| MustReadTexas.com – @MustReadTexas
BY: @MattMackowiak | Subscribe to the daily email here | | FRIDAY || 1/17/25 | | Good Friday mid day.
Thank you for being a paid subscriber. | | “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) | | | “Dallas weather: Temperatures plunge this weekend after arctic front,” Dallas Morning News' Lana Ferguson — “Temperatures will plummet Saturday in North Texas as an arctic cold front pushes through, days ahead of when light snow is expected.
There will be multiple days of frigid, dangerously cold weather as morning wind chills will be in the single digits and teens, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.
The cold will begin intensifying Sunday before the coldest weather of the season settles in either Monday or Tuesday, according to the KXAS-TV (NBC5) forecast.
Throughout the weekend into early next week, highs will only climb into the 30s.
There’s a possibility high temperatures on Monday will remain below freezing. The probability is higher in northwest counties. | » BECOME A PAID SUBSCRIBER: $7/mo | » BECOME A PAID SUBSCRIBER: $70/yr | Light snow and flurries are expected overnight Monday into Tuesday, but the weather service said most areas of North Texas won’t have impacts. The wintry precipitation will likely only leave behind a dusting of snow — or no accumulation at all.
Dallas forecast via KXAS-TV (NBC5):
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny, windy and colder. Low: 39. High: 46. Wind: NW 15-25 mph with higher gusts.
SUNDAY: Mostly sunny and cold. Low: 23. High: 36. Wind: N 10-15 mph.
MONDAY (MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY): Partly to mostly cloudy and cold. Low: 20. High: 33. Wind: NE 10-15 mph.
TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy and cold with a 30% chance of light snow. Low: 20. High: 35. Wind: NE 5-10 mph.
WEDNESDAY: Partly cloudy and chilly. Low: 23. High: 42. Wind: S 5-10 mph." DMN ($)
“Texas data breach exposed 60K SNAP recipients, others to fraud,” Dallas Morning News' Emily Brindley — “The Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced Friday morning that a privacy breach at the agency has exposed the personal information of at least 61,000 Texans, opening them up to potential fraud.
HHSC learned on Nov. 21 that an unidentified number of employees “improperly” accessed people’s identifying information. The agency terminated those involved and reported the situation to the Office of Inspector General, the announcement said.
The agency sent out its announcement over email on Friday morning, a couple hours after The Texas Tribune published a story about the breach.
The breach impacts some recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, called SNAP.
“The agency is still determining the impact of the privacy breach on other HHSC programs,” the announcement said.
A variety of personal data was exposed, according to the announcement, including full names and home addresses, as well as Social Security numbers and financial and banking information. The breach stretched from June 2021 through December 2024.
HHSC is advising SNAP recipients to check their accounts for any fraudulent activity, and report any suspicious activity by calling 2-1-1 and selecting option 3.
SNAP recipients who believe there is fraudulent activity on their account should also contact law enforcement and contact a local HHSC office to have their benefits reinstated.
Officials will notify all of the impacted people by Jan. 20 through first-class mail. More people will be notified as HHSC continues to review the breach, the announcement said.
For those impacted, HHSC is also offering credit monitoring and identity protection services for free for two years, the agency said.
HHSC posted a page with frequently asked questions for people impacted by the breach. That document can be found on the agency’s website." DMN ($)
“'A dedicated public servant': What we know about the Brazoria County deputy shot and killed while serving a warrant,” KHOU's Lupita Villareal — “BCSO Deputy Jesus Vargas was a 17-year-veteran who is survived by his wife and three children.
According to authorities, the incident unfolded around 11:30 a.m. in a strip center off Stella Link Road just inside the South Loop. It happened outside a Dollar Tree where crime scene tape was seen surrounding the parking lot.
Vargas was shot in the head and killed while he and other members of the U.S. Marshal's Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force were serving a warrant on Robert Lee Davis, 56, a violent career criminal.
Following an hours-long manhunt, Davis was killed during a shootout with law enforcement after a K9 found him hiding in a dumpster behind the same strip center.
In a news conference, Brazoria County Sheriff Bo Stallman, joined by Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz, said Vargas was a 17-year-veteran.
Stallman said Vargas was also a husband and a father of three.
