TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase Leaders of the effort say they moved to rural Hood County for its quiet country charm, which was shattered by what locals call “that roar” from the facility. Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. HOOD COUNTY — Danny Lakey and his wife have spent countless evenings sitting on rocking chairs on their front porch, watching the sun slowly dip behind the cows grazing on their neighbor’s ranch. It was the calm country life they dreamed of in 2021 when they bought their log home, tucked into the woodlands of rural Hood County, southwest of Fort Worth. Danny Lakey proudly calls their home their “personal Cracker Barrel,” where they have more cows and horses as neighbors than people. But ever since a noisy cryptocurrency facility moved in about half a mile away in 2023, he said their rocking chairs have mostly sat empty. Other nearby residents also say they don’t spend much time outside anymore because of what many call “that roar.” Some compare it to a plane that never lands, or a lawnmower that never turns off. A county commissioner said it’s like “sleeping with a leafblower under your pillow.” No matter the comparison, there’s one common thread — it’s relentless. It’s the sound of thousands of fans blowing in unison, cooling down nearly 60,000 computers working at lightning speed day and night, racing to earn bitcoins, the most common type of cryptocurrency. The facility, built in 2022, is a sprawling compound of computers stored in containers roughly the size of the mobile homes less than 100 yards away, where dozens of families live. Residents say they repeatedly asked the facility, owned by MARA Holdings, also known as Marathon, to do something about the noise. The Florida-based company responded by extending a 2,000-foot long, 24-foot tall soundproofing wall last year and replacing some cooling fans with an immersion cooling system. But residents say it’s done little to muffle the noise, which nearby residents have measured with decibel readers at just below the statewide ordinance of 85 decibels — the volume of a food blender or garbage disposal. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Now, community members have turned to an ambitious strategy to lower the volume: create a city. Lakey and others led a drive to collect enough signatures supporting incorporation, and in November, residents will vote on whether to create the city of Mitchell Bend, named after Mitchell Bend Highway, the two-lane road that binds the neighborhood. If the roughly 250 registered voters approve the measure, Mitchell Bend would cover two square miles and have around 600 residents and one stop sign. Incorporating into a city would give the community the power to create a noise ordinance they hope will force the $5 billion Bitcoin company to quiet down. Residents initially asked their county commissioners to set a noise limit, but in Texas, counties don’t have that power — only the state and municipalities do. It’s a clash that’s playing out across Texas as more crypto facilities and data centers move to rural parts of the state, recruited by state leaders and drawn by abundant land, fewer regulations and attractive tax deals. Unlike some states, Texas doesn’t tax crypto companies’ profits. Texas also has cheaper electricity. Marathon, which has at least three other crypto facilities in Texas, has been firmly defending its place in Hood County. The company sent a letter to the county judge in August asking him to invalidate the ballot measure, alleging that it had found that some people who signed the petition live outside the proposed city’s boundaries. Marathon told The Texas Tribune in a written statement that the company is “aware that a few residents are trying to create a new town in what appears to be an attempt to negatively impact its Granbury facility” referring to the nearby county seat. The company pointed to economic benefits it brings to the community: “MARA has a track record of adding jobs and tax revenues to the communities in which we operate and has invested more than $1.2 billion in our Texas sites, contributing millions in local tax revenues and supporting local schools and nonprofits. We are committed to maintaining our health and safety standards at the Granbury data center and being good neighbors.” The fight with Marathon has also created an internal conflict among residents weighing whether to form a city: Many moved to the countryside to escape not only noisy cities, but city regulations. “We are still conservative, we love our freedom,” Lakey said of his GOP-leaning community. “The biggest pushback that we’re getting on incorporation is from people who fear that a new city is going to try to set a lot of regulations. They’re very Texan, which means: don’t tell me what to do with my property.” He and others say they’ve come to this point not only because the noise is a nuisance, but because residents say it’s robbing them of sleep and causing various health problems: hearing loss, vertigo, migraines and high blood pressure. “We’re tired of billion dollar companies coming in and ruining our lives,” Lakey told County Judge Ron Massingil during an August commissioners court meeting. “And we’re getting really good at fighting Goliath.” Texas’ rural sprawls have become a magnet for crypto companies. In 2021, after China banned cryptomining, many flocked to the U.S. and Gov. Greg Abbott laid out a welcome mat for companies seeking a new home. On X he posted: “Texas is open for Crypto business.” Texas is now home to at least 27 bitcoin facilities, according to the Texas Blockchain Council, making it the top crypto mining spot on the planet. Facilities in Rockdale and in Corsicana are the two largest in the world. In 2023, according to the state’s comptroller’s office, crypto mines across Texas used around 2,717 megawatts of power, enough to power roughly 680,000 homes and far surpassing anywhere else in North America; Georgia is a distant second, at 525 megawatts. State leaders have