What's clear is that this wasn't Lake Dallas' first warning. Nearly 30 years ago, a deadly gas explosion happened less than a half-mile away. A federal investigation that followed raised concerns about a type of plastic gas pipe that regulators said could crack suddenly. 

These two explosions are among several similar incidents across North Texas that raise questions about why hazardous natural gas leaks keep happening despite efforts by Atmos Energy to improve safety.

Another explosion in Lake Dallas 

In August 1997, a Lake Dallas woman was killed when leaking natural gas ignited after she lit a cigarette in her bedroom. The National Transportation Safety Board traced that explosion to a brittle crack in a plastic gas pipe manufactured in 1970. Investigators said pressure from a nearby metal pipe increased stress underground and caused the failure. 

The following year, the NTSB issued a special report warning that plastic gas pipes made in the 1960s and early 1970s could be vulnerable to sudden cracking — especially when bent, shifted by soil movement or pressed by other infrastructure. 

The board cautioned that this kind of plastic pipe could fail without obvious warning signs and urged gas utilities to closely monitor and replace them.  

At the time, Atmos Energy did not operate the gas system in Lake Dallas. The company acquired the system in 2004. 

Atmos has not disclosed the exact type of pipe that failed in last month's explosion. However, the company confirmed the leaking line was installed in the early 1970s — the same era as the pipe involved in the fatal 1997 blast. 

Atmos also said it was unaware that this type of pipe remained underground in Lake Dallas. Company officials said two prior utility companies had worked to remove it from the system, and that Atmos reviewed those removal efforts when it acquired the system. 

"It now appears this short section of pipe was not found during those removal efforts, and for that reason, we did not know it was there," an Atmos spokesperson told CBS News Texas. 

The company said it is not aware of the same pipe type existing elsewhere in Lake Dallas, but is reviewing records from that earlier replacement work. 

Billions spent, but are outcomes improving?   

After a 2018 home explosion in Northwest Dallas that killed 12‑year‑old Linda Rogers, Atmos announced a sweeping effort to modernize its system, focusing on replacing older cast‑iron and bare steel pipes. 

Since then, according to federal records, Atmos says it has replaced nearly 600 miles of bare steel pipe and eliminated all cast‑iron pipe in its Mid‑Tex division, which serves the DFW Metroplex. The effort cost $10.7 billion between 2019 and 2024, with expenses largely passed on to customers. The average monthly residential gas bill for Dallas customers has increased by nearly $40. 

Despite recent investments, federal pipeline data shows that since 2019, the rate of hazardous leaks per mile of main pipeline in Atmos' Mid‑Tex division has increased, not declined.   

Atmos says the rise reflects better detection and faster repairs, not worsening conditions. The company points to advanced monitoring technology, including a fleet of gas‑sniffing vehicles that survey pipelines from roadways. In 2025, Atmos says it surveyed more than 40,000 miles of pipeline in the Mid-Tex division.  

Most hazardous leaks are caused by third-party digging. But state data also shows thousands of hazardous leaks every year are caused by other failures, and some are not discovered until it's too late. 

In Grand Prairie in 2020, a natural gas leak ignited under a roadway, resulting in a fireball and forcing nearby evacuations. Investigators later traced that leak to a factory defect in the pipe. 

In Carrollton in 2024, leaking natural gas entered a sewer system and triggered a home explosion that killed a man. Investigators said the leak was caused by a faulty fusion connection between two plastic gas pipes. 

Critics say replacement alone may miss risks 

Consumer advocates say the Lake Dallas case highlights a broader concern. 

"The gas utilities are spending a lot of money," said Abe Scarr, energy and utilities program director for the Public Interest Research Group. "But not always in ways that are targeted to actually improve safety outcomes." 

Scarr said in recent years, gas companies across the country have spent billions on pipeline replacement programs, focusing heavily on pipe age and material.  He said such approaches are often inefficient at improving safety and can overlook localized warning signs, such as leak clusters, installation problems or areas with long histories of failure. 

"All gas infrastructure can leak," he said. "Material alone doesn't tell you where the danger really is." 

Atmos: safety remains top priority 

Atmos says safety is its highest priority as it continues to invest billions in modernization, leak detection and damage prevention education, including urging contractors and residents to call 811 before digging. 

For Lake Dallas neighbors like Jake Sahl, who helped rescue the woman from the March explosion, the concern is personal. 

"You don't know what you don't know – what's leaking, what's broke?" he questioned. "I just hope I don't blow up." 

The current attorney general, Ken Paxton, is leaving the office at the end of the year and is running for U.S. Senate. 

The Republican candidates, State Senator Mayes Middleton and Central Texas Congressman Chip Roy, are in a very contentious fight. 

They emerged from the March 3 primary, finishing in the top two. Middleton received more than 39% of the vote, while Roy finished with nearly 32%. 

Middleton also received the endorsement from another Republican candidate, Aaron Reitz. 

No word yet from the fourth candidate in the GOP primary, State Senator Joan Huffman, if she will make an endorsement in the runoff. 

Last week, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick predicted that Middleton would win. 

Mayes Middleton on his campaign

In an interview with CBS News Texas, Middleton said there is a reason he came in first place in the March 3 election. 

"We did very well here in Dallas County, a double-digit win here. The DFW region, a double-digit win," Middleton said. "The reason why is Texas is Trump country. They want a conservative fighter that will back up the president and make sure that we use every resource and tool to advance his conservative agenda in Texas." 

Middleton said he wasn't surprised Roy finished behind him in the first round. "The reason why he did so badly on Election Day is because his record of fighting President Trump caught up to him," he said. "It's funny when politicians like Chip and Liz Cheney are surprised all of a sudden when that record catches up to them and haunts them." 

Middleton continued his criticism of Roy. 

"He said President Trump needed to be impeached. He said that Liz Cheney needed to be commended and not condemned. He spent a career fighting against the MAGA agenda," he said. 

Chip Roy on his campaign

Roy rejected Middleton's claims about his record in an interview with CBS News Texas. 

"Each one of those claims is either an outright lie or intentionally misleading," he said. 

"Let's go through them. If you look at the issue with respect to impeachment, I fought both impeachments of President Trump vigorously. I voted against both impeachments of President Trump. On the issue of Liz Cheney, we were working through at the time the votes of what was necessary with respect to the conference chair. We didn't have the votes to remove Liz Cheney. I worked with the speaker. We figured out what the best path was. How do we unite? So, we basically made an arrangement." 

Roy went on to say, "Let's all unite. We'll support Liz right now in order to try to move the conference forward. But if she looks backward and attacks the president, then we'll unite to call for her to step down. Two weeks later, she was criticizing the president. I was the first to step out, go to the steps of the House, and say Liz had to go. The speaker followed, and then it took about a month and a half to still build the coalition to change the conference chair. That's what you have to do when you're actually in the arena."

Roy said his message to Republican voters has been clear. 

"You can choose someone who has been in a courtroom, who's been a prosecutor, who's practiced law, who's been the first assistant attorney general," he said, referencing himself. 

"Or you can try to hire somebody for on-the-job training who's never actually practiced law and has never done the job. For the most part, he's managed his family business, which means really administering royalties that he inherited from his family. That's not somebody that is prepared to be the attorney general of the state of Texas."

In response to Roy's comments, Middleton shot back, "I am a practicing attorney in oil and gas law." 

"This is Texas, so I think it's ridiculous for someone to say that practicing oil and gas law in Texas is not practicing law. Going back to how Paxton can get elected. In 2013, the reason why we supported him for attorney general was not because he was a civil attorney like me. It was because he was a proven conservative in the Texas Senate, top one or two most conservative members. That's why we supported him. That's what this is about, a proven conservative record. Like our president, this is calling for me. This is not a job."

Next week, Eye On Politics will feature interviews with the two Democrats in the primary runoff for attorney general: State Senator Nathan Johnson of Dallas and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski.

This week's full episode can be found below:

Halvorson was part of a crew responding to a two-alarm house fire on the city's historic Southside last September, when the home's garage collapsed around him, leaving him crushed beneath debris and his body covered in burns. Halvorson is home now, recovering, still in therapy, and facing additional surgeries. But his case drew widespread attention after his family took to social media, alleging that workers' compensation had denied and delayed parts of his care. He said that while he's getting the care he needs now, it's been a "horrible, agonizing" process.

After Halvorson's story became public, more than two dozen first responders came forward with similar accounts. An I-Team investigation found those stories are not isolated, raising questions about a system many describe as slow and adversarial.

On Tuesday morning, Fort Worth's director of human resources presented a 20-page overview of how the system is supposed to work, saying the goal is to treat employees with dignity and respect, and to provide high-quality medical care when first responders are injured in the line of duty.

"Workers' compensation is in place to ensure employees who are, injured or become ill as a result of their work, that they receive treatment on timely care and in some situations, compensation, for their situations," said Director of Human Resources Kristen Smith.

Fort Worth City Councilmember Charlie Lauersdorf said he doesn't believe there is ill intent when it comes to the workers' comp system, but that it's become clear to him that something has to change.

"There's been more and more and more stories," Lauersdorf said at the meeting. "Thirty plus first responders have come directly to me."

The city's human resources department presented plans to improve outcomes, including more accountability and adding two new support positions to help employees navigate the process.

Halvorson said he sees this meeting as a positive step in the right direction. But Lauersdorf said this is just the beginning.

"We're certainly not gonna stop the fight now because nothing's changed yet," he told CBS Texas in an interview following the council meeting.

How the system works

Across North Texas, when an employee of any city is hurt, he or she files a workers' comp claim. The city's insurance carrier or a third-party administrator decides whether care is approved. If a claim is denied, the case can be appealed to the Texas Department of Insurance.

State Rep. Jared Patterson has been a vocal critic of the workers' comp system and has been working on legislative changes for years. In an interview with the I-Team, he said that while insurance carriers make decisions, cities control those contracts.

In Fort Worth, taxpayers fund Sedgwick, the third-party administrator that handles workers' comp claims. In the past, the city has referred CBS Texas' questions about the system to Sedgwick, saying it made the decisions. Sedgwick, in turn, has referred us back to the city.

The I-Team found the same finger pointing in other North Texas cities.

To read the I-Team's full investigation, click here.

Caleb Halvorson was part of the crew that responded. As he was fighting the flames inside the home's garage, it collapsed around him, leaving him crushed beneath debris and his body covered in burns.

The fire also set off a chain of events that has exposed broader concerns about how injured first responders are treated across Texas.

Halvorson is home now, recovering, still in therapy, and facing additional surgeries. But his case drew widespread attention after his family took to social media, alleging that workers' compensation had denied and delayed parts of his care.

"I love my job and I want to go back to doing my job. But I want to go back to doing it 110%, not broken, and for that to happen, I can't be getting denied," Halvorson said. "I held up my promise, hold up yours."

After his story became public, more than two dozen first responders came forward with similar accounts. An I-Team investigation found those stories are not isolated, raising questions about a system many describe as slow and adversarial.

A pattern across departments

Just south of Texas Motor Speedway, along State Highway 114, Fort Worth firefighter Shonna Moorman can still point to the exact spot where her life changed.

Moorman, a 27-year veteran, was responding to a rollover crash on New Year's Eve in 2019, when a truck slammed into her fire engine and then into her. 

"It launched me eight to 10 feet in the air, threw me into the middle of the highway," she said.

