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Texas advances to Big 12 title game with COVID-19 forcing Kansas out

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MARCH 11: Kai Jones #22 of the Texas Longhorns battles Kevin McCullar #15 and Terrence Shannon Jr. #1 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders for a rebound during the quarterfinal game of the Big 12 basketball tournament at the T-Mobile Center on March 11, 2021 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)With COVID-19 forcing Kansas out of the Big 12 Tournament, Texas automatically lands a spot in the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship game. Due to a positive COVID-19 test this morning within #KUbball, the Jayhawks have withdrawn from the 2021 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship. More ➝ https://t.co/2LvytsF9HN pic.twitter.com/TPUvUpEtUa — Kansas Basketball (@KUHoops) March 12, 2021“Obviously we are disappointed and our players are disappointed that they can’t continue to compete for the Big 12 Championship,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said in the school’s official press release. I look forward to preparing my team in probably a unique way for next week’s NCAA Tournament.”AdTexas will now play in the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship to be played Saturday against either Baylor or Oklahoma State.

Texas Longhorns fire head football coach Tom Herman

Texas coach Tom Herman watches from the sideline during the first half of the team's Alamo Bowl NCAA college football game against Colorado, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)The Texas Longhorns fired football coach Tom Herman after four seasons, the the University of Texas announced Saturday. While we have made measured progress during the past several years under Tom Herman’s leadership, Chris has recommended to the university president, Jay Hartzell, that UT make a coaching change to get us on track to achieving our ambitious goals. “President Hartzell and the chair of our Board of Regents, Kevin Eltife, concur with this recommendation and have approved the change. We thank Coach Herman for his service and dedication to our student-athletes, our program and our university.”Prior to his stint as the head football coach at the University of Texas, Herman served as the head football coach at the University of Houston from 2015 to 2016.

Texas RBs pile up 311 yards, 6 TDs, clobber K-State 69-31

(AP) – Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson combined for 311 rushing yards and six touchdowns and Texas beat Kansas State 69-31 on Saturday afternoon. Robinson scored on runs of 12, 30 and 75 yards Saturday. “I knew it would take time to learn to get a feel for the game,” Robinson said. “Credit to Texas because they were ready to play today,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said. “I’m excited about that and for our players to send them out with another winning season,” Herman said.

Local UT student wins $10,000 from Chipotle TikTok challenge

HOUSTON – A University of Texas student from Houston won $10,000 from Chipotle for a TikTok video. Faith Bang shared her customized order on TikTok, apart from the social media campaign “Chipotle Royalty,” featuring the item on the restaurant’s digital menu. In the TikTok video, Bang illustrated that she spent the last $8 of the $12 in her checking account on a burrito bowl. Her go-to order, dubbed the Bang Bowl, includes carnitas, ½ white rice, ½ brown rice, fajitas, fresh tomato salsa, extra roasted chili-corn salsa, cheese, lettuce and tortilla on the side. To see the video that snatched the $10,000 Chipotle challenge, click here.

Judiciary Committee sets Oct. 22 vote on Amy Coney Barrett over Democratic objections

Judge Amy Coney Barrett, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, poses during a meeting with U.S. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday scheduled an Oct. 22 vote on whether to approve Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court in a rowdy hearing in which Democrats made procedural objections and said the rush to confirm the nominee was unprecedented. Barrett is expected to be confirmed by the committee by a party line vote, with all 12 Republicans in her favor and 10 Democrats opposed. Democratic senators tried in vain to derail Thursday's committee hearing. Barrett's confirmation to the Supreme Court will give the nine-member panel its sixth Republican appointee and its third Trump pick, shifting the balance of the court further in favor of Republicans.

cnbc.com

Rockets forward P.J. Tucker inducted into Texas Longhorns Hall of Honor

HOUSTON Houston Rockets forward P.J. Tucker has been inducted into the Texas Longhorns Hall of Honor, according to an announcement from the university. Congratulations to our latest inductees into the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor! https://t.co/5BxNdzgEat pic.twitter.com/Vxuad3K87u Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) August 26, 2020Tucker played for the Longhorns from 2003-2006, averaging 13.4 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game for the Longhorns. Tucker signed a 4-year, $32 million contract with the Houston Rockets in 2017, and has started 32 playoff games for Houston.

