Long lines linger at Houston’s biggest airport as TSA agents miss work during partial government shutdown

The ongoing partial government shutdown has led to long security lines at airports across the country, but no airport has felt the effects as acutely as George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. On Thursday, wait times at Bush, one of the nation’s busiest airports, reached four hours or more, with lines extending outside its terminals. Passenger volume at Bush is expected to get worse this weekend, driven by major events in Houston, including the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament. The lines are a result of many Transportation Security Administration officers — who aren’t getting paid during the shutdown — not coming to work. As airline passengers waited in long lines and congressional negotiators appeared far from a deal to fund the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, President Donald Trump late Thursday said on social media that he will sign an emergency order for the department, which oversees TSA, to immediately pay TSA officers. He did not elaborate where the money for the agency, unfunded by Congress for more than a month, would come from.
Northside ISD has nearly $200 million in 2022 bond project ‘on hold’

Nine school improvement projects totaling nearly $200 million from Northside Independent School District's 2022 bond issue are "on hold" with no indication of when the projects will be built. Just four years after its nearly $1 billion bond election, San Antonio's largest school district intends to seek voter approval in November on a bond package for security upgrades and other improvements. Northside's Building Committee got an update Wednesday on the $198.47 million in projects that were approved nearly four years ago but have not since been executed. Superintendent John Craft told a panel of trustees he wants to "be careful in not putting millions and millions of dollars into these facilities and then having to come back in a very short amount of time (and saying), 'Well, we really need more science labs.'
147 measles cases reported in Texas so far this year, most of them in federal detention centers

Local officials report that 108 of the cases originated in a contracted detention facility in Hudspeth County. The largest outbreak is in a single contracted federal detention facility in Hudspeth County, as of March 18, according to DSHS. Hudspeth County Judge Joanna MacKenzie told The Texas Tribune that the 108 cases are all at the West Texas Detention Facility, which is managed by LaSalle Corrections, a private company. The facility has previously housed immigrant detainees, though it’s not clear if it still does. It does not appear on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s list of detention facilities. “Not having jurisdiction, my office is not involved in response,” MacKenzie added in a statement, “however I remain in communication with DSHS and LaSalle, as I regularly do.”
Why an East Texas rancher donated part of his water rights to the state

JEFFERSON COUNTY — Bob Sanders bumps along the dirt roads of his 1,100-acre ranch in a beat up burgundy Chevrolet Suburban, the engine roaring as his sprawling cattle operation, known locally for its wagyu beef, stretches around him. A shotgun rides in the passenger seat and battered binoculars sit on the dashboard. The sloping pasture where his rust-colored cows graze gives way to trees that flank a narrow ribbon of water. It doesn’t look like much, just a slow-moving channel threading through sweetgums and cypress, but this 2.6-mile stretch of the Big Cypress Bayou carries a lot of weight — it connects Lake O’ the Pines, the region’s main water supply, to Caddo Lake, the state’s only natural lake. Water feels abundant in the area. But even in this lush corner of the state, water is increasingly top of mind. For Sanders and many of his neighbors, the bayou represents something increasingly fragile in Texas: water that still belongs to the landscape it came from. The sloping pasture where his rust-colored cows graze gives way to trees that flank a narrow ribbon of water. It doesn’t look like much, just a slow-moving channel threading through sweetgums and cypress, but this 2.6-mile stretch of the Big Cypress Bayou carries a lot of weight — it connects Lake O’ the Pines, the region’s main water supply, to Caddo Lake, the state’s only natural lake. Water feels abundant in the area. But even in this lush corner of the state, water is increasingly top of mind. For Sanders and many of his neighbors, the bayou represents something increasingly fragile in Texas: water that still belongs to the landscape it came from.
Muslim parents, private schools sue Texas over exclusion of Islamic institutions in voucher program

The federal lawsuits argue Texas officials are engaging in religious discrimination by preventing Islamic private schools from accessing state voucher money. Four Muslim parents and three private schools have sued Texas leaders for excluding Islamic private schools from participating in the state’s private school voucher program. The two federal lawsuits ask the court to block the voucher program from discriminating on the basis of religion. The first suit, filed March 1 by a parent acting on behalf of two children who attend a Houston private school, names Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock and Education Commissioner Mike Morath as defendants. A second suit filed March 11 by three parents and three schools names Hancock and Mary Katherine Stout, education savings account program manager, as defendants. Here’s what to know.
As Superintendent Karen Molinar exits takeover, Texas signals a hard reset for Fort Worth ISD

