CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS
The Legislature made a host of major decisions in 2025, as The Dallas Morning News reported. Here are the highlights:
• Homeowners received a break on their property taxes after approving a proposed constitutional amendment in November. The homestead exemption increased to $140,000 from $100,000. People 65 and older were given an additional $60,000 exemption on top of that.
• A major public-school funding bill was passed, pumping $8.5 billion into raises for teachers and support staff and additional operational funding. Lawmakers also approved a statewide school voucher plan with $1 billion in initial funding. Eligible families can use public funds for private schools.
• The Texas Lottery Commission was abolished, with oversight moved to the Department of Licensing and Regulation. Online ticket sales were banned, as were courier services.
• After devastating floods in the Hill Country, especially along the Guadalupe River, killed at least 135 people, lawmakers approved funding to strengthen flood-warning systems, expand river and rainfall gauges, and speed updates to flood-risk mapping.
Warm, dry holiday weather elevates state wildfire risk
The Texas A&M Forest Service is warning that unseasonably dry and warm weather conditions are raising the risk of wildfire with the new year.
“We have seen above-normal grass production across large areas of Texas, especially near Abilene, Wichita Falls, Lubbock, Childress and Amarillo,” said Luke Kanclerz of the forest service. “These grasses are now dormant and freeze-cured, which means they dry quickly and can support wildfire activity when wind speeds increase.”
About 90% of wildfires in the state are caused by human activity, with debris burning and equipment use accounting for the majority of mishaps. Before traveling, drivers are urged to inspect their vehicles to make sure tires are properly inflated and trailer safety chains are secure to prevent creating sparks that can cause wildfires.
A total of 103 Texas counties are currently under a burn ban. A list can be found at https:// tfsweb.tamu.edu/.
GHLIGHTS
Judge blocks app store age-verification law
A federal judge temporarily blocked a new state law requiring app stores to verify the ages of users and restrict use by those under 18, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman granted an injunction against the law, which was set to take effect Jan. 1, saying it likely violates free speech rights under the First Amendment.
“The act is akin to a law that would require every bookstore to verify the age of every customer at the door and, for minors, require parental consent before the child or teen could enter and again when they try to purchase a book,” Pitman wrote.
Attorney General Ken Paxton said he will appeal the ruling.
The law would require app store users to be over 18 or to have parental consent before downloading or purchasing an app. Tech companies such as Apple and Google objected, calling the measure a violation of privacy and saying it would affect all apps, including those dedicated to news, sports or weather.
Paxtons’ divorce files unsealed
After months of legal wrangling, the files in the divorce case of Angela and Ken Paxton have been released. The files show Angela Paxton contended the marriage has become “unsupportable” in part because of his infidelity, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Several media companies sued to force the release of the files, contending the public had a right to know since both parties are public elected officials.
Angela Paxton is a Republican state senator from McKinney. Ken Paxton is leaving his attorney general post in a bid to unseat incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the March GOP primary.
The couple in mid-December agreed to make the files public just before a scheduled hearing on whether the records should remain sealed.
In her motion for divorce, Angela Paxton asked for a larger portion of their assets. Ken Paxton responded that his wife of 38 years should “take nothing.”
ICE arrests upend industry, South Texas builders claim
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested more than 9,100 people in South Texas, The Texas Tribune reported, and builders say the arrests are slowing construction of new homes. The arrests account for nearly one-fifth of all ICE arrests in the entire state.
Mario Guerrero, executive director of the South Texas Builders Association, said ICE agents were operating without arrest warrants — which they can do legally — but are also detaining people who have proper authorization.
“It’s what’s happening across the Rio Grande Valley at construction sites,” he said.
Data from the Federal Reserve of Dallas indicates a 5% drop in construction jobs during the third quarter of 2025.
New refuge established for whooping cranes on coast
Conservation groups have purchased more than 3,000 acres of prairie on an isolated stretch along the Gulf of Mexico to preserve as habitat for the endangered whooping crane, The Tribune reported.
The $8 million purchase of two tracts in Calhoun County provides winter grounds for the world’s last wild flock of whooping cranes.
“Large, intact coastal landscapes are disappearing fast, and protecting this one is a major win,” said Julie Shackelford, Texas state director of The Conservation Fund, which purchased the 2,200-acre Costa Grande Ranch. Another coastal property consisting of 1,100 acres was bought by the International Crane Foundation.
Barely two dozen whooping cranes remained a century ago. Conservation efforts have increased the last wild flock to nearly 600. The flock migrates annually from Canada’s boreal forest to the Texas Gulf Coast.
“As the populations have grown, they have expanded more and more off of those protected lands,” said Carter Crouch of the International Crane Foundation. “If we want to have a continually growing and recovering population, we need to secure sufficient wintering habitat.”
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: [email protected].
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