Venezuela secures place in Copa America’s quarterfinals
Despite numerous opportunities, Mexico couldn’t capitalize in their match against “Los Vinotintos” de Venezuela on Wednesday night. The No. 44 ranked Venezuelan team outperformed the No. 15 ranked Mexican squad, securing a 1-0 victory in front of a predominantly Mexican crowd.
This was the second consecutive Copa América match at SoFi Stadium where the favored “home” team fell short. Earlier in the week, Brazil played to a 0-0 draw against Costa Rica. On Wednesday, Mexico was defeated by Venezuela in what felt like a home game, leaving their fans disappointed.
The pivotal moment came when Mexico’s Julián Quiñones committed a foul on Venezuela’s Jon Aramburu inside the box, leading to a penalty. Salomon Rondon, who plays for Pachuca in Liga MX, successfully converted the penalty, sealing the victory for Venezuela.
Mexico had previously started their tournament with a narrow 1-0 win over Jamaica but suffered a significant setback with the injury of their captain, Edson Álvarez. Meanwhile, Venezuela overcame Ecuador 2-1 in their opener, benefiting from a red card issued to Ecuador’s captain, Enner Valencia.
Venezuela’s victory on Wednesday places them at the top of Group B with six points, ensuring their advancement to the quarterfinals. Mexico must now defeat Ecuador on Sunday to secure second place and advance.
Summary:
Mexico was outplayed by Venezuela in a 1-0 loss on Wednesday night at SoFi Stadium, where a penalty by Salomon Rondon made the difference. This was the second time a favored team failed to win at SoFi, following Brazil’s 0-0 draw with Costa Rica. Mexico, which narrowly beat Jamaica in their opener but lost captain Edson Álvarez to injury, now faces a must-win game against Ecuador on Sunday to advance. Venezuela’s win, following their earlier 2-1 victory over Ecuador, secures their place in the quarterfinals with six points.
A major ice cream producer has recalled products sold by multiple brands due to potential listeria contamination, the Food and Drug Administration said.
The manufacturer — Totally Cool, Inc. of Owings Mills, Maryland — has recalled products from more than a dozen brands, including Friendly’s, Hershey’s Ice Cream, Jeni’s and the Frozen Farmer, due to the “possible health risk,” the FDA said.
No illnesses have been reported to date, the FDA said in its alert on Monday.
The Food and Drug Administration released images of the recalled Totally Cool, Inc. ice cream products.FDA
“Totally Cool, Inc. has ceased the production and distribution of the affected products due to FDA sampling which discovered the presence of Listeria monocytogenes,” the FDA said. “The company continues its investigation and is taking preventive actions. No other products produced by Totally Cool, Inc. are impacted by this recall.”
The full list of recalled products can be found here. They were distributed nationwide, available in retail locations and for direct delivery.
Consumers who have purchased any of the products are asked to return them for a full refund or throw them away.
Taharka Brothers Ice Cream, one of the impacted brands, said it outsourced production of two of its more popular ice cream flavors — honey graham and key lime pie — to Totally Cool.
“While no listeria has been detected in our ice cream, or any of the ice cream produced at Totally Cool, the FDA is requiring a full recall out of an abundance of caution,” Taharka said in a statement.
The company said it will begin making pints of the two flavors at its own factory “immediately.”
The Food and Drug Administration released images of the recalled Totally Cool, Inc. ice cream products.FDA
Chipwich was also among the brands included in the recall. Crave Better Foods said in a statement Monday that it operates a separate production line at the same Totally Cool facility and has issued a voluntary recall of its vanilla chocolate chip Chipwich ice cream cookie sandwiches “out of an abundance of caution and care for the product and its loyal fans.”
Crave Better Foods said it received a report from the Totally Cool facility about a “possible health issue” on a production line used to make frozen ice cream cakes.
Listeria monocytogenes can cause “serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems,” the FDA said.
Symptoms of listeria infection include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, the FDA said. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Two suspects were arrested for allegedly robbing a postal worker at gunpoint Tuesday afternoon, according to deputies.
The Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office said the arrests were made following a traffic stop in the 21900 block of Gosling Road.
Deputies said the two men were placed into custody for aggravated robbery. The two are accused of robbing the worker in a nearby neighborhood in the 21800 block of Mount Hunt Drive.
