Good morning! On this day in 1914, a mysterious fire destroyed the Duval County courthouse along with most of the evidence against South Texas political boss Archer Parr. A grand jury indicted him anyway, but the cases collapsed for lack of proof.
The best back-to-school news we read this week: The Lockhart school district is building a mega-playground, adding 50% more recess, and reducing classroom screen time. Find out more in Et Cetera.
Our Poll question below asks what your favorite thing was at the playground. Feel free to hit reply to tell us your “Other” answers. Bonus points if your favorite climbing gym was just rusty farm equipment.
What time do you eat dinner? Scientists say the answer could be shaping your weight, your blood sugar, and even your heart health. A growing field called chrononutrition finds that eating at the wrong time can throw off the body’s internal clock, and the effects add up. Poorer blood sugar control. Stronger cravings the next day. Even a higher risk of heart disease. The same dinner eaten at a different hour can hit your body in a completely different way. So, what dinnertime is actually right for you? Today on The Flyover Podcast, Ayla breaks down the science of meal timing and what it means for your schedule. Tune in here!
How many of these 13 retirement investment mistakes could be hiding in your portfolio? Later today, watch for a message from our partner, Fisher Investments, with a free guide to help you find out.
Today’s sponsor is Frontieras North America, an energy company developing technology to transform coal into valuable commodities while pursuing a potential $2.1 trillion market opportunity.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that Meta will follow the data center standards he set for Texas. The rules make data centers pay for their own power lines, reuse their water, avoid disrupting neighborhoods, and drop taxpayer-funded incentives.
The Public Utility Commission and ERCOT must audit each project first, and companies that don’t cooperate can be denied. Abbott said the standards ensure data centers “pay their own way” without passing costs to Texas families.
Meta, building a center in Northeast El Paso, said it will cover its energy and water costs and report usage annually. Amazon, Google, and QTS have also committed. Diode scrapped a Henderson County project after failing to meet the standards.
The 600,000-square-foot site is expected to bring nearly 500 permanent jobs, from operations technicians to engineers and quality-control staff. Construction should add about 2,000 more jobs between 2027 and 2030.
The plant will produce several types of medicines, including pills and antibody-based cancer drugs, in sections that can be reconfigured as the company’s treatment lineup changes.
The company chose Generation Park over other sites in the central and eastern United States, citing the area’s workforce, utilities, and transportation. Texas added a $4.89 million Enterprise Fund grant.
Jalapeño Recall Hits Texas Grocery Shelves
H-E-B pulled five ready-to-eat meals from its shelves after the jalapeños inside were linked to a national salmonella outbreak.
The San Antonio grocer’s Shake Rattle Bowl Southwest Chicken, two Higher Harvest dishes, and two Meal Simple bowls carry use-by dates between Aug. 3 and Aug. 15. Shoppers can return them for a full refund.
The peppers were grown in Sinaloa, Mexico, and imported by Coast Citrus Distributors. Taylor Farms says it is no longer buying from that farmer.
The outbreak has sickened 345 people in 27 states, including Texas, and hospitalized 36. No illnesses have been tied to the recalled packaged foods.
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In today’s dollars, John D. Rockefeller would be worth $435 billion. But “oil money” is old news, and what’s next might surprise investors in 2026: a $2.1 Trillion opportunity in “clean” coal*.
