The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - April 10, 2024

Episode Date: April 10, 2024

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Howdy folks, today is Wednesday, April 10th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Assistant Editor Rob Lausches, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. A report from CBS News includes internal government statistics showing that the number of migrants apprehended along the U.S.-Mexico border dipped in March. CBS was able to confirm the report with U.S. officials, as the internal documents reveal, quote, over 137,000 migrants, unquote, were apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents in March while attempting to cross the southern border unlawfully. Customs and Border Protection's most recent update on

February encounters shows that there were over 140,000 encounters between ports of entry at the southwestern border that month, with almost 190,000 encounters in total. February saw more than 42,100 people processed through the CBP One app, compared with CBS's report detailing the 52,000 who were processed in March. The increased concern over military-age men illegally entering the country has motivated Texas' courtroom fight for the state border security law Senate Bill 4, which continues to be tied up in legal challenges. In February, reports circulated about the rising number of people coming from China. Former President Donald Trump commented on the phenomena, saying it could lead to a terrorist attack. Keller Independent School District will be moving the Keller Collegiate Academy from its current building close to Fossil

Ridge High School to the Keller Center for Advanced Learning, further east on Tarrant Parkway. This move is part of the district's broader plan to address its budget shortfall for next year. The Center for Advanced Learning is Keller ISD's career and technical education campus, where students can earn technical certifications while in high school. The center provides classes on a periodic, not permanent, basis. Currently, students from the district's high schools take individual classes at the center, then return to their respective schools. Keller Collegiate Academy was opened in 2021 and is an early college high school model campus with an emphasis in health care. The district is partnered with

Tarrant County College, which provides the instruction for available associate degrees. In 2022, the academy had 149 enrolled students and had excellent ratings in its Texas Education Agency report card. The campus scored an overall A with a 95 out of 100 score and scored an A in student achievement, school progress, and closing the gaps. Keller Collegiate Academy also achieved 81% for the state of Texas assessments of academic readiness test performance at grade level. For reference, the district's performance was at 60% and the state average was only 48%. Students graduate from the academy with around 60 hours of college credit. For the third time in two years, the Granbury Independent School District is asking its voters to approve a bond package.

On May 4th, Granbury ISD residents can determine whether to approve a bond proposal totaling $161.5 million. The school district claims the tax rate will remain the same. The school district proposed a bond package in May 2022 for nearly $400 million and in November 2023 for $151 million. Both of those failed. According to the Granbury ISD bond website, the bond will provide funds for renovations to nine campuses within the district. It will also fund a new transportation center and a new elementary school. Granbury Concerned Citizens is a group organized to encourage, quote, academic excellence, transparent accountability, and fiscal responsibility. The group has raised several concerns about the proposed bond package.

Now for some other rapid-fire political updates. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson made official his re-election bid for a four-year term. The mayoral position is on the ballot this November. The Texas House Republican Caucus released official endorsements of eight Republican House incumbents in the May runoffs. Representatives Dwayne Burns, Frederick Frazier, Justin Holland, Stephanie Click, John Kempel, Dade Phelan, Lynn Stuckey, and Gary Van Deaver. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz announced $9.7 million raised across his accounts in Q1 of 2024. He is set to face off against Democratic Congressman Colin Allred in November. Texas Congressman Tony Gonzalez, running for re-election as the Republican candidate for Texas Congressional District 23, released an attack ad criticizing his opponent YouTuber Brandon Herrera's history of using vulgar language on video. Herrera responded,

Breaking news! Internet comedian has said curse words. You attack me about jokes because you can't attack me on policy. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.