When visiting different states I always like to pick up the free road map (usually an official DOT map) that they give out at welcome centers off the interstates when you cross into the border Unfortunately I drove into Texas too late and the I10 center was closed. Does anyone know of a similar travel info center elsewhere that would give out (or even sell) those maps? I'll be visiting Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and places in between over the course of the next week, so I have some flexibility on where I could go to find one. Thanks!

Hey! Reporter here with an update on where the Texas required reading list stands. The Republican-led State Board of Education greenlit a shortened version of the original list by a 9-5 vote on Friday.

The list removed ~100 titles to make it easier to teach, but boosted the number of direct Bible passages from 10 to 14. Some of the passages were also shuffled between grades. The Bible stories, meanwhile, were swapped out but remain at three.

That means there is now a Bible story or passage for every grade from 1 to 12. These changes are likely to go into effect during the 2030-2031 school year.

You can check out my full story here: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/school-reading-list-bible-22081914.php

Texts newly-inserted into the latest version in BOLD

Grade 1

• Noah’s Ark - Peter Spier

Grade 2

• David and Goliath (excerpt from A Children’s Book of Heroes) - William J. Bennett

Grade 3

• ROAR! Daniel and the Lion’ Den - Children’s Adapted Version - CBN

Grade 4

• The Necessity of Humility (Luke 14:7-11) - NIRV

Grade 5

• Moses (Exodus 3: The Burning Bush and Exodus 14: the Parting of the Red Sea) - NIRV

Grade 6

• Do Not Be Anxious (Matthew 6:25-34) - ESV

Grade 7

• Jonah and the Whale (Book of Jonah) - NIRV
• The Shepherd’s Psalm (Psalms 230 - KJV

Grade 8

• To Everything There is a Season (Ecclesiastes 3) - KJV
• Book of Lamentations Chapter 3 - Tanakh JPS 1917

English I

• David and Goliath (Book of 1 Samuel, Chapter 17) - NIRV
• The Eight Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) - KJV

English II

• The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) - NIRV
• The Book of Job (Job 1-7, 11, 14, 19, 28, 38-42) - NIRV

English III

• Adam and Eve (Genesis 2 and 3) - NIRV

English IV

• Parable of the Prodigal’s Son (Luke 15:11-32) - ESV
• The Definition of Love (1 Corinthians 13) - ESV

CUT from newest version

• The Road of Damascus - State of Texas
• The Golden Rule - State of Texas
• The Parable of the Prodigal Son - State of Texas

A Travis County district judge has temporarily lifted a statewide ban on the sale of natural smokeable hemp products, such as flower buds and rolled joints, until at least April 24.

Judge Maya Guerra Gamble granted the Texas Hemp Business Council, Hemp Industry & Farmers of America, and several Texas-based dispensaries and manufacturers a temporary restraining order against new testing requirements that creates 0.3% total THC threshold, effectively eliminating smokeable products. Lawyers for the hemp industry argued that the agencies have overstepped their constitutional authority by rewriting the statutory definitions of hemp established by lawmakers in 2019.

The concept of the new total THC testing came from the federal government, which clarified the definition of hemp in November as containing a total THC concentration of less than 0.3% on a dry weight basis rather than only delta-9 THC, according to Zachary Berg, an attorney with the Texas Attorney General’s Office who represented Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission on Friday. Berg added that the federal government’s new definition doesn’t go into effect until November, but the state wanted to be in compliance early with federal law.

The hemp businesses also asked for a temporary injunction on other rules that increase licensing fees for retailers and manufacturers and prevent businesses from selling smokeable hemp out-of-state. Guerra Gamble also temporarily unblocked interstate sales, but she deferred the topic of licensing fees to the next hearing on April 24.

Here's a link to the full story: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/08/texas-hemp-smokeable-ban-joints-lawsuit/

I’ve been so curious about this for awhile, hoping someone here can lend some insight..

I love our Mexican and Tex-mex cuisine so freaking much, but one thing that puzzles me is why Menudo or chicken-tortilla soup is usually so expensive compared to everything else on the menu. I feel like there’s so many places that’ll have a 3 enchilada plate with rice and beans for like $12 or $14 bucks, and a bowl of menudo is like $16.

Don’t they just have a huge pot of it in the back that they prep early, let simmer all day, and serve till it runs out?

When I’ve travelled in South America lots of places offer an El Menu De Dia that has a small bowl of soup, rice and beans, and a daily entree. The soup is included on the side in the same way you’d see Miso sometimes offered for free at some Asian places.

If I could get a little side bowl of soup for like 3-4 bucks I’d get it every time, feels like they’re leaving a lot of money on the table?