CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS LIGHTS GARY BORDERS
Texas is poised to lead the nation by 2030 in the number of data centers, the Austin American-Statesman reported, surpassing Virginia.
The state currently has 6.5 gigawatts of data center capacity under construction, accounting for 20% of the capacity added to the U.S. pipeline last year. One gigawatt can power about 750,000 homes on average.
Data centers provide the infrastructure to support both crypto currency facilities and the growth of artificial intelligence. The centers require huge amounts of power and water to operate. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates most of the state’s power grid, said the continuing growth in data centers will increase Texas energy demand by 71% in the next five years.
Central Texas has become the top data center market in the country. The American-Statesman identified at least 55 completed or planned projects between Temple and San Antonio in 2025.
Paxton calls for Hancock’s removal
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called for Gov. Greg Abbott to remove acting state Comptroller Kelly Hancock, calling him an “incompetent loser,” The Dallas Morning News reported.
Paxton said the governor should replace him with Don Huffines, who defeated Hancock in the GOP primary race for the post earlier this month.
“Kelly Hancock was rejected by Texans because he failed to do his job. He failed to take me down during impeachment, and his career is over,” Paxton wrote on X. “It’s time for him to be fired.”
Before his appointment as acting comptroller, Hancock served in the Texas Senate and was one of two Republican state senators who voted to convict Paxton in his impeachment trial. Paxton was acquitted.
The latest dispute comes after Hancock sent a letter to Paxton and to federal officials, calling for stripping the Houston Quran Academy of its charter because of alleged ties to CAIR, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights advocacy organization. Abbott has designated that group a foreign terrorist organization.
The academy is suing to overturn the designation.
$116 million in FIFA safety grants announced
The city of Houston and the North Central Texas Council of Governments, areas hosting FIFA World Cup events, will receive $116 million in grants to provide for safety personnel, equipment and other public safety needs, the Governor’s Office has announced.
“The FIFA World Cup coming to Texas gives our state a premier opportunity to showcase all it has to offer,” Abbott said in a news release. “These public-safety grants will help ensure that travelers visiting and traveling throughout Texas can enjoy our great state safely, will bolster Texas’ efforts to combat crime, and help prevent potential acts of violence.”
The money is coming from the federal government under the omnibus budget bill passed last year, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The budget provides $625 million in federal funding to host cities across America. The funds are allocated for recipients to provide extensive security to protect venues, players, staff and attendees against potential terrorist attacks.
License seekers have to prove they’re in country legally Anyone seeking a professional license in Texas, from barbers to dog breeders, will have to prove they are in the country legally after May 1, The Texas Tribune reported.
The state’s Commission on Licensing and Regulation last week adopted a new rule that could affect thousands of workers.
A long line of speakers at a hearing urged the commission not to adopt the rule, arguing it will hamper the state’s economy and push people to work without a license. The commission oversees the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
“TDLR has long been evaluating verification of license eligibility in line with federal law. With the transfer of the Texas Lottery to TDLR, the recent launch of our licensing system modernization project, and increased focus on combatting human trafficking, the department is moving forward with lawful presence verification,” said Caroline M. Espinosa, a TDLR spokeswoman.
TDLR attorney Derek Burkhalter told commissioners that some non-citizens will still be able to get licenses if they are here legally; for example, if they were granted asylum or admitted as a refugee.
“The proposed rules do not impose a citizenship requirement,” Burkhalter said. “Individuals who are not U.S. citizens may still be eligible for licensure if they meet the eligibility criteria.”
Pedestrian, bike fatalities climb
With spring and warmer weather here, there are more pedestrians and cyclists out on the road.
More than 20% of all Texas traffic fatalities involve either pedestrians or cyclists, according to the Texas Department of Transportation, which is urging drivers to know and follow the rules for sharing the road.
In 2024, 852 cyclists and pedestrians were killed in crashes on Texas roads. There were 6,095 crashes involving pedestrians and 2,761 crashes involving bicyclists. In 2025, there were 1,372 traffic crashes involving pedestrians in Texas and 527 traffic crashes involving bicyclists. In these crashes, 186 people were killed.
“All of us share a responsibility to watch out for each other, but people on foot or riding a bike are most at risk for serious injury or worse in a crash with a car, which means drivers must be extra vigilant,” TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said.
Prediction: Slightly less active hurricane season
Hurricane season is a little more than two months away, and weather media outlet AccuWeather is predicting a slightly less active season this year than in 2025, the Houston Chronicle reported. However, Texas and the Gulf Coast are still at risk of being hit.
AccuWeather forecasts 11 to 16 named storms, including four to eight hurricanes. Of those, one to three are expected to become Category 3 or strong hurricanes, with winds of at least 111 mph. Three to six storms could directly hit the United States, including one to three along the Gulf Coast, putting Texas and neighboring states at risk.
Last year was the first since 2015 without a hurricane making a direct U.S. landfall. Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published several 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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