Texas
Texas senate passes bill expanding death penalty eligibility for child murder under SB 990
The Texas senate has passed a bill that would expand death penalty eligibility for individuals convicted of murdering children.
PREVIOUS: Senate committee recommends expanding death penalty eligibility for child murder under SB 990
Currently, Texas law does not allow the death penalty for individuals convicted of killing children aged 10 to 15. Filed in January by Senator Paul Bettencourt, SB 990 would eliminate this exemption, if passed, ensuring that all child murder victims are treated equally under capital punishment guidelines.
Alexis Nungaray, mother of 12-year-old girl Jocelyn Nungaray, who was brutally murdered last year, was in Austin to support Senate Bill 990 at the senate hearing, along with Crime Victims Advocate Andy Kahan of Crime Stoppers.
On Thursday, the Texas Senate passed SB 990 with super majority bipartisan support, 26-5.
“We’re all tired of the continuing slaughter of our innocent children.” Senator Bettencourt stated. “If you kill our Texas kids, you’ll be doing more than just time— you’ll be subject to the death penalty.”
In Jocelyn’s case, then-Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced in November her office would pursue the death penalty for her accused killers. Franklin Pena, and Johan Martinez-Rangel were charged with sexual assault, making them eligible for the death penalty but SB 990 seeks to remove the need for additional charges like sexual assault to pursue the death penalty in child murder cases.
SEE ALSO: Jocelyn Nungaray’s suspected killers under investigation for connections to Tren de Aragua gang, warrant reveals
The bill also includes provisions to remove certain legal restrictions, applying only to future cases.
“What I hope is that Jocelyn and Maria’s deaths are not in vain, that there is a deterrence in the future. If we save just one child because of this,” Senator Bettencourt concluded. “There is just horrific evil out there that has to be stopped, and the slaughter of innocents has to stop.”
The bill now moves on to the Texas House for consideration before its presented to Governor Greg Abbott. If passed, SB 990 would go into effect on September 1, 2025.
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Texas
How to Watch Temple vs North Texas: Live Stream NCAA College Football, TV Channel
The North Texas Mean Green (10-1) looks for a program-record 11th win and a spot in the American championship game on Friday afternoon when they host a Temple Owls (5-6) squad still trying to become bowl eligible after three straight losses.
How to Watch Temple vs North Texas
- When: Friday, November 28, 2025
- Time: 3:30 PM ET
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Live Stream: Fubo (try for free)
North Texas won its fifth straight game on Saturday night, rolling to a 56-24 road victory at Rice after erasing an early 14-0 deficit. Drew Mestemaker threw for 469 yards, finishing 19-of-23 with three touchdowns, and also ran for a score. Caleb Hawkins ran for 97 yards and three TDs on 20 carries, and Ashton Gray also had a rushing touchdown. Wyatt Young had a huge night with eight catches for 295 yards and two scores, and Tre Williams III caught a TD pass.
Temple’s slide continued on Saturday with a 37-13 loss to visiting Tulane. Evan Simon threw for 168 yards and two touchdowns, but the running game was limited to just 20 yards. Colin Chase and Peter Clarke made scoring catches in the loss. Simon absorbed four sacks before he was pulled from the game.
Eric Morris was announced on Tuesday as the new head coach at Oklahoma State and will leave North Texas at the end of the season. The Mean Green haven’t won a conference title since the 2004 Sun Belt championship and have a simple win-and-in scenario to reach the American championship game. They are 2-0 all-time against Temple, including a 24-17 road win on Nov. 30.
This is a great college football matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
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Texas
Guidelines for Texas’ controversial school voucher program released
TEXAS (KTRK) — The State Comptroller’s Office has released guidelines for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts. This program is also referred to as school choice or school vouchers, and has stirred up controversy.
It’s funded through $1B taxpayer dollars, and while proponents say it gives families the choice to pick the best education for their child, critics have said it takes money away from already underfunded and struggling public school systems.
This program is open to students in pre-K through high school. Standard students who wish to attend a state-approved private school can receive approximately $10,800 per child, per year.
Students with disabilities or additional learning needs must have their individual education program, or IEP, on file with the school district to be eligible for up to $30,000 per student, per year
And homeschooled children can get up to $2,000 per child, per year.
SEE ALSO: Private school vouchers are now law in Texas. Here’s how they will work
State law dictates that priority will be given to children who have siblings already in the program and based on income and the federal poverty line. If more students enroll than funding allows, a lottery will be instituted.
Eyewitness News previously reported that the funds would probably fund around 90,000 students, even though the Texas Education Agency estimated in 2024 that over 5 million school-aged children live in Texas.
The first important enrollment date comes for private schools and vendors who want to accept voucher students, and is part of the one billion dollars the state is pouring into it. The State Comptroller’s office says schools and vendors can start signing on through Odyssey on Dec. 9. Odyssey is the company the state selected to run the voucher lottery and operate a platform that allows families to spend the money awarded to them by the state.
The second important date comes for families, which is Feb. 4. That’s when families can start signing up students. The State Comptroller said this gives the state and families ample time to make decisions ahead of the 2026-27 school year
The State Comptroller said schools that wish to apply for the program must have a Texas location and have been accredited for at least two years, but this applies to schools both in and outside of Texas, so in theory, a program accredited outside of Texas could build a campus in the state this year and still be eligible.
SEE ALSO: ABC13 obtains exclusive HISD student enrollment records for 2025-26 school year
The state is also dictating that private schools wishing to be a part of the program will have to administer an assessment to voucher students in grades 3 through 12
The program will be monitored by the State Comptroller’s office, which will partner with a private group to audit the program at least once a year.
State education groups pushed the state to be more transparent about how families were spending money and where, though our partners at the Houston Chronicle note the state rejected those ideas.
For more news updates, follow Lileana Pearson on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Copyright © 2025 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Texas
Pack Closes Maui Invitational with Loss to Texas – NC State University Athletics
The Longhorns hit 16 three-pointers, shooting 50 percent from long-range for the game. The 16 three-pointers tie for the most ever made by an NC State opponent.
The first 12 minutes of the game featured the two teams going back and forth, but with Texas holding a 25-23 the Longhorns went on an extended 20-7 run to take its largest lead of the game, 45-30, with 1:33 to play.
The Pack ended the half on a mini 7-2 run to go into the locker room down 10, 47-37.
NC State opened the second half on a 16-7 run to get within one on a Paul McNeil three-pointer with 15:09 to play.
Texas stayed in front though until Alyn Breed drove past the Longhorn defense to lay it in and give the Pack a 71-70 lead with 7:51 to go.
The lead was short-lived though as Texas immediately responded with a 10-0 spurt to retake the lead and the Pack was never able to get closer than five points the rest of the way.
Quadir Copeland led NC State with a career-high 28 points. He finished the game 10-of-14 from the field and also had a team-high six assists.
Ven-Allen Lubin finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 23 points and nine rebounds while Paul McNeil finished with 20 points.
It’s the first time NC State has had three players all score 20 or more points in the same game in more than 20 years.
NC State ended the game with a 46-20 advantage in points in the paint, but Texas had a 24-7 advantage in fast break points and the Longhorns shot 55.8 percent from the field and made 28 of its 34 free throw attempts.
NC State is back in action next Wednesday when it plays at Auburn as part of the ACC-SEC Challenge. Tipoff at Auburn is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on ESPN.
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