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December 14, 2018
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"You light my fire, let this Lamborghini light your fire, baby."
—Former Lakewood Church associate pastor John Gray. Gray, who once served under prosperity gospel preacher Joel Osteen, [bought his wife]( a very expensive car for their eighth anniversary. He's been catching heat for it ever since.
THE LATEST
[Meet the Would-Be Inventors of Texas’s Next Big Idea](
KATY VINE
At the Texas Inventors’ Association, you’ll find plans for the contraptions and gadgets of your dreams. Just don’t tell anyone your idea. [Read more.](
#TMWANDERS READER PHOTOS
Georgetown • Photograph by Steven Thomas [@aquarelle.foto](
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QUIZ ANSWERS
We’ll feature a news quiz every Thursday, with answers posted in Friday’s newsletter. Below are the answers for yesterday’s quiz:
1. Twelve Democrats representing Texas border areas, led by Representative Henry Cuellar, took [a strong stance]( against border wall funding in a November 28 letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
2. This week, we finally got word about [what will happen]( to Globe Life Park, the Rangers' stadium that was built in 1994.
3. Michael Esparza, a San Antonio artist [who paints Texas chains]( into bucolic settings, sold a painting depicting fast food giant Taco Cabana to its owner.
4. Before Fitzgerald's was a club, [the Houston staple](—which will close after 42 years—was a Polish-American community center.
5. Vera’s Backyard Bar-B-Que, in Brownsville is the [only place in the country]( (that we know of!) that is still cooking barbacoa the traditional way.
[Texas Optimism Project: Chelsea Francis](
OUR TOP STORIES
[This Etsy Store is Just Paintings of Texas Fast Food Chains in Romantic Landscapes](
It’s Whataburger as we always imagined it. [Read More](
[Former Baylor Frat Leader Banned by UT Dallas After Generous Plea Deal for Sexual Assault Case](
Jacob Walter Anderson has been kicked off of campus and will not be allowed to attend his graduation ceremony. [Read More](
[Buc-ee’s is Bringing Something Called “Tooshlights” to its Bathrooms](
The best gas station bathrooms are about to get even better. [Read More](
THE STATE OF TEXAS
On the Decline
With thirteen executions this year, Texas continued to lead the nation capital punishments, but the [number is on the decline]( according to a new report from the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. The number of executions from 2009 to 2018 is nearly 50 percent less than the number carried out from 1999 to 2008. The coalition says that the drop can be attributed in part to prosecutors and the public's changing views on the death penalty. "The death penalty landscape in Texas has changed significantly over the last 20 years," Kristin Houlé, the coalition's executive director, told the Associated Press. "Not only have the number of death sentences and executions declined by staggering percentages, but the chorus of voices raising concerns about the application of the death penalty grows louder and more diverse every day."
L'honneur
Two Southeast Texas veterans who fought in World War II [were awarded France's highest honor]( this week. Lester Trauth, 93, and William Lakey, 95, were awarded the French Legion of Honor at a ceremony in Beaumont. Both of the men fought in the invasion of Normandy. "I feel proud. Real proud that I was able to go over there and do my little part," Lackey said.
Texas > California
A record number of businesses are leaving California, and many of them are [landing in Texas](. A new report shows that in 2016 (the most recent data available), 1,800 businesses relocated from California—and 299 of them ended up in Texas, more than any other state. That is particularly significant because most out-of-state relocations only cross one state line. “A lot of people don’t want to be more than one hour from other members of their family they might be leaving behind, or their good friends or their favorite country club—whatever it is,” Joseph Vranich, president of Pennsylvania-based Spectrum Location Solutions LLC, told the Dallas Business Journal. “For Texas to do as well as it does attracting California companies is really remarkable in and of itself.”
LONGREADS
[Tim Dunn Is Pushing the Republican Party Into the Arms of God](
R.G. RATCLIFFE
The socially conservative Midland oil man has been putting a lot of money into the fight for the GOP’s soul. [Read more.](
[Stay Roped in with Rodeo Report](
[Stay Roped in with Rodeo Report](
Get an inside look into the high-intensity world that combines talented athletes with horses and livestock, steep competition, old-school traditions, and family fun. Rodeo Report’s coverage from the PRCA circuit includes competitor updates, performance analysis, and behind-the-scenes stories of triumphs, challenges, injuries, and rerides.Read More](
[Texas Optimism Project: Chelsea Francis](
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