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| From | Must Read Texas <[email protected]> |
| Subject | Here's today's PAID subscriber version of Must Read Texas -- so you can see what you are missing. |
| Date | January 27, 2025 11:33 PM |
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[MustReadTexas.com]([link removed]) – [@MustReadTexas]([link removed])
BY: [@MattMackowiak]([link removed])
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**MONDAY** || 1/27/25
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**Good Monday afternoon.**
_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)_
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* **TOP NEWS**
“**Multi-agency operation targeted immigrants in Austin and San Antonio,**” Texas Tribune's **Pooja Salhotra **— “Agents from multiple federal agencies carried out immigration enforcement operations in Austin and San Antonio on Sunday, federal officials said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with the Drug Enforcement Agency, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives collaborated on “enhanced targeted operations” in both cities, an ICE spokesperson said. A similar operation took place Sunday morning in the Rio Grande Valley, [a local station reported]([link removed]).
The spokesperson said the operations were to “enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities.” The official did not say what kind of offenses the targeted individuals were suspected of committing or whether anyone was detained.
KXAN [first reported]([link removed]) ICE was conducting an operation in the Austin area on Sunday afternoon through a spokesperson for the DEA’s Houston division. DEA spokesperson **Sally Sparks** said the agency’s Houston office “mobilized every agent in our division,” whose jurisdiction spans from Brownsville to Corpus Christi, Del Rio and Waco.
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“We got information that we had to mobilize, so we mobilized,” Sparks told The Texas Tribune. “The majority of our agents assisted.”
A Houston DEA [post on X]([link removed]) on Sunday showed photos of law enforcement officers in a residential area escorting a man in handcuffs.
Neither ICE nor the DEA answered questions about the scale of the operations. Spokespeople for the Travis and Bexar counties’ sheriff’s offices said they had not been notified of the operations. A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. **Lloyd Doggett**, D-Austin, said Doggett did not receive advance notice that ICE would conduct an operation in Austin.
Sunday’s operations came less than one week after President Donald Trump began his second term as president and promised mass deportations across the country. Trump issued more than a dozen immigration-related executive orders last week, including [halting the use of an app]([link removed]) that lets migrants make appointments to request asylum and authorizing immigration officers to raid sensitive locations such as churches, schools and hospitals." [Texas Tribune]([link removed])
“**Texas job growth outpaces national average in 2024, adding 284k,**” San Antonio Express-News' **Sara DiNatale **— “Texas employers grew the state’s job count by 2% last year — outpacing the national average — adding a total of 284,200 jobs.
The latest figures from the Texas Workforce Commission show the growth continued in December, when another 37,500 jobs were added. That helped push the state’s full-year growth rate 0.6 percentage points higher than the national average.
Texas finished the year with a record 14.32 million positions.
“This new record-high level for jobs and the civilian labor force shows the strength of Texas’ economy,” Texas Workforce Chairman **Bryan Daniel **said in a statement.
The labor force, a tally that includes both those working and actively looking for work, hit nearly 15.6 million in December. That was up about 3.5% from a year earlier.
Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment held steady at 4.2%, just above the national average of 4.1%.
The leading sector for job growth in December was professional and business services, adding 17,800 jobs. The trade, transportation, and utilities sector added 10,400 jobs while the hospitality sector added 3,700.
The San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area’s unadjusted unemployment rate dropped to 3.4% from 3.9% in November. It was 3.1% a year ago. The area added 2,400 jobs over the month.
While hospitality helped lead statewide growth, the San Antonio area lost 1,000 of the service-oriented jobs in December. The trade and utilities sector accounted for the biggest boost locally with 2,400 new positions. Private education and health services, a combined sector, added 900 jobs.
“The Texas economy is thriving in diverse sectors,” said Commissioner **Alberto Treviño III**.
Unemployment fell to 3.1% in the Austin-Round Rock metro area from 3.5% in November. It was up from 3% a year ago.
The state’s lowest unemployment rate of 2.4% was recorded in the Midland metro area. It was followed by Amarillo at 2.6% and the College Station-Bryan area at 2.7%.
The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro reported the highest unemployment rate at 6.2%. It was followed by Beaumont-Port Arthur at 5.6% and Brownsville-Harlingen at 5.1%." [SAEN]([link removed]) ($)
“**Legendary legislator and educator from San Antonio dies,**” San Antonio Express-News' **Elaine Ayala **— “**Joe J. Bernal**, a [beloved political and educational figure]([link removed]) in San Antonio best known for championing the state’s earliest bilingual education laws, died Saturday at 97.
He was at home in San Antonio, surrounded by his family, and wearing his Bernal Middle School “Black Knights” shirt, relatives said.
