Panola County landowners recover over $50k in timber theft case

PANOLA COUNTY – Our news partner, KETK, reports that more than $50,000 of timber was recovered and given back to its owners in Panola County following an investigation.

The Texas A&M Forrest Service Law Enforcement began the investigation in January after Panola County landowners filed a timber theft complaint after they believed that they were given an unjust deal during their negotiations with a timber harvesting company. The harvesting company paid $21,167 for their timber, which landowners believed was significantly lower than what the volume of timber was worth. Investigators determined that the company owed the timber owners an additional $41,655.

On Feb. 21, the harvesting company sent the landowners a full payment, which was valued at $50,240. Texas A&M Forest Service Assistant Chief Law Enforcement Officer Jarred Lemmon spoke about the case and how his department’s top priority is protecting the integrity of timber owners and the sales process. (more…)

Texas A&M Board of Regents names Glenn Hegar as university system’s next leader

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar will be the next chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, overseeing 11 universities that educate more than 157,000 students and eight state agencies, including the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

The Board of Regents selected Hegar on Friday to succeed Chancellor John Sharp, who has held the job since 2011 and is slated to retire in June. The vote was unanimous.

Hegar is inheriting the system’s reins at an inflection point as Republican leaders scrutinize what they see as progressive policies and curriculum in higher education. He’ll have to contend with continued accusations that public universities are violating the state’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and navigate intensifying threats to academic freedom.

Hegar, a Republican from Katy, was first elected comptroller in 2015. He previously served as a state representative and then as a state senator, from 2003 to 2014.

The comptroller serves as the state’s chief financial officer, accountant, revenue estimator and treasurer.

As comptroller, Hegar has brought attention to problems that have plagued other states like infrastructure maintenance and state employee pensions. He worked with the Texas Legislature to pay down pension debt. He also helped create the first state-administered precious metals depository and the Texas Bullion Depository.

The Texas Broadband Development Office and how the settlement funds from a lawsuit stemming from the opioid crisis are under the comptroller’s purview. If a school voucher proposal to let families use public funds for their children’s private schooling passes this session, the office could also be responsible for overseeing how the program works.

Hegar infused some conservative politicking into the role when he ran for reelection in 2022 as “a true conservative defending the values of faith, family and freedom.” At the time, his office released a list of financial companies that Hegar said were anti-oil and gas. He also threatened to sanction Harris County for cutting its budget for law enforcement.

In the Legislature, Hegar chaired the Sunset Advisory Commission and has said he eliminated inefficiencies in government and abolished six state agencies, saving taxpayers more than $160 million.

During his last session in the Senate, he chaired the finance subcommittee on state and local revenue matters and has said he helped cut $1 billion worth of taxes.

That year he also sponsored a bill in 2013 that placed additional restrictions on abortion before the Supreme Court outlawed it entirely in 2022. (That bill was the one that launched Democrat Wendy Davis into fame for her 11-hour filibuster). He also authored a bill that allowed students with concealed handgun licenses to store firearms in their vehicles on campus. Now, Texans don’t have to have a concealed handgun license to carry.

Hegar is himself an Aggie, graduating from Texas A&M University in 1993. He later got his master’s and law degrees from St. Mary’s University, a private school in San Antonio, and a master of laws degree from the University of Arkansas.

He has three children with his wife, Dara.

Texas A&M University System Board of Regents also considered other candidates for chancellor, according to a source familiar with the process: Texas A&M Foundation President Tyson Voelkel; University of Alabama President Stuart Bell; State Rep. Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin; and U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin. A second source confirmed four of the five names. Regents met all day Monday in Houston to interview the candidates, mostly behind closed doors.

Hegar’s political trajectory is similar to Sharp’s, who also served as comptroller before he became chancellor in 2011.

Sharp, who ran as a Democrat, also served stints as a state representative, state senator and railroad commissioner. As chancellor, he ushered in an era of prosperity for the system while navigating the changing environment in higher education as campuses became increasingly polarized.

He secured an all-time high of $1 billion in new funding for the system during the same session lawmakers banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices, programs and training and threatened to eliminate tenure. He is credited with proposing that lawmakers codify the practice instead. Tenure, which offers faculty employment and academic freedom protections, has been instrumental in the state’s rise in the ranks of research.

Earlier this year, Gov. Greg Abbott said Texas A&M University President Mark Welsh III should lose his job if he continued allowing faculty to recruit doctoral students at a conference that limited participation to people who are Black, Hispanic or Native American. Welsh was named president after his predecessor, Katherine Banks, resigned over the botched hiring of Kathleen McElroy, a Black journalism professor who some of the university system’s regents worried had a liberal bias. The university also came under fire at that time from faculty and alumni after The Texas Tribune reported a professor was suspended with pay after she was accused by a politically connected student of criticizing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during a lecture.