warmly welcomed crypto companies because they represent tax dollars and jobs: The industry pumped $4 billion into the state economy and employed 12,000 Texans last year, Carol Haines, senior vice president at digital infrastructure company Core Scientific, said during a Texas Tribune panel. Texas now has around 40% of the nation’s crypto investment, she said. Many Hood County residents say they support businesses coming to Texas — but they want regulations in place to protect communities’ peace. “You can be here, I don’t mind,” Lakey said. “Just be quiet, be a good neighbor. Act like a good neighbor, and you’re welcome to stay.” Lakey and others who pushed for incorporation say they have butted heads with Massingill, the county judge, who rejected the petition for the ballot measure three months after the county had approved it — and a week after Marathon challenged some of the petition signatures. In a heated moment during an August commissioners meeting, Massingill addressed a number of residents who expressed frustration about his decision to invalidate the petition. Massingill said he initially thought the petition had been reviewed by the county attorney, but it wasn’t. He said the county’s elections coordinator later informed him that the petition didn’t have enough valid signatures. “I just don’t want anybody to say I’m not doing my job,” he told the audience. When residents started over and got more than enough signatures to put incorporating Mitchell Bend on the ballot, Massingill approved it. Using incorporation as a tool to regulate companies has become a common strategy for rural residents, said Alan Bojorquez, an Austin lawyer who says he’s helped a dozen communities try to become cities. He’s worked with residents in Webberville in Travis County, which incorporated in 2003 to regulate gravel-making companies in the area that created large amounts of dust. He also worked with a community west of San Antonio called Quihi, where residents hoped to set regulations for multiple mines causing noise and dust, but their ballot measure failed in 2004. “Normally you see people creating a city because they’re trying to protect something that’s being threatened,” Bojorquez said. “It’s this big balance of wanting the countryside life but also needing the regulations to protect it while you’re there.” County Commissioner Nannette Samuelson, whose district includes the facility, said there are days when she can hear the crypto facility’s fans at her home, six miles away. She said she and the other commissioners urged the Texas Legislature last year to set stricter noise regulations for the state, but their plea fell on deaf ears. State lawmakers have debated proposals in past legislative sessions to give counties the power to set noise ordinances like cities can, but have failed to agree on a bill. Cheryl Shadden, Lakey’s neighbor who’s lived in Hood County for around 40 years, said it’s a gap in the state’s policies that rural Texans are falling through. “So if it’s in a big city, then ‘Hey, we’ll put some more protection in because there’s more of you people, but since you’re just a small, two square-mile town, you don’t deserve any protection?’” she asked. “How does that equate?” As the November vote approaches, some residents said they feel trapped because they worry their property values have plummeted due to the constant noise. Donna Adair, 65, has a brick home with a cozy backyard shed that she’s converted into her rockhounding lab. Bright red crepe myrtles line her driveway, and she’s adorned her yard with colorful birdhouses. She says she misses reading on her porch bench in peace. Selling her home isn’t an option. “I couldn’t morally do it,” Adair said. “It’s wrong if you have a problem and you don’t tell people what it is. It may not be a sin of commission, but it’s a sin of omission.” A mile away, Geraldine Lathers, 74, lives in a mobile home down the road from the crypto facility and says she began taking Vitamin D pills instead of going outside since the constant hums of the fans began two years ago. She added the supplements to medications she takes for vertigo spells, intense headaches and hypertension, ailments she says began last year. “It’s just that awful,” Lathers said from her living room. “That noise is so loud, oh my God it makes you sick … it goes through your body.” But what makes her heart ache is that her family visits less often because of the noise. She said her grandkids grew up spending Sunday afternoons in her backyard when her big family — she now has 23 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren — often got together for barbecues. Now, she said, they don’t visit as much as before. The parents don’t want their kids near the noise, she said. The two bounce houses they used to blow up for the kids are in the shed, Lathers said. “They don’t go out no more.” That’s why Lathers said she’s planning on voting in favor of creating Mitchell Bend in November, even though she’s not enthusiastic about the idea. “I’m for it, if it’ll make the noise go away,” she said while petting her dog, Gizzmo. “I don’t want to really be a city, but what choices have you got?” Disclosure: Texas Blockchain Council has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here. The wait is over! The full TribFest program is here. Join us Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin and hear from 300+ thinkers, leaders and change-makers shaping Texas’ future. TribFest gives you a front-row seat to what’s next, with 100+ sessions covering education, the economy, policy, culture and more. Explore the program. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
