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Today’s Big Stories
1. Camp Mystic parents seek stronger camp regulations in other states
Sarah Marsh of Birmingham, Alabama, was one of 27 Camp Mystic campers and counselors swept to their deaths when floodwaters engulfed cabins at the Texas camp on July 4, 2025. Grieving parents pushed Texas lawmakers to approve new safety requirements for camps, including mandating detailed emergency plans and emergency warning systems. Sarah’s parents are now urging lawmakers in Alabama and elsewhere to tighten regulations. Similar bills have also been filed in Missouri.
A former University of Texas at Austin professor with a history of sexual-related allegations requested thousands of dollars from Jeffrey Epstein’s charity foundation in 2015 saying it would fund a 2016 conference about campus rape, a letter reveals.
According to the letter from recently released U.S. Department of Justice documents, Thomas K. Hubbard asked the J. Epstein Virgin Islands Foundation for a contribution toward a $10,000 to $20,000 funding goal for a 2016 symposium that stemmed from Hubbard’s concerns over Title IX policies he felt had “low evidentiary standards and lack of due process safeguards.”
3. University of Houston releases poll ahead of Texas’ March primary election
Next week early voting begins in Texas for the March primaries. Ahead of the election, the University of Houston published a poll looking at major key races in the state.
In the Republican U.S. Senate race, Attorney General Ken Paxton leads over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn by 7%. On the Democrat side, it’s a close race as well between U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, and state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin. They are separated by about 8%.
Notes for Tomorrow
Friday, Feb. 13
2026 NBA All-Star Weekend begins
Deadline for passage of new funding bill for DHS
Congress breaks for Presidents’ Day recess
Milano Cortina Winter Olympics continue
Rose Byrne receives Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year award
In Case You Missed It
Barton Springs Pool on a sunny day in Austin, Texas. (Ashlyn Love)
Barton Springs Pool to temporarily close for maintenance
Barton Springs Pool will close for two weeks in an effort to remove all or part of a skimmer bypass that was installed nearly a century ago, according to an announcement from the Austin Parks and Recreation Department.