Here are things to know for Tuesday, Jan. 26:
1. Fisherman finds body of missing man near Trinity River in Liberty County, deputies say
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A fisherman found the body of a missing man Sunday near the Trinity River in Liberty County, deputies said.
The man’s body was found not far from where crews were searching for him.
Authorities said the fisherman was searching for a place to fish along a tributary of the river when he found 22-year-old Nathan Heathco’s body in the water just off Private Road 442. Heathco was last seen walking on FM 1409 in Liberty County on Jan. 12, according to a spokesman for Texas Equusearch.
2. ‘I hope you can’t sleep at night’: Deputy in garage sale deadly shooting case speaks out
On January 25, 2019, which is two years to the day, 29-year-old Elizabeth Barraza was shot in her front yard while setting up for a garage sale. Detectives working her case haven’t given up and hope you can help turn this murder mystery into a murder conviction.
Last week, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office released a new video in the case.
“We are hoping that someone will see this. Hopefully, they have a heavy heart and know something, they want to come back and tell us what they know,” said Harris County Sheriff’s Office Deputy, Wallace Wyatt.
3. 12 Fort Bend ISD schools going online due to COVID-19 issues, staffing
Fort Bend Independent School District announced that it is changing from in-person to online learning at 12 campuses on Monday due to COVID-19 staffing issues.
Here are the following campuses that are going online through the remainder of the week.
4. Texas waiver on expiration dates for driver licenses, identification cards ends in April
The waiver on expiration dates for driver licenses and identification cards ends on April 14, 2021, Texas Department of Public Safety said Monday.
People who need to renew should make an appointment or renew online as soon as possible, DPS advised in a news release.
The waiver, granted by Gov. Greg Abbott in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, applied to DLs, commercial DLs, commercial learner permits, ID cards and election identification certificates that expired on or after March 13, 2020.
5. Help is available for Texans still struggling to file unemployment, collect benefits
As Texas continues smashing unemployment records, many people who are out of work are still struggling to find jobs, file claims, and collect benefits.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Texas in March, the Texas Workforce Commission says it’s helped more than 3.4 million Texans file for unemployment insurance and paid out $14.4 billion in benefits.
But getting through the system remains problematic for some.
Michelle Castrow with Workforce Solutions said she and her staff of almost 1,000 are helping people find jobs through the state’s website and other sites. But that’s not all.
“The other thing we’re encouraging people to do is visit with our employment counselors,” she said. “We are the public work force system for the entire Houston-Galveston region, meaning just like the public library or public education system, we are here to serve. There is no cost to take advantage of our services.”