Article originally published by The Texas Tribune. To read the originally published article, click here.

Officials discover meth, marijuana during traffic stop

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — An East Texas man was arrested after being pulled over twice in three months where authorities reportedly found illegal drugs.

According to our news partner, KETK, the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office pulled over a vehicle on Jan. 9 for alleged equipment and moving violations. The driver was identified as Jerrick Munns, of Wills Point. When officers spoke to Munns, he reportedly admitted to having illegal drugs ensuing a search of the vehicle.

Officials found suspected methamphetamine, marijuana and a large sum of money.

He was arrested and taken to the Van Zandt County detention center, where he had a medical episode that required attention, officials said. “As a result of Munns’ condition, he was released to medical personnel and a warrant was requested and issued for his arrest for the methamphetamine,” the sheriff’s office. Munns was arrested again on March 3, after he was pulled over for equipment and moving violations. The warrant from the previous encounter was implemented and the Interdiction Team`s K9 arrived to search the vehicle.

“The Interdiction Team`s K9 arrived and alerted to the presence of illegal items in the vehicle,” the sheriff’s office said. “A subsequent search located, suspected methamphetamine, scales, as well as pills suspected of being Trazadone. Marijuana and additional drug paraphernalia were also located.”

Munns was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and manufacturing/delivering of a controlled substance. He is being held at the Van Zandt County Jail on a $200,000 bond.

SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight ends with another explosion

BROWNSVILLE (AP) – Nearly two months after an explosion sent flaming debris raining down on the Turks and Caicos, SpaceX launched another mammoth Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost contact minutes into the test flight as the spacecraft came tumbling down and broke apart.

This time, wreckage from the latest explosion was seen streaming from the skies over Florida. It was not immediately known whether the spacecraft’s self-destruct system had kicked in to blow it up.

The 403-foot (123-meter) rocket blasted off from Texas. SpaceX caught the first-stage booster back at the pad with giant mechanical arms, but engines on the spacecraft on top started shutting down as it streaked eastward for what was supposed to be a controlled entry over the Indian Ocean, half a world away. Contact was lost less than 10 minutes into the flight as the spacecraft went into an out-of-control spin.

Starship reached nearly 90 miles (150 kilometers) in altitude before trouble struck and before four mock satellites could be deployed. It was not immediately clear where it came down, but images of flaming debris were captured from Florida, including near Cape Canaveral, and posted online.

The space-skimming flight was supposed to last an hour. The Federal Aviation Administration said it would require SpaceX to investigate the accident.

“Unfortunately this happened last time too, so we have some practice at this now,” SpaceX flight commentator Dan Huot said from the launch site.

SpaceX later confirmed that the spacecraft experienced “a rapid unscheduled disassembly” during the ascent engine firing and said it alerted safety officials.

Flights were briefly grounded at Orlando International Airport “due to space launch debris in the area,” the airport posted on X.

Starship didn’t make it quite as high or as far as last time.

NASA has booked Starship to land its astronauts on the moon later this decade. SpaceX’s Elon Musk is aiming for Mars with Starship, the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket.

Like last time, Starship had mock satellites to release once the craft reached space on this eighth test flight as a practice for future missions. They resembled SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites, thousands of which currently orbit Earth, and were meant to fall back down following their brief taste of space.

Starship’s flaps, computers and fuel system were redesigned in preparation for the next big step: returning the spacecraft to the launch site just like the booster.

During the last demo, SpaceX captured the booster at the launch pad, but the spacecraft blew up several minutes later over the Atlantic. No injuries or major damage were reported.

According to an investigation that remains ongoing, leaking fuel triggered a series of fires that shut down the spacecraft’s engines. The on-board self-destruct system kicked in as planned.

SpaceX said it made several improvements to the spacecraft following the accident, and the Federal Aviation Administration recently cleared Starship once more for launch.

Starships soar out of the southernmost tip of Texas near the Mexican border. SpaceX is building another Starship complex at Cape Canaveral, home to the company’s smaller Falcon rockets that ferry astronauts and satellites to orbit.

Texas Senate advances bill for $3 billion dementia research fund

AUSTIN – The Texas Senate on Wednesday advanced to the House a bill that would create America’s largest brain health research center.

Senate Bill 5, by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, would create the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Senate Joint Resolution 3, which would require voter approval if passed by the Legislature, would fund it with $3 billion in surplus revenue. This funding is intended to attract physicians, researchers, and experts in the field of dementia to Texas. This institute would research all brain diseases, not just dementia.

