Texas
North Texas volunteers helping California wildfire victims sift through the ashes
California wildfires’ death toll raises to 24
Winds may pick up in Los Angeles again today, potentially stoking the wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and left two dozen dead. Here’s what we know:
DALLAS – Many in North Texas are working to mobilize to help people in California who have lost everything in the wildfires.
The fires have killed at least 24 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
North Texas Volunteers in California
Volunteers from North Texas are on the front lines working to help people sift through the ashes while others are working to help Los Angeles make room for hundreds of displaced dogs and cats.
Local perspective:
A group of volunteers known as Texans on Mission arrived in California early Sunday morning.
“Having volunteers wash those clothes while you get a warm meal is like getting a hug from people you don’t know,” said spokesperson Rand Jenkins.
Texans on Mission are assessing the best locations to set up.
“Our next step is ash out. That is the most emotionally draining,” Jenkins said. “You are sitting in the ashes of someone’s home and looking for things they want to find: memorabilia, photos, jewelry. You scoop a bucket of ashes and sift and hope those things were not completely turned to ash. Once you find it, they cry and tell you why it’s important.”
Helping Overcrowded Pet Shelters
The Humane Society of North Texas and Wings of Rescue are working to help Los Angeles clear its shelters of homeless pets to make room for the hundreds needing to be reunited with owners.
Cassie Davidson is the senior director of both organizations.
“I flew into Los Angeles on Friday night. And when we were flying over the mountains, it was so dark outside. It was dark in the airplane, and then it wasn’t,” she recalled. “The skies were just lit up. It was like an inferno. You could see the wildfires from the air, and my heart just sank.”
Davidson says they were able to fly out more than 160 pets over the weekend.
“Shelters like the Pasadena Humane Society are 500% over capacity right now,” she said. “They’ve got so many medical cases coming in that we have got to get these pets cleared out that have been waiting for adoption.”
What you can do:
Churches are calling on members to give financially.
“There are several churches we partner with in the LA area that have been partners with us for the past 10-20 years,” said Concord Church Pastor Bryan Carter. “We wanted to do a special offering up and above your regular offering to be a blessing.”
Davidson says many owners were separated from their pets when they were at work as the fires moved into their neighborhood. She says there is an emergency need for foster homes in North Texas to help.
“There is a plea to the community of North Texas,” she said. “If you could open your home. if you could donate, this is how you can make a difference.”
More than 150 homeless dogs and cats will be arriving from Los Angeles in North Texas Sunday afternoon.
If you are able to provide a foster home, contact the Humane Society of North Texas.
They also need Hills Science Diet food and pet beds. Those donations can be dropped off at any Humane Society of North Texas location.
The Red Cross is also taking donations for those affected by the California wildfires.
The Source: Information in this article comes from Texans on Mission, the Humane Society of North Texas, Wings of Rescue and previous FOX 4 reports.
Texas
Warm Saturday in North Texas ahead of severe weather chances later for Mother’s Day
Saturday started out a bit warm and sticky outside in North Texas, but there will be plenty of sunshine in the afternoon. Temperatures are expected to climb into the upper 80s. Most of the area will stay dry today, but there is a chance for an isolated storm that could reach severe criteria late tonight for counties to the northwest of the metroplex.
Make sure you have an indoor plan for Mother’s Day celebrations tomorrow! Sunday morning will start warm, muggy, and dry for most with the exception of an isolated storm possible along the Red River.
A First Alert Weather Day is in place on Sunday due to a front that will swing across North Texas in the late afternoon through the evening. All modes of severe weather will be likely, but the main threat includes a significant risk of hail up to 2 inches in diameter and winds up to category 1 hurricane strength.
Once the front moves through, cooler temperatures will settle into the forecast on Monday. However, the cool down won’t last long. A warming trend returns and temperatures climb into the 90’s once again at the end of the next week. Stay tuned!
Texas
North Texas father mourns wife, unborn son days before Mother’s Day
Just days before Mother’s Day, a North Texas father is grieving the sudden loss of his wife and unborn son after she died unexpectedly, only days before her due date. Avi Carey said he is still in shock over the death of his wife, Tiffany, whom he described as his “rock” and “soulmate.”
