The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - June 4, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Howdy folks, today is Thursday, June 4th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texan senior editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, the New World Screw Worm is now officially in Texas, after it was discovered in a three-week-old calf in Zavala County this week. State Representative Don McLaughlin first alerted Texans on Monday that he had received reports of NWS, a destructive flesh-eating livestock pest previously eradicated in the U.S. About one mile from the Texas-Mexico border. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins pushed back and said in a briefing that the closest siding of NWS had been 25 miles from the border.

Starting point is 00:00:50 The USDA confirmed on Wednesday evening, however, that they were actively working to confirm a potential NWS case in Texas. While on a call with press that evening, Rollins confirmed that NWS had been found in a three-week-old calf's umbilical cord in Zavala County, represented in the Texas House by McLaughlin. She discussed a number of efforts taking shape as she spoke to combat the deadly pest, referencing a new sterile fly facility that broke ground in South Texas in mid-April. Sterell flies are the standard response to NWS, released a breed with the pests and thus prevent their reproduction, a method which was thought to have to have. weeded out the pest in the U.S. in 1966. In other news, the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center at Texas Southern University surveyed over 1,700 registered Texas voters regarding their views on K-12 education in Texas, and their familiarity with the state's school choice program created last year, Texas Education Freedom Accounts, or TIFA. Among the respondents, 614 were parents or guardians of school-aged children. The TIFA program provides $10,500 to eligible students,

Starting point is 00:02:02 up to 30,000 for students with disabilities, and 2,000 for students choosing to homeschool. Overall, 57% of parents reported being very or somewhat familiar with the school choice program, while 43% said they were either not too familiar or not at all familiar. Familiarity was highest among parents with a four-year or advanced degree at 68% compared with 50% of those with some college education and 44% of high school graduates. Urban parents were more likely than rural parents to be familiar with TIFA. Black parents also reported greater familiarity than white parents, as did parents whose children attend private, charter, or homeschool programs compared with those whose children attend traditional public schools. Nearly 275,000 families applied for TIFA funds, with current

Starting point is 00:02:53 around 98,000 active rewards. Last but not least, Dallas City Hall may cost between $530 million and $610 million to repair, according to estimates provided by two firms at a city council briefing on June 3rd. The City Council passed a resolution in March asking the city staff, with the help of independent consultants, to, quote, develop a repair program that prioritizes the most critical needs for City Hall and City Hall Plaza, with no fewer than two options for phased repairs and replacements over a 10-year period. The iconic Dallas City Hall building has served as the city's seat of government since 1978. The estimates for repair come in light of recent news that the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars professional sports teams plan to relocate outside of downtown Dallas.

Starting point is 00:03:43 Gresham Smith and WM2 Company were selected by the city to come up with plans to conduct necessary repairs to the nearly 50-year-old building. The plans do not include modernization or interior renovations. City manager Kimberly Tolbert admitted to the city council members that she is not sure where the funding for the city hall repair program will come from as the city already faces budgetary constraints. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan.News to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - June 4, 2026

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.