Connect with us

Texas

North Texas water fight intensifies over proposed reservoir project

Published

on

North Texas water fight intensifies over proposed reservoir project


An intense regional battle over water supply is bubbling up across North Texas. Water planners are split over the creation of the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir in northeast Texas. Water managers in DFW are planning on the 66,000-acre project; local planners are not.

People shared their opinions during a public hearing in Arlington on Monday. Public comment on the water plan runs through July 18.

Dozens of people drove in from East Texas.

“These ideas that you put on paper cost somebody, something,” said one.

Advertisement

“What am I supposed to tell my friends who live in that area? Well, your house may be underwater, I don’t know,” said another.

Most who attended the meeting spoke against the Marvin Nichols Reservoir, wearing green stickers to show their opposition. The project would require landowners to sell their property along the Sulphur River in Red River and Titus counties, or see it taken through eminent domain. The reservoir would send most of its water to the booming DFW Metroplex.

Part of Stanley Jessee’s land would be underwater if the plan moves forward.

“That’s where I live. That’s where I’ve retired. I raise cattle there, that’s what I do. My grandkids live next to me, or close to us. If the reservoir comes, we lose all that,” said Jessee.

Advocates from the business community spoke in favor of keeping the Region C water plan — including Marvin Nichols — as is, arguing DFW’s population could double to 15 million in the coming decades and will need new water sources.

Advertisement

“You know, at the end of the day, it comes down to quality of life. It comes to economic competitiveness,” said Chris Wallace, president of the North Texas Commission. “As you well know, water is the foundation of every growing community and every healthy economy.”

Dan Buhman, chair of the Region C Planning Group, told NBC 5 that the plan’s critics are partially right: Water users in DFW need to conserve more, but that alone isn’t enough.

“It’s a yes, and, future. We have to conserve, there’s no question about it. We are really focused on conserving as much water as possible,” said Buhman.

He said the math of new people coming and the water available now doesn’t add up without new groundwater reservoirs.

“I know it’s a difficult topic, and I know it can be an emotional topic, and I appreciate them coming and hearing their perspective. It is true that there’s an impact to every new strategy,” said Buhman.

Advertisement

Because the DFW and northeast Texas water plans are split on the issue, the Texas Water Development Board will have the final say. A decision may come in early 2026, after the regions submit their official five-year plans in the fall.



Source link

Texas

Texas sues Netflix for allegedly spying on kids, addicting users

Published

on

Texas sues Netflix for allegedly spying on kids, addicting users


Netflix was sued Monday (May 11) by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who accused the streaming company of spying on children and other consumers by collecting their data without consent, and designing its platform to be addictive. Ram Nabong reports.



Source link

Continue Reading

Texas

Texas sues Netflix, alleges platform spied on kids and collected data

Published

on

Texas sues Netflix, alleges platform spied on kids and collected data


The state of Texas announced a lawsuit against streaming giant Netflix on Monday, accusing the company of spying on children and other consumers by collecting their data without consent and designing the platform to be addictive.

Texas claims that Netflix has falsely represented to consumers that it didn’t collect or share user data while it actually tracked and sold viewers’ habits and preferences to commercial data brokers and advertising technology companies.

Advertisement

The lawsuit, filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, claims that “Netflix’s endgame is simple and lucrative: get children and families glued to the screen, harvest their data while they are stuck there, and then monetize the data for a handsome profit.”

The state of Texas announced a lawsuit against streaming giant Netflix on Monday. (Nikos Pekiaridis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“When you watch Netflix, Netflix watched you,” Texas added in the lawsuit.

NETFLIX CO-FOUNDER REED HASTINGS TO STEP DOWN, DEPARTURE IS ‘SPOOKING INVESTORS’

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
NFLX NETFLIX INC. 85.39 -2.10 -2.40%

The complaint quotes comments made by former CEO Reed Hastings who said in 2020, while he was still leading the streaming company, that “we don’t collect anything,” amid questions over Big Tech companies’ data collection practices.

Advertisement

Netflix was also accused of quietly using “dark patterns” to keep users watching on its platform, such as an autoplay feature that starts a new show after a different show ends.

NETFLIX RAISES SUBSCRIPTION PRICES ACROSS ALL PLANS

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the lawsuit. (Cheney Orr/Reuters)

Paxton said in a press release that Netflix “has built a surveillance program designed to illegally collect and profit from Texans’ personal data without their consent, and my office will do everything in our power to stop it.”

The attorney general said he’s charging Netflix under the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act and seeks to require Netflix to stop the unlawful collection and disclosure of user data, require Netflix to disable autoplay by default on kid’s profiles, and to secure injunctive relief and civil penalties.

Advertisement

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

FOX Business reached out to Netflix for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Texas

6 people found dead inside a boxcar in Texas, officials say | CNN

Published

on

6 people found dead inside a boxcar in Texas, officials say | CNN


Six people were found dead inside a cargo train boxcar in a Texas city along the southern border on Sunday, officials said.

The bodies were found in a Union Pacific train at a rail yard in Laredo, around 160 miles south of San Antonio, just after 3:30 p.m. local time, said Jose Espinoza, a public information officer with the Laredo Police Department.

The circumstances of their deaths are unknown, said Laredo police spokesperson Joe Baeza, according to CNN affiliate KGNS, and an investigation is underway.

Union Pacific operates across the border and is the only railroad that services all access points into Mexico, according to the freight company’s website.

Advertisement

Temperatures on Sunday afternoon in Laredo were in the low-mid 90s, though it’s unclear whether heat was a factor.

Union Pacific said it was saddened by the incident and is working closely with law enforcement to investigate.

Laredo police said they received a call around 3 p.m. from an employee at the Union Pacific rail yard, KGNS reported. The bodies were discovered during a routine rail car inspection, police said. No survivors were found.

CNN has reached out to Laredo police for more information.

“It’s a very early phase of the investigation. There’s not a lot to reveal right now,” Baeza said, KGNS reported.

Advertisement

The immigration status and ages of the deceased are not yet known, Espinoza said.

US Customs and Border Protection referred CNN to the Laredo Police Department, saying “The incident remains under investigation by Laredo Police Department and Homeland Security Investigation and Texas Rangers.”

CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, HSI and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

“It’s a very unfortunate event,” Espinoza told CNN. “It was too many lives that were lost.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending