Harris County District Attorney Searn Teare, Harris County Commissioners Court member Rodney Ellis, and Paula Pina Valeria with Commissioner Lesley Briones’ office spoke Monday afternoon following the death of a 52-year-old man shot by an ICE officer on July 7 in Houston. During the press conference, Commissioner Rodney Ellis said that the district attorney has taken steps to open an independent investigation into Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s death. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national who lived in the U.S. for decades, as the homebuilder drove his construction crew to a Houston job site. “Our responsibility as a Harris County Commissioner’s Court is to make sure he has the resources to do so,” Commissioner Ellis said Monday. District Attorney Teare attended the news conference and said his office would conduct an independent investigation. “The DA’s office is conducting a parallel independent investigation of this case just like we do in every single officer-involved shooting where someone in this community loses their life. This is no different than anything else we do day in and day out. We have an incredibly robust civil rights division who goes out to these scenes, who works collaboratively with…

Before dawn on July 4, 2025, catastrophic flooding swept through the Texas Hill Country when the Guadalupe River surged and rose about 30 feet in an hour, washing away bridges and roads and killing at least 137 people. Families celebrating the holiday weekend woke to rising water racing through neighborhoods and beloved campgrounds along the Guadalupe River. Within just a few harrowing hours, homes, cabins, and vehicles were inundated. Roads became impassable, and entire communities were cut off. In multiple locations, the Guadalupe reached levels associated with 100-year and even 500-year flood events, creating one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern Texas history. One year ago, NBC 5 documented the devastation left behind by the catastrophic Hill Country floods and examined the questions they raised. Since then, the water has receded, but the recovery is far from over. NBC 5 has continued to follow the people, policies, and questions that remain. From recovery efforts to legislative reform to families finding meaning after their lives have been reshaped by the river, this is where the story stands today. One year later: How one family is finding hope after the Texas Hill Country flood Nearly one year after the deadly Texas…

The return of the New World Screwworm has raised concerns among ranchers, government officials, and pet owners. Experts say the parasite poses a serious threat to livestock and other animals. But they also point to an important historical fact: the United States has beaten screwworm before. Many of the same tools used decades ago are being deployed to help stop the pest again. What is a New World screwworm? The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly native to the Americas, according to Texas A&M Agrilife. It can impact any warm-blooded animal, including livestock, pets, wildlife, and humans. “Wounds will attract the female flies,” said Dr. Guilherme G Verocai, a veterinarian and parasitologist at Texas A&M, “They lay their eggs usually around the edge of those wounds.” Verocai explained that the hatching larvae burrow into living tissue to feed. The condition in which larvae feed on living tissue is called myiasis, according to the Screwworm Coalition of Texas. Many animals are vulnerable to the screwworm, Verocai explained, “This parasite really doesn’t discriminate.” He emphasized that while emphasis has largely been placed on cattle, it isn’t exclusively targeting livestock. “The parasites will potentially lay eggs and feed…

Two of the top wheelchair tennis players in the country call North Texas home. They’re in Knokke-Heist, Belgium, this week, hoping to bring home an international championship. The BNP Paribas World Team Cup: Junior Festival brings together top junior wheelchair tennis players from ten countries in the wheelchair tennis equivalent of the Billie Jean King and Davis Cups. The United States Tennis Association selected Mattingly Bristow from Weatherford and Jeremy Perez from Joshua to represent the U.S. Bristow, 15, attends Weatherford High School and is recognized as one of the top wheelchair players in the nation. She’s praised for her sportsmanship on and off the court. Lily Terral from Houston is also on the Girls’ Team. According to Joshua ISD, Perez is ranked second in the nation in high school wheelchair tennis. In a recent social media post, Perez celebrated his wins as the first-ever High School Wheelchair State Champion and the first-ever Texas Slam Champion. Bristow and Perez, and eight others on Team USA, hope to hoist the boys and girls junior trophy after falling to Great Britain in the combined final last year.Tournament play opens Wednesday, May 27th, through Sunday, May 31st. This story uses functionality…

Congressman Chip Roy and State Sen. Mayes Middleton are locked in a bruising battle for Texas attorney general ahead of the May 26 Republican primary runoff. The race has tightened in recent weeks after Roy received a surge of donations, including nearly $3 million from West Texas conservative megadonor Alex Fairly. Middleton had previously outspent Roy using significant family wealth tied to his family’s oil and cattle business. Roy said increased fundraising has helped him compete after being heavily outspent earlier in the race. “Built on the back of name ID, what I’m doing in Congress and now getting our message out through you know our advertising, which we were getting as I said way out spent back in March,” Roy said. Chip Roy Roy, a former federal prosecutor, has built a reputation as an independent conservative voice. He previously worked in the attorney general’s office, for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and for former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Roy also questioned Middleton’s legal experience. “You know, I’ve practiced law and complex litigation. My opponent has not. He’s never had any meaningful legal job or experience. I’m not even sure, you know, respectfully what you’d hire him for in the…

The Texas Department of State Health Services has settled a lawsuit with a group of youth camp operators over new state licensing requirements. Nineteen camp operators sought an injunction to prevent the state from enforcing a new state law requiring a fiber-optic internet connection at all camp sites. The camps said they could not adhere to the law because the infrastructure doesn’t exist in their rural locations. After the flooding in Central Texas last summer killed at least 135 people, including 25 campers and two counselors at Camp Mystic, state legislators passed a new law requiring all camps licensed by the DSHS to maintain fiber-optic internet service. When floodwaters overtook the Hill Country around Kerrville, many people said they did not receive advance warning due to unreliable cellular service in the area. Under the agreement between the camps and DSHS, the state health services department said: “Camps that maintain a redundant internet service will not face potential license denial or revocation for not having fiber service during the 2026 camping season, as long as they meet all other safety requirements.” The DSHS said alternative broadband services, such as cellular, microwave or satellite technology, are acceptable as long as they meet…