Good Morning! On this day in 1948, actress Phylicia Rashad was born in Houston. She is best known for her role as Clair Huxtable in the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show.
Union General Gordon Granger read President Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston 160 years ago today, informing some 250,000 slaves in Texas that they had been freed. Former President Biden will attend a Juneteenth celebration near the site of Granger’s announcement.
We’re sponsored today by Infinity Fuel, offering an investment opportunity in fuel systems that are making space travel possible.
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State Releases Grades 3-8 STAAR Test Results
The Texas Education Agency has released the results of this year’s STAAR test for reading and math in Grades 3-8, 5th and 8th grade science, and 8th grade social studies.
The percentage of students meeting grade level standards in reading ranged from 49% to 57%, representing gains of up to 4% from last year and surpassing pre-pandemic scores in every grade.
Between 31% and 45% of students met grade-level standards in math, and the year-over-year change ranged from -1% to 5%. In 2019, between 41% and 55% of students met grade-level standards.
In science, 5th graders improved their performance by 3% from last year, while 8th graders saw gains of 4%. Thirty percent of 8th graders met grade-level standards, a drop of 1% from last year.
Texas Instruments Spending $60B on New Plants
Dallas-based Texas Instruments announced Wednesday it plans to invest $60 billion in building seven new semiconductor plants at two sites in Texas and one in Utah. Several of the facilities are already under construction.
The chipmaker touted the spending as the “largest investment in foundational semiconductor manufacturing in U.S. history.” The new fabrication plants are expected to support more than 60,000 jobs.
Texas Instruments is a leading manufacturer of analog chips, which are used to power sensors in smartphones, cars, and medical devices. The company was awarded $1.61 billion last year in funding from the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act.
The company is nearing completion of two fabrication plants in Lehi, Utah, and two in Sherman. Another two are planned for the Sherman site, and a new plant in Richardson is ramping up to full production.
Tony Rosales Ibarra, a 45-year-old Lufkin man with heart failure who had been hospitalized since November, received the transplant in March.
Dr. Kenneth Liao performed the procedure by using a robot to make a 5-inch abdominal incision, speeding up Ibarra’s recovery by avoiding a sternotomy, or cutting through the breastbone.
Ibarra said he wasn’t aware he would be the first patient to receive the procedure, but told his doctors to “do what you’ve got to do to save me.” He didn’t experience any complications, and he was discharged within a month.
Since joining St. Luke’s in 2019, Liao has performed more than 800 heart surgeries using robots in some capacity. Last year, doctors in Saudi Arabia performed the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant on a 16-year-old patient.
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NASA and the Navy have an energy problem
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➤ Anderson County: Lawyers for death row inmate Robert Roberson, whose scheduled execution last October was suspended, are requesting a new trial, insisting Roberson’s conviction was based on “junk science.” Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office has asked the county to schedule a new execution date. (More)
➤ The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge to a proposed nuclear waste storage site in Andrews County on Wednesday. The 6-3 ruling determined that the state of Texas and local landowners were not entitled to judicial review. (See Details)
➤ Waco: The city council approved a request for Viridi Energy to build a facility to capture, refine, and sell methane gas produced by a local landfill. The city is projected to receive $887,000 from the deal during the plant’s first year of operation. (More)
➤ Cameron County: Commissioners rejected a proposal Tuesday to expand the South Padre Island Convention Center because it would destroy a site that has become a popular resting area for migratory birds. (More)
➤ Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth authorized the mobilization of up to 700 military personnel in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida to “conduct administrative and clerical functions associated with the processing of illegal aliens at ICE detention facilities.” (More)
➤ Smith County: Local officials are trying to limit the scope of an effort to build several wells in the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, which supplies water to much of East Texas. Permit applications submitted by two developers propose extracting over 15 billion gallons a year. (See Details)
➤ Corpus Christi: The city is hosting the annual Texas Police Games this week. Nearly 1,200 officers are participating in the competition. (More)
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➤ The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders negotiated a 400% pay raise last season, according to their Netflix docuseries. (More)
➤ Texas A&M secured a commitment from Carthage running back KJ Edwards on Tuesday. As a junior, Edwards averaged 12.6 yards per carry and was the offensive MVP for Carthage in their state championship win over Waco La Vega. (More)
➤ The Houston Astros acquired 25-year-old first baseman Wes Clarke from the Milwaukee Brewers, providing minor league depth and long-term potential at the position. (More)
➤ Wisk Aero, a subsidiary of Boeing that is developing autonomous electric air taxis, has acquired Austin-based SkyGrid, which provides technology to manage autonomous vehicles in shared airspace. Wisk aims to launch a commercial air taxi service in Houston within the decade. (More)
➤ H-E-B introduced a robot delivery service at its Mueller location for customers who live within one mile of the store. The pilot program employs robots developed by Avride, which already partners with several restaurants in the area. (More)
➤ A Farmers Branch developer purchased 1,100 acres along a planned extension of the Dallas North Tollway for its 2,000-acre Platinum Ranch community, slated to include more than 4,200 homes, up to 3,000 apartments, and 223 acres of green space, parks, and lakes. (More)
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NASA Turns to Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Deep Space Power
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➤ A sign warning passersby about the supposed dangers of synthetic food dyes was erected next to a popular snow cone stand in Arlington. “It’s very stressful. I’m not a bad person,” said owner Lupita Hernandez. (See Photo)
➤ Biologists have documented 383 sites along the Texas coast where endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles have built nests, surpassing the previous record of 353 set in 2017. (More)
➤ Smithsonian named Lockhart as one of the 15 best small towns to visit in 2025. Known as the “Barbecue Capital of Texas,” Lockhart was recently featured in the second season of the Paramount+ show 1923. (More)
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Would you be willing to let a doctor operate on you with a robot?
State Releases Grades 3-8 STAAR Test Results
