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BY: @MattMackowiak | Subscribe to the daily email here | | MONDAY 6/22/2026 - WEDNESDAY 6/24/2026 | | Good Thursday afternoon.
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“If something of importance is known in Texas, Matt knows it. With a decline in the number of credible news organizations, the Must Read Texas morning email is indispensable for anyone that wants to continue to be informed.” – Former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX) | | AUSTIN NEWSLETTER LAUNCHED | Are you one of the 100,000+ subscribers to ATX Pulse, a newsletter that delivers EVERYTHING you NEED TO KNOW about Austin? | | Subscriptions are $5/mo, $50/yr or $199/lifetime here: ATXpulsepremium.com. | > Become a PAID subscriber for $5/mo or $50/yr here. | | PRESENTING SPONSOR: Kalshi | Crypto Moves Fast. Trade What Happens Next. | | BTC at $100K? ETH above $3K? Market cap hitting new highs? Kalshi lets you trade on the outcomes you're already watching. Buy "Yes" or "No" shares on crypto milestones — no wallet, no gas fees, no exchange. Just your read on the market. Start with a free $10 and see if you're right. | Claim your $10 and start trading now. | Trade responsibly. | | PRESENTING SPONSOR #2: Kalshi | Live right now: California. Texas. The Billboard Hot 100. | | The California governor primary is happening right now. So is the 2028 presidential race, the next Senate runoff, and whether Taylor Swift tops the charts in June. Kalshi is the federally regulated prediction market where real money trades on real events. Your read on what happens next has value here. | See live markets | Trade responsibly. | | PRESENTING SPONSOR #3: True Gold Republic | Gold Without the Games. Faith-Driven. Fully Transparent. | | Most gold companies profit from your confusion. True Gold Republic was built differently. America's only Christian precious metals firm, with transparent pricing, zero hidden fees, and a written guarantee. Get your free 2026 kit and see the difference. | Get your free kit | | TOP NEWS | “Recent rain gives Corpus Christi a 9-month reprieve on projected water crisis” via The Texas Tribune‘s Colleen DeGuzman – Corpus Christi got welcome news Tuesday when the city’s projected water emergency was delayed to September 2027 after recent rains boosted some of the region’s reservoirs.
The city was initially bracing for a Level 1 emergency — the point when water demand is projected to be six months from exceeding supply — to surface in December.
Even better for residents and businesses, earlier this year — when levels at Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon, the city’s two main reservoirs, were at their lowest — the city was preparing for supply to run short this summer.
The latest projection buys the city significantly more time to find new water sources, but city leaders warned that it’s not time to slow down. (TX TRIB) | » Become a PAID SUBSCRIBER: $7/mo | » Become a PAID SUBSCRIBER: $70/yr | » Become a PAID SUBSCRIBER: $150/lifetime |
“Camp Mystic files for bankruptcy after catastrophic Texas floods killed 28 people at the girls’ camp” via AP – Camp Mystic filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization on Wednesday, nearly a year after catastrophic floods killed 25 campers and two teenage counselors at the Christian camp for girls along the Guadalupe River in Texas.
Camp Mystic has been under increasing pressure since the July 4 disaster. Owners had planned to reopen the Texas Hill Country camp this summer for its 100th anniversary but reversed course in April amid outrage from victims’ families and lawmakers. Victims’ families filed lawsuits accusing the camp of failing to protect the girls as the powerful floodwaters approached.
Camp Mystic’s owner, Richard Eastland, also died in the flood.
The camp listed its debt at more than $10 million, according to the filing made in federal bankruptcy court in Houston. An attorney for Camp Mystic has not responded to an email and a phone message seeking comment.
“Bankruptcy will not stop all responsible parties from being held accountable,” Paul Yetter, a lawyer who represents multiple families of campers and counselors who died at Camp Mystic, said in a statement. “These innocent girls deserve justice.”
For decades, Camp Mystic was a summer staple and an institution for generations of families, who dropped off their girls at the sleepaway camp to ride horses, canoe, fish and attend Bible studies. Other summer camps in Kerr County, west of Austin, did not take on such devastating flooding and in some cases have reopened.
All told, the destructive flooding killed at least 136 people along a several-mile stretch of the river, raising questions about how things went so terribly wrong. AP
“As New World screwworm reaches Texas, Trump officials race to breed more sterile flies” via The Texas Tribune‘s Gabby Birenbaum — At a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing earlier this month, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was resolute — her agency was well-prepared for the New World screwworm, and had kept it at bay for months before the first case was confirmed in a South Texas calf in early June.
As senators asked whether the U.S. Department of Agriculture needed further resources to combat the parasitic fly and if 2025 department cuts had had any impact on the government’s capacity to prepare, Rollins maintained that the federal government, from the White House down, was bought in.
“I walked in the Oval Office and I said sir, there is a pretty serious threat to our livestock that’s headed our way, and when we need 500 million sterile flies per week, we’re only producing 100 million out of Panama, because everyone took their eye off the ball years ago,” Rollins said, describing a conversation with President Donald Trump in the spring of 2025. “And unfortunately, because of the border policies, it’s coming our way. And he said, ‘Well, what do you need?’”
