State to Pay for Damage

Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday launched the Landown­er Com­pen­sa­tion Program, which will provide compensation for damage to real property on agricultural land caused by trespassing illegal aliens.

The program is authorized by legislation passed last year that allocated $18 million in state money for affected property owners.

Farmers and ranchers can receive up to $75,000 for trampled crops, trash removal, or repairs to broken water lines or fencing.

In a statement, Paxton said the program would “provide needed relief to Texans whose property is damaged by foreign aliens waved into the country by the federal government.”

Jeff Bezos Opening Tuition-Free Preschools

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is opening ten tuition-free preschools throughout Texas, bringing the total number in the state to thirteen.

Enrollment in the Bezos Academy schools is lottery-based and open to families with incomes of less than $120,000 per year.

According to spokesperson Allison Leader, expanding access to quality daycare options is a priority for Bezos because he “credits having a Montessori preschool education for really setting him and his family up for success.”

Texas Cities Crack Millionaire List

Three cities in Texas rank in the top 50 in the world with the most millionaires, according to a recent analysis by the London-based firm Henley & Partners. (See the list)

Houston is #17 with 90,900 millionaires, Dallas is #22 with 68,600, and Austin is #35 with 32,700. Those figures have increased 70%, 75%, and 110%, respectively, over the past ten years.

Eleven U.S. metro areas made the list, with New York City’s 349,500 millionaires coming in #1 overall.

The Flyover is just like The Texas Flyover, except it covers news from all fifty states. Sign up with one click!

Flying together with our sponsor

If you have outstanding credit card debt, getting a new 0% intro APR credit card could help ease the pressure while you pay down your balances.

On top of all that, this top credit card offers an insane 5% cash back perk that gets matched after your first year.

That’s up to 10% back on qualifying purchases!

Click through to see what all the hype is about. 

➤ Starr County: The federal government claims it owns a 170-acre plot of land along the Rio Grande after examining historical records, disputing the state’s determination that it belongs to it. Last October, Texas security forces seized control of Fronton Island, which had been a haven for cartel activity. (See details)

➤ Austin: A University of Texas professor was fired last week for allegedly assaulting a DPS officer during the April 29 anti-Israel protest. Richard Heyman, 57, has taught American Studies at the school for nearly 18 years. (More)

➤ Tyler: Dr. Julie Philley was named the next president of the University of Texas at Tyler last Thursday in a unanimous vote of the university’s board of directors. Philley is the university’s current executive vice president for health affairs and helped launch UT Tyler’s School of Medicine. (More)

➤ San Antonio: The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office busted a cockfighting ring last week, rescuing over 200 roosters and citing nearly 50 people in attendance. Investigators seized firearms and drugs during the raid, and the organizer was arrested and charged with a felony. (See photos)

➤ Odessa: Residents were advised to boil water before drinking it this past weekend after a waterline broke Saturday, causing parts of the city to lose water or experience low pressure. According to a post on the city’s Facebook page, maintenance crews expect repairs to be completed Monday morning. (More)

➤ Houston: Crews have begun construction on a $54.5 million expansion to Rice University’s graduate business school. The new building is slated to total 112,000 square feet and contain two 120-seat classrooms, two 65-seat classrooms, and a dining area with indoor and outdoor seating. (More)

Enjoy reading The Texas Flyover? Click here to share with your friends and family. 

➤ Texas Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers will grace the cover of EA’s new College Football 25 deluxe edition video game. Ewers, who led Texas to their first College Football Playoff appearance last year, is one of six named athletes featured on the cover. (See cover)

➤ The Dallas playoffs teams were in sync this weekend as the Stars and Mavericks each took 2-1 series leads. Tonight, the Stars continue play against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver, and the Mavericks take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at home.

➤ Dallas Trinity FC received approval from the city council to play their home games at the Cotton Bowl when they kick off their first season in August. Jim Neal, the co-founder of Dallas-based real estate investment firm Churchill Capital, is the principal owner of the new professional women’s soccer team. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s results: MLB | NBA | NHL | PGA | LPGA | NASCAR

➤ Houston-based Kinetic Holdings announced Thursday it has agreed to acquire Permian Basin natural gas producer Durango Permian for $765 million and will sell its 16% stake in the Gulf Coast Express pipeline to ArcLight Capital Partners for $540 million. (More)

➤ Fort Worth’s Burnett Plaza, the tallest building in the city, was purchased last week via foreclosure auction for $12.3 million—just three years after it was sold for more than $137.5 million. Pinnacle Bank Texas is the new owner of the 41-year-old mixed-use property. (More)

➤ The University of Texas received 68 acres of land in Taylor from a local foundation for the purpose of building a new tech-focused campus. The land is adjacent to Taylor High School and not far from Samsung’s new 6 million-square-foot, $17 billion semiconductor facility. (See details)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ The Texas Flyover has proudly collaborated with a host of remarkable American companies and has now diligently compiled a list of their top 12 American-made products. They stand as a testament to our nation’s ingenuity, directly addressing the everyday challenges faced by our fellow Americans. See the list here!  

Flying together with our sponsor

Bonus Alert: Unlimited Cash Back Match!

If you have outstanding credit card debt, getting a new 0% intro APR credit card could help ease the pressure while you pay down your balances. On top of all that, this top credit card offers an insane 5% cash back perk that gets matched after your first year. That’s up to 10% back on qualifying purchases!

Click through to see what all the hype is about. 

➤ A couple recently tied the knot at the Buc-ee’s in Royse City. According to a Facebook video posted by groom Stan Sigler, Buc-ee himself was in attendance, and the officiant urged the couple to “buy Beaver Nuggets” after pronouncing them man and wife. (See video)

➤ Texans all over the state got the chance to see the Northern Lights over the weekend due to an exceptionally strong geomagnetic storm produced by solar flares. (See photos)

➤ University of Houston professor Cristina Rivera Garza won a Pulitzer Prize for her 2023 true crime memoir Liliana’s Invincible Summer: A Sister’s Search for Justice. The book recounts Garza’s experience trying to piece together the events that led to her 20-year-old sister’s murder in Mexico City in 1990. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ It’s springtime! Check out this must-have gardening essential: Foxgloves. Get all the protection and safety you need without feeling like you’re wearing gloves at all. (See It Here) 

Should medical marijuana use be expanded in Texas?

1. Yes
2. No

Friday’s Results:

Have you ever visited Big Bend National Park?

1. 1. Yes: 59.7%
   2. No: 40.3%

How did the Trinity River become known as the “River of Death”?

Show me the answer