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AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two Texas residents were passengers on the cruise ship that experienced a hantavirus outbreak, the Texas Department of State Health Services said, adding that they are not experiencing any symptoms.

DSHS sent a release on Thursday, saying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention alerted the agency to the two residents who traveled on the MV Hondius. The passengers left the ship and came back to the U.S. before the outbreak was identified.

Public health workers contacted the two residents, who reported that they were not experiencing symptoms and did not have contact with a sick person while aboard the ship, DSHS said. The residents’ personal details are not being released to protect their privacy, the agency said.

The residents will continue to monitor themselves for symptoms and contact public health officials if they show signs of being sick.

DSHS explained hantaviruses are typically spread through contact with wild rodent waste, but the strain in the cruise ship outbreak, called the Andres virus, can spread from person to person “in limited circumstances.”

“It typically requires close, prolonged contact with a person who is actively sick with the disease,” DSHS said. “It is not known to spread through casual contact such as shaking hands or being in the same room for a few minutes.”

DSHS added that there have been no documented cases where a person without symptoms spread it to someone else.

The Associated Press reported that the Hondius set sail from southern Argentina on April 1, and three passengers have died from the illness, and one is in intensive care in a South African hospital.

AUSTIN (THE TEXAS TRIBUNE) — After a one-month reprieve, smokeable hemp products, such as flower buds and rolled joints, must be pulled from shelves again as the state appeals the latest ruling.

Lawyers for the state filed an appeal on Tuesday against Travis County Judge Daniella DeSeta Lyttle’s ruling last week, which extended the pause on the smokable hemp ban. The state’s 15th Court of Appeals agreed to hear the appeal Wednesday, putting the state’s rules that effectively bans smokeable hemp back into effect.

Lawyers for the hemp industry also requested on Wednesday that the appeals court reinstate the temporary pause on the ban until the next hearing, currently scheduled for July 27. A decision is expected from the appeals court this week.

“We are confident that the 15th Court of Appeals will reinstate our Temporary Injunction so that our Vets, elderly, and adult consumers have reasonable access to these products,” said David Sergi, an attorney for the hemp industry. “The voters will remember who voted for true liberty in November.”

This week’s decision on smokeable hemp is the latest in a string of dizzying court actions that have ping-ponged the status of the drug’s sale in Texas.

The statewide ban on smokeable hemp was supposed to go into effect on March 31. After lawyers for the hemp industry filed a lawsuit asking to block the ban, a Travis County district judge on April 10 temporarily lifted the ban until May 1. Last week, Lyttle ruled to extend the ban until the next hearing in the district courts, scheduled for July 27, but because the 15th Court of Appeals has agreed to considering the state’s appeal, the ban is back in effect.

The Texas Hemp Business Council, Hemp Industry & Farmers of America, and several Texas-based dispensaries and manufacturers have been fighting the state’s new testing requirements that create a 0.3% total THC threshold that would effectively bar the sale of natural smokeable hemp products. The state also created a 3,000% increase in licensing fees for hemp retailers.

During the three-day hearing last week, lawyers for the hemp industry argued that the Texas Department of State Health Services overstepped its constitutional authority by rewriting the statutory definitions of hemp established by lawmakers in 2019.

“The Texas Legislature must answer to the voters of Texas; that is a fundamental check and balance of our constitution. Agency bureaucrats lack accountability to the people of Texas, which is why their authority is limited,” said Jason Snell, one of the attorneys for the hemp businesses.

Attorneys for the state argued in court that Texas law requires the health agency to prioritize Texans’ well-being in rulemaking, allowing them to implement new hemp regulations. The judge disagreed, saying the rules were doing irreparable harm to the industry.

“The Court finds that the purpose of a temporary injunction is to preserve the last, actual, peaceable, non-contested status that preceded the controversy,” said Lyttle.

Andrew Alvarado, an attorney representing the hemp industry, said Lyttle’s ruling upholds the separation of powers among government entities.

“Frankly, I think it’s a win for all Texans, because fundamentally, the Court confirmed that unelected officials and state agencies cannot impose rules that conflict with the will of the people,” he said.

In a separate decision that could harm the industry’s chances of defeating the overall ban on smokeable hemp products, the Texas Supreme Court on Friday upheld the state health agency’s prohibition on another natural intoxicating hemp compound called delta-8 THC. Delta-8 THC has been off store shelves since 2022 because of the ban, allowing delta-9 THC to proliferate and become the most commonly found intoxicating chemical in hemp products now.

