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Tag: Texas

  • College Coach Gets Staggering Amount of Money After Being Fired | Entrepreneur

    College Coach Gets Staggering Amount of Money After Being Fired | Entrepreneur

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    Texas A&M sacked head football coach Jimbo Fisher last Sunday, but not before buying out his contract for a stunning $76 million. The decision is part of a shocking turn of events that’s shaken the sports world.

    “Although this is a major, major financial decision that comes with many consequences, we have a plan, and we will not let this impact the performance or the culture of our entire athletics program,” said Texas A&M athletics director Ross Bjork.

    Related: Colorado’s Football Team Was Robbed at the Rose Bowl, and Coach Deion Sanders Wants Reimbursement

    High hopes come crashing down

    Fisher took over at Texas A&M in 2018, signing a 10-year contract through the 2031 season. He started his tenure successfully, leading the team to three bowl games, including an Orange Bowl win in 2020. But since then, the team’s fortunes have fumbled, leaving management no choice but to let Coach Fisher go.

    Big buyout

    Luckily for Fisher, his contract included a substantial buyout clause, and now the university owes him a stunning sum. According to The Associated Press, Fisher is owed between $75 and $77 million, making it the largest known buyout ever given to a fired head coach. This hefty amount will be paid to Fisher regardless of whether he finds a new coaching job.

    Bjork said $19 million (25% of his salary) is due within 60 days. The remaining balance will be paid in several installments, with the first installment of approximately $7 million due within 120 days.

    To fund these payments, the university plans to use unrestricted contributions within the 12th Man Foundation (a Texas A&M scholarship program) for the first one-time payment. The remaining portion will be financed from growing revenues and adjusting the annual operating budget of the athletic department.

    Forward progress

    Bjork says the school has learned from Fisher’s contract and that their decision will not impact the overall performance or culture of the athletics program.

    “We were stuck… something was not working to reach our full potential,” Bjork said. “We should be relevant on the national scene.”

    Texas A&M beat Mississippi State 51-10 on Saturday, but Fisher’s dismissal was based on the overall record of the football program over the past several years. Fisher was 45-25 in six seasons at Texas A&M.

    As the Texas A&M football moves forward, the university hopes the decision to fire Fisher will turn the program around. But the financial repercussions of his contract will be felt for years to come.

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    Jonathan Small

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  • Texas School Will Allow Trans Student In School Musical After Major Backlash

    Texas School Will Allow Trans Student In School Musical After Major Backlash

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    A school district in northern Texas announced unexpectedly this week that it will let a high school performance of “Oklahoma” go on as initially planned — including allowing a transgender student to play a lead role and reinstating actors who had been cut for dressing in clothes for roles that didn’t match the sex they were assigned at birth.

    The unanimous decision from the Sherman Independent School District’s board of trustees, a reversal of a controversial decision that Sherman High School made earlier this month, is a rare win for LGBTQ+ youth in the town. But many residents say they are still concerned about the influence that conservative politics and religion have on public schools.

    Sherman High School made national headlines when the principal cut Max Hightower, a transgender high school senior, and several other students from a production of “Oklahoma.” The principal reportedly told parents the school would only cast students “born as females in female roles and students born as males in male roles.” The district then announced it would postpone the show because of sexual content and profanity — a move it walked back days later by saying it would allow an age-appropriate version of “Oklahoma.” That version did not include the character of Ali Hakim, whom Hightower had been cast to play.

    Dozens of people, including parents, local college students and current and former Sherman High students, packed into the district office Monday to voice their disappointment. For over two hours, they shared their experiences of being queer and trans in Sherman, described the home they’d found in theater programs, and emphasized the need for better protections for LGBTQ+ students.

    After the public comment section ended, the seven members of the board of trustees began a closed session that lasted several hours. Most of the crowd petered out into the dark, some gathering for a meal nearby and others lingering to debrief or share a hug, according to those who were there.

    By then, Hightower was exhausted. He and his mother drove home while his dad stayed at the meeting. Hightower took a long shower to unwind, worried about what the board might decide. When his friend texted him that the show would go on, he couldn’t stop smiling.

    The next day at school, as the cast went on a field trip to a costume shop, all of the actors cried and hugged one another. “We all celebrated in the choir room this morning,” Hightower told HuffPost on Tuesday. “It was just so moving.”

    “When we were first driving up to the board meeting, we were expecting to see some kind of hate, but there was an overwhelming amount of support,” he said. “I was shocked.”

    At the meeting, Leon Espinoza, a 20-year-old trans man, told the board he was risking coming out to his family by speaking.

    “I have been a member of the theater since I was 4 years old. It has been my safe space,” Espinoza, a junior at nearby Austin College, said to the board. “I have been a member of the Sherman community since I was 6 years old. It has never been my safe space.”

    Before he returned to his seat, Espinoza hugged Hightower’s father.

    Some alumni of Sherman High School, including queer and transgender former students, spoke at the meeting and explained how anti-LGBTQ+ policies are not a new problem in the district.

    One alum, Anna Clarkson, who previously directed choir at Sherman High, said that in 2015 she was asked by now-district Superintendent Tyson Bennett if she thought it was appropriate that the school’s production of “Legally Blonde” had gay and lesbian characters. She said Bennett, who was at the time assistant superintendent, asked her to make the lesbian character straight instead.

    By the end of the evening, after their closed session, the board of trustees reversed the initial decision about the show’s casting.

    “We want to apologize to our students, parents and our community regarding the circumstances that they have had to go through to this date,” the board wrote in a statement. “We understand that our decision does not erase the impact this has had on our community, but we hope that we will reinforce to everyone, particularly our students, that we do embrace all of our Board goals, to include addressing the diverse needs of our students and empowering them for success in a diverse and complex world.”

    The decision came as a surprise to many in an overwhelmingly red town, and in a state that has passed seven bills targeting LGBTQ+ youth and where the attorney general has investigated families of transgender youth.

    Many people in Sherman say the commotion over transgender actors and casting in the school musical is a symptom of larger, longstanding battles about conservative Christian priorities and their rise in public education.

