Good Morning! On this day in 2005, Hurricane Rita made landfall near Sabine Pass in Louisiana. Its approach triggered one of the largest mass evacuations in U.S. history. Up to 3.7 million people fled the Greater Houston area, forcing officials to open both directions of I-45 and I-10 to outbound traffic. Over 100 people died during the exodus.
We all know everything is bigger in Texas. Check out this list of world records from the Lone Star State!
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From flipping fries at White Castle to winning backing from NVIDIA and Amazon, today’s sponsor, Miso Robotics, is proving that kitchen automation isn’t just the future—it’s a trillion-dollar opportunity you can invest in today.
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Irving-Based Nexstar Still Preempting Kimmel
ABC’s late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel, returned to the airwaves last night after the network suspended him for inflammatory comments regarding Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer. Irving-based Nexstar Media Group, however, announced yesterday that it would continue to preempt his show with other programming.
Nexstar owns or operates 32 ABC-affiliate stations across the country, including KAMC in Lubbock and KMID in Midland. Last month, Nexstar announced an agreement to purchase rival TEGNA for $6.2 billion. Pending FCC approval of the deal, Nexstar will own 265 stations in markets representing nearly 80% of U.S. households.
“We made a decision last week to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! … We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve,” the company said in a statement.
Nexstar is joined in preempting Kimmel’s show by Maryland-based Sinclair, which operates 30 ABC-affiliate stations, including KVII in Amarillo and KTXS in Abilene. Gov. Greg Abbott called Sinclair’s decision a “solid move.”
Eli Lilly to Build $6.5B Plant in Houston
Eli Lilly, a multinational drug manufacturer based in Indianapolis, announced it will build a $6.5 billion plant in Houston to boost production of drugs administered in pill form, including its experimental GLP-1 obesity drug orforglipron.
The Houston plant—the second of four the company plans to announce this year—is part of a $27 billion commitment to U.S. manufacturing capacity announced in February. The investment could insulate the company from tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals.
“Our new Houston site will enhance Lilly’s ability to manufacture orforglipron at scale and, if approved, help fulfill the medicine’s potential as an obesity and type 2 diabetes treatment,” Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks said in a statement.
The facility is expected to be operational within five years and create 615 permanent jobs.
U.S. News Ranks Six Texas Colleges in Top 100
U.S. News & World Report released its 2026 college rankings yesterday, and six schools in Texas landed in the nation’s top 100. The rankings were based on factors like graduation and first-year retention rates, graduate earnings, borrower debt, peer assessment, and student-faculty ratio.
Rice University ranked No. 17 nationally, followed by UT Austin (No. 30), Texas A&M (No. 51), Baylor and SMU (tied for No. 88), and TCU (No. 97).
With an annual tuition of $65,475, Rice was ranked No. 5 in the publication’s list of Best Value Schools. Meanwhile, TCU moved up eight spots from last year to be included in the nation’s top 100 institutions.
Other prominent Texas schools included in the rankings were the University of Houston (No. 132), Texas Tech (No. 198), UNT (No. 208), UTSA (No. 213), Sam Houston State University (No. 257), and Texas State University (No. 257). See the full list here.
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From a Caltech Garage to a $1 Trillion Market
In 2016, some innovative Caltech robotics students set out to transform fast food. That first garage-built prototype became the foundation of Miso Robotics.
➤ A group of 15 families represented by the ACLU has filed a new lawsuit challenging the state’s recently enacted law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. The suit targets the law’s implementation in 14 school districts. (More)
➤ Dallas: A portion of I-35E is being closed in both directions this week as part of a project to reconstruct an overpass and connect the highway to the new Loop 9, which will connect U.S. 67, I-35E, and I-45. Traffic will be rerouted until late next year. (See Details)
➤ Conroe: Two illegal immigrants briefly escaped federal custody Monday after allegedly choking a female Border Patrol agent while being transferred to an ICE detention center in Montgomery County. Both men were arrested in an operation targeting the “worst of the worst” near Spring. (More)
➤ Brazos County: Texas A&M’s Kappa Sigma fraternity has been suspended pending an investigation into hazing allegations. According to the sheriff’s office, several pledges were hospitalized after being forced “to engage in physical activity until exhaustion.” (More)
➤ The parasitic New World screwworm has been detected in the Mexican town of Sabinas Hidalgo, just 72 miles west of the Texas border town of Roma. (More)
➤ Katy: A woman was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after her neighbors stopped an attack by four pit bulls on Friday. “My neighbor saved me. She jumped the fence and covered my body with her own,” said Kristi Burrell. (More)
➤ Conroe: Robert E. Chance, 28, is one of 18 Americans to receive the Carnegie Medal for Heroism this year. In May 2024, he rescued a man whose truck was submerged in a drainage ditch. (Watch Video)
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➤ The Texas State Historical Association is dedicated to preserving and sharing the history and stories of Texas. Do you love Texas history? Are you a life-long Texan or new to the Lone Star State? Test your knowledge with our Texas History Quiz!
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➤ The Aggies will play the Longhorns for each of the next four football seasons, according to a schedule the SEC announced on Monday. Texas A&M will also play LSU and Missouri, while UT will play Arkansas and Oklahoma. (More)
➤ Houston Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet tore his ACL during an offseason workout this week. The injury could force him to miss the entire 2025-26 campaign. (More)
➤ Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and guard Tyler Booker could each miss multiple weeks as they recover from ankle injuries suffered this weekend. (More)
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➤ Pinkitzel, a glitzy cupcake and candy shop based in Oklahoma City, opened its first Texas location in McKinney. “Kitzel in Yiddish means tickle, so we want everyone to feel tickled pink when they come in,” co-founder Christa Jantz said. (More)
➤ The Texas Association of Business is one of several organizations and companies that are partnering with ChatGPT developer OpenAI to build a jobs platform for businesses looking for candidates who can perform AI-related tasks. (More)
➤ Calgary-based Brookfield Residential and Spring real estate developer CDC Houston are building a 1,066-acre master-planned community between Houston and Galveston called Midline. Straddling Harris and Galveston counties, the development is slated to include 2,800 single-family homes. (More)
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➤ Rare “pink meanie” jellyfish are washing up on the Texas coast. The massive cotton candy-colored creatures weigh up to 50 pounds and have tentacles up to 70 feet long. (See Photos)
➤ Austin’s Kendra Scott and Poppi prebiotic soda founder Allison Ellsworth, Waco’s Chip and Joanna Gaines, and Houston-born NFL veteran and TV personality Michael Strahan will appear as investors in Season 17 of ABC’s reality show Shark Tank. The first episode airs tonight. (More)
➤ UNT researchers have used stem cells to grow mini-hearts and mini-livers with their own blood vessels. The organoids will be used to study potential treatments for human diseases. (More)
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How worried are you about the New World screwworm?
Irving-Based Nexstar Still Preempting Kimmel
