Here are things to know for Tuesday, Oct. 26:
1. Restrictions on transgender student athletes’ participation in school sports signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott
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Texas’ transgender student athletes will be restricted from playing on K-12 school sports teams that align with their gender identity under a bill Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Monday.
House Bill 25, authored by state Rep. Valoree Swanson, R-Spring, will require student athletes who compete in interscholastic competition to play on sports teams that correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate at or near their time of birth. It is set to go into effect Jan. 18.
The legislation goes further than current rules from the University Interscholastic League, which governs school sports in Texas. Under current UIL rules, a student’s gender is determined by their birth certificate. But UIL also accepts legally modified birth certificates in which someone may have had their sex changed to align with their gender identity.
Such legislation was a top Republican priority and among several conservative initiatives lawmakers passed and sent to Abbott for his signature this year.
2. Houston tourism leaders forecasting World Series will huge economic boost to the city
Inside Hilton Americas in downtown Houston, General Manager Jacques D’rovencourt is making his rounds.
“The entire campus is going to be extremely busy and it’s going to be exciting to watch,” D’rovencourt said.
As the Astros prepare to take on the Atlanta Braves Tuesday in Game 1 of the World Series, D’rovencourt is welcoming a comeback.
“It’s a significant increase,” he said. “So, easily 50 to 60% more in occupancy that we are seeing now coming into the week of the World Series.”
According to data from the Houston First Corporation, in 2020, at this time, hotel occupancy was at 11%. Now, many hotels downtown are close to capacity and they are expecting a revenue increase of more than $3.7 million for hotels just this week.
3. Houston-area dentist saves woman life by taking blood pressure during routine visit
It’s standard for dentists to take your blood pressure at the beginning of every visit.
Dr. Terri Alani said taking blood pressure is done in part because anesthetics used in dentistry could affect your blood pressure, but also it may reveal more about your medical health.
“Most people will see their dentist more frequently than they do their physician. So, we’re able to refer the patient to their doctor if we see an issue with their blood pressure because that can indicate a problem with their overall medical health,” Alani said.
Patricia Greer is the poster child for why it’s necessary. She came in for a routine cleaning and it led to a shocking discovery.
“After some tests, they found out that I had an aortic aneurysm,” Greer explained. “So, I had it ruptured. I had about 60 seconds. You know, unless there was a little tiny leak, but if it really ruptured and there’s not a survival rate.”
4. ‘It was scary’: 2 teens survive with minor injuries after giant tree falls on vehicle in Sugar Land
A teenager said she’s lucky to be alive after a tree came crashing down on her Mercedes Benz as she was leaving her friend’s driveway.
Home surveillance video shows the moments when a simple trip to go get smoothies turned into the ride of a lifetime for Jordan Mininni and her friend.
Jordan said she had just picked up her friend from her home in Sugar Land when the tree fell on her car.
“I didn’t see the tree falling or anything, and the next thing I know, there’s just a tree on top of my car,” said Jordan. “It was scary for sure.”
5. 11-year-old boy with autism found after disappearing from Katy ISD campus
Parents of an 11-year-old boy with autism want to know how their son was able to wander several miles from his school before administrators notified them, likely prolonging a disappearance they said should have been reported and solved sooner.
Jonah Krukewitt wandered from Rodger and Ellen Beck Junior High School in Katy ISD on Friday, Oct. 22, at 11 a.m., according to his parents. They said they weren’t notified of his disappearance until after 2 p.m., despite Jonah wearing a tracking device that allows law enforcement to track him down.
“At 2 p.m., a KATY ISD police officer showed up at my house and said my son had run from the school and they hadn’t found him yet,” said Mikel Krukewitt, Jonah’s mother.
Jonah wears a bracelet that allows law enforcement to track his whereabouts in the event of a disappearance. It’s part of a program called Project Lifesaver, intended for people with cognitive disabilities who have a history of wandering from home.