Bernal's family was already in mourning as his death came just one day after his granddaughter **Bianca Ambriz** died of cancer.
Bernal’s wife **Mary Esther Bernal**, one of the city’s earliest bilingual education teachers and equally as popular as her husband, died in 2022.
“They were quite a team to get through those tough times in the old days of civil rights,” their son **Patrick Bernal **said Sunday.
In 2006, Bernal spoke to the Voces Oral Project at the University of Texas at Austin about the rampant discrimination Mexican Americans faced.
“In the service, we were American soldiers,” the World War II veteran said. “But back home, we were Mexicans,” a term that stood out as a slur in the mouths of those who used it for people of Mexican descent whether they were U.S. citizens or not.
“He was trailblazing,” his son said Sunday. “He was really upsetting the establishment, and they let him have it.”
“The man was also a feat,” Patrick Bernal said of his father’s longevity. “He was in perfect health. His vitals were just amazing. He wasn't ill. He didn't take medication. He just went to sleep.”
Bernal was admired for both his military and legislative service.
“Whenever we went out in public, I can't tell you the number of people that would come up to him, because they looked at him as a hero,” standing to greet everyone, he said. “He was proud to be from the West Side of San Antonio, and that was what drove him – to better the lives of the people that he knew from his neighborhood.”
In his legislative career, Bernal first focused on various preschool through grade 12 initiatives, later widening his scope to higher education. He became a leading advocate for the creation of the University of Texas at San Antonio." [SAEN]([link removed]) ($)
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* **#TXLEGE**
“**Texas Gov Greg Abbott to unveil his legislative priorities,**” Houston Chronicle's** Benjamin Wermund **— “Gov. **Greg Abbott **is set to lay out his priorities [for the legislative session]([link removed]) — almost certain to [include private school vouchers and bail system changes]([link removed]) — in his State of the State address this weekend.
The Texas Republican’s address will air on TV at 5 p.m. Sunday. Abbott is again bucking the longstanding tradition of addressing state lawmakers during a joint session at the Capitol, instead delivering his address to cameras from an oil company in Austin.
The address comes after Abbott spent the last year campaigning against fellow Republicans who opposed a voucher plan he pushed during the last session that would give families public dollars to spend on private education. He has made clear it will be his top priority again.
Abbott has also hinted investing in statewide water infrastructure will be a top issue, and Republican budget-writers in the legislature are pushing to add $6.5 billion to Abbott’s border security crackdown, Operation Lone Star.
The address will air on 15 Nexstar television stations, including KIAH-TV in Houston." [Houston Chronicle]([link removed]) ($)
“**Texas lawmakers race against fundraising moratorium to fill campaign coffers,**” Dallas Morning News'** Karen Brooks Harper **and** Nolan D. McCaskill **— “Few things focus the mind of a politician, and political donors, more than a fundraising deadline.
For three decades, a blackout period around the Legislature’s regular session has barred Texas lawmakers from raising political money while they tackle the state’s business in the Capitol.
The Texas Legislature meets every two years for 140 days. What lawmakers choose as priorities, and how they conduct their business, will affect the lives of Texans for years.
Dec. 14 was the last day to raise campaign cash for the session that began last week, and the state’s 181 lawmakers responded to the deadline with gusto, raising a combined $13 million in two weeks — a number that jumps closer to $17 million when fundraising by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, is added.
The dash for cash in the two weeks preceding the session moratorium awes even the most veteran of political insiders — particularly as the skyrocketing cost of running a campaign requires officials to raise ever higher piles of money.
“Hell, it’s crazy,” longtime lobbyist **Bill Miller,** of Austin-based Hillco Partners, said of the biennial presession fundraising sprints. “There are multiple fundraisers every day, and they’re all over the place. There are so many fundraisers you can’t even count them.”
One of the most visible examples was the parade of lawmakers and lobbyists into the Austin Club, an exclusive gathering spot near the Capitol where political fundraisers stacked up in one- and two-hour time slots — nearly 60 private events in the first two weeks of December.
At the events, lawmakers wait in a designated room while lobbyists and other invited donors swing by with checks — sometimes getting a minute or two with the lawmaker, sometimes just dropping a check on a table at the door before moving on to the next one, according to several lawmakers and lobbyists who attended the events.
The fundraising frenzy at the private club between Election Day and the session blackout period was just the tip of the iceberg.