"They're grieving, mourning, at this time. I would ask that we all send our prayers and our condolences to the family. That's what we're doing as a department and as a community in Brazoria County," Stallman said.
In a Facebook post, BCSO called Vargas a "dedicated public servant, known for his integrity, compassion, and commitment to our community."
Besides being part of the team, the sheriff's office said Vargas was a friend, mentor and inspiration to everyone who knew him.
"His professionalism and kind nature left a lasting impact on our office and the residents he served," the post said.
The sheriff's office said it would later release information on its page regarding memorial and remembrance services.
"Deputy Vargas’s service and the positive impact he made in Brazoria County will never be forgotten. He will be greatly missed," the post said.
After Davis was shot and killed, authorities held another news conference at the scene.
"He was a hero in my eyes. He was a winner. He gave 17 years of his life. Days, evenings, nights as a patrol officer," Chief Diaz said about Deputy Vargas." KHOU | | | Editorial: “Texas must close funding gap for suicide call centers,” via San Antonio Express-News — “State lawmakers have an opportunity this legislative session to show Texas is serious about reducing suicide by adequately funding the centers that answer calls from people at risk of taking their lives.
From 2000 to 2020, the number of suicide deaths in Texas per 100,000 residents rose drastically among people 10 to 24. It was up 35% among those 10 to 14, up 39.1% among those 15 to 19, and up 56.9% among those 20 to 24. Overall, suicide is the second-leading cause of death among Texans 15 to 34.
Meanwhile, in Texas, 988 — the federally mandated, state-run service that connects callers to crisis counselors and addresses a need for which 911 is often ill-equipped — shows signs of being unable to keep pace despite the dedicated efforts of the people running it.
The crisis line is in crisis.
In August, the most recent month for which state-specific data is posted on 988lifeline.org, Texas lagged nearly all states in critical metrics.
Perhaps most notably, more than 12% of received 988 calls in the state were abandoned, meaning they were disconnected before a counselor engaged the caller. That’s tied with Tennessee for the fifth-highest rate in the nation. The average time to answer a 988 call in Texas was 35 seconds, tied with New York for third slowest, behind only South Carolina and Virginia.
The in-state answered rate was 83%. And while that’s a major improvement from 40% in 2021, the year before the state’s hotline was integrated with the federally mandated one, the current rate is lower than that of 30 other states.
Texas’ five 988 lifeline call centers — in Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston and Tyler — also respond through chats and texts, but the state would need to at least double its number of crisis counselors systemwide to fully implement such capability in its hotline network, according to the Texas Tribune.
As it is, the system is operating at a multimillion-dollar deficit. The state allocated $14 million for fiscal 2024 while Vibrant Emotional Health projected operational costs for Texas’ 988 centers in 2023 at $21 million.
In an April policy paper titled “Confronting the Crisis: Addressing Youth Suicide Prevention and Crisis Response in Texas,” the National Alliance on Mental Illness Texas recommended how to address the gap. Chief among them are to increase general revenue funding for 988 call centers, create a 988 trust fund and levy a modest fee on telecom services to support the trust fund.
Creating a 988 trust fund would enhance the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s “capacity to effectively address the pressing demand for crisis services for both youth and adults” and “ensure long-term sustainable funding for crisis services,” NAMI Texas states in its policy paper.
Also, it would reduce the reliance on state funding over time while creating “parity among the 911 and 988 systems, sending a powerful message that mental health crises are just as critical as other types of health crises.”
State Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, has filed Senate Bill 188, which seeks to create such a trust fund, and enact a 988 suicide and crisis lifeline service fee to sustain it, along with grants, donations, and state and federal funding.
Menéndez’s bill also proposes establishing mobile crisis outreach teams and youth crisis outreach teams as standard components of all 988 suicide and crisis lifeline centers — also among NAMI Texas’ recommendations.
Another key NAMI Texas recommendation is to cover crisis stabilization and crisis respite by Medicaid, as is done in about two dozen other states.
Adding such services to Medicaid is “broadly supported by mental health advocacy organizations,” NAMI Texas said, adding that the Texas Association of Health Plans recommended such a change in Medicaid coverage during its testimony on July 31 to the Texas House Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety.
