TDA Supports the Producers and Pollinators That Keep Texas Agriculture Thriving AUSTIN Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller spoke at the 2025 Texas Beekeepers Association Annual Convention today in Waco, Texas in support of local beekeepers and honey producers. The event is the premier event in the state highlighting beekeepers and honey producers. “Texas beekeepers are a vital part of our agricultural economy, but they’re also on the front lines of protecting the pollinators that keep our entire food system thriving,” said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. “Their bees’ hard work sustains Texas agriculture. I’m proud to join this year’s convention and let our producers know that TDA stands with them, in the field, the market, and at the Capitol. I was honored to get to spend some time with these key players who make Texas agriculture strong.” Over the past decade, the Texas Department of Agriculture has demonstrated strong and consistent support for the beekeeping community. Through federal Specialty Crop Block Grant funds, TDA has awarded the Texas Beekeepers Association more than $300,000 to strengthen honey production and pollinator health across the state. TDA will also soon award $100,000 to Texas A&M AgriLife to establish a Texas Bee Testing Center, a significant step forward in disease detection and colony protection. Additionally, honey and honey-related products generated over $60,000 in sales at this year’s State Fair of Texas, showcasing the growing consumer demand for Texas-made honey goods. According to Texas A&M AgriLife, Texas beekeepers produced more than 4 million pounds of honey this season, worth nearly $9 million at market prices averaging $2. 24 a pound the strongest output the state has seen in years. The Texas Beekeepers Association is the statewide professional organization that serves and promotes the bee-related industries of Texas. Founded in 1880, this organization has been a core part of the Texas agriculture industry and a trusted partner of TDA. Their Annual Convention is the largest honey-focused gathering in Texas and allows local producers to learn about new innovations and connect with their peers from across the state. “Texas has a long and proud history of honey production and beekeeping,” Miller explained. “Today’s beekeepers are facing real challenges, like disease, rising costs, and challenging weather conditions. That is why TDA is committed to doing everything we can to support them.”.
https://kilgorenewsherald.com/2025/11/24/commissioner-miller-addresses-texas-beekeepers-association-convention/
Tag Archives: commissioner
NCAA won’t allow athletes or athletic department staff to bet on pro sports after gambling scandals hit NBA and college teams
The move follows a string of high-profile gambling cases that have raised questions about the integrity of competition in college and pro sports. In late October, an NBA coach and player were arrested in a takedown of two sprawling gambling operations, and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was accused of exploiting private information about players to win bets on NBA games. The NCAA announced two weeks ago that it was revoking the eligibility of six men’s basketball players over allegations of sports betting. And on Friday, the NCAA said former Temple guard Hysier Miller placed dozens of bets on Owls games, including some against his team. The rule change to allow gambling on pro sports would have taken effect on Nov. 1, but under a rarely used rule, each Division I school was given 30 days to vote to rescind the proposal, since it was adopted by less than 75% of the DI cabinet. More than two-thirds of DI members needed to vote to stop the rule change, and that number was reached on Friday. The 30-day period would have ended Saturday. Even if the rule had passed, athletes and athletic department staff would have continued to be banned from any betting on NCAA events. The vote by DI members also applies to Divisions II and III, which had also been poised to allow gambling on pro sports. Such bets will continue to be banned at all three levels. Late last month, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey sent a note to NCAA President Charlie Baker expressing concerns about the rule change. The two members of the DI cabinet from the SEC had voted in favor of allowing pro sports betting. NCAA enforcement caseloads involving sports betting violations have increased in recent years. There are at least another dozen cases currently being investigated.
https://fortune.com/2025/11/22/ncaa-athletes-athletic-department-staff-betting-pro-sports-gambling-scandals-nba-college-teams/
LISTEN: Unhinged voicemail exposes left-wing candidate’s death threats against GOP senator
Freshman Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., was targeted with death threats and other extreme insults by a left-wing city commissioner candidate from Montana’s capital city of Helena. The candidate called his office several weeks ago, leaving a voicemail expressing her thoughts about the Republican senator.
The voicemail came in July, shortly after Sheehy voted with his Republican colleagues to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a sweeping tax and spending package from Republicans that angered many Democrats—including Helena city commissioner candidate Haley McKnight—following its passage.
“Hi, this is Haley McKnight. I’m a constituent in Helena, Montana,” McKnight began in the voicemail, a recording of which was obtained and verified by Fox News Digital.
“I just wanted to let you know that you are the most insufferable kind of coward and thief. You just stripped away healthcare for 17 million Americans, and I hope you’re really proud of that. I hope that one day you get pancreatic cancer, and it spreads throughout your body so fast that they can’t even treat you for it.”
The anger did not stop there. During the roughly minute-long voicemail, which phone logs reportedly show came in on the afternoon of July 1, McKnight directed further insults toward Sheehy’s fertility and his children. She also warned the senator not to “meet me on the streets.”
“I hope you die in the street like a dog,” McKnight continued. “One day, you’re going to live to regret this. I hope that your children never forgive you. I hope that you are infertile. I hope that you manage to never get a boner ever again. You are the worst piece of sh– I have ever, ever, ever had the misfortune of looking at. God forbid that you ever meet me on the streets because I will make you regret it. F you. I hope you die.”
McKnight added that Sheehy doesn’t “serve Montanans,” but rather just his “own private interests. All that you have done since you have gotten into power is do sh– for yourself.”
### Background on Haley McKnight
Originally from North Carolina, McKnight now lives and works in Montana. She owns a small business called Sage & Oats Trading Post, which she describes as “a successful Native American-owned gift store” on her campaign website. Additionally, she runs a consulting and design business named Morningstar Design Ltd Co and serves as president and a board member of the Helena Young Professionals group.