Both suspects were found to have open warrants, Pct. 4 added.
Authorities said a stolen postal key was recovered during the arrest.
FRIENDSWOOD, Texas (KTRK) — A 17-year-old accused of shooting two of his friends at his home, killing one of them before Christmas, has been formally indicted, according to the Friendswood Police Department.
On Tuesday, the department shared that a Galveston County grand jury indicted Connor Hilton on charges of murder and aggravated assault causing serious bodily injuries in the Dec. 23, 2023, shooting.
The video above is from a previous report.
“Hilton admitted to shooting two males inside of his home. One of the male victims succumbed to his injuries after being transported to the hospital,” Friendswood PD shared. “The other male victim sustained life-altering injuries from the incident and continues his path to recovery.”
On Dec. 23, 2023, officers responded to a call for gunshots in the 1800 block of La Salle Street. Two men were found with gunshot wounds and taken to the hospital. One of the victims, Ethan Riley, 18, died at the hospital, according to police.
Police said they found Hilton visibly upset on the curb in front of his home. According to records, a friend had called 911 from the bathroom after he heard gunshots.
Court records state Hilton later told police he shot his two friends in their heads with a gun his mother bought him, and it was unprovoked. According to court records, he shot Riley first and then Benjamin Bliek.
Hilton was released from jail on a $1 million bond on Jan. 3.
Crosby, TX – On Monday, June 24, 2024, the Crosby ISD Board of Trustees approved a non-deficit budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Non-deficit budgets are a growing rarity among school districts in Texas.
Throughout the budget workshop process this spring, the Board of Trustees heard from both Superintendent, Mrs. Paula Patterson, and Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Yvonne Johnson, on how the administration is solidifying a bright financial future. Superintendent Patterson told the Board, “We did not adopt a deficit budget this current school year. This is not what you’re hearing from many others. We’re only one of about 20% of districts that do not have deficit budgets in the state of Texas.”
During the budget workshop in February, CFO Johnson explained that the tax rate for Crosby ISD taxpayers has decreased by a total of 43 cents per $100 valuation during the past six years. The budget workshop process followed a major update in December 2023, when CFO Johnson outlined a major fiscal achievement for Crosby ISD. The school district achieved its highest School FIRST (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas) rating in more than five years, scoring a 96 or Superior Achievement for the 2021-22 fiscal year. (School FIRST ratings are given for the prior fiscal year, meaning 2021-22 ratings are issued during the 2023-24 school year.) CFO Johnson shared the School FIRST report during a public hearing at the Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, December 18, 2023.
Following the Board’s approval of the 2024-25 budget, Superintendent Patterson added, “Crosby ISD went through financial, emotional, and community trauma during the 2018-2019 school year, when the Board declared financial exigency. More than 100 staff members were laid off as part of the RIF (Reduction-In-Force). As this spring’s budget process and December’s School FIRST public hearing have shown, we are moving in the right direction. The rebound has been slower than anyone would have liked, but we have continued to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. Crosby ISD has a bright financial future. The headwinds we faced in 2017 are now what many other districts are starting to endure. We are proud to have helped to right the ship, and now we are better positioned to respond to the challenges and opportunities of student achievement, growing enrollment, and subdivision development. I am proud of the fiscal path we have cemented in Crosby ISD.”
The 2024-25 fiscal year budget includes a 3% raise from midpoint for Crosby ISD employees. The starting salary for teachers was increased by $1,625 from $63,025 to $64,650. Starting pay for bus drivers and bus aides was increased as well. The 24-25 general fund budget is $74.1 million. For the 2023-24 school year, Crosby ISD had approximately 6900 students enrolled. The district expects enrollment to surpass 7000 during the 2024-25 school year.
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will face off Thursday for the first of two presidential debates this year, offering each a high-profile opportunity to try to gain an edge in a race characterized by persistently narrow polling margins.
The debate, moderated by CNN, is occurring unusually early in the election cycle and features the atypical combination of a president and a former president both having to defend their White House records. They will also be clashing under unique circumstances — CNN will have the ability to mute candidates’ microphones when they’re not talking, and there will be no studio audience.
Debates in the past have produced signature moments that helped alter the course of presidential race, while others have failed to make a dent. Biden and Trump both come into the debate with widespread worries over the fitness for office and character, as well as universal name recognition — and thus hardened voter opinions — that leave few opportunities for fluctuations in the White House contest.
