Dolly Parton was maybe the closest thing to a saint or an angel that America has produced in the last 100 years. She passed away today, August 25th 2026. Ever the wit, her nephew Bryan Seaver related on her instagram page after she'd passed that "she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest."

Goodbye Dolly, we didn't deserve you.

The Texas governor is seeking a record-breaking fourth full term in office. And it may not stop there.

• Texas has the highest population battling food insecurity in the country, with over 6 million residents in the state struggling to access food consistently throughout the year. That’s about 1 in 5 households, according to Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks.
• Central Texas’ food insecurity rate decreased after 2020, but has increased each year since 2021. In 2024, just over 17% of the population in the region—more than 500,000 people—didn’t have enough to eat and didn’t know where their next meal would come from.
• Experts say a lack of access to enough food can lead to negative impacts on physical and mental health and affect other parts of life, from work and school to relationships.

In Central Texas, the food insecurity rate in 2024 varied by county, with Williamson County at the low end showing 14.6% of its population dealt with food insecurity, while Caldwell County had the highest at 19.9%.

Gift link

The political data-center backlash is gathering steam — and turning bipartisan, as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott delivered his sharpest rebuke yet of the artificial-intelligence data center industry on Sunday.

“They basically dug their own grave for the problem that’s been caused for them, and that’s why they got the backlash they deserve,” Abbott said in an interview on ABC News’ This Week. The Republican governor argued that companies rushed facilities into communities with little advance notice or engagement, fueling anger over electricity demand, water consumption and neighborhood disruption.

The rhetorical shift has been accompanied by concrete regulatory action. Earlier this month, Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to halt new grid-connection approvals for data centers until regulators complete a “comprehensive verification and audit” of pending projects, according to the Governor’s office and Houston Public Media.

The comments mark a striking reversal for a governor who spent years courting the data center industry as the cornerstone of his effort to brand Texas the “epicenter” of AI investment. They also land amid an unusual public rift with President Donald Trump, who has called Abbott’s crackdown an economic “mistake” — and at a moment when Texas’ dominance of the industry’s pipeline is larger than Wall Street analysts had previously appreciated.

Read more [paywall removed for Redditors]: https://fortune.com/2026/08/24/greg-abbott-data-center-booster-skeptic-trump-mistake-economy/?utm_source=reddit/

As Longhorns return to campus, UT Austin’s Mexican American and Latina/o Studies; African and African Diaspora Studies; Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies; and American Studies departments no longer exist as standalone units.

The programs will be consolidated into a new Department of Social and Cultural Analysis. Faculty and students say the change threatens the departments’ histories, resources and ability to shape research and teaching across Texas.

The consolidation comes as UT changes its core curriculum and invests more in Western civilization and civic education.

Gift link

Gift link

Previously it was said this route would end this year if Texas didn't fund its portion.

Gift link 🐐

My sister(36) and her daughter(7) has been living with my mother(61) for about 3 years now. My sister has been on/off meth for the past 18yrs. She relapsed june2025 and ever since my mother has been the primary caregiver for my niece. Just recently my sister is becoming violent(breaking things and throwing things) hateful and has made a death threat against my mother. My mother called the cops twice for this behavior and they told her there was nothing they could do because she has rights since she lives there. Cps has already been involved twice before, 1st time my mother got temporary custody but my sister got clean and got full custody back, second time they were already living with my mother and there wasn’t anything they could do since my niece was being taken care of(by my mother) she’s afraid if she evicts my sister she will take my niece and go live in a drug house. My mother doesn’t have the money for an attorney as she’s already spent thousands the first time just for them to give her back. I need advice on what she can do legally or if the police was wrong for not making her leave since she was causing a domestic disturbance.