Texas

Texas to build 80-acre border base for National Guard troops

Published

2 years ago

February 16, 2024

Texas to build 80-acre border base for National Guard troops

This article was shared as part of an ongoing project between Military Times and the The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit newsroom that informs Texans about state policy and politics. Sign up for The Brief, its daily newsletter.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday announced that the state is building an 80-acre base camp in Eagle Pass for Texas National Guard soldiers who are deployed for Operation Lone Star, the $10 billion state effort to deter people from immigrating into Texas illegally.

Abbott said the new facility will house between 1,800 soldiers to 2,300 soldiers â the base would reach the higher figure if the state deploys more troops to the border â and each will have individual rooms.

âBefore this effort here, they had been living in conditions that were atypical for military operations,â Abbott said during a news conference in Eagle Pass. âBecause of the magnitude of what weâre doing, because of the need to sustain and actually expand our efforts of what weâre doing, itâs essential that we build this base camp for the soldiers.â

He said troops are scattered around the area, living in tents, hotels and private residences, and some have to drive an hour to get to Eagle Pass.

Abbott didnât say how much the new base would cost; his office didnât respond to an email from The Texas Tribune.

Texas Major Gen. Thomas Suelzer said that by mid-April the base will be able to hold 300 soldiers and will add 300 more beds roughly every 30 days until the base is complete.

Since launching Operation Lone Star in March 2021, Abbott has sent state troopers and the National Guard to different parts of the stateâs 1,200-mile border with Mexico. An estimated 3,000 Texas soldiers are now deployed to the border, where they have helped state troopers apprehend migrants â many of whom were charged with trespassing on private land â erect barriers on land and water; and most recently, block U.S. Border Patrol agents from entering a city park in Eagle Pass that the state enclosed with concertina wire.

According to a 2022 investigation by the Military Times and the Tribune, the deployment has faced a myriad of problems: One in five troops reported problems with their pay, including being paid late, too little or not at all for months; shortages of critical equipment, including cold weather gear, medical equipment and plates for their ballistic vests; and troops living in cramped trailers.

Davis Winkie covers the Army for Military Times. He studied history at Vanderbilt and UNC-Chapel Hill, and served five years in the Army Guard. His investigations earned the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2023 Sunshine Award and consecutive Military Reporters and Editors honors, among others. Davis was also a 2022 Livingston Awards finalist.

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Texas

Elderly Texas woman learns fate for distributing 150,000 doses of fentanyl through the mail

Published

7 hours ago

December 3, 2025

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Elderly Texas woman learns fate for distributing 150,000 doses of fentanyl through the mail

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An elderly Texas woman with a nursing degree was sentenced in federal court recently for her role distributing 150,000 lethal doses of fentanyl after being caught by an undercover agent, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Rhode Island announced Monday.

Patrica Parker, 74, received the ruling after reportedly insisting she did not know her parcels contained fentanyl. Investigators, however, argued that the case “presented dangers that an educated, adult woman must have recognized,” according to a sentencing memorandum.

Prosecutors said Parker pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and distributing more than 310 grams of the drug. She was sentenced to two years probation, including nine months of home confinement, according to the office.

Officials said Parker, who now lives in Massachusetts, was attempting to distribute counterfeit amphetamine pills laced with fentanyl to an undercover Food and Drug Administration (FDA) special agent in 2022.

DEADLY DRUG MIX DRIVES STAGGERING RISE IN OVERDOSE DEATHS AMONG SENIORS

Several packages containing drugs, possibly laced with fentanyl, are displayed on a bed. (U.S. District Court of Rhode Island)

Following the undercover operation, agents discovered that Parker was in possession of more than 18,000 pills, including Adderall, oxycodone and diazepam, and had distributed over a thousand parcels suspected to contain illegal drugs, according to the authorities.

Parker’s attorney reported that after COVID-19 devastated her career and left her unable to afford her medications, a supplier she regularly used offered to provide the drugs if she agreed to mail pills to others, local outlet Boston.com said.

According to an affidavit, Parker would receive large shipments of illicit products from overseas, break them into smaller packages and mail them out, the outlet added. Her attorney reportedly described the operation as a “side hustle” she took on during her financial struggles.

ROBERT DE NIRO’S GRANDSON’S OVERDOSE DEATH LEADS TO FIVE ARRESTS

Bags containing thousands of pink-colored pills. (U.S. District Court of Rhode Island)

Prosecutors argued that Parker’s secret operation effectively turned her living room into a makeshift pharmacy, creating risks that any educated adult should have recognized, according to the sentencing memorandum.

Parker has maintained she was unaware some of the pills she was packaging contained fentanyl.

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The Food and Drug Administration headquarters in White Oak, Md., Aug. 29, 2020. (Reuters/Andrew Kelly/File photo)

“This incident is completely out of character with the life I have lived and values I have always tried to uphold,” Parker said in a letter to the judge, according to Boston.com.

“I would NEVER have knowingly taken part in anything related to such a dangerous drug,” she added. “I should have inquired what it was, so that was my own doing. I see that in retrospect, but that fact haunts me to this day.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the District of Rhode Island and the FDA for more information.

Bonny Chu is a Digital Production Assistant at Fox News Digital.

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Texas

Texas volleyball coach invented hair accessory taking over sport

Published

19 hours ago

December 3, 2025

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Texas volleyball coach invented hair accessory taking over sport

It turns out the hottest accessory at the 2025 NCAA college volleyball tournament is not knee braces, or finger tape that can be customized, but a special hair tie created to solve a prominent problems.

Texas volleyball head coach Jerritt Elliott, 57, created TIY hair bands, an acronym for “tie it yourself,” after noticing a number of his players would interrupt practice to readjust their hair. The hair band features a 3-foot strand of elastic that can be tied at the ends and looped as many times as necessary to accommodate any hair pattern or hair style. The elastic is covered in neon-colored fabric sheath to provide a strong, yet soft hold.

“Until I got to college and started using TIYs, it was definitely a struggle to find a good hair tie to use consistently,” Pittsburgh junior Olivia Babcock told ESPN.

BRACKET, SCHEDULE: NCAA women’s volleyball selection show recap

MORE: Nebraska volleyball enters NCAA tournament with new era confidence

Elliot first hatched the idea in 2013, telling the outlet he’s “very entrepreneurial” and known for his “wild brain.” Elliot brought $80 worth of various hair ties on the market and found that one-size fit all bands weren’t secure for all athletes and could cause hair damage and headaches if tied too tight.

His solution? A 34-inch basic hair tie that, the company boasts, is two times stretchier and 13 times stronger than an average hair tie, the company boasts. A basic TIY is available for purchase for $8.50 and is comes in numerous colors, including “Euphoria” pink, “Fairydust” lavender, “Lioness” yellow and “Sunset” orange. Players can even match their hair ties to their school colors, like Louisville setter Nayelis Cabello, who opts for a red TIY similar to the school’s official Cardinal red.

“I feel like it’s definitely made the process easier and made my hairstyles look cleaner,” Cabello told ESPN. “And it matches my game-day outfit, so that makes it 10 times better.”

TIYs not only infiltrated the Texas women volleyball team, but the entire college volleyball ecosystem. TIYs even expanded beyond volleyball and have been spotted in college softball and college basketball.

Elliot has the Longhorns (23-3) positioned as a No. 1 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, which Texas opens with a first-round matchup against Florida A&M (14-16) on Thursday. They look to win their first national championship since its back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. TIYs will surely be on display.

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