Texas

8 wild new foods coming to the State Fair of Texas

Published

1 year ago

September 14, 2024

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8 wild new foods coming to the State Fair of Texas

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It’s said that everything is bigger in Texas, and that apparently includes the creative minds behind the new food items coming to the State Fair of Texas.

“The State Fair of Texas attracts millions of people from all over the globe each year, many making a special trip just to try the food,” Taylor Pulfer, communications director at the State Fair of Texas, told Fox News Digital via email.

“We pride ourselves on having something for everyone here at the State Fair of Texas, and our team continually works to ensure our concessionaires and food offerings reflect the diverse melting pot that Texans make up,” she said.

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“Our hope is that by continuing to add new flavors to the fair, fairgoers will be introduced to new cuisines that they may not have otherwise branched out to try.”

Here’s a look at some of the foods that will be available when the State Fair of Texas opens later this month (it opens Sept. 27 and runs through Oct. 20).

These are some of the foods that will be making their debut at the State Fair of Texas. (State Fair of Texas)

1. Candied pork belly bacon bites

Perfect for the pork lover, the candied pork belly bacon bites are essentially bacon-wrapped-bacon that is then candied.

This twist on a fair treat is served on a stick, according to the State Fair of Texas, and is available at The Cavalcade.

Candied pork belly bacon bites are served on a stick. (State Fair of Texas)

2. Hot Cheetos Korean corn dog

Unlike a traditional corn dog, this Korean-style corn dog is half hot dog, half mozzarella cheese, according to the State Fair of Texas.

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The hot dog-and-cheese combo is “battered with wheat and rice flour, coated with panko breadcrumbs and deep-fried for an extra crispy crunch,” its website said.

After frying, the corn dog is then coated in spicy mayo and topped with hot Cheetos crumbs.

The Korean-style corn dog, including this hot Cheetos version, will be making its debut this year at the State Fair of Texas. (State Fair of Texas)

3. Texas BBQ rib deviled eggs

Another Texas twist on a classic food, the Texas BBQ rib deviled eggs melds together barbecue and deviled eggs.

“With the creamy, savory traditional deviled egg filling you know and love, this treat is topped with crisp coleslaw and tender barbecue rib meat tossed in a beer barbecue sauce,” according to the State Fair of Texas website.

Texas BBQ rib deviled eggs blend barbecue flavors with traditional deviled eggs. (State Fair of Texas)

4. Fernie’s GOAT funnel cake

A true celebration of Texas’ culinary staples, Fernie’s GOAT (Greatest of All Texas) Funnel Cake combines a Fernie’s funnel cake with Blue Bell ice cream, Cherry Dr. Pepper syrup and El Fenix pralines, according to the State Fair of Texas.

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This treat is “sure to satisfy DFW-area natives and visitors looking for a taste of Texas alike,” its website said.

The Fernie’s GOAT Funnel Cake is a celebration of four of Texas’ most notable food items. (State Fair of Texas)

5. Dickel’s ‘Triple Meat Big Back Snack’

Everything is indeed bigger in Texas, as evidenced by this “Triple Meat Big Back Snack,” sold by Dickel’s Smokehouse.

This five-layered “snack” features “abuela’s cherished elote street corn recipe,” topped with chopped beef brisket, smoked Gouda macaroni and cheese, a buttermilk biscuit, Hogzilla pork belly burnt ends and topped with a “loaded nacho beef brisket sausage link” and deep-fried crinkle-cut maple waffle-flavored potato slices, the fair’s website said.

This “snack” features five layers of food and is topped with maple waffle-flavored potato slices. (State Fair of Texas)

6. ‘The Nephew’

“The Nephew,” inspired by Smith Spot BBQ’s owner’s nephew, “combines the best of sweet and savory,” the State Fair of Texas said.

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“Picture this: a warm glazed donut topped with tender brisket, gooey mozzarella cheese, a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of powdered sugar,” the website said.

“The Nephew” was inspired by the real-life nephew of Smith Spot BBQ’s owner. It is a mix of sweet and savory flavors. (State Fair of Texas)

7. Fried matcha

A deep-fried twist on a Japanese flavor typically used in beverages, fried matcha “celebrates matcha in two delicious ways,” according to the State Fair of Texas.

