Turns Out Not Everybody is Thrilled with Space X in Central Texas

Space X will expand its testing facility in McGregor, and with it comes job growth. But not everybody in the area is happy about it.

Space X first arrived in McGregor, Texas in 2003 and took over the old Beal Aerospace facility to test the engine for Falcon 9. The facility in McGregor is still the home for Space X's Rocket Development and Test Facility, where they test new rocket engines and thrusters. Elon Musk recently announced he's planning on expanding, and not everybody is excited about it.

The people that live in McGregor and nearby cities like Waco, Hewitt, or Lorena certainly know when Space X tests its rockets. The rumble can be heard and felt for miles. The tests can be pretty quick at times, or even last for what feels like 45 seconds to a full minute.

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Those living nearby the testing site however have a much different feeling on the whole thing. Rick Van Guilder, who lives in a mobile home in Ogelsby, about a mile and a half from the testing site, tells our news partners at KWTX, “It just shakes everything. You know, it really shakes the walls, pictures fall off the walls, stuff on the shelves falls off.”

Van Guilder's step son lives next door and believes his constant plumbing issues are caused by his shifting home.

Beth Dutschmann lives about three miles from Space X and says her back yard pool can no longer hold water and blames the testing at the facility. “We had a beautiful pool in our backyard, now we have an eye sore” she says.

Local homeowners in the are can't do much about the problems because of the agreements Space X has with state lawmakers, which basically gives them "blanket immunity from prosecution for any nuisance caused by space exploration testing."

Local attorney Jim Dunnam says, “Evidently they believe they have legal rights to mess up these people’s homes, mess with their quality of life.”

Space X has said that they will alter their testing process to help reduce the noise and vibrations.

Time will tell if that happens or not.

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The new school year is just around the corner, and Central Texas students will face unique challenges as we put the pandemic behind us and look to the future.

One challenge no child should face is being without the essential school supplies they'll need to live up to their potential and achieve academic success.

That's where you and I come in. From July 19 to August 15, you can donate school supplies at the following locations. Donated supplies will benefit students in need in Belton ISD, Killeen ISD, and Temple ISD. (Click each district to view their 2021-2022 school supply lists.)

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Test Your Texas: How Many of These Jeopardy! Questions Can You Answer?

Jeopardy! as we know it has been on the air since 1984, but the show got its start way back 1964.

Over the decades, the writers have managed to keep coming up with challenging questions to test the intellectual might of America's best and brightest (and sometimes softball questions for celebrities).

Texas is a place packed with personality, culture, and history, and there've been hundreds of questions/answers about the Lone Star State. Let's take a look at a few recent ones, and keep an eye out because we'll add more soon to test your Texas trivia skills and challenge newcomers.

How many of these can you get right without Googling?

Filed Under: Local News, McGregor Texas, space-x

Categories: Articles, Local News