JQJO — Latest news · Page 329

Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker earned Associated Press national player of the week honors after leading the Cowboys to a stunning 39-31 victory over No. 6 Oregon. Entering the matchup as 24.5-point underdogs, Oklahoma State snapped a 21-game losing streak against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents. Mestemaker set the tone on the game's opening play with a 75-yard rushing touchdown. The North Texas transfer finished the contest completing 26 of 43 pass attempts for 317 yards and two touchdowns while adding 109 rushing yards and another score on six carries. His performance marked the first time an Oklahoma State quarterback surpassed 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a single game since 2022. Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith finished as the weekly runner-up after recording 164 receiving yards and a touchdown in a narrow 24-23 loss to Texas, moving him within striking distance of the school's all-time receiving yardage record.

Conserve Big Bend and regional landowners sued the federal government in Marfa, Texas, seeking to halt Trump administration border wall construction through fragile desert terrain. Plaintiffs challenge executive waivers bypassing environmental, archaeological, and wildlife statutes for infrastructure along the Rio Grande. Homeland Security cites high illegal entry rates requiring rapid physical deterrence and surveillance deployment. The $46 billion southern border initiative spans roughly 2,000 miles of bollard walls and vehicle barriers. Local ranchers, heritage specialists, and bipartisan county officials argue standardized wilderness construction destroys fragile arroyos, blocks wildlife corridors, and violates property heritage. David Keller, a local archaeologist, stated federal planners underestimated community attachment to the landscape. Executive waiver authorities under Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act routinely override NEPA and endangered species protections. Litigation tests executive power bounds against localized conservation resistance. Judicial proceedings remain pending in federal district court without preliminary injunction rulings issued yet.