What Rollins got was $1.3 billion in emergency funding to tackle New World screwworm, which she said has allowed USDA to move quickly to expand its capacity to tackle the problem. (TX TRIB)
“Chevron plans massive Texas power plant for Microsoft, eyes oilfield wastewater as water source” via Houston Chronicle‘s Amanda Drane – Michael Wirth, Chairman and CEO of Chevron, announced Monday that the company plans to develop a massive power plant in West Texas to fuel a Microsoft data center as a boom in artificial intelligence reshapes the state’s oil and gas industry.
The power facility, co-located with the data center in Reeves County, is expected to deliver 2.67 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power roughly 667,500 homes for one hot summer day in Texas.
The Houston oil giant said the project — its first power plant for AI — will benefit the Texas economy while mitigating impacts to water resources and the grid. Large Texas oil companies such as Chevron, Exxon Mobil and Diamondback are branching into electricity generation for the first time, cashing in on AI growth as data centers create surging demand for power.
Locating the power facility on the same site as Microsoft’s data center enables Chevron to sidestep grid connections and supply it directly with electricity, which will be made onsite using natural gas produced in the Permian Basin and gas turbines, the company said. Chevron said the project will generate more than $10 billion in state and local tax revenue and will support nearly 2,000 jobs. (HOU CHRON)
“Majority of Texans oppose data center construction” via The Texas Tribune‘s Paul Cobler – A majority of Texans oppose the construction of data centers in their community, including nearly two-thirds of Texans living in rural areas, according to a new poll published Tuesday.
The survey of 1,200 self-reported registered voters conducted by the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project comes as Republican state officials increase their scrutiny of the tech industry and its race to build out the infrastructure needed to support the growing use of artificial intelligence.
“What the data underlines is how much of a problem the business stakeholders that are heavily in favor of [data center development] have on their hands,” said James Henson, co-director of the poll and head of the Texas Politics Project. “I think the pushback on the issue emerged more quickly and is more widespread than the conventional response to economic development in Texas has historically.”
Overall, 56% of those surveyed by the UT poll said they oppose the construction of a data center in their community, while only 29% said they supported the construction. The poll’s margin of error is +/-2.83 points. (TX TRIB)
“Increasingly fierce storms are coming for the upper Texas coast. Is the petrochemical industry ready?” via Houston Public Media‘s Adam Zuvanich – Galveston County is home to 22 refineries and chemical plants. The level of emergency preparedness varies widely.
Nearly two decades had passed since the storm. For many, the memory of what had happened on Goat Island had largely vanished into the Gulf of Mexico.
Instead, what residents remembered that year were the piles of boats and cars washed up along the highway to Galveston and the twisted mounds of debris where homes once stood. It was late summer 2008, and Hurricane Ike had just struck, decimating parts of the upper Texas Gulf Coast.
But Goat Island — a spit of swampy land just east of Galveston — also flooded, and with it an oil and gas facility that sat on its uninhabited shores. When the hurricane struck, piping to the St. Mary Land and Exploration Company’s storage tanks snapped apart, releasing thousands of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf. By the time St. Mary workers arrived a day later, the tanks were empty. (Houston Public Media)
“Texas Property Owners Should Prep for Single-Year Tax Increase” via Bloomberg Industry‘s Lee Winston – Property owners who have historically relied on Texas’ 20% non-homestead appraisal cap should anticipate a single-year property tax increase in 2027 because the cap likely won’t be extended. To mitigate the tax consequences, it’s important to act promptly and strategically during the 2026 property tax cycle.
The appraisal cap is set to expire at the end of this year. The 90th Texas Legislature doesn’t convene until Jan. 12, 2027, so without another special session, the cap will automatically expire before lawmakers can revive it.
Renewal is unlikely. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is running for reelection, and an extension plan is absent from his property tax platform. During the prior legislative session, a bill to renew the cap died in the House Subcommittee on Property Tax Appraisals.
The 20% appraisal cap’s limited nature and inconsistent administration also point to its nonrenewal. It applies only to non-homestead properties valued under $5 million. (Bloomberg Industry)
“A heat dome is bringing hotter weather back to Houston” via Houston Chronicle‘s Justin Ballard – Temperatures through July 4 are expected to remain above normal, according to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center outlook. The weather pattern across the Houston area is beginning to shift as a strengthening ridge of high pressure suppresses rain chances and returns Southeast Texas to a more typical late-June mix of heat and humidity.
Houston hasn’t yet recorded a 100-degree day in 2026, and temperatures this week should stay shy of the century mark. But with above-normal warmth favored through the end of June and into early July, the city’s first triple-digit temperature may be drawing closer.
A strengthening ridge of high pressure along the Texas coast will gradually take control of Houston’s weather pattern this week, bringing fewer rain chances and a return to more typical late-June conditions. After a wetter and more unsettled stretch of weather, rain chances are expected to decline as the ridge strengthens overhead. High temperatures will climb back into the low to mid-90s across much of the Houston area, while overnight lows remain warm and muggy in the upper 70s.
