State Headlines
New reporting requirements for life-saving abortions worry some Texas doctors
Posted/updated on: April 26, 2024 at 8:00 amAUSTIN (AP) â Doctors who perform life-saving abortions may soon be required to document whether they first tried to transfer the patient to another facility to avoid terminating the pregnancy, a move some say goes beyond the language of the law. Health lawyers and doctors worry this proposed requirement further disincentivizes doctors from performing medically necessary, but legally risky, abortions. âThis creates even more uncertainty for doctors who were already concerned,â said Rachael Gearing, a Dallas health care lawyer who represents OB/GYN clinics. âItâs basically saying, âWell, you should have passed your patient off to someone else who would have held out longer and wouldnât have done the abortion.ââ Texasâ laws allow abortions to save a patientâs life, but doctors have struggled to apply that ... Read More
High schooler accused of killing fellow student on campus in Arlington
Posted/updated on: April 26, 2024 at 8:00 amARLINGTON (AP) â Police say a 17-year-old has been arrested on a murder warrant after fatally shooting a schoolmate on the campus of an Arlington, Texas, high school. The slain student was identified as 18-year-old Etavian Barnes by the Tarrant County Medical Examinerâs Office. Barnes was found unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds Wednesday afternoon outside portable buildings on the campus of Bowie High School, according to Arlington Police Chief Al Jones. No other injuries were reported. The suspect, who was also a student at the school, was arrested a short time later near the campus, according to Jones, who said the two apparently knew each other. âWeâre still early on in our investigation, our detectives are working to determine a motive,â Jones said. Jones said ... Read More
Southwest Airlines drops four airports and will cut hiring
Posted/updated on: April 26, 2024 at 3:45 pmDALLAS - The Dallas Morning News reports that Southwest Airlines is cutting operations at four airports, including Houstonâs George Bush Intercontinental Airport, after losing $231 million in the first quarter. On Thursday, the Dallas-based airline reported lower expectations, for revenue to be down as much 3.5% and capacity growth estimated to grow 4%, previously 6%. Itâs also anticipating aircraft seats available and trip frequency to tighten in the second half of the year. On Aug. 4, the airline will cease operations at Bellingham International Airport, Cozumel International Airport in Mexico, Houstonâs George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Syracuse Hancock International Airport. Itâs also implementing capacity reductions in both Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Chicago OâHare International Airport. Jordan said these markets werenât âperforming,â which ultimately was ... Read More
Texas gas producers face uncertain future
Posted/updated on: April 26, 2024 at 3:49 pmHOUSTON - The Houston Chronicle reports that Texas natural gas producers face an uncertain future under new regulations announced by the Biden administration Thursday that would force power companies to rein in greenhouse gas emissions. Under finalized rules from the Environmental Protection Agency, coal and new natural gas plants would be required to control 90% of their greenhouse gas emissions through the installation of carbon capture and storage systems by 2032, potentially forcing a shift away from fossil fuels in the power sector. Existing natural gas plants would be governed under separate rules, currently under study at EPA. The rules would make a large share of future natural gas demand dependent on a carbon capture technology that remains expensive and not yet proven at scale. ... Read More
At least 15 people died in Texas after medics injected sedatives during encounters with police
Posted/updated on: April 26, 2024 at 8:00 amDALLAS -- At least 15 people died in Texas over a decade following a physical encounter with police during which medical personnel also injected them with a powerful sedative, an investigation led by The Associated Press has found. Several of the fatal incidents occurred in Dallas and its nearby suburbs. Other cases were documented across the state, from Odessa to Austin to Galveston. The deaths were among more than 1,000 that APâs investigation documented across the United States of people who died after officers used, not their guns, but physical force or weapons such as Tasers that â like sedatives â are not meant to kill. Medical officials said police force caused or contributed to about half of all deaths. It was impossible for the ... Read More
Texas sheriff conducting investigation into deadly National Guard helicopter crash near border