FWISD Superintendent Karen Molinar observed the children learning as she visited classrooms Monday and Tuesday, knowing the clock on her three decades in Fort Worth schools was winding down. Molinar, 51, learned her time in the district that grew her from a reading teacher into a principal and, eventually, the leader of its schools was over after the Texas education commissioner told her last week she won’t serve during the state takeover. She informed families and staff Wednesday that she will not remain as superintendent. “I promised them at the beginning of this that I would be transparent, and I would give them updates,” Molinar told the Fort Worth Report. “I had to do that even when it came to what would happen to me personally and professionally. I had to stand up to my word.” Her impending departure from FWISD drew mixed reactions. Some teachers, parents and city leaders praised Molinar’s decades of service and insisted she should remain in the role during the takeover. Others argued new leadership is necessary as state leaders try to turnaround years of failing academics in Fort Worth.

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McAllen ISD family detained by ICE, high school mariachi student separated from family, relative says

March 0908:25 AM

Lawmakers are asking why a McAllen family that came to the U.S. legally was taken into custody during a meeting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers last month. Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar, 18, and Caleb Gámez-Cuéllar, 14, are members of McAllen High School’s eight-time state championship Mariachi Oro band, and performed on Capitol Hill last June at the invitation of Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg. view article

Northside ISD faces $35 million deficit, but does not anticipate layoffs

March 0908:25 AM

Northside Independent School District is facing a $35 million budget deficit. But, that’s down significantly from when it once neared $108 million. The school board has addressed roughly $70 million worth of debt without school closures, and it’s aiming to balance the books next year. Northside ISD is the largest school district in the San Antonio area, with roughly 98,000 students, towering over North East ISD, San Antonio ISD and Judson ISD. view article

Pogue Construction Names Lou Morelli CEO

March 0908:25 AM

Pogue Construction Names Lou Morelli CEO McKinney-based Pogue Construction has named President Lou Morelli Chief Executive Officer. Morelli will lead the firm’s continued growth while advancing its mission to be the most people-focused community builder in Texas. view article

Pflugerville ISD names 6 schools that may be up for closure amid budget pressures

March 0908:25 AM

As it faces a $10.9 million deficit, the Pflugerville Independent School District has proposed a slate of options to cut costs. A draft plan presented Thursday named six schools that trustees should consider closing in 2027 — but consultants emphasized Pflugerville officials have not made a decision yet. view article

Paxton warns Austin ISD over alleged violation of Texas Women’s Privacy Act

March 0908:15 AM

Ken Paxton’s office has sent a legal notice to Austin Independent School District after receiving a complaint alleging violations of Senate Bill 8. According to the Texas Attorney General’s Office, the complaint claims both Austin ISD and Austin High School were aware that a biological male was using girls’ restrooms and locker rooms, which the state says would violate the law. view article

Hitchcock ISD Police Chief Brian Rusk remembered as dedicated leader and protector of students

March 0908:02 AM

The Hitchcock community is mourning the loss of Hitchcock ISD Police Chief Brian Rusk, a longtime law enforcement officer remembered as a steady leader, mentor and protector of students and staff. view article

‘No one wants to close a school’: Midway ISD school board unanimously votes to close Speegleville Elementary

March 0905:46 AM

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - On Tuesday night, board members of Midway ISD unanimously voted to close Speegleville Elementary after the 2025-2026 school year. Superintendent Dr. Chris Allen gave another presentation outlining the decisions that went into the school’s closing, following the presentation he gave outlining potential changes on February 17th. Dr. Allen said in the meeting that declining enrollment across their district and Texas and lack of flexible funding from the state are main factors leaving them without options and financial pressures. He also spoke on the difficulties with fixing all repairs needed for the school building, which opened in 1954. view article

Republicans target public lands protections in a new way

March 0905:00 AM

Some experts fear it could create chaos for endangered species and coal miners alike. Over the past year, GOP leaders and the Trump administration have used a law known as the Congressional Review Act to push for coal mining in Montana, oil drilling in Alaska and copper mining in Minnesota, while also attempting to reverse protections for a national monument in Utah. The rarely used act gives Congress a few months to revoke new federal regulations. Only in the past year has it ever been used to overrule land management plans. Conservation advocates say Congress is recklessly throwing out detailed plans, which are created after years of research, public meetings and local collaboration. They fear lawmakers’ intervention could upend the long-standing management system that governs hundreds of millions of acres of public lands — with consequences that could threaten endangered species and coal miners alike. view article

