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López Obrador visita a Biden con el drama migrante como telón de fondo

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López Obrador vuelve a la Casa Blanca. El presidente mexicano viajará a Estados Unidos para reunirse la mañana del martes con Joe Biden y la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris. La última vez que estuvo en Washington fue en noviembre, en una reunión de líderes de América del Norte. Y dos años antes estuvo por invitación de Donald Trump, con el que tuvo una gran sincronía contra todo pronóstico. Su retorno al despacho oval será en condiciones muy diferentes, pues la relación bilateral ha acumulado meses de tensiones. El encuentro es antecedido por el desaire del jefe del Ejecutivo mexicano a la cumbre de las Américas, una reunión regional que tuvo como tema central, y preocupación común, la migración. El líder mexicano fue el gran ausente en Los Ángeles en un momento en el que su país ha desplazado a Centroamérica como el principal expulsor de personas al norte. Estas migran de forma insegura, como reveló la tragedia de San Antonio, donde fueron hallados 53 personas muertas dentro de un tráiler. 26 eran mexicanas.

La migración será un tema inevitable entre los dos socios. Las estimaciones indican que Estados Unidos llegará en septiembre a los dos millones de arrestos en la frontera, una marca que superará los 1,7 millones que rompieron los récords de inmigración en 2021. La Cumbre celebrada en junio definió una hoja de ruta regional que pretende desincentivar la salida de los países de origen basada en inversiones para el desarrollo y facilitar la devolución de migrantes. Ese ha sido el eje de las negociaciones entre la Administración de Biden y López Obrador, quien ha dicho recientemente que también está interesado en poner sobre la mesa la propuesta de un plan común para hacer frente a la inflación que aprieta ambas economías.

México también llega a Washington con una petición añeja, que EE UU amplíe según las necesidades de su mercado laboral el número de visas para los trabajadores temporales mexicanos y centroamericanos. Los expertos son escépticos sobre la posibilidad de éxito de esta iniciativa en una relación que siempre ha tenido un carácter transaccional. “Como mucho se podrá conseguir algo marginal en algún apartado muy concreto. En el sector servicios, por ejemplo, donde hay mucha oferta, se necesita cierta especialización, como hablar bien el idioma”, considera Víctor Espinoza, el presidente del Colegio de la Frontera Norte.

El Departamento de Seguridad Nacional y el Departamento del Trabajo anunciaron hace un par de meses 35.000 visados de este tipo para el segundo semestre del año. Una previsión que parece testimonial en relación con los 239.000 migrantes irregulares que entraron en mayo.

El pragmatismo fue clave del trato de Trump con López Obrador, cuyo acuerdo implícito redujo una compleja agenda a comercio y control migratorio. La ventana para el pragmatismo parece que comienza a cerrarse para los demócratas, sobre los que pende la amenaza de perder el Congreso en las elecciones legislativas de noviembre. Las encuestas indican que la política migratoria de Biden y su control de la frontera serán, junto a la economía, uno de los asuntos dirimidos en las urnas. La Casa Blanca lo sabe, por ello el presupuesto de 2023 contempla la contratación de 300 elementos de la Patrulla Fronteriza, quienes auxiliarán a despejar la frontera en la antesala de las presidenciales de 2024.

Alejandro Mayorkas, el secretario de Seguridad Nacional, hizo un llamado a los legisladores estadounidenses tras la tragedia de San Antonio a aprobar nuevas leyes que “ayuden a componer un sistema de inmigración que está roto”. Es improbable que esto suceda en el clima de polarización política que se vive en Washington. El funcionario, no obstante, ha confirmado que el programa conocido como Quédate en México seguirá funcionando unas semanas más.

Este programa, instaurado por Donald Trump y su radical asesor Stephen Miller, tiene los días contados gracias al Tribunal Supremo, quien dio la razón a la Administración de Biden en una temporada con múltiples descalabros judiciales para el demócrata. La iniciativa exigía a los solicitantes de asilo esperar la resolución de su caso en territorio mexicano, lo que multiplicó durante los últimos años albergues y campamentos de migrantes en la frontera, del lado mexicano. Este concluirá una vez que el Supremo comunique la sentencia a los circuitos inferiores.