Her injuries were so severe that she underwent 10 surgeries and spent nearly two months in the hospital.

"I almost lost my leg multiple times," she said.

But Moorman said the struggle did not end when she went home.

When her doctor requested authorization for a knee replacement surgery, workers' compensation denied it repeatedly.

"It was three denial letters," she said. "It took the doctor I'm seeing now three four-page letters to write everything in and document everything and hunt everything down. And he went to war for me. And finally, it was approved. It was a long battle. It was in that year I could barely walk." 

Daniel Terrell, a Fort Worth fire captain with 20 years on the job, suffered extensive injuries in 2024 when a fire engine rolled over, throwing him from the vehicle.

"I had, I think, 13 or 14 skull and facial fractures, crushed a bunch of cranial nerves, broke ribs," he said.

Despite those injuries, Terrell said he had to fight for approval to see the right specialists.

"There's a video of me getting drug out of the windshield, and we were arguing over whether I should be able to select a surgeon to operate on my eye," he said.

Terrell said the system distracts from recovery.

"If you're hurt or, especially if you have a cancer diagnosis, the only thing that you should ever think about is healing and getting healthy," he said.

In Arlington, firefighter Brady Weaver was shot in the line of duty in March 2024. The bullet missed his heart by a centimeter and pierced his lung. It remains lodged in his body.

"In the back of the ambulance, my vision kind of started going in and out, and all I could think is, I can't leave these kids at home. They need their dad," Weaver said.

He was later honored by Gov. Greg Abbott at the 2024 Star of Texas Awards in Austin, which recognize peace officers, firefighters and first responders who demonstrate heroism and sacrifice in service to their communities and the state.

Even after that recognition, he said he is still dealing with denials and out-of-pocket bills.

"This is the first denial I received," he said. "Workers' comp won't cover it, and my pocketbook only goes so far."

"We put our lives on the line, and they treat us like someone who stubbed their toe at work and is just trying to get a payout."

The I-Team found their stories are not unique. More than two dozen first responders have described their battles following injuries, illnesses and diseases they say were caused in the line of duty.

A Fort Worth firefighter who fell through an attic said he was denied therapy after breaking his back.

Another, hurt searching for missing campers in Kerrville, said workers' compensation "passed him around like a Marlboro cigarette."

In Bedford, a retired police officer described waiting "five months in pure agony" for a back surgery and called the system "all money-driven."

In Hutchins, a firefighter hit and thrown under a police cruiser described workers' compensation as a "nightmare."

How the system works

When a city employee is injured, a claim is filed with the city's insurance carrier, which then determines whether care is approved.

If a claim is denied, it can be appealed through the Division of Workers' Compensation, part of the Texas Department of Insurance.

State data shows more than 507,000 claims have been filed since 2021. Of those, more than 82,000, about 16%, received an initial denial.

The I-Team also requested data from North Texas cities, asking for the number of workers' compensation claims filed between January 2021 and March 2026, as well as how many of those claims received an initial denial.

Fort Worth reported 8,938 claims, with 722 initial denials. Dallas reported 9,485 claims, with 773 initial denials. Plano reported 2,628 claims and no initial denials. Frisco reported 1,303 claims, with 115 initial denials. Saginaw reported 91 claims and no initial denials. Flower Mound reported 492 claims, with 35 initial denials. Arlington reported 2,721 workers' compensation claims, with 202 denials.

These figures reflect workers' compensation claims across all city employees, not just first responders.

Firefighter advocates push back

The Texas State Association of Fire Fighters said denial rates for first responders were significantly higher a decade ago, when they were around 90 percent, and have improved to roughly 40 percent today.

"There has been progress," said Erin Powers, communications director for the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters.

But Powers said responsibility is often shared.

In some cases, cities sign over decision-making authority to insurance carriers or to the Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool, a self-insurance pool used by cities across Texas to provide workers' compensation coverage.

Zac Shaffer, president of the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association, said the system is shaped by policy.

"Insurance is designed to deny," he said. "It's a policy problem."

"This is where the city deserves blame," he said, adding that carriers can also be "aggressive."

"It comes down to cities and money," he said. "They try to cut costs."

"We are lumped in with all employees," he said. "But when you're talking about return-to-work programs or duty modifications, that doesn't apply as well to first responders."

"We need more choices for doctors," he said.

"The time you spend waiting for approval shouldn't count against the two years first responders are given," he said. 

"We handle all complaints. We have assigned advocates to help," he said. "We have a lot of problems out there."

Beau Simpson, a district vice president with the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters, said the issue is widespread.

"It's a massive problem," he said.

Simpson said the association represents 20,000 firefighters and he receives calls for help five times a day.

"The biggest thing is we're in the same workers' comp system as everyone else in Texas," he said.

"Some in the general workforce may want to play the game. We just want to go back to work."

"They (cities and carriers) want to spend the least amount of money and get someone back to work. We are different."

"If they did what they needed to do sooner, I would have been back at work sooner… and for less money," he said. "That's the biggest issue we have."

"The bigger carrier, Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool, they are the devil to us when it comes to workers' comp," he said. "They don't care."

The I-Team reached out to TML for comment, but it has not received a response.

State Rep. Jared Patterson, a Republican from Frisco, said many first responders are told decisions are up to insurance carriers, but cities still have authority.

"The city council members and the mayors of these cities and the county commissioners… they are the ones that are sending these folks into harm's way," he said.

"They're sending them into harm's way, and then if they get injured in the line of duty, you're on your own."

Patterson has been pushing reforms in the state legislature since 2019. This week, he joined the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, or CLEAT, in sending a letter to the City of Arlington, accusing the city of violating state law. According to the letter, the city is forcing police officers injured in the line-of-duty to use accrued vacation and sick time to attend medical appointments related to those injuries, instead of injury leave. 

"It's mainly been the cost," Patterson said, referring to cities' opposition to reforms.

Some opponents cite the impact of potential fraud on workers' compensation denials. But Fort Worth City Councilmember Charlie Lauersdorf said those should not overshadow the needs of injured first responders.

"You hear, 'What about fraud? What about this?'" Lauersdorf said. "Let's trust our first responders to do the right thing."

"They want to get back to work. Caleb Halvorson wants to get back to work. He doesn't want to be in this position. No one wants to sit behind a desk."

"Let's get them healthy, get them back to work, approve it as it comes through and worry about everything else on the back side."

After Halvorson struggled to get care, Lauersdorf pressed the city manager to step in.

Emails obtained by the I-Team show that Lauersdorf also asked for a full review of the city's workers' compensation system.

A system under scrutiny

The Texas Department of Insurance said it enforces the system but does not create the laws governing it.

For people like Weaver, the Arlington firefighter who was shot, the issue remains immediate.

"I still have a bullet in me," he said. "I have kids. I need to be able to give them everything… and if I'm not having the care that I need, how does that affect them in the long run?"

City responses

The I-Team reached out to multiple cities across North Texas, asking whether they support, oppose or are considering changes to the workers' compensation system for first responders, what role they play in decisions affecting injured employees, and if they are supporting any upcoming legislation to change the system.

City of Fort Worth:

"The city follows the law and all federal and state regulatory guidelines related to injured/ill workers. Any considerations to change current practices will follow an appropriate review and evaluation process.

There is a plan for a new position(s) for Human Resources, that will:
focus on ensuring employees have access to additional support for navigating the claims process,
serve as an escalation point, if issues arise,
partner with departments and injured employees on return-to-work options; and
increase reporting and visibility into claims activity.

Increasing our internal support model enhances service delivery for all employees, including Police and Fire. The goal is to staff the position(s) during Fiscal Year 2026.

We cannot speak to any specific cases. The city follows the law and all regulatory guidelines related to injured/ill workers, including options for provider selection.

Due to HIPPA laws, we are unable to comment on specific cases.

The city holds Sedgwick accountable for service level agreements, including expectations for responsiveness. The city follows allowable procurement guidelines, including competitive bidding. Following initial vendor selection, the city has discretion to exercise an initial term of five-years and an option to renew up to two additional one-year terms. Sedgwick currently has one remaining renewal option, which would require the city to initiate the competitive bidding process no later than 2027."

Sedgwick, the third-party administrator that manages Fort Worth's workers' comp claims, has referred the I-Teams questions to the city; however, the I-Team has learned Sedgwick and the City of Fort Worth are communicating about the issues.

A spokesperson later told the I-Team "…the team continues to meet with the city but does not have an update yet."

City of Hutchins:

"The City of Hutchins will continue to closely monitor any legislative developments at the state level that may affect our first responders.

We recognize the critical role our first responders play in ensuring the safety and security of our community and remain firmly committed to supporting their health, safety, and overall well-being, particularly in the event of unforeseen work-related injuries.

The City of Hutchins supports any measures that will benefit and enhance the well-being of our first responders."

City of Dallas:

"Since the question is about upcoming legislative priorities, there is not anything to say at this time. We have not started those discussions, much less received direction from council, on the City's priorities for the upcoming session."

City of Frisco:

"Thank you for your interest; however, we do not have a comment at this time."

City of Bedford:

"The City of Bedford is committed to supporting the health, safety, and well-being of our first responders and ensuring they have access to the care and resources they need.

At this time, the City is not actively pursuing or evaluating changes to the workers' compensation system. To date, the City of Bedford has not received concerns from Bedford first responders regarding the current process.

However, we continue to monitor legislative discussions at the state level and remain supportive of efforts that enhance care, streamline access to benefits, and improve outcomes for those who serve our community.

The City of Bedford has taken proactive steps to support first responder health and early detection of potential issues. The Bedford Fire Department has offered cancer screening programs since 2018 and currently provides sonogram screenings twice a year and annual blood work. These efforts already meet the requirements outlined in the Wade Cannon Act. The Bedford Police Department also continues to utilize a wellness grant to offer voluntary full-body health screenings for officers through Front Line Mobile.

The City remains committed to evaluating opportunities that support first responder wellness and will continue to prioritize programs and resources that help protect those who protect our community."

City of Arlington:

"The City of Arlington is committed to the health, safety, and well-being of every one of our employees. Our workers' compensation program is administered in accordance with state law requirements, and we work closely with employees to ensure they understand their rights and the resources available to them throughout the process. These cases are often complex and highly fact-specific, and each is handled based on its individual circumstances.

We are always looking for ways to improve the process and the employee experience. As an example, in 2025, the City implemented enhanced staff training and strengthened quality control measures to improve the timeliness of bill processing and the accuracy of data entry.

From 2021 through February 2026, the City has had 2,721 workers' compensation claims filed. Of those, 91% (2,452) were fully approved, 2% (67) were partially approved, and 7% (202) were denied. Over a similar timeframe, the City paid more than $10.2 million in workers' compensation claims.

Due to privacy considerations, we are unable to comment on the specific case you referenced."

City of Southlake:

"The City of Southlake is committed to supporting the health, safety, and well-being of all employees, including first responders.

While the City does not take positions on legislation without reviewing specific proposals, we remain attentive to discussions on first responder support and will carefully evaluate any measures that could impact our employees."

Town of Flower Mound:

"The Town of Flower Mound is self-insured for workers' compensation but through the Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool, which is a self-insured group. This means we share benefits and liabilities with other members of the group. Our contract with the risk pool is up in September 2026, but we have the option to renew. Though we still have time before making that decision, we do not currently have any plans to leave the risk pool.

