Good Morning! On this day in 1947, Baylor football player John Hill Westbrook was born in Groesbeck. In 1966, he became the first black student to play varsity football in the Southwest Conference. Westbrook ran for lieutenant governor in 1978, garnering 23% of the vote in the Democratic primary.
Texans in parts of the state got the chance to see the northern lights this week. If you missed it, you can still check out The Light Park’s newest location in San Antonio, which is reportedly the world’s longest drive-thru light tunnel.
Don’t miss an email from us later today about Elf Labs bringing Cinderella, Snow White, and hundreds of beloved characters into the AI era. Investors have until midnight PST to get a 20% bonus.
A shocking “zero-gravity” discovery from today’s sponsor, Viriflow, is helping men shrink their prostates naturally and regain bladder control—without drugs or surgery.
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Nasdaq Texas Joins Y’all Street
Nasdaq is joining Y’all Street with the launch of Nasdaq Texas, a new dual-listing exchange based in Dallas, where NYSE Texas and the Texas Stock Exchange have already set up shop.
The announcement was made yesterday at the Permian Basin BBQ Cook-Off in Midland, an annual gathering of oil and gas executives. “I believe Texas is the bridge between energy and technology—the leader in job creation for both—and it embodies smart, pro-growth, pro-business regulation,” said senior vice president Rachel Racz.
Nasdaq opened a regional management division in Irving last year, followed by the announcement of a regional headquarters in Dallas in March. “With another financial exchange coming to Texas, Nasdaq Texas cements our state as a global economic leader,” Gov. Greg Abbott said.
More than 200 Texas companies representing $1.98 trillion in market capitalization are listed on Nasdaq’s exchange. Another 600 Texas companies are clients of Nasdaq, which also provides a range of consulting services.
Three SAPD Ex-Officers Acquitted in Shooting
Three former San Antonio police officers were acquitted of all charges in the death of 46-year-old Melissa Perez, who was fatally shot during a mental health crisis in 2023. A jury rendered the verdict after an hour and a half of deliberation on Monday, following a three-week trial.
Alfred Flores, Eleazar Alejandro, and Nathaniel Villalobos shot Perez through a glass door in her apartment when she rushed at them with a hammer. First responders had been called to the Southwest Side complex after Perez cut the wires to its fire alarm system. She told officers she believed the FBI was spying on her.
The prosecution argued the officers used excessive force and should have tried to de-escalate the situation, while the defense insisted they feared for their lives and were unaware Perez suffered from schizophrenia.
The defense accused the prosecution of failing to thoroughly review the evidence. One of their witnesses—a retired officer—said she thought investigators were under “political pressure” to charge the officers. The attorney for Alejandro indicated he is considering a lawsuit for malicious prosecution.
Auroras Light Up Texas
A powerful X5.1 solar flare triggered a rare G4 geomagnetic storm on Tuesday, producing spectacular aurora borealis displays across Texas, from the Panhandle to San Antonio and Houston.
The brilliant colors of the northern lights are produced when charged solar particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere. Red and green hues were visible to the naked eye in rural areas, while long-exposure photography was likely needed to see them in urban areas.
➤ Gov. Greg Abbott received the “Complete and Total” endorsement of President Donald Trump, who called him “an exceptional Governor” and praised him for leading a mid-decade redistricting effort that created five more GOP-leaning congressional districts in Texas. (More)
➤ Tarrant County Republican Party Chairman Bo French resigned his post yesterday to announce he is running for the Texas Railroad Commission. He is challenging GOP incumbent Jim Wright, who was elected to a six-year term in 2020. (More)
➤ Ingleside: The city council gave preliminary approval on Monday to Project YaREN, a blue ammonia facility proposed by Norwegian fertilizer giant Yara and Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge. Hundreds of residents spoke for nearly three hours before the 4-2 vote was cast. (More)
➤ Bexar County: A nine-year-old girl was hospitalized with severe injuries Sunday after she lost control of a vehicle that a family friend told her to move. Ladeja Pickett, 25, was arrested on charges of injury to a child and endangering a child. (More)
➤ Castroville: Michael Duarte, a food influencer with 2 million followers across social media, was killed by a Medina County deputy Saturday after allegedly threatening “to kill everyone” with a knife and charging the officer who shot him. (See Details)
➤ Plano: Cheer Athletics, a local gym for competitive cheerleading, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy the day before a trial regarding allegations that a former coach had sexually abused two girls. The trial is on hold until the bankruptcy proceeding is resolved. (More)
➤ The Texas Department of State Health Services has reported more than 3,500 cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, this year—a dramatic increase from 340 cases in 2023 and 1,907 cases last year. Children account for approximately 85% of this year’s cases. (More)
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➤ Texas A&M remained No. 3 in the College Football Playoff’s latest rankings, while Texas Tech jumped up two spots to No. 6. The Texas Longhorns moved up from No. 11 to No. 10. (See Rankings)
➤ No. 11 Texas Tech men’s basketball lost to No. 14 Illinois 81-77 despite a 35-point, 11-rebound performance from forward J.T. Toppin. (More)
➤ Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz finally scored the game-winning goal in Tuesday night’s game against Ottawa after Senators goalie Linus Ullmark blocked back-to-back-to-back shots. (See Highlight)
➤ Tennessee Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was indicted by a Dallas County grand jury for failing to report a felony in Carrollton last year. While driving a Lamborghini, Sneed’s assistant allegedly shot at the owner of an exotic car rental business while Sneed was in the vehicle with him. (More)
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➤ Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange with a market capitalization of nearly $82 billion, is relocating from Delaware to Texas. “It’s a shame that it has come to this, but Delaware has left us with little choice,” Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. (More)
➤ Irving-based trading card company Panini America is being sued by Tennessee-based Wild Card for alleged monopolistic practices. Panini has made similar claims about rivals Topps and Fanatics. (See Details)
➤ Faith Technologies, a Wisconsin-based electrical components manufacturer, is building a 500,000-square-foot factory in El Paso that is expected to employ 200 workers within three years of its scheduled completion next year. (More)
➤ Greenberg Smoked Turkey in Tyler expects to sell up to 95,000 turkeys for Thanksgiving this year. “We thaw them, clean them up, get the extra skin and fat off, season them, smoke them, and then package them ready for shipment,” said assistant manager Jake Greenberg. (Watch Video)
➤ The 30th annual World Championship Ranch Rodeo runs through Sunday at the Amarillo Civic Center. Nearly two dozen teams are competing in events like ranch bronc riding, stray gathering, wild cow milking, and team branding. (More)
➤ Baylor women’s basketball coach Nicki Collen has a new 4-week-old kitten after finding it in her car’s wheel well on Saturday. She named it Sailor, after the retro Baylor Bears logo. (See Photo)
➤ Mike Egan, a Marine Corps veteran who lost both of his legs in Afghanistan in 2012, set a world record Tuesday when he covered 152.36 miles in a period of 24 hours in a wheelchair. (More)
➤ Junior Achievement Tyler hosted a stock market simulation competition for 700 area students on Tuesday. Teams started the one-hour contest with $1 million in virtual dollars and made trades to increase their holdings. (Watch Video)
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Nasdaq Texas Joins Y’all Street
