CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS
After two special sessions ended without lawmakers agreeing on how to regulate the state’s THC market, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order restricting the use of products infused with the psychoactive cannabis compound to adults age 21 and older, The Dallas Morning News reported.
The order goes into effect immediately and comes after Abbott vetoed an outright ban on THC products passed during the regular session and championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
“Absent the kinds of regulations that apply to other psychoactive substances that may safely be enjoyed by adults like alcohol and tobacco, minors have been allowed to purchase these products without any safeguards,” Abbott said in his order. “The Legislature did not pass any legislation concerning consumable hemp products, not even a ban for minors, leaving in place the status quo.”
Texas outlawed THC vapes effective Sept. 1, but other products such as snacks, gummies and drinks are still legally available for anyone 21 and older. Since hemp products became legal in 2019, more than 8,000 retailers across the state are selling them.
Talarico campaigns for U.S. Senate seat
State Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, announced last week he is entering the Democratic primary next March for U.S. Senate.
The San Antonio Express-News reported Talarico hopes a new face and approach will give Democrats a chance to garner their first statewide win in more than three decades.
Talarico faces Collin Allred, the former Dallas congressman who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024, and former NASA astronaut Terry Verts in the Democratic primary. Others could enter that race as well.
Incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn is facing a stiff challenge on the Republican side from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“There’s a moment here where I think people are ready for something very different,” Talarico said. “It’s been 10 years of Trumpian politics, politics as blood sport, politics as professional wrestling. And I think people are tired of it.”
Texas troopers overtime up while border crossings down
State troopers dispatched to the border under Operation Lone Star are taking in millions of dollars in overtime pay, even as border crossings have dropped to record lows, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Data obtained by Hearst Newspapers indicates the Department of Public Safety is on track to spend about $77 million on overtime this year, surpassing what it spent in 2023 when crossings peaked and thousands of migrants were arrested.
As of June, about one in 10 troopers were on track to double their annual salaries through overtime. Operation Lone Star now accounts for a third of DPS’ total overtime spending.
DPS officials say their focus is shifting from policing the Rio Grande to arresting drug smugglers and human traffickers across the state and assisting ICE in finding immigrants with outstanding warrants.
“It is true, you no longer see troopers simply stationed along the riverbanks, that is not where they are needed at this time,” said Ericka Miller, a DPS spokeswoman. “Troopers, special agents, Texas Rangers and others are working at various locations — some many miles from the physical border — to apprehend criminals and criminal illegal immigrants and crack down on crime connected to the border including drug cases, human smuggling, human trafficking, weapons trafficking, stash houses and more.”
Cost of owning a home in Texas is on the rise
Despite lawmakers’ efforts to dramatically reduce property taxes, the cost of owning a home in Texas grew in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Texas Tribune reported other home ownership costs, such as insurance and utilities, have eaten into money saved on property taxes. The median Texas homeowner last year paid $1,452 in monthly costs, up 2.7% from 2023.
Texas homeowners’ monthly costs last year were about 7% higher than in 2019, and the typical Texas homeowner with a mortgage spent 22.2% of their income on home costs.
Texas renters are seeing some relief after several years of steep rent hikes. The median Texas rent rose 1.4% in 2024, a slower pace than the previous two years.
Permian Basin counties driving U.S. oil growth
Eight Texas counties within the Permian Basin accounted for 93% of the nation’s oil output growth over the past four years, the Houston Chronicle reported. That production growth comes even as employment numbers have stagnated or dropped.
“We are, through mid-year 2025, producing record volumes of crude oil and natural gas in Texas, with fully 1/3 fewer direct upstream oil and gas employees in Texas compared to the industry peak in 2014,” said Karr Ingham, president of the Alliance of Texas Energy Producers.
“That is an otherworldly achievement in terms of efficiency and productivity growth, and in many respects releases those resources to other endeavors,” Ingham said.
When oil production from two New Mexico counties included in the Permian Basin are added, the 10 counties account for almost 40% of the country’s total crude oil and lease condensate output.
Flea-borne typhus cases on comeback in Texas
Typhus is making a comeback in Texas, carried by fleas despite having almost been eradicated in previous decades, the Texas Standard reported.
The state has reported the most flea-borne typhus cases in the nation, with more than 6,700 recorded from 2008-2023. About 70% of patients were hospitalized, and 14 deaths are attributed to typhus.
Some officials attributed the increase in typhus cases to climate change, saying warmer conditions allow fleas to reproduce faster and spread the typhus bacteria.
Symptoms include fever, headache, rash and cough, and in rare cases more serious illnesses if left untreated. Typhus is successfully treated with antibiotics.
State health officials emphasize flea control for pets, yard cleanup (removing brush and outdoor food sources that attract rodents and opossums), and promptly seeking care for unexplained fever — especially after flea bites or exposure to pets and wildlife.
Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress. com.
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