UT moving ahead with 25% capacity for home games. What to know about Texas college football this year

Heres where some of the biggest Texas conference schools stand. Many athletics officials initially seized on that number, including University of Texas at Austin Athletics Director Chris Del Conte. At Texas Tech University, officials are capping stadium capacity at 25%. The Big 12 Conference which includes Baylor University, Texas Christian University, Texas Tech and the No. Disclosure: Texas A&M, Baylor University, Texas Christian University, Texas Tech University and the University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

What losing football to COVID-19 would mean for Texas college towns: "Its like losing Christmas"

Texas five major conference football teams Baylor University, Texas Christian University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and the University of Texas at Austin are massive economic drivers for their cities of Waco, Fort Worth, College Station, Lubbock and Austin, respectively, generating a flood of seasonal business for hotels, restaurants and bars in a typical year. Across Texas, university leaders have supported allowing football to move forward if conference division leaders allow it. We want to play football in the fall, said Texas A&M System John Sharp in a statement to The Texas Tribune on Monday. For college towns, its like losing Christmas, Berg said. Disclosure: Baylor University, Sam Houston State University, Texas A&M University, Texas Christian University, Texas Tech University and University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

Here are the COVID-19 protocols in place for 16 Texas universities and colleges ahead of the fall semester

Baylor UniversityBaylor is still planning to begin its fall semester on August 24th with strict guidelines in place, and is planning to end the fall semester the first week of December, which is a couple of weeks earlier than usual. Houston Community CollegeHouston Community Colleges fall semester will begin August 24th, but all classes will meet remotely for the first six weeks. Southern Methodist UniversitySMU has outlined its plan for maintaining a healthy environment with its Mustang Strong: Safe Return to Campus guide. Texas Southern UniversityAccording to Texas Southerns COVID-19 guide, classes will begin on August 19th online and continue that way through at least September 14th. Texas State UniversityLike the University of Texas, Texas State is also asking its students to quarantine for 14 days before returning to campus.

Texas college football is limiting stadium capacity, mandating masks and testing athletes. Heres what you need to know.

Many athletics officials seized on that number, including UT-Austin Athletics Director Chris Del Conte as recently as last week. At Texas Tech University, officials are also looking at capping stadium capacity at 25%. The Texas Tech athletics department is projecting a loss of $14.1 million from interrupted ticket sales and other pandemic-related expenses, athletics director Kirby Horcutt has said. The Big 12 Conference which includes Baylor University, Texas Christian University, Texas Tech and the No. Disclosure: Texas A&M, Baylor University, Texas Christian University, Texas Tech University and University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

University of Texas at Austin announces plans for COVID-19 testing as students return to campus for fall semester

AUSTIN, Texas The University of Texas at Austin has announced its plan to test up to 5,000 members of the UT community each week for COVID-19 using a strategic, scientific-based approach. The University of Texas at Austin is preparing for thousands of students to return to campus beginning Aug. 24. Clinical testing done at University Health Services and UT Health Austin will be billed to the individuals insurance plan. Additionally, the university plans to subsidize the costs for the tests for uninsured students tested at University Health Services to eliminate out-of-pocket expenses. The letter also revealed that UT Health Austin will explore the use of federal programs to help cover the cost for employees who are uninsured.

Houston Texan and former UT player demands change at UT

The Eyes of Texas is a University of Texas tradition. Replacing the song is among the changes school athletes are calling for. I commend these guys that they band together as brothers, and they found a way they can make a change, Omenihu said. I think the university has talked enough, i think the coaches have talked enough, Omenihu said. Student athletes at UT are also asking the universitys athletic department donate a half percentage of its earnings to civil rights organizations.