In-person and online fundraisers across the state had checks pouring into campaign coffers right up to midnight on the last day before the blackout." [DMN]([link removed]) ($)
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* **STATE GOVERNMENT**
“**Abbott sends state troops to U.S.-Mexico border to work with Border Patrol,**” Texas Tribune's** Alejandro Serrano **— “Gov. **Greg Abbott** on Monday said he's sending more than 400 soldiers from Houston and Fort Worth to the U.S.-Mexico border to collaborate with Border Patrol agents "to stop illegal immigrants from entering our country and to enforce immigration laws."
Abbott said he will also send C-130s, an aircraft that can take off and land on rough terrain, and Chinook helicopters. The troops, part of a unit called the Texas Tactical Border Force, will join those already deployed to the border through the state's border security mission, Operation Lone Star, that Abbott started in 2021 in response to the Biden administration's immigration policies.
Through Operation Lone Star, the state has deployed thousands of state National Guard troops to the border, though it is not clear how many are actively deployed. The Trump administration [last week also sent]([link removed]) 1,500 active duty U.S. soldiers to the border.
"Texas has a partner in the White House we can work with to secure the Texas-Mexico border," Abbott said in a statement. "I thank President Donald Trump for his decisive leadership on the southern border and look forward to working with him and his Administration to secure the border and make America safe again.”
The move is the state’s latest effort to help the Trump administration with its immigration crackdown. Land Commissioner **Dawn Buckingham** has offered the administration a [Starr County ranch]([link removed]) to be used as a staging area for mass deportations — which an administration official [previously accepted]([link removed])." [Texas Tribune]([link removed])
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* **TRUMP ADMINISTRATION**
“**Feds drop charges against Texas doctor accused of leaking transgender care data,**” Texas Tribune's **Ayden Runnels **— “Federal prosecutors dropped their charges against a Dallas surgeon accused of leaking the records of underage patients’ gender transition-related care in what some conservative activists are calling a win for anti-transgender activism.
The request for dismissal, submitted by **Jennifer Lowery**, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, did not specify why the four counts of wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information against Dr. **Eithan Haim **were dropped.
Haim, a self-described whistleblower, was charged after he provided conservative activist **Christopher Rufo** with the records of children receiving gender transition-related care at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, the largest pediatric hospital in the United States.
Rufo published the material in a [May 2023 article]([link removed]), however the records have since been removed from the piece. While transgender care for minors was legal in 2022 when the records were sourced, the hospital publicly had said it would end providing the care after Gov. **Greg Abbott** ordered the parents of children undergoing transition-related care [be investigated ]([link removed])for child abuse. The Texas Supreme Court [later ruled]([link removed]) Abbott had no grounds to order the Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate the families.
Haim never contested that he leaked the records, however he did maintain throughout the legal proceedings that no laws were broken because personally identifiable patient information was not disclosed.
The case quickly became a lightning rod for anti-transgender activists and politicians who describe Haim as a whistleblower for exposing an alleged “secret transgender program.” Transgender care in Texas, especially for minors, has long been under fire by Republicans in the state. Only weeks after Rufo published the records provided by Haim, Texas passed an [outright ban]([link removed]) on transition-related care for minors." [Texas Tribune]([link removed])
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* **NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE**
> DMN: "**Texas House looking more like U.S. Congress**" _[DMN]([link removed])_
_ _> AP: "**US Justice Department drops case against Texas doctor charged with leaking transgender care data**" _[AP]([link removed])_
_ _> TX TRIB: "**Multi-agency operation targeted immigrants in Austin and San Antonio**" _[TX TRIB]([link removed])_
_ _> FWST: "**TikTok of man using baby to clear snow off car leads to investigation, Texas cops say**" _[FWST]([link removed])_
