Here are things to know for Thursday, March 23:
1. Woman stabbed to death by husband in front of daughter in northwest Houston, police say
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An investigation is underway after a woman was stabbed to death in front of her 13-year-old daughter at an apartment complex in north Houston Wednesday, police said.
It happened around 11:10 p.m. in the 7000 block of Woodsman Trail.
When officials with the Houston Fire Department arrived at the scene, they found the woman, who police said is 32 years old, with several stab wounds.
While attending to the woman, HFD said they noticed the suspect, which is the woman’s husband, return to the scene but he left. HFD personnel were able to get a partial plate number and gave it to responding officers, investigators said.
Officers said they were able to track the suspect about a mile from the apartment complex. He was taken into custody.
2. Surveillance video released after beloved store clerk shot, killed in NE Houston
Houston police have released surveillance video in the fatal shooting of a beloved gas station clerk in northeast Houston on Sunday.
KPRC 2 has learned the victim was Jhon Dias, 26. Those who knew him said he was originally from India, and worked in Houston to send money back to his soon-to-be wife.
The shooting happened at 6566 Homestead Road at about 8:10 a.m.
The suspect is described only as a Black male, 20-25 years old, about five feet, seven inches tall, and weighing about 140 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, black pants with white stripes, and black shoes. He had a hoodie over his head and a dark face mask.
3. Parents in the Houston area split on Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for children under 6
Moderna is now seeking emergency use authorization from the FDA for its COVID-19 vaccine for children under 6 years old.
On Wednesday, representatives from Moderna said its study of its two 25-microgram dosage vaccines for children as young as 6-months-old, provides a similar immune response as its vaccine for adults, which is four times as strong.
“So it’s one more layer, right? So we don’t have this option for young children. We don’t have the ability to keep them using masks all the time. [So] we have the vaccine,” said Dr. Flor Munoz of Baylor College of Medicine.
Munoz is an Associate Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Baylor, where a pediatric vaccine study has been underway for the last year.
4. New effort to retain teachers in local districts
If you’re in the Jacksonville, Florida area, you’ve likely seen the logjam of container ships sitting idly offshore. The vessels are packed with items destined for store shelves -- and they’re things business owners and consumers desperately need delivered.
Latasha Kaiser owns the restaurant Krave Vegan, which sits in a mall just outside Jacksonville. Kaiser’s whole business is about substituting one ingredient for another to make her dishes vegan.
“Banana blossom -- I use that for fish,” she said. “Again, not in stock.”
And now, with the supply chain shortage, Kaiser’s job is that much harder.
5. Ships are sitting offshore containing items that we desperately need -- what can be done?
Staffing shortages in the classroom have stumped school districts statewide on ways to retain teachers year-to-year, a challenge the state now hopes to correct.
“Teachers are the single most important school-based factor affecting student outcomes,” said Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency Mike Morath in a news release this month, announcing the creation of the Teacher Vacancy Task Force.
The panel, which is primarily administrators from school districts statewide, includes LaTonya Goffney, superintendent of schools for Aldine ISD.
Their task is to identify challenges that impact teacher retention and identify recommendations for remediation.