Killeen ISD to Close for Hasan Execution

Killeen ISD will close all schools and facilities on Thursday, Dec. 3, the day Nidal Hasan is scheduled to die by firing squad at Fort Hood for the 2009 shooting that killed 13 people.

District leaders called the closure a safety step ahead of expected traffic and national media attention. Killeen police reportedly recommended the shutdown. The district plans to limit after-school activities that day to UIL competitions and varsity practices.

Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, admitted to the attack and was sentenced to death in 2013. If carried out, it would be the first military execution since 1961, though Hasan could still seek a delay in federal court.

Screwworm Cases Spike as Weather Cools

Confirmed cases of the flesh-eating New World screwworm in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona have reached 128, with 42 new livestock and pet infestations in the first 11 days of November alone.

Officials logged just seven domestic cases across August and September before the October count jumped to 36. A Texas A&M insect specialist said summer heat held the flies back, and cooler days in the 70s and 80s have allowed numbers to climb.

Officials are enforcing limits on animal movement and operating checkpoints in parts of 21 Texas counties. The Agriculture Department is also hiring 228 workers for an Edinburg plant set to produce 100 million sterile flies a week in 2027, so wild females lay eggs that never hatch.

SpaceX Eyes First Double Starship Catch

SpaceX will attempt to catch both stages of its 407-foot Starship rocket this weekend as they return to Starbase, a feat that would make it the first fully recovered orbital rocket in history.

Liftoff is set for 4:45 p.m. CST from the company’s second launch pad in Cameron County. About six minutes later, the launch tower’s mechanical “chopsticks” will try to pluck the returning Super Heavy booster out of the air.

The upper stage will then release 26 Starlink internet satellites and circle Earth about 14 times. After a flight of more than 22 hours, it will return around 3:15 p.m. CST Saturday for the tower’s chopsticks to grab.

For the first time, the returning ship will fly over populated parts of northern Mexico and South Texas, and people around Cameron County may hear sonic booms. If conditions aren’t safe, SpaceX will instead splash it down in the ocean.

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➤ Austin: Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, delivered 15,000 petitions to Gov. Greg Abbott’s office Thursday seeking a special session before Republicans lose their House majority in January. He wants to limit the governor’s emergency powers before Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa takes over. (More)

➤ Parker County: Deputies arrested a couple Sunday who left their 3-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter home alone to go to dinner, then again to go to a bar. Both face felony charges. The sheriff said they “ended up being babysat themselves” in jail. (More)

➤ Corpus Christi: The City Council unanimously cut the speed limit on 11 miles of State Highway 361 from 60 to 50 mph after deadly summer crashes. The two-lane road to Port Aransas has seen 18 deaths in a decade. (See Crash Map)

➤ Fort Worth: A tanker truck driver jumped from his cab seconds before a train slammed into the truck at a railroad crossing near Northeast 28th Street, witness video shows. Police said the driver wasn’t hurt. (Watch Video)

➤ Carthage: Fire destroyed a home on Stonebriar Drive Wednesday afternoon. The occupants escaped, and firefighters rescued several pets from inside. The heat melted siding and shattered glass on the houses next door. (See Fire)

➤ Statewide: Comptroller Don Huffines now requires groups receiving state grant money through his office to check workers’ eligibility with the federal E-Verify system. Recipients must also comply with federal immigration law for the duration of the grant or risk losing it. (More)

➤ Austin: Rep. Carlos Giménez, a Republican congressman from Florida, invited Elon Musk to move Tesla’s headquarters to Florida, citing Democrats’ sweep of Texas statewide offices last week. (See Invitation)

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➤ The Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez, limited to 48 games in 2025, won the American League Hank Aaron Award, Comeback Player of the Year, and Outstanding Designated Hitter honors after leading the majors with a .316 batting average. (More)

➤ The Houston Rockets’ Marcus Smart was ejected for the 13th time in his career after throwing a right hook that grazed the nose of the Golden State Warriors’ Charles Bassey during Wednesday’s 115-108 Houston win. (More)

➤ Traditional power Duncanville carries a 6-4 record into tonight’s Class 6A Division I bi-district game against 9-1 Waco Midway, the first step toward the UIL state title games Dec. 16-19 at AT&T Stadium. (See Brackets)

➤ No. 14 Houston, which leads the nation in third-down conversions, will visit Colorado tonight, needing to win out to stay in the Big 12 title and College Football Playoff hunt. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: NFL | NCAAF | NHL | NBA | NCAAM | NCAAW | Soccer | NCAA Volleyball

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➤ A former quarry near Georgetown could become a 1,376-acre development with about 8,750 homes and apartments, 4.3 million square feet of commercial space, and a school. Austin-based Robinson Family Management took conceptual plans to the city council Nov. 10. (More)

➤ AT&T and Verizon begin retiring some copper landlines Nov. 15 and 16 in an 18-state phase-out. Rural Texans still use the lines where cell coverage is limited and during power outages. (More)

➤ H-E-B is offering free admission to 20 Texas nature centers Nov. 13-15 for Texas Recycles Day. Each visitor needs one recyclable plastic bottle or single-use plastic bag. Participating spots include Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. (More)

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➤ Dallas ranks No. 1 among U.S. cities as a place to visit for Thanksgiving, edging Atlanta and San Antonio in a new WalletHub study of the 100 largest cities. The 18 measures ranged from dinner prices to flight delays. (See Rankings)

➤ San Antonio’s Six Flags Fiesta Texas opens its 30th Holiday in the Park on Nov. 21 with a new 65-foot tree, seven live shows, and Holly Jolly Tamales. Guests 65 and older can register online for free admission. (More)

➤ Jeff Goldblum narrates Exit Stage Right, a five-part documentary series on Fort Worth’s 2025 Van Cliburn piano competition. The actor, a touring jazz pianist, has loved the piano since boyhood. (More)

➤ A Burnet County dad could win $25,000 and a shot at an Ace Hardware commercial in a “Super Dad” contest that drew 320,000-plus entrants. Jeremy Smith posts videos teaching his sons to grill and drill. (Meet Dad)

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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. 

➤ Authorities say an HOA dispute over a man’s apartment turned into a deadly shooting at a Washington, D.C., gym. (Hear Story)

➤ New housing data suggests holiday-season closings may give buyers their smallest price markup of the entire year. (Hear Details)

➤ Spain’s first general strike in 14 years has escalated into street clashes just weeks before national elections. (Listen Now)

Will you watch SpaceX’s Starship launch today?

1. Watching live
2. Catching a replay
3. Just the headlines
4. Not interested

Yesterday’s Results:

Will you drive out of town for Thanksgiving this year?

1. Staying local: 71%
2. Yes, short drive: 15%
3. Yes, long drive: 11%
4. Flying instead: 3%

Where in Texas can you find a one-person cemetery in the median of a neighborhood street?

Show me the answer

If you’re a fan of our Trivia section, you’ll love our new book, The Flyover Book of Trivia 2027, an illustrated collection of 100 of our favorite questions and answers. (Buy It Now)