Thursday, October 29, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1911, Narciso Martínez, the father of Texas-Mexican conjunto music, was born. He grew up in La Paloma near Brownsville, paired the accordion with the bajo sexto, and earned the nickname “The Hurricane of the Valley.”

Misplaced keys, a name that won’t come, and a parent telling the same story twice in one afternoon. Somewhere around age 50, memory stops being something we take for granted and starts being something we worry about. Researchers say nearly half of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed, and the steps that help are surprisingly ordinary. The No. 1 suggestion isn’t a puzzle or a pill, and it might be the easiest one on the list. Ayla counts down the seven things you can do to protect your memory on today’s episode of The Flyover Podcast. Tune in here!

Later today, you’ll receive a special email from Fisher Investments about their Stock Market Outlook, a free guide to help investors with $1 million or more navigate key retirement questions, from inflation to withdrawals.

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E. coli Probe Eyes State Fair

Dallas County health officials are lab-testing a cluster of E. coli cases among North Texas children to see whether the illnesses trace back to the petting zoo at the State Fair of Texas.

Investigators are looking into up to seven possible cases, some of which have required intensive care. Doctors who alerted the county this week spotted a common thread among their patients: recent trips to the fair.

The county hasn’t confirmed the cases or a link to the fair and isn’t calling it an outbreak. The fair said it follows CDC-recommended precautions at animal exhibits and is cooperating fully with county health officials.

Other fairs have faced the same problem. A 2025 outbreak linked to the Arizona State Fair’s petting zoo hospitalized 13 children, and organizers dropped the zoo entirely for 2026, allowing guests to view farm animals only from a distance.

Smuggling Boss ‘Monstro’ Gets Nine Years

A federal judge in El Paso sentenced a Mexican national known as “Monstro” to more than nine years in federal prison on Tuesday for a smuggling operation that ended with a migrant falling from a border fence.

During a May 15, 2025, crossing near Tornillo, a migrant fell from the fence and broke a hip, the base of his spine, and a heel, injuries that required surgery. Border Patrol agents intercepted the group and arrested its guide.

The guide’s phone held messages with Manuel Alejandro Melendez-Cereceres, 42, who recruited drivers and coordinated stash houses and handoff points to move migrants deeper into the country. Agents arrested him at home in June 2025. He pleaded guilty June 11, 2026, and faces a $672,101 money judgment.

Girl Cast as Seymour Sues District

A 17-year-old South Grand Prairie High School student sued Grand Prairie ISD in federal court, arguing the district violated Title IX by removing her from the male lead in Little Shop of Horrors because she is female.

Ana Mota was cast as Seymour before administrators said a male student would replace her, citing Senate Bill 12, the 2025 law restricting school instruction on gender identity. She declined a female part, and the district canceled the show.

The district also said it pulled the musical to comply with Senate Bill 12, additionally pointing to the musical’s themes of an abusive relationship. It declined to comment on the lawsuit, and students have moved on to producing the musical Frozen.

The suit notes that the licensor permits cross-gender casting, and the bill doesn’t ban it. It asks a judge to restore the musical with Mota as Seymour. Her attorney, David Coale, said the law has some “pretty vague” provisions.

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➤ Houston: Arlene Alvarez’s mother asked that a campaign ad backing Gov. Greg Abbott be pulled, saying she never approved using her slain 9-year-old’s photo. Citing hateful messages, she’s also stepping away from advocating for Arlene’s Law. (More)

➤ Laredo: Border Patrol found 23 illegal immigrants, including six unaccompanied children, in vans on a car hauler at an I-35 checkpoint Sept. 22. The windows were shut with no airflow. The driver faces federal human trafficking charges. (More)

➤ Tarrant County: A federal jury convicted an Indian national, a lawful permanent resident, of voting in the 2024 presidential election in Arlington after he checked the citizenship box on his driver’s license application. He faces prison and deportation. (More)

➤ Statewide: The IRS pushed certain federal tax filing and payment deadlines to Feb. 1, 2027, for residents and businesses in 62 counties hit by July’s storms and floods, from Harris to Kerr to Pecos. (More)

➤ Amarillo: A man fleeing a traffic stop tossed a bag with five wrapped packages of meth out his window before his car died and he ran. Agents found seven more at his home, about $800,000 worth in all, court documents say. (More)

➤ Abilene: About 120 sex offenders on probation in Taylor, Callahan, and Coleman counties will spend Halloween night at the county law enforcement center for drug tests and treatment work while kids trick-or-treat. (More)

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➤ Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez won the American League’s Outstanding Player and Comeback Player honors in the Players Choice Awards after batting .316 with 42 home runs. (More)

➤ Houston is a finalist to host the men’s Final Four, and San Antonio is in the running for the women’s event, as the NCAA chooses sites for 2032-36. Host cities will be announced in July 2027. (More)

➤ Austin-area dealership Leif Johnson Ford will pay $92,000 a year for naming rights to Lake Travis High School’s football field under a five-year agreement. (More)

➤ Texas Longhorns left tackle Trevor Goosby reportedly underwent season-ending surgery Tuesday to repair a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. (More)

➤ The Dallas Mavericks will promote team president Ethan Casson to CEO on Jan. 1, 2027, after Rick Welts, 73, retires Dec. 31. Casson spent nine seasons running the Minnesota Timberwolves before arriving in Dallas last year. (Meet New CEO)

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➤ An Italian-inspired village with canals, hotels, homes, shops, and a performing arts center cleared zoning in Prosper on Tuesday. The $2 billion project, The Marco, will rise at the intersection of the Dallas North Tollway and U.S. 380 and could break ground this year. (See Plans)

➤ Blue Origin will offer paid internships to Hutto high schoolers and help shape the district’s career and technical classes, which enroll about 450 students. Its 1.3 million-square-foot Constellation Park plant will sit on Highway 79 near Hutto High School. (See Partnership)

➤ Holly View Apartments, a 324-unit complex in northwest Houston, sold for $31.5 million, about $97,000 per unit, to Accel Equity Group. The sale is one of three recent deals by New York-based Sorrento Property Group totaling more than $90 million. (See Sale)

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➤ A 15-foot wall of roughly 300 jack-o’-lanterns lights a Longview yard at Knob Crest and Regal Oak. Tom May built it from recycled pallets and salvaged plywood, a tradition born two decades ago from his wife’s pumpkin collection. (See Wall)

➤ Grammy-winning worship leader Chris Tomlin, a Grand Saline native, received an honorary doctorate from East Texas Baptist University in Marshall on Tuesday. Tomlin has notched 21 No. 1 singles and sold more than 12 million albums. (See Honor)

➤ Twelve Houston-area ZIP codes made this year’s list of the nation’s 1,000 wealthiest. West University Place’s 77005 ranked No. 42 nationwide, with a median home price of nearly $1.4 million. Bellaire’s 77401 ranked No. 107. (See List)

➤ Angelo State University in San Angelo is enrolling students for a new video game art and animation degree starting in spring 2027. The program, offering online and in-person classes, centers on character design and 3D modeling rather than programming. (See Degree)

➤ Young hospital patients decorated Halloween-themed birthday bags for Ajari, a San Antonio Zoo gorilla turning 26 today, plus a paper chain bearing their names. The public can join his party at Congo Falls. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes.

➤ Try these seven everyday habits that researchers say may help prevent or delay dementia. (Listen Now)

➤ Brazil’s defeated presidential candidate has fled the country and surfaced in the US, defying a court order to surrender his passports. (Hear Details)

➤ One of basketball’s most familiar voices says heart issues played a role in his decision to make this season his last. (Listen Now)