Latest news with #TrentAshby
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State of Texas: Republicans announce campaigns, Democrats plot strategy for 2026
AUSTIN (Nexstar)– Texas lawmakers have more work to do with a special session now just weeks away. But the end of the regular session has also highlighted the work some lawmakers are doing to prepare for political campaigns leading up to the March 2026 primary elections. Among the changes coming at the Capitol, east Texas Senator Robert Nichols announced he will not run for reelection. Nichols has served in the Senate since 2007. In recent sessions, he's been known for occasionally breaking with fellow Republicans on votes, which has become rare in the GOP-dominated Senate. Moments after Nichols made his announcement, State Rep. Trent Ashby, R–Lufkin, announced he would run for the seat. Nichols plans to serve the remainder of his term, which ends in January. Nichols' announcement came a few days after Tarrant County Republican Kelly Hancock resigned from the Texas Senate. The move set the stage for Hancock to serve as interim State Comptroller when Glenn Hegar steps down next week to become Texas A&M System Chancellor. Governor Greg Abbott on Friday called a special election in November to fill the open District 9 seat. But the biggest campaign announcement of the week may have come from Senator Joan Huffman. The Houston Republican announced she will join the race for Texas Attorney General. Huffman is a former state prosecutor and also served as a district court judge. In this session, she chaired the Senate Finance committee and also served on the Senate Criminal Justice committee. Huffman will face fellow Senator Mayes Middleton in next year's Republican primary. Middleton announced in April that he would run, pledging $10 million of his own money to back his campaign. A third Republican candidate, Aaron Reitz, is also in the race. He recently left a role serving in the U.S. Justice Department. Current Attorney General Ken Paxton is not running for reelection. He is campaigning for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by John Cornyn. New polling from the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas suggests that neither candidate is particularly popular with Texas voters. The poll of 1,200 registered voters was done between June 6 to June 16. One question in the poll asked if voters had favorable or unfavorable opinions of Cornyn and Paxton. The results showed 29% had a favorable opinion of Paxton, while 43% in the poll view him unfavorably. Cornyn's overall numbers in the poll showed 23% having a favorable opinion of the senator, with 46% giving him an unfavorable rating. Poll numbers like that are raising hopes for Democrats, who have not won a statewide election in Texas in more than 30 years. But it's not yet clear who will be on the ballot in next year's election. Former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke has not shied away from politics despite three failed runs for office. The former U.S. Senate, presidential and gubernatorial Democratic candidate has spent most of his year racing around the state, holding town halls to discuss what issues matter most to voters. Now, he is also looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections. In an interview, O'Rourke confirmed that a meeting took place between himself and top Texas Democrats U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin and former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas. He said the meeting was to look ahead to the midterms and decide which Democratic candidates should run for which offices. 'We don't lack Democrats who can run powerful, strong statewide races. My concern is making sure that everyone is in the right position,' O'Rourke said. 'If you have everybody clustered in a Senate primary, for example, well then who's going to run for governor, lieutenant governor, Attorney General?' Currently, only a few Democrats have declared candidacy for statewide office — State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, announced she would run for lieutenant governor earlier this year. NASA Astronaut Terry Virts also announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate, and East Texas Farmer Bobby Cole is running for governor. But the rest of the Texas Democratic bench has remained in place despite rumors surrounding their potential candidacies. O'Rourke's town halls suggest he may be pursuing statewide office in 2026, but he was not ready to announce anything just yet, staying focused on what he can do in this moment. 'If it makes sense to be a candidate … then I will. My only guiding principle, my north star, is what can I do now for this country in its moment of truth,' O'Rourke said. 'If that includes being a candidate at some point, I'm open to that.' His town halls are not just in big Democratic areas, but also in smaller, more Republican cities around the state, including places like Midland, Tyler and Beaumont. His message focuses on policies that may affect Texans, including increasing Medicaid access, keeping THC products legal, raising the minimum wage above $7.25 per hour and protecting abortion access for women. Asked if a Democrat taking back a state or federal office in Texas was more important, O'Rourke seemed to suggest the U.S. Senate race was top of mind as a way to counter the Trump administration. 'It's tough not to say that we need to do it all at the federal level. I really do think it's existential,' O'Rourke said. 