HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A launch date has been announced for the Houston area’s newest area code. This is the first area code that’s been added in 10 years.
The area code 621 will officially join the Houston area on Jan. 23, 2025.
You’ll get the 621 if you request new service or an additional line.
The Houston area is growing so much — we’re expected to run out of area codes by the end of next year.
The Public Utility Commission said back in October 2023 that we’d be getting a 5th area code to join the existing 281, 346, 713, and 832 line-up. It won’t affect existing numbers.
The 621 code will cover the same geographic areas that our current area codes cover — meaning the greater metro area of the city of Houston and surrounding cities including, Baytown, League City, Missouri City, Pasadena, Pearland, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, and more.
The original area code, 713, was created in 1947. Then, 281 came along in the 90s, followed by 832, then 346 in 2013.
The new 621 area code is expected to have enough numbers to last nine years.
The 2025 Texas legislative session starts in about a month on Jan.14, and lawmakers will be discussing a bill proposing a complete ban on all forms of consumable THC products, according to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Marijuana is illegal in Texas, but a 2019 law meant to promote agriculture is why Texans can buy low-level THC products like smokable vapes, gummies, and seltzers.
Consumable hemp products are required by law to contain no more than 0.3% THC — the intoxicating part of the cannabis plant that comes in forms like delta-8, delta-9, and THCA — but Patrick claims that some items sold in Texas far exceed the limit.
If Senate Bill 3 passes, Patrick says the days of legally buying any of those products would be over. The low-bill number, Senate Bill 3, signals it is among his top priorities for the upcoming legislative session.
Earlier this year, a Houston business named THC Club was raided because investigators said what they were selling was too potent by law.
SAN FRANCISCO — USGS says that a magnitude 7.0 earthquake has hit Northern California in Humboldt County.
The epicenter is off the coast near Petrolia, in Humboldt County, the USGS said.
Also, a tsunami warning that had been issued for coastal areas in California and Oregon, including San Francisco, was canceled just before noon local time.
“The tsunami Warning is canceled for the coastal areas of California and Oregon,” the National Tsunami Warning Center wrote on X. “No tsunami danger presently exists for this area.”
At least 5.3 million people in California were under the tsunami warning, the U.S. Geological Survey said in a yellow alert, which predicted localized but minimal damage.
More than 1.3 million people lived close enough to the quake that they could have felt it, the USGS estimated.
The USGS says Thursday’s earthquake was “primarily strike-slip,” which is less likely to cause a tsunami because the earth’s tectonic plates moved more horizontally than vertically.
The warning had been in effect from Davenport, California, to Douglas/Lane Line Oregon, the National Tsunami Warning Center said.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The manhunt for an inmate who escaped from custody in downtown Houston came to an end on Thursday.
The Texas Department of Public Safety told Eyewitness News that Daniel Eugene Douglas was captured while hiding in a dumpster just before 4 p.m.
The 22-year-old inmate was being transferred to the Harris County Joint Processing Center from the custody of the Baytown Police Department when he escaped.
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the inmate took off after officers opened the vehicle door at the sallyport.
Douglas was in custody accused of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and is on probation for aggravated kidnapping in 2022.
Records show that Douglas is accused of putting an air tag in his ex-girlfriend’s car and following her to a nail shop.
When she wouldn’t leave with him, he allegedly shot a gun into the floor of the business.
He then forced his ex-girlfriend into his vehicle, according to charging documents.
He is accused of making her drive around Beltway 8 for an unknown amount of time and then to Austin.
Once in Austin, Douglas got a hotel room and brought her back to Houston the next day.
Douglas was charged later that year for violating the protective order by contacting the victim.
WASHINGTON — The FBI director nominee Kash Patel was hit with what is believed to be a cyberattack emanating from Iran on Tuesday, according to two sources familiar with the situation.
President-elect Donald Trump nominated his longtime ally Patel on Saturday after announcing he planned on firing FBI director Christopher Wray.
Patel has been a staunch supporter of Trump for years and served in his first administration in a number of roles.
“Kash Patel was a key part of the first Trump administration’s efforts against the terrorist Iranian regime and will implement President Trump’s policies to protect America from adversaries as the FBI Director,” said Trump transition spokesman Alex Pfeiffer.
