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Thursday, March 20, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 1949, blues singer and pianist Marcia Ball was born in Orange. Her album Presumed Innocent was named the 2002 Blues Album of the Year, and in 2018, the Texas legislature honored her as that year's Texas State Musician.

Cedar Park's Firefly Aerospace shared stunning photos of a lunar sunset captured by their Blue Ghost lander. Check out the story below!

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Texas Senate Approves Prayer, Ten Commandments, in Schools

The Texas Senate approved legislation Tuesday that requires the governing boards of each school district to decide whether or not to allow a period of prayer and Bible reading for students and staff on school campuses.

Senate Bill 11, which passed in a bipartisan 23-7 vote, specifies that a consent form must be signed to attend a period of prayer. The prayer should not interfere with instructional time or be held in the vicinity of those who are not participating.

Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston), the bill's author, said, "Our schools are not God-free zones." Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the legislation would ensure that "religious freedom is not infringed upon in Texas."

Last night, Senators also approved Senate Bill 10, a measure that would require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in each classroom. The proposal passed by a 20-11 party-line vote.

Lottery Winner Might Not Get Paid

An anonymous Texas woman who claims to be the winner of last month's $83.5 million Texas Lottery jackpot was reportedly told she might not ever receive the funds because the Texas Rangers are investigating her ticket purchase.

The woman purchased her ticket using the courier service Jackpocket, which also owns the store that printed the winning ticket. Courier services—companies that allow customers to buy lottery tickets online for a fee—have come under fire from legislators who question their legality. The Texas Lottery Commission has proposed rules that would prohibit their operation in the state.

In a Tuesday interview with a news outlet, the woman argued that her $20 lottery ticket purchase should be distinguished from the other drawing being investigated, in which an entity called Rook TX purchased nearly every possible combination for $25 million to win the $95 million jackpot.

"Sometimes there are reasons to investigate things, but I don't think mine is one of them," the woman said, adding she's "being treated as the bad guy." Her attorney said his client "played by all the rules" and will consider litigation if the funds are not distributed to her within three days.

Blue Ghost Sends Video of Lunar Sunset

The Blue Ghost lunar lander, developed by Cedar Park's Firefly Aerospace, completed its two-week mission on the moon's surface on Sunday, but not before it captured the first-ever video of a lunar sunset.

The stunning footage is part of the 119 gigabytes of information the lander relayed back to engineers during the mission. The lander also captured photos of the March 14 total lunar eclipse, which appeared as a solar eclipse on the moon's surface.

Blue Ghost powered down shortly after its solar panels were no longer exposed to the sun. Engineers have said they will try to reboot the lander in two weeks when its lunar day begins, though they are doubtful of success.

"Sunsets hit differently on the Moon!" said Firefly Aerospace on social media. "This milestone embodies all the achievements from this historic Firefly mission."

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➤ San Antonio: Felipe Orduna-Torres and Armando Gonzales-Ortega were convicted of running a human smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of 53 illegal immigrants who perished in a sweltering semitrailer in June 2022. (More)

➤ The University of Texas System will no longer allow drag shows on its campuses, following Texas A&M's decision to ban them on school grounds last month. "All activities at UT institutions are expected to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and executive orders," said Board of Regents chairman Kevin P. Eltife. (More)

➤ Marlin: A representative from the Texas Water Development Board warned city council members this week that the city's history of untimely audits and financial non-compliance could jeopardize its eligibility for loans to fund much-needed water infrastructure improvements. (More)

➤ Austin: Cindy Clemishire, the 55-year-old Oklahoma woman who has accused former North Texas megachurch pastor Robert Morris of sexually abusing her for several years when she was a teenager, testified before legislators yesterday on a bill that would nullify certain nondisclosure agreements in child sexual abuse cases. (More)

➤ Houston: Several candidates have announced their intent to run for the congressional seat previously occupied by Sylvester Turner, who unexpectedly died earlier this month. Gov. Abbott has not yet set an election date. (See Details)

➤ Florence: Some residents claim that the noise produced by a natural gas compressor station operated by Matterhorn Express Pipeline exceeds the 85-decibel threshold for a public nuisance designation. The sheriff's office in nearby Burnet County has begun tracking complaints. (See Details)

➤ Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick defended a proposal to ensure new data centers don't constrain the state's power generation capacity during an appearance on Fox News. Critics have suggested Senate Bill 6 would hinder AI infrastructure investments in Texas. (More)

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➤ Texas and Xavier helped kick off the NCAA men's basketball tournament last night as one of the "First Four" play-in games. The Longhorns lost 86-80, and Xavier will play No. 6 seed Illinois on Friday night in the official first round of March Madness. (More)

➤ UTSA baseball put an end to No. 8 Texas's 17-game win streak with an 8-7 win on Tuesday night. UTSA catcher Andrew Stucky gave the Roadrunners the lead in the 12th inning with this home run. (Watch Video)

➤ Texas Tech basketball's JT Toppin was named to the AP All-American second team, while LJ Cryer made the third team for Houston. (More)

➤ Texas A&M Corpus Christie outfielder Christian Smith-Johnson went viral on Tuesday for this acrobatic leaping catch that sent him tumbling over the outfield wall. (Watch Video)

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➤ Fossil Group, a Richardson-based retailer of watches and accessories, plans to close about 50 of its 250 stores nationwide after sales declined 19% last year. (More)

➤ Google is set to occupy Austin's 35-story, 804,000-square-foot "sail" tower later this year after it has sat empty since its completion in 2022. Google agreed to lease the $522 million skyscraper in 2019. (More)

➤ A North Dakota jury ordered environmental advocacy group Greenpeace to pay Dallas-based pipeline operator Energy Transfer nearly $667 million in damages for their role in organizing protests to delay work on the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016 and 2017. (More)

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➤ Torchy's Tacos founder Mike Rypka's 5-acre estate in Austin is on the market for $25.5 million. The compound includes a 10,227-square-foot main home, a one-bedroom casita, and a boat dock with access to Lake Austin. (See Photos)

➤ State Rep. Pat Curry (R-Waco) filed legislation to abolish the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and transfer its duties—including those pertaining to the regulation of deer breeding—to other agencies. Curry, a deer breeder himself, told a local news outlet he doesn't agree with how the agency has tried to curtail the spread of disease among deer. (More)

➤ Rocker Steiner, a 21-year-old rodeo star from Weatherford, intends to win the $1 million prize in the bronc riding competition at the American Rodeo at Globe Life Field in Arlington next month. Known as the "The Bad Boy of Rodeo," Steiner said he doesn't "identify with cowboy" but simply wants to "be the best." (More)

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