The court’s decision says the delta-8 ban can remain because state law gives the agency overarching authority to protect Texans. The state could invoke this ruling to allow the state health agency to ban any or all consumable hemp products based on its statutory responsibilities to protect Texans, and that can only be undone if the Legislature tells the state agency those products are legal.

“If the legislature desires to legalize powerful drugs, it has every tool it needs to do so—and to do so unmistakably, as we expect for such a major change to social policy. The role of the courts is merely to assess the state of the law as it is,” Texas Supreme Court Justice Evan Young said in his court opinion.

State law defines hemp as containing less than 0.3% levels of intoxicating delta-9 THC. The health agency redefined hemp in accordance with federal law which clarified last November that hemp can’t contain total amounts of any type of THC — not just delta-9 THC — that is more than 0.3% of its dry weight, according to Zachary Berg, an attorney with the Texas Attorney General’s Office. Berg added that the federal government’s new definition doesn’t go into effect until this coming November, but the state wanted to be in compliance early with federal law.

Snell said that by trying to mirror a federal law that isn’t yet in effect, the state clearly overstepped its regulatory authority. He also called on a slew of witnesses, including veterans, suburban mothers, rural store owners, and economists, to testify on how these new regulations are already shuttering businesses and killing off the industry.

Hemp retailers told the court that businesses have lost over 50% of their revenue since the rules went into effect; manufacturers are shutting down production due to increased licensing fees; and farmers are not planting crops because new testing requirements are making hemp flower worthless.

The hemp businesses also asked for a temporary injunction on other rules that increase licensing fees for retailers and manufacturers and prevent businesses from selling smokeable hemp out-of-state. Lyttle last week also temporarily lifted both of these state rules, but the state’s appeal reinstates these rules for now.

The background: Even though Texas law bans marijuana, lawmakers legalized hemp in 2019 with the Texas Farm Bill. State law defines hemp as containing less than 0.3% levels of intoxicating delta-9 THC.

To get around the law’s delta-9 THC restrictions, manufacturers started cultivating hemp plants with another type of THC, called THCA, that, when ignited in a joint or smokeable product, can produce a high. Many lawmakers have said this legal loophole has allowed a recreational THC market to appear overnight without direct approval from the state.

Last year, the Texas Legislature voted to ban the products out of fear that these intoxicating products were consistently getting into the hands of children. But, Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed the decision last summer, before asking the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and DSHS to increase regulations on the industry instead.

The Texas Department of State Health Services released regulations on consumable hemp-derived THC products that went into effect on March 31. These new regulations include child-resistant packaging, a significant increase in licensing fees, new labeling, testing, and bookkeeping requirements. The rules also codify the legal purchasing age to 21, which went into effect last year as an emergency directive.

Why the hemp industry sued: Also under the new rules, laboratories tests now measure the total amount of any THC in a product. If the THC levels exceed the 0.3% threshold, even if it’s only activated upon being smoked, the product will be noncompliant under state regulations. As a result, some of the most popular hemp products, like THCA flower and pre-rolled joints, have been banned.

Hemp businesses caught selling noncompliant products face a range of penalties and fines, including license revocation and up to $10,000 in violation fees for each day these products were sold in stores.

Retailers cannot sell hemp to out-of-state customers either.

Several hemp industry representatives testified on Thursday that smokable products aren’t the only items being removed from shelves due to the new testing requirements. Hair gels, bath bombs, balms, tinctures, dog treats, and much more can no longer be made because the main ingredient is hemp flower.

“It’s like trying to regulate the sale of wine by banning grapes,” said Amanda Taylor, one of the attorneys for the hemp businesses, in court.

The state health agency didn’t conduct a complete economic impact report on the proposed rules and regulations, which the lawyers for the hemp industry called negligence.

Attorneys for the state said the health agency either couldn’t find or verify the data needed to confirm the economic impact of these rules or wasn’t required to do so because the well-being of Texans takes priority over industry concerns.

Beau Whitney, the founder and chief economist at Whitney Economics, a cannabis economic research firm, told the court that his own impact report done earlier this year found that the new rules and regulations will have a $7.2 billion negative impact on the Texas economy due to job losses and reduced tax revenue from hemp retail closures. He said the process of preparing the economic report on the Texas hemp industry was simple and well within the state health agency’s reach in both economic and time terms.

The rules also increase licensing fees for manufacturers of hemp-derived THC from $258 to $10,000 per facility and retail registrations from $155 to $5,000, which industry leaders say will fulfill the ban by forcing businesses to close. The state’s attorney said the state needs the fees to build a system to regulate the hemp industry, despite the health agency stating in its rules that it didn’t have any plans to hire additional DSHS employees for this effort.

