Texas
Four people, including infant, die trying to cross Rio Grande into Texas
Four people, including an infant, have drowned in the Rio Grande on the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas since Saturday, Texas Department of Public Safety officials said Monday.
The baby girl and a woman were pulled from the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, Texas, along with two other people Saturday. The infant and woman died, while the other two survived, according to Lt. Chris Olivarez, spokesperson for the department.
Two other men were found drowned in the same section of river, one each Sunday and Monday.
The identities of the four drowned people are unknown because none of them carried identifying documents, according to Olivarez, who tweeted out the details.
The drownings come just days before the state of Texas plans to place floating buoys in the section of the river near Eagle Pass.
The buoys, announced last month, are intended to make it impossible to swim across the river from Mexico to the U.S., discouraging people from crossing the border illegally.
Eagle Pass is the first section — called “the center of gravity for smuggling” by Texas DPS Chief Steven McCraw — of the river to receive buoys.
“This strategy will proactively prevent illegal crossings between ports of entry by making it more difficult to cross the Rio Grande and reach the Texas side of the southern border,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said in a statement last month.
Last fall, nine people drowned while attempting to cross the Rio Grande in the same Eagle Pass section of river.
The buoy strategy is the latest in Abbott’s attempts to stop undocumented immigrants from coming to Texas, which he has called a “crisis.”
On Saturday, Abbott sent a second busload of migrants from Texas to Los Angeles, part of a program that buses migrants to so-called “sanctuary cities,” places where undocumented immigrants have additional protections. The program has been widely criticized by Democrats and advocates for migrants.
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Texas
For Many in North Texas, It's Still Lights Out (Possibly Until Saturday)
The good news is that more than half of the 650,000 customers without power after Tuesday morning’s hurricane-force winds now have power. The bad news is obvious: hundreds of thousands of people still do not. The number of affected Oncor customers is now 261,000 in total, 179,000 of whom are located in Dallas County.
That would include the Erickson household, where things are getting a little surly. We’re trying to maintain perspective by remembering all we’ll have to do is throw away dodgy perishables and sweat. Many more are coordinating with insurance adjusters, hiring tree trimmers, and tarping roofs.
Wednesday morning Oncor said that teams are working 16-hour shifts to restore power and have called in nearly 5,000 more personnel from other states. The electricity provider says that it expects that most people will have power by Friday evening, but some may not get relief before Saturday.
On social media, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said there are 25 feeders that “must be repaired before they can be powered from the substation.” Twenty of those 25 are in Dallas County, which likely explains the disparity with neighboring counties.
Flooding yesterday, combined with fallen trees and other debris, has slowed progress. “In heavily damaged areas, wide swaths of power lines and distribution equipment are not only being repaired but must also be reconstructed,” Oncor said in a statement Wednesday morning. “In these areas, Oncor teams are facing complex repairs like removing uprooted trees and debris and replacing damaged utility poles and transformers before we can install new power lines.”
City of Dallas officials offered a quick update last night and have another press conferenced scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The city has opened respite centers where residents can seek shelter and air conditioning. Downed limbs or trees in the roadway can be reported via 311, either online, through the app, or by phone. Downed power lines should be reported through 911.
In an email to the City Council Wednesday, Dallas Office of Emergency Management Director Travis Houston said that Dallas has ordered a debris removal team to clear roads ahead of Oncor’s trucks. Those crews are dispatched by 311 operators.
“The debris collection team includes 34 so-called ‘saw crews’ and crews from Streets and Sanitation,” Houston said. “Using mapping tools, data from those 311 calls are identifying where crews should focus efforts.”
Garbage and recycling collection will be delayed by one day. The city has also suspended the rules on setting out bulk trash early, and all residents will be able to put out up to 20-cubic yards of debris for the next 15 days.
Houston also said there are 182 traffic signals out and 139 are flashing. Temporary stop signs will be placed at some intersections.
When signal lights are flashing or are out, the rules for an all-way stop apply: the vehicle that arrives first has the right-of-way, and each vehicle then takes its turn through the intersection by order of arrival. If it’s unclear who came first, the driver (or drivers) on the left should yield to the driver on the right. The car furthest to the right has the right of way. If one car intends to turn and another intends to go straight, the driver going straight goes first. If one plans on turning left and the other plans on turning right, the vehicle on the right has the right-of-way.
The city’s 1:30 p.m. update should deliver more details, including how it plans to deal with potential storms in the forecast for Wednesday night, Thursday, and Friday. Included in that press conference will be Houston, Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, and representatives from Dallas Fire-Rescue, Public Works, Sanitation, Transportation, and Oncor.
We’ll update this post after.
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Bethany Erickson
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Bethany Erickson is the senior digital editor for D Magazine. She’s written about real estate, education policy, the stock market, and crime throughout her career, and sometimes all at the same time. She hates lima beans and 5 a.m. and takes SAT practice tests for fun.
Texas
Storms linger around North Texas Wednesday
NORTH TEXAS – We are waking up to a few showers and storms in the area with more possible through midday. Severe weather is not expected, but lightning and gusty winds are possible.
The afternoon and evening are looking drier with a mix of sun and clouds and temperatures in the low 80s – a nice break from the oppressive heat.
A weather alert has been issued for Thursday due to the potential for more severe storms. Timing of the storms is very tricky but right now, it looks like we will have our first round Thursday morning followed by another late Thursday into Friday morning.
Just like we saw yesterday, the morning convection will impact the intensity and track of the late-day convection.The main threats are large hail, damaging windsspin-up and flooding but a spin up tornado can’t be ruled out.
Parts of North Texas are at a level 2, Slight Risk of severe storms both Thursday and Friday. The weather alert may be extended into Friday morning.
Rain and storm chances will continue into the weekend but there should be longer stretches of dry time in between rounds of storms.
Saturday night into Sunday morning we are monitoring closely for a round of potentially severe storms.
Temperatures will heat back up into the start of next week.
Texas
Texas primary election runoff: Wesley Doolittle defeats Rand Henderson in Montgomery Co. Sheriff runoff race
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – Incumbent Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson has been defeated by his opponent, Wesley Doolittle.
Unofficial final results show that Doolittle received 54% of the vote while Henderson received 46% of the vote.
FOX 26 Houston is now on the FOX LOCAL app available through Apple TV, Amazon FireTV, Roku, Google Android TV, and Vizio!
Doolittle served with the Texas Department of Public safety for 22 years before retiring in 2022 and immediately sworn in as a Captain with the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office.
The vote means that Montgomery County will have a new sheriff after Henderson took office in 2017.
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