Biden prometió en campaña acabar con la medida y el fallo judicial supone un balón de oxígeno para una serie de promesas por cumplir que siguen en la lista de pendientes. Otra de estas fue recordada en junio por el canciller mexicano, Marcelo Ebrard. “México respalda por completo el compromiso del presidente Biden de regularizar a 11 millones de indocumentados”, dijo en referencia a la ambiciosa reforma presentada por la Casa Blanca en febrero del año pasado.

Para Ana Saiz, abogada y directora de la ONG Sin Fronteras, el final de Quédate en México es una buena noticia. Sin embargo, sostiene que “no deja de ser una simulación porque el sistema de asilo está empantanando. El saldo fue de apenas el 1% con Trump y ha subido solo al 5% con Biden”. La Casa Blanca ya ha anunciado que busca revitalizarlo. En la cumbre de Los Ángeles se comprometió a reasentar a 20.000 refugiados de las Américas durante los años fiscales 2023 y 2024, triplicando el ritmo actual.

Polémica por Assange

La negativa de López Obrador a acudir a la cumbre bajo la justificación de que no fueron invitados Cuba, Nicaragua y Venezuela ni siquiera ha sido la última esquirla en la relación bilateral. El presidente mexicano salió en defensa de Julian Assange, cuya extradición a Estados Unidos fue aprobada en junio por el Gobierno británico. El mandatario aseguró que intercederá en favor del fundador de Wikileaks. El día de la independencia estadounidense incluso dijo en una de sus provocadoras intervenciones que si este es condenado a prisión a la pena máxima “hay que empezar una campaña para desmontar la estatua de la libertad”.

Durante los primeros meses del año ya se habían sucedido episodios de tensión como la polémica reforma eléctrica mexicana, que merma la operación de muchas empresas estadounidenses, y el apoyo a Rusia de sectores de Morena, el partido en el poder, habían despertado una ola de preocupación y malestar en instancias gubernamentales y del Partido Demócrata. Una tensión que ha colocado en el ojo del huracán al embajador, Ken Salazar. Una reciente información de The New York Times apuntaba la creciente preocupación desde las altas esferas de la Casa Blanca en relación con la tarea diplomática de Salazar, acusándolo de tener demasiada cercanía con el presidente mexicano.

Source: elpais

President Biden reveals the James Webb Space Telescope’s stunning first image

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The first glimpse of how the James Webb Space Telescope will change the way people see the universe has arrived.

President Joe Biden has released one of Webb’s first images, and it’s “the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date,” according to NASA.
The image shows SMACS 0723, where a massive group of galaxy clusters act as a magnifying glass for the objects behind them. Called gravitational lensing, this created Webb’s first deep field view of incredibly old and distant, faint galaxies.
The presentation occurred at the White House during a preview event with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
“It is the deepest image of our universe that has ever been taken” in infrared, according to Nelson.
Some of these distant galaxies and star clusters have never been seen before. The galaxy cluster is shown as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago.
“This slice of the vast universe covers a patch of sky approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by someone on the ground,” according to a NASA release.
The image, taken by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera, is composed of images taken at different wavelengths of light over the course of 12.5 hours. The Hubble Space Telescope’s deepest fields took weeks to capture.
The rest of the high-resolution color images will make their debut on Tuesday, July 12.
The space observatory, which launched in December, will be able to peer inside the atmospheres of exoplanets and observe some of the first galaxies created after the universe began by viewing them through infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye.
The first image release highlights Webb’s science capabilities as well as the ability of its massive golden mirror and science instruments to produce spectacular images.
There are several events taking place during Tuesday’s image release, and all of them will stream live on NASA’s website.
Opening remarks by NASA leadership and the Webb team will begin Tuesday at 9:45 a.m. ET, followed by an image release broadcast that kicks off at 10:30 a.m. ET. Images will be revealed one by one, and a news conference at 12:30 p.m. ET will offer details about them.