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For premium support please call: For premium support please call: XRP is up nearly 460% in a year after regulators backed off the crypto's issuing company, Ripple. While adoption of Ripple's products continues to grow, large banks prefer a product that doesn't require the bank to touch XRP itself. 10 stocks we like better than XRP › With the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) lawsuit against Ripple, the company behind XRP(CRYPTO: XRP), in the rearview mirror and a national bank charter application pending, XRP bulls feel there is a lot of momentum behind the token. Given its nearly 440% run during the past year, they have a point. So, with XRP hovering at less than $3, is now the time to buy? Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » The bull case for XRP seems compelling. After years of regulatory uncertainty, Ripple finally settled litigation with the SEC in August, paving the way for increased adoption within the traditional financial system — the key to driving XRP's price higher. This has always been the core of XRP's investing thesis: As more banks adopt the technology, it will increase the demand for XRP, and its price will follow. It's not so simple. Here's what I think a lot of investors miss: Banks can use Ripple's payment technology without ever touching XRP. RippleNet, Ripple's most widely adopted product, doesn't require banks to hold or even briefly touch XRP. They get much of the speed advantages, the cost savings, and the efficiency gains while continuing to use their preferred currencies. Ripple's on-demand liquidity (ODL) product, on the other hand, does often make direct use of XRP as a bridge asset for cross-border transactions. An ODL customer can send funds to a bank in another country without having to deal with the hassle and cost of currency exchange and maintaining pre-funded accounts in other countries. Instead, XRP can be used as an intermediary. The issue is that ODL is not widely used by the larger banks that really matter. It's designed for institutions that have problems with liquidity, and in terms of value transacted, it remains niche compared to RippleNet. This limits ODL's effect on XRP demand. While it's not non-existent, I don't think the effect is as strong as many investors believe. A dramatic increase in adoption across banking of Ripple's technology is much more likely to be seen with RippleNet, not ODL. Image source: Getty Images. Even if ODL adoption were to accelerate, there's an even bigger problem on the horizon: Ripple's own stablecoin ambitions may derail XRP's path, or at least seriously hinder it. The company's pursuit of a national trust bank charter signals that it wants to be at the forefront of what could be a huge wave of adoption of stablecoins in banking. It's a smart move for Ripple, as stablecoins can provide some of the same benefits that Ripple offers, and could be a several-trillion-dollar market by 2030, according to a Citigroup analysis. Why does this matter for XRP? Ripple's stablecoin, RLUSD, could replace XRP as the preferred bridge asset in ODL transactions, significantly reducing demand. It's a scenario that could soon be a reality. Ripple's stablecoin push is clear between the charter application and its $200 million acquisition of a stablecoin payment technology company. So, should you buy XRP while it's less than $3? I don't think you should. Although short-term catalysts could drive speculative gains, the fundamental disconnect between Ripple's success and XRP's value isn't going away. When Ripple itself is building alternatives to XRP's primary use case, that's not a great sign in my view. It's easy to get caught up in hype, but it doesn't often lead to good outcomes. Bitcoin and Ethereum are both better options for investors who want exposure to crypto. They have proven track records of value and are more likely to succeed in the long run. Before you buy stock in XRP, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and XRP wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $642,328!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,134,270!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,064% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 191% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of October 7, 2025 Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Johnny Rice has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. AOL AOL AOL AOL AOL AOL Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement
XRP spiked above $2.90 on double-average volume before profit-taking reversed gains, leaving price back at $2.85. A fresh supply zone formed at $2.92–$2.93, while the $2.85 floor is now under scrutiny as macro headwinds weigh on flows. XRP rallied 2% intraday on Oct. 8, jumping from $2.88 to $2.93 at 17:00 on 86.6M turnover — nearly double the 24-hour average of 48.3M. The move coincided with heightened geopolitical tensions and central bank maneuvering, which fueled broader volatility across risk assets. Traders noted that despite stronger institutional adoption trends, profit-taking dominated into the U.S. close. Support at $2.86 cracked under heavy sell pressure, turning that level into near-term resistance. The next floor sits at $2.85, with any decisive break opening risk toward $2.80. Resistance remains at $2.92–$2.93, where high-volume rejection printed. While price structure shows bearish momentum short term, institutional accumulation themes and regulatory catalysts still underpin broader positioning. More For You Total Crypto Trading Volume Hits Yearly High of $9.72T Combined spot and derivatives trading on centralized exchanges surged 7.58% to $9.72 trillion in August, marking the highest monthly volume of 2025 What to know: More For You NEAR Intents Activity Spikes as Zcash’s Zashi Wallet Taps It for Private Swaps Zashi Swaps let users convert BTC, SOL, USDC and other supported assets directly into ZEC inside the app, where they can then be shielded. What to know: Disclosure & Polices: CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of Bullish (NYSE:BLSH), an institutionally focused global digital asset platform that provides market infrastructure and information services. Bullish owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets and CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish equity-based compensation.
