KTBB News, Weather, Talk – Page 18 – KTBB News, Weather, Talk

Texas official indicted, accused of making fake social media posts during election

HOUSTON (AP) — The top elected official in a county in suburban Houston was indicted on Thursday over allegations he created fake and racist social media posts when he ran for re-election in 2022.

A grand jury indicted Fort Bend County Judge KP George on a misdemeanor charge of misrepresentation of identity of a candidate.

The indictment alleges that on Sept. 26, 2022, he posed as a Facebook user named “Antonio Scalywag” in a campaign communication posted on George’s Facebook page “with intent to injure a candidate or influence the result of an election.”

The indictment did not specify the election that was allegedly influenced or the candidate that was injured. But at the time, George, a Democrat, was running for re-election as county judge against Trever Nehls, who is the twin brother of Texas congressman Troy Nehls. A county judge serves as the chief executive officer of a county in Texas.

George was indicted after authorities accused him in a Sept. 17 search warrant of working with his former chief of staff, Taral Patel, to use the “Antonio Scalywag” alias to post racist social media posts targeting George in order to garner sympathy for the county judge. After the search warrant was issued, George’s cell phones and computer were seized.

George, who was born in India and later became a U.S. citizen, is the first person of color to serve as county judge in Fort Bend, a diverse county located southwest of Houston. It has been one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S. in recent years. He was first elected as county judge in 2018.

Patel, who is running for a county commissioner position in the Nov. 5 election, was indicted earlier this month on four charges of online impersonation and four charges of misinterpretation of identity. Authorities allege Patel also used the “Antonio Scalywag” alias to make racist posts to help him in his own race for county commissioner.

George was disappointed charges were filed against him but was confident “when all the facts are presented, justice will prevail,” he said in a statement. “In this country, you are innocent until proven guilty and I fully intend to prove my innocence in court.”

George said he turned himself in to authorities Thursday evening and was later released on a personal recognizance bond.

The Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, which led the investigation, said it had expanded its investigation of Patel to include George and the county judge was indicted “as a party to the offense for which Taral Patel was indicted.”

Frank Yeverino, an attorney for Patel, did not immediately reply to a call seeking comment.

At least one Fort Bend County commissioner, Vincent Morales, called for George to resign following his indictment.

“I have no intention of stepping down,” George said.

___

A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled the last name of former Chief of Staff Taral Patel by using the spelling Patal.

___

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

Suspects in alleged Smith County dogfighting ring relinquish custody

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, the public hearing to determine custody of nearly 60 dogs from an alleged dogfighting ring was cancelled 45 minutes before it was scheduled to start on Thursday.

“The owners of the dogs agreed to divest ownership of those animals and allow the state or the county to take ownership or possession of those dogs,” said Thomas Wilson, Assistant District Attorney for Smith County. “I have been in contact with the Humane Society of the United States and they are getting me in contact with a lady who is a behavioralist or a behavioral specialist, specifically for your game bred pits and dogs like that, to come do an evaluation on all the dogs that are here to kind of see what the next step for them means,” said Amber Greene, supervisor for the Smith County Animal Control.

The next step for the dogs is to be assessed for fosters and adoption. The Humane Society will pay for this case worker to fly in from Florida to individually assess the health and behavior of the animals in the coming days. Although a decision has been made regarding the custody of these dogs, the criminal portion of this case is still being actively investigated. Sheriff Smith said earlier this month that they will continue looking into all leads and track down other people tied to this large operation.

Chapel Hill ISD mourns the death of one its student

SMITH COUNTY – Chapel Hill ISD is grief-stricken after Bulldog Band member and 11th grade student, Diego Rodriguez, died of leukemia on Thursday. Diego was a junior trombone player in the Bulldog Band.

“We are deeply saddened at Chapel Hill High School with the loss of Diego. I was fortunate to have been Diego’s principal for the last three years. I will miss his infectious smile and kind heart the most,” said Linda Godwin, assistant principal at Chapel Hill High School.

There is information on services and visitation for Diego. You can find it here.

