Texas

New Hampshire National Guard encounters new challenges at Texas border

Published

7 months ago

April 23, 2024

New Hampshire National Guard encounters new challenges at Texas border

Bulletin writer Annmarie Timmins will be reporting from Eagle Pass, Texas, this week, in collaboration with New Hampshire Public Radio, while shadowing the 15 National Guard soldiers sent by New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu to assist with border patrol. You can find her reporting at New Hampshire Bulletin and NHPR, both on air and online.

Two weeks into their mission in Eagle Pass, Texas, New Hampshire National Guard soldiers said they are seeing more attempts to cross the border illegally than expected. That’s true even for those who’ve been deployed to the border before.

“This mission differs immensely in terrain, number of integral breaches in our barriers, as well as the difficulty of operation effectiveness,” said Sgt. Connor Decker in an email. “The way cartel runners or illegal immigrants alone breach through secure border are evolving and cannot be so easily solved with a static solution.”

The Bulletin communicated via email last week with four of the 15 soldiers Gov. Chris Sununu deployed earlier this month to assist the Texas National Guard in securing the border. It’s a state-paid $850,000 trip unlike the prior deployments, which were federally ordered and funded.

New Hampshire is paying the Texas National Guard $200 a day per soldier for room and board as well as other base expenses. The state funding will also cover salary and benefits.

In asking lawmakers to approve his funding request in February, Sununu said he believes all states should send troops to help Texas stop the illegal crossings by undocumented migrants and the smuggling of fentanyl, the drug responsible for the most drug overdose deaths in New Hampshire in 2022, according to a state medical examiner’s report.

Though, U.S. Sentencing Commission data showed that Americans account for a huge percentage of fentanyl trafficking convictions. In 2022, it was 90 percent.

Some Republican governors have sent fewer soldiers — Montana deployed 10 this month — while others have sent more, such as Iowa, which deployed 100 in early April.

The New Hampshire soldiers, all of whom volunteered to go to Texas, are working in teams of three or four, alongside soldiers from the Texas National Guard and Louisiana National Guard. They are working 10-hour night shifts, and while they are with a military police unit in New Hampshire, they are not arresting or detaining individuals, said Greg Heilshorn, spokesman for the New Hampshire National Guard.

He described this as an “eyes and ears” deployment in support of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star. The soldiers are watching for illegal crossings at observation posts and roving patrols, looking for breaches in the fence. They are scheduled to return in June.

Pfc. Macenzi Connors is serving her first deployment to the southern border and is one of three women who volunteered. She said the partnership with Texas has been rewarding.

“Knowing that I get to help out a fellow state to deter illegal immigrants and report … any suspicious activity that we see is a good feeling on its own,” she said in an email. “So far, it has been a lot busier than we thought, but working as a team and knowing that the people I came down with will always have my back makes being down here a lot easier.”

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, federal law enforcement is reporting fewer encounters in the Del Rio sector, which includes Eagle Pass, each month since December, when it spiked to 71,048. In April, the agency reported 11,281 encounters.

Spc. Carson Geha is also serving his first mission. Even with the drop in the number of encounters, he too has been surprised by the number of cartel “runners” cutting the fence to cross illegally. “Working side by side with the Texas National Guard has brought a sense of teamwork in order to deter illegal immigrants and keep our border secure.”

Spc. Connor Sills spent about a year at the southern border as part of last year’s federal deployment. He told the Bulletin he volunteered to return to help the soldiers who haven’t been through the experience. In an email last week, Sills said the Texas soldiers are doing the same. He has spent his nights roving the fence line, separating the Rio Grande from Texas.

New Hampshire Bulletin is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Hampshire Bulletin maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Dana Wormald for questions: info@newhampshirebulletin.com. Follow New Hampshire Bulletin on Facebook and Twitter.

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Texas

Takeaways from Minnesota's 54-51 loss to North Texas

Published

5 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Press Room

Takeaways from Minnesota’s 54-51 loss to North Texas

The Minnesota Golden Gophers on Wednesday night found themselves on the losing end for the first time this season, falling to North Texas 54-51.

It was an ugly loss for Minnesota, one in which they scored just 14 points in the first half before putting together a better but far-from-good second half. Ultimately the sluggish start was too much to overcome in the loss.