“We want them [police] to do more,” Ramsey said during an appearance on Elizabeth Vargas Reports. “If they use the latest DNA technology, collaborate with labs, and use familial genealogy research—which successfully solves old cold cases—there’s a good chance we can solve it.”
Ramsey expressed frustration with the investigation, claiming authorities focused too heavily on him and his late wife, Patsy Ramsey, instead of pursuing other leads. “We were in the home. We think it’s horrible, but we accept that,” Ramsey said. “But don’t stop there. That was their conclusion.”
Geraldo Rivera Apologizes for Mock Trial
The investigation faced widespread scrutiny over the years. Recently, Geraldo Rivera apologized to John Ramsey for a televised mock trial that pointed fingers at the family.
Meanwhile, police in Boulder, Colorado, have confirmed they are pursuing fresh leads in the case.
The Case of JonBenét Ramsey
What Happened? On December 26, 1996, John and Patsy Ramsey reported their daughter missing, telling police they found a ransom note in their home. Hours later, JonBenét was found dead in the basement, having been beaten and strangled.
The case drew national attention, partly because JonBenét competed in child beauty pageants, with some videos and photos sparking public controversy.
Theories and Investigation Initially, police and media focused on the Ramseys as suspects. However, alternative theories suggested an intruder entered the home while the family was out celebrating Christmas. Despite investigating multiple suspects over the years, no one has ever been charged.
Latest Developments in the JonBenét Case
Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn recently responded to public interest, fueled by a Netflix documentary, with a video update: “We have thoroughly investigated multiple suspects over the years and continue to keep an open mind. Detectives are actively pursuing tips and regularly revisiting aspects of the case,” he said.
In 2023, progress was made when a task force was formed under the previous police chief, bringing together multiple agencies to reexamine evidence.
Hope for the Future John Ramsey remains optimistic that with advances in DNA technology and fresh perspectives, the truth about his daughter’s murder could finally come to light.
The woman, who is a legal resident of the United States, did not have valid documents to enter France, where she had previously applied for asylum.
She was scheduled to be on a flight to the U.S. on Saturday afternoon but French authorities removed her from the aircraft after she started screaming, according to an official.
“We are going to try to send her back again with a French escort,” the official said.
The woman was expected to be accompanied by six US marshals on Tuesday’s flight back to New York, authorities said.
Then, she was due to leave France on a flight at 2:30 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. ET) Tuesday, a Paris airport official told CNN.
She was onboard the plane when Delta refused to fly her, a Paris airport official has told CNN.
She was taken off the flight and put back into police custody and will remain in France temporarily.
The 57-year-old woman got past multiple security checkpoints at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and boarded a plane to Paris last week.
Delta Flight 264 took off from JFK Airport and landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris the next day with the stowaway, authorities said.
New video shows personnel attempting to restrain the unruly passenger on November 30.
In the video the woman can be heard saying she does not want to return to the United States, that she has “asylum against the United States,” and mentioning the Geneva Conventions.
“She kept on saying ‘I do not want to go back to the USA. Only a judge can make me go back to the USA,'” said Gary Treichler, who was on the flight with his family.
Police boarded the plane at the Paris airport, according to a video from a passenger that was shared on social media. “This is the captain. We’re just waiting for the police to come on board,” the pilot can be heard saying.
Daniel Velez, a spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration, said “an individual without a boarding pass” was screened at Kennedy and was not carrying any prohibited items.
“TSA takes any incidents that occur at any of our checkpoints nationwide seriously,” Velez said. “TSA will independently review the circumstances of this incident at our travel document checker station at JFK.”
The French National Police said Friday, “A passenger of Russian nationality was smuggled onto a flight from NY (JFK) to Roissy-Charles de Gaulle.”
The passenger “was refused entry to France for lack of a valid travel document (visa), and was placed in a waiting area for the time needed to return her to the United States as she held a valid US residence permit,” the National Police said in a statement.
A Delta spokesperson said in a statement, “Nothing is of greater importance than matters of safety and security. That’s why Delta is conducting an exhaustive investigation of what may have occurred and will work collaboratively with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to that end.”
A spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Kennedy Airport, declined to comment.
Federal investigators are looking into how the woman breached several security points at JFK and slipped onto the plane without a boarding pass.
Inspectors from TSA are also preparing a civil case against the stowaway after reviewing airport security video from inside John F. Kennedy International Airport, agency spokesperson Alexa Lopez told CNN.
