Houston Storms Kill 7, Cause Widespread Outages

Strong winds wreaked havoc throughout Houston Thursday evening into Friday of last week, causing widespread damage and claiming at least seven lives.

The “derecho” event produced sustained winds of up to 100 mph and spawned three recorded tornadoes. The downtown area was littered with glass from shattered windows, toppled trees, blocked roads, and power was knocked out to nearly a million residents.

As of Sunday, around 300,000 residents were still without power, and according to the region’s primary electricity provider, it could take until Wednesday for power to be completely restored.

Trump Addresses NRA Meeting In Dallas

Around 75,000 people attended the NRA convention in Dallas this weekend, where former President Donald Trump accepted the organization’s endorsement and spoke for nearly 100 minutes on gun rights and a number of other issues.

It’s the first time the city has hosted the event since 2018, and around $1 million in state and local tax dollars were spent to bring the annual meeting to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

A slew of federal and state officeholders and candidates were also in attendance, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who touted his border security initiatives and legislation he signed to allow Texans to carry a handgun without a permit.

Runoff Elections Voting Begins Today

Early voting for the May 28 runoff elections begins today and goes through Friday. In races where no candidate received a majority vote during the March 5 primary, the top two finishers are facing off for a spot on the November ballot. (Check your ballot here)

The most notable contests include challenges to incumbents Tony Gonzales, a moderate Republican congressman from San Antonio, and Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan. Donald Trump and Attorney General Ken Paxton have endorsed Phelan’s opponent.

Voters will get to weigh in on eight U.S. House races, nineteen Texas House races, three Texas Senate races, and two State Board of Education races, plus dozens of judicial and county races.

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➤ Austin: The city council voted Friday to reduce the minimum lot size required to build a single-family home from 5,750 to 1,800 square feet. Before the vote, council members heard 14 hours of testimony from concerned residents on both sides of the issue. (More)

➤ College Station: Texas A&M’s Title IX administrator, Rick Olshak, has been terminated following comments from his office indicating they were working on implementing President Biden’s revised rules providing more protections and accommodations for transgender students. (See details)

➤ Amarillo: Following a citizen petition, city council members will be required to take a vote on an ordinance that would make it a crime to help someone obtain an abortion in another state. A vote must be taken within 30 days of the next city council meeting on May 28. (More)

➤ Georgetown: A newly elected appraisal board director has been ruled ineligible to serve because he was late in paying his property taxes for several years. The determination was made by board chairman Jon Lux, whom his opponent Mike Sanders defeated by 1,597 votes. (See details)

➤ Odessa: Ector County school officials signed the deed to a 38-acre property donated by a local foundation during their board meeting last Tuesday. The land will be used to build a $400 million career and technology education center. (More)

➤ Dayton: A 40-acre public lagoon is set to open Memorial Day weekend. Located 37 miles northeast of Houston, Angel Lagoon will feature beaches, a palapa, a performance lawn and stage, and boat docks. (See photos)

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➤ Baylor, Texas A&M, and UT won their regional softball tournaments last weekend and will compete in the round-of-16 super regionals this week for a chance to advance to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. (See scores)

➤ The Dallas Stars are advancing to the NHL Western Conference Finals after beating the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in double overtime last Friday. It’s the team’s third conference finals appearance in five years. (More)

➤ The Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-116 Saturday to advance to the NBA Western Conference Finals for the second time in three years. Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves is Wednesday. (See details)

➤ UT alum Scottie Scheffler tied for eighth in the PGA Championship tournament this weekend in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was arrested for ignoring a police officer directing traffic Friday morning. (More)

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

➤ The Texas economy added 42,600 non-farm jobs in April, tripling the nation’s job growth rate and recording the state’s highest ever total for the number of people employed, at 14,623,300. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, it’s the 37th consecutive month of positive annual job growth. (See details)

➤ Shares of Dell Technologies surged last week, pushing the Round Rock-based company’s market cap over $100 billion for the first time. Over the past twelve months, Dell’s stock has increased 225%. (More)

➤ ExxonMobil is partnering with online learning platform Khan Academy to create a free math and science curriculum for Texas students in Grades 3-12. The Houston-based company is spending $17 million to develop the curriculum, which will be aligned with state standards. (See details)

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➤ Reba McEntire hosted the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards last Thursday in Frisco, where Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson won awards for artist of the year. (More)

➤ The dunes sagebrush lizard, whose habitat includes parts of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, has been added to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s list of endangered species. The 2.5-inch-long lizard has lost 95% of its habitat to oil drilling activity. (More)

➤ A glass house suspended over water is on the market for $5.75 million northwest of Houston. The 2,700-square-foot house sits atop a 2-acre pond and comes with a rope swing, a “water trampoline,” and a skeet-shooting range. (See photos)

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Have you ever put pickles in your Dr. Pepper?

1. Yes
2. No

Friday’s Results:

When you’re in the mood for spicy food, how spicy do you like it?

1. 1. I don’t like spicy food: 12.3%
   2. Mild: 18.0%
   3. Medium: 33.2%
   4. Hot: 22.1%
   5. Extra Hot: 9.2%
   6. Medical Emergency: 5.3%

What Texas professional sports team has partnered with a facility sponsored by Dr. Pepper to promote youth athletic development?

Show me the answer