New Public School Rankings Released

Children At Risk’s annual Texas public school rankings were released this week for the 2024-25 school year, showing academic progress across the state and especially for economically-challenged schools.

Dallas Independent School District (ISD) schools took top honors for high schools and middle schools in the state, with Carroll Elementary of Carroll ISD rated as the top elementary school.

Children At Risk measures test performance, student growth, equity, and college readiness in its analysis, and the company’s CEO, Bob Sanborn, emphasized that the statewide improvements came without additional state funding.

The rankings also include a Gold Ribbon list, recognizing high-poverty schools (at least 75% of students below the poverty line) that earned A or B ratings. You can see the full rankings here.

Feral Pig Encounters on the Rise in Texas

Residents in suburban areas across Texas are having more encounters with feral pigs, according to Texas A&M researcher Jay Long, with encounters expected to rise as weather cools.

Researchers agree that, while feral pigs have long been a costly problem in rural Texas, metropolitan areas sprawling into the pigs’ habitat is causing the uptick in suburban encounters.

Pigs can be hunted year-round without a bag limit, but according to Long, HOA and city ordinances can make traditional mitigation measures difficult, and the feral pig concern is likely to continue rising as a result.

Matthew McConaughey Inks AI Voice Deal

Iconic Texas actor Matthew McConaughey has signed a deal with AI firm ElevenLabs, which will allow the company to replicate McConaughey’s voice for any given text.

McConaughey has been an investor in ElevenLabs since its founding in 2022, and he is now using the technology to launch a Spanish-language version, in his voice, of his newsletter, Lyrics of Livin’.

The company also signed a deal to use British acting legend Michael Caine’s voice on products. 

ElevenLabs has said they developed technology to better block cloning celebrity voices without consent after someone used ElevenLabs software to mimic Joe Biden’s voice in a call sent to New Hampshire voters in 2024.

➤ Denton County: Hillwood Company, owned by Ross Perot Jr., has unveiled plans for its largest development to date, with 6,000 homes, 3,000 apartments, and 2,000 acres of commercial and green space slated for development in the southern part of the county. (More)

➤ Lubbock: Texas Tech’s Rawls College of Business has partnered with SmarterU Media to launch the SmarterU podcast, with the kickoff episode featuring Texas Tech Chancellor Tedd L. Mitchell talking about leadership and higher education. (Hear Podcast)

➤ Houston: Dr. Racquel Rosenbalm, principal at Sherman Elementary since 2019, died unexpectedly this week, according to a statement from the school. She worked in the Houston school district for 18 years. (More)

➤ Statewide: Former Texas governor and U.S. President George W. Bush is slated to speak at the funeral of his former Vice President Dick Cheney later this month. Cheney died on Nov. 3 at the age of 84. (See Details)

➤ Calvert: An FBI report has named Calvert the “most-burglarized” city per capita in Texas, based on 2023 data. In that year, 16 burglaries occurred in the town, which has a population of only 969. (See Details)

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➤ Today’s college football slate kicks off with No. 3 Texas A&M hosting South Carolina in the morning and No. 6 Texas Tech matching up with UCF in the afternoon. In the evening, the No. 10 Texas Longhorns go on the road to play No. 5 Georgia—perhaps the most anticipated game of the entire weekend. (See Full Schedule)

➤ Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom was named the MLB’s Comeback Player of the Year after logging a strong year following back-to-back injury-shortened seasons in 2023 and 2024. (More)

➤ High school football playoffs have officially begun around the state in every region and division. (See Matchups)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NBA | NHL | Soccer | NCAAF | NCAAM | NCAAW | Golf

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➤ Conservative commentator Glenn Beck has sold his mansion in North Texas ahead of his move to Florida. The mansion boasts 8,900 square feet on 3.5 acres. (See Photos)

➤ MSC Cruises is ready to put its newest ship, the MSC Seascape, to sea from Galveston, complete with Texas-themed food and entertainment. (See Report)

➤ A new documentary on Texas-born Tejano star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez is available to stream on Netflix on Monday. The documentary gives an intimate view of the “Queen of Tejano” with help from footage provided by her family. (More) 

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Did your hometown high school football team make the playoffs?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Not sure

Yesterday’s Results:

Should restaurants ban minors during school hours?

1. Yes: 47%
2. No: 53%

What Houston Rockets star was one of the first NBA players to be paid $1 million per year?

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