Good Morning! On this day in 1932, actress Debbie Reynolds was born in El Paso. She is remembered for her performances in the 1952 musical Singin’ in the Rain and the 1964 film The Unsinkable Molly Brown. She is also the mother of actress Carrie Fisher.
Frustrated Americans have been forced to wait in long security lines at airports over the last few weeks, but one Levelland college student was happy to wait a whole day for free Whataburger. Check out the story in today’s Roundup section, and let us know how long you’d wait to score a year of free meals at your favorite restaurant in the Poll.
We’re excited to announce the official launch today of The California Flyover, the 10th and newest state to join the Flyover network, covering the news from Sacramento to San Diego and all points in between. If you’re interested in keeping up with daily happenings in the Golden State, click here to subscribe.
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New SNAP Benefits Rules
Approximately 3.3 million Texans enrolled in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can no longer purchase candy or sweetened drinks using their benefits.
The new restrictions, effective today, have been implemented in response to a state law passed last year and a waiver approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Texas is one of 22 states that have received a waiver to restrict the use of SNAP benefits.
“Texas is leading the way in aligning SNAP benefits with healthier food options,” Gov. Greg Abbott said last month. The new rules prohibit using benefits for candy bars, gum, and drinks that contain 5 grams or more of added sugar, or any amount of artificial sweetener.
Not everyone agrees with the changes. Lorna Ramage, deputy director of communications for the advocacy group Every Texan, said, “We worry that these changes will lead to more Texas families going hungry, all while adding an unsustainable bureaucratic burden on Texas’ small businesses.”
Army 3D-Printing Barracks at Fort Bliss
The U.S. Army is building 10 3D-printed barracks at Fort Bliss to house over 500 soldiers deployed to the installation for the ongoing border security mission. It’s the Department of War’s largest robotic construction project to date.
Austin-based ICON, which built similar barracks for a Texas National Guard training site in 2021, was commissioned to complete the $87 million project in six months. In December, the Defense Department Inspector General reported that troops were living in facilities with leaking sewage and inadequate electricity.
A traditional build of similar size would have cost five times as much as the 3D-printed barracks, according to Jordan Gillis, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy, and environment.
Last week, the Army announced plans to allow the construction of a commercial data center on 1,384 acres of unused land at Fort Bliss through its Enhanced Use Lease program. The project has drawn mixed reactions from local residents and elected officials.
Student Wins Whataburger for a Year
A Levelland college student scored a year of free Whataburger after he camped out this week to be the first customer at the town’s new store.
Gage French set up a clear tent with a mattress around 11 a.m. on Sunday to hold his place in line at the new Whataburger in Levelland, a town of about 12,000 people roughly 30 miles west of Lubbock. The store opened on Monday, and French was the first to walk through the door.
A local news station was on the scene to interview French and the store operator.
Whataburger is known to give a year’s worth of meals to the first customer whenever it opens a new store. According to a Reddit user who won the promotion a few years ago, he received 52 coupons for a free sandwich.
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➤ Harris County: Commissioners rejected language in a resolution calling for the resignation of Judge Lina Hidalgo over her disputed claims of being mistreated at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Hidalgo was absent from yesterday’s meeting. (More)
➤ Odessa: Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Permian Basin Containers, the site of a chemical fire in 2024, seeking to force the company to remediate areas affected by the release of benzene and other toxic materials that pose a risk to nearby residents. (More)
➤ Houston: A federal judge ordered ICE to release 25-year-old Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez, a Venezuelan immigrant and the wife of an Army reservist. She was detained in December following a check-in with immigration officials. (See Details)
➤ Falfurrias: Border Patrol agents discovered 26 illegal immigrants in a trailer at a checkpoint last week. The driver allegedly confessed to making several trips from South Texas to Houston over the past four months. (More)
➤ Port Arthur: Golden Pass LNG, a joint venture between QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil, has begun producing liquefied natural gas at its export terminal in Sabine Pass, the company announced Monday. (More)
➤ Houston: Wait times to get through security at George Bush Intercontinental Airport have improved since TSA agents were paid after President Trump signed an executive order to fund their salaries despite an ongoing partial government shutdown. (More)
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➤ Former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban admitted on a podcast that he regrets selling the team to Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont: “I don’t regret selling. I regret who I sold to.” (More)
➤ Houston basketball’s Isiah Harwell, a former five-star recruit and the highest-rated signee in program history at the time, plans to enter the transfer portal after averaging 3.6 points per game in his freshman season. (More)
➤ Meanwhile, guard Dior Johnson is transferring away from Tarleton State after scoring the second-most points in college basketball last season. (More)
➤ Spurs center Victor Wembanyama recorded the third-fastest double-double since 1998, securing ten points and ten rebounds in less than nine minutes of action. He finished the game with a season-high 41 points. (More)
➤ The Houston Comets hired Kevin Pelton, an ESPN basketball reporter and analytics guru known by colleagues as “The Machine,” as the team’s assistant general manager and vice president of analytics. (More)
➤ The Hormone Shift Most Men Ignore? Feeling more tired, weaker, or not quite like yourself lately? Low testosterone could be playing a bigger role than you think. Discover how TRT works, with no doctor’s visit required and surprisingly affordable options that can help restore your energy, strength, and confidence. (LEARN MORE)
➤ Google signed agreements with Maryland-based Sunraycer Renewables to purchase electricity from two solar farms in Franklin County. In November, the tech giant announced plans to spend $40 billion on data centers in Texas through next year. (More)
➤ Dallas-based dating site OkCupid agreed to 10 years of compliance reporting and monitoring to settle an FTC complaint alleging it improperly shared photos and personal information of nearly 3 million users with an AI company in 2014. (See Details)
➤ Chick-fil-A Supply is building a $50 million distribution center in Lubbock. The facility, the company’s third in Texas, is expected to create about 80 jobs with average annual salaries of around $60,000. (More)
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➤ Texas A&M freshman Bryce LaRue gave Pope Leo XIV a custom Aggie football jersey with the pontiff’s title earlier this year. LaRue was invited back to the Vatican after volunteering for several weeks at St. Peter’s Basilica last summer. (Watch Video)
➤ A dozen Texas restaurants and chefs were selected as finalists for the James Beard Foundation’s annual Restaurant & Chef awards. The winners will be announced on June 15 in Chicago. (See Details)
➤ Texas Game Wardens have commissioned the PV Loyd Dean Gustin, a high-speed patrol boat named after a warden who lost his life at Burleson County’s Lake Somerville in 1968. “The state of Texas has finally honored him,” said Ron Gustin. “To us, it’s a big deal.” (Watch Video)
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How long would you wait in a line to win a year of free meals from your favorite restaurant?
New SNAP Benefits Rules
