Might the Texas Lottery go away?
The Texas Lottery Commission is under scrutiny for allowing bulk purchases, where buyers purchase all possible combinations to ensure a win. This issue came to light when the third-largest jackpot in Texas Lotto history, worth $95 million, was won through such a purchase at a store in Colleyville in April 2023. Lawmakers are investigating how this happened, with concerns about the legitimacy of the operation.
Last week, a winning ticket worth $83.5 million was confirmed to have been sold in Austin at the Winner’s Corner on Rockwood Lane.
The Winner’s Corner is considered to be a lottery courier, which allows Texans to buy tickets online, then a courier will send a representative to physically purchase the ticket in person at one of the lottery retailers.
In the past, two winning tickets at that location have produced winners of $2 million each making The Winner’s Corner a top location in the region for winning tickets sold.
Meanwhile, a class-action lawsuit accuses former Texas Lottery CEO Gary Grief of aiding a European syndicate in manipulating the system to win a $95 million jackpot.
The lawsuit is asking the court to decide as to whether or not the defendants committed fraudulent and deceptive acts “including rigged lottery results and unlawful ticket sales,” violate Texas law or if their “representations regarding fair play and legitimate lottery operations constitute false, misleading, and deceptive practices.”
This latest Texas Lottery controversy further complicates chances for expanding gambling in the state. (Austin American-Statesman)
Beginning today, residents of East and Southeast Austin gain access to two new rapid bus routes, the 800 Pleasant Valley and 837 Expo Center. These routes are key components of Project Connect, the voter-approved transit expansion.
The Rapid 800 Pleasant Valley Line will serve:
- Mueller
- ACC Eastview
- Austin Lighthouse for the Blind
- Dove Springs
- Easton Park
- Goodnight Ranch
The Rapid 837 Expo Center Line will serve:
- Downtown CapMetro routes
- Red Line at Downton Station
- Rapid 801 and 803
- Mueller
- UT Campus
- The Springdale Shopping Center
- Decker
Route 837 will eventually connect to the new Austin Light Rail.
These routes will primarily serve areas east of Interstate 35, specifically within the “Eastern Crescent,” a region encompassing economically disadvantaged and predominantly non-white neighborhoods on Austin’s northern, eastern, and southern edges.
Hundreds of people marched to the Texas Capitol Saturday to call for increased funding for public schools in the Lone Star State.
Austin firefighters responded to a vehicle rescue Saturday evening.
Some featured cases from this past week on Austin Crime Stoppers:
The Austin Public Library is now offering 5G hot spots for cardholders to check out. (Austin Public Library)
The city of Austin has more than $12 million earmarked for improvements in downtown’s Seaholm area — and is seeking public feedback on how to spend portions of those dollars. (KXAN-TV)
The past week has quite possibly been the biggest for Austin startup funding ever. Over $1 billion was raised across just a few venture capital deals. (Austin Business Journal)
A new office dedicated to arts, culture, music and entertainment, or ACME, has opened following the past year of council directive and funding for various live music events and entertainment districts. (Community Impact)
WEATHER
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
It has definitely been a wet February in Central Texas.
Into the new week, temperatures will be climbing across the Plains and interior Northeast. High temperatures on Tuesday are forecast to range in the 60s, a huge temperature difference on the order of 70-90 degrees compared to last week’s values.
The Climate Prediction Center has released its latest long-range forecast for Texas, indicating a continuation of warm, dry weather.
The March outlook shows a high likelihood of above-average temperatures across all of Texas. (Lonestar Live)
The Texas drought has been punishing the Hill Country region, causing Canyon Lake to eclipse its lowest water level in over 50 years. The lake is 48.8% full. (MySanAntonio)
The latest seismic activity via Earthquake Track:
Investigative research has uncovered tragic deaths among those on the state hospital waitlist and the numbers are alarming. A Texas state senator has proposed solutions to address these problems.
A North Texas lawmaker filed a bill this week that would make it illegal to perform medical research on a corpse without explicit consent. (Texas Public Radio)
A roughly three-year legal process may result in the Texas Supreme Court calling on Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton to turn over their emails and text messages. (Houston Chronicle)
Texas politicians are debating Trump and Musk’s DOGE moves, as Texas workers speak out on the recent mass firings.
A woman near Dallas has been arrested after her 19-year-old autistic daughter was found dead and malnourished in their home.
A Texas jail escapee was pronounced dead days after his capture.
The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 90 cases across seven counties, the state health department posted online Friday, and 16 people are hospitalized. (PBS)
The latest episode of Inside Texas Politics:
“Forever chemicals,” or PFAS, are an enduring poison contaminating Texas farmland and waterways, causing widespread damage. (Houston Chronicle)
A deportation hub is being planned at Fort Bliss in El Paso as the Trump Administration ramps up plans to use military installations to detain undocumented immigrants.
SPORTS
MLS: Osman Bukari’s goal made the difference as Austin FC earned a season-opening 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd of 20,738 fans at Q2 Stadium. (Austin FC)
COLLEGE BASEBALL: Right-hander Andre Duplantier II registered a season-best 3 2/3 scoreless innings and right fielder Max Belyeu delivered the game-winning double in the seventh, as No. 16 Texas (4-1) secured the series over Dartmouth (0-2) with a 4-3 victory Saturday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
Texas will look to complete the sweep today. First pitch is set for noon.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Chaz Lanier had a season-high 30 points, including 8 3-pointers, and No. 6 Tennessee defeated No. 7 Texas A&M 77-69 on Saturday. (Yahoo! Sports)
JT Toppin scored 22 points, freshman Christian Anderson had a season-high 21 points with five 3-pointers in his first career start and ninth-ranked Texas Tech beat West Virginia 73-51 on Saturday. (Yahoo! Sports)
L.J. Cryer scored 28 points, Milos Uzan added 19 points and No. 5 Houston held on to beat No. 8 Iowa State 68-59 on Saturday. (Yahoo! Sports)
NBA: Keyonte George scored 30 points and Lauri Markkanen added 23 points and 10 rebounds to rally the Utah Jazz to a 124-115 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Rockets have the day off while the Dallas Mavericks play at Golden State and the San Antonio Spurs are in New Orleans today. (Yahoo Sports)
San Antonio Spurs Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich is not expected to return for the remainder of the season, according to ESPN.
NHL: Evgenii Dadonov and defenseman Thomas Harley scored first-period goals and Casey DeSmith made 31 saves as the Dallas Stars defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Saturday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Stars stay in the NYC region today as they are scheduled to face the New York Islanders at 6:30 p.m. (Yahoo! Sports)
Fort Bliss was mentioned earlier in the news. Let’s take a tour and learn a little of its history and impact on El Paso.