    “This is not just about Max losing his role. This is not just about ‘Oklahoma,’” Espinoza told HuffPost. “This is about the intolerance of an older generation and the fact that they wish to not just deny, but actively prohibit kids from having safe spaces where they can be themselves, where they can have fun and where they can feel joy.”

    Matthew Krov, a parent and 22-year resident of Sherman, said he first became concerned about the school district’s attitudes toward LGBTQ+ students this spring, when Bennett hired a local pastor to be the district’s director on character education.

    The district’s communications director, Meghan Cone, said in an email that the director of character education role is “based on the state-required Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.” Cone pointed to the school’s website, which defines “character education” as programming to help students develop “positive character traits.”

    Krov said he was troubled by what he saw as the increasing influence of religion on schools. He noted that Bennett has introduced the “Stand in the Gap” program, which gives local churches a greater role in education through mentorship programs and “community wide prayer events” for schools.

    In the past year, Texas has pushed forward legislation to increase the role of religion in public schools, including passing a law this spring that gives school districts the right to “employ a chaplain instead of a school counselor to perform duties required of a school counselor under this title.” Lawmakers have also considered bills to require classrooms to display a copy of the Ten Commandments and provide students with time to pray or read religious texts.

    Krov said that in May, he saw Anna Wylie, a member of the board of trustees, protesting at a local LGBTQ+ event, holding up a sign that read “What are you confused about?” as students entered. Wylie, a member of the local tea party group Texoma Patriots, appears to be visible in a photo taken at then-President Donald Trump’s speech in Washington, D.C., before rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Wylie declined to comment to HuffPost.)

    After that incident, Krov said he asked Bennett over email and in phone calls how the board was going to support LGBTQ+ students. He said Bennett told him at the time that this was not a district issue.

    Cone did not answer a question about the district’s support for LGBTQ+ students. Bennett did not directly respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.

    The Sherman board of trustees announced a special meeting for Friday to open an investigation into the district’s handling of “Oklahoma.” The district said it plans to consult with its legal counsel and consider “possible administrative leave” and other actions against Bennett.

    “Sherman is at a crossroads,” Krov said. “I think there’s a tipping point right now where we’ve got a lot of growth and people fighting that growth, and I think [Bennett] and others who have been here forever have a very particular view of how Sherman is and want to see a certain agenda.”

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  • This Texas woman divorced her husband to become his guardian. Now she cares for him — with her new husband

    This Texas woman divorced her husband to become his guardian. Now she cares for him — with her new husband

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    Kris Armstrong and her then-husband, Brandon Smith.

    Kris Armstrong


    In 2008, Kris Armstrong was driving between her two jobs when she got a call and the caller asked her to pull over. Then came news that would change the then-23-year-old’s life forever: Her husband, Brandon Smith, had been in a car crash.

    “They were unable to tell me if he was alive or not,” she told CBS News. “By the time they called me, it had already been, like, seven hours since the accident.”

    The two had married just two years earlier — when they both were 21. High school sweethearts, the two met when she was 16 and he was 15. She knew she wanted a family — and so did he.

    But that plan had abruptly changed. Now, doctors were trying to save his life, and by the time she arrived at the hospital, he had fallen into a coma. When he woke up two months later, the Brandon she knew was gone. He now needed constant care.

    “When someone has a severe traumatic brain injury in a big way, you lose that person, but you gain somebody new,” she said. “And it took me a long time to realize that.”

    She turned to God and asked for guidance. She still wanted a family, but it would be impossible to have that with Brandon. It would be one of the hardest decisions she’d ever make.

    “I had made vows that I would be with him in sickness and health, and I took that very seriously,” Armstrong said. “I didn’t stay married to him, but I wanted to take care of him.”

    It broke her heart into a million pieces as she began the process of becoming his legal guardian by divorcing him. But she knew she was the best person to take care of him, so she showed the court by doing the things she’d always done.

    “I took him to appointments. I advocated for him,” she said. “I visited him almost daily. I took care of financial issues and managed all of his health care, his Medicaid, his Medicare, all of that.”

    At one of the final hearings, the judge asked her a specific question.

    “She asked me, ‘What will you do if you have a family someday? Will we be able to take care of Brandon? What will happen then?’” she said. “I told her, ‘Nothing’s going to change.’”

    And nothing did change — not even when she met James Armstrong in 2014, then a single father with a young child. The first thing she told him about was Brandon.  

    “I have a former husband that I take care of and he’s a part of my life and I realize that’s a lot,” she recalled telling him. “But if you’re interested in dating me, that comes with the territory.”

    “It didn’t bother me at all,” James said. “It intrigued me more, because I knew that Kris had a good heart.”

    When Brandon and James met for the first time, Kris recalled Brandon asking James if he wanted to grab a beer. That sparked hope for her budding relationship.

    “Of course, that made me happy.” she said. “Brandon being at peace and being OK with being a part of our family the way it is is super important.”

    lehmer-family-session-2022-12-of-18.jpg
    Kris and James Armstrong with their children and Brandon Smith.

    Michael Smyer


    A year later, Kris and James were married and Brandon had a new protector. More than a decade after his accident, the love for Brandon has only grown with the couple’s young children, who delight in the time spent with their “Uncle Brandon.”

    “They love to snuggle with him on the couch when he’s hanging out,” said Armstrong. “There’s a lot of love — a lot of love there.”

    It’s an unconditional love that other people have been moved by. When Armstrong first started sharing their family’s story on TikTok, it went viral — generating millions of views. 

    “We’ve been living out the story, this kind of unique family situation for about — that I have for about 15 years,” she said. “And I found that when I meet people, when I share my story and they share their stories, it’s a way to connect. It’s a way to share hope.” 

    “[Brandon’s] world got very small after his brain injury and it’s sort of gotten bigger again,” she said.  

    Michael Roppolo

    Michael Roppolo is a CBS News reporter. He covers a wide variety of topics, including science and technology, crime and justice, and disability rights.