A looming port strike could fuel inflation and cause layoffs, experts say

Lauren Justice/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) -- Tens of thousands of dockworkers are set to strike as soon as Oct. 1, potentially snarling dozens of ports along the East and Gulf coasts with major implications for the U.S. economy.

A shutdown of the ports would cost the economy up to $4.5 billion each day, according to a report from JPMorgan senior equity analyst Brian Ossenbeck.

The East and Gulf Coast ports account for more than half of U.S. container imports, facilitating the transport of everything from toys to fresh fruit to nuclear reactors, Ossenbeck found.

A strike lasting only a handful of days would wreak little damage, but a prolonged work stoppage of several weeks or months could drive up prices for some goods and cause layoffs at manufacturers as raw materials dry up, experts said.

“The supply chain will start to get shocked after a couple of weeks,” Adam Kamins, a senior director of economic research at Moody’s Analytics, told ABC News. “If it gets beyond that, we’ll start to see some much more signifiant implications.”

The International Longshoreman’s Association, the union representing 45,000 East and Gulf Coast dockworkers, did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment. The U.S. Maritime Alliance, an organization bargaining on behalf of the dockworkers’ employers, declined to respond to a request for comment.

President Joe Biden retains the power to prevent or halt a strike under the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act. Trade organizations sent a letter to Biden earlier this month urging the White House to intervene.

The White House did not respond to ABC News' request for comment about the economic implications of a potential strike. In response to a different reporter's request on Friday for comment, a White House spokesperson said the Biden administration does not intend to intervene but is “monitoring and assessing” ways to address the potential impact of a strike for the nation’s supply chain.

“The president supports collective bargaining and believe it’s the best way for American workers and employers to come to agreement. We continue to encourage the parties to continue negotiating towards an agreement that benefits all sides and prevents any disruption. We’ve never invoked Taft-Hartley to break a strike and are not considering doing so now,” White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson said in part.

Here’s what to know about how a dockworker strike could impact consumers and workers:

Higher inflation

A prolonged East and Gulf Coast port strike could moderately increase prices for a range of goods, experts told ABC News.

That upward pressure on prices would result from a shortage of products caught up in the supply chain blockage, leaving too many dollars chasing after too few items, they added.

Food products are especially vulnerable to an uptick in prices, since food could spoil if suppliers sent the products ahead of time to avert the strike impact as they have done for some other goods, Kamins said.

As much as 75% of the nation’s imported bananas come through ports on the East and Gulf Coasts, threatening the supply of a highly perishable product, Jason Miller, a professor of supply-chain management at Michigan State University, told ABC News.

“It’s simply infeasible to route those bananas through the West Coast ports,” Miller said.

A significant share of the nation’s imported auto parts come through the ports at issue in a potential strike, which could cause an increase in car prices if the strike persists for more than two weeks, Kamins said.

Potential price increases would likely be moderate but may nudge the Federal Reserve to hold off on interest rate cuts expected in the coming months, Kamins added.

“We’re not talking about prices skyrocketing by any means,” Kamins said, but even a few tenths of a percentage point tacked onto the annual inflation rate could scare off the Fed. “If it has an outsized effect on the consumer’s psyche and the Fed’s psyche, that in and of itself creates recession risks,” he said.

Manufacturing disruption and layoffs

A strike lasting a matter of months could cause a shortage of raw materials that brings some manufacturing activity to a halt, leading to layoffs at affected plants as well as in related industries such as shipping and logistics, some experts said.

“If there aren’t shipments to pick up, it would have a boomerang effect across the whole nation,” Bill Stankiewicz, owner of Georgia-based logistics consulting company Savannah Supply Chain, told ABC News.

At the heart of a potential disruption, shortages of parts would prevent manufacturers from assembling and shipping out final products, Miller said. The auto sector would be heavily impacted but the slowdown would affect “all types of industries,” he added.

“If you start having a very extended strike you’ll be looking at temporary layoffs because plants can’t get their parts,” Miller said.

Kamins echoed concern about manufacturing workers. Still, such an outcome would only result from a prolonged strike, he said.

In 2002, a strike among workers at West Coast ports lasted 11-days before then-President George W. Bush invoked the Taft-Hartley Act and ended the standoff. However, the last time East and Gulf Coast workers went on strike, in 1977, the work stoppage lasted seven weeks.

