Here are things to know for Monday, July 5:
1. 3-year-old boy hit, killed by car in NW Harris County, officials say
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A 3-year-old boy died after being hit by a car on the Fourth of July, according to Harris County Constable Precinct 4.
Investigators said the auto-pedestrian accident occurred before 3 p.m. on the 16000 block of Sugar Tree in northwest Harris County.
Officials have not confirmed who hit the child or what the child was doing before the crash. However, the person who hit the child stayed on the scene, according to Pct. 4 Lt. Lance Rogers.
“Very, very tragic. We are still trying to gather our information. We will keep everybody abreast at what’s going on as we conduct this investigation but at this point and time I cannot answer any information,” said Rogers.
2. Teens with 7-month-old baby in tow lead Splendora police on high-speed chase
Teens with a seven-month-old baby in their vehicle led Splendora police on a high-speed chase that ultimately ended when they crashed into a drainage canal, according to the Splendora Police Department.
At approximately 9 p.m. Saturday, a Splendora Police officer observed a vehicle driving erratically on a northbound feeder road. At one point, the vehicle crossed in front of the officer’s patrol car and nearly struck it. The officer turned on his lights and attempted to initiate a traffic stop, which the suspect vehicle disregarded. The suspect vehicle proceeded northbound on the feeder road before proceeding to US 59. The suspect vehicle got on and off the freeway several times, weaving through traffic at a high rate of speed. During the pursuit, the officer observed a female passenger, later identified as a 16-year-old juvenile, tossing narcotics and a handgun magazine out the vehicle window.
At some point, the suspect vehicle exited the roadway and rolled over before coming to a stop upside down in a drainage canal.
3. Woman suffers facial injuries from fireworks at celebration on Highway 6, deputies say
A woman is suffering from injuries to her face after an accident with fireworks in a Kroger parking lot on Highway 6, Fort Bend County sheriff’s deputies said.
Authorities said several families came out to celebrate the Fourth of July while popping firecrackers in the parking lot located at 11565 S. Hwy 6 around 11:30 p.m.
Investigators said a woman believed to be about 30 years old lit a firework but did not get out of the blast zone before it exploded. Deputies and EMS teams rushed to the scene and said the woman suffered significant trauma to her face.
The injuries were so severe, the woman had to be flown by Life Flight to a hospital downtown, deputies said.
4. Officials blame fireworks for large house fire in Highland area
Officials said used fireworks were to blame for a large house fire Saturday night in the Highland area.
Investigators said crews responded to a house fire around 11:30 p.m. on the 200 block of Inwood Lane.
Multiple crews, including the Highlands Fire Department, Crosby Fire Department, Channelview Fire Department, and Sheldon Fire Department, responded to the fire.
Crews extinguished the fire quickly and no injuries were reported, according to officials. However, the family lost their home and pet.
5. Biden says teachers deserve ‘a raise, not just praise’
Speaking to the nation’s largest teachers union, President Joe Biden said Friday that the pandemic has given America’s parents the “ultimate education” on the challenges of the teaching profession. But even more, he said, the last year has proved that teachers across the U.S. deserve higher pay.
“You deserve a raise, not just praise,” Biden said in remarks at the National Education Association’s annual meeting in Washington. “Every parent in this country who spent the last year educating their children at home understands that you deserve a raise.”
Biden made the case while selling his proposed legislative priorities and budget for next year, which includes $20 billion in new funding that aims to spur states to increase teacher pay. A close ally of teachers unions, the president went on to describe educators as “the single most important component of America’s future.”