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- MRT 2/25-27/26 (free): Austin W. 6th Mass Shooting Leaves 3 Dead, 14 Injured as Terrorism Suspected // Statewide Primary Turnout Up Through Early Voting // SBOE Approves New Curriculum
MRT 2/25-27/26 (free): Austin W. 6th Mass Shooting Leaves 3 Dead, 14 Injured as Terrorism Suspected // Statewide Primary Turnout Up Through Early Voting // SBOE Approves New Curriculum
Here's What You Need to Know in Texas Today.
Matt Mackowiak
March 02, 2026
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WEDNESDAY 2/25/2026 - FRIDAY 2/27/2026
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TOP NEWS
“3 killed, 14 injured in Sixth Street mass shooting, FBI says there are ‘indicators’ of terrorism” KXAN’s Christopher Adams, Chelsea Moreno, Julianna Russ, Taylor Alanis, Kelly Wiley, David Barer, Madison Myers, Matt Grant, Nabil Remadna and Dalton Huey – Three people are dead, including the shooter, and at least 14 others are injured after a gunman opened fire at a bar on West Sixth Street early Sunday morning. The FBI said there are “indicators” of terrorism related to the shooting.
Here are the main headlines:
> A gunman, identified by Austin PD as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, opened fire at Buford’s Bar, near the intersection of West Sixth Street and Rio Grande Street around 2 a.m. Sunday.
> Three people were killed, including the shooter. Fourteen others were taken to the hospital, including three in critical condition. It’s unclear if those people were shot or were otherwise injured.
> Law enforcement officers were seen at a home in Pflugerville and an apartment complex in Del Valle, possibly tied to the investigation.
> The FBI is taking the lead on the investigation, according to the mayor’s office. There are “indicators” of terrorism, the FBI said in a press conference Sunday.
> Gov. Abbott has directed DPS to increase patrols and add law enforcement personnel in the area during weekends, adding, “We must ensure enough boots on the ground to discourage criminal activity.”
> Anyone looking for property left behind in the area should contact businesses directly to retrieve them, APD said.
> We Are Blood said donations are needed in the wake of the shooting. The organization sent out more than 90 blood products to hospitals Sunday.
> WATCH: Video shows the moment the gunman was taken down by Austin police.
> VIDEO: Waymo seen blocking first responders during West Sixth shooting
The FBI has taken the lead on the investigation from the Austin Police Department, according to the Mayor Kirk Watson’s office. In a press conference Sunday, the FBI said there were “indicators” of terrorism related to the shooting.
Alex Doran, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio field office, said its joint terrorism task force is investigating, along with other specialty teams. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) also responded to the scene.
“Obviously, it’s still way too early in the process to determine an exact motivation, but there were indicators on the subject and in his vehicle that indicate potential nexus to terrorism,” Doran said.
Another press conference is expected on Monday.
While the gunman has not yet been identified by law enforcement publicly, mulitple sources have confirmed to KXAN that he was Ndiaga Diagne, 53. According to police, two weapons were used in the shooting — a pistol and a rifle.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told KXAN that Diagne entered the U.S. in March 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa. He became a lawful permanent resident in June 2006, receiving an IR-6 visa based on marriage to a U.S. citizen, DHS said. He later naturalized as a U.S. citizen in April 2013.
Diagne was arrested in Texas in 2022 for collision with vehicle damage, DHS said.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the gunman, who sources have identified as Ndiaga Diagne, drove around the area in an SUV several times before firing a handgun out of the window. Those shots hit people on the patio and in front of the bar, according to police.
Davis said the gunman then parked the vehicle on Wood Street, got out and shot at people walking by. Police responded at that time, and Diagne was shot and killed.
Officers and ATCEMS medics were able to respond to the area quickly because of usual staging on nearby East Sixth Street. ATCEMS Chief Robert Luckritz said medics were on scene within 57 seconds of getting the call at 1:59 a.m.
“I’m very thankful for the speed with which our public safety officials responded to this,” Mayor Watson said. “I don’t think there’s any question that it saved lives.”
Texas State University is home to the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center (ALERRT), which trains law enforcement agencies nationwide. Assistant Executive Director John Curnutt said the quick response — not only by police and EMS but also patrons at the bar — “made a huge difference.”
“Until we can get there, those seconds and minutes are crucial, and not only on the prevention or the response side, but now we get in to stop the bleed, which is what we saw a lot of people doing, helping rendering aid to people that are in their time of need,” Curnutt said. “And when there’s only so many of us on scene, it’s nice to have these force multipliers of people that are willing and able to help.”
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“Texas grand jury won’t indict in 2025 fatal shooting of U.S. citizen by ICE agent” Texas Tribune’s Colleen DeGuzman – A grand jury did not find probable cause to issue an indictment in the fatal shooting of a man last year on South Padre Island by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz said his office presented the case on Wednesday and the jury issued a no bill. Prosecutors can pursue a criminal case after a no bill but rarely do so.
