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Women’s retailer Francesca’s is shutting down operations, state filing shows

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Women’s retailer Francesca’s is shutting down operations, state filing shows


A national retail chain that’s based in Texas is shutting down, according to a state filing.

Francesca’s, which is based in the Houston area, said it is closing its entire operations, according to a letter provided to the Texas Workforce Commission for a WARN notice. The move follows a periodic progression of store closings and employee layoffs that began earlier this month.

“This difficult decision was not anticipated and resulted from sudden and unexpected circumstances that have made it impossible for the Company to remain viable,” the letter said.

The women’s clothing chain started as a single boutique in Houston in 1999 and has grown to more than 450 stores in 45 states, according to its website. The company filed for bankruptcy around 2020.

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The company has about 15 stores in North Texas, according to its website, including at the Galleria Dallas shopping mall, Stonebriar Centre in Frisco and The Shops at Legacy in Plano.

The shutdown in the Houston area will affect more than 200 employees, according to the letter.

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The retail industry has run into headwinds as it grapples with shifting tastes and ongoing pressure from e-commerce options. Earlier this month, Saks Global filed for bankruptcy after acquiring Dallas’ Neiman Marcus more than a year ago.

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At Francesca’s, prior to Jan. 8, the company actively attempted to secure alternative funding and capital investments to support operations. Yet at the end of last year, it learned that a potential investor would not be providing the necessary capital, and less than a week later, the learned that two of its major suppliers had their own funding terminated by their respective lenders, the letter said. That made it impossible for the suppliers to deliver necessary product to the Francesca’s.

“This sudden and unforeseen series of events was not what the company had hoped for or expected and unfortunately as a result, the long-term viability of the company is impossible,” it said. “After assessing options, the company concluded, in its business judgment, that it had no alternative but to immediately cut costs, sell existing inventory and ultimately cease operations.”



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Texas man dies after fire at Ardmore Valero refinery

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Texas man dies after fire at Ardmore Valero refinery


ARDMORE, Okla. (KXII) – A Texas man has died after a fire at the Ardmore Valero refinery Monday evening.

Beaumont television station KBMT reported that Jesse Cole Biscamp, of Kirbyville, Texas, passed away after he was severely burned. A GoFundMe set up for Biscamp’s family stated he was flown to a burn unit at a Plano hospital.

Biscamp was a volunteer youth football coach, and the GoFundMe described him as a beloved husband and father.

He was one of five people that were hospitalized after the fire broke out.

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Valero has not released any more information about the fire or the other people injured.



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Texas board says TEA’s Bluebonnet curriculum needs 4,200-plus corrections

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Texas board says TEA’s Bluebonnet curriculum needs 4,200-plus corrections


A state-approved curriculum created by the Texas Education Agency two years ago is facing thousands of corrections, prompting questions about what went wrong and what it means for schools already using the materials.

The Texas State Board of Education said the Bluebonnet curriculum needs more than 4,200 corrections.

The TEA said the figure reflects how changes are counted across multiple materials, not necessarily 4,200 separate mistakes.

“I think it’s helpful to know that when we report to the board any changes that we’re making to the materials. Anytime it changes made it that’s done across multiple components like a teacher guide and a student book and a workbook that has to be reported multiple times. So the first thing to know is the actual number of unique changes is about half of that number that’s out there,” said Nicholas Keith, the TEA’s associate commissioner of curriculum and instruction.

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During the State Board of Education’s last board meeting, it was revealed the curriculum’s issues ranged from spelling and grammar errors to wrong answers in teachers’ answer keys.

Districts using the curriculum receive $60 per student, along with funds to hire a specialist to help implement the lessons.

Tornillo ISD is among the districts using Bluebonnet, and its Bluebonnet specialist, Karina Schulte, said the district has not seen issues since implementing the curriculum last September.

“It comes out as, oh my God, it’s, it’s 4200 errors. But it’s, it really wasn’t like I read in the Tribune, it was not a waste of time for educators that did the curriculum that spent unending hours working on it. It’s a very high quality curriculum. That’s why it’s, approved by the state as a high quality instructional material,” Schulte said.

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Schulte said the community will play a role in what comes next as corrections move forward.

