Incoming State Rep. Kerwin Introduces Measure to Limit Harmful Chemicals in Fertilizer
In lockstep with ranchers and state prosecutors who have raised the alarm, Kerwin’s measure seeks new restrictions over harmful PFAS chemicals.
By Luca Cacciatore | December 20, 2024 – State Rep.-elect Helen Kerwin of Glen Rose has introduced a measure to regulate and limit the proliferation of harmful chemicals in fertilizers sold in Texas.
House Bill 1674 officially defines perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as “PFAS” chemicals. It then seeks to amend the Agriculture Code to establish strict limits on their presence in fertilizers and other agricultural materials and mandating regular testing of PFAS levels.
PFAS chemicals were first introduced with the invention of Teflon. Because they do not easily break down, they are grouped with similar compounds known as “forever chemicals.” In excess concentration, they can cause cancer, fertility issues, and respiratory problems.
“I am hoping that our legislators will support the prevention of these forever chemicals from contaminating our Texas farmlands,” Kerwin told Texas Scorecard. “Farmers are the backbone of our country, and none of us could survive without them. We must do better by our farmers, our children, and future generations.”
Kerwin’s measure would impose strict penalties for companies violating her new proposed PFAS restrictions and approve the use of stop-sale orders and licensing suspensions for repeat offenders.
The forever chemicals gained statewide attention when they were discovered in Fort Worth area fertilizers made by the Maryland-based company Synagro, which utilized repurposed waste materials called “biosolids.”
While current Environmental Protection Agency standards put the acceptable amount of PFAS in drinking water at four parts per trillion, the PFAS present in the biosolid fertilizer samples tested was considerably higher.
Lab results from the Johnson County Constable Precinct 4’s office found 27 different PFAS chemicals in one biosolids sample. In addition, the PFAS level in a single calf’s liver was a shocking 610,000 parts per trillion.
Ranchers affected by the PFAS chemicals filed a lawsuit against Synagro following the lab results. They also sued the EPA alongside several environmentalist groups for failing to prevent PFAS contamination in fertilizers.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has since gotten involved in the fight as well. Earlier this month, his office announced it would go after the largest manufacturers of PFAS chemical products, 3M and DuPont.
“These companies knew for decades that PFAS chemicals could cause serious harm to human health yet continued to advertise them as safe for household use around families and children,” stated Paxton. “Texas is taking action to penalize these companies and hold them accountable for deceiving Texans into buying consumer products without vital information.”
The 89th Legislative Session begins January 14.
Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues NCAA To Protect Women’s Sports and Prevent Biological Men from Deceptively Competing in Sex-Specific Competitions
December 23, 2024 – Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) for engaging in false, deceptive, and misleading practices by marketing sporting events as “women’s” competitions only to then provide consumers with mixed sex competitions where biological males compete against biological females.
That only biological women will compete in the events is an important reason consumers choose to support women’s sports. By falsely marketing and selling competitions as “women’s” sports only to provide a mixed sex event, the NCAA violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act which exists to protect consumers from businesses attempting to mislead or trick them into purchasing goods or services that are not as advertised. The NCAA further misleads consumers by failing to disclose which participants in its “women’s” competitions are biological males.
Attorney General Paxton requested the court grant a permanent injunction prohibiting the NCAA from allowing biological males to compete in women’s sporting events in Texas or involving Texas teams, or alternatively requiring the NCAA to stop marketing events as “women’s” when in fact they are mixed sex competitions.
“The NCAA is intentionally and knowingly jeopardizing the safety and wellbeing of women by deceptively changing women’s competitions into co-ed competitions,” said Attorney General Paxton. “When people watch a women’s volleyball game, for example, they expect to see women playing against other women—not biological males pretending to be something they are not. Radical ‘gender theory’ has no place in college sports.”
Your Wildcats took on Mabank in Basketball Action December 17th
December 22, 2024 – The Sulphur Springs High School Wildcats took on Mabank in Basketball action Tuesday, December 17, 2024. Below is KSST’s coverage of the game. Sports Director John Mark Dempsey called Play by Play and Tony Flippin offered his expertise in Color Commentary. Be sure to check out the exciting game below!
Get your Garden Ready for Onions in 2025 From Master Gardener David Wall
December 21, 2024 – Onions are a fun crop to grow, requiring minimal soil preparation and very little maintenance. They tolerate most soils and transplant extremely well. They have a history possibly exceeding 5,000 years, so they’ve been around awhile, and it’s hard to imagine many foods without them. There are many varieties, and new varieties seemed to be in continual development.
Typical varieties include yellow, white and purple (red). Vedalias are considered tops, but are more expensive and seldom available for transplanting. They usually have to be grown from seed. Your local nurseries and/or hardware stores will usually have several varieties for transplanting around 15 January. Buy what you need and immediately get them in the ground.
