Texas
Texas moves to close cannabis loophole
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick announced on Wednesday that a new bill will be introduced to the state legislature banning the sale of “all forms of consumable Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)” anywhere in the state.
Patrick said that retailers in Texas have been selling “life-threatening, unregulated forms of THC to the public” and argued some of these have been targeted at children.
In 2019, Texas legalized the sale and consumption of hemp, a weaker form of cannabis containing a maximum of 0.3 percent THC, bringing the state in line with a federal law passed the previous year. However, marijuana, which has a higher THC content, remains illegal. The legislation produced a large legal hemp industry in Texas, with the product being sold in a range of forms, including vapes, gummies, drinks and creams.
Announcing the new legislation, Senate Bill 3, Patrick said: “In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1325, by Rep. Tracy King, D-Uvalde, to bolster agriculture in Texas. Part of that bill allowed for the commercialization of hemp which might include un-removable non-intoxicating trace amounts of Delta 9 THC.”
However, Patrick argued this legal change was exploited by unscrupulous retailers, some of whom sold products with a THC content several times higher than the marijuana typically sold by drug dealers.
“Dangerously, retailers exploited the agriculture law to sell life-threatening, unregulated forms of THC to the public and made them easily accessible. These stores not only sold to adults, but they targeted Texas children and exposed them to dangerous levels of THC,” he said.
“Since 2023, thousands of stores selling hazardous THC products have popped up in communities across the state, and many sell products, including beverages, that have three to four times the THC content which might be found in marijuana purchased from a drug dealer.”
Patrick added that Senate Bill 3 would be carried by state Senator Charles Perry, a fellow Republican, and expressed confidence it will have “broad bipartisan support in the Senate.”
Newsweek reached out to Patrick and Perry for comment on Thursday via email outside of regular office hours.
Brett Hondow/GETTY
In a May 2024 report, the Baker Institute, a non-partisan think tank based out of Rice University in Houston, said Texas lawmakers “did not anticipate the massive market for hemp-derived cannabinoids” produced by the 2019 legalization.
Consequently, they said, “From 2020 to 2023, sales of hemp-derived cannabinoids (excluding the non-impairing cannabidiol) increased by 1,283%, reaching a value of $2.78 billion last year.”
The Baker Institute argued against making the sale of all hemp products illegal, arguing this would be “certain to fail” and would force the industry underground.
“As of April 2024, Texas had over 7,000 registered hemp dispensaries. More than 50,000 Texans are estimated to be employed through the hemp sector,” they said. “A state ban would ruin this industry, but it would not reduce consumer demand for hemp-derived cannabinoids. Instead, consumers would turn to the illicit hemp market that would inevitably form in the wake of state prohibition.”
On November 5, voters in Nebraska voted to legalize medical marijuana, though attempts to legalize marijuana for recreational use failed in Florida, South Dakota and North Dakota.
In Florida, the move had majority support but failed to pass the 60 percent threshold to become law.
Texas
Texas man arrested after allegedly throwing bucket of possible human remains toward FBI field office
A Texas man has been charged with abuse of a corpse after he threw a bucket containing suspected human remains over a fence at the FBI’s Dallas field office and posted a video of it on YouTube.
Michael Chadwick Fry, 41, was arrested Thursday and charged with two counts of abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence, the Bartonville Police Department said in a news release.
The investigation began on March 16 when a Bartonville police officer responded to a call from Fry’s mother, who said he asked her for money to pay for a U-Haul. When asked why, he said he “had a body that needed to be moved,” the probable cause affidavit said.
Fry then became “irate” and left the home. Shortly afterward, the officer received information from Fry’s sister that he had “filmed himself on YouTube” at the Dallas FBI field office, the affidavit said.
The video showed Fry throwing a large, closed white bucket over the fence into the secure parking lot of the FBI building, according to the affidavit.
Fry claimed in the video he was trying to compel the FBI to intervene “in what he describes as wrongdoing by Denton County officials from a past arrest,” the affidavit said. It’s not clear what that alleged wrongdoing was.
