Texas
Triple-digit heat prompts concerns about state’s power grid and possible roadway damage
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — It’s going to be even hotter this week with temperatures in the triple digits, prompting concerns about how well our state’s electric grid will hold up and if we’ll see any more damage on our major roads.
This came after ERCOT issued a voluntary conservation notice last Tuesday, and TxDOT saw several spots on our highways buckle under the extreme heat.
READ MORE: Why does ERCOT still issue conservation notices during Texas’ predictably hot summers?
Thousands of people experienced power outages throughout southeast Texas over the last week due to the severe storms that began Wednesday night. It left vulnerable families without air conditioning, ruined groceries in the fridge, and left people who depend on electric-powered machines for medical reasons in a panic.
Granted, those outages weren’t caused by failures from our state’s power grid. But some of those people who were impacted are worried about it happening again if ERCOT’s grid can’t handle the demand for electricity this week.
ABC13 spoke with a resident in the Houston Heights area, Diane McConnell, who is one of those individuals. McConnell said last Friday, she went 14 hours without power due to the storm. If it lasted any longer, she feared it could’ve been detrimental to her health. She asked ABC13 not to show her face, as she’s fighting cancer and just went through chemo.
“It’s extremely concerning,” McConnell said. “If you’ve got any type of health concern like me with asthma where it’s already hard to breathe and your body temperature is already hotter than normal, it’s almost impossible to sleep. So you’re exhausted.”
Alejandra Diaz, who is the spokesperson for CenterPoint Energy, said their company could only fix outages when it’s an equipment issue, such as downed power lines or damaged transformers. She explained they don’t have any control over power generation.
“We are a transmission and distribution utility. So if that’s the case, we follow ERCOT’s direction in order to rotate those outages in a controlled manner,” Diaz said. “ERCOT is the grid operator, which means they have the whole picture of the market. They see how much electricity is being produced, then it goes through the transmission and distribution utilities, and then to the retail electric providers.”
A representative from ERCOT declined ABC13’s request for an interview and emailed the same statement from six days ago.
The statement said in part, “Depending on weather conditions and generation output, we could see tight grid conditions periodically this summer (..) ERCOT will continue to operate the grid conservatively, bringing generating resources online early to mitigate sudden changes in generation or demand.”
READ MORE: ERCOT issues Weather Watch as rising temperatures lead to high electrical demand next week
McConnell said she doesn’t have many other options other than staying at a family member’s house if she experiences another power outage, citing the high cost of backup generators.
“I would like to see our officials get together and give a true assessment of the grid. People are pushing for renewables, and I think most of us don’t have an issue with that. But the problem is we seem to be going to renewables faster than we can actually handle the supply-and-demand side of it,” McConnell said.
The other concern from the extreme heat is our roads. Last week, TxDOT saw up to 10 different spots that experienced buckling or damaged pavement like Highway 6 between Manvel and Alvin in Brazoria County.
Danny Perez, who is TxDOT Eastern District’s public information officer, said crews will keep an eye out on major roads in six different counties this week, mainly the interstate freeways and highways that have had issues before.
“We’re being proactive, something we’re doing already. We’re going out, making sure we’re looking at locations to see if there are any issues, patching those immediately, and then scheduling the more extensive repairs for later. We’re making sure we at least get the roadway patched up, so we won’t have any problems like we did last week with the heat,” Perez said.
In the meantime, TxDOT is asking Texans to drive responsibly and report any issues they see on the roads.
“Please stay focused on the roads. If you’re driving at a high rate of speed, weaving, or texting and driving, you’re not going to see a big pothole. But if you do see it, wait until you get to a safe location and report it to us so we can go out immediately and fix the issue,” Perez said.
Repairs on Beltway 8 frontage road WB among 5 to 10 other road buckling incidents since last week
Billy Rudolph with the City of Houston said they always anticipate a surge of 311 calls if there are widespread power outages. In those cases, they have a plan in place to bring in additional staff to help field the increase in calls and accommodate people at cooling centers.
Rudolph said their Public Works Department is not concerned about city roads experiencing any damage this week because they’re designed to handle the extreme heat.
For information about the City of Houston’s safety tips during the extreme heat and cooling centers, click here for their Office of Emergency Management website.
For ERCOT’s Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS), you can sign up here.
For more on this story, follow Rosie Nguyen on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The College Station editions of the Lone Star Showdown continues on Saturday with the Texas Longhorns facing the No. 13 Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena in the SEC debut for head coach Rodney Terry’s team.
