HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Fall begins Sunday, but it will continue to feel more like summer for the foreseeable future. There is a front in the forecast next week that should drop the humidity a tad, and we’ll also have to keep a watchful eye on a tropical low entering the Gulf of Mexico.
Temperatures Sunday started off in the mid 70s and we’ll heat up into the mid 90s by the afternoon under partly cloudy skies. There is the chance for a spot shower to pass by you Sunday with the help of a sea breeze, but it’s only a 10% chance at this time.
How long do you expect these summertime temperatures to continue?
High temperatures should remain at or above 90 degrees for the next 10 days, but we do see some humidity relief late next week behind a weak cool front that could approach Southeast Texas midweek next week.
Any promising rain chances in the near future?
A cold front will approach Southeast Texas Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. And while this front won’t bring the first taste of fall this time, it could help produce some showers and storms each day depending on when the front arrives. This front will also probably not make it to the coast, but there is a 30% chance for rain for everyone both Tuesday and Wednesday.
How long will we have to wait for our first real taste of fall air?
At this time, it looks like we’ll have to wait until the first week of October for any chance of a meaningful cool front to visit us here in Southeast Texas, but next week’s front should at least drop the humidity and bring us some mornings in the 60s by next weekend.
Four people were killed and at least 18 others injured in a shooting in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday night, police said.
The shooting — which occurred just after 11 p.m. in the 2000 Block of Magnolia Avenue South, in the Five Points South Entertainment District — was “not random and stemmed from an isolated incident where multiple victims were caught in the cross fire,” police said in a statement.
Police are seeking multiple suspects who they said “fired upon a large group of people who were outside in a public area” and then fled the scene in a vehicle.
“Officers arrived on the scene when they observed two adult males and one adult female lying unresponsive on a sidewalk suffering from multiple gunshot wounds,” police said. All three victims were pronounced dead at the scene by Birmingham Fire and Rescue personnel.
Additional victims were then located in the area, while others began arriving at local hospitals. One man was pronounced dead at UAB Hospital, police said.
As of Sunday morning, police said there were a total of 22 gunshot victims — four dead and 18 wounded, “with injuries ranging from non-life-threatening to life-threatening.”
During a press conference Sunday morning, police said they believe it was a “targeted shooting,” and that the targeted individual was among those who are dead. They did not identify the person or say why they might have been targeted.
Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond extended “heartfelt condolences” to the victims and their families.
“Our hearts go out to them as we work through this,” Thurmond said.
Mayor Randall Woodfin called for an end to gun violence, saying his “first priority is public safety.”
“Do not tell me this is not solvable — at the same time, do not tell me this is only on the police to solve it,” Woodfin said. “Elected officials — locally, statewide and nationally — have a duty to solve this American crisis, this American epidemic of gun violence.”
More than 100 shell casings were collected at the scene, and police said they believe a modified automatic weapon with a “gun switch” may have been used in the incident.
No arrests have been made as of Sunday morning.
The police urged anyone with information on the shooting to contact the BPD Homicide Division at 205-254-1764 or anonymously via Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Crime Stoppers may award tipsters up to $5,000 in cash for information, the police added.
The Birmingham Police Department is working with the FBI and ATF on the investigation, the department said. Authorities are also seeking information from witnesses.
Dr. Steve Bynon was accused of changing figures in a database so certain patients on the waitlist would be unable to receive a new liver.
He admitted to his actions in newly-obtained documents from the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
ABC13 obtained the 30-page report on Friday morning.
Bynon is referred to as “The Transplant Surgeon” throughout those pages, but Memorial Hermann confirmed he’s the doctor responsible for making “inappropriate changes” to patient information.
“This was all done to ensure patients were safely transplanted,” Bynon was quoted as saying in the report.
JD Davis and Tommy Hastings are both attorneys representing clients who have filed lawsuits as a result of Bynon’s actions.
They said the report, which they first saw Friday, left them shocked.
“It just infuriates me,” Davis said.
The documents give more specific examples of what Bynon did to patients who were waiting for a new liver.
For example, the database stated on Nov. 9, 2022, that “Patient No. 1” could receive a new one from anyone ages 0-to-80 years.
Bynon changed it to a maximum of eight years.
Weight was also a figure manipulated by the doctor.
“Patient No. 3” could receive a liver from anyone weighing 15-to-200 pounds on Feb. 19, 2018.
The minimum was raised to 150 pounds later that year.
No patient names were used in the documents.
Bynon said he was the only doctor at Memorial Hermann who participated in this practice, but Davis believes this was the result of a larger problem within the hospital.
“I can’t even imagine how this was allowed to happen,” Davis said. “It’s mind-boggling that Dr. Bynon was able to go in there and change data without anyone from Memorial Hermann noticing.”
Bynon no longer oversees the transplant program, but Memorial Hermann said he’s still affiliated with the hospital.
“Our top priority continues to be ensuring the continuity of compassionate care for our patients,” the hospital said in a statement to ABC13.
ABC13 has also confirmed Bynon is still a professor of surgery at UTHealth Houston.
On Friday evening, Memorial Hermann sent a statement to ABC13:
“Memorial Hermann first became aware of issues within the liver transplant program on Friday, March 22, 2024, when we were informed by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) of inappropriate changes to the donor acceptance criteria within the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) transplant information database for patients awaiting a liver transplant at Memorial Hermann – TMC. At that time, we undertook an immediate investigation.
Within days, we inactivated our liver transplant program, and removed the physician responsible for making the inappropriate changes to the donor acceptance criteria within the UNOS transplant information database, Dr. Steve Bynon Jr., from his leadership role. Dr. Bynon is employed by UTHealth Houston as the director of the Division of Immunology and Solid Organ Transplantation and is affiliated with Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.
These inappropriate changes to the donor acceptance criteria are limited to the liver transplant program and did not impact any other transplant program. However, because there was a shared leadership structure over both the liver and kidney transplant programs, we made the difficult decision to voluntarily inactivate the kidney/pancreas transplant program and evaluate a new physician leadership structure.
In response to the CMS survey which took place in April 2024, we have implemented appropriate corrective action to ensure these issues cannot happen again. These changes include limiting access to UNet, expanded documentation requirements, two-person validation processes for data entry, and additional enhanced protections. The Transplant Quality Manager performs an audit, and the Transplant Oversight Committee reviews the process.
A recent survey by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Texas Health and Human Services of our abdominal transplant program noted that we had taken appropriate corrective action and are fully compliant. Our top priority continues to be ensuring the continuity of compassionate care for our patients.”
Ted Colbert, the president and chief executive officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS), will be leaving the beleaguered company, Boeing announced Friday.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told employees in a letter that the company’s priority “is to restore the trust of our customers and meet the high standards they expect of us to enable their critical missions around the world.”
“I want to thank Ted for his 15 years of service at The Boeing Company, supporting our customers, our people and our communities,” he said in the letter.
Steve Parker will oversee BDS until a permanent replacement is found, according to Ortberg.
The company has endured tremendous financial pressures and extra scrutiny following a series of failures involving its aircraft and supply.
On Jan. 5, a door plug blew out of the company’s 737 Max 9 aircraft at around 15,000 feet in altitude during an Alaska Airlines flight, prompting a federal investigation.
Boeing Starliner, a spacecraft that was being developed for NASA Commercial Crew Program, was hit with several delays and rising costs before its first crewed launch to the International Space Station in June.
However the spacecraft was forced to return without its astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams earlier this month after tests showed there was too much risk with regard to the vehicle’s thrusters for re-entry.
The astronauts are scheduled to return next year aboard another craft, extending their stay at the ISS by several months.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and board chairman Larry Kellner both announced their resignations in light of the investigations.
Last week, tens of thousands of Boeing workers voted to strike after rejecting the proposed contract.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A 29-year-old Houston rapper has been sentenced to life in prison for sex trafficking three minors and an adult, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said.
According to court documents, Jacorey Nathaniel Anderson, also known as Slando Kareem, lured victims from Houston to Austin with social media, text messages, and co-conspirators Lelonnie Stephon Jackson, 33, and Thomas Jarrett Barraza, 37.
Victims were used in sexually explicit advertisements for commercial sex online and instructed to walk an area known for prostitution, officials said.
