KTBB News, Weather, Talk

A west Texas school built in 1909 for Mexican and Mexican American students as part of “separate but equal” education segregation was designated Wednesday as a national park.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland formally established the Blackwell School National Historic Site in Marfa, Texas, as the nation’s newest national park and the seventh national park unit designated by President Joe Biden.

“This site is a powerful reminder of our nation’s diverse and often complex journey toward equality and justice,” Haaland said in a statement. “By honoring the legacy of Blackwell School, we recognize the resilience and contributions of the Latino community in our shared history.”

The designation as a national park provides permanent protection to help tell the history of Texas school districts that established separate elementary schools for Mexican American children, according to the Interior Department.

The school in Marfa, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of the U.S.-Mexico border and 455 miles (732 kilometers) southwest of Dallas, was closed in 1965 with the integration of the Marfa Independent School District, the Interior Department said.

The site includes the original adobe schoolhouse and a classroom built in 1927. The buildings contain photographs, memorabilia, and interpretive panels that feature quotes and stories from students and teachers.

“The school serves as a significant example of how racism and cultural disparity dominated education and social systems in the United States during this period of de facto segregation from 1889-1965,” according to the website.

The site joins recent additions to the national park system that include the Amache National Historic Site that was a Japanese internment camp in Colorado; the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Illinois and Mississippi for the Black Chicago teenager who was abducted, tortured and killed in 1955, and Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park in Kansas for the the 1954 ruling that struck down “separate but equal.”

EDINBURG, Texas (AP) — A prominent aid group along the U.S.-Mexico border asked a Texas judge on Wednesday to push back on a widening Republican-led investigation into nonprofits that help migrants, weeks after a separate court rejected efforts by the state to shutter an El Paso shelter.

Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley provides temporary shelter and food to as many as 2,000 migrants a day when border crossings are high. In recent months, the nonprofit and at least three others in Texas that help migrants have come under scrutiny from state officials following a directive from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has aggressively pushed boundaries in his efforts to curb illegal crossings.

Without citing evidence, Abbott in 2022 alleged that some border nonprofits may be acting “unlawfully,” including by helping migrants enter the U.S. illegally. Leaders of Catholic Charities have denied the accusations and say the state has presented nothing to back up the claims.

During a hearing Wednesday in Edinburg, state District Judge J.R. Flores said he would rule as early as next week whether the state can depose a member of Catholic Charities, which is fighting to block the deposition and says it has already turned over more than 100 pages of documents to state investigators.

“I am glad we had a chance to present our case in court today,” said Sister Norma Pimentel, the group’s executive director. “The small staff at Catholic Charities works tirelessly around the clock to serve needy people throughout our communities.”

An attorney for the state Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office referred questions after the hearing to the agency’s press office, which did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Among the evidence that Paxton’s office submitted during the hearing was a letter from Republican Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas in 2022 that accuses Catholic Charities USA, without citing any evidence, of assisting illegal border crossings. Attorneys for the state told Flores that a deposition could help them determine whether to sue Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.

William Powell, an attorney for Catholic Charities, told the judge that the two organizations operate separately. He said the state hasn’t produced evidence of wrongdoing and argued that there would be no benefit to letting a deposition proceed.

Crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border are down and Catholic Charities has been serving fewer than 1,000 migrants a day of late. According to figures released Monday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico plunged 29% in June.

Other organizations that have come under scrutiny by Texas officials include Team Brownsville, an organization that helps migrants along the border in Brownsville, and Annunciation House, a migrant shelter network in El Paso.

In early July, an El Paso judge ruled in favor of Annunciation House to shield them from what he called “harassment” from state investigators. On Monday, Paxton said his office would appeal that decision.

AUSTIN (AP) – Darden Restaurants is adding Tex-Mex to the menu.

The parent company of Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House and other chains, said Wednesday it’s buying Chuy’s for approximately $605 million.

Darden said it will acquire all outstanding shares of Chuy’s for $37.50 per share. Those shares closed at $25.27 apiece on Wednesday, then soared past $37 in after-hours trading once the deal was announced. Darden shares fell 1% in after-hours trading.

Darden said the boards of Darden and Chuy’s have unanimously approved the acquisition. The deal is expected to close later this year, if it’s approved by Chuy’s shareholders.

Chuy’s Holdings Inc. was founded in Austin, Texas, in 1982. It now operates 101 restaurants in 15 states and has 7,400 employees. It’s known for its eclectic decor and fresh food, including handmade tortillas and sauces.

Like Darden, Chuy’s owns and operates all of its restaurants. Darden President and CEO Rick Cardenas said Chuy’s is a differentiated brand with strong growth potential that will expand Darden’s dining options.

Darden, based in Orlando, Florida, operates more than 1,900 restaurants and has 190,000 employees. It also owns Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V’s and Bahama Breeze.

