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The Texas Tribune-
Four San Antonio women who were imprisoned for sexually assaulting two girls more than 20 years ago are innocent and exonerated, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled this week.
In the summer of 1994, the two girls – ages 7 and 9 – stayed at the home of their aunt, Elizabeth Ramirez, while their mother was away in Colorado, according to court records. Ramirez's one-time girlfriend, Kristie Mayhugh, lived with her, and another couple – Anna Vasquez and Cassandra Rivera – would visit the apartment frequently. When the girls returned home, their grandmother reportedly notice a change in the girls' behavior.
The Texas Department of State Health Services today issued a health alert encouraging health care providers in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Webb, Willacy and Zapata counties to consider Zika virus infection in their patients and order testing as medically indicated.
DSHS recommends testing pregnant women who live in this area and have at least two of the four most common Zika symptoms – fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (eye redness) – regardless of their travel history or other risk factors. In line with current testing criteria, DSHS continues to recommend testing anyone with at least three of those symptoms statewide and all pregnant women who have traveled to an area with active Zika transmission, regardless of symptoms.
There have been no reported cases of Zika in Texas, but the Rio Grande Valley is considered to be at higher risk for Zika transmission because of previous outbreaks of dengue, a similar virus spread by the same type of mosquito.
“We don’t have any evidence that the virus is being transmitted by mosquitoes in Texas, but as Zika continues to spread in the Western Hemisphere, now is the time to increase our surveillance,” said Dr. John Hellerstedt, Commissioner of DSHS. “Doctors should be looking for Zika in their patients, and everyone should be taking personal precautions to prevent Zika infection.”
People can help prevent the spread of Zika by mosquito bite by:
- Using EPA-approved insect repellent every time they go outside.
- Wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts that cover exposed skin.
- Using air conditioning or window and door screens that are in good repair to keep mosquitoes out of the home.
- Removing standing water in and around homes, including water in trash cans, toys, tires, flower pots and any other container that can hold water.
Because of the risk of birth defects associated with Zika, pregnant women should consider delaying travel to areas where the virus is being spread and prevent sexual transmission by avoiding unprotected sexual contact with partners who have traveled to places with active Zika transmission.
Texas has had 215 reported Zika cases, all related to travel, including two cases transmitted via sexual contact with someone infected overseas and two infants who were infected before birth.
The health alert is available at dshs.texas.gov/news/releases/
HOUSTON (AP) — A disgruntled lawyer who had numerous weapons randomly shot at drivers in a Houston neighborhood Monday morning, hitting six people, one critically, before he was shot and killed by police, authorities said. Another three people had injuries from glass or debris.
ALPINE, Texas (AP) — A 14-year-old female freshman who shot and wounded a fellow student at a West Texas high school before killing herself had planned to shoot her 14-year-old stepbrother before shooting herself, police have concluded.
But that plan was foiled when a 17-year-old junior encountered the armed freshman Thursday in the girls' restroom at Alpine High School, Chief Russell Scown of the Alpine Police Department said in a statement issued Tuesday.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The head of a Texas company building the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline told employees Tuesday that it is committed to the project despite strong opposition and a federal order to voluntarily halt construction near an American Indian reservation in North Dakota.
The memo to employees, which was also released to some media outlets, is the first time in months the company has provided significant details of the four-state, 1,172-mile (1886-km) project.
PHOENIX (AP) — An Oct. 25 sentencing date has been set for an Arizona man convicted of supporting the Islamic State terrorist group and helping to plot an attack at a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas.
HOUSTON (AP) — An autopsy determined a high school football player from the Houston area who collapsed during a game and later died had a rare congenital heart problem.
A funeral will be held Saturday in Houston for 17-year-old Chase Lightfoot. He was a defensive tackle for Shadow Creek High School in the Alvin Independent School District.
NEW YORK (AP) — Not only are the Dallas Cowboys the most valuable team in the NFL, they are worth more than any franchise in sports.
Forbes's NFL valuations show the Cowboys worth $4.2 billion, easily topping the league for the 10th straight year. Next closest are the New England Patriots at $3.4 billion.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The last time a Democrat won statewide office in Texas, Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson were newlyweds and "Friends" would soon make "The Rachel" haircut a thing.
If you didn't understand the pop culture references, you couldn't just Google up an explanation in 1994; it would be four more years before the technology giant's founding.
After two decades of statewide election losses, Democrats seem unlikely to end Texas Republicans' longest-in-the nation winning streak come November. The only real threat looks to be incumbent Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Lawrence Meyers, who switched parties to become a Democrat in 2013 and now faces a tough re-election race.
DEL VALLE, Texas (AP) — Investigators say four men whose bodies were found in a burned-out Central Texas home died in apparent drug-related slayings.
The Travis County Sheriff's Office on Monday identified the victims whose bodies were discovered last Thursday at a house in Del Valle (del VAL'-ee), about 13 miles southeast of Austin.
