used as an ongoing administration diplomatic tool, with some rolled back and some hiked up higher through the year.

Then, in February 2026, the Supreme Court ruled that the president doesn’t have the authority to tax some of those imports, and the court required the administration to issue refunds. Now, businesses in Texas are awaiting those checks.

World Interiors in South Austin has been open for 20 years. The owner, **Hank Cravey**, said the tariffs have made it challenging to be a furniture store owner. He imports items from all over the country, including places like China and India. One of the tables he sells, which came from India, cost him 50% more to get to Texas than in previous years.

“That chair is from China. They do absolutely beautiful work. If you look at the quality of the stitching and the material is just so high quality. I mean, nobody really does a better job on upholstery than the Chinese,” said Cravey. _(__[Spectrum News]([link removed])__)_

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* **2026 **

**“Dan Patrick says Republicans will “have a tough time” holding Texas House majority in November”** Texas Tribune’s **Alejandro Serrano** – Lt. Gov. **Dan Patrick** on Wednesday said Texas Republicans are “going to have a tough time” holding onto their majority in the state House this fall, the latest and perhaps most notable sign yet of GOP unease about the midterm elections.

Speaking at the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s annual conference in Austin, Patrick said it is imperative for the loser of Republicans’ rancorous Senate primary runoff — whether it’s U.S. Sen. **John Cornyn **or Attorney General **Ken Paxton** — to support the winner against Democratic candidate **James Talarico**. The Austin state representative locked up his party’s nomination in March and will face whoever emerges from the May 26 GOP election, which has already seen both candidates resume their mudslinging after a vicious first round.

Without a unifying endorsement from the runoff loser, Patrick cautioned, Republicans could lose the Senate seat, an outcome he said would guarantee Democratic control of the upper chamber in Washington. A divided GOP also could imperil down-ballot candidates, he added, pointing to the 2018 midterms when U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz [narrowly defeated]([link removed]) former El Paso congressman** Beto O’Rourke** and a recent special election for a ruby red Texas Senate seat [won by a Democrat]([link removed]) in a district President** Donald Trump **had carried by 17 points in 2024.

“Get over it and come together as one,” Patrick said, aiming his comments at Cornyn and Paxton. “We’re going to have a tough time holding the Texas House.”

Patrick, the presiding officer of the Texas Senate, said he thinks his own chamber ”is in good shape,” then repeated his point that Cornyn and Paxton are “going to have to help House members.”

In 2018, when Trump was first in office, Texas Democrats [flipped 12 seats]([link removed]) in the state House. Republicans have controlled the lower chamber since 2003 and currently hold 88 of its 150 seats. Democrats would need to flip at least 14 seats to win a majority.

In the state Senate, the GOP has a 20-11 advantage.

House Speaker** Dustin Burrows**, R-Lubbock, responded to Patrick’s remark on social media without mentioning his counterpart by name.

“We will not lose the Texas House. We will fight to retain every Republican seat,” Burrows said. “I look forward to the fall campaign where we get to talk about Texas’ prosperity under Republican leadership; and, I trust the voters of Texas to continue to vote for conservative government up and down the ballot!” (_[Texas Tribune]([link removed])_)

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* **STATE GOVERNMENT **

**“Texas is giving data centers more than $1 billion in tax breaks each year”** via [The Texas Tribune]([link removed])‘s **Paul Cobler,** **Apurva Mahajan **– Texas will lose out on at least $3.1 billion in sales tax revenue over the next two years thanks to an exemption for the state’s booming data center industry, according to the comptroller’s office. That figure is likely a vast underestimate given the explosion of new facilities being built, but already makes the tax break one of the state’s costliest incentive programs and soon to be the most expensive of its kind in the nation.

Lawmakers, who will meet in January for the next legislative session, say they are considering proposals to either limit the scope of the tax break or get rid of it altogether. “These new numbers are extremely concerning and I will say they’re unsustainable” said state Sen. **Joan Huffman**, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance in an interview with The Texas Tribune. “I plan to look at filing legislation to either repeal the exemption or take a very close look at it and see.”

