Happy Valentine’s Day! On this day in 1904, oilman Walter William Fondren married Ella Florence Cochrum in Corsicana. Fondren co-founded the Humble Oil Company, which later became Exxon Company, U.S.A. Donations from the couple and their estate were used to establish libraries at Southern Methodist University and Rice University.
If you’re looking for date night ideas, today’s Et Cetera section features YouTuber Joshua Weissman’s rankings of Texas BBQ spots with the best brisket and sides!
Today’s sponsor is Frontieras, offering an investment opportunity in the energy sector.
Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) announced committee assignments for the Texas House yesterday, keeping his promise to appoint Republicans as chairs of all standing committees and Democrats as vice chairs. Republicans also have a majority in each committee of the GOP-controlled chamber.
However, Democrats were appointed to chair six of twelve subcommittees, and Democrat Joe Moody of El Paso was named the speaker pro tempore.
Most chairmanships were awarded to veteran legislators who backed Burrows in his bid for speaker rather than the GOP caucus nominee, Rep. David Cook of Mansfield, who was appointed to lead the Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice.
Burrows announced the assignments on the 31st day of the session, tying the record for the longest delay in doing so over the last 30 years. Following the announcement and the passage of several congratulatory resolutions, the House adjourned until next Tuesday, continuing its month-long trend of taking 5-day weekends.
Texas Lottery Actions Alarm Senators
The leaders of the Texas Lottery Commission appeared before the Texas Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, where they were questioned about numerous instances of alleged fraud, collusion, and mismanagement.
In April 2023, an entity named Rook TX purchased tickets for nearly every one of the 25.8 million 6-number combinations, ensuring a win of the $95 million jackpot. The purchases were processed by Lottery.com, an authorization granted by former executive director Gary Grief in contravention of the Texas Lottery’s legislative intent.
Although current executive director Ryan Mindell claimed the agency had updated its policies to ensure a similar scheme doesn’t occur again, senators were alarmed at Mindell’s refusal to characterize the incident as money laundering. “We just need to call in the Texas Rangers immediately,” said Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham).
Senators also grilled Mindell over two $50,000 payouts to a Lottery.com executive and the sale of a $1 million ticket to an anonymous buyer in China. According to state law, Texas Lottery winners must reside in the state, but the winning ticket was paid out two weeks after the 180-day deadline for cashing it in.
“We can’t gloss over this; we can’t look the other way,” said Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston).
Homestead Exemption Increase Passes Senate
The Texas Senate unanimously passed legislation Thursday to increase the homestead exemption from $100,000 ($110,000 for seniors) to $140,000 ($150,000) for seniors. The measure requires voter approval to take effect and would apply to 2025 property tax bills.
Estimates indicate the higher exemption amount would result in an average annual property tax reduction of $363.44. Home values in 49% of Texas school districts are less than $140,000, meaning school property taxes would be eliminated for those homeowners.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick named the proposal a priority legislative item at the end of last month, and Gov. Greg Abbott designated property tax relief as an emergency issue last week.
$2.1T in Untapped Potential—Time’s Running Out to Invest
After centuries of burning coal, most people still haven’t realized its true market value. Frontieras North America did… and their breakthrough patented technology unlocked at least 8 new and profitable ways to use coal—and a $2.1T opportunity in the markets.
It’s similar to when John D. Rockefeller commercialized oil refining technology. And if this company captures just 2% of the global coal market, they have a clear roadmap to achieve a $1T valuation.
Their tech is simple: rather than burning coal and wasting trillions of dollars in resources locked within it, their process extracts those resources for the global commodities markets:
Diesel – $935B market
Jet fuel – $391B market
Naphtha – $249B market
Hydrogen – $242B market
Fertilizer – $212B market
Metallurgical coal – $147B market
And more
Their technology has already been validated by a successful operation in Texas, and they’re getting ready to open a new plant in West Virginia.
Don’t miss your chance to capitalize on this major breakthrough that will trigger the next “Rockefeller Moment” in the global energy space. Become a shareholder by March 13th.
➤ Cameron County: Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. has scheduled an election for May 3 to determine whether SpaceX’s Boca Chica launch site and surrounding facilities—known as Starbase—should be incorporated as a separate city. A petition signed by at least 10% of qualified voters in the area was submitted in December. (More)
➤ Houston: Mayor John Whitmire’s staff presented a study during Wednesday’s city council meeting showing widespread inefficiencies in the city’s spending practices and employee structure, including the finding that 40% of managers have three or fewer employees reporting to them. (See Details)
➤ Dallas: Interim Police Chief Michael Igo has assured community members that the department “is not assisting any federal agency on detaining people that are either documented or undocumented in the City of Dallas.” (More)
➤ Sabine County: Sheriff Tom Maddox died at his home yesterday morning at the age of 75. Maddox was first elected sheriff in 2000 and coordinated the local recovery effort following the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia explosion. (More)
➤ Big Lake: The Texas Rangers are investigating the city’s animal shelter over allegations that staff have neglected animals in their care due to a lack of resources. (See Details)
➤ Houston: Dentistry professor Christopher Pedlar, 39, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of inhaling laughing gas while driving. He was found with 107 canisters of nitrous oxide in his vehicle during a traffic stop. Pedlar had previously been arrested on similar charges and allegedly admitted to the arresting officer that he “has a problem and had been using it all day.” (See Details)
➤ Longview: The police department has encrypted its radio communications “to provide an element of safety and security for not just the officers but the general public as a whole.” The fire department plans to do the same in the near future. (More)
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➤ The Dallas Mavericks will no longer dole out automatic ejections to fans displaying “Fire Nico” signs, although such signs will still be confiscated. (More)
➤ FC Dallas has unveiled its new “Inferno Kit,” which will debut at the soccer team’s home opener against the Chicago Fire on Mar. 8. (More)
➤ Former Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman has signed with the Red Sox, ending speculation that he could return to the team in 2025. (More)
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➤ Saronic, an Austin manufacturer of maritime autonomous surface vehicles, plans to expand its facility by 420,000 square feet and to grow its workforce from 300 to 600 employees by the end of the year. (More)
➤ Chevron plans to lay off 15-20% of its global workforce, or roughly 6,000 to 8,000 employees, by the end of next year in an effort to cut costs and streamline operations. The company relocated from California to Houston last year. (More)
➤ San Antonio-based Bill Miller Bar-B-Q has begun placing “CAUTION: CONTENTS ARE HOT” stickers on products after a court order required the company to pay $2.8 million to a woman burned by spilling hot barbecue sauce on herself. (See Photos)
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Coal’s true potential has never been fully realized—until now. Frontieras’ breakthrough technology transforms coal into valuable byproducts like hydrogen, diesel, jet fuel, and more, tapping into a $2.1T market opportunity. If Frontieras captures just 2% of the global coal market, they could achieve a $1T valuation. Already validated by a successful operation in Texas, Frontieras is set to open a new plant in West Virginia, and you can invest while they do it. You have less than one month to invest in Frontieras at the current share price.
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➤ Popular YouTuber Joshua Weissman visited seventeen of the state’s top BBQ spots, ranking those with the best brisket and sides. (See Rankings)
➤ Odessa Police Department Captain Caleb Lacey will participate in the Law Enforcement Torch Run in Italy ahead of next month’s Special Olympics World Winter Games. (Watch Video)
➤ Much of the filming for Season 2 of the AMC crime drama Surviving The Cartel is being shot in Dallas. The series follows several characters impacted by or associated with international drug cartel activity. (More)
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Burrows Announces House Committee Assignments
