BREAKING THIS MORNING — Iran War Ceasefire Signal
This is the biggest news of the morning and it directly hits your wallet:
Oil prices tumbled Monday after President Trump announced that the U.S. and Iran had “very good and productive conversations” over the last two days regarding a “complete and total resolution” of hostilities. Trump said he has instructed the Department of War to postpone all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 8% to $90.10 per barrel, and Brent crude fell around 8% to $103.91. CNBC
What this means for Corpus Christi: Gas prices, which had climbed 77+ cents per gallon locally since the war began, could start dropping this week — though analysts caution it may take days to reach the pump. The Coastal Bend refineries, which were under dual pressure from war-driven price spikes AND the water crisis, get some breathing room. Watch pump prices closely over the next 48–72 hours.
But Caution — Not Over Yet
The IEA chief Fatih Birol warned Monday that the situation in the Middle East remains “very severe” — calling it far worse than the two oil shocks of the 1970s combined. Brent crude still sits above $100 per barrel. CNBC
Iran’s military warned that the Strait of Hormuz would be “completely closed” if the U.S. delivered on Trump’s threats to strike power plants. The five-day pause is a window — not a resolution. CBS News
Water Crisis — No New Update This Morning
The most recent data remains from Friday’s briefing: two new developments — state approval to keep pulling 40 million gallons a day from Lake Texana below the 50% threshold, plus four new groundwater wells permitted by TCEQ — have pushed the water emergency timeline from May to at least July. KSAT
However, the city’s two main Nueces River reservoirs — Choke Canyon and Lake Corpus Christi — may still be depleted as soon as May 2026, and there is still no finalized curtailment plan. City Manager Zanoni said: “There’s no manual, there’s no video, there’s no ‘this is how we did it last time.'” The Texas Observer
The City Manager’s next weekly water briefing is expected this Friday. That’s worth watching.
Desalination Back on the Table
The city voted to continue exploring a partnership with San Antonio’s CPS Energy to build a seawater desalination plant at the Barney Davis Power Plant in Flour Bluff. Mayor Paulette Guajardo said the city is coordinating closely with the governor’s office weekly. Past efforts at Barney Davis stalled over cost, environmental concerns, and permitting — but officials say the CPS Energy partnership could change the equation. KSAT
No Kings Rally — This Saturday
Tonight at 6:00 PM EST, the ACLU is hosting a free training on the constitutional right to peacefully protest and best practices for staying safe at the No Kings mobilization on March 28. No Kings Worth sharing with anyone planning to attend Saturday’s Corpus Christi rally.
Indivisible Coastal Bend’s Stacie Garrecht, who organized the last Corpus Christi No Kings event, which drew an estimated 4,000 people, emphasized: “This isn’t a left versus right issue. This is a right versus wrong issue.” KIII TV