Tip is at 7 p.m. Central on SEC Network and this is your gamethread.
As we turn the page on 2024, The Dallas Morning News is looking back at the stories that defined high school sports in the Dallas area over the past 12 months.
Our staff considers it a privilege to write about schools in the Dallas area, and our coverage goes far beyond gamers and stats. Every year, we get to tell stories of incredible triumphs, heartbreaking defeats, tragedy, resilience and hope. These are your stories. Thank you for allowing us to tell them.
Below are the stories that defined football in the Dallas area in 2024.
More of our year-in-review
— Boys, girls basketball
— Baseball, softball
— Boys, girls soccer
— Volleyball
— Track, golf, others
D-FW can claim Texas’ best high school football team in an otherwise down year for Dallas
ARLINGTON — North Crowley showed out on Saturday in its dazzling 50-21 victory over Austin Westlake in the 6A Division I state title game, winning the program’s second state championship and putting Fort Worth high school football on the map in front of 36,120 fans at AT&T Stadium.
Until North Crowley took the field at 7:30 p.m., there was a possibility the Dallas-Fort Worth area might boast only one state champion in 2024. Celina routed Kilgore 55-21 in the 4A Division I state championship to capture the program’s ninth state title and its first under coach Bill Elliott.
But North Texas teams came up short in the next three title games, the region’s worst showing at state since 2021, when South Oak Cliff became the first Dallas ISD school to win a recognized state championship since 1958, but Denton Guyer and Duncanville fell in the 6A state championship games.
Two-time state champion South Oak Cliff missed a last-second field goal, falling 38-35 to third-year program Richmond Randle in the 5A Division II state title game Friday night. It was SOC’s second straight loss in the state championship game.
“The future is still bright,” South Oak Cliff coach Jason Todd said. “We just gotta find out what’s going to get us over this hump.”
— Click or tap here to read the rest of Myah Taylor’s story —
More 2024 state coverage
— Texas high school football central: 2024 state championship game stories, photos and more
— Gunter grabs third straight crown in dominant 3A-II state title win over Woodville
— Celina routs Kilgore in 4A-I state final, joining elite Texas high school football club
— North Crowley becomes new king of Class 6A with state title win over Austin Westlake
— Celina is a state champion once again, thanks to Bowe Bentley and a little air superiority
— Quentin Gibson broke an NFL player’s Dallas-area record in North Crowley’s state title win
— North Crowley, coach Ray Gates didn’t ‘duck any smoke’ in bold state championship season
— Attendance down for UIL state title games at AT&T Stadium for second straight year
— Full 2024 statewide UIL Texas high school football playoff, state championship results
Player’s death inspires Dallas football coach to finish goal: a black belt in karate
GARLAND — Josh Ragsdale thinks he resembles Will Ferrell.
Not from a physical standpoint, but during karate classes at the 9th Street Gym in Garland. That is where the 44-year-old Ragsdale towers over boys and girls a quarter of his age who are learning the same punches, kicks and self-defense moves — such as how to throw an attacker to the ground — as Conrad High School’s head football coach.
Picture Ferrell’s character Buddy in the movie Elf, except he’s wearing a traditional karate uniform called a gi and doing tornado kicks and fighting instead of making toys.
“I’m Elf,” Ragsdale said. “I’m the adult amongst a bunch of smaller folks, but it’s been neat for me to connect with them.”
