Austin, TX
Texas: The Issue Is – Rep. Carl Sherman fights for air conditioning in Texas prisons during record high temps
![Texas: The Issue Is – Rep. Carl Sherman fights for air conditioning in Texas prisons during record high temps](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox7austin.com/www.fox7austin.com/content/uploads/2023/07/1280/720/Screenshot-18.png?ve=1&tl=1)
Rep. Sherman fighting for A/C in Texas prisons
In this week’s edition of Texas: The Issue Is, FOX 7 Austin’s Rudy Koski speaks with State Rep. Carl Sherman about why he believes an emergency response is needed in prisons lacking air conditioning during this summer’s record heat.
AUSTIN, Texas – State prisons with no air conditioning: it’s a familiar issue that heats up every summer. But this year, with the current heat wave, the debate has gotten even hotter.
Tuesday, prison reform advocates held an emotional news conference at the State Capitol with several state lawmakers. State Rep. Carl Sherman (D – Lancaster) was among those taking part.
FOX 7 Austin’s Rudy Koski spoke with him about why he believes an emergency response is needed now.
Texas inmates without air conditioning during record high temps, advocates say
Carl Sherman: You should care about humanity. Really what this comes down to is if you believe in public safety, then you should care, because those that are working in these conditions are suffering as well.
Rudy Koski: How much could this cost putting A/C in all the units?
Carl Sherman: Well, let me just say this. We actually appropriated over $500 million for us to have A/C. And I can tell you what it has cost us in the past. When you look at the cost that we’ve spent on trying to address lawsuits. It’s been millions of dollars, and it’s been less to actually install A/C.
Rudy Koski: What do you say to those who believe that this is just being soft on crime?
Carl Sherman: I understand. And I get it. They believe that. But when temperatures are rising above 120 degrees inside cells. That’s inhumane. That’s indecent.
Texas inmates without air conditioning
This summer, nine inmates in Texas prisons died of heart attacks while being held in cells without air conditioning. That is according to members of a prison advocacy group, who called on the governor to help those serving time in hot cells.
Rudy Koski: The state is putting some cooling spots into some of these locations. Why isn’t that enough?
Carl Sherman: Well, when you are actually living in a four-story metal building under those conditions, and you’re taken out for respite when they can, because we’re understaffed, we normally have about 20,000 correctional officers, and now we’re down to, I think approximately the last number I saw, 17,000 correctional officers. They cannot address every citizen who has an issue regarding the heat. And so, unfortunately, those respite areas are not sufficient.
Carl Sherman: We know that our things shouldn’t be more valued than those that are made in His image. Whether you’ve done something wrong, or whether you just didn’t have a good legal team. Everyone deserves to be treated like a human.
MORE TEXAS: THE ISSUE IS
Rudy Koski: You say that this is an emergency. Are you asking the governor to call a special session for this issue?
Carl Sherman: Look, the governor has a multiplicity of issues and challenges, along with 30 million constituents who certainly have their priorities. And, you know, I’ve never been a governor. And so I don’t know what it must be like to be in his seat. There are a lot of important issues out there, but this is one where people are dying, where our employees are getting sick and needing to be rushed to the hospital. So this to me, speaks to our humanity in response.
Carl Sherman: And if there are conditions that we have control of that we can do something about. That we who say to the counties, you must have A/C, we say to the cities, you must have A/C. Then we ought to do it for ourselves. So, yes, I think that there could be hypocrisy there if we’re not doing it. And that’s on all of us. 150 representatives, 31 senators, as well as the governor as well. All of us have responsibility in this. So I don’t put this just on the governor.
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Austin, TX
Taking a Look Back at Ole Miss’ Matchups vs. Newest Members of the SEC
![Taking a Look Back at Ole Miss’ Matchups vs. Newest Members of the SEC](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3503,h_1970,x_0,y_199/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/the_grove_report/01j1nq6n34s1wytxc3p1.jpg)
July 1 marks the first day the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners will officially be members of the Southeastern Conference, a day that will be exciting for not just their fans, but college football fans as a whole.
The SEC landscape is changing, and with that will comes the budding of new rivalries that you wouldn’t have thought possible just five years ago. Alas, the SEC will be more toxic than ever, and as college football fans, can you ask for anything more?
While the Ole Miss Rebels have rarely faced Oklahoma and Texas, it has happened in the not-so-distant past. Let’s take a look at the last time Ole Miss has matched up against these two teams.
Oklahoma — 1999
On a chilly New Year’s Eve in Shreveport, the Oklahoma Sooners and Ole Miss Rebels met for the first and only time in the 1999 Independence Bowl.
A battle of first-year head coaches David Cutcliffe and Bob Stoops also featured first-year offensive coordinator Mike Leach on the Oklahoma sideline. This game featured some familiar names as Josh Heupel (now Tennessee’s head coach) ran the show at quarterback for the Sooners.
The 1999 season was anything but fun for the Rebels as all of their losses that season were one-possession games, but they did have Deuce McCallister, and on that cold night in Shreveport, he definitely was loose.
Deuce had a monster game with 121 yards on the ground plus 55 yards receiving on three receptions. Quarterback Romaro Miller had a great first half where the Rebels held a 21-3 lead entering halftime.
Heupel led a fiery comeback in the second half, but the Rebel lead held at 27-25, giving them their third bowl win in a row and finishing 22nd in the polls.
The Sooners and Rebels will meet again in October at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for the second act of what could turn out to be a nice little rivalry sooner rather than later.
Texas — 2013
The Longhorns and Rebels have met five times in their history, but in 2012, they saw their first meeting since 1925.
The home-and-home series between Texas was a very exciting endeavor for the Rebels as fans weren’t used to the team playing blue-blood competition that didn’t reside in the SEC.