Table of Contents XRP faces a pivotal moment as technical analysis and on-chain data point to major price movement ahead. Veteran trader Peter Brandt has identified a descending triangle formation that could send the token down 20% if key support breaks. The current price sits near $2.85, with the critical $2.68 support level acting as a make-or-break point. Brandt’s analysis shows a series of lower highs converging on this support zone, creating the classic descending triangle pattern. On the left is a classic descending triangle from Edwards and Magee, showing what descending triangles are supposed to do. On the right is a developing descending triangle. ONLY IF it closes below 2.68743 (then I'll be a hater), then it should drop to 2.22163. $XRPpic.twitter.com/3GI7nT1TaW — Peter Brandt (@PeterLBrandt) October 7, 2025
A weekly close below $2.68743 would activate a downside target of $2.22163. This represents an 18% drop from current levels and would confirm the bearish technical setup. The chart also displays bearish RSI divergence on the weekly timeframe. This momentum indicator suggests weakening buying pressure despite price holding relatively steady. On-chain metrics reinforce the bearish technical picture. Wallets containing between 1 million and 10 million XRP have offloaded approximately 440 million tokens over the past month. 440 million $XRP sold by whales in the last 30 days! pic.twitter.com/qIQ9I2fYML — Ali (@ali_charts) October 8, 2025
Whale balances in this category declined from about 6.9 billion XRP down to roughly 6.5 billion. This distribution phase coincides with XRP’s inability to break above the $2.85-$2.90 resistance zone. Glassnode data shows over 320 million XRP moved to exchanges during the past week. These inflows pushed exchange reserves toward nine-month highs, typically a signal of impending selling pressure. When major holders reduce positions and retail demand fails to absorb the supply, downward price pressure usually follows. The synchronized timing of whale selling and stagnant price action creates a challenging outlook. XRP currently maintains a market cap around $177 billion, placing it just below BNB at approximately $178 billion in cryptocurrency rankings. Santiment reports XRP’s crowd FUD metric reached its highest reading in six months. Extreme fear and uncertainty among market participants has historically served as a contrarian indicator at local bottoms. However, not all analysts share the bearish perspective. Crypto trader CasiTrades observes that XRP has consolidated near $3.00 for multiple days, forming a potential base. She suggests a confirmed breakout could propel XRP toward the $4.00-$4.50 range. Analyst Ali Martinez points to $3.15 as a key resistance level, with a clean break potentially driving price to $3.60. These bullish scenarios would require XRP to hold above $2.68 support and break through overhead resistance. The competing views create a clear binary setup for traders. The market now focuses on two decisive price levels. A break below $2.68 validates the descending triangle and opens the path to $2.22. A move above $3.15 invalidates the bearish pattern and shifts attention to higher targets between $4.00 and $4.50. Multiple factors may explain recent whale distribution. Some holders are likely taking profits after earlier price gains. Ongoing regulatory uncertainty around XRP continues to create hesitation among institutional players. Capital rotation into other cryptocurrencies or Bitcoin could also drive the selling. If distribution continues, XRP risks breaking below $2.80, which could accelerate momentum toward the $2.68 support test. Trader CasiTrades summarizes the current situation: the market “awaits a decisive move, either above $3.15 or below $2.68743.” A weekly close below $2.687 would confirm Brandt’s bearish target. 📈 Futures & Crypto Trader 🔍 Sharing charts, strategies, & mindset tips to help you level up 🚨 Not Financial Advice Follow on X @Pro_Trader_Edge Comments are closed.
TLDR Cardano is consolidating at $0.84 with a symmetrical triangle pattern nearing completion in late… Parameter is a publication which covers AI, Tech, Finance, Crypto and more. Daily updates from the world of Tech & Finance. Our WordPress Hosting is Provided by WPEngine. Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.