The first images

NASA shared Webb’s first cosmic targets on Friday, providing a teaser for what else Tuesday’s image release will include: the Carina Nebula, WASP-96b, the Southern Ring Nebula and Stephan’s Quintet.
Located 7,600 light-years away, the Carina Nebula is a stellar nursery, where stars are born. It is one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky and home to many stars much more massive than our sun.
Webb’s study of the giant gas planet WASP-96b will be the first full-color spectrum of an exoplanet. The spectrum will include different wavelengths of light that could reveal new information about the planet, such as whether it has an atmosphere. Discovered in 2014, WASP-96b is located 1,150 light-years from Earth. It has half the mass of Jupiter and completes an orbit around its star every 3.4 days.
This test image was taken by Webb's Fine Guidance Sensor  over a period of eight days at the beginning of May. It shows how Webb can capture detailed images of very faint objects.

The Southern Ring Nebula, also called the “Eight-Burst,” is 2,000 light-years away from Earth. This large planetary nebula includes an expanding cloud of gas around a dying star.
The space telescope’s view of Stephan’s Quintet will reveal the way galaxies interact with one another. This compact galaxy group, first discovered in 1787, is located 290 million light-years away in the constellation Pegasus. Four of the five galaxies in the group “are locked in a cosmic dance of repeated close encounters,” according to a NASA statement.
The targets were selected by an international committee, including members from NASA, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.

Looking ahead

These will be the first of many images to come from Webb, the most powerful telescope ever launched into space. The mission, originally expected to last for 10 years, has enough excess fuel capability to operate for 20 years, according to NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.
“Webb can see backwards in time just after the big bang by looking for galaxies that are so far away, the light has taken many billions of years to get from those galaxies to ourselves,” said Jonathan Gardner, Webb deputy senior project scientist at NASA, during a recent news conference. “Webb is bigger than Hubble so that it can see fainter galaxies that are further away.”
The initial goal for the telescope was to see the first stars and galaxies of the universe, essentially watching “the universe turn the lights on for the first time,” said Eric Smith, Webb program scientist and NASA Astrophysics Division chief scientist.
Smith has worked on Webb since the project began in the mid-1990s.
“The James Webb Space Telescope will give us a fresh and powerful set of eyes to examine our universe,” Smith wrote in an update on NASA’s website. “The world is about to be new again.”
Source: cnn

Appeals courts delays Texas execution set for this week

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An appeals court has stayed this week’s execution of a death row inmate who had raised questions about whether prosecutors had presented false and inaccurate testimony from an expert on whether he would commit more crimes in the future

An appeals court on Monday stayed this week’s execution of a death row inmate who had raised questions about whether prosecutors had presented false and inaccurate testimony from an expert on whether he would commit more crimes in the future.

Ramiro Gonzales, 39, had been set to receive a lethal injection for fatally shooting Bridget Townsend. Gonzales kidnapped Townsend, who was the girlfriend of his drug dealer, from a Bandera County home in January 2001 after stealing drugs and money. He later took her to his family’s ranch in neighboring Medina County, where he sexually assaulted the 18-year-old before killing her. Her remains weren’t found until nearly two years later.

Gonzales’ attorneys had asked the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to stay his execution, arguing prosecutors presented false testimony that wrongly claimed he would be a future danger, a legal finding needed to impose a death sentence.

His attorneys had argued that a prosecution expert, psychiatrist Edward Gripon, had falsely testified that people who commit sexual assault “have an extremely high rate of … recidivism,” as high as 80%.

Gonzales’ attorneys argued subsequent reviews by experts and reporters found that no reliable statistical study had ever supported such a high recidivism rate.

In its three-page order on Monday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals said Gonzales’ attorneys had made sufficient claim “showing that testimony of recidivism rates Gripon gave at trial were false and … that false testimony could have affected the jury’s answer to the future dangerousness question at punishment.”

The appeals court ordered Gonzales’ case to be sent to his trial court for further review.

