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MustReadTexas.com – @MustReadTexas
BY: @MattMackowiak
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WEDNESDAY || 3/12/2025
Good Wednesday morning.
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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)
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TOP NEWS
“Gov. Abbott wants a San Antonio Cyber Command. UTSA has a plan make that happen,” Houston Chronicle's Evan McDonald — “The University of Texas at San Antonio is set to play a pivotal role in transforming San Antonio into the central hub for Gov. Greg Abbott’s Texas Cyber Command, the university’s president told the San Antonio Report on Tuesday.
UTSA’s School of Data Science played host to a national summit focused on driving innovation in the cybersecurity field on Tuesday, welcoming parties from all over Texas and from Washington, D.C., to discuss why San Antonio is uniquely positioned to be this new hub for Texas.
During his State of the State address last month, Abbott named the creation of a Texas Cyber Command in San Antonio as one of his seven priority items, surprising some local leaders who said they hadn’t heard this idea previously.
UTSA’s President Taylor Eighmy was not among those taken by surprise, however.
In fact, discussions about the command have been ongoing for more than a year, he explained Tuesday.
“My team and I have been in close coordination with the governor’s office about this new Texas Cyber Command agency that will be affiliated with UT San Antonio,” he said. “The bill for that just got filed last night to authorize it … and it’s out for comment from members of the appropriate committees up in Austin,” Eighmy added, referring to Senate Bill 2176.
If the bill passes as is, Texas Cyber Command would be “a component institution of The University of Texas System,” and would be “administratively attached to the University of Texas at San Antonio.”
UTSA is well-positioned to lead this initiative, Eighmy said. In January 2023, UTSA opened the $91.8 million National Security Collaboration Center and School of Data Science in downtown San Antonio at 506 Dolorosa St., and in December, the university revealed plans to launch the College of AI, Cyber, and Computing, with an anticipated formal debut in fall 2025.
Eighmy suggested Tuesday that the university plans to lobby for more funding to support the Abbott-blessed effort.
“We have some special requests in place that are going to support this new College of AI, Cyber, and Computing, and that’s still in play,” Eighmy said. “There’s a lot of activity up in the capitol, and we’re advocating for all sorts of things. We have a lot of work to do.”
The college will house 6,000 students and staff at the university’s downtown San Antonio campus, contributing to downtown’s development, Eighmy said.
San Antonio’s economic landscape, which is bolstered by the presence of the NSA and Department of Defense, helps position the city to be a major cybersecurity hub, he added.
Eighmy is one of the many reasons UTSA was selected for the summit, said Deborah Wince-Smith, president and CEO of the Council on Competitiveness. The Council is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. with the goal of increasing the United States’ economic competitiveness in the global marketplace. His role as a commissioner on the National Commission of Innovation and Competitiveness within the Council on Competitiveness was integral in the university’s selection, Wince-Smith added.
”San Antonio is really ground zero in America for our cybersecurity infrastructure with the Air Force, the Joint Base, and many other infrastructures here,” she said. “We’re thrilled to bring all these people together to discuss this critical topic for the U.S., competitiveness and national security.”" SA Report
#TXLEGE
“How state lawmakers are trying to crack down on illegal immigration” Texas Tribune
“Texas Legislature to weigh bill that could expedite evictions, limit tenant protections” DMN ($)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
“DART hopes to sway skeptical members to settle for 5% funding rebate” DMN ($)
“Court rules Fort Worth can keep banning short-term rentals in residential areas” FW Report
BUSINESS NEWS
“Why Southwest reneged on free checked bags, its ‘most important feature’” DMN ($)
“What to know about CERAWeek 2025, Houston's biggest energy conference” Houston Chronicle ($)
“City of Dallas breaks silence on new Mavs arena, vows to keep team ‘where they belong’” DMN ($)
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
“Feds closing migrant tent camps along Southern border” SAEN ($)
TEXANS IN DC
