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Blinn offers opportunity to study abroad

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The Blinn College District invites students to soak up the sights and sounds of Granada, Spain, by participating in a study abroad opportunity taking place May 27 through June 24, 2023. Blinn is partnering with Arcos Learning Abroad to offer students an unforgettable chance to learn the Spanish language and immerse themselves in the culture of one of Spain’s most ancient and diverse cities.

County Fair Country Store showcases talent

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The Austin County Fair Country Store will offer a variety of gifts for friends, family and seasonal decorators. Shoppers will find unique items for everyone to enjoy within the store located in the Expo Building. Also, t-shirts and caps commemorating the fair’s 95th anniversary will be available. The 2022 Country Store pledges to delight buyers and sellers alike.

TPWD requests ideas on freshwater fish habitat

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The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Inland Fisheries Division requests ideas from angling organizations, local governments, non-governmental organizations, river authorities and tribal organizations on freshwater fish habitat and shoreline-based angler access improvement projects to be completed in public waters statewide during fiscal years 20242025.

Foundation to provide free legal services

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The Texas Access to Justice Foundation, the state’s largest funding source for civil legal aid, today announced it received an additional $20 million in funding from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs to continue the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. TAJF was awarded the first $20 million in August 2021 to help Texans access legal help with housing issues experienced during the pandemic.

TMA urges district court to protect patient access

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The Texas Medical Association (TMA) announced it has filed a new lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, challenging certain portions of the Aug. 26 final rules implementing the federal No Surprises Act (NSA). This is the second time in less than a year TMA has filed a lawsuit against federal agencies related to rulemaking under the law. At issue are the rules affecting how payment disputes are resolved in certain situations in which the patient receives care from a physician or provider who is out of the insurance plan’s network. The payment disputes occur between health insurers and physicians or providers; patients are not affected or included. TMA is arguing that the challenged provisions of the final rule deprive physicians and providers of the arbitration process the law intended.

Lawsuit dismissed against assistant

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A Texas judge has ruled that the Texas State Bar’s lawsuit against First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster violates the separation of powers secured by the Texas Constitution. In so ruling, the judge granted the office of the Attorney General’s plea to the jurisdiction and dismissed the state bar’s meritless and politically-motivated disciplinary charges against Webster. The office of the Attorney General argued in its motion that the bar’s attempt to unduly influence the office in the exercise of its constitutional powers is not only improper, but also violates Texas law. The specially- assigned Judge John Youngblood, agreed, stating in his ruling: “[T] he separation-of-powers doctrine deprives this Court of subject-matter jurisdiction. To hold otherwise would stand for a limitation of the Attorney General’s broad power to file lawsuits on the State’s behalf, a right clearly supported by the Texas Constitution and recognized repeatedly by the Texas Supreme Court.”