The Standard’s news roundup gives you a quick hit of interesting, sometimes irreverent, and breaking news stories from all over the state.
In one of the wildest and certainly longest college football games of the year, Texas A&M University eeked out a win over Louisiana State University on Saturday.
The matchup broke the record for the highest scoring game in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision history, with the Aggies beating LSU’s Tigers 74 to 72.
The Aggies clinched the win in the final seconds of the game’s seventh – that’s right, seventh – overtime, when quarterback Kellen Mond connected with receiver Kendrick Rogers for a two-point conversion.
“Mond, looking that way. Got it! It’s Rogers! The Aggies win the game of the year in the Southeastern Conference!” said an announcer during the game.
The game also tied another FBS record for most overtimes.
Here’s A&M head coach James “Jimbo” Fisher in a press conference:
“I mean, I didn’t realize it went seven. I lost track of overtimes, I ain’t gonna lie. They say seven – that’s what y’all say it is, I guess that’s what it was.”
The victory was the Aggies’ first win over the Tigers since A&M joined the SEC in 2012.
Texas should prepare for more and worsening natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey, according to a government climate change report released Friday.
The report is the second installment of the National Climate Assessment, which is backed by thirteen federal agencies and released every four years.
It says climate change is already affecting Americans, and points to events like Hurricane Harvey, deadly wildfires in California and other extreme weather events.
The 1,600-page report is in contrast to President Donald Trump’s recent comments about climate change. A White House statement says the report was based on “the most extreme scenario” of global warming.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal applications are down in Texas. Though the Trump administration has tried to end the program, which provides temporary relief from deportation, many young Texans remain protected for now.
Houston Public Media’s Elizabeth Trovall reports:
In fiscal year 2018, less than 19,000 Dreamers renewed their DACA protections in Texas. That’s less than half of statewide renewals from last year. The number of new DACA applications also fell by more than half.
Immigration attorney Jill Campbell says the Trump administration halting the program likely caused some of the drop; no new applications are being processed and renewals were on hold for a few months.
“So you’re talking about a big chunk of time, there where just no applications, weren’t permitted. It wasn’t that the applicants were choosing to not file, it was the government was prohibiting those applications.”
She says while the program was halted, some kids lost their work permits because they couldn’t renew DACA. Some are now struggling to pay the $500 renewal fee since the program restarted.
Though federal courts have ruled to continue DACA renewals, its future will likely be decided by the Supreme Court.