_ _> FWST: "**Powerball player wins $1 million prize in Texas. Where was the lucky ticket sold?**" _[FWST]([link removed])_
_ _> HOU CHRON: "**Trump wants to overhaul FEMA. What would that mean for hurricane-prone Texas?**" _[HOU CHRON]([link removed])_
_ _> HOU CHRON: "**'A wake up call:' Less than 20% of HISD students earn living wages 6 years after graduation, data shows**" _[HOU CHRON]([link removed])_
> TX TRIB: "**Several bills filed to weaken vaccine mandates as more Texas families opt out of immunizations**" _[TX TRIB]([link removed])_
_ _> FWST: "**Man puts gun in 4-year-old’s bookbag, then she takes it to school, Texas officials say**" _[FWST]([link removed])_
> FWST: "**What’s happened to Campo Verde? ‘Christmas wonderland’ near Fort Worth has gone dark**" _[FWST]([link removed])_
> FWST: "**One dead after truck crashes into wall in north Fort Worth, police say**" _[FWST]([link removed])_
_ _> DMN: "**Hundreds rally across D-FW to show support for immigrants, protest ICE raids**" _[DMN]([link removed])_
_ _> DMN: "**Former Highland Park pastor accused of solicitation of prostitution**" _[DMN]([link removed])_
_ _> DMN: "**Dallas police employee arrested Sunday for drunk driving, police say**" _[DMN]([link removed])_
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "**Woodlands Water's comprehensive drainage assessment, maintenance program to ensure resilience, prevent flooding**" _[COMMUNITY IMPACT]([link removed])_
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* **EXTRA POINTS**
Last weekend's Texas sports score:
Fri
> NHL: **Dallas** 4, Las Vegas 3
Sat
> NBA: Indiana 136, **San Antonio** 98
> NBA: Boston 122, **Dallas** 107
> NBA: **Houston **135, Atlanta 131
> NHL: **Dallas **2, St. Louis 0
> NCAAM: #7 **Houston **92, #12 Kansas 86 (2OT)
> NCAAM:** Texas** 70, #13 **Texas A&M** 69
> NCAAM: **Baylor **76, Utah 61
> NCAAM: **SMU **63, NC State 57
> NCAAM: UCF 85, **TCU **58
> NCAAM: Tulane 82, **Rice** 71
> NCAAM: Arkansas State 80, **Texas State **65
> NCAAM: Western Kentucky 75, **Sam Houston State** 66
> NCAAM: Alabama State 66, **Prairie View A&M** 63
> NCAAM: **UT-Arlington **79, **Abilene Christian** 76
> NCAAM: **UTSA** 88, Temple 79
> NCAAM: **Texas A&M-Corpus Christi** 61, Nicholls 57
> NCAAM: **Texas Southern **82, Alabama A&M 78
> NCAAM: McNeese State 93, **UT-RGV** 63
> NCAAM: **Houston Christian **86, New Orleans 76
> NCAAM: SE Louisiana 86, **Incarnate Word** 63
> NCAAM: **Lamar** 61, **East Texas A&M** 58
> NCAAM: **UTEP** 73, Kennesaw State 71
Sun
> NCAAM: **Texas Tech **64, Oklahoma State 54
> NCAAM: **North Texas **77, Florida Atlantic 64
Tonight's Texas sports schedule:
> 6pm: NCAAM: **Houston Christian **at SE Louisiana (ESPN+)
> 6:30pm: NBA: **Houston **at Boston
> 6:30pm: NCAAM: Nicholls at **UT-RGV **(ESPN+)
> 7pm: NCAAM: Northwestern State at **Lamar **(ESPN+)
> 7pm: NCAAM: **Incarnate Word **at New Orleans** **(ESPN+)
> 7pm: NCAAM: McNeese at **Texas A&M-Corpus Christi **(ESPN+)
> 7:30pm: NBA: Washington at **Dallas**
> 7:30pm: NCAAM: **Texas Southern **at Alabama State** **(ESPN+)
> 7:30pm: NCAAM: **East Texas A&M **at **Stephen F. Austin **(ESPN+)
> 7:30pm: NCAAM: **Prairie View A&M **at Alabama A&M** **(ESPN+)
**DALLAS COWBOYS**: "Full coverage introduce Brian Schottenheimer as head coach" [DMN]([link removed]) ($)
**DALLAS COWBOYS**: "Brian Schottenheimer's Cowboys coaching staff is taking shape" [DMN]([link removed]) ($)
**HOUSTON TEXANS**: "Fixing Texans' offensive line is vital for C.J. Stroud's development" [Houston Chronicle]([link removed]) ($)
**SAN ANTONIO SPURS**: "Fans see Spurs' Victor Wembanyama exceed expectations. What they don't see is his work off the court" [AP]([link removed])
**HOUSTON ASTROS**: "What team will sign Alex Bregman? Here's what the oddsmakers say" [Houston Chronicle]([link removed]) ($)
**HOUSTON ASTROS**: "Ryan Pressly waives no-trade clause to join the Chicago Cubs, AP source says" [AP]([link removed])
**HOUSTON MEN'S BASKETBALL**: "Cougars basketball: UH defeats Kansas Jayhawks in double overtime"** **[Houston Chronicle]([link removed]) ($)
**TEXAS MEN'S BASKETBALL**: "Texas vs. Texas A&M: Tramon Mark hits game-winner as Longhorns rally for 70-69 win" [AAS]([link removed]) ($)
**BAYLOR / TCU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL**: "No. 9 TCU women end a 35-year losing streak against No. 25 Baylor with an 80-75 win" [AP]([link removed])
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———————————————————————————
**MONDAY** || 1/27/25
———————————————————————————
**Good Monday afternoon.**
_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)_
———————————————————————————
**AUSTIN NEWSLETTER LAUNCHED**
Are you one of the 100,000+ subscribers to [ATX Pulse]([link removed]), a newsletter that delivers EVERYTHING you NEED TO KNOW about Austin?