The Town does not play any role in reviewing or influencing decisions on workers comp. Claims are reviewed and decided by the Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool adjusters, without our staff's involvement."

State response

The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation provided the following response:

"The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) administers and oversees the operations of the Texas workers' compensation system, including monitoring for compliance and managing the administrative dispute resolution process for disagreements on a claim.

Insurance carriers are responsible for handling claim decisions such as accepting, paying, or denying workers' compensation claims. Injured employees have the right to dispute an insurance carrier's claim decision.

There are several special provisions in the Texas workers' compensation system for first responders, including expedited medical disputes. Under Texas Labor Code Section 504.055, a first responder's request for medical dispute resolution must be accelerated by DWC and given priority.

As the regulator, DWC does not advocate for specific regulatory changes. Our role is to serve as a resource for lawmakers when they consider changes to workers' compensation laws. DWC reviews all proposed workers' compensation legislation, and provides analysis, feedback, and resource witness testimony when requested.

Injured employees have the right to dispute an insurance carrier's claim decision. DWC has an administrative dispute resolution process for this purpose. We encourage injured employees to contact us at 800-252-7031 at any point during their claim to receive information about their rights, the claims process, or how to initiate a dispute.

When a first responder calls DWC, they are assigned to one of our experienced claims examiners, called single-point-of-contacts (SPOCs). A SPOC helps the injured employee throughout the duration of their claim and serves as a consistent point of communication.

DWC also provides online resources, including videos on how to navigate the claims process and FAQs about the workers' compensation claims process. These materials are available in English and Spanish, and DWC has resources dedicated specifically to first responders.

In addition, the Office of Injured Employee Counsel (OIEC), a separate state agency, is available to assist, educate, and advocate on behalf of injured employees in Texas."

Since early February, residents of the Big Bend region have been outspoken about border wall plans, both on social media and through in-person events hosted in Brewster and Presidio counties. A wall wouldn't just be a scar on the landscape, they say. It would also be unnecessary in a region that typically sees far fewer border crossings due to its harsh terrain.

Since news of a proposed border wall in the region spread in February, plans have changed multiple times. The most recent iteration, according to local officials, includes a physical barrier through land to the west of the state park, but not within the state or national parks. Advocates and officials say that while they view it as progress, they will continue to fight against any physical wall in the region.

A bipartisan coalition

Word that a physical border wall was being considered in the Big Bend region quickly spread via word of mouth last month. Landowners in Presidio County began receiving packets from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), letting them know their land might need to be accessed to build a wall. Others were approached by contractors looking to house construction workers for the project. 

The local paper, The Big Bend Sentinel, reported in early February that construction was imminent. Eagle-eyed local residents noticed a map on CBP's website that showed a physical barrier planned for the border region, including through Big Bend Ranch and Big Bend National parks. Others observed a notice posted in the Federal Register waiving 28 federal laws and regulations to allow for the construction of a physical barrier in the Big Bend Sector.

Dodson said he initially got most of his information after he made a traffic stop on a trio of construction workers.

"All of the men told us that they were down here surveying and getting rock samples and saying what they're going to have to do to get the wall going," Dodson said. "It's moving faster than we think it is."

Charlie Angell, a land and business owner who has lived in Presidio County for 11 years, said he is one of the landowners that received a packet from CBP. The notice offered Angell $2,500 to allow CBP contractors to enter his property for construction purposes. 

Angell runs his recreation business on his land along the banks of the Rio Grande in Redford, and lives there himself.

"I've never had anybody, legal or illegal, come up this way to try to threaten me or try to steal from me," he said. "If there was a crisis on the border right here, and I feared for my life, I would welcome a wall to protect me, like anyone would."

Brewster County Judge Greg Henington, a Republican, also opposes a wall in the area, but said in an interview with CBS News Texas he is not anti-border security. 

"The governor and federal administration have helped the sheriff out a great deal with grants and funding to help beef up our law enforcement presence [at the border]," Henington said in early March, before plans for the wall were reduced to omit the state and national parks. "Instead of a physical wall, I think we can use technology or the infrared motion sensors or whatever gadgets they have to do that. They've been doing it now, so it's not new. I don't know why we can't continue to pursue that route in border security versus putting a wall through one of our most spectacular national parks and state park and other wild lands."

Henington also said a physical wall would be a waste of taxpayer dollars.

"There are probably places where a wall makes some sense," he said. "Our terrain is terrible. I mean, you've got to cross mountains, canyons, very, extremely rugged country with no water. I was a paramedic for 20 years in Terlingua, and so I made a number of calls to people that tried to come through here and didn't make it."

Border crossings across the board are down under President Donald Trump. From last October through February of this year, CBP data shows border patrol officers 34,486 migrants illegally crossing the southwestern border, down from 187,898 for that same period the year prior. Only 892, less than three percent, crossed through the Big Bend sector.

"Trump got in and he declared the border was closed," Dodson said. "It basically shut down."

Earlier this month, Sheriff Dodson was joined by the sheriffs of Hudspeth, Culberson, Presidio and Terrell counties, in writing a letter calling on the federal government to reconsider a physical barrier in the Big Bend region. 

"Steep mountain ranges, deep canyons, expansive desert landscapes, and the Rio Grande itself create formidable natural barriers," they wrote.

"We are also mindful of the unique character of the Big Bend region. This area includes nationally and internationally significant public lands, ranchlands, tourism-based economies, and critical wildlife habitat," the letter continued.

In the weeks after the news broke, without direct communication from the federal government, concerned residents watched the CBP map for updates. In early March, the plans were updated to reduce the proposed physical wall to the western portion of the Big Bend sector, only going through part of the state park. As the plan stands today, local officials say there are now no longer plans for a wall in the state park at all.

Even with the updates, advocates said they were not ready to stop fighting. 

"Nothing has really changed. I feel like we have had a consistent state of confusion with lack of communication," said area photographer Anna Claire Beasley. "I really think that until we understand really what is being proposed, and have that in writing, I can't say that this is a win."

Beasley is originally from the San Antonio area, but grew up visiting the Big Bend region and said she always knew she would eventually move there. She has been part of anti-wall organizing efforts in the area, posting real-time updates on social media, advising others on how to get involved and starting an online petition that has surpassed 100,000 signatures.

"This is a nonpartisan issue," Beasley said. "What really matters is that this place stays Texas heritage, that it stays the way it is that future generations can enjoy it the way that we do and that we have."

CBS News Texas reached out to CBP for comment Monday morning, but has not heard back yet. But in early March, CBP released a statement saying: 

"As CBP continues to work to implement President Trump's Executive Order 14165, 'Securing our Borders' and Proclamation 10142, 'Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the United States,' it continues to develop and finalize its execution plan for border barrier construction funded by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act ... The Big Bend National Park and State Park are still in the planning stages. CBP will continue to coordinate with the National Park Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and other federal and state agencies, throughout the planning of border barrier and technology deployments, in order to achieve Border Patrol's operational priorities."   

Where things currently stand

On Monday afternoon, local elected leaders confirmed to CBS News Texas that over the weekend CBP regional leaders said a 5.6-mile wall through Big Bend Ranch State Park was no longer a part of the plan. Instead, the physical wall is now proposed to start to the west of the state park, with detection technology installed through the state and national parks

During a meeting last week between Presidio County officials and representatives from the Big Bend Sector of CBP, Chief Patrol Agent Lloyd M. Easterling said he and other local CBP partners are sympathetic to concerns, according to a briefing about the meeting authored by Presidio County Commissioner Deidre Hisler and shared with CBS News Texas. 

According to that briefing, construction is expected to begin in June. 

Advocates said that while they consider this latest development progress, they aren't ready to stop fighting against a wall in the region.

"A physical border wall upstream of the parks is still an extremely expensive and damaging option in this area and we plan to look for better options. It's a waste of taxpayer money on a virtually non-existent problem," Clara Bensen, a member of the community coalition No Big Bend Wall, wrote in a text message Monday afternoon.

In an emailed statement to CBS News Texas, Alpine Mayor Catherine Eaves said that along with concern about disrupting tourism and wildlife, she was concerned from a public safety and infrastructure standpoint. 

Her statement read, in part: "Our region has limited capacity in regard to medical resources particularly in the southern areas of the county where only one ambulance serves vast distances. The anticipated influx of up to 600 border wall workers would place additional strain on already limited services. There is only one hospital in the area, located in Alpine, which is up to two hours drive from the river ... We respectfully urge federal authorities to maintain a technology based strategy for the entire Big Bend sector and to refrain from constructing physical barriers in this uniquely sensitive and economically vital region."

Advocates and officials noted that as of Monday night, the online CBP map still showed a physical barrier in Big Bend Ranch State Park.

Lingering concerns

Residents' concerns are wide-ranging, even without a wall through the parks seemingly off the table for now. They range from archaeological to economic, environmental to cultural. 

Raymond William Bartko, owner of Far Flung Outdoor Center in Terlingua, is worried about the impact a wall would have on his recreation business. But he also echoed concerns about the strain on resources an influx of contract construction workers would have on the region. 

"We don't even have a real trash pickup service here," Bartko said. "To come in and house 500 people for 18 months would effectively double our population here in town. To give a real sense of perspective, that would be adding 8.3 million people to the DFW area for 18 months and then ask yourself, what's that do to traffic? What's that do to the resources?"

Archaeologist David Keller said the true impact of what could be lost is impossible to know. He had hoped to excavate an archaeological site known as the Polvo site, which sits on the part of Charlie Angell's property where a wall could be installed.

"Of all the La Junta sites that I know about, this is the only one that is directly in the path of that wall," Keller said. "If they put a physical wall here, it will destroy this site."

To longtime Terlingua resident and historian Cynta de Narvaez, part of the appeal of the region is its cross-border culture. 

"The river does not divide us," de Narvaez said. "We may speak two different languages, but share one thing."

De Narvaez has dedicated much of her life to preserving Terlingua's history. She says when Terlingua was a mining town in the early 1900s, Mexican laborers became an integral part of the town.

"The Mexicans had a place to come across and a place where they were safe, where their kids could go to school and get immunized," de Narvaez said. "They didn't understand discrimination until they left."

There's also a concern that with the parks seemingly protected, private landowners will get left behind.

"I woke up this morning in fear that there would be a loss of momentum," said Christina Hernandez, executive director at the Big Bend Conservation Alliance. "Any thought of the momentum breaking away, people moving away from the movement because they feel that the national park is protected, I think that they lose sight of all the other sacred sites and archaeological sites, but also land that's been in people's family for generation after generation. And we're such a poor community that for a lot of people, that land is their generational wealth."

Hernandez is also a Presidio native whose family has been in the area for more than 1,000 years.

"They want us to feel like we're winning," Hernandez said. "And what gets left behind are the property owners who are up and down the river, who don't have a beautiful national park in our immediate backyard."

The Peñas are among the families that have owned land in Presidio County for generations. When Mario Peña was growing up, it was a bustling farm. He eventually left Presidio County, moving to the less-remote west Texas city of Monahans to raise his family. But when his parents died several years ago, he decided to move back to the Redford area to revive the farm as an alfalfa farm. 

When his son Joaquin got laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic, he invited him to help out. 

"I kind of jokingly was like, alright," Joaquin Peña said. "And then I ended up being here for almost five years now."

When CBS News Texas interviewed the Peñas in early March, they had not been contacted by CBP with an offer to access their land, but their farm sits on the banks of the Rio Grande, in an area where there currently are plans for a wall. Their irrigation system connects to the river. 

