Austin, TX
5.1-magnitude earthquake hits West Texas, tremors felt as far as Austin, DFW
An earthquake shook Midland yesterday, rattling as far as the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as the fifth-strongest earthquake in Texas history.
Here’s what we know.
5.1-magnitude earthquake hits West Texas
A rare 5.1-magnitude earthquake was detected in Martin County at 7:49 p.m. Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey reports. It originated around 21 miles west-southwest of Ackerly and 28 miles north of Midland.
The USGS received over 1,800 reports of shaking throughout West Texas and as far east as Fort Worth (282 miles away) and Austin (322 miles southeast).
Most of the reports came from the larger communities in the region, including Lubbock, Midland, Odessa, Big Spring and San Angelo, according to the USGS.
As of Tuesday morning, no damage or injuries have been reported. The USGS is forecasting a low probability of fatalities or economic losses from the quake.
Monday’s earthquake comes less than two months after a series of 108 earthquakes shook West Texas over a period of eight days. One of these was a 4.9-magnitude earthquake in Scurry County, which prompted a disaster declaration. At the time, it was the eighth-strongest earthquake in Texas history.
Experts say the large group of earthquakes was likely initiated by oil and gas extractions.
Read more: A staggering 103 earthquakes hit West Texas in 8 days. Is oil drilling to blame?
LIST: Strongest earthquakes in Texas history
Earthquake Track has ranked the strongest earthquakes in Texas history. The oldest, which hit seven miles southwest of Valentine, is also the strongest earthquake recorded. Monday’s quake is now tied for the fifth-strongest earthquake felt in Texas, along with the Snyder quake in July and an Oklahoma quake in 2016.
|
Ranking |
Magnitude |
Location |
Date |
|
1 |
6.5 |
Valentine |
Aug. 16, 1931 |
|
2 |
5.7 |
Alpine |
April 13, 1995 |
|
3 |
5.4 |
Mentone |
Nov. 16, 2022 |
|
3 |
5.4 |
Midland |
Dec. 16, 2022 |
|
4 |
5.2 |
Mentone |
Nov. 8, 2023 |
|
5 |
5.1 |
Fairview, OK |
Feb. 13, 2016 |
|
5 |
5.1 |
Lamesa |
Sept. 16, 2024 |
|
5 |
5.1 |
Snyder |
July 26, 2024 |
|
6 |
5.0 |
Mentone |
March 26, 2020 |
|
7 |
4.9 |
Loving, NM |
July 21, 2022 |
|
7 |
4.9 |
Rotan |
July 22, 2024 |
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 5.1-magnitude earthquake shakes West Texas, felt as far as Austin, DFW
Austin, TX
Silver Alert issued for missing 73-year-old man in Austin
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Department of Public Safety has issued a Silver Alert for an elderly man who has been missing since Friday afternoon in Austin.
The Austin Police Department is looking for Charles Evans, a 73-year-old man diagnosed with a cognitive impairment. Evans was last seen at 5:37 p.m. on Jan. 9 in Austin.
Silver Alert issued for missing 73-year-old man in Austin
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Police describe him as a 6’3″ tall white male, weighing 225 pounds, has gray hair, hazel eyes, and who uses a walker.
Law enforcement officials believe his disappearance poses a credible threat to his health and safety.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is urged to contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-5000.
Austin, TX
Man arrested, charged for deadly shooting at downtown Austin hotel
AUSTIN, Texas – A 20-year-old was arrested and charged with murder for a deadly shooting at the Cambria Hotel in downtown Austin, police said.
What we know:
Police said on Monday, Jan. 5, around 6:55 a.m., officers responded to a report of a gunshot at the Cambria Hotel at 68 East Avenue #824. The caller said a person had been shot.
When officers arrived, they found a man with injuries. He later died at the scene. He was identified as Luke Bradburn.
The investigation revealed that Bradburn drove and crashed a car that belonged to 20-year-old Maximillian Salinas. After the crash, Bradburn and the other people in the car left and went to the Cambria Hotel.
Salinas went to the hotel and shot Bradburn.
On Jan. 6, Salinas was arrested and charged with murder.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Austin Police at 512-974-TIPS. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.
The Source: Information from the Austin Police Department
Austin, TX
Austin activists hold anti-ICE protests following the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis
Chants of “shame” and “ICE out of Texas” rang through the street as Austin-area activists joined thousands across the nation in protesting the killing of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot Wednesday by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.
The protest was held in front of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville.
Good, 37, was shot in her SUV while attempting to drive away from several ICE officers who ordered her to exit her vehicle.
Scarleth Lopez with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the organization that led the protest, said the videos of the shooting in Minneapolis were “sickening.”
“Trump has lied and and said that Renee was a terrorist. She was a mother. She was an innocent bystander,” Lopez said. “We must organize to stop these people from kidnapping and murdering.”
Lorianne Willett
/
KUT News
Elizabeth Bope, a retired Pflugerville ISD teacher, said the claims from federal and state lawmakers that Good was attempting to strike the ICE agent with her vehicle inspired her to attend the protest.
Such claims were posted online by Vice President J.D. Vance and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Attorney General Ken Paxton reposted a statement from DHS on X, formerly known as Twitter, that said the ICE agent “relied on his training and saved his own life.”
“It’s beyond really any words that they killed this woman for no reason, but also that they’re lying about it,” Bope said. “I’m not even a radical left person, I’m just a regular old Democrat.”
Other key Texas leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, have not commented on the shooting.
Lorianne Willett
/
KUT News
Doug Tickner, who said he works for a home building company in Austin, said he felt it was important to show up in person for Good.
“I don’t really think of Minneapolis as being that far from here, and it’s not like what happened in Minneapolis was some sort of one off unique event,” Tickner said. “This is part of a pattern, and I feel folks better wake up and realize that this is becoming more and more serious.”
The news that federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, broke hours before the protest.
The gathering in Pflugerville is among the first of four anti-ICE demonstrations planned across the Austin area over the next few days.
Earlier on Thursday, protesters gathered at the intersection of 45th Street and Lamar Boulevard during rush hour. A protest on Friday will be held at the Capitol and another will be held Saturday at City Hall.
Lorianne Willett
/
KUT News
State and federal leaders are now sparring over who should conduct an investigation into the Minneapolis shooting, according to NPR.
Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which was originally asked to conduct a joint investigation with the FBI, said in a statement it was later told the investigation would be led solely by federal authorities.
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