Planting onion seeds should have already been accomplished by now, and few of us plant onion bulbs, so let’s looks at transplants. There are numerous onion sets sold in your areas, and all are good, so the choice is yours. For soil, Onions are heavy feeders, so good soil is preferred. For best results in poor soil, amend it with quality compost and add a little slow-release fertilizer. You can grow onions in your garden or almost anywhere they get plenty of sun. They’re great companion plans for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, carrots, cabbages & flowers, but should never be grown with peas, beans, asparagus, garlic, shallots or leeks.
Onions do better in raised beds, so simply space transplants 4” apart and 1” deep. You can go deeper, but final bulb sizes seem to be smaller. Seedling bulb size when transplanting is NOT an indication of the final bulb size. For a planting example, put a pin where a tomato plant will be located in May. Then, press the tomato cage in the soil. The plant and cage are now known, so put the transplants everywhere else!!!
Party Over for Party City
December 20, 2024 – Location across the US will be closing soon, more than a year after Party City exited bankruptcy.
Party City Holdings, Inc., had previously filed for bankruptcy in early January 2023, but emerged from Chapter 11 in September of that year. Plans to reorganize were approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.
CEO Barry Litwin told corporate employee that today was their last day of employment with the company. It was not clear when Party City locations would be shuttering. It is being reported that they will not receive severance pay and their benefits will end when the company goes out of business.
KSST & Cable Channel 18’s Coverage of Christmas in Sulphur Springs
December 20, 2024 – It’s the best time of the year! Christmas! Check out KSST’s and Cable Channel 18’s coverage of Christmas activities in Sulphur Springs, Texas, in 2024…
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Reminder: Texas Vehicle Inspection Changes Coming Soon
New law eliminates most vehicle safety inspections
December 20, 2024 – AUSTIN, Texas – Beginning January 1, 2025, Texas vehicle owners will no longer need to obtain a safety inspection prior to vehicle registration. House Bill 3297, passed during the 88th Legislature in 2023, eliminates the safety inspection program for non-commercial vehicles. The new law maintains the annual $7.50 safety inspection fee collected at the time of vehicle registration. Texans will see this fee labeled as the Inspection Program Replacement Fee on their registration renewal notice.
Owners registering a new vehicle will pay a $16.75 Inspection Program Replacement Fee to cover the first two years of registration.
State law will still require obtaining a passing vehicle emissions inspection in the following 17 counties prior to vehicle registration: Brazoria County, Fort Bend County, Collin County, Galveston County, Parker County, Dallas County, Rockwall County, Harris County, Denton County, Tarrant County, Johnson County, El Paso County, Travis County, Kaufman County, Ellis County, Williamson County and Montgomery County.
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles registers and titles motor vehicles, licenses motor vehicle dealers, credentials motor carriers, issues oversize/overweight permits, investigates complaints against dealers and motor carriers, and awards grants to law enforcement agencies to reduce vehicle burglaries and thefts.
Learn more at www.TxDMV.gov. Subscribe to receive TxDMV news releases via email or text message.
Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller Celebrates an Outstanding Year of Pesticide Waste Removal Events
Texas Department of Agriculture and Texas A&M AgriLife events collect unwanted pesticides
December 20, 2024 – AUSTIN – Today, Commissioner Sid Miller celebrated an outstanding year of pesticide waste removal events conducted by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. These free, public events have allowed Texas agriculture producers to safely dispose of unwanted pesticides and recycle pesticide containers. In total, the events held in Erath, Nueces, and Hidalgo Counties collected over an estimated 312,500 pounds of unused pesticides from 231 participants.
“Providing Texans with the opportunity for safe removal of pesticides is a top priority of my agency,” Commissioner Miller said. “These events represent an easy way for producers to dispose of these dangerous products safely and efficiently. I want to add special thanks to our friends at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service for their collaboration in making these events happen. Together, we made a real difference by keeping Texas clean and preserving our soil quality for agriculture production.”
The most recent removal event was held on December 10th in Hidalgo County with 68 participants who deposited an estimated 76,500 pounds of pesticide waste. These collection events are offered as a drive-up service, allowing individuals to deliver their unwanted agricultural pesticide waste comfortably from inside their vehicles. Pesticides brought for disposal must be in their original containers, even if the label is absent. Unknown pesticides will be tested onsite.
Accepted items included outdated, discontinued, or unwanted agricultural pesticides; insecticides; poisons; herbicides; fungicides; rodenticides; nematicides; growth regulators; and treated seed. Items not accepted included dioxins (2,4-5T, Silvex, TCDD, etc.); fertilizers; fumigant canisters; household hazardous wastes; methyl-bromide cylinders; motor oil; paint; pesticide rinsate; phostoxin; propane or butane cylinders; radioactive substances; or tires.
