The State of Texas: Judge denies injunction for Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott

What Texas is talking about today No Images? [Click here]( [Kissing Tree - San Marcos, Texas]( [Texas Monthly]( October 31, 2017 QUOTE OF THE DAY “I definitely made lots of trips to Whataburger, and I asked them for extra cups, plastic bags and apple pie containers.” —Renee Fujii, of Fort Worth, to the [Fort Worth Star-Telegram](. For Halloween, Fujii dressed as “Whatawoman,” like Wonder Woman but with honey butter chicken biscuits. Her costume went viral. Now that there’s a superhero out there spreading the joy of Whataburger, hopefully [the haters]( will be able to appreciate Texas’s obsession with the restaurant, and accept that [no fast food joint will ever replace it]( in our hearts. BIG NEWS Back in Action Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will likely serve his six-game suspension from the NFL after a federal district judge denied his legal team’s push for a preliminary injunction on Monday, according to the [Dallas Morning News](. U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla did stay her decision for 24 hours, allowing Elliott’s attorneys to consider their appellate options, but the ruling means Elliott will probably be out of action for a while. If the suspension stands as-is, he’ll miss the upcoming games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Redskins, and New York Giants before returning on December 17 for the team’s last three games of the regular season. In her ruling, Failla said, “the NFLPA [NFL Players Association, which is representing Elliott] has failed to demonstrate a substantial question warranting the extraordinary remedy of injunctive relief or a balance of hardships that decidedly weighs in its favor,” according to [ESPN](. Elliott never faced criminal charges for domestic violence allegations involving a girlfriend in 2016, but the NFL found his actions warranted a suspension in August. Last month, a federal judge in Texas, siding with NFLPA attorneys who claimed the investigation process was unfair to Elliott, issued an injunction blocking the suspension and allowing him to play earlier this season. In early October, Elliott seemed ready to serve his suspension after a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the NFL, before another federal judge allowed a temporary restraining order that held through Monday’s hearing in New York. [Kissing Tree - San Marcos, Texas]( MEANWHILE, IN TEXAS... Earning History The Houston Astros have the chance to win the World Series tonight. [According to ESPN](, Houston will hand the ball to its postseason ace, Justin Verlander, who has allowed just seven runs and nineteen hits in thirty innings so far in the playoffs, while striking out twenty nine. He’ll face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Rich Hill, who allowed one run and struck out seven over four innings against the Astros in game two. If the Astros win, it will be the franchise’s first-ever World Series title—but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Houston has a 3-2 lead and the Dodgers will look to force a game seven. Although the Astros seem to have the momentum after a thrilling eleven-inning victory on Sunday, it’s been a back-and-forth series so far. One thing is certain: Tonight’s game is a must-watch, [even on Halloween](. Big Day Three former campaign officials for President Donald Trump were indicted on Monday, amid Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The bombshell news drew only cautious reactions from most of Texas’s congressional delegation, according to the [Texas Tribune](. “Special counsel’s got his own responsibilities, and it doesn’t involve us,” Senator John Cornyn told the [Washington Post](. “I think he knows what to do and he’s doing it.” Senator Ted Cruz told the[Dallas Morning News]( that the indictments “are undoubtedly serious” and that he wants to see the “strength of the factual predicate behind them.” He added, “That’s why we have a judicial process. We’ll have to see if the facts back up the charges.” U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro, a San Antonio Democrat and a member of the House Intelligence Committee, called out White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders after she said the indictments “had nothing to do with the president” and suggested the charges were against Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. “Sarah Huckabee Sanders should resign as @PressSec,” Castro [tweeted](. “She lacks any credibility, outright lies to the American people.” Meanwhile, unnamed Democratic leadership sources told the Tribune that no one is ready to talk about impeachment yet. Bad Gas After jacking up prices to take advantage of customers during Hurricane Harvey, some Texas gas stations are now in trouble. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Consumer Protection Division sent violation notices on Monday to 127 Texas gas stations accused of price gouging, according to the [Dallas Morning News](, after complaints were made against those that allegedly charged $3.99 or higher per gallon of unleaded gas. “At the outset of Harvey, I made it clear that my office would not tolerate price gouging of vulnerable Texans by any individuals or businesses looking to profit from the hurricane,” Paxton said in a news release. “We’ve given 127 alleged offenders an opportunity to resolve these issues with our office or face possible legal action for violating state law. Our investigation of other businesses into price gouging remains ongoing.” The office received around 5,500 complaints accusing businesses of price gouging during Harvey. WHAT WE'RE READING Some links are paywalled or subscription-only. Two Texas students sue their schools after being punished for protesting the Pledge of Allegiance [The New York Times]( Texas gave a $9.75 million subsidy to a drug company it is now investigating for its role in the opioid crisis [Texas Tribune]( If you want to go to medical school, you should probably do it in Texas [STAT News]( Satan’s fish may be swimming underneath San Antonio [San Antonio Express-News]( The Texans traded lineman Duane Brown to the Seahawks [Houston Chronicle]( TRAVELING TEXAN [College Station's New Boutique-hotel Scene]( by Lauren Smith Ford Three new stays bring elevated style to the Brazos Valley. [Insider's Guide to Fort Worth]( [Insider’s Guide to Fort Worth]( Josh Block, Leon Bridges’s producer, and his family give us a tour of the Cowtown they love. [Watch Now >]( [Kissing Tree - San Marcos, Texas]( MORE FROM TEXAS MONTHLY [How to Tell Your Kids They're Spending Halloween Watching the Astros]( by Abby Johnston ”Good news, kids! The Astros have the chance to win the World Series tonight. Oh, and you’re not going trick-or-treating.” [Southwest Has Found a New Way to Make Air Travel Annoying]( by Dan Solomon In-flight live music is the definition of a captive audience. [T]([he Spookiest Tall Tales in Texas]( by Mikala Everett This Halloween, read the scariest tall tales in the Lone Star State. [Save up to 79% off cover price!]( Subscribe to Texas Monthly [SUBSCRIBE]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Website]( Texas Monthly PO Box 1569 Austin, TX 78767 Texas Monthly has sent you this alert because you signed up to receive it either online at texasmonthly.com, at the website of one of our business partners, or when you filled out a reader response card. You may cancel your subscription to this and other Texas Monthly newsletters at any time. Please see our Privacy Policy. [Like]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](