The Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas fund, a priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, will provide $3 billion in grants to researchers.  Texas voters on Tuesday are on track to approve Proposition 14, the constitutional amendment that both establishes a Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT) and authorizes the spending of $3 billion to set up the fund.  Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick led the effort this past legislative session to create DPRIT, modeling the center on the state’s cancer research fund. Senate Bill 5, by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, was passed earlier this year and effectively created the institute.   Now that the constitutional amendment has passed, the institute is to be funded with $3 billion in surplus state revenue. After this first year, the institute will see up to $300 million appropriated each year. view article

A San Antonio high school teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student was placed behind bars on Wednesday, December 3, according to online jail records. The Bexar County Sheriff's Office made the arrest the day prior. view article

Appearing together at the state capitol, Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the allotment of $500 million to develop rural healthcare in Texas. The action follows the passage of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill in July, which allotted $50 billion for a Rural Health Transformation Program.   In the new program, all states will be given half of the allotted dollars over the course of five years. The remainder will be distributed to states that fill out an application and submit proposals for how to use the funding. view article

On Thursday, a new state law will add another layer of anxiety to Simon Shepherd’s already busy life: he has to worry — even more so than usual — about going to the bathroom.  It’s not an entirely new concern, said Shepherd, a transgender man living in North Texas. He had a similar issue in high school, he said, when school administrators asked that he use the girl’s restroom until they eventually allowed him to use the boy’s restroom amid legal pushback. But that was almost 8 years before Senate Bill 8, which is designed to prevent trans people like him from using certain state-owned facilities matching their identifying gender.  view article

Investigators say they don't suspect foul play in the death of Brianna Aguilera Austin authorities said Tuesday that an ongoing probe into the weekend falling death of Texas A&M student Brianna Aguilera continues to suggest the 19-year-old did not die by homicide, but also cautioned they have not reached any conclusions. view article

The latest mass killing in the United States occurred Saturday when three children ages 8, 9 and 14, and an adult were killed in a shooting at a child’s birthday party in California view article

More businesses south of Houston received bomb threats Monday night as law enforcement officials investigate a slew of hoax threats that began this weekend.  At least seven businesses in Galveston County have been targeted by threats made by phone since Saturday — three of which happened Monday night.  Jose Ortega, a spokesperson with the League City Police Department, confirmed two threats were made at local Walmart supermarkets Monday night, bringing the city's total number to five. Around 6:55 p.m., a bomb threat was made targeting Walmart off FM 646, and a few minutes later, another threat was made to Walmart off 2625 West Main Street, Ortega said. Both businesses were evacuated and officers determined that these threats were hoaxes.  view article

Officials in Galveston County confirmed Monday several positive cases of avian influenza, or bird flu, across the area. In fact, the county said that 27 birds have died from influenza, known as H5N1, already during this outbreak.  "Of the 27, six birds have been sent to the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) for further diagnostic testing and confirmation," read a release issued Monday by the Galveston County Health District. The birds were found in Dickinson, Santa Fe and Texas City, according to the Health District's Amanda Wolff. view article

The University of North Texas is the first public college in Texas to get a free naloxone vending machine, and Regan Browne, director of the Recovery and Intervention Support and Education Center — called RISE — considers it a win. Browne is new to the director’s chair at RISE, and she was among locals who attended the unveiling of a naloxone vending machine at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios, a storied Denton music venue, in June. A teen survived an overdose there in April because a quick-thinking patron knew the signs and administered naloxone, the generic form of the brand-name drug Narcan. Naloxone is a nasal spray that can reverse the effects of opioids, even a potentially lethal dose. view article

A former Rivera Early College High School teacher pleaded guilty to a charge of improper relationship between educator and student, according to court records. Julio Ricardo Trujillo was arrested in May following an investigation by the Cameron County District Attorney's Office. He entered his guilty plea on Monday. As previously reported, an affidavit alleged Trujillo had intercourse with a 19-year-old female student at least three times. view article

A former Celina ISD coach arrested three times on child sexual abuse charges is a facing a new charge — and now a third lawsuit from two more alleged victims. Court records show Caleb Elliot, 26, was charged Nov. 25 with sexual performance of a child, a second-degree felony. That same day, two families filed a new suit against Elliot claiming district officials dismissed a report made by a Celina ISD employee about Elliot's "inappropriate behavior." view article

Texas regulators have finalized a new set of rules that expands the state’s medical marijuana program, giving physicians a path to request new qualifying conditions and establishing guidelines for inhalation devices. view article

illions of Americans across the country were told during the pandemic to offer up their arms for the COVID-19 vaccines — the first-ever mRNA vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — if they wanted to keep their jobs, eat in public, stay in school, or visit their loved ones.  Government officials, the establishment media, and pharmaceutical representatives claimed that the vaccines were "safe and effective." Those who dared to suggest otherwise about the experimental drugs that were making liability-shielded vaccine manufacturers record profits were often attacked and censored.  Months after the Department of Health and Human Services concluded that "mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses," the Food and Drug Administration admitted in an internal letter that the COVID-19 vaccines killed numerous children. view article

A former elementary school teacher and soccer coach accused of sexually assaulting multiple children has been returned to Houston after fleeing to Peru while out on bond, according to Precinct 5 Constable Terry Allbritton’s Office. Wilbert Sequeiros, who worked for Houston ISD and Klein ISD, is accused of sexually assaulting at least seven boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 10 between 2014 and 2019. The allegations surfaced in 2019, prompting his arrest the following year. view article

