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“As a nation, we have prepared at all levels of government, and as individuals and communities, taking unprecedented steps to counter the emerging pandemic” — Pres. Barack Obama (mult.)
The Texas Department of State Health Services says there have been 82 H1N1 flu-related deaths in Texas this year (CBS11). Word of the declaration spreads online (NPR).
NYC’S FIRST SWINE FLU RELATED DEATH — Eleven New York City schools are closed today in an effort to prevent the spread of the swine flu virus after it claimed its first victim in the area, Mitchell Weiner, 55, assistant principle of Susan B. Anthony Intermediate School in Queens, N.Y. Weiner died Sunday night after spending five days on a ventilator battling swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus. He became the nation’s sixth death from the widespread flu. Officials have also reported three deaths in Texas, one in Washington state and one in Arizona. (ABC News)
ENERGY DEBATE FOLLOWS FEDS — President Obama has made a focus of creating new renewable energy sources and the federal stimulus bill pushed energy efficiency upgrades. This push at the national level has filtered through the Texas Legislature. It’s helped create a handful of bills that focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency (KUT).
PERRY TONES DOWN SECESSION TALK — Perry: I don’t advocate secession (Statesman)
GOV’S AGENDA TBD IN LAST MOMENTS OF SESSION — Gov. Rick Perry said when the Legislature opened that his goals included new regulations for abortion, tax relief for small businesses and replenishment of his job creation accounts. (KEYE)
DALLAS FACES $100M BUDGET SHORTFALL — Dallas City Hall is hardly immune from the nation’s economic woes, with city officials telling us today that they may be facing a $100 million budget shortfall later this year. (DMN)
CORPORATE, UNION MONEY LIMITS EMBRACED BY HOUSE — The Texas House has adopted new, stricter guidelines over how corporate money can be used in elections. The bill, approved on a 71-63 vote, would ban corporate and union money from being used on political attack ads. Political parties and political action committees would only be permitted to spend corporate and union money on administrative costs (KERA).
2ND FLU DEATH IN TEXAS MERCEDES — Swine flu claimed its first victim in the Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday, a 33-year-old Mercedes schoolteacher and mother who had recently given birth to her second child. Health officials emphasized the Harlingen woman had “underlying health conditions” that complicated the otherwise mild virus and led to her death. Judy Dominguez Trunnell had initially tested negative for the disease when she was hospitalized two weeks ago. Dr. Brian Smith, the regional director of the Texas Department of State Health Services, said a more recent test came back positive Tuesday. (Monitor)
U.S. health officials have warned that the number of deaths is likely to grow as the new H1N1 virus spreads across the country, even though they now believe the new flu isn’t as severe as they initially feared. (WSJ)
ECONOMIC STORM FORCASTED FOR HOUSTON — Meteorologists say the forecast for Houston this week is hot and dry. The long term economic forecast isn’t much different. The University of Houston’s noted economics professor, Dr. Barton Smith, gave his bi-annual address today. Smith says Houstonians should prepare for rough times. (KUHF)
BIG JOHN AS PORCUPINE — House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) on Tuesday said he will likely skip a subcommittee markup on controversial cap-and-trade legislation, but added he still sees enough progress following a Tuesday meeting with President Barack Obama to get a climate change bill out of his committee this month. If history is any indication, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) will become a thorn in the side of Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) once committee debate begins on energy reform. In fact, Cornyn could very well resemble a porcupine if things go as expected and Baucus seeks to raise taxes on the oil industry to help pay for new initiatives. (Roll Call)
OBAMA GETS ENCHANTED — Pres. Obama is heading to our neighborhood next week. He is planning to visit Albuquerque, NM, to hold a town hall meeting on credit card debt (Santa Fe New Mexican).
EXPLOSIVE HEALTHCARE, LESS SO? — Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) proposed that any new gov’t-run program “comply with all the rules” that “apply to private insurance” (New York Times).
THERE IS A FB RELATIONSHIP STATUS FOR THAT — “You know, that’s a complicated question” — Elizabeth Edwards, asked if she’s “still in love” with her husband in an upcoming interview with Oprah Winfrey (wake.mynyc.com). “If history is any indication, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) will become a thorn in the side of Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.)
once committee debate begins on energy reform. In fact, Cornyn could very well resemble a porcupine if things go as expected and Baucus seeks to raise taxes on the oil industry to help pay for new initiatives,” Roll Call (subscription) reports.
