Texas
Crypto Mining Company Denies Causing Health Problems in Texas Town
Cryptocurrency mining is stressing the Texas power grid and causing “unexplained health problems,” for residents of some small towns in the state, according to a new report from the San Antonio Express-News Thursday. And opposition to the crypto operations isn’t necessarily coming from the people you might expect. But one crypto company that’s gotten heat for its operations is pushing back against allegations that it’s causing health problems for local residents.
The report from the Express-News details a meeting earlier this week about plans for a new 300-megawatt power plant from Constellation Energy near the town of Granbury. The plant is new but would be in addition to existing power facilities already used by Marathon Digital, a Florida-based crypto company, which appears to prefer calling its endeavors in the area a “digital asset data center,” according to a company website.
The Express-News cites the “unyielding low-frequency sound waves” that have caused locals to lose sleep since the crypto mine opened in 2022. The “constant noise,” as the report puts it, is “emanating from thousands of fans,” that are necessary to cool the mining equipment. The report quotes an 81-year-old man who lives just 800 feet from the Constellation Energy property and spoke at a public meeting with company representatives on Monday, saying, “It’s not right. Y’all moved in on top of us. We didn’t move in on y’all.”
The Express-News spoke with people who allege a range of health issues such as hypertension are hearing loss are due to crypto mining operations. One person who spoke with the newspaper even seemed to suggest a mass found in her mother’s brain could be connected, insisting “doctors are baffled after determining that the mass is not a tumor.”
The meeting on Monday included five representatives of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as well as two environmental consultants from Constellation, according to the report. The newspaper also noted that many of the town residents at the meeting to complain were older middle-aged white guys wearing attire supporting Donald Trump. The former president has repeatedly said he wants to unleash U.S. energy from fossil fuels, often suggesting that President Joe Biden has somehow stopped energy production in this country. That, of course, is a lie, given the fact that the U.S. is currently producing more energy than any country in human history. But it’s still notable that people who are aligned with right-wing causes are so upset about the power plants.
Marathon Digital stressed to Gizmodo that it has studied the alleged noise issues, including on July 18, 2024, when it says an independent consultant conducted a sound study of the Granbury data center.
“We are unaware of any scientific basis to conclude that any sounds from our facility can cause the types of conditions alleged or did cause them in any of those who have expressed concerns,” a spokesperson for Marathon said in an email to Gizmodo Thursday.
The statement also said Marathon “is committed to being a thoughtful neighbor” and the company “continues to take steps to enhance the data center,” promising that enhancements are being made for the “betterment of the community.”
Constellation has also released several statements in recent months about the noise complaints from residents in an attempt to address the concerns at the energy facility, known as Wolf Hollow II.
“Constellation and our team at Wolf Hollow II have been closely monitoring the noise situation at the bitcoin facility next to the plant, including the recent town hall meetings and news coverage,” one statement from June reads. “As a proud member of the Hood County community, we take the concerns local residents have raised seriously. We are in regular, direct conversations with residents. We hear the concerns, and we are working closely with the bitcoin facility’s owner to look for ways to reduce noise and address the community’s concerns.”
Marathon Digital also has a publicly-facing Frequently Asked Questions page online that stresses it’s working on the noise issues.
“Recent progress includes deactivating over eighty air-cooled containers, starting an extension of the sound wall, and beginning to convert containers to liquid immersion cooling,” the company explains. “We will continue to deactivate air-cooled containers and convert containers to immersion cooling. Additionally, we’ve budgeted $100,000+ to support local schools, nonprofits, and projects in 2024.”
Texas
Where is Texas vs Ohio State? Cotton Bowl game location info, details, CFP schedule
WATCH: Cedric Golden on Quinn Ewers’ clutch gene that beat Arizona St.
The Longhorns topped the Sun Devils 39-31 in double overtime to set up a CFP semifinal showdown against Ohio State on Jan. 10 in Arlington.
Two of the most recognizable programs in college sports will face off soon in North Texas.
Texas football versus Ohio State football will not only be a clash of blue bloods, but it’s a national-title game qualifier. The College Football Playoff semifinal decides one spot in the Football Bowl Subdivision championship game later this month. The other finalist will be determined by the Orange Bowl between Notre Dame and Penn State.
So where is the Cotton Bowl? Where will Texas play Ohio State?
BUY TICKETS TO TEXAS VS OHIO STATE
Remember, the Longhorns and Buckeyes won’t be playing at the Cotton Bowl. For decades the Cotton Bowl Classic took place at the Cotton Bowl stadium on the Texas state fairgrounds in Dallas. But for the last 15 years, this New Year’s Six bowl been played just west of “Big D,” in Arlington.
