The Austin City Council passed protections for gender-affirming care Thursday, only a few days after the state of Texas filed a lawsuit over Title IX changes granting protections for transgender people.

“Trans people deserve the right to self determination,” City Council member José “Chito” Vela, one of the sponsors of the resolution, said at a Thursday Austin City Council meeting.

“Our state has forced them and their medical providers into hiding, and that is wrong,” Vela continued. “Austin should not be a party to that anymore than we legally have to be.”

A draft of the resolution states that “except to the extent required by law, it is the policy of the City that no City personnel, funds, or resources shall be used to investigate, criminally prosecute, or impose administrative penalties upon” transgender and nonbinary people looking for health care or those who provide health care to transgender and nonbinary people.

The resolution’s passage comes shortly after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) sued the Biden administration over a final set of changes to Title IX, unveiled last month, that add protections for transgender students to the federal civil rights law on sex-based discrimination. The changes will take effect in early August.

“Texas will not allow Joe Biden to rewrite Title IX at whim, destroying legal protections for women in furtherance of his radical obsession with gender ideology,” Paxton said Monday in a news release.

Paxton also blasted the Austin resolution in a statement Thursday, saying it is “riddled with problems.”

“If the City of Austin refuses to follow the law and protect children, my office will consider every possible response to ensure compliance,” Paxton continued in the statement. “Texas municipalities do not have the authority to pick and choose which state laws they will or will not abide by. The people of Texas have spoken, and Austin City Council must listen.”

The Texas Supreme Court allowed a state law barring gender-affirming care for transgender youth to go into effect in August 2023, after a legal battle over the legislation.

Multiple tornadoes hit Texas on Thursday near Abilene, including one in Hawley that was caught on camera by storm chaser Russ Contreras.

“We’ve had multiple confirmed tornadoes this evening,” said the National Weather Service office in San Angelo on X Thursday evening. “Please stay weather aware and make sure you have a way to receive warnings!” The weather service also posted a map showing where the tornadoes hit.

The Hawley Independent School District said in a statement on Facebook that the “Hawley community has been hit pretty hard and we have several families that have lost homes.” The district said that while the school seems to have been spared major damage, there is “pretty substantial” flooding on the grounds.

The district also said that Friday will be a flex day for students, meaning the school will be open and on regular schedule for students that can attend, however attendance is not mandatory and will not be taken.

Photos of the Hawley, Texas tornado

San Jacinto River evacuation order

In the southeast portion of the state, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Thursday issued a disaster declaration and a mandatory evacuation for residents on the East Fork of the San Jacinto River in Houston during a news conference.

Hidalgo said residents must evacuate their homes because of high water risk and that they should leave as soon as possible. Officials said that section of the San Jacinto River is nearing 78 feet above sea level, which is about three feet below Hurricane Harvey water levels.

Some 24-hour rainfall totals exceeded seven inches in the region, reports FOX Weather, with storm totals over the past few days nearing about a foot.

Texas weather forecast for Friday and the weekend

The National Weather Service office in San Angelo said that severe weather potential continues in the area Friday with a marginal to slight risk of severe storms in the afternoon and evening.

“Large hail, damaging winds and even a tornado will again be possible,” the NWS said.

As for Saturday, the weather service said more widespread thunderstorms during the day and night will lead to “a chance for heavy rainfall across portions of West Central Texas, mainly across the Big Country and the Heartland.”

The NWS says the rainfall could be heavy enough to cause flash flooding of streets, creeks, streams, and other low-lying areas. Additionally, storms Saturday will pose the “greatest risk for very large hail greater than 2 inches in diameter.”

A Flood Watch is in effect in the Houston-Galveston area through Friday, with flooding being especially hazardous at night, the NWS said.

“Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms continue today, mainly north of I-10 and east of I-45,” the NWS said Friday morning. “Heavy rainfall potential exists and could result in flash flooding. A few storms may become strong to severe with hail and strong gusts as the main risks,” the NWS said.

Texas severe weather watches and warnings

Here’s a look at a map of the watches and warnings across the state.

Texas power outage map

Nearly 30,000 power outages have been reported across Texas as of 6:40 a.m. local time Friday, according to a USA TODAY power outage tracker, including over 12,000 in Harris County.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.

CANYON, Texas (KFDA) – The West Texas A&M Lady Buffs took down Texas A&M – Kingsville on Thursday night in the first round of the LSC tournament.

The Lady Buffs scored five of their eight runs on the game in the second and third innings, taking a commanding lead on the tournament’s eight seed.

A sacrifice fly from Gabriella Valforte and a sacrifice bunt from Heaven Moreno got the run scoring started and put West Texas A&M up 2-0.

That lead ballooned to 4-0 after an RBI double from Diana Murtha and an RBI single from Valforte in the third. Murtha and Valforte then executed a double steal on the base paths to plate another run for the Lady Buffs.

Texas A&M – Kingsville managed two runs in the fifth off an RBI single from Kayla Gonzales, but it wasn’t enough as WT took home the 8-2 victory.

In the circle, West Texas A&M star pitcher Emilee Boyer pitched a gem with six strikeouts and only three hits allowed.

The Lady Buffs will play their next game at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. It will be a matchup with the winner of St. Mary’s and Oklahoma Christian, which will be played earlier on Friday at 2:30 p.m.

Copyright 2024 KFDA. All rights reserved.