McKnight is also a recipient of the Helena Chamber’s 20 under 40 award.
On her campaign website, McKnight states, “I am always ready to stand up for what I believe and challenge the status quo,” listing priorities such as housing for all, better governmental transparency, increased funding for public art and music, and more accessible streets and downtown living.
In an interview with a local news outlet, McKnight highlighted her past volunteer work for the Obama campaign as well as more recent involvement in Democrat candidate Steve Held’s campaign for Congress, though Held did not advance past the primary.
Public campaign donation records reviewed by Fox News Digital show that McKnight has donated to multiple Democratic candidates.
### Political Campaign
The Helena city commissioner race, traditionally nonpartisan, marks McKnight’s first time running for political office. She was originally one of five declared nonpartisan candidates before advancing to the November general election after finishing third in a nonpartisan primary in September.
### McKnight’s Response
“I’m a constituent, and I was responding to some horrible policy with some justified rage,” McKnight told Fox News Digital about the voicemail when reached for comment.
She expressed disappointment that Sheehy leaked her information to conservative news media the night before an election, calling it “a cheap shot.” She added, “I’m one of his constituents, and … this message is nothing that I’d say to my grandmother or in front of any children; it was meant for Senator Sheehy alone.”
McKnight also said it was “laughable” that this is how Sheehy responds to constituent voicemails. She added, “I also would have thought that somebody from the armed forces could have handled some tough language.”
Sheehy is a former Navy SEAL who was shot while deployed in Afghanistan.
McKnight further explained she was simply trying to “convey the gravity of the situation” with the voicemail and denied any intention to threaten Sheehy.
In an interview with the National Review, McKnight said she “obviously” had no intent of hurting Sheehy, stating, “I couldn’t, I’m a woman. I wanted to drive home the struggles that people that I know are going through because of his policies.”
She acknowledged that some people were shocked by her voicemail’s specificity but maintained that these issues affect people in her community.
McKnight also criticized Sheehy for focusing too much on blocking the release of “the Epstein files” rather than understanding the struggles Montanans face.
When pressed on whether she stood by her rhetoric from the voicemail—particularly after public officials from both sides have called to deescalate political rhetoric—she declined to comment.
“I have received numerous death and rape threats since this story has been published,” McKnight said. “My business is being threatened at the moment because of the actions of the senator,” referring to Sheehy’s decision to make her voicemail public.
Calling the situation “completely politically motivated,” McKnight concluded, “It’s a cheap shot the night before an election … the only thing left I have to say is release the Epstein files.”
### Additional Comments
Montana has no major statewide elections this year.
To the National Review, McKnight added that seeing Sheehy “throw away what Montanans need and want for his own betterment is enough to make me, yeah, want to fight him on site. I’ll gladly say that, because I think in the time of rising fascism, we shouldn’t be afraid to say these things.”
When asked if she thought her voicemail went too far, McKnight said no. She shared that she has had friends die of pancreatic cancer due to lack of access to care.
“This is a man who’s so rich that he’s never, ever going to have to deal with that problem,” McKnight said.
In her comments to Fox News Digital, she also recalled a friend who died from pancreatic cancer “because he couldn’t afford to treat it.”
—
The incident underscores the increasing tensions in political discourse and highlights the challenges lawmakers and constituents face in navigating passionate disagreements without resorting to threats or violence.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/unhinged-voicemail-exposes-left-wing-candidates-death-threats-against-gop-senator
Rich Township employee back home after being stranded in Jamaica without life-saving medication
CHICAGO (WLS) — A Cook County official is set to be welcomed home in Chicago on Sunday after a life-threatening ordeal in Jamaica.
Trinette Britt-Johnson, chief of staff to Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan, spent days without her kidney transplant medication while Hurricane Melissa shut down airports. The hurricane made it impossible for her to receive the crucial medication she needed.
Cook County Commissioner Kisha McCaskill led a team to ensure Britt-Johnson’s medication was delivered and that she could return home safely.
On Sunday, Britt-Johnson will publicly thank the officials, medical teams, and community members who came together to help save her life.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. [Click here to watch](#).
**Previous coverage:**
Rich Township employee stranded in Jamaica without life-saving medication after Hurricane Melissa
https://abc7chicago.com/post/rich-township-employee-trinette-britt-johnson-back-chicago-being-stranded-jamaica-kidney-medication/18103397/
Man arrested for using derogatory language against Hindu deities
**Man Arrested for Using Derogatory Language Against Hindu Deities**
*By Snehil Singh | October 5, 2025, 5:31 PM*
The Delhi Police have arrested a 26-year-old man for allegedly using derogatory language against Hindu deities and police personnel. The accused, identified as Mohammad Shamshad Alam, was apprehended on Saturday in Southwest Delhi after a video of his remarks went viral on social media.
The arrest followed a PCR call received at the Vasant Kunj (South) police station. A police team promptly reached the spot near Ruby Nursery, close to the Chhatarpur Metro station, where the incident took place.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel confirmed that the complainant, Ravi Kant, along with several members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), were present at the location. The viral footage showed Alam using abusive language targeting Hindu deities and police officers.
A case has been registered under Sections 196(1)(a) and 295 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Vasant Kunj (South) police station. Section 196(1)(a) addresses promoting enmity between groups based on religion or race, while Section 295 pertains to deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting religion or beliefs.
Further investigations into the matter are ongoing.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/india/delhi-man-arrested-for-abusing-hindu-deities-police-in-video/story