Southwest
Republican gov slams city for considering 'antisemitic' resolution, threatens to pull funding
A city in Texas could lose its state funding over a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an arms embargo against Israel. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott wrote a letter to San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson admonishing the City Council, which voted to bring the resolution to a formal vote on May 6.
In his letter, Abbott pointed out that while the council was considering a resolution for a “permanent ceasefire in occupied Palestine,” it had not done the same to condemn Hamas following the Oct. 7 massacre.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott makes an announcement on the future of the space industry in his state at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on March 26, 2024. (Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images)
UT AUSTIN ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS FREED AFTER GOVERNOR SAID THEY ‘BELONG IN JAIL’
“Israel is a stalwart ally of the United States and a friend to Texas. I have repeatedly made clear that Texas will not tolerate antisemitism. Anti-Israel policies are anti-Texas policies,” Abbott wrote.
The governor said he was “proud” to have signed a law banning Texas government entities from supporting efforts to boycott, divest from and sanction (BDS) Israel. The BDS movement argues that Israel should not receive financial support due to its actions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
ABBOTT SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO CURB ANTISEMITISM ON TEXAS CAMPUSES, DEMANDS ‘APPROPRIATE PUNISHMENTS’
Texas law, specifically Code § 2271.002, states that government entities are prohibited from entering into a contract worth $100,000 or more without a written guarantee that the contracting entity does not boycott Israel. Under the law, “boycott Israel” is defined as “refusing to deal with, terminating business activities with, or otherwise taking any action that is intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations specifically with Israel…” Government entities that violate the law put their funding at risk.
Abbott wrote in his letter that his office had already begun “reviewing active grants with San Marcos to determine whether the city has breached terms by falsely certifying compliance with Texas law.” Additionally, he said that if the city moves to pass the resolution, his office would not enter into future grant agreements with the city and would terminate active grants.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott delivers remarks during a solidarity gathering for Israel at the Dell Jewish Community Campus in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 9, 2023. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
UT AUSTIN PROTESTS DESCEND INTO CHAOS, ANTI-ISRAEL STUDENTS YELL AT POLICE: ‘PIGS GO HOME!’
The City Council agenda description of the April 15 discussion read: “Hold a discussion regarding a possible resolution calling for the immediate and permanent ceasefire in occupied Palestine, an arms embargo on Israel, recognition of Palestinian sovereignty, and the protection of constitutional rights for all people under national and international law.”
San Marcos City Council member Alyssa Garza, who apparently put the resolution on the agenda, spoke at the April 15 meeting, framing the resolution as a way to fight big government. Garza listed the ways in which she believes larger government entities are threatening smaller ones and insisted that Texans could not rely on the same government “to stop a genocide.”
“[It’s] clear to me that when they fund bombs, but cut aid for housing and education and so on here, that’s connected. When they silence protests here and crush dissent abroad, that’s connected. When they defund local governments and nonprofits and they call us ‘distractive’ for standing up, that’s absolutely connected,” Garza said.
Palestinians return to Beit Lahia, a city in northern Gaza, on March 8. (Khalil Ramzi Alkahlut/Anadolu via Getty Images)
GAZA CEASEFIRE NEGOTIATIONS SEEING ‘SIGNIFICANT BREAKTHROUGH’ IN CAIRO: SOURCES
Another council member, Amanda Rodriguez, said the resolution wasn’t political, but rather a “moral litmus test.” She also described the war in Gaza as a “genocide.” Additionally, Rodriguez made a plea to Jews who did not attend the meeting because “there has been such a conflation with this resolution being compared to antisemitism.” As part of the plea, she then said, “You cannot tell me that Judaism as a religion supports this.”
In just five days, the San Marcos City Council is set to vote on the resolution and if it passes, Abbott’s office is expected to evaluate its grants to the city.
Hughson, Garza and Rodriguez have yet to respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
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Southwest
Texas sheriff ‘strongly’ believes remains found belong to missing teen Camila Mendoza Olmos
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This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The Texas sheriff spearheading the search for a missing San Antonio teen said Wednesday that he “strongly” believes remains found in a field next to a gun Tuesday afternoon belong to Camila Mendoza Olmos, who vanished on Christmas Eve.
The 19-year-old was last seen at 7 a.m. that day, walking about two blocks away from her home.
“Although it is still too early to definitively say it is her, the body that we found, or what happened to that body that caused the death, I feel personally, feel strongly, that it is her,” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said in a Facebook Live video Wednesday. “Certainly a heartbreaking case.”
MISSING CAMILA MENDOZA OLMOS: DASHCAM CAPTURES LAST SIGHTING OF TEXAS TEEN WHO VANISHED CHRISTMAS EVE
Camila Mendoza Olmos, 19, was last seen outside her home in San Antonio, Texas, on Christmas Eve, authorities said. (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office)
He previously told reporters there were no signs of foul play and that the body appeared to have been there for several days. In his video Wednesday, he urged residents to check on their loved ones.
“Especially those that have been going through tough times,” he said.
Olmos had a history of suicidal ideation and depression, he said.
Camila Olmos was reported missing on Christmas Eve. (Bexar County Sheriff)
BODY FOUND DURING SEARCH FOR MISSING TEXAS TEEN CAMILA MENDOZA OLMOS AS ANOTHER TEEN DISAPPEARS
“It’s been a heartbreaking week,” Salazar added.
