Texas
Texas state leaders join Medal of Honor celebration at museum grand opening
GAINESVILLE, Texas (KXII) – Medal of Honor week continued in Gainesville on Thursday with the grand opening of the new Medal of Honor Museum at North Central Texas College (NCTC).
“Let this museum stand as a lasting tribute,” Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson said, speaking to the large crowd and the recipients. “May it inspire future generations to love this country, to serve your neighbors, and to live with the same values that you upheld.”
Leaders from across the region and the state came to salute this major milestone.
“More than 100,000 students, citizens, and visitors will walk through NCTC’s campus each year,” Rep. Brandon Gill said. “That’s 100,000 lives touched, taught, and transformed, and they’ll all remember that the Medal of Honor isn’t given, it’s earned.”
A statement echoed by Sen. Brent Hagenbuch (R-Texas).
“There’s only a precious few that were called and answered the call to the level of warranting a Congressional Medal of Honor, and I so appreciate you all,” he said. “It’s a great, great honor to meet you, and I hope you can see how much we appreciate you.”
Medal of Honor recipient James Taylor said this museum was in the works for over two decades.
“We had a dream about this,” he said. “This here means so much to me, and all the friends that I’ve met down there over 23 years, I can’t replace them and I think about them every day.”
NCTC Chancellor Dr. Brent Wallace said the emotion in the air on Thursday was powerful.
“I’ve seen a lot of tears today,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of the family, especially of our recipients, that are brought to tears seeing their loved one’s memorabilia displayed in a beautiful facility.”
The museum won’t officially open to the public for a few more weeks, but those in attendance got a sneak peek.
“It’s just fantastic that the population of Gainesville and the surrounding area, you’ve got to come, this is the jewel, it is precious and it’s wonderful,” Taylor said.
And for the younger generations, he had a simple piece of advice.
“Live your dream,” he said. “Set your goals, never quit, and never give up.”
A full list of times and events still to come this week is as follows:
- Friday, 10 a.m. — Tree Dedication at Homegrown Hero Walking Trail
- Friday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. — Ticketed Banquet at the Gainesville Civic Center
- Saturday, 10 a.m. — Medal of Honor Parade through Downtown Gainesville
- Saturday, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. — Book Signing at the Gainesville Civic Center
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A Texas state trooper was killed in a crash in the Panhandle, becoming the 244th Texas Department of Public Safety officer to die in the line of duty since 1823, according to the agency.
Sergio Romero, 27, died Wednesday after a semi-truck pulled in front of him as he attempted a traffic stop around 4 p.m. on U.S. 287 in Childress County, DPS said.
In a statement, Col. Freeman F. Martin praised Romero’s courage, integrity, and service.
“Today, we grieve the loss of one of our own,” Martin said. “… Our hearts break alongside his family, friends, fellow troopers, and all who loved him. We will never forget the ultimate sacrifice he made in service of his fellow Texans.”
Romero previously served with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office before joining DPS as part of Class B-2025 in Childress, the agency said.
He is survived by his wife, Francisca, and their two young sons.
Funeral arrangements are pending. The crash remains under investigation.
Flash flood warning in Texas as streets fill with water
Flash flood warnings are active as heavy rain swamps roads across central Texas and rising waters pose danger to drivers.
Texas is keeping more than half of its counties under a state of emergency.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott renewed three statewide disaster declarations on Tuesday, June 16 — covering flooding, drought and border security — which together place 164 of the state’s 254 counties under emergency authority.
Each of the orders, signed by Abbott and filed with Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, authorizes the use of “all available resources of state government and of political subdivisions that are reasonably necessary to cope with this disaster.”
Here’s a look at what the proclamations are for and which counties are under them.
Flood disaster from deadly 2025 Hill Country storms holds across 30 counties
On July 4, 2025, Abbott issued a disaster declaration following heavy rainfall and flooding that caused widespread and severe property damage, injury and loss of life in several counties.
The Camp Mystic flooding, which killed 27 campers and counselors, also occurred during this time frame. The original declaration included 21 counties located in the Texas Hill Country and the Concho Valley in the central part of the state.The disaster order has been renewed over the past year, expanding to include 30 counties in the June 2026 renewal and does the following:
- Suspends all laws that prevent the transfer of bodies to families as soon as possible.
- Suspends all laws regarding state agencies’ contracting or procurement rules that would impede its emergency response necessary to protect life or property threatened by the declared disaster.
- Temporarily suspended — with written approval from the governor’s office — laws that would prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action to respond to the disaster.
Drought disaster covers 111 Texas counties as wildfire risk persists
Abbott amended and renewed a drought disaster order originally issued on July 8, 2022, and it has been renewed several times over the past four years.
When it was originally signed, the order impacted 158 counties across the entire state, from the Texas Panhandle to the Permian Basin to the Texas Hill Country.
The original order states that the persistent drought conditions in the state have increased the wildfire threat in the region. The June 2026 renewal order states that the Texas Division of Emergency Management has confirmed that those same drought conditions persist; however, only 111 counties are listed in the renewed order.
The order does the following:
- Suspends all laws regarding state agencies’ contracting or procurement rules that would impede its emergency response necessary to protect life or property threatened by the declared disaster.
- Temporarily suspends — with written approval from the governor’s office — laws that would prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action to respond to the disaster.
Border security disaster spans 70 counties in fifth-year renewal
The original order was issued in May 2021 in response to a “surge of individuals unlawfully crossing the Texas-Mexico border posed an ongoing and imminent threat of disaster for a number of Texas counties.”
The original 2021 order affected 34 counties along the Texas border from El Paso to Brownsville, with Abbott saying it was in response to former President Joe Biden’s open-border policy.
“President Biden’s open-border policies have paved the way for dangerous gangs and cartels, human traffickers, and deadly drugs like fentanyl to pour into our communities,” Abbott said in a June 2021 statement. “Meanwhile, landowners along the border are seeing their property damaged and vandalized on a daily basis while the Biden Administration does nothing to protect them.
The order has been renewed and amended several times over the past five years, with the June 2026 order impacting 70 counties from El Paso through the Hill Country and the lower Rio Grande Valley.
The renewed order declares a state of disaster for those counties and for all state agencies impacted by the prescribed disaster.
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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