Heres how people reacted to the possibility of UT dropping The Eyes of Texas

A group of University of Texas at Austin athletes are calling on their institution to change the school spirit song from the The Eyes of Texas to one without racist undertones. The Eyes of Texas which plays at football games and other sports events at the university was once performed at minstrel shows. A two-page letter to the university was shared by dozens of Longhorns athletes on their social media accounts. Among all issues which the Texas athletes want to be resolved, their request to drop The Eyes of Texas got the most chatter. Heres what people against the change had to say about the athletes request:Why cancel Eyes of Texas?

Texas athletes: Rename buildings, drop The Eyes of Texas

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) A group of University of Texas football players and athletes across several sports called on the school Friday to rename several campus buildings, change the traditional school song and donate a percentage of athletic department revenue to organizations supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Dozens of football players marched with coach Tom Herman last week from the campus stadium to the state Capitol in honor of Floyd. The letter also called for Texas to stop using its traditional song The Eyes of Texas, which has been criticized for its connection to minstrel shows with characters in blackface in the early 1900s. The group also wants a portion of Royal-Memorial Stadium to be named after Julius Whittier, the first black varsity football player at Texas. Texas has previously attempted to address issues surrounding some of the Confederate figures and racist policies in its history.

Can UV light kill coronavirus on playgrounds?

HOUSTON Based on scientific evidence, UV light can kill a variety of viruses. So can the sun kill the novel coronavirus on frequently touched outdoor play equipment? We do know that UV light kills viruses on environmental surfaces. This means, UV light won't kill the virus in or on your body, that's why washing your hands is your best defense and if you get it, no UV light machine can reverse that. Since its well known that UV light has been shown to destroy SARS and MERS, which are other types of coronaviruses, the best information we have to go by is that UV rays will probably also kill the novel coronavirus on surfaces like slides and swings.

No more driving around aimlessly looking for toilet paper

HOUSTON – Since the coronavirus outbreak began, it has been difficult to find some things at grocery stores. There are empty shelves where the toilet paper used to be, no paper towels or certain food items. Their website InStok can check the inventory at stores near you like Target, WalMart, Sam’s Club and others. You just type in the item you’re looking for along with your zip code (and turn on your location on your phone) and the site will show you stores that have what you’re looking for. Still, it may be better than just driving around cold.

Senator Romney to vote for Trump impeachment trial witnesses

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) is pursued by reporters prior to the resumption of the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senator Mitt Romney on Friday will vote in favor of allowing witnesses to testify in the Senates impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, his spokeswoman said. Senators are expected to decide later on Friday whether to call for witnesses in the trial as urged by Democrats, or to reject their testimony and end the trial, which Trump has urged.

feeds.reuters.com

'Increasingly likely' Republican senators to back call for Bolton to testify: Romney

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) is pursued by reporters in the Senate subway as he arrives for the fourth day of the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Erin ScottWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator Mitt Romney said on Monday that it was increasingly likely at least four Republican senators would join Democrats in calling for John Bolton, the former White House national security adviser, to testify in the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump. The New York Times cited an unpublished manuscript by Bolton that said Trump told him he wanted to freeze security aid to Ukraine until its officials helped probe Democrats, including Joe Biden, the former U.S. vice president and one of the candidates seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. I think its increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton, Romney told reporters when asked if four Republicans might break ranks to support Democrats in their call for trial witnesses.

feeds.reuters.com

Trump pushing nations for Biden probe is 'wrong and appalling': Romney

FILE PHOTO: U.S.Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) speaks at a news conference about the Tobacco to 21 Act, which would raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products and e-cigarettes to 21, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2019. REUTERS/Aaron P. BernsteinWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator and former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said on Friday it was wrong and appalling for President Donald Trump to push other nations to investigate former Vice President and Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden. When the only American citizen President Trump singles out for Chinas investigation is his political opponent in the midst of the Democratic nomination process, it strains credulity to suggest that it is anything other than politically motivated, Romney said on Twitter. By all appearances, the presidents brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is wrong and appalling.

feeds.reuters.com