It was not immediately known if the Texas Attorney General’s Office would appeal the execution stay. An agency spokesman didn’t immediately reply to an email seeking comment.

After re-evaluating Gonzales earlier this year, Gripon says his prediction the inmate would be a future danger was wrong, adding Gonzales has taken responsibility for what he did and has expressed remorse.

The appeals court’s order came about a couple of hours after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied a request by Gonzales’ attorneys to commute his death sentence to a lesser penalty or delay his execution for 180 days so he could donate a kidney to someone who may need it.

Gonzales had also asked Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to delay his execution, for 30 days, so he could donate a kidney.

Gonzales’ attorneys say the kidney donation is part of his effort to atone for his crimes.

“I am sorry, deeply sorry, that I took what was so precious to you and I know there’s nothing I can do or say to make it better.

I have absolutely no excuse for what I have done and there’s absolutely no one to blame but me,” Gonzales wrote in a letter to Townsend’s family.

If his execution had proceeded, Gonzales had asked that his spiritual adviser be allowed in the death chamber so she can pray aloud, hold his hand and place her other hand on his chest.

Texas prison officials objected to the hand holding request, citing security concerns, but a federal judge in Houston said in a temporary order the execution could only go forward if all of Gonzales’ religious accommodations were granted.

Prosecutors described Gonzales as a sexual predator who told police he ignored her pleas to spare her life.

Townsend’s body wasn’t found until October 2002, when Gonzales led authorities to her remains after receiving two life sentences for kidnapping and raping another woman.

Source: ivpressonline

Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi to Kick Off Blues Brothers Con at Old Joliet Prison

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The late John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd formed The Blues Brothers as part of a soul and revivalist band as part of a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live in 1978. That stroke of genius would evolve into a hit 1980 movie of the same name and pull in several iconic artists like James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin. To this day, The Blue Brothers is still one of the few successful movies based on characters from SNL and the characters maintain a faithful fan following. Aside from that, the location of the film’s opening scene is just as popular.

Formerly known as the Joliet Correctional Center, the Old Joliet Prison is where audiences see Jake (John Belushi) being escorted down a hallway full of inmates (real prisoners who were paid for being in the movie). Jake walks across the yard to collect his belongings which leads to one of the most iconic shots of the entire film – Elwood (Aykroyd) waiting across the street to pick up his brother. The Old Joliet Prison has long been famously used for filming locations including the tv series Prison Break and the movie Natural Born Killers.

Now a popular tourist destination, it will host the inaugural Blues Brothers event on August 19 (2-11 p.m.) and August 20 (10:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.). The cost of two-day general admission is $60 for adults and $20 for children. Aykroyd will be present at the event with John’s brother, Jim Belushi.

Though the event is described as being an annual one, it is doubtful whether Dan Aykroyd or Jim Belushi will attend each year. However, there is a call for persons to portray Jake and Elwood on the Blue Brothers’ website. The event will feature a 90-minute performance from Aykroyd and Belushi and the 16-acre complex will be filled with vendors selling food, drinks, artwork, and souvenirs. Also, the Soul Café and Bob’s Country Bunker restaurants featured in the film will be recreated for the event. Even the Bluesmobile will be on display.

Opened in 1958, the Old Joliet Prison remained operational until 2002. In 2018, the prison was opened to the public, offering guests paid guided tours of the building. Whiles tours have been ongoing for a few years, Blue Brothers Con will likely be the most activity the site has seen in a long time.

Source: movieweb

Rockets reportedly hoping to use two-way contract slot on backup center

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The Houston Rockets would like to add center depth behind second-year starter Alperen Sengun, but they have a clear incentive to avoid longer-term salaries that could hinder their salary cap flexibility in 2023.

According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, the Rockets are exploring big-man additions for 2022-23 via a two-way contract (for one season).

Iko named Moses Brown and Freddie Gillespie as potential candidates, along with the possibility of re-signing Bruno Fernando or calling up Mfiondu Kabengele from Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers. There is no clear timetable for such a move.

