Good Morning! On this day in 1936, the Central Centennial Exposition opened in Dallas’s Fair Park, marking 100 years of Texas independence. The $25 million exposition occupied 50 buildings and was the first world’s fair held in the Southwest.
The Fort Worth Zoo recently welcomed a porcupette (baby porcupine). Check out photos here.
If you’re feeling drained, talking to someone could really help. Today’s sponsor, BetterHelp, offers online therapy that makes it easy to get support.
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Texas Woman Dies from Amoeba Infection
A 71-year-old Texas woman died after contracting a brain-eating amoeba from tap water used in a nasal irrigation device at an RV campground, according to a report from the CDC. The report did not provide the woman’s name, the date of death, or the campground’s location.
The woman reportedly used a nasal irrigation device with non-boiled water several times before developing symptoms, including fever, headache, altered mental status, and seizures. She passed away eight days later.
Laboratory testing of the patient’s cerebrospinal fluid confirmed the presence of the amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, which lives in warm freshwater. Investigators did not detect the amoeba during field testing, but they identified the municipal water system and the RV’s potable water tank as possible sources of the contamination.
While the U.S. sees fewer than 10 infections each year, nearly every case is fatal. To reduce the risk of infection, health officials recommend using distilled or boiled water for nasal irrigation.
New Gun Laws
Texas lawmakers passed several gun-related bills during this year’s legislative session, easing restrictions on short-barrel firearms and clamping down on local efforts to restrict gun ownership.
Senate Bill 1596 removes the prohibition on owning a short-barrel or “sawed-off” firearm without registering it with the federal government. A short-barreled firearm is defined as a rifle with a barrel less than 16 inches or a shotgun with a barrel shorter than 18 inches.
House Bill 3053 prohibits cities and counties from sponsoring gun-buyback programs. Supporters of the measure have called such programs a waste of taxpayer money, while San Antonio City Councilman John Courage said, “It makes no sense.”
Senate Bill 1362 blocks the enforcement of extreme risk protection orders or “red flag laws.” It prevents the seizure of a person’s firearms if he or she has not been charged with a crime or is not subject to a domestic protective order.
Austin Startup Implants Chip in Human Brain
Paradromics, an Austin-based neurotechnology startup, announced Monday that its brain-computer interface (BCI) chip had been successfully implanted in a patient undergoing epilepsy surgery last month at the University of Michigan, marking its first in-human procedure.
The company’s Connexus Brain-Computer Interface was implanted for about 20 minutes before being removed from the patient’s brain. The dime-sized chip aims to restore communication for people with impaired motor skills by using AI to translate brain signals into speech through a computer.
“You do all of these steps, you validate the hardware… but still emotionally when it works and when it happens the way you expected it to, it’s still very, very gratifying,” said Paradromics founder and CEO Matt Angle.
Once it receives regulatory approval, the company plans to start clinical trials later this year. Founded in 2015, Paradromics has raised over $105 million in venture capital and received $18 million in grants from NIH and DARPA. It employs over 60 people in Austin.
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➤ Wichita Falls: A federal court blocked a 2001 Texas law granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants enrolled in the state’s public universities on the grounds it “unconstitutionally discriminates against U.S. citizens.” (See Details)
➤ San Antonio: A resident filed a $1 million lawsuit against the city and CPS Energy after suffering serious injuries in a home explosion last weekend. The lawsuit alleges the explosion was caused by a natural gas leak. (More)
➤ Houston: Several protesters were escorted out of a Wednesday city council meeting during discussion of a $7 billion city budget proposal, which passed 14-3. Among their complaints was the amount of funding for drainage projects. (See Details)
➤ El Paso ISD: The board of trustees authorized a payment of nearly $348,000 to Superintendent Diana Sayavedra as part of her voluntary separation agreement to retire before the end of her contract in 2029. She was hired in 2021. (More)
➤ San Antonio: Trash has been piling up at the Grand Apartment Homes complex for more than a week, prompting the city to issue a code violation notice. Management did not respond to media requests about the issue. (Watch Video)
➤ College Station: An unidentified man has been placing cash around the Texas A&M campus and posting videos about the locations on social media. “I knew that if there was a spot I wanted to really blow this up and have fun with it, it would be Texas A&M,” explained the mystery man. (See Photos)
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➤ Texas Tech beat UT 4-3 last night in Women’s College World Series softball, tying the series 1-1. They play the final game for the championship tonight. (More)
➤ The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are returning to Netflix on June 18 for another behind-the-scenes look at the cutthroat business of cheering for America’s Team. (See Trailer)
➤ Houston Astros left fielder Jose Altuve is tied for fourth worst in the league in defensive runs saved (-9). The 35-year-old franchise icon moved to the position this season after playing second base for 14 years. (More)
➤ The Texas Rangers sent pitcher Kumar Rocker to their Round Rock minor league affiliate yesterday after the 25-year-old struggled in his first start coming off the injured list. (See Details)
➤ Federal, state, and local leaders gathered at the Port of Corpus Christi on Monday to celebrate the completion of a $625 million project to deepen and widen the ship channel. The port is the nation’s largest exporter of crude oil. (More)
➤ Irving-based consumer goods giant Kimberly-Clark is forming a joint venture with a Brazilian pulp supplier that will acquire a majority stake in its international tissue business for $3.4 billion. (More)
➤ Texas is home to 54 Fortune 500 companies, just behind California’s 58, according to recently released rankings. At No. 8 on the list, Houston’s ExxonMobil is the biggest company in Texas, with over $349 billion in revenue. (More / See List)
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➤ Goldman Sachs says this phenomenon is creating 1,600 new millionaires daily—yet it’s flying under the radar. The analyst who foresaw Amazon and Qualcomm’s rise is now revealing his next big prediction, claiming this opportunity could surpass anything investors have seen before. (See It Here)
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➤ National Geographic photographer Robb Kendrick is showcasing his Indios and Cowboys exhibit at the Old Post Office Museum and Art Center in Graham this weekend. (Watch Video)
➤ Fort Worth has been ranked the best city in America to survive a zombie apocalypse, according to a study by an excavator parts supplier. The study examined seven criteria, including road conditions, population density, and the number of gas stations. (More)
➤ Nathan Liu, an eighth grader at St. Mark’s School in Dallas, won this year’s RTX MATHCOUNTS National Competition in Washington, D.C. last month. “It’s like the biggest accomplishment ever for me,” he said. (More / Watch Video)
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How do you feel about implanting computer chips in human brains?
Texas Woman Dies from Amoeba Infection