Those temperatures aren’t unusual for this time of year, but humidity will continue to be the bigger story. Even though air temperatures are expected to remain below 100 degrees, the combination of heat, high dew points and lingering moisture in the soil could push heat index values well into the triple digits during the afternoon hours. Anyone spending extended periods outdoors should be prepared for conditions that feel significantly hotter than the thermometer reading. (HOU CHRON)
“Texas family fights for the right to deny brain death testing” via The Texas Tribune‘s Katlyn Ma – Parents of a 2-year-old girl involved in a drowning incident on Memorial Day have sued to stop Texas Children’s Hospital from testing if she’s brain dead, testing a new strategy in Texas’ “right to life” movement aimed at giving people as much access to life-supporting services as possible.
While most fights to keep patients on life support begin after they’ve been given a brain death diagnosis, Annelise Camp’s parents are battling the hospital at an earlier stage, the testing phase.
“This is not settled science,” said state Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, who has helped drive the public’s attention to the Camps, who live in Cypress.
Brain death is defined in Texas law as the irreversible cessation of brain function. Under the law, once a patient is declared brain dead, a hospital can withdraw life-sustaining measures. (TX TRIB)
“Breach affecting 3 million Texans puts state’s cyber watchdog to the test” via Dallas Morning News Karen Brooks Harper – A cybersecurity breach that exposed personal information tied to more than 3 million Texas hunting and fishing licenses has thrust a little-known state agency into the spotlight.
The Texas Cyber Command, created by lawmakers last year to coordinate the state’s response to cyber threats, said it detected the breach over Father’s Day weekend.
The incident offers an early look at the role the new agency is expected to play as Texas faces a growing number of cyberattacks.
The Texas Cyber Command is responsible for overseeing and expanding the state’s cybersecurity threat response, forensics and training. It is administered through the University of Texas System and based at the University of Texas at San Antonio. (DMN)
| | 2026 | “Ken Paxton and James Talarico are neck and neck in U.S. Senate race, new poll finds” via The Texas Tribune‘s Kayla Guo – Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico are neck and neck in the race for U.S. Senate, according to a new poll released Tuesday by the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin.
Paxton led Talarico 43% to 42%, with a 3.5-point margin of error, the survey found, largely aligning with other recent polls, which have reported a competitive race since the general election nominees were solidified last month. The result puts Paxton on a promising trajectory, coming after he trailed Talarico by 8 percentage points in the same pollster’s April survey.
The latest poll queried 1,200 self-reported registered voters from June 5 to 12, around three weeks after the race was set when Paxton, the hardline conservative attorney general, bested U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican runoff election.
According to the poll, the vast majority of Republican voters — 84% — indicated they had moved on from the bitter GOP primary and would support Paxton, a 21-percentage-point shift from the Texas Politics Project’s April poll. Paxton’s 43% support is a 9-point improvement from his 34% showing in April, while Talarico remained stagnant at 42% in both surveys. (TX TRIB)
“Talarico hopes to turn Ken Paxton’s scandals into victory” via The Texas Tribune‘s Alejandro Serrano – For most of the 11 years that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has held statewide office, scandals have followed him. And for just as long, political opponents have used his various legal troubles as campaign ammunition against Paxton in elections.
Those challengers have described the state’s top civil lawyer as a thief and a crook, amoral and corrupt. Yet Paxton has won every contest.
This was true in 2018, during his first reelection bid as attorney general while under indictment for felony securities fraud, and it was true last month, when he defeated U.S. Sen. John Cornyn to become the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate.
Cornyn spent months and millions of dollars telling GOP primary voters about Paxton’s civil and criminal woes: Alleged affairs, an historic impeachment in the Legislature and a federal corruption probe among them. (TX TRIB)
“James Talarico has a new ad — with millions behind it” via MS NOW‘s Matt Fuller – Texas Democrat James Talarico is jumping headlong into his Senate bid against Republican Ken Paxton with a multi-million dollar ad buy, MS NOW has learned.
The Senate candidate, who is hoping to become the first Democrat to win statewide in Texas since 1994, is launching what his team is labeling his first “major” ad of the general election — with a focus on the cost of living.
In the 30-second spot, shared first with MS NOW, Talarico talks straight to camera while exiting a Red & White food store, a brown paper bag of groceries in hand. (MS NOW)
“Optimism abounds for Texas Democrats ahead of convention” via The Texas Tribune‘s Kayla Guo – After a contentious primary, Texas Democrats will host their state convention in Corpus Christi this week and look to rally the party behind their ticket ahead of what they hope will be a midterm election that turns a cascade of seats blue.
In what’s being billed as the largest gathering of Democrats in the country this year, Texas Democrats are looking to harness their momentum to seize perhaps their best chance since 2018 to establish Texas as a major battleground state that will be crucial for the national party to invest in as a means to retake the Senate and to maintain a long-term path to the White House. Over two and a half days beginning Thursday, Texas Democrats will choose their state leadership heading into a critical midterm, decide the party’s policy priorities, attend campaign and organizing trainings and hear from their statewide candidates and other prominent Democratic speakers.
“We’ve had a lot of constructive disagreements over the last few months during the primary cycle, but I think the convention signifies our move towards unity, our move towards the common shared vision of flipping the state blue,” said Jordan Villarreal, a Denton city councilman and member of the State Democratic Executive Committee, the state party’s governing board. “A lot of people across the nation and in our state are looking at this convention as a show of force, a show that we’re serious.”
