Merger Creates Major U.S. Oil Producer

Houston-based Coterra Energy is merging with Oklahoma City’s Devon Energy in a $21 billion all-stock deal to create a company with an enterprise value of $58 billion, making it one of the largest U.S. oil producers.

The new entity will control roughly 750,000 acres in the Delaware portion of the Permian Basin, which is expected to account for more than half of its projected production of 1.6 million barrels of oil equivalent per day by the third quarter. The company will retain Devon’s name but be headquartered in Houston.

Each Coterra share will be exchanged for 0.70 Devon shares, and a stock buyback of more than $5 billion is planned after the merger is finalized next quarter. The companies are targeting savings of $1 billion in operating costs by 2027.

“Scale of this magnitude unlocks operational and financial advantages that simply aren’t available to operators of less scale,” Devon CEO Clay Gaspar said. 

Girl Injured in Road-Rage Shooting

A 10-year-old girl was hospitalized on Friday after a road-rage shooting in San Antonio. The suspect, 41-year-old Bryan Arceo, is in custody with bonds totaling $375,000.

According to an affidavit, Arceo was driving his ex-wife to work and his daughter to school when he pulled out in front of a minivan driven by the victim’s mother, prompting her to honk.

Arceo reacted by “slamming on his brakes” and confronting the woman at an intersection, where he pointed a gun at her and fired a shot as she drove away.

Following the incident, Arceo dropped off his ex-wife at work and took his 11-year-old daughter to school. His ex-wife, who was sitting in the back seat, said she looked away during the shooting but confirmed Arceo is known to carry a silver and black handgun.

Arceo is charged with three counts of aggravated assault and one count of endangering a child. Jason Gates said his daughter, Alisa, is “doing great” after undergoing surgery.

Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster Remembered

Sunday marked 23 years since the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry over East Texas. All seven astronauts on board died in the explosion, and the disaster is etched into the memories of locals who witnessed it and participated in the massive search and recovery effort.

Over 25,000 volunteers searched more than 2.3 million acres for debris and the remains of the crew. The Remembering Columbia Museum was established in Hemphill in 2011. Members of a local Civil Air Patrol visited the museum on Saturday, and a remembrance ceremony was held on Sunday.

Beech Grove Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jamie Gunter said he was “very proud of the job that everyone did” during the search and recovery. Dr. Scott Lieberman, who captured photos of the disaster, called it “a devastating moment.”

“The event had a profound effect on me, not only because of the tragedy itself but also due to the realization of the impact such images can have,” Lieberman reflected. “It was a heartbreaking moment, as these were my childhood heroes.”

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➤ Beaumont: Justin Charles Eddins, a former Texas game warden who starred on Animal Planet’s reality TV show Lone Star Law, was jailed Monday on a first-degree felony indictment for falsifying a financial statement to obtain credit. He faces similar charges in three nearby counties. (More)

➤ South Texas: A publication reportedly identified the Border Patrol agents who fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month as Texas residents. The Department of Homeland Security has not confirmed their identities. (See Details)

➤ Houston: A Monday morning fire at a warehouse that stores tires and wheels produced a strong smell across the city yesterday. No injuries have been reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation. (More)

➤ A poll released by Texas Public Opinion Research shows Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and State Sen. James Talarico in a statistical tie for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, with Crockett edging Talarico 38% to 37% and a margin of error of 3.7% (See Details)

➤ Dilley: Two detainees at the South Texas Family Residential Center have contracted measles, prompting ICE to quarantine everyone thought to have been in contact with them. A congressional visit scheduled for Friday has been canceled. (More)

➤ Corpus Christi ISD: District police arrested two students at Carroll High School last week when one of them allegedly refused to leave campus after an altercation. One of the students was charged with assault on a public servant. (See Details)

➤ Booker: A fire at Preferred Beef Plant, the community’s largest employer, has impacted 300 jobs and 24% of Booker ISD families. “We share those kids, and we want them to be close, and we want them to be taken care of,” said Booker High School Principal Pablo De Santiago. (More)

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➤ Houston climbed two spots to No. 8 in this week’s AP men’s basketball poll, while Texas Tech dropped two positions to No. 13. (See Poll)

➤ No. 4 Texas women’s basketball beat No. 10 Oklahoma 78-70 on Sunday for their 38th straight home victory. (More)

➤ No. 21 Texas Tech women’s basketball outlasted No. 12 TCU 62-60 following a 28-point performance by senior Snudda Collins. (More)

➤ The Houston Texans hosted an annual exhibition Saturday for 850 high school football players and 250 girls flag football players. The event was attended by several college recruiters. (Watch Video)

➤ Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson was selected to coach the NBA All-Star Game after leading San Antonio to the Western Conference’s second-best record. (More)

Yesterday’s results: NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | Soccer

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➤ NASA awarded Axiom Space its fifth mission to the International Space Station, which could occur as early as next year. The Houston-based company is developing a commercial space station to succeed the ISS. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, Austin-based satellite components manufacturer CesiumAstro raised $270 million in equity and $200 million in financing. The company anticipates contributing to the development of President Trump’s proposed Golden Dome missile defense system. (More)

➤ Kimberly-Clark’s shareholders approved the $49 billion acquisition of Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol. The deal for the former Johnson & Johnson subsidiary was announced last November. (More)

➤ Houston-based Republic Boot Co. has acquired a 12-acre Johnson City property with a 6,545-square-foot castle, a vineyard, and a 14-room hotel. “This really fits our brand and what we are going after, which is celebrating Texas and everything it has to offer,” said CEO Chris Conrad. (More)

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➤ Country music stars Post Malone and Jelly Roll will perform in El Paso and Waco in May. Presale tickets are available on Friday. (More)

➤ Lumberton High School cheerleaders won first place at the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship at Walt Disney World over the weekend, beating 30 other teams. (Watch Video)

➤ The Houston Grand Opera won a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording on Sunday. Its production, Intelligence, tells the story of Civil War-era spies Mary Jane Bowser and Elizabeth Van Lew. (More)

➤ The legal dispute over a 9-foot “prison-style” concrete fence constructed at a San Antonio home in 2024 is featured in HBO’s new docuseries Neighbors. (More)

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Is your local high school competing in a different classification next year?

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Do you play video games?

1. Never: 48%
2. Used to: 23%
3. Sometimes: 18%
4. Whenever I can: 11%

Which Texas church was purchased by Willie Nelson?

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