Here are five things to watch for on Thursday.
Do any gaffes or knockout punches break through?
Traditionally, most parts of debates are forgotten by the time voters head to the polls in November. But marquee moments have the potential to break through.
Gaffes — think Rick Perry’s “oops” moment in a 2011 GOP primary debate — or knockout punches — think Ronald Reagan citing his opponent’s “youth and inexperience” in 1984 — have been able to pierce the national consciousness and live on throughout history, even beyond the years in which those elections took place.
Radars for such moments will be particularly high in Thursday’s debate, as worries over the two candidates’ fitness for office are staples in the race.
Biden, the country’s oldest president ever at 81 years old, is the target of ceaseless attacks over his mental acuity from Trump and his allies, who at times disseminate misleadingly edited videos to appear as if he’s lost during public appearances.
Trump, meanwhile, has made a series of flubs on the trail, including confusing or forgetting people’s names, though polls show worries over his mental fitness for office aren’t as widespread over concerns about Biden.
Strategists said a bad gaffe could damage either campaigns’ chances of victory in November, but that a strong performance, especially for Biden, could help mitigate worries over his age.
Biden “can’t stumble around words. He can’t drift off into these incoherent little tangents that he occasionally does because all he has to do is screw up once, and that’s going to be the thing that lives,” said veteran GOP strategist David Kochel. “I just think there’s a huge opportunity for him to put a lot of things to rest. But it’s also a minefield.”
Character or policy?
Both candidates have ping-ponged back and forth between hitting each other on character and policy, still searching for the playbook that’ll put their opponent away.
Biden has repeatedly cast Trump as a threat to democracy, citing his role in inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and his vow to be a “dictator” on his first day in office — a comment Trump’s allies say was made in jest. He also more recently began highlighting Trump’s recent conviction on 34 felony counts in New York.
He’s also sought to knock the former president on abortion, a key animating policy issue for Democrats, COVID-era economic slumps and for helping dash a bipartisan immigration bill in Congress earlier this year.
Trump, meanwhile, has focused on the president’s age and dubbed him the head of the head of the “Biden crime family,” citing both unfounded allegations of corruption and the president’s son’s recent conviction on gun charges.
Trump also has spoken to voter frustrations over inflation and the border.
“If he says the word reproductive rights or abortion less than 100 times over the course of the 90 minutes, he’s probably failing. But I expect he’ll raise that in almost every answer. If they ask him about tax policy, he’s going to talk about abortion,” GOP strategist Alex Conant said of Biden. “I think beyond that, he’s going to want to remind people about Jan. 6.”
“Trump’s obviously gonna try to talk about inflation as much as possible,” he added.
Whichever tact the candidates take — an emphasis on character or policy — could indicate where they think their opponents are most vulnerable.
Offense v. defense
The unique nature of a president clashing with his predecessor also leaves it unclear who will be able to seize the offensive.
Traditionally during a presidential reelection campaign, debates are characterized by the president defending his record in the White House, while a challenger is on the offensive while also defending a record in the Senate or governor’s mansion — less impactful and relatable to everyday voters.
Now, though, both candidates will have White House records to back up, leaving it unclear whether either will be able to seize the offensive — and if one or the other will end up stuck on their back foot for the 90-minute tete-a-tete.
Already, millions of dollars have been dumped into ads tearing into the candidates’ respective records — but being seen as a superior attacker on stage could pay dividends for either contender.
Early timing
Thursday’s debate is happening atypically early for a general presidential election, the impacts of which are unclear.
On the one hand, strategists speculated, the timing of the debate has a chance to set the tone for the race in voters’ minds before they truly start tuning in.
“I think it makes the debate more important, because it’s it’ll set the tone for the rest of the campaign. For Biden, who is desperate to make this a choice, not a referendum, it frames the race early on in a way that his campaign wants to frame it. And I think Trump is looking for a knockout punch,” Conant said.
However, the debate will be taking place months before Labor Day, the unofficial day highlighted by politicos as the earliest that most voters start paying attention to the race in earnest. And five months is a political lifetime, meaning the debate could be flushed from voters’ minds by ever-changing news cycles.