Lawmakers approved the tax break more than a decade ago, when data centers were smaller and required fewer resources. From 2014 to 2022, the exemption amounted to between $5 million and $30 million in lost state revenue per year. By 2023, that skyrocketed to more than $150 million, and this year Texas is forgoing at least $1.3 billion — a number that is rapidly increasing every year, based on state projections.

The money Texas is poised to lose from the tax break on a yearly basis could pay for the entirety of the state’s new school voucher program, or it could double the size of a state disaster fund to help local communities like Kerr County prevent flooding. It’s also quickly outpacing the cost of Texas’ highly controversial Chapter 313 tax abatement program, which allowed manufacturing companies to avoid paying local school property taxes, drawing the ire of lawmakers who eventually shut down the program last year at its height of more than a billion dollars a year. _(__[TX TRIB]([link removed])__)_

**“Texas is cutting undocumented immigrants off from school, work and driving”** via Texas Tribune – Texas is cutting undocumented immigrants off from school, work and driving. Over the last year, Texas Republicans have enacted sweeping regulatory and legal changes that have upended all facets of life for noncitizens. The state has limited who can get an occupational license; register or buy a car; obtain commercial driver’s licenses; and get in-state tuition at colleges and universities.

The changes are wreaking havoc on the 1.7 million people without documentation in Texas, as well as tens of thousands of refugees and people with protected legal status, like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Already, more than 6,400 refugees and DACA recipients have lost their commercial driver’s licenses. Many more noncitizens are expected to lose the ability to work in licensed industries from construction and medicine to air conditioning and cosmetology.

The complicated patchwork of new rules has led to widespread fear and uncertainty, immigration attorneys and advocates say.

“These all represent a broader and more coordinated shift … to create a pipeline of exclusion that stretches from limiting access to K-12 education, all the way into participation in the workforce and basic mobility through the state,” said **Corinne Kentor** with the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. _(__[Texas Tribune]([link removed])__)_

**“Texas to launch a statewide food truck permit on July 1”** via Texas Tribune –** Eloisa Schessler** and her husband started Eloisa’s Kitchen Food Truck in Dallas to help their daughter. Their daughter had suffered a head injury, and had become a shell of her former self. They worked diligently to create a small business where their daughter not only serves as the sous chef, but she also is responsible for the entire creative design of the truck. Slowly, they started to see their daughter revert back to her former self.

But government red-tape is preventing her food truck and others from growing. The family wants to travel to other cities to serve their food, but each city requires them to apply for a permit, which is not only very costly, but requires the family to take the day off of work to do another city’s inspection.

“It’s a hassle to take time off to go and do that where we have to stop what we’re doing and lose money that day,” Schessler said.

But House Bill 2844, which passed last year and goes into effect July 1, could relieve the Schessler family and the statewide food truck industry from some of the financial pressure. _(__[KSAT]([link removed])__)_

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* **#TXLEGE **

**“Texas goes solo on psychedelic drug research due to private sector’s skepticism”** via [Houston Chronicle]([link removed])‘s **James Osborne** – The Texas Legislature’s decision last year to invest $50 million in taxpayer money on a clinical trial for the powerful hallucinogen ibogaine came amid a rising tide of enthusiasm around psychedelics. Former Gov. **Rick Perry** extolled its benefits for the treatment of drug addiction and other mental health issues, saying he took ibogaine to overcome anxiety and insomnia caused by head injuries sustained in his youth. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary** Robert F. Kennedy, Jr**. suggested in June that federal approval for the drugs would come within 12 months. Ten months later, the Trump administration has shown little progress on that front. And Texas’ Republican-backed effort to get the schedule one narcotic, which carries the same penalties as heroin, approved for medical use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, appears to be in turmoil.

Lt. Gov. **Dan Patrick** and House Speaker **Dustin Burrows** announced last week that drug companies and state officials have been unable to come to terms on what was supposed to be a lucrative public-private partnership to get ibogaine into U.S. pharmacies. They said the state’s ibogaine research would go ahead without the drug companies, which were supposed to match the state’s $50 million investment and share a portion of whatever revenues they earned from ibogaine with the Texas government. “We intend to fully fund this program,” the House and Senate leaders said, without disclosing what the total budget may be.