Internally, the Rockets have veteran big man Boban Marjanović and second-year forward Usman Garuba as candidates to play beyond Sengun. But neither is a proven, consistent NBA rotation player, so it makes sense for Houston general manager Rafael Stone to explore outside additions — particularly if they are cap friendly.

Time will tell on whether any of these potential deals materialize. Another plausible candidate could be 6-foot-9 big man Aric Holman, who continues to play well for Houston’s 2022 summer league team.

Source: rocketswire

REWARD INCREASED UP TO $10,000: Who killed Julian Castro?

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For Immediate Release: July 11, 2022

Crime Stoppers and the Houston Police Department’s Homicide Division need the public’s assistance identifying the suspects responsible for a Capital Murder.

On Monday, June 6, 2022, Julian Castro was shot and killed in the 6500 block of Thornwall St. in Houston, Texas. During the incident, multiple suspects armed with pistols forced their way into a residence and shot the victim. The victim sustained major injuries from the gunshot wound resulting in their death.

The family of Julian Castro is requesting the community’s help with identifying the suspects responsible for this Capital Murder.

Crime Stoppers may pay up to $10,000 for information leading to the charging and/or arrest of the suspect(s) in this case. Information may be reported by calling 713-222-TIPS (8477), submitted online at www.crime-stoppers.org or through the Crime Stoppers mobile app. Only tips and calls DIRECTLY TO Crime Stoppers are anonymous and eligible for a cash reward.

VICTIM: JULIAN CASTRO
Report a Tip Now!

5 Astros named to 2022 AL All-Star team

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The Houston Astros will be well-represented at the 2022 MLB All-Star Game this year.

Jose Altuve was named a starter at second base on Friday, but on Sunday, four of his teammates learned that they’ll be joining him in Los Angeles on July 19.

Yordan Álvarez, Kyle Tucker and Justin Verlander were selected via the player vote while Framber Valdez was selected by Major League Baseball.

Houston’s 27 All-Star selections since 2017 are more than any team in baseball. The last time Houston had five players on the All-Star team was in 2019. In 2017 and 2018, six Astros were named to the team, which is the club record.

Álvarez, Tucker and Valdez were selected to their first All-Star Game teams while Verlander has now done it nine times. It’s Altuve’s eighth selection and fifth time as a starter, both of which are franchise records, passing Craig Biggio, who was a seven-time All-Star and four-time starter, according to the team.

It’s unclear if Álvarez will make it to LA after he was placed on the injured list on Sunday before Houston’s series finale against Oakland.

As the defending champions of the American League, Astros manager Dusty Baker and his coaching staff will manage the AL squad. It’s the third time that an Astros manager and his staff will manage the All-Star Game (2006 and 2018). Houston’s coaching staff was supposed to manage the 2020 All-Star Game before it was canceled due to the pandemic.

Teen arrested in death of Axel Turcios

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According to the Houston Police Department, it happened in the 9500 block of Ella Lee Lane around 8:10 p.m. on May 6 when Axel was in the parking lot when he was approached by two men. Officials say one or both of the men shot him and took off in a PT Cruiser.

Responding officers said a good Samaritan was tending to Axel’s injuries before they arrived, and rushed him to a nearby trauma center, where he later passed away. His family says Axel was a freshman at Lamar High School.

City of Houston activates heat emergency plan

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Cooling centers available over the weekend at certain libraries, community centers, and multi-service center
The City of Houston is activating its Public Health Heat Emergency Plan, providing resources for people to take refuge from extreme heat over the weekend.

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat advisory for the Houston region for the duration of the weekend through Monday evening.

The city activates the plan when the heat index, a computation of air temperature and humidity, reaches 108 on two consecutive days.

Anyone without air-conditioning can seek shelter at any of the following city buildings designated as cooling centers:

Friday, July 8, 2022, and Monday, July 11, 2022:

All City of Houston community centers, multi-service centers, and libraries will serve as cooling centers and will be open during normal business hours.