Posted/updated on: April 26, 2024 at 8:00 amA deadly crash involving a National Guard helicopter is the focus of an investigation in Texas into whether there was any criminal wrongdoing involved, ABC News has learned. The March 8 incident near the U.S.-Mexico border resulted in the deaths of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Casey Frankoski and Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Grassia, who were members of the New York Army National Guard, and U.S. Border Patrol agent Chris Luna, a South Texas resident, U.S. officials said. An unidentified National Guard member was injured in the collision, which occurred in rural Starr County. Although the crash involved a New York-based crew, the UH-72 Lakota helicopter was assigned to Washington, D.C.âs Army National Guard, according to military officials. The cause of the crash has not ... Read More
Prosecutors want a reversal after a Texas womanâs voter fraud conviction was overturned
Posted/updated on: April 26, 2024 at 8:00 amFORT WORTH (AP) â Prosecutors in Texas asked the stateâs highest criminal appeals court on Thursday to reverse a ruling that overturned a Fort Worth womanâs voter fraud conviction and five-year prison term for casting an illegal provisional ballot. Last month, Crystal Masonâs illegal voting conviction was overturned by the Second Court of Appeals. Now the Tarrant County District Attorneyâs Office is asking the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to reverse that ruling. Mason was convicted in 2018 of illegal voting in district court. Prosecutors maintained that Mason read and signed an affidavit accompanying the provisional ballot affirming that she had âfully completedâ her sentence if convicted of a felony. But the Second Court of Appeals ruled that even if she read the words on ... Read More
Texas sheriff conducting criminal investigation into deadly National Guard helicopter crash near border
Posted/updated on: April 26, 2024 at 6:41 am
(NEW YORK) -- A deadly crash involving a National Guard helicopter is the focus of an investigation in Texas into whether there was any criminal wrongdoing involved, ABC News has learned.The March 8 incident near the U.S.-Mexico border resulted in the deaths of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Casey Frankoski and Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Grassia, who were members of the New York Army National Guard, and U.S. Border Patrol agent Chris Luna, a South Texas resident, U.S. officials said.An unidentified National Guard member was injured in the collision, which occurred in rural Starr County.Although the crash involved a New York-based crew, the UH-72 Lakota helicopter was assigned to Washington, D.C.âs Army National Guard, according to military officials.The cause of the crash has not yet ... Read More
Judge declines to dismiss lawsuits filed against rapper Travis Scott
Posted/updated on: April 26, 2024 at 8:00 amHOUSTON (AP) â A judge has declined to dismiss hundreds of lawsuits filed against rap star Travis Scott over his role in the deadly 2021 Astroworld festival in which 10 people were killed in a crowd surge. State District Judge Kristen Hawkins issued a one-page order denying Scott's request that he and his touring and production company, XX Global, should be dropped from the case. The order was signed on Tuesday but made public on Wednesday. Scottâs attorneys had argued during an April 15 hearing that he was not responsible for safety planning and watching for possible dangers at the concert on Nov. 5, 2021. They argued Scottâs duties and responsibilities related to the festival only dealt with creative aspects, including performing and marketing. However, ... Read More
Kansas governor vetoes effort to help Texas in border security fight
Posted/updated on: April 26, 2024 at 8:00 amTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) â Kansasâ governor is blocking an attempt by Republican legislators to give the stateâs National Guard a âborder missionâ of helping Texas in its partisan fight with the Biden administration over illegal immigration. Top Republicans in the Kansas House were considering Thursday whether their chamber can muster the two-thirds majority necessary to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kellyâs veto of immigration provisions in the next state budget. The Senateâs top Republican promised to mount an override effort, but the House would vote first. Kelly on Wednesday vetoed a budget provision that would have directed her administration to confer with Texasâ Republican governor, Greg Abbott, and send Kansas National Guard personnel or equipment to the border. The GOP proposal would have helped Texas enforce ... Read More
Researchers predict tough hurricane season
Posted/updated on: April 26, 2024 at 8:00 amGULF COAST - The Washington Post reports that a research team led by University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann is predicting the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season will produce the most named storms on record, fueled by exceptionally warm ocean waters and an expected shift from El Niño to La Niña. The new forecast, issued Wednesday, calls for a range of 27 to 39 named storms, with a best guess of 33. The most on record was 30 named storms in 2020. The forecast is consistent with those recently released by Colorado State University and AccuWeather but is even more aggressive. âThe unprecedented warmth in the tropical Atlantic right now â which we expect to persist through the hurricane season â is the dominant driving ... Read More
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