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
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Texas
New screwworm portal aims to protect Texas livestock, wildlife and rural economy
AUSTIN – Texas officials are rolling out a new online hub aimed at helping residents spot and report the New World screwworm, a pest Gov. Greg Abbott says threatens livestock, wildlife, and the state’s rural economy.
Abbott announced the launch of screwworm.texas.gov, an enhanced website housed in the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s Disaster Portal that he described as a “one-stop shop” for information and resources tied to the state’s response.
The New World screwworm poses a direct threat to Texas livestock, wildlife, and our rural economy,” Abbott said. “This new website puts essential tools in the hands of our producers, veterinarians, and families. Screwworm.texas.gov delivers the facts, maps, identification methods, and certification resources Texans need to detect problems early and report cases without delay. Now every Texan has the information to act. Texas will protect our land, our animals, and our way of life from this pest.
According to the governor’s office, the site is designed to provide “actionable and reliable multimedia information” about the New World screwworm, including fact sheets, videos, and educational materials.
The portal includes background information, guidance on how to spot the pest, sample collection procedures, Texas Animal Health Commission New World screwworm zone maps, the U.S. Department of Agriculture case dashboard, links to best practices for livestock and wildlife, and details on registering for a new no-cost New World screwworm Certified Inspector Training.
The governor’s office said state and federal partners are working together to detect, control and contain the spread, and that expanding public outreach and providing clear information is a key part of reducing risk.
Abbott’s office also highlighted actions taken by the governor in response to the pest, including:
- Directing the creation of a joint Texas New World screwworm Response Team
- Joining USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to announce a $750 million investment in a new sterile fly production facility in Edinburg
- Issuing a statewide disaster declaration ahead of the first detection
- Deploying state resources and activating the State Emergency Operations Center after the first confirmed Texas cases
- Visiting the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville for a briefing
- Launching a free online training course to certify more inspectors
- Announcing federal funding to strengthen inspection capacity.
Texans are urged to inspect livestock and pets for wounds and report suspected cases immediately, including in wildlife.
For livestock and pets, suspected cases should be reported to the Texas Animal Health Commission’s 24-hour veterinarian call line at 1-800-550-8242.
For wildlife, reports should be made to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s 24-hour biologists’ call line at 512-389-4505. Officials also warn people not to move affected animals.
More information and updates are available at screwworm.texas.gov and screwworm.gov.
Texas
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