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Tuesday April 01, 2025
AUSTIN (AP) â A Texas lawmaker who helped pioneer the state’s restrictive abortion laws introduced a bill on Friday to clarify medical exceptions allowed under the law, representing a pivot from Republican legislators who have defended the state’s abortion ban in the face of lawsuits and medical scrutiny.
The bill, introduced by Republican state Sen. Bryan Hughes, still requires that patients have a medical emergency for a physician to perform an abortion but strikes language that it be a life-threatening condition. The bill would also require doctors and lawyers to receive training about the law.
âWeâve learned in a number of cases where the physician was willing to treat the mom, but the lawyers for the hospital would advise against it,â Hughes said. âSo one of the most important things we want to do is make sure that doctors and the hospital lawyers are trained on what the law is.â
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AUSTIN (AP) â A Texas lawmaker who helped pioneer the state’s restrictive abortion laws introduced a bill on Friday to clarify medical exceptions allowed under the law, representing a pivot from Republican legislators who have defended the state’s abortion ban in the face of lawsuits and medical scrutiny.
The bill, introduced by Republican state Sen. Bryan Hughes, still requires that patients have a medical emergency for a physician to perform an abortion but strikes language that it be a life-threatening condition. The bill would also require doctors and lawyers to receive training about the law.
âWeâve learned in a number of cases where the physician was willing to treat the mom, but the lawyers for the hospital would advise against it,â Hughes said. âSo one of the most important things we want to do is make sure that doctors and the hospital lawyers are trained on what the law is.â
Hughes’ proposed legislation follows similar efforts by Kentucky lawmakers who added medical exceptions to their state’s near-total abortion ban on Thursday.
Texas law currently prohibits abortions except when a pregnant patient has a life-threatening condition. Doctors who are convicted of providing an illegal abortion can face up to 99 years in prison, a $100,000 fine and lose their medical license.
Texasâ abortion laws are among the strictest in the nation and have survived multiple legal challenges since the overturning of Roe v. Wade from opponents who say the law is unclear about when medical exceptions are allowed.
Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the president of the Senate, has made the bill one of his legislative priorities, and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said he’s open to supporting the legislation.
âSince the Dobbs decision, there have been 135 medically necessary abortions to save mothersâ lives in Texas with no repercussions for those physicians,â Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris said in a statement. âGovernor Abbott looks forward to seeing any clarifying language in any proposed legislation from the legislature.â
For years, abortion rights advocates have criticized Texasâ abortion laws, which do not allow exceptions for cases of incest or rape, as too restrictive.
âNo amount of attempted clarification from Texas lawmakers would suffice because abortion bans are dangerous,â said Ashley Gray, senior policy adviser for the Center for Reproductive Rights. âAs long as youâre criminalizing doctors for providing care, patients will suffer.â
In 2024, the Texas Supreme Court said the stateâs abortion laws were not too vague, ruling against a group of women who had serious pregnancy complications and were denied abortions. The Texas Medical Board has refused to list specific exceptions for doctors under the law.
Dallas mother Kate Cox was at the center of a separate lawsuit brought in 2023 for a similar issue after a court denied her permission to obtain an abortion after her fetus developed a fatal condition.
A group of more than 100 obstetricians and gynecologists across the state sent a letter in November to state officials urging them to reform the law after an investigation by ProPublica found three women had died after doctors had delayed treating their miscarriages.
TYLER â The Smith County Sheriffâs Office has arrested a woman after she allegedly gave birth to a baby that was found dead in her bathtub on Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK,, the Smith County Sheriffâs Office received a call from an emergency room in Tyler about a woman who claimed to have delivered a placenta in her home earlier that day. 27-year-old Esmeralda Duran Rodriguez, reportedly had no baby with her when she arrived at the emergency room. The sheriffâs office said deputies then went to her home in north-central Smith County to investigate.
Deputies met Rodriguezâs brother and officials reported that the deputies were allowed into the home to search for a baby. Deputies found the placenta on a bed along with a severed umbilical cord, according to a press release. After initially searching, deputies could find no baby in the home but the deputies kept searching and eventually officials said they were able to find the body of a dead baby.
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TYLER – The Tyler Police Department is currently managing a traffic flow at the intersection of Bow St. and N. Broadway in Tyler, Smith County, Texas. A fallen power pole has brought down LIVE electrical lines, blocking the roadway. As a result, all northbound and southbound traffic in the 700-900 block of N. Broadway is closed. Encore Electric has been notified and estimates a response time of three to four hours. Motorists are urged to use alternate routes and exercise caution in the area.
