Hill Country News 3160
Rehmet, Wambsganss Face Off in Texas Senate District 9 Runoff
On January 31, voters will decide who will fill the unexpired term for Texas Senate District (SD) 9 — Democrat Taylor Rehmet or Republican Leigh Wambsganss. Former State Sen. Kelly Hancock resigned the Senate seat to become the acting Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, and is now running for a full term in that seat.
“We’re Too Close to the Debris”
This story works best on ProPublica’s website. Delta Airlines Flight 573 took off from San Juan, Puerto Rico, at 4:45 p.m. Eastern time on Jan. 16, 2025, and headed for Atlanta. At 5:49 p.m., air traffic controllers told pilots over the Caribbean that a SpaceX Starship rocket had exploded. All planes were ordered to avoid
Texas Southern University Audit Finds Widespread Financial Irregularities Following Call for Investigation
The SAO had been investigating TSU for a few months, after State Auditor Lisa Collier reported to the Legislative Audit Committee that her office found 743 invoices totaling approximately $282.2 million for “vendors whose contracts were listed in the contract database as expired,” as well as 8,144 invoices totaling approximately $158 million “with invoice dates
Hundreds Face Border-Related Charges in Southern District of Texas at End of 2025
2025 made a dramatic exit as it related to border security issues in Texas, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) reporting 399 cases being filed between December 19 and January 2. The cases ranged from alleged illegal entry to the U.S. to alleged human smuggling. The office announced that
First Known Baby Surrendered Under Texas Safe Haven Law
The first baby known to have been left in a Safe Haven Baby Box was surrendered in Lubbock within the last 10 days. Lubbock Fire Rescue Chief Richard Stewart announced on Monday, January 5 that the newborn was safely placed in the Safe Haven Baby Box at Fire Station 9. × This page requires Javascript.
Texas Man Federally Charged After Allegedly Attempting to Provide Bomb Material, Cryptocurrency to ISIS
A Texas man was federally charged on international terrorism offenses due to his alleged involvement with attempting to provide bomb materials and financial assistance to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a designated foreign terrorist organization. John Michael Garza, Jr., a 21-year-old from
Abbott to Lead Childcare Fraud Investigation in Texas Following Minnesota Reports
In a January 5 letter to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) and the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), Gov. Greg Abbott directed the state agencies to investigate potential childcare fraud in Texas. “Recently, the Trump Administration and independent journalists have uncovered potential systematic fraud in subsidized child care systems in states like Minnesota,” said
Her Parenting Time Was Restricted After a Positive Drug Test. By Federal Standards, It Would’ve Been Negative.
Kaitlin spent the first weeks of her newborn son’s life in a panic. The hospital where she gave birth in October 2022 had administered a routine drug test, and a nurse informed her the lab had confirmed the presence of opiates. Child welfare authorities opened an investigation. Months later, after searching her home and interviewing
Trial of Uvalde School Police Officer Over Robb Elementary Shooting Begins in Corpus Christi
The trial of a former Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) police officer began on Monday, January 5 in Corpus Christi. Adrian Gonzales was charged with 29 counts of abandoning and endangering a child, to which he pleaded not guilty. Gonzales is the first police officer in Texas to be tried for failing to do
Elon Musk Post on Illegal Immigrant Drivers Fuels Texas GOP Policy, Primary Conflict
A New Year’s Day social media post from tech billionaire and political donor Elon Musk reignited a 2025 policy feud between Texas Republicans over whether a hotly debated tort reform proposal would have shielded trucking companies that hire illegal immigrant drivers. Responding to Musk’s assertion that a friend’s wife had been “killed by an illegal
Texas Elected Officials React to Nicolas Maduro’s Surprise Arrest by U.S.
The de facto leader of Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro, was captured and arrested by the U.S. in the early hours of January 2, and Texas lawmakers have responded to the arrest. Gov. Greg Abbott published on X, “Maduro is an indicted narco terrorist. His drug trafficking operation cost the lives of many Americans. His release
Nearly 600 Texas Private Schools to Participate in Upcoming ESA Program
Since applications opened for schools and vendors on December 9, nearly 600 private schools have signed up to participate in the state’s $1 billion education savings account (ESA) program, known as Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA). Houston has the highest number of registered schools at 172, followed by the Dallas-Fort Worth area with 154, and
