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Lawsuit: Texas city refused escort to protect Biden bus

Police officials in a Central Texas city refused to provide an escort for a Joe Biden campaign bus when it was surrounded by supporters of then-President Donald Trump on an interstate, an amended lawsuit filed over the 2020 encounter alleges. The updated lawsuit, filed Friday, included transcribed 911 audio recordings, The Texas Tribune reported. The suit alleges that law enforcement officers in San Marcos “privately laughed” and “joked about the victims and their distress" in the audio recordings.

news.yahoo.com

Texas homeowner charged in slaying of motorist in his driveway

MARTINDALE, Texas (AP) — A Central Texas man has been charged with murder in the driveway shooting of a motorist who had pulled into his driveway. Terry Duane Turner, 65, of Martindale, Texas, turned himself in Friday after an arrest warrant accused him of murdering Adil Dghoughi in the early morning of Oct. 11. Investigators said Turner shot the 31-year-old Moroccan immigrant as the man was backing out of Turner’s driveway about 3:40 a.m. After the shooting, Turner told a 911 operator that the motorist had pulled a gun on him. Mehdi Cherkaoui, an attorney representing Dghoughi’s family, said Dghoughi’s windows were closed when he was shot. Turner’s Martindale home is seven minutes from Todd’s.

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Homeowner charged in slaying of motorist in his driveway

A Central Texas man has been charged with murder in the driveway shooting of a motorist who had pulled into his driveway. Terry Duane Turner, 65, of Martindale, Texas, turned himself in Friday after an arrest warrant accused him of murdering Adil Dghoughi in the early morning of Oct. 11. Investigators said Turner shot the 31-year-old Moroccan immigrant as the man was backing out of Turner’s driveway about 3:40 a.m. After the shooting, Turner told a 911 operator that the motorist had pulled a gun on him.

news.yahoo.com

When Texas ended its mask mandate, the event cancellations started — and the losses are adding up

“It was groups that were not comfortable returning to a fully-opened economy where there was no mask mandate in place.”Gov. Greg Abbott ended the statewide mask mandate and capacity limits on business on March 10, pointing toward fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases in the state. However, he said three of them “had relationships in the medical field” and were concerned with “the message that medical groups might be sending” if they held events in Texas. And you can see that clearly with the cancellation of these conferences.”Even after Texas ended its mask mandate, Austin and Travis County have continued to require masks. In response, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a suit demanding the local officials end the mandate.

Springtime storms cause damage in central Texas city

BERTRAM, Texas – Springtime storms caused significant damage to buildings in a central Texas city, and forecasters say more stormy weather is expected later in the week for parts of the southern U.S. There were no immediate reports of injuries from Monday night's storms in Bertram, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) northwest of Austin. The National Weather Service will determine whether the damage in the city was caused by powerful winds or a tornado. Meanwhile, more storms were predicted for Wednesday and Thursday in several Southern states. The storms are expected to begin Wednesday night in parts of Arkansas and Louisiana before moving into Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama, forecasters said.

Cat Parks paves own path as Texas GOP vice chair under bombastic Allen West

Cat Parks, Republican Party of Texas vice chair, stood for the Pledge of Allegiance last month before speaking to The Woodlands Republican Women’s Club. Now Parks is turning heads again as she paves her own path at the state party under Allen West, the bombastic former Florida congressman who has alienated some fellow Republicans with his sharp-elbowed leadership as chair. We should be the big-tent party,” says Republican Party of Texas vice chair Cat Parks. She likes to say her first Republican meeting in Texas was in 2017 — and it was the one where she was appointed county chair. If they are Republicans, we need them.”AdOne of Parks’ early supporters for vice chair was David Covey, the Orange County GOP chair whom she met through the Texas Republican County Chairmen’s Association.

Political contributions link ERCOT board to Abbott and the state committee now investigating the troubled entity

AdWalker, the chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas and a former senior policy advisor to Abbott, contributed $7,620 to Texans for Greg Abbott from 2009 to 2015, state campaign records show. Oliver told KSAT that he was also unaware of any recent criticism levied toward ERCOT by Abbott. Texas Ethics Commission records, however, show that three of the 13 representatives on the House Committee on State Affairs have accepted contributions from ERCOT board member Clifton Karnei. Rep. Chris Paddie, chair of the state affairs committee, also did not respond to calls and an email seeking comment. Other ERCOT board members are listed in TEC records as having contributed to several energy-related PACs.

Texas' COVID-19 vaccinations begin to rebound after plunging during last week's winter storm

Vaccinations plunged throughout Texas last week because of a severe winter storm. Nationwide, some 6 million vaccine doses were unable to reach their destinations due to delayed shipments, treacherous roads, and utility outages created by the winter storm. Among them were 450,000 doses earmarked for Texas — where the vaccine rate plummeted last week due to the storm. AdOn Monday, Zabel — and thousands of others whose vaccinations were delayed last week — finally got his injection as Texas’ vaccination effort began to rebound. Reporting for last week’s doses may lag due to reporting problems providers had while dealing with the effects of the storm on equipment, staff and overall operations.

