DALLAS, Texas — Texas prosecutors are examining potential irregularities in a scandal-ridden former Houston police officer’s arrest of George Floyd on a minor drug charge — a probe that could expand the body of convictions possibly tainted by the officer’s conduct. Floyd, whose death last month under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer
Continue Reading
DALLAS, Texas — Texas saw more than 2,000 new cases of the coronavirus Saturday, along with another 18 deaths, and had a record number of people hospitalized for the second day in a row. State health officials reported 2,331 new cases, bringing the total infections to 86,011 and the fatalities linked to Covid-19 rose to
Continue Reading
The new coronavirus spreads mainly via airborne transmission and wearing a mask is the most effective way to stop person-to person spread, according to a new study. A team of researchers in Texas and California compared Covid-19 infection rate trends in Italy and New York both before and after face masks were made mandatory. Both
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Coronavirus infections reached a record high for the third time in four days Friday, even as state officials continue to loosen restrictions on public activities. State health officials also said a record 2,166 patients were in Texas hospitals on Friday due to Covid-19, which is 13 more patients than Wednesday’s record. That’s
Continue Reading
HUDSPETH COUNTY, Texas — An El Paso motorist died and several others were seriously injured in a head-on highway crash Thursday morning just east of a Border Patrol checkpoint. That crash, involving a pickup truck towing a trailer and a car, occurred along U.S. Highway 62/180 near milepost 54 just after 9 a.m. The Texas Department
Continue Reading
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A judge has ordered a labor lawyer jailed pending trial on charges that prosecutors say stem from a protest this year and not from her leadership of strikes last year that won higher pay for workers at “maquiladora” assembly plants in the border city of Matamoros. The ruling came as demonstrations
Continue Reading
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Colonial already was quiet with no spectators around for the return of the PGA Tour on Thursday. And then at 8:46 a.m., it came to a standstill. Commissioner Jay Monahan stood on the first tee for the 8:46 a.m. starting time that was listed on the tee sheet without any
Continue Reading
DALLAS, Texas — President Donald Trump said Thursday he would pursue an executive order to encourage police departments to meet “current professional standards for the use of force,” while slamming Democrats for broadly branding police as the problem. He also defended his calls on governors and mayors to aggressively quell violent protests that erupted across
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Texas on Wednesday reported a third consecutive day with a record number of patients hospitalized with Covid-19 as a new rise in coronavirus cases ripples across states nationwide. In El Paso, hospitalizations dropped earlier Wednesday, but it was not immediately clear if that’s due to recoveries or deaths. El Paso health leaders
Continue Reading
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Citing the recent death of George Floyd, Whataburger announced Wednesday that the company would be donating $1 million to a program for minority students. In a statement it says: “We want to continue uniting all people by demonstrating the kindness and love we stand for at Whataburger.” ABC affiliate KXXV reports
Continue Reading HOUSTON, Texas — A three-state, five-day final journey for George Floyd ended Tuesday in Houston, the city he called home for most of his life. Thousands of mourners, including longtime friends and family members, gathered for the final funeral services at The Fountain of Praise church. Many wore black face coverings and sat apart in
Continue Reading ATLANTA, Georgia — At least 28 states, including Texas, are not following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on reporting new Covid-19 cases —half of which saw the trend of new cases increasing in the last week. Those states are not reporting probable cases, according to the daily case count listed on the CDC’s website. Probable cases include those
Continue Reading MATAMOROS, Mexico (AP) — Border state authorities have arrested a crusading labor lawyer who led a wave of 2019 walkouts for higher wages at border assembly plants known as maquiladoras. Detectives arrested Susana Prieto on Monday in the border city Matamoros on charges that included inciting riot, threats and coercion. Prieto taped her own detention
Continue Reading
PORT ARTHUR, Texas — A statewide Amber Alert was issued Monday evening for a 7-month-old Texas boy who police say was abducted following a shooting earlier in the day. ABC affiliate KLTV reports that a woman who was shot around 3:30 p.m. in Port Arthur told police that the boy’s father, identified as 26-year-old Nathan
Continue Reading
Tropical Storm Cristobal could soon renew its strength by uniting with another storm system coming from the west to form one giant cyclone, forecasters say. After drenching much of the South, forecasters now expect the remnants of Cristobal to bring fierce winds, heavy rain and thunderstorms to much of the Midwest by Tuesday. A very
