Katie Mehnert is CEO of ALLY Energy, ambassador to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Equity in Energy program and author of Grow with the Flow. The views expressed in this commentary below belong to the author. I was getting my first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the Bayou City Event Center in Houston when the news
Continue Reading CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — When Humbelina Gonzales heard Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was lifting the state’s mask mandate next week, her first reaction was, “It’s too soon for it.” Gonzales, who volunteers at a thrift store called Trash & Treasure in Alice, Texas, about 45 miles west of Corpus Christi, said she intended to follow
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is stalling efforts by the Biden administration to provide federal funds for Covid-19 tests for migrants released from custody, a senior Homeland Security official tells CNN. After announcing that he’s relaxing state Covid restrictions, Abbott alleged that migrants coming into Texas are exposing the state’s residents to the
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Authorities are asking for help locating a toddler who was reportedly abducted from College Station, ABC affiliate KTRK reported Thursday. A statewide Amber Alert was issued for 3-year-old Adeline Paige Welch, who was believed to have been taken. Police believe the person who abducted Adeline was 30-year-old Maranda Nicole Nichols.Authorities said
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WASHINGTON, DC — The Biden administration is preparing to convert its immigrant family detention centers in South Texas into Ellis-Island-style rapid-processing hubs that will screen migrant parents and children with a goal of releasing them into the United States within 72 hours, according to Department of Homeland Security draft plans obtained by The Washington Post.
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — In April 2020, an optimistic Gov. Greg Abbott announced at the Texas Capitol that he would soon take initial steps to allow businesses to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. The loosening of restrictions, his team said, would be informed by a statewide “strike force,” composed of business leaders and four medical experts who would advise the
Continue Reading BOCA CHINO, Texas — A SpaceX rocket prototype, known as SN10, soared over South Texas during test flight Wednesday before swooping down to a pinpoint landing near its launch site. Approximately three minutes after landing, however, multiple independent video feeds showed the rocket exploding on its landing pad. SpaceX’s SN10, an early prototype of the
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — The board overseeing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the independent nonprofit entity that operates and manages the electricity grid that covers much of Texas, fired ERCOT CEO Bill Magness Wednesday night. The move by the board to vote in favor of a “60-day termination notice” came after they convened in a
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Masks are still required in Texas public schools unless local school boards decide to make them optional, the Texas Education Agency announced Wednesday. The guidance follows an announcement from the Texas Department of State Health Services that school and child care staff are now eligible for vaccines, effective immediately. It fills an information
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is facing a torrent of criticism over his surprise decision to roll back his state’s mask mandate and business restrictions — moves that strategists and activists in both parties said are aimed at appeasing an impatient Republican base ahead of his 2022 reelection bid and with an eye
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AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Department of State Health Services announced Wednesday that school and child care personnel are now eligible to be vaccinated against coronavirus. According to DSHS, they received a letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services directing it to expand eligibility to include people who work in school and
Continue Reading WASHINGTON, DC — President Joe Biden sharply criticized states such as Texas and Mississippi for lifting Covid-19 restrictions against pleas from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other top public health officials, accusing those in power of “Neanderthal thinking.” “I think it’s a big mistake. Look, I hope everybody’s realized by now,
Continue Reading The end of mask mandates in Texas and Mississippi has created a dilemma for businesses: Keep such safety rules in place to protect against Covid-19 spread, as leading health officials advise, or follow the two states’ decisions and loosen restrictions. Leading U.S. grocery chains, pharmacies, retailers and auto manufacturers, including Target, Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, Best
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Alamo Drafthouse, the movie theater chain beloved by fans for its boozy milkshakes, theme nights and strict no-talking rules, has filed for bankruptcy protection. The Austin-based company, which owns about 40 theaters in the United States, filed for Chapter 11 and agreed to sell “substantially all its assets” to a group of
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CARROLLTON, Texas — A 10-year-old girl has gone missing after her mother was found killed overnight Wednesday, police said. State officials issued an Amber Alert for the girl later Wednesday morning. Rosemary Lee Singer may be with her father, Ronald Lee Singer, police said. He is her mother’s ex-husband. Rosemary weighs about 75 pounds and
