Texas

On Behalf of Texas Ag, Sen. Cruz Secures Extension of Drought Warning Sensors | U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas

Published

2 years ago

February 13, 2024

On Behalf of Texas Ag, Sen. Cruz Secures Extension of Drought Warning Sensors | U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Texas farmers and ranchers will still have access to early warning signs of potential droughts due to the efforts of U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

The federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had planned to retire soil moisture sensors in Texas relied upon by the state’s agricultural community to spot potential droughts. However, NOAA has delayed any action on the sensors after an inquiry from Sen. Cruz, who sent an oversight letter to NOAA about its initial decision and upcoming plans.

In November 2023, NOAA notified soil data users that it would begin in 2023 to retire 113 sensors across the country. NOAA claimed the program was being phased out due to a funding shortfall despite the network’s menial cost of about $904,000 per year to maintain, a small fraction of NOAA’s overall budget. Last year, Sen. Cruz raised concerns about some of NOAA’s non-core budget priorities, such as $9.1 million for “woke” grants focused on “environmental justice and equity [and] to support a more robust and diverse domestic seafood sector.”

As Sen. Cruz writes to NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad,

“I write to express my concern regarding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) recent steps to decommission 113 soil moisture sensors. Soil moisture measurements are essential for agricultural monitoring and accurate forecasts of drought and other hazards like flooding and wildfire. It is my understanding that after my office contacted NOAA expressing concern about this decommissioning, NOAA delayed taking action through this fiscal year. However, since the decommissioning is still under consideration, I strongly encourage to commit to keeping these soil moisture sensors in service.

“More than 248,000 farms and ranches in Texas rely on these forecasts to manage crops and livestock. Decommissioning these sensors would hurt farmers not just in Texas, but across the entire United States, especially in states that rely exclusively on NOAA’s network, such as Louisiana, Florida, Virginia, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

“The 2018 reauthorization of the National Integrated Drought Information System required NOAA to develop a strategy for monitoring the nation’s soil moisture. The resulting Strategy for the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Networkspecifically calls for ‘a strategic and coordinated increase of in situ moisture monitoring stations across the United States.’ NOAA’s short-sighted proposal to decommission these sensors does the exact opposite.”

Sen. Cruz’s letter asks:

how the decommissioning proposal was informed by the Strategy for the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network
what the status of the strategy implementation is
how stakeholder input was incorporated
what the impacts of this implementation might be on weather and drought forecasting, and
what funding is required to use and maintain these sensors annually.

As the letter states, NOAA’s decommissioning proposal would have a deeply detrimental effect on Texas farmers and ranchers. In support of Sen. Cruz’s letter, Russell Boening, President of the Texas Farm Bureau said:

“NOAA’s soil moisture sensors provide data that helps Texas farmers and ranchers prepare for and respond to drought.Agricultural producers need NOAA to provide better drought predictions by maintaining and improving the networks that collect this essential data. We thank Sen. Cruz for listening to Texas Farm Bureau’s concerns and for his leadership on this vital issue.”

Read the full text of this letter HERE.

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Texas

UConn vs. Texas Prediction, How to Watch, Odds, Channel

Published

2 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

UConn vs. Texas Prediction, How to Watch, Odds, Channel

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The No. 5 UConn Huskies (9-1) will attempt to continue a five-game winning streak when they host the Texas Longhorns (7-3) on Friday, December 12, 2025 at PeoplesBank Arena. The contest airs at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Keep reading to get all you need to know ahead of wagering on the UConn-Texas matchup.

UConn vs. Texas How to Watch & Odds

When: Friday, December 12, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Connecticut
TV: FOX
Streaming: FOXSports.com, FOX Sports App and FOX One (Try free for 7 days)

UConn vs. Texas Prediction

The Huskies are holding opponents to just 60.4 points per game while averaging 91, giving them one of the strongest scoring margins in the country. Their defense has been particularly sharp, limiting opponents to 37.4% shooting from the field.

Solo Ball and Tarris Reed Jr. continue to set the tone. Ball is averaging 15 points per game, and Reed Jr. has provided steady interior production with 14.8 points and 5.4 rebounds. Their consistency has been central to the Huskies’ early-season dominance.

The Longhorns have shown they can score, averaging 85.8 points per game, but their defense has struggled, allowing opponents to shoot 48.5%. That could be an issue against a UConn offense that moves the ball well and attacks efficiently.

UConn’s home court-advantage and Texas’s 2-2 road struggles tilt the matchup toward the Huskies.

Pick ATS: Texas (+16.5)
Pick OU: Over (145.5)
Prediction: UConn 81, Texas 69

Prediction provided by FOX Sports’ Sports AI. Download the FOX Sports App for free access to Sports AI.