Democrats have been locked out of state power for decades, each election cycle bringing new promises of a blue Texas followed by heartbreak and fingerpointing. But Texas Democrats are looking toward November again with high hopes, this time fueled by voter discontent with the Trump administration, massive turnout in the March Democratic primary and rising star U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico’s scandal-plagued opponent in Attorney General Ken Paxton. (TX TRIB)
“Democrat running for Texas railroad commissioner touts his experience” via WFAA‘s Michael McCardel — Jon Rosenthal is a four-term Democratic state Representative for District 135. He’s also a career mechanical engineer who’s worked in the oil and gas industry for more than 25 years.
If you were to ask the Democrat what makes him different than his opponent for railroad commissioner, Republican Bo French, that is where he starts.
“Sometimes my opponents have tried to say that I’m a Democrat that wants to destroy the oil and gas industry. My answer to that is it’s literally how I make my house payments. I’m not looking to cut the legs out from my own household,” Rosenthal told us on Inside Texas Politics. “I’m the expert in this race. My opponent has no experience.”
The Texas Railroad Commission is the oldest regulatory agency in Texas, celebrating 135 years in 2026. But it has nothing to do with trains anymore. It oversees the energy industry in Texas, from oil and gas, to coal, to pipelines. (WFAA)
“Should Austin be audited before asking voters for higher taxes?” via Austin American-Statesman‘s Chaya Tong – Austin voters are now poised to decide whether the city should be required to undergo regular outside audits before asking residents to approve higher taxes.
The local political action committee pushing to enshrine recurring audits of Austin’s spending in the City Charter announced Monday that city officials had validated its petition, clearing the way for the proposed charter amendment to appear on the November ballot.
City Clerk Erika Brady sent a letter to Save Austin Now certifying that the PAC’s petition had met Austin’s 20,000-signature requirement for an initiative petition. Brady estimated that the petition included 20,051 valid signatures out of the 21,131 names submitted after her office checked a random sample of 5,283 lines.
The proposed charter amendment would require Austin to undergo an independent spending audit every five years to identify potential cost savings. It also would bar the city from calling a tax rate election — such as last year’s Proposition Q — unless an audit had been completed within the previous 12 months. (AAS) | | 2027 | “Dallas mayor’s race: Who wants the job?” via Dallas Morning News‘ Gromer Jeffers Jr. – A downtown facing mounting challenges, a major sports franchise skating to a northern suburb, a City Hall in disrepair and a governance system that leaves the mayor with limited power to hammer out solutions.
Yet interest in succeeding Eric Johnson as mayor already has produced a long list of potential contenders, even though the election remains more than a year away.
The early lineup includes a former school superintendent, prominent developers, council members and a television-advertising lawyer. The jockeying comes as Johnson approaches the end of his second and final term.
There also are rumblings about asking voters to give the mayor more authority in Dallas’ council-manager government. The idea has gained little traction in the past, but it could make the job more attractive if approved before the next election. (DMN) | STATE GOVERNMENT | “Texas regulators urged to revise oil wastewater plan” via E&E News by POLITICO‘s Mike Lee – Oil and environmental groups are asking Texas regulators to revamp a regulation intended to help the oil and gas sector dispose of its massive wastewater flow.
The state Legislature passed a law last year giving the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality more authority over the oil industry’s stream of salty, chemical-laden waste known as produced water.
The law deals specifically with using the waste on land after it has been cleaned up, including for crop irrigation. TCEQ’s regulation could be finalized in October, as officials seek to open up new paths to address growing concerns about how to handle waste from the oil patch.
The commission’s plan calls for treated produced water from an oil field to be regulated under the same rules that apply to domestic wastewater, such as the treated water discharged from sewage plants. At a hearing last week, speakers said the commission should create rules specifically for oil and gas waste. (E&E News by POLITICO)
“Court filings: Unsafe homes and a child death still dog Texas’ foster care system amid improvement” via The Texas Tribune‘s Terri Langford – The Texas foster care system is improving but cases where children are improperly supervised, exposing them to injuries and even death continue, according to documents filed in the long-running federal lawsuit on Monday.
Under a court order born from a 15-year-old lawsuit over the state’s troubled foster care system, court-appointed monitors have been regularly producing comprehensive reports — 11 of them released publicly so far — on whether the state is implementing several ordered improvements.
The latest three, released on Monday, cover a period from 2023 through 2024. Monitors found that overall wait times for callers to the abuse hotline decreased, more than 82% of caseloads involving children in permanent foster care remained within a manageable threshold of 14-to-17 children per worker and “significant” progress has been made into the investigations of foster care providers.
The monitors reported that the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, which together with the Health and Human Services Commission are defendants in the 2011 lawsuit, had a “strong” performance when it came to keeping caseloads within those standards. It also praised the agency for the fact that nearly all caseworkers with at least one child’s case had completed the required training. (TX TRIB)
“Additional funding leads to expansion of Texas Rangers’ cold case unit” via Tyler Morning Telegraph – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) recently announced the expansion of the Texas Rangers’ Unsolved Crimes Investigation (UCIP/Cold Case) Program – a specialized unit dedicated to solving cold case murders and sexual assaults across the state.