Continue Reading HOUSTON (AP) — The body of George Floyd arrived at a church Monday in Houston for a final public memorial for the man whose death at the hands of police in Minneapolis sparked protests around the world and calls to reform policing in America. His body arrived in a gold-colored casket that was escorted to
Continue Reading
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — An inmate at a Texas jail who gave birth alone in her cell without any guards noticing had been checked on regularly, according to a sheriff’s official who said an investigation found no wrongdoing by the correctional officers on duty. The mother, who delivered the child on May 17, has
Continue Reading NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Tropical Storm Cristobal made landfall Sunday on the Louisiana coast, packing 50 mph winds and spinning dangerous weather as far east as northern Florida, where it spawned a tornado that uprooted trees and downed power lines. The lopsided storm moved ashore between the mouth of the Mississippi River and the barrier
Continue Reading
UPDATE: Matthew McConaughey has wrapped up his delivery of face masks to Texas hospitals with a donation to University Medical Center in El Paso. UMC officials said they received a delivery of 25,000 masks from McConaughey this past week. Although the actor personally delivered some of his Texas donations, El Paso was not among the
Continue Reading
HOUSTON (AP) — A Republican activist in Texas under fire for posting a Martin Luther King Jr. quote next to a banana following George Floyd’s death says he won’t take over as the county leader of the GOP in Houston. Keith Nielsen was elected in March to take over as chairman of the Harris County
Continue Reading
HOUSTON, Texas — George W. Bush will not support the re-election of Donald Trump, according to people familiar with his thinking, The New York Times reported late Saturday. The paper said the former president and Texas governor won’t vote for Trump’s reelection and that his brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, “isn’t sure how he’ll vote.” The
Continue Reading
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Three promoted a Facebook post suggesting George Floyd’s death was staged. Another shared a Martin Luther King Jr. quote over a picture of a banana. A fifth nudged followers to consider that liberal billionaire George Soros pays black people to riot to keep “race wars” flaring. All of them are local
Continue Reading
(Editor’s note: The exact impact of the additional testing and study announcements on El Paso have not yet been detailed.) AUSTIN, Texas — The state’s top health agency announced Friday it’s launching a study on the coronavirus’ effect on vulnerable populations in Texas, which will include data on things such as race, ethnicity, age, socioeconomic
Continue Reading
HOUSTON, Texas — With the potential of Tropical Depression Cristobal to bring heavy rain and strong winds to parts of Texas this weekend, Gov. Greg Abbott was briefed Friday afternoon on the storm’s latest projections and the state’s preparedness. The Gulf Coast is on alert – storm and surge watches have been issued – as Cristobal is
Continue Reading
NEW YORK, NY — J.C. Penney said Thursday that it will start closing 154 of its stores next week in what it is calling the first phase of its efforts to shrink its footprint. The Plano, Texas-based retailer said it could take about 10 to 16 weeks to complete the closures. A list of the
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Reported coronavirus infections and hospitalizations continued to surge Thursday in Texas as Gov. Greg Abbott continues his phased reopening of the state’s economic activity. The Department of State Health Services said 1,649 more cases of Covid-19 were reported to the state Thursday. That brought the total number of reported cases to a
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas — Demonstrators gathering to protest the death of unarmed George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police believe they are being infiltrated by groups trying to provoke police. The director of the Texas Department of Public safety says there is evidence to support that claim. “There’s violent extremists, there’s anarchists, there’s Antifa.
Continue Reading HOUSTON, Texas — A newly minted mural celebrating the life of George Floyd has become a vigil in his hometown and has even attracted the attention of Houston police officers. The mural was painted by the Houston area artist Donkeeboy on the side of Scott Food Mart on Tuesday. It depicts a black and white
Continue Reading
AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday afternoon announced his third phase of reopening Texas during the coronavirus pandemic, allowing virtually all businesses to operate at 50% capacity. That is effective immediately, and there are “very limited exceptions,” Abbott’s office said. Restaurants were already permitted to be open at 50% capacity. Abbott is allowing them to
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — The day after one of Texas’ lowest new coronavirus case counts in six weeks, state health officials reported a spike of 1,688 new cases Tuesday. The figures came after just 593 were reported Monday, which was a dramatic decrease after a week that saw Texas twice hit new record highs. Sunday’s count
Continue Reading