“It’s hard to see how there is a big shift or a big thing in this race where there’s also a lot of fairway left to play,” Republican pollster Robert Blizzard said.
Who does the novel format help?
The new format for the debate — which both campaigns agreed to — marks a significant departure from past clashes.
Recently dominated by crosstalk and crowd appeals, this Thursday’s event will in theory be tamer. Microphones will be turned off when candidates are not answering questions, and no audience will be present to cheer or jeer.
The conventional wisdom among operatives in both parties is that the new rules favor Biden by robbing Trump of the ability to feed off an audience or devolve the event into inaudible crosstalk.
“[Trump] is the king, undisputed, undefeated king of crosstalk at a debate. Rewrote the rules basically about it. But he also likes to feed off of a crowd. And so, you take away the feeding off the crowd, you don’t know how President Trump’s going to react to not having that instant feedback from a crowd,” said Chip Saltsman, a strategist who worked on former Vice President Mike Pence’s now-suspended presidential campaign.
However, Republicans also said they hope that limiting crosstalk could make Trump appear less like a bully — at least to the audience at home. There’s still nothing to stop the former president from at least talking during Biden’s answers.
Wednesday’s weather is poised to be a dog day of summer, with the heat index forecasted to exceed 108 degrees.
To help Houstonians beat the heat, the City of Houston has opened cooling centers throughout the city available for the public to use during hours of operation on Wednesday. Que Onda Magazine has listed those below.
Why does extreme heat pose a danger to public health?
Prolonged exposure to extreme heat without proper hydration and other precautionary actions may result in heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Keep yourself, your family, and your pets safe during extreme heat by visiting Houston’s emergency website.
Stay Informed For up-to-date weather information, visit the National Weather Service Houston/ Galveston forecast office website.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Family members of patients who underwent heart surgeries at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center are now speaking out, a day after a shocking whistleblower settlement case.
Sarah Coupland remembers the day in 2017 when her mother, Rebecca Arcangeli, had to be flown to the Texas Medical Center. The 46-year-old underwent emergency valve and aortic repair.
“Then surgeon was Dr. Joseph Coselli,” Coupland said. “Honestly, I don’t remember very much because I feel like he was very absent. I feel like he would just come in and say, ‘Someone else will talk to you. I’m the one who did the surgery, but so and so will handle it.'”
Coupland and the rest of the family were devastated when, just a few weeks after surgery, Arcangeli had to go back to the hospital and soon died.
“They told her it was a kink in the valve that caused a blockage, and she had 100% blockage that was caused by the valve repair replacement that they did,” Coupland said.
Coupland told ABC13 she had immediate concerns about the medical care her mother received at the time, though ABC13 cannot independently verify her mother’s medical history.
Coupland said she did a lot of research and wanted to sue, but no lawyer would take her case at the time.
Therefore, she was shocked when this week, the federal government revealed that Dr. Coselli was one of three doctors, the other two being Dr. Joseph Lamelas and Dr. David Ott, working at Baylor St. Lukes between 2013 and 2020, who allegedly had unqualified residents perform some operations unsupervised.
The suit also alleged the doctors tried to drive up the volume of operations but sometimes had multiple surgeries at once.
“It’s a whistleblower case,” local civil attorney Geoff Berg explained, who is not involved in any of the litigation.
Berg explained that most of the $15 million settlement went to the government and a portion to the whistleblower. This was not a medical malpractice case.
In fact, in Texas, medical malpractice suits are very limited by years of tort reform in the state legislature. Families treated by doctors during the time frame identified by the lawsuit have almost no options.
“Texas just made a decision that we don’t want this to be a place where you can sue doctors,” Berg explained. “So doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies are given every benefit of the doubt. Every advantage in litigation.”
However, Berg said every case is different, and even though the hurdles are high, concerned families should speak to a lawyer if they want to be certain of what can and cannot be done.
Two of the three doctors still live in Houston. ABC13 went looking for Dr. Coselli at his listed address in River Oaks.
Several cars parked outside of his listed mansion, but nobody answered the door.
Dr. Ott’s listed address is just a few blocks away, and it is also in River Oaks. Nobody answered at his door either.
Coupland has waited seven years for someone to answer questions about her mom’s care. She would also like to know whether her mom’s case may be among the many the government looked through in this court settlement.