Lufkin ISD trustees will consider purchasing metal detectors for high school and middle school campuses. According to the board agenda, the trustees will meet at 5:15 p.m. Thursday to discuss the metal detectors among other items. view article

A Corsicana ISD police officer was injured Wednesday morning after an accidental discharge of a firearm at an elementary school, district officials say. According to the district, the discharge happened at about 9:20 a.m., and came from someone who was authorized to carry a firearm on district property. view article

Celina police say their investigation into a former Celina ISD teacher and coach who was arrested for invasive visual recording and possession of child pornography and indicted last week on federal charges of sexual exploitation of children identified 38 victims in digital data. William Caleb Elliott, 26, a former 6th-grade history teacher and 8th-grade coach at Celina ISD's Moore Middle School -- and the son of Celina ISD athletic director Bill Elliott -- was indicted by a federal grand jury last week on eight federal charges, including seven counts of production of child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography, officials say. If convicted, Elliott faces a maximum of 30 years in federal prison, officials say. view article

Laredo police arrested a Zapata ISD police officer on a third-degree felony stalking charge, and the incident remains under investigation. According to Laredo police, officers responded around noon Sunday, Nov. 16, to a report of an alleged assault in the 5700 block of U.S. 83. A woman called to report that her sister had been assaulted by a law enforcement officer making threats. view article

The former Celina ISD teacher and coach faces eight federal charges of sexual exploitation of children, records show. view article

Steven Weisberg is interested in how unique one person’s experience physically navigating the world is from others.  While working in Florida, he began exploring how day-to-day life is affected by the decline in cognitive function associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.  “Now that you’ve lost certain ways of representing the world, now what is it that you do? How do you navigate? How does this affect your daily life?” Weisberg said. “These are the sorts of themes that I’m planning to build on here at UTA.” view article

A Medina Valley Independent School District elementary student is facing disciplinary action after a school marshal found a loaded .22-caliber rifle magazine linked to the student, according to a letter obtained by KSAT. In the letter, Ladera Elementary School Principal Laura Davila stated that a school marshal discovered the magazine Tuesday in one of the school’s bathroom, which prompted an immediate investigation. view article

Laneville ISD has cancelled classes for the week of Nov. 10 due to widespread illness. Laneville Independent School District announced Monday that it is canceling classes across the district due to abundant illness among the students and staff. According to the district’s announcement, “an uptick in a variety of sickness and ailments among students and staff,” began last week and the decision to cancel classes was made when the reports of sickness continued Monday. view article

According to a letter to Crockett Early College High School families, principal Shana King said someone had reported that a student who got in a fight had a weapon. view article

The Eanes Independent School District sent a letter to the Travis County District Attorney urging to charge a former teacher “to the fullest extent allowed by the law” regarding the teacher’s arrest on allegations of online crimes against children. view article

An investigation is underway after a Conroe ISD Police Department vehicle was involved in a deadly crash on Tuesday evening. view article

The Johnson County District Attorney's Office confirmed it's investigating allegations involving a Godley ISD staff member. A spokesperson for the Johnson County District Attorney's Office said they were made aware of the allegations last week and are "in the early stages of the investigation." view article

McKinney ISD said police discovered the narcotics at McKinney Boyd High School on Monday during a routine safety sweep by local law enforcement. A drug-detection dog alerted on the employee’s vehicle. view article

Continuing its efforts to secure the southern border, Texas will begin surveying lands managed by the Texas General Land Office in search of cartel tunneling activity.  Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham directed the General Land Office (GLO) to identify lands under their management that could be susceptible to cartel smuggling tunnels. The operation will specifically target land located in high-risk areas, such as Hudspeth County.  Located southeast of El Paso, state officials discovered a campsite set up by human smugglers 30 miles north of the border in Hudspeth County in 2023.   Buckingham has also instructed GLO field officers to use aerial and drone technology to survey possible tunnel sites while conducting routine land inspections. view article

The state has recorded more than 3,500 cases of whooping cough so far this year, 10 times the number in 2023. view article

The state has recorded more than 3,500 cases of whooping cough so far this year, 10 times the number in 2023.   More than 3,500 cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, cases have been reported in Texas so far this year, already reaching a 11-year high even though two more highly infectious months are left in the year, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. view article

A Kingsville mother experienced every parent's worst nightmare when her nonverbal 5-year-old son was mistakenly placed on the wrong school bus and went missing for hours. view article

The Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas fund, a priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, will provide $3 billion in grants to researchers. view article

A student made a shocking discovery at a Northside ISD campus Monday afternoon, according to the district. Rick Yzaguirre, the principal at Harlan High School sent a letter to parents, informing them that a student found a gun on the ground while on campus. The student then contacted the authorities and their parent. view article

An athletic trainer with the Center Independent School District has resigned after being arrested for an improper relationship. While Center ISD did not release details about the allegation, Shelby County Jail records show the employee, Christopher Lemoine, is charged with improper relationship between educator/student. view article

The Mansfield ISD teacher who was arrested and fired last week had a sexual relationship with a teenager, Alvarado police said Wednesday. Jared Young, 33, faces charges of child pornography, sexual assault of a child and improper relationship with a student. Police said the student, a 16-year-old girl who attends Alvarado ISD, reported the relationship. view article