Under the bill, the institute would be governed by a board of physicians and scientists with expertise in dementia research. Grants could be awarded for projects addressing the causes, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of dementia patients, as well as new medicines and facilities to help treat patients. Following the initial $3 billion in general revenue, future appropriations into the institute would be capped at $300 million annually.

“I can’t think as a body, as a Legislature, that we could make a wiser, more prudent, better investment for the people of Texas and future generations,” Huffman said from the Senate floor prior to the vote.

One of the institute’s primary duties will be awarding grants. All grant proposals must undergo a peer review, and the oversight committee must approve final grant awards to ensure fairness in the grant-making process.

Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, during the discussion of the bill on Wednesday, shared that his father lived eight years with dementia before passing away last year, and it’s a disease he wouldn’t wish on anyone. He said that despite his personal experience, he didn’t believe funding a dementia center was the government’s role.

“My vote is not a vote of support. It’s just a vote of recognizing that we need to focus on other things as a government, and it concerns me as we add some of these on,” said Hancock, who joined Sen. Bob Hall, R-Galveston, in voting against the legislation.

Huffman responded by saying she understood his point, but she believes the fund is worthy of investment from the state’s surplus of dollars.

“There are people living today because of some of the research breakthroughs in cancer. If we can do the same thing with this and help prevention and research, it seems like it could be the best money we’re spending,” she said.

Government spending has become a hot topic in the state and the nation as President Donald Trump’s administration has attempted to cut medical research funding.

In February, the National Institute of Health released a notice of an updated policy that would strip research groups of hundreds of millions of dollars and place a 15% indirect cost rate on all new and existing grant awards received by research institutions.

U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from cutting medical research after a litany of lawsuits, including one filed by 22 state attorneys general along with universities, hospitals, and research institutions nationwide to stop the cuts, saying they would endanger patients. Texas was not among the plaintiffs.

“While other research opportunities may diminish, the creation and funding of (the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas) will position Texas to be a leader in dementia-related research,” Huffman said in an emailed statement to The Texas Tribune on Thursday.

The dementia program is modeled after the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas which voters approved in 2009 with $3.7 billion and voters again approved in 2019 an additional $3 billion. The $6 billion cancer research institute is the largest cancer research organization in the country and the second largest worldwide.

The institute issues up to $300 million annually for cancer research and prevention projects, according to Kristen Doyle, CEO of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute. It has recruited 324 researchers to Texas; supported the establishment, expansion, or relocation of 74 companies to Texas; and has provided 10 million prevention services, reaching all Texas counties.

“I believe we can follow this success and position Texas as a national leader in combating dementia and related disorders, accelerating groundbreaking research and improving the lives of millions of Texans,” Huffman told fellow lawmakers.

In 2012, allegations arose that millions of taxpayer dollars were distributed in grants without proper peer review, briefly engulfing the cancer institute in scandal.

Huffman said lawmakers have learned lessons from creating the cancer research institute, which should make creating a dementia institute much smoother.

“Everyone who was around will admit that the (cancer institute) had a rocky start, but those problems were resolved with legislation and oversight, and all of that has been incorporated in this legislation,” she said. “We worked closely with the (cancer institute) as we wrote this bill and took suggestions from them so we can go full speed right off the starting gate.”

Doyle said the merit-based, peer-reviewed grant process is central to their national reputation for integrity and transparency in funding groundbreaking projects.

Huffman said that Texas already has the third-most dementia patients in the country, almost half a million, and last year, state Medicare costs for dementia care alone topped $4 billion.

“There is no better place than Texas to take on this challenge,” Huffman said.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made the research institute a top bill for the session. He says that Texas’ size and economic strength allow it to take on big projects like this.

“Texas, with our vast resources, has an opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of millions,” he said in a news release.

Alzheimer’s, a degenerative brain disease, is the most common form of dementia, accounting for about 80% of cases, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Alzheimer’s symptoms — memory loss and the inability to perform simple tasks — tend to develop in the mid-to-late 60s and occur when clumps of abnormal proteins block the communication of brain cells. Symptoms can be mild at first and worsen over time.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reports that 459,000 Texans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, about 12% of the state’s population over the age of 65. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, this has cost the state approximately $24 billion in caregiver time.

Article originally published by The Texas Tribune. To read the originally published article, click here.

Texas’ DOGE committee takes inspiration from Musk’s federal operation

AUSTIN – A few weeks after Elon Musk waved a chainsaw at a conservative gathering touting the Department of Government Efficiency’s federal cost cutting efforts, the Texas House kicked off the first meeting for its own version of DOGE.

Leaders of the Delivery of Government Efficiency committee in the House are following in Musk’s footsteps, promising sweeping changes and reductions to the size of state government. Committee Chair Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, told The Texas Tribune that DOGE in Texas share’s goals with its federal namesake in trying to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in government.

“We’re going to make long-term changes in how we operate here for the state,” Capriglione said. “This is about, ‘How do we fundamentally change the way the state operates so you can do it in a much more efficient way?’”

So far, Musk’s operation in the nation’s capital has fired more than 30,000 federal employees with more layoffs to come, drawing sharp pushback from Democrats and some concerns from Republicans. DOGE’s website has claimed to cut about $105 billion as of Monday, though that amount is unverifiable and is expected to be much lower.

Asked about statewide layoffs, Capriglione said the committee “doesn’t have the authority to go and terminate employees,” though members may recommend funding reductions to agencies that yield staffing cuts.

Democrats on the committee say they’re optimistic about the opportunity to find inefficiencies, but are wary of their colleagues trying to emulate the rapidfire layoffs and cuts happening at the federal level. What Musk’s DOGE has done is “completely terrifying,” and is putting the health and safety of millions of Americans at risk, said Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos, one of the five Democrats on the committee. She doesn’t want Texas to replicate what DOGE is doing in Washington, D.C.

“I would be the fiercest fighter against that, because what they’re doing at the federal level is just outrageous and the consequences are going to be harmful for decades,” said Rodríguez Ramos, who is the chair of the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus.

DOGE committee Vice Chair Salman Bhojani, D-Euless, said during DOGE’s first hearing Wednesday that the committee must avoid “partisan rhetoric.” He said that unlike Congress, members of the Texas legislature work in a bipartisan manner and he expects that will be the case with the state’s version of DOGE.

“Texas can lead the way with responsible and efficient government,” Bhojani said during the hearing. “But let me be clear, my focus is not about cutting essential services or devaluing hardworking public servants. I’m here to work with you, not against you, to improve how we serve Texans.”

Some of Musk’s efforts with DOGE have sparked chaos in federal agencies. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently fired some employees who were working to address bird flu, only to since request those employees come back. The Trump administration has also had to reverse the layoffs of hundreds of federal employees who work on the nation’s nuclear weapons programs.

As a legislative committee, there’s a “fundamental difference” between what the Texas and federal versions of DOGE are capable of doing, Capriglione said. Rather than focusing on public staffing cuts, in its early days, committee leaders will focus on finding areas to recommend for modernizing outdated state technology systems and auditing government agencies.

According to the House resolution that created Texas’ DOGE, the committee’s jurisdiction includes topics like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and “emerging technology.” The committee will also likely hear bills on similar topics, Capriglione said. So far, 27 bills have been referred to the committee, including proposals related to auditing state agencies and increasing government pay transparency.

He added that Texas’ DOGE aims to be a “one-stop shop” for Texans to bring forward their grievances about state government services. In an op-ed in the Dallas Morning News published last week, Capriglione said that reducing government spending is a “central part of [his] political career.”

“This committee will operate with precision,” Capriglione said during Wednesday’s hearing. “At times, we will use a scalpel, carefully dissecting inefficiencies to make government work smarter. At other times, we will wield a sledgehammer, tearing down systemic waste and corruption that may have gone unchallenged.”

The committee has 13 members, including Capriglione, with eight Republicans and five Democrats. Like other committees, DOGE will hear public testimony on proposed legislation and vote those bills out of committee so they can receive a vote on the House floor.

Texas isn’t the only state that has followed in the federal government’s footsteps by creating its own DOGE. Some other Republican-led states, including Florida and Iowa, have created their own versions, with some in the form of legislative committees and others created as additional government divisions.

Rep. David Cook, a Mansfield Republican, said the bipartisan nature of the committee and its inclusion of elected officials represent the biggest difference between the Texas DOGE and the Washington, D.C. operation. But he added that the “goals will be similar” between the two.

“This is an example of where the federal government came up with a really good idea,” Cook said. “[Texans] want their government to be efficient and implement good, common sense policies.”

Texas already has another legislative commission that is responsible for reviewing waste and inefficiency in state government. The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission — made up of two members of the public, and five members of the House and Senate alike — has abolished 95 state agencies since its inception in 1977. According to the commission’s website, it will review about 130 agencies over the next 12 years.

