Abbott Appoints Kyle Hawkins to Supreme Court 

Gov. Greg Abbott appointed former Texas Solicitor General Kyle Hawkins to the Texas Supreme Court, filling the vacancy left by Justice Jeff Boyd’s retirement.

Hawkins, now a partner at Lehotsky Keller Cohn LLP, previously served as the state’s top appellate attorney and as a lawyer for the U.S. Department of Justice under President Trump.

His appointment continues Abbott’s reshaping of the all-Republican court, where seven of nine justices are now his appointees.

Apple Begins Shipping AI Servers from Houston

Apple has begun shipping advanced AI servers built at its new Houston factory, part of the company’s $600 billion plan to expand U.S. manufacturing and supplier investment.

The servers, powered by Apple-designed silicon, will support Apple Intelligence and Private Cloud Compute services for iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

Apple Chief Operating Officer Sabih Khan said the Houston facility opened ahead of schedule and will continue expanding next year, creating thousands of jobs. The milestone also aligns with calls from President Trump for more U.S. tech manufacturing.

Severe Storms Threaten Texas 

A slow-moving storm system pushing east from West Texas is bringing the threat of flash flooding, hail, and possible tornadoes across much of the state through the weekend.

NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center placed parts of West and Central Texas, including San Antonio and Austin, under a Level 2 out of 5 severe weather risk.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for much of North and Central Texas. Forecasters warn that an additional 1 to 3 inches of rain could cause flash flooding in low-lying and urban areas, especially near the Trinity River.

➤ Statewide: Texas officials flagged more than 2,700 registered voters as potential noncitizens after comparing voter rolls with a federal immigration database. (See Video)

➤ Statewide: More than 2,800 Texans have lost jobs since September as companies like Texas Instruments, Eden Green Technology, and Leviat close facilities or cut contracts. (More)

➤ Dallas–Fort Worth: At least six structure fires were reported across North Texas after early morning storms on Friday. Officials say one in Frisco was caused by lightning, with others still under investigation. (More)

➤ Lubbock: A 55-year-old woman was arrested after admitting she stole more than $30,000 from a car dealership and spent much of it on TikTok gifts. (More)

➤ Corpus Christi: State investigators found falsified signatures on Nueces River Authority water reports, with 38 criminal cases currently pending against a former employee. (More)

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➤ Today’s stacked college football slate includes SMU traveling to play Wake Forest, No. 14 Texas Tech taking on Oklahoma State, and No. 22 Texas matching up against Mississippi State. Then later tonight, No. 3 Texas A&M heads to Death Valley to play the No. 20 LSU Tigers. (See Full Schedule)

➤ Texas A&M formally announced its new NIL program this week, Aggie NIL. The program is designed “to maximize and facilitate third-party NIL opportunities for Texas A&M student-athletes.” (More)

➤ Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian publicly criticized the NCAA’s new rule that allows players to gamble on professional sports: “Here we are in an era where we have revenue sharing and NIL publicity rights, and so the players now have money, so now let’s give them the freedom to take that money and gamble it away.” (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NBA | NHL | NCAAF | Soccer | Golf | Tennis

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➤ Denton earned the title of Halloween Capital of Texas with more than 300 events, where even the Ghostbusters join the fun. (More) 

➤ Neiman Marcus unveiled its annual fantasy gifts assortment, with gifts that top out at $500,000. For those who love horses, there’s the Christian Louboutin custom saddle costing $47,000, featuring more than 17,000 sapphire-toned strass crystals. (See Gifts)

➤ The Texas “Sausage Sensei” is turning heads with coffee-and-cocoa sausages and Elvis impressions as his wild barbecue creations gain attention worldwide. (More)

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Have you ever had pumpkin soup?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Can’t remember
4. What’s that?

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you read any Harry Potter books or seen any of the movies based on the series?

1. Read book(s): 12%
2. Watched movie(s): 25%
3. Both: 23%
4. No: 40%

What podcast ends every episode with its host saying “Remember Zelmo Beaty”?

Show me the answer