“The first is Fried Mochi Matcha Ice Cream, a crispy, deep–fried treat with a chewy mochi shell,” it said.

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“The second is the Fried Matcha Sando, featuring deep–fried Japanese milk bread filled with rich matcha Chantilly cream, topped with fresh strawberries and matcha biscuit sticks for an extra layer of flavor and texture.”

Fried matcha has not one but two different fried versions of the iconic Japanese flavor profile. (State Fair of Texas)

8. Caramel macchiato fritters

Another deep-fried twist on a beverage, the caramel macchiato fritters transform the morning treat into a sweet cake ball dessert.

“A classic, heaping serving of delicious caramel forms the nucleus of these creamy coffee cake balls,” the fair’s website said.

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“Each cake ball is dipped in beignet batter and fried until golden brown.”

The fritters are then topped with whipped cream, caramel and a white chocolate drizzle. They are served with a syringe of espresso.

The caramel macchiato fritters are served with a syringe of espresso to add a caffeine boost to dessert. (State Fair of Texas)

While state fair foods are known for being fun and indulgent, they serve a deeper purpose, Pulfer told Fox News Digital.

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The fair is “a 501c3 nonprofit organization — so a portion of all food purchases goes back to doing good in our community year-round,” she said. “All of our concessionaires are small businesses.”

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She added, “Some also operate brick-and-mortar restaurants, catering businesses and food trucks; some travel the country and operate at other fairs, festivals and events throughout the year; and some focus solely on operating at the State Fair of Texas each fall.”

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Each year, the small business owners keep the “majority” of the food and beverage revenue they earn at the fair, Pulfer said.

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Texas

Arizona State transfer RB Raleek Brown commits to Texas

Published

10 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Arizona State transfer RB Raleek Brown commits to Texas

Recruiting a running back out of the NCAA transfer portal wasn’t clean and simple after the winter window opened last week, but the Texas Longhorns were able to land a huge commitment from Arizona State transfer Raleek Brown on Thursday.

The 5’9, 196-pounder has one season of eligibility remaining.

Texas offered Brown out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana (Calif.) when he was a top-100 prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. A consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 3 running back nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings, Brown committed to home-state USC without taking any other official visits.

Brown’s career with the Trojans didn’t go as planned, however — after flashing as a freshman with 227 yards on 42 carries (5.4 avg) with three touchdowns and 16 receptions for 175 yards (10.97 avg) and three touchdowns, Brown moved to wide receiver as a sophomore and only appeared in two games, recording three catches for 16 yards and a touchdown.

Wanting to play running back again, Brown transferred to Arizona State in 2024, but was limited by a hamstring injury to 48 yards of total offense.

In 2025, though, Brown finally had his breakout season with 186 carries for 1,141 yards and four touchdowns, adding 34 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Brown forced 53 missed tackles last season, 67 percent of the total missed tackles forced by Texas running backs, and more than half of his rushing yardage came after contact.

Brown ran a sub 4.5 40-yard dash and sub-11 100-meter dash in high school and flashed that explosiveness with runs of 75 yards and 88 yards in 2025, so Brown brings the speed that the Longhorns need with 31 yards over 10 yards, as well as proven route-running and pass-catching ability.

At Arizona State, the scheme leaned towards gap runs, but Brown has the skill set to be an excellent outsize zone back if Texas head coach Steve Sarksian decides that he wants to major in that scheme once again.

With one running back secured from the portal, the question becomes whether Sarkisian and new running backs coach Jabbar Juluke want to add a big-bodied back to the roster or are comfortable with rising redshirt sophomore Christian Clark and incoming freshman Derrek Cooper handling that role.

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Texas

Texas leaders react to fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

Published

22 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Texas leaders react to fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

article

Texas lawmakers are lighting up social media with opinions about the fatal shooting of a woman in a car in Minneapolis by an ICE officer on Wednesday morning.

