Investigators examining the deadly flooding at Camp Mystic say the loss of 27 campers and counselors could have been prevented, pointing to a series of critical safety failures made by the family that operated the camp. The findings were presented on Monday in Austin, where a team hired by state lawmakers briefed a panel after interviewing nearly 150 people. A final report is expected in May. According to investigators, the camp — located in a flood-prone area — lacked basic emergency preparedness, including flood training for counselors, evacuation planning and adequate staffing. Rep. Joe Moody, D–El Paso, reacted to the findings during the hearing. “This loss of life was preventable. And I don’t know how to process that,” Moody said. Lead investigator Casey Garrett outlined what she described as key mistakes by the camp-owning family, led by its “patriarch,” Dick Eastland, who also died in the flooding. At the top of the list: counselors responsible for young campers had never trained for a flooding emergency. Garrett compared that lack of preparation to standard safety practices elsewhere. “And if you look at what we’re doing in schools and look at what we have been doing for years with tornado drills and…

Another day of testimony is underway Tuesday over last July’s deadly floods in the Hill Country, with the owners of Camp Mystic appearing in court to answer questions about what happened. The focus of Tuesday’s hearing was on the critical hours before the flood and when chaos unfolded as generational floodwaters overtook the camp and swept 27 campers and counselors downstream. The people involved with the camp are getting a chance in court to explain and defend what they were able to do, and to answer for what wasn’t done, as the flooding rapidly intensified. The hearing is part of a lawsuit filed by the family of a young girl, Cile Steward, whose body still has not been found. According to the family’s attorney, the Stewards would not have filed the motion for a temporary restraining order had the camp operators agreed to two things: stop renovating and destroying evidence and hold off on reopening until Cile’s remains are recovered or when the state’s ongoing search for her is called off. Testimony also offered insight into how quickly conditions deteriorated. Witnesses talked about the challenge of trying to pull 500 girls from their beds during a heavy rain and…

The Texas Department of Transportation is asking for Texans’ opinions on Interstate 35. As part of a study to improve the highway that runs the length of the state, the transportation agency has opened a survey. The study will look at the statewide corridor from Laredo to the Texas/Oklahoma state line. “I-35 is one of the most important interstates for the state of Texas and our nation, supporting Texas’ economy and quality of life,” said TxDOT Transportation Planning and Programs Director Humberto Gonzalez Jr. “This statewide survey is a great opportunity for the public to join TxDOT in helping shape its future, continuing to successfully deliver and provide for Texans.” The survey is open through May 6. Learn more on txdot.gov. Courtesy of Texas News – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth …

The Texas Department of Transportation is warning Texans against clicking any text link that demands immediate payment of a fine. TxDOT said fraudsters are sending fake notices designed to scare people into giving away personal information or money. Drivers across the state have reported receiving texts claiming to be from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles or other state agencies. They typically include a link and threaten more penalties if you do not pay the fine immediately. TxDOT does not collect fines for toll or traffic violations. It also does not send alleged registration violations through unsolicited text messages. If you receive one of these texts, do not click the link, do not reply to the message or share any personal information. You can report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or the Federal Trade Commission at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov. Courtesy of Texas News – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth …

A Palestinian woman who was the last person still in immigration detention after the Trump administration’s 2025 crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists was released Monday on $100,000 bond after a year in custody. Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old from the West Bank who has lived in New Jersey since 2016, had been held in a U.S. immigration detention center in Texas since last March. Kordia was among roughly 100 people arrested outside Columbia University during protests at the school in 2024. “I don’t know what to say. I’m free! I’m free! Finally, after one year,” Kordia, with a beaming smile, told reporters after emerging from the detention center. An immigration judge had ordered her released on bond three times. The government challenged the first two rulings, but Kordia was freed Monday after it did not challenge the third. She was recently hospitalized for three days following a seizure after fainting and hitting her head at the privately run detention facility. “We are overwhelmed with relief and gratitude at the release of our beloved Leqaa Kordia,” said Hamzah Abushaban, Kordia’s cousin, in a statement from her lawyers. “This past year has taken an unimaginable toll on Leqaa and our entire family.” Kordia said she was looking forward to…