In 2012, the Rebels got embarrassed in the Vaught, so in 2013, they decided to return the favor in Austin.
Jeff Scott had a monster game for the Rebels on the ground as the Longhorn defense had no answers for the potent Ole Miss rushing attack. Scott and quarterback Bo Wallace had the read option humming as they continued to gash the Horns up front all night.
Scott ended the night with 164 yards and a score. Wide receiver Donte Moncrief got in on the action as well with a touchdown catch, and the Rebels made a statement to the rest of the country that they could play with the big boys.
The Longhorns in the 2010s were not the Longhorns of the Vince Young era, as they were not built to stop the run. The Rebels exploited that weakness and had a field day on the ground.
While this win looked good on paper, the Rebels went into Tuscaloosa the next week and got beat 25-0 to slow some of that momentum.
The 2013 Rebels were similar to the 1999 Rebels in the fact that they lost a lot of close ballgames to some talented teams. The Rebels would go on to beat Georgia Tech in the Music City Bowl to finish the year 8-5.
Ole Miss won’t play Texas for the next couple of years, but the reinstatement of this game should be fun for both fan bases to travel and enjoy two of the top towns for college football.
Austin, TX
How to protect your vehicle from the Texas heat this summer
![How to protect your vehicle from the Texas heat this summer](https://www.kxan.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2023/07/GettyImages-106545560.jpg?w=1280)
AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s summertime in Texas, and with it comes more extreme heat and the possibility of severe weather. Paired with more intense weather patterns is summer vacation, a time when many Texans will likely hit the roads seeking a little rest and reprieve.
Before a storm front rolls in or you venture off for a road trip, here are some key areas you should check on your vehicle to ensure you’re traveling safely.
Your summertime car care checklist
“Starting off, severe weather or not, [you should be] making sure that your tires are in good condition, your tire thread has good life on it,” said AJ Garza, a regional manager for Jiffy Lube with oversight on the San Antonio and Austin markets.
During the summer months, the extreme heat radiating off roadways can threaten your tires if they’re more worn down and in need of replacement, Garza said. Ensuring they’re in good condition can help drivers avoid a blowout while driving, he added.
Three other key checkpoints on your vehicle include wiper blades, lights and the battery. Wiper blades eventually wear down after exposure to extreme temperatures, especially when paired with grime and debris and extended use. AAA recommends replacing them at least once a year if not more frequently, given Texas’ more intense climate.
For lights, Garza said this is especially critical if drivers are anticipating severe weather, such as rainstorms. Checking to make sure the lights work will ensure you can safely navigate roads, should you get caught in a downpour or other intense storms.
As for the battery, it’s no surprise that monitoring its condition and lifespan is especially crucial in Texas. Extremely high temperatures can overwork a battery and cause them to die.
“The extreme heat just completely puts a huge damper on your battery, so it can drain your battery out,” Garza said. “The extreme heat also breaks down your coolant and antifreeze a lot faster, which can lead to a vehicle overheating.”
Garza recommended checking to make sure your backup and spare reservoirs are at the proper level and the fluid is within its lifespan and hasn’t broken down.
Finally, with air conditioners, he said drivers should check to make sure their Freon — the non-combustible gas used in ACs — has been replenished. Garza added most manufacturers recommend drivers add new Freon in every two to four years.
A standard re-up item on a car Garza warned drivers not to forget about is their brakes. Those should be inspected routinely by a service center any time you’re getting an oil change.
There are also plenty of shops that’ll do a free visual brake check. He cautioned drivers to stay on top of routine maintenance so they’re not waiting until they’re in the “red zone” to do something about it.
“[Jiffy Lube operates] in green, yellow and red, which green is in good condition, yellow is for your consideration and red is for immediate attention,” he said. “So when it comes to brakes, nobody ever wants to wait for your brakes to meet in the red.”
What should you always have on hand in your car, in case of an emergency?
One guarantee is that you never know when you might run into an issue with your vehicle, but Garza said drivers can prepare themselves with a few simple items.
The first is a first aid kit, in case a situation arises and someone needs lower-level medical care. From there, he stressed the value of having jumper cables tucked away into your car.
A spare gas container is also recommended in case you run out of gas and you need to go fill up the extra container to replenish fuel levels.
Handheld air compressors are a small but mighty tool that can refill a tires in a pinch. Keeping extra phone chargers on hand in the event of an emergency is also one way to keep people safe and seek out help, as needed.
Garza suggested carrying a couple of spare blinkers or headlights, in case one goes out.
“If you know what your headlight is, it’s always good to just have one extra on your blinkers or your license plate lights,” he said. “Because you always want to be able to not only see but be seen.”
Austin, TX
Missing man's friends find phone on ground hours after he was last seen: APD
![Missing man's friends find phone on ground hours after he was last seen: APD](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox7austin.com/www.fox7austin.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1280/720/Daniel-Choi.jpeg?ve=1&tl=1)
(Austin Police Department)
AUSTIN, Texas – The Austin Police Department is looking for a missing man who was last seen Saturday afternoon in the Rainey Street area.
40-year-old Daniel Choi was last seen just after 1 p.m. on June 29 in the 600 block of Davis Street.
APD says Choi’s friends found his phone on the ground at Cesar Chavez and South 1st Street, less than a mile away, at about 5:45 p.m.
The department says that there is a concern as Choi needs medication and has no wallet or phone and this is considered out of the ordinary behavior for him.
Choi is described as a white male, 5’8″ and 130 lbs, with straight black hair and limited use of his right arm. He was last seen wearing blue swim shorts with a bird print and a blue T-shirt.
Anyone who sees Choi should call 9-1-1 immediately or the APD Missing Person’s Unit at 512-974-5250.
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