View image: ([link removed])
Caption:
_Subscriptions are $5/mo, $50/yr or $199/lifetime here:_ [ATXpulsepremium.com]([link removed]).
> Read today's FREE subscriber email [here]([link removed]).
> Become a PAID subscriber for $5/mo or $50/yr [here]([link removed]).
———————————————————————————
* **TOP NEWS**
“**Multi-agency operation targeted immigrants in Austin and San Antonio,**” Texas Tribune's **Pooja Salhotra **— “Agents from multiple federal agencies carried out immigration enforcement operations in Austin and San Antonio on Sunday, federal officials said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with the Drug Enforcement Agency, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives collaborated on “enhanced targeted operations” in both cities, an ICE spokesperson said. A similar operation took place Sunday morning in the Rio Grande Valley, [a local station reported]([link removed]).
The spokesperson said the operations were to “enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities.” The official did not say what kind of offenses the targeted individuals were suspected of committing or whether anyone was detained.
KXAN [first reported]([link removed]) ICE was conducting an operation in the Austin area on Sunday afternoon through a spokesperson for the DEA’s Houston division. DEA spokesperson **Sally Sparks** said the agency’s Houston office “mobilized every agent in our division,” whose jurisdiction spans from Brownsville to Corpus Christi, Del Rio and Waco.
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“We got information that we had to mobilize, so we mobilized,” Sparks told The Texas Tribune. “The majority of our agents assisted.”
A Houston DEA [post on X]([link removed]) on Sunday showed photos of law enforcement officers in a residential area escorting a man in handcuffs.
Neither ICE nor the DEA answered questions about the scale of the operations. Spokespeople for the Travis and Bexar counties’ sheriff’s offices said they had not been notified of the operations. A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. **Lloyd Doggett**, D-Austin, said Doggett did not receive advance notice that ICE would conduct an operation in Austin.
Sunday’s operations came less than one week after President Donald Trump began his second term as president and promised mass deportations across the country. Trump issued more than a dozen immigration-related executive orders last week, including [halting the use of an app]([link removed]) that lets migrants make appointments to request asylum and authorizing immigration officers to raid sensitive locations such as churches, schools and hospitals." [Texas Tribune]([link removed])
“**Texas job growth outpaces national average in 2024, adding 284k,**” San Antonio Express-News' **Sara DiNatale **— “Texas employers grew the state’s job count by 2% last year — outpacing the national average — adding a total of 284,200 jobs.
The latest figures from the Texas Workforce Commission show the growth continued in December, when another 37,500 jobs were added. That helped push the state’s full-year growth rate 0.6 percentage points higher than the national average.
Texas finished the year with a record 14.32 million positions.
“This new record-high level for jobs and the civilian labor force shows the strength of Texas’ economy,” Texas Workforce Chairman **Bryan Daniel **said in a statement.
The labor force, a tally that includes both those working and actively looking for work, hit nearly 15.6 million in December. That was up about 3.5% from a year earlier.
Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment held steady at 4.2%, just above the national average of 4.1%.
The leading sector for job growth in December was professional and business services, adding 17,800 jobs. The trade, transportation, and utilities sector added 10,400 jobs while the hospitality sector added 3,700.
The San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area’s unadjusted unemployment rate dropped to 3.4% from 3.9% in November. It was 3.1% a year ago. The area added 2,400 jobs over the month.
While hospitality helped lead statewide growth, the San Antonio area lost 1,000 of the service-oriented jobs in December. The trade and utilities sector accounted for the biggest boost locally with 2,400 new positions. Private education and health services, a combined sector, added 900 jobs.
“The Texas economy is thriving in diverse sectors,” said Commissioner **Alberto Treviño III**.
Unemployment fell to 3.1% in the Austin-Round Rock metro area from 3.5% in November. It was up from 3% a year ago.
The state’s lowest unemployment rate of 2.4% was recorded in the Midland metro area. It was followed by Amarillo at 2.6% and the College Station-Bryan area at 2.7%.
The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro reported the highest unemployment rate at 6.2%. It was followed by Beaumont-Port Arthur at 5.6% and Brownsville-Harlingen at 5.1%." [SAEN]([link removed]) ($)
“**Legendary legislator and educator from San Antonio dies,**” San Antonio Express-News' **Elaine Ayala **— “**Joe J. Bernal**, a [beloved political and educational figure]([link removed]) in San Antonio best known for championing the state’s earliest bilingual education laws, died Saturday at 97.