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  • PolitiFact – Does Texas really outproduce California in wind energy? Yes

    PolitiFact – Does Texas really outproduce California in wind energy? Yes

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    U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz wants people to know that Texas — not California — is the country’s top wind energy producer. 

    “We produce a lot more wind energy in Texas than California does,” Cruz said in an interview this month with CNBC’s Last Call. “They produce a lot of hot air, but the wind energy is produced in Texas.”

    Wind turbines are a common sight across Texas, but is Cruz correct that the state — long known for its oil and gas dominance — outproduces California in renewable wind energy?

    Contacted for comment, Cruz’s spokesperson did not provide a response by our deadline. 

    PolitiFact examined U.S. Energy Information Administration data and found that Texas not only produces more wind energy than California but also is the nation’s top producer. Texas generated more than one-quarter of all U.S. wind-sourced electricity in 2022, leading the country for the 17th consecutive year.

    Last year, Texas produced more than 114,000 megawatt hours of wind energy, nearly eight times more than California, which produced about 14,600 megawatt hours. Texas has more than 15,000 wind turbines, according to the Texas comptroller’s office, more than any other state in the U.S.

    A megawatt can power about 200 homes during peak demand, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the state’s power grid.

    After Texas, the states generating the most wind-sourced electricity in 2022 were Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas and Illinois. 

    Texas leads the nation in wind power generation for several reasons, said Tom Overbye, an engineering professor and director of the Smart Grid Center at Texas A&M University.

    The state boasts extremely high wind speeds, particularly in North and West Texas, and along the southern Gulf Coast, Overbye said. For example, the average peak wind speed in El Paso in West Texas hit 35.9 mph in April 2022, the El Paso Times reported.

    An abundance of open land in these regions makes the cost of developing wind farms relatively low. The state also offers a property tax exemption equal to the value of wind and solar energy devices. 

    Wind farms enjoyed strong bipartisan political support in Texas, at least in their early years, Overbye said. He pointed to the Texas Renewable Portfolio Standard, signed in 1999 by then-Gov. George W. Bush, which aimed to spur renewable energy development. In 2005, then-Gov. Rick Perry signed a bill that expanded renewable energy and improved the electric transmission infrastructure. Although Democrats have pushed green energy measures, including the Green New Deal, Perry and Bush are both Republicans.

    Texas has also become a leader in solar power, Overbye said. In 2022, Texas was the country’s second-largest solar energy producer, after California, according to the EIA. This year, the state is adding more solar energy capacity than any state in the U.S, according to the agency.

    Our ruling

    Cruz said, “We produce a lot more wind energy in Texas than California does.”  

    Federal data shows that in 2022, Texas produced more wind energy than any other state, including California. That year, Texas produced more than 114,000 megawatt hours of wind energy, compared with California’s production of 14,600 megawatt hours. 

    We rate this claim True. 

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  • Cannabis company selling some CBD products at select Texas Live events for the first time – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

    Cannabis company selling some CBD products at select Texas Live events for the first time – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

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    Texas Live is known for fun, food, drinks, and music. Now, they are adding something extra through the official cannabis partner whose name is on the building.

    CBD Kratom has eight stores around the Dallas area. It is an independently owned cannabis company. The company has been doing a lot of advertising and promotions at Texas Live. 

    For the first time, the company will only sell some CBD products at select events.

    “These are a lot of the types of products that we’ll be bringing out to Texas Live,” CBD Kratom Chief Operating Officer Jason Brandl said while showing some products. “CBD caramels, taffies, gummies.”

    Other products like Kratom, which is a tropical evergreen leaf from the coffee family, and other products won’t be sold on-site for now.

    “We decided to try selling at these events rather than just handing out merch or free items,” Brandl said. “So, we will be selling CBD products to start. So, our CBD-infused lollipops, gummies, different things like that, caramels.”

    Seeing the logos and hearing CBD and cannabis may raise the question of whether it is legal. 

    The federal 2018 Farm Bill and a Texas state law passed in 2019 legalize hemp farming and the sale and possession of hemp-derived CBD oil containing less than .3% of THC, which is the compound that produces a ‘high’ in marijuana.

    Brandl said their products are lab-tested to fall within legal limits. But consumers must be careful.

    “Certainly, we do have some products…

    Original Author Link click here to read complete story..

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    MMP News Author

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  • Pope Francis dismisses conservative Texas Bishop Joseph Strickland

    Pope Francis dismisses conservative Texas Bishop Joseph Strickland

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    Pope Francis on Saturday dismissed Texas Bishop Joseph Strickland, an outspoken conservative and one of his fiercest and most vocal critics.

    The Vatican in a brief statement confirmed that Francis “relieved” the 65-year-old Strickland of the pastoral governance of the eastern Texas Tyler Diocese and appointed Bishop Joe Vasquez of the Austin Diocese as the temporary administrator.

    The dismissal comes after an investigation — called an “apostolic visitation” — earlier this year into the administration of the Tyler Diocese, which reportedly included a review of Strickland’s handling of financial affairs.

    It was announced simultaneously by the Vatican and the U.S. Bishops Conference, though neither explained what specifically triggered the probe, carried out by Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden, N.J., and Bishop Emeritus Gerald Kicanas of Tucson.

    “As a result of the Visitation, the recommendation was made to the holy father that the continuation in office of Bishop Strickland was not feasible,” Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, metropolitan archbishop of Galveston-Houston, said in a statement.

    The findings of the investigation were not released.

    Strickland had repeatedly refused to voluntarily resign from his post, handed to him by the late Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. On Thursday, he again declined a request to resign, DiNardo said.

    Strickland shot to prominence through social media, where he often criticizes Pope Francis and trumpets some of his more conservative viewpoints. In a tweet this year, Strickland said he rejected Francis’ “program undermining the deposit of faith.”

    He’s also lambasted the Argentine pontiff’s efforts to make the church more welcoming to the LGBTQ community as well as his push to provide laypeople more opportunities.

