Texas

Texas has most reported child hot car deaths in the nation

Published

6 months ago

June 10, 2024

Texas has most reported child hot car deaths in the nation

TEXAS – A few minutes could be the difference between life and death. As we head into the summer months, a nonprofit is warning Texans about the dangers of hot cars.

Extreme summer heat can turn a parked car into a greenhouse, and it’s a recipe for disaster if a child is left inside it.

Since 1990, more than 1,000 children have died in hot cars. Texas has the most reported deaths with more than 150.

“They can overheat in a matter of minutes,” Director of Kids and Car Safety Amber Rollins said.

A child’s body heat rises three to five times faster than an adult, meaning they can suffer fatal heat stroke at 104 degrees. Kids and Car Safety reported two children have already died in hot cars this year in South Carolina and West Virginia.

How to prevent child deaths in hot cars

In 2023, 14 children have died from vehicular heatstroke in the U.S. including 2 in Texas, according to noheatstroke.org. The Texas Heatstroke Task Force joins us with a reminder that this is a serious and preventable tragedy.

“We really believe there’s absolutely no way that we could ever lose awareness that they’re with us,” Rollins said.

Rollins said it happens, though.

“It’s very easy when you’re in autopilot mode, and you’ve got a million things going on, to lose awareness,” Rollins said.

More than half of the deaths of children in a hot car are from someone unknowingly leaving them in the vehicle.

“Open that back door, check the back seat every single time you leave your vehicle,” Rollins said. “Grab a reminder item like a large stuffed animal, put it in the back seat, any time you buckle a child in the car, you bring that reminder item up to the front seat with you as a visual cue that your child is with you.”

Tips to prevent child heatstroke

On average, 37 children die in hot cars each year in the U.S., according to noheatstroke.org. In over half of these cases, the caregiver forgot the child was in the car. Safe Kids Austin, along with its partner, The Texas Heat Stroke Task Force, is working to address myths and provide prevention tips to keep kids safe.

The report revealed 25 percent of the deaths in hot cars are from children getting into a vehicle on their own and not being able to get out.

“Keep your cars locked 100 percent of the time, keep your keys out of reach,” Rollins said.

Rollins fought for preventative legislation. In 2021, a law was passed that required all new vehicles to have technology that detects if someone is still inside when the engine is off and alerts the driver. It hasn’t been implemented though. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not written the regulation yet.

“Any delay for something like this is unacceptable. We’re talking about children’s lives here,” Rollins said.

Rollins said they will continue to fight until the technology is in every vehicle.

If you see a child in a hot car, call 911 immediately.

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Texas

TCU Volleyball Dominates Texas Tech on Senior Night

Published

3 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

TCU Volleyball Dominates Texas Tech on Senior Night

A common theme for No. 22 TCU has been their complete dominance on their home floor this season. The Horned Frogs finished the year 14-1 at Schollmaier Arena. On Friday night, in front of over 3,000 fans, TCU swept Texas Tech (25-14, 26-24, 25-11).

The four seniors honored by TCU were Melanie Parra, Cecily Bramschreiber, Stephanie Young and Ashlyn Bourland. All four players found ways to contribute as Parra finished with 14 kills and seven digs. Bramschreiber filled up the stat sheet with four kills, four aces and seven digs. Both Young and Bourland got an ace.

Both teams traded points in the early going, but Bramschreiber sparked a 7-2 run to give the Frogs a 16-9 lead. TCU hit .417 in the first set and dominated the first set capped off by a Becca Kelley ace.

In set two, Texas Tech made things much closer jumping out to a 8-5 lead. A 4-0 run from TCU put them back in front. This set included multiple runs and it was Tech that got it to set point leading 24-22. TCU was able to end the set on a 4-0 run courtesy of kills from Jalyn Gibson and Parra paired with aces from Bramschreiber.

Trying to keeps things alive, TCU wasn’t met with much resistance from the Red Raiders in the third set. The Frogs kept up the pressure with multiple runs to build a massive 17-8 lead. Bourland picked up her first career ace and an attack error ended things.

It was a fun night for the seniors that played in front of the TCU crowd for the last time. The 14 wins at home tied the school record for most wins at home in a single season. They also picked up the most wins in a season since 2015. What Jason Williams has done for this program in such a short time has been remarkable to watch.

The Frogs move to 19-7 overall 11-5 in conference. They still are fifth in the Big 12 standings with two games to go. They will travel to Morgantown on Wednesday to take on West Virginia at 6 p.m. and then to Cincinnati on Friday at 1 p.m.

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Texas

Texas AG sues Dallas for decriminalizing marijuana

Published

11 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Texas AG sues Dallas for decriminalizing marijuana

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a lawsuit Thursday targeting the blue city of Dallas over a ballot measure that decriminalizes marijuana.

Paxton alleges that Proposition R, which “prohibits the Dallas Police Department from making arrests or issuing citations for marijuana possession or considering the odor of marijuana as probable cause for search or seizure,” violates state law.

