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Feds snub San Antonio, Austin in $8.2B railway funding

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Feds snub San Antonio, Austin in $8.2B railway funding


Texas Central Partners LLC plans to use shinkansen bullet train technology for the Texas Central Railway High-Speed Rail Project between Houston-Dallas.

Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

There’s been talk of a high-speed rail connecting San Antonio and Austin for what seems like decades as it’s considered one of the fastest growing metro areas in Texas. The idea has surfaced again in a big way as Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai voiced support for a high-speed rail system connecting the cities. However, federal fund givers seem to take the idea about as seriously as San Antonians who’ve had this concept dangled in front them several times before.

The idea of a high-speed rail system connecting the Alamo City with the Texas Capital has been tossed around for years, but Sakai recently said he and Travis County Judge Andy Brown are working together to get some stronger legs under the railway concept.

“Andy and I are working together so that we can get Travis County and Bexar County to get all the fans to come and watch the San Antonio Spurs without going through IH-35,” Sakai said in a video with Brown shared by the Travis County judge on X, where Brown also said the two took part in a panel addressing regional transportation solutions.

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“How great would it be to take a train to see the Spurs instead of driving on I-35,” Brown tweeted. “Great panel with Judge Peter Sakai at the first annual 2023 Catalyst Summit by Austin Area Research Organization to talk about the future of our Super-Region!”

As great as it sounds in theory, the concept has seen a lot of pushback, namely from residents who make up the Hill Country towns that separate the two major metros who don’t want to see a railway running through their backyard.

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Well, when it came time for the federal government to dole out dollars on Friday, December 8, San Antonio didn’t make the cut. In fact, of the 10 major projects receiving federal funds from the Federal Railroad Administration totaling $8.2 billion, Texas wasn’t even on the list. This didn’t sit well with Sakai or Brown who issued a joint statement Friday questioning the lack of federal support.

“The FRA’s failure to include the Travis-Bexar County corridor is a significant missed opportunity to support responsible growth and investment across Central Texas,” Brown said in the statement. “We live in one of the most dynamic and booming regions in the world without passenger rail. We will work closely with the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to make this a priority for the next round of investments.”

This isn’t the first federal action to snub the greater San Antonio-Austin metro area either, as the joint statement sent out by Sakai’s office says the FRA designated five corridors as priorities for railway expansion in Texas, and the I-35 corridor wasn’t mentioned. According to the press release, the Travis-Bexar County “super-region” houses upwards of 5 million people which officials project will jump to 8 million in the next 30 years.

“The FRA excluding our super-region is a setback, and we are determined to make this a priority and work as a mega-corridor with our Metropolitan Planning Organizations and stakeholders to make sure we don’t miss the next round of funding,” Sakai said. “We must do more to meet the demands of our time and address the key challenges we face as on of the fastest growing communities in the nation and improve transit with passenger rail in Central Texas.”

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Austin, TX

Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender Captured in Wyoming

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Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender Captured in Wyoming


AUSTIN, TX – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced that a Texas 10 Most Wanted sex offender is back in custody following his recent arrest.

Authorities arrested Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender Ramiro Dominguez on June 27 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Dominguez was DPS’ Featured Fugitive in June 2024, and a Crime Stoppers reward will be paid for his arrest.

Ramiro Manuel Dominguez, 35, was taken into custody in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Following up on tip information received last month, DPS Special Agents from Lubbock coordinated with officers from the Cheyenne Police Department to locate and arrest Dominguez. 

Dominguez had been wanted since Dec. 2023, when a warrant was issued out of Hale County, Texas for his arrest for failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements. In 2012, Dominguez was convicted of first-degree rape in Oklahoma following an incident with a 10-year-old girl. He was subsequently sentenced to 8 years of confinement. Also in 2012, he was convicted of domestic assault and battery/abuse in Oklahoma and sentenced to 3 years of confinement to be served concurrently with his 8-year sentence for rape. More information on Dominguez’s capture can be found here.

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Funded by the Governor’s Public Safety Office, Texas Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, Sex Offenders or Criminal Illegal Immigrants. So far in 2024, DPS and other agencies have arrested 23 Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, Sex Offenders and Criminal Illegal Immigrants, including 10 sex offenders, 8 gang members and 2 criminal illegal immigrants. 