“Conceivably, some manufacturing workers could be affected,” Kamins said. “That would be many months down the road. I’d be surprised if it gets to that point.”

ABC News' Elizabeth Schulze contributed to this report.

Senate Democrats are making a late push in red-leaning states

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats looking to preserve their Senate majority in the face of a difficult election cycle announced Thursday they were making a “multi-million dollar investment” in television advertising in Texas and Florida races with the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee saying he’s “very confident there’s going to be more coming.”

Sen. Gary Peters, chair of the DSCC, discussed the new spending during an appearance at the National Press Club. Peters declined to be more specific about the amount of money the committee will invest in the two Republican-leaning states, but emphasized that the investment won’t come at the expense of Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, who is viewed as the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent seeking office.

“There is no world that you can conceive of that I’m not going to be in the Montana race to the very end,” Peters said. “Jon Tester will have everything that he needs to win.”

The Texas race features Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who is seeking a third term against Rep. Colin Allred. Cruz won his last race by less than three percentage points with 51% of the vote. The Florida race features Sen. Rick Scott., who is seeking his second term against former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. Scott won his race six years ago with 50% of the vote.

Democrats hold a slim majority but are likely to lose a seat in West Virginia now that Sen. Joe Manchin is retiring. Republicans would only need to flip one more seat to take the majority and much of their focus is on Montana, which former President Donald Trump won by more than 16 percentage points four years ago. There, Republican Tim Sheehy is hoping to unseat Tester, who is completing his third term in the Senate.

Philip Letsou, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, responded to Peters’ announcement by saying it was “effectively an admission from Chuck Schumer and the DSCC that Jon Tester, who is polling very badly, looks like a lost cause.”

He went on to criticize the two Democratic challengers, saying “Allred and Mucarsel-Powell are bad fits for Florida and Texas, and voters will reject them.”

Peters cited the close wins that Cruz and Scott experienced six years ago in explaining the decision to go on the offense in the Republican-leaning states.

“Ted Cruz’s numbers are worse now than they were when he ran last time,” Peters said. “In Florida, Rick Scott has run several statewide races, and even when he has a wind at his back with a strong Republican year, he’s never won by just a hair over one point.”

Democrats are also hoping a Florida referendum on abortion will benefit Democratic candidates on the ballot. Florida law currently bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant. If approved by 60% of voters, the ballot initiative known as Amendment 4 would ensure that abortions are legal until the fetus is viable, as determined by the patient’s health care provider.

Peters said data was “definitely showing some great momentum” for Democrats in Florida.

“We expect there’s a lot of upside, particularly when folks get to know our candidates better,” Peters said. “It’s pretty powerful in terms of the numbers, so we made the decision that we’ve got to start investing.”

Update: Boil water notice rescinded in Troup

Update: Boil water notice was rescinded late Saturday morning by Troup city officials.

TROUP – A water line break in Troup has put several residents in the southeast parts of the city under a boil water notice. That’s according to our news partner KETK.

While under a boil water notice, it is recommended that all residents under the notice bring water to a vigorous boil for at least two minutes before use and consumption. Alternatively, bottled water an be used instead of boiling water.

The City of Troup said that a public notice will be issued once the boil water notice is rescinded. Anyone with questions regarding the boil water notice can contact public works director John Odom at 903-842-3128.

To see the map of the area under the boil water notice. Go here. It’s provided by our news partner KETK.

Police: 19 Longview stores sold alcohol to minors

LONGVIEW – The Longview Police Department in multiple operations during the summer that revealed multiple stores sold alcohol and tobacco products to underage people. According to our news partner KETK, from June through August, police used underage people posing as customers in four “compliance operations”.

Department spokesperson said that 20 businesses were visited for tobacco sales, two of them sold tobacco products to underage persons. With alcohol products, 37 stores were visited to obtain alcohol. 19 stores sold alcohol products to customers posing as underage individuals.

According to Longview PD, each violation had a citation issued or a case filed with the Gregg County District Attorney’s Office. Current law in Texas states that a person must be 21 or older to purchase or possess alcohol or tobacco products.

