Abbott Halts Data Center Permits

Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered state environmental regulators to stop issuing permits for data centers until ERCOT finishes auditing how much power and water the industry uses.

Abbott’s Sept. 21 letter to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requires projects to cover their own electrical infrastructure costs, stay off water local communities need, and report their power and water use. “Simply put, Texans must come first,” Abbott said.

Speaking at a roundtable in Palestine, Abbott said ERCOT expects the review to last at least until December, and that companies refusing to hand over usage data won’t be allowed to operate in Texas. He cited a Henderson County project developers dropped after residents objected.

Texas had been on track to pass Virginia as the world’s largest data center market by the end of the decade. BloombergNEF estimates the pause puts nearly 50 gigawatts of proposed capacity nationwide at risk.

Video Shows Traffic Stop before Shooting

A video reviewed on Tuesday shows ICE agents pulling over Wilber Rafael Garces Perez about 15 minutes before an agent shot him on Sunday in North Austin.

Attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch had said an unmarked black truck rammed the 28-year-old delivery driver’s car with no lights or sirens, and that he didn’t know federal agents were inside.

DHS stated that he is an illegal immigrant from Venezuela with a final removal order. His lawyer said he entered in 2024 on a border appointment, held a work permit, and missed a hearing notice mailed to an old address.

The agent who fired wasn’t wearing a body camera. A federal judge blocked the deportation on Tuesday and set a Sept. 30 hearing. Garces Perez remains in ICE custody with the bullet still lodged in his body, Lincoln-Goldfinch said.

Texas Tech Breaks into Top 100

Texas Tech broke into the top 100 among the nation’s public universities, landing at No. 96 in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report rankings released Tuesday, its best showing since 2017.

The Lubbock school climbed 13 spots among publics and 12 overall, to No. 186 nationally. It’s the fourth straight year Texas Tech has risen, and only two other Power Four universities gained more ground this year.

Not every Texas school climbed the list. UT-Austin slipped four spots to No. 34, and Texas A&M fell eight spots to No. 59, while Rice again led the state at No. 16.

Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec called the jump “an encouraging reflection of the progress Texas Tech continues to make.” The university also rose 12 spots in Best Value and 17 in Best for Veterans, and ranked No. 63 for in-state value.

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➤ Statewide: A federal judge ordered Texas to air-condition all 104 state prisons by Dec. 31, 2029, ruling that the heat violates the Eighth Amendment. The prison agency, which has asked lawmakers for $289 million for cooling, is reviewing the order. (More)

➤ Rio Grande Valley: A federal judge declined to block a land swap that gives SpaceX 700 acres of a national wildlife refuge near its launch site in exchange for 683 acres it owns. Federal officials called the trade a net conservation benefit. (See Details)

➤ Austin: Only eight of 160 utility companies operating in fire-prone parts of Texas have filed the wildfire mitigation plans state law requires, a House committee learned last week. The plans cover vegetation management, equipment inspections, and storm protocols. (More)

➤ Huntsville: Texas is set to execute Ker’sean Ramey on Wednesday for a 2005 home invasion in Edna that left three people dead. His accomplice, LeJames Norman, was executed Sept. 16. (See Details)

➤ San Antonio: SAWS returned customers to Stage 3 watering rules Monday after the Edwards Aquifer’s 10-day average fell below 640 feet. Sprinkler use is limited to one day per week per address, 5 to 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. to midnight. (See Details)

➤ Dallas: A Mexican national who fired an AR-style rifle off the Margaret McDermott Bridge on New Year’s Eve was sentenced to 35 months in federal prison. Jose Raul Alarcon Sanchez had overstayed a visitor visa, making his gun possession illegal. (More)

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➤ Texas A&M wide receiver Terry Bussey will miss the rest of the season with a lower-body injury suffered on the opening kickoff against Kentucky. The junior had 92 receiving yards through two games. (More)

➤ The Dallas Stars signed forward Sam Steel to a four-year, $14.8 million extension. Steel has logged more penalty-killing minutes than any other Dallas forward since joining the team in 2023. (More)