GOP-led fight over allegations of student indoctrination raises tensions at University of Houston

March 0905:00 AM

GOP-led fight over allegations of student indoctrination raises tensions at University of Houston - After two legislative sessions in which Republican lawmakers hammered universities as bastions of liberal indoctrination, campuses across Texas are restricting how race and gender can be taught and requiring instructors to present controversial subjects in a “balanced” way. At the University of Houston, some deans have taken the unusual step of requiring faculty to certify they “teach, not indoctrinate.” Tensions on campus escalated when a five-page checklist instructing professors on how to review course materials was unveiled last month during a faculty council meeting. Some professors say the checklist, coupled with the certification effort, reinforce what they see as a false premise: that indoctrination is widespread in university classrooms. They say the efforts pressure instructors to avoid controversial topics altogether. view article

Keller ISD taking applications through March 20 for open board seat

March 0905:00 AM

view article

‘No one wants to close a school’: Midway ISD school board unanimously votes to close Speegleville Elementary

March 0805:00 AM

Nate Sheets promises to fire everyone linked to Sid Miller at Texas agriculture department after primary win

March 0608:44 AM

Sheets, in an interview with The Texas Tribune, also promised to lower costs for farmers and work with federal officials to beat a parasitic fly heading toward Texas.Nate Sheets promised to clean house at the Texas Department of Agriculture on Wednesday after he ousted Commissioner Sid Miller in the Republican primary. view article

Trump Warns Ken Paxton Over Claim He Would Disobey Order To Drop Out Of Texas Senate Race: ‘Maybe Leads Me To Go The Other Direction’

March 0608:42 AM

President Donald Trump issued a warning to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over recent claims about being willing to disobey an eventual order to drop out of the state's GOP primary race for the U.S. Senate. Speaking to Politico, Trump addressed Paxton's remarks. "That is bad for him. So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction," he said. Paxton said he would remain in the race even despite Trump's wishes, saying "I owe it to the people of Texas." view article

Legal fight over SpaceX beach closures hits Texas Supreme Court

March 0608:40 AM

EDINBURG — The Texas Supreme Court pondered how far the state can go in limiting access to a public beach during oral arguments Thursday in a case involving the closure of Boca Chica Beach for SpaceX’s rocket launches. Rio Grande Valley environmentalist and indigenous groups are suing the Texas General Land Office and Cameron County over a law, passed in 2013, that allows some counties to temporarily close a beach for space flight activities. The lawsuit is among multiple waged over the years between local advocates and SpaceX as the space exploration company has continued to expand its physical footprint and the frequency of its rocket launches in South Texas. Both, activists argue, have caused harm to the local environment and impeded the public’s ability to access a beach that has to be closed off for safety when SpaceX is conducting its test launches. view article

Amazon’s Ring Cuts Ties with Surveillance Camera Co. Used by ICE. Will Schools?

March 0608:35 AM

Company owned by the e-commerce giant ditched Flock, whose school-based license plate reader cameras are being accessed by ICE through local police. view article

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Preventive Law: Special Education Camera Updates: Coming Soon

March 0608:35 AM

As we all know by now, the 89th Legislative Session(s) brought numerous changes to the world of special education. In the midst of all of the high-profile special education legislation, one important change may have slipped through the cracks: House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 568 made changes to the requirements surrounding surveillance of special education settings.

TEA will replace the Fort Worth ISD superintendent as part of state takeover

March 0608:31 AM

The Fort Worth Independent School District is getting a new superintendent as part of the recent state takeover. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath in a statement Wednesday said the Texas Education Agency "will move forward with the selection of a new superintendent" to replace Karen Molinar, who was named superintendent in March 2025. view article

Wichita Falls ISD avoids state takeover, will keep its elected school board

March 0608:27 AM

Texas declined Thursday to take over the Wichita Falls school district, which had been at risk of receiving the state’s most severe form of intervention over years of academic underperformance. Kirby Middle School triggered the potential of a takeover. Under the state’s school accountability system, five consecutive years of unacceptable ratings at a single school allows the Texas Education Agency to replace a district’s locally elected school board with a state-selected board of managers or order the closure of the struggling campus. view article