“Tiffany’s smile, her radiance, her presence … she didn’t meet a stranger,” Carey said.
Nearly two decades together
The couple had been together for nearly two decades, raising two children, Kingston and Kasyn, and preparing to welcome their third child, a baby boy they planned to name Kylo.
Carey said Tiffany began complaining of a severe headache just days before she was due to give birth. He recalled her sitting on the couch, dozing off multiple times – something he said was unusual.
A short time later, Carey found her unresponsive.
“I saw her face … her lips were blue. And I already knew,” he said with tears in his eyes.
A celebration turned to heartbreak
Tiffany Carey and her unborn son died May 2, leaving behind a grieving husband and two children. The loss came less than a week after the family had celebrated a baby shower.
“We went from celebrating the baby shower to planning a funeral in less than five days,” Carey said.
A crisis affecting Black mothers
Health officials say cases like this highlight a broader crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women in the United States are more than three times as likely as white women to die from pregnancy‑related causes, and most of those deaths – around 80% – are considered preventable.
Carey said he is still searching for answers and now lives with questions about whether warning signs were missed.
“I would say educate yourself. Take everything seriously,” he said. “That should have been a red flag … the headache.”
Honoring Tiffany’s legacy
Now, surrounded by baby supplies meant for a child who never arrived, Carey said he is focused on honoring Tiffany’s memory and raising their children with the values she lived by.
“She always said, ‘You’ve got to lead with love,’” he said. “She did that in everything.”
Texas
Pentagon releases UFO files with Texas sightings going back to 1948
Trump administration to release UFO files soon, president says
President Trump said his administration plans to release information and materials relating to UFOs.
Ever look up at the vast Texas sky and see something move across it? It could be a shooting star, a satellite — or a UFO.
The Pentagon released several documents Friday, May 8, detailing sightings of unidentified flying objects, or “bogeys,” in U.S. airspace, including reports from Texas.
The documents were released by the U.S. Department of Defense at the directive of President Donald Trump, marking the release of government files related to “alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)” and UFOs.
“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency,” said U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a statement.
Here’s a look at the files related to Texas.
UFO spotted in 1948 above Abilene, Texas
A DoD incident summary shows that on Jan. 1, 1948, a man identified as “Mr. A. Schroeder” reported a UFO in the 1100 block of Highland Ave in Abilene, Texas.
Schroeder reported seeing a stationary bright blue-green bell-shaped object in the western sky above Abilene at 1:25 a.m. and 1:30 a.m.
Fort Worth man sees UFO above Alaska
Also in 1948, Lt. Aytch Johnson noticed a silver flat disk in the sky in Fairbanks, Alaska.
According to the incident report, the Fort Worth man observed the object flying over Alaska at around 1:06 p.m. on April 18, 1948, at an estimated speed of 250 to 300 miles per hour.
The report also noted that the sighting “may have been the reflection of sun from wings” of aircrafts flying in the area at the time.
Possible UFO sighting during the NASA Gemini 7 space launch
The DoD released the transcript and audio file of NASA’s Gemini 7 mission in 1965 when astronaut Frank Borman reported to NASA mission control in Houston his sighting of an unidentified object, which he referred to as a “bogey.”
While the launch didn’t take place in Texas, the report came back to space control in Houston.
The conversation occurred on Dec. 5, 1965 — 4 hours and 24 minutes into the flight — when Borman notified space control that there was a “bogey” on their left-hand side.
When asked to clarify what they are seeing, Borman said he was seeing “hundreds of little particles” on their left, about three to four miles away.
As NASA Public Affairs clarified, the bogey was an unidentified object, along with the particles.
Pentagon documents report of other possible sightings in Texas
Some documents have connections or reports of possible UFO sightings in Texas, but are missing details to understand the situation.
For example, the DoD received a clipping from the Yoakum Times-Record reporting UFO sightings by Mrs. Anna Banys in 1947, but it is unclear why she was writing to the DoD.
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
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