Poncho Nevárez, a former Democratic state representative and past member of the commission, said since the Sunset Advisory Commission does not review each agency every legislative session, the DOGE committee could help fill that gap. If an agency is not scheduled to be reviewed by the commission during a particular session, then the DOGE committee might have the ability to look into that agency, he added. But Nevárez is still wary that the Texas DOGE will try to “slash and burn” funding like Musk is doing in Washington.

He noted the irony of Republicans railing about waste when they have had control of every statewide office and the Legislature for decades. The last time a Democrat won statewide office in Texas was 1994.

“Well… who’s been running that government for almost 30 years?” Nevárez said. “They act like all of these agencies have been running on their own. But all those are Republican appointees.”

Article originally published by The Texas Tribune. To read the originally published article, click here.

More than 30 people sentenced for Angelina County meth trafficking ring

ANGELINA COUNTY – More than thirty people have been sentenced to federal prison for their connection to an Angelina County methamphetamine distribution ring, according to the Department of Justice. On Monday, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas Abe McGlothin, Jr. announced the sentences of 34 people from Lufkin, Houston, Louisiana and Florida who were targets of a five-year long investigation into the trafficking of methamphetamine in East Texas.

The investigation was started by Angelina County law enforcement in 2019, according to McGlothin. Our news partner, KETK, has compiled a complete list of the 34 people that have been sentenced for various crimes, including conspiracy to distribute, possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes. (more…)

Community helps Cross Spur Cowboy Church arena after storms

SULPHUR SPRINGS – Cross Spur Cowboy Church is trying to get back on the saddle after Tuesday’s morning storms destroyed their arena.

Pastor Mike Eason heart sank as he pulled up to the gate and saw half the roof in a tangled mess. The arena has been open for 10 years now and has been used to hold events for the Sulphur Springs community and for the last seven years it has been home for the Elite Youth Rodeo Association. Trees are littered across the property and pieces of their buildings are among the horses. The church already had to cancel a rodeo event but they aren’t letting this setback stop their momentum. (more…)

Smith County man guilty of arming cocaine dealer

TYLER – A Tyler man has been convicted of federal firearms violations. According to a release from the Eastern District of Texas Public Affairs Office, Francisco Martinez, also known as Cisco, 23, was found guilty by a jury of selling a firearm to a person intending to use it in drug trafficking crimes and possessing a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. The verdict was reached following a trial before U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle on March 4, 2025.

“This verdict continues to demonstrate how relentless the Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office and its FBI and ATF partners will work to combat violent crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr. “As promised, my office and our law enforcement partners will find drug and illicit gun dealers and take them off the streets.” (more…)

Boil water notice issued after line break in Gilmer

GILMER – Some customers of the Pritchett Water Supply Corporation in Gilmer are now under a boil water notice.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality required the Pritchett Water Supply Corporation to notify all customers of a boil water notice due to a line break. Customers are asked to boil their water before consumption, which includes washing hands and face, brushing teeth and drinking water. Children, seniors and anyone with a weakened immune system are vulnerable to harmful bacteria that could be found in the water. (more…)

Tyler Police Searching for Runaway

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department is searching for Adisen Anne Daniels, 16, was reported as a runaway on February 24 from an apartment complex on Kinsey Drive in Tyler. Daniels is described as 5’02, 140lb with blue eyes and naturally brown hair dyed red. She also has tattoos of stars on her right hand. She is possibly in the West Tawakoni, Quinlan Texas area.

Police ask that any information be referred to the Tyler Police Department Public Information Officer, Andy Erbaugh.

Authorities say it is a violation of the Texas Penal Code to harbor a runaway child and can lead to up to 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000.

Texas politicians react to Trump’s joint address to Congress

TYLER — President Trump held his first Joint Address to Congress on Tuesday night, which garnered various replies from Texas politicians. The address discussed many topics ranging from the president’s plans on enacting tariffs in Mexico and Canada, which has started a trade war in North America, as well as immigration and border control.

East Texas Congressman, Nathaniel Moran, supported Trump’s remarks, noting that the President is “delivering on his promises at an unprecedented pace.”

“My fellow East Texans, thanks to President Trump, America is strong again. In tonight’s joint address, President Trump delivered a clear message of increased liberty and a promise of an abundant life for every American,” he said. “His vision is simple: return power to the people and ensure that all Americans can pursue life, liberty, and happiness. In short, he made clear that the American Dream is still available.” (more…)

Feed store owner shares how to avoid tariff price increase

WHITEHOUSE — With tariffs imposed on Canada, Mexico and China one East Texas business owner is sharing advice on how to avoid the price increase on products.

