State Headlines
Texas education board approves Bible-infused curriculum
Posted/updated on: November 23, 2024 at 5:56 pmAUSTIN (AP) — Texas’ education board voted Friday to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools, joining other Republican-led states that pushed this year to give religion a larger presence in public classrooms. The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by elected Republicans, is optional for schools to adopt, but they will receive additional funding if they do so. The materials could appear in classroom as early as next school year. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has voiced support for the lesson plans, which were provided by the state’s education agency that oversees the more than 5 million students in Texas public schools. Parents and teachers who opposed the curriculum said the lessons will alienate students of other faith backgrounds. Supporters ... Read More
Texas Supreme Court overturns ruling that state Attorney General Ken Paxton testify in lawsuit
Posted/updated on: November 23, 2024 at 5:56 pmAUSTIN (AP) - The Texas Supreme Court on Friday overturned a lower court ruling that state Attorney General Ken Paxton testify in a whistleblower lawsuit at the heart of impeachment charges brought against him in 2023. The court on Friday said Paxton’s office does not dispute any issue in the lawsuit by four former Paxton employees and agreed to any judgment in the case. “In a major win for the State of Texas, the state Supreme Court has sided with Attorney General Paxton against former OAG employees whose effort to prolong costly, politically-motivated litigation against the agency has wasted public resources for years," a statement from Paxton's office said. An attorney for one of the plaintiffs declined immediate comment, and a second attorney did not ... Read More
People on breathing machines struggle without power after weather disasters
Posted/updated on: November 23, 2024 at 5:56 pmHOUSTON (AP) — Kimberly Rubit had one priority in mind as Hurricane Beryl ripped through Houston this summer: her severely disabled daughter. The 63-year-old worked nonstop to prevent Mary, 42, from overheating without air conditioning, water or lights after Beryl knocked out power to their home for 10 days. At least three dozen other people suffered heat-related deaths during the extended outage. “It was miserable,” Rubit said. “I’m sick of it.” Electric grids have buckled more frequently and outages have become longer across the U.S. as the warming atmosphere carries more water and stirs up more destructive storms, according to an AP analysis of government data. In the Pacific Northwest this week, a “ bomb cyclone ” caused roughly half a million outages. People with ... Read More
PUC requires registration of cryptocurrency mining
Posted/updated on: November 23, 2024 at 5:56 pmAUSTIN - KXAN reports that virtual currency mining facilities within the state’s power grid region have to register with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT). The facilities must provide information to the PUCT annually about the facility’s location, ownership, and demand for electricity. The rule was passed by the 88th Texas Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2023. It is aimed at giving the PUCT and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) a better awareness of the virtual currency miners operating around the state. “It’s an important first step to get their hands around the potential issues,” said Dr. David Tuttle, a research associate and lecturer at the University of Texas Austin’s Energy Institute. Tuttle said these facilities can ... Read More
Could Texas do for Alzheimer’s research what it did for cancer?
Posted/updated on: November 23, 2024 at 5:56 pmAUSTIN (AP) - Two decades ago, state Rep. Tom Craddick could ask a room of his West Texas constituents what illness they feared the most and the answer, unfailingly, was always cancer. A few weeks ago, about the time Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick contacted him about a new blockbuster medical research fund idea, Craddick asked a group of his constituents the question again and no one mentioned cancer. “It was unanimous in the room,” Craddick said. “Alzheimer’s and dementia.” Craddick, R-Midland, told that story to a room full of rapt researchers gathered at the University of Texas at Austin this week, a day after Patrick made a stunning announcement that he wants lawmakers to approve a dementia research fund modeled after Texas’ successful $6 billion ... Read More
Nearly $100 million awarded to the family of a man fatally shot in his apartment by an officer
Posted/updated on: November 23, 2024 at 5:56 pmDALLAS (AP) — The family of a man shot and killed by a Dallas police officer who said she mistook his apartment for her own was awarded nearly $100 million Wednesday in a federal civil trial. The jury found after a three-day trial that ex-officer Amber Guyger used excessive force in the death of Botham Jean in 2018 and violated his constitutional rights. Jurors returned a verdict against her of $98.65 million. “This verdict stands as a powerful testament to Botham’s life and the profound injustice of his death," a statement from Jean's family's legal team said. "This case laid bare critical issues of racial bias and police accountability that cannot be ignored. Today’s verdict sends a clear message that law enforcement officers who commit ... Read More
Oil company faces federal charges related to alleged Clean Water Act violations
Posted/updated on: November 23, 2024 at 5:56 pmLOS ANGELES (AP) — Oil company Phillips 66 has been federally indicted in connection with alleged violations of the Clean Water Act in California, authorities said Thursday. The Texas-based company is accused of discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater containing excessive amounts of oil and grease, the U.S. Department of Justice said. The company allegedly dumped the wastewater from its Carson oil refinery into the Los Angeles County sewer system in 2020 and 2021 and did not report the violations, prosecutors said. Phillips is charged with two counts of negligently violating the Clean Water Act and four counts of knowingly violating the Clean Water Act. The company faces up to five years of probation on each count and a maximum of $2.4 ... Read More
Texas lost key immigration cases
Posted/updated on: November 23, 2024 at 5:56 pmHOUSTON - The Houston Chronicle reports that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton failed in every one of his attempts to convince the U.S. Supreme Court to halt President Joe Biden’s immigration policies. But the Texas Republican’s repeated losses might have actually helped clear the way for President-elect Donald Trump to roll out an immigration crackdown that includes mass deportations, detention of migrant families and more. The Texas losses underscore how little appetite the high court has for challenges to presidential authority on immigration matters. Some immigration law experts say the rulings against Texas during Biden’s term could make it more difficult for blue states to try and stop Trump’s crackdown in the courts. The Texas losses “dramatically softened the ground that President Trump has to ... Read More
American Airlines’ new boarding tech might stop you at now over 100 airports
Posted/updated on: November 23, 2024 at 5:56 pmNEW YORK (AP) — Sneaking a little ahead of line to get on that plane faster? American Airlines might stop you. In an apparent effort to reduce the headaches caused by airport line cutting, American has rolled out boarding technology that alerts gate agents with an audible sound if a passenger tries to scan a ticket ahead of their assigned group. This new software won't accept a boarding pass before the group it's assigned to is called, so customers who get to the gate prematurely will be asked to go back and wait their turn. As of Wednesday, the airline announced, the technology is now being used in more than 100 U.S. airports that American flies out of. The official expansion arrives after successful tests ... Read More
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