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Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 1836, the Republic of Texas President David G. Burnet and his cabinet arrived at a plantation called Groce's Retreat in Grimes County, where they stayed three days as they fled from the advancing Mexican army—making the plantation the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas.

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Border Patrol Closing Tent Camps

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is shutting down tent facilities for processing illegal immigrants along the southern border—including three in Texas—in response to a sharp drop in illegal border crossings.

CBP officials said the temporary "soft-sided facilities" in Donna, Eagle Pass, and Laredo would be dismantled, along with tent facilities in Yuma and Tucson. Processing facilities in El Paso and San Diego will remain open.

On Wednesday, the agency reported that just over 8,300 illegal immigrants had been arrested between official ports of entry in February, compared to 140,641 during the same month last year. Since opening in 2021, the Donna facility has processed over 611,000 illegal immigrants, making it one of the largest processing centers on the southern border.

CBP will save between $5 million and $30 million per month for each tent facility closure, and agents who previously operated them will return to patrolling the border.

Texas Teams Compete in March Madness

The NCAA March Madness basketball tournament will include five men's and four women's teams from Texas.

On the men's side, Big 12 champion and Midwest region No. 1 seed Houston (30-4) faces off against No. 16 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (22-11) Thursday afternoon in Wichita. Later Thursday in the same arena, West region No. 3 seed Texas Tech (25-8) plays No. 14 UNC Wilmington (27-7).

South region No. 4 seed Texas A&M (22-10) will face No. 13 Yale (22-7) Thursday evening in Denver, while East region No. 9 seed Baylor (19-14) plays No. 8 Mississippi State (21-12) Friday in Raleigh. The University of Texas (19-15) plays Xavier (21-11) in Dayton tomorrow evening for a shot at the No. 11 seed in the Midwest region.

In the women's tournament, SEC runner-up Texas (31-3) earned a No. 1 seed and will host either William and Mary (15-18) or High Point (21-11) on Saturday in Austin. Big 12 champion and No. 2 seed TCU (31-3) faces Northeast Conference champion No. 15 Farleigh Dickinson (29-3) on Friday at home in Fort Worth, while Big 12 runner-up and No. 4 seed Baylor (27-7) will host Western Athletic Conference champion No. 13 Grand Canyon (32-2) Friday in Waco.

The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks (29-5) won the Southland Conference title to earn a No. 14 seed and will face No. 3 Notre Dame (26-5) Friday in South Bend.

Woman Gets Engaged to Man Who Saved Her Life

Lubbock Christian University senior Brooklyn Boyer recently got engaged to the man who saved her life during a pool accident nearly five years ago.

Brooklyn had been dating Alan Mann for about a week when she hit her head on the bottom of a pool in 2020. Alan, who had recently completed lifeguard training, provided immediate assistance until paramedics arrived.

The accident left Brooklyn paralyzed, but Alan never left her side during months of rehabilitation. She has relearned how to drive and can even dance in her motorized wheelchair.

Brooklyn describes Alan as a "blessing straight from God." For his part, Alan said witnessing Brooklyn's recovery has been "nothing less of amazing. I'm very blessed that I get to have one of the front-row seats to that experience."

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➤ Gillespie County: The Crabapple Fire has burned 9,737 acres and is 95% contained. Numerous structures have been destroyed, and a firefighter suffered minor injuries when a tree limb fell on him. (See Photos)

➤ Roberts County: Meanwhile, the Windmill Fire is 95% contained after burning 23,147 acres and destroying one home. The Rest Area Fire in nearby Gray County is 100% contained after burning 7,931 acres. (More)

➤ Granbury ISD: A 5-year-old student died after being hit by a school bus Monday morning. According to a preliminary report, the child ran in front of the bus as it was leaving a neighborhood pickup area. (More)

➤ Spring: Margarita Avila, 50, has been charged with assault after allegedly attacking a postal worker with a weed eater last week. Although she posted her $100 bond, she is being held by ICE because she is an immigrant who has applied for asylum. (See Details)

➤ Fort Worth: Jose Bernal, the former pastor at Tabernacle of Life Pentecostal Church, has been ordered to pay $124 million in damages to a woman he sexually abused as a child between 2007 and 2013. (More)

➤ Austin: A "ghost neighborhood" of about a dozen unfinished homes was demolished after it became a haven for vagrants. The developer had not performed any work on the homes since 2022 after being cited for several code violations. (Watch Video)

➤ Mexia: Dozens of residents attended a ceremony to commemorate the installation of a state historical marker at the site of the former St. Paul Industrial College, which provided education to black students between 1929 and 1953. (More)

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➤ The Houston Texans have signed star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. to a three-year $90 million contract, making the former No. 3 overall draft pick the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history on a per-year basis. (More)

➤ Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington confronted a Dallas fan who was chanting "Fire Nico" during the team's 130-125 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night. Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has drawn the ire of fans upset about his decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last month. (More)

➤ The Dallas Stars rallied from a 3-1 third-period deficit against the Colorado Avalanche to send Sunday's game to overtime in a 3-3 deadlock—but lost after Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar hit the game-winning goal 34 seconds into overtime. (More)

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➤ PepsiCo has agreed to purchase Austin-based prebiotic soda Poppi for $1.95 billion, including $300 million of anticipated cash tax benefits. (See Details)

➤ Archrock, a Houston-based provider of natural gas compression services, announced an agreement to purchase rival Natural Gas Compression Systems for $357 million. (More)

➤ River Park, a planned 1.2 million-square-foot mixed-use development in Austin, will include 952 multifamily units, around 27,000 square feet of retail space, and a 65,000-square-foot music venue with a capacity for 4,000 guests. (More)

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➤ Juan Roel Abrego, a Future Farmers of America (FFA) student at San Benito High School, won the grand championship at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show on Friday with his steer, Chief. (Watch Video)

➤ Texas is home to several impressive castles, including the 1890s-era Pemberton Castle in Austin, Waco's five-story Parson's Castle, and Burnet County's Falkenstein Castle, which is modeled after Germany's famous Neuschwanstein Castle. (See Photos)

➤ Margaret Ranson, the founder of a horse sanctuary in Robinson, has agreed to donate one of her kidneys to the husband of a client. "Giving him his life back and giving him a chance to walk his daughter down the aisle… It just means everything," Ranson shared. (More)

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