High school principals at Wichita Falls ISD to switch campuses

March 0608:24 AM

High school principals throughout the Wichita Falls ISD will be moving to new campuses at the start of the next school year. Legacy, Memorial, and CEC faculty were informed today that the principal of all three schools will be moving. WFISD Superintendent Dr. Donny Lee has confirmed that Laurie Kinnie will move from Memorial to the CEC, Dr. Peter Braveboy will move from Legacy to Memorial, and Dr. Brittany Bailey will move from the CEC to Legacy. view article

Pearsall ISD employee arrested after cocaine packaged for sale found in her home, sheriff’s office says

March 0608:24 AM

A Pearsall Independent School District employee was arrested Wednesday afternoon after investigators found cocaine in her home, the Frio County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to KSAT Investigates. view article

Leander ISD Adjusting Elementary & Middle School Bell Schedules Beginning March 24

March 0608:21 AM

Due to the district’s 2-hour delay caused by icy conditions in January, Leander ISD will make a minor adjustment to elementary and middle school bell schedules beginning March 24, 2026, when students return from Spring Break. A 5-minute change will recover instructional minutes lost during the late start and ensure the district remains in compliance with Texas Education Agency (TEA) requirements while creating the least disruption possible for students, families and staff. The adjustment will remain in effect for the rest of the school year. view article

Austin ISD seeks new uses for 5 campuses that will close over the summer

March 0608:19 AM

The Austin Independent School District plans to find new non-education uses for five of the 10 campuses slated for closure this summer, but district administrators say they haven’t yet determined what they’ll do with the properties. view article

Rep. Tony Gonzales drops reelection bid amid pressure over affair scandal

March 0605:41 AM

WASHINGTON — Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, dropped out of his primary runoff Thursday, heeding calls from House Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP members to end his reelection bid amid revelations that he had an affair with an aide who died by suicide. “After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,” Gonzales said in a statement posted on social media. “Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful.” view article

Looking into Texas school vouchers? See how much these area private schools cost

March 0605:26 AM

The Texas school voucher program is accepting applications for the 2026-27 school year, but the deadline is fast approaching Known as the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA), the program allowed families to begin applying for vouchers starting Feb. 4, 2026, with the application deadline set for March 17. The TEFA — formerly known as Senate Bill 2 — was signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday, May 3, 2025. For context, S.B. 2 established a $1 billion education savings account program for students and their families to use for tuition and other education expenses equal to 85% of what public schools receive per student through state and local funds. view article

State Lawmakers Launch ‘Sharia Free Texas Caucus’ to Counter Islamization

March 0605:08 AM

State Rep. Brent Money says the caucus will focus on examining how Sharia law conflicts with American constitutional protections. State Rep. Brent Money unveiled the Sharia Free Texas Caucus on Thursday, saying the group will develop legislative proposals aimed at preventing the influence of Islamic law in the state. “I think that one of the biggest issues facing Texas right now is the Islamization of Texas,” Money told Texas Scorecard in an interview. “We are seeing throughout the world what it’s like when you have runaway immigration and enclaves of Islamic communities that don’t assimilate into culture.” view article

Spring Branch ISD Orders Ramadan Display Removed From Bunker Hill Elementary

March 0605:00 AM

Spring Branch ISD directed campus leaders to remove a Ramadan display at Bunker Hill Elementary School, saying the decoration violated district policy. A Ramadan display set up in the lobby of Bunker Hill Elementary School in Houston was removed earlier this week after Spring Branch ISD determined it violated the district’s policy on religious and political neutrality. “Because the display was religious in nature, campus leaders were directed to remove it,” the district said in a statement to the Houston Chronicle. A district spokesperson said the removal was prompted by a parent complaint. he display was put up by the Parent Teacher Association’s cultural awareness committee. Casey Kaf Alghazal, the committee’s chair, said the school has had Ramadan-related decorations in past years, but this year’s display was larger than previous ones. It featured “Ramadan Mubarak” signage and crescent moon imagery in the school’s lobby. view article

Texas primary voters smash recent midterm turnout records

March 0508:30 AM

Turnout in the Democratic primary outpaced that on the Republican side for the first time since 2020, a notable distinction given the draw of high-profile Senate primaries in both parties. Nearly one in four registered voters in Texas cast a ballot in Tuesday’s primaries, a high-water mark for midterm elections in the state’s recent history, driven by electrifying momentum surrounding both parties’ races for U.S. Senate. In all, some 4.3 million Texans voted across the Democratic and Republican primaries, according to unofficial numbers on the Texas Secretary of State’s Office as of 1 p.m. Wednesday. The turnout was divided between about 2.2 million ballots in the Democratic primary and more than 2 million on the Republican side; it was the first time with higher Democratic turnout since 2020, when voters flocked to weigh in on the party’s open presidential primary. view article

