The State of Texas: May 24, 2016

Quote of the Day

“Drive Crazy Yall.”

—Geoffrey Eltgroth, allegedly, via a hijacked electronic highway sign. According to the Austin American-Statesman, police say Eltgroth tampered with the message of a sign on a tollway frontage road in Austin after he was able to guess the username and password to obtain access to the sign, which had initially been in place to warn drivers of construction. Why did he do such a thing? “Because he believed it was humorous,” he reportedly told police. But this just seems like a wasted opportunity, because if there’s one thing Austinites don’t need to be told to do, it’s drive erratically. The y’all was certainly a nice touch, though.

Daily Roundup

Bevo’s Back—The University of Texas announced on Monday that it has found the next Bevo. The iconic steer was chosen after a months-long search that started in October, SB Nation says. The Longhorns have ordained a steer originally named “Sunrise Studly” as Bevo XV, and he sounds like quite the catch. “Bevo XV has all of the characteristics that we were looking for—he is a beautiful steer with great disposition, color and a championship pedigree,” Ricky Brennes, executive director of the Silver Spurs Alumni Association, said according to SB Nation. “He’s very gentle, smart and curious. He is used to being around people and enjoys the attention.” Bevo XV has big hooves to fill. His predecessor had been Bevo since 2004, and was on the sidelines for 107 wins, including the 2006 national championship, and was even present for the George W. Bush’s second inauguration. Bevo XIV passed away in October after a short battle with leukemia. Bevo XV is starting his reign in a big year—2016 is the centennial anniversary of the Bevo mascot, according to the Dallas Morning News. He’ll debut in the season opener against Notre Dame on September 4.

Voter ID, Part II—Tuesday is a big day for Texas’s embattled voter identification law, according to the San Antonio Express-News. A federal appeals court is set to hear the case again Tuesday morning, so the state has another chance to make its argument to keep in place the voter law, which opponents like the Justice Department say is discriminatory because it places an unbalanced burden on minorities to obtain identification (the Washington Post took a look at that too). Since the law passed in 2011, it’s been blocked by the court three times, but it’s been enforced for recent elections to avoid voter confusion while it makes its way through the court system, according to the Associated Press. It’s possible this thing could actually be resolved in time for the November elections. Writes the Express-News: “Today’s hearing could lead to a major precedent-setting ruling on the law’s validity.” There won’t be an immediate ruling after the hearing, of course, but apparently the U.S. Supreme Court has its sights set on taking a voter ID case, and this one might end up getting the nod. If that’s the case, expect a lively battle from the state Republicans who favor the law.

Racist Textbook—According to a proposed textbook to teach Texas public school students about Mexican-American heritage, Mexican-Americans oppose “Western civilization” and want to “destroy this society,” and undocumented immigrants cause “a number of economic and security problems” in the U.S. including “poverty, drugs, crime, non-assimilation, and exploitation.” As if this story could get any crazier, the book proposal came in response to activists who demanded the subject of Mexican-American heritage be formally included in the state’s curriculum. According to the Associated Press, the Texas Education Agency submitted a list of proposed educational materials for teaching the subject, and this extremely anti-Mexican-American textbook was somehow at the top of the list. It’s hard to understand how it got on the list in the first place. Education experts and Hispanic heritage activists told the Houston Chronicle that the book’s authors aren’t even recognized as experts in Mexican-American history, which isn’t surprising given the tone of the book’s content. According to the Chronicle, Texans have until September to submit comments and complaints about the proposed instructional materials.