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Truck driver charged with criminally negligent homicide in fatal Texas bus crash
Read full article: Truck driver charged with criminally negligent homicide in fatal Texas bus crashThe driver of a cement truck that veered into oncoming traffic and hit a school bus carrying more than 40 pre-K students has been arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide.
Texas school bus with over 40 pre-K students struck by cement truck, killing 2, authorities say
Read full article: Texas school bus with over 40 pre-K students struck by cement truck, killing 2, authorities sayAuthorities say a concrete truck has crashed into a school bus carrying more than 40 pre-K students on a field trip in Texas, killing a boy on the bus and a man in a third vehicle.
At least 2 dead after bus carrying 44 preschool students crashes into concrete truck in Bastrop County
Read full article: At least 2 dead after bus carrying 44 preschool students crashes into concrete truck in Bastrop CountyA school bus crash has left at least two people dead and many injured on Friday afternoon in Bastrop County, according to Austin-Travis County EMS.
Why some Texas cities are getting rid of their minimum parking rules
Read full article: Why some Texas cities are getting rid of their minimum parking rulesMost cities require homes and businesses to have parking. Critics say they drive up housing costs, foster car dependency and raise carbon emissions.
Texas is preparing for more wildfires without a break from heat in forecast
Read full article: Texas is preparing for more wildfires without a break from heat in forecastThe number of acres burned this year is dramatically lower compared to 2022. But a rash of new fires have put state and local officials on edge.
Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed, who says he’s innocent, asked for a new trial. A court said no
Read full article: Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed, who says he’s innocent, asked for a new trial. A court said noAn appeals court has denied a new trial request from a longtime Texas death row inmate whose supporters say there is evidence to back his claims of innocence.
After abuse accusations at The Refuge, Texas will create new reporting and screening requirements for foster care workers
Read full article: After abuse accusations at The Refuge, Texas will create new reporting and screening requirements for foster care workersThe legislation came after The Refuge, a Bastrop foster care facility, hired a caretaker without knowing she had a history of sexual misconduct with children at a state juvenile facility. Coworkers also concealed evidence of the abuse, which further put the foster girls at harm.
Bastrop County grand jury declines to indict caretaker at center of The Refuge abuse scandal
Read full article: Bastrop County grand jury declines to indict caretaker at center of The Refuge abuse scandalThe grand jury said it did not find sufficient evidence to indict Iesha Greene, who was reported to have sold and solicited nude photos of children at the Bastrop shelter.
Field Trip Friday: Inside the famous ‘Gas Station’ inspired by 1974 cult classic ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’
Read full article: Field Trip Friday: Inside the famous ‘Gas Station’ inspired by 1974 cult classic ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’It’s Friday the 13th and what better of a place to spend the superstitious day, than at the Gas Station from the 1974 cult classic, ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre.’
Lack of communication between child welfare and juvenile justice systems hurts foster kids, court monitors say
Read full article: Lack of communication between child welfare and juvenile justice systems hurts foster kids, court monitors sayThe court-appointed watchdogs expressed concern after learning that a caretaker accused of exploiting children at a state-licensed facility in Bastrop had been previously fired from a state juvenile justice facility for misconduct.
Judge loses trust in Texas’ child abuse investigation of foster care facility and calls for federal inquiry
Read full article: Judge loses trust in Texas’ child abuse investigation of foster care facility and calls for federal inquiryU.S. District Judge Janis Jack said she is seeking a federal criminal investigation into allegations that children were sexually abused and trafficked at The Refuge, a state-licensed foster care shelter for victims of sex trafficking.
Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Quanell X condemns alleged sexual exploitation of children in DFPS care by foster care system employees
Read full article: Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Quanell X condemns alleged sexual exploitation of children in DFPS care by foster care system employeesThe Texas Rainbow PUSH Coalition has organized an “Emergency Call to Action” press conference Tuesday in response to reports of children in the Department of Family and Protective Services’ care allegedly being sexually exploited and trafficked by employees in the foster care system.
State-licensed shelter where sex trafficking victims were reportedly abused ordered to close
Read full article: State-licensed shelter where sex trafficking victims were reportedly abused ordered to closeThe Refuge, which closed Friday, said it fired an employee accused of coercing the victims to sell nude photos as soon as it found out. The Bastrop-based shelter has not addressed the other eight staff members also accused of causing harm to the girls.
Prescribed burn gone wrong likely sparked wildfire in Bastrop County, officials say
Read full article: Prescribed burn gone wrong likely sparked wildfire in Bastrop County, officials sayControlled burns, used to prevent catastrophic wildfires, are typically safe and rarely get out of control. Experts warn that burns gone awry can scare residents and compromise the critical fire management tool.
Film studio and entertainment district expected to open in Bastrop in 2023
Read full article: Film studio and entertainment district expected to open in Bastrop in 2023A 546-acre film studio and entertainment district is expected to open in Bastrop, Texas, in August 2023, KVUE reports according to the Austin Business Journal.
Rejecting claims of innocence, judge says Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed should not get a new trial
Read full article: Rejecting claims of innocence, judge says Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed should not get a new trialDoubts over Reed’s guilt in the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites have lingered for more than 20 years and gained international attention. But a judge decided against recommending a new trial.