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Mayor Turner tests positive for COVID-19
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner says he’s tested positive for COVID-19
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Friday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.
Turner said in a released statement that his symptoms are mild and he wasn’t feeling well overnight, adding that he initially thought he was suffering from allergies or a sinus infection.
All scheduled events for Mayor Turner have been canceled.
The full statement reads:
“This afternoon, I learned that I tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. I was not feeling well overnight and thought I was suffering from allergies or a sinus infection, so I decided to get tested before starting my daily schedule. Before and after getting my test results, I canceled all events for today and the weekend. My symptoms are mild, and I will spend the next several days isolating myself at home and getting some rest.”
A spokesperson for Turner told KPRC 2 that Vice Mayor Pro-Tem Martha Castex-Tatum will assist with mayoral duties.
City of Houston Health Authority Dr. David Persse said since the mayor was vaccinated and only has mild and not severe symptoms, this should be considered a vaccine success and not a failure.
“He says he’s feeling pretty good. He does have some mild symptoms but other than that he’s feeling pretty good and I really want to thank the mayor because he did everything right,” Persse said. “As soon as he got symptoms, he reached out. We were able to get him tested right away, got the test results back, he isolated himself as soon as he started feeling poorly and has been isolated ever since.”
The city and Texas Children’s Hospital are hosting a vaccine clinic for the whole family at the George R. Brown Convention Center until 8 p.m. Friday night.
They say this is especially timely as infections have nearly tripled in the Texas Medical Center in the last week.
Houston Methodist said 45% of their patients have been diagnosed with the Omicron variant.
Pediatric COVID cases at Texas Children’s have more than doubled in the past three days.
Mary Lee’s son is one of the cancer patients at Texas Children’s. He was vaccinated Friday afternoon.
“I feel safer because I’ve already lost a child to leukemia and I wasn’t prepared to lose a child to COVID,” Lee said.
Source: www.click2houston.com
Governor Abbott, TWC Announces New Employment High Of Nearly 13 Million Jobs, Surpassing Pre-Pandemic Employment Level
“Texas continues to reach unprecedented milestones thanks to our unwavering commitment to economic freedom and our young, skilled, growing, and diverse workforce,” said Governor Abbott. “By reaching nearly 13 million jobs last month, Texas has surpassed our pre-pandemic employment levels — a remarkable achievement and testament to our welcoming business climate and strong workforce. We will continue to unleash the full might of our economy, attract new business investments, and ensure a more prosperous future for all who call Texas home.”
“Reaching this milestone for job creation in Texas shows the strength of our economy,” said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel. “The Lone Star State continues to create opportunities for Texans to succeed and TWC has many resources to help both employers and job seekers find success in our state.”
“Texas is not only a great place to live but a great place to find a career, and we’ve now surpassed a milestone of employment,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez. “We continue to add positions month after month in our labor market, and TWC is here to support job seekers with the training and career development tools they need to succeed.”
“Texas continues to be the top destination to do business, and the record-setting job growth we’ve seen month after month shows employers are committed to growing their footprint in our great state,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Aaron Demerson. “One reason Texas stands out is the unparalleled access Texas employers have to resources at the state and local level that allows them to hire, train, and retain their employees, and together this results in a continued thriving Lone Star State economy.”
Employment estimates released by TWC are produced in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. To access this and more employment data, visit TexasLMI.com.
Source: gov.texas.gov
Governor Abbott, TDHCA Commit 95% Of Total Funds From Texas Rent Relief Program To Texans In Need Of Rent, Utility Assistance
Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) has committed over 95% of total funds from the Texas Rent Relief Program to Texans who applied for assistance. Texas was the first state to distribute $1 billion in rent relief funds, and the Texas program has served more households and provided more relief funds than any other state while reaching over 98% of its counties.
The agency is in the process of notifying the remaining applicants about their status, next steps, and additional resources available for rental assistance. The remaining funds will be committed and disbursed in the new year. TDHCA closed its application portal for the Texas Rent Relief program in November due to the total requests for assistance exceeding the funds available.
“The Texas Rent Relief program has provided hundreds of thousands of Texans with utility and rental assistance, and I thank TDHCA for ensuring that these funds were distributed swiftly to those that needed it most,” said Governor Abbott. “As TDHCA commits and disburses the remaining funds of the program, I urge Texans still in need of assistance to visit the Texas Rent Relief program website for other possible rent and utility resources across the state.”
Governor Abbott and TDHCA launched the Texas Rent Relief program in February 2021 — the first statewide rent and utility assistance program for qualifying households throughout Texas. As of today, the program has distributed nearly $2 billion, with more than 300,000 Texan households having been assisted or in the final payment process.
For more information, visit the Texas Rent Relief program website.
Source: gov.texas.gov
“No Face No Case” Treetop Piru gang member gets life in prison
A gang member who was convicted of shooting one man, and remains charged with another murder, has been sentenced to life in prison, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Friday.