To be fair, Texas has increased funding for behavioral health overall in recent years. But in today’s climate in which more people are feeling isolated and in which social media is more a source of harassment and anxiety than comfort and community, it needs to acknowledge that even greater resources are needed to save lives." SAEN ($) | | | “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, 22 other states sue to halt planned federal methane fines,” Texas Tribune's Alejandra Martinez — “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, joined by a 22-state coalition, filed a lawsuit Thursday against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to block the implementation of a methane emissions tax created under the Inflation Reduction Act.
The lawsuit, filed in the final days of President Biden’s administration, argues that the EPA rule — which imposes a monetary penalty on certain oil and gas facilities that exceed methane emission limits — is unlawful and exceeds the federal agency’s authority.
“Over the past four years I have opposed the Biden Administration more than 100 times to stop its radical attempts to undermine the law. I am positive this last-minute effort to harm the energy industry will be halted as well,” Paxton said in a press release. “In only four days, when President-elect Trump resumes office, America will no longer be burdened by a runaway bureaucracy intent on destroying our liberties.”
The methane tax, also known as the Waste Emissions Charge, targets so-called super emitters, operators that emit high volumes of methane. The penalty starts at $900 per metric ton for methane emissions reported in 2024 and jumps to $1,500 per metric ton of methane by 2026.
Most of the methane emissions in the U.S. come from the energy sector — particularly facilities in Texas, the nation’s largest oil and gas producing state.
Methane, a primary component of natural gas, is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change by trapping heat in the atmosphere. The EPA reports that methane accounts for about 16% of global emissions. Because methane lasts in the atmosphere for a few decades rather than a few centuries, reducing emissions would help moderate global temperatures more quickly.
Critics of the methane tax have expressed concerns about the complexity of reporting methane emissions and the disproportionate impact they believe it has on smaller operators who might release methane.
Other states in the lawsuit are all led by Republicans, including Oklahoma, Arkansas, North Dakota, West Virginia, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, to name a few.
Reversing the rule would require extensive regulatory review, public input, and potentially congressional action — a process that could take years." Texas Tribune | | | “TxDOT plans major closures to Loop 1604 and I-10,” San Antonio Express-News' Richard Webner — “North Side motorists take heed: The Texas Department of Transportation is planning several major closures of Loop 1604 and Interstate 10 as work continues on a long-running highway expansion project.
TxDOT will close all westbound lanes of Loop 1604 between the entrance ramp for Stone Oak Parkway and the exit ramp for that same road between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. every night until Friday, Jan. 24, according to a news release from the agency.
During those same hours, the agency will also close Loop 1604's northbound and southbound lanes at the crossing of Voigt Drive and Stone Oak Parkway, as well as both of the turnarounds there: the one running from Loop 1604 eastbound to westbound, and the one from westbound to eastbound.
This weekend, TxDOT plans to close one of the eastbound lanes of I-10 between Loop 1604 and the exit ramp for UTSA Boulevard, according to another news release. The closure will be in effect from 9 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday.
During that same period, the following other roadways will be closed:
> The I-10 eastbound frontage road south of Loop 1604.
> The exit ramp from Loop 1604 eastbound to I-10 eastbound.
> The exit ramp from Loop 1604 westbound to I-10 westbound.
The work is being done as part of TxDOT’s $1.4 billion Loop 1604 North Expansion Project overhauling the stretch of Loop 1604 between Bandera Road and Interstate 35. The project is being done in six segments, with the final one set to be complete in 2028, according to TxDOT’s website." SAEN ($)
“Angry parents confront Keller ISD board over district split proposal,” Dallas Morning News' Talia Richman — “Keller families lambasted their school board on Thursday night during a heated meeting about a proposal to split the district in two.
The idea, which the board discussed but took no action on, has so inflamed the community that Superintendent Tracy Johnson said she was prepared to resign.
“I don’t agree with this,” Johnson said of the proposal.
So many people showed up to demand that Keller ISD trustees scrap the idea that dozens had to crowd outside the administration building because district officials said the facility had reached its capacity. Parents held their phones to their ears so they could listen to the meeting’s livestream as the sun went down.
“It seems like they are just limiting our voice,” parent Vanessa Odom said.
Parents learned about trustees’ private discussions about the split in recent days after rumors began spreading in group chats and on social media.