Agents assigned to a Department of Homeland Security subagency fatally shot 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez of San Antonio multiple times in the early hours of March 15 as they helped local police direct traffic at the scene of an auto accident, records released by American Oversight, a nonprofit government watchdog, show.
Martinez was at Padre Island that weekend celebrating his birthday with friends, said Will Miller, a spokesperson for Rachel Reyes, Martinez’s mother and their lawyers.
(TX TRIB)
2026
“With his personal life under scrutiny, Ken Paxton’s family defends his character in Senate race” Texas Tribune’s Patrick Svitek – Attorney General Ken Paxton is bringing his family to his defense in the final days of a Republican primary for U.S. Senate where his personal life has become increasingly scrutinized.
One of his four children, Mattie Hayworth, published an op-ed Thursday defending her father’s record and character. A short time later, Paxton’s campaign released an ad featuring Hayworth and her husband, Daniel.
“My dad is a really good guy, loves God, he loves his family and he loves this country,” Hayworth says in the 30-second spot, which shows her children running around their living room and her father calling them on FaceTime. “A lot of people may call him General Paxton, Ken Paxton, but our kids call him pop-pop.”
Paxton faced allegations of infidelity during his 2023 impeachment trial, a subject that especially captured public attention because of Paxton’s longstanding political ties to prominent conservative Christians and use of his office to elevate their causes. His wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce last year, citing “biblical grounds” and accusing him of adultery. He denied it.
(TX TRIB)
“Early vote turnout in Texas outpacing past elections, fueled by Democratic primary voters” Texas Tribune’s Paul Cobler – More ballots have been cast in Texas through the first seven days of early voting for the 2026 midterms than any recent midterm or presidential election year, driven by high turnout in the Democratic primary.
That turnout is fueling optimism among Texas Democrats, who are once again trying to score their first election victory for a statewide office since 1994.
Through Monday, 665,664 votes were cast in-person and by mail in the Democratic primary, compared to 593,692 cast in the Republican primary, according to unofficial data from the Texas Secretary of State. The 1,259,356 votes is higher than both the 2024 and 2020 primaries through seven days of early voting, despite turnout typically being higher in presidential election years.
(TX TRIB)
“How two churches forged Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico’s politics” Texas Tribune’s Kayla Guo – Before she joined St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Laura Landsman was raised a Southern Baptist. She spent a summer as a missionary for the church and at one point served as a counselor for Billy Graham’s evangelical crusades.
The 74-year-old Weatherford native, as she tells it, was “devoted to fundamentalist Christianity.” Then her idea of what it means to be Christian started changing, and she found herself feeling lost.
That was several decades ago. On the third Sunday of this month, she sat with around a dozen congregants at a meet-the-ministers lunch at St. Andrew’s, discussing what brought her to the progressive church in North Austin that counts among its longtime members state Rep. James Talarico, a 36-year-old Democrat now running for U.S. Senate.
“We didn’t have to continue to pretend to believe what didn’t feel right,” Landsman said of joining St. Andrew’s, adding that the church “makes it clear that we’re all just one big family, no matter the culture or belief system.”
(TX TRIB)
“West Texas congressional candidates split on campaign strategy: Defend farmers or Trump” Texas Tribune’s Olivia Borgula – Businessman Tom Sell says being a fifth-generation West Texan is about as far back as you can go. His family came to Lubbock as sharecroppers in 1906 — before the city was even incorporated. They’ve been in the region ever since.
Now he is running for Texas’ 19th Congressional District, which includes his hometown and other High Plains towns such as Big Spring and Dimmit. He is banking on his deep ties to the region to best six other candidates in the Republican primary to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington.
“We’ve done a lot here in the local community, from our church to little league coach, we’ve raised our four kids here,” Sell said. “I’ve been proud to serve in that way and just be a part of the heart and soul of love in Texas.”
(TX TRIB)
“Flores vs. Flores: GOP primary for South Texas congressional seat hinges on who can beat the Democrats” Texas Tribune’s Patrick Svitek – Four years ago, Mayra Flores was riding high after a special election upset that made her the face of Republican efforts to win over more Hispanic voters under President Donald Trump.
“We are all really proud of Mayra,” Trump posted on social media after Flores flipped the 34th Congressional District. “Great things to come!!!”
Two election losses later, Flores finds herself in a less advantageous position. Trump and other powerful Republicans are backing her main primary rival, former federal prosecutor Eric Flores, as she makes a third conservative bid to reclaim the seat she briefly held in South Texas.
“You cannot do something for a third time and expect a different result,” Eric Flores said in an interview. “You have a candidate who significantly lacks substance.”