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AUSTIN, Texas — CVS Pharmacy is now offering Covid-19 vaccines to teachers, daycare and preschool workers in Texas. The pharmacy was previously only offering appointments to essential workers, people 65 years and older, or those 16+ with chronic medical conditions. The news comes one day after President Joe Biden directed states to start prioritizing teachers
Continue Reading Brittany Smart has spent months tending to the Covid-19 patients who poured into Texas hospitals as the virus raged across the state — and the country. It has been devastating, the ICU nurse told CNN Tuesday night, speaking right after the end of another shift. Health care workers had begun to see a light at
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LUBBOCK, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott will end Texas’ statewide mask mandate and allow all businesses to reopen at full capacity as of next Wednesday, March 10. “It is now time to open Texas 100%,” Abbott said at a news conference Tuesday. “People and businesses don’t need the state telling them how to operate any
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ITASCA, Texas — The Texas Department of of Public Safety has issued a statewide Amber Alert for a missing 15-year-old girl who is believed to be with a wanted woman. According to DPS, 15-year-old Lori Johnson was last seen in Itasca on Feb. 26. Johnson is described as 5 feet 3 inches tall and 120
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AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Longhorns had just lost to rival Oklahoma for the third time in a row — this time after a quadruple overtime. The bruising loss was quickly overshadowed when then-Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger stood alone on the field for the playing of the university’s alma mater song “The Eyes of Texas,”
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AUSTIN, Texas — DeAnn Walker, the chairwoman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the agency that regulates the state’s electric, telecommunication, and water and sewer utilities, resigned Monday, according to a resignation letter provided to the Texas Tribune. The Gov. Greg Abbott-appointed commission came under public criticism in the aftermath of Texas’ power crisis that
Continue Reading Texas’ attorney general filed a lawsuit against Griddy Energy and Griddy Holdings for “false, misleading, and deceptive advertising and marketing practices” after the company sent sky-high electricity bills to customers during February’s devastating winter storm. As the storm rattled Texas’ power grid, Griddy, which connects customers directly to the wholesale electricity market for a monthly
Continue Reading DALLAS, Texas — About 390,000 Texas residents were still under boil water advisories as of midday Monday, almost two weeks after a winter storm slammed large swaths of the South. The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) website shows there are 399 active boil water notices in effect on Monday, while 1,780 notices have already
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Texas’ attorney general said Monday he’s suing electricity provider Griddy for passing along massive bills to its customers during last month’s winter storm. The lawsuit comes days after Texas’ power grid manager effectively shut down Griddy by revoking its access to the state’s electricity market. Griddy charges $10 a month to give
Continue Reading The Biden administration is planning to open another facility in south Texas to expand processing capacity for children and families arriving at the US-Mexico border, a Department of Homeland Security official confirmed to CNN. It’s the latest move by the administration to address the growing number of migrant families and unaccompanied children at the US
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SPRINGDALE, Arkansas (KFSM) — Carl, the cat, was reunited with his original owner, Jason Ludlum, from Bay City, Texas, on Monday (Feb. 8) after being missing for four years. He had been hanging out in a neighborhood in Springdale, Ark., nearly 600 miles away, for the past year. Along with other residents in Springdale, Justin
Continue Reading TEMPLE, Texas — A restaurant owner in Texas is offering free meals to people in need, no questions asked. It is the second time the restaurant has made this offering during the pandemic. Vira Chudasma, owner of Italian restaurant La Riv in Temple, Texas, said that when people started hoarding groceries at the start of
Continue Reading When a delivery driver’s car began sliding down on an icy Texas driveway, the driver closed her eyes, praying she wouldn’t hit the client’s home. She didn’t hit the house but Chelsea Timmons’ car crushed a flower bed outside an Austin, Texas, home as a snowstorm paralyzed the state last Sunday. She didn’t know it
Continue Reading A New Jersey plumber who wanted to help Texans dealing with burst pipes and other damage after last week’s winter storms drove to Houston with a truck full of tools and got to work. Andrew Mitchell and his wife, Kisha Pinnock, decided to make the 22-hour drive from Morristown with their 2-year-old son Blake after
Continue Reading HOUSTON, Texas — President Joe Biden heard firsthand from Texans clobbered by this month’s brutal winter weather on Friday and pledged to stick with them “for the long haul” as he made his first trip to a major disaster area since he took office. Biden was briefed by emergency officials and thanked workers for doing
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