Here’s everything you know about the game at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys:
Where is the Cotton Bowl?
The postseason college football game known as the Cotton Bowl Classic has been at AT&T Stadium since 2010 after more than 60 years in Dallas. AT&T Stadium may be almost two decades old but the billion-dollar venue still seen as one of the country’s premier sites for sports events. Meanwhile, the Cotton Bowl stadium still stands in Dallas and still hosts ballgames, including the Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma.
Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
WATCH THE COTTON BOWL LIVE ONLINE
What channel is showing Ohio State vs Texas football?
The Cotton Bowl will be broadcast Friday on ESPN. You can also stream the game on ESPN here as well.
TV: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN
What time is the Cotton Bowl?
The home of the Dallas Cowboys will be the home of the Longhorns — though technically it will be neutral-site game — when Texas plays inside AT&T Stadium for the Cotton Bowl at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10.
Date: Friday, Jan. 10.
Time: 7:30 p.m.
College Football Playoff remaining schedule
- Orange Bowl: No. 6 Penn State vs No. 7 Notre Dame | 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9 | ESPN
- Cotton Bowl: No. 5 Texas vs No. 8 Ohio State | 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10 | ESPN
CFP National Championship
- 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20 | ESPN
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Texas
Texas at No. 13 Texas A&M gamethread
The College Station editions of the Lone Star Showdown continues on Saturday with the Texas Longhorns facing the No. 13 Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena in the SEC debut for head coach Rodney Terry’s team.
Tip is at 7 p.m. Central on SEC Network and this is your gamethread.
Texas
The stories that defined Texas high school football in the Dallas area in 2024
As we turn the page on 2024, The Dallas Morning News is looking back at the stories that defined high school sports in the Dallas area over the past 12 months.
Our staff considers it a privilege to write about schools in the Dallas area, and our coverage goes far beyond gamers and stats. Every year, we get to tell stories of incredible triumphs, heartbreaking defeats, tragedy, resilience and hope. These are your stories. Thank you for allowing us to tell them.
Below are the stories that defined football in the Dallas area in 2024.
More of our year-in-review
— Boys, girls basketball
— Baseball, softball
— Boys, girls soccer
— Volleyball
— Track, golf, others
D-FW can claim Texas’ best high school football team in an otherwise down year for Dallas
ARLINGTON — North Crowley showed out on Saturday in its dazzling 50-21 victory over Austin Westlake in the 6A Division I state title game, winning the program’s second state championship and putting Fort Worth high school football on the map in front of 36,120 fans at AT&T Stadium.
Until North Crowley took the field at 7:30 p.m., there was a possibility the Dallas-Fort Worth area might boast only one state champion in 2024. Celina routed Kilgore 55-21 in the 4A Division I state championship to capture the program’s ninth state title and its first under coach Bill Elliott.
But North Texas teams came up short in the next three title games, the region’s worst showing at state since 2021, when South Oak Cliff became the first Dallas ISD school to win a recognized state championship since 1958, but Denton Guyer and Duncanville fell in the 6A state championship games.
Two-time state champion South Oak Cliff missed a last-second field goal, falling 38-35 to third-year program Richmond Randle in the 5A Division II state title game Friday night. It was SOC’s second straight loss in the state championship game.
“The future is still bright,” South Oak Cliff coach Jason Todd said. “We just gotta find out what’s going to get us over this hump.”
— Click or tap here to read the rest of Myah Taylor’s story —
More 2024 state coverage
— Texas high school football central: 2024 state championship game stories, photos and more
— Gunter grabs third straight crown in dominant 3A-II state title win over Woodville
— Celina routs Kilgore in 4A-I state final, joining elite Texas high school football club
— North Crowley becomes new king of Class 6A with state title win over Austin Westlake
— Celina is a state champion once again, thanks to Bowe Bentley and a little air superiority
— Quentin Gibson broke an NFL player’s Dallas-area record in North Crowley’s state title win
— North Crowley, coach Ray Gates didn’t ‘duck any smoke’ in bold state championship season
— Attendance down for UIL state title games at AT&T Stadium for second straight year
— Full 2024 statewide UIL Texas high school football playoff, state championship results
Player’s death inspires Dallas football coach to finish goal: a black belt in karate
GARLAND — Josh Ragsdale thinks he resembles Will Ferrell.
Not from a physical standpoint, but during karate classes at the 9th Street Gym in Garland. That is where the 44-year-old Ragsdale towers over boys and girls a quarter of his age who are learning the same punches, kicks and self-defense moves — such as how to throw an attacker to the ground — as Conrad High School’s head football coach.
Picture Ferrell’s character Buddy in the movie Elf, except he’s wearing a traditional karate uniform called a gi and doing tornado kicks and fighting instead of making toys.
“I’m Elf,” Ragsdale said. “I’m the adult amongst a bunch of smaller folks, but it’s been neat for me to connect with them.”
— Click or tap here to read the rest of Greg Riddle’s story —
More notable reads from 2024
— First-year DeSoto quarterback Kelden Ryan is rolling ahead of showdown with Duncanville
— Plano East starters had to sit and wait in 2023. It’s made all the difference this season
— Argyle Liberty Christian’s transformation spurred by brotherly bond of CJ, Cooper Witten
— With trip to state title on the line, Denton Ryan’s Quin Henigan was raised for the moment
— Dealt an unimaginable loss, Lewisville star RB Viron Ellison Jr. is focused on healing
— The Dallas Morning News’ 2023 Offensive Player of the Year: Duncanville’s Caden Durham
— With his leukemia in remission, Lovejoy’s Sam Reynolds signs to play college football
— Keelon Russell is latest football star to bolster Duncanville track’s state title hopes
— Texas high school coaches call for rule changes amid staggering number of transfers
— ‘Match.com for high school football’: How Dallas-area teams find out-of-state opponents
— ‘It’s pretty amazing’: How video, data technology is changing Texas high school football
— Legendary Ennis football coach Sam Harrell to retire as battle with MS becomes too much
— Duncanville’s Dakorien Moore on track for Oregon, then NFL, but first goal is a three-peat
— Coaches frustrated with how UIL determines punishment, player eligibility for schools
— Jesuit football ‘Buddy Walk’ tradition uplifts honorary team members with Down syndrome
— Why coaches like Todd Dodge returned to Texas high school football after brief retirement
— After his football career ended, Dallas’ Rawleigh Williams found a different NFL path
— Why Texas HS football dynasties are tough to achieve in state’s highest classification
— How football coaches prepare backup quarterbacks to be game-ready when starters go down
— A family affair: Inside the life of current Cedar Hill, future UT Coleman triplets
— There’s more to Byron Washington than being ‘Big Baby’, DeSoto’s powerful offensive tackle
— Generational Euless Trinity offensive line has size and athleticism
— Texas high school football living up to hype for some of state’s top newcomers this season
— Quentin Gibson’s life-changing senior season helping power North Crowley’s 6A playoff push
— What goes into the inexact science of rating a 3-, 4- or 5-star football recruit?
— With sons by his side, Bill Elliott has Celina near doorstep of state championship glory
— Rivals on Friday, friends off the field: DeSoto and Duncanville players share strong bonds
— The family business: How Riley, Kailer and Cam Pettijohn help anchor the McKinney defense
— How DeSoto’s Deondrae Riden Jr. followed football from the backyard to Texas A&M
— Like father, like son: Dallas-area players with NFL pedigree making impact on field
— Influx of Nigerian-born athletes bringing new culture to Texas high school football
— Which Dallas-area playoff teams are winning with old-school offenses?
— Texas’ thorough recruiting approach creating strong pipeline of Dallas-area wide receivers
— Parish Episcopal’s Sawyer Anderson closing in on passing record, eyeing fourth state title
— Does defense win championships? Dallas-area teams riding strong defenses to state semis
— 2024-2026 UIL realignment: Analysis, district lists and must-read stories from SportsDayHS
— How D-FW high schools host commercials for major brands, from Subway to State Farm
— Texas colleges spend big money on official visits for top high school football recruits
— The Dallas Morning News’ 2023 Defensive Player of the Year: DeSoto’s Keylan Abrams
— The Dallas Morning News’ 2023 All-area teams, football awards and more— Why Cedar Hill, other Dallas-area schools have been hit hardest by decreasing enrollment
— On Conrad High’s football team, no one will wear No. 12 again. Unless they earn it
— Following in footsteps of NFL veteran father gives Hebron’s Patrick Crayton Jr. focus
— Cameroon native Ben Ebeke catching on to American football at W.T. White
— After late-season injury last year, Plano East’s Travis Agee back better than ever
— Byron Nelson QB Grant Bizjack making own mark in rich athletic family legacy
— Father-son, coach-QB combo living out lifelong dream while leading unbeaten Richland
— Parish Episcopal’s Sawyer Anderson humble as he closes in on all-time passing mark
— When it comes to kicking, Plano East standout Blake Letourneau has been a sure thing
— Professional composure has made Sachse’s Brendon Haygood a record-setting running back
Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Sign up for our FREE HS newsletter.
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