Two trustees, Joni Shaw Smith and Chelsea Kelly, later confirmed in Facebook posts that discussions took place among a group of three other board members regarding “a plan to detach a portion of Keller ISD and form a new school district.”
Kelly said she learned about the idea in December. She echoed many parents’ concerns about a lack of transparency.
The process “raised more red flags than I can count,” Kelly said. “Decisions this big should never be made in secret.”
Trustee John Birt, meanwhile, criticized the leak of the idea. He said it was inappropriate for someone to prematurely release “incomplete information.”
School board president Charles Randklev — repeatedly shouted down by the crowd for his involvement in the discussions — tried to focus on the district’s budget challenges.
The state has not increased the base amount of money it provides per-student since 2019 despite inflation and other pressures. Several other districts had to close campuses or cut programs to deal with the financial burden.
“All I can tell you is we are looking for ways to basically get in front of this,” Randklev said.
Parents said they did not understand how dividing the district would save money.
After hours of tense public testimony from parents, Randklev committed that the board would get more community feedback and create a webpage to share information. He described the split proposal as far from finalized.
As the board took community questions, tensions repeatedly flared between trustees and parents.
“We can’t even have a discussion, a conceptual discussion, right now,” Randklev said. “We got people basically standing up and trying to hijack” the meeting and insult the board.
A district division would have major ramifications for students and families. Community members asked how it could impact property values, school funding, building usage, feeder patterns and more.
Several parents said they chose their homes just to send their children to the highly-regarded Keller ISD.
“This uncertainty could harm property values, reducing tax revenue and deterring homebuyers from investing in Keller ISD neighborhoods,” KISD mother Ashley Wallace said.
Keller ISD’s more than 33,000 students live across a broad swath of Tarrant County, often considered a political battleground." DMN ($)
Editorial: “DART, member cities have one last shot before Legislature gets involved,” via Dallas Morning News — “Dallas Area Rapid Transit and its member cities have been locking horns for months. But in a change of tone last week, the transit agency’s leaders talked about how each city can be better served.
Some creative ideas have come out of this exercise. As prospects of legislative action grow, local leaders should stay the course and find an arrangement they’re comfortable with instead of punting their problems to the state Capitol.
In June, Plano became the first of DART’s 13 member cities to pass a resolution seeking to reduce the sales tax funding cities provide to the agency. In the following months, five other member cities did the same.
Most have cited complaints about low ridership and the level of service they get in return for the millions of dollars they contribute to the agency.
Placing DART’s future in the hands of state lawmakers could have far-reaching and unanticipated consequences for public transit in North Texas. Our Legislature hasn’t been friendly to mass transit in the past, and based on bills filed for the 2025 session, we aren’t expecting that to change.
In what appears to be an attempt to avoid state involvement, DART officials have been meeting with member cities to understand their needs. Last week, board members discussed the feedback DART received.
Some cities have asked for greater focus on shuttle and circulator services around hubs. Others have asked the agency to participate in tax increment reinvestment zones, which would send a portion of sales tax growth in a specific area back to member cities for reinvestment.
Those are just a couple of the ideas that could represent a path to an arrangement that works better for everyone. But at least one member city, Plano, is already working with its representatives in the state Legislature “in the event legislation is necessary,” said Andrew Fortune, director of government relations. The city still hopes that these issues can be worked out locally, he said.
So do we. This conversation in North Texas centers around a series of complex issues, and the people who live here and know the ins and outs of the region are best equipped to make decisions about transit.
Suburban members say they have been waiting years for a meaningful response to their concerns. DART should start making firm commitments right away. It’s not enough to tell member cities the agency is thinking about addressing their concerns or working on a plan.
And we can’t pretend like this conversation shouldn’t have happened much sooner. DART has known at least since June that member cities have serious concerns about the services they receive. Feedback sessions should be happening regularly.
The window of opportunity may be closing, but there are viable solutions that can improve mobility and transportation for all of DART’s member cities. Arriving there in time will be the trick." DMN ($) | | | “SpaceX sees success and failure on seventh Starship test flight,” Houston Chronicle's Andrea Leinfelder — “SpaceX launched its seventh Starship flight test on Thursday, successfully catching its rocket booster at the launch pad but then losing its next generation spacecraft during its maiden flight.