    Strickland is also a vocal critic of President Biden’s White House. Following his win in 2020, the ex-prelate tweeted that “A dark cloud has descended on this nation when the USCCB  [United States Conference of Catholic Bishops] and Planned Parenthood speak in unison in support of a Biden-Harris administration that supports the slaughter of innocents by abortion for all 9 months of pregnancy.”

    With News Wire Services

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    Jessica Schladebeck

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  • Pope removes conservative critic Joseph Strickland as bishop of Tyler, Texas

    Pope removes conservative critic Joseph Strickland as bishop of Tyler, Texas

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    Pope Francis on Saturday ordered the removal of the bishop of Tyler, Texas, a conservative prelate active on social media who has been a fierce critic of the pontiff and has come to symbolize the polarization within the U.S. Catholic hierarchy.

    A one-line statement from the Vatican said Francis had “relieved” Bishop Joseph Strickland of the pastoral governance of Tyler and appointed the bishop of Austin as the temporary administrator.

    Strickland, 65, has emerged as a leading critic of Francis, accusing him in a tweet earlier this year of “undermining the deposit of faith.” He has been particularly critical of Francis’ recent meeting on the future of the Catholic Church during which hot-button issues were discussed, including ways to better welcome LGBTQ+ Catholics.

    Earlier this year, the Vatican sent in investigators to look into his governance of the diocese, amid reports that priests and laypeople in Tyler had complained and that he was making unorthodox claims.

    The Vatican never released the findings and Strickland had insisted he wouldn’t resign voluntarily, saying in media interviews that he was given a mandate to serve as bishop in 2012 by the late Pope Benedict XVI and couldn’t abdicate that responsibility.

    The conservative website LifeSiteNews, which said it interviewed Strickland on Saturday, quoted him as saying one of the reasons given for his ouster was his refusal to implement Francis’ 2021 restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass.

    Francis’ crackdown on the old liturgy has become a rallying cry for traditionalist Catholics opposed to the pontiff’s progressive bent. Strickland told LifeSite he refused to implement the restrictions “because I can’t starve out part of my flock.”

    He said he stood by his decision, would do it again and “I feel very much at peace in the Lord and the truth that he died for.”

    His firing sparked an immediate outcry among some conservatives and traditionalists who had held up Strickland as a leading point of Catholic reference to counter Francis’ progressive reforms. Michael J. Matt, editor of the traditionalist newspaper The Remnant, wrote that with the firing, Francis was “actively trying to bury fidelity to the Church of Jesus Christ.”

    “This is total war,” Matt wrote on social media. “Francis is a clear and present danger not only to Catholics the world over but also to the whole world itself.”

    The two Vatican investigators sent into investigate Strickland — Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden, New Jersey, and the retired bishop of Tucson, Arizona, Bishop Emeritus Gerald Kicanas — “conducted an exhaustive inquiry into all aspects of the governance and leadership of the diocese,” said the head of the church in Texas, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo.

    After their investigation, a recommendation was made to Francis that “the continuation in office of Bishop Strickland was not feasible,” DiNardo said in a statement Saturday.

    The Vatican asked Strickland to resign Thursday, but he declined, prompting Francis to remove him from office two days later, DiNardo’s statement said.

    It is rare for the pope to remove a bishop from office. Bishops are required to offer to resign when they reach 75. When the Vatican uncovers issues with governance or other problems that require a bishop to leave office before then, the Vatican usually seeks to pressure him to offer to resign for the good of his diocese and the church.

    That was the case when another U.S. bishop was forced out earlier this year following a Vatican investigation. Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville, Tennessee, resigned voluntarily, albeit under pressure, following allegations he mishandled sex abuse allegations, and his priests complained about his leadership and behavior.

    But with Strickland, the Vatican statement made clear that he had not offered to resign and that Francis had instead “relieved” him from his job.

    Francis has not been shy about his concerns about the right wing in the U.S. Catholic hierarchy, which has been split between progressives and conservatives who long found support in the doctrinaire papacies of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, particularly on issues of abortion and same-sex marriage.

    In comments to Portuguese Jesuits in August, Francis blasted the “backwardness” of these conservative bishops, saying they had replaced faith with ideology and that a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.

    Strickland had been associated with the most extreme of these bishops, including the former Vatican ambassador to the U.S., Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a fierce Francis critic who in 2018 called for the pope to resign.

    Strickland backed Vigano’s conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic, and on Saturday Vigano wrote that Strickland’s ouster showed a “cowardly form of authoritarianism” by Francis. “This affair will reveal who stands with the true Church of Christ and who chooses to stand with His declared enemies,” Vigano wrote on X.

    Most recently, Strickland had criticized Francis’ monthlong closed-door debate on making the church more welcoming and responsive to the needs of Catholics today. The meeting debated a host of previously taboo issues, including women in governance roles and welcoming LGBTQ+ Catholics, but in the end, its final document didn’t veer from established doctrine.

    Ahead of the meeting, Strickland said it was a “travesty” that such things were even on the table for discussion.

    “Regrettably, it may be that some will label as schismatics those who disagree with the changes being proposed,” Strickland wrote in a public letter in August. “Instead, those who would propose changes to that which cannot be changed seek to commandeer Christ’s Church, and they are indeed the true schismatics.”

    In a statement Saturday, the diocese of Tyler announced Strickland’s removal but said the church’s work would continue in Tyler.

    “Our mission is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to foster an authentic Christian community, and to serve the needs of all people with compassion and love,” it said.

    In a social media post sent a few hours before the Vatican’s noon announcement, Strickland wrote a prayer about Christ being the “way, the truth and the life, yesterday, today and forever.” He had changed the handle from his previous bishopoftyler to BishStrickland.

    The incoming temporary administrator for Tyler, Austin Bishop Joe Vásquez, said he would be travelling to the diocese over the coming weeks to be on hand for the priests, staff and lay faithful “to assess their needs.”

    He asked for prayers for his work and the people of Tyler “during this time of transition.”