Saturday, July 9, 2022

All city gyms will open from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

The following libraries and city parks buildings will open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.:

Bracewell Library
9002 Kingspoint Road
Houston, TX 77075

Carnegie Library
1050 Quitman Street
Houston, TX 77009

Collier Library
6200 Pinemont Drive
Houston, TX 77092

Dixon Library/ TECHLink
8002 Hirsch Road
Houston, TX 77016

Flores Library
110 N. Milby Street
Houston, TX 77003

Frank Library
10103 Fondren (inside Brays Oaks Towers)
Houston, TX 77035

Heights Library
1302 Heights Blvd
Houston, TX 77008

Henington-Alief Library
7979 S. Kirkwood
Houston, TX 77072

Hillendahl Library
2436 Gessner
Houston, TX 77080

Jesse Jones Central Library
500 McKinney
Houston, TX 77002

Johnson Library
3517 Reed Road
Houston, TX 77051

Jungman Library
5830 Westheimer Road
Houston, TX 77057

Looscan Library
2510 Willowick Road
Houston, TX 77027

McCrane-Kashmere Gardens Library
5411 Pardee Street
Houston, TX 77026

McGovern-Stella Link Library
7405 Stella Link Rd
Houston, TX 77025

Oak Forest Library
1349 W. 43rd Street
Houston, TX 77018

Park Place Library
8145 Park Place Blvd
Houston, TX 77017

Robinson-Westchase Library
3223 Wilcrest Drive
Houston, TX 77042

Scenic Woods Library
10677 Homestead Road
Houston, TX 77016

Shepard-Acres Homes Library
8501 W. Montgomery Road
Houston, TX 77088

Smith Library
3624 Scott Street
Houston, TX 77004

Stanaker Library
611 Macario Garcia Drive
Houston, TX 77011

Stimley-Blue Ridge Library
7200 W. Fuqua Street
Missouri City, TX 77489

Tuttle Library
702 Kress Street
Houston, TX 77020

Walter Library
7660 Clarewood Drive
Houston, TX 77036

Young Library
5107 Griggs Road
Houston, TX 77021

The following multi-service centers will extend hours till 6 p.m.:

Acres Home Multi-Service Center
6719 W Montgomery Rd
Houston, TX 77091

Southwest Multi-Service Center
6400 High Star Dr
Houston, TX 77074

The following community centers will extend hours till 6 p.m.:

Tidwell Community Center
9720 Spaulding St
Houston, TX 77016

Hartman Community Center
9311 E Avenue P
Houston, TX 77012

Sunday, July 10, 2022:

The following facilities will open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Community Centers

Tidwell Community Center
9720 Spaulding St
Houston, TX 77016

Hartman Community Center
9311 E Avenue P
Houston, TX 77012

Multi-Service Centers

Acres Home Multi-Service Center
6719 W Montgomery Rd
Houston, TX 77091

Southwest Multi-Service Center
6400 High Star Dr
Houston, TX 77074

Public Library

Downtown Library
500 McKinney St
Houston, TX 77002

People without adequate transportation to a designated cooling center can call 3-1-1 to request a free ride from METRO. Transportation is only to and from the cooling centers; transportation to other locations is unavailable.

The Houston Health Department encourages people to take extra precautions to protect themselves from heat-related illness and death. High-risk groups such as adults ages 55 and older, children under the age of 4, and people with chronic illness or who are either overweight or on certain medications should stay inside air-conditioned buildings between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., the hottest part of the day.

The department recommends people protect themselves and their families from potentially deadly heat-related illness.  It recommends people:

