Texas

Texas officials warn of

Published

1 year ago

January 6, 2025

The New Year is starting with a fresh warning for those who work with animals in Texas. The state’s Parks and Wildlife Department is asking hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts to watch out for animals that may be impacted by dangerous “maneater” parasites from flies that lay eggs in open wounds, nostrils, eyes and mouths.

The advisory, posted by the department on Dec. 30, was issued for outdoor enthusiasts in South Texas after the New World Screwworm was recently found in a cow in the southern Mexico state of Chiapas.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the New World Screwworm has been making its way further north through the Americas.

“As a protective measure, animal health officials ask those along the southern Texas border to monitor wildlife, livestock and pets for clinical signs of NWS and immediately report potential cases,” the department said.

Texas officials are warning people to look out for signs of the New World Screwworm, known as a “maneater” parasite.

John Kucharski, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

What is the New World Screwworm?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the New World Screwworm “is a devastating pest.”

“When NWS fly larvae (maggots) burrow into the flesh of a living animal, they cause serious, often deadly damage to the animal,” the USDA says. “NWS can infest livestock, pets, wildlife, occasionally birds, and in rare cases, people.”

The Texas parks department says the maggots will lay eggs in “open wounds or orifices of live tissue such as nostrils, eyes or mouth.” Such an infestation is known as New World screwworm myiasis.

“These eggs hatch into dangerous parasitic larvae, and the maggots burrow or screw into flesh with sharp mouth hooks. Wounds can become larger, and an infestation can often cause serious, deadly damage or death to the infected animal.”

The scientific name for the parasite, Cochliomyia hominivorax, is roughly translated to “maneater,” according to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

“It is an appropriate name,” the agency added, saying that the screwworm was once prevalent in the U.S., with 230,000 cases reported just in 1935. But then scientists developed a way to release sterilized male blow flies, and since female blow flies only mate once, the agency says it “effectively removed that female and her potential offspring from the population.”

It’s believed that the elimination of the New World Screwworm has saved U.S. agriculture workers nearly $900 million in lost livestock annually, the agency said.

Where are New World Screwworms found?

New World Screwworms are endemic in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and countries in South America. The USDA says that cases of the parasite, however, are also spreading north to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico.

“Although USDA eradicated NWS from the United States in 1966 using sterile insect technique, there is a constant risk of re-introduction into the United States,” the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says. “To prevent the northward movement of this pest from South America to NWS-free areas in Central and North America, APHIS collaborates with Panama to maintain a barrier zone in eastern Panama.”

What to know about New World Screwworm Myiasis

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says that female New World Screwworm flies are “drawn to the odor of a wound or natural opening on a live, warm-blooded animal.” There, just one fly can lay up to 300 eggs at a time, and she may lay up to 3,000 eggs during her lifetime.

Cochliomyia hominivorax, the New World screw-worm fly, or screw-worm for short, is a species of parasitic fly that is well known for the way in which its larvae (maggots) eat the living tissue.

/ Getty Images

After eggs hatch, they become larvae or maggots that burrow into an opening to feed. Once they feed, they drop to the ground, burrow into the soil and emerge as adult flies. The adult flies can travel long distances, the department says, “and the movement of infested livestock or wildlife can increase the rate of spread.”

Signs of NWS Myiasis include irritated or depressed behavior, loss of appetite, head shaking, the smell of decaying flesh, the presence of maggots in wounds and isolation from other animals or people.

To prevent an infestation, Texas officials say to clean and cover all wounds when spending time outdoors, especially in NWS-affected areas, and to apply insect repellant to outdoor clothing.

Li Cohen

Li Cohen is a senior social media producer at CBS News. She previously wrote for amNewYork and The Seminole Tribune. She mainly covers climate, environmental and weather news.

Source link

Click to comment

Texas

Strong storms, heavy rain working through Central Texas tonight

Published

2 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

Strong storms, heavy rain working through Central Texas tonight

CENTRAL TEXAS — Strong thunderstorms started to fire up west of I-35 after 2pm Sunday afternoon after several rounds of morning rain and thunderstorms. These thunderstorms will continue to pepper regions along and west of I-35 for the remainder of the evening. Individual storms are traveling North-Northeastward at a slow pace. Severe weather isn’t out of the question, but risks will mainly be small hail, wind gusts around 40mph, frequent lightning, and heavy rain. Rain totals could climb to 3″ for some affected.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is unlikely to be issued today.