UConn vs. Texas Betting Insights

Betting Line Implied Predictions

Based on the spread and over/under, the implied score for the matchup is Huskies 81, Longhorns 64.
The Huskies have a 95.9% chance to win this meeting per the moneyline’s implied probability.
The Longhorns have an 8.3% implied probability to win.

Key Spread Facts

UConn has compiled a 3-7-0 record against the spread this season.
Texas has won six games against the spread this year, while failing to cover four times.
UConn has covered the spread once this season (1-4 ATS) when playing as at least 16.5-point favorites.

Key Total Facts

The Huskies and their opponent have broken the 145.5-point mark four times this year.
Longhorns games have gone over 145.5 points on eight occasions this season.
The total for this matchup is 145.5 points, 23.4 fewer than the combined scoring average of the two teams.

Key Moneyline Facts

UConn has won six of seven games when the moneyline favorite this season (85.7%).
Texas has split the two games it has played as underdogs this season.
UConn has played as a moneyline favorite of -2326 or shorter twice this season, and won both.
Texas has not entered a game this season with longer moneyline odds than +1103.

UConn vs. Texas: Recent Results

Huskies vs Longhorns Recent Games
Date	Favorite	Spread	Total	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline	Result
12/8/2024	Longhorns	-1.5	141	-121	+101	76-65 UCONN

UConn vs. Texas: 2025-26 Stats Comparison

	UConn	Texas
Points Scored Per Game (Rank)	79.8 (137)	89.1 (21)
Points Allowed (Rank)	61.7 (10)	73.2 (189)
Rebounds (Rank)	9 (234)	11.7 (49)
3pt Made (Rank)	7.7 (203)	8 (175)
Assists (Rank)	17.9 (38)	14.6 (179)
Turnovers (Rank)	8.8 (10)	11.5 (167)

UConn 2025-26 Key Players

Huskies Leaders
Name	GP	PTS	REB	ASST	STL	BLK	3PM
Solomon Ball	10	15	3.3	1.6	0.8	0.3	2
Tarris Reed Jr.	5	14.8	7.6	1.4	1.2	1.6	0
Alex Karaban	10	13.4	5.4	2.2	0.9	1.2	2
Silas Demary Jr.	10	10	4.5	5.1	1.8	0.2	0.3
Eric Reibe	10	9.6	4.6	0.3	0.3	1.3	0.3

Texas 2025-26 Key Players

Longhorns Leaders
Name	GP	PTS	REB	ASST	STL	BLK	3PM
Matas Vokietaitis	10	15.9	6.6	0.2	0.4	1.1	0
Dailyn Swain	10	15.7	6.9	3.5	1.6	0.3	0.7
Jordan Pope	10	12.5	2.1	3	0.3	0.1	2.4
Tramon Mark	10	9.9	2.8	2.5	0.7	0.6	1
Simeon Wilcher	10	9.4	2.4	1.9	0.7	0.5	1.6

FOX Sports used technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar to create this story.

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Texas

Texas Football Opt-Outs: Who’s Likely Playing and Who’s Out for the Citrus Bowl

Published

14 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Texas Football Opt-Outs: Who’s Likely Playing and Who’s Out for the Citrus Bowl

At this point in time, opting out of bowl games is nothing new, but Texas is going to have more opt-outs in the Citrus Bowl against Michigan than many—self included—expected. This problem pales in comparison to what’s going on in Ann Arbor, but the amount of lost experience will be something for Texas to overcome, primarily on defense.

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Latest in recruiting war for elite 2028 QB has Texas Football joyful

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Latest in recruiting war for elite 2028 QB has Texas Football joyful

Neimann Lawrence list the Longhorns as one school that is standing out

As the Longhorns continue to build for the future, one of their targets is four-star prospect Neimann Lawrence. The Miami native is one of the best quarterbacks in the 2028 class and is attracting interest from some of the nation’s top programs. On Monday, Lawrence revealed the schools that have stood out so far, including the Longhorns.

While Mondays update was encouraging, Texas was not the only school Lawrence mentioned. He also highlighted Michigan, Miami, Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Tennessee. That is not an easy list of schools to go to battle with; the Longhorns have time to make themselves stand out.

Currently, the Miami Northwestern High star is ranked as the fourth-best quarterback in is class by 247Sports. They also rank him as the ninth-best player from Florida and the 39th-best player in the nation. With collegiate debut still over a year away, those rankings could change.

At the moment, the Longhorns do not have a commitment in the 2028 class, but they have made offers to some of the top recruits. That includes Brysen Wright, Jalanie George, Jamarios Canton, Micah Rhodes, and King Pitts. Landing any of those players would give Texas a bright future.

With a decision still months away, Lawrence will be a player to watch. A lot could change as his recruitment continues, but it is a good sign for Texas that they are standing out early on in the process.

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