The attorney general argues in the lawsuit that the ballot measure is preempted by Texas law, which criminalizes the possession and distribution of marijuana. Paxton also claims the Texas Constitution prohibits municipalities from adopting an ordinance that conflicts with laws enacted by the state legislature.

MORE AMERICANS SMOKE MARIJUANA DAILY THAN DRINK ALCOHOL, STUDY CLAIMS

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks outside the U.S. Supreme Court on November 01, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

“Cities cannot pick and choose which State laws they follow,” Paxton said in a statement. “The City of Dallas has no authority to override Texas drug laws or prohibit the police from enforcing them.”

Paxton called the ballot measure “a backdoor attempt to violate the Texas Constitution” and threatened to sue any other city that “tries to constrain police in this fashion.”

WHAT ARE THE TOP RISKS OF MARIJUANA USE?

A flower bud of marijuana. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

The lawsuit comes after interim Dallas Police Department Chief Michael Igo directed Dallas police officers not to enforce marijuana laws against those found to be in possession of less than 4 ounces.

Ground Game Texas, a progressive nonprofit group that campaigned in favor of the ballot measure, argued it would help “keep people out of jail for marijuana possession,” “reduce racially biased policing” and “save millions in public funding.”

TEXAS AG PAXTON FILES CRIMINAL REFERRAL AGAINST DOJ FROM ‘SUSPICIOUS DONATIONS’ THROUGH DEMOCRATIC GROUP

A mature marijuana plant begins to bloom under artificial lights at Loving Kindness Farms in Gardena, Calif., May 20, 2019. Paxton has sued the city of Dallas over a ballot measure that decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

“It’s unfortunate but not surprising that Attorney General Ken Paxton has apparently chosen to waste everyone’s time and money by filing yet another baseless lawsuit against marijuana decriminalization,” said Catina Voellinger, executive director for Ground Game Texas.

“Judges in Travis and Hays counties have already dismissed identical lawsuits filed there. The Dallas Freedom Act was overwhelmingly approved by 67% of voters — this is democracy in action.”

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Since January 2024, Paxton has filed lawsuits against five Texas cities that decriminalized marijuana possession, arguing these policies promote crime, drug abuse and violence.

Chris Pandolfo is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital. Send tips to chris.pandolfo@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.

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Texas

Tre Johnson, Texas Longhorns Scrape Past Saint Joseph’s to Win Legends Classic

Published

19 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Tre Johnson, Texas Longhorns Scrape Past Saint Joseph’s to Win Legends Classic

The Texas Longhorns are heading back to Austin with some early-season tournament hardware in hand.

Tre Johnson battled through another poor shooting night but closed the game out for Texas once again, scoring a game-high 17 points to lead the Longhorns to a 67-58 win over Saint Joseph’s at the Legends Classic championship round in Brooklyn Friday night.

Transfer guard Julian Larry sparked the Longhorns late, scoring all 12 of his points in the second half. Arthur Kaluma added 14 points, four rebounds and four assists while Kadin Shedrick had 10 points and six rebounds.

The Hawks were led by Rasheer Fleming, who stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 20 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals. Xzayvier Brown added 15 points on 4 of 7 shooting.

The Longhorns jumped out to an 11-6 lead after seven early points from Kaluma. St. Joe’s started out cold from the field but controlled the game with hard-nosed defense and the occasional press while dominating the offensive glass. This was highlighted by a possession where the Hawks got four consecutive offensive rebounds but only scored one point as a result.

Johnson stayed aggressive on offense for Texas but was off on his shot and was impacted by the on-ball defense of St. Joe’s.

Mark, Pope and Johnson all hit a triple for Texas in about a two-minute span ahead of halftime to give the Longhorns their biggest lead at 32-26 but the Hawks responded with a free throw from Haskins 3-pointer from Brown before halftime to cut the lead to 32-30.

The defense from the Hawks ramped up even more, as the Longhorns were stuck in the mud on offense and had little to no ball movement. St. Joe’s was hardly much better, but its defense continued to set the tone and eventually swung the momentum.

Larry then hit back-to-back triples as the two teams traded buckets on five straight possessions. Consecutive dunks from Ajogbor and Fleming but the Hawks in front 50-46 with 8:25 to play, but Larry continued to take over. He hit 1,000 career points with a driving layup before finding Kaluma for a corner triple to put Texas back in front at 51-50.

It didn’t stop there for Larry, who found a cutting Shedrick for a dunk before diving on a loose ball down at the other end to secure possession for Texas, which had built a 55-52 lead with 3:13 left. The Longhorns used the momentum to put together an 8-0 run, which essentially sealed the win in a game where scoring felt hard to come by.

Johnson then closed the game out with six points in the final 4:11 of action, including a pullup jumper at the foul line to put Texas up 63-55 with 1:19 left.

Texas will host Delaware State on Nov. 29.

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