'This idea of self government, it might really perish from the planet unless we stand up to take it back. And that means winning that seat in the Senate.' A Democrat has not won statewide in Texas since 1994, but O'Rourke has come the closest of anyone since. He lost the 2018 U.S. Senate race to Sen. Ted Cruz by roughly 2.5 points before failing to seek the Democratic nomination for president and losing the 2022 governor's race to Gov. Greg Abbott by nearly 11 points. Still, O'Rourke said Texas is misunderstood as a state, and a Democrat can win if they campaign on the issues that matter the most to Texans. 'The national media and the country at large have written us off as this red conservative state,' O'Rourke said. 'It is up to Democrats, even though the playing field is tilted against us, to go out there and seize that power by meeting with voters, by listening to them, by reflecting their values in the campaigns that we run.' After vetoing Senate Bill 3, which would have banned all THC in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott immediately moved to call a special session of the legislature, demanding lawmakers act swiftly to regulate hemp-derived THC. But Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who spearheaded the effort to pass SB 3, quickly responded in a news conference, saying he strongly disagreed with the governor's decision. The dispute sets up a political showdown between the state's two highest office holders. Abbott's veto pointed out that SB 3 would likely be tied up in court for years, preventing the state from taking action on the issue of protecting children from accessing THC products. He also listed a set of specific regulations that the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission already enforces on alcohol products, saying the legislature should consider those regulations in a special session. But Patrick doubled down, saying he sees the governor's move as a sign that Abbott wants to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Texas. He said the hemp industry is too big and extensive to regulate, and that banning the product is the best solution. 'I'm not mad at the governor, but I'm not going to legalize marijuana in Texas, and if people want to vote me out of office for that, so be it,' Patrick said. With the path forward unclear — regulation, ban or status quo — business owners in the hemp industry say the fight to stay afloat is not over. Chris Karazin is the CEO and founder of Carolindica, a hemp-derived THC vendor based in North Carolina. He said the company is an advocate for smart legislation surrounding THC products, based on science, and opposed SB 3. He called Abbott's veto a win for both the industry and the country, saying the ban would have pushed people off-market as it would not reduce demand. 'You can jumble it all under protect our children verbiage, but you are just taking options from people that want those options,' Karazin said. 'And let's be real, they're going to go find them somewhere else. You're just going to push them to an unregulated market.' Karazin opposed the total ban, along with Roger Volodarsky, the CEO and founder of Puffco, a company that makes vaping devices for cannabis products. Though Puffco does not sell any THC directly, he still said banning THC in a state as large as Texas would impact his business. Both Volodarsky and Karazin agreed with Abbott's calls for regulating the industry. 'Governor Abbott proposed some things that are just common sense regulations we can put out there, like lab testing, labeling, age restricted access … to make sure it's not getting in the hands of kids and the people who are using it are able to use safe product,' Volodarsky said. Some proposed regulations include banning smokable products — currently prohibited under the state's medical marijuana program — or banning THC products created synthetically, typically found in Delta-8. Volodarsky did not support banning smokable products. He said the effects of edible products take time to hit the body and take several hours to wear off. He said that taking away the option to inhale THC products is a matter of restricting personal freedoms above all else. 'I know that there's a lot of stigma around inhaling cannabis in general … but it is the fastest and most effective way to administer cannabinoids into the body, and I think people should have that as an option,' Volodarsky said. Karazin also opposes the idea of banning synthetic products, disputing the term synthetic and saying it has become weaponized to scare people. 'No matter how you frame this, all the cannabinoids … are natural to this plant. In order to extract them, you are using chemistry … using heat, pressure, etcetera,' Karazin said. 'The definition of the synthetic is an incredibly vague, and I would go so far as saying an arbitrary term.' In the special session, Karazin said he wants the product to be regulated, citing age restrictions and lab test to ensure quality and safety as well as clear labeling so people know what they are ingesting. He said he would even go as far to say that there should be a regulatory body overseeing THC products for the state, taking enforcement and regulation out of the hands of local law enforcement — something Patrick was concerned about. And what happens during session is a sign of what may be to come nationally, as Volodarsky sees the fate of the hemp industry in Texas as 'ground zero' for federal marijuana legislation. 