The developers of Colony Ridge‚ the controversial Texas community that has become a magnet for illegal immigrants‚ have used a powerful local government board to award more than $16 million in taxpayer funds to a private paving company with direct connections to family members‚ raising concerns about whether board members have benefitted from their positions. Colony Ridge developer William “Trey” Harris and others connected to the development sit on the board of a local government entity created on behalf of the development that has the power to tax residents and allocate taxpayer funds to address community needs. The board awarded taxpayer funds to a paving company with financial connections to the developers‚ according to public documents reviewed by The Daily Wire. The Daily Wire has previously reported on how the company’s marketing and lending operations appear to be geared towards attracting illegal immigrants‚ who have flocked to the rapidly growing development north of Houston. Amid outcry from various state and federal officials‚ including the entire Republican Congressional delegation from Texas‚ as well as investigations from media outlets including The New York Times and Fox News‚ Texas Governor Greg Abbott called for two special sessions of the Texas legislature to address issues pertaining to the development‚ where cheap plots of land are marketed exclusively in Spanish to individuals without a social security number. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has criticized local legislators‚ writing that two lawmakers were responsible for legislation that he says allowed Colony Ridge to “act virtually as its own city.” Paxton also said he was “beyond disappointed” in the two elected officials for “apparently working to enrich specific developers at enormous expense to the rest of the public and reducing the quality of life for their own constituents.” The scrutiny has been focused largely on Harris‚ who not only owns the Colony Ridge development but also leads the municipal management board overseeing Colony Ridge. READ MORE: Inside Colony Ridge: The ‘Fastest Growing Development’ In The U.S. Is A Magnet For Illegal Immigrants Documents reviewed by The Daily Wire show that the board unanimously voted to award multi-million dollar contracts to Liberty Paving LLC. Liberty Paving has direct ties to John Harris‚ who is Trey Harris’ brother and co-owns Colony Ridge with Trey Harris. John Harris is the president and director of T-Rex Management‚ the company that manages Liberty Paving. But Liberty Paving also has ties to another board member‚ Savannah Crihfield‚ who voted to award the company a multi-million dollar contract. Liberty Paving lists CH&;P Management as its registered agent‚ the entity that is usually compensated in return for receiving official documentation such as tax notices and court papers. Savannah Crihfield‚ the secretary of the management board that voted to award the contracts‚ is the president of CH&;P Management. Crihfield’s firm appears to be deeply intertwined with Colony Ridge — CH&;P is listed as the registered agent of Colony Ridge Development LLC and manages the development’s property owner’s association. What’s more‚ T-Rex Management Inc. and CH&;P Management LLC share the same address‚ according to business records. It appears that Crihfield is more than just a business associate of the Harris brothers — obituaries in the local newspaper indicate that Crihfield may be related to the developers. One obituary indicates that John and Trey Harris are siblings of Renae Neal‚ and another obituary identifies Crihfield as “Savannah Neal-Crihfield‚” listing her along with Renae Neal‚ John‚ Harris‚ and Trey Harris as “devoted family” of the deceased. Neither Crihfield nor the Harris brothers responded to inquiries on the relationship. Records show that the ties between Colony Ridge and Liberty Paving run deep. Liberty Paving’s publicly listed executive‚ Patrick Thiel‚ sits on the board of Colony Ridge’s utility board‚ which similarly has the ability to allocate tax revenues. Multi-million dollar contracts were awarded to Liberty Paving by the management board on at least two different occasions. A contract for more than $9.88 million with Liberty Paving was unanimously approved by the management board on September 12th‚ 2022. The minutes for the board meeting reflect that both Thiel and John Harris were in attendance. Liberty Paving was identified as a “low bidder” for the paving and drainage contract‚ although no other bidders were disclosed. The two boards — the utility board and municipal management board — have worked in the past year to merge into one entity. That process itself has been facilitated by agents of Colony Ridge. Just two months after the $9.88 million contract was approved‚ the two government boards unanimously voted to approve an “engagement letter” for “legislative work” with a legal firm to consolidate the two entities. The letter was presented by attorney Laken Jenkins Kilgore of law firm Coats Rose‚ which Colony Ridge developer Trey Harris has paid over $100‚000 for lobbying services. Both boards voted on the initiative on the same day‚ November 14th‚ 2022‚ with each passing unanimously. In the management board meeting‚ the motion to approve the engagement letter was initiated by Savannah Crihfield‚ while the motion in the corresponding utility board meeting  was initiated by the board’s president‚ Ryan Crihfield. Ryan is Savannah’s husband. Members of the two boards appear to have a close relationship. Management board meetings minutes from February 8th‚ 2021 state that Thiel‚ who is on the utility board‚ seconded management board business items even though he is not listed as a member on the management board. Roughly two months after both boards voted to approve their consolidation‚ a pay estimate to Liberty Paving for more than $2.08 million was unanimously approved by the management board of directors‚ though Savannah Crihfield was absent. Both Thiel and Ryan Crihfield were in attendance at the meeting. At a later meeting on March 27th‚ 2023‚ another contract was awarded to Liberty Paving‚ for over $6.1 million after the management board again voted unanimously to approve it. The same board also voted to approve four pay estimates to Liberty Paving totaling $4‚986‚446 according to published records from the same March 27th‚ 2023 meeting. Both Thiel and Ryan Crihfield were present at the March management board meeting‚ the minutes reported. The contracts amount to $16‚048‚227‚ with $7‚067‚029 thus far approved in the pay estimates. None of the meeting minutes record disclosures of conflicts of interest‚ or recusals by any of the voting members. The Colony Ridge management board‚ formally known as Liberty County Municipal Management District No. 1‚ was first created in 2017 when State Representative Ernest Bailes authored the resolution creating that district and passed it through the Texas State House. Bailes appears to be deeply financially intertwined with Colony Ridge. His campaign received $1‚800 from Colony Ridge developer Trey Harris. He also received $9‚000 from the political action committee associated with Entergy‚ the energy company that services the six subdivisions that comprise Colony Ridge. Bailes received an additional $7‚500 from the political action committee for Coats Rose‚ the law firm that provides legal services for the management board and was paid by Trey Harris for lobbying services. Liberty Paving’s Thiel‚ who is a member of the utility board‚ formerly worked as the principal of R&;T Ellis‚ the earthwork and clearing company that undertook a massive project for Colony Ridge after “Patrick Thiel at R&;T Ellis convinced Randy Ellis that this was a great project for them‚” according to an industry newsletter showcased by the company. Randy Ellis‚ who is a cousin of Bailes‚ owns R&;T Ellis. Bailes represents the area that includes Colony Ridge in the state legislature‚ and Ellis is one of his largest political donors. It is not clear that anyone other than Liberty Paving has benefitted from the management district awards. Trey Harris assured the public in a 2017 interview that money collected by the management board would not be used to enrich Colony Ridge‚ himself‚ or any of his associates. When asked whether the management board was being used to recoup money he put into the development‚ Harris said “not at all.” “The [management district] MMD that I am proposing will only help support the county with expenses associated with the growth within that MMD‚” Harris said‚ referencing Colony Ridge’s management board‚ adding that “absolutely no money” will be “going back to Colony Ridge or Trey Harris or any of my associates.” In order to be a member of either board‚ Texas law requires that an individual meet certain criteria that can include owning property within the district‚ or being the owner or agent of a company that owns property within the district. The Colony Ridge developer owns a substantial portion of land within the district. A representative of Trey Harris and John Harris did not respond to an interview request for this story. Crihfield and Thiel also did not return requests for comment. 

Three alleged terrorists were arrested Thursday in Denmark on suspicion of planning an attack directed at Jews‚ while another suspect was arrested in the Netherlands. According to the Israeli prime minister’s office‚ Israel’s Mossad foiled the attack that they said was planned against Jews in Denmark. The prime minister’s office said the terrorists were “acting on behalf of the terrorist organization Hamas” and that Mossad had “foiled an attack aimed at killing innocent citizens on European soil‚” according to Israel National News‚ adding‚ “In recent years‚ and even more so after the murderous attack on October 7‚ Hamas strives to expand its operational capabilities around the world and in Europe in particular in order to realize its ambitions to strike Israeli‚ Jewish‚ and Western targets at any cost.” “We work together with our partners in the intelligence and security bodies in Denmark on the successful countermeasures that culminated today with the carrying out of the arrests and the extensive exposure of Hamas infrastructure on European soil‚ and we see great importance in promoting the legal proceedings against those involved‚” the statement continued. “The terrorist organization Hamas works indiscriminately and in every way it can to expand its deadly activities to Europe‚ thus posing a threat to the internal security of these countries. The Mossad and the Shin Bet will continue to operate with their partners in Israel and around the world in order to thwart the intentions of Hamas and eliminate its capabilities.” “This is extremely serious‚” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in Brussels. “It is‚ of course — in relation to Israel and Gaza — completely unacceptable for someone to bring a conflict elsewhere in the world into Danish society. For a number of years now‚ we have seen that there are people living in Denmark who do not wish us well. Who are against our freedom and who are against Danish society‚ with all that it entails.” Earlier this week‚ the Netherlands announced raising their terrorism threat level to “substantial.