A federal judge is fining Texas Health and Human Services officials $100,000 dollars per day for failing to investigate abuse and neglect allegations in the foster care system in a timely manner. 

Advocates are pointing to new pictures and videos filmed inside two temporary housing locations for some Texas foster children as evidence that longstanding issues in the state's child welfare system persist.

Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Offseason additions made the path to playing time more difficult for the South Oak Cliff product. Texas Longhorns redshirt freshman edge Billy Walton will enter the NCAA transfer portal with the spring window opens, he told On3 on Monday. BREAKING: Texas EDGE Billy Walton III plans to enter the Transfer Portal, he tells @on3sportsThe 6’3 230 EDGE from South Oak Cliff, TX will have 4 years of eligibility remaining Held 20+ offers out of High School https://t.co/uhPQpE5zYz pic.twitter.com/O2vaNqNZ3E— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 15, 2024 Walton originally received his offer from Texas back in January 2022, but opted to commit to Oklahoma State days after a visit to Stillwater in April. The Longhorns kept recruiting Walton, however, securing the only other official visit other than the Cowboys and did enough to convince the consensus three-star prospect to remain in his home state after Walton decommitted from Oklahoma State days before joining the Texas class in late June. As a junior, Walton was a standout for the 5A-DII state champions, producing 12 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, and 55 tackles at South Oak Cliff, helping him earn over 20 offers, including Nebraska, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, among others. As a senior, Walton turned in an outstanding season, recording 100 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, and two interceptions. When Walton signed with the Longhorns as a member of the 2023 recruiting class, he was as a consensus three-star prospect ranked as the No. 506 player nationally and the No. 49 edge, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. During the 2023 season, Walton appeared in games against Wyoming and Baylor, playing 15 total snaps and recording one assisted tackle. The offseason additions of former UTSA standout Trey Moore, the AAC Defensive Player of the Year, and consensus five-star prospect Colin Simmons, the No. 2 edge in the 2024 recruiting class, made a path to playing time more difficult for the 6’3, 229-pounder. Two other Texas players — redshirt freshman offensive lineman Payton Kirkland and redshirt freshman linebacker S’Maje Burrell — also plan to enter the portal with the end of spring practice looming next Saturday with the annual Orange-White game.

A long-running music festival dedicated to feeding hungry families in Central Texas is aiming to host its biggest bash yet. The Austin Reggae Festival is returning to Auditorium Shores from April 19-21.