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Friday, March 21, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 1934, actor Al Freeman Jr. was born in San Antonio. He is best remembered for his starring role as police captain Ed Hall in ABC's soap opera One Life to Live. He earned a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in 1979, becoming the first African American to do so.

The National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington is holding a grand opening ceremony on Saturday. Check out the details in today's Roundup section!

Did you know that the team that makes The Texas Flyover also produces a national publication called The Flyover? Click here to subscribe and stay up to date with the latest national headlines—without the bias of legacy media outlets.

We're sponsored today by Organixx, offering health products to combat collagen deficiency.

THC Ban Passes Texas Senate

The Texas Senate passed legislation Wednesday to ban all products containing THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Since 2019, sales of consumable hemp products containing less than 0.3% THC have been legal, and more than 8,300 shops selling THC-infused beverages, gummies, and vapes have popped up around the state.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has prioritized passage of Senate Bill 3, arguing that many hemp retailers prey on young people and sell products with a THC concentration well above the legal limit, causing an increase in addiction and mental health issues among consumers. "This is a poison in our public," Patrick said.

Advocates for the hemp industry insist the sale of illegal products is not widespread and are pushing for tighter regulations, arguing an outright ban would forfeit billions in tax revenue, eliminate around 50,000 jobs, and force consumers to turn to the black market. On Tuesday, the 74-year-old Patrick visited The Happy Cactus, a hemp store in Austin, where he was asked for his ID upon entry.

Senate Bill 3 passed in a bipartisan 24-7 vote and awaits consideration in the House, where seperate legislation has been filed to regulate consumable hemp products rather than ban them altogether. That bill's author, Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), insists the two chambers are "philosophically aligned" on the issue.

Paxton Sues Coppell ISD Over CRT

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Coppell ISD for allegedly violating the state's ban on teaching critical race theory (CRT), citing an undercover video in which an administrator says that "despite what our state standards say," the district has "gotten around" the ban and does "what's right for kids."

The video was obtained by watchdog group Accuracy in Media and shared last month by school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis. It shows Evan Whitfield, Coppell ISD's director of curriculum and instruction, responding to the undercover journalist's question about the "version of history" taught in the classroom.

"We just do the right thing at the end of the day," Whitfield said, explaining that the district has dismissed allegations of promoting CRT by insisting "we're just not teaching that."

"Liberal administrators who want to ignore state law and unlawfully push divisive and racist CRT curriculum in classrooms will be held responsible for their actions," said Paxton. "Texas children deserve to receive the best education in the world, not have woke ideology forced upon them."

National Medal of Honor Museum Set to Open

The National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, which has been under construction for the past three years, will open to visitors on Tuesday. On Saturday, a grand opening ceremony featuring a military band, fireworks, and a drone show will be held for Medal of Honor recipients and the public.

The 100,000-square-foot facility features five interactive exhibits, thousands of artifacts—including actual medals—and a Huey helicopter. The names of the 3,528 Medal of Honor recipients are etched into the museum's Ring of Valor, which encircles visitors as they walk through the front door.

Arlington was one of 20 cities that submitted a bid for the museum. It was selected for its accessibility as a central location in the country. The museum is expected to draw millions of visitors every year.

Tickets to visit the museum start at $30 and can be purchased here.

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➤ San Jacinto County: A wildfire burned 2,360 acres and was 45% contained as of yesterday afternoon. Evacuations have been ordered for about 900 homes. According to investigators, the fire has been traced back to a prescribed burn on private property. (More)

➤ Fort Worth: Body cam footage has been released showing officers firing shots while responding to an alarm at a business last week, where they mistook a restaurant owner for a burglar. (Watch Video)

➤ San Juan: Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz hosted U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins at a Monday meeting with local farmers and ranchers to discuss drought conditions and the lack of water transfers from Mexico to South Texas, which are mandated by a 1944 treaty. (See Details)

➤ Midland: Meanwhile, Sen. John Cornyn visited an oil well site operated by Diamondback Energy on Tuesday to learn about new technology that detects methane leaks. He also touted the Trump administration's efforts to reduce regulations governing the oil industry. (More)

➤ El Paso: Armando Rodriguez, the president of the Canutillo ISD Board of Trustees, is facing a lawsuit seeking his removal over DWI arrests in 2013 and 2021. He characterized the effort as a smear campaign by a rival school board member who favors the use of taxpayer funds to pay for private education. (More)

➤ Houston: Residents have reported an uptick in coyote sightings in recent weeks. Several pets have gone missing. (More)

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➤ San Antonio Spurs big man Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 34 points in just 19 minutes of game time in the Spurs' 120-105 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday. Mamukelashvili shot 13 of 14 from the field, including 7 of 7 from beyond the arc. (Watch Highlights)

➤ The Houston Texans have signed star defensive end Danielle Hunter to a one-year $35.6 million contract extension through 2026 that will make him the second-highest-paid defensive end in the NFL. (More)

➤ No. 1 seed Houston easily dismissed No. 16 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville 78-40 in the NCAA men's basketball tournament yesterday. "We went out there and made a statement," said guard Terrance Arceneaux, who came off the bench for 10 points in the blowout win. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, No. 4 seed Texas A&M beat No. 13 seed Yale 80-71 on Thursday night, also advancing to the Round of 32. (More)

➤ And No. 3 seed Texas Tech survived No. 14 seed UNC Wilmington, winning the closer-than-expected matchup 82-72. (More)

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➤ The parent company of Houston-based oil company Apache Corp. cut 300 jobs earlier this year in an effort to reduce costs. The company employs about 2,300 people globally. (More)

➤ Satish Malhotra, the CEO of Coppell-based The Container Store, resigned effective immediately "to pursue other opportunities" following the company's emergence from bankruptcy in January. (More)

➤ Massachusetts-based GE Vernova will provide over 100 turbines to wind farms operated by German energy company RWE in Big Spring and Glasscock County. The two wind farms are projected to produce 308 megawatts of electricity. (More)

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➤ Sally Mott, a 20-year-old racecar driver from Crawford, is featured in Amazon's upcoming docuseries First to Finish, which explores the challenges for women in motorsports. Episodes begin streaming on Tuesday, March 25. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, Georgetown restaurant Simmer Down Cafe was featured in this week's episode of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, a reality TV show in which the celebrity chef tries to turn around a struggling restaurant within a week. Grumpy George in Georgetown and Leo's Italian Grill in Bastrop were also featured on the show within the past month. (See Details)

➤ An owl had a hoot preening for the weather camera at an Austin TV station yesterday morning. (Watch Video)

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