His ads are more direct, branding Mayra Flores a “loser.”
There is no love lost.
(TX TRIB)
“Eastland County Republicans scramble as hand-count of primary ballots looms” Texas Tribune’s Natalia Contreras – On Monday, a group of four people spent more than an hour at a table inside a Realtor’s office, hand-counting the results of two races on 100 sample ballots. It was only a week before Tuesday’s primary election, and for this small group, it was their first time practicing to tally votes by hand.
They counted in batches of 25 and used different colored markers to keep track of where one counted batch ended and a new one began. They also used laminated tally sheets, which allowed them to erase and remark them if they made any errors. The group twice marked a vote for the wrong candidate, an error that meant they had to go back and start over and correct their laminated sheets.
(TX TRIB)
STATE GOVERNMENT
“Exclusive: The Texas agency that regulates funerals imploded. What happened?” Houston Chronicle’s Sarah Smith – The filing cabinet sat by the window framing downtown Austin for months — locked, heavy, unyielding. No key fit. And no one who worked in the office of the state agency that polices the business of death knew what was inside.
Until one afternoon in May, when the watchdog agency’s new lawyer, longtime Texas government attorney Christopher Burnett, strode toward it, clutching a hammer and a screwdriver.
The Texas Funeral Service Commission’s other lawyer, Sarah Sanders, then 33 years old, stood behind him, watching closely.
“It was like, finally,” she said later. “Finally, things are gonna get done around here.”
Burnett leaned over the filing cabinet, jammed the screwdriver into its seam and brought the hammer down.
The drawers groaned. Sanders held her breath.
Burnett hit the screwdriver again.
The drawers opened, just an inch.
They peered inside. Papers.
Burnett began skimming the stacks. He instructed Sanders: Take them out and figure out what’s going on.
She put them on a cart and wheeled them to her office and set them up in piles atop her fluffy white rug.
(HOU CHRON)
“Texas education board approves 4,200 corrections in Bible-infused curriculum” Texas Tribune’s Jaden Edison – The Texas Education Agency received final approval Wednesday evening for roughly 4,200 corrections and changes to its elementary and secondary school curriculum.
Voting 9-6, the State Board of Education approved the changes to Bluebonnet Learning after delaying a vote in January. Members had said they needed more time to review copyright concerns, formatting errors and typos.
On Wednesday, some board members questioned whether the errors indicated a need to change Texas’ review process for learning materials, while others asked the education agency to provide an estimate of the corrections’ cost to taxpayers. Texans will bear the financial burden of the corrections because the education agency developed the materials using state funding.
(TX TRIB)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
“Dallas’ affordable housing supply is evaporating, report finds” Texas Tribune’s Joshua Fechter – Dallas rents are getting less affordable It’s getting tougher for lower-income families to afford to live in the state’s third-largest city.
The supply of homes affordable for less affluent families in Dallas has evaporated in recent years as the Dallas-Fort Worth region has boomed, a report released this month by the nonprofit Child Poverty Action Lab shows. Single parents, older adults and renters of color in particular have felt the pinch from higher rents — even as those rents have cooled.
“It’s hard to be a renter in Dallas,” said Ashley Flores, the Dallas-based organization’s housing chief who co-authored the report. “We have a serious shortage of affordable rental units for very low-income households.”
It’s a microcosm of the broader housing affordability problems facing Texas. Though the state builds more homes than any other state, it hasn’t built enough to meet demand — driving home prices and rents upward as the state has grown.
(TX TRIB)
“North Texas suburb will stay in region’s largest public transit system for now” Texas Tribune’s KERA News – Leaders in a North Texas suburb have decided to call off the election to potentially withdraw from Dallas Area Rapid Transit — the region’s largest public transit system — after reaching a deal with the agency.
On Monday, the Plano City Council voted unanimously to cancel the May 2 election that would have let voters decide to stay in or leave DART.
Rick Horne, Plano Deputy Mayor Pro Tem, reminded residents at the meeting that the city’s effort was about improving the agency. “What we have is good, it’s not perfect, but it’s a starting point,” Horne said.
The council also voted to repeal an earlier resolution supporting capping DART’s tax revenue collections.
(TX TRIB)
TEXANS IN DC
“U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales says he won’t resign despite explicit texts with staffer” Texas Tribune’s Gabby Birenbaum – Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, said Tuesday he will not resign in the wake of the release of explicit text messages between him and his former aide, who died after lighting herself on fire last year.
“I am not going to resign,” Gonzales told CNN Tuesday. “I work every day for the people of Texas, and there will be opportunity for all the details and facts. What you’ve seen is not all the facts.”
Gonzales did not address the accuracy of the text messages released Monday which show Gonzales pressing his former staffer to send him a “sexy pic” over her objections that he was going “too far.”