A Flood Watch was issued for Bell, Williamson, Milam, Robertson, Leon, Burleson, Brazos, Madison, and Grimes counties until 4am Monday morning. A complex of thunderstorms closer to I-10 have prompted Flash Flood Warnings for excessive rain, but this has so far stays south of the Brazos Valley.

Any thunderstorms, severe or not, should conclude by 10pm tonight. After which, conditions remain humid with lows in the upper 60s. Monday’s storm chances have diminished greatly, and only an isolated chance for showers and storms remain for those east of I-35. Waco is looking dry. Highs climb to the low to mid 80s.

The next thunderstorm chance appears to be around Wednesday of this week. There is a chance for stronger storms but Waco is at the extreme southern most extent of thunderstorm chances to begin with, so this isn’t a particularly great chance for nasty thunderstorms. The bulk of that action is likely well north extending from Dallas, TX to Milwaukee, WI.

The week finishes very warm. Waco’s high temp will climb to about 86 degrees and College Station up to 88 potentially.

– 25 News Meteorologist Thomas Patrick

Want this forecast delivered to your inbox each morning? Sign up for the daily forecast email newsletter here.

Source link

Texas

Dallas voters to decide on record $6.2 billion Dallas ISD bond in May election

Published

15 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

Dallas voters to decide on record .2 billion Dallas ISD bond in May election

In May, Dallas voters will have an opportunity to decide on a bond election by Dallas ISD valued at more than $6.2 billion, a record amount in the State of Texas.

If voters approve, they will agree to raise their property tax rate by one cent. It’s estimated it will cost homeowners an extra $2.79 each month and an extra $33 annually with a home value of $500,000 after the $140,000 homestead exemption.

The bond would build 26 brand new schools, renovate and modernize all campuses, remove the 700 remaining portable classrooms and upgrade security.

It will also provide various updates, including technology for students, debt service refinancing and repairs for swimming pools.

The bond election is comprised of four propositions, A through D. Early voting for this and other municipal elections runs from Monday, April 20, through Tuesday, April 28.

CBS News Texas political reporter Jack Fink spoke with the Dallas ISD Bond Campaign co-chair and former school board trustee Miguel Solis, who explained more about why the bond is needed.

“Kids getting a high-quality education in high-quality facilities will inevitably lead to a better economic outlook,” Solis told Fink. “Because more kids will then be getting better grades that lead to better jobs and maximizes their earning potential… this is a workforce play as much as anything else.”

Solis said that the tax rate in Dallas ISD has been consistently decreasing since 2019.

“When you look at the ten largest districts in North Texas, it’s actually got the lowest tax rate,” he said. “That only gets the district so far to be able to ensure, once and for all, that every student and every school across Dallas ISD can have physical infrastructure improvements.”

According to Solis, there are 135,000 students in Dallas ISD.

“That number alone is larger than most Texas cities outside of Dallas,” Solis said. “The district is just big.”

The Texas Public Policy Foundation said that if the Dallas ISD bond is approved, it could double the district’s debt.

“Anytime you issue a bond, that’s you’re essentially issuing debt,” Solis said. “And that debt can extend out over the course of, you know, multiple years. The 2015 bonds over the course of, I’d like to think maybe the next 5 or 10 years, we will probably see that debt ultimately paid off.”

Solis said that the district feels “pretty confident” that it can manage any existing and new debt.

This week’s full episode can be found below:

GOP race for Texas attorney general, what a record $6.2 billion Dallas ISD bond is worth by
CBS TEXAS on
YouTube

In:

Source link

Texas

Best social media reactions from Texas A&M’s series win over Texas

Published

1 day ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

Best social media reactions from Texas A&M’s series win over Texas

In one of the best overall performances from Texas A&M so far this season, the Aggies dominated No. 2 Texas in an 11-4 rout for the series win in the Lone Star Showdown on Saturday.

It was far from being a glorious return to Bryan-College Station for Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle, as he will leave with the first SEC series loss of 2026. Meanwhile, Michael Earley’s club will look for the sweep after another dominant performance at the plate.

The Aggies recorded nine hits, 11 RBI and one home run, which was a two-run blast from Caden Sorrell, who currently leads the league with 18 thus far. Gavin Grahovac continued his hot streak at the plate with his second consecutive game with a triple. He also notched three RBI for the Maroon and White against the SEC’s leading pitching staff in ERA.

With so many questions surrounding the Aggie bullpen, they responded in a big way in Game 2’s win over the Longhorns. Aiden Sims recorded three strikeouts and allowed just three earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched, while Gavin Lyons came in and closed things out with five strikeouts and one earned run.

Here are some of the best social media reactions from Texas A&M’s series win over Texas in this year’s Lone Star Showdown: