Hill Country News 3160
Elon Musk, SpaceX Granted Election to Incorporate ‘Starbase, Texas’
Elon Musk has successfully secured a special election in Texas to determine if residents near the Rio Grande Valley want to incorporate a portion of the area into a new town named “Starbase.” Musk’s space exploration company SpaceX is headquartered at its Starbase spaceport in Boca Chica, which has continued to build infrastructure and launch
Sen. Cruz Letter to Speaker Burrows ‘Encourages’ Passing School Choice This Session
Pressure to pass school choice during the 89th Legislative Session has begun to mount from all levels of government as U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has now published a letter to “encourage” support for education savings accounts (ESA). Cruz penned the letter this week to Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) to make clear that
Trump, Texas Lawmaker Seek Abolition of Federal and State Education Departments
Rooted in legislation signed by President Andrew Johnson in 1867, the U.S. Department of Education has faced criticism since it became operational in 1980 — and now, a renewed effort by the current Trump administration could see the end of the department altogether, with lawmakers and education advocates debating its effectiveness, alleged federal overreach, and
Texas Senate Priority Bill Would Increase Parental Involvement in Children’s School Library Materials
The Texas Senate has filed a number of priority bills since the start of the 89th Legislative Session, the latest being one that aims to increase parental involvement in what books appear in public school libraries. Sen. Angela Paxton (R-McKinney) has filed Senate Bill (SB) 13 to change how school district library collections and catalogs
Texas Senate Promises ‘Hardball’ With House Over Bail Reform Package
Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston) and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick put the Texas House on notice during a press conference Wednesday that a failure to enact proposed bail reforms could result in special sessions. “As far as I’m concerned, if these bills do not pass the House, I see no reason for us not to go
A Significant Victory For Oyster Conservation
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (TPWC) adopted proposed amendments to the Statewide Oyster Fishery Proclamation that accomplishes a suite of actions, providing positive change for the oyster fishery, including the establishment of a Certificate of Location (CoL) program for restoration activities, opportunities for expansion of the CoL program for commercial oyster production, allowance for siting of
Ladybird Lake, JB Thomas Produce Sharelunkers
The Toyota ShareLunker program roared into February with two Legacy Class lunkers on back-to-back days. Lady Bird Lake returned to the Legacy class limelight for the first time in a decade on Wednesday afternoon followed by J.B. Thomas on Thursday afternoon with its first Legacy Class fish of 2025. Legacy Class ShareLunker 672 was just
Abbott Urges DEI ‘Purge’ of Schools in 2025 State of the State Address
Gov. Greg Abbott laid out a number of emergency items during the 2025 State of the State address, including property tax relief, infrastructure, and school choice. He also made the announcement that he will seek to “purge” diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) “from every corner” of Texas schools. “Last session we banned DEI in universities,”
Texas Senate Committee Advances Priority Property Tax Bill, $40,000 Homestead Exemption Increase
A tidal wave of numbers and Donald Trump impressions flooded the Local Government Committee on Tuesday as the body considered the Texas Senate’s priority property tax relief bill. Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) laid out Senate Bill (SB) 4 that’d increase the standard homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 as it pertains to school district tax
Lawmakers Announce New Texas Legislature UK Caucus
The Texas economy continues to grow amid the state’s pro-business environment, and some lawmakers in Legislature want to expand its economic footprint with overseas partners. The announcement of the Texas Legislature UK Caucus, headed up by Sen. Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound) and Rep. Claudia Ordaz (D-El Paso), is an opportunity, they say, to promote economic
Blacktail Deer Foundation Launches
The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) has dedicated thousands of man-hours, funding, and conservation work to Columbia blacktail deer and Sitka blacktail deer, and today it announced significant strides in expanding its conservation work for the subspecies. In 2022, MDF hosted a Blacktail Deer Summit to evaluate current conservation efforts for the species. During the
The Five Biggest Sharks of Texas
The Texas Gulf Coast is home to some of the largest shark species. These apex predators roam the deep and shallow waters, maintaining balance in marine food chains. Below are the five biggest sharks found in Texas waters, including their characteristics, habitat, and behavior. We left out the whale shark to focus on the predator
