Good morning! On this day in 1950, future governor Rick Perry was born in Haskell. He was elected lieutenant governor in 1998 and assumed the governorship in 2001 when then-governor George W. Bush became president. He was elected to the post in 2002, 2006, and 2010, becoming the longest-serving governor in Texas history.
Two Texas history museums were included in a list of the top 10 in the country. Check out the story in today’s edition to find out which ones made the list, and let us know if you’ve visited them in today’s Poll!
We’re excited to announce the launch today of our newest state publication, The Ohio Flyover, covering all the news of the Buckeye State. For our Texas Flyover readers who want to keep up with events in Ohio, you can sign up with one click here.
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Over the weekend, the pilots of a regional aircraft, an executive jet, and a small recreational plane were forced to make emergency landings in Texas.
On Sunday evening, a United Express flight from Springfield, Missouri, to Houston was forced to make an emergency landing at Waco Regional Airport due to severe turbulence. Five of the 35 people on board were taken to nearby hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries before the flight continued to its destination.
Around the same time, a charter jet with two pilots and three passengers lost power over East Texas en route to North Carolina. The pilot in command was directed to land at Angelina County Airport. No one was injured, but a hard landing blew out the plane’s tires.
Saturday afternoon, the pilot of a small single-engine plane made an emergency landing on a beach in Galveston after losing power. Authorities deemed the plane safe to fly, and the pilot took off about an hour later with his passenger.
Startup to Build 30 Nuclear Microreactors
Last Energy, a nuclear technology startup based in Washington, D.C, announced Friday it will build 30 nuclear microreactors in Haskell County to meet the growing energy demands of AI-driven data centers, over 340 of which are now operating in Texas.
When it comes online, the 200-acre site is projected to generate about 600 megawatts—enough energy to power about 150,000 homes. The company, which already has two functional prototypes at manufacturing facilities in Texas, has applied for a grid connection with ERCOT and will file for a permit with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
“Nuclear power is the most effective way to meet Texas’ demand, but our solution—plug-and-play microreactors, designed for scalability and siting flexibility—is the best way to meet it quickly,” said Last Energy founder and CEO Bret Kugelmass.
Last Energy joins several other companies that have recently announced plans to expand nuclear power in Texas. In December, the company filed a joint lawsuit with Texas and Utah against the federal government over its nuclear regulations, seeking to simplify the lengthy permitting process for new power generation projects.
At No. 10, the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin “spotlights the state’s cultural heritage” through films, a variety of programs, and exhibits covering three floors of gallery space. It was opened in 2001 and is named after former Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock, who served two terms in that role from 1991 to 1999.
The National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg is ranked No. 6. The six-acre site was built around the hotel once owned by the family of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, the commander of the Pacific Fleet during World War II. The museum’s exhibits include a re-creation of a Pacific island battlefield, a Japanese midget submarine, and a B-25 bomber.
