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Texas lawmakers start process of finalizing state budget

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Texas lawmakers start process of finalizing state budget


Texas lawmakers have started the process of finalizing the budget, but it wasn’t easy getting there. 

Members of the Texas House got bogged down in several debates that included: tracking undocumented immigrants, defunding the lottery, and giving AG Ken Paxton backpay.

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Texas AG Ken Paxton discussion

The backstory:

Texas House members took an unexpected U-turn on what’s typically a procedural vote. The political pivot involved the process needed to finalize the state budget. 

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Passing SB 1 to the Governor involves addressing differences in the House and Senate Budget Bills by drafting instructions to the budget negotiators, known as conferees. Supporters of Attorney General Ken Paxton used that process to get him backpay as payback for his impeachment acquittal in 2023.

“And if we believe that not only politicians but regular citizens are entitled to the presumption of innocence, we should truly believe that he should have been entitled to his salary during the course of his suspension. And now that he’s been acquitted, if you broke it, you bought it,” said Lewisville republican Mitch Little.

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Rep. Little was on Paxton’s defense team during the impeachment trial and argued that House budget negotiators should get Paxton almost $64,000 into the final budget. 

Rep. Wes Virdell, a Republican from Brady, while discussing Little’s motion, noted the House impeachment was rejected by the Senate in 2023. But it was pointed out that state law requires the suspension of pay for a state office holder who is impeached. And no one during the discussion spoke about how Paxton, earlier this year, did not contest accusations in a whistle-blower civil lawsuit. The claims by former staff members are similar to at least three Articles of Impeachment and have resulted in a $6 million award for the plaintiffs. The Paxton payback request passed by an 88 to 56 vote.

Texas border discussion

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The backstory:

Another budget rabbit hole involved a border issue. 

Last year, Gov. Abbott ordered Texas hospitals to document how much is being spent on medical treatment for undocumented immigrants. Aledo Republican Mike Olcott made a motion to put Abbott’s Order into the Budget Bill.

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“A lot of these small hospitals are suffering because of overwhelming costs. And I’ll give you an example. When I spent some time at the border near Falfurious back in 2006, an emergency room, and the only emergency room in the area, had actually shut down. And the reason I was told was because they were overrun by undocumented migrants, and they went out of business. And so little children in that area in Falfurious now had to drive two and a half hours to Corpus Christi to get emergency care. That’s not right,” said Rep Olcott.

A request to include prison costs in the instructions was added to the political theater.

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The undocumented immigrant count instruction was approved. 

Texas Lottery discussion

The backstory:

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The fate of the Texas Lottery was also discussed.

The House budget defunds the Texas Lottery. For that cut to stick, Senate budget negotiators will have to agree with the House team. 

The instruction debate went past 1 p.m. despite the fact that the instructions were not binding. That means budget negotiators can ignore them all. 

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The House Budget Negotiators are: Appropriations Chair Greg Bonnen (R) Friendswood; Appropriations Vice Chair Mary Gonzales (D) San Elizario; Rep. Armando Walle (D) Houston; Rep. Stan Kitzman (R) Pattison; and Rep. Angelia Orr (R) Itasca.

Big picture view:

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House members eventually debated several notable Bills. Among them was Governor Abbott’s emergency item dealing with expanding vocational-technical programs, which passed. 

The House also approved a bill to create a new cybersecurity force.

HB 6, a Teacher’s Bill of Rights, also advanced. The legislation was drafted to address disruptive students and provide teachers with protection when disciplinary measures are taken.

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The Source: Information from a Texas legislative session committee hearing

Texas PoliticsAustinKen PaxtonU.S. Border SecurityEducation



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Austin, TX

Black Sheep Coffee Opens First Austin Location, Expanding Its Texas Footprint | What Now Austin

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Black Sheep Coffee Opens First Austin Location, Expanding Its Texas Footprint | What Now Austin


Black Sheep Coffee, the international coffee brand, will celebrate the opening of its first Central Texas location in Downtown Austin with two public events. The new café, located at W 6th St & Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78701, marks a significant step in the company’s U.S. expansion following strong growth throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth region.

A public ribbon-cutting ceremony, hosted in partnership with the Austin Chamber of Commerce, will take place on Thursday, January 15 from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., welcoming community members, local leaders, and partners into the space. During the event, guests can enjoy half-price lattes, including coffee and matcha drinks.

On Saturday, January 17, Black Sheep Coffee will officially celebrate their grand opening with a Sips & Beats event from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., featuring live vinyl set by DJ Foxxy Brown, signature menu tastings, and half-price lattes throughout the event. Continuing the celebration, the store will also offer a 50% discount to International Half Marathon medal holders on Sunday, January 18, welcoming runners and spectators to refuel post-race.

Designed to reflect Austin’s creative identity, the location features custom graffiti artwork inspired by the city’s street art scene and the energy of Downtown. The new outpost will serve Black Sheep Coffee’s complete menu, including its 100% specialty-grade Robusta coffee, ceremonial-grade matcha, smoothies, pastries, Norwegian waffles, curated food offerings, and two bakery variations created exclusively for the Austin store. Additional limited-time items will debut later in January as part of the brand’s functional health product refresh.

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Austin has long been on our radar for its passionate community and standout coffee culture,” said Eirik Holth, co-founder of Black Sheep Coffee in a statement. “We’re excited to become part of that fabric and bring something new to Downtown. With several U.S. locations in the pipeline, Austin marks a major milestone in our next chapter of growth.