According to our news partner, KETK, East Texans may be worried about the prices of certain goods, but Wimberly Farm and Ranch in Whitehouse Store Owner, Steven Wimberly, said shopping local is a good way to get around price increases.

Wimberly said the tariffs will have no impact on his business since all of his products are made in Texas. The store gets products from local chicken, horse and cow feed mills across the state made by Texas families. The newly imposed tariffs by the Trump administration could increase prices on certain goods, but Wimberly said the tariffs could level the playing field for certain businesses. (more…)

House majority signs bill restricting public bathroom use by transgenders

AUSTIN – A bill filed in the Texas House co-authored by a majority of the chamber is aiming to restrict the use of bathrooms by transgender people in public spaces and may potentially go further than previous iterations of similar bills to outline restrictions and penalties.

House Bill 239 would mandate that family violence shelters, prisons and bathrooms and locker rooms of state and county buildings are segregated by state definitions of sex, and create fines for those who violate the bill’s provisions. HB 239 does allow for single-person and family restrooms, and creates exemptions for children under 10 and those who may need assistance using facilities, likey the elderly.

The bill comes as some Texas lawmakers, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, have become increasingly vocal about bathrooms being used in the state Capitol by transgender people.

HB 239 echoes 2017’s Senate Bill 6 — a focal point in the Legislature before withering support killed it in a special session — but differs from the 8-year-old counterpart on several fronts. The 2025 bill follows SB 6’s restrictions on bathrooms applying to state and county-owned facilities like the Texas Capitol, public schools or agency buildings. The bill would also extend to public universities. HB 239, however, is more detailed, crafting its own definition of biological sex, increasing proposed penalties and attempting to insulate itself from potential litigation or constitutional challenges.

HB 239’s definition of biological sex is similar to SB 6, yet goes further to clarify the state’s recognition would solely come from a person’s “original” birth certificate. The new language would ignore updated birth certificate markings for trans people who legally amended their documentation.

The bill also proposes an increased financial penalty for those who violate its provisions, with a $5,000 civil fine for the first offense, compared to a $1,500 penalty proposed by its 2017 counterpart. A second violation under HB 239 would increase the fine to $25,000.

The increased penalties were what Cathryn Oakley, senior director at the Human Rights Campaign, said stood out the most in HB 239. Oakley began working in Texas with the center in 2017 to rally against SB 6, and has been working alongside and against lawmakers since to combat anti-trans legislation. While the bill does introduce some new provisions like restricting prisons in the state from accepting trans inmates — which a Senate bill this session is also seeking to prohibit — Oakley said the ideas behind it are far from new.

“What we’re seeing is that there’s not a ton of creativity going on,” Oakley said. “These bills are introduced in other states, as well, and it’s interesting to me to see sort of where the trends are.”

HB 239 also has provisions that aim to bar state courts from certifying any writs or injunctions labeling the proposed law as unconstitutional, and that would grant sovereign immunity to the state and its employees for enforcing it. While SB 6 had a clause prohibiting lawsuits from being filed by public entities against it, it explicitly waived sovereign immunity — which makes people ineligible to sue — and did not block suits over the bill’s constitutionality.

But public sentiment over bathroom laws also differs now than they did almost eight years ago, as lawmakers and advocates nationally have gradually found footing for restrictions on a myriad of issues aimed at transgender Americans. In October, the Odessa City Council passed an ordinance limiting individuals from entering public bathrooms meant for the opposite sex, and the U.S. Congress passed a similar ban for the nation’s Capitol in November.

Rep. Valoree Swanson, R-Spring, filed HB 239 in November. It duplicates two earlier bills: one filed by another House representative in January, and another filed in the Senate. Swanson is joined by 77 co-authors on the bill, who signed on in late February when the bill was referred to committee. All are Republicans save one: Rep. Sergio Muñoz, an eight-term Democrat from Mission.

Despite the majority in the House signing on to the bill, the 77 members may not be completely indicative of its chances of success. As SB 6 went through the Senate in 2017, former House Rep. Ron Simmons, R-Carrollton, filed House Bill 2899, which failed to leave its committee despite its 79 co-authors during the regular session. Simmons later reintroduced the bill as House Bill 46 during that year’s special session, but the new version garnered only 60 authors before also failing.

While Swanson was a co-author on both HB 2899 and HB 46, Muñoz was not on either. Neither Swanson nor Muñoz could be reached for comment.

HB 239 was referred to the House Committee on State Affairs and currently is not scheduled for a hearing.

Article originally published by The Texas Tribune. To read the originally published article, click here.

Charter school superintendent makes $870,000. On paper, he earns less than $300,000

Over the last three years, the head of a small charter school network that serves fewer than 1,000 students has taken home up to $870,000 annually, a startling amount that appears to be the highest for any public school superintendent in the state and among the top in the nation.