Waco ISD moves to negotiate charter contract for two low-performing schools

March 0508:25 AM

Waco ISD board members voted Thursday night to begin contract negotiations with a third-party charter company in an effort to improve academic performance at two elementary schools and avoid a state takeover. The district will start negotiations in March with the Third Future Charter School Network to address failing accountability scores at South Waco and Dean Highland elementary schools. view article

Rockwall Republicans Defeat Developer Interests

March 0505:56 AM

Republican primary voters re-elected the county judge and two commissioners who support regulating development. view article

Interview: Don Huffines on Primary Victory and Plans for Comptroller’s Office

March 0505:46 AM

Republican comptroller nominee Don Huffines says his decisive victory in Tuesday’s primary shows Texas that voters are ready for stronger oversight of government spending. Huffines secured more than 50 percent of the vote in the four-way Republican primary, defeating Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock, Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, and accountant Michael Berlanga to avoid a runoff. In an interview with Texas Scorecard, Huffines discussed the race, his “DOGE Texas” agenda, President Donald Trump’s endorsement, and his upcoming General Election contest against Democrat Sarah Eckhardt. view article

Republican Voters Overwhelmingly Back Ban on Sharia Law  

March 0505:17 AM

Republican primary voters across Texas overwhelmingly supported a ballot proposition calling for the prohibition of Sharia law, according to unofficial results from the March 2026 Primary Election. The measure—Proposition 10—asked voters whether Texas should prohibit the use of Sharia law. The proposition was one of 10 non-binding questions placed on the Republican primary ballot by the Republican Party of Texas to gauge grassroots priorities ahead of the party’s 2026 convention and the 2027 legislative session. The propositions are advisory only but are often used by party activists and lawmakers to shape the party platform and future legislative priorities. view article

Father who gave gun to Georgia school shooting suspect for Christmas is guilty of 2nd-degree murder

March 0505:13 AM

A Georgia man who gave his teenage son the gun he’s accused of using to kill two students and two teachers at a high school has been convicted of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter view article

Onalaska Elementary teacher arrested on child pornography charge

March 0505:07 AM

An Onalaska Elementary School employee was arrested and booked into the Angelina County Jail Tuesday on charges including possession or promotion of child pornography and assault causing bodily injury, according to jail records and a statement from the school district. The employee, Jerry Michael Cobb, was booked March 3 at the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office. Records show the charges were issued out of Polk County. In a statement released Wednesday, Onalaska Independent School District Superintendent Kenneth Fraga said the district was notified of the arrest by law enforcement. view article

Court documents reveal domestic violence history of Austin shooting suspect

March 0505:00 AM

A court-documented history of family violence didn’t bar the suspected West Sixth Street attack suspect from owning guns under Texas law. Four days after the deadly shooting on West Sixth Street early Sunday morning, the Pflugerville neighborhood where suspected gunman Ndiaga Diagne once lived is quiet again, the shock of the attack now receding from view even as questions about his past grow sharper. The news crews and police vehicles that filled the block as police executed a search warrant in the hours after the shooting are long gone, and the home’s driveway now sits empty. Neighbors told Austin Current that aside from the flashing lights and uniformed officers who arrived soon after the shooting, the home had never drawn attention. “There were no cops ever,” said Chris Finch, who lives next door. “They kept to themselves.” view article

Barbers Hill Foundation Gave 3 Percent of $89 Million to School District

March 0505:00 AM

Eight years of federal forms filed by the Barbers Hill Education Foundation show it returned just 3 percent of monies it received to the Barbers Hill Independent School District. A specialist suggests the district is using the foundation to evade the state’s “Robin Hood” recapture system. This information was gleaned from Form 990s that the foundation, a nonprofit organization, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Texas Scorecard reviewed forms filed for the years 2015 to 2021, and 2023, comparing total contributions and grants received in a given year with grants given back to the district. There was no 2022 filing available on the IRS website. view article

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TexasISD.com was the brainchild of Joe F. Smith. Joe retired early from a successful career as Superintendent of Schools for Hudson ISD, deep in the Piney Woods of East Texas. Due to a long battle with Post-Polio Syndrome the doctor made him hang it up and rest for six months. Never being the kind of person to sit still and also not being the person to listen to his doctor, Joe logged lengthy sessions in front of his PC researching school issues, reading papers and corresponding with his friends and colleagues in the education business.

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