Some of the victims were as young as 15 years old, court documents said. While some escaped within a day, one victim stayed with Anderson for weeks.
Throughout the process, Anderson starved the victims, gave them drugs, and took all the proceeds from the commercial sex.
One of the young victims told the court Anderson’s actions took her childhood away and left a negative impact on all her relationships.
According to officials, Anderson’s music mirrored the lifestyle he lived.
At the trial, the jury saw two of Anderson’s rap videos. In one video, a female victim’s hands and feet are bound while duct tape covers her mouth as Anderson physically assaults her.
“This case exemplifies how art sometimes imitates life. Anderson… performed vile songs glorifying the pimp/prostitute relationship,” Hamdani said.
Anderson was finally arrested in Dallas for attempting to traffic who he thought was a minor but was an undercover officer. His phone was taken as a part of the arrest, which led investigators to his victims.
Co-conspirators Jackson and Barraza pleaded guilty to their involvement in the trafficking. Jackson faces five years in prison and Barraza’s sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 12.
HOUSTON — Justin Verlandersat out almost two months this summer because of a neck injury.
After his latest tough start Friday night in theHouston Astros‘ 9-7 win over the Los Angeles Angels, the 41-year-old right-hander said he should have taken more time to recover.
“I think I came back from the neck injury a little fast,” he said. “Obviously I know the schedule, I know the calendar, and I want to be an asset for this team and to do that I need to be able to pitch and find out where I’m at. Obviously, the results have not been good, but there’s nothing you can do besides trying to pitch.”
Verlander gave up eight hits and six runs in 4 innings. It’s the third time in four starts in which the three-time Cy Young Award winner has given up eight hits and at least five runs.
His struggles have led some to speculate that he could be left off the playoff roster for the American League West leaders, whose magic number dropped to four with Friday’s win.
Manager Joe Espada deflected when asked after the game if he thought Verlander could help the team in the postseason.
“I’ve talked to you guys every single day,” he said. “I’m not going to get into playoff implications. We’re trying to get to the playoffs, right? And we’re trying to put these guys in a position to succeed so we can get to the playoffs.”
Verlander went on the injured list June 15 and returned Aug. 21. He has won only one of six starts since his return and hasn’t pitched longer than five innings in any of those outings.
“I haven’t been good since I’ve been back, so it’s hard,” he said. “But I’ve had hard stretches in my career before [and] just got to find a way to work through it.”
Verlander received a nice ovation as he walked off the mound Friday night in his last home start of the regular season. He patted his chest and waved to the crowd just before he stepped into the dugout.
“These fans know the game, they pay attention,” he said. “They know I’m out there grinding and trying to give everything I can. I’ve worked as hard as humanly possible trying to bounce back as quick as I can from the injury and get back out there, and for them to have that ovation after such a difficult day, yeah, they touched me.”
Verlander, who is in his 20th MLB season, said this has been one of the most difficult stretches of his illustrious career. He is 4-6 with a 5.55 ERA in 16 starts this year.
“Every time I pitched, I’ve felt like I’m kind of inching closer to where I want to be,” he said. “But it’s just not even close to consistent. You see that with the results. At this level, the margin for error is so small. The first couple of innings today I felt were where I wanted to be, where I’ve been kind of searching for, and then it just obviously wasn’t great after that.”
Asked about the possibility of not being included on the playoff roster, he said that’s “not his decision” before adding he probably rushed back in an attempt to help the team come October.
“I see the calendar. I know what time of year it is,” he said. “That’s why I had to come back and try to find myself. … Sitting there, trying to give myself time wasn’t possible. I needed to figure out where I was at. It’s been hard. It’s been a tough lesson. But I don’t regret it. I want to show up for these guys. I want to be there.”
General Motors is recalling more than 449,000 of its SUVs and pickup trucks because the electronic brake control module software may fail to display a warning light when a loss of brake fluid takes place.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday that the recall includes certain 2023-2024 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESVs, 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2023-2024 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban 1500, 2023 GMC Sierra 1500, 2023-2024 GMC Yukon and Yukon XL models.