Newly released police body camera footage shows bar goers and pedestrians fleeing and ducking for cover in the moments after a gunman began firing outside an Austin bar, leaving three dead in what is being investigated as potential terrorism. “Everybody down!” one officer yells. “Where is he?” The terrifying moments captured on video by officers and surveillance cameras that were released Thursday show how the shooting that wounded more than a dozen others unfolded quickly early Sunday in downtown Austin’s entertainment district. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said officers arrived within 56 seconds of the first 911 call, shooting and killing the suspect after he fired at police. Davis said the investigation is ongoing and would not discuss a possible motive for the shooting that erupted a day after the U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran. The FBI has said it’s investigating the shooting as a potential act of terrorism and a law enforcement official told The Associated Press that the gunman was wearing clothes with an Iranian flag design and bearing the words “Property of Allah.” Police have identified the gunman as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne and say he legally bought the pistol and rifle that he used…

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas resisted growing calls Tuesday from fellow congressional Republicans to resign over a report of an alleged affair with a former staffer who later died after she set herself on fire. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky joined Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and Nancy Mace of South Carolina are demanding that Gonzales step down immediately. Mace also announced that she has introduced a resolution to force the House Ethics Commission to publicly release its reports and records of allegations of sexual harassment against members of Congress. Gonzales told reporters he will not resign. “There will be opportunities for all of the details and facts to come out,” he said. “What you’ve seen is not all the facts.” House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would talk to Gonzales on Tuesday. Johnson said Monday that the accusations against Gonzales “must be taken seriously,” but he added, “in every case like this, you have to allow the investigation to play out and all the facts to come out.” “If the accusation of something is going to be the litmus for someone being able to continue to serve in the House, a lot of people would…

A North Texas elected official is backing a call to release an ICE detainee being held in Texas. “I’m sticking my neck out for the procedural, for the rule of law, for the due process, for adherence to our constitutional rights,” said Rep. Salman Bhojani (D-Euless). Bhojani said he’s advocating for Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian in ICE custody at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, who was just released from the hospital after experiencing a seizure in custody. “I need accountability, I need transparency, I need communication, I need basic human dignity,” said Bhojani. In January, Bhojani led a coalition advocating for Kordia to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Bhojani is among her advocates who are questioning the conditions inside the detention center, after the previously healthy woman wound up in the hospital over the weekend. In a statement to NBC 5, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirms Kordia had a seizure, saying, “her admission to the hospital was made out of an abundance of caution to ensure her health and safety.” Kordia’s been detained since March of 2025. A DHS spokesperson says she was arrested “for immigration…

People around North Texas took part in a Nationwide Day of Action on Friday, calling for the removal of ICE agents from Minneapolis and other U.S. cities. They joined thousands of people marching in multiple cities across the country. It comes as the Department of Homeland Security confirms the FBI is opening a civil rights investigation into the border patrol shooting of Alex Pretti. Flower Mound’s Hive Bakery was one of several DFW-based businesses to take to social media and share their support. “It’s important, I think, to use your platform, use your voice,” said owner Haley Popp. Since the beginning of January, Popp has been selling anti-ICE t-shirts and cookies. “I think it should be abolished. It shouldn’t exist. I believe immigrants should be welcome here in this country every day, all the time,” Popp said. As protesters gathered for a second day in Dallas and students in Fort Worth and Hurst walked out of class, organizers called on businesses to close, encouraging people not to spend money. While some did, many others said it simply wasn’t feasible. “It was such a tough week for small businesses. We had to close because of the snowstorms,” said owner of Oak…

Tens of millions of dollars are headed to Texas to help law enforcement cover the costs of securing the World Cup. “It costs money. It’s expensive,” Senator John Cornyn said. Cornyn announced Thursday that Texas will get around $100 million of the $625 million in federal funding from the Big Beautiful Bill to reimburse law enforcement agencies in DFW and Houston responsible for securing the FIFA World Cup. “While fans and athletes are gearing up for the games behind the scenes, federal, state, and local law enforcement were working together along with emergency management teams to make sure that these games are safe,” Cornyn said. North Texas is expected to see three to four million visitors, around 100,000 of them a day. Much of the funding will go toward overtime to police departments, including Dallas and Arlington. Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux says DPD is now dialing down how many officers it will need for the World Cup. “If we need extra officers out there spending a lot of money on overtime, we’ll use some of this money to reimburse the city for overtime,” Comeaux said. “We’ve never had anything quite like this. We’ve got tried and true…