To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters must provide information to authorities using one of the following three methods:

  • Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
  • Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about then clicking on the link under their picture.
  • Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “About” section).

All tips are anonymous — regardless of how they are submitted — and tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name.

DPS investigators work with local law enforcement agencies to select fugitives for the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, Sex Offenders and Criminal Illegal Immigrants Lists. You can find the current lists — with photos — on the DPS website.

Do not attempt to apprehend these fugitives; they are considered armed and dangerous.

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Biden Admin directive on abortion could protect Texas doctors from political prosecution

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Biden Admin directive on abortion could protect Texas doctors from political prosecution


Tuesday morning, the Biden Administration ordered emergency room doctors across the country to perform abortions on pregnant women when their life is at risk, despite state laws that might ban the move.

Texas has a total ban on abortion, starting at conception– the only exemption is if the mother’s life is at risk; so this federal directive is already written into state law.

Texas Alliance for Life spokeswoman, Amy O’Donnell said, “We know that there are some organizations who want to put laws in place that prosecute women who seek abortion; Texas Alliance for Life does not support those laws.”

But what about Texas doctors who perform abortions?

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In most cases and unless medically necessary, doctors performing abortions in the state could be charged with a felony, and the Texas Medical Board could suspend and/or revoke the doctor’s medical license.

Last month, the Texas Medical Board adopted updated rules for doctors performing emergency abortions, but concerns remain that those guidelines are still unclear.

“Physicians are gonna be tortured by the process and have a difficult time making decisions,” said Steve Bresnen, a pro-choice advocate.

According to the Associated Press, the directive issued by the Department of Health and Human Services said in part, “We have heard story after story describing the experiences of pregnant women presenting to hospital emergency departments with emergency medical conditions and being turned away because medical providers were uncertain about what treatment they were permitted to provide.”

But the new federal order from the Biden Administration could ease Texas doctor’s fear of political prosecution, should they need to perform an emergency abortion.

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The letter continued in part, “No pregnant woman or her family should have to even begin to worry that she could be denied the treatment she needs to stabilize her emergency medical condition in the emergency room.”

We reached out to the Texas Medical Board for comment; they declined, but issued a statement that partly reads, “The reality is that the board can only act where it has the authority to provide rules within the confines of the law.”

In Texas, emergency abortions in cases where the mother’s life is at risk, remain legal.



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3 hospitalized after crowd surge at Pitbull concert at the University of Texas at Austin – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale

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3 hospitalized after crowd surge at Pitbull concert at the University of Texas at Austin – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale


A crowd of fans were crushed during a Pitbul concert at the university sending three people to the hospital with injuries.

Not everyone had the time of their lives seeing Pitbull for free at the University of Texas at Austin on Sunday.

Officials report three people were taken to the hospital following a crowd surge.

Sunday night’s event, celebrating the university’s transition to the Southeastern Conference, attracted thousands to campus.

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“I mean, it was phenomenal. I was dozens of people out there just having the best time of their lives,” said Santiago Barrachina.

What started as a fun night took a terrifying turn when Miami’s Pitbull took the stage. With about 50,000 attendees, the situation became too much.

“We were like, on the right before the steps to where it was gated. So we did get to see the pushing and shoving, and that’s when we decided to move out,” said Angelica Garcia.

The incident was reminiscent of a South by Southwest event in 2014 in which Tyler the Creator was accused of inciting a riot. As well as in 2021, at a Travis Scott concert in Houston where 10 people were crushed to death.

“Oh, yeah. I think that was on everyone’s minds. Right,” said Shane Bean. “You know that it’s barricaded. You’re shoulder to shoulder with everyone, but yeah, no, it was a good time, though.”

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“Going forward, what would you recommend to the university for the next one,” said a local reporter.

“I guess I mean, it would have been nice if they had more of a plan with that many people showing up, right,” said Bean. “It just seemed like they barricaded the place and let people in, I guess. Yeah, maybe a little bit more forethought about having so many people come in.”

Many students like Alejandra Lugo said the area chosen, the university’s clock tower, for the free concert was too small. An issue that should have been spotted right away.

“I would say to have in a more open area where people can walk freely in and out of the crowd, because that’s a problem that you can get when anyone can be invited to an open area free concert, especially. I think they should also be providing more water around like easily accessible to those more in the middle,” she said.

Pitbull nor the university have yet to publically address what happened at the concert.

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