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Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 2003, Texas Rangers slugger Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player in MLB history to hit 300 home runs. He was 27 years and 249 days old.

Hollywood actors visited the Texas Capitol on Monday to testify in support of a bill that would provide $2.5 billion to the Texas film industry over the next 10 years. Check out the story in today's Roundup section, and let us know what you think about it in our poll.

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Film Incentives Bill Advances

Actors Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, along with a producer for The Chosen TV series, testified Monday in support of a measure that would provide $2.5 billion over the next decade for films and TV shows made in Texas.

With Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in attendance, the 11-member Senate Committee on Finance unanimously approved legislation to boost funding for the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, which has attracted filming for productions like Taylor Sheridan's 1923 and Yellowstone.

Senate Bill 22 increases incentives for low-budget films and provides additional funding for filming in rural areas and projects that portray a positive image of Texas. Some lawmakers expressed a desire to restrict funding of profanity-laden films, explaining that Texas is "still in the Bible belt."

McConaughey said additional funding from the state would allow the Texas film industry to eventually stand on its own. "There's going to be a point where we are not going to need financial incentives from the state because the infrastructure will be in place," he said.

Dallas Citizen Group Threatens Lawsuit

Dallas HERO—the nonprofit that pushed for the passage of a city charter amendment to maintain a police force of 4,000 officers—threatened to sue the city if officials don't demonstrate a "good faith effort" to hire the 900 or so officers needed to meet the quota.

"Prop U is not a suggestion," executive director Damien LeVeck said. "It's part of the city's charter, placed there by the will of the voters. Compliance is not optional."

LeVeck said city leaders have not given "straight answers" about their plans to hire new officers and have resisted the nonprofit's call to survey current officers about compensation to ensure it is among the top five in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, a condition of the amendment.

Earlier this year, the city council voted to increase this year's hiring goal from 250 to 300 new officers. A proposal to increase that figure to 400 was rejected after Interim Police Chief Michael Igo said training so many recruits would require pulling officers off of patrol.

April Fool's Day Pranks

Businesses around the state celebrated April Fool's Day yesterday with fake announcements.

Austin's CapMetro public transit rebranded as CatMetro, and local creamery Lick Honest Ice Creams posted a social media ad for its new brisket-flavored ice cream.

Tic Tac announced its new Dr Pepper-flavored mints, Bill Miller Bar-B-Q hawked its "Autumn Spice" lipstick, and San Antonio's Ranch Motel advertised a game of nude pickleball.

The Greater Houston Partnership announced an underwater shopping mall would be coming to Galveston in 2040, and Plano-based Raising Cane's revealed that pop artist Cardi B is a big fan of their new chicken-scented moisturizing sauce.

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➤ Roma: Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham has asked the Trump administration for assistance in securing two islands in the Rio Grande. Buckingham described Beaver Island and Roma Island as "cartel-infested" and a "smuggler's paradise." (See Details)

➤ Plano: A man accused of firebombing a Tesla dealership in Colorado was arrested by federal authorities last month. On Monday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Department of Justice is seeking a 20-year prison sentence for 24-year-old Cooper Jo Frederick. (More)

➤ Bexar County: Authorities seized a pack of dogs that attacked three people, including a sheriff's deputy, over the weekend. The owner of the nine dogs was detained and received 17 citations. (More)

➤ Denton: The University of North Texas has banned drag shows to comply with state and federal laws and executive orders. Two student organizations had planned on-campus drag shows this month. (More)

➤ Tyler ISD: Three former district employees are in custody following accusations of abuse toward a student with Down syndrome. According to court documents, surveillance video recorded the educators taping the student's hands together and forcing him to walk in circles for several hours last month. (More)

➤ Collin County: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality asked the developers of the controversial EPIC City project to confirm that no construction has occurred, citing the lack of permits. On Monday, residents voiced opposition to the proposed community at a packed county commissioners meeting. (See Details)

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➤ The University of North Texas men's basketball team fell to UC Irvine 69-67 in the semifinals of the NCAA National Invitation Tournament. The UNT Mean Green compiled a 27-8 record this season to finish second in the American Athletic Conference. (More)

➤ Texas A&M men's basketball head coach Buzz Williams is leaving the Aggies to become Maryland's next head coach. Williams led Texas A&M to three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths during his six seasons as head coach. (More)

➤ Multiple Texas Rangers players are reportedly looking into using the new "torpedo" bat design popularized by the New York Yankees over the past week. (More)

➤ Yesterday's Results: MLB | NBA | NHL | NIT | NCAABB | NCAASB | Soccer

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➤ The state's real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 3.5% during last year's fourth quarter, according to figures released Friday by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. The national rate of growth was 2.4%. (More

➤ Representatives for Texas Central, the organization advocating for the development of a high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas, informed lawmakers Monday that a group of Japanese investors is no longer involved in the project. (See Details)

➤ The Texas to Louisiana Energy Pathway, part of Tulsa-based Williams Companies' 10,000-mile-plus Transco pipeline from South Texas to New York City, has been expanded by 364 million cubic feet per day. (More)

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➤ Asset manager BlackRock is planning to launch an exchange-traded fund (ETF) composed of companies based in Texas. BlackRock is a major investor in the upstart Dallas-based Texas Stock Exchange, which aims to begin trading early next year. (More)

➤ A February study by the Texas Education Agency found that students who attended schools that meet five days a week performed better on the 2023 STAAR test than students who attended schools that meet four days a week. (See Details)

➤ Houston Astros owner Jim Crane became a star pitcher for the Central Missouri Mules after walking on to the team in 1973. (See Story)

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