Reports from officers differ drastically from those of uninvolved eyewitnesses — the official DHS stance is self-defense against a “domestic terrorist,” while bystanders tell a story of an innocent woman trying to leave peacefully.

The political internet arena Texas is divided along party lines. Republicans generally condemn Minnesota leaders’ reactions to the shooting, while Democrats are calling for ICE to be investigated for the possible murder of a civilian by an anonymous officer.

Texas Republicans react

Among the most vocal of the Texas GOP members after Wednesday’s shooting, U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Houston) was quick to question Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s dismay at the incident. Hunt posted the following to X, formerly Twitter:

“We’ve hit a breaking point in this country when an ICE officer is rammed by a lunatic in an SUV and the Mayor of Minneapolis responds not with condemnation, but by telling federal law enforcement to “get the f*ck out!”

UNITED STATES – JANUARY 22: Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Hunt, currently in the running for U.S. Senate, later reposted a Fox News video of Gov. Tim Walz’ reaction. Hunt compared Walz to Jefferson Davis before posting a full statement later in the evening that reads, in part, as follows:

“The radical left isn’t turning the temperature down, they’re cranking it to 450 degrees. When leaders normalize this kind of rhetoric, the outcome isn’t hypothetical. It’s dangerous. It’s reckless. And it puts lives at risk. If violence follows, responsibility doesn’t belong to the officers enforcing the law, it belongs to the politicians who lit the fuse.”

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz was more to the point with his criticism of Minnesota leaders, reposting a different video of Walz and referencing the recent fraud scandal within the state.

Walz in the video said Minnesota is “at war with the federal government.” Cruz replied, “Is that why y’all stole $9 billion?”

Texas Democrats react

The other side:

State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin), another candidate for the same U.S. Senate seat as Hunt, rang in from the other side of the aisle.

“At our town hall last night, I called for a full investigation into ICE,” Talarico said in his post on X. “Today, an ICE agent shot and killed a civilian. We should haul these masked men before Congress so the world can see their faces.”

State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, during a campaign event in Houston, Texas, US, on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. Talarico is jumping into the Democratic primary for US Senate in Texas, taking on a former

Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, yet another Senate hopeful, also expressed his ire for the actions in Minneapolis.

“As a civil rights attorney, I’m outraged by today’s ICE shooting in Minnesota that took a woman’s life,” Allred said on X. “No family should lose a loved one this way. No community should live in this fear. ICE has become a rogue agency — operating recklessly, terrorizing communities, and now taking lives. To every community terrorized by these tactics: I see you. I stand with you. And I won’t stop fighting until you’re safe.”

Minneapolis fatal ICE shooting

The backstory:

An ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning.

Federal officials are claiming the agent acted in self-defense, but Minnesota leaders disagree. The shooting happened around 9:30 a.m. in the area of East 34th Street and Portland Avenue. The woman died at the hospital.

Witnesses told FOX Local that a woman got into a red vehicle and there was one ICE agent on either side of the vehicle trying to get in, and a third ICE agent came and tried to yank on the driver’s side door. One of the agents on the driver’s side door backed away, and then opened fire, shooting three times through the driver’s side window, witnesses said. One witness said the vehicle wasn’t moving toward the agents. However, federal officials said ICE officers were “conducting targeted operations” when “rioters” blocked officers. One of the “rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them.”

Officials said an ICE officer who was “fearing for his life” fired “defensive shots” to save himself and his officers, killing the woman.

A video of the shooting shows a red Honda Pilot blocking the roadway as an ICE squad approaches. When agents approach the vehicle, the Pilot attempts to drive away, moving towards an agent. When that happens, the agent fires three shots at the driver. Police say the driver was struck in the head. The agent appears to mostly avoid the vehicle as it speeds past and ends up crashing into a parked vehicle.

The Source: Information in this report comes from public statements made by Texas lawmakers on social media. Background comes from FOX 9 coverage in Minneapolis.

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Texas investigations into Charlie Kirk posts spark free-speech lawsuit

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Texas investigations into Charlie Kirk posts spark free-speech lawsuit

A Texas teachers union has sued the state over what it said was a trampling of educators’ free speech rights when hundreds came under investigation for their comments after the killing of Charlie Kirk.

The Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers filed the federal lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency and its commissioner Mike Morath on Jan. 6, the union said. The suit claims investigations into at least 350 teachers after Kirk’s death were “unlawful” and that a letter issued by Morath to superintendents around the state targeting “reprehensible and inappropriate content on social media” prompted punishment and retaliation against teachers.

Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The cofounder of Turning Point USA, a conservative youth-focused organization, Kirk was a close ally of President Donald Trump. Shooting suspect Tyler Robinson has been charged with his murder.

After Kirk’s death, a wave of backlash came in response to online posts condemning his views or otherwise criticizing him. Right-leaning public figures and prominent social media accounts called for firings of people whose posts they deemed inappropriate.

Morath’s letter on Sept. 12 directed superintendents to report “inappropriate conduct being shared” to the Texas Education Agency’s Educator Investigations Division, which investigates teachers for allegations of misconduct, the Texas AFT said in its suit, which was reviewed by USA TODAY. The union said teachers were investigated not for speech made in classrooms, but for posts made on their personal, often private social media pages.

“In the months since, the consequences for our members have run the gamut from written reprimands and administrative leave to doxxing and termination from their jobs,” AFT Vice President and Texas Chapter President Zeph Capo said at a news conference.

The Texas Education Agency didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Jan. 7.

Lawsuit claims teachers were disciplined for exercising free speech

The lawsuit filed by the Texas AFT claims that teachers in public schools have a constitutionally protected right to free speech, and that their speech in their personal capacity, such as on social media, is protected. The suit claims that teachers’ rights were violated when they were investigated or faced disciplinary action for their posts about Kirk. It also alleges that the policy to report teachers for “inappropriate” content was unfairly vague.

“These teachers were disciplined solely for their speech, without any regard to whether the posts disrupted school operations in any way,” the lawsuit reads.

Teachers whose cases are mentioned in the lawsuit were kept anonymous, Capo said, to protect them from further harassment. Many teachers are fearful to express any more opinions, effectively silencing their speech, he said.

One of the teachers, who made a post described in the lawsuit as one that “simply raised questions about the circumstances of Mr. Kirk’s death and did not promote violence in any way,” was shared by a lawmaker who used it as part of an election campaign and called for the teacher’s dismissal. The high school English teacher, who has taught for 27 years, was placed on administrative leave and later fired. She settled a wrongful termination claim with the school district, the lawsuit said.

Another teacher of 16 years and a military veteran who previously won “Teacher of the Year” in his school district and made posts criticizing Kirk for his views on Black Americans is under an ongoing investigation by the state agency, the lawsuit said.

“We denounced Charlie Kirk’s assassination, we denounced violence after Uvalde. We denounce violence,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “What happened in the next few days (after Kirk’s killing), wasn’t about violence or denouncing violence, it was about muzzling the expression of constitutionally protected nonviolent speech.”

Dozens lost jobs over posts about Kirk

In the wake of Kirk’s death in September, USA TODAY counted dozens of examples of people who lost their jobs, were suspended or investigated over posts or comments they made about the conservative podcaster, including educators, lawyers, doctors, first responders and others.

They include a dean at Middle Tennessee State, Laura Sosh-Lightsy, who was fired for a social media post saying she had “zero sympathy” for Kirk; a Marine who called Kirk a “racist man” who was “popped”; and Jimmy Kimmel, whose ABC show was temporarily suspended after he made comments about Kirk.

Some educators who lost their jobs filed lawsuits alleging their free speech rights were violated. A teacher in Iowa who compared Kirk to a Nazi; a South Carolina teacher’s assistant who posted a Kirk quote and said she disagreed with him but called the death a “tragedy”; and an employee of an Indiana university who said Kirk’s death was wrong and condemned some of his beliefs all filed suits on free speech, according to reporting from the USA TODAY Network. Each case kicked up a flurry of social media outrage and calls for the educators’ firings.

In Tennessee, a tenured theater professor at Austin Peay State University was reinstated after originally being fired for comments he made online after Kirk’s killing, the Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, recently reported.

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