“For nearly 25 years, the Texas Rangers Cold Case Program has helped partner law enforcement agencies bring justice to victims and their families in every corner of Texas,” Texas Ranger Division Chief Scotty Shiver said. “The expansion of this program is a testament to the Rangers’ success in working alongside investigators and forensic scientists to identify and arrest criminals who, sometimes for many years, have believed they have gotten away with committing some of the most heinous crimes. As forensic science and technology continue to advance, so will our ability to make a bigger impact in our state – putting more violent criminals behind bars and making Texas communities safer.”
Under Senate Bill 1, passed by members of the Texas Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott last year, the department was awarded funding to support new positions under the Texas Rangers’ Cold Case Program – bringing the number of personnel assigned to this specialized unit to 17 Rangers and three support staff, doubling the size of the program.
Created by the 77th Texas Legislature in 2001, the Texas Rangers’ Cold Case Program provides Texas law enforcement agencies with a process for investigating unsolved murders or what appears to be serial or linked criminal events. Since there is no statute of limitations on the offense of murder, the state has the moral and statutory obligation to pursue these cases to a successful resolution, or until no other viable lead remains. Members of the Texas Rangers’ Cold Case Program also regularly assist law enforcement agencies in advanced testing of DNA evidence to solve sexual assault cases across the state. (TYLER MT) | | LOCAL GOVERNMENT | Editorial: “Dallas must redesign convention center and maintain Oak Cliff connection” via Dallas Morning News‘ – A dust cloud rises from demolition work between the Houston Street and Jefferson Boulevard viaducts related to the construction of the new Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.
Faced with an abundance of bad options, the Dallas City Council should vote Wednesday to maintain downtown’s street connections to Oak Cliff.
That vote will mean redesigning the new convention center — again — delaying its opening and potentially adding hundreds of millions of dollars to its cost. But maintaining downtown’s links to nearby neighborhoods and their residents is more important to the city’s long-term financial and civic health than the cost of reworking the design.
Council members shouldn’t have had to face this dilemma. The sequence of events is murky, but it appears that city staff did not explain clearly that the latest convention center redesign would require permanently rerouting the Jefferson Boulevard Viaduct as it enters downtown. None of the proposed viaduct realignments are as efficient as the existing road. The many residents and businesses that rely daily on the existing connector are steamed that they hadn’t been consulted about the plan. (DMN)
Editorial: “By putting off SAWS rate vote, City Council only delays inevitable” via San Antonio Express-News – San Antonio Water System workers repair a broken water pipe along Broadway last year. In delaying a vote on SAWS’ proposed rate increase, the San Antonio City Council delays investing in water infrastructure.
The City Council members who recently voted to delay deciding whether to raise water and sewer rates have achieved a pyrrhic victory.
They won last week’s vote 6-5, but they have gained nothing. Meanwhile, not only is a rate increase for the San Antonio Water System inevitable, the delay may cost ratepayers more.
All council achieved was to put off a tough decision until the fall. When the next vote comes, a rate increase will still be needed, water will still be leaking from pipes, wastewater will still need to be treated, and aging infrastructure will still need to be modernized. (SAEN)
“Survey reveals residents’ priorities for Bexar County budget” via TPR – Bexar County commissioners are weighing spending priorities as revenue from property taxes drops due to a slowdown and lower values in the local real estate market.
Those property taxes fund the lion’s share of the county budget that has pushed $3 billion in recent years.
A survey of nearly 3,000 county residents on what those priorities should be was conducted by the UTSA Center for Public Opinion Research and will be presented to commissioners at their 9 a.m. Tuesday courthouse meeting.
It found commissioners should make road and bridge maintenance the top priority, followed by parks, creeks and trails, and county facilities in that order. (TPR)
“Bexar commissioners approve tax break to lure 2,000 Toyota jobs to San Antonio” via TPR‘s Brian Kirkpatrick – Bexar County commissioners on Tuesday formally approved a big tax break for Toyota in return for a potential $2 billion investment and 2,000 new jobs at its South Side facility.
Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai led a round of applause for Toyota after the commissioners’ vote. Some commissioners called the proposed expansion “a once in a generation” economic development.
“Congratulations Toyota,” Sakai said. “All right, I understand y’all are getting back to the plant and producing more trucks for San Antonio and the world.” Sakai also agreed with Precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Calvert that the expansion was “kaizen,” a Japanese word for continuous improvement in all aspects of life and work.
The 100% tax break would save Toyota $55 million in county taxes over 10 years. A job skills development grant to Toyota worth $250,000 was also approved by commissioners. (TPR)
“Hays County bars approval of new data centers through end of 2026” via San Antonio Express-News‘s Karoline Leonard – Hays County suspended approvals for data centers and other large, water-intensive developments through the end of the year and joined the growing number of counties across the state asking lawmakers to give them more regulatory authority.
After months of debate, county commissioners unanimously approved a resolution creating a water protection review period, pausing approvals for “significant water use developments” through Dec. 31.
The resolution approved Tuesday by Hays County commissioners applies to developments that: (SAEN)
“How a Tiny Texas River Agency Plans to Build the Largest Desalination Plant in the Country” via Inside Climate News‘s Arcelia Martin, Dylan Baddour – This story was produced in partnership with the Texas Newsroom, the state’s network of public radio stations.