  • Increase water consumption. Drink lots of liquids even before getting thirsty, but avoid beverages with caffeine, alcohol, or large amounts of sugar because these can result in the loss of body fluid.
  • Conduct outdoor work or exercise in the early morning or evening when temperatures are not as high. Outdoor workers should drink plenty of water or electrolyte replacement beverages and take frequent breaks in the shade or in an air-conditioned facility. People unaccustomed to working or exercising in a hot environment need to start slowly and gradually increase heat exposure over several weeks.
  • Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing that permits the evaporation of perspiration.
  • Do not leave infants, children, senior citizens, or pets unattended in a parked vehicle, even if the windows are cracked open. Check to make sure everyone is out of the car and don’t overlook children who may have fallen asleep.
  • Wear a wide-brimmed hat to help prevent sunburn as well as heat-related illness. Apply sunscreen, which protects from the sun’s harmful rays and reduces the risk of sunburn.
  • Seek accommodations in air-conditioned facilities during the heat of the day if the house is not air-conditioned: a relative’s home, multi-service centers, malls, movie theaters, libraries, etc.
  • Take frequent cool baths or showers if your home is not air-conditioned.
  • Symptoms of heat exhaustion include weakness, dizziness, excessive sweating, cool or moist skin, nausea or vomiting, muscle cramps, and a fast and weak pulse. People experiencing these symptoms should lower their body temperature by getting to a cooler place, drinking water, taking a cool shower or bath, and resting.

A throbbing headache, red, hot, and dry skin (no longer sweating), extremely high body temperature (above 103°), nausea or vomiting, confusion, loss of consciousness, and a rapid, strong pulse are signs of heat stroke. If these symptoms occur, call 9-1-1 immediately and try to lower the person’s body temperature until help arrives.

People may seek air-conditioning in city multi-service centers, libraries, and recreation centers during normal business hours, even when the Public Health Heat Emergency Plan is not activated.

To find the nearest cooling center location or an air-conditioned city facility, people can call 3-1-1 for more information.

BARC, BISSELL Pet Foundation Fight Shelter Overcrowding by Waiving Adoption Fees 

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As our nation’s shelters face unprecedented overcrowding, BARC, the City of Houston’s Animal Shelter and Adoption Center and the BISSELL Pet Foundation are doing their part to taking homeless pets from kennels to couches by sponsoring waiving fees from July 12 – 31. The longest-ever Summer National “Empty the Shelters” event will be hosted in more than 250 shelters in 42 states, including BARC.

“Shelters are calling me daily and BISSELL Pet Foundation is feeling the burden of overcrowding. With the euthanasia of homeless dogs up 22% in just the first quarter of 2022 alone, we knew we had to act quickly to help at-risk pets,” said Cathy Bissell, Founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation. “Empty the Shelters is the largest funded adoption event in the country, and by extending the event to three weeks, we can help meet the immediate need to save lives.”

From July 12 – 31, BARC will completely waive adoption fees for all pets, including puppies and kittens, as part of this summer’s campaign. To meet our adoptable pets, stop by BARC’s Adoption Center at 3300 Carr St. from 12 – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday or visit http://www.houstontx.gov/barc/adopt_a_pet.html to see our adoptable pets.

“We are excited to work with Bissell Pet Foundation once again to get as many pets as possible adopted into their forever homes,” said Greg Damianoff, Director of BARC Animal Shelter & Adoptions. “We are grateful for this partnership that allows us to completely waive adoption prices for interested Houston adopters.”

BISSELL Pet Foundation’s “Empty the Shelters” event is the largest funded adoption event in the country. With a goal of encouraging more families to choose adoption, this lifesaving effort has helped more than 96,000 pets find loving homes since 2016. “Empty the Shelters” is BISSELL Pet Foundation’s largest program, partnering with a total of 443 animal welfare organizations in 47 states and Canada to reduce adoption fees.

Adoption is a lifetime commitment. BISSELL Pet Foundation and BARC urge families to do their research about the pet they are interested in adopting, as well as adoption requirements. For more information on adopting or donating to “Empty the Shelters,” visit www.bissellpetfoundation.org/empty-the-shelters as well as www.houstonbarc.com.

About BARC

BARC, the City of Houston’s Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, takes in more than 25,000 animals annually regardless of behavior, breed, or medical condition. BARC works each day to improve Houstonians and their pets’ health and safety by pioneering programs such as low-cost and no-cost spay/neuter services, mobile adoptions, transfer/rescue partnerships, and community outreach.
Through these programs and with community partners’ support, BARC’s live release rate has continued to improve and reached a historic high of 95.6% in the fiscal year 2021.

Visit www.houstonbarc.com or www.Facebook.com/BARCHouston for more information.