The Texas Senate sent two bills to the Texas House on Thursday that will cut property taxes by again increasing the Homestead Exemption for property owners. Senate Bill 4 and Senate Joint Resolution 2 were unanimously passed 30-0 Thursday. They would raise the exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 for taxes paid to public schools, saving homeowners an average of $363.44 on their annual property tax bill. The exemption would be $150,000 for seniors. Because the increase would require an amendment to the state constitution, the bills must be approved by 2/3 of the Texas House and then Texas voters in November before they can go into effect for this tax year. This Homestead Exemption would apply retroactively to 2025 tax bills if passed by voters. A higher exemption for taxes paid to public schools means public schools already strapped for cash would receive less money. However, there’s protection for school districts in SB 4 that says the state would make up any shortfall should a school district have losses in tax revenue because of the higher exemption. “Today, the Texas Senate delivered a win for homeowners statewide. By passing SB4 and SJR2, we are putting real dollars back into the…

When a storm hits the Texas coast during the summer hurricane season, state Sen. Borris Miles knows among the first calls he’ll get is from a constituent letting him know power is down at an independent living complex, shutting off air conditioning for older Texans. “‘Senator! You got these people here,’“ he said, recalling a plea from a caller when Hurricane Beryl knocked out power to an assisted living facility last summer. “‘What are we going to do?’’’ Miles, a Houston Democrat, is thankful for residents like these. But as the number of storms have increased, so has the frustration for southeast Texas lawmakers who want better solutions. That’s why Miles and four other coastal lawmakers have filed at least six bills that would require nursing homes, assisted living facilities and even some apartments that market to the 55 and older set, to have emergency generators on site. In Texas, there are 1,193 nursing homes serving more than 86,000 patients and 2,004 assisted living facilities housing 49,574 residents. Miles’ House Bill 732 would require certain low-income housing for seniors living independently to have backup power. In recent years, Miles has seen more of these facilities being built in Houston. Often living in multistory apartment…

Three East Texas men were found guilty of fraud after conspiring to submit false federal loan applications to financial institutions, including the U.S. Small Business Administration, stealing millions of dollars, the Department of Justice says. According to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Olamide Olatayo Bello, 47, of McKinney, Olabode Thomas Ajibola, 54, of Humble, and Dumbor Josephine Baribe, 52, of Wylie, were convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering following a four-day trial on Jan. 16. Eight other individuals involved in the scheme pleaded guilty before the trial. According to information presented in court, Bello, Ajibola and Baribe planned to submit false applications for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and the Payback Protection Program (PPP). These forgivable loans were authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, enacted in March 2020 to provide financial assistance to small businesses for job retention and financing. Following a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office, the defendants could face up to 20 years in federal prison at their sentence hearing. This case was investigated by the Department of Interior, the Office of Inspector General, the Small…

Since a massive winter storm wiped out power to much of Texas in 2021, winter weather often leads to questions about the state’s power grid. But the grid was holding strong Thursday, with plenty of reserve power available, more than 12 hours into a storm that blanketed the DFW area with sleet and snow. Throughout the afternoon Thursday, ERCOT’s grid condition tracker reported about 10,000 megawatts of reserve power, meaning significant excess supply was available to meet the demand despite the cold weather. Any power outages occurring in neighborhoods would be caused by local issues like ice on power lines and not by problems with the statewide grid. Oncor, the Dallas-based company that operates the transmission lines in most of the DFW area, was reporting a small number of outages Thursday afternoon, affecting only about 600-2,000 customers at any given time, out of more than 4 million. In the days leading up to the snow and sleet, ERCOT anticipated that statewide grid conditions would remain normal. The blast of cold hitting the state this week is much lighter than winter storm Uri, the 2021 storm that brought sub-zero temperatures to the state, wreaking havoc on power plants. However, analysts…

One of the victims who died in the suspected terror attack in New Orleans in the early morning on New Year’s Day has been identified as 27-year-old Tiger Bech. Bech played football at Princeton University and was the brother of current TCU wide receiver Jack Bech. On Wednesday night, the brothers’ Louisiana hometown came together to pay tribute to Bech’s memory. At Saint Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette, family and friends wiped away tears and sang worship songs together, honoring one of the victims of an attack that has left the country shaken. “It’s not the biggest community, but we’re a very tight-knit community,” said Marty Cannon, Principal of STM. “So any time we lose one of our alumni it’s a big deal and it’s felt by many.” Loved ones said 27-year-old Tiger Bech died after being hit by the suspect who drove a truck into the crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans hours into the new year. Bech graduated from Saint Thomas More in 2015 and went on to play football at Princeton. Those who knew him said he was back in Louisiana for the holidays when he fell victim to the attack. “As soon as…