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➤ Dry and windy conditions in at least 200 of the state’s 254 counties have created a “very high” or “extreme” risk of wildfires today, according to a map provided by the Texas A&M Forest Service. (See Details)
➤ Houston: Darlington Akporugo, 47, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy in connection to a scheme that defrauded at least 25 victims across the country of more than $3 million by using fake social media profiles to solicit money from people with romantic interests. (More)
➤ Austin: Crews have broken ground on a new parking garage that will add about 2,000 parking spaces to the 18,000 currently available at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The new seven-story garage will be built on an existing economy lot and have about 7,000 parking spaces. (See Rendering)
➤ Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assist Texas health officials in addressing the state’s measles outbreak. He insisted that the “decision to vaccinate is a personal one” while asserting that vaccines “not only protect individual children from measles but also contribute to community immunity.” (More)
➤ Killeen: A fire destroyed an 18-unit apartment building on Sunday afternoon, displacing 36 people. Two nearby commercial buildings were also deemed a total loss. (See Photos)
➤ Sens. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) and Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) sent a letter to the governing boards of every Texas public university, stating that they intend to freeze state funding at current levels until they receive confirmation of compliance with a prohibition on DEI programming at state schools. (More)
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➤ The No. 10 TCU women’s basketball team beat No. 17 Baylor 51-48 on Sunday to win their first Big 12 regular season title. The Horned Frogs finished last in the conference two seasons ago. (More)
➤ Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz has been named the NHL’s second star of the week after racking up nine points across three games this week. (More)
➤ Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson has retired from his TV analyst job at Fox Sports after over 30 years with the network. (More)
➤ Texas A&M baseball plummeted to No. 14 in the rankings this week after going on a four-game losing streak, while Texas moved up to No. 12. Dallas Baptist University dropped two spots to No. 21, and TCU was removed from the rankings. (See Rankings)
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➤ Microsoft is planning to build four new data centers in Medina County at a cost of $1.46 billion, according to filings submitted to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. (More)
➤ The Department of Justice has approved the merger of two Houston-area oilfield tech companies—SLB and ChampionX—but the deal faces scrutiny from regulators in Norway, where both companies have a significant presence. SLB previously announced an agreement to acquire ChampionX for $7.8 billion. (More)
➤ Tesla is partnering with ERCOT and the Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative in South Texas to expand its Virtual Power Plant program in Texas, which provides electricity to the power grid using the company’s Powerwall home battery systems during times of peak demand. (More)
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➤ Blake Porter, a senior finance student at Texas Tech University, will get a semester of graduate school paid for by former Red Raider Patrick Mahomes, who celebrated with Porter after the student sank a 94-foot putt in a contest during last week’s home basketball game against Houston. (More)
➤ SMU education professor Leanne Ketterlin-Geller received a $14 million grant from the Department of Education to manage the distribution of a math program designed to improve understanding of fractions in elementary schools across the country. (More)
➤ Commercial beekeepers in Texas have lost about two thirds of their colonies in the past year due to unexplained deaths, threatening to increase the prices of fruits and vegetables normally pollinated by bees. (See Details)
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Have you visited the National Museum of the Pacific War or the Bullock Texas State History Museum?
1 Mode Mobile recently received their ticker reservation with Nasdaq ($MODE), indicating an intent to IPO in the next 24 months. An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur. 2 The rankings are based on submitted applications and public company database research, with winners selected based on their fiscal-year revenue growth percentage over a three-year period. 3 A minimum investment of $1,950 is required to receive bonus shares. 100% bonus shares are offered on investments of $9,950+. 4 The Deloitte rankings are based on submitted applications and public company database research, with winners selected based on their fiscal-year revenue growth percentage over a three-year period. 5 Minimum investment is $999.96. Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.modemobile.com. This is a paid advertisement for Mode Mobile’s Regulation A+ Offering. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Start-up investments are speculative and involve a high degree of risk. Those investors who cannot afford to lose their entire investment should not invest in start-ups. Companies seeking startup investment tend to be in earlier stages of development and their business model, products and services may not yet be fully developed, operational or tested in the public marketplace. There is no guarantee that the stated valuation and other terms are accurate or in agreement with the market or industry valuations. Further, investors may receive illiquid and/or restricted stock that may be subject to holding period requirements and/or liquidity concerns. DealMaker Securities LLC, a registered broker-dealer, and member of FINRA | SIPC, located at 105 Maxess Road, Suite 124, Melville, NY 11747, is the Intermediary for this offering and is not an affiliate of or connected with the Issuer. Please check our background on FINRA’s BrokerCheck. This is a paid advertisement for Mode Mobile Reg A offering. Please read the offering statement at https://invest.modemobile.com/. Rainmaker Ad Ventures is paid by Mode Mobile for promoting their securities offering. Payment is in cash and billed monthly. As of the end of January, Rainmaker has received $156,897. Additional fees may have accrued since then. **https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1748441/000149315224029326/0001493152-24-029326-index.html
Turbulence, Power Loss Force Emergency Landings
