Thursday, August 20, 2026

Good morning! On this day in 1886, a hurricane and the fire it touched off all but wiped out Indianola, then the busiest Texas port after Galveston. Residents abandoned the town by 1887.

This week has been all about eateries. Whataburger and Chick-fil-A pop up again in Et Cetera today, with one offering discounts and the other waffles. We're curious: Is there a food you wish you could get from a drive-thru that you can't?

Have you ever done a home remodel and regretted it? Well, you aren't alone. 74% of homeowners who renovated in the last five years wish they'd done something differently, and the most regretted upgrades aren't what you'd expect. Some of the most popular design trends in America made the list. Today on The Flyover Podcast, Ayla counts down the 10 renovations homeowners regret most and shares the simple tricks that could save you from making the same mistakes. Tune in here!

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Judge Removed from Anthony Case

A visiting judge pulled state District Judge John Roach off Karmelo Anthony's murder case Wednesday, a day before a hearing on the teenager's bid for a new trial.

Anthony, 19, was convicted in June and sentenced to 35 years for stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a Collin County track meet in April 2025. Jurors rejected his self-defense claim in under three hours.

His attorneys argued that Roach enforced overly strict courtroom rules, gave the jury incomplete instructions, and sat for an interview after the trial. Visiting Judge Sid Harle granted the recusal.

Prosecutors said Anthony provoked the confrontation over a seat under another school's tent. Witnesses testified that Metcalf pushed him before he pulled a pocketknife. Anthony, who didn't testify, has maintained he acted in self-defense.

Houston Landlords Must Provide Air Conditioning

Houston landlords must put air conditioning in every rental unit under an ordinance the City Council passed 12-2 on Wednesday.

The rule scraps a loophole that allowed property owners to skip cooling as long as the windows had screens. Central air isn't required; a window or portable unit in each living space meets the requirement.

The equipment has to hold indoor temperatures 20 degrees below the outside air or at 80 degrees, whichever is warmer. Census figures count more than 20,000 rental units in the Houston area without AC.

Landlords have 120 days to comply or face citations in municipal court. Council member Alejandra Salinas, who pushed the ordinance, is also giving away 125 portable units to seniors, veterans, and low-income residents.

Frisco Tops Best Housing Markets

Frisco ranked as the best real estate market in America for 2026, edging out neighboring McKinney, which had topped the list three years running. Big coastal markets landed far lower: New York at 231, Los Angeles at 237, and San Francisco at 273.

WalletHub compared 300 cities across 17 measures, including home price forecasts, building permits, affordability, and job growth. Denton placed fifth and Allen eighth, giving Dallas-Fort Worth four of the top 10.

Nearly 47% of Frisco's homes were built between 2010 and 2024, the largest share in the country, and the city has the seventh-best job growth rate.

Sellers elsewhere in Texas are cutting prices. Sherman, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas rank among the country's five most motivated seller markets, with more than half of listings discounted.

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➤ San Antonio: A federal jury found two Texas financial advisers guilty in an $80 million Ponzi scheme after a trial in San Antonio. (See Details)

➤ Houston: An argument among middle school girls that carried over from the bus ride home ended with a man in his late teens or early 20s shot dead Monday at an apartment complex, police said. No arrests have been made. (More)

➤ Copperas Cove: Businesses can reopen under eased Stage 1 water restrictions as the city's system recovers from a main break, though the boil water notice stands. Schools resume Thursday, and bottled water is being handed out at the Civic Center. (See Details)

➤ Statewide: A federal judge in Texas struck down a Biden-era rule requiring serial numbers and background checks on build-at-home gun kits, finding Monday that it conflicts with the nation's tradition of home gunsmithing. The Justice Department is weighing the ruling. (More)

➤ Odessa: Police arrested a 22-year-old auto shop owner accused of using customers' cars, left at his garage for repairs, to pull off a string of local burglaries. Jesus Munoz then posted on his shop's Facebook page that he'd been arrested for "exceeding customer expectations." (See Details)

➤ Austin: Handcuffed to a hospital bed on drug charges, a 43-year-old man asked to use the bathroom, locked the door, punched through the ceiling, and dropped into another room, an affidavit says. Officers caught him on a Capital Metro bus. (See Details)

➤ Buffalo Bayou: The Houston waterway ranks among Texas rivers and lakes that repeatedly tested positive for E. coli in a new report on whether the state's water is safe for swimming. Researchers will release the findings and an online map on Thursday. (See Report)

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➤ Cowboys pass rusher Von Miller is negotiating with fullback Hunter Luepke for his No. 40 jersey, offering a lifetime supply of chicken from his organic poultry farm in Elgin. (More)

➤ TCU dismissed safety Jacob Fields this week for a team rules violation. The Louisiana Tech transfer won Conference USA Co-Defensive Player of the Year last season and was expected to start on defense. (More)

➤ Tuesday's joint practice between the Cowboys and Saints in Oxnard, California, devolved into at least six brawls, with helmets tossed, punches thrown, and defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku ejected. Coaches nearly called off the whole session. (More)

➤ SMU and Texas Tech are among the 13 college football programs that will feature Progressive Insurance branding on the field this season as part of a new sponsorship deal. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Tennis | WNBA | Little League World Series | Soccer

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➤ H-E-B's Bexar County East Side expansion won a 10-year tax break from county commissioners Tuesday, cutting the grocer's county bill on the new value by 85%, or more than $15 million. H-E-B plans to invest $636.5 million and add 720 jobs. (See Details)

➤ CenterPoint Energy rolled out a "10 Commitments for Texans" statement on Tuesday for future transmission lines running more than 100 miles, doubling the time landowners get to comment. The Houston utility says the projects will save ERCOT customers $100 million a year. (More)

➤ Nearly 127,000 permits on Austin homes have expired, some dating to the late 1970s, and owners can get stuck clearing them before new work starts. (See Details)

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➤ San Antonio Zoo earned national recognition for animal wellbeing after inspectors spent four days in May watching training sessions and reviewing veterinary care, conservation, and guest operations. (See Details)

➤ Whataburger's $4 menu launched Tuesday with four items: a bacon and cheese Whataburger Jr., a patty melt Jr., and honey BBQ and buffalo ranch chicken strip sandwiches. Fries and a drink run $3 more. (More)

➤ Chicken and waffles will hit Houston-area Chick-fil-A menus Aug. 24, stacking maple waffles, bacon, and honey butter around a filet. Breakfast and full-size versions run through Nov. 14, alongside a returning s'mores milkshake. (See Details)

➤ A gap-filling radar going up in Whitehouse this week should buy East Texas more warning time on severe storms. The private Doppler system, expected online in September, will feed data to the National Weather Service and emergency managers. (More)

➤ A $50 bill and an apology letter reached Langer's Deli in Los Angeles from an El Paso man unsure whether he'd tipped his waitress. Roberto José Andrade wrote that the doubt had nagged him for weeks. (Read Story)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Remodeling triggers regret in 74% of homeowners, with these 10 “upgrades” causing the most trouble. (Hear Details)

➤ American forces are reportedly running a secret nightly operation to move millions of barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. (Hear Episode)

➤ Russia has placed RFK Jr.'s son on its most wanted list over accusations that he fought for Ukraine. (Listen Now)