The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - September 17, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Well, howdy, folks. Today is Thursday, September 17th, 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, a man charged in a high-profile Labor Day murder had previously been found incompetent to stand trial and had his criminal charges dismissed, just months before the brutal killing of 62-year-old Andrew Wimzett in a Round Rock park, and the crime is prompting questions about the handling of suspects with mental health issues. On September 7th, Wimzat was seated on a park bench after visiting his mother at a nearby nursing home when a stranger approached him from behind and stabbed him multiple times in the neck. Surveillance video from a homeowner's association helped police identify the 26-year-old suspect

Starting point is 00:00:56 and a search of his home turned up clothing matching the video and a knife that tested positive for blood. under Texas statute, a suspect may be declared incompetent if he or she lacks the ability to consult what their lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding, or a rational as well as factual understanding of the proceedings against them, but incompetency is not the same thing as being found not guilty. Next, the Texas House Energy Resources Committee held two hearings on Monday and Tuesday, covering a broad range of topics but focusing primarily on well operations in the state. The committee evaluates topics under the jurisdiction of the Railroad Commission, and over the two days of the hearing, schisms between the RRC and the Energy Committee surfaced. The riffs during the hearing first became apparent when Chair Drew Darby began the meeting Tuesday with a sharp reprimand of Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian for his absence. Darby stated, quote, a sitting commissioner absconding from his agency's oversight hearing is nothing more than a mockery of the Texas legislature and the legislative process. The dispute began with an RRC vote that allowed members of

Starting point is 00:02:07 the public to comment at commission meetings on topics unrelated to the meeting agenda. In other news, anybody who bet that prediction market platforms like Kalshi would receive a warm welcome from the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee would have been at a loss on Tuesday. Robert De Nalt, head of enforcement for Kalshi, was sharply questioned by lawmakers who seemed to have decided the prediction markets violated the state's ban on gambling, or at least the spirit of the law. Committee Chairman Brian Hughes set the tone for the hearing by characterizing the markets as a loophole around the state gambling ban that was enacted in 2003. He specifically cited prediction markets focused on Texas elections and sports.

Starting point is 00:02:50 Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who is the president of of the Texas Senate has made cracking down on prediction markets a priority going into the 90th legislative session in January. Also, a nearly 40-year-old cold case of an infant death in Wichita Falls has been resolved after Tammy Sue Kearns, age 58, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of her newborn son in August 1988. U.S. attorney Ryan Raybold stated in a press release about the case, quote, forensic genealogy shattered the silence surrounding this crime and revealed the truth the defendant hid for nearly 40 years. She deliberately and maliciously murdered her newborn baby. According to federal court documents, a newborn baby boy was found on August 4, 1988 in a laundry bin at Pond's Laundry in Wichita Falls,

Starting point is 00:03:41 wrapped in linens from the Air Force Regional Hospital at Shepard Air Force Base. An autopsy was conducted on the full-term baby, but, tissue tests showed no abnormalities and there was no indication of toxic substances in his body. No suspects were identified, so the case was closed before being reopened in 2015. Last but not least, Texas voters have several high-profile elections to decide this November, including a U.S. Senate race that's drawing national attention. Lower down the ballot, though, voters in some of the state's biggest jurisdictions will also decide whether to let their county, city, or school district borrow.

Starting point is 00:04:19 more money through bonds. As local governments finalize budgets before the end of the month, several of the five biggest cities and school districts in Texas have already authorized November elections to approve bonds, a form of debt typically used to finance improvements to government-owned buildings or infrastructure. These elections in November will follow a May election that saw the approval of record-breaking bonds. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan. News to get full access to all. all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - September 17, 2026

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