Common sense on illegal immigration.

Former president Donald Trump is pledging to deport millions of illegal aliens if he is elected. That sounds great to a whole lot of voters.

The simple fact is illegal immigration has long ago quit being a border state issue. There are few places in the country in which the negative fiscal and social consequences of having allowed 10+ million unvetted, mostly poor, mostly uneducated, and often criminally inclined people into the country aren’t being felt.

So, Trump’s pledge to begin deporting them is getting a sympathetic hearing in many quarters. Polling suggests that upward of 70 percent of Americans are in favor of mass deportation of illegal migrants.

But missing from Trump’s pledge is any detail as to how such a mass deportation might happen. We’re talking something north of 10 million people. Rounding up and deporting that many human beings presents logistical and political challenges on a cosmic scale.

One such challenge is the optics of it all. The images of armed federal officers descending upon “immigrant communities” and forcibly putting “good people who just want a better life” into vans and busses to be shipped out of the country will not play well. The Trump-hating media will have a field day.

The inevitable video of a frightened and crying little girl clutching her stuffed animal as she is stared down upon by a rifle wielding ICE officer will tear at the hearts of even the hardest of secure border hardliners.

But that doesn’t mean that we can or should avoid the clear necessity of drastically reducing the population of people living in the United States illegally. No nation that wishes to call itself sovereign can live with what is going on now.

So, let’s be smart about it. Start with rounding up gang bangers and criminals. That roundup won’t evoke much sympathy (except from the lefty-loon ‘defund the police’ crowd).

But forcibly gathering millions of non-criminals and deporting them is a logistical nightmare. Fortunately, there’s self-deportation. Those millions came in one by one, and they can leave one by one. And there’s a very simple and legal way to bring that about.

Cut off the goodies.

No more free cell phones. No more EBT debit cards for free groceries. No more driver licenses. No more free housing in hotels.

Also, to further weaken the magnet that is attracting so many illegal migrants, put real teeth in the enforcement of existing laws regarding employment eligibility. Severely punish a few employers and other employers will take notice.

Do these things and the illegal migrant population in the U.S. will begin to shrink.

The Left will call it xenophobic and (wait for it) racist.

But for some clarity, take a look at the Brits. It says plain as day on the stamp they put in your passport when you enter their country, “Employment and Recourse to Public Funds Prohibited.”

Are the Brits xenophobic and racist?

Or is it perhaps that one nation’s xenophobia and racism is a more discerning nation’s common sense?

Sergeant placed on leave after ‘use of force incident’

EMORY – The Rains County Sheriff’s Office said a sergeant has been placed on administrative leave after a “use of force incident” happened at the Rains County Jail on Sept. 4 according to our news partners at KETK. The “incident” reportedly involved a Rains County Jail inmate and is currently under investigation by the Texas Rangers. Rains County Sheriff Michael Hopkins said the sheriff’s office will do an internal compliance investigation of the case after the Texas Rangers complete their investigation. The sergeant involved has been put on administrative leave while the investigations are underway as per policy. The sheriff’s office said that no other information will be released until the investigations are complete.

Researchers investigate potential link between RSV and sudden unexpected infant deaths

(NEW YORK) -- A rise in rates of sudden unexpected infant deaths may have been linked to an off-season surge of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in 2021, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal JAMA Open Network.

Sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) includes deaths of infants under one year old without a known cause, deaths that are due to accidental suffocation or strangulation in bed and those from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"This is an important topic because SIDS and other unexpected deaths are still one of the leading causes of infant mortality, and there's still a lot unknown," said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital and an ABC News contributor.

The most recent CDC data shows about 3,700 infants died from SUID in 2022 and 41% were from SIDS.

"There are very few things that are as horrific as a family experiencing a sudden infant death, and especially given the causes are so often unknown," Brownstein said.

Using records from the CDC, researchers analyzed more than 14,000 cases of SUID and found that rates per 100,000 live births increased by 10% from 2019 to 2021.

Results showed the risk of SUID was highest from June to December 2021 -- at the same time there was an off-season surge in hospitalizations due to RSV after the virus skipped its typical winter season in 2020.

