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Washington, D.C.
Members of the Border Caucus –Reps. Raul Grijalva (AZ-03), Filemon Vela (TX-34), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Beto O’Rourke (TX-16), and Pete Gallego (TX-23) today held a press conference to highlight the impact of the border region on the U.S. economy.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Investigators will try to determine if a woman who died while riding a roller coaster at a Six Flags amusement park in North Texas fell from the ride after some witnesses said she wasn't properly secured.
The accident happened just after 6:30 p.m. Friday at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. Park spokeswoman Sharon Parker confirmed that a woman died while riding the Texas Giant roller coaster — dubbed the tallest steel-hybrid coaster in the world — but did not specify how she was killed.
Witnesses told local media outlets the woman fell. The woman's name has not been released.
"She goes up like this. Then when it drops to come down, that's when it (the safety bar) released and she just tumbled," Carmen Brown of Arlington told The Dallas Morning News. Brown said she was waiting in line to get on the ride when the accident happened. She witnessed the woman being strapped into the ride.
"They didn't secure her right. One of the employees from the park — one of the ladies — she asked her to click her more than once, and they were like, 'As long you heard it click, you're OK.' Everybody else is like, 'Click, click, click.' " Brown told the newspaper.
"Hers only clicked once. Hers was the only one that went down once, and she didn't feel safe, but they let her still get on the ride," Brown said.
Six Flags expressed sadness over the death and said the ride would be closed Saturday.
"We are working closely with authorities to determine the cause of the accident," Parker said in a statement Saturday. She also said a concert scheduled for Saturday had been canceled.
Arlington police Sgt. Christopher Cook, the department spokesman, referred all questions to Parker. A message left for Parker by The Associated Press was not returned. No other details were available.
The Texas Giant is 14 stories high, and has a drop of 79 degrees and a bank of 95 degrees. It can carry up to 24 riders. It first opened in 1990 as an all-wooden coaster but underwent a $10 million renovation to install steel-hybrid rails and reopened in 2011.
When the car that the woman had been riding in returned to the loading zone, two people got out and were visibly upset, Rockwell resident John Putman told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
"They were screaming, 'My mom! My mom! Let us out, we need to go get her!" Putman told the newspaper.
Also Friday, an Ohio amusement park's thrill ride malfunctioned when a boat accidentally rolled backward down a hill and flipped over in water, injuring all seven people on it. Operators stopped the Shoot the Rapids water ride after the accident, said officials with Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio.
Six Flags Over Texas opened in 1961 and was the first amusement park in the Six Flags system. It is 17 miles west of downtown Dallas. The park's first fatality happened in 1999. A 28-year-old Arkansas woman drowned and 10 other passengers were injured when a raft-like boat on the Roaring Rapids ride overturned in 2 to 3 feet of water.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
Washington, D.C.: Congressman Gallego today announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded select school districts in the 23rd Congressional District with more than $83 million in Title I grants, which provide school districts with necessary funding for areas with high concentration of low-income families.
Title I, Part A Grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) provide financial assistance to school districts for services that improve the teaching and learning of children in the classroom to improve and enhance the educational environment. It provides special consideration for those children who reside in areas with high concentrations of children from low income families. These funds will be available for the 2013-2014 upcoming school year. The grants were made possible through legislation supported by Congressman Gallego.
“In this country we believe that hard work, not circumstance is the basis for success,” said Congressman Gallego. “I’m pleased that we could secure federal dollars for our local school districts – where they can make the most difference. Our children must have the resources necessary to succeed in the classroom, regardless of where they come from, or how much money their families make.”
The totals for the schools in Bexar, Uvalde, Maverick, Val Verde, Medina, La Salle, Dimmit, Zavala, Frio, Kinney, and Edwards County are below:
Bexar County received: $17,280,383
Harlandale Independent School District
$5,821,761
Northside Independent School District
$27,900
Somerset Independent School District
$917,274
South San Antonio Independent School District
$3,956,309
Southside Independent School District
$1,741,817
Southwest Independent School District
$4,815,322
Uvalde County received: $3,326,534
Knippa Independent School District
$79,248 Sabinal Independent School District
$213,678 Utopia Independent School District
$
47,916 Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District
$2,985,692
Maverick County received: $7,705,484
Eagle Pass Independent School District
$7,705,484
Val Verde County received: $3,783,939
Comstock Independent School District
$37,356
San Felipe-Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District
$3,746,583
Medina County received: $2,686,071
D'Hanis Independent School District
$62,884
Devine Independent School District
$439,067
Hondo Independent School District
$600,795
Lytle Independent School District
$462,911
Medina Valley Independent School District
$802,578
Natalia Independent School District
$317,836
La Salle County received: $496,402
Cotulla Independent School District
$496,402
Dimmit County received: $1,232,198
Carrizo Springs Consolidated Independent School District
$1,232,198
Zavala County received: $1,949,132
Crystal City Independent School District
$1,626,885
La Pryor Independent School District
$322,247
Frio County received: $ 1,443,190
Dilley Independent School District
$486,850
Pearsall Independent School District
$956,340
Kinney County received: $ 180,212
Brackett Independent School District
$180,212
Edwards County received: $ 329,690
Nueces Canyon Consolidated Independent School District
$162,093
Rocksprings Independent School District
$167,597