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) in an effort to prevent transgender women from competing in women’s college sports. In the 57-page filing, Paxton alleges that the NCAA engaged in deception by marketing sporting events as women’s but allowing “mixed sex competitions” where “biological males compete against biological females.” He argues that transgender women competing in women’s sports is “inherently unfair and unsafe” because of “physiological advantages.” The lawsuit also argues that the NCAA failed to disclose which participants are transgender women, which he claims further misleads people. “The NCAA is intentionally and knowingly jeopardizing the safety and wellbeing of women by deceptively changing women’s competitions into co-ed competitions,” Paxton said. “When people watch a women’s volleyball game, for example, they expect to see women playing against other women—not biological males pretending to be something they are not. Radical ‘gender theory’ has no place in college sports.” Paxton has requested that the court grant a permanent injunction to prohibit transgender women from competing in women’s sporting events in Texas or to cease marketing events as women’s sports. Courtesy of Texas News – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth …

A twin-engine propeller plane crashed onto a Texas highway and split in two Wednesday afternoon, scattering debris across the road and sending four people to hospitals, authorities said. The Piper PA-31 with just the pilot aboard crashed about 3 p.m. near a highway overpass in Victoria, some 150 miles (240 kilometers) southwest of Houston, the Federal Aviation Administration said. A police video statement on Facebook said three vehicles were damaged and images showed the aircraft split at the fuselage with part of the wreckage resting atop a car. Victoria Police Deputy Chief Eline Moya said three people had non-life threatening injuries, one was transported to an out-of-town hospital for higher level treatment, and the pilot was being evaluated. Moya did not specify if the pilot was among those taken to a hospital. “This is not something we see every day, but we are glad that people seem to be OK and they’re getting checked out,” Moya said. The pilot’s name and condition were not immediately released. The FAA said it would investigate the crash. Tony Poynor said he was approaching an intersection when he started hearing the sound of a small plane engine very close to him. “To…

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Col. Steve McCraw said goodbye to personnel Wednesday as he left Texas DPS Headquarters in Austin for the final time. McCraw announced in August he planned to retire by the end of the year after 15 years leading the department. “Serving as the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety has been the greatest honor of my life,” McCraw said in a statement. “I leave knowing that the future of this department is in the best possible hands. The continued efforts and commitment to excellence by those that work at DPS have made, and will continue to make, a profound difference in the lives of the people of this great state.” The Texas DPS said McCraw’s lifetime of service to law enforcement has been honored and recognized in many ways since he announced his retirement, including in a video series chronicling his impact on the DPS called “Honoring a Lifetime of Service.” Earlier this week, employees said goodbye to the director by lining the driveway at headquarters as he left campus. The tribute included a flyover. McCraw, a native of El Paso, began his career in law enforcement in 1977 as a state…

Texas is offering a parcel of rural ranchland along the U.S.-Mexico border to use as a staging area for potential mass deportations under President-elect Donald Trump. Texas originally purchased the 1,402-acre property last month. It is located in rural Starr County in the Rio Grande Valley. Republican Dawn Buckingham, the Texas Land Commissioner, sent a letter on Thursday to Trump extending the offer. The letter is embedded at the bottom of this article. The land offer is the latest illustration of a sharp divide between states and local governments on whether to support or resist Trump’s plans for mass deportations of migrants living in the U.S. illegally. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted to become a “sanctuary” jurisdiction, limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities to carry out deportations. Texas leaders have long backed aggressive measures on the border to curb crossings, including installing razor-wire barriers and passing a law last year that would allow law enforcement to arrest migrants who cross the border illegally. “By offering this newly-acquired 1400-acre property to the incoming Trump Administration for the construction of a facility for the processing, detention, and coordination of what will be the largest deportation of violent criminals…

Texas Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says private school voucher legislation will be his top priority in the upcoming legislative session. Patrick has reserved Senate Bill 2 for the proposal, which has not yet been authorized. He also said that he hoped Republican Gov. Greg Abbott would declare school choice one of his emergency items for this session. By law, no bills can be passed within the first 60 days of the session unless the governor has deemed them emergency items. “School Choice” is frequently used to describe school vouchers and programs that use taxpayer money to help pay for private schools. “A one-size-fits-all approach to education in a state with a population of 30 million, 254 counties, 1,200 school districts, and over 8,000 campuses simply cannot possibly meet the needs of every student,” Patrick said. The proposal for school choice has been made five times since 2015. The Senate would pass it, but once it reached the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, it would be shut down every time. SCHOOL CHOICE Education May 30 Gov. Abbott says he's got the votes for…