Cave Researcher Rescued

A team of more than 60 people from multiple agencies rescued an injured researcher from Terrell County's Sorcerer's Cave on Sunday morning. The woman is currently being treated at a hospital in Odessa.

A group of researchers was studying the Sirion River at the bottom of the 567-foot-deep cave, one of the deepest in Texas. As they were ascending out of it on Saturday, one of them was hit by a falling rock at a depth of about 470 feet at around 6 p.m. The group didn't reach a point where they could call for help until 9 p.m.

During the ensuing rescue operation, the injured researcher was assisted through narrow "squeezes"—including one measuring just 12 inches by 36 inches—and several vertical pits ranging from 30 to 90 feet deep. The team finally exited the cave around 4:45 a.m. Sunday morning.

Agencies participating in the rescue effort include the U.S. Border Patrol's Search, Trauma, and Rescue team, Texas Game Wardens, Texas DPS, Terrell County Sheriff's Office, Sanderson and Fort Stockton Fire Departments, San Antonio Technical Rescue, and National Cave Rescue Commission.

School Districts Reject Optional Prayer Period

A new state law requires every Texas school district to hold a vote on implementing an optional prayer and Bible reading period during the school day by March 1. With the deadline approaching, numerous districts have opted not to do so.

A legislative analysis of Senate Bill 11 cites the landmark 2022 Supreme Court decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, which held that the First Amendment's Establishment Clause does not require government institutions to suppress personal religious observance.

Among the districts that have recently declined to implement a designated prayer period are Houston, Cypress-Fairbanks, Pearland, Spring, San Antonio, New Braunfels, Amarillo, Wichita Falls, Harlingen, La Joya, Leander, and Spring Hill. Some have called it a "logistical nightmare," while others insist students can already pray in school.

Last September, the Keller ISD board approved the creation of an optional prayer period. The ACLU of Texas, teacher unions, and a coalition of more than 160 religious leaders have urged school districts to reject the implementation of a designated prayer period.

Stallone, Hauser Making Benny Binion TV Series

Yellowstone star Cole Hauser is teaming up with Sylvester Stallone's Balboa Productions and MGM Television to produce a TV series about Benny Binion, the notorious North Texas hustler who became a Las Vegas casino tycoon and popularized the game of poker.

The series is based on Doug J. Swanson's 2014 book Blood Aces: The Wild Ride of Benny Binion, the Texas Gangster Who Created Vegas Poker. Before moving to Las Vegas in the 1940s, Binion built a gambling and bootlegging racket in Dallas, where he was charged with two homicides.

Hauser will play Binion, whom the actor described as "one of the great Western American characters and success stories of the 20th century." His American Outlaw Entertainment will participate in the production.

"This is a story that will captivate audiences, and it's a role made for Cole Hauser to play," said Stallone. The show's platform and release date have not yet been announced.

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➤ More than 100,000 families have applied for a Texas Education Freedom Account since the $1 billion program launched on February 4. Applications will be accepted until March 17. (More)

➤ Amarillo: Xcel Energy warned customers throughout the Panhandle that power could be shut off today due to an elevated wildfire risk from strong winds. (See Details)

➤ Houston: The southbound lanes of the Southwest Freeway were shut down for several hours yesterday morning after 10 large hay bales fell off a truck that hit an overpass. During the cleanup, a suspected drunk driver collided with a police cruiser at the scene. (More)

➤ Austin: More than 30,000 people participated in the Austin Marathon on Sunday. Joseph Whelan of New York set a course record of 2:13:18 in the men's elite division, and Kellyn Taylor of Arizona won the women's elite race in 2:33:28. (See Photos)

➤ Harrison County: Courtney Johnson, 42, was arrested last week for allegedly misappropriating more than $128,000 from Karnack ISD while serving as its financial director. "Public servants are entrusted with taxpayer funds, and any misuse of that trust is a serious offense," said Sheriff B.J. Fletcher. (More)

➤ El Paso: The FAA shut down the city's airspace last week in response to the U.S. Army's deployment of a laser-powered counter-drone technology developed by Virginia-based AeroVironment, according to reports. (More)

➤ Houston: Rain pouring through the roof of NRG Stadium didn't stop Saturday night's Monster Jam event. A statement from the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation, which operates the venue, attributed the leak to an ongoing roof replacement project. (Watch Video)

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➤ Houston men's basketball jumped one spot to become No. 2 in the nation in this week's AP Top 25 poll, while Texas Tech climbed three spots to No. 13. (See Poll)

➤ No. 1 Texas Tech softball fell 3-2 to No. 8 Nebraska, their first loss of the season. One of their next games will be against the defending Olympic champions, Team Japan, on Thursday. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, the University of Texas at El Paso lost 34-0 to Oklahoma in softball, the worst defeat in program history. (More)

➤ NBA superstar Anthony Edwards praised Spurs center Victor Wembanyama for bringing intensity to this year's All-Star Game. "He set the tone, man," said Edwards. "It woke me up, for sure." (More)

Yesterday's Results: Olympics | NCAAM | NCAAW | NCAAB | NCAASB | Soccer

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➤ Houston-based developer Glenfarne Group has secured $5.7 billion in financing to build a liquefied natural gas terminal with the capacity to produce four million metric tons per year on 625 acres near Port Isabel. Texas LNG is expected to begin production "around 2030," according to a company executive. (More)

➤ Mario Guerrero, the CEO of the South Texas Builders Association, said "South Texas will never be red again" if the federal government doesn't ease up on immigration enforcement operations at construction sites. (More)

➤ The Federal Aviation Administration determined "no significant impacts would occur" to the environment near Starbase if SpaceX increases the frequency of its Starship launches to 25 per year. (See Details)

➤ Texas REALTORS Chair Jennifer Wauhob said she thinks the influx of new residents from other states—particularly California, Florida, New York, and Colorado—is "really turning into a long-term shift." and is "just creating good things for Texas." (More)

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➤ Rice University and the University of Texas at Austin were included in a TIME Magazine list of the top 50 universities in the world. Rice was ranked No. 24, while UT Austin earned the No. 37 spot. (More)

➤ Madison Ayers, an eight-year-old from San Antonio, has filled more than 1,000 orders for candles she makes from scratch in the past five months. She said the hardest part of the business is "talking to people, especially people I don't know." (More)

➤ The 675‑acre Lone Woman Mountain Ranch in Driftwood, where country music legend George Strait once rehearsed with his Ace in the Hole band, has been listed for $19.5 million. (See Photos)

➤ Marisa Boykin, a librarian for Frankston ISD, was recognized at the Daytona 500 on Sunday for her work with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Boykin's father, a fire chief for the Rusk Volunteer Fire Department, died battling a house fire in 1994. (More)

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Should school districts establish an optional prayer period during the school day?

1. Yes
2. No

Yesterday's Results:

Have you ever tried to get on a game show?

1. Yes: 15%
2. No: 85%

What Texas town is known as the "Birthplace of Boogie Woogie"?

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