Good morning! On this day in 1940, King Ranch president Robert J. Kleberg met with other livestock professionals in Fort Worth to form the American Quarter Horse Association. Headquartered in Amarillo, it is the world’s largest equine breed registry and membership organization, with over 6 million registered horses and 230,000 members.
Yesterday marked 50 years since Chili’s opened its first restaurant in an old converted post office on Greenville Avenue in Dallas. Today, the popular chain has 1,600 locations and is part of Dallas-based Brinker International, which generated over $4 billion in revenue last year.
We’re sponsored today by the nonprofit World Concern, offering an opportunity to help children in need in Somalia.
An explosion at Texas Tech University on Wednesday sparked multiple fires and cut power to much of the campus, prompting administrators to order evacuations and cancel classes for the rest of the week. Students are on Spring Break next week.
The explosion occurred in a transformer vault, and fires were seen coming from nearby manhole covers. A witness reported that a “smoke ring” reached 200 feet into the air, and an official with Lubbock Fire Rescue said multicolored flames were likely caused by copper and other metals burning.
No injuries were reported, and affected areas of campus are closed as officials investigate what caused the explosion. As of Thursday, about 40% of the campus was still without power.
The school is providing temporary housing for students who cannot go home over Spring Break, and H-E-B is providing meals to students who typically eat in the dining halls.
Former Megachurch Pastor Indicted
Robert Morris, the 63-year-old former televangelist and pastor of North Texas megachurch Gateway, has been indicted by a grand jury in Oklahoma on charges of indecency with a child.
It’s the latest development following his admission of “inappropriate sexual behavior” with a teenage girl for several years in the 1980s, which led to his resignation last year from the church he founded in 2000.
Last June, Cindy Clemishire accused Morris of molesting her at her family’s home in Hominy, Oklahoma, beginning in 1982, when she was just 12 years old. According to a statement from Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, the statute of limitations doesn’t apply because Morris wasn’t a resident of Oklahoma at the time.
“After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child,” said Clemishire. “Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable.”
Texas Counties among Fastest-Growing
Four counties in Texas were among the fastest-growing in the country over the past year, according to estimates released yesterday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024, Kaufman County’s population increased by 11,114 and grew at a rate of 6%, second in the nation behind Dawson County in Georgia, which gained just over 2,000 residents but grew at a rate of 6.4%.
Liberty, Montgomery, and Caldwell counties were the nation’s sixth (5.4%), seventh (4.8%), and ninth (4.6%) fastest-growing counties. Harris County’s 105,852 new residents are the most of any county in the country and make it the first in Texas to surpass 5 million residents.
Overall, Texas gained 562,941 new residents last year—more than any other state—approximately 309,506 of whom came from other countries.
Flying together with our sponsor
Somalia is facing a devastating combination of natural disasters, global conflicts, widespread poverty, and disease outbreaks. East Africa has just endured its worst drought in 40 years, leaving tens of millions without access to clean water, wiping out millions of livestock, and destroying crops. With domestic food production crippled, Somalia has relied heavily on imports—90% of its wheat coming from Russia and Ukraine—until those shipments stopped.
Now, two in five children in Somalia suffer from acute malnutrition, and cholera is spreading in some regions. The food crisis, compounded by global humanitarian aid being redirected to Europe and the Middle East, has created a perfect storm, leading to a sharp rise in child malnutrition.
We’re asking The Flyover community to join us in partnering with World Concern to help get emergency nutrition packs (a peanut paste fortified with nutrients), water, and hygiene products to those with the most need.
➤ Mesquite: A small Cessna jet crashed in a wooded area after taking off from Mesquite Metro Airport yesterday morning, killing the pilot. (More)
➤ Houston: Meanwhile, the pilot of a Cessna 182 made a successful emergency landing on a two-lane road Wednesday evening after losing power. (See Photo)
➤ Corpus Christi: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has approved a discharge permit for a proposed desalination plant that would produce 20 million gallons of water per day. (More)
➤ Austin: A 37-acre homeless encampment was shut down because it was deemed a “high wildfire risk.” Last year, the fire department responded to 35 fire-related calls at the encampment. (More)
➤ Maypearl ISD: Administrators held a meeting Wednesday evening to provide an update on efforts to address high levels of carbon dioxide at Maypearl Primary School, where students have experienced headaches, nausea, and fatigue for months. “We should not have to worry about the air that our children are breathing at school,” said a parent. (See Details)
➤ Houston: Over 120 firefighters battled a three-alarm blaze at an office building Wednesday evening. No injuries were reported. (Watch Video)
➤ Big Bend Ranch State Park: A woman was stranded for 30 hours after the battery on her e-bike died. She pushed the bike 20 miles before she was found. (More)
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➤ UT upset Texas A&M in the SEC men’s basketball tournament yesterday, toppling the No. 14 Aggies 94-89 in double overtime. The Longhorns play Tennessee this afternoon in the quarterfinal round. (More)
➤ No. 9 Texas Tech beat Baylor 76-74 in the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament yesterday, hanging on for the win despite only making 19% of their shots in the second half. (More)
➤ The No. 2 Houston Cougars men’s basketball team beat Colorado 77-69 in the Big 12 tournament yesterday, overcoming a right ankle injury to forward J’Wan Roberts. They face off against No. 17 BYU tonight for a chance to play in tomorrow’s championship game. (More)
➤ SMU beat Syracuse 73-53 in the ACC men’s basketball tournament Wednesday night and faced No. 10 Clemson in the quarterfinal round last night. (Check Score)
➤ Houston Rockets center Steven Adams and Phoenix Suns center Mason Plumlee were both ejected from Wednesday night’s game after Plumlee wrestled Adams to the ground. The Rockets won the game 111-104. (Watch Video)
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➤ Online pet food and accessories retailer Chewy is cutting 674 jobs at its 663,000-square-foot fulfillment center in southwest Dallas. The site “will remain open in a substantially reduced capacity,” according to the company. (More)
➤ SpaceX will spend $280 million to expand its Bastrop semiconductor and packaging facility by 1 million square feet, aiming to increase production of its Starlink satellites. The project is slated to receive a $17.3 million grant from the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund, according to a statement from Gov. Greg Abbott. (More)
➤ Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is defending its controversial decision to begin charging customers for checked bags. In a Thursday social media post, the company said, “It’s not like we traded Luka,” a reference to the Dallas Mavericks’ much-maligned decision to trade generational superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for the injury-prone Anthony Davis. (More)
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➤ Car insurance costs will hit record highs in 2025. With car insurance premiums projected to reach a record $2,101 annually in 2025, it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re not overpaying. In fact, switching car insurance providers could save drivers over $1,300 a year, according to a 2024 survey.
➤ Vice President JD Vance praised Austin’s affordable housing strategy during his speech earlier this week at the National League of Cities in Washington, D.C., saying it “implemented some pretty smart policies.” In recent years, the city has reduced the minimum permitted size of single-family lots and increased the number of units that can be built on each one. (More)
➤ Southern Living included two Texas hotels in its list of the South’s best new hotels: the redesigned Hotel 1928 in Waco and the Hotel Saint Augustine in Houston. (See Photos)
➤ Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick celebrated an Austin steakhouse’s serving of “Texas Strip and shrimp from the Gulf of America,” which he called “historic.” However, a representative for Bob’s Steak & Chop House said their menu has not changed and that a franchisee made a “one-time accommodation for a private event.” (More)
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Explosion Rocks Texas Tech
