Good morning, friends,

Have you been keeping up with the Bo French/UT students outrage? If not, here’s a synopsis and why it’s such a big deal.

On Saturday, the University of Texas football team achieved the impossible. The team entered the fourth quarter of their game against Ohio State 3-23 and whipped out three touchdowns to beat the No. 1 team by 1 point. The state collectively celebrated the miracle—except Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate Bo French. When he saw a photo of celebrating students, he went to X to comment on their race. After being called out online, he doubled down.

Lawmakers and state leaders ran to denounce his comments. Fellow Republican John Cornyn called for his party to condemn the “racism and intolerance.” Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement distancing himself from French, while other Texas party members said French had crossed the line. As of Tuesday evening, the Fort Worth native hasn’t issued an apology. And what’s more surprising is that Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for US Senate, hasn’t said a word about any of it.

Cornyn and political experts have said Paxton’s move to stay silent could not only hurt Paxton’s race, but the GOP’s performance overall. Do you think Bo French can still win his reelection? Do you think this will hurt Paxton? Write in and let me know.

Tap here to see what UT students had to say, and keep scrolling to meet the man running against French.

Three high school students from the Dallas area have created a fund to help first responders. (Jp Valery/Unsplash)

By Sam Cohen

Brothers Sebastian and Max Lee saw firsthand how devastating wildfires could be when their grandparents lost their California home and most of their possessions to one of those natural catastrophes.

It was through their grandparents’ loss that they developed the idea for the Fireline Fund, a nonprofit group designed to support local first responders. 

Working with another classmate, the trio sought a way to provide North Texas firefighters with much-needed supplies on an ongoing basis.

As the Fireline Fund website puts it, “When Dallas firefighters come off the line, their bodies are running on empty. The Fireline Fund keeps them going—funding the hydration, nutrition, and recovery supplies that help our crews recover and get back in the fight.”

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Thanks, as always, for reading and being part of the Courier Texas community.

🏇 AI cowboys: North Texas is using AI at higher rates than Los Angeles or New York, according to recent US Census data. The report shows that 22% of area businesses are using the technology, which reflects the state’s data center boom, but also an influx of technology jobs. (Dallas Morning News)

💃 Plano enters the ballroom: Olympic medalist ice skater and Plano native, Amber Glenn made her ballroom debut on last night’s “Dancing with the Stars” premiere. If you missed the show last night, there’ll be another episode tonight on ABC. (Plano)

🫟 Sidewalk art comeback: Dallas City Council is considering changing the city’s sidewalk codes so that painting and artwork are allowed. This comes after Gov. Greg Abbott’s 2025 mandate to ban any public art, resulting in the removal of several rainbow and “Black Lives Matter” crosswalks. (KERA)

🛢️ Meet Bo French’s opponent: You may not have thought about the state race for railroad commissioners until Bo French’s recent comments, but now’s a good time to learn about his opponent, Jon Rosenthal. Here’s what the role actually does and what Rosenthal plans to do, if elected.

Here are some things to do around the metroplex this weekend:

🎈 Plano Balloon Festival

🇸🇻 ¡Celebramos! Latin American Flag Parade

Fort Worth

🍷 Grapefest

Grapevine

🥩 Cowboys Carne Asada

Arlington

🍂 Autumn Fest

Little Elm

🇩🇪 Addison Oktoberfest

🍖 Texas Monthly BBQ Fest

Grand Prairie

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Joi Louviere, with reporting by Sam Cohen and editing by Paula Solis.

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