Valere Public Schools Superintendent Salvador Cavazos’ compensation to run three campuses in Austin, Corpus Christi and Brownsville exceeds the less than $450,000 that New York City’s chancellor makes to run the largest school system in the country.

But Cavazos’ salary looks far more modest in publicly posted records that are supposed to provide transparency to taxpayers. That’s because Valere excludes most of his bonuses from its reports to the state and on its own website, instead only sharing his base pay of about $300,000.

The fact that the superintendent of a small district could pull in a big-time salary shocked experts and previewed larger transparency and accountability challenges that could follow as Texas moves to approve a voucher-like program that would allow the use of public funds for private schools.

Cavazos’ total pay is alarming, said Duncan Klussmann, an associate professor at the University of Houston Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies.

“I just can’t imagine that there’d be any citizen in the state of Texas that would feel like that’s OK,” Klussmann said.

Details concerning Cavazos’ compensation, and that of two other superintendents identified by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, drew a sharp rebuke from the association that advocates for charter schools across the state.

“It’s not acceptable for any public school to prioritize someone’s personal enrichment ahead of students’ best interests,” Brian Whitley, a spokesperson for the Texas Public Charter Schools Association, said in a statement. He added that any payment decisions made at the expense of students should be reversed immediately.

“The public charter school community has long embraced strong accountability and transparency. That’s what Texans deserve, both for academic outcomes and taxpayer dollars,” he said. “To that end, the full picture of superintendent compensation at all public schools should be made clearer.”

Texas lawmakers have filed legislation that would cap public school superintendents’ annual salaries, but most bills would not restrict bonuses. Those bills also don’t apply to private schools that stand to receive an influx of taxpayer dollars if lawmakers pass legislation this session approving education savings accounts, a type of voucher program. Private schools wouldn’t be subject to the same level of state oversight as public schools.

Lawmakers who advocate for vouchers won’t be able to gauge whether the investments were worthwhile if they don’t mandate that private schools follow the same financial and academic reporting requirements as public schools, said Bruce Baker, a professor at the University of Miami Department of Teaching and Learning.

Cavazos’ compensation proves that even those reporting standards are “woefully inadequate,” Baker said.

Texas school districts must post all compensation and benefits provided to their superintendent online or in public annual reports, according to rules set by the Texas Education Agency. They must also report superintendents’ salaries and any supplemental pay for extra duties to the state. But Valere excluded more than a dozen bonuses and additional payments it awarded Cavazos, some of which its board granted to him in perpetuity.

ProPublica and The Texas Tribune uncovered the total amount the district paid Cavazos by combing through federal tax records that the charter network must file annually with the Internal Revenue Service to maintain its nonprofit status. The news organizations then gathered additional details through public records requests to the district and the state.

Cavazos, who has overseen the charter district since 2014 and previously served as superintendent in two other public school systems, declined an interview and did not answer written questions for this story.

Board members provided written responses to questions through attorney Ryan Lione, who serves as outside counsel for the district. In defending Cavazos’ compensation, they likened his role to that of a corporate CEO, which they said comes with “many more day-to-day duties,” including fundraising, overseeing expansion and guiding the charter through a 2020 split from its parent organization.

“We believe that the benefits that Dr. Cavazos brings to Valere through his vast experience and knowledge justify the compensation that the Board has and continues to award him,” the Valere board’s statement read.

Board members said that they did not believe the district had run afoul of any state reporting requirements because no one from the state had told them that they had.

But Jake Kobersky, a spokesperson for the state’s education agency, said it does not monitor whether districts post their compensation information online and that it only follows up if it receives tips about violations. He declined to comment on whether the district’s omission of bonuses paid to Cavazos in its reporting to the state or on the district’s website was a violation, but after questions from the news organizations, Kobersky said the agency is now reviewing the district’s reporting to “determine what next steps, if any, are necessary.”

At least two other Texas charter school districts have also paid their superintendents hundreds of thousands of dollars on top of what they publicly reported in recent years, our analysis found.

Dallas-based Gateway Charter Academy, which serves about 600 students, paid its superintendent Robbie Moore $426,620 in 2023, nearly double his base salary of $215,100, the latest available federal tax filings show. Pay for Mollie Purcell Mozley of Faith Family Academy, another Dallas-area charter school superintendent, hit a high of $560,000 in 2021, despite a contracted salary of $306,000. She continued to receive more than $400,000 during each of the two subsequent years, according to tax filings.

