Attorney General Ken Paxton and his allies began working to repair fissures among GOP voters after he routed incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the March 26 runoff, The Dallas Morning News reported. Both Paxton and his general election opponent, Democratic nominee James Talarico, swiftly went on the attack in what promises to be the most expensive Senate general election race in history.
“The future of Texas and the future of America is on the line, and I intend to do everything I can to expand our movement,” Paxton told supporters in Plano.
Talarico is seeking to appeal to Republicans and independents who balked at supporting Paxton during the primary campaign. The attorney general has been enveloped in several scandals since being elected in 2014. Talarico called his opponent “morally unfit” for office.
“This November, working Texans — Democrats, independents and Republicans alike — are going to come together to defeat the most corrupt politician in America and the broken political system that he represents,” Talarico said.
Abbott again orders colleges to keep tuition rates flat
Gov. Greg Abbott ordered all public universities and colleges to keep tuition flat for the upcoming academic year, the Austin American-Statesman reported. Abbott first mandated the tuition freeze in 2023. His order also applies to public health institutions and community colleges.
“Higher education must be attainable for Texas students and families,” Abbott wrote. “Access to affordable, high-quality higher education is essential to ensure Texans learn the skills needed to secure family-sustaining jobs and meet the demands of a growing workforce.”
Most Texas public universities charge between $10,000 and $12,000 for annual in-state tuition, according to Robert Kelchen, a higher education professor at the University of Tennessee specializing in finance.
“Overall, Texas is in a pretty enviable position for higher education funding,” Kelchen said, nothing “the state funds higher ed pretty well, tuition is fairly modest, and then all the money coming from the oil fund.”
Hill Country ranch to become second-largest state park
Nearly 54,000 acres of a former Hill Country ranch will soon become the second-largest park in Texas, The Texas Tribune reported. The former Silver Lake Ranch features steep canyons and rolling hills about 150 miles west of San Antonio, between Rocksprings and Uvalde in Kinney and Edwards counties.
It is the first land purchase made under a $1 billion Centennial Parks Conservation Fund established by the Legislature and approved by voters in 2023. Previously, the ranch was partially owned by the Moody Foundation, which donated its 88% share. Texas Parks and Wildlife purchased the remainder of the property for $11.85 million.
“Silver Lake Ranch represents the natural beauty, history and spirit of our state, and we are honored to make this gift to Texas Parks and Wildlife to ensure it remains protected and enjoyed by all Texans for years ahead,” foundation trustee Ross Moody said.
The future park, to be named Silver Lake State Park, features a 30-acre spring-fed lake and miles of frontage along the West Nueces River.
An opening date has not been set.
FAA grounds SpaceX Starship again after crash
The massive rocket Starship has been grounded again after the lower stage of the rocket plunged into the Gulf of Mexico a few minutes after liftoff, the Statesman reported. The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered an investigation into what went wrong.
The May 22 mishap forced six aircraft to delay their departures and forced another five into holding patterns, the FAA said. No injuries or damage were reported.
This is the seventh grounding in 12 flights for Starship rockets. SpaceX has approvals to launch and land the craft as many as 25 times a year at its base near Boca Chica Beach in far south Texas.
“A return to flight of the Starship-Super Heavy vehicle is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety,” the FAA said.
Researchers: Cities can change storm behavior
A team of researchers has examined more than two decades of climate data in Texas to understand how urban and rural areas interact with storms, according to the Texas Standard. State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon was part of the research team.
“Probably the biggest finding was how important urban areas were toward individual thunderstorms or smaller-scale collections of thunderstorms,” he said. “Every single city we looked at, the storms were enhanced there — both during the daytime and especially nighttime. There’s a bigger influence in those types of precipitation events.”
Nielsen-Gammon said that while storms are influenced by the presence of cities, often increasing their severity, the extent of that influence depends on the type of storm. The higher temperatures found in cities because of concrete and buildings can affect both the severity and the wind pattern, according to experts..
GOP leaders back French after runoff win
Several GOP officials who opposed Bo French’s successful bid to unseat incumbent Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright now say they will back him in the general election, the Houston Chronicle reported. That includes Abbott, Wright’s fellow commissioners Wayne Christian and Christi Craddick, and Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham.
“Republicans are UNITED and ready to win in November to keep Texas, TEXAS!” Abbott’s campaign wrote in a post on X.
One notable exception thus far is Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who was among French’s harshest critics. French, the former Tarrant County GOP chair, has made a number of controversial statements, including calling for a ban on Islam in Texas.
French will face Jon Rosenthal, a Houston Democrat and oil and gas engineer, in the November general election.Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com.
