It’s Friday, April 19th. I'm Kyle Sauerhoefer, and here's your local news from the Austin American-Statesman. Our top story is: Texas is falling further behind other states in spending on its youngest learners. A new study by the National Institute for Early Education Research shows the Lone Star State ranked 35th in the country for spending on prekindergarten students in 2018, tumbling 7 spots compared to the previous year’s rankings.