NEWS
Governor demands federal border action ahead of polar vortex
AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today demanded President Joe Biden immediately deploy federal assets to address the dire border crisis, particularly in the City of El Paso, as a dangerously cold polar vortex moves into Texas this week.
“This terrible crisis for border communities in Texas is a catastrophe of your own making,” reads the letter. “These communities and the state are ill-equipped to do the job assigned to the federal government—house the thousands of migrants flooding into the country every day. With perilous temperatures moving into the area, many of these migrants are at risk of freezing to death on city streets. The need to address this crisis is not the job of border states like Texas. Instead, the U.S. Constitution dictates that it is your job, Mr. President, to defend the borders of our country, regulate our nation’s immigration, and manage those who seek refuge here.”
In the letter to President Biden, the Governor highlights the acute humanitarian crisis caused by federal inaction to secure America’s southern border that is putting the lives of migrants at risk, with thousands of men, women, and children illegally crossing into Texas every day and those numbers expected to increase if Title 42 expulsions end.
Governor Abbott will continue working with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, and the Texas Military Department, and all other available state assets to protect Texas from the influx of illegal immigrants and cartel activity in the absence of President Biden performing his constitutional duty to secure the southern border.
Read Governor Abbott’s letter to President Biden.
Governor Abbott has taken unprecedented action to secure the border in the wake of the federal government’s inaction, including:
- Securing $4 billion in funding for Texas’ border security efforts
- Launching Operation Lone Star and deploying thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers
- Taking aggressive action to aid border communities, including busing thousands of migrants to Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia
- Designating Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations to keep Texans safe amid the growing national fentanyl crisis
- Arresting and jailing criminals trespassing or committing other state crimes along the southern border
- Issuing an executive order authorizing the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to return illegal immigrants to the border at ports of entry
- Allocating resources to acquire 1,700 unused steel panels to build the border wall in Texas
- Signing a law to make it easier to prosecute smugglers bringing people into Texas
- Signing 15 laws cracking down on human trafficking in Texas
- Signing a law enhancing penalties for the manufacturing and distribution of fentanyl
- Issuing a disaster declaration for the border crisis
- Issuing an executive order preventing non-governmental entities from transporting illegal immigrants
- Signing memoranda of understanding between the State of Texas and the States of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to enhance border security measures in their states that will prevent illegal immigration from Mexico to Texas
- Activating the Joint Border Security Operations Center (JBSOC) and directing the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Military Department, and Texas Division of Emergency Management to coordinate Texas’ response to secure the border
Bowie City Councilors heard complaints about the recently approved food truck ordinance during last week’s meeting and were updated on damage from recent flash flooding.
Mayor Gaylynn Burris also presented a proclamation for Emergency Medical Services Week, as members of the local EMS team were presented with the proclamation.
In his city manager’s report, Bert Cunningham said there were numerous problems with excessive rainfall during the last few weeks, with the most significant at Rock and Pillar where the rusted washed out culverts have been deteriorating for several years. Portions of Rock have collapsed near that intersection closing part of the street.
Another less traveled street had a sinkhole which the city crews have repaired, and two crews have been out trying to fill potholes and make street repairs as they can.
Cunningham told the council they have to figure out a way to pay for the new culverts on Rock and Pillar, and he has been meeting with a pair of engineering companies to get some preliminary estimates that are close to $1,000,000. He also has been talking with the city’s financial advisor to discuss options for financing repairs.
Read the full story in the May 22 Bowie News.
Photo – Mayor Gaylynn Burris presented a proclamation from the City of Bowie for National EMS Recognition Week. Several members of the Bowie EMS team were present: Daniel Fogle, Enrique Roman, Fire Chief Doug Page, Chad Gerlach, Marco Sandoval and Luke Waltersheid. (Courtesy photo)
A 30-year-old female from Seymour was killed in a one-vehicle crash south of Bowie on U.S. 81 on May 17.
The accident occurred at 9:20 a.m. as local emergency personnel were called to the scene. Staff of the Department of Public Safety report the deceased driver is Faye Penner who was driving a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado.
A preliminary investigation revealed the vehicle was traveling south on the U.S. 81 service road attempting to merge onto the main highway. The report states Fenner was driving at an unsafe speed and traveled off the roadway to the right. The driver took faulty evasive action and overcorrected to the left.
The pickup traveled back across U.S. 81, went into the bar ditch and collided into a concrete bridge pillar.
Two vehicles were involved in a separate major accident that happened on May 16 on State Highway 59 involving a semi-truck and a pickup at 4:56 p.m.
The DPS report states Bradley Henscheid II, 26, Muenster, was driving a 2016 Freightliner towing a trailer south on State Highway 59 near Haney Road.
The second vehicle was a pickup driving by Gage Ice, 17, Saint Jo, who was traveling behind the large truck.
Henscheid was attempting to make a right turn. Ice was reportedly distracted and when he looked up saw the semi-truck’s brake lights.
The pickup driver took faulty evasive action and veered onto the right improved shoulder to avoid hitting the back of the semi’s trailer. Ice’s pickup then struck the Freightliner as it turned right.
Neither of the drivers were injured.
By BARBARA GREEN editor@bowienewsonline.com
Tuesday night ’ s meeting of the Lake Amon Carter Water Supply Corporation disintegrated into yelling and name-calling leading to no resolution on providing water to a developer asking for service.
With two items on the agenda the meeting lasted only one hour and ended abruptly as Chairman John Halbrook stood up while a board member was arguing with audience members exclaiming, “We’re done here folks.”
In a late April meeting, subdivision developer Daniel Deweber and two of his residents came to the board asking why they were being denied water when the nearly 30 lots are located within the corporation’s service area. Questions also arose about the board allegedly violating open records and open meeting’s laws by not allowing people to attend some of their meetings or posting meetings.
Board members have told Deweber he needs to file a new non-standard application based on their information from the Public Utilities Commission and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Deweber counters the PUC has indicated he is a qualified applicant and does not have to file again. There also is a dispute whether he has to apply under The new tariff that was adopted in May 2024 or the previous one in place when he originally applied. Deweber said he has been told by thePUC staff not to reapply as he as the original
tariff applies.
Read the full story in the May 15 Bowie News.
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