The former Houston ISD superintendent was the first Black person to lead the Department of Education and helped launch the No Child Left Behind Act. view article

Interview with Dr. Kate Rogers, Executive Director of The Alamo Trust  Fundación Consejo España - view article

Amid a data center boom in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Google is making a $40 billion investment to build additional data centers in the state.  “We must ensure that America remains at the forefront of the AI revolution, and Texas is the place where that can happen,” said Abbott on Friday.  Sundar Pichai—the CEO of Google and its parent company, Alphabet—explained that the “$40 billion investment we announced today will bring three new data center campuses to the state to power the new era of AI innovation.”  Data centers are surging in number around Texas—oftentimes meeting opposition from local residents due to the centers’ consumption of large amounts of energy and unknown amounts of water.   According to Abbott’s office, the “investment in Texas will help support Texas businesses and the economy, creating robust career opportunities across North Texas, West Texas, and the Panhandle.” view article

At the core of the program is the idea that there is no separation between what happens within the church and what happens in the government. view article

For general elections in Texas, the last day for early voting in person is Friday, October 31, 2025. Early in-person voting for this election begins on October 20, 2025. 

The study Corporal Punishment in Texas Schools by C. Farrell explores the persistence and recent resurgence of paddling and spanking in Texas public schools. Texas now leads the nation in school paddlings, with over 11,000 incidents reported in the 2021–22 school year. While elementary schools have reduced the practice, high schools—especially in rural areas—have reintroduced it, often as an alternative to suspensions. Community support remains strong in these regions, with some parents and students preferring spankings to avoid missing extracurricular activities. The study highlights how researchers can use the Texas Public Information Act to access detailed disciplinary data, including offense types and demographic breakdowns. Legally, corporal punishment is permitted if deemed “reasonable,” and although parental consent isn’t required, many districts have adopted opt-in forms. Since 2019, these consent systems have become more common, and some districts now allow coaches to paddle athletes. Public reactions vary, with social media showing both shock and local acceptance. The study proposes future research questions on the effectiveness, equity, and cultural drivers of corporal punishment. Ultimately, while overall use has declined, a countertrend is emerging in rural high schools, prompting calls for deeper analysis using public records. view article

Indian Tribe Building Casino in Polk County Offsite of Main Reservation  The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe has announced that it is building a new casino resort on land owned by the tribe but not located on its reservation.  The proposed Class II casino would be built near Leggett, Texas, on land that is not on or contiguous to the main reservation.  On December 6, 2023, the Biden administration adopted new rules allowing tribes to acquire and transfer land into trust for the development of casinos. The rules went into effect on January 11, 2024.  These rule changes were opposed by state and local authorities because the process by which tribes would be allowed to acquire land to develop casinos would circumvent local stakeholders.  Until the adoption of this rule, tribes were generally prohibited from this activity. view article

Texas A&M has a long list of distinguished graduates. Michael Bennett later won a Super Bowl and then founded a design firm, Rick Perry became governor and served as U.S. Secretary of Energy, and Lyle Lovett is a country music legend. Another alum, Arch “Beaver” Aplin III, went on to create Buc-ee’s, a Texas institution that is part gas station part mega-store. view article

The Houston Chronicle asked four special education advocates, parents and experts to help decode Texas' often-confusing and ever-changing special education system for parents. Those panelists covered legal rights, common challenges and concrete strategies families can use to advocate for their children effectively within the school system.  view article

Gov. Greg Abbott has announced Jerome Greener will lead Texas’ new DOGE-style agency.  Texas has a new state agency aimed squarely at shrinking the reach of government.   Created earlier this year through Senate Bill 14, the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office is charged with identifying unnecessary regulations, reducing red tape, and setting best practices for how state agencies adopt rules and measure their costs.  Gov. Greg Abbott, who has characterized the new agency as the Texas DOGE, said the goal is to rein in the “administrative state” and make government more accountable to the public. “Texans deserve a government that protects individual liberty and fosters economic opportunity,” Abbott said. “Through the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office, we will cut red tape, streamline regulations, and put a check on the growth of the administrative state.” view article

   Talia Natterson is a sophomore at Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences, a private school in Los Angeles, California. She writes for her school publication, Crossfire.