Something moved John Byrum. He believed he could succeed where others had not.
The executive director of the Nueces River Authority (NRA)—a small, rural agency based 200 miles from the coast—decided to take up the banner, in 2024, of a desalination plant on Corpus Christi Bay.
Plans to build seawater desalination plants had floundered for years near Corpus Christi, which provides water to a major complex of chemical plants and refineries, and the likelihood of water shortages was growing. (Inside Climate News) | | #TXLEGE | “Texas water officials seek more funding as crisis worsens, costs soar: ‘This is not going to stop’” via KXAN‘s Eden Shimanek – Texas water officials pleaded with members of the Texas House Natural Resources committee on Tuesday to provide more funding for water supply projects as project costs skyrocket. Despite the Texas Legislature allocating increased funding to the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) in 2013, and again last year, water experts are concerned about a lack of funding available for local governments to undertake needed water infrastructure projects.
In 2013, the Legislature passed House Bill 4, which created the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT). This fund had an initial investment of $2 billion and provided communities with low-interest financing to address state water plan projects. Examples of these projects include building new pipelines and conservation efforts. The plan was to use that initial investment as the base of an endowment to build a sustainable fund — funneling $27 billion towards water infrastructure projects for 50 years.
However, Temple McKinnon, water supply planning director for TWDB, says their drafted 2027 five-year State Water Plan far exceeds current funding. “It’s an ongoing challenge. We do our absolute best to essentially squeeze as much capacity as we can out of our financial assistance programs, but there is growing demand as evidenced very clearly by the kind of new $174 billion price tag for the State Water Plan,” McKinnon told lawmakers Tuesday.
McKinnon clarified that increased costs are attributed to a wide range of factors, including inflationary pressure, labor costs, and materials. Last year, the Texas legislature passed a constitutional amendment to dedicate $1 billion a year towards water infrastructure from 2027 through 2047. The voters of Texas confirmed their support with a constitutional amendment referendum. However, the first funds won’t likely be granted until at least 2028. (KXAN) | | TRUMP ADMINISTRATION | “Trump signals he may pull out of trade agreement with Mexico and Canada, which could impact Texas businesses” via Houston Public Media‘s Andrew Schneider – President Donald Trump, who negotiated the USMCA during his first presidential term as a replacement for NAFTA, praised it at the time. Negotiations on whether to extend the agreement are likely to stretch past a key July 1 deadline.
The Trump administration is pushing up against a July 1 deadline to renew the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). President Donald Trump’s public remarks are leading to fears among some Texas businesses that he could pull the U.S. out of the agreement.
When Trump negotiated the USMCA during his first term as president, to serve as a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), he called it the “fairest, most balanced, and beneficial trade agreement we have ever signed into law.” But last week, he said he’d rather see it terminated than renew it.
“I would rather not have the agreement,” Trump told reporters. “I may sign it, but we do better as a country if we don’t have an agreement.” (Houston Public Media)
“In post-DEI era, Trump admin turns to San Antonio for more veteran-owned businesses” via San Antonio Report‘s Andrea Drusch – As President Donald Trump’s administration forces an end to race- and gender-conscious contracting preferences, governments at every level are ramping up their goals to award more contracts to veteran-owned businesses instead.
There’s just one problem, however: finding enough veteran contractors who have the certifications to complete the work.
Top officials from Trump’s Small Business Administration are now scrambling to fill the gaps as the federal government ramps up its own goals for small veteran-owned businesses — and could soon go even higher.
Beneath an arch of red, white and blue balloons on a sticky Friday morning, Trump’s SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler visited San Antonio to personally christen a new Veterans Business Outreach Center [VBOC] that her office is standing up at St. Philip’s College. (SA REPORT) | | TEXANS IN DC | “Congressional panel demands Travis County DA’s records on immigration prosecution” via The Texas Tribune‘s Ayden Runnels – A congressional committee is demanding Travis County District Attorney José Garza provide them with years’ worth of documents and communications related to his office’s prosecution of non-citizens and communication with immigration officials.
A letter from three Republican members of the committee on Monday, including Rep. Chip Roy of Austin, asked Garza to provide the panel with all of his office’s communications with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials and all documents related to how the office handles cases involving non-citizens. The letter said Garza “undermined the rule of law” through his leadership at the office and that the documents were required to “inform potential legislative reforms to address sanctuary policies.”
“This dereliction of duty has raised serious questions about whether repeat offenders, including criminal aliens, are being adequately prosecuted and whether the safety of law-abiding Austin residents is being put first,” Roy said in a statement posted on social media.
The letter cites statements from 2021 made on Garza’s campaign website promising to protect immigrant communities and expand diversion programs in the county, and accused Garza more broadly of a “soft-on-crime approach.” (TX TRIB) | | BUSINESS NEWS | “Texas Supreme Court dismisses lawsuit over SpaceX beach closures but avoids key question” via Houston Chronicle‘s Andrea Leinfelder – The Texas Supreme Court reinstated the dismissal of a lawsuit from environmental and community groups that sued the government for closing a South Texas beach during SpaceX rocket launches.
The groups argued that the closures conflict with the Texas Constitution, which says the public has an “unrestricted right” to access public beaches. But the Supreme Court supported a trial court’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit, saying a provision in the state constitution bars private parties from bringing lawsuits to enforce that beach-access right.
