Texas Leads Nation in Annual Job Gains

Texas added 165,600 jobs over the past 12 months, more than any other state, according to labor data released on Friday. Payrolls grew 1.2% from July 2025 to July 2026, a full percentage point above the national pace.

Second-place California added 112,700 jobs, nearly 53,000 fewer than Texas, while the nation gained just 316,000. “The hard work of Texans powers America’s most dynamic economy,” Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said.

The same report showed unemployment ticked up from 4.4% to 4.5% in July, above the national 4.1%. Professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and construction grew fastest over the year.

Former Lottery Chief Appears in Court

Prosecutors announced indictments Friday against former Texas lottery director Gary Grief and the defunct commission he led, after Grief appeared in Travis County court.

Grief faces a first-degree felony charge of abuse of official capacity tied to the April 2023 Lotto Texas drawing, in which a syndicate spent over $25 million buying nearly every combination to win the $95 million jackpot.

An April indictment was dismissed the next day before a grand jury reindicted Grief and named the commission, which lawmakers dissolved last year. Grief denies wrongdoing; his attorney calls the charges “political.” The next hearing is Oct. 16.

Big Tex Debuts New Cavender’s Shirt

The State Fair of Texas unveiled Big Tex’s new shirt Thursday, a red Western design from new outfitter Cavender’s.

The Tyler-based retailer replaces Dickies, which dressed the 55-foot cowboy from 1997 until moving its headquarters to California last year. Garland’s Resistol is crafting his 95-gallon hat.

Rather than a full replacement every three years, the shirt will evolve annually, its blue panels marking Texas, American, or fair milestones, starting with an eagle, star, and horseshoe for America’s 250th birthday. Big Tex debuts the look when the fair opens Sept. 25 at Fair Park in Dallas, running through Oct. 18

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➤ Statewide: Four hemp retailers filed the industry’s second lawsuit this month, alleging state health officials exceeded their authority by banning hemp-derived THC, eliminating thousands of jobs while protecting the medical marijuana program. (More)

➤ Roma: Authorities seized more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine worth over $9 million from 240 packages hidden in a laundry detergent shipment at the Roma International Bridge. (See Details)

➤ Fort Worth: Gov. Greg Abbott called Tarrant County a property tax model this week, citing three years of rate cuts as Fort Worth weighed an increase to close a $94 million 2027 shortfall. (See Details)

➤ Houston: A cybersecurity breach at Baylor Genetics may have exposed names, Social Security numbers, medical test results, and insurance information belonging to 248,430 Texans after hackers accessed its Houston network in June. (See Details)

➤ McKinney: Residents launched a recall effort against four council members, saying the mosque approval capped frustrations over leaders ignoring voters on airport expansion, amphitheater financing, and the U.S. 380 bypass. (See Details)

➤ Austin: A Texas appeals court Friday cut a $50 million Sandy Hook defamation judgment against Infowars founder Alex Jones to about $1.5 million, leaving a separate $1.25 billion Connecticut judgment intact. (More)

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➤ Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom became the second-fastest pitcher in MLB history to reach 2,000 career strikeouts, needing just 1,661 innings to hit the milestone. Only Atlanta’s Chris Sale got there sooner. (More)

➤ The NFL fined the Cowboys and Saints $500,000 each for multiple brawls during Tuesday’s joint practice in Oxnard, California. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called the fine “stiff” and said the team will appeal. (More)

➤ The Houston Texans are hosting their first-ever locker room sale today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Teal Lot at Reliant Stadium, offering player-used jerseys, gloves, and shoes as part of the 25th-season celebration. (More)

➤ Baylor football unveiled late-1980s-inspired throwback uniforms featuring gold-chrome helmets and bear claw shoulder pads for its Sept. 26 Big 12 opener against Colorado. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NFL | MLB | WNBA | Golf | Little League World Series | Soccer

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How Solving Camping’s Biggest Problem Earned $150M+

Most people love the idea of being outdoors. Almost nobody loves what it takes to get there.

Campsites book months in advance. Gear’s expensive and collects dust. RV ownership’s a financial and logistical burden. Hotels are comfortable, but lose the very thing people were chasing in the first place.

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Now you can invest as AutoCamp works to scale from 9 locations to 100+.

➤ Boerne Little League enters the elimination bracket after falling 4-3 to Washington in Friday’s Little League World Series opener despite loading the bases with no outs in the final inning. (See Details)

➤ Tyler’s East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind distributed free Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses to blind and low-vision veterans on Thursday, with training on tools that describe surroundings and read text aloud. (See Details)

➤ The San Antonio Missions host Congo Falls Night at Wolff Stadium at 7:05 tonight against Northwest Arkansas, celebrating the zoo’s new gorilla habitat with auctioned jerseys, phone recycling, and postgame fireworks. (More)

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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, straight from the heart of the country. Clicking the link will take you directly to these stories:

➤ How long will you live? Decades of research say your daily habits already know. (Hear Details)

➤ The Pentagon and independent trackers are telling two very different stories about oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz. (Listen Now)

➤ Eight people were aboard a charter plane headed for a remote Alaska military radar site when it crashed. (Podcast Available)

What’s the worst thing to say when it’s hot outside?

1. “Hot enough for you?”
2. “It was hotter last year.”
3. “At least it’s a dry heat.”
4. “It could always be hotter.”
5. Other

Yesterday’s Results:

Would you ever want a life-sized statue made of yourself in your honor?

1. Never!: 45%
2. Not really: 32%
3. Only if I earned it: 20%
4. Absolutely: 3%

What’s the oldest medical school in Texas?

Show me the answer