An FBI special agent said “the bucket contained numerous bones” that appeared to be human, per the affidavit. The bones are awaiting further forensic analysis.
Fry had also posted another video on YouTube that showed what appeared to be a human skull at his Denton County home.
The mother told police that she found in her vehicle’s GPS history three searches for cemeteries — one in Arlington, Texas, and two in Oklahoma City. She also said she found a shovel that was never at the residence before and her son had started to lock the shed in the back of the home, which he didn’t do previously, the affidavit said.
In the investigation by Bartonville police and FBI agents, Fry was found to have posted videos online showing separate human remains and an urn of ashes.
Investigators later determined that Fry had stolen an urn containing human remains from a cemetery in Oklahoma City — which was the subject of an Oklahoma City Police Department investigation from February, according to Bartonville police.
FBI agents also found evidence at a cemetery in Denton, Texas, “indicating that a coffin containing human remains had been removed from a mausoleum,” Bartonville police said.
Officials did not disclose whom the remains belonged to or why Fry might have targeted them.
The case remains active and next of kin have been notified, police said.
Fry remained in custody Sunday on a $30,000 surety bond, according to booking records. It’s not immediately clear if he has retained a lawyer.
Fry had made headlines in the past for ramming a truck into a FOX 4 building in downtown Dallas in 2018. In that case, police determined Fry was upset about a 2012 police shooting in Denton County that killed his friend. He apologized to the local news station during a court hearing, FOX 4 reported.
Texas
Where to watch LSU vs. Texas Tech in March Madness Second Round: Time, TV Channel
March Madness is underway and college basketball’s big dance continues with No. 2 seed LSU taking on No. 7 seed Texas Tech in a Second Round matchup on Sunday, March 22. Here’s everything you need to know to tune in for the clash between the Lady Raiders and Lady Tigers.
USA TODAY Sports has a team of journalists covering women’s March Madness to keep you up to date with every point scored, rebound grabbed and game won in the 68-team tournament.
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What time is Texas Tech vs LSU Second Round game?
No. 2 LSU vs No. 7 Texas Tech tips off at 3:00 PM (ET) on Sunday, March 22 from Pete Maravich Assembly Center (Baton Rouge, Louisiana).
What channel is Texas Tech vs LSU Second Round game?
No. 2 LSU vs No. 7 Texas Tech is airing live on ABC.
How to stream Texas Tech vs LSU Second Round game
No. 2 LSU vs No. 7 Texas Tech is available to stream on Fubo.
Watch the NCAA Tournament all March long with Fubo
Women’s March Madness schedule today
See the schedule, live scores and results for all of Sunday’s NCAA Tournament action here.
2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament full schedule
- March 18-19: First Four
- March 20-21: First Round
- March 22-23: Second Round
- March 27-28: Sweet 16
- March 29-30: Elite 8
- April 3: Final Four
- April 5: National Championship
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Texas
Kahil Fennell of Texas-Rio Grande Valley takes over struggling Western Michigan program
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Western Michigan has hired Kahil Fennell away from Texas-Rio Grande Valley to take over its struggling men’s basketball program, athletic director Dan Bartholomae announced Saturday.
Fennell was 35-29 in two seasons with the Vaqueros and will take over a WMU team coming off its eighth straight losing season and fourth under Dwayne Stephens, who was fired two weeks ago. The Broncos were 10-21 this season and tied for last in the Mid-American Conference.
“As we set out to find our next head coach, we sought a leader who not only had experience working with some of basketball’s finest programs and coaches, but one who had also led his own program to new heights at the Division I level,” Bartholomae said.
“We also sought someone who would be a great community partner as we prepare for the most transformative event in the history of our athletics program,” he added. “There is no question that Western Michigan University and the entire Southwest Michigan community has found that leader in Kahil. His track record of recruiting, developing and connecting with student-athletes stood out, and his vision and leadership acumen was unmatched.”
Fennell was an assistant at Louisville and BYU before he was hired to lead a UTRGV program that had won six games in 2023-24. His first Vaqueros team went 16-14. This season, UTRGV finished 19-14 and third in the Southland Conference.
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