ROWLETT, Texas — A man who hijacked a Dallas-area bus before being killed in a shootout had been wanted for questioning in the fatal stabbing of his girlfriend, authorities said. Ramon Thomas Villagomez, 31, got on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit bus with two people aboard in Richardson, just north of Dallas, at around 11
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EL PASO, Texas — As Texas took its first steps Sunday toward reopening — starting with state parks — caveats in the plan popped up in the massive state’s far western corner, where the spread of coronavirus is showing no signs of slowing. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department opened online reservations for day passes, tours
Continue Reading ROWLETT, Texas — A man opened fire on a Dallas-area public bus on Sunday, hijacking it with two people aboard and leading officers on a chase that ended in a shootout in which the man was killed and three officers were wounded, according to police officials. A man got on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit
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SAN MARCOS, Texas — A man who killed one Texas police officer and wounded two others before killing himself was wearing body armor and waiting to ambush them when they arrived at his home in response to a domestic violence call, authorities said Sunday. The attack Saturday night in San Marcos, a college town 45
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AUSTIN, Texas — The number of coronavirus cases in Texas is approaching 19,000 and the number who have died is now at least 477, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported on Sunday. The department reported at least 18,923 cases of the virus, an increase from more than 18,200 cases on Saturday. The department
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AUSTIN, Texas — Texas is easing restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus starting this week by letting retailers sell items for curbside pickup, resuming elective surgeries and reopening some state parks. (Editor’s note: El Paso County’s two state parks – Franklin Mountains and Hueco Tanks – are NOT included in
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SAN MARCOS, Texas — A gunman shot and killed a Texas police officer and wounded two others Saturday night after they responded to a call at an apartment complex, authorities said. The suspect died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after he “ambushed the officers with a rifle,” according to a statement from authorities in
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AUSTIN, Texas — A few hundred conservative activists, some waving flags supporting President Donald Trump, demonstrated on the steps of the Texas Capitol building on Saturday to call for an end to social restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. The protest in Austin, which wasn’t any bigger than the typical protests about
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AUSTIN, Texas — As Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott formulated a plan this week to reopen the world’s 10th largest economy, he had to strike a delicate balance between two opposing forces: a push from the state’s powerful business community eager to get back to work and health professionals and economists warning that a premature restart
Continue Reading EL PASO, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday had announced that most Texas state parks would re-open to the public next week as part of an initial step to get Texas up and running gain amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, the governor’s order does NOT apply to the state parks in El Paso County, most notably
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AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday announced initial steps to begin the process of re-opening the Texas economy during the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement of eased restrictions in Texas came a day after President Donald Trump gave governors a road map for recovering from the nation’s economic pain. Abbott issued the following executive orders: All public schools,
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AUSTIN, Texas — Following Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement Friday that all Texas schools are to remain closed for the rest of the school year, the University Interscholastic League (UIL) has cancelled all remaining 2019-2020 spring sports and activities and state championships. Practices, rehearsals, and workouts remain suspended until further notice While some school districts across
Continue Reading EL PASO, Texas — With schools out and families staying home, officials with the West Texas Poison Center report an uptick in calls about children getting their hands on cleaning supplies. The poison center reports an increase in these calls of roughly 60-70%. Officials say many small children are attracted to the bright colors of
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SANTA FE, New Mexico — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said New Mexico is not yet at a point where it can relax social distancing measures and reopen the economy in response to President Donald Trump’s announcement Thursday of a three-phased approach for states to restore normal activity. The first-term Democratic governor and former state health
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — The number of deaths in Texas caused by the new coronavirus has topped 400 and confirmed cases are approaching 17,000, according to statistics compiled Thursday evening at Johns Hopkins University. Texas has reported 414 deaths to Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, an increase of 39 deaths in one day, according
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WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Labor Department report said Thursday that about 22 million people in the U.S. sought jobless benefits over the past month. That’s easily the worst stretch of U.S. job losses on record. It means that approximately one in seven workers have lost their jobs. Nationally 5.2 million more people sought unemployment benefits last
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EL PASO, Texas — A state workers union on Wednesday called for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to take immediate action following the apparent coronavirus-related death of an employee at the state-run El Paso Psychiatric Center. An outbreak of the virus affecting both patients and staff at the facility is responsible for at least 32 of
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PROSPER, Texas — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on Tuesday denied he hosted a weekend party with “as many as 30 guests,” despite stay-at-home orders in effect across the state of Texas. “To set the record straight — I know that we all need to do our best to socially distance and like everyone else,
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HOUSTON (AP) — Elsy was on the phone in an immigration detention center when guards showed up with face masks and forms to sign. The asylum-seeker from El Salvador and others had resorted to tearing their T-shirts into face coverings after a woman in their unit tested positive for COVID-19. But the guards would not
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WASHINGTON, DC — Twenty-seven migrant children in government custody had tested positive for coronavirus as of this week, according to the latest update from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the federal agency charged with their care. Six of the 27 have recovered; others are in medical isolation in two Texas facilities and one Illinois facility,
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AUSTIN, Texas — As much of the Texas economy remains at a standstill to minimize the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday outlined a new program aimed at helping small businesses. Abbott announced that Goldman Sachs and the LiftFund, along with other community development financial institutions, were partnering to provide $50 million in
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EL PASO, Texas — Nearly 17 million Americans have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. The surge of unemployment applications has created problems for some of those looking for help. “All of a sudden I was just out of a job,” said El Paso resident Hector Fierro, who had worked in an oil field
Continue Reading DALLAS, Texas — The death toll from Covid-19 passed 270 in Texas on Sunday as the state reported nearly 1,000 mores positive tests for the disease. On Sunday, Texas officials said about 13,500 state residents had tested positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and 271 had died. Harris County has the most
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CARROLLTON, Texas — An 18-year-old Texas woman was arrested earlier this week after she claimed to be “willfully spreading” coronavirus in a series of Snapchat videos, Carrollton police said. Lorraine Maradiaga later told police she had tested negative for the virus, according to Carrollton police. Carrollton is about 20 miles north of Dallas. More than a
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ROUND ROCK, Texas — A water tower in Round Rock was lit up in blue in tribute to essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic. Drone video supplied by the Round Rock Parks and Recreation Department shows the tower flooded in blue light, dedicated to “healthcare workers, first-responders and essential workers who are on the front
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EL PASO, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection needlessly spent around $12 million last year to guard, house and feed as many as 2,500 people in a private detention center in Tornillo that never held more than 68 detainees on any given day, according to a report from a congressional watchdog. Over five months,
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — With nearly 11,700 Texans having tested positive for the coronavirus, including over 200 in El Paso, Gov. Greg Abbott expressed concern at a state capitol news conference Friday about the “trend lines” for El Paso. The governor said he’d had a conversation with Mayor Dee Margo about the situation in El Paso,
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SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Whataburger is offering a deal you won’t want to miss. The Texas-based fast food chain announced a buy one, get one deal. The deal is available by ordering online only and your order must include a number one Whataburger. The deal runs through April 19. For more details and to sign
Continue Reading HIDALGO, Texas — A U.S. Border Patrol agent wouldn’t let Jackeline Reyes explain why she and her 15-year-old daughter fled Honduras and needed asylum, pointing to the coronavirus. It was just days after the Trump administration essentially shut down the nation’s asylum system. “The agent told us about the virus and that we couldn’t go
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — The volume of patients in Texas with the illness caused by the novel coronavirus topped 10,000 cases Thursday, with the number of deaths topping 200, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers. The case numbers updated hourly by the university’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering tallied 10,439 cases in Texas as of
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