Jurors convicted Javan Oxavia Williams, 30, of murder for the death of a man he shot from behind as he sat in a car. While jurors were deciding his punishment, they were told about another pending case, in which Williams is charged with capital murder, for shooting a man in the man’s own living room and stealing his possessions.
“Jurors listened to the brutal details of this cold-blooded crime spree that left two people dead,” Ogg said. “He is a dangerous gang member, and an absolute killer, who should spend the rest of his life in prison.”
Williams is a member of the Treetop Piru gang and has a large red “P” tattooed over his throat. On the sides of his forehead are the words “No Face” and “No Case.”
In the first murder, in January 2017, Williams was in the back seat of a car after getting a ride home with two friends. He apologized to passenger Charlie Bennett Jr., about an argument they got into a day earlier, but then he shot Bennett in the neck from behind.
Williams then shot the driver in the face and fled. The driver, Aukeyanna Simmons, played dead until Williams ran off, and then she drove to the hospital, where Bennett died.
While looking into Bennett’s death, investigators charged Williams with capital murder in a second killing, which happened a month later, in February 2017. In that incident, Williams is accused of fatally shooting another friend, Tonius Wayne Frank, 26, at Frank’s apartment at 300 North Vista Drive.
Williams allegedly killed Frank, who was shot five times and found dead on his living room floor. The killer then allegedly ransacked the home and took several electronic devices. Williams is also accused of killing Frank’s two dogs, shooting them while they were still in their kennels.
Members of both victims’ families were present for the trial, which was held in District Court Judge Nikita Harmon’s court.
“Although a life sentence cannot bring back Mr. Bennett or Mr. Frank, the Bennett and Frank families know that justice is done,” said Assistant District Attorney Thomas Waddle, who prosecuted the case with ADA Sheila Hansel.
The cases were investigated by the Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, and the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office.
WANTED: Fugitive charged with Injury to a Child, Assault
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Mayor Turner and HDR Engineering Distribute Bicycles to Families Ahead of Holidays
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Suspect Arrested, Charged in Shooting at 11666 Gulf Pointe Drive
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Astroworld Festival tragedy: Victims’ cause of deaths revealed by coroner
All 10 victims suffered from what’s known as compression asphyxia, according to a report released Thursday.
The victims who died in last month’s Astroworld Festival tragedy all suffered from compression asphyxia, according to a report released Thursday by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.Ten people, ranging in ages from 9-years-old to 27, died after attending the Astroworld Festival, an annual music event organized by headliner Travis Scott.
Compression asphyxia occurs when air is cut off from the body due to external pressure, according to the National Library of Medicine.
In addition to compression asphyxia, the coroner’s report listed a contributing cause of death for one of the victims, 27-year-old Mirza Danish Baig, as combined toxic effects of cocaine, methamphetamine, and ethanol.
The causes of deaths were released more than a month after the tragedy where hundreds were injured as the massive crowd surged the stage during the first evening of the multi-day music event.
The youngest victim, 9-year-old Ezra Blount, fought for his life for days while in a medically-induced coma at Texas Children’s Hospital. Blount was at the concert with his father, Treston, when the crowd surge crushed both of them.
“I began to be crushed until I couldn’t breathe,” Treston said last month. “I passed out and I woke up my son was gone.”
The oldest victim, Baig, was trying to protect his fiancé from being trampled when he went down, according to his brother at the time.
“I was there and I wasn’t able to save my brother,” Basil Baig said in a Facebook post last month.
Attorneys for victims’ families were quick to react to the report Thursday, including Tony Buzbee, who is representing the family of Axel Acosta, one of the ten people who died.
“The report confirms what the family already knew,” Buzbee said in a statement. “Which is that Axel was crushed and killed that night by the crowd, through no fault of his own.”
“The medical examiner’s findings confirm Bharti’s family’s worst fears,” attorney James Lassiter said. “Their beloved daughter’s last living moments were surely marked with suffering, panic, and terror.”
Lassiter’s firm represents the family of Bharti Shahani, one of the victims.
Buzbee used the moment to lash out at Houston Police Chief Troy Finner over earlier claims that some fans had been injected with drugs.
“Shame on you,” Buzbee said in the statement. “Shame on you for perpetuating and giving credence to a silly rumor that people were being injected at the concert. In doing so, you added more pain to an already unbearably painful situation for Axel’s family.”
The injection claims were made days after the tragedy when Finner gave details of a report that a security guard had felt a prick and believed it may have been narcotics. Those claims were later walked back.
What happened during Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival?
Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña said events started to escalate about 9:30 p.m. when a crowd surge took place during one of Travis Scott’s performances.
People were trampled, some went unconscious, and at least a few went into cardiac arrest during the chaos. KHOU 11 talked to several witnesses who reported being pushed and shoved as the crowd of 50,000 festivalgoers rushed toward the stage.
It’s been confirmed at least 300 concertgoers were treated on the scene, and 25 people were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Eight people died that night.
Two others later died from injuries sustained during Scott’s show.
Multiple agencies, including Houston Police Department and the FBI, have opened investigations into the cause of the crowd surge and whether it could have been prevented.
Source: www.khou.com