➤ Baylor football expects quarterback DJ Lagway and three other starters back for Saturday’s Big 12 opener against Colorado. Coach Dave Aranda said Lagway worked out before last week’s game and is approaching full strength. (More)

➤ The Texas Rangers opened a three-game series against the Mets last night in Arlington, holding a one-game lead in the AL West with six to play. They could clinch as early as Thursday. (More)

➤ The Dallas Wings women’s basketball team will host a first-round playoff game in Arlington on Sept. 29 or 30, their first home postseason game since 2023. Monday’s loss to Phoenix dropped them out of the top four, so they can finish no higher than fifth. (See Details)

Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NHL | WNBA | NCAA Volleyball

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➤ Tesla’s $10 billion solar plant near Richmond cleared a local hurdle when Lamar Consolidated ISD trustees voted 7-0 for a tax break worth $115.2 million over 20 years. Tesla projects it will have 9,712 workers by 2033 and hasn’t picked a site yet. (See Details)

➤ Cattle imports resume Thursday at the Santa Teresa crossing west of El Paso, despite a second New World screwworm case in New Mexico. The port handled about 500,000 cattle and $1.2 billion in commerce in 2024. (More)

➤ Summer tourism in Bryan and College Station drew nearly 365,000 visitors and an estimated $69 million impact across 26 events, tourism officials said. Five events pulled about $1 million in state event trust fund reimbursements. (See Details)

➤ A crowdsourced map of DFW meals under $10 now lists hundreds of restaurants, built by an engineer whose job was lost to AI. Jae Park visits dozens of restaurants a week and skips major chains. (Read Story)

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The Pentagon’s Got Its Eye on This Tech

One of the biggest indicators for forward-thinking investors is where the U.S. government puts its money.

First, they bet big on jet engines. Then drones. Now? Flying cars. The U.S. Air Force just signed a $142M deal for a company building five-seater air taxis. But our nation’s most covert operations need smaller, personal aircraft. And Doroni, the company positioned to lead the $100B personal eVTOL category, aims to capture this opportunity.

Their flying car, the H1-X, opens the skies to all military members. Their SOULAI platform is so intuitive that you can pilot their aircraft after 25 hours of training. And its patented ducted fan system is designed to be safer than competitors. 

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➤ Master sand sculptors from Japan, Canada, and Russia carved castles at Shark Beach Burgers in Amarillo for the burger joint’s second Sandcastle Days. (Watch Video)

➤ A 5-foot lamp that had sat in the same corner booth at Stan’s Blue Note on Dallas’ Greenville Avenue for 30 years vanished early Sunday, carried away by a thief over the patio railing and past 400 customers. The “Lady Lamp” is back now. (See Video)

➤ SpaceX Raptor engines rolled down Main Street in McGregor’s Founders Day parade Saturday, sharing the route with cheerleaders and youth football teams. Every engine the company builds is tested in McGregor before it’s cleared to fly. (More)

➤ UT Dallas junior Sinan Can Demir flagged harmful code on GitHub, then held his ground when two users insisted it was safe. Both turned out to be fake personas created by the same unsanctioned AI agent. “The pressure felt human,” he said. (See Details)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. 

➤ What are the 10 most popular at-home headache remedies, and do they actually work? (Hear Remedies)

➤ Tesla has reopened reservations for its long-delayed Roadster, nearly nine years after the car was promised. (Listen Now)

➤ Demand for wine is falling, forcing California grape growers to tear out vineyards their families tended for generations. (Hear Story)

In case you missed it, this week on Flyover Focus, we dug into the cost of living and how it affects you. Why does your paycheck buy less, and do Social Security raises keep retirees afloat? Tune in here for all of those answers and more.

Have you ever built a sand castle?

1. Yes, in the last decade
2. Yes, long ago
3. Never

Yesterday’s Results:

Which of these organizations would you rather be an honorary agent for?

1. Texas Rangers: 75%
2. CIA: 9%
3. FBI: 8%
4. Other: 6%
5. IRS: 1%
6. TSA: 1%

What University of Texas football player received a citation from President Nixon for “steadfast faith in God, his country and himself”?

Show me the answer