He was at home in San Antonio, surrounded by his family, and wearing his Bernal Middle School “Black Knights” shirt, relatives said.
Bernal's family was already in mourning as his death came just one day after his granddaughter **Bianca Ambriz** died of cancer.
Bernal’s wife **Mary Esther Bernal**, one of the city’s earliest bilingual education teachers and equally as popular as her husband, died in 2022.
“They were quite a team to get through those tough times in the old days of civil rights,” their son **Patrick Bernal **said Sunday.
In 2006, Bernal spoke to the Voces Oral Project at the University of Texas at Austin about the rampant discrimination Mexican Americans faced.
“In the service, we were American soldiers,” the World War II veteran said. “But back home, we were Mexicans,” a term that stood out as a slur in the mouths of those who used it for people of Mexican descent whether they were U.S. citizens or not.
“He was trailblazing,” his son said Sunday. “He was really upsetting the establishment, and they let him have it.”
“The man was also a feat,” Patrick Bernal said of his father’s longevity. “He was in perfect health. His vitals were just amazing. He wasn't ill. He didn't take medication. He just went to sleep.”
Bernal was admired for both his military and legislative service.
“Whenever we went out in public, I can't tell you the number of people that would come up to him, because they looked at him as a hero,” standing to greet everyone, he said. “He was proud to be from the West Side of San Antonio, and that was what drove him – to better the lives of the people that he knew from his neighborhood.”
In his legislative career, Bernal first focused on various preschool through grade 12 initiatives, later widening his scope to higher education. He became a leading advocate for the creation of the University of Texas at San Antonio." [SAEN]([link removed]) ($)
———————————————————————————
* **#TXLEGE**
“**Texas Gov Greg Abbott to unveil his legislative priorities,**” Houston Chronicle's** Benjamin Wermund **— “Gov. **Greg Abbott **is set to lay out his priorities [for the legislative session]([link removed]) — almost certain to [include private school vouchers and bail system changes]([link removed]) — in his State of the State address this weekend.
The Texas Republican’s address will air on TV at 5 p.m. Sunday. Abbott is again bucking the longstanding tradition of addressing state lawmakers during a joint session at the Capitol, instead delivering his address to cameras from an oil company in Austin.
The address comes after Abbott spent the last year campaigning against fellow Republicans who opposed a voucher plan he pushed during the last session that would give families public dollars to spend on private education. He has made clear it will be his top priority again.
Abbott has also hinted investing in statewide water infrastructure will be a top issue, and Republican budget-writers in the legislature are pushing to add $6.5 billion to Abbott’s border security crackdown, Operation Lone Star.
The address will air on 15 Nexstar television stations, including KIAH-TV in Houston." [Houston Chronicle]([link removed]) ($)
“**Texas lawmakers race against fundraising moratorium to fill campaign coffers,**” Dallas Morning News'** Karen Brooks Harper **and** Nolan D. McCaskill **— “Few things focus the mind of a politician, and political donors, more than a fundraising deadline.
For three decades, a blackout period around the Legislature’s regular session has barred Texas lawmakers from raising political money while they tackle the state’s business in the Capitol.
The Texas Legislature meets every two years for 140 days. What lawmakers choose as priorities, and how they conduct their business, will affect the lives of Texans for years.
Dec. 14 was the last day to raise campaign cash for the session that began last week, and the state’s 181 lawmakers responded to the deadline with gusto, raising a combined $13 million in two weeks — a number that jumps closer to $17 million when fundraising by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, is added.
The dash for cash in the two weeks preceding the session moratorium awes even the most veteran of political insiders — particularly as the skyrocketing cost of running a campaign requires officials to raise ever higher piles of money.
“Hell, it’s crazy,” longtime lobbyist **Bill Miller,** of Austin-based Hillco Partners, said of the biennial presession fundraising sprints. “There are multiple fundraisers every day, and they’re all over the place. There are so many fundraisers you can’t even count them.”
One of the most visible examples was the parade of lawmakers and lobbyists into the Austin Club, an exclusive gathering spot near the Capitol where political fundraisers stacked up in one- and two-hour time slots — nearly 60 private events in the first two weeks of December.
At the events, lawmakers wait in a designated room while lobbyists and other invited donors swing by with checks — sometimes getting a minute or two with the lawmaker, sometimes just dropping a check on a table at the door before moving on to the next one, according to several lawmakers and lobbyists who attended the events.
The fundraising frenzy at the private club between Election Day and the session blackout period was just the tip of the iceberg.