But in pressing ahead on the clinical trials, which are set to take place at University of Texas facilities in Houston and Galveston, Texas is taking a big risk. Getting a drug approved by the FDA is a years-long process that often results in failure. In 2024, the FDA declined to approve the use of MDMA for mental health treatment after two decades of work by the drug company Lykos Therapeutics. In addition, taking ibogaine carries significant cardiac risk. Patients who travel to Mexico for treatment typically do so in a medical clinic with a heart monitor, the sort of drug therapy the FDA does not typically approve, said **Katharine Neill Harris**, a drug policy fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

“The drug development process is expensive and when you’re talking about a drug like ibogaine the expenses and the risks go up,” she said. “Additional efforts are needed to prove safety and efficacy of this drug. It would make drug developers cautious.” Asked for comment on the Texas announcement, two drug companies at the forefront of ibogaine research, Gilgamesh in New York City and Psyence Biomed in Toronto, did not respond to a request for comment. _(__[HOU CHRON]([link removed])__)_

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* **LOCAL GOVERNMENT **

**“Austin ISD projects $181M budget shortfall in 2026-2027 school year, superintendent says”** via KVUE — Austin ISD is projecting a $181 million budget shortfall in the 2026-2027 academic year.

In a message sent Tuesday night to families and staff, AISD superintendent **Matias Segura** said declining enrollment, rising costs and a dip in Austin’s property values are all factors behind the current projections.

While some schools are already set to close, Segura says additional changes could impact certain district programs, campus staffing levels, employee stipends, and administrative and support positions. He said 15% cuts are also possible to non-staff related budgets.

“I recognize the anxiety and uncertainty this news may cause,” Segura said in the message. “Please know that every decision we make is focused on ensuring that Austin ISD remains a place where students can thrive, even in the face of financial adversity. I know we can get through this together to create strong schools for a stronger Austin.” _(__[KVUE]([link removed])__)_

**“Harris County Attorney Says Dismantling HUB Program is Illegal”** via [Houston Press]([link removed])‘s **April Towery **– Paula Mendoza started a procurement company in 2001 with $100. She says she’s never been handed a contract because she’s a female minority, but she got multiple opportunities to bid on projects through the statewide Historically Underutilized Business program.

Texas Comptroller **Kelly Hancock** killed the program in December 2025, and now a group of small business owners is suing him, saying he doesn’t have the legal authority to dismantle an initiative created by the Texas Legislature in 1999. Harris County Attorney **Jonathan Fombonne** announced last week that the county is joining the lawsuit.

“The case is actually not that complicated,” Fombonne said at an April 2 press conference. “An unelected statewide official has neither the authority to rewrite state law on his own nor the authority to decide the constitutionality of state law. There are only two ways the HUB program can be undone: by the Legislature, which created it in the first place, or the courts.”

The plaintiffs are asking for a court order to restore the HUB program to its original form, alleging that Hancock deprived them of state contracts without due process and violated the Texas Constitution. Hancock has defended his decision, pointing to a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court case that ended affirmative action in college admissions and a 2025 executive order by Gov. **Greg Abbott** that banned DEI policies in Texas agencies, the Texas Tribune reported last month. _(__[Houston Press]([link removed])__)_

**“Austin City Council wants a say in the future of 10 Austin ISD schools closing this year”** via [Austin American-Statesman]([link removed])‘s Keri Heath – Austin city council leaders want more say in the future of parks and public spaces at the campuses Austin Independent School District plans to close this year. Two resolutions that Austin City Council approved in March seek to shore up a consistent parkland condemnation process and to start discussions on partnership or acquisition opportunities to find new use for closed school campuses.

The city and Austin ISD have jointly owned several parcels of land on campuses for decades. The partnership formally allows the public to use the park space outside school hours and splits maintenance costs between the two entities. The imminent closure this summer of 10 Austin ISD campuses — and the district’s ongoing efforts to find new uses for the properties — prompted city council’s interest in creating more defined rules for city and school district joint property agreements.

