Here are things you need to know for Thursday, July 23:
1. Fort Hood soldier’s body found near base; 3rd death in month
U.S. Army officials on Tuesday said that the body of a Fort Hood soldier was found near the Texas army base, marking the third time in a month that a Fort Hood soldier’s body has been discovered.
Pvt. Mejhor Morta, 26, was found unresponsive July 17 in the vicinity of Stillhouse Hollow Lake, according to Fort Hood officials.
On June 21, officials had discovered skeletal remains in a field in Killeen, just over 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Stillhouse Hollow Lake, which were subsequently identified as 24-year-old missing Fort Hood soldier Gregory Morales.
Then on July 1, U.S. Army officials found more human remains, which were later identified as 20-year-old missing Fort Hood soldier Pfc. Vanessa Guillen, near the Leon River in Bell County.
2. Former Fort Bend County sheriff’s deputy charged in death of deputy constable
A former Fort Bend County sheriff’s deputy has been charged with criminal negligent homicide in the shooting death of a 37-year-old deputy constable in the Sienna Plantation area of Missouri City in May.
Officials said at the time that they received a call for a vacant property check-in at Sienna Plantation after a neighbor called and said she saw someone running down the street, though it was suspicious. Officials said three deputies responded, as well as a deputy with Pct 4.
Deputies said they entered the residence through a back door that was not secure. They were then going through the process of clearing the home and at some point in time, the sheriff’s deputy discharged his weapon after he thought that there was a suspect inside the house.
3. Gov. Greg Abbott urges Texans to be prepared, monitor this weekend’s weather, flood threats
Governor Greg Abbott is urging Texans to be vigilant over the next few days as he and his office closely monitor a potential tropical development brewing in the Gulf.
The storm is expected to impact parts of Texas this weekend and may lead to dangerous flash flooding, especially in the upper Rio Grande Valley, the Coastal Bend, and the Texas Hill Country.
4. Undocumented immigrants behind on their rent are self-evicting across Texas
The coronavirus pandemic pushed María and her family from a small two-bedroom apartment in southeast Houston into homelessness in less than a month. Her boss cut her hours in a clothing warehouse in mid-March as business slowed. Without enough money to pay rent, she packed her belongings and found another place to live even though there was a statewide moratorium on evictions.
On paper, an undocumented tenant has the same rights as anyone else during the eviction process. But housing attorneys and tenant and immigration advocates say undocumented immigrants are frequently hesitant to exercise those options. Their fear of the legal system and lack of access to government-funded financial help prompt many to self-evict, or prematurely leave the property.
5. New trend providing working parents alternative virtual learning setting for kids
With many local school districts opting for virtual learning amid COVID-19, a new trend is picking up speed in response to a need to help working parents find a safe place for their children.
Learning academies like Kids R Kids of Lake Conroe are seeking to provide a socially-distanced classroom setting for students in the Houston area.
3 things to share
WORD OF THE DAY
Hebetate [heb-i-teyt] (verb) (used with object) to make dull or blunt.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
July 23, 1952: In Egypt, the Society of Free Officers seizes control of the government in a military coup d’etat staged by Colonel Gamal Abdal Nasser’s Free Officers.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“What marks the artist is his power to shape the material of pain we all have.” - Lionel Trilling