— Click or tap here to read the rest of Greg Riddle’s story —
More notable reads from 2024
— First-year DeSoto quarterback Kelden Ryan is rolling ahead of showdown with Duncanville
— Plano East starters had to sit and wait in 2023. It’s made all the difference this season
— Argyle Liberty Christian’s transformation spurred by brotherly bond of CJ, Cooper Witten
— With trip to state title on the line, Denton Ryan’s Quin Henigan was raised for the moment
— Dealt an unimaginable loss, Lewisville star RB Viron Ellison Jr. is focused on healing
— The Dallas Morning News’ 2023 Offensive Player of the Year: Duncanville’s Caden Durham
— With his leukemia in remission, Lovejoy’s Sam Reynolds signs to play college football
— Keelon Russell is latest football star to bolster Duncanville track’s state title hopes
— Texas high school coaches call for rule changes amid staggering number of transfers
— ‘Match.com for high school football’: How Dallas-area teams find out-of-state opponents
— ‘It’s pretty amazing’: How video, data technology is changing Texas high school football
— Legendary Ennis football coach Sam Harrell to retire as battle with MS becomes too much
— Duncanville’s Dakorien Moore on track for Oregon, then NFL, but first goal is a three-peat
— Coaches frustrated with how UIL determines punishment, player eligibility for schools
— Jesuit football ‘Buddy Walk’ tradition uplifts honorary team members with Down syndrome
— Why coaches like Todd Dodge returned to Texas high school football after brief retirement
— After his football career ended, Dallas’ Rawleigh Williams found a different NFL path
— Why Texas HS football dynasties are tough to achieve in state’s highest classification
— How football coaches prepare backup quarterbacks to be game-ready when starters go down
— A family affair: Inside the life of current Cedar Hill, future UT Coleman triplets
— There’s more to Byron Washington than being ‘Big Baby’, DeSoto’s powerful offensive tackle
— Generational Euless Trinity offensive line has size and athleticism
— Texas high school football living up to hype for some of state’s top newcomers this season
— Quentin Gibson’s life-changing senior season helping power North Crowley’s 6A playoff push
— What goes into the inexact science of rating a 3-, 4- or 5-star football recruit?
— With sons by his side, Bill Elliott has Celina near doorstep of state championship glory
— Rivals on Friday, friends off the field: DeSoto and Duncanville players share strong bonds
— The family business: How Riley, Kailer and Cam Pettijohn help anchor the McKinney defense
— How DeSoto’s Deondrae Riden Jr. followed football from the backyard to Texas A&M
— Like father, like son: Dallas-area players with NFL pedigree making impact on field
— Influx of Nigerian-born athletes bringing new culture to Texas high school football
— Which Dallas-area playoff teams are winning with old-school offenses?
— Texas’ thorough recruiting approach creating strong pipeline of Dallas-area wide receivers
— Parish Episcopal’s Sawyer Anderson closing in on passing record, eyeing fourth state title
— Does defense win championships? Dallas-area teams riding strong defenses to state semis
— 2024-2026 UIL realignment: Analysis, district lists and must-read stories from SportsDayHS
— How D-FW high schools host commercials for major brands, from Subway to State Farm
— Texas colleges spend big money on official visits for top high school football recruits
— The Dallas Morning News’ 2023 Defensive Player of the Year: DeSoto’s Keylan Abrams
— The Dallas Morning News’ 2023 All-area teams, football awards and more— Why Cedar Hill, other Dallas-area schools have been hit hardest by decreasing enrollment
— On Conrad High’s football team, no one will wear No. 12 again. Unless they earn it
— Following in footsteps of NFL veteran father gives Hebron’s Patrick Crayton Jr. focus
— Cameroon native Ben Ebeke catching on to American football at W.T. White
— After late-season injury last year, Plano East’s Travis Agee back better than ever
— Byron Nelson QB Grant Bizjack making own mark in rich athletic family legacy
— Father-son, coach-QB combo living out lifelong dream while leading unbeaten Richland
— Parish Episcopal’s Sawyer Anderson humble as he closes in on all-time passing mark
— When it comes to kicking, Plano East standout Blake Letourneau has been a sure thing
— Professional composure has made Sachse’s Brendon Haygood a record-setting running back
Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Sign up for our FREE HS newsletter.
NORTH TEXAS — In a couple of days, temperatures are expected to drastically drop. This weekend is a good time to get prepared.
Richardson homeowner Stephanie Brownell is now preparing her home for freezing temperatures while it’s still pleasant outside.
“I don’t like cold weather, so I’ve come out and I wrapped all my faucets and then put covers on them,” she said.
She’s also moved all her potted tropical plants inside.
“So for this freeze you’re going to want to bring in anything that’s tropical, tender vegetation such as house plants, and things like that,” Fort Worth Botanic Garden Senior Director of Horticulture Keith Brock said. “Most of your annuals will be fine.”
He said based on the forecast, water your plants now if you can.
“Water has insulating quality,” he said. “It also makes sure that plants are not under stress because like water, you want your plants in good shape when we get these kinds of temperatures. I would start no later than tomorrow.”
He said for the most part, outdoor plants don’t need to be covered. However, if there’s any concern based on the type of plant you have, you can always throw a frost cloth or an old sheet on it.
Brownell said her gardenias are vulnerable to the cold. She’s making the preparations now, hoping they pay off in the coming days.
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