The hemp business community’s lawsuit is not challenging the other new regulations, including the age verification or ones they say protect consumers.

What the state says: Concerns about the safety of these high-THC products among youth led lawmakers to attempt to ban hemp-derived THC products outright last year. While the overall ban didn’t succeed, lawmakers successfully banned vape pens containing THC and other hemp-derived intoxicating chemicals.

Berg said in court that the state has received reports of hemp products containing 100 times the recommended amount of THCA being sold in these stores, and customers weren’t using it for wellness reasons but to get intoxicated.

“Many are consuming recreationally and not just adults,” said Berg.

Data provided from the Texas Poison Center Network confirms a sharp increase in cannabis-related poisoning calls starting in 2019, a year after hemp-derived THC was legalized by the federal government, from 923 to a 10-year high of 2,592 in 2024. Calls climbed to 2,669 last year. The majority of these calls involve suspected poisoning of children under the age of five and teenagers.

Drug policy experts said these numbers seem alarming, but it is natural for poisoning calls to increase when a drug has become legalized, and the data needs additional context before making conclusions from it.

What’s next: It’s not clear if Friday’s Texas Supreme Court ruling on delta-8 could affect the court case involving the smokeable hemp ban.

The state health agency added delta-8 to the controlled substance list, making it illegal in 2021. The Texas Supreme Court’s ruling upheld that, giving the agency broad authority over drugs on the list. However, Katharine Neill Harris, a drug policy fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, said that doesn’t give the state agency authority to prohibit any substance it wants.

However, if the state agency ever wanted to put any THC found in consumable hemp on the controlled substance list, the ruling could be invoked to justify making consumable hemp illegal.

“While the Texas Farm Bill legalized hemp and its derivatives, it did not explicitly legalize or remove from scheduling all THC compounds. The delta-8 issue was not directly addressed in that legislation, and DSHS clarified back in 2021 that delta-8 was considered a controlled substance,” Harris said.

David Sergi, an attorney representing the hemp industry, has broader legal concerns about the Texas Supreme Court’s decision, as it places the state’s health agency on the same level as lawmakers in terms of authority to make industry-shifting decisions.

“There are some very large constitutional concerns that, I think, a result-driven case like this, an opinion like this, causes us. But those are the conversations that the legal team is having right now,” Sergi said, adding they have been speaking with lawyers around the country about the Texas Supreme Court decision and what it might mean legally.

Separate from the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling, the federal government passed restrictions that redefined hemp so that only 0.3% of any type of THC is allowable, which effectively bans smokeable hemp nationally starting this November. There are ongoing efforts in Congress to alter the ban or allow states to opt out of following this new definition.

To see this article in its original form, go to The Texas Tribune.

COLLEGE STATION (AP) – Regents on Wednesday unanimously appointed Susan Ballabina as president of Texas A&M, putting her in charge of the state’s largest public university as it continues to deal with the fallout from its last president’s resignation.

Ballabina, who assumes the role on May 11, most recently served as executive vice chancellor for the Texas A&M University System, overseeing day-to-day operations across its 12 universities and eight state agencies. Prior to that, she was former Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III’s chief of staff.

Regents named Ballabina the sole finalist April 13. State law required them to wait 21 days before finalizing the hire. She initially served on the presidential search committee before recusing herself to apply for the job.

“I was a reluctant applicant. I wasn’t sure that this was something I wanted to do, but after going through the process and preparing for the various interviews, I got more and more excited,” Ballabina said during the regents’ meeting after their vote.

The decision follows months of upheaval at the flagship campus after Welsh resigned amid political backlash over a secretly recorded classroom discussion of gender identity that was posted online.

The search unfolded as regents took a more assertive role in responding to controversy and shaping what can be taught, part of a broader political remaking of Texas colleges under new state laws.

Ballabina holds a bachelor’s degree from Tarleton State University, a master’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University and a doctorate in public affairs from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Ballabina has worked in the system for more than three decades, holding senior leadership roles at both the university and Texas A&M Agrilife. She helped cultivate partnerships such as the Aplin Center, a new campus hub for hospitality, retail and food-and-nutrition education, and coordinated statewide disaster recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey, according to the system.

Chancellor Glenn Hegar said she stood out among a pool of strong national candidates.

Board Chair Robert L. Albritton said, “This unified decision sends a strong signal that Texas A&M is aligned, confident and moving forward with momentum.”

