Good Morning! On this day in 1917, Secretary of War Newton D. Baker appointed Houston native Emmett Jay Scott to investigate allegations of unfair treatment of black servicemen. Scott worked closely with Booker T. Washington and was secretary-treasurer of Howard University for 15 years.
A rare red-footed booby was recently spotted in Houston, hundreds of miles away from its natural habitat in the middle of the Gulf. The sighting drew birders from as far away as El Paso. See photos here. Are you a bird enthusiast? Hit reply to let us know your best sighting.
Have you ever wondered how The Flyover began and why? How a kitchen-table idea grew from one cup of coffee to over 3 million daily readers? Well, today you’re in luck. Here’s the inside story of The Flyover and the people who make it happen, with a special message from our founder that answers it all. Read how it all began here.
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Rural Texas Hospitals Seek Federal Funding
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed this summer, created the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion grant program for the nation’s rural hospitals. On Monday, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) heard from rural providers before submitting the state’s grant application next month.
Over the last two decades, 25 rural Texas hospitals have closed, creating obstacles to accessing care for residents living in remote areas of the state. Currently, 76 of the state’s 156 rural hospitals are at risk of closure, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform.
A representative for Electra Hospital District said rural hospitals “bear the burden of Medicaid and economically disadvantaged patients in our communities.” Another medical professional said that insurance companies often reimburse independent rural hospitals far less than urban hospitals.
HHSC will submit the grant application for Texas by Nov. 5, and recipients will be announced by the end of the year.
Pipeline Projects Proliferate
Several liquid natural gas pipelines are under development in Texas to meet the growing energy demand and the state’s data center boom.
Two Houston companies are building pipelines to connect the Katy Hub to the Port Arthur LNG export terminal. Kinder Morgan’s 216-mile Trident Intrastate Pipeline has a capacity of 1.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), representing an investment of $1.7 billion.
ARM Energy is investing $2.3 billion in its recently approved 236-mile Mustang Express pipeline, which will transport 2.5 Bcf/d.
Austin-based WhiteWater Midstream is partnering with companies in Oklahoma and Ohio to build the 2.5 Bcf/d Eiger Express Pipeline from the Permian Basin to Katy along a 450-mile route. Houston’s Energy Transfer is building the 2.2 Bcf/d Hugh Brinson Pipeline from the Permian Basin to Dallas-Fort Worth for $2.7 billion.
Last year, a Bloomberg report warned that crude oil pipelines in Texas “are nearly out of space, threatening to cap US oil exports at a time when the world needs more.”
Quadruple Amputee Recognized for Resilience
Krystina Pacheco of Pleasanton has been recognized for her resilience following a quadruple amputation resulting from complications related to the birth of her second child in November 2022.
Shortly after Pacheco and her husband Jacob welcomed a baby girl via C-section, doctors diagnosed her with sepsis. The treatment she received cut off circulation to her hands and feet. After more than a dozen surgeries and four months of therapy, she was finally able to return home.
This year, Pacheco returned to work as a school psychologist, specializing in supporting students with disabilities. She was presented with the “Patient of Courage” award from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
“I want to show [my students] that despite my life taking a turn, I’m using this second chance at life to do something meaningful,” she said.
✝ These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
➤ Richmond: Fort Bend County commissioners voted 3-2 on Monday to approve a new precinct map that improves Republicans’ odds in two precincts and retains a Democratic advantage in two others. “It’s time to do the right thing. The 2021 map was wrong and everyone knows it,” one speaker said. (More)
➤ Austin: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows introduced new legislative committees that will examine this summer’s deadly flash floods in the Hill Country and Central Texas. A measure passed during the second special session directed the establishment of the committees. (More)
➤ North Richland Hills: The city council approved an ordinance Monday to restrict short-term rentals to areas zoned for multi-family and commercial development, joining a number of other Metroplex cities to clamp down on them. (More)
➤ The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a petition from Austin-based talk show host Alex Jones to block a $1.5 billion defamation judgment for claiming the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax. (More)
➤ San Marcos: Administrators for Texas State University reaffirmed their decision to fire a professor accused of advocating for the overthrow of the U.S. government. Thomas Alter was initially fired on Sept. 10 but temporarily reinstated by a Hays County district judge, who ruled Alter had not been afforded due process. (See Details)
➤ Fredericksburg: The person who won half of last month’s $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot has claimed the winning ticket through a lottery trust. One of the numbers the player picked apparently wasn’t what he or she intended, according to a release from the Texas Lottery. (More)
➤ Holland: A 200-acre grass fire in Bell County is 40% contained. After a dry start to fall, multiple counties in Central and Southeast Texas have issued burn bans. (More)
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➤ Texas is the only state with two schools ranked in the top 10 of the AP’s preseason men’s college basketball poll. Texas Tech is No. 10, and the Houston Cougars are No. 2. (See Full Poll)
➤ Texas A&M running back Le’Veon Moss will be out for a “significant amount” of time as he recovers from an ankle injury, per coach Mike Elko. Elko stressed, however, that the injury will not end his season. (More)
➤ Baylor Bears quarterback Sawyer Robertson leads the nation in passing yards and touchdowns, while TCU quarterback Josh Hoover is second in both categories. The two Big 12 rivals face off in Fort Worth this Saturday. (More)
➤ Texas Tech’s basketball program scored a commitment from four-star shooting guard Dakari Spear of Dallas this week. He chose the Red Raiders over Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, and Texas A&M. (More)
➤ Tired of mosquito bites ruining your nights? Try Repelix—a sleek, scent-free, DEET-free device that emits an invisible 15-foot shield using heat-activated technology, offering up to 15 hours of protection so you can finally enjoy your porch, patio, or sleep in peace. (LEARN MORE)
➤ Irving-based Caterpillar has agreed to purchase Australian mining software firm RPMGlobal for over $700 million. Australian regulators and RPMGlobal shareholders still need to approve the deal. (More)
➤ Milwaukee-based private jet operator Jet Out is opening a regional base somewhere in North Texas by the end of the year. The unspecified location will be the company’s fourth base of operations. (More)
➤ Plano’s Frito-Lay is rolling out new packaging for its more than 200 varieties of potato chips that display potatoes, seeking to “pay homage to the 300,000 farmers [who grow] the real potatoes that are in the product.” (More)
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Dr. John Lakey discovered a morning trick that supports a powerful fat-burning hormone, inspired by a friend’s transformation. A study showed 297 volunteers lost 24 pounds in eight weeks without changing diet or exercise.
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➤ Lilli Woods, a 15-year-old from Hico, is back to riding bulls after being seriously injured and briefly hospitalized in January. “It’s what I love,” she said, adding she eventually hopes to compete in the Professional Bull Riders League. (Watch Video)
➤ The 5,833-acre Padgitt Ranch in Coleman and Runnels counties, established in 1878, has been listed for $17,999,000. The ranch was the first in Texas to be enclosed by a fence, and its owners advocated for an 1884 state law that made fence-cutting a crime. (See Photos)
➤ Morgan Vollmar and Marcus Mader, two Kerrville city employees, found a 1990 Kansas State University class ring while inspecting the city’s wastewater collection system. They found the owner, Washington state resident Randy Fox, and returned it to him. (More)
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Rural Texas Hospitals Seek Federal Funding