"If that wall goes up, we have no access to our pumps that we use to irrigate, which means that our crops will dry out and die," Joaquin Peña said.

Peña said reviving the family farm was a long-time dream of his father's and the thought of losing it now weighs heavy over him: "It just doesn't feel right."

Mario Peña said he doesn't like thinking of that possibility and is choosing to remain positive. But he did say he wouldn't give up his home easily.

"This is our paradise," Mario Peña said. "We're going to fight back for our property."

But the boom comes with a cost. These centers are already among the state's biggest users of electricity and water.

In rural communities, where both resources are often limited, the issue has already sparked tension between landowners and tech companies, leaving lawmakers to navigate the delicate balance between moving cautiously and pursuing a potential economic windfall.

The data center boom

Every question you ask Siri, every chatbot reply, every picture saved to the cloud — it all has to live somewhere. That somewhere is data centers. 

Data centers are large buildings that house the computers that provide the processing power needed to support our online activity. With the growth of AI, the demand for this computing power is exploding. 

"We need to keep pace with other countries that are building out rapidly, and we also need to do it to ensure our own national security," said Dan Diorio, vice president of state policy at the Data Center Coalition, an industry trade group. 

Texas, with its wealth of land and pro-business climate, is poised to play a big role. Texas' data center load is expected to more than double to 30% of total U.S. demand by 2028, according to a recent report by Bloom Energy. 

"Texas is a great market for us," said Colin McLean, chief revenue officer at Digital Realty. "We obviously have great resources in terms of people, great access to energy."

Digital Realty runs 30 data centers across Texas, including a 450,000 square-foot facility in Richardson and another million square-foot center under construction in Garland. 

With similar projects popping up across the state, some are concerned it's all happening too fast.

Tech companies zero in on Hood County      

There are few places where the concern over the data center boom is more evident than in rural Hood County, southwest of Fort Worth, where as many as six new data center projects are now in the pipeline. 

The largest of these is the Comanche Circle project, which has received conditional approval from the county. Each of the more than 30 buildings on the project would be roughly the size of two-and-a-half Super Walmarts. Construction is scheduled to begin by the end of 2026.

This massive data center would be built on land that's been rural for generations. 

"It would just destroy everything that we hold dear here," said Brad Davis, whose family has owned property adjacent to the proposed site for more than six decades. "Light pollution, sound pollution, the water shed. Just the quality of life."   

Brian and Lauren Crawford moved to the area to retire. They say the project's buildings would be as close as 300 feet from their fence line. 

Both the Crawford and Davis families are urging county leaders to slow down these projects.

"It's not just the project that's next to us," Brian Crawford said. "There are other projects going on in Hood County and Somervell County, all right together. And it's a concern of the cumulative effect of all these."

So far, the county is allowing the project to move forward. 

Sailfish Investors founder Ryan Hughes, the Florida-based developer behind the project, declined a request for an interview. But he did send CBS News Texas a statement that read in part: "Sailfish remains excited about the potential of Comanche Circle, a transformational project designed to bring substantial private investment, significant tax base growth, and long-term economic benefits to the region."

At a recent Hood County Commissioners Court meeting, he further defended his plans. 

"If I follow the regulations in place, and I am a private landowner, and there is no zoning authority in Hood County, I deserve the right to build my project," Hughes said during that meeting.

Is Texas ready?

Fights like the one in Hood County are breaking out across Texas — especially in rural counties, where leaders often aren't sure what they should do, or what they can do. The biggest challenge: no one really knows what this boom will bring. 

When it comes to water usage, a recent study estimated that data centers in Texas could use up to 161 billion gallons a year by 2030, or as little as 29 billion gallons. That's like the difference between adding 32 golf courses or more than 1,000. 

And when it comes to power, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) says more than 220 gigawatts worth of projects have applied to connect to the grid — more than double the energy Texas uses on the hottest summer day (More than half of those proposals have not cleared required studies and may never get built).

"That's one of the challenges for us, frankly, is trying to predict how many of these projects going forward are really going to make it across the goal line," said state Sen. Tan Parker, a Republican from Flower Mound.

Even with so many unknowns, Parker said he believes that Texas can handle the growth. He pointed to the changes made since the 2021 blackout: more power is on the grid and there are stricter reviews and guardrails to make sure both electricity and water are in place before a new data center comes online. 

"We can walk and chew gum," Parker said. "We can support a strong grid, protect our water resources, our electricity resources, at the same time, supporting advanced technology. We can do all of it." 

But an ongoing legal case threatens to strip work authorization from DACA recipients in the Lone Star State, leaving them on edge and in a state of limbo.

Ongoing case

In 2018, Texas joined several states in a lawsuit against the federal government attempting to end DACA, claiming the program is unlawful and costs the state money by providing recipients with public services. 

Last year, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that while the federal government can protect DACA recipients from deportation, it's illegal to grant them work permits. The court's ruling only applied to Texas, as it said Texas was the only state that proved DACA had caused it financial harm.

Now, the case is before Houston-based U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen, who will review the 5h Circuit Court's guidelines. So far, no deadline has been set as to when Hanen could offer a final ruling.

"We have 89,000 DACA recipients who contribute $6 billion in spending power and pay $1.3 billion in taxes," said Juan Carlos Cerda, Texas director at the American Business Immigration Coalition. "Most of them would probably have to leave the state if they weren't able to renew their work authorization."

'It does take a toll'

Cerda has an interest in the United States' immigration policy both professionally and personally. He was just three-years-old when his parents left Mexico and moved their family to the United States and has lived in Fort Worth since he was a child.

Cerda calls Texas home, but now he's anxiously awaiting Hanen's decision to see how it will impact his family's future in the state.

"I try not to think about it ever single day because it does take a toll on my mental health," Cerda said. 

When we spoke to Cerda, he was in the process of renewing his work authorization, which has since been approved. But the ongoing legal case is still causing him concern. 

"It would be a big loss for me and my wife, and 89,000 other recipients who are teachers, some who are doctors, engineers, to potentially have their work authorization lapse," Cerda said.

He said that at this point, even a delayed renewal concerns him: "Law enforcement in this state potentially could grab us if we happen to fall out of work authorization."Advocates are concerned the case could have an impact beyond Texas state lines, setting a legal precedent for other conservative states.

According to the immigration advocacy group American Immigration Council, if other states follow Texas' lead in stripping DACA recipients of the ability to work, 530,000 people could be forced out of the labor market in two years. 

Cerda acknowledges that while many Americans support border security and immigration reform, he does not believe most people want deportation enforcement efforts to focus on long-time residents who work and pay taxes in the U.S.

"I think this is an opportunity for a conversation with voters and their lawmakers about what to do with us," Cerda said. "We're so important to the economy."

APD Chief Lisa Davis said that in the days since the shooting they have learned of additional victims, bringing the total number of victims to 19 victims from the shooting.

Davis said the suspect, identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, drove by a popular bar in a black SUV while shooting into the crowd outside. Diagne then parked the SUV and walked back towards the bar with an AR-15 rifle and opened fire.

Terrified bystanders pointed responding officers to Diagne, who started shooting at them. Three officers returned fire, killing him.

At the news conference, Davis also played audio from two 911 calls that came in following the shooting, police dispatch audio, surveillance video and police body cam video. 

He was wearing a shirt emblazoned with a design similar to the Iranian flag under a hoodie that said "Property of Allah." 

The FBI has been investigating the shooting for possible ties to terrorism. Diagne was wearing a shirt emblazoned with a design similar to the Iranian flag under a hoodie that said "Property of Allah." 

Sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News that the war in Iran, at least in part, appeared to have been a factor in the attack. The shooting took place shortly after U.S. and Israeli forces launched a massive wave of airstrikes that killed top regime leadership and destroyed Iranian military targets.

Authorities also found that Diagne had a history of antisemitic, anti-Christian and pro-Iranian posts on social media. Sources familiar with the investigation also said Diagne had a history of mental health issues. In one encounter with police in Texas, officers responded because he was suicidal, according to law enforcement sources. 

U.S. officials say he was an immigrant from Senegal who came to the U.S. in 2000 and became an American citizen in 2013. 

Dilley is a community of about 3,200 people an hour's drive southwest of San Antonio. The self-proclaimed "Watermelon Capital of Texas" was once best known for its fruit output. But today, it is more frequently in the headlines for being home to the South Texas Family Residential Center. 

But how do this city's residents feel about living next door to a controversial detention facility?

Dilley, Texas

Millie's Mexican Restaurant is just a five minute drive from the South Texas Family Residential Center. It's one of Dilley's few restaurants, and a popular lunch spot in town. The restaurant is so close to the detention facility that waitress Valerie Tellez frequently drives there to make food deliveries.

But lately, Tellez says, those drives have been weighing on her. 

"I pray a lot and I do cry a lot going out there, especially when the Liam situation was going on," Tellez said, referring to the high-profile detention of a five-year-old Ecuadorian boy. "It's heartbreaking."

The detention of Liam Conejo Ramos and his father sparked protests at the facility earlier this year. Even after the family was released, the Dilley detention center has continued to be the focus of controversy.

Earlier this month, a ProPublica report published accounts of children detained in Dilley, some claiming inhumane treatment, including being fed moldy, worm-filled food. A few weeks after that report was published, a two-month-old detainee was rushed to the hospital after developing bronchitis. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, deported his family back to Mexico after his release.

The South Texas Family Residential Center is a privately-run facility that houses family units and first opened in 2014. Both ICE and CoreCivic, the private company that operates the center, have consistently defended its conditions. 

ICE didn't respond to a CBS News Texas request for comment, but did recently issue a press release addressing concerns about the facility, saying in part: "ICE facilities have to reach high national detention standards, and Dilley is no exception."

In response to a written request for comment, CoreCivic sent CBS News Texas a link to an online statement that states the company is committed to the health and safety of detainees and that "inaccurate and misleading claims" about its Dilley facility are "not supported by the facts."

Differing opinions

Not all residents share  the same concerns as Tellez.

"Some people are arguing, but to me, it's normal," said Tomas Salazar, who lives in a neighboring community in the county.

"They are very quiet. They do their business. The people that are hired out there have to have passed a background check. Even financial," said Sean Carroll, who manages one of the town's hardware stores. "Other than the protesters coming in, these guys never caused any problems."

"I think it's a good thing," said Rosa Augustine, a former ICE correctional officer. "It brings jobs."  

Recent reports critical of the Dilley facility have bothered Augustine, whose sister is currently an ICE corrections officer there.

"[Detainees are] treated better than we are when they come here," Augustine said. "They provide the health care. If anybody's sick, they'll take care of them."

But despite the jobs the facility brings, Tellez said she'd rather not have it in her city.

"I just pray a lot, honestly," she said. "I don't know what other people feel, but I know what what I feel, and it's heartbreaking to me."  

Detention expansion across the country

Last summer, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which earmarked $45 billion for more immigration detention space. Today, DHS is buying warehouses in cities across the country to increase its inmate capacity.   

Earlier this year, news broke that DHS planned to buy a warehouse in the community of Hutchins, located in Dallas County. But after weeks of protests from some community members, the building's owner announced it would not sell the space.

Still, despite some protests, DHS is continuing to buy warehouses in some communities, including an hour north of Dilley in San Antonio. 

