Good Morning! On this day in 1928, TV star Dan Blocker was born in De Kalb. After serving in the Korean War and teaching school in Texas and New Mexico, he achieved fame playing the role of Hoss Cartwright in NBC’s popular Western TV series Bonanza.
Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez has been recognized as the best defensive player in the country. Earlier this week, he was named the best at his position. Check out today’s Sports section for details.
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Supreme Court Declines Book Removal Case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case challenging the authority of the Llano County Public Library to remove 17 children’s books that contain sexual, obscene, or racial content.
The refusal leaves in place an appeals court ruling from May that upheld the removal in 2022. A lower court ordered the library to return the books to the shelves in 2023, affirming the plaintiffs’ argument that the removal had violated the First Amendment right to free speech.
“If a disappointed patron can’t find a book in the library, he can order it online, buy it from a bookstore, or borrow it from a friend,” wrote Trump appointee Stuart Kyle Duncan for the majority in the Fifth Circuit Court ruling.
Similar cases are pending in other federal appeals courts. If those rulings differ from this one, the Supreme Court could revisit the issue.
Feds Bust AI Chip Smuggling Operation
A Missouri City man was convicted of orchestrating a scheme to smuggle $160 million of export-controlled AI computer chips to China, federal authorities announced Monday. Two others were also arrested in the multi-agency effort, dubbed Operation Gatekeeper.
Alan Hao Hsu pleaded guilty in October to purchasing more than 6,000 Nvidia GPUs through his Sugar Land company, Hao Global, from a North Carolina vendor. He paid for the purchases using multiple shell companies, falsified shipping documents, and coordinated with two Chinese nationals.
“The stakes are high,” said Nicholas Ganjei, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas. “The country that controls these chips will dominate AI; the country that dominates AI will lead the future.”
In July, Chinese nationals were accused of trying to recruit Houston-based members of the U.S. Navy to spy for China and hacking into the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston to steal information on COVID-19 vaccines. The following month, a Chinese researcher at MD Anderson tried to share cancer research data with officials in his home country.
Candidate Fields Set
The U.S. Senate race and congressional redistricting have significantly impacted several statewide and local contests. Now that the candidate filing deadline has passed, the field is set for the March primaries.
With Ken Paxton challenging John Cornyn for his U.S. Senate seat, State Sens. Mayes Middleton (Galveston) and Joan Huffman (Houston), U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (Austin), and former Department of Justice staffer Aaron Reitz are running to replace Paxton on the Republican ticket. In the Democratic primary, State Sen. Nathan Johnson (Dallas) is running against the former mayor of Galveston and a retired FBI agent.
U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Fort Worth) is running for Tarrant County judge after he was drawn out of his district, and U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-Houston) filed to run in the redrawn 18th Congressional District.
State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) and a former GOP candidate for Harris County judge are vying to represent the redrawn 9th Congressional District. U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Humble) faces a serious challenger in State Rep. Steve Toth (R-Conroe).
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➤ Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into nearly 1,000 cities to ensure compliance with a new financial transparency law that prohibits tax rate increases if audits are not submitted to the state. (More)
➤ Mount Pleasant: Former Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff died Monday at his home at the age of 89. He was elected by his fellow state senators in 2000 when George W. Bush resigned as governor to become president, and former Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst became governor. (More)
➤ Austin: The Federal Aviation Administration will provide a $108 million grant for improvements at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, which is currently building a new concourse with more than 20 gates. (More)
➤ Lubbock County Judge Curtis Parrish removed Precinct 2 County Commissioner Jason Corley from office on Monday, citing the state’s Resign to Run law. Corley, who is running for Congress, has filed a lawsuit and called Parrish’s actions “erroneous” and a “corrupt power play.” (More)
➤ Brazoria County: An 18-wheeler carrying molten sulfur flipped over on State Highway 35 yesterday morning. Hazmat crews had to wait for the sulfur to cool before beginning the cleanup. (Watch Video)
➤ San Marcos: The city council voted not to renew a contract with Flock Safety for the company’s license plate readers. Meanwhile, New Braunfels and Live Oak plan to increase the number of Flock license plate readers. (More)
➤ Houston ISD: The district has settled a lawsuit with the parents of a Bellaire High School student who asked teachers and administrators to refer to her by a masculine name and pronouns. Gov. Greg Abbott called for an investigation into the matter when the lawsuit was filed in June. (See Details)
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➤ Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez was named winner of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy this week, recognizing him as the best defensive player in the country. He beat out Texas A&M pass rusher Cashius Howell for the award. (More)
➤ El Paso native Danny Torres won the USATF Cross Country National Championship this weekend in the Under-20 Division, qualifying for the World Championships in Florida this January. (More)
➤ Texas and TCU remained at No. 2 and No. 8, respectively, in the new AP women’s college basketball poll, while Baylor made a one-spot jump to No. 13. (See Poll)
➤TCU football offensive coordinator Kendal Briles has been hired for the same position by South Carolina after a successful three-year stint in Fort Worth. (More)
➤ SMU, Texas, and Texas A&M all advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament this week—the most teams of any state in the country. (See Bracket)
➤ The San Antonio Spurs play the LA Lakers tonight in the first round of the NBA Cup in-season tournament. (More)
➤ Are you taking this popular blood thinner? You may have been told it’s safe… But stunning research reveals this “harmless” drug is linked to dangerous, life-threatening side effects…including death. More than 3 million Americans currently take this blood thinner. Do you? Watch Now
➤ USAA distributed $3.7 billion in rewards to its members this year, up from $2.2 billion last year. During the government shutdown, the San Antonio-based company that caters to military members and their families provided nearly $450 million in interest-free loans. (More)
➤ San Antonio’s Detmar Logistics is partnering with Aurora Innovation to haul fracking sand with autonomous trucks in the Permian Basin. According to the terms of the initial contract, 30 Aurora Driver-powered trucks will deliver sand for more than 20 hours a day beginning next year. (More)
➤ Fermi America, the Rick Perry-backed company developing an 11-gigawatt data center outside Amarillo, has signed an agreement for 200 megawatts of electricity from Southwestern Public Service Company, a subsidiary of Xcel Energy. A spokesman hailed the agreement as a mark of “transforming intent into execution.” (More)
➤ Maryland-based Constellation Energy agreed to sell two additional power plants and a minority stake in a third to acquire Houston-based Calpine. The Department of Justice and the state of Texas filed an antitrust lawsuit after the $26.6 billion deal was announced earlier this year. (More)
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➤ The city of Lufkin is auctioning off the old Angelina County Jail building that was slated for demolition before crews uncovered a vintage Dr Pepper mural earlier this year. The winning bidder must agree to preserve the mural and restore the 1,350-square-foot building to a habitable condition. (More)
➤ The Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls was named the “most beloved local business” in Texas by MarketBeat earlier this year. The cafe was founded in 1929 and is famous for its pies. (More)
➤ The Dallas Police Department discussed a proposal to integrate its 24 gunfire detection sensors across the city with rapid drone response technology during a Monday city council meeting. “The problem is not that we don’t know there is gunfire. The problem is we don’t have an officer to send, and don’t know where the gunfire came from,” a city council member commented. (More)
➤ The San Antonio Zoo has received seven western lowland gorillas for its new Congo Falls exhibit, which will open on Saturday. It’s the first time in more than 30 years that gorillas have lived at the zoo. (See Photos)
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Have you ever checked out a book at your local library?
Supreme Court Declines Book Removal Case
