Texas
Volunteers rally to rebuild flood-damaged Texas camp serving children with disabilities
Since the tragic floods in Central Texas, hundreds of volunteers have made their way to Kerr County to help with the flood aftermath. But for many, the Hill Country flood aftermath is hard to process.
“It’s the kids’ shoes. Every time I see one, it pulls at your heartstrings,” said Jared Ronning, who came to Kerrville from Orange, Texas. “Yesterday, I found a baby purple Croc and, like, a baby life jacket next to it, and you don’t know until you look.”
Ronning is one of hundreds of volunteers who have inundated Kerr County to help with flood clean-up. Ronning found out the Children’s Association for Maximum Potential, also known as Camp CAMP, needed help rebuilding. The camp serves children with disabilities.
“It’s easy to sit and look at your phone and think, ‘man that’s sad.’ It’s a lot harder to put it down and come out here,” Ronning said. “I feel like if I was able to help, I might as well anyway I could. I know there are a lot of families going through a lot worse than I am.”
Approximately 6-8 acres of land at Camp CAMP were damaged. On Saturday, the Texas Division of Emergency Management began requiring volunteers to register to better coordinate efforts.
“Compared to the losses at some other camps, and what communities have faced, we’re blessed because our campers weren’t here when the flooding event happened,” said Brandon Briery, the chief operating officer. “The flooding, the debris, has just completely changed the landscape of this.”
Briery said many families who attend the camp were worried it would close for the remainder of the summer because of the damage at the grounds and in the county.
“We have been inundated with calls from camper families saying, ‘When are you going to reopen? We want to make sure we get to come,’” Briery said.
He added that the camp has received criticism for trying to reopen too soon.
“For our campers and families who don’t have opportunities to go to camp anywhere else, because of the severity of their disabilities or their illnesses, for the families to be able to get a break from caregiving,” said Briery. “Because of the special nature of who we serve and the limited opportunities that they have to have this type of experience, when we look at all of the needs, there’s no way we could keep from opening.”
The camp hoped to reopen its doors Sunday, but because of another flash flood warning in the area, they pushed it back until Monday. While Briery said he understands the concerns of the community, it’s a moment of normalcy for their families, a moment to recover and rebuild together.
“There is also hope, that hope that tomorrow can be better because there are people who are willing to come together to make things like this happen,” he said.
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The 10th-ranked Miami Hurricanes hit the road for College Station for a Saturday afternoon matchup against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The game is scheduled for noon ET (11 a.m. CT) with tickets still available to watch live.
How to get Texas A&M vs. Miami tickets for the best prices: Tickets for the Texas A&M vs. Miami playoff game are available on secondary markets Vivid Seats, StubHub, SeatGeek and Viagogo.
The lowest prices are as follows (as of Dec. 15):
- Vivid Seats starting at $375
- StubHub starting at $388
- SeatGeek starting at $315
- Viagogo starting at $345
The Aggies own the homefield advantage and are listed as 3.5-point betting favorites to play their way into the second round. Texas A&M won its first 11 straight games of the 2025 season before falling to rival No. 16 Texas (27-17) in its regular-season finale. The Aggies were battle-tested in going 7-1 in a Southeastern Conference that put five teams into the College Football Playoff field. They also join Miami as teams to beat Notre Dame this season, winning a 41-40 shootout back in Week 3.
#10 Miami (10-2) at #7 Texas A&M (11-1)
College Football Playoff 1st round
- When: Saturday, Dec. 20 at noon ET (11 a.m. CT)
- Where: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
- Tickets: Vivid Seats | StubHub | SeatGeek | Viagogo
- TV channel: ABC/ESPN
- Streaming on: FuboTV (free trial) | DirecTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate)
The Hurricanes’ 27-24 win over then-No. 6 Notre Dame was the best line entry on the team’s résumé as the third-place finisher in the messy Atlantic Coast Conference. Miami rattled off four straight wins to close the season and showed the kind of explosive scoring offense required to stack up with Texas A&M, scoring 34-plus points in each of those four wins. The Canes closed the season with a 38-7 blowout win over then-No. 23 Pitt to strengthen their CFP case.
The 14-year-old wanted in the deadly shooting of a man in Collin County over the weekend is in custody, police said.
Lavon police said Monday night that the teenage boy was taken into custody in Dallas without incident.
Police say the shooting happened Saturday night, just before 9 p.m. on Wellington Drive in Lavon, when an argument broke out between the 14-year-old suspect and a 24-year-old acquaintance.
Police say that the altercation turned deadly. The teen shot and killed the 24-year-old before fleeing the scene.
“A murder is a very rare thing in our city, so it’s shocking,” said J. Michael Jones, the Lavon Chief of Police. “And it’s even more shocking that this suspect is a 14-year-old.”
Community ISD confirmed the suspect is a student at Community Trails Middle School, where district leaders took extra precautions in case he is still in town.
Earlier Monday, Jones urged the suspect and anyone helping him to turn him in, saying, “I will find you. I will investigate you, and I will put you in jail.”
Lavon police thanked the community and several law enforcement agencies for their help with the investigation, including the Collin County District Attorney’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Louisiana State Police, the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, the Community Independent School District Police Department, the Lavon Fire Department, and many others.
The Texas Longhorns are officially saying goodbye to one of the faces of their team.
After starting his college career as a walk-on, Texas safety Michael Taaffe has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft as his time on the Forty Acres comes to an end. An Austin native, Taaffe has been integral in bringing the Longhorns back to national relevance over the past few years.
Taaffe, who is already one of multiple Texas players to opt-out of the team’s bowl game against Michigan, posted a long message to social media to thank the university and fans for everything.
Michael Taaffe Sends Message to Texas Fans
Taaffe has become a fan favorite during his time in Austin, and made it clear that the Forty Acres will forever be his home.
“For as long as I can remember l’ve bled burnt orange and white,” Taaffe wrote. “I have given my absolute all to the University of Texas and I am grateful for every part of my journey so far. The highs and lows all played a part in shaping the story y’all have helped me write!”
Forever a Texas Longhorn. 🤘 pic.twitter.com/5nLcFkfDsA
— Michael Taaffe (@MichaelTaaffe4) December 15, 2025
“To Longhorn nation, from the moment I stepped on campus y’all have given me the support system any player would die for,” he continued. “I did everything I could to make this University better than I found it and give y’all something to be proud of every Saturday in the fall. My memories are not my memories without yall cheering on the burnt orange every weekend.”
“I’d like to thank the University of Texas and everyone apart of this journey with me. Though it’s tough to say, but all things must come to an end. With that being said, I am officially declaring for the NFL Draft. I’ll forever be a Texas Longhorn. Hook’ em!”
Michael Taaffe’s Career Stats
Taaffe played in 53 games while making 36 starts at Texas. In that span, he’s posted 222 total tackles (119 solo), three sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, 21 pass breakups and seven interceptions.
This season, he missed two games in SEC play after undergoing thumb surgery but still put together an overall productive year, finishing with 70 total tackles (38 solo), one sack, one pass breakup and two interceptions.
He ended the year with a game-sealing interception in Texas’ 27-17 win over then-No. 3 Texas A&M in the regular-season finale. This marked his second pick against the Aggies in as many seasons.
Taaffe and the Longhorns went 6-0 against their three rivals (Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Arkansas) since joining the SEC in 2024.
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