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP In 2015‚ a 22-year-old Danish Muslim gunman killed one person and injured three police officers at a free speech debate in a café; he also murdered a Jewish man and wounded two police officers near Copenhagen’s main synagogue. The gunman had sworn allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Country star Luke Combs expressed his displeasure with a fan being sued for selling homemade drink tumblers with his face on them. A federal judge in Illinois ordered Florida-based fan Nicol Harness to pay the singer $250‚000 for copyright infringement after she was accused of using the singer’s likeness without his permission. Her case was part of a larger copyright infringement lawsuit. Per Tampa Bay’s local NBC affiliate‚ WFLA‚ Harness has congestive heart failure and “her only job is selling homemade tumblers and T-shirts through Amazon.” The fan said she purchased the artwork online and sold 18 tumblers for $20 each‚ making a total of $380. Harness told WFLA she didn’t find out about the $250‚000 judgment until she wasn’t able to withdraw money from her Amazon seller account‚ which had a balance of $5‚500. “It’s very stressful. I don’t have money to pay my bills‚” Harness told the outlet. “I just want this resolved. I didn’t mean any harm to Luke Combs. I quit selling the tumbler. I pulled it down. I just don’t understand.” Combs shared his feelings about the lawsuit in a video posted to Instagram Wednesday morning. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “I was completely and utterly unaware of this‚” the 33-year-old Combs said. The “Fast Car” singer explained how he’s working with a company that is taking on counterfeiters making “millions and millions of dollars” from using his image illegally‚ but he didn’t know about this fan specifically.  “Apparently this woman‚ Nicol‚ has gotten wrapped up into that and that makes me absolutely sick to my stomach‚” Combs continued. The singer said he was going to contact the fan and send her $11‚000 in an effort to make sure she “doesn’t have anything to worry about.” “It makes me sick‚ honestly‚ that this would happen‚ especially at the holidays. I can’t imagine being in her shoes‚” he said in the video. “She was never supposed to be involved in any of this‚ no fan should ever have to be involved in anything like this.” Combs also told his social media followers that he planned to fly Harness and her family out to meet him so he could apologize in person‚ and planned to sell a line of tumblers with the proceeds going to Harness’ medical bills.

The following is a transcript excerpt from episode 2 of Jonathan Pageau’s new series “End of the World.“ Now available on DailyWire+. The ancient Greeks had an interesting understanding of their world and it is an understanding which actually reflects itself in every culture. It’s not unique to the Greeks. It is the image of the center moving to the periphery. In the city of Delphi‚ the Greeks had something they called the “Omphalos‚” a holy stone considered to be the “belly button of the world.” That’s actually what it means. To them‚ this was the center of the world‚ or better yet‚ the center of their world. It bound them together as Hellenes‚ having the same language‚ worshiping the same gods‚ and even though they had conflict amongst themselves‚ there was something transcendent which bound them together nonetheless. As the Greeks would move away from their city‚ however‚ they would encounter people who were strangers‚ but were recognizable. They would form some kind of relationship with them. Because they shared a border‚ they could even understand them a little bit and they would trade with one another. But as they moved further out‚ they would encounter new groups of people and they really struggled to understand their language. That’s where the word “Barbarian” comes from. It’s the idea of hearing someone bark like a dog — not because they actually barked like a dog‚ but because they’re language was so far removed from the Greek language that they couldn’t understand what they were saying. “Bar‚ bar‚ bar‚ bar‚ bar‚” is what the Greeks would hear when they encountered the Scythians or other strangers further off. WATCH: Episode 2 of “End of the World” with Jonathan Pageau So‚ in the Greek vision of the world‚ as you move further and further away‚ then you start to encounter even stranger things. You would start to encounter humans who were not like us: humans who had the heads of dogs‚ humans who had no heads or a head in their chest or maybe humans with one large foot. They had this weird movement towards something like idiosyncrasy. At the end of the world‚ there were the Amazons‚ which were an upside down version of Greek culture‚ where the women were the warriors. The men didn’t have much of a place in their society‚ so it was an upside down reflection of their world. There are legends about Alexander the Great who‚ as he invaded the world and took more and more space‚ came to a place in the north called the Caspian Gates where he built a giant wall. That wall was meant to hold back all the monsters of the world on the other side. If you look at the descriptions of those monsters‚ you’ll see why they’re put behind the gate. Many of them were animal-human hybrids‚ they ate bugs‚ and were known to do very disturbing things. They broke all of the taboos. Because of that‚ they had to be fully excluded from the world. Now‚ the legend is that when we come to the end of this world‚ that’s when the Gates of Alexander‚ the Caspian Gates‚ will be broken and the hordes of Gog and Magog will flood into the world‚ playing a part in the destruction of the world. That image is a little story to help you understand what the “shape of a world” is. It’s very dramatic‚ of course‚ but there are many other smaller versions of this story. You can even see it in the Bible.  