Influenza hospitalizations were rare during this time and hospitalizations from COVID-19 did not have any clear association with monthly changes in SUID rates in the study.

These findings may indicate a connection between the risk of SUID and seasonal shifts in infections like RSV, but more research is needed to better understand this link.

"The findings underscore the importance of monitoring infant mortality during and after pandemics and obviously it puts big support for vaccinations and RSV prevention," Brownstein said.

Currently, there are newer RSV shots available that doctors say are important to help prevent RSV and give babies the best protection against this virus that hospitalizes thousands of kids a year, mostly babies.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends pregnant women get an RSV vaccine between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy to pass on antibody protection to newborns.

The CDC recommends an RSV antibody shot called nirsevimab for all babies less than 8 months old unless their mother received an RSV vaccine in pregnancy at least 2 weeks before birth.

While nirsevimab had supply constraints last year in its first season, Sanofi, the drug manufacturer, recently announced they have started shipping shots to doctors' offices and anticipate having enough doses for all eligible babies in the US this RSV season.

Doctors say safe sleep is also important for SUID prevention. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants sleep alone, placed down on their back on a firm, flat surface, with nothing in the sleeping area other than a fitted sheet.

Scott Gummerson, MD, ScM, is an emergency medicine resident and member of the ABC Medical News Unit.

Jade A. Cobern, MD, MPH is a physician board-certified in pediatrics and preventive medicine and a medical fellow of the ABC News Medical Unit.

Titus County man accused of intentionally starting fire

TITUS COUNTY – Our news partners at KETK report that a 62-year-old man accused of intentionally starting a fire that completely destroyed a mobile home Wednesday evening is now behind bars, the Titus County Sheriff’s Office said. According to the sheriff’s office, deputies and investigators responded to a “suspicious” mobile home fire on the 100 block of County Road 1363. The single-wide mobile home was destroyed from the flames, authorities said. Officials said they had “good reason to believe” Landel Cathcart, 62 of Titus County, intentionally started the fire that engulfed another person’s home. Cathcart was arrested at the scene and taken to the Titus County Jail, the sheriff’s office said. As of Thursday morning he awaits arraignment for the arson with intent to destroy a habitation charge.

Liberty County Fire Marshal arrested

HOUSTON – Houston Public Media reporta that the Liberty County Fire Marshal and two of his staffers were arrested and charged Monday following a monthslong Texas Rangers investigation into allegations they were tampering with government records and evidence. 63-year-old William Hergemueller, acting as the captain of the South Liberty County Hazardous Materials Team, allegedly intimidated towing companies into paying invoices for hazmat services, District Attorney Jennifer Bergman said. “Complaints were investigated where towing companies were led to believe by Hergemueller that he runs Liberty County and will send an invoice to them for hazmat services,” Bergman said. “These towing companies then felt they had to comply by paying the invoice in order to continue working with Liberty County and in order to protect their livelihood.” The towing companies paid several thousands of dollars over time.

“One tow truck company refused to pay such an invoice and Hergemueller along with Deputy Fire Marshal Holcomb showed up to conduct inspections on the business,” she said. All along, the men did not have the proper state licenses and permits to conduct their fire inspections. Bergman could not immediately say if the men were still employed by the county. Bergman during a press conference referred to arrest affidavit records, but county officials Wednesday did not provide the records upon several requests from Houston Public Media. Hergemueller is facing charges of official oppression, tampering with physical evidence and theft. 64-year-old Erskine Holcomb was charged with tampering with government records and theft. 49-year-old Jesse McGraw was charged with tampering with government records and tampering with physical evidence. ABC13 reported that Hergemueller and Holcomb responded to an 18-wheeler crash on Dec. 19, 2022. They allegedly punched a hole in the diesel tank and siphoned the fuel into their hazmat vehicle. The men allegedly unloaded products from the vehicle carrying cheese, duck meat and other produce.

Update: Gas leak in Gladewater fixed

Update: The gas leak near Ricks Circle area and surrounding neighborhood, has been cleared Thursday evening and the area is now safe to return to normal activities. This is according to the City of Gladewater Facebook page.

