Here are things to know for Friday, May 7:
1. Police: 29 people recovered from semitruck in Texas
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More than two dozen people were recovered from a big rig that was stopped near San Antonio, including one person who was taken to a hospital, a police official in Texas said.
A passerby called police Thursday to report a suspicious semitruck along Interstate 10, east of San Antonio, Lt. Jesse Salame told reporters. A San Antonio Park police officer initiated a traffic stop.
As the officer approached the vehicle, the back door swung open and several people ran out, Salame said. Authorities made contact with 29 of the people who had been in the semitruck.
2. University of Texas linebacker Jake Ehlinger found dead, police say
Texas linebacker Jake Ehlinger, the younger brother of former Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger, was found dead near campus Thursday, Austin police said.
Officers found the 20-year-old Ehlinger after responding to a call at 12:18 p.m. Police did not detail how they found him but said the death is not considered suspicious. No cause of death was immediately released.
Jake Ehlinger did not play the last two seasons after arriving as a walk-on from Austin’s Westlake High School.
Sam Ehlinger was a sixth-round pick in the NFL draft last week by the Indianapolis Colts after a college career that saw him rank among Texas’ career passing leaders.
3. 2 men charged with murder after body found near Brazos River in Lake Jackson
Christopher Paul Lydic, 37, and James Doyle Britton, 44, were arrested and charged with murder Thursday in connection to a 2020 homicide in Lake Jackson.
On Nov. 22, 2020, police said they responded to a report of a body next to the edge of the water at the Brazos River.
The body was located under a bridge near the 1300 block of FM 2004.
Lake Jackson Police Department later identified the body as Cortney Bekaye Riley, 37, of Brazoria County.
4. Vehicle found during search for missing mother in Missouri City not connected to her case, authorities say
The search for missing mom Erica Hernandez resumed in Missouri City on Thursday at Buffalo Run Park.
Texas EquuSearch’s Tim Miller said teams began with a ground search at 9 a.m. with hopes of finding something that would lead them to Hernandez’s whereabouts.
According to Miller, there was also a water search for her car using at least one boat with SONAR. On Thursday afternoon, Miller gave an update saying a vehicle had been found underwater, but it was unclear if it belonged to Hernandez.
5. ERCOT seeks to calm concerns ahead of summer heat, peak power demands
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas announced the state is expected to reach a new record for electricity demand this summer. ERCOT reported Texans are expected to hit a peak demand of 77,143 MW this summer, which outpaces the previous record of 74,820 set in 2019. For comparison, 1 MW equals 200 homes.
Word of a new demand record instantly sparked concerns among those still reeling from damage caused by blackouts during February’s winter storm.
“I was like, ‘Oh, no! Is that like something we’re going to have to go through again?’” Perla Sandoval asked in reference to power outages.
Sandoval remembers the four days without heat, the fish dying in their small aquarium because the water was too cold, and the eight pipes bursting in their home.