Texas
We recommend in the Republican primary for Texas House District 106
In a three-way Republican primary race to represent parts of Denton County, state Rep. Jared Patterson gets our recommendation.
Patterson is now a well-established legislator, and he’s attuned to the concerns of his constituents in a district that has become symbolic of the economic boom in North Texas and the growing pains that come with it.
Texas House District 106 in eastern Denton County includes parts of Frisco and Denton as well as Aubrey, Celina and Little Elm. It is still growing fast, and the infrastructure can barely keep up with this fast change.
Patterson led the Legislature’s efforts to hold Big Tech accountable in 2025. He championed a bill that would have prohibited children from creating social media accounts and required tech companies to verify the age of new users. This editorial page supported the effort.
House Bill 186 passed with bipartisan support but stalled in the Senate. Patterson, 42, wants to bring this legislation back if he gets reelected. Political momentum may be on his side as evidence grows about the real harm that social media inflicts on children.
We have disagreed with Patterson over the years and found that some of his legislation sowed divisiveness. Still, his advocacy for children’s online safety is undeniable, and through this important cause, he has used his voice to unite people. As he puts it, this isn’t a red vs. blue bill.
While many candidates in the GOP are talking about getting rid of property taxes, Patterson took a more measured view and insisted on lowering taxes by looking at compression in school district tax rates as one approach to ease the tax burden.
Patterson voted against Senate Bill 840, a piece of legislation that this editorial page backed as an imperfect but necessary policy tool. The law allows residential construction in commercially zoned districts by right in large cities. Patterson told us that the legislation was not the right choice for cities like Frisco.
Another major issue in House District 106 is infrastructure. As massive construction work continues on U.S. Highway 380, Patterson, who serves on a committee on transportation funding, told us he wants to secure financing for farm-to-market roads that urgently need expansion.
Also running are Rick Abraham, a retired systems engineer, and Larry Brock, a retired Air Force officer who was convicted on charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Abraham, 57, also shares Patterson’s concerns with rising property taxes and other challenges in his district. However, he was thin on specific policy ideas.
AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday he has secured a settlement of bankruptcy claims against genetic testing company 23andMe stemming from a 2023 data breach that exposed personal information, including some genetic ancestry data, of 6.9 million customers worldwide.
Paxton’s office said the settlement includes $150 million for a multistate coalition of 42 states. But because of limited funds in 23andMe’s bankruptcy estate and competing claims, the states’ recovery will be $18 million paid immediately, with Texas receiving $1,266,860.
23andMe disclosed in October 2023 that attackers had accessed accounts affecting 6.9 million consumers. Some of the information was later posted for sale on the dark web, according to Paxton’s office, which said the company learned of the breach months after the data became publicly available. The office said 23andMe initially denied a breach and later blamed consumers’ account settings and password practices.
Paxton joined a multistate investigation that concluded 23andMe used unreasonable security practices and failed to implement adequate safeguards against hacking, the office said.
23andMe filed for bankruptcy protection in March 2025. Paxton’s office said the settlement incorporates privacy and cybersecurity requirements, including enhanced security standards, comprehensive risk assessments and creation of an independent advisory board, along with enforcement of state privacy laws and continued consumer data deletion rights.
“Companies that collect and profit from Texans’ most personal information have a legal duty to protect it,” Paxton said in a statement.
The company also agreed to a $46.75 million class-action settlement in the bankruptcy case for affected U.S. consumers who submitted claims by Feb. 17, 2026, Paxton’s office said.
Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
The Texas Longhorns entered the 2025 season with more expectations than any team has had to deal with in recent memory.
Many among the media were ready to crown the team and quarterback Arch Manning before they even played one game. Of course, those unrealistic expectations were never met, even though the team finished with a 10-3 record and a Citrus Bowl win over the Michigan Wolverines.
2026 is heading in the same direction for the Longhorns. Many believe head coach Steve Sarkisian has the most talented team in the country. But in order to fix the issues from this past season, the Longhorns needed to fix one issue that has cost them in the past.
Changing The Narrative
One of the biggest issues the Longhorns had last season was the play of the offensive line. It was apparent in the first game of the season against the Ohio State Buckeyes that Manning didn’t have the pocket time needed to make big plays.
This offseason, Coach Sarkisian went out and found two massive transfer portal additions that should completely change the narrative on this offensive line.
It starts with potential starting right tackle Melvin Siani. Siani has spent time with the Temple Owls and last season with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The Longhorns are set at left tackle with Trevor Goosby, who could play himself into being a top 10 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. If the team can get competent play from Siani, the offense will be able to open up the playbook, and the world may finally see Manning at his college peak.
The Longhorns also went out and found a potential fix at left guard for the 2026 season. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers transfer Laurence Seymore could be another strong patch for the holes in the offensive line.
After spending the first two seasons of his college career with the Miami Hurricanes, Seymore made stops with the Akron Zips and the Hilltoppers.
Of course, the one concern with Seymore is wondering if he can compete at the SEC level coming from the C-USA.
This season for the Longhorns starts and stops with the play of Manning. Coach Sarkisian and the rest of this coaching staff understood that protecting their quarterback was the most important goal when building the 2026 roster.
The Longhorns are going to be leaning on veteran talent to protect their quarterback, and it may very well be the best decision they made this offseason.
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