GLADEWATER – Officials in Gladewater are advising residents to use caution in a part of town due to a gas leak. According to our news partner KETK, Gladewater Police said the leak is near Ricks Circle off Highway 271 in north Gladewater. People in the area are asked residents in the area to immediately extinguish burners and other flames. Anyone not in the area is asked to stay away, as roads may be blocked, barricaded or closed.

The Gladewater Police Department will furnish updates here.

Texas’ growth at risk due to water shortages

AUSTIN – KXAN reports that in Wimberley, boulders and deer bones bake in the heat where there was once a thriving creek. The lakes and rivers that once attracted Texans and enabled them to grow communities there are drying up, posing an active but underappreciated emergency that sets a limit on the “Texas Miracle,” state leaders say. “Texas is out of water,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller told Nexstar on Tuesday. “We can’t grow, we can’t expand, we can’t have economic opportunity and jobs without water. We’ve reached our limit, there is no more. We’ve got to do some things different.” Wimberley and much of Central Texas has been in a drought for most of the last two years. It has led some local officials to implement Stage 4 water restrictions, where residents are penalized for automatic water sprinklers and watering is confined to certain times. But out in West Texas, conditions are far worse. Miller said Texas loses about one farm every week, but it’s not for lack of land. Farmers don’t have enough water to keep their crops alive.

Texas’s population is expected to gain over 22 million people by 2070, according to the 2022 Texas State Water Plan. Over the same period, the water supply is projected to decrease by 18%. The National Wildlife Federation found Texas loses 572,000 acre-feet of water per year — enough to fill almost 240 AT&T Stadiums and supply Austin, Fort Worth, El Paso, Laredo, and Lubbock combined for an entire year. As Texas regularly faces drought periods, some lawmakers are urging the state to proactively protect the most valuable resource. “It’s the silent issue, with the least urgency, with the biggest impact,” State Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, previously told Nexstar. “We’ve been, for far too long, treating water like a commodity that has no meaning. And it’s truly not. It’s not a commodity. It’s a necessity.” On Tuesday, state lawmakers tasked with shepherding natural resources reviewed the implementation of the Texas Water Fund, which dedicated a billion dollars to water conservation projects across the state. But that sum is, for lack of a better term, a drop in the bucket. Perry, one of the legislature’s longtime champions of water conservation, expects it will take billions more.

AG Ken Paxton hopes Texas Supreme Court will block State Fair gun ban

DALLAS – The Dallas Morning News reports Attorney General Ken Paxton is making a third attempt at blocking the State Fair of Texas’ new policy that would stop most people from carrying guns at the 24-day event, which begins Friday. Paxton filed a petition Wednesday with the Texas Supreme Court to challenge prior rulings from Dallas County District Judge Emily Tobolowsky, a Democrat, last week and the 15th District Court of Appeals, which has three Republican justices, on Tuesday in Austin. Both rulings against Paxton allow the policy to remain in place. The attorney general has asserted that the policy violates gun owners’ rights and that since the fair is held on land owned by the city of Dallas, it’s illegal to restrict access to people lawfully carrying firearms. He has sued the fair, the city and its interim city manager over the new rule. “The Court of Appeals clearly abused its discretion by denying emergency relief from the trial court’s order because the city’s ultra vires acts violate state law,” Paxton’s latest challenge says.

The new fair policy allows only elected, appointed, or employed peace officers to bring firearms onto the fairgrounds. Previously, attendees with a valid handgun license could carry their gun onto the 277-acre Fair Park during the event as long as it was concealed. State law doesn’t require Texans to have a permit to carry a firearm in a public place. The fair is one of the biggest annual celebrations in the state and welcomed more than 2.3 million people last year. The policy change comes after a man shot three people at the fair last October. Fair officials have argued the new policy is meant to increase the safety of attendees and state law allows private groups to prohibit firearms on property leased from a city for private events. City attorneys have said Dallas officials have no say in any fair policies, and as Fair Park’s lessee, the nonprofit can implement whatever rules it wants for the 24 days of the annual celebration. Paxton previously issued legal opinions saying private groups could ban people from coming onto leased government-owned property with guns, including rejecting a complaint in 2016 over the privately-run Dallas Zoo banning guns from its city-owned property.