Yet the Supreme Court did not answer a key question: Does closing a beach for public safety during rocket launches interfere with Texans’ constitutional rights?
“We express no view on whether the beach closures, or the statutes permitting them, violate the public’s ‘unrestricted’ right,” according to a footnote in the court’s opinion released Friday. (HOU CHRON)
“Judge orders Atmos to preserve evidence in Dallas blast” via Dallas Morning News‘ Jamie Landers, Sue Ambrose and Michael Cuviello – A judge on Monday ordered Atmos Energy to preserve evidence from a deadly Oak Cliff gas explosion, hours after a survivor blamed the utility in court filings of multiple failures leading up to the blast.
The filings, part of a lawsuit first filed in late May, allege the company failed to repair repeated gas leaks, replace an aging plastic pipeline long linked to leaks and explosions and properly mark underground gas lines before drilling was to take place at the site.
In a statement, Atmos disputed that one of the types of pipe material highlighted in the filing as problematic was present at the site, and said it hired a professional line locator to find the gas line before the explosion. The utility did not respond to questions about the restraining order, but had previously said in emails included in court documents that it was abiding by its “preservation obligations.”
Dallas Fire-Rescue was responding May 28 to a reported gas leak at The Clyde apartments on East 9th Street, near Patton Avenue, when an explosion sparked a fire. Three people died; at least five others were injured. It was Dallas’ deadliest gas-related accident since 2018, when an explosion in northwest Dallas killed a 12-year-old girl. (DMN)
“Sabanci secures long-term Meta deal for 220MW Texas solar projects” via Türkiye Today – Sabanci Renewables, a wholly owned subsidiary of Turkish industrial conglomerate Sabanci Holding, has entered into a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with Meta covering two solar projects under development in Texas, further expanding the company’s presence in the U.S. renewable energy market.
Under the agreement, Meta will acquire 100% of the environmental attributes generated by the Lucky 7 Solar and Pepper Solar projects, including renewable energy credits (RECs) and other clean-energy benefits associated with the electricity produced by the facilities.
The projects have a combined capacity of 220 MWac (286 MWdc), comprising the 100 MWac (130 MWdc) Lucky 7 Solar project and the 120 MWac (156 MWdc) Pepper Solar project. Both facilities are expected to be completed in the second half of 2027 and form part of Sabanci Renewables’ growing utility-scale renewable energy portfolio in the U.S, the company said.
The projects are expected to support more than 600 jobs during construction and create long-term employment opportunities once operational. (Türkiye Today)
“Space Giant Axiom Space officially Shifts Legal Residence to Texas” via Texas Border Business – Axiom Space has redomiciled its legal headquarters to Texas, according to an announcement from Governor Greg Abbott.
“Texas has been the launchpad of spaceflight since its inception,” Governor Abbott said. “We welcome Axiom Space’s decision to make Texas its legal residence and look forward to the progress they will achieve in our state. Those who reach for the stars do so from the great state of Texas.”
The announcement follows a meeting between Governor Abbott and Axiom Space leadership. According to the Governor’s Office, Abbott discussed Texas’ position as a leader in space-sector employment. The state is home to more than 150,000 aerospace workers, and NASA’s Johnson Space Center generates more than $9.8 billion in annual economic output.
Dr. Jonathan Cirtain, CEO and President of Axiom Space, said the company’s decision reflects Texas’ business environment and support for innovation. (Texas Border Business)
“Austin-area hospitals denied miscarriage care despite clarification to Texas’ abortion ban, federal complaint alleges” via The Texas Tribune‘s Eleanor Klibanoff – There came a point when the chills, fever and cramps were so intense that Lynn Callaway thought she might die.
Callaway was having a miscarriage, and had developed an infection. She wanted abortion-inducing medication or surgery to help empty her uterus and bring her suffering to an end. But, in a federal complaint filed Monday, Callaway says she’d already been refused that type of care at two Austin area emergency rooms, and felt she had no choice but to endure alone at home.
Her husband, Mario, was unwilling to accept that his otherwise healthy 40-year-old wife was suddenly wan and bleeding on the floor, while their young son watched in alarm. He wanted to take her to New Mexico or Colorado to get the care they say they were wrongfully denied in Texas. But she was too weak to sustain the trip.
When they finally saw her doctor days later, Callaway was prescribed abortion-inducing drugs to pass the miscarriage. In an interview with The Texas Tribune, Callaway said when she pressed her doctor on why it had taken three medical facilities four days to treat her, she was told the emergency room would “have to be damned sure that it’s an actual miscarriage to be offering the pill.” (TX TRIB)
“A Tesla driver using auto assistance crashed into a Texas home, killing a woman” via Business Insider‘s Huileng Tan – A Texas woman died after a Tesla crashed through a brick home while the driver said an automated driving-assistance system was engaged, authorities said.
The crash happened around 8:03 p.m. on Friday in Katy, Texas, where Michael Butler was driving a Tesla Model 3, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Saturday.
