Here are things you need to know for Wednesday, April 29:
Today’s big story: Severe weather
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Severe weather pushed through the Houston area bringing plenty of rain and high winds. While there were no major flooding issues, the high winds caused damage in several areas.
KPRC 2 reporters Rose-Ann Aragon, Vincent Crivelli, Cathy Hernandez and Brittany Jeffers along with meteorologist Britta Merwin were on team coverage as the front moved through.
While the worst of it has moved out, we will still see light to moderate rain with some leftover lightning through 9 a.m. Temperatures will be in the 60s after the rain but will warm back into the mid-80s this afternoon. Thursday will be nice with temperatures in the 60s to start and a refreshing upper 70s to near 80 for the afternoon. Check the 10-day forecast for more details.
Coronavirus testing sites delay openings until noon Wednesday
Houston-area COVID-19 testing centers are delaying openings until noon as severe storms moving throughout the area Wednesday.
This includes the Sunnyside mobile site, where Mayor Sylvester Turner announced that the Texas Division of Emergency Management and Houston Health Department are bringing free COVID-19 testing to the community.
Montgomery County Judge to allow all businesses to reopen Friday despite Gov. Abbott’s order
All Montgomery County businesses will be free to reopen on Friday despite Governor Greg Abbott’s executive order requiring some to remain closed.
County Judge Mark J. Keough says he will not enforce the order because it is too vague.
Keough said the problem is that even though Abbott said businesses such as bars, gyms, and cosmetology salons would remain closed in his remarks Monday, his executive order doesn’t say that. Rather, it encourages customers to avoid them.
Struggling with the IRS website? Here’s a trick: enter your street address in all caps
The IRS website had a big update for their “Get My Payment” tool for stimulus checks coming in the mail. However, people have said they struggled with the website in the recent days, especially entering their street address the normal way.
Users have reported that they kept getting “payment information not available” after checking the status of their checks.
So, what’s the problem now? Looks like there’s one trick you can use to fly by the tool pretty easily. And that is...entering your street address IN ALL CAPS.
Trump praises Abbott’s moves to reopen Texas’ economy
In a tweet, President Donald Trump praised Gov. Greg Abbott for taking steps to reopen the state’s economy, which will be done in phases and begin on Friday.
“Texas to open businesses in phases beginning Friday,” the president wrote. “Great job being done by @GregAbbott_TX.”
Big Rivers Waterpark announces new opening date, plans to hire 400, free passes for first responders and promises to follow CDC guidelines
Summer is still on at Big Rivers Waterpark, as announcements were made this week regarding a brand new opening date and free ticket giveaways for first responders and healthcare workers.
The new opening date? Memorial Day weekend, on May 25-27. They had to postpone their Spring Break opening date due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Galland said while they will be following CDC guidelines regarding social distancing and sanitizing frequently touched items, it was proven that COVID-19 does not transmit through pool water.
If you or someone you know is a first responder, part of law enforcement or a healthcare worker, Big Rivers Waterpark will treat them to a day off at the waterpark through a ticket giveaway now until May 15.
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