You can read more about the loss, here.

With that, Gophers Nation offers four thoughts on the Golden Gophers loss on Wednesday.

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1. A missed opportunity

If the Golden Gophers wanted to make the NCAA Tournament this season, they needed to maximize their opportunities within their non-conference schedule. In the grand scheme of things, it’s one of the weaker non-conference schedules in the country. Oral Roberts, Nebraska Omaha, Bethune Cookman, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Morgan State are all opponents rated by KenPom at 250 or higher.

The only respectable opponents on the Minnesota non-conference schedule were North Texas (65), Yale (104), Wichita State (83), and Florida (21) /Wake Forest (74).

Now, the Gophers are off to a 0-1 start in those four games, and little over the last two games will inspire much confidence that the Gophers will be able to win out the remainder of those three games. Even if the Gophers rebound to have a respectable non-conference record once Big Ten play begins, a quad-three loss could be a deciding factor in the discussions for the NCAA Tournament come March.

That being said, making the NCAA Tournament should be the last thing on the Gophers’ mind currently. Their play over their last two games has been highly concerning even when considering the health of key players.

2. A terrible first half too much to overcome

To start the game 1-for-17 from the field in a game is simply inexcusable and baffling. The Golden Gophers on Wednesday were kept to an embarrassing 14 points in the first 20 minutes of play. Miraculously, they only found themselves trailing 23-14 as Noth Texas seemingly couldn’t get out of their way in the first half as well.

The sloppiness went beyond being unable to buy a basket as well as the Gophers had eight first-half turnovers which resulted in nine points for North Texas on the other side of the court including seven coming off the fast break.

The overwhelming theme of the first-half shooting woes was the Gophers settling for shots. Their first layup attempt of the game didn’t come until the 6:45 mark. Going forward, the Gophers need to do a much better job in their shot selection.

Notably, the Gophers did appear to miss Mike Mitchell’s ability to distribute the ball quite a bit. They had just nine assists in the loss while Mitchell had 12 alone through the first two games. With Mitchell out at least two weeks, the Gophers offense may continue to look sluggish until his return.

3. Will someone not named Dawson Garcia emerge?

If the Golden Gophers are going to have any sort of chance of building momentum this season, someone will have to emerge as an offensive threat beyond Dawson Garcia. Through three games, Garcia has 40% of all the Gophers points scored with 78 of 199 total points.

The next closest Gopher? Lu’Cye Patterson with 27 points and Trey Edmonds is the only other Gopher to total over 20 points so far this season.

Garcia is shooting 66.7% from the field this season making 26-of-39 total shots. No other Gopher this season has made more than nine shots.

If the Gophers’ only true scoring option this season is Dawson Garcia, it’s going to be a very long season for Ben Johnson’s program.

4. Gophers guards struggle without Mitchell

As alluded to above, the Golden Gophers’ guards as a whole struggled without Mike Mitchell. In the loss, Femi Odukale, Brennan Rigsby, Lu’Cye Patterson, and Isaac Asuma went a combined 7-for-35 from the field. They also combined for seven of 13 Minnesota turnovers in the game.

Patterson was especially rough for the Gophers, going 3-for-14 from the field in the loss including 1-for-7 from three-point range. After going 3-for-6 in the season opener against Oral Roberts, Patterson is just 6-for-22 over the last two games, a 27.7% shooting percentage.

Odukale’s struggles are notable as well as he is off to a 3-for-14 start for the season from the field, he’s also missed his only two free throw attempts. The Gophers will need the former Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, and New Mexico State guard to step up his play going forward. There should be hope as well that he can do so as he’s averaged 8.7 points for his career and is a 42% shooter lifetime as well.

The same could be said about Brennan Rigsby who three games is just 5-for-21 including 3-for-12 from three-point range.

For Asuma, freshman struggles are to be expected including Wednesday’s performance which was especially tough as he was 1-for-6 from the field including 1-for-5 from three-point range while turning the ball over three times. The key for the Minnesota native will be to use Wednesday’s game as a learning experience which can sometimes be easier said than done.