“They gave us a chance to to really, dig deep into this isn’t a curriculum about religion. It’s working with a curriculum that has to that has, you know, expectations and, and takes to cover so that students are ready for the next grade level,” she said.

The State Board of Education voted to delay approving the corrections until its next official meeting, set for April.

Until the board approves the changes, the current material will continue to be used.

Texas school district adopts Bluebonnet curriculum amid mixed reactions

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Texas sues Snapchat alleging addictive design and child safety violations

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Texas sues Snapchat alleging addictive design and child safety violations


Texas announced that they are filing a lawsuit against Snap, Inc., the parent company of the popular social media company Snapchat. 

Snap, Inc. allegedly violates the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Consumer Protection Act (DTPA) by failing to adequately warn parents and consumers about exposure to inappropriate material and the app’s addictive design. The state says the company misrepresents its safety for young users, placing children at risk of harm.

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Allegations of “addictive” app design, mature content

Snapchat.jpg

FILE – Snapchat logo displayed on a phone screen. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

What we know:

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The lawsuit filed on Wednesday alleges that the creators of Snapchat knowingly misrepresented the app’s safety to parents and consumers by promoting it as safe for children and with “12+” age ratings on app stores. 

This was done, the state says, “while simultaneously frequently exposing users to dangerous and mature content,” citing profanity, sexual content, nudity and drug use in the news release.

The lawsuit specifically cites multiple other features of the app, including Snapstreaks, Snapscore, Snap Map, Infinite Scroll, My AI Chatbot, expiring messages and more as incentives to use the app daily and cause harm to young children due to the “addictive” nature of the features.

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Texas SCOPE Act violations

What they’re saying:

In the lawsuit, the state mentions three separate sections of the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act that are being violated by Snap, Inc. 

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  • Section 509.101: Failure to use a commercially reasonable method for a parent or guardian to verify their identity
  • Section 509.052: Unlawfully sharing, disclosing and selling known minors’ personal identifying information
  • Section 509.054: Failing to provide parental tools for the accounts of known minors.

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In this photo illustration a Snapchat logo seen displayed on a smartphone screen in Athens, Greece on May 16, 2022. (Photo illustration by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

In the news release announcing the lawsuit, the Texas Attorney General states that this lawsuit will hold the social media company accountable.

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“I will not allow Snapchat to harm our kids by running a business designed to get Texas children addicted to a platform filled with obscene and destructive content,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Parents have a fundamental right to know the dangers of the apps their kids are using and not be lied to by Big Tech companies. This lawsuit will hold Snapchat accountable for illegally undermining parental rights, deceiving consumers, and for putting children in danger.”

Crackdown on Big Tech

The backstory:

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The Texas Attorney General’s Office mentions that this lawsuit follows legal action that was taken in Dec. 2024 against several other social media companies, including TikTok, Roblox, Reddit, Instagram and Discord.

Texas similarly launched investigations into these companies regarding their privacy and safety practices for minors, citing the SCOPE Act and the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA). The protection of these laws extends to how minors interact with AI products.

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FILE- social media, Twitter, TikTok, WhatApp, Instagram, Threads, Snapchat, Facebook, Messenger and Telegram displayed on the screen of a smartphone.(Chesnot/Getty Images)

The SCOPE Act and TDSA explained

Dig deeper:

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The SCOPE Act prohibits digital service providers from sharing, disclosing, or selling a minor’s personal identifying information without permission from the child’s parent or legal guardian. The SCOPE Act also requires companies to provide parents with tools to manage and control the privacy settings on their child’s account. 

The TDPSA imposes strict notice and consent requirements on companies that collect and use minors’ personal data.

Potential penalties

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What’s next:

Texas is seeking civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, along with a permanent injunction that could require Snapchat to change how it markets and rates the app, disclose what the state describes as “addictive” design features, strengthen parental verification and oversight tools and comply with the SCOPE Act’s protections for minors. 

A jury trial has been requested in Collin County district court.

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The Source: Information in this article was provided by the Texas Attorney General’s Office. Additional information was provided from public documents filed in Collin County.

Social MediaTexasCrime and Public SafetyKen PaxtonInstagramTikTok



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