The Super Heavy rocket booster ignited its 33 Raptor engines from South Texas at 4:37 p.m., pushing the Starship spacecraft over the Gulf of Mexico. The two vehicles separated and the rocket booster was caught by giant mechanical arms attached to the launch pad. It was the second time that a Super Heavy booster had been caught.
But as the cheering quieted on the SpaceX live video, spokesman Dan Huot noted that the Starship spacecraft's engines had cut out. It was supposed to land in the Indian Ocean roughly one hour after liftoff, but SpaceX lost communication with the spacecraft about 8 minutes into the flight, suggesting its demise. The company said it exploded and that it would share additional details as they became available.
Huot noted this latest version of the Starship spacecraft was essentially a new vehicle.
"This is kind of an upgrade version. So with that, there's a lot of things you're upgrading," he said during the livestream. "There's a lot of things you're going to learn as all of those systems are now interacting with each other for the first time. But at this point, we did lose the upper stage of the ship."
This flight test is the first of many expected Starship launches this year. SpaceX is planning to ramp up testing – from five times a year to as many as 25 — as it races toward NASA’s goal of landing astronauts on the moon in 2027.
Elon Musk’s company is developing the world’s most powerful rocket in Boca Chica, an area outside of Brownsville, with ultimate plans to colonize Mars. The company has also been tapped by NASA to lower astronauts to the moon with the agency’s Artemis III mission.
Starship has yet to carry humans during a flight test, and analysts say the 2027 deadline is aggressive. Phil Smith, a space industry analyst for BryceTech, expects the company could land empty Starships on the moon by then, but he isn’t expecting NASA astronauts to walk on the moon in two years.
“If I was a betting person, I would say no,” said Steven Berg, an assistant professor at Rutgers University whose expertise includes in-space propulsion and space systems. “But I hope they prove me wrong.”" Houston Chronicle ($)
“H-E-B to open first store in Dallas city limits,” CBS Austin's Tara Brolley — “Dallas could be getting its first ever H-E-B, according to an announcement released Wednesday.
H-E-B said it has purchased property for its first traditional format store within city limits. The 10-acre site at the southeast corner of Hillcrest Road and LBJ Freeway will house the new store, though the project still requires rezoning approval and further planning with city officials.
"While we have a lot of work to do, we look forward to connecting with our neighbors, the city, and community stakeholders to ensure we create a destination that best supports this community," said Mabrie Jackson, H-E-B's Public Affairs Managing Director. | | The purchase was made through a subsidiary of H-E-B, though terms were not disclosed.
There are three Central Market stores in Dallas, but this will be the first H-E-B. The San Antonio-based retailer operates more than 435 stores across Texas and Mexico.
Additional details about the new Dallas store will be shared as planning progresses, the company said." CBS Austin | | | “With Trump considering Texas' 'border czar' to head Border Patrol, Cornyn praises pick,” Austin America-Statesman's John C. Moritz — “U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, in a call from Washington with Texas reporters Thursday, said he expects Donald Trump to issue "100 or so executive orders" on the first day of his new administration, many of them related to immigration and border security, and to roll back many of the policies initiated during the Biden administration.
Trump will return to the White House after his inauguration Monday, and Cornyn, R-Texas, heaped praise on the president-elect's apparent choice to head the U.S. Border Patrol — Gov. Greg Abbott's hand-picked border czar Mike Banks — saying he understands the complexities of securing the nearly 2,000-mile stretch that divides the United States from Mexico, largely along Texas' southern border.
"I know Mike, and I think it's an inspired choice," Cornyn said after the New York Post first reported that Trump plans to promote Abbott's point person for border security. "Nobody understands the border better than Texas, and Mike Banks has done a good job for Gov. Abbott.
"I like the idea we're going to have a Texan in that job."
Cornyn noted that the Texas border, which extends 1,254 miles from Brownsville to El Paso, includes an ever-changing terrain from the mostly flat farm country in the lower Rio Grande Valley to the desolate and cavernous landscape of the Big Bend. Having overseen that as the state's border czar, and before that as a U.S. Border Patrol agent, will give Banks the perspective needed once his purview expands to include New Mexico, Arizona and California, Cornyn said.