“She was the fun mom, the fun grandma. And it’s just so crazy it can all be taken away like that,” Coupland said.
HOUSTON – A 68-year-old man has pleaded guilty in a $6 million Medicaid fraud and kickback scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Rene Gaviola was the operator of Floss Family Dental Care clinic located in Houston. From 2018 until April 2021, Gaviola admitted to submitting fraudulent claims to Medicaid for pediatric dental services, including numerous cavity fillings, that Floss did not provide.
Gaviola admitted he employed one individual to practice dentistry without a license on Medicaid-insured children. He also operated Floss, on occasion, without any dentists at all. Floss billed Medicaid for these dental services as if licensed dentists provided them.
Gaviola also admitted to paying kickbacks to marketers and caregivers of Medicaid-insured children to bring them to Floss for dental services. Ultimately, he admitted to laundering Medicaid monies from the Floss business bank account to his personal bank account in several transactions exceeding $100,000.
From 2019 to 2021, the dental clinic billed Medicaid nearly $6.9 million in claims for pediatric dental services. Medicaid paid approximately $4.9 million on those claims.
“These precious Medicaid funds were intended to provide necessary dental services to low-income children in our community, not line Gaviola’s pockets,” said Hamdani. “This conviction is a reminder to all who attempt to defraud our healthcare system that we are committed to stamping out fraud and protecting the integrity of Medicaid and other federal programs.”
“Gaviola took advantage of the system, and he took advantage of the children to defraud the system,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams of the FBI Houston field office. “Not only that, he also jeopardized the young patients’ healthcare by putting them in the hands of unlicensed practitioners, all in the name of his greed. This case is a perfect example that healthcare fraud is not a victimless crime, and the FBI will continue to follow and uncover the fraud.”
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane accepted the guilty plea and has set sentencing for April 16. At that time, Gaviola faces up to 10 years for conspiracy to commit health care fraud, each of five substantive health care fraud counts, three counts of payment of kickbacks and six counts of money laundering as well as five years for conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks. The convictions also carry as possible punishment hundreds of thousands in potential fines.
Gaviola was permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing.
FBI, Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Olson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Valenti are prosecuting the case.
Officers with the Houston Police Department initiated a traffic stop at 1:55 a.m. Court records state they observed “extremely slow movements, emotionless behavior, and dilated pupils” after pulling her over for turning right from the center lane at the intersection of Hempstead and Kempwood in the Spring Branch area.
This was her second police run-in since April 12.
“Have you had anything to drink tonight,” the Harris County Sheriff’s Office sergeant who stopped her asked.
“No,” she responded.
“You sure? Because either I, you drowned yourself in perfume or,” he said.
ABC13 reported on the first traffic stop last week after obtaining body-worn camera video from HCSO. Somehow, the video was obstructed by cameras by two deputies, but the audio was clear.
“If I do this test and don’t do well,” she said. “I lose my career.”
“We’re not calling Lt. Katrib, and we’re not calling Sheriff (Ed) Gonzalez,” the sergeant pushed back at one point. “This is an investigation into an impaired driver.”
The dash cam video, also obtained through an open records request, was clear, too.
After catching up to Judge Johnson’s vehicle on US-290, the video shows the stop happening in a parking lot on Spring Cypress. The sergeant said he observed her speeding and driving the wrong way on Jackrabbit Road. He also suspected her of drinking and called a female deputy to administer the test. They agreed she failed a few clues, including the turn, but determined it was not enough for an arrest. Johnson was allowed to drive off with a warning for speeding.
“She’s probably been drinking but not to the level of,” the female deputy said.
Tuesday morning, Johnson scored very low (4 out of 18), court records state, on her second field sobriety test in as many months. Police believe she was under the influence of a controlled substance, not alcohol. She consented to a blood draw once at the Harris County jail. She was released on bond Tuesday afternoon.
Johnson, who was elected to the 178th court in 2016, has presided over some of the highest-profile trials and made decisions about hundreds of defendants’ futures.
“This is about people, the least among us,” Defense attorney Gerald Bourque told ABC13 Tuesday night. “They’re depending on judgement of a sober judge. This is not a small thing. This is serious. People go to prison on what she does.”
Johnson has not responded to requests for comment. According to the Harris County District Clerk’s website, she does not have an attorney of record.
