Lawmaker calls for probe into $95 million lottery jackpot
The Texas Lottery Commission and its former director are under scrutiny after they allegedly helped a single entity win a $95 million Lotto Texas Jackpot, the Houston Chronicle reported. Written testimony at a state legislative hearing last week from an attorney indicated an entity called Rook TX guaranteed it would win the jackpot by buying virtually every one of the nearly 26 million possible six-number combinations in the drawing, held in April 2023. Houston lawyer Manfred Sternberg said that he represented clients victimized by a conspiracy between the lottery commission, former head Gary Grief, and online ticker vendor Lottery.com. He sent a 22-page letter outlining the allegations to multiple state officials, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton. “Our clients have been ignored by the State of Texas, and the State of Texas has been silent on investigating and prosecuting those responsible for serious crimes,” Sternberg wrote. The allegations raised concern among members of the Senate Finance Committee, gathered to consider the commission’s budget. “We just need to call in the Texas Rangers immediately,” said Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham. A bill in the Texas Legislature would require Texas school districts to install seat belts on all school buses, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The measure comes after a collision between a concrete pump truck and a Hays County school bus last March killed a 5-year-old boy and a man driving behind the bus. “We just believe that having them physically restrained in their seats would help minimize – mitigate – any potential harm to the children,” state Sen. Josè Menéndez, D-San Antonio, said. “It is just some common sense.” A 2017 law requires seat belts on all newly purchased buses but not on buses purchased before that and still in service. District officials have blamed a lack of funding for not being able to retrofit seat belts on older buses. Abbott back in D.C. seeking border reimbursement The governor returned to Capitol Hill for the second time in eight days in his pursuit of $11 billion from the federal government to cover the costs of Operation Lone Star along the Texas-Mexico border. The News reported Abbott met with most of the Texas Republican congressional delegation as well as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Abbott’s initiatives include sending state troopers and the Texas National Guard to the border, stringing buoys in the Rio Grande and razor wire along the banks, and busing more than 100,000 migrants to Democratic-run cities over the past four years. At least one Texas GOP congressman agrees. “We think the people of Texas should be reimbursed for the money they’ve already spent and are spending to secure our borders,” Lance Gooden, R-Terrell, said. Texas HHS employees fired for accessing sensitive data Nine employees of the Texas Health and Human Services have been fired for accessing restricted data of Texans applying for programs offered by the agency, the Texas Standard reported. The employees were accessing the private information of people seeking to apply for Medicaid or assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). About 60,000 people who applied or received assistance from June 2021 and December 2024 were affected. No arrests have been made to this point. HHS Commissioner Cecile Young was asked at a Senate finance committee hearing if it was true that more than 8,000 HHS employees had access to private information, according to The Texas Tribune. “One thing I wanted to make clear is oftentimes when you hear someone breaching privacy it’s coming from the outside,” she said. “And in this case, sadly, it was actually coming from our employees.” Texas leads nation in top-tier universities A new report from the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching indicates 16 universities in Texas have reached Tier 1 designation, the most coveted level. That means the state is home to more such institutions than any other state. In the report, California has 14 and New York 12 top-tier universities. To reach that designation, a university must spend at least $50 million and award at least 70 research doctorates on average each year. The five new additions in Texas since the last release of university classifications in 2022 are Baylor College of Medicine, Southern Methodist University, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and the UT Southwestern Medical Center. The news is “a testament to the quality of our higher learning institutions and the investment the state has made into education,” Andrew Mahaleris, the governor’s press secretary, said.
The names we give our cars
I have a friend that named her car “Sweetie Pie.” Of course, the car is now so old that the glare of a check engine light has become her traveling companion. That would make me a little crazy, but then again, maybe I’m just looking for an excuse. I’d probably be inclined to change “Sweetie Pie’s” name to “Pray Without Ceasing.” Do you remember watching Roy Rogers and Dell Evans on television when you were kids? Roy’s sidekick, Pat Brady drove a 1946 Willys CJ-2A Jeep. The Jeep’s name was Nellybelle. Pat often talked to Nellybelle like an ornery mule – “Whoa Nelly!” Actually, a friend from church was provided his first vehicle when he started to high school. The vehicle was a 1946 Willys CJ-2A jeep. The jeep didn’t have any bells and whistles, but it was faster than walking. Of course, there were no creature comforts like weather proofing, air conditioning or even a heater. Apparently, after WWII, lots of people wanted jeeps to use for hunting. I never asked him if his jeep was part of his family’s history. For the record, I never had a car when I was in high school. We walked to school. That was true of most of the student body. By the way, I historically never became too attached to any vehicle and that has historically been true for every vehicle I’ve owned. When it comes to vehicles, my son operates on the notion that a car or truck is a life-time commitment. If he needs a name for his truck, “ ‘till death do us part” seems like a good contender. My grandson, a sophomore in high school, is driving the vehicle his parents purchased before his older sister was born. She is now 21-years old. Jake is just as happy as if he had good sense. I’ve never had personalized license plates for my car. For that matter, I’ve never put a “fish – religious symbol” on my car. I sometime drive like a bat out of a cave, and I don’t want anything personalized on my car that calls attention to me. Reportedly, the personalized license plate “Was His” belonged to a divorce attorney and he decided to do advertising on the back of his Porsche. My daughter and son-in-law once had three vehicles with personalized plates. They still have two of those vehicles. I need to pay closer attention to see if they still have the same plates. I read somewhere years ago that 40% of the people in the United States name their cars. Interestingly, 90% of the people in Australia name their cars. Reportedly, the name Betsie is the most common. I figure if you are driving a junkier, the name “Get-e-up-go” might be a consideration. If I was going to name my car, I’d be inclined to name it “The Sanctuary.” I’ve found that most people who ride with me are inclined to bargain with God or pray while I’m driving. All My Best!
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