Superintendent **Matias Segura** said Friday he welcomed a more defined process for working with the city but AISD needs to take the lead in determining how closed district properties will be used in the future. “Which property lends itself to community hub, which lends itself to a repurpose for early childhood center, which lends itself to workforce housing — that’s the process that we need to own,” Segura said.

One city council resolution directed the city manager to develop a standard process for when the city would give up its rights to property it jointly owns with other public entities, like AISD, and how the city would be compensated. In the past, council members haven’t always been made aware of when the city was being asked to give up its stake in a park that it jointly owned with Austin ISD, said Councilman **Ryan Alter**. This is important to Alter who hopes to increase the number of Austinites with a park in walking distance. _(__[AAS]([link removed])__)_

**“Too few students: NISD paused bond projects at these schools”** via [San Antonio Report]([link removed])‘s Xochilt Garcia – Northside Independent School District is not making building improvements at nine of its more than 80 elementary schools.

When voters in NISD passed a $992 million school bond in 2022, the district accessed funds for major facelifts, including HVAC replacements, classroom replacements and updated offices, gyms and cafeteria spaces.

The district is halfway done with its long list of projects, including the completion of a brand new $24.5 million sports complex near Sotomayor High School on the far Northwest Side.

But bond projects at nine elementary schools, located mostly on the West Side, have been paused because of low enrollment, NISD officials said. _(__[SA REPORT]([link removed])__)_

**“Dallas officials explore path to close industrial sites in West Dallas and Joppa”** via [Texas Metro News]([link removed]) – Residents are arguing these two companies are polluting their neighborhoods and harming the health and well-being of West Dallas and Joppa and therefore they need to be shut down, said Cisneros.

Dallas’ Economic Development Committee will be briefed Monday on what it would take to move on the process of amortization.

City officials are trying to determine the cost of shutting down two shingle companies that have operated in West and southern Dallas for decades.

Dallas’ Economic Development Committee will be briefed Monday on what it would take to move on the process of amortization — a tool that allows cities to close businesses that negatively impact the community — to shutter two shingle factories: GAF in West Dallas and TAMKO in Joppa. _(__[Texas Metro News]([link removed])__)_

**“Cameron County pushes major infrastructure plan to support Valley growth”** via [Texas Border Business]([link removed]) – **Pete Sepulveda** tells RGV Connect forum that connectivity and interstate access are critical to economic expansion. At the RGV Connect Transportation and Trade session, Pete Sepulveda, Cameron County Administrator, said the Rio Grande Valley must accelerate infrastructure development to support economic growth tied to trade, energy, and population increases. Speaking at the Rio Grande Valley Partnership forum, Sepulveda outlined ongoing projects and long-term priorities across Cameron County and the region.

Sepulveda, who also serves as executive director of the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority, said his work reflects nearly four decades in transportation and border infrastructure. “I’ve been working all along the border… for the last 39 years,” he said, noting his involvement in multiple international bridge projects.

He said Cameron County is currently advancing a “$2 billion system of projects,” many of which are tied to trade corridors, international crossings, and regional connectivity. These efforts, he said, are designed to support emerging industries in the county, including energy, space, and national security sectors. “We understand the importance of bringing proper infrastructure,” Sepulveda said, adding that projects extend beyond county lines because of their regional impact.

Among the key developments, Sepulveda highlighted upgrades at the Veterans International Bridge, where expanded commercial and passenger lanes are improving traffic flow. He also pointed to a $265 million modernization project at the Gateway Bridge led by the General Services Administration. He said the goal of these investments is to reduce wait times and increase crossing efficiency. “The better flow of traffic you have… that’s going to encourage the trade community… to do multiple trips a day,” he said. _(__[Texas Border Business]([link removed])__)_

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* **TEXANS IN DC **

**“Second ex-staffer accuses Texas lawmaker of sending sexually explicit messages”** via [The Guardian]([link removed])‘s **Cecilia Nowell** – A second former female staffer for **Tony Gonzales**, a Republican congressman from Texas, has come forward claiming Gonzales sent her sexually explicit messages.