“Reducing pesticide waste is another way we can do our part to protect water quality, support soil health, and promote overall environmental sustainability,” Commissioner Miller said. “Proper pesticide application and disposal practices help keep Texas clean and safe.”
TDA is the state’s lead agency in regulating pesticide use and application. The agency handles licensing and training pesticide applicators, overseeing worker protection, registering pesticides for sale in the state, and working to minimize unnecessary impacts on agriculture.
AG Files Motion for a Protective Order Preventing Convicted Child Murderer from Testifying
December 20, 2024 – The Office of the Attorney General filed a motion for a protective order to prevent a procedurally deficient and overly burdensome subpoena from enabling a convicted murderer to testify at a House Committee hearing. The filing of the motion automatically excuses the Texas Department of Criminal Justice from complying with the subpoena pending a hearing and resolution of the motion.
Robert Leslie Roberson III is an American man convicted and on death row for the murder of his two-year-old daughter in 2002. Roberson was accused of shaking his daughter and causing her death, and was tried and convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in 2003. He has lost his appeals since.
Robert Roberson was convicted of murdering his two-year-old daughter in 2002 and scheduled to be executed in October 2024. In an unprecedented procedural maneuver intended to end-run the state Constitution and delay his execution, members of the Texas House issued a subpoena calling the convicted murderer to testify in front of their committee on a date after the execution was to take place. The legislative committee then sued to enforce their subpoena, doubling down on their unconstitutional effort to interfere with his death sentence. In November 2024, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the subpoena issued by a Texas House Committee may not interfere with a lawfully ordered execution.
The House members then issued another document purporting to be a subpoena demanding that Roberson be physically brought to the Texas Capitol to testify in person on December 20. In addition to presenting serious security risks, the subpoena is procedurally defective and therefore invalid as it was issued in violation of the House Rules, the Texas Constitution, and other applicable laws.
Governor Abbott Unveils Billboard Campaign To Dissuade Migrants From Making Dangerous Journey To Texas
December 19, 2024 – Austin, Texas – Governor Greg Abbott today unveiled the state’s new billboard campaign in Central America and Mexico to dissuade migrants from making the dangerous journey to illegally cross the border into Texas during a press conference next to a burned down rape tree at Wall Ranch in Eagle Pass.
“Today, we’re here to talk about a new campaign to deter illegal immigration into Texas,” said Governor Abbott. “Yesterday, we began putting up dozens of billboards throughout Mexico and Central America. They give potential illegal immigrants thinking of leaving their home country – and those already on the way – a realistic picture of what will happen to them on their journey or if they illegally cross into Texas. These billboards tell the horror stories of human trafficking. They implore those people in Central America to consider the violent, horrific realities of what will happen to the women and children they bring with them. Through Operation Lone Star, we have done some incredible work to stop illegal border crossers. But this new effort is about stopping their journey from even beginning in the first place. Until President Donald Trump is back in the White House to secure our border once again, we will continue to take every step necessary to defend Texas.”
Displaying a few examples of the billboards at the press conference, the Governor shared that over 40 billboards have been strategically placed in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico and along the Texas-Mexico border. The billboards highlight the dangerous and legal consequences migrants face as they attempt to illegally enter the country and as countless women and children are sexually assaulted by coyotes and smugglers. To reach illegal immigrants coming from all over the world trying to cross into Texas, the billboards are translated into Spanish throughout Central America and Mexico and Arabic, Chinese, and Russian in Northern Mexico and along the Texas-Mexico border.
View the full billboard campaign here.
Governor Abbott was joined at the press conference by ranchers Kimberly and Martin Wall, Texas Association Against Sexual Assault CEO Rose Luna, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Freeman Martin, Adjutant General of Texas Major General Thomas Suelzer, and Texas Border Czar Mike Banks.
“There is a largely unspoken sexual assault crisis impacting women and children migrating to the Texas border,” said Rose Luna. “Acknowledging this issue and its profound impact on survivors is not just crucial—it is our responsibility.”
“There have been several rape trees and lots of women who have been found beaten and raped in front of our house and left to die,” said Kimberly Wall. “It makes you terrified to go out of your own house and enjoy your own property. I know my husband has found three different rape trees and burned them down. You don’t know if you’ll be attacked by one of the men hiding in the brush. We all want a better life for everybody.”
Watch the Governor’s full press conference here.
During the press conference, Governor Abbott pointed to a burned-down rape tree—a spot where migrants are sexually assaulted and their undergarments are then hung on the tree as trophies by coyotes—and highlighted the horrific, dangerous journey migrants take to cross illegally into the United States.