San Antonio native Sheryl Gonzales has been active in speaking out about both the planned detention facility in her own city, as well as the existing one in Dilley. A CBS News Texas crew met Gonzales during a recent visit to the San Antonio warehouse.

"I can tell you the community is not happy at all," she said. "I don't want this here in San Antonio. I don't want it to exist, period."

The idea is to provide a sandwich and sides at the end of the school day to thousands of "food-insecure" Dallas Independent School District students who might not otherwise get dinner at home. A CBS News Texas investigation, though, found that's no longer happening.

Hunger Busters' history: the restaurant tycoon & the recognition

Restaurateur Phil Romano, the man behind popular chains including Macaroni Grill, Fuddrucker's, and Eatzi's, founded Hunger Busters 25 years ago.

Over the years, as dozens of notable figures have sat on its board, the organization has formed strong community connections, partnering with the Dallas Police Department for food giveaways, holding black-tie fundraisers with local chefs, and receiving recognition from publications like the Dallas Business Journal, as recently as December.

Big companies have donated money to the cause and many people have donated their time.

In 2023, Mayor Eric Johnson even signed a proclamation declaring May 25 as Hunger Busters Day in Dallas.

That same year, Latame Phillips, a one-time delivery driver at the non-profit, took over as CEO.

"Whatever you make that morning, it goes into a kid's belly that night," said Phillips in a news interview last May. "And we feed about 3,500 kids every day." 

Online, Phillips has shared stories of growing up poor, missing meals, and his wish to feed more children.

"I look at the kids that we serve, and they remind me of myself," he said.

How $116,000 in grants led to a lawsuit

 In 2024, Phillips applied for a grant from the Tyler Street Foundation to buy a van, which he said would allow Hunger Busters to deliver even more meals.

"We made three site visits, saw the facility where they packed the meals, saw the great big insulated bags that they said they transported the meals in. We were thrilled to partner with them," said Vivian Skinner, the foundation's president.

The foundation was still working on that first grant when, Skinner says, another need became apparent. 

"Suddenly, these posts started appearing that said 'Urgent! Urgent! Help us save our building!'" she said. 

According to Hunger Busters' social media accounts, its building was in "immediate danger of being sold," and it needed $1.2 million to purchase the property. 

"Our grant administrator spoke with Latame Phillips, and he explained he didn't actually have to raise $1.2 million; he just needed to raise $750,000 because his bank would extend a line of credit for $750... So we made a challenge grant. If you can get to 700, we'll finish it out," explained Skinner.

In all, the foundation says, it gave Hunger Busters $116,200 to buy both the van and the land. 

Skinner, though, says it took Phillips months to provide documentation of the purchases.

When he finally did, she got suspicious.

 "This is the day that he presented the van to us," said Skinner, looking at pictures from a photo op in June of 2025 showing her standing with Phillips in front of a white van.

"And there was just a magnetic sign stuck on it that said 'Tyler Street Foundation supports Hunger Busters.' We really began to be curious. There was just something about that day that seemed off," Skinner said.

Skinner's team began doing their own research and made their first big discovery.

The van he'd shown them, they say, didn't belong to Hunger Busters.

The license plate, visible in the pictures, Skinner says, traces back to a van belonging to Enterprise Rentals out of Irving, which she believes Phillips rented for the day. 

In a lawsuit, the Tyler Street Foundation has also alleged the vehicle sales agreement and insurance policy Phillips provided were fake, using a vehicle identification number that traces back to a 20-year-old Dodge Ram pickup, not a van. 

The foundation said it also looked into the land Phillips claimed Hunger Busters had bought with the grant money. 

"All we did was go to the Dallas County Appraisal District website and look it up. And it had never changed hands. It was now 11 months since we gave him the money, and it supposedly finished out the campaign to purchase it," said Skinner. 

The lawsuit accuses Phillips of forging the property deed and title insurance to make it seem he had bought the property. 

"Then, we began to wonder if he was really feeding kids," she said.

When did the meals stop? CBS News Texas investigates.

For four weeks in November and December, the CBS News Texas I-Team sat outside the Hunger Busters' office on Sylvan Avenue, monitoring the activity there. 

Phillips appeared a few times, but there was no sign of volunteers present or brown bag meals, images Hunger Busters has presented on social media accounts. 

The food that was seen leaving the building, the I-Team discovered, came from a company renting out the space to make ready-to-eat meals for high-end coffee shops. 

A manager for that company said in the eight months it's been operating at the location, Hunger Busters hasn't used the space on a regular basis. 

The I-Team also looked into the 11 schools Phillips listed as recipients of meals in his application to the Tyler Street Foundation, calling those he wrote Hunger Busters "currently… provides meals to." 

Every single one reported it had been at least a year, though often longer, since Hunger Busters had delivered meals there. 

Sources familiar with the organization's workings acknowledged to CBS News Texas that its operations were disrupted when schools shut down for COVID-19. 

It's unclear how many deliveries it was able to resume making or for how long. 

In an email responding to questions about the schools, Phillips told CBS News Texas that Hunger Busters, "never publicly listed by name any campus that we directly deliver meals (to)." 

Besides, he said, while "Hunger Busters previously provided meals directly on certain school campuses," the model had changed to "support afterschool programs, churches, community-based organizations, and partner non-profits." 

He wouldn't name those organizations either, saying he didn't want to risk inadvertently identifying or stigmatizing the children they serve. 

Phillips declined an on-camera interview. 

Approached outside the Hunger Busters building, he refused to answer most questions. 

Asked when the daily meal deliveries ended, he initially said "about a year ago," then said he wasn't sure. 

It's unclear how much money Hunger Busters raised in 2025, but the I-Team found documentation of at least $175,000 in grants and donations, not including what it brought in through its annual gala and other events.

More than a year into his second term, President Trump has maintained an aggressive approach to immigration. Data released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and published by the Deportation Data Project shows ICE arrests in Texas were up 153% from Jan. 20 through Oct. 15 of 2025, compared to the same time period in 2024. The numbers, analyzed by the CBS News Data Team, showed that in the Dallas area specifically, arrests were up 126%.

"The Trump administration is certainly detaining a lot more people than the Biden administration did," said immigration attorney Paul Hunker, who previously served as chief counsel for ICE in Dallas, including during Trump's first term. "I think it's sort of indiscriminate detention."

Funding boost doubles ICE workforce  

Hunker described the difference between Mr. Trump's first and second terms as "night and day."

"The Trump administration is really putting pressure on ICE to increase its numbers," said Hunker.

Last year, ICE became the highest-funded American law enforcement agency thanks to a $75 billion budget increase with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The money helped the agency more than double its workforce from 10,000 to 22,000 agents, and has led to controversial enforcement across the country, including here in North Texas.

Since last spring, some migrants with active immigration cases have been picked up by ICE agents during routine check-ins at immigration court. Tactics like this have led critics to accuse the Trump administration of going beyond targeting the "worst of the worst."

Fewer arrestees are convicted criminals, data shows 

Less than 39% of those arrested in Texas by ICE from Jan.20 through Oct. 15 of last year were convicted criminals, according to ICE data published by the Deportation Data Project, compared to 60% during that same time frame the previous year. 

A Department of Homeland Security document recently obtained by CBS News shows that less than 14% of immigrants arrested by ICE last year had charges or convictions for violent criminal offenses.

"I think the enforcement is definitely creating problems that shouldn't be there, especially with folks who are being picked up, who are on construction sites, who are in restaurants, who are driving to their jobs," said Juan Carlos Cerda, the Texas state director at the American Business Immigration Coalition. 

In his professional role, Cerda works with business leaders concerned about the economic impact of harsh immigration policies to advocate for immigration reform.

"I think there is still strong support for a secure border," Cerda said. "President Trump has done that. But I think that people also recognize that the system is broken and that this mass deportation is a consequence of that decades-long lack of effort to fix the problem."

In December of 2025, there were 10,000 Border Patrol encounters at our southern border, compared to 96,000 in December of 2024, and 300,000 the previous December.

"The best measure in terms of how well President Trump has conducted immigration enforcement would be the southern border numbers," said Ammon Blair, a senior fellow at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation. "You're seeing a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional approach in terms of immigration enforcement that has never been done before."

Looking ahead, Blair said he believes there will be more collaboration between federal agencies and their local and statewide counterparts.

"You're going to see a lot less of what was happening in Minneapolis," Blair said, referring to the shooting deaths of two American citizens by federal immigration agents. "You're going to see a lot less of what's happening nationwide in terms of the streets of those cities. And I think you're going to see a lot more compliance."

Hunker said he expects the coming years of Mr. Trump's second term to include increased detention.

"There's more detention space coming online, and ICE is going to be incentivized to fill that detention space," Hunker said.

Graham Dunn, 27, is in the Galveston County Jail charged with kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault of a child, jail records show. 

Galveston police said they responded to a report of a missing child at about 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30; the girl had not returned from walking the dog after she left at around 7 p.m. 

In a news conference Thursday morning, Galveston Police Chief Douglas Balli said Dunn had lured the victim into his car. Five law enforcement agencies participated in the search, which also included three drones and a DPS helicopter. An emergency ping to the girl's cell phone showed up in the area of a hotel. 

Police were eventually able to access the hotel's security camera footage, which showed Dunn taking the victim into a room. Police forced entry to the room at about 10:30 p.m. and found Dunn with the victim.

"I'm grateful that our officers and everyone involved, all the other agencies involved, acted quickly and with urgency to save this child," Balli said.

Graham Dunn criminal history

After Dunn's arrest, Galveston Police detective Hector Dominguez said they learned that he was a "serial sexual offender" with multiple arrests and charges pending in five states: Texas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Massachusetts and Louisiana. Dunn's alleged victims are both adults and juveniles, Dominguez said, but none of those arrests have yet resulted in convictions.

Dallas County court records show that Dunn had been on probation for a misdemeanor charge of family violence stemming from an incident in June of 2023. 

A Dallas magistrate judge had already revoked his probation in October following an arrest in North Carolina on charges of sexual battery and secret peeping, court records show. He bonded out of jail in December, but prosecutors said he violated his probation again and a judge issued an arrest warrant on Jan. 27. The alleged incident in Galveston happened three days later.

Galveston County District Attorney Kenneth Cusick said that his office will insist that Dunn be held in jail without bond until trial. 

"I've been a prosecutor for 37 years and this is one of the most disgusting situations I've heard of," Cusick said. "We're going to get a conviction on him, one or all of those charges, and we're going to seek maximum sentencing. There should be no leniency for someone like this that's proven again and again that they're a sexual predator, preying not only on women but girls."

Geren sent a reminder to the Texas House of Representatives Minority Leader, Rep. Gene Wu, about the fines on Tuesday.

Several Democrats left the state last year in an effort to block a mid-decade congressional redistricting plan proposed by Gov. Greg Abbott and President Donald Trump, citing concerns that the map would disproportionately affect Black and Latino voters while giving Republicans five additional congressional seats.

The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the new Congressional maps drawn by Republicans for the 2026 elections.

House Bill 18, aimed at stopping future quorum standoffs was signed into law over the summer. The Democrats describe this as political payback. Republicans said the fines were necessary to keep the House in session and prevent quorum breaks.  

Total fines surpass $450,000, must be paid out-of-pocket  

The fines total over $450,000 against Democratic members.