“The TSA will open civil cases against passengers when there’s evidence that procedures may have been violated,” Lopez said. The TSA cannot bring criminal charges, though it can refer them to the Justice Department.
Delta has not said how the woman was able to board the plane once she made it past the TSA checkpoint.
Texas Could Face Extreme Cold Event Similar to Winter Storm Uri
This winter, Texas may experience extreme cold comparable to Winter Storm Uri, which caused the state’s power grid to collapse in February 2021. According to a recent analysis by ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas), there is an 80% chance of rolling blackouts if Texas faces a storm on par with Uri.
During a December 3 presentation to ERCOT’s board of directors, Chris Coleman, ERCOT’s supervisor of operational forecasting, warned that Texas is in a weather pattern that could support such an event. While this winter is expected to be warmer overall, Coleman noted an increased likelihood of cold extremes.
“I don’t have a specific probability to give, but I’d compare this to a ‘cold extreme watch,’ like a tornado watch,” Coleman said. “Whether it impacts Texas, the East Coast, or Central Asia is still uncertain.”
ERCOT’s Preparedness and Risks
ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas acknowledged a slightly higher risk of grid issues this winter due to increasing power demand. The grid recorded a peak winter demand of 78,349 megawatts in January, driven by population growth and other factors.
In a report released in November, ERCOT projected a nearly 50% chance of rolling blackouts if Texas experienced December 2022-like conditions and an 80% chance if a storm like Uri struck. However, Vegas emphasized that the grid has improved significantly since 2021, thanks to a weatherization program and nearly 3,000 inspections conducted over the past three years.
“We’ve made significant changes to lower the risk profile of the ERCOT grid, especially in winter,” Vegas said. “Still, outages can occur due to mechanical failures or other factors unrelated to weatherization.”
Lessons from Winter Storm Uri
Winter Storm Uri claimed 246 lives across Texas, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in the state’s history. The storm overwhelmed the power grid, leaving millions without electricity or water in freezing temperatures. Bexar County recorded the fourth-highest fatality rate in the state.
Coleman reiterated that even during mild winters, periods of extreme cold can occur. “The more I analyze this winter, the more cold potential I see,” he said. “It’s like a tornado watch—it doesn’t guarantee a storm but highlights the need for vigilance.”
Looking Ahead
ERCOT officials are urging Texans to stay prepared for potential extreme weather events this winter. While the grid has improved, the possibility of blackouts remains if a storm similar to Uri occurs.
The deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders was declared over on Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
NOTE:The video is from a previous report.
In total, 104 people reported falling ill across 14 states with about one-third of them being hospitalized, according to the CDC.
The true number of people who got sick was likely much higher because many people recover from E. coli without medical care and are never tested, the CDC noted.
Americans between ages 1 and 88 were affected in the outbreak, according to he CDC. Colorado had the greatest number of cases with at least 30 people falling ill. The state also reported one death.
A pair of McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers and fries are shown in this photograph, in New York, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024.
AP Photo/Richard Drew
An outbreak notice was first released by the CDC in late October. Evidence from health officials’ investigation at the time showed that slivered onions served on Quarter Pounders were a likely source of contamination.
Nearly all the people who fell ill and were interviewed by health officials reported eating at McDonald’s and the overwhelming majority remembered eating a menu item that contained the fresh, slivered onions, according to the CDC.
The fast food chain’s distributor of the onions, Taylor Farms, initiated a voluntary recall of the onions in late October. McDonald’s stopped using the ingredient and removed the Quarter Pounder entirely off the menu in a dozen states.
The latest reported illness was on Oct 21. All the confirmed cases occurred before the onions were recalled and the ingredient was taken off of the McDonald’s menu at some locations, according to health officials.
The fast-food chain is no longer serving the recalled onions and there “does not appear to be a continued food safety concern related to this outbreak,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday. The agency also noted that its investigation is now closed.
McDonald’s North America chief Impact officer Michael Gonda and chief supply chain officer Cesar Piña shared a message on Tuesday, saying the announcements from the CDC and FDA provide “certainty and validation” that the outbreak is over and the risk to the public has remained low since late October.
While the issue had been fully contained — and any contaminated product associated with this issue had been removed from our supply chain as of Oct. 22, 2024 — it can now be classified as “closed” and remediated,” the message read, in part.