Black Sheep Coffee chose Austin for its strong alignment with the brand’s ethos and its reputation as a city that celebrates individuality and creativity. The opening also reinforces the company’s long-term commitment to Texas, with several additional locations planned statewide for 2026.

The Austin café will be open Sunday through Thursday from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. For more information, visit BlackSheepCoffee.us.



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Lawsuit: Brianna Aguilera’s parents allege underage alcohol service at Austin tailgate contributed to daughter’s death

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Lawsuit: Brianna Aguilera’s parents allege underage alcohol service at Austin tailgate contributed to daughter’s death


The parents of Brianna Aguilera have filed a lawsuit against two organizations, alleging that they served alcohol to their underage daughter which contributed to her death in Austin.

Before Aguilera fell to her death from the Rio 21 Apartments in West Campus, the lawsuit states that she attended a tailgate at the Austin Blacks Rugby Club’s facility, organized by the UT Latin Economics and Business Association.

Both the Austin Blacks Rugby Club and the UT Latin Economics and Business Association were listed as defendants in the lawsuit.

>> What we know about Texas A&M student Brianna Aguilera’s death in Austin

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Even though the lawsuit states Aguilera was “noticeably intoxicated” at the tailgate, her parents argue that the defendants continued to serve her alcohol.

According to court documents, Aguilera allegedly began stumbling at the tailgate and needed help standing at times. At some point, the lawsuit said she fell into the woods and lost her phone.

After leaving the tailgate at approximately 10 p.m., court documents state Aguilera died around two hours later.

The lawsuit also accuses the defendants of negligence and gross negligence for serving alcohol to Aguilera despite her age and allegedly overserving her.

In the suit, Aguilera’s parents demanded a trial by jury and sought at least $1 million plus interest, costs and punitive damages.

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Aguilera’s parents also seek damages for wrongful death, citing the defendants’ alleged misconduct.

Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee, who’s representing the Aguilera family, commented on the lawsuit in a Tuesday news conference.

Watch the full news conference below:

“Brianna was obviously overserved,” Buzbee said. “Even the police have concluded that she was overserved at that tailgate. She was not 21.”

Buzbee also stated that the Austin Police Department has allegedly told multiple witnesses not to talk with him and Aguilera’s parents.

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“They told the three, the three individuals that were in that apartment that night when this young girl died. They told them, do not speak to Brianna’s mother or her lawyers,” Buzbee said.

He said that the lawsuit could provide a way for the witnesses to eventually come forward with information.

“By filing this lawsuit, not only will we hold accountable an entity or entities that were involved in overserving Brianna and other minors, but we will also be able to subpoena individuals and documents and video and data so we can continue our investigation,” Buzbee said.

KSAT’s sister station, KPRC, has reached out to both the Austin Blacks Rugby Club and the UT Latin Economics and Business Association for comment on the lawsuit. This story will be updated once the organizations provide a statement.


More coverage of this story on KSAT:

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Austin, TX

Cedar pollen eases, but record heat builds across Central Texas

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Cedar pollen eases, but record heat builds across Central Texas


Although record-breaking heat and spring-like warmth dominated the first few days of the new year, cooler — but still warmer than normal —temperatures settled in to start the first work week of 2026.

The heat will ramp up yet again Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures about 20 degrees above the normal early-January high of 62 degrees. 

Expect a blanket of low stratus clouds and some patchy dense fog Tuesday morning, but skies should begin clearing around lunchtime.

“In the meantime, a surface trough (of low atmospheric pressure)/dry line will push from the southern Edwards Plateau into the I-35 corridor, bringing temperatures into the lower to mid-80s,” meteorologists with the National Weather Service wrote in a forecast discussion Monday. “It is going to be very warm for this time of year, and some daily high temperature records could be broken.”

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Those temperatures could rival record highs at both Austin climate observation sites, Camp Mabry and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, where the standing record is 84 degrees, set in 1989.

Behind the dry line Tuesday, drier air will move into Central Texas, leading to a slightly cooler start Wednesday under mostly to partly cloudy skies.

Morning temperatures will dip into the 50s around sunrise before climbing into the upper 70s to mid-80s by the afternoon. Those highs would surpass the record of 80 degrees set in 2008 at Camp Mabry.

Temperatures the rest of the week will remain above normal with mostly cloudy mornings but sunny afternoons. 

A cold front is forecast to move across the region later in the week with a slight rain chance Thursday and Friday, but most of the rain will fall north and east of Austin. However, cooler and more seasonable weather is expected this weekend. 

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This past weekend, Austin experienced the highest cedar pollen counts so far this season with a count of 3,200 grains per cubic meter Saturday and a peak of 4,000 grains per cubic meter on Sunday. However, the count dropped to just over 1,000 grams per cubic meter on Monday. Humidity has been on the rise in the past few days, and winds have been much lighter. Those factors have helped “settle” the cedar pollen for the time being. 

Luckily, the winds have turned southerly and are much lighter, so the pollen has settled a bit. A small chance of rain on Thursday and Friday should also help dampen cedar pollen before it becomes airborne. However, above-normal temperatures will allow tree pollen cones to continue opening, setting the stage for another pollen surge when the next breezy cold front arrives.



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