'What's happening in Texas is a big fight between the stigma of cannabis and the community that's grown around it, and I think if Texas is able to flip and offer safe access to users, that is a great omen for the future of cannabis in the federal world as well,' Volodarsky said. Glenn Hegar has served at State Comptroller for more than 10 years. He's leaving that job behind for a new challenge. Next week, Hager will become Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. While wrapping up his duties as Comptroller, which included certifying the budget passed by Texas lawmakers, Hegar has also been preparing for the transition to his new role. 'I've been in College Station, usually a couple days every week. I've probably been spending more time on that job than I have my current role,' Hegar said. 'Essentially, just visiting with staff, traveling our campuses across the state of Texas, trying to learn and ramp up, engaging in this transfer, in this transition to make sure I have my team in place, and making sure that it's just a another day at the office come July 1 when we make the transition. Affordability is one challenge for colleges around the country. Some Texans are forgoing higher education, in part because of the cost. Hegar said affordability is an important issue for A&M. 'Every single way that we can make affordability better for our students is a way that we can help them make sure they don't have debt, they have an opportunity in the beginning when they get a job, and making sure, not just that they enter college, they graduate college, have the affordability and also being able to obtain a job when they get out of school is all at the forefront,' Hegar said. In his final weeks on the job as Comptroller, Hegar certified the state budget. It comes at a time of economic uncertainty, with tariffs looming and military conflicts creating concern. Hegar expressed confidence in the Texas economy amid the uncertainty. 'You know, the first and foremost to realize is the state's Foundation is a very strong foundation in the state of Texas,' Hegar said. 'The direction of the Texas economy is strong. We have people that continue to move here every day. We have businesses that want to set up shop, businesses that want to move here. And so the trajectory is really strong, even though we don't know what's on the horizon globally today, tomorrow, and especially as we look off into the next year.' Looking back at his time as Comptroller, Hegar said he's proud of how the agency has evolved during his tenure. 'I think first and foremost is just driving a culture at the agency of customer service. Our job is the people of the state of Texas serving them, the taxpayers of the state of Texas, making sure that that culture in that agency, when someone reaches out to us for customer assistance, for help, that we are doing everything that we can, and using all modes of communication to make it easier for them,' Hegar said. 'The less time people are spending trying to figure out, how do they set up a business? How do they get their taxes filed? Those are things they can be doing to make real life impacts for their employees, for their coworkers, and making sure they're growing state economy, rather than worrying about, how do I do this and how do I do that? So that culture of customer service is first and foremost,' Hegar said. Gov. Greg Abbott signed the state budget bill into law Sunday, and tucked into a single paragraph in the 1,000-page document is a change sparked by two years of KXAN investigations into the Office of Attorney General's Crime Victims' Compensation Fund. New rules outlined in Senate Bill 1 revamp the OAG's measurement for how quickly it makes a first payment to a victim, ensuring more accurate reporting. There is also now a 90-day average benchmark for the agency to meet. EXPLORE KXAN's coverage of the Attorney General's Crime Victims' Compensation Fund Under the current system, KXAN discovered a flawed formula that makes it appear victims are paid far faster than reality. The CVC fund reimburses victims and their family members for costs resulting from violent crimes like aggravated and sexual assault, robbery and homicide. Victims can get assistance for medical expenses, attorneys' fees, childcare, lost earnings and more. The fund is meant to keep victims on their feet. Last fiscal year, it paid out more than $66 million. The fund is replenished mainly through court fees and federal grants. It is a 'last source of payment,' meaning other sources – like health insurance and workers' compensation – must be used first, according to the program's annual reports. Every year, the OAG submits performance measurements to the Legislative Budget Board and lawmakers showing how quickly it makes first payments to victims — measurements meant to inform lawmakers making budget decisions. KXAN began investigating the CVC fund in mid-May 2022. We soon found numerous victims and advocates who explained it was taking six months to a year to get a first payment on a claim. The victims described a tedious and tough-to-navigate application process that left them feeling retraumatized and exasperated. Meanwhile, the OAG's performance measurements showed victims were being paid in just over a month. The cause of the misleading measurement: a formula averaging victim claims with sexual assault examination reimbursements. Former AG official: skewed math obscures Texas victim compensation delays The formula is flawed because those two payments are processed very differently. Victim claims are