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Monday, January 13, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 1974, Dallas–Fort Worth Regional Airport officially opened. The celebratory occasion was marked by the landing of the Concorde supersonic passenger jet, the first such landing in the U.S. Now known as Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, it is the third busiest airport in the world, with 81.8 million passengers in 2023.

If the new year has you motivated to do some cleaning, you're not the only one. It's gotten so bad for the Houston Police Department that its evidence room has been overrun by drug-addicted rats. Check out the story in today's Roundup section!

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Rats Overrun Houston Police Evidence Room

Drug-addicted rats have taken up residence in the Houston Police Department’s evidence warehouse, which holds over 1.2 million pieces of evidence, including marijuana confiscated in the 1980s and ‘90s.

Officials have known about the issue for years, but eradication efforts have failed. Concerns about the integrity of evidence from more recent cases have motivated Mayor Whitmire and newly elected Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare to tackle the problem.

"We've got 400,000 pounds of marijuana in storage that the rats are the only ones enjoying," Whitmire said.

Teare said his office has updated rules to allow police to destroy evidence acquired before 2015, and he’s helping the department determine what evidence must be retained.

Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz highlighted environmental and procedural challenges associated with evidence disposal. "Everything has a cost. Where do we take it? We can't just go set it out and burn it," Diaz said.

Judge Rules American Airlines Broke Law

A federal judge in Texas has ruled that Fort Worth-based American Airlines violated federal law by allowing retirement plan investments to prioritize environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors over financial interests.

U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth found that BlackRock, American's asset manager and a major shareholder of the company’s stock, breached its fiduciary duty to 401(k) participants. O’Connor, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, said he has not yet determined whether American must pay damages to plan participants.

"The evidence made clear that [American’s] incestuous relationship with BlackRock and its own corporate goals disloyally influenced administration of the Plan,” said O’Connor. BlackRock publicly disputed the lawsuit’s allegations, while American Airlines stated it is reviewing the decision.

The lawsuit was brought in 2023 by American Airlines pilot Bryan Spence on behalf of over 100,000 plan participants. O’Connor previously rejected arguments from American’s lawyers that the case should be dismissed because Spence could not definitively prove that BlackRock’s strategies hindered the performance of plan investments.

Texans Dominate Chargers

The Houston Texans quieted their naysayers with a dominant performance against the Los Angeles Chargers in their Wild Card matchup on Saturday. They intercepted Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert a career-high four times.

The 10-7 Texans were three-point underdogs ahead of the contest, and former New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan dismissed it as essentially a bye week for the 11-6 Chargers. The injury-plagued Texans left no doubt they belong in the postseason and should not be overlooked by opponents.

Texans wide receiver Nico Collins set a franchise record for receiving yards in a playoff game, catching 7 passes for 122 yards and a score. In postgame remarks, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh described Houston’s edge pass rushers as the “best we’ve seen.”

After the game, Texans running back Joe Mixon went live on Instagram while smoking a cigar. “We smoking on that Rex Ryan bye-week pack,” Mixon gloated.

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➤ Tyler: U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs announced he will resign as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Eastern District of Texas on Jan. 21. Diggs was nominated by President Joe Biden in February 2023 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate three months later. (More)

➤ Lakeway: A suspected car thief tried to steal an unmarked police cruiser while officers were inside, leading to a foot chase and the criminal’s arrest. (More)

➤ Fort Worth: An RV crashed into a house on Friday, igniting a fire. The home’s occupant was not injured, but the driver was hospitalized and is reported to be in critical condition. (See Photos)

➤ Houston: Dr. Nathan Robert Starke's license was suspended by the Texas Medical Board after he tested positive for cocaine in October and appeared to be impaired during surgeries in August and September. His urology practice has since closed. (See Details)

➤ Brownsville: Meanwhile, two people living at a house with a “Say No to Drugs” sign on the front door have been arrested and charged for allegedly distributing cocaine and Xanax. (See Photo)

➤ Wichita Falls: Mayor Tim Short called for a citywide snowball fight last Thursday. “Everybody’s a target, if you’re here, this is a G-rated snowball fight,” Short said in a Facebook post. (Watch Video)

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➤ Texas A&M Aggies center Pharrel Payne got a monster block against Alabama’s Mark Sears during Saturday’s 94-88 loss to the Crimson Tide. Payne had 23 points and four blocks on the night. (See Video)

➤ Texas Tech’s men’s basketball team lost a nail-biter to No. 3 Iowa State on Saturday, falling to the Cyclones 85-84 in overtime. (More)

➤ Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has been ruled out of tomorrow’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets, assuring he won’t be eligible for league MVP or All-NBA recognition. NBA rules require players to participate in at least 65 games to be considered for individual awards. (More)

➤ Yesterday's Results: NFL | NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | PGA | Soccer

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➤ The United Football League has signed a lease for more than 111,000 square feet of office space in the Arlington Entertainment District for its new headquarters. The league’s Arlington Renegades play at nearby Choctaw Stadium. (More)

➤ Dude Perfect, a group of YouTube content creators known for their viral trick shots, unveiled their new headquarters in Frisco. The facility includes a movable basketball hoop and half a football field with an NFL regulation-size field goal post. The announcement video featured LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and NFL great Tom Brady. (See Video)

➤ San Antonio-based H-E-B has been ranked the best grocery store in the country for the third year in a row, according to the eighth annual dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index. (See Details)

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➤ Finnish TikTok influencer Auri Kananen, known as the “world’s best cleaner,” is offering her services for free to Texas residents who need help cleaning up their dirty homes. (More)

➤ U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Houston) weighed in on what to call the Gulf of Mexico, joking on social media that it should be called the “Gulf of Buc-ee’s.” The revised map also swapped out the Bay of Campeche for “Nugget Bay” and the Yucatan Channel for “Jerky Channel.” (More)

➤ Southern Living named the Commodore Perry Estate in Austin to its list of 12 hotels in the South with the “coziest” fireplaces. (See Photo)

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