Runoff Elections Shake Up Texas House

While House Speaker Dade Phelan’s narrow victory was the biggest news from Tuesday’s primary runoff elections, several other contests had noteworthy outcomes.

Congressman Tony Gonzales and State Board of Education members Tom Maynard and Pam Little fended off challenges from activist-aligned challengers, but several Abbott-backed candidates defeated incumbents who opposed the governor’s school choice agenda.

With the new projected makeup of the Texas House, Abbott predicted school choice legislation would pass next session, saying “opponents of school choice can no longer ignore the will of the people.”

On the Democrat side, two Houston races saw State Sen. Molly Cook defeat State Rep. Jarvis Johnson to hold on to her seat, while Lauren Ashley Simmons ousted State Rep. Shawn Thierry.

Five Million Texans Live in Flood-Prone Areas

Texas’ first-ever statewide flood plan estimates that 5 million residents live in flood-prone areas that will require billions of dollars of investment to make safer.

The plan can be seen here. In it, the state Water Development Board recommends a number of steps to harden low-lying areas against potential floods that could threaten 1.3 million Texas homes.

The public can make comments on the plan during a meeting today in Austin and online here until June 17.

American Airlines Stock Tanks, Company Sued

American Airlines hit heavy headwinds Wednesday, as an earnings outlook tanked its stock and the company was sued for racial discrimination.

Following news that the Fort Worth-based carrier is lowering its second-quarter earnings projection and replacing its chief commercial officer amid weak sales, the company’s stock dropped 13.5%, marking its worst day of trading since June 2020.

Meanwhile, three black men sued the company over claims they were kicked off a flight in January after passengers complained about body odor.

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➤ Dallas: Power outages in North Texas will last another couple of days, but Oncor says it should have power largely restored by Friday. More than 260,000 homes are still without electricity. (More)

➤ Amarillo: The city council voted to table an ordinance that would have outlawed abortion and declared Amarillo a “sanctuary city of the unborn.” (More)

➤ El Paso: City officials and the El Paso Zoological Society have filed lawsuits against each other as part of an escalating months-long dispute over financial control of the zoo. (More)

➤ Fort Worth: Another inmate at Tarrant County jail has died, the 6th death at the jail this year. Chasity Bonner was found dead in her cell Tuesday, two weeks after being jailed on theft charges and a parole violation. (More)

➤ Longview: A controversial proposal to rezone property for a proposed biorefining facility was met with public opposition at a packed city council meeting Tuesday. (See details)

➤ McAllen: Coyote sightings have sparked a flood of calls to local officials, who say new construction is driving the animals into neighborhoods. Residents are advised to scare them away by yelling or throwing rocks at them. (More)

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➤ Kentucky prosecutors dropped charges against golfer Scottie Scheffler on Wednesday, saying his actions during a traffic stop at the PGA Championship “do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses.” (See details)

➤ The Mavericks lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 105-100 on Tuesday, giving their NBA Western Conference Finals opponents another chance as the series returns to Minneapolis for Game 5 tonight. The Mavericks lead the series 3-1. (More)

➤ Baylor University unveiled redesigned football uniforms on Tuesday. Striping has been added to the sleeves and pants of their otherwise solid gold, green, or white uniforms. (See photos)

➤ Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins signed a three-year, $72.5 million contract extension, making the 25-year-old one of the 10 highest-paid receivers in the NFL. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s results: MLB | NHL | WNBA | MLS

➤ Houston-based ConocoPhillips agreed to buy Marathon Oil for $17.1 billion in an all-stock deal that includes $5.4 billion in debt, bumping the total value to $22.5 billion. (More)

➤ San Antonio’s Southwest Research Institute announced it had generated electricity using a CO2-powered turbine about one-tenth the size of a traditional steam-powered one. (More)

➤ Energy Transfer, a Dallas-based natural gas distributor, is expanding its 125,000-mile pipeline network by acquiring WTG Midstream, a privately held Midland company, for $3.25 billion. (More)

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➤ A baby bald eagle was taken to a rehab facility after recent storms knocked it out of its nest near White Rock Lake in Dallas. Conservation officials are still looking for its sibling. (See photos)

➤ Pflugerville ISD music teacher Paula-Rae Manning is one of eight finalists in the “America’s Favorite Teacher” competition. The winner gets $25,000 and a trip to Hawaii. Voting ends today. (Vote here)

➤ Austin ranks fifth in a list of the Top 10 cities people are leaving, according to a survey conducted by moving company PODS. Rising housing costs and job layoffs have contributed to the reverse trend. (More)

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Do you grow vegetables or other produce in a garden?

1. Yes
2. No

Wednesday’s Results:

Do you prefer seeded or seedless watermelons?

1. 1. Seedless: 58.4%
   2. Seeded: 27.4%
   3. I don’t like watermelons: 14.2%

How many counties does Texas have?

Show me the answer