A Texas man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for attacking an Asian family in 2020 because he thought they were Chinese and therefore responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, according to federal court records Jose Gomez III, 21, of Midland, was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to three counts of committing a hate crime. When pleading guilty in March, Gomez admitted that he used a knife to slash Bawi Cung and his 6 and 2-year-old sons inside Sam’s Club in Midland because he believed they were Chinese and spreading the coronavirus. Bawi Cung is from the southeast Asian nation of Myanmar. The March 2020 attack occurred as Asians faced verbal harassment and physical assaults across the United States after the virus began spreading nationwide. Gomez did not know the family when he followed them inside the store, federal authorities said in a statement. He followed them for several minutes because he perceived them to be a “threat” because they were “from the country who started spreading that disease around,” according to the statement. Gomez then purchased a serrated steak knife and slashed the three before a Sam’s Club employee intervened, stopping the attack as Gomez yelled “Get out…

The principal of the Texas elementary school where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers says the principal was placed on administrative leave Monday, her attorney said. Robb Elementary School Principal Mandy Gutierrez was placed on paid administrative leave by Uvalde school Superintendent Hal Harrell, said attorney Ricardo Cedillo of San Antonio in a terse statement to The Associated Press. Cedillo did not provide any further information on the reason for the move or any other comment. A message to a spokeswoman for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District was not immediately returned. A legislative committee blamed Gutierrez and an assistant for knowing a lock to the classroom where the killings happened on May 24 wasn’t working and not having it repaired. Also Monday, the district school board approved a three-week postponement of the start of the district school year until Sept. 6 so district officials can replace Robb Elementary’s classrooms and other educational resources. Courtesy of Texas News – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth …

Some hospitals in Texas have reportedly refused to treat patients with major pregnancy complications for fear of violating the state’s abortion ban, the Texas Medical Association said in a letter this week. The association did not name the hospitals but said it’s received complaints that hospitals, administrators and their attorneys may be prohibiting doctors from providing medically appropriate care in some situations, The Dallas Morning News reported. Texas law bans most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. A total ban — that includes exemptions if a woman’s life or health is in danger — will take effect in the coming weeks following last month’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. The letter, sent Wednesday to the Texas Medical Board, cited several examples in which medical care was delayed. In one case, a central Texas hospital reportedly told a physician not to treat an ectopic pregnancy until it ruptured, the letter said. An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg attached outside of the uterus, is not viable. “Delayed or prevented care in this scenario creates a substantial risk for the patient’s future reproductive ability and poses a serious risk to the patient’s immediate physical wellbeing,” the letter said….