Olmos was one of three teens in the county reported missing in under a week.
Another, 14-year-old Sofia Peters-Cobos, was recovered safely. The third, 17-year-old Angelique Johnson, has been missing since Christmas Day.
This combination image shows missing Bexar County residents James Nunnery, 55, and Angelique Johnson, 17. They were reported missing in unrelated cases on Christmas. (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office)
A fourth missing person, a 55-year-old man named James Nunnery, also vanished on Christmas, according to the sheriff’s office. He was partway through a road trip to Mississippi and last spoke with a relative around 10 a.m., telling his mother he was 180 miles outside Dallas.
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Anyone with info is asked to call the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at (210) 335-6000 or email the BCSO Missing Persons Unit at missingpersons@bexar.org.
Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
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Southwest
Texas requires students learn about ‘perils of communism’ in sweeping new curriculum overhaul
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A rewrite of Texas’ social studies curriculum will require educators to teach students about the perils of communism, according to a recent report.
“The new framework, known as the ‘comprehensive’ model, introduces a novel chronological approach to history and signals that the process will result in drastically different new standards,” the Houston Chronicle reported.
Set to take effect in the fall of 2030, “the model, favored by conservatives on the board, boosts the proportion of Texas history, and removes standalone world cultures courses,” the piece said.
“Third grade will now begin with ‘birth of Western civilizations’ and eighth grade will become a Texas history-only capstone course.”
LET’S TEACH OUR KIDS WHY AMERICA IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR
A rewrite of Texas’ social studies curriculum will require educators to teach students about the perils of communism, according to a recent report. (fstop123/iStock via Getty Images Plus)
The State Board of Education approved the Social Studies plan by a vote of 8-7 in September.
Under the revised standards, the curriculum will focus more on Texas history and U.S. history rather than world history and cultures.
The Houston Chronicle reported that Democrats on the board raised concerns about the changes.
“Democrats on the board say the new framework reduces representation, will be more difficult for teachers to explain and delays lessons about nonwhite people to later grades,” the piece said.
“Looking at this storytelling thing, when do people that look like me get to learn about themselves before the fifth grade?” Staci Childs, D-Houston, was quoted as saying in the article, speaking about herself and other Black or Hispanic members of the board.
The Houston Chronicle also reported, “The standards are also being revised to align with recently-passed state law that requires students to be taught about the perils of communism.”
FIVE HOPEFUL SIGNS COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE SEEKING TRUTH ONCE MORE
Under the revised standards, the curriculum will focus more on Texas history and U.S. history rather than world history and cultures. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)
In the revised framework, according to the report, “Students must learn about ‘atrocities attributable to communist regimes,’ including the Cambodian genocide, guerrilla movements in Latin America and the ‘oppression and suffering experienced by people living under communist regimes.’ The lessons must also touch on modern threats posed to the U.S. and its allies by communist regimes and ideologies.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Texas State Board of Education; Rep. Aaron Kinsey, R-Midland, chair of the Texas State Board of Education; and Childs for comment.
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State Democrats raised concerns about the new curriculum, with one state lawmaker saying it reduces representation of Black and Hispanic Texans. (Getty)
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Southwest
San Antonio teen who vanished Christmas Eve found dead by suicide in nearby field after days-long search
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This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Texas authorities confirmed on Thursday a missing San Antonio teen who vanished on Christmas Eve took her own life.
Camila Mendoza Olmos, 19, was last seen alive at about 7 a.m. on Dec. 24, walking a few blocks from her home.
Olmos’ body was found Tuesday in a field just a few hundred yards from her home, next to a gun, according to a report from affiliate FOX 7 Austin.
Officials confirmed they found the body of Camila Mendoza Olmos, who went missing on Christmas Eve. (Help Find Camila Mendoza Olmos via Facebook)
BODY FOUND DURING SEARCH FOR MISSING TEXAS TEEN CAMILA MENDOZA OLMOS AS ANOTHER TEEN GIRL DISAPPEARS
The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the body as Olmos on Wednesday, determining the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and ruling the manner of death a suicide, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office previously said Olmos had a history of suicidal ideation and depression, noting there were no signs of foul play.
Camila Olmos was reported missing on Christmas Eve morning. (Bexar County Sheriff)
MISSING CAMILA MENDOZA OLMOS: DASHCAM CAPTURES LAST SIGHTING OF TEXAS TEEN WHO VANISHED CHRISTMAS EVE
The body appeared to have been in the location where it was found for several days, according to authorities.
In a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon, family members thanked the community for their support.
“In the name of the Olmos family, we want to give a humble and heartfelt thank you to all the news reporters, churches, friends, families, and communities for your support and prayers,” Nancy Olmos wrote in the post. “Our beloved Camila Mendoza Olmos is now with the Good Lord.”
Camila Mendoza Olmos’ manner of death was ruled a suicide, according to officials. (Help Find Camila Mendoza Olmos via Facebook)
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“We kindly ask that you please respect our pain and, most importantly, keep my cousin Rosario—Camila’s mom—and my nephew Carlos—Camila’s brother—in your prayers during this incredibly difficult time,” she added. “Thank you, and God bless you all.”
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
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