He has previously denied rumors he was having an affair with the former staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, but has not commented this week since his texts went public and since Santos-Aviles’ husband started speaking out.
(TX TRIB)
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
“The border wall is closing in on Big Bend, sparking opposition by locals” via Texas Tribune – Plans for a border wall through the Big Bend region of West Texas are raising alarms among residents and elected officials.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection intends to build border barriers throughout this remote region of Texas that encompasses ranchland, small towns and a cherished state and national park.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security waived 28 laws for environmental protection and historical and archeological preservation to expedite construction in a more than 150-mile stretch from Fort Quitman in Hudspeth County to Colorado Canyon in Big Bend Ranch State Park. An online map posted by CBP indicates that “smart wall” construction is planned both within the state park and in neighboring Big Bend National Park.
Historically, the number of people crossing unauthorized into the United States in this region has been low, but the proposed wall has sparked concerns about its impact on the environment, local communities, and the region’s unique cultural and natural heritage.
(TX TRIB)
BUSINESS NEWS
“Used electric vehicle batteries find new life bolstering the Texas grid” Texas Tribune’s Inside Climate News – In the midday hours, prices plummet. An excess of energy produced across Texas, largely due to the state’s solar and wind fleet, signals it’s a good time to buy. It’s then that 500 batteries, which once fueled General Motors’ electric vehicles, charge up.
The batteries, now in their second careers, are kept in staggered steel mesh containers, powered by electricity sent across miles and miles of transmission lines until it reaches a site just east of San Antonio.
Then, as renewable energy production across the state dips as night rolls into morning and Texas begins to draw more energy from dispatchable fossil fuels, these retired EV batteries can sell power back to the state’s electric grid when the price fits.
(TX TRIB)
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
> TX TRIB: “Rep. Veronica Escobar, two dozen Democrats call on ICE to close troubled El Paso detention camp“ TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: “Can Jasmine Crockett’s East Texas past give her an electoral boost in rural Texas?“ TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: “Jasmine Crockett leads James Talarico by double digits in Senate Democratic primary, poll finds“ TX TRIB
> EP TIMES: “Greg Abbott gets builders endorsement, continues on campaign trail“ EP TIMES
> HOU CHRON: “Spring man accused of secretly giving woman abortion drug to end her pregnancy“ HOU CHRON
> TX TRIB: “North Texas suburb will stay in region’s largest public transit system for now“ TX TRIB
> HOU CHRON: “Apple to double Houston footprint, open AI training center for small businesses“ HOU CHRON
> HOU CHRON: “Mexico shelter in place for U.S. citizens shrinks to two states“ HOU CHRON
> TPR: “What life looks like in Puerto Vallarta as the resort town recovers from cartel violence“ TPR
> EP TIMES: “He witnessed a migrant death at an ICE detention center, then was deported“ EP TIMES
EXTRA POINTS
Recent Texas sports scores:
Tues
> NBA: Dallas 123, Brooklyn 114
> NCAAM: #2 Arizona 87, Baylor 80
> NCAAM: #16 Texas Tech 80, Cincinnati 68
> NCAAM: TCU 90, Arizona St. 78
Wed
> NBA: Houston 128, Sacramento 97
> NBA: San Antonio 110, Toronto 107
> NHL: Dallas 4, Seattle 1
> NCAAM: #7 Florida 84, Texas 71
> NCAAM: #20 Arkansas 99, Texas A&M 84
> NCAAM: California 73, SMU 69
Thurs
> NBA: Sacramento 130, Dallas 121
> NBA: San Antonio 126, Brooklyn 110
> NBA: Houston 113, Orlando 108
Fri
> NBA: Memphis 124, Dallas 105
Sat
> NBA: Miami 115, Houston 105
> NHL: Dallas 3, Nashville 2
> NCAAM: #16 Texas Tech 82, #4 Iowa St. 73
> NCAAM: #5 Houston 102, Colorado 62
> NCAAM: Texas 76, Texas A&M 70
> NCAAM: Baylor 87, UCF 86
> NCAAM: TCU 77, Kansas St. 68
> NCAAM: Stanford 95, SMU 75
Sun
> NBA: Oklahoma City 100, Dallas 87
Tonight’s Texas sports schedule:
> 6pm: NBA: Houston at Washington
> 6pm: NBA: Houston at Washington
> 9pm: NHL: Dallas at Vancouver (ESPN+)
Tomorrow’s Texas sports schedule:
> 6pm: NBA: Dallas at Charlotte
> 6pm: NCAAM: TCU at #16 Texas Tech (FS1)
> 6pm: NCAAM: Kentucky at Texas A&M (ESPN2)
> 7pm: NBA: San Antonio at Philadelphia (NBC)
> 8pm: NHL: Dallas at Calgary (ESPN+)