Federal forecasters issued their first flood warning at 1:14 a.m. on July 4. Local officials haven’t shed light on when they saw the warnings or whether they saw them in time to take action.
Weather warnings gave officials a 3 hour, 21 minute window to save lives in Kerr County. What happened then remains unclear.
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Hill Country floods
In flood-ravaged Hill Country towns, friends, families and strangers rush in to help with cleanup
For the past week, Clemente Sánchez and his tree-trimming crew have volunteered to help people remove trees and flood debris. It’s a scene being repeated all over the flood zone.
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Economy
Texas lawmakers urge Trump to extend tomato trade agreement with Mexico
The 1996 agreement is set to expire Monday, which could raise the price of Mexican tomatoes and threaten thousands of Texas jobs.
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Redistricting Texas 2025
Texas leaders have repeatedly claimed the state’s voting maps are race blind. Until the Trump DOJ disagreed.
Gov. Greg Abbott has acknowledged DOJ concerns that some districts were drawn “along strict racial lines.” Critics say it’s a political ploy.
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Higher Education
Texas Tech University System leader says he will retire this year
Texas Tech Chancellor Tedd Mitchell has led the 64,000-student university system since 2018. His departure will mark the latest shake-up in the state’s higher ed leadership.
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Hill Country floods
Can sirens help save lives in the next flood? Yes, but there’s more to it.
While sirens can help in areas with shaky cell service, experts say officials also need to consider alert fatigue and provide education on what to do in an emergency.
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Economy
In West Texas, an independent publisher’s arrest sparks First Amendment questions
Publisher David Flash has been documenting the happenings in Jeff Davis County since 2020. Last year, he was banned from county buildings over allegations of harassment.
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Hill Country floods
God and the Guadalupe long reigned over Texas Hill Country. Now grief permeates.
Religion and the river are constant Kerr County touchstones. As residents lean on their faith, they grapple with their relationship to the water.
Posted in
Hill Country floods
Did fiscal conservatism block plans for a new flood warning system in Kerr County?
In the last nine years, federal funding for a system has been denied to the county as it contends with a tax base hostile to government overspending.
Posted in
Hill Country floods
The floods swept away a young couple and their friends. Searching for them brought their families together.
The four friends are among the hundreds of victims. The bodies of three of them have been found. Their families have searched for their loved ones since Friday.