The San Antonio Express-News first reported the text messages on Monday and NBC News later confirmed the report.

In March, Gonzales admitted to having an affair with a separate aide, **Regina Santos-Aviles**, who died by suicide last year. Neither the San Antonio Express-News nor NBC shared the name of the second staffer, citing policies around sharing the names of victims of sexual harassment, but both confirmed she served as the political director of Gonzales’s 2020 campaign for Congress. Before that, she served in the army and worked as a defense contractor.

The San Antonio Express-News obtained hundreds of text messages that Gonzales allegedly exchanged with his former political director in 2020, which reportedly show he asked her “more than a dozen times to send nude photos over a period of three days, and persisted each time she declined”. The congressman “also attempted to initiate a sexual relationship over several weeks”, according to the report. _(__[The Guardian]([link removed])__)_

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* **BUSINESS NEWS **

**“Southwest Airlines, once known for its free bags perk, hikes fees amid higher jet fuel costs”** via AP – Southwest Airlines is raising checked baggage fees by $10, less than a year after ending its “bags fly free” perk that long set it apart, as jet fuel costs have jumped since the start of [the Iran war]([link removed]).

Customers checking one bag will pay $45 starting on Thursday, while a second will now cost $55, according to Southwest. Some travelers will still receive a free first checked bag, including certain loyalty-tier members, eligible co-branded credit card holders and active-duty military members.

The move was made “as part of an ongoing analysis of the business and against the evolving global backdrop,” the Texas-based carrier said in a statement.

Southwest ended its generous, decades-old policy of allowing passengers to check two bags for free [in May 2025]([link removed]), a move that marked a major shift for the carrier after years of marketing the perk [as a key differentiator]([link removed]).

The airline now joins [a growing list of U.S. carriers]([link removed]) that have increased fees since the war in the Middle East began Feb. 28, sending oil prices swinging as fighting near the Strait of Hormuz disrupted global supplies. Threats to the narrow waterway, where roughly a fifth of the world’s oil typically passes, have pushed up prices for jet fuel, which are refined from crude.

Delta Air Lines’ [higher baggage fees]([link removed]) took effect Wednesday. JetBlue and United Airlines [also raised]([link removed]) their bag fees last week. [AP]([link removed])

**“How new Texas billionaire Thomas Powell grew a $6.7 billion Houston business”** via [Houston Chronicle]([link removed])‘s Erica Grieder – When Powell Industries first opened its doors in Houston, in 1947, it was just a metal-working shop, producing products such as portable hammocks, clothesline poles and cattle guards. Nearly 80 years later, the company has grown alongside the city, and has diversified its business to focus on designing and manufacturing equipment and systems for electrical infrastructure. Today, Powell Industries has about 3,000 employees around the world. Its longtime CEO, **Thomas Powell**, has recently become a billionaire. The company’s market capitalization is about $6.7 billion, and last month, after its stock soared over the past five years, Powell Industries announced that its board had approved a three-for-one stock split, that will take effect Monday, April 6.

Powell Industries was founded in 1947 by **William E. Powell**. His son Thomas Powell, who started working at the company in 1964, became its chairman and CEO in 1984. Thomas Powell served as the company’s CEO until 2008, then returned twice as interim CEO before retiring from that post in 2016. He retired as chairman in 2019, and as a director in 2022.

Thomas Powell now lives in Giddings in central Texas, according to Forbes, and remains a major shareholder in the company, which went public in 1974. Last month, he was named to the Forbes World Billionaires list for the first time, with an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion as of April 2.

