The State of Texas: Baylor scapegoats?

Plus: Becky Hammon is moving up. No Images? [Click here]( [5 Life Hacks for Staying Safe and Saving Big This Summer]( [Texas Monthly]( June 28, 2018 QUOTE OF THE DAY "We [@Prestonwood]( are currently working to provide solutions to care for children during this terrible immigration crisis. Our Espanol ministry let by Gilberto Corredera is stepping up to the challenge to express the love of Jesus. We are broken-hearted and determined to act ." —Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, in a tweet sent out just before President Donald Trump signed his executive order stopping family separation. In response to the tweet, [Ivanka Trump to send the church a $50,000 donation.]( THE LATEST [Mom, in Touch]( ABBY JOHNSTON My mom’s handwritten notes were an abiding feature of my childhood. They offered wisdom, encouragement, and comfort—and they continued to arrive long after her death. [Read Story]( [5 Life Hacks for Staying Safe and Saving Big This Summer]( OUR TOP STORIES [The Texanist: Is It Legal to Build a Bonfire on the Beach?]( An Amarillo man wants to make sure that his Mustang Island getaway won’t go up in smoke. [Read Story]( [BBQ News Roundup: Saving Sam’s, Catching a Prime Suspect, and the Opening of the Switch]( Plus: High school pitmasters start early, female Texas pitmasters get their due, and all pitmasters have more to do than ever before. [Read Story]( [Down by the Water]( No summer retreat is complete without a place to swim and cool off (and nice amenities don’t hurt). [Read Story]( MEANWHILE, IN TEXAS... Baylor Scapegoats Ian McCaw, the former athletic director for Baylor University, said in a taped deposition that the Baptist institution had “an elaborate plan that essentially [scapegoated black football players]( and the football program for being responsible for what was a decades-long, university-wide sexual assault scandal.” Excerpts were released Wednesday in connection with a lawsuit filed against the university by ten women who allege that Baylor denied them protection under federal statutes after they were assaulted. Baylor pushed back on Wednesday, saying the lawyers who filed the motion this week "grossly mischaracterized facts to promote a misleading narrative in an effort to deflect attention away from the actual facts of the case pending before the court.” Baylor's football program was rocked by sexual assault accusations for years. [Who knew what, and when?]( Hospital Explosion The Texas State Fire Marshals Office on Wednesday took over the investigation into what caused an afternoon [explosion at a Gatesville hospital that left one person dead and fifteen injured.]( The blast occurred Tuesday afternoon at the Coryell Memorial Hospital, which is located north of Fort Hood, near a construction site. “I don’t know the decimal level (of the blast), but it was pretty loud I can promise you that,” said hospital CEO David Byrom said. “The shock wave was tremendous.” Several facilities in the complex remain closed while officials assess the damage and make plans for how to complete the construction as investigators figure out what may have triggered the blast. Gatesville is just sixty miles from West, which [suffered its own explosion ](. Hammon Promoted San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon, who drew national headlines for being the first woman to interview for head coach of an NBA team, [was promoted Wednesday]( to essentially the number three assistant position under Gregg Popovich. Although the Spurs have no formal ranking for its assistant coaches, the San Antonio Express News reported that she's third in line on the bench. In May, the Milwaukee Bucks considered Hammon for its head coaching position, bringing national attention to an assistant coach who is widely praised for her abilities. She coached the Spurs' Las Vegas summer league team to a championship in 2015 and has been recruited unsuccessfully before at both professional and college levels. Here's how she's already [changing the NBA ](. THE CULTURE [The Zellner Brothers Are Ready for the Big Time With ‘Damsel’]( ERIC BENSON David and Nathan Zellner have made it as indie filmmakers in their own under-the-radar way. Now they’re going mainstream (sort of), with the Robert Pattinson–starring western ‘Damsel.’ [Read Story]( [5 Life Hacks for Staying Safe and Saving Big This Summer]( [5 Life Hacks for Staying Safe and Saving Big This Summer]( Make sure that your haven from humidity is safe and secure this summer. In addition to stellar heating and cooling products and services, Reliant Energy offers high-tech home security systems. Read on to find out how to stay secure and save money—not just this summer, but all year long. [Read More]( [5 Life Hacks for Staying Safe and Saving Big This Summer]( MORE FROM TEXAS MONTHLY [Texas Companies Turned Down Lucrative No-Bid Contracts to Expand Child Immigrant Camp]( ROBERT MOORE [Two Billboards Outside of Amarillo, Texas]( DAN SOLOMON [Five Finds: Treehouses in Utopia, a Garden Delivered, and More]( LAUREN SMITH FORD [A Land’s End: The Story of Casa Piedra]( STERRY BUTCHER [Subscribe to Texas Monthly and Save!]( Subscribe to Texas Monthly and get a free tote. 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