The fines include $7,000 in daily penalties ($500 per day for 14 days) plus a $2,354.25 pro rata share of the $124,940.08 the House alleges they spent attempting to compel members' attendance, according to a news release. The Democratic Caucus said the fines are being assessed under rules enacted in 2023 specifically to punish Texas House Democrats for breaking quorum in 2021, when members left the state for 38 days to block GOP voting restrictions. Those rules prohibit members from using campaign funds or fundraising to pay the fines, forcing them to pay out of pocket.  

"We broke quorum because Gov. Abbott held flood victims hostage for his intentionally racist map designed to steal the voices of millions of Black and Latino Texans," Wu said in a statement. "Faced with Republican inaction on flooding and voting rights, we took action, and every day we were gone, we did exactly what our constituents wanted us to do: fight for them. Breaking quorum is a constitutional right, and we will use every tool available to challenge these fines." 

House Democrats said they plan to appeal the fines through the due process procedures outlined in House rules. They have until 5 p.m., Monday, Feb. 9, to submit in writing why the fines should not be imposed.

The job of enforcing immigration laws has typically been the responsibility of federal law enforcement agencies. However, since 1996, state and local law enforcement agencies, like police departments and sheriff's offices, have been able to partner with the Department of Homeland Security to conduct some of those immigration enforcement duties through a voluntary program called 287(g).

The program gives deputies or officers with state and local departments the authority to carry out some immigration duties, either in the field or in jails.

While the program isn't new, it's dramatically grown in Texas over the past 12 months. In December of 2024, there were 26 total 287(g) agreements in Texas. As of last month, there were 254.

That number will only grow this upcoming year. A state law passed last legislative session requires nearly all county sheriffs to enter into a 287(g) agreement. Counties must be in compliance by Dec. 1.

Program's controversies

The program has come under scrutiny, with immigration activists worried it leads to racial profiling and can drain police resources. 

Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux cited that concern during a city council meeting last November, when he explained his decision to reject a $25 million offer from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enroll in the program.

"You take 250 officers away from patrol, it would hurt us really bad," said Comeaux at the time. "Call times would skyrocket."  

But those enrolled say there are misconceptions about the program. 

"No one is raiding schools or churches," said Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourne. Tarrant County has been enrolled in the jail model of 287(g) for years. "They are going after selected targets that are criminal."  

Hawkins carried 30 times and gained 197 yards, scoring on runs of 9 and and 3 yards, along with a 23-yard TD reception. Gray ran for 152 yards on 16 rushes. Dormer had six receptions for 66 yards, including TD catches of 1 and 31 yards.

North Texas (12-2) quarterback Drew Mestemaker was 27 of 47 passing for 250 yards and three TDs.

San Diego State (9-4) stayed close thanks to the rushing of backup quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr., who ran for 170 yards and two scores, including a 72-yarder, before injuring his wrist and leaving the game with 6:07 remaining in the second quarter.

Although his backup, Kyle Crum, did complete his first pass for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 28-20, he was not the same rushing threat as Emanuel and he had trouble moving the Aztecs through the air.

The third quarter was telling as the Mean Green scored twice on a Hawkins run and a Dormer catch while SDSU managed just 11 total yards. North Texas led 42-20 entering the fourth quarter.

Crum, who finished with 169 passing yards, did score two rushing TDs in the fourth quarter.

And, Nathan Acevedo returned a Mean Green punt 63 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 42-34. He later added a 65-yard kickoff return.

But a 75-yard drive, capped by a Dormer's 31-yard scoring catch, made it 49-34.

San Diego State scored twice, including with one second left, to make the final two-point margin.

North Texas: In what could be his last appearance with the Mean Green, former walk-on Mestemaker did not make a strong case for a big NIL payday after recently entering the transfer portal.

San Diego State: Hawkins, a freshman, finished the season with 25 touchdowns and 1,434 yards.

North Texas: The first order of business will be finding a permanent head coach to lead the Mean Green at Indiana, which ended the regular season ranked No. 1.

San Diego State: The Aztecs will open their move to the revamped Pac-12 at home against Portland State.

___

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The Blackhawks, last in the overall NHL standings, snapped a six-game losing streak. The Stars, second in the overall standings, lost a second consecutive game after regulation following a four-game winning streak.

Tyler Bertuzzi scored twice, former Star Jason Dickinson added a goal and Arvid Soderblom made 28 saves through overtime for the Blackhawks. Soderblom, getting his 12th start with Chicago beginning a back-to-back, snapped a personal five-game skid during which he allowed 29 goals.

Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists, and Nils Lundkvist and Justin Hrychowian also scored for the Stars. Jake Oettinger stopped 30 shots.

Chicago won for the first time since star forward Connor Bedard was sidelined by a shoulder injury on Dec. 12.

Lardis, playing his sixth NHL game, sent the puck past Oettinger in his first NHL shootout attempt. He was one of five rookies in the Blackhawks' lineup.

Bertuzzi has a team-high 18 goals and ended a seven-game pointless streak.

For Lundkvist, who missed 25 games with a lower-body injury, it was his first goal since the season-opening game.

Rantanen has 39 assists this season, second in the NHL, and has a six-game point streak (2-10-12).

Hryckowian has a five-game point streak (3-2-5).

Dallas' Wyatt Johnston had three assists.

Chicago's Alex Vlasic had two assists.

In a matchup of standout special teams, Dallas' power play went 0 for 4 against Chicago's penalty kill – ranked fourth.

The teams will meet again in Chicago on New Year's night.

Blackhawks: Host Pittsburgh on Sunday night.

Stars: Host Buffalo on New Year's Eve following a second consecutive three days off.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Friday night, the city of Rowlett held a remembrance of that 2015 tornado at Schrade Bluebonnet Park to honor those who were killed and to remember that night. In front of the "Spirit of Rowlett" memorial, community leaders, survivors and residents came together in prayer to remember that fateful night. The 911 calls from Dec. 26, 2015, still hit a nerve for many.

"The tornado was eating up all the houses across the street, the whole houses were disappearing. I didn't know it was that ugly or that bad, until after a few days," said John Cesspooca Torres, who survived the tornado. "Them poor souls who lost their lives that day…a day after Christmas. You gotta remember the people, and the families, and the community here."

From survivors to city leaders, several people shared their stories from the tornado, the scars continuing to bring pain.

"I think that there are times, if you feel a siren go off monthly, things like that, you kind of… it makes you emotional, and in the beginning, I would tear up," said Cheryl Smith, who is a member of the Rowlett Strong group, a group that was formed after the deadly tornado hit. "That day was awful."

13 people died after the tornado made landfall. Nine of the 13 people killed were in cars on I-30, as that tornado crossed over the interstate. Dozens of people were also injured, and hundreds of homes were damaged.

"It takes that type of remembrance to really go through the healing process, and not only that, but it helps us to remain vigilant and remain prepared going forward so that we have the right tools, the right resources, that our first responders are well equipped, that we have the right volunteers and just the preparation in our community," said City of Rowlett Mayor Jeff Winget.

During the remembrance ceremony, the mayor and city council members declared Dec. 26, 2025 as Rowlett Tornado Remembrance Day.

"We want survivors to know that the community is wrapping their arms around them, that they are feeling the love from the residents who are here tonight, from the visitors and guests who are here with us tonight," Winget said.

Many in the community hope Rowlett's resiliency isn't forgotten.

"Tragedy can happen, but it can also bring your community together, which it did for Rowlett," said Smith.

Holiday spending using cash or cards through Sunday has topped last year's haul, according to data released this week by Visa's Consulting & Analytics division and Mastercard SpendingPulse.

But growing unease over the U.S. economy and higher prices in part due to President Donald Trump's tariffs have altered the behavior of some Americans. More are hitting thrift stores or other discounters in place of malls, according to data from Placer.ai. The firm tracks people's movements based on cellphone usage.

And they're sticking more closely to shopping lists and doing more research before buying. That may explain why returns so far are down compared with last year, according to data from Adobe Analytics.

Here are three trends that defined the holiday shopping season so far:

Americans are still spending on gifts, yet increasingly that shopping is taking place at thrift and discount stores, according to data from Placer.ai.

That's likely forcing traditional retailers such as department stores to fight harder for customers, Placer.ai said.

Clothing and electronics that traditionally dominate holiday sales did have a surge but struggled to grow, according to Placer.ai. Both goods are dominated by imports and thus, vulnerable to tariffs.

For example, traffic doubled in department stores during the week before Christmas, from Dec. 15 through Sunday, compared with the average shopping week this year. But traffic in the week before Christmas this year fell 13.2% compared with 2024.

Traffic surged 61% at traditional sellers of only clothing in the week before the holiday compared with the rest of the year. But again, compared with the runup to Christmas last year, sales slid 9%.

Some of that lost traffic may have migrated to the so-called off-price stores— chains like TJ Maxx. That sector had a sharp seasonal traffic bump of 85.1% and a gain of 1.2% in the week before the holiday.

But it was thrift stores that were red hot, with traffic jumping nearly 11% in the week before Christmas compared with last year.

"Whether hunting for a designer deal or uncovering a one-of-a-kind vintage piece, consumers increasingly favored discovery-driven experiences over the standardized assortments of traditional retail," Shira Petrack, head of content at Placer.ai, said in a blog post Friday.

In the past it may have seemed gauche to gift your mother a gently used sweater or a pair of pants from a local thrift store, but seemingly not so amid all of the economic uncertainty and rising prices, according to Placer.ai.

Through the second half of 2025, thrift stores have seen at least a 10% increases in traffic compared with last year. That suggests that environmental concerns as well as economic issues are luring more Americans to second-hand stores, Placer.ai said. Visits to thrift stores generally do not take off during the holidays, yet in the most recent Black Friday weekend, sales jumped 5.5%, Placer.ai. reported.

In November, as customer traffic in traditional apparel stores fell more than 3%, traffic in thrift stores soared 12.7%, according to Placer.ai.

The thrift migration has altered the demographics of second-hand stores. The average household income of thrift customers hit $75,000 during October and November of this year, a slight uptick from $74,900 last year, $74,600 in 2023 well above the average income of 74,100 in 2022, based on demographic data from STI:PopStats combined with Placer.ai data.

U.S. sales at thrift chain Savers Value Village's rose 10.5% in the three months ended Sept. 27 and the momentum continued through October, store executives said in late October.

"High household income cohort continues to become a larger portion of our consumer mix," CEO Mark Walsh told analysts. "It's trade down for sure, and our younger cohort also continues to grow in numbers. "

For the first six weeks of the holiday season, return rates have dipped from the same period a year ago, according to Adobe Analytics.

That suggests that shoppers are doing more research before adding something to their shopping list, and they're being more disciplined in sticking to the lists they create, according to Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights.

"I think it's very indicative of consumers and how conscientiously they've purchased," Pandya said. "Many of them are being very specific with how they spend their budget."

From Nov. 1 to Dec. 12, returns fell 2.5% compared with last year, Adobe reported. In the seven days following Cyber Week — the five shopping days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, returns fell 0.1%.

From the Nov. 1 through Dec. 12, online sales rose 6% to $187.3 billion, on track to surpass its outlook for the season, Adobe reported.

Between Dec. 26 to Dec. 31, returns are expected to rise by 25% to 35% compared with returns between Nov. 1 through Dec. 12, Adobe said, and it expects returns to remain elevated through the first two weeks of January, up 8% to 15%.