“Absolutely,” regent James R. “Randy” Brooks added. “We are looking forward to some peace in this organization, and we’re confident you can provide it.”

Texas A&M has cycled through leaders in recent years.

In 2023, M. Katherine Banks resigned as president after the failed hiring of Kathleen McElroy, an experienced Black journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin whom Texas A&M recruited to revive its program. McElroy walked away from an offer that university officials watered down after vocal groups outside the university criticized her past work for the New York Times and support for diversity.

Welsh followed as president, working to rebuild trust with faculty by reversing some of Banks’ unpopular changes and promising not to micromanage. But that approach later put him at odds with regents who wanted a leader who would respond more quickly to political controversy. His downfall came in September 2025 after he initially told a student he would not fire lecturer Melissa McCoul for discussing gender identity in a children’s literature course. He ultimately fired McCoul.

Two months later, Texas A&M regents approved systemwide restrictions on classroom discussion of race, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity unless the course and relevant materials are approved in advance by a university president. They also prohibited faculty from teaching material inconsistent with an approved syllabus.

Leonard Bright, president of the Texas A&M chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said Ballabina’s selection brought “some level of relief” because faculty feared regents might choose a politician. However, he said her lack of classroom and research experience raises questions.

“Is she going to stand up for faculty when there are political attacks?” he asked.

B. Don Russell, a Texas A&M professor and chair of the university’s distinguished professors group, offered a more supportive view, saying Ballabina was “among the most open for discussions with faculty” of the administrators he has worked with. He said her broad experience across the university system and in state politics will serve A&M well. He did not see her lack of traditional classroom background as a major limitation.

Since Welsh’s resignation, Tommy Williams — a former Texas lawmaker, Texas A&M alum and one-time top government relations official for the system — has served as interim president.

Texas has seen a broader political remaking of higher education since 2023.

Lawmakers banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices, programs and training; expanded regents’ authority over curriculum; and imposed rules limiting protesting on campus, including bans on encampments and overnight demonstrations. Supporters of these new laws say they keep universities focused on their core mission of providing degrees that lead to profitable careers. Opponents say they undercut universities’ mission to be spaces for open inquiry.

Ballabina takes over as Texas A&M, which enrolled 72,289 students in fall 2025, wraps up the spring semester. Final exams ended Tuesday, commencement began Wednesday and ceremonies in College Station continue through Saturday, according to the university’s academic calendar.

“This is an important moment for us,” Ballabina said, after choking up. “We’re going to celebrate 150 years. We’re going to roll out a new strategic plan. And how lucky am I to get the opportunity to lead us through that and help everyone get focused on what matters — and that’s our students; that is our life-changing research; and that is our staff who help us do everything.”

AUSTIN (AP) — The gunman who killed three people and wounded more than a dozen others in a mass shooting at a downtown Austin, Texas, bar in March was a “lone actor” and there is no evidence he was supported or directed by a foreign terrorist group, FBI investigators said Thursday.

The agency released a two-page update of its investigation into the attack on Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in the early morning hours of March 1 that ended when gunman, Ndiaga Diagne, was killed by police.

The shooting happened after the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran. Diagne was wearing clothes with an Iranian flag design and the words “Property of Allah.”

Despite lacking direct evidence of a motive for the shooting, investigators said Diagne was likely triggered into violent behavior by the war against Iran, “culminating in a violent, impulsive attack” at the bar, the report said.

Investigators determined Diagne admired Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had been killed. His affinity for Iran and its former leader were likely factors in the attack Diagne perpetrated on his own, investigators said.

“The investigation to date indicates Diagne was a lone actor,” the report said. He had never been the subject of an FBI investigation prior to the shooting.

Diagne, 53, was born in Senegal. He first entered the U.S in 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa and became a lawful permanent resident six years later after marrying a U.S. citizen, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

“There is no evidence at this time that he was associated with a Foreign Terrorist Organization or that he received any direction, funding, or operational support for his attack,’ the report said.

The bar is located in the city’s popular hub of bars and nightclubs. Police said the gunman drove past the bar before circling back and firing the first shots from his SUV at people on the sidewalk and inside. He then parked, got out with a rifle and began shooting at people walking along the street before officers rushed to the intersection and shot him.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis has said officers arrived within 56 seconds of the first 911 call and killed the shooter after he fired at police.

Killed in the attack were 21-year-old Savitha Shan, 19-year-old Ryder Harrington and 30-year-old Jorge Pederson.

The FBI said the investigation into the attack remains open.