A General Motors logo is displayed outside the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant on Jan. 27, 2020, in Hamtramck, Mich.AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File
The agency said that without the warning light, a vehicle may be driven with low brake fluid, which can reduce braking performance and increase the risk of a crash.
A free software update will be provided to vehicle owners.
Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Oct. 28. Vehicle owners can contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Fall begins this weekend, but it will continue to feel more like summer for the foreseeable future. There is a front in the forecast next week that should drop the humidity, and we’ll also have to keep a watchful eye on a tropical low entering the Gulf of Mexico.
Any fog that developed early Saturday morning should lift quickly by mid-morning with a bright and sunny day to follow. Temperatures will once again soar into the mid 90s during the afternoon with a heat index that could make it feel like the triple digits. Dont forget sunscreen and to stay hydrated if you plan to be out and about on the last day of summer!
How long do you expect these summertime temperatures to continue?
High temperatures should remain at or above 90 degrees for the next 10 days, but we do see some humidity relief late next week behind a weak cool front that could approach Southeast Texas midweek next week.
How long will we have to wait for our first real taste of fall air?
At this time, it looks like we’ll have to wait until the first week of October for any chance of a meaningful cool front to visit us here in Southeast Texas, but next week’s front should at least drop the humidity and bring us some mornings in the 60s by next weekend.
What are you tracking in the tropics?
We continue to see signs that a tropical low could lift out of the Caribbean and into the Gulf next week. There are a lot of scenarios on the table for what it could do and where it could go, so our best advice right now is to simply stay weather aware until we get a better handle on where it is most likely to track. Head to our daily Tropical Update page for the latest on what’s happening in the tropics.
WASHINGTON — Iranian hackers sought to interest President Joe Biden’s campaignin information stolen from rival Donald Trump’s campaign, sending unsolicited emails to people associated with the then-Democratic candidate to interfere in the 2024 election, the FBI and other federal agencies said Wednesday.
There’s no indication that any of the recipients responded, officials said, and several media organizations approached during the summer with leaked stolen information have also said they did not respond.
Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign called the emails from Iran “unwelcome and unacceptable malicious activity” that was received by only a few people who regarded them as spam or phishing attempts.
The emails were received before the hack of the Trump campaign was publicly acknowledged, and there appears to be no evidence the recipients of the emails knew their origin.
The announcement is the latest U.S. government effort to call out what officials said is Iran’s brazen, ongoing work to interfere in the election, including a hack-and-leak campaign that the FBI and other federal agencies linked last month to Tehran.
U.S. officials in recent months have used criminal charges, sanctions and public advisories to detail actions taken by foreign adversaries to influence the election, including an indictment targeting a covert Russian effort to spread pro-Russia content to U.S. audiences.
In this case, the hackers sent emails in late June and early July to people who were associated with Biden’s campaign before he dropped out of the race under pressure from his own party. The emails “contained an excerpt taken from stolen, non-public material from former President Trump’s campaign as text in the emails,” according to a statement released by the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
The agencies have said the Trump campaign hack and an attempted breach of the Biden-Harris campaign are part of an effort to undermine voters’ faith in the election and to stoke discord.
The FBI informed Trump aides within the last 48 hours that information hacked by Iran had been sent to the Biden campaign, according to a senior campaign official granted anonymity to speak because of the sensitive nature of the investigation.
The Trump campaign disclosed on Aug. 10 that it had been hacked and said Iranian actors had stolen and distributed sensitive internal documents. At least three news outlets – Politico, The New York Times and The Washington Post – were leaked confidential material from inside the Trump campaign. So far, each has refused to reveal any details about what it received.
Politico reported that it began receiving emails on July 22 from an anonymous account. The source – an AOL email account identified only as “Robert” – passed along what appeared to be a research dossier that the campaign had apparently done on the Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. The document was dated Feb. 23, almost five months before Trump selected Vance as his running mate.
In a statement, Harris campaign spokesperson Morgan Finkelstein said the campaign has cooperated with law enforcement since learning that people associated with Biden’s team were among the recipients of the emails.
“We’re not aware of any material being sent directly to the campaign; a few individuals were targeted on their personal emails with what looked like a spam or phishing attempt,” Finkelstein said. “We condemn in the strongest terms any effort by foreign actors to interfere in U.S. elections including this unwelcome and unacceptable malicious activity.
Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the effort to dangle stolen information to the Biden campaign “further proof the Iranians are actively interfering in the election” to help Harris.
Intelligence officials have said Iran opposes Trump’s reelection, seeing him as more likely to increase tension between Washington and Tehran. Trump’s administration ended a nuclear deal with Iran, reimposed sanctions, and ordered the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, an act that prompted Iran’s leaders to vow revenge.
Iran’s intrusion on the Trump campaign was cited as just one of the cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns identified by tech companies and national security officials at a hearing Wednesday of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Executives from Meta, Google, and Microsoft briefed lawmakers on their plans for safeguarding the election, and the attacks they’d seen so far.
“The most perilous time I think will come 48 hours before the election,” Microsoft President Brad Smith told lawmakers during the hearing, which focused on American tech companies’ efforts to safeguard the election from foreign disinformation and cyberattacks.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Harris County Commissioners voted Thursday to pass the Fiscal Year 2025’s $2.67 billion budget proposal from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This comes after months of discussion among county officials and emotional comments from the public.
Some big-ticket items include an increase in property tax rate from 3.5% to 8%. To understand the impact, take a homeowner with a $400,000 house, for example. The new tax rate increase would cost them an extra $160 in taxes a year.
The extra funding will help pay for damages sustained from storms like the derecho in May and Hurricane Beryl. It will also allow the county to have funds to prepare for the next natural disaster.
However, according to Harris County’s budget director, Daniel Ramos, the hike would only be temporary, and property taxes will revert back to the old rate in Fiscal Year 2026.
Typically, state law requires that voters approve a property tax hike that is above 3.5%. However, Harris County was allowed an exception this year to raise it to 8%, due to the governor declaring the county as a disaster area.
Another thing to note on the November ballot is it calls for voters to consider a 71% flood control tax increase, which will cost the average household an extra $60 per year. If passed, the measure would generate $113 million in revenue to support the county’s flood mitigation infrastructure.
Fiscal Year 2025 will see an additional $10 million to cover medical costs at the Harris County Jail and transfer $100 million to Harris Health to take over these services. It also sets aside $52.9 million to continue outsourcing inmates to facilities outside the county.
Residents from several community groups, such as Woori Juntos and the Texas Organizing Project, have spoken out against increasing funding for law enforcement, incarceration, and criminal prosecution services. They have advocated for more money for disaster relief, language services, and eviction protection.
Harris County Commissioners passed a $2.67 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2025, which has generated heated and emotional comments from t…Show more
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office only received a small increase of $200,000 for next year, which outgoing DA Kim Ogg said would not be enough since six new felony district courts were added. She explained that the county told them to cut 5% from their budget, which equates to $6 million.
“To staff that, we hired 54 people with the permission of the budget office. So they gave us $5 million with the left hand and took $6 million with the right hand. That kind of math doesn’t fool anybody. It’s clearly an attack on our ability to fight violent crime,” Ogg said. “The budget will defund many positions in the DA’s office. Over 50 lawyers will likely be let go, because they are not funding their positions.”
According to Ramos, Ogg’s office failed to comply with the established budget process and submit a proposal on how to reduce spending before the required deadline. As a result, the OEM took the requisite 5%. But to provide the new incoming district attorney flexibility, $4.5 million has been budgeted to restore that funding when they take office in January.
“There is enough money for that office to operate until her (Ogg’s) term is up. Almost every other department followed the budget process correctly. Over the last six years, their budget has increased by nearly $40 million, so it makes no sense that anyone would need to be let go. We will reassess their needs when the new DA starts in January,” Pct. 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia wrote in a statement to ABC13.
Ogg lost the Democratic primary in March to Sean Teare, who previously worked as a prosecutor for 11 years with the DA’s office. He will face off with Republican Dan Simons in November.
“It’s tragic that either through gross incompetence or intentional neglect, one of the most critical departments in the third largest county in the country just ignored the mandated budget process,” Teare said. “If I take office, anyone let go from that office will be rehired Jan. 1. This won’t affect us at all. We will not be underfunded or defunded.”