“Based on our criteria for adding a brand to the Darden portfolio, we believe Chuy’s is an excellent fit that supports our winning strategy,” Cardenas said in a statement.

Chuy’s Chairman, CEO and President Steven Hislop said the acquisition will accelerate Chuy’s business goals and expand the brand to more communities.

The deal comes as both restaurant companies have been struggling with a downturn in customer traffic due to consumer concerns about inflation.

In Darden’s fiscal fourth quarter, which ended May 26, same-store sales — or sales at restaurants open at least a year — were flat compared to the prior year. Chuy’s same-store sales were down 5% in its first quarter, which ended March 31.

Investment bank Jefferies downgraded shares for both restaurant chains earlier this month, saying they’re being squeezed by price promotions at fast-food chains like McDonald’s as well as at casual dining peers like Chili’s and Applebee’s.

HOUSTON (AP) — Texas inmate Ruben Gutierrez had spent some of the hours leading up to his scheduled execution Tuesday evening talking with his wife and attorney before being eventually transferred to a holding cell at the state prison in Huntsville to await his lethal injection.

But about 20 minutes before he was to be taken into the nearby death chamber, the prison warden told Gutierrez the U.S. Supreme Court had granted him an execution stay.

Gutierrez prayed with a prison chaplain and said, “God is great! I wasn’t expecting this.”

Gutierrez’s wife and lawyer were overjoyed over the high court’s decision while family members of the 85-year-old South Texas woman he was convicted of fatally stabbing decades ago said they were devasted by the delay. Gutierrez had received a similar last-minute stay in 2020.

The granting of 11th-hour reprieves for death row inmates has been rare from the Supreme Court, with a majority of justices expressing skepticism and even hostility to such requests, according to experts.

Here are some things to know about Gutierrez’s case and the Supreme Court’s history with last-minute requests to stay executions:
Who is Ruben Gutierrez

Gutierrez was sent to death row after being convicted of capital murder for the 1998 killing of Escolastica Harrison at her home in Brownsville in Texas’ southern tip.

Prosecutors said the killing of the mobile home park manager and retired teacher was part of an attempt to steal more than $600,000 she had hidden in her home because of her mistrust of banks.

Gutierrez has sought DNA testing for more than a decade that he claims would help prove he had no role in her death. His attorneys have said there’s no physical or forensic evidence connecting him to the killing. Two others also were charged in the case.

Prosecutors have said the request for DNA testing is a delay tactic and Gutierrez was convicted on various pieces of evidence, including a confession in which he admitted to planning the robbery.

Gutierrez was convicted under Texas’ law of parties, which says a person can be held liable for the actions of others if they assist or encourage the commission of a crime.

“The fact that the court stepped in and stopped this execution will give us the opportunity to try to convince other actors in the state to allow us to do the testing that we’ve been asking for forever,” said Shawn Nolan, one of Gutierrez’s attorneys. Nolan said such execution delays by the Supreme Court are rare.
How often does the Supreme Court grant requests to stay executions

Robin M. Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said Wednesday that out of 26 requests to stay executions that were submitted last year to the Supreme Court, only one was granted.

A 2023 analysis by Bloomberg Law found that of the 270 emergency stays filed by death row inmates in the U.S. between 2013 and 2023, only 11, or 4%, were granted by the high court, she said.

In a 2019 ruling by the Supreme Court denying Missouri inmate Russell Bucklew’s request to stop his execution, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote, “Last-minute stays should be the extreme exception, not the norm.”

Maher said Gorsuch’s statement has been used by state prosecutors in pro-death penalty states to push back against efforts to give inmates and their lawyers more time in their cases.

“I think the majority at the Supreme Court views requests for stays of execution with deep suspicion and even hostility,” said Maher, whose Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit takes no position on capital punishment but has criticized the way states carry out executions.
What is it like for an inmate to be minutes away from execution

Nolan said being minutes from execution on two different occasions within the last four years has taken a psychological toll on Gutierrez, who had spent part of Tuesday meeting with his family for what he thought was the final time.

“We all think about our own end of life in very difficult ways, or psychological, emotional ways. That’s certainly how Ruben has tried to deal with this,” Nolan said.

Maher said what Gutierrez has now twice experienced in being minutes away from death is a form of torture.
What was the reaction by the victim’s family to the execution stay

Harrison’s family, along with Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz, expressed frustration with the delay.

“It’s just devastating news, you know? It’s already been over two and a half decades waiting for this to happen,” Alex Hernandez, Harrison’s nephew, told KRGV.

Maher said she understands the frustration of the victim’s family but the delay is necessary to hopefully allow for the DNA testing so “that no one is executed that doesn’t deserve that sentence.”

Nolan said if the Supreme Court decides to accept Gutierrez’s case, it will be argued before the justices. If the high court declines it, the stay will be vacated and prosecutors could ask the trial judge in the case for a new execution date. By Texas law, a new date would have to be set three months out from when a judge would enter a new order.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70

MARFA – A west Texas school built in 1909 for Mexican and Mexican American students as part of “separate but equal” education segregation was designated Wednesday as a national park.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland formally established the Blackwell School National Historic Site in Marfa, Texas, as the nation’s newest national park and the seventh national park unit designated by President Joe Biden.

“This site is a powerful reminder of our nation’s diverse and often complex journey toward equality and justice,” Haaland said in a statement. “By honoring the legacy of Blackwell School, we recognize the resilience and contributions of the Latino community in our shared history.”
The designation as a national park provides permanent protection to help tell the history of Texas school districts that established separate elementary schools for Mexican American children, according to the Interior Department.

The school in Marfa, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of the U.S.-Mexico border and 455 miles (732 kilometers) southwest of Dallas, was closed in 1965 with the integration of the Marfa Independent School District, the Interior Department said.
The site includes the original adobe schoolhouse and a classroom built in 1927. The buildings contain photographs, memorabilia, and interpretive panels that feature quotes and stories from students and teachers.

“The school serves as a significant example of how racism and cultural disparity dominated education and social systems in the United States during this period of de facto segregation from 1889-1965,” according to the website.

The site joins recent additions to the national park system that include the Amache National Historic Site that was a Japanese internment camp in Colorado; the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Illinois and Mississippi for the Black Chicago teenager who was abducted, tortured and killed in 1955, and Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park in Kansas for the the 1954 ruling that struck down “separate but equal.”

HOUSTON – The Houston Chronicle reports that the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, the state-operated insurer of last resort for many property owners along the Gulf Coast, is contemplating a rate increase as the risks from extreme weather events grow. TWIA’s actuarial and underwriting committee voted Monday to recommend that the association’s board of directors approve a filing to increase rates by 10% for 2025 residential and commercial policies. The association’s average residential premium stood at $2,300 as of June 30, TWIA spokesman Aaron L. Taylor said in an email. TWIA’s board will vote on the recommendation when it meets Aug. 6 in Galveston. The committee made its recommendation after reviewing TWIA’s 2024 Rate Adequacy Analysis, which found that current rates are inadequate by 38% for residential coverage and 45% for commercial coverage.

The request comes as Houston recovers from Hurricane Beryl and as a number of insurance companies are pulling back in Texas, particularly in coastal areas. Farmers Insurance, for example, sent a number of policyholders in Harris County nonrenewal notices this year after “initiating targeted underwriting actions designed to mitigate our risk exposure in the state,” a spokesman for the company told the Chronicle last month. Others have raised rates dramatically as extreme weather events, in conjunction with inflation, have resulted in a large number of costly claims. Over the course of 2023, according to a January analysis from S&P Global, average homeowners insurance premiums rose by at least 10% in 25 states, and Texas led the pack, with an effective rate increase of 23.3%. The situation has spurred homeowners to turn to TWIA and the Texas Fair Plan Association, which TWIA administers. TWIA, a not-for-profit insurance association, provides residential and commercial policies covering wind and hail damage to home and business owners in Texas’ 14 coastal counties, as well as the portion of Harris County east of Texas 146. As of March, there were about 250,000 TWIA policies in force in coastal Texas, a 37% increase from 2020, about half of those in Galveston and Brazoria counties.

HOUSTON (AP) — Drawn guns. Thrown rocks. Threatening messages. Houston’s prolonged outages following Hurricane Beryl has some fed-up and frustrated residents taking out their anger on repair workers who are trying to restore power across the city.

The threats and confrontations have prompted police escorts, charges in at least two cases, and pleas from authorities and local officials to leave the linemen alone so they can work.

Beryl knocked out power to nearly 3 million people in Texas — with most of those in the Houston area — after making landfall July 8. The Category 1 storm unleashed heavy rain and winds that uprooted trees and damaged homes and businesses along the Texas Coast and parts of Southeast Texas. State authorities have reported 18 deaths from Beryl. In the Houston area, some have been due to heat exposure following the loss of power, according to the medical examiner’s office in Harris County.

As of Tuesday, crews were still working to restore power to some residents.

“Linemen are our friends and are doing their job. Do not threaten them. I understand you’re angry and mad and frustrated, but let’s get through this together,” Mayor John Whitmire said during a news conference on Monday.

Houston police have investigated at least five cases involving threats made to workers and other employees, whether in person or online.

In one of these cases, police arrested Anthony Leonard, 38, charging him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Authorities allege Leonard on Saturday threw rocks and pointed a gun at a group of CenterPoint Energy workers who were at a staging area.