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  • Trans Student Kicked Out Of A Lead Role In Texas School Musical

    Trans Student Kicked Out Of A Lead Role In Texas School Musical

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    Max Hightower, a senior at Sherman High School in North Texas, always loved theater. He sang in his school’s chorus and was in school plays but had never landed a speaking part.

    Then, two weeks ago, he was cast as Ali Hakim, a leading role in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Oklahoma,” after another student was cut from the roster.

    “It was just overwhelming,” the 17-year-old told HuffPost. “I was so excited. I ran and told all my friends.”

    But that joy was short-lived. Max was called into the principal’s office on Friday, where he says he was told about a “new policy” stating that students could only be cast in roles that aligned with the sex they were assigned at birth.

    Max, a transgender boy, would no longer be able to play the male part of Hakim. Local outlet KXII first reported that Max had been removed from his role.

    When Max left the principal’s office, he saw a line of other students who had been cast in the musical and were waiting to get the same disappointing news.

    “We just had this giant cry sesh outside of the choir room,” Max said.

    Sherman High students and parents who spoke to HuffPost said that about a dozen students ― transgender, nonbinary and cisgender alike ― were cut from the show because their sex assigned at birth did not match the sex or gender presentation of the roles in which they were cast. Three parents said their cisgender daughters who had been cast in male roles or wore masculine clothing for their roles were cut from the show due to the school’s new rules.

    Meghan Cone, the communications director for the Sherman Independent School District, told HuffPost that there isn’t a blanket policy on how students will be cast for future performances and that she was “unable to address the number of students impacted.”

    “As it relates to this particular production, the sex of the role as identified in the script will be used when casting. Because the nature and subject matter of productions vary, the District is not inclined to apply this criteria to all future productions,” Cone wrote in a statement.

    Like most plays, “Oklahoma!” does not note that sex should factor in casting.

    The school’s performance of “Oklahoma!” has been postponed until early 2024 because the district learned about “mature adult themes, profane language, and sexual content” in the show, Cone said, adding that the district is working to produce a version that is “appropriate for the high school stage.” The musical revolves around two fiery love triangles against the backdrop of Oklahoma’s journey to statehood, but Sherman families said the school has put on the musical in the past without any issues.

    “It’s very clear to us and all the other parents and families that this isn’t an issue about ‘Oklahoma!’ itself or the content of the show,” Kayla Brooks, who said her daughter lost her part, told HuffPost. Her daughter had been cast as a male ensemble character in August.

    “This is an issue about a trans kid who got cast as one of the lead roles,” Brooks said.

    “I am really disappointed that the school district didn’t take the opportunity to educate the concerned person about gender-blind casting and the history of theater.”

    – parent Betty Price

    CJ Price, a senior at Sherman High who was also removed from her part, said that she and some of her cisgender female cast mates were told they could no longer participate because they preferred to dress as cowboys instead of wearing dresses.

    Students said they were told that they would be recast in new roles that align with the school’s casting rules.

    Cone said she did not know why some cisgender female students were cut for playing male roles or wearing typically masculine clothing but that the “sex of the role as identified in the script” would be used when recasting. “No recasting has occurred at this time,” she said.

    Max’s dad, Phillip Hightower, said the school had been fairly supportive of his son’s transition — Max had, for example, worn slacks and a black tie when performing in concerts — and that he was “so taken aback” when he received a separate call from the principal informing him of the school’s decision to remove his son from the role.

    Some parents told HuffPost that they suspect a community member complained to the school district after Max was cast as a lead, and they said they plan to raise the issue at the school board meeting next week.

    “I am really disappointed that the school district didn’t take the opportunity to educate the concerned person about gender-blind casting and the history of theater,” said Betty Price, CJ’s mom. “But instead of doing that, they had a knee-jerk reaction and decided to make a policy change that has now forever ruined the history of theater at Sherman High School.”

    Christina Shelton, the mother of an another transgender student, said she’s waiting to find out if a production her child is involved with will be similarly affected. Shelton’s child is in the school’s University Interscholastic League theater program, a statewide organization that brings schools together in competition.

    “Is this politically motivated? Is this religiously motivated? What are you supposed to tell your kids?” Shelton told HuffPost. “It’s just not a friendly place for LGBTQ students.”

    Phillip Hightower said he has been closely following how far-right forces have taken over a school district in Grapevine, just an hour south of Sherman, over the last year — including accusing a top-rated queer teacher of “grooming” students.

    “That is the atmosphere we’re living in. I feel like the same thing could happen here,” he said, noting that he thinks his district has adopted more extreme and explicitly Christian policies recently.

    Texas’ Republican-controlled legislature has introduced more than 140 anti-LGBTQ+ bills this year, according to Johnathan Gooch, the communications director at Equality Texas. Seven such bills have passed, he said, and have caused significant harm to trans and queer kids, including restricting access to gender-affirming care.

    “I think it’s important to state blatantly it is illegal to discriminate against anyone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity under federal civil rights law, specifically Title IX,” Gooch told HuffPost.

    Title IX is a civil rights law that bars sex-based discrimination, which includes protections for transgender students in any school or educational program that receives federal funding.

    “It’s a difficult time to be queer in Texas, and schools need to be safe havens for these kids. It’s important that our schools affirm young trans kids, support them, encourage them in the arts and in their school work,” Gooch said. “These policies are just piling on, creating toxic climates that only further harm young people in the state.”

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  • Texas Police Busts Large-Scale Illegal Cock Fighting Operation

    Texas Police Busts Large-Scale Illegal Cock Fighting Operation

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    Cock fighting is an activity that is illegal across the United States. Depending on the state, individuals caught organizing, participating or viewing such illegal cockfights are subject to different penalties that can include jail time, hefty fines or both. In one operation against illegal cock fighting in Texas, nearly 20 individuals were arrested and close to 100 live birds were seized.

    The incident dates back to last month when the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office responded to an incident call about animal cruelty. Police were dispatched to 100 Maxine Road, Cleveland, San Jacinto County with two patrol Deputies and one patrol Sergeant arriving at the scene to find between 250 and 300 individuals watching and/or participating in a large-scale illegal cockfighting operation.