The districts didn’t publicly post the additional payments on their websites, and only Faith Family Academy has reported any extra pay to the state. Moore, Mozley and Faith Family Academy did not respond to requests for comment. In a statement, Gateway Charter Academy did not address questions related to the superintendent’s compensation. Without providing any details, the statement said the district has made mistakes but is implementing “corrective measures.” Since it was contacted by the newsrooms, the district has updated its website with a new document that lists an undated $75,000 bonus for Moore. The Texas Education Agency did not answer questions about either school district.

Valere, however, stands out among the charter school districts identified by the news organizations.

Board members have voted to increase Cavazos’ pay or other financial benefits in 14 of their 24 meetings since 2021.

In one instance, the board granted Cavazos a bonus of $20,000 after taxes for every month that he continued to work for the district. The increase, described as a “retention incentive,” bolstered his take-home pay by an additional $240,000 annually.

“It’s almost like they’re just convening just to keep giving away their school’s money to this individual,” said David DeMatthews, a professor at the University of Texas Department of Educational Leadership and Policy. “I don’t think teachers that work in that school would feel so great that rather than make those investments into their children, they’re making it into this gentleman’s bank account.”

Board members defended their decision to dole out repeated bonuses to Cavazos, including payments totaling roughly half a million dollars to fully reimburse a withdrawal he made from his retirement fund in 2018 for a “personal emergency.”

They declined to discuss the nature of the personal emergency but said the payments were “the right thing to do” to ensure that Cavazos could retire one day. Board members claimed that a “significant” portion of Cavazos’ compensation came from private donations but would not say how much or provide documents to support their assertion.

The board also said that it rewarded Cavazos for his work leading the district through a “difficult” 2020 separation from its former parent organization, Southwest Key Programs, the Texas-based nonprofit that provides housing for unaccompanied minors who arrive at the southern border.

The split came after The New York Times revealed that Southwest Key’s leaders, including then-CEO Juan Sanchez, had used money from the charter district and its for-profit companies to bolster their pay well beyond the $187,000 federal cap for migrant shelter grants. Sanchez, who also served on Valere’s school board at the time, received $1.5 million in 2017 as the charter struggled with debt and students contended with deteriorating buildings, the Times found. In response to the reporting, a Southwest Key spokesperson disputed that the nonprofit had unfairly taken money from the schools. Sanchez, who resigned in 2019, denied wrongdoing, saying in an interview with ProPublica and the Tribune that his salary did not come from the charter’s coffers.

State records show that the state education agency closed an investigation in 2022 into “conflict of interest, nepotism, and misuse of funds” at Valere. The agency would not provide details on what prompted the probe or share information about its findings.

To piece together Cavazos’ compensation, the newsrooms filed public records requests for payment records and meeting minutes, which the district had not posted online for years. On at least two occasions, Cavazos received payments that initially appeared to have no record of board approval.

Minutes from a January 2024 meeting showed that the board did not vote on a $73,000 payment he later received. When the newsrooms asked about the discrepancy, the board said it provided the reporters with the wrong copy of the minutes and pointed to a different version the district had later posted online that included approval of both the payment, for a life insurance plan, and a car lease.

Another bonus came after a November board meeting attended by a reporter from the news organizations who heard no discussion of the payment. Questioned about when the board approved the bonus, members said they had done so during a closed-door portion of the meeting. After the reporter pointed out that such an action was against state law, board members said they voted after ending the closed session but before allowing the public, including the reporter, back into the meeting room.

Three academics who study school performance and compensation data said they have never seen a school board fully reimburse any employee’s retirement account or approve so many hefty bonuses in such a short period.

Experts, including Klussmann, a former superintendent of a district in Spring Branch, Texas, said that the money should be put toward students’ education. The vast majority of Valere’s students qualify for free and reduced meals and more than a third are English-language learners, which education experts say are often clear indicators that students are at a learning disadvantage.

Valere’s student performance on state exams also lags behind statewide averages, data shows.

Last year, Valere teachers left at a higher rate than in most schools across the state. The turnover has been difficult for Marisol Gauna’s son, who has autism and ADHD. Gauna says he no longer has a special education teacher who works with him one on one to help overcome learning hurdles. As a result, she worries he could fail the eighth grade.

A parent of three children in the district, Gauna was flabbergasted when she learned about Cavazos’ pay from ProPublica and the Tribune. Those funds, she said, could be used to retain teachers, improve sports facilities and provide healthier cafeteria food.

“It should go to the school or even to the teachers so that way there can be good, responsible teachers that want to stay there,” Gauna said.

Article originally published by The Texas Tribune. To read the originally published article, click here.

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