Texas

Beloved Texas teacher, 28, ‘randomly’ shot dead at outdoor bar during coaches convention

Published

2 years ago

July 24, 2024

Beloved Texas teacher, 28, ‘randomly’ shot dead at outdoor bar during coaches convention

A young Texas high school English teacher and cheer coach was “randomly” shot and killed at an outdoor bar in San Antonio in a shocking tragedy Tuesday.

The beloved Jasper High educator Ayden Burt, 28, was at a local rooftop bar while in town for the Texas High School Coaches Association Conference when she was struck by a bullet just after midnight, San Antonio police said.

Investigators said Burt was “randomly” shot but don’t yet know who fired at her.

“Our Homicide Detectives are working to bring justice to Ayden and her family; however, details are limited,” the police department said in a statement. “SAPD is asking for the public’s help for any information regarding this tragic incident.”

A bullet struck Burt in the upper back while she was sitting on the rooftop patio of Smoke Skybar on East Crockett Street, police told 12 News Now.

Her back was towards the nearby highway, I-37, and police believe the shot was fired from the Interstate, the local news station reported.

Burt was with other coaches from across the state at the bar when the shooting occurred.

“She was sitting right next to me laughing and talking and the next [minute] bleeding in my lap,” Humble High School football coach Robert Murphy said on X. “My coaches did everything they could performing CPR etc to save her life. She was excited about the upcoming year. Traumatizing.”

Burt was rushed to an area hospital in critical condition following the shooting but she couldn’t be saved.

No other injuries were reported.

Burt taught English at both Jasper Junior High and Jasper High School since 2019. She also coached volleyball and cheerleading teams.

Jasper ISD Superintendent John Seybold announced her death in a statement to school community members.

“Dear Bulldog Family, It is with a heavy heart that we have learned of the passing of one of our staff members, Ayden Burt,” Seybold wrote. “We ask for prayers of comfort for her family, as well as her extended family, the students and staff of Jasper ISD.”

He told 12 News Now that he was in shock by the death of the young teacher.

“Ayden was so young. She was a great person, very kindhearted,” Seybold told the station. “Just starting her teaching career, she had already touched so many lives.”

Burt came from a line of Jasper educators. Her father and grandfather both served as principals of Jasper Junior High and she was a graduate of the high school.

“She was irreplaceable. A Jasper bulldog through and through,” Seybold said.

The school district offered grief counseling for students, staff and community members Tuesday.

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Texas

Opal Lee’s granddaughter advocates for “Grandmother of Juneteenth” to be included in Texas curriculum

Published

4 hours ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

Opal Lee’s granddaughter advocates for “Grandmother of Juneteenth” to be included in Texas curriculum

The granddaughter of Dr. Opal Lee, famously known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” was in Austin Tuesday to advocate for the inclusion her grandmother in Texas’ Juneteenth curriculum.

Dr. Lee is nearly 100 years old and lives in Fort Worth. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024 and was by President Biden’s side when he made Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021.

“I want to petition for her to be a required person to study Juneteenth,” said granddaughter Dione Sims. “People that have to do with freedom, liberty, and unity; she’s the embodiment of that. Helping to get Juneteenth as a national holiday, I think deserves to be mentioned.”

Sims testified in front of the State Board of Education Tuesday night. A final decision is expected in June.

Lee, born in 1926, played a crucial role in making Juneteenth a federal holiday. The North Texas icon walked two and a half miles every Juneteenth to symbolize the two and a half years it took for enslaved people in Texas to learn they were free, after the Emancipation Proclamation. In 2016, she walked from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness.

She didn’t participate in the 2025 walk after being hospitalized.

Lee has also been honored with a Barbie doll that celebrates her advocacy as part of its Inspiring Women collection.

Sims previously discussed expanding Lee’s walk across all 50 states, preserving her grandmother’s legacy with a walk in one city in each state.

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Texas

North Texas Iranian Americans fear for families amid Trump’s threats against Iran

Published

16 hours ago

April 7, 2026

Press Room

North Texas Iranian Americans fear for families amid Trump’s threats against Iran

Tensions are rising between the United States and Iran, as a deadline from President Donald Trump fuels concerns about potential military action.

Just hours before President Trump’s deadline for Iran to accept a deal or face military consequences, Iranian Americans in North Texas feared for their relatives on the ground, saying the focus should stay on the people of Iran.

“We’re in a wartime, so everyone’s worried and following the news,” said Homeira Hesami, the chairwoman for the Iranian American Community of North Texas. “The internet’s still being down, you know, we don’t have a very secure way to communicate with our family and friends back home, so sometimes, you know, they may be able to call out, but it’s very patchy.”

Tuesday, Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz, following similar threats he made on Easter Sunday. TCU Political Science Professor Ralph Carter offered this perspective on the potential loss of life.

“In the worst-case scenario, President Trump carries out massive attacks against civilian targets, killing thousands or even millions of people, then I think Congress has to act,” said Carter.

Carter added that targeting an entire civilization could amount to a war crime and raises serious questions about Mr. Trump’s legal authority. He said this also shakes up the U.S.’s relationships with its allies.

“I do think that Iran will survive, whatever happens,” Carter said. “I think the Iranian people will be united in a rally around the flag phenomenon to defend their homeland against an aggressor, and I think, again, this is one of those things where a weaker power outlasts a stronger power, because the stronger power gets tired of the price they have to pay to try to get a victory.”

Hesami believes change in Iran must come from the Iranian people, not through foreign intervention.

“War has proven that sometimes it is not the solution, and the solution is relying on the Iranian people and their organized resistance,” she said.

Less than two hours before his deadline for Iran to either cut a deal with the U.S. or face massive strikes on its power plants, Mr. Trump said he agreed to a “double sided CEASEFIRE” with Iran.

“I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” the president wrote on Truth Social.

He said the ceasefire, which he agreed to at Pakistan’s request, was “subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.”