➤ Lago Vista: The city council voted unanimously to pull the city’s Flock license-plate-reading cameras after residents gathered hundreds of petition signatures over privacy concerns. Police departments use the cameras to find stolen vehicles and track suspects. (See Details)
➤ Houston: A Harris County judge denied three mothers’ bid to pull Ten Commandments posters from classrooms. Their suit is the first to challenge Senate Bill 10 under state law rather than the First Amendment. A hearing is set Aug. 17. (More)
➤ Fort Worth ISD opened its first school year under state control Monday with zero teacher vacancies, after years of starting with more than 200. Nearly 70,000 students returned under the new superintendent, Peter Licata. (More)
➤ Weatherford: Chase Liles, a 28-year-old math teacher at Weatherford High School, was arrested Aug. 6 on a charge of improper relationship between an educator and a student. Police said he sent inappropriate text messages to a 17-year-old student. He resigned Aug. 5. (See Details)
➤ Alpine: The city issued a boil-water notice on Monday after a leak near West Highway 90 dropped pressure at a storage tank. Crews are repairing the line weeks after Alpine declared a stage 4 water shortage. (See Details)
➤ Amarillo: A police dog sniffed out meth, cocaine, and ecstasy in a suitcase at a Greyhound maintenance shop Aug. 4. Agents staged a mechanical delay to get passengers to claim their bags. Two people face federal drug charges. (See Details)
➤ Brown County: The Texas Rangers are offering a $6,000 reward in the 1996 killing of Juan Leon Laureles, 30, who was shot and left next to his burning Thunderbird off FM 2126. No one has been arrested in the case over the past 30 years. (See Details)
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➤ Texas quarterback Arch Manning’s NIL valuation has dropped from a peak of $6.8 million, the No. 1 ranking in the country, to $2.5 million, which is No. 20 nationally. (More)
➤ CBS Sports named Texas Tech the most likely team in college football to go undefeated in 2026, citing the defending Big 12 champions’ softer schedule and the expectation they should be odds-on favorites in every game this fall. (More)
➤ San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama said he believes he can score 100 points in an NBA game. His career high is currently 50. He scored 37 points in one half last season. (More)
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➤ Qualcomm’s North Austin campus is adding 69,940 square feet of office and research space, according to plans filed with the state Aug. 3. The $16 million project on Center Lake Drive is due to be finished by Aug. 31, 2027. (See Details)
➤ The H-E-B plus! in Schertz will tear down its 1,500-square-foot fuel station and build a new one in a $560,000 remodel. Work starts Sept. 15 and should wrap by Dec. 15. (More)
➤ Texas gas prices averaged $3.54 a gallon for regular unleaded on Monday, AAA reported, down from $3.59 a week ago and up from $2.71 a year ago. The national average is $4.01 per gallon. (See Report)
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The Company Unlocking $2.1 Trillion in Energy Potential
Founders Matt McKean and Joseph Witherspoon are on the path to commercializing a technology that extracts valuable resources (like jet fuel and diesel) from coal without burning it. For their team at Frontieras, it’s an opportunity to address up to $2.1 trillion in annual markets*.
This is a paid advertisement for Frontieras’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.frontieras.com/. The reservation of the ticker symbol does not guarantee that we will be listed on the NASDAQ. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.
➤ The “mega den” playground opened Monday between Clear Fork and Navarro elementary schools in Lockhart, big enough for 450 kids at once. The district is adding 50% more recess and cutting classroom screen time. Class starts Thursday. (See Photos)
➤ Goosey, a Fort Bend County family’s pet goose, is being hailed as a hero after his loud honking woke Bert Gerber to a fire erupting in the family’s barn. Gerber extinguished the flames with a water hose, and all the barn animals escaped unharmed. (See Video)
➤ Cavvietta Cowgirl hopefuls competed at the East Arena over the weekend for a $10,000 scholarship and a year representing the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, judged on leadership and agriculture knowledge as much as horsemanship. (See Details)
➤ The Fess Parker “Fess-tival” at San Angelo’s Fort Concho on Saturday features a Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone lookalike contest. (More)
The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:
➤ Scientists warn that the timing of your meals could disrupt your blood sugar and heart health. (Full Story)
➤ Stranded in Alaskan waters, a small boat needed help, and the closest vessel was Mark Zuckerberg’s superyacht, which stayed silent. (Listen Now)
➤ Michigan’s famed Interlochen arts school has released the findings of an investigation into decades-old abuse allegations. (Hear Details)
What was your favorite thing at the playground when you were a kid?
Meta Agrees to Abbott Data-Center Rules