    Upon the arrival of law enforcement, all individuals dispersed, running into the surrounding woods. The suspects left approximately 100 vehicles on the scene. First responders were able to detain 19 individuals involved in the illegal cock fighting operation. Out of the 19 individuals arrested, 18 were charged with misdemeanors over viewing the illegal cock fights. On the other hand, one person was charged with felony over his participation in the cruel activity and one person was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance that was less than 1 gram.

    According to the Sheriff’s Office, a total of 96 live birds were seized from different cages, vehicles and transport boxes on the crime scene. While dead birds were found as well, police also uncovered cock fighting paraphernalia, which included razor-sharp miniature knife objects that are attached to the feet of the birds. Those objects, called gaffs, aim at stabbing or slash-cutting opposing roosters during fights.

    “Animal Cruelty will NOT be tolerated in San Jacinto County,“

    reads a statement released by the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office

    Police Seized Cash and Firearms

    Additional cock fighting paraphernalia uncovered included steroids, cages, drugs and vitamins, along with cages and custom trailers fit for transporting live birds. Upon uncovering the illegal operation, law enforcement towed 75 vehicles from the scene. Some 43 vehicles were seized along with four custom trailers that were equipped to transport birds.

    It’s no surprise that the police uncovered large sums of cash and firearms during the recent operation. Overall, $22,096 was sized from the 19 people arrested. One of the people involved had some $6,000 in cash. “The subjects with the larger amounts of cash were found to be the registered owners of vehicles that were seized which also contained cock fighting paraphernalia,” explained the Sheriff’s Office. During the raid, five fully loaded semi-automatic pistols were seized from the vehicles on site. Out of the 19 arrested individuals, seven were believed to be undocumented aliens.

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  • 8 people killed when driver suspected of human smuggling crashes in Texas

    8 people killed when driver suspected of human smuggling crashes in Texas

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    Eight people were killed when a driver suspected of human smuggling tried to evade authorities and crashed head-on into another vehicle, the Texas Department of Public Safety said Wednesday.

    The crash occurred around 6:30 a.m. on U.S. Highway 57 near Batesville, about 83 miles southwest of San Antonio.

    The driver, 21, who was in a Honda, had evaded authorities from the Zavala County Sheriff’s Office and “passed an 18-wheeler in a no-passing zone,” Lt. Chris Olivarez, a spokesperson with the Texas Department of Public Safety, said by email and in a post on X.

    The driver crashed head-on into a Chevrolet SUV, causing the vehicle to burst into flames, Olivarez said. Photos released by the agency showed both vehicles completely mangled, with debris scattered across the highway.

    Six people were in the Honda, Olivarez said. Two people from Georgia were in the Chevrolet SUV. Everyone was killed, officials said.

    Several of the people in the Honda were from Honduras, Olivarez said.

    Names of some of the dead were being withheld until family members can be notified, authorities said. The crash remains under investigation.

    The two people in the Chevrolet SUV that were killed were identified as Jose Lerma, 67, and Isabel Lerma, 65, of Dalton, Georgia.

    Last year, more than 50 migrants were found dead in an abandoned big rig in the sweltering heat of San Antonio in what is believed to be the deadliest human smuggling case in modern U.S. history. The discovery was made when a person who worked in the area heard someone crying for help and spotted at least one body, officials said.

    Multiple crashes, some fatal, have also been linked to human smuggling cases. Last November, one person was killed and 11 others were hospitalized in La Joya, Texas, about 5 miles from the Mexico border, when the driver evaded law enforcement and disregarded a red light. Authorities suspected the case involved human smuggling because of the number of people involved.

    A similar crash occurred in Encinal, Texas, in June 2022 when four migrants were killed and two others were injured when a vehicle carrying the migrants crashed into a TNI Trucking Co. vehicle.

    This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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  • John F. Kennedy Assassination Fast Facts | CNN

    John F. Kennedy Assassination Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s some background information about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963.

    November 22, 1963
    – 11:37 a.m. – Air Force One arrives at Dallas’ Love Field with the President and his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, Texas Governor John B. Connally Jr. and his wife, Idanell Connally. Vice President Lyndon Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird Johnson, arrive in a separate plane. It is a campaign trip for the coming 1964 election, although not officially designated as such.

    During a 10-mile tour of Dallas, the President and Mrs. Kennedy and the governor and Mrs. Connally ride in an open convertible limousine. The motorcade is on the way to the Trade Mart where the President is to speak at a sold-out luncheon.

    – 12:30 p.m. – As the President’s limousine passes the Texas School Book Depository, shots are fired from a sixth-floor window.

    President Kennedy and Governor Connally are both wounded and are rushed to Parkland Hospital.

    Wire services report three shots were fired as the motorcade passed under Stemmons Freeway. Two bullets hit the President and one hit the Governor.

    Emergency efforts by Drs. Malcolm Perry, Kemp Clark and others are unsuccessful at reviving the president. Governor Connally’s injuries are critical but not fatal. From one bullet, he sustains three broken ribs, a punctured lung and a broken wrist. The bullet finally lodged in his left thigh.

    – 12:36 p.m. – The ABC radio network broadcasts the first nationwide news bulletin reporting that shots have been fired at the Kennedy motorcade.

    – 12:40 p.m. – The CBS television network broadcasts the first nationwide TV news bulletin also reporting on the shooting.

    – 1:00 p.m. – Kennedy is pronounced dead by Parkland Hospital doctors, becoming the fourth US president killed in office.

    – 1:07 p.m. – News of the shooting causes the New York Stock Exchange to halt trading after an $11 million flood of sell orders.

    – 1:15 p.m. – Lee Harvey Oswald kills Dallas Police Patrolman J.D. Tippit approximately 45 minutes after the assassination.

    – 2:00 p.m. – A bronze casket carrying the President’s body, accompanied by Mrs. Kennedy and the Johnsons, leaves Parkland Hospital for Air Force One.