“Two Texans in Congress defend CHIPS Act in the face of Trump’s criticism” Texas Tribune
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
> TX TRIB: "Debate on House’s school voucher bill centers on a question: Should wealthy Texans be included?" TX TRIB
> AP: "This ‘Dune’ isn’t fiction. It’s the longest conveyer belt in the US and moving sand in Texas" AP
> TX TRIB: "How state lawmakers are trying to crack down on illegal immigration" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "Two Texans in Congress defend CHIPS Act in the face of Trump’s criticism" TX TRIB
> AP: "Measles cases are still rising in Texas. Here’s what you should know about the contagious virus" AP
> HOU CHRON: "Texas bill to curb squatting would make it easier to evict any renter" HOU CHRON
> TX TRIB: "One year after devastating Panhandle wildfires, Canadian resident reflects on the work of rebuilding" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "Stay granted for Texas death row inmate two days before scheduled execution" TX TRIB
> AP: "Court stays execution of Texas man days before he was set to die by lethal injection" AP
> TX TRIB: "TribCast: Fights, scandals and still half a legislative session to go" TX TRIB
> TX MONTHLY: "With the End of “Bags Fly Free,” Southwest Airlines Breaks Another Promise to Customers" TX MONTHLY
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "City of Richardson partners with CBRE for DART Arapaho Center Station redevelopment" COMMUNITY IMPACT
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "New cell tower set to bring expanded coverage to southwest McKinney" COMMUNITY IMPACT
> TX TRIB: "Federal appeals court reverses Texas death row inmate’s conviction" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "Will lawmakers let Texas’ maternal mortality committee review abortion deaths?" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "In Guadalupe County, an elections academy aims to strengthen residents’ trust in voting" TX TRIB
> HOU CHRON: "New renderings show $2B George R. Brown expansion that will transform downtown" HOU CHRON
> HOU CHRON: "Who owns Texas: See who owns the most Houston-area properties" HOU CHRON
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Houston's $70M plan to end street homelessness by 2026" COMMUNITY IMPACT
> TX TRIB: "With crumbling public health infrastructure, rural Texas scrambles to respond to measles" TX TRIB
> AP: "Top US health agency makes $25,000 buyout offer to most of its employees" AP
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Rice University to break ground on new Moody Center Complex in May" COMMUNITY IMPACT
> HOU CHRON: "Feds wanted to sell three Houston office buildings. Then the list disappeared." HOU CHRON
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Harris County commissioners approve $2.8M to fund additional jail staff" COMMUNITY IMPACT
> TX TRIB: "South Texas immigration detention center with capacity for 2,400 people to reopen" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "Texas countywide voting bill would allow fewer polling sites" TX TRIB
> AP: "Siemens announces $285 million investment in US manufacturing" AP
> TX TRIB: "Why a Rio Grande Valley hospital is helping to feed its patients" TX TRIB
> AP: "Judge pauses GOP states’ lawsuit to limit people in the US illegally from census count" AP
EXTRA POINTS
Last night's Texas sports scores:
> 7pm: NCAAM: UTEP 79, Sam Houston State 65
> 7pm: NCAAM: Colorado 69, TCU 67
> NBA: Orlando at Houston
> NBA: Dallas at San Antonio
Tonight's Texas sports schedule:
> 1pm: NCAAM: Charlotte vs. Rice (Dallas)
> 2:30pm: NCAAM: Texas vs. Vanderbilt (Nashville)
> 4pm: NCAAM: Lamar avs. McNeese (Lake Charles, LA)
> 5:30pm: NCAAM: UTEP vs. Liberty (Huntsville, AL)
> 6pm: NCAAM: Kansas State vs. Baylor (Kansas City, MO)
> 7pm: NBA: Phoenix at Houston
> 7pm: NBA: Dallas at San Antonio
> 8:30pm: NCAAM: Syracuse at SMU (Charlotte, NC)
> 10:30pm: NCAAM: UT-Arlington vs. Grand Canyon (Las Vegas)
DALLAS COWBOYS: "Dallas Cowboys agree to terms with former Saints first-round pick Payton Turner" DMN ($)
TEXAS A&M MEN'S BASKETBALL: "Texas A&M basketball: 4 reasons Aggies will, or won't, make deep run in SEC tournament" AAS ($)
TEXAS MEN'S BASKETBALL: "Texas freshman Tre Johnson keeps learning heading into NCAA postseason" AAS ($)
HOUSTON ROCKETS: "The Rockets are trying a new look before the NBA playoffs. So far, the makeover is working" Houston Chronicle ($)
SAN ANTONIO SPURS: "Houston Rockets: Alex Thompson out with ankle injury" SAEN ($)
TCU MEN'S BASKETBALL: "No. 16 seed Colorado perfect at foul line late, holds off No. 9 seed TCU 69-67 in Big 12 tourney" AP
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