During his 25-minute conference call that included a question-and-answer session, Cornyn praised the Senate's recent bipartisan passage of an immigration-related bill known as the Laken Riley Act. The legislation is named for the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was killed by a Venezuelan immigrant, who entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and who had once been arrested for shoplifting.
The federal bill would let federal authorities detain immigrants who are in the U.S. without legal status and are suspected of committing theft, burglary and other related crimes. The Senate overwhelming adopted an amendment offered by Cornyn that requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain migrants without permanent legal status who have been accused of assault on a law enforcement officer.
"There's no question that these folks should be detained and removed before they commit other crimes," Cornyn said." AAS ($)
“Some Texas Democrats will skip Trump inauguration,” Dallas Morning News' Joseph Morton — “U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, plans to participate in activities honoring Martin Luther King Jr. at home Monday rather than attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
“The idea of celebrating someone that I consider to continuously desecrate the work and the legacy of Martin Luther King on Martin Luther King Day — it was just kind of like a double whammy and an absolute no for me,” Crockett said. “He’s never shown me anything that would be worthy of me being in attendance there instead of being with people that want to pay honor and homage to the work that was done by MLK.”
Several other Democrats in the Texas congressional delegation said they plan to skip the inauguration ceremonies marking the country’s latest peaceful transfer of power, which happens to fall on Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year.
“I was trapped here in the gallery the day of the insurrection, and incoming President Trump has promised to pardon the very people who threatened our lives on that day and who assaulted police officers,” said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso. “Personally, I just, I can’t go.”
Democratic U.S. Reps. Julie Johnson of Farmers Branch and Marc Veasey of Fort Worth expect to be there.
“I’m not a Trump fan at all. I think he’s terrible,” Veasey said. “I also think that this is the system that we have. We believe in it and we have to show that we want to make it better, and we have to show all of our constituents that we believe in it.”
Tickets for areas close to the Capitol were distributed to the public through congressional offices. Areas of the National Mall farther away don’t require tickets.
Crockett said her office worked to accommodate constituents who wished to attend the inauguration ceremony.
In interviews, Republicans in the state’s congressional delegation were enthusiastic about celebrating a new administration and turning the page on President Joe Biden’s four years." DMN ($) | | | “Feds refer Texas' Harvey funding discrimination case to Justice Department,” Texas Tribune's Zach Despart — “Texas officials discriminated against residents based on race and national origin in distributing $1 billion in Hurricane Harvey aid in 2021, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development affirmed on Wednesday.
Since the state General Land Office has shown a “sustained unwillingness” to voluntarily correct the unequal treatment, which HUD contends violates the Fair Housing Act, the agency has referred the case to the Department of Justice.
Additional fact-finding by HUD investigators since their preliminary finding of discrimination in 2022 only reinforced that conclusion, Christina Lewis, Region VI director of the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, wrote Wednesday in a letter to GLO and two community groups who originally filed the complaint.
“GLO… focused Mitigation resources in communities that benefited smaller populations of rural White Texans over communities of urban Black and Hispanic Texans, particularly those closer to the coast and more prone to flooding from hurricanes and other natural disasters,” Lewis said.
Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham dismissed the move as a stunt by "political activists embedded in HUD by the Biden Administration."
"The fact is, the HUD-approved plan overwhelmingly benefited minorities and there simply was no discrimination," Buckingham said in a statement. "No other state has performed as efficiently and effectively as Texas in providing disaster recovery and mitigation funding to communities and residents."
Buckingham said the Justice Department previously rejected "fake claims" from HUD because they lacked substance. Her spokesperson said she was referring to a 2023 letter in which the U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke returned a referral from the housing agency to HUD for further investigation.
The two community groups, Texas Housers and Northeast Action Collective, on Thursday praised HUD’s action and said in a statement that the findings “confirmed what communities of color in Texas have long suspected.” They called on the Justice Department to force Texas to comply with federal discrimination laws since the state had bucked a voluntary agreement with the housing department.
At issue is how the federal government says Texas misspent some of the $4.3 billion in disaster recovery aid it received from Congress in 2019.
The General Land Office in 2021, under then-Commissioner George P. Bush, distributed a $1 billion tranche via a funding competition it designed for local governments. But the governments of Houston and Harris County received $0 from the contest, despite the county having the most deaths and property damage from the storm.