For those of you who know your Bible‚ you’ll notice that the first chapters in Genesis are actually quite similar to Alexander’s story. In the beginning‚ God puts Adam and Eve in a garden in a place of balance between nature and culture. Usually‚ this garden is actually seen as a mountain‚ a high place up above. Think of the mountain as something like a pyramid with a point at the top‚ which joins us all together. When Adam and Eve transgressed‚ they were chased down the mountain‚ out of the garden of paradise‚ and into the world. As you follow the story in Genesis you discover an increase in faults. When Cain kills his brother‚ he is chased even further down the mountain or further into the valley. Then‚ as Cain’s descendants develop‚ we get two things: On the one hand‚ we get an increase in civilization or power. The descendants of Cain founded the first city and all the things which represent civilization up to metallurgy‚ weapons‚ and the arts. So there is this increase in power‚ this increase in the setting of inside and outside‚ because that’s what a city is. Before that‚ there were no cities. So when Cain built the first city‚ he created this inside-outside identity. Some things were ejected and some things were on the inside. There’s also something else which happens during that time. Cain’s descendants start to mingle with the sons of God. Now‚ without getting into what exactly that means‚ it is important to understand that it is seen as a type of mixture‚ two things which don’t belong together start to mix together and become confused. These giants‚ these monsters that came about from the relationship between the sons of God and the daughters of men‚ brought about things like hybrid animals‚ that mixture of different identities of animals. As the civilization increased‚ confusion increased at the same time‚ and at some point‚ everything broke apart. You could say the walls crumbled and up came the waters. The waters of the flood invaded the world and that was the end of that world. Looking at the relationship between the Greek stories and the stories of the Bible‚ we can see how these types of descriptions can help us understand the shape of the world and how there is this relationship between power‚ civilization‚ control‚ and chaos. * * * Jonathan Pageau is a French Canadian icon carver‚ public speaker and YouTuber exploring the symbolic patterns that underlie our experience of the world‚ how these patterns emerge and come together‚ manifesting in religion‚ art and in popular culture. He’s also the editor of the Orthodox Arts Journal and host of the Symbolic World blog and podcast.

On Thursday‚ the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that a high school teacher who was fired for refusing to use pronouns that didn’t match a student’s biological sex could have his lawsuit against the local school board reinstated. Peter Vlaming taught French in the West Point School District for seven years. A female student claiming to be male had a new preferred name. Vlaming used the new preferred name but simply avoided using the student’s preferred pronouns. The school demanded he use the student’s preferred pronouns‚ even when the student was not present. “Peter went out of his way to accommodate this student as he does all his students; his school fired him because he wouldn’t contradict his core beliefs‚” Caleb Dalton of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) had noted. “The school board didn’t care how well Peter treated this student. It was on a crusade to compel conformity. He works hard to make his students feel welcomed. In his French class‚ he always calls his students by the name they choose. He even used the student’s preferred masculine name and was willing to avoid using pronouns in the student’s presence. He just didn’t want to be forced to use a pronoun that offends his conscience. That’s entirely reasonable‚ and it’s his constitutionally protected right. Tolerance‚ after all‚ is a two-way street.” “Peter wasn’t fired for something he said; he was fired for something he couldn’t say‚” Chris Schandevel of ADF stated after the lawsuit was reinstated. “The Virginia Supreme Court rightly agreed that Peter’s case against the school board for violating his rights under the Virginia Constitution and state law should proceed. As a teacher‚ Peter was passionate about the subject he taught‚ was well-liked by his students‚ and did his best to accommodate their needs and requests. But he couldn’t in good conscience speak messages that he doesn’t believe to be true‚ and no school board or government official can punish someone for that reason.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP The Virginia Supreme Court agreed that the Virginia Constitution “seeks to protect diversity of thought‚ diversity of speech‚ diversity of religion‚ and diversity of opinion‚” adding‚ “Absent a truly compelling reason for doing so‚ no government committed to these principles can lawfully coerce its citizens into pledging verbal allegiance to ideological views that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs.” “The West Point School Board violated that constitutional command when it tried to force Vlaming to endorse the school’s ideological viewpoints on gender identity‚” Schandevel stated. “And the Virginia Supreme Court rightly vindicated Vlaming’s right to stand by his convictions in its decision.”

