State Headlines
US ranchers oppose Trump’s plan to import more Argentine beef
Posted/updated on: October 23, 2025 at 3:43 pmSIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — President Donald Trump ’s plan to cut record beef prices by importing more meat from Argentina is running into heated opposition from U.S. ranchers who are enjoying some rare profitable years and skepticism from experts who say the president’s move probably wouldn’t lead to cheaper prices at grocery stores. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association along with the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America and other farming groups — who are normally some of the president's biggest supporters — all criticized Trump's idea because of what it could do to American ranchers and feedlot operators. And agricultural economists say Argentine beef accounts for such a small slice of beef imports — only about 2% — that even doubling that ... Read More
ICE’s use of full-body restraints during deportations raises concerns over inhumane treatment
Posted/updated on: October 23, 2025 at 3:43 pmThe Nigerian man described being roused with other detainees in September in the middle of the night. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers clasped shackles on their hands and feet, he said, and told them they were being sent to Ghana, even though none of them was from there. When they asked to speak to their attorney, he said, the officers refused and straitjacketed the already-shackled men in full-body restraint suits called the WRAP, then loaded them onto a plane for the 16-hour-flight to West Africa. Referred to as “the burrito” or “the bag,” the WRAP has become a harrowing part of deportations for some immigrants. “It was just like a kidnapping,” the Nigerian man, who's part of a federal lawsuit, told The Associated Press ... Read More
What to know about redistricting efforts across US at Trump’s prodding
Posted/updated on: October 23, 2025 at 3:43 pmPresident Donald Trump's desire to secure the Republican majority in Congress has prompted an unusual burst of mid-decade redistricting in multiple states. North Carolina is the latest to take action. The Republican-led General Assembly approved changes Wednesday to U.S. House district designed to help the party unseat a Democratic incumbent. Texas was the first to answer Trump's call to redraw its congressional districts for the GOP's advantage ahead of next year's elections. Democrats in California countered with their own redistricting effort, followed by Republicans in Missouri. Other states are considering joining the redistricting battle. U.S. House districts typically are redrawn once a decade, immediately after a census. But some states have no rules against redistricting more frequently than that. And the U.S. Supreme Court has ... Read More
Hood County voters divided over plan to form new city
Posted/updated on: October 23, 2025 at 3:43 pmHOOD COUNTY - The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that neighbors living near Mitchell Bend Highway in rural Hood County are sharply divided over a ballot initiative to form a city that some say will protect them from the constant whirring noise of cooling fans from a Bitcoin mining operation and pollution from power plants close to their homes. But others are suspicious of the possibility of additional property taxes or regulations governing how they use their land, although residents who are spearheading the incorporation effort said that won’t happen. Early voting continues through Oct. 31, and the election is Nov. 4. There are around 200 registered voters. More than 50% of the votes are needed for incorporating the 2-square mile area about 10 miles south ... Read More
University of Houston cancels previously required Oppression & Justice course
Posted/updated on: October 23, 2025 at 3:43 pmHOUSTON - Inside Higher Ed reports the University of Houston has scrapped a previously required class that teaches master of social work students about societal power imbalances, racial prejudice and social justice. The decision was made without any faculty input, sources told Inside Higher Ed. Students in the Graduate College of Social Work received the news on Oct. 10 via an email from three student affairs officials. “As part of upcoming changes to the curriculum and degree plan, this course will not be offered at this time,” the officials wrote. “We understand that this adjustment may raise questions, and we want to assure you that it will not affect any student’s ability to successfully progress through the MSW program or meet graduation requirements on time.” ... Read More
TCU to end departments focused on women and gender, race and ethnic studies
Posted/updated on: October 23, 2025 at 3:43 pmFORT WORTH - Fort Worth Report says that TCU will close its women and gender studies department and comparative race and ethnic studies department after this school year, with plans to fold instruction of the subjects into the English department. The move was announced Friday in a meeting and email to Texas Christian University faculty, citing low enrollment as among the reasons. Faculty members said the merger follows a lack of support for the departments amid political challenges. A university spokesperson said external pressure does not impact university decision-making and that changes to departments are based on academic demand. University officials must secure fiscal sustainability and “ensure a more efficient and effective use of faculty and administrative resources,” Provost Floyd Wormley Jr. wrote in the ... Read More
Rail conductor who was struck by a train and killed is identified as a Montana man
Posted/updated on: October 23, 2025 at 3:43 pmCOLUMBUS, Mont. (AP) — Authorities on Wednesday identified a BNSF Railway conductor who was fatally struck by a passing train as a 52-year-old Montana man. Daniel Peterson died at the scene of the Sunday morning accident in Columbus, Montana. The cause was blunt force trauma, said Stillwater County Undersheriff Randy Smith. At the time of the accident Peterson was between two trains on separate tracks. One of the trains was moving and struck him, according to emergency officials. Further details on the accident have not been released. It's being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. The Texas-based BNSF operates one of the largest freight railway networks in the U.S. A spokesperson for BNSF referred questions to the NTSB. The federal agency answered emails asking ... Read More
How uncertified teachers went from a stopgap to an escalating crisis, including in Texas
Posted/updated on: October 23, 2025 at 3:43 pmAUSTIN - Edweek reports that district leaders have long tapped those with special content or professional knowledge to teach, even without prior teaching experience or a teaching certificate. During extended or severe teacher shortages, states often grant a broader range of emergency or temporary teaching licenses to those who aren’t certified educators. But both the breadth and duration of uncertified instructors in classrooms since the pandemic is unprecedented. Now, states like Texas—where an unintended loophole made districts’ use of uncertified teachers nearly universal—are starting to find that relying on this stopgap for teacher shortages hinders student learning and damages, rather than strengthens, the teacher pipeline in the long run. Texas is among the states that has a high proportion of these uncertified teachers. The Lone ... Read More
Federal immigration crackdown slowing Texas job growth
Posted/updated on: October 23, 2025 at 3:43 pmHOUSTON - KUHF reports the federal immigration crackdown is contributing to weak Texas job growth. That's according to recent Texas Business Outlook Surveys by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The findings from the surveys suggest federal policy changes on immigration will negatively impact one out of five Texas businesses this year when it comes to hiring and retaining foreign born workers. Madeline Zavodny, an economics professor at the University of North Florida, said there is a lot of fear among the migrant community, especially among those without legal status. "They're afraid to go shopping. They're afraid to take their kids to school. They're afraid to go to church, and perhaps most importantly right now, they are afraid to go to work," she said. Zavodny ... Read More
Progressive groups launch $1.4 million campaign to win back Latino voters from Trump
Posted/updated on: October 23, 2025 at 3:43 pmFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Progressive groups looking to reconnect with Latino voters are emphasizing economic hardship and highlighting President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda in an effort to regain support in places where the Republican leader made inroads. The $1.4 million digital ad and field campaign is led by a Democratic donor fund backed by a progressive network called Way to Win, which launched after Trump’s 2016 White House win. The Valiente Action Fund effort is tailored to connect with voters in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina and Texas by convincing them that some of Trump’s economic promises are falling short while his immigration tactics go too far. Tory Gavito, a Democratic strategist and president of Way to Win, says the groups ... Read More
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