A Houston Chronicle investigation found the aid disproportionately went to inland counties with less damage from the storm than coastal ones hit hardest. The newspaper also found the land office steered money away from coastal communities the state measured were at highest risk of natural disasters and toward inland ones with a lower disaster risk.
Under pressure from irate Houston politicians of both parties, Bush canceled a planned second funding competition and announced plans to award $750 million directly to Harris County. But that did not satisfy all his critics.
HUD soon launched its own investigation. The agency’s conclusions, released in 2022, confirmed the Chronicle’s findings and said the unfair doling out of funds “discriminated on the basis of race and national origin” and “substantially and predictably disadvantaged minority residents, with particularly disparate outcomes for Black residents.”
The land office revised its plan to distribute a second $1.2 billion tranche. But a Texas Tribune investigation found that, too, routed aid disproportionately to more white, inland counties at less risk of natural disasters.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
What action the Justice Department may take is unclear with President Donald Trump, an ally of Abbott, returning to office next week. Trump’s transition team did not respond to a request for comment." Texas Tribune | | | “A Trump DOJ could bring an end to the yearslong investigation of his ally Ken Paxton,” Texas Tribune / ProPublica's Vianna Davila — “When President Donald Trump appeared in a New York courtroom last spring to face a slew of criminal charges, he was joined by a rotating cadre of lawyers, campaign aides, his family — and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Paxton had traveled to be with Trump for what he described on social media as a “sham of a trial” and a “travesty of justice.” Trump was facing 34 counts of falsifying records in the case, which focused on hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign to keep her from disclosing their sexual relationship.
“It’s just sad that we’re at this place in our country where the left uses the court system not to promote justice, not to enforce the rule of law, but to try to take out political opponents, and that’s exactly what they’re doing to him,” Paxton said on a conservative podcast at the time.
“They’ve done it to me.”
A year earlier, the Republican-led Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Paxton over allegations, made by senior officials in his office, that he had misused his position to help a political donor. Trump was not physically by Paxton’s side but weighed in repeatedly on social media, calling the process unfair and warning lawmakers that they would have to contend with him if they persisted.
When the Texas Senate in September 2023 acquitted Paxton of the impeachment charges against him, Trump claimed credit. “Yes, it is true that my intervention through TRUTH SOCIAL saved Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from going down at the hands of Democrats and some Republicans …” Trump posted on the social media platform he founded.
The acquittal, however, did not wholly absolve Paxton of the allegations brought by his former employees. The FBI has been investigating the same accusations since at least November 2020. And come Monday, when Trump is inaugurated for his second term, that investigation will be in the hands of his Department of Justice.
Paxton and Trump have forged a friendship over the years, one that has been cemented in their shared political and legal struggles and their willingness to come to each other’s aid at times of upheaval. Both have been the subjects of federal investigations, have been impeached by lawmakers and have faced lawsuits related to questions about their conduct.
“If there’s one thing both guys share in common, people have been after them for a while in a big way. They’ve been under the gun. They’ve shared duress in a political setting,” said Bill Miller, a longtime Austin lobbyist and Paxton friend. “They’ve both been through the wringer, if you will. And I think there’s a kinship there.”
Neither Trump nor Paxton responded to requests for comment or to written questions. Both men have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, claiming that they have been the targets of witch hunts by their political enemies, including fellow Republicans.
Their relationship is so cozy that Trump said he’d consider naming Paxton as his U.S. attorney general pick. He ultimately chose another political ally, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Although Trump did not select Paxton, the two men will get yet another opportunity to have each other’s backs now that he has returned to office, both when it comes to the federal investigation into Paxton and pushing forward the president’s agenda." Texas Tribune
“Scott Turner says HUD is failing its mission and outlines plan for more housing,” Texas Tribune's Katherine Wilson — “Former Texas state Rep. Scott Turner, picked by president-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, told a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday that the department is failing “its most basic mission.”
Appearing before the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Turner said: “HUD's mission is to create strong and sustainable communities and support quality affordable housing serving the most vulnerable of our nation. Yet, as we sit here, we have a housing crisis in our country.”
After Trump formally nominates Turner, which he can do once he is inaugurated on Monday, the committee and the Senate will vote on Turner’s confirmation.
