It’s Friday, December 21st. I'm Kyle Sauerhoefer, and here's your local news from the Austin American-Statesman. Our top story is: The Texas Ethics Commission has fined Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller $500 for using state and campaign funds to pay for a 2015 trip to Mississippi, where he competed in a rodeo. Miller told the commission he was traveling in an official capacity and that the rodeo was hosted by then-Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Cyndi Hyde Smith.