Good Morning! On this day in 1864, entrepreneur Florence Thornton Butt was born in Buena Vista, Mississippi. After moving to Kerrville with her family in 1905, she opened a grocery store that her son Howard would later expand to become H-E-B.
Texans don’t get too many chances to see the Northern Lights, but folks in the Panhandle did this week. A thunderstorm provided an impressive effect to the dramatic display.
Two 84-year-old Texans turned friendship into a fearless adventure and set out to travel the world in 80 days. Watch on this week’s Feel Good Flyover podcast.
If constant tingling or burning in your feet has been holding you back, you’ll want to see the simple at-home device from today’s sponsor, Vita Feet, which is helping seniors finally find fast relief without drugs or costly treatments.
Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.
Foreign Land Ownership Ban Challenged
Three Chinese citizens with ties to Texas have filed a class action lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a new state law that prohibits citizens of China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran from owning real estate in Texas.
Last month, a federal judge dismissed a case brought by a pair of Chinese visa holders who claimed the law discriminates against them based on race and ethnicity. The new lawsuit contends the law encroaches on the federal government’s prerogative to determine foreign policy.
The law “casts a cloud of suspicion over anyone of Chinese descent,” according to the lawsuit. One of the plaintiffs, a sophomore at Baylor University, claims the law’s prohibition on leases longer than a year is an obstacle to finding an affordable place to rent.
As of 2023, at least 120,000 Chinese nationals were estimated to be living in Texas. Since 2021, 26 states have passed laws restricting foreign property ownership.
Festivals Around Texas
As fall approaches and the weather begins to cool off, Texans can visit several outdoor festivals and fairs, including the Texas State Fair, which kicks off next week.
The East Texas State Fair in Tyler starts today and runs through next Sunday. Organizers expect up to 15,000 people a day. This year’s fair will feature its first-ever PRCA-sanctioned rodeo.
About 100,000 people are expected to attend the 46th annual Plano Balloon Festival, where more than 30 hot air balloons will take flight. Waxahachie will host the 10th annual C10s in the Park, the largest gathering of Chevy C10 pickup trucks in the South.
17 Texas BBQ Joints Among Best in South
Southern Living released a new list of the Top 50 BBQ Joints in the South, and 17 are in Texas. The rankings were determined by Daniel Moss, the magazine’s contributing barbecue editor, based on his overall impression of each establishment.
Snow’s BBQ in Lexington secured the No. 2 overall spot, trailing only City Limits Barbecue in South Carolina, which happens to be where Moss lives. Visitors to Snow’s, which is only open Saturdays, are treated to the craftsmanship of 90-year-old pitmaster Tootsie Tomanetz.
Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor ranked No. 4, one of eight Central Texas establishments to make the list. Run by the Mueller’s grandson Wayne, the joint’s “lushly-marbled brisket has a caramel-like sweetness to its bark,” while its “house-made sausage link crackles and snaps as you bite.”
While Seguin’s Burnt Bean Co. was ranked No. 1 in the state by Texas Monthly earlier this year, it got the No. 31 spot in Southern Living’s list. Five Metroplex area barbecue joints and three in Houston also made the list.
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➤ Fort Worth ISD: Superintendent Karen Molinar has proposed requiring teachers to reapply and implementing state-developed instructional materials at seven failing schools within the district. The board of trustees will vote on the proposal next week. (See Details)
➤ Lee County: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has approved a permit for a composting facility proposed by Austin-based Break It Down, despite a county ordinance prohibiting such facilities and protests from more than 2,000 residents in the area. (More)
➤ Houston: The FBI is investigating fraudulent text messages purportedly sent by the Harris County District Clerk’s Office demanding payment for unpaid toll road fees. “We want to make sure the public knows these messages are a scam,” said District Clerk Marilyn Burgess. (More)
➤ Dallas: The city council approved a $5.2 billion budget that increases spending on public safety and cuts some library programs and lobbying efforts. Despite a tax rate cut, most homeowners’ tax bills will go up due to higher valuations. Mayor Eric Johnson opposed the measure. (More)
➤ Uvalde: The Texas Rangers are investigating the death of a woman who worked for U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales. Regina Santos-Aviles, 35, reportedly died Sunday after suffering injuries in a fire at her home the previous night. (More)
➤ Houston: The family of 34-year-old Jessie Mobley Jr. has criticized the staff at KFFO Afro Steakhouse for not calling 911 when he fell asleep during a meal at their restaurant. The staff assumed he was homeless and removed him. He later died. (More)
➤ El Paso: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is pushing back on a Washington Post report alleging that at least 60 federal standards were violated at the newly opened ICE detention center at Fort Bliss, calling the claims “categorically false.” (See Details)
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➤ Former Olympian and Texas A&M alum Fred Kerley announced that he’ll be participating in the “Enhanced Games,” which allows athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs during competition. (More)
➤ The Houston Astros swept the Texas Rangers to conclude this week’s in-state series, which leaves the Astros tied for first place in the AL West. The Astros haven’t lost the “Silver Boot” to the Rangers since 2016. (More)
➤ The Dallas Mavericks could play rookie Cooper Flagg at point guard this season. Flagg primarily played power forward and small forward for Duke. (More)
➤ The United Soccer League and community leaders from Brownsville are exploring options to bring a professional soccer team to the city. (More)
➤ The self-cleaning, bacteria-killing water Bottle everyone’s talking about. UVBrite turns ordinary water sources into completely purified, germ‑free hydration with just one button. Using advanced UV‑C LED technology (yep, the same used in hospitals and even NASA), this bottle annihilates 99.99% of bacteria, viruses, and microbes. (LEARN MORE)
➤ El Paso’s Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation predicts a $200 million, 6.5-acre deck park over I-10 would attract up to 1.5 million visitors a year and generate an economic impact of up to $1 billion over 30 years. TxDOT is currently soliciting feedback on a plan to expand I-10 through downtown. (More)
➤ According to the Associated General Contractors of America, one in three contractors has been affected by the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. A spokesman explained that some workers haven’t been showing up to job sites due to fear of being detained. (More)
➤ A $540 million mixed-use development planned for Galveston’s West End was approved by the city’s planning commission this week. The 15-acre Sachs on the Seawall is set to include a 216-room hotel with space for retail and dining, two condominium towers, and four acres of trails and green space. (More)
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➤ Jocelyn Roberts, 11, shot and killed an alligator 8.5 feet long and over 300 pounds during a hunting trip with her dad and brothers in Rye. “I got scared cause how big it was for a second, but I wasn’t that scared,” she said. (Watch Video)
➤ When Granbury High School graduate Sterling Dunagan was announced during her school’s commencement ceremony earlier this year, administrators used the last name of her stepfather, Joey Leal. “He chose me as a daughter and I chose him as a dad,” she said in a video that has drawn 16 million views. (More)
➤ Over 40 bird enthusiasts from across the state descended on Nixon this past weekend to catch a glimpse of a double-striped thick-knee, a shorebird native to Mexico and South America that hasn’t been seen in Texas since 1961. (See Photos)
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Foreign Land Ownership Ban Challenged
