This is TPR's roundup of the latest headlines and news developments. It provides a succinct and clear summary of the stories TPR is following.
Today's weather: Expect a high today of 78 and a low of 56.
The tropics: The National Hurricane Center continues to track Tropical Storm Sara as it moves across Central America toward the Gulf of Mexico. So far, it is projected to weaken over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula before entering the Bay of Campeche next week. "Given the strong wind shear and cooler waters," forecasters reported, "no tropical redevelopment is expected over the Gulf of Mexico." The Atlantic hurricane season ends on Nov. 30.
Death row inmate almost free
Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is one step closer to being freed from prison. She was found guilty and sentenced to death for the 2007 murder of her daughter, Mariah Alvarez. Lucio insisted the toddler died from falling down a flight of stairs and not from child abuse.
After public outcry, in April 2022 the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued a stay of execution just two days before Lucio was to be put to death.
On Thursday, Arturo Nelson, the judge who presided over the Lucio trial, signed a document called Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law that deemed Lucio “is actually innocent; she did not kill her daughter.” Nelson found that the former district attorney illegally withheld evidence in the trial.
The case now goes to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals for a final decision.
SAISD unveils counteroffer for Missions downtown stadium
The superintendent of San Antonio ISD said his counteroffer for the Missions baseball team ownership group is fair if extensive.
The counter was a response to the owners’ request to purchase district land for a downtown stadium. The counteroffer includes $400,000 a year for 30 years, a $45 million school, and a new parking garage.
Superintendent Jaime Aquino said they are reasonable terms that align with the district’s values: “Making sure that there is an investment in our school district. Making sure that we can increase our enrollment by having the affordable housing. We need the parking for our staff and our students.”
SAISD trustees will vote to accept or amend Aquino’s proposed sale terms on Monday. Once the terms have board approval, Aquino will take them to the parties involved with the stadium to negotiate.
TEA accepts applications for South San ISD board
The Texas Education Agency said it will open applications for a possible state-appointed board at South San Antonio ISD.
South San's state-appointed conservator recommended earlier this month that the state take over the district's governance because of critical deficiencies that have remained on the board.
TEA Commissioner Mike Morath wrote in a letter on Thursday that the agency will begin the process of finding applicants for the board while it decides whether to follow the recommendation.
It is standard procedure for TEA to open board applications before reaching a decision on a potential state takeover.
Solar power scams cast shadow on panels' potential
Solar power benefits many Texas families, but many residents are being scammed to purchase pricey solar panels.
Ann Baddour, the director of the Fair Financial Services Project, said some door-to-door solar salespeople make misleading claims about solar, while others outright lie.
“Sometimes people didn’t even know that they were buying a solar panel system," she explained. "They thought they were just signing something to get a credit check, and turns out, they end up with this $60,000 loan.”
Baddour added that scammers often target the elderly or non native English speakers.
Small earthquakes shake up Pleasanton
The city in Atascosa County, nearly 40 miles south of San Antonio, experienced four small earthquakes since Thursday.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported the strongest quake was a magnitude 3.7 on Thursday afternoon. Two smaller temblors — measuring 2.5 and 2.7 — followed shortly after, and a 2.9 quake hit Pleasanton just after 4 this morning.
The West Texas communities of Van Horn, Stanton, and Wesbtrook also recorded earthquakes on Thursday — all under a 3 magnitude.
The USGS said people typically only report feeling earthquakes larger than a magnitude 3.
X says it can be sued only in North Texas
Users who want to sue the social media platform X can now only do so in a federal district that includes North Texas, according to the social media platform's new terms of service that take effect today.
X will move its headquarters near Austin but the company has shown no connection to North Texas.
Texas A&M law professor Milan Markovic said that's legal: "You might think of it as maybe not a great way to treat your clients/customers but it's not unethical, certainly from the perspective of legal ethics."
Federal Judge Reed O'Connor of Fort Worth owns stock in Tesla and has presided over two of Elon Musk's lawsuits. Markovic said because X and Tesla are separate companies, that may or may not raise questions of O'Connor's impartiality.
Speaking of Tesla, about 2,400 Tesla Cybertrucks were recalled for a defect in the drive inverter that may cause the electric vehicles to lose drive power to the wheels. Telsa will replace the drive inverter for free. It was the sixth recall this year for the 2024 Tesla Cybertruck.
KERA's Toluwani Osibamowo contributed to this report.