    – 2:15 p.m. – Oswald, a 24-year-old ex-Marine, is arrested in the back of a movie theater where he fled after shooting Tippit.

    – 2:39 p.m. – Johnson is sworn in on the runway of Love Field aboard Air Force One. Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes, of the Northern District of Texas, administers the oath of office. Witnesses include Jacqueline Kennedy and Johnson’s wife.

    – 5:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. ET) – Air Force One arrives at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. The coffin bearing the President’s body is taken by ambulance to Bethesda Naval Hospital for an autopsy. The flag-draped coffin is taken to the East Room of the White House early the next morning following the autopsy.

    – 7:15 p.m. – Oswald is arraigned for the murder of Tippit.

    November 22-25, 1963 – Major television and radio networks devote continuous news coverage to ongoing events associated with the President’s assassination, canceling all entertainment and all commercials. Many theaters, stores and businesses, including the stock exchanges and government offices, are closed through November 25.

    November 23, 1963 – Oswald is arraigned for the murder of the president.

    November 23, 1963 – Johnson designates November 25 as a day of national mourning.

    November 24, 1963 – As Oswald is being transferred from the Dallas city jail to the county jail, nightclub owner Jack Ruby shoots and kills him. The shooting is inadvertently shown live on TV. Ruby is immediately arrested.

    November 24-25, 1963 – Kennedy’s flag-draped casket lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda.

    November 25, 1963 – Kennedy is buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors and representatives from more than 90 countries in attendance.

    November 26, 1963 – Ruby is indicted in Dallas for the murder of Oswald. He is later convicted, has the conviction overturned on appeal, and dies of cancer in 1967 awaiting a new trial.

    November 29, 1963 – Johnson appoints the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. Commonly called the Warren Commission, its purpose is to investigate the assassination.

    September 24, 1964 – The Warren Report is released with the following conclusions: “The shots which killed President Kennedy and wounded Governor Connally were fired from the sixth-floor window at the southeast corner of the Texas School Book Depository.” And: “The shots which killed President Kennedy and wounded Governor Connally were fired by Lee Harvey Oswald.”

    October 26,1992 – President George H.W. Bush signs the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act into law. The law directs the National Archives to establish a collection of records consisting of any materials, by any state or federal agency, that were created during the federal inquiry into the assassination.

    October 26, 2017 – The US government releases more than 2,800 records relating to Kennedy’s assassination in an effort to comply with a 1992 law mandating the documents’ release. President Donald Trump keeps roughly 300 files classified out of concern for US national security, law enforcement and foreign relations. In a memo, Trump directs agencies that requested redactions to re-review their reasons for keeping the records secret within 180 days.

    April 26, 2018 – Trump extends to 2021 the deadline for the public release of files related to the assassination. More than 19,000 documents are released by the National Archives, in compliance with the records law and Trump’s 2017 order.

    October 22, 2021 – The White House announces that it will further postpone the release of more documents related to the assassination, pointing to the “significant impact” of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    December 15, 2021 – The National Archives releases almost 1,500 previously classified documents related to the assassination.

    December 15, 2022 – The National Archives releases over 13,000 previously classified documents collected as part of the government review into the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

    June 30, 2023 – The White House announces the National Archives has concluded its review of the classified documents related to the assassination of President Kennedy, with 99% of the records having been made publicly available.

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  • Mother Of Uvalde Shooting Victim Loses Election For Mayor

    Mother Of Uvalde Shooting Victim Loses Election For Mayor

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    Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter, Lexi, was killed in the May 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, has lost the special election for mayor of the city.

    Mata-Rubio ran against Cody Smith, a former mayor, and Veronica Martinez, an art teacher, in a battle over the city government’s transparency and response to the horrific attack. Don McLaughlin, Uvalde’s mayor since 2014, announced earlier this year that he was pursuing a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. Smith won the election for mayor Tuesday night.

    “I’ll never stop fighting for you, Lexi,” Mata-Rubio wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday night, shortly after the election was called. “I meant it when I said this was only the beginning. After all, I’m not a regular mom. I’m Lexi’s mom.”

    Uvalde has been divided since the mass shooting that killed 19 children and two adults. Mata-Rubio and other parents of victims have been advocating for transparency from the city and from law enforcement agencies, which remain under criminal investigation after the botched response to the May 24, 2022, attack by a lone gunman.

    In the 2022 election for Texas governor, more than 60% of Uvalde residents voted for Republican Greg Abbott. However, families of the victims were critical of Abbott after his response to the shooting, including his remark that it “could have been worse.”

    Mata-Rubio was among Abbott’s most vocal critics during the 2022 gubernatorial election and posted on social media that the state of Texas had sent her a clear message.

    “My daughter’s murder wasn’t enough,” she posted on Twitter at the time. “Just know, you fucked with the wrong mom. It doesn’t end tonight. I’ll fight until I have nothing left to give. Lexi’s legacy will be change.”

    Since the shooting, tensions have repeatedly flared between Uvalde community members and local government. During a school board meeting in October 2022, Uvalde residents criticized Uvalde Consolidated School District Superintendent Hal Harrell for hiring a school district officer who was under investigation at the time for her role in the lackadaisical police response to the attack. The officer, Crimson Elizondo, was caught on body camera footage the day of the shooting saying, “If my son had been in there, I would not have been outside. I promise you that.”

    Mata-Rubio spoke out at the meeting, saying she was “disgusted” by Uvalde residents who supported Harrell.

    “How dare you decide now when a job is at stake to come together, but you stay home as we, the families, have been demanding transparency and accountability,” she said through tears. “How dare you attack those of us who lost our children in the worst way possible.”

    Mata-Rubio cited her frustration with local leadership as one of the reasons she decided to run for mayor.

    “A stagnant leadership led to the events that unfolded on May 24, 2022,” Mata-Rubio told HuffPost in July when she announced her run for mayor. “The aftermath has fractured our community. I hope to bridge the gap and move our community in a positive direction, bringing the 19 children and two teachers with me every step of the way.”

