AUSTIN — Despite some internal objections, Texas’ child welfare agency stopped offering two diversity-training courses to its caseworkers late last year, soon after a GOP gubernatorial challenger to Gov. Greg Abbott branded them as “Marxist” and replete with “critical race theory,” emails released by the department late Friday confirm. The Department of Family and Protective Services also stopped requiring Child Protective Services employees who seek promotions to take the courses about two weeks after former Dallas state Sen. Don Huffines lambasted the curriculum as unnecessarily divisive. Late Friday, department spokesmen did not immediately respond to a request for comment on…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
As COVID-19 cases continue to climb in Dallas County due in part to the omicron variant, so does demand for testing. Thursday saw 6,310 new cases reported in Dallas County, making it the highest single-day total here since the pandemic began in March 2020. To cope with that demand, Dallas County Health and Human Services has opened several new testing sites throughout the county. Testing is free to the public, and hours and appointment availability vary at each site. Other private providers such as urgent care clinics and pharmacies also offer testing. To find all testing options, visit dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/testing.aspx. Here are the sites…
North Texas is concluding yet another week of surging COVID-19 cases that are threatening to overwhelm the area’s understaffed hospital systems. At least 160 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing North Texas’ total to 2,973, according to the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council. Of those cases, 213 are at Parkland Health and Hospital System, up 26 patients from Thursday’s total of 187. Friday’s COVID-19 hospitalization total is nearly four times greater than the total of 800 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Dec. 7. The total hospital occupancy in North Texas during the last month increased from 92%…
AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott has spent months promoting his efforts to secure the state’s southern border as he seeks reelection. After nearly a year, the plan is starting to backfire. The Republican’s political challengers are now blasting the mission, known as Operation Lone Star, saying Texas National Guard troops were hastily deployed without proper equipment, regular pay or a clear purpose. This week, Allen West, a Republican running for governor, demanded the resignation of the guard’s top brass. Democrat Beto O’Rourke pressed Abbott to send soldiers home if he can’t justify their deployment. Both raised alarm over a string of recent…
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Houston police detectives returning on Thursday to an area where a man was found shot to death the day before uncovered another body. Police did not immediately confirm whether the body they found in a wooded area near 6300 Scarlet Drive is directly connected to the body they found in a vehicle Wednesday. According to police, officers were called to the Scarlet Drive address for a welfare check at about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday where an unidentified male was found shot to death. On the following day, detectives returned to the Scarlet Drive location to continue investigating…
HOUSTON, Texas — In a contentious hearing Friday, a federal appeals court indicated it is likely to send Texas’ restrictive abortion law to the state supreme court, a move that could add months or longer before the case is resolved. Since Sept. 1, abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy have been banned in Texas through a novel law that empowers private citizens to sue anyone who “aids or abets” in a prohibited procedure. The law explicitly removes enforcement authority from state officials, making it extremely difficult to challenge in court. In December, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out most…
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Crews have reopened the North Freeway at Crosstimbers after being closed for hours Friday afternoon by a hazmat spill. Crews completed the clean up and all lanes reopened by 5:30 p.m., according to officials. TxDOT tweeted out a photo of the incident that occurred at about 3:30 p.m. Houston police were at the scene and had advised drivers of delays. SkyEye captured footage of the mess in the video above. It shows the backup went all the way to Shepherd. No injuries were reported. has real-time traffic data to help you navigate Houston’s roads and avoid…
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — If you’re looking for a job, some of the top positions in the Houston area pay more than $70,000, and don’t require years of training to get into. More traffic on Houston’s freeways isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It also signals the area’s growth and the creation of more jobs. If you were impacted by the pandemic, or looking for a change, there are openings. “Houston is a growth region,” Workforce Solutions spokesperson Michelle Castrow said. “We continue to add people. We continue to add jobs. There is tremendous opportunity.” Workforce Solutions compiled the list of…
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The dry, chilly weather around tonight will be replaced by much warmer, stormy weather this weekend. There’s a low chance that a few of the storms could produce severe weather and street flooding. What’s my chance of getting wet this weekend? Pretty high. There’s a 70% chance on Saturday, Saturday night, and Sunday morning. Any chance for severe weather? An upper air disturbance will combine with warm, humid air from the Gulf to bring chances for showers and thunderstorms both Saturday and Sunday. There will be enough instability and wind shear in the atmosphere to give…
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The nationally-ranked University of Houston men’s basketball team plays a national-televised contest against Wichita State on Saturday. But, this game is more than just the Coogs’ conference home opener. Head coach Kelvin Sampson and his staff will be wearing green lapel pins and wristbands during Houston’s fifth annual #Fight4Literacy game organized by Coaching for Literacy. All the money raised at the sold-out contest will stay in Houston and go to locally-based Literacy Now. “If you just donate $10, we can provide two books to a child in the Houston area,” said Carleen O’Reilly, the executive director of Coaching for Literacy. “We…