Train, 18-wheeler collide in Central Texas, causing explosion and large fire

An 18-wheeler and a train collided on Tuesday morning in Milam County, resulting in a large fire, an explosion and a thick plume of smoke that could be seen miles away. The crash happened just before 7 a.m. near Farm to Market Road 2095 in the city of Cameron, according to media reports. Milam County Judge Steve Young told TV station KBTX that the truck hit the train, causing 14 train cars to derail. There were no immediate reports of injuries, but homes surrounding the explosion were evacuated as a precaution. Milam County Sheriff Chris White said the train was carrying coal and gasoline, which caused the large fire.

Texas power outages: More people could lose electricity, heat as crisis persists

Several neighborhoods lost power due to a winter storm that hit the state. “I cannot do this.”AdOfficials with the state's energy grid operator said it is still struggling with balancing supply and demand to the Texas power grid — and could not project when long-lasting outages would end. — Texas Tribune StaffAdPower grid operator underestimated peak demand during an extreme winter event[5 a.m.] Texas largely relies on natural gas — especially during times of high demand — to power the state. From pumping it out of the ground to the plants in city centers, experts say natural gas infrastructure was unprepared for the plunging temperatures brought by the winter storm. — Erin DouglasFrozen wind turbines aren't the main culprit for Texas' power outages[5 a.m.] Frozen wind turbines in Texas caused some conservative politicians to declare that the state was relying too much on renewable energy.

San Marcos mayor signs disaster declaration, urges residents to avoid travel, attend church online

SAN MARCOS, Texas – San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson signed a disaster declaration Saturday and urged city residents to avoid traveling during the winter storm as it makes its way through the area and state. San Marcos police reported that they had responded to more than 12 ice-related crashes on Interstate 35 early Saturday morning. Hays County Emergency Management is coordinating the following temporary shelter locations for anyone unable to obtain other accommodations:AdSouthside Community Center518 S. Guadalupe St., San Marcos, TX512-557-0795The Salvation Army300 S CM Allen Parkway, Ste. 100, San Marcos, TX512-938-2596Hays Hills Baptist Church1401 N Farm to Market Rd. 1626, Buda, TX512-295-3132Dripping Springs United Methodist Church28900 RR 12, Dripping Springs, TX512-894-7123Westover Baptist Church1310 Advance St., San Marcos, TX512-214-2258First Baptist Church of Wimberley15951 Winters Mill Parkway, Wimberley, TX432-634-2364Additional resource information may be found at https://hayscountytx.com/2021/02/13/resources-for-those-in-need-during-freezing-weather/.

WATCH: Gov. Abbott to deliver State of the State address Monday night

AUSTIN, Texas – Gov. Greg Abbott will lay out his priorities for the 2021 legislative session when he gives his State of the State address Monday. The speech, which is scheduled for 7 p.m., will be livestreamed on KSAT.com. The speech is usually delivered in the Capitol before members of the House and the Senate, but due to COVID-19, Abbott will deliver the address from a small business in Central Texas. (Editor’s note: Thanks to the Texas Tribune for providing the information for this story).

Texas man accused in Capitol breach surrenders to agents

SAN ANTONIO – A Central Texas man shown on video participating in the U.S. Capitol insurrection two weeks ago has surrendered to the FBI in San Antonio, according to court documents filed Thursday in Washington. The federal complaint accused Christopher Ray Grider, 39, of Eddy, Texas, of willful depredation of federal property, remaining in a restricted area unlawfully, and violent entry in the Jan. 6 riot. Grider turned surrendered to federal agents Wednesday and remained in Bastrop County Jail in Bastrop, near Austin, pending an initial court appearance Friday before a federal magistrate. In an affidavit filed Thursday in Washington district court, an FBI agent reported that social media video showed Grider helping rioters try to smash into the House chamber when police trying to protect House members shot Ashli Babbitt dead. In a video conference interview, he told KWTX-TV in Waco, Texas, that he was just a few feet when Babbitt was shot.

14,000-year-old Texas archaeological site believed to be oldest home in North America

AUSTIN, Texas – Did you know that the oldest known house in North America is located in Central Texas? It’s located in the valley at Gault, roughly 40 miles north of Austin, and is estimated to be around 14,000 years old, or perhaps even older, according to Clark Wernecke, the executive director of the Gault School of Archaeological Research. “They were addressing the same concern we do when we put down a groundsheet before erecting a tent,” said Wernecke. “This is not something you construct if you are just here overnight, a tent or lean-to would do for that. “They ate what was available and, when they found a great spot to live, they stayed a while.”The Gault site is located on private property and access to the public is prohibited without permission.