SMITH COUNTY – When Smith County officials attempted to push out an alert to residents about high winds and fire danger on Friday, a system error sent out the wrong message.
At 12:08 p.m., Smith County residents instead received a text labeled urgent that warned them of a hazard and to avoid the area.
Smith County recently started using FEMAâs IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert & Warning System), which allows officials to send urgent texts to all Smith County residentsâ cell phones. The IPAWS delivery report contained the original intended message and not the mistaken message that was sent out to 9,262 people. There was never a hazard in Smith County nd officials are trying to figure out why the system sent the wrong message.
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LUBBOCK (AP) â The power started to come back on Thursday at the Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock several hours after an explosion inside a maintenance hole set off fires and power outages, leading school officials to issue evacuation orders for several buildings and cancel classes for the rest of the week, university police said.
The explosion happened Wednesday evening at the Engineering Key section of campus, which was evacuated. Students were advised Thursday to avoid the area until further notice.
âI heard an explosion and then saw a smoke ring, almost like a cartoon or something,â doctoral degree student Robert Gauthreaux III told KCBD-TV. âIt traveled about 200 feet in the air.â
Gauthreaux said he went inside the architecture building, which lost power. He said he and others tried to help someone who was trapped inside an elevator.
Power was being shut down to the entire campus while repairs were underway, said Caitlynn Jeffries, a spokesperson for the universityâs police department. She asked that all public and unofficial personnel avoid campus.
âYou can go ahead and go home for spring break. We are closing school down for the next couple days,â Jeffries said at a news media briefing.
Firefighters responded to campus about 7 p.m. for a possible gas leak, Lubbock Fire Rescue Capt. Jon Tunnell said at the briefing. They found âmultiple manhole covers with active fire and smoke issuing from them,â he said.
No injuries were reported, Tunnell said.
An alert from the university sent to the campus community before the news conference had described the explosion as occurring at a substation.
Videos circulating on social media and TV stations showed a heavy presence of firefighters on campus and fire and smoke coming out of at least one maintenance hole cover.
It wasnât clear what might have caused the explosion.
There are more than 40,000 students at Texas Tech, and the school sits on 1,800 acres (728 hectares) in West Texas.
TYLER – The East Texas Human Needs Network (ETHNN) has merged with Goodwill Industries of East Texas, Inc. ETHNN is a diverse group of organizations and individuals that work together to strengthen the programs, connection, and improve awareness of services that meet essential human needs. Goodwill often serves as a resource center for many of these same human needs. Goodwillâs programs are based in education and skills training designed to help individuals meet their needs through employment.
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HALLSVILLE â One person was killed after a high-speed chase ended in them crashing into a Hallsville Church on Monday night. According to our news partner KETK, the driver was identified as 29-year-old Jason Thomas Hart of Longview.
Harrison County Sheriff’s Office received a call at 10:47 p.m. about a suspicious vehicle driving through the Mason Creek Mobile Home Park. The caller said that a dark-colored sedan was driving in circles in front yards and nearly hit several residences. Minutes later, deputies saw the vehicle matching the same description running a stop sign at the intersection of FM 968 and FM 450. Deputies continued their pursuit on FM 450 north, as Hart ignored lights and sirens.
Hart continued fleeing law enforcement, driving erratically, with speeds as fast as 114 mph. Eventually the chase entered Hallsville. As he entered the intersection of FM 450 and U.S. Highway 80, Hart left the roadway on the west part of FM 450, hitting the wall and awning of The First Baptist Church of Hallsville. Deputies attempted to render aid to Jason Hart, but he died at the scene. Officials said case is being investigated under the guidance of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
UPDATE: As of Wednesday, March 12, the boil water notice has been rescinded.
JACKSONVILLE â West Jacksonville Water Supply reports because of a major break in a water line, a boil water advisory has been issued. This only applies to customers that are experiencing a water outage. Those affected are asked to boil their water to a rolling boil for two minutes prior to consumption. West Jacksonville Water Supply thanks their customers for their patience and will have a release issued when the water line break is fixed.
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BULLARD â Due to a power outage impacting about half of the campuses at Bullard ISD, all of the campuses will be released at 12pm. A district spokesperson added that school buses will also run beginning at 12 pm.
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