This is the first year that Adobe has tracked returns.

Still, the last week of December sees the greatest concentration of returns: one out of every eight returns in the 2024 holiday season took place between Dec. 26 and Dec 31, a trend expected to persist this year, Adobe said.

Residents of The Bird's Nest, an all-women, tiny home community in the small East Texas town of Cumby, say they have become more than just neighbors. They have formed a sisterhood.

Robyn Yerian, the community's founder, said she initially got the idea to downsize to a tiny home after realizing she would need to drastically cut her living expenses in order to retire. Three years ago, she founded her own tiny home community to earn a passive income. Today, that community is known as The Bird's Nest.

"It's all women. It just kind of evolved that way," Yerian said. "Eighty-five to 90% of the people living in tiny homes are retired women on a budget, on a fixed income. And so I knew the audience would be big."

Residents prioritize kindness and respect  

Today, the community is made up of 11 residents, all in their 60s and 70s. They come from all different backgrounds and from all across the country. The one major rule Yerian has for her residents is to be kind and respectful.  

"People want to say women can't live together without drama. Well, maybe think about women that are retired," Yerian said. "Why would we want drama at this point in our lives?"

It's not uncommon for residents to spend their days talking or sharing a meal in the common area, a freestanding covered patio they call The Kitchen.

"I didn't know we would get this close," said resident Donna Welborn. "It is literally a sisterhood."

Support system during difficult moments

Cheryl Huff, another resident, said the group offers each other more than just conversation and companionship. The group recently helped support Huff through a major health scare.

"I just had heart surgery a few months ago, and it was very traumatic and unexpected and not something I would recommend," Huff said. "We say you can't come in here needy, but if you get here and you need something, there's somebody there that's gonna help you out because we have that relationship, even if we disagree on some pretty major things."

Former Houston Congressman Chris Bell has joined the race and will square off against State Representative Gina Hinojosa, of Austin, and entrepreneur Andrew White, of Houston, who ran in 2018. It's Bell's second time running for governor. He became the Democratic nominee nearly 20 years ago when he challenged incumbent Rick Perry in 2006. 

Bell told CBS News Texas, "The more and more I thought about it, and obviously, I thought about it for a long time, I decided timing is everything, and I really do believe this is my time." 

Aiming to unseat Gov. Abbott

The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican incumbent Governor Greg Abbott, who is running for a record fourth term, and may have as much as $100 million in his campaign war chest. 

"I really think Greg Abbott has worn out his welcome," Bell said. "I just don't think people are going to want him to stay in the governor's mansion. I'm running because I feel like Texas is headed in the wrong direction and has been for some time." 

Bell's campaign priorities

Among Bell's top campaign priorities, boosting public education, targeting corruption, and improving affordability, livability and opportunity. Bell said he opposes the state's new taxpayer-funded education savings accounts program that will begin during the 2026-27 school year. 

When asked if he would seek to undo the program if he were elected, Bell said, "I would certainly try. But I'm also quite aware that I would most likely be dealing with a Republican legislature, and another reason I think people should take a look at my candidacy. I always demonstrate an ability to work with the other side. So you pick your battles."

This week's full episode can be found below: 

Shortly after midnight local time, strong thunderstorms began stalling over northwestern Kerr County at the headwater forks of the Guadalupe River, upstream from where more than 100 people died in July after extreme rainfall triggered a surge of floodwater on local rivers.

This forecast isn't as dire as July's, but confidence is increasing that more than 5 inches of rain could fall in some locations Thursday. Rainfall rates could approach a torrential 3 inches per hour at times during the heaviest rain.

The National Weather Service issued a Flood Warning for the Guadalupe River near the Kerr County community of Hunt, about 80 miles northwest of San Antonio, through Thursday evening, alerting residents that rising water from the stalled storms may push the river out of its banks and cause moderate flooding. The warning was cancelled after storms moved out of the area early Thursday morning, but the river is still expected to rise to over 9 feet, or just below flood stage.

Portions of Gillespie and Val Verde Counties could also see flash flooding during the early morning hours on Thursday. The National Weather Service is monitoring radar for high rainfall rates and advises residents of these counties to stay weather aware.

The higher-end flash flood threat peaks after sunrise, when weather models predict a second round of storms will develop over a similar area. These storms could "train," or line up and move over the same spot one after another, like train cars on a railroad track.

The Hill Country's terrain makes torrential rain especially dangerous. Narrow canyons and fast-responding creeks can't handle a few hours of training storms, let alone as much as 5 inches over a short time.

Rainfall this heavy is usually confined to the summer months, but ongoing unseasonable heat in the South is raising the bar on how much moisture these storms could wring out of the atmosphere.

If you're in the Hill Country, keep phones charged and alerts on. Low-water crossings will become hazardous quickly during the pre-dawn hours.

Beginning in 2027, $1 billion per year in sales tax revenue will go toward the Texas Water Fund. That money will be used for developing new water sources, repairing existing infrastructure and flood control projects.

Today, Texas is home to about 31 million people. By 2070, that number is expected to balloon to 50 million. The nonprofit Texas 2036 estimates the state needs to spend about $154 billion to secure its water supply in the coming decades.  

Read more about Proposition 4 here.

Prop 4 on the ballot

If Proposition 4 is approved by voters, beginning in 2027, $1 billion per year in sales tax revenue will go toward the Texas Water Fund. That money would be used for developing new water sources, repairing existing infrastructure and flood control projects.

"Water experts I talked to say this was a significant step forward," said Alejandra Martinez, an environmental reporter with the Texas Tribune. "But they also said, in that same vein, this is just a down payment."

Today, Texas is home to about 31 million people. By 2070, that number is expected to balloon to 50 million. The nonprofit Texas 2036 estimates the state needs to spend about $154 billion to secure its water supply in the coming decades.  

A water shortage isn't just a public health risk. Without action toward increasing the state's water supply, a severe drought could cause $153 billion in economic damages annually, according to an estimate in the Texas Water Development Board's 2022 water plan.

"Towns and cities could face a severe water shortage by 2030, if we continue with severe prolonged drought and if there are no water solutions implemented throughout the state," Martinez said.

Nov. 4 election in Texas

Proposition 4 is one of 17 proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot. Many of the other amendments involve lowering property taxes for Texas homeowners.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4.

She was even more surprised to see what actually landed in her neighbor's wheat field: a boxy piece of scientific equipment about the size of a sport-utility vehicle, attached to a massive parachute, adorned with NASA stickers. She called the local sheriff's office and learned that NASA, indeed, was looking for a piece of equipment that had gone lost.

"It's crazy, because when you're standing on the ground and see something in the air, you don't realize how big it is," she said. "It was probably a 30-foot parachute. It was huge."

Walter said she soon got a call from NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, which launches large unmanned, high altitude research balloons more than 20 miles into the atmosphere to conduct scientific experiments.

Officials at NASA, which is impacted by the ongoing government shutdown, did not return messages Thursday. A message left with the balloon facility also was not immediately returned.

A launch schedule on the balloon facility's website shows a series of launches from Fort Sumner, New Mexico, about 140 miles west of where the equipment landed.

Hale County Sheriff David Cochran confirmed that NASA officials called his office last week in search of the equipment.

Walter said she ultimately spoke with someone at the balloon facility who told her it had been launched a day earlier from Fort Sumner, and uses telescopes to gather information about stars, galaxies and black holes.

"The researchers came out with a truck and trailer they used to pick it up," she said.

But not before Walter and her family, who live in Edmonson, Texas, were able to capture some photos and videos. Edmonson is about halfway between Lubbock and Amarillo.

"It's kind of surreal that it happened to us and that I was part of it," she said. "It was a very cool experience."

And officials noted there was no known connection between the new suspect and the two men previously convicted in the killings, one of whom was briefly sent to death row.

"At one point I had given up on God, but he never gave up on me," Shawn Ayers, brother of one of the victims, Amy Ayers, said at a news conference.

Austin police now say all evidence leads to Robert Eugene Brashers, who died by suicide in 1999 during a standoff with law enforcement. In recent years, Brashers has been linked to several killings and rapes in other states.

The announcement that Brashers was the suspect came amid renewed attention on the case with the release last month of "The Yogurt Shop Murders," an HBO documentary series.

Sonora Thomas, sister of Eliza Thomas, said she thought she would die not knowing what happened and had to be OK with it.

"I now know what happened, and that does ease my suffering," she said.

The crime shocked the city

The killings stunned Texas' capital city and became known as one of the area's most notorious crimes.

Amy Ayers, 13; Eliza Thomas, 17; and sisters Jennifer and Sarah Harbison, ages 17 and 15, were bound, gagged and shot in the head at the "I Can't Believe It's Yogurt" store where two of them worked. The building was then set on fire.

Investigators have said that around closing time, someone entered the store through the back door, attacked the girls and set the fire. The bodies were found when firefighters were still battling the blaze.

"Austin lost its innocence the night those young souls became victims," Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said.

DNA under Amy Ayers' fingernails provided key evidence, Austin police cold case detective Daniel Jackson said. "Amy's final moments on this Earth were to solve this case for us," Jackson said. "It's because of her fighting back."

Austin police investigators and prosecutors had stumbled over the case for years as they waded through thousands of leads, several false confessions and badly damaged evidence from the burned-out crime scene.

Suspects charged

In 1999, authorities arrested four men on murder charges: Maurice Pierce, Michael Scott, Robert Springsteen IV, and Forrest Welborn. Two of them, Springsteen and Scott, were teenagers at the time of the murders. They initially confessed and implicated each other. But both men quickly recanted and said their statements were made under pressure by police.

Both were tried and convicted. Springsteen was initially sent to death row, but his sentence was then reduced to life in prison. Their convictions were overturned and they were set for retrial a decade later.

A judge ordered both men freed in 2009 when prosecutors said new DNA tests that weren't available in 1991 had revealed another male suspect. Brashers had no known connection to the men, authorities said.

Travis County District Attorney José Garza said the investigation conducted by the Austin Police Department remains ongoing as they continue to pursue further investigative steps. 

"At this time, the overwhelming weight of the evidence points to the guilt of one man: Robert Eugene Brashers," Garza said in a statement. "Likewise, the overwhelming weight of the evidence points to the innocence of four men: Maurice Pierce, Michael Scott, Robert Springsteen IV, and Forrest Welborn."

Garza said that if the investigative conclusions of the Austin police are confirmed, the Travis County District Attorney's Office will take responsibility for its role in prosecuting these men, including sending one to death row and another to serve life in prison. If the findings of the Austin Police Department's investigation are confirmed, Garza said he will apologize.

Barbara Wilson, mother of Jennifer and Sarah Harbison, said all the family ever wanted was the truth.

"We never wanted anyone to go to jail or be charged with anything that they didn't do," Wilson said. "Vengeance was never it. It was always the truth."

Prosecutor says evidence points to 1 killer

Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said his office continues to renew the evidence but that the "overwhelming weight of the evidence points to the guilt of one man and to the innocence of four."

"If the conclusions of APD's investigation are confirmed, as it appears that they will be, I will say: I am sorry, though I know that that will never be enough," Garza said.

He said his office will do what it can to ensure the convicted men move forward with their lives.

In 2018, Missouri authorities said DNA evidence linked Brashers to the strangulation of a South Carolina woman in 1990 and the shooting of a mother and daughter in Missouri in 1998. The evidence also connected him to the 1997 rape of a 14-year-old girl in Tennessee.