In-person and online fundraisers across the state had checks pouring into campaign coffers right up to midnight on the last day before the blackout." [DMN]([link removed]) ($)
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* **STATE GOVERNMENT**
“**Abbott sends state troops to U.S.-Mexico border to work with Border Patrol,**” Texas Tribune's** Alejandro Serrano **— “Gov. **Greg Abbott** on Monday said he's sending more than 400 soldiers from Houston and Fort Worth to the U.S.-Mexico border to collaborate with Border Patrol agents "to stop illegal immigrants from entering our country and to enforce immigration laws."
Abbott said he will also send C-130s, an aircraft that can take off and land on rough terrain, and Chinook helicopters. The troops, part of a unit called the Texas Tactical Border Force, will join those already deployed to the border through the state's border security mission, Operation Lone Star, that Abbott started in 2021 in response to the Biden administration's immigration policies.
Through Operation Lone Star, the state has deployed thousands of state National Guard troops to the border, though it is not clear how many are actively deployed. The Trump administration [last week also sent]([link removed]) 1,500 active duty U.S. soldiers to the border.
"Texas has a partner in the White House we can work with to secure the Texas-Mexico border," Abbott said in a statement. "I thank President Donald Trump for his decisive leadership on the southern border and look forward to working with him and his Administration to secure the border and make America safe again.”
The move is the state’s latest effort to help the Trump administration with its immigration crackdown. Land Commissioner **Dawn Buckingham** has offered the administration a [Starr County ranch]([link removed]) to be used as a staging area for mass deportations — which an administration official [previously accepted]([link removed])." [Texas Tribune]([link removed])
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* **TRUMP ADMINISTRATION**
“**Feds drop charges against Texas doctor accused of leaking transgender care data,**” Texas Tribune's **Ayden Runnels **— “Federal prosecutors dropped their charges against a Dallas surgeon accused of leaking the records of underage patients’ gender transition-related care in what some conservative activists are calling a win for anti-transgender activism.
The request for dismissal, submitted by **Jennifer Lowery**, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, did not specify why the four counts of wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information against Dr. **Eithan Haim **were dropped.
Haim, a self-described whistleblower, was charged after he provided conservative activist **Christopher Rufo** with the records of children receiving gender transition-related care at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, the largest pediatric hospital in the United States.
Rufo published the material in a [May 2023 article]([link removed]), however the records have since been removed from the piece. While transgender care for minors was legal in 2022 when the records were sourced, the hospital publicly had said it would end providing the care after Gov. **Greg Abbott** ordered the parents of children undergoing transition-related care [be investigated ]([link removed])for child abuse. The Texas Supreme Court [later ruled]([link removed]) Abbott had no grounds to order the Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate the families.
Haim never contested that he leaked the records, however he did maintain throughout the legal proceedings that no laws were broken because personally identifiable patient information was not disclosed.
The case quickly became a lightning rod for anti-transgender activists and politicians who describe Haim as a whistleblower for exposing an alleged “secret transgender program.” Transgender care in Texas, especially for minors, has long been under fire by Republicans in the state. Only weeks after Rufo published the records provided by Haim, Texas passed an [outright ban]([link removed]) on transition-related care for minors." [Texas Tribune]([link removed])
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* **NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE**
> DMN: "**Texas House looking more like U.S. Congress**" _[DMN]([link removed])_
_ _> AP: "**US Justice Department drops case against Texas doctor charged with leaking transgender care data**" _[AP]([link removed])_
_ _> TX TRIB: "**Multi-agency operation targeted immigrants in Austin and San Antonio**" _[TX TRIB]([link removed])_
