Texas lawmakers are looking for ways to outlaw purchase of land in the state by people, businesses and governmental entities from hostile foreign nations. Last Wednesday House members discussed new legislation to prevent those nations from owning property as a matter of national security.
The list of nations that Texas considers hostile include China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. But the “House Select Committee on Securing Texas from Hostile Foreign Organizations” was mainly focused on China. And the mood of the hearing brought home that the United States is in a cold war against China.
Representative Cole Hefner, a Republican from Mount Pleasant is the committee's chairman and said “Purchasing real estate in the US and using it for maligned purposes is real and it should be taken seriously. This is not a partisan issue.”
Hefner added the discussion isn’t limited to concerns that the communist nation could be purchasing real estate in Texas with ill intent.
“While this issue may seem simple on its surface, it is anything but that, affecting areas such as property ownership, near critical infrastructure or near military installations, agricultural land supply chains, intellectual property theft, cyber-attacks, corporate espionage, food supply, and the control of critical infrastructure,” he said.
Last regular legislative session a similar bill that would have blocked hostile foreign land purchases failed. Critics said Senate Bill 147 was too broad and discriminatory. House Speaker Dade Phelan formed the select committee to craft legislation that was more targeted and have it ready for the next legislative session.
Tom Slick— Mystery Hunter
A new podcast is telling the story of Tom Slick, a San Antonio man who lived a life so adventurous it seems like fiction. Hollywood star Owen Wilson is playing Slick in the audio drama which sounds similar to an old radio adventure program like The Shadow. The eight-episode series "Tom Slick: Mystery Hunter" follows Slick on adventures including his 1958 hunt for the yeti. While based on true events, the podcast is partly fictionalized.
Slick founded three major San Antonio-based institutions: what is now the Texas Biomedical Research Institute, the Southwest Research Institute and the Mind Science Foundation.
Caroline Slaughter is the writer and director of the eight-episode podcast series “Tom Slick Mystery Hunter.
SA Food Court
From tequila to tortillas, a new concept coming to downtown San Antonio will revitalize the food court of the iconic Shops at the Rivercenter to honor the culinary history and culture of the city and Mexico.
TPR's Marian Navarro spoke with the San Antonio chef who is leading the new multi-concept shopping experience coming to the mall next year.
Spinning Records
Streaming is how most people listen to music today. But the passion for physical media appears like it will never die, especially for some San Antonio’s record stores. They are preserving the art of making music available—in 180-gram vinyl pressings. TPR’s Samuel Rocha reports on the allure of physical media in the digital era.
