After public outcry, a physical border wall through Big Bend National Park appears to be on hold, The Texas Tribune reported.
In February, the Trump administration waived more than two dozen environmental laws in order to clear the way for a 150-mile-long wall through West Texas, including Big Bend and the adjoining state park. Opposition quickly arose from people and politicians from both parties.
The sheriffs of Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, Presidio and Terrell counties — a mix of Democrats and Republicans — wrote an open letter that said: “Based on decades of combined experience working with this terrain, we believe that construction of a continuous physical border wall in the Big Bend region would not represent the most practical or strategic approach to border security in this area.”
Now, a map on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website no longer indicates plans to construct a physical wall in the Big Bend region. It is unclear if those plans are final, since the map has been changed several times in the past few weeks.
The rugged area historically has been the leastbusy of the nine Border Patrol sectors, accounting for just 1.3% of the 237,538 apprehensions recorded along the entire U.S.-Mexico border during the last fiscal year.
STATE ON TRIAL FOR UNAIRCONDITIONED PRISONS
The state of Texas is now on trial in an Austin federal court to determine whether it must provide air-conditioning in state prisons, kut.org reported. Inmates and their attorneys have argued for decades that summer conditions — where temperatures can reach 110 degrees — constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
“The Constitution requires living conditions that are not exposing individuals to high heat levels, and the evidence has consistently shown that what TDCJ has done as an alternative has just not been effective,” attorney Brandon Duke said. “It’s not a solution.”
The state counters that it is bringing more AC online at its prisons. Plaintiff attorneys say at least five inmates have died in Texas from heat-related illness since 2023.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice says it would cost $1.5 billion to install air-conditioning systems at all its prisons, and that state lawmakers must approve the funding.
U.S. District Judge Robert Pittman is expected to rule from the bench after the trial concludes.
CAMP MYSTIC FILES APPLICATION TO REOPEN THIS SUMMER
Camp Mystic has filed an application with the state to reopen this summer, the Houston Chronicle reported. More than two dozen children and two camp counselors were killed in the July 4 flash floods that swept the camp. The Texas Department of State Health Services, which oversees camp licensing, said it has received complaints about the camp and that it will be “investigated for violations of the laws and rules governing youth camps.”
DSHS has been sued by the parents of nine victims who contend the camp was wrongfully licensed just two days before the disaster last summer, even though it lacked an evacuation plan. In a separate case, a Travis County judge has ordered Camp Mystic to preserve for future examination the cabins and grounds damaged in the floods.
Camp leaders are asking for permission to open its Cypress Lake campus, which they said is “in compliance with all aspects of the state’s new camp safety laws and has implemented additional safety measures that exceed the requirements of those laws.”
TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER PAY DROPS
A new report from the University of Houston Education Research Center indicates average pay for Texas public school teachers has dropped about $5,000 over the past decade, the Chronicle reported. The decrease comes even as the cost of living has increased during that time span.
“When we look at those regional differences, there are some increases across the state, but really what we’re seeing is that average teacher salaries haven’t kept up with inflation,” said Toni Templeton, the Education Research Center’s senior research scientist.
Average base pay for the state’s most experienced teachers, those with 11 or more years of experience, has declined from about $73,000 to about $66,000 in 2024-25, according to the report.
The Texas Legislature approved pay increases based on teachers’ years of experience, and those raises could show up in future studies.
SPACEX PLANNING WHAT COULD BE BIGGEST-EVER IPO
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is confidentially planning to sell shares to the public in what could be the largest initial public offering in history, the Austin American- Statesman reported.
It has filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission that indicates it could raise as much as $75 billion in an IPO by July.
The confidential filing allows companies to get feedback from regulators without revealing information to competitors. However, Space X will have to release a public filing at least 15 days before its IPO “road show,” when it presents its financial plan to potential underwriters and institutional investors.
SpaceX has become the world’s leading commercial rocket launch company. Over the past five years, it has secured $6 billion in contracts from the federal government.
TDI HELPS STOP $400 MILLION MEDICARE SCHEME
A Texas Department of Insurance investigator and crime analyst played a key role in arresting a Russian national who submitted $400 million in fake Medicare claims. Nikolai Buzolin established a durable medical equipment company in Houston in 2025. He is charged with stealing patients’ and doctors’ identities to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare Part C.
“A few of the patients checked their explanation of benefits and noticed that they were getting medical equipment that they didn’t need. And it was coming from doctors they’d never met,” said TDI Fraud Unit investigator Sgt. Kevin Mannion.
FBI agents arrested Buzolin as he was boarding a plane in Los Angeles to Russia. He faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
“TDI works with federal, state, and local partners to follow cases wherever they go, whether it’s California or right here in Texas,” said Mannion. “We track them down, we shut them down, and we help dismantle these criminal activities.”
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: [email protected].
