Here are things to know for Wednesday, March 24:
1. COVID-19 vaccinations for all adults in Texas starting March 29, state officials say
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The Texas Department of State Health Services announced Tuesday that everyone 16 and up will be eligible to sign up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Texas beginning Monday, March 29.
The Texas Department of State Health Services said it expects vaccine supplies to increase in April to more than a million doses per week, well above the demand under current eligibility criteria.
“We certainly don’t want to lose that momentum that we’ve had,” said state health department spokesman Chris Van Deusen.
2. ‘You little Asian girl’: Beauty supply store owner says racial insults hurled at her during attack by customer
A beauty supply store owner in north Harris County was attacked inside of her store on St. Patrick’s Day, and the altercation was caught on surveillance video.
Business owner Jung Kim said that she was punched in the face by a customer who hurled racial insults at her as she was pummeled.
“You little Asian girl,” said Sung Jun Lee, the woman’s son. “That’s what she remembered.”
The attack left Kim bloodied and bruised with a broken nose. Kim said the break is so bad that she needs surgery.
3. Student whose dorm room was stormed by SFA police files lawsuit
A Houston student whose dorm room at Stephen F. Austin State University was stormed last year has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the school and her former roommates.
“Knowing that these girls can live their lives free doing whatever they want, it just really bothers me because I’m truly suffering and I have to carry the scars of these girls’ actions,” Evans said during an interview with KPRC 2.
Investigators said officers barged into Christin Evans’ dorm room on Sept. 14, 2020, after campus police received a call from the community advisor at the dorm, saying a student was threatening to stab another student with scissors and may have been experiencing a manic episode.
Police said officers responded accordingly but changed their posture once they realized Evans was asleep in her room when they entered.
4. Parents outraged after sexual misconduct allegations surface at gymnastics club in The Woodlands
On Tuesday, parents expressed outrage due to allegations of sexual misconduct between a male coach and a male student in The Woodlands. They’re especially upset because the disturbing accusations are coming from a place that was supposed to be a safe space for children.
Now those parents say they’re taking their kids out of Maximum Athletics, and some are removing their kids from the sport altogether.
“I don’t feel safe at all for my child. I don’t feel safe for any child that goes to that gym,” said a parent who didn’t want to be identified.
News of inappropriate behavior surfaced last Friday, and parents are demanding answers and action.
5. Attorney: At least 1 of Deshaun Watson’s accusers attempted to blackmail him
At least one of the women who has accused Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of assault attempted to blackmail him earlier this year, according to the football player’s attorney.
In a statement released Tuesday, attorney Rusty Hardin said that while he and Watson take the allegations seriously, “fairness to the accused is equally important.”
Hardin said he has a declaration by Watson’s manager, who claims the unidentified woman in one of the cases attempted to blackmail Watson after a consensual encounter in December. In the declaration, Watson’s manager claims the woman wanted $30,000 in exchange for her “indefinite silence.”