Leonard remained jailed Tuesday. His attorney did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells said over 100 line workers had to be evacuated from the staging area on Saturday. He said such threats are counterproductive as crews have to be moved to safer areas, delaying their work.

“So many of our fellow Houstonians have addressed this situation with patience and grace. And I want to thank them. But unfortunately, there have been instances where either acts of violence have been threatened or actually committed against our crews that are working this vital restoration. This is unacceptable. The safety of our crews is paramount,” Wells said.

KPRC reported that a charge of making a terroristic threat has been filed against a woman from the Houston suburb of Baytown. The Texas Department of Public Safety alleges the woman made multiple online threats of murder, assault and deadly conduct against employees, including Wells, at CenterPoint’s headquarters in downtown Houston. The woman has not been arrested.

Chief Deputy Mike Lee with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said his agency has investigated a break-in of a CenterPoint vehicle and three cases where residents refused to let linemen enter their properties.

Ed Allen, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union No. 66, which represents workers at CenterPoint, said in 42 years in this industry, he’s never seen a response like this where workers are being threatened.

Allen said he spoke to one crew that said while they were working in a suburban Houston neighborhood, several men stood across the street from them and held an assault type rifle in a menacing way.

“It is very disheartening to see the community that I’ve worked in and that I’ve dedicated my life to provide electricity to act the way they have during this event,” Allen said.

Crews on Tuesday told Allen they haven’t received any new threats.

“I hope it’s gotten better out there. Part of that I think has a lot to do with the fact that regardless of what anybody thinks, the restoration effort has gone really well,” Allen said.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, CenterPoint reported that less than 82,000 customers remained without power.

On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to CenterPoint demanding information from the company, including what actions it will take to reduce or eliminate power outages during future storms and how it will improve communication with its customers before, during and after a weather event.

“Texans must be able to rely on their energy providers to keep the power flowing, even during hurricane season. It is your responsibility to properly prepare for these foreseen incidents and work tirelessly to restore power as quickly as possible when it is lost. Anything less is unacceptable,” Abbott wrote.

In a statement, CenterPoint said it’s addressing Abbott’s request and that its work with officials and community leaders to increase the resiliency of the electric grid is essential in “creating and sustaining an environment in Texas where people want to live and build their businesses.”

Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia said the threats to CenterPoint workers and out-of-town crews only makes “it harder and longer to get your lights back on.”

“These folks are just here trying to help. Let them do their work and help us and tomorrow will be a better day,” Garcia said.

ARIZONA – Pro Publica reports that in 2022, Arizona pioneered the largest school voucher program in the history of education. Under a new law, any parent in the state, no matter how affluent, could get a taxpayer-funded voucher worth up to tens of thousands of dollars to spend on private school tuition, extracurricular programs or homeschooling supplies. In just the past two years, nearly a dozen states have enacted sweeping voucher programs similar to Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account system, with many using it as a model. Yet in a lesson for Texas and other states, Arizona’s voucher experiment has since precipitated a budget meltdown. The state this year faced a $1.4 billion budget shortfall, much of which was a result of the new voucher spending, according to the Grand Canyon Institute, a local nonpartisan fiscal and economic policy think tank. Last fiscal year alone, the price tag of universal vouchers in Arizona skyrocketed from an original official estimate of just under $65 million to roughly $332 million, the Grand Canyon analysis found; another $429 million in costs is expected this year.

As a result of all this unexpected spending, alongside some recent revenue losses, Arizona is now having to make deep cuts to a wide swath of critical state programs and projects, the pain of which will be felt by average Arizonans who may or may not have school-aged children. Among the funding slashed: $333 million for water infrastructure projects, in a state where water scarcity will shape the future, and tens of millions of dollars for highway expansions and repairs in congested areas of one of the nation’s fastest-growing metropolises — Phoenix and its suburbs. Also nixed were improvements to the air conditioning in state prisons, where temperatures can soar above 100 degrees. Arizona’s community colleges, too, are seeing their budgets cut by $54 million. Still, Arizona-style universal school voucher programs — available to all, including the wealthiest parents — continue to sweep the nation, from Florida to Utah. In Florida, one lawmaker pointed out last year that Arizona’s program seemed to be having a negative budgetary impact. “This is what Arizona did not anticipate,” said Florida Democratic Rep. Robin Bartleman, during a floor debate. “What is our backup plan to fill that budget hole?” Her concern was minimized by her Republican colleagues, and Florida’s transformational voucher legislation soon passed. Advocates for Arizona’s universal voucher initiative had originally said that it wouldn’t cost the public — and might even save taxpayers money.But as it turns out, the parents most likely to apply for these vouchers are the ones who were already sending their kids to private school or homeschooling. They use the dollars to subsidize what they were already paying for.