Powell Industries began to specialize in electrical infrastructure by the 1960s. The company says on its website that it introduced its first power control room in 1968 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in a project for Union Carbide, now a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. In 1984, it developed its first medium voltage breaker. Today, the company says, it is focused on “designing, manufacturing and packaging equipment and systems for the distribution and control of electrical energy,” for industrial customers such as refineries and petrochemical plants. _(__[HOU CHRON]([link removed])__)_

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* **QUICK LINKS **

VALLEY CENTRAL: **“Texas to lose on billion dollar hemp business – KVEO-TV”** _[VALLEY CENTRAL]([link removed])_

KTEN: **“Study: Low taxes driving growth in Oklahoma, Texas”** _[KTEN]([link removed])_

SAEN: **“A once-rare disease persists in Texas. Here’s what to know”** _[SAEN]([link removed])_

KXAN: **“Texans gather to protest proposed social studies changes ahead of long SBOE meeting”** _[KXAN]([link removed])_

TX TRIB: **“TribCast: Anti-Muslim rhetoric in Texas politics”** _[TX TRIB]([link removed])_

Los Angeles Times: **“Commentary: In Texas and beyond, a political impulse: If you don’t like it, leave”** _[Los Angeles Times]([link removed])_

HOU CHRON: **“Ousted Alamo Trust CEO says Texas socials studies overhaul is being rushed”** _[HOU CHRON]([link removed])_

NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth: **“Can political divisions be fixed as shutdown and gridlock continue”** _[NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth]([link removed])_

Spectrum News: **“Could Texas be getting bigger?”** _[Spectrum News]([link removed])_

TX TRIB: **“Texas students urge education board to focus on inclusion over politics in social studies overhaul”** _[TX TRIB]([link removed])_

Bloomberg Law News: **“For Hospitals in Texas, Sovereign Immunity Isn’t a Guarantee”** _[Bloomberg Law News]([link removed])_

AAS: **“Austin ISD warns of cuts to staff, art programs if budget deficit balloons”** _[AAS]([link removed])_

KXAN: **“Austin ISD to make ‘deeper cuts’ to close projected $180M shortfall”** _[KXAN]([link removed])_

Houston Public Media: **“Rollback of state minority business program will damage Harris County’s tax revenue, legal filing says”** _[Houston Public Media]([link removed])_

HOU CHRON: **“Rain returns to Houston as risks for severe storms across Texas increase”** _[HOU CHRON]([link removed])_

HOU CHRON: **“South Texas weather pattern about to shift, storm chances rise”** _[HOU CHRON]([link removed])_

TX MONTHLY: **“How One Texas County Struck a Deal With Its Data Centers”** _[TX MONTHLY]([link removed])_

AAS: **“Austin changed how police force is counted — and not everyone agrees”** _[AAS]([link removed])_

AAS: **“Need Narcan? More vending machines will distribute overdose-reversing medication”** _[AAS]([link removed])_

Department of Justice (.gov): **“Nine Men - Including Well Known Musical Artists - Federally Charged for Kidnapping at Music Studio in Dallas”** _[Department of Justice (.gov)]([link removed])_

DMN: **“Will Native American tribes build Dallas-Fort Worth’s first casino resort?”** _[DMN]([link removed])_

DMN: **“Driver arrested after ‘suspicious package’ in SUV blocks traffic, spurs lockdowns downtown”** _[DMN]([link removed])_

HOU CHRON: **“Eight states, three time zones and a ton of history: Take a trip down Route 66 as it turns 100”** _[HOU CHRON]([link removed])_

AAS: **“Black Pumas’ Adrian Quesada hosts one-night dinner for a cause”** _[AAS]([link removed])_

SAEN: **“Eight states, three time zones and a ton of history: Take a trip down Route 66 as it turns 100”** _[SAEN]([link removed])_

DMN: **“Dallas Wings nab jersey sponsor, most lucrative deal in team history”** _[DMN]([link removed])_

FWST: **“Dallas Cowboys host top defensive prospects in Frisco ahead of crucial draft”** _[FWST]([link removed])_

AAS: **“Is Texas softball still No. 1 after SEC series loss to Alabama?”** _[AAS]([link removed])_

DMN: **“SMU center Samet Yigitoglu entering transfer portal, report says”** _[DMN]([link removed])_

DMN: **“After Austin Metcalf’s death, high school track meet plans ‘appropriate security measures’”** _[DMN]([link removed])_

AAS: **“Texas softball: How to watch Longhorns play Red River rival Oklahoma”** _[AAS]([link removed])_


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