“Butler failed to drive in a single lane, left the roadway, and struck the residence,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Butler’s Tesla entered through the brick residence, at a high rate of speed, and struck M. Avila who was inside the residence,” it added. (Business Insider)
“Historic Bastrop brick company owner alleges fraud in $29 million lawsuit” via Austin American-Statesman‘s Paul Flahive – Bricks manufactured by Butler Brick and salvaged from demolition of UT’s Old Main make up the inner walls and air shafts of the UT Tower. Old Main was built of Butler Brick in the late 1800s and demolished in 1934.
As Matthew Galvez’s company was dying, so was he. The owner of Bastrop-based Elgin Butler Co. had a potentially terminal cancer diagnosis and, unable to manage the operation, handed the reins to a colleague and friend.
Elgin Butler, which was originally known as Butler Brick Co., provided building materials throughout the state and internationally for 150 years. Its bricks were used in most of the original buildings at the University of Texas at Austin and in parts of the UT Tower. Between 2 million and 3 million of them were used in the Texas Capitol building.
Galvez lived, but alleges in court filings that, while he battled cancer, the man he turned to for help instead helped himself. He says Douglas Land stripped him of his ownership and sold off the principal assets including hundreds of acres of property in a series of maneuvers he alleges were fraudulent. (AAS) | | QUICK LINKS | Virginia Business: “Booz Allen to acquire Texas defense tech company for $720M” Virginia Business | EnergyNow.com: “Exxon Looks to Ditch New Jersey Incorporation for Texas Homecoming” EnergyNow.com | Land Line Media: “Fatal shooting at Texas trucking company” Land Line Media | WFAA: “FIFA World Cup is already delivering big wins for North Texas businesses” WFAA | The Center Square: “DEXIT to Texas: Companies continue to leave Delaware for Texas” The Center Square | WSJ: “Texas Senate Race Turns Into a Battle Over Who Is More of a Man” WSJ | SAEN: “Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is launching a podcast. What we know, including first guest” SAEN | TX TRIB: “Texas lawmakers want fixes to statewide voter registration system ahead of midterms” TX TRIB | HOU CHRON: “Mike Miles led HISD for a year without required certification or waiver” HOU CHRON | TX TRIB: “Most data centers ignore Texas surveys about their water use” TX TRIB | AAS: “Texas draws another AI company to relocate HQ to Austin” AAS | KXAN: “Texas anti-abortion groups seek tighter control” KXAN | HOU CHRON: “Sugar Land pauses residential development of ‘sacred land’ near Sugar Land 95 burial site” HOU CHRON | HOU CHRON: “Houston’s East End tire fire site tied to debt claims, PPP fraud case” HOU CHRON | HOU CHRON: “Houston fire: Hot spots could keep crews at East End recycling site for days” HOU CHRON | TPR: “Facing state probe and infighting, Judson ISD names a new leader for 4th time this year” TPR | SA REPORT: “How San Antonio’s property taxes, utilities and fees all add up” SA REPORT | Farm Progress: “4 new screwworm cases confirmed in Texas after week of silence” Farm Progress | DMN: “Chad West: I won’t vote to leave Dallas City Hall for a vague promise” DMN | AAS: “Dailyn Swain photos: Best moments from former Texas Longhorn’s college career” AAS | AAS: “What Chicago Bulls fans can expect out of Dailyn Swain” AAS | AAS: “Texas A&M baseball lands commitment from Texas State pitcher Wade Cooper” AAS | | EXTRA POINTS | Recent Texas sports scores:
Saturday 6/20
> MLB: San Diego 6, Texas 4
> MLB: Cleveland 8, Houston 1
> WNBA: Dallas 93, Chicago 92
Sunday 6/21
> MLB: Texas 4, San Diego 3
> MLB: Houston 2, Cleveland 1
Monday 6/22
> MLB: Texas 4, Miami 3
> MLB: Toronto 4, Houston 2
> WNBA: Dallas 112, Seattle 110
Tuesday 6/23
> MLB: Miami 6, Texas 4
> MLB: Houston 9, Toronto 7
Wednesday 6/24
> MLB: Houston 3, Toronto 1
> MLB: Miami 4, Texas 2
Tonight’s Texas sports schedule:
> 5:40pm: MLB: Houston at Detroit
> 6:07pm: MLB: Texas at Toronto
> 9pm: WORLD CUP: USA vs. Turkey (Fox)
> 9pm: WNBA: Dallas at Las Vegas
Tomorrow’s Texas sports schedule:
> 5:40pm: MLB: Houston at Detroit
> 6:07pm: MLB: Texas at Toronto | | TEXAS SPORTS HEADLINES / LINKS | NHL: “NHL exploring Texas expansion in Houston or Austin with billionaire Dan Friedkin and family” AP
BRENDAN SORSBY: “Brendan Sorsby has to wait until 2027 to join the NFL” AP
DALLAS MAVERICKS: “Mavs hire Dusty May just in time for NBA draft, then pick one of the coach’s Michigan players“ AP
SAN ANTONIO SPURS: “Spurs and Thunder go big, Acuff-Brown is a matchup to watch and other takeaways from the NBA draft” AP
TEXAS FOOTBALL: “Texas building 2027 wide receiver depth with latest in-state commitment” KXAN
TEXAS BASEBALL: “Texas baseball: Sawyer Solitaria’s transfer adds to depth in the Longhorns’ outfield” AAS |
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