Texas News

A new report shows that Texas ranks among the worst states in the United States for package theft, even as incidents decline nationwide. The study uses complaint data, insurance claims, and surveys to compare states and finds that major Texas cities and residential areas continue to experience high rates of stolen deliveries from porches, mailrooms, and doorsteps. Researchers identify factors driving Texas’s elevated ranking and outline how residents, delivery companies, and law enforcement respond to persistent package theft across the state.

A pending federal THC ban in the next Farm Bill could force more than 6,000 Texas smoke shops and hemp-related businesses to shut down or overhaul operations by November 2025. The measure would prohibit most hemp-derived THC products, including popular delta-8 items, that currently operate under the 2018 Farm Bill. Texas hemp retailers, manufacturers, and trade groups are mounting a lobbying push to persuade Congress to replace the blanket ban with a regulated framework that sets potency limits, age rules, labeling, and testing standards.

Texas A&M University and Texas State University used artificial intelligence tools to review and revise how some courses address race, gender and related topics, according to records obtained by The Texas Tribune. Emails and internal documents show administrators deployed AI to scan syllabi and course descriptions for flagged terms, generate reports and suggest alternative language, as the schools responded to political pressure from state leaders and governing boards. Faculty messages in the records document questions about the accuracy of AI assessments and the implications of AI-guided revisions for academic freedom and departmental control over curricula.

A youth drug awareness group in Austin, Texas, is urging state officials to raise the legal age to purchase hemp products containing THC. The organization seeks tighter age restrictions for sales at vape shops, smoke shops, convenience stores and online retailers statewide. Group members plan to gather support from parents, educators and community leaders, monitor retail sales practices and present their findings to lawmakers and regulators. The initiative aims to place an age-limit review for hemp-derived THC products on the agenda of upcoming Texas legislative and regulatory discussions.