Turner served as a Texas state representative from 2013 to 2017 representing Rockwall and Collin Counties. He ran for the Texas House speakership, but lost to incumbent Speaker Joe Straus, and then announced he would not seek reelection.
Before his political career, Turner played nine seasons in the NFL for the then-Washington Redskins, the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos. After leaving the Texas House, Turner directed a council in the first Trump administration that led an investment program in low-income areas.
Turner voted against affordable housing bills in the Texas House and has called welfare “dangerous.”
If confirmed, Turner would lead the agency responsible for addressing a range of housing issues including affordable housing, homelessness and community building.
Senators from both parties agreed with Turner throughout the hearing that the United States is in a housing crisis. The U.S. had a housing shortage of about 5 million units in 2023. Home prices have increased – by one estimate 48% nationally since 2019 – and homelessness rose by 18% from 2023 to 2024.
“Scott Turner is the solution we are looking for,” Committee Chair Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, said.
But Turner’s ability to lead the department in addressing these issues may be limited by the incoming administration’s promise to cut government spending.
In questioning, Turner appeared unwilling to support more federal investment into programs to lower the cost of affordable housing construction. Turner argued that the department’s budget of about $70 billion was already high, and that instead of more investments he supports “maximizing the budget.”
“I have to say that gives me a real pause,” said ranking member Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts. “What I'm looking for is a commitment that we're at least going to look, try, to get some more help to the state and local communities that are trying to build affordable housing.”
Turner laid out his strategy to incentivize more housing development – and in-turn lower housing costs – that included loosening regulations on a federal, state and local level. He argued that fees and zoning requirements limit the creation of affordable housing units.
Turner also said the costs of construction materials can be lowered by getting the “fiscal house in order.” He also supports expanding the opportunity zone initiative, a program he worked on in the first Trump administration as the director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, which provides tax benefits for investors in low-income areas to encourage development." Texas Tribune | | | > TX TRIB: "Texas has a big water problem. This state lawmaker hopes he has the solution." TX TRIB
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> NBA: Sacramento 132, Houston 127
> NHL: Montreal 3, Dallas 1
> NCAAM: Utah Valley 85, UT-Arlington 83
> NCAAM: California Baptist at Tarleton State
> NCAAM: Grand Canyon 88, Abilene Christian 58
> NCAAM: UTEP 72, Liberty 70
This weekend's Texas sports schedule:
Fri
> 7:30pm: NBA: Oklahoma State at Dallas
> 8:30pm: NBA: Memphis at San Antonio (ESPN)
Sat
> 11am: NCAAM: #10 Houston at UCF (CBS Sports Network)
> 1pm: NCAAM: UTEP at Florida International (ESPN+)
> 1pm: NCAAM: SMU at Miami (ESPNU)
> 1pm: NCAAM: Arizona at Texas Tech (ESPN2)
> 2:15pm: NCAAM: New Orleans at East Texas A&M (ESPN+)
> 3pm: NHL: Dallas at Colorado (ESPN+)
> 3pm: NCAAM: Texas at #5 Florida (ESPN2)
> 3pm: NCAAM: Stephen F. Austin at Nicholls (ESPN+)
> 3pm: NCAAM: North Texas at UTSA (ESPN+)
> 3:30pm: NFL: Houston at Kansas City (ABC)
> 3:30pm: NCAAM: UT-RGV at Houston Christian (ESPN+)
> 4pm: NCAAM: Sam Houston State at Jacksonville State (ESPN+)
> 4pm: NCAAM: Lamar at McNeese (ESPN+)
> 4pm: NCAAM: Southern Miss at Texas State (ESPN+)
> 5pm: NCAAM: Alcorn State at Texas State (SWAC)
> 5pm: NCAAM: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Incarnate Word (ESPN+)
> 6pm: NCAAM: California Baptist at Abilene Christian (ESPN+)
> 7pm: NCAAM: Tarleton State at Grand Canyon (ESPN+)
> 7:30pm: NCAAM: LSU at #11 Texas A&M (SEC Network)
> 9pm: NBA: Houston at Portland
Sun
> 12pm: NCAAM: Rice at Florida Atlantic (ESPN+)
> 2pm: NBA: San Antonio at Miami
> 4pm: NCAAM: TCU at #25 Baylor (ESPN)
> 7pm: NHL: Detroit at Dallas (ESPN+)
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