With Mike Mitchell Jr likely out for at least another week, the Gophers will need their guards to find their groove quickly starting on Saturday against Yale.

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Texas

Texas couple accused of murdering man they shared a condo with, covering his body with rugs

Published

12 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Press Room

Texas couple accused of murdering man they shared a condo with, covering his body with rugs

A Texas man and woman are accused of stabbing a man to death after living in his condo with him.

Leo Moore and Haley Barber, both 20, have been charged with capital murder in the killing of Johnny Mac Ross Jr.

Moore and Barber, who reportedly had been living with Ross, allegedly killed him, wrapped him up with rugs and sheets, stole his car and then led police on a chase through the east Dallas suburb of Garland.

Garland police arrested the duo Monday afternoon after a chase, according to FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth.

HEARTBROKEN MOM OF TEXAS MURDER VICTIM BREAKS DOWN OVER MIGRANT CRISIS: ‘YOU TOOK AWAY MY SON!’

Leo Moore and Haley Barber, both 20, are accused of killing 53-year-old Johnny Mac Ross Jr. (Garland Police Department)

“It was several days. It does not appear that the stabbing occurred that morning,” Garland Police Lt. Pedro Barineau told the outlet. “We’re working with the medical examiner to determine how long that person had been deceased.”

Surveillance video shows the couple going in and out of the condo during the time period in which Ross was believed to be stabbed to death.

Neighbors said the couple lived in the condo with Ross, and that there had been a staunch odor coming from the home for a few days – a stink that got worse as the days passed.

TEXAS HOMICIDE SUSPECT BECAME OBSESSED WITH COWORKER, MURDERED HER OVER HER ‘LONG’ WORK BREAKS, POLICE SAY

Leo Moore and Haley Barber were arrested on capital murder charges. (iStock)

One of the neighbors, Dillan Meadows, told FOX 4 that he’d heard unusually loud noises coming from the apartment. Other neighbors reiterated that sentiment.

“Last week, we heard them a couple of times getting into it,” Meadows said.

Meadows spoke positively about Ross, someone he’d only known for six months.

“We used to go fishing all the time out back,” Meadows said. “He used to come down, sit out there and fish with us. He used to bring us food, sit there on the grill. He was a really cool dude.”

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Others told FOX 4 there was high-risk activity associated with the condo.

“There’s still a lot more information that our detectives are trying to uncover,” Barineau said.

Moore and Barber allegedly stole Ross’ 2001 Mercedes before leading police on a chase. They are being held at the Garland Detention Center without bond.

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North Texas stays undefeated, picks up high major win on road vs. Minnesota

Published

19 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Press Room

North Texas stays undefeated, picks up high major win on road vs. Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS — Rondel Walker scored 14 points and undefeated North Texas led for most of the way and held off Minnesota for a 54-51 victory on Wednesday night.

Dawson Garcia scored six points during an 8-2 surge to pull Minnesota to 52-51 with 30 seconds left. Isaac Asuma blocked Brenen Lorient’s layup attempt on the ensuing possession, but Lu’Cye Patterson’s 3-point shot hit the back of the rim and the Mean Green’s Johnathan Massie grabbed the rebound.

Following a North Texas timeout with 3 seconds to go, Lorient added a dunk and Patterson’s midcourt heave bounced off the backboard.

Lorient added nine points for the Mean Green.

Garcia shot 6 of 9 from the field, made all 10 of his free throws and finished with 24 points to lead Minnesota (2-1). He entered three points shy of 1,000 career points with the Golden Gophers, the first do so since Daniel Oturu in 2020. Garcia has 1,516 points overall.

Minnesota was 15-of-38 shooting (31%), committed 13 turnovers and missed seven (15 of 22) of its free-throw attempts. Patterson added nine points on 3-of-14 shooting.

Minnesota shot just 14% in the first half, missing 18 of 21 field goals and trailed 23-14 at the break. Brennan Rigsby hit a 3-pointer at the 15:41-mark and the Gophers didn’t hit another field goal until Garcia’s second-chance layup with 3:15 remaining in the half.

Rigsby’s 3-pointer gave the Golden Gophers their only lead, 43-42, with 7:27 left in the game.

It was the first meeting between the teams.

Find more college sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

Find more UNT coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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