submitted and handled by victims themselves or advocates. On the other hand, sexual assault examination claims are submitted by medical providers and reimbursed in less than a week, according to OAG data. Averaging the two claims together has skewed the data and made it appear that victim claims were paid months faster, on average, than reality. Under the new rules, the two types of claims will be measured separately. The new goal is to make a first payment to victims in less than 90 days, on average, and reimburse providers for sexual assault examinations in a week or less. The OAG's office did not respond to KXAN's requests for comment for more than a year. Attorney General Ken Paxton said nothing to us following a budget hearing in January. However, at a Capitol hearing, an OAG executive acknowledged the data discrepancies KXAN uncovered. 'Our numbers did not, I think, properly reflect the work that we were doing,' Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice Josh Reno said. 'And, we want this body to understand exactly how long it's taking for us to pay separate categories of claims.' Another bill signed by the governor on Friday, HB 3745, will allow 'emergency' payments to be made if a victim will 'suffer undue hardship if immediate economic relief is not obtained.' That takes effect Sept. 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nichols announces he will not seek reelection, Ashby to run for State Senate seat
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — State Sen. Robert Nichols announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection in Senate District 3, based in East and Southeast Texas. Nichols has served as the senator from SD 3 since 2007. Nichols, who is 80-years-old, said in a statement that he is honored to have served the people of SD 3. 'It had always been my goal to make things better, to stop bad things, to do it in a way I thought was right, never forgetting who I represented,' Nichols wrote. Immediately after Nichols announced his retirement, State Rep. Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin, announced he would run for the seat. First elected to the House in 2012, Ashby currently represents House District 9, also based in East Texas. In a statement, his campaign said he has a proven track record of delivering results for rural Texans. 'In the Texas Senate, Ashby will continue to defend the conservative values that define East and Southeast Texas, standing up for private property rights, strengthening law enforcement, supporting public schools and teachers, and protecting our constitutional freedoms,' the statement reads. If Ashby wins the Republican primary in 2026, he is very likely to retain SD 3 for Republicans. Nichols won reelection in the district by 56 points in 2022. The Republican primary for SD 3 will be held March 3, 2026, and the general election will be held Nov. 3, 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Recent rain causes foundation problems for East Texas homeowners
TYLER, Texas (KETK)– Torrential downpours that have hit East Texas recently are causing foundation issues for homeowners. Candidates vie for Tyler mayor's seat after Warren's departure in 2026 Trust Foundation and Repair in Tyler is getting more calls for problems underneath houses and mobile homes. 'Normally we'll get a little bit of rain a few days dry. This year we've gotten drastic amounts of rain over and over and over again,' Trust Foundation and Repair project manager Timothy Wilson said. Wilson told KETK that repeat flooding can cause long term issues under homes. 'It allows moisture to enter and start rotting out the beams in the subfloor on the homes,' Wilson said. State Rep. Trent Ashby announces reelection campaign The unchecked water can cause washouts underneath the home and exterior issues like cracks in bricks. Other signs of foundation issues are cracks above doors, windows and malfunctions in those areas. Wilson's advice is to divert the water away from the home. 'You want to divert the water away from the home, so it's not falling right next to it. Gutter systems are very important, but even on those, you want to put a diverter to take the water as far away from the house as you can,' Wilson said. When the sun finally comes out, the water evaporates and gets caught as it rises with nowhere to go. 'You don't know it until it's a major problem, there's no way to see it, so the key is, just to keep the water away from the home completely,' Wilson said. Gov. Abbott signs 5 laws in favor of Texas small businesses To get ahead of any potential problems, he advised property owners to walk around their home and document any early issues, so they don't have to pay too much in the end. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State Rep. Trent Ashby announces reelection campaign
LUFKIN, Texas (KETK) — State Rep. Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin announced on Friday that he is running for reelection in House District 9 with endorsements from conservative leaders and President Donald J. Trump. Rep. Moran fights in support of military operations center According to a release, Ashby was sworn in as a member of the Texas House of Representatives in 2013 and is a member of the committees on Public Education and Natural Resources. Ashby has been involved in several actions with the 89th Legislative Session and in committees. 'Our rural communities deserve the same opportunities and quality of life as anywhere else in Texas,' Ashby said. 'That's why I've fought to close the gap in areas like education, healthcare, water, infrastructure and emergency preparedness, and I'm proud of the progress we made this session.' Ashby is a current representative of six counties including Angelina, Houston, Polk, San Augustine, Trinity and Tyler. Mobile clinic to provide free skin cancer screenings for Tyler residents 'It's been the honor of my life to represent the people of Deep East Texas,' Ashby said. 'We've delivered real results that matter to our communities, and I'm running for reelection to build on that progress and ensure our region continues to have a strong conservative voice in Austin.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
