Texas
See memorials in Uvalde and across Texas that honor victims of Robb Elementary shooting
Groups in Uvalde and throughout Texas have created memorials to honor victims who died in the Robb Elementary School shooting on May 24, 2022.
Handmade mosaic mural unveiled in Uvalde honors shooting victims
Megan Butler and Wanda Montemayor, therapists with the Uvalde Love Project, talk about creating the mosaic mural with members of the Uvalde community.
Aaron E Martinez, Austin American-Statesman
Friday marks two years since the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Nineteen students and two teachers were murdered in what the U.S. Justice Department described as top-to-bottom “cascading failures” by law enforcement that combined to make the shooting one of the worst in history.
As the families involved and the community reflect, people find ways to grieve. Many choose to use art.
Over the past two years, groups in Uvalde and throughout Texas have created memorials to honor those victims.
21 Uvalde murals of Robb Elementary victims
Abel Ortiz Acosta, a resident and educator in Uvalde, collaborated with Monica Maldonado, the founder of the Austin-based nonprofit MAS Cultura, to organize a three-month project incorporating storytelling into artwork. Together, they created 21 murals for the Healing Uvalde project, each commemorating a victim of the Robb Elementary shooting by telling their story.
“We know that art heals,” Maldonado told the Austin American-Statesman, part of the USA TODAY Network. “We wanted to use that to help this community heal but also show solidarity and be in unity with Uvalde. There is no doubt in my mind that this is part of their healing journey, and for many families we hope this lets them know that their kids and teachers matter and they won’t be forgotten.”
(Click menu icon at top left of map to see full list of murals)
Crosses memorialize victims of Uvalde school shooting
Shortly after the May 2022 shooting, makeshift memorials were placed at Uvalde’s town square and Robb Elementary School.
At the school are 22 crosses for each of the victims and Joe Garcia, the husband of slain teacher Irma Garcia, who died of a heart attack shortly after the shooting.
Crosses with messages, photos, flowers and other keepsakes still sit around the fountain at the town square.
Uvalde Love Project creates hand-crafted mosaic mural
The Uvalde Love Project was founded by Austin art therapist Wanda Montemayor, fellow Austin art therapists and teachers from Uvalde. The project was designed to bring the healing community closer together after the tragedy, in what Montemayor and her team hoped would aid in the grieving process. Thousands of volunteers contributed handmade tiles to the project.
“That personal connection and that feeling of safety is where the healing begins, and it’s the collectiveness,” Montemayor told the American-Statesman. “It’s not that ‘I’m alone in these feelings.’ It’s like ‘I’m with you and you and you, and we’re on the same feeling together’… not being alone in your head with these feelings.”
21 benches made for victims of Robb Elementary School shooting
Georgia native Sean Peacock went through his own personal tragedies and found a way to grieve his loss after losing his sister. To honor the children who were killed in Uvalde, Peacock carved butterfly-shaped benches for the families of the victims, each featuring a child’s image.
According to 41NBC/WMGT, Peacock took a U-Haul to Texas to hand deliver the benches to families.
A memorial built for Uvalde more than 200 miles away
In Riviera, Texas, Lupe Aguilar — a pastor of Community Baptist Church — built a wall dedicated to the victims of Uvalde. Aguilar has no formal connection to Uvalde.
“It can happen in any community,” Aguilar told KENS 5. “In my mind, in my heart, I had a feeling something needed to be done. Something needed to be built for the children, in memory of the children in Uvalde and their parents.”
Contributing: Hannah Ortega
Texas
Texas man fights to reunite with his family after he says they were unexpectedly deported
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Texas
Texas basketball: Longhorns open final stretch of non-conference play with a blowout win
Texas women’s basketball nonconference schedule
Texas women’s basketball nonconference schedule
Back at Moody Center for just the second time this month, No. 6 Texas crushed La Salle in a non-conference game on Tuesday night.
Senior forward Taylor Jones recorded her third double-double performance of the season, and Kyla Oldacre and Justice Carlton respectively scored 18 and 17 points in a 111-49 victory. With two games left until its Southeastern Conference opener, Texas is now 11-1.
The Longhorns will next host South Dakota State (10-2) on Sunday afternoon.
“We’ve got a monster on Sunday. South Dakota State is really good and well-coached. They’re always an NCAA tournament team. They win their league every year. So we’ve got to sharpen up a little bit and be ready on Sunday,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. “My concern on Sunday is that my kids are going to have one foot out the door ready for Christmas break, and sometimes you can do that against the three-name directional school. You (can’t) get away with that on Sunday.”
The 62-point win was the second-most lopsided victory of UT’s season, but the game was competitive in the first quarter. La Salle (6-6) even led twice before the first media timeout was called.
During that first quarter, Texas leaned on the depth it has often boasted about but not always used this season. Eleven Longhorns played in the first quarter, and Schaefer made his first substitutions less than three minutes into the game.
Reserve guard Jordana Codio, who had not played in a first half this season, gave UT a lead it wouldn’t relinquish when she sank a 3-pointer with 5:38 left in the frame. A junior, Codio finished with seven points over a career-high 17 minutes.
“That was the game plan,” Schaefer said. “Jordana’s had four really good days, she’s earned it. … She’s doing what Shay had to do her first few years. She’s over there on the men’s practice team, and she dominated our team. So she deserved the opportunity. She came in and did exactly what we needed, which was give us some juice.”
Texas exited the first half with a 19-12 advantage and then outscored La Salle by a 38-9 margin in the second quarter. The Longhorns’ lead swelled to as many as 67 points in the second half.
While playing just 14 minutes, Jones scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against the undersized Explorers. Jones and fellow post players Oldacre and Carlton led Texas to a 70-14 advantage in paint points. The Longhorns also got a combined 21 points and 11 assists from point guards Rori Harmon and Bryanna Preston while All-American forward Madison Booker had 10 points and six rebounds.
Aryss Macktoon and Ivy Fox each scored seven points to lead La Salle.
Before Tuesday’s game, members of the UT basketball team received rings to celebrate the championship they won at last season’s Big 12 tournament. Nine players remain from that team.
Texas
Texas electors cast ballots for Trump, Vance on Tuesday
Members of the Texas Electoral College met at the state capitol building in Austin on Tuesday to cast their 40 electoral votes for president.
The office of Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson reported all 40 electoral votes were cast for President-elect Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
The vote, the secretary’s office said, reflects “the will of the Texas voters in the 2024 General Election.”
Nelson presided over the proceedings in the Texas House Chamber. In an address to the electors, Nelson emphasized the historical significance of their duty.
“Today, you join a distinguished line of Texans who have served as electors—a role vital to the strength of our democracy,” Nelson said. “This event marks the culmination of months of effort to ensure free, fair, and secure elections.”
The event was broadcast live through Texas House media and can be watched here.
-
Business1 week ago
OpenAI's controversial Sora is finally launching today. Will it truly disrupt Hollywood?
-
Politics5 days ago
Canadian premier threatens to cut off energy imports to US if Trump imposes tariff on country
-
Technology6 days ago
Inside the launch — and future — of ChatGPT
-
Technology4 days ago
OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change
-
Politics4 days ago
U.S. Supreme Court will decide if oil industry may sue to block California's zero-emissions goal
-
Technology5 days ago
Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit
-
Politics6 days ago
Conservative group debuts major ad buy in key senators' states as 'soft appeal' for Hegseth, Gabbard, Patel
-
Business3 days ago
Freddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million