Lawmakers in the Pennsylvania state House of Representatives have officially declared 2023 the year of Taylor Swift. House Resolution 282‚ which “recogniz[es] the year 2023 as the ‘Taylor Swift Era’ in Pennsylvania‚ was approved on December 13‚ which was also Swift’s 34th birthday. It passed 103-100. Most Republicans and a handful of Democrats voted against the measure. Speaker Rep. Joanna McClinton (D)‚ who is from Philadelphia County‚ responded to detractors by mimicking Swift’s lyrics and saying‚ “Haters gonna hate‚ hate‚ hate‚ hate‚ hate‚” per the Associated Press.  Swift was born and raised in West Reading‚ Pennsylvania. Her family moved to a suburb of Nashville when the pop star was 13 so she could pursue her dream of singing. The resolution was created to honor Swift’s contributions to the state. The measure declared that Swift has “transcended the role of pop star‚” and claims she “shines as a role model of courage‚ self acceptance and self-determination‚ persisting in the face of personal and professional obstacles and challenges.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Democratic Rep. Maureen Madden of Monroe County was a supporter of the resolution. She also mentioned how Swift has been mobilizing young fans to get register to vote. “I turn 64 years old today‚ and I think about who’s going to carry on our legacy. She’s not popular because she writes break-up songs‚” Madden said in defense of the resolution‚ per AP. “She’s popular because the largest demographic of people eligible to vote‚ the 18- to 24-year-old demographic‚ listens to her and does what she says.” Vote.org credited Swift in September for their largest voter registration day ever after she posted about it on her Instagram. “We saw a 1‚226% jump in participation the hour after Taylor Swift posted. Our site was averaging 13‚000 users every 30 minutes — a number that Taylor Swift would be proud of‚” Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey said at the time‚ as The Daily Wire previously reported.  Swift was private about her political leanings until 2018 when she began openly supporting Democratic candidates after facing public pressure for keeping them secret. The “Bad Blood” singer endorsed Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election.

A top Home Depot executive told a congressional panel Tuesday that the company is facing increasingly dangerous threats from shoplifting. Scott Glenn‚ head of loss prevention at Home Depot‚ said employees have been threatened with weapons and even been killed in some cases since 2020‚ when the company saw a “significant uptick” in workers coming into “violent contact with bad actors.” “Retailers are not exaggerating the problem‚” Glenn said during a hearing of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism‚ Law Enforcement and Intelligence. Overall‚ retailers across the country lost $112.1 billion due to theft last year‚ up from $93.9 billion in 2021 and $90.8 billion in 2020‚ according to this year’s National Retail Security Survey. “These individuals are becoming increasingly aggressive‚ they are dangerous‚ and often care little about any consequence other than getting out of the store with as much as possible‚” Glenn said. “I want to be very clear that we’re not talking about petty shoplifting. We’re talking about theft for greed‚ not theft for need.” In April‚ a Home Depot security guard in California was fatally shot by a woman who was stealing a phone charger and fled in a car driven by her boyfriend with her two-year-old child in the back seat. The victim‚ Blake Mohs‚ 26‚ was a Boy Scout leader and was engaged to marry his fiancée‚ Kasey. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Last year‚ an elderly Home Depot worker also died after a serial shoplifter shoved him down onto a concrete floor. The spike in organized retail crime has also forced Home Depot to lock up valuable products and hire off-duty cops‚ among other security measures‚ Glenn said. “There’s the myth that [organized retail crime] rings happen only in big cities. Unfortunately criminals don’t discriminate‚” Glenn said‚ saying this type of crime is happening “everywhere‚” even in suburban areas. Home Depot has more than 2‚000 stores and more than 490‚000 employees across the U.S. Glenn pointed to several issues he said he believes are root causes of the crime spike‚ including the drug crisis‚ third-party marketplaces that make it easy for criminals to resell goods‚ and a lack of resources for law enforcement. A bill sponsored by one of the House committee members‚ Representative Dina Titus (D-NV)‚ the “Combating Organized Retail Crime Act‚” would launch a federal response across multiple agencies to fight organized retail theft.