East Texas officials express opposition to new high-capacity wells
CROCKETT, Texas (KETK) – The City of Crockett city administrator John Angerstein, State Rep. Cody Harris and State Rep. Trent Ashby have all expressed their opposition to a new permit application for wells in Anderson County. Bill to stop Marvin Nichols Reservoir dies in Calendars Committee According to Angerstein's post to the city's Facebook on Saturday, Redtown Ranch Holdings LLC in Anderson County has submitted a groundwater production permit application for 21 high-capacity groundwater wells that he said could extract 10 billion gallons of water a year from the Carrizo and Wilcox aquifers. Angerstein said the permit application also lists 11 more wells in Houston County that could drain another 5 billion gallons of water a year but aren't covered by the Neches and Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District (NTVGCD) like the 21 proposed wells in Anderson County. According to Angerstein, the 21 wells would extract 52 times more water than the city of Crockett uses for its population. 'This volume of water is staggering. Using the City of Crockett's per capita water usage, it is equivalent for a population of 338,000 or 52 times the City of Crockett. Yet, none of this water is designated for our communities,' Angerstein said. 'It is likely intended to support unchecked development and sprawl in other parts of Texas, presumably in the DFW metroplex or Hill Country, areas that have failed to plan responsibly for their own water needs.' Angerstein said these speculative water wells could jeopardize the area's aquifers and investments that the city is making to develop their own water supply. 'These types of speculative water projects jeopardize not only the integrity of our aquifer system, but also the significant taxpayer investments already being made to responsibly develop local supply. My concerns are not hypothetical. The proposed well field lies in close proximity to Crockett's existing and planned wells, threatening aquifer pressure and yield,' Angerstein said. 'The Carrizo and Wilcox aquifers, which this permit targets, is the same formation that Crockett depends on to serve thousands of residents. If surrounding private or shallow wells are compromised, Crockett will likely face increased pressure to provide emergency water connections, placing operational and financial burdens on the City.' How to know what's in your drinking water Angerstein also alleged that Redtown Ranch Holdings LLC is tied to Conservation Equity Management Partners, Pine Bliss LLC and 24th Parallel Holding, which he claimed are connected to Hayman Capital Management of Dallas. Kyle Bass is listed as a founder by Conservation Equity Management Partners' and Hayman Capital's websites. 'We cannot support the wholesale extraction of rural water to satisfy distant, unplanned urban growth,' Angerstein said. 'Especially when done through layered corporate structures, incomplete applications, and without regard for the future of our communities.' His statement was issued in an attempt to get local landowners, leaders and state representatives to submit their own statements in opposition of this permit to the NTVGCD by emailing manager@ before June 19 at 11 a.m. Angerstein is also asking The Crockett City Council to issue a resolution in opposition to the permits. Texas water projects would get billions under bill headed to Governor East Texas State Representatives Cody Harris of Palestine and Trent Ashby of Lufkin have both put out statements expressing their opposition to the 21 proposed wells. 'As a lifelong resident of East Texas and a member of the Texas House of Representatives, I have consistently supported responsible groundwater management and local control over water resources,' Ashby said on Saturday. 'This proposed project is deeply troubling. The sheer volume of water involved equivalent to the annual usage of more than two million Texans raises serious concerns about aquifer depletion, potential impacts on surrounding private and municipal wells, and the long-term sustainability of our region's water supply.' Harris is the Chairman of the Texas House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources and he expressed his opposition while noting that the state legislature is working to fix water problems across the state. 'While we are working rigorously at the state level to propose and enact significant legislation that will help ease the ongoing burdens across the state, I will not stand by while attempts are made to drain my own district,' Harris said on Friday. KETK has reached out to Redtown Ranch Holdings LLC and Conservation Equity Management Partners for comment on this story. This story will be updated when any comment is received. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