    In a video on her campaign website, Mata-Rubio said she wanted to boost Uvalde’s economy, protect its history and culture, and improve city services.

    “The tragedy at Robb Elementary will always be part of our story, but we can choose how history remembers Uvalde — as a small town that banded together, overcame and grew to new heights,” she said.

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  • Texas woman ‘tortured’ 6-year-old twins, killing one over bed-wetting: DA

    Texas woman ‘tortured’ 6-year-old twins, killing one over bed-wetting: DA

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    A Texas woman was sentenced to life in prison for her role in physically abusing her boyfriend’s twin daughters, resulting in one’s death, the district attorney’s office told Newsweek.

    After less than an hour of deliberation, a Brazos County jury on Thursday found 43-year-old Jessica Bundren guilty of physically abusing her boyfriend’s 6-year-old daughters, resulting in the death of one of the little girls, Brazos County Assistant District Attorney Kara Comte told Newsweek in an email interview on Saturday night.

    Bundren, of Bryan, Texas, was arrested in 2020, accused of physically abusing both girls for not eating fast enough and wetting the bed, local authorities said. Arianna Rose Battelle died on October 27, 2020, as a result of the injuries she suffered, but her twin sister survived her injuries.

    Bundren is currently being held in the Brazos County Jail after being convicted on a charge of Injury to a Child – Intentionally/Knowing Serious Bodily Injury, Comte said. A jury on Friday found that Bundren should serve the maximum sentence of life in a state penitentiary and be fined $10,000, Comte said, adding that Bundren has not gone to trial yet on an additional charge for injuring the surviving twin, Patience.

    A Brazos County Grand Jury indicted the girls’ father, Justin Hopper, on two counts of Injury to a Child with intent to cause bodily injuries in December 2020. Hopper is scheduled for a status hearing on December 14, Comte said.

    A Texas woman was sentenced to life in prison on November 3, 2023, for her role in physically abusing her boyfriend’s 6-year-old twin daughters, resulting in one’s death. Arianna Rose Battelle (pictured) died on October 27, 2020, authorities said.
    Courtesy of Kimberly Elias

    Dr. Evan Matshes, a Forensic Pathologist who was called to testify in Bundren’s trail by her defense team, confirmed that Arianna was beaten to death but could not verify who dealt the blows that took Arianna’s life.

    “She was tortured,” Matshes said. “She may have been sexually assaulted as part of that process. Her death was slow and painful.”

    However, the forensic expert said that “scientifically” it’s impossible to tell who inflicted the fatal injuries, saying it’s “not the job of the forensic pathologist to determine who did what, it’s our job to determine what happened.”

    Comte said while Bundren has never confessed to the crimes that she did admit to “disciplining” the girls by “spankings” or “swats.” Police responding to the 911 call the day Arianna died said the little girl was found with what appeared to be welts and puncture wounds made by a belt.

    Patience told investigators that she and Arianna would be punished if they ate lunch too slowly or wet the bed and said that both Bundren and their father would use a belt and paddle, according to the arrest report by Bryan police.

    Police noted in the report that Patience had a black eye, a scab on her neck and “appeared to be in pain and moved with difficulty.” She also had two broken fingers, telling investigators that her father used a wooden paddle to hit her hand.

    Comte told Newsweek that the abuse was never reported because it happened during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Since no one had seen the girls, Comte said it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how long the abuse occurred, saying investigators believe it may have started somewhere in July or August of 2020 and Arianna died in October.

    “The family did not see the girls because it was during Covid and they were keeping the girls away from people, including school,” Comte said. “They were attending school virtually.”

    Kimberly Elias, grandmother to Arianna and Patience, told Newsweek in an interview on Saturday night that while she is “wholeheartedly grateful” that Bundren was given a life sentence that the punishment doesn’t ease the pain of Arianna’s death.

    Elias, 46, said during the Bundren’s trial last week, the twins’ family heard graphic testimony and saw horrific photos of the girls’ “beaten, bruised and tortured little bodies” that they will never be able to erase from their minds. She told Newsweek that she is the ex-wife of the twins’ paternal grandfather and will always be the girls’ “MiMi.”

    She said that without Arianna, the family will never be at peace or “be whole again.”

    “That option was ripped away from us by two monsters,” Elias said. “As parents, we are supposed to love and protect our children from the monsters, yet they were the monsters. We’ve listened to testimony all last week and seen pictures that we will never be able to erase from our minds. Honestly, it’s been a living hell from the beginning, but we are grateful that someone is finally paying for this crime.”

    Elias said that while most media outlets identified Bundren is the girls’ stepmother, she was their father’s live-in girlfriend. Elias said that Hopper had custody of the twins at the time of Arianna’s death.

    She told Newsweek that Arianna was the sweetest little girl, who was “full of life and love.” Elias said that Arianna and Patience were best friends.

    “With the actions of these monsters there is now half of a whole left,” she said. “Patience will never be the same without Arianna.”

    Twin Killed in Texas
    Patience (left) and Arianna Battelle (right) of Bryan, Texas. The then 6-year-old twins faced physical abuse, resulting in Arianna’s death in 2020. The girls’ grandmother told Newsweek that “with her being a twin, she had a built-in best friend. With the actions of these monsters, there is now half of a whole left.”
    Courtesy of Kimberly Elias

    In the three years since losing her twin sister and recovering from her physical injuries, Patience is “doing better,” her grandmother said, adding that the mental and emotional toll of the ordeal is something she will carry with her for the rest of her life.

    “She is with a really, really good foster family who she absolutely loves with her whole heart, and she is wanting to be adopted by them,” Elias said. “This past birthday she stated she didn’t want a birthday party; she wanted an Adoption Party and I fully support that.”

    Elias said that Patience has been with the foster family for three years and has a “very stable and happy life.”

    “That makes me so happy and excited for her,” she said. “I’ve seen the smile and the light back in her eyes.”

    Elias said that the girls’ father deserves to be convicted and face the maximum sentence for his role in their abuse.

    “Justice has already whispered in his ear ‘I’m coming for you next,’” she said.