_ _> FWST: "**TikTok of man using baby to clear snow off car leads to investigation, Texas cops say**" _[FWST]([link removed])_
_ _> FWST: "**Powerball player wins $1 million prize in Texas. Where was the lucky ticket sold?**" _[FWST]([link removed])_
_ _> HOU CHRON: "**Trump wants to overhaul FEMA. What would that mean for hurricane-prone Texas?**" _[HOU CHRON]([link removed])_
_ _> HOU CHRON: "**'A wake up call:' Less than 20% of HISD students earn living wages 6 years after graduation, data shows**" _[HOU CHRON]([link removed])_
> TX TRIB: "**Several bills filed to weaken vaccine mandates as more Texas families opt out of immunizations**" _[TX TRIB]([link removed])_
_ _> FWST: "**Man puts gun in 4-year-old’s bookbag, then she takes it to school, Texas officials say**" _[FWST]([link removed])_
> FWST: "**What’s happened to Campo Verde? ‘Christmas wonderland’ near Fort Worth has gone dark**" _[FWST]([link removed])_
> FWST: "**One dead after truck crashes into wall in north Fort Worth, police say**" _[FWST]([link removed])_
_ _> DMN: "**Hundreds rally across D-FW to show support for immigrants, protest ICE raids**" _[DMN]([link removed])_
_ _> DMN: "**Former Highland Park pastor accused of solicitation of prostitution**" _[DMN]([link removed])_
_ _> DMN: "**Dallas police employee arrested Sunday for drunk driving, police say**" _[DMN]([link removed])_
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "**Woodlands Water's comprehensive drainage assessment, maintenance program to ensure resilience, prevent flooding**" _[COMMUNITY IMPACT]([link removed])_
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* **EXTRA POINTS**
Last weekend's Texas sports score:
Fri
> NHL: **Dallas** 4, Las Vegas 3
Sat
> NBA: Indiana 136, **San Antonio** 98
> NBA: Boston 122, **Dallas** 107
> NBA: **Houston **135, Atlanta 131
> NHL: **Dallas **2, St. Louis 0
> NCAAM: #7 **Houston **92, #12 Kansas 86 (2OT)
> NCAAM:** Texas** 70, #13 **Texas A&M** 69
> NCAAM: **Baylor **76, Utah 61
> NCAAM: **SMU **63, NC State 57
> NCAAM: UCF 85, **TCU **58
> NCAAM: Tulane 82, **Rice** 71
> NCAAM: Arkansas State 80, **Texas State **65
> NCAAM: Western Kentucky 75, **Sam Houston State** 66
> NCAAM: Alabama State 66, **Prairie View A&M** 63
> NCAAM: **UT-Arlington **79, **Abilene Christian** 76
> NCAAM: **UTSA** 88, Temple 79
> NCAAM: **Texas A&M-Corpus Christi** 61, Nicholls 57
> NCAAM: **Texas Southern **82, Alabama A&M 78
> NCAAM: McNeese State 93, **UT-RGV** 63
> NCAAM: **Houston Christian **86, New Orleans 76
> NCAAM: SE Louisiana 86, **Incarnate Word** 63
> NCAAM: **Lamar** 61, **East Texas A&M** 58
> NCAAM: **UTEP** 73, Kennesaw State 71
Sun
> NCAAM: **Texas Tech **64, Oklahoma State 54
> NCAAM: **North Texas **77, Florida Atlantic 64
Tonight's Texas sports schedule:
> 6pm: NCAAM: **Houston Christian **at SE Louisiana (ESPN+)
> 6:30pm: NBA: **Houston **at Boston
> 6:30pm: NCAAM: Nicholls at **UT-RGV **(ESPN+)
> 7pm: NCAAM: Northwestern State at **Lamar **(ESPN+)
> 7pm: NCAAM: **Incarnate Word **at New Orleans** **(ESPN+)
> 7pm: NCAAM: McNeese at **Texas A&M-Corpus Christi **(ESPN+)
> 7:30pm: NBA: Washington at **Dallas**
> 7:30pm: NCAAM: **Texas Southern **at Alabama State** **(ESPN+)
> 7:30pm: NCAAM: **East Texas A&M **at **Stephen F. Austin **(ESPN+)
> 7:30pm: NCAAM: **Prairie View A&M **at Alabama A&M** **(ESPN+)
**DALLAS COWBOYS**: "Full coverage introduce Brian Schottenheimer as head coach" [DMN]([link removed]) ($)
**DALLAS COWBOYS**: "Brian Schottenheimer's Cowboys coaching staff is taking shape" [DMN]([link removed]) ($)
**HOUSTON TEXANS**: "Fixing Texans' offensive line is vital for C.J. Stroud's development" [Houston Chronicle]([link removed]) ($)
**SAN ANTONIO SPURS**: "Fans see Spurs' Victor Wembanyama exceed expectations. What they don't see is his work off the court" [AP]([link removed])
**HOUSTON ASTROS**: "What team will sign Alex Bregman? Here's what the oddsmakers say" [Houston Chronicle]([link removed]) ($)
**HOUSTON ASTROS**: "Ryan Pressly waives no-trade clause to join the Chicago Cubs, AP source says" [AP]([link removed])
**HOUSTON MEN'S BASKETBALL**: "Cougars basketball: UH defeats Kansas Jayhawks in double overtime"** **[Houston Chronicle]([link removed]) ($)
**TEXAS MEN'S BASKETBALL**: "Texas vs. Texas A&M: Tramon Mark hits game-winner as Longhorns rally for 70-69 win" [AAS]([link removed]) ($)
**BAYLOR / TCU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL**: "No. 9 TCU women end a 35-year losing streak against No. 25 Baylor with an 80-75 win" [AP]([link removed])
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