Brashers died in 1999 when he shot himself during an hourslong standoff with police at a motel in Kennett, Missouri.

Police noted similarities in many of the crimes — including that the victims were tied up with their own clothing, sexually assaulted and some crime scenes were set on fire. Other cases are being reviewed, authorities said, noting that Brashers was known to carry multiple weapons and act alone.

"At this point there is no evidence he had an accomplice," in the yogurt shop killings, Jackson said.

Angie Ayers, sister-in-law of Amy Ayers, urged victims of other crimes not to give up.

"Don't take no when your gut is telling you to push," she said. "Never let them put your case back in a box."

Blaine Milam, 35, was pronounced dead at 6:40 p.m. following a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. He was condemned for the December 2008 murder of Amora Carson at his trailer in Rusk County in East Texas.

In a final statement, Milam thanked supporters as well as the prison chaplaincy for opening its faith-based programs to death row inmates.

"If any of you would like to see me again, I implore all of you no matter who you are to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and we will meet again," he said from the death chamber gurney. "I love you all. Bring me home, Jesus."

As the lethal dose of sedative pentobarbital began flowing into his right hand and left arm, at 6:19 p.m. CDT, Milam grunted and gasped once, then began snoring quietly. After about two minutes, all sounds and movement stopped. Minutes later, he was declared dead.

It was one of two executions carried out Thursday evening in the U.S. Geoffrey West was put to death in Alabama with nitrogen gas for fatally shooting a gas station employee during a 1997 robbery. The two executions brought the year's total to 33 death sentences carried out nationwide.

Milam had blamed his then-girlfriend, Jesseca Carson, for the killing and alleged she was the one who claimed the girl was possessed by a demon. She was tried separately from Milam and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of capital murder for helping Milam. Both were 18 at the time.

Prosecutors said Milam savagely beat the girl and also bit, strangled, and mutilated her over a period of 30 hours. Court documents show a pipe wrench was among the evidence that tied Milam to the slaying.

A forensic pathologist who performed an autopsy found the child had multiple skull fractures along with broken arms, legs, ribs, and numerous bite marks. The pathologist testified at trial that he could not determine a specific cause of death because the girl had so many potentially fatal injuries.

Rusk County District Attorney Michael Jimerson, who tried the case along with the Texas Attorney General's Office, told The Associated Press in 2019 that authorities initially treated Milam and Carson as grieving parents.

But Carson later told investigators Milam told her Amora was "possessed by a demon" because "God was tired of her lying to Milam," according to court records.

Jimerson said at the time he still couldn't pinpoint a motive, believing the exorcism claim was just a way for Milam and Carson to cover up their crime.

The prosecutor witnessed the execution.

"We will never know what Amora would have contributed to our world," Jimerson said Thursday evening after it was over. "Answering the call for justice for the most helpless is a measure of a civilized people."

Among other observers was the child's grandfather, Richard Mutina. He declined to speak with reporters after the execution.

Milam was the fifth person put to death this year in Texas, historically the nation's busiest capital punishment state. Florida leads the nation this year with a record 12 executions conducted to date in 2025, with two more scheduled in the state by mid-October.

The execution was carried out hours after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Milam's final appeals.

Rebuffed previously by state and federal appeals courts, Milam's attorneys had asked the Supreme Court to block the execution, arguing his conviction was based in part on "now-discredited" bite mark evidence and other unreliable DNA evidence. They also argued he was intellectually disabled and thus ineligible for execution.

The Texas Attorney General's Office has said Milam's claims of an intellectual disability had been rejected previously by the courts. The attorney general's office also said in court documents that even if bitemark and DNA evidence were excluded, there was other evidence pointing to his guilt, including his efforts to hide evidence and a confession he made to a nurse after his arrest.

The use of bite mark evidence has been called into question in recent years, with a 2016 report by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology saying bitemark analysis "is clearly scientifically unreliable at present."

On Tuesday, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Milam's request to commute his death sentence to a lesser penalty. Milam previously had execution dates in 2019 and 2021 that were stayed.

Some of the top chefs in the area will be facing off in what has become an annual competition to see who can make the best dish featuring rattlesnake.

The Rattle Battle, as it's called, coincides with the Professional Bull Riders Rattler Days in Fort Worth. The Ariat Texas Rattlers, the PBR's professional bull riding team based in North Texas, will be competing at Dickies Arena this weekend.

The Rattle Battle is the brainchild of the team and Fort Worth chef Tim Love, who is famous for his rabbit and rattlesnake sausage.

Love said he has been cooking with rattlesnake for more than 15 years. 

"Really, what happens with rattlesnake is, everything is game. You just don't know what you're going to get," he said.

Previous winners include rattlesnake ravioli, rattlesnake Bolognese and even rattlesnake ice cream. 

The Rattle Battle takes place on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 12 p.m. at Mule Alley in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Tickets are available starting at $50.

The Texas Education Agency said it's reviewing more than 280 complaints filed against teachers after posting what people considered to be offensive remarks about Kirk's murder. 

TEA Commissioner Mike Morath sent a letter to school districts last week saying, "In response to such posts, I am referring all documentation of educators that have proliferated such vile content to TEA's Education Investigations Division. Such posts could constitute a violation of the Educators' Code of Ethics, and each instance will be thoroughly reviewed to determine whether sanctionable conduct has occurred, and staff will investigate accordingly." 

In a statement to the media, Morath appeared to have tempered his comments. 

"While all educators are held to a high standard of professionalism, there is a difference between comments made in poor taste and those that call for and incite further violence - the latter of which is clearly unacceptable," he said. 

Morath went on to say he will recommend "to the State Board for Educator Certification that such individuals have their certification suspended and be rendered ineligible to teach in a Texas public school." 

State Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, said on social media that teachers who cheered on Kirk's death should be fired. 

In an interview with CBS News Texas, Middleton said, "I've got zero tolerance for educators that are cheering on murder of somebody, anybody. It doesn't matter if it's Charlie Kirk or anyone else. It is wrong. I've seen it across social media. It is in countless districts. It's actually in some districts within my Senate District. Goose Creek ISD, we have some examples there and look, at the end of the day, anyone who did that needs to be terminated immediately. They need to have their certification rejected, where they're not allowed to teach again."

State , D-Houston, criticized Commissioner Morath's letter to school districts. 

"I felt it was an inappropriate use of his authority in this matter," Simmons said. "Anytime a tragedy like this takes place, where there's going to be just a highly sensitive and polarized response that falls along a political spectrum. I think it would be his job and in his best interest to do his best to turn the temperature down. I'm a former union representative. I used to do this for a living. I represented teachers, and sometimes there would be instances where teachers would make comments on Facebook and they weren't necessarily violent, they weren't incendiary, they may be crass or inappropriate, and we would have to make the case and say look this person is using their First Amendment rights that they're entitled to." 

Kirk was assassinated while speaking with thousands of college students in Utah last week. The man accused of assassinating Kirk, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, has been charged and faces the death penalty. 

Prosecutors said when Robinson's roommate asked in a text why he did it, Robinson replied, "I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out." 

President Trump and Vice President JD Vance will be among the tens of thousands of people who are attending the memorial for Kirk at State Farm Stadium in the Phoenix area. 

This week's full episode can be found below: 

The crime led to the development of the Texas AMBER Alert System, which is now used worldwide to send public signals about missing children in danger.

Amber, who was 9 years old at the time, was taken from the parking lot of an abandoned grocery store as she rode her pink bicycle. Witnesses later reported that a White or Hispanic man, driving a black pickup, kidnapped her.

Here is the most updated suspect and vehicle description information:

• Suspect: White or Hispanic male, 20s to 30s (as of 1996), under 6' tall, medium build, brown or black hair
• Vehicle: Black 1980s or 1990s full size, fleet side pickup truck, short wheel base, single cab, rear window was clear, no sliding window, no chrome (solid black in color), no striping, truck was in good condition with no visible damage

It wasn't until four days after she went missing that Amber's body was discovered in a creek about four miles from where she was taken.

Now, 25 years after the crime, Amber's killer is still on the loose. With the focus still on finding the person responsible for the murder, Arlington police gathered at the site of the abduction, 1600 E. Abram Street, to release new photos and maps of the scene the night Amber was kidnapped.

"I miss her every day and she's just so full of life and I want to know why. Why her? She was only a little girl," Amber's mother Donna Williams said at Wednesday's press conference.

"We remain committed with the utmost resolve to bring Amber's murderer to justice," said Assistant Police Chief Kevin Kolbye. "Our detectives believe that someone still has knowledge of this horrific crime."

Officials believe someone, somewhere knows something about the abduction and murder.

Arlington police Sgt. Ben Lopez said during press conference that there could be more witnesses who were in the area but have not spoken out.

"It is possible that there were other witnesses who saw what happened but were fearful about coming forward. With it being a Saturday afternoon that was nice and a laundromat being right next door to the abduction, we were concerned that there could be people that were there at the laundromat who may have been undocumented and living in this country illegally."

"We spent a lot of time putting out fliers and talking to the community to assure them that if there is a witness or witnesses who have that concern we are not interested at all in pursuing any kind of deportation or any interest in their undocumented status," Lopez added.

Investigators in Arlington are also hopeful new DNA technology could lead to a break in the case.

As soon as February, police said they plan to submit evidence to a lab that will use a new process to try to develop a DNA profile that could lead to a suspect. Investigators said the evidence, which they would not describe, has been reviewed several times since the murder, including by the FBI.

They cautioned there is not much evidence, and this is only an attempt. However, new techniques in developing DNA profiles have led to a break in cold cases over the past year, including the 1974 murder of Carla Walker in Fort Worth. Othram, a forensics lab in the Woodlands, was able to develop a DNA and use genealogy to lead investigators toward a suspect in that case.

A dedicated tip line has been set up for the public to provide any information, no matter how insignificant: 817-575-8823.

Oak Farms Dairy is also offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

"To Amber's killer, I'm asking you today please turn yourself in. Give Amber justice. Amber needs justice, deeply needs justice," Williams said. "And to anyone who has seen or heard anything about Amber's case, please come forward."

The post shows a mushroom cloud and says Japan has "been at peace" with the U.S. since the 1945 bombing of Nagasaki. The end of the caption reads, "It's time we made peace with the Muslim world."

The post was shared on Miller's Facebook page over the weekend but was removed Monday. Todd Smith, a political consultant for Miller, said he didn't know why the post was taken down but said critics outraged over the content should instead be demanding apologies from Islamic terrorists, Iranian leaders and President Barack Obama for their words and actions.

"We think those are all issues that deserve an apology and are much more serious than a thought-provoking Facebook post," Smith said.

Miller, a professional rodeo calf-roper and former state lawmaker, is currently in China for what his office described as a trade mission. He previously made headlines for repealing a ban on deep fryers at schools shortly after taking office in January.

Smith said Miller didn't personally share the post but won't begin a "witch hunt" to find out who on his staff did. He noted the positive comments the post generated and said that while Miller wouldn't take the position that an atomic bomb should be dropped on the Muslim world, the elected state executive has never been shy about what he believes are serious threats.

The Texas Democratic Party condemned the promoted post as hate speech and xenophobic.

In January, a Republican state lawmaker instructed aides to ask Muslims who visited her office at the Texas Capitol to renounce Islamic terrorists and publicly declare their allegiance to America.