AUSTIN MAYORAL COMPLAINT MAY GET SPECIAL REVIEW — Austin might bring in a special prosecutor and an outside judge to review a complaint filed by mayoral candidate Lee Leffingwell against rival Brewster McCracken. Leffingwell filed a criminal complaint Monday in Municipal Court alleging that McCracken violated city rules by accepting about $41,525 from out-of-town donors, exceeding the city’s limit of $33,000 for a general election. (Statesman)
DMN CONTINUES COWBOY FACILITY INVESTIGATION — The engineer listed as responsible for design of the Dallas Cowboys’ now ruined training facility said Tuesday that he had little to do with the project, worked for the builder only briefly and was hired to design small farm buildings. The Cowboys hired Tabak’s employer at the time, Summit Structures, to build the training facility in Irving. It collapsed Saturday after being hit by high winds, permanently paralyzing a Cowboys employee and injuring 11 other people. (Dallas News)
HIGHLIGHTS FROM TEXAS LEGISLATURE (Chron) –
Texas lawmakers, grappling with higher demands on state services in a sour economy, will have to come up with an extra $1 billion to pay for rising health care costs, officials said Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the House postponed several bills scheduled for debate, including an effort to prioritize college-ready students in divvying up grants and an overhaul of drivers’ ed requirements in Texas high schools.
Proposed “Choose Life” license plates got initial approval from the Texas House on Tuesday. Texans would also be able to get “Choose Adoption” plates under the measure. Sales of both specialty license plates would raise money for groups that assist women considering adoption and infants waiting to be adopted.
The Texas House on Tuesday passed a measure that would prevent businesses such as restaurants and hotels from refusing service to someone because they ride a motorcycle or wear motorcycle paraphernalia.
An effort to move oversight of the three-member Texas Railroad Commission to a single commissioner failed in the Texas House Tuesday. The elected Railroad Commission regulates Texas’ oil and gas industry, pipelines, and surface mining.
The House gave final approval Tuesday to a measure that would give tax relief to thousands of small Texas companies. The bill, which now goes to the Senate for consideration, gives businesses that make $1 million or less annually a two-year break from the state’s business tax.
Registered sex offenders in Texas would have to list their e-mail addresses, cell phone numbers and any Internet IDs with law enforcement under a bill moving its way through the Legislature. The bill is designed to let officials monitor what registered sex offenders are doing in cyberspace and remove the anonymity of the Internet.
Several dozen Gulf Coast residents gathered for a rally Tuesday demanding action on windstorm insurance, then they fanned out through the Capitol to try to persuade lawmakers to take action. The House has yet to act on the measure.
A small group of Senate Democrats tried but failed to derail Gov. Rick Perry’s appointment of Texas A&M professor Brian Shaw to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Sen. Eliot Shapleigh of El Paso, D., criticized Shaw over several recent permits awarded over staff objections and other issues.
The Texas House has given final approval to a plan that expands the ban on cockfighting in Texas.
MILD TEMP FORECAST FOR TODAY — Mild temperatures were forecasted across the state with a slight chance of rain possible in North Texas, the Panhandle and the Gulf Coast, according to the National Weather Service.
TEXAS CONFIRMS 43 SWINE FLU CASES — Texas Department of State Health Services spokesman Doug McBride said Sunday that the latest number — an increase of four from a day earlier — includes two people in Fort Bend County, one from Guadalupe County and one from Bexar County. (Statesman)
SCHOOL CLOSURES IN HOUSTON AREA — KUHF reports that some school districts in Houston have notified the Texas Education Agency or their regional Education Service Center of their closing plans as affected by the H1N1 Swine Flu.
MEXICO TO REVIEW FLU RESTRICTIONS — Restaurants and cafes in Mexico City are to reopen on Wednesday after the country recorded a fall in new cases of the swine flu virus. Government officials are meeting to discuss when schools and businesses across the country can resume work. A total of 1,003 cases of the virus have been officially reported across 20 countries. The epidemic was “in its phase of decline,” having peaked between April 23 and 28. ( BBC)
PERRY ACCEPTED $5M CONTRIBUTIONS — Gov. Rick Perry has accepted nearly $5 million in political campaign donations from people he appointed to state boards and commissions, including some in plum jobs that set policy for state universities, parks and roads, records show. The contributions are a legal and common practice, though it has been fodder for critics over the years. “The reason people should care is that it would be nice to think that government functioned as a meritocracy,” said Andrew Wheat of the watchdog group Texans for Public Justice. (Chron)
MAYOR’S RACES ARE HEATING UP — Mayors will be elected Saturday in four of the state’s largest cities, including Austin where former state comptroller and gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn is in a tough fight to win back her old job. Elsewhere, the Fort Worth mayor faces his first real opposition in years, nine contenders are squaring off in San Antonio, and the El Paso mayor is trying to fend off five challengers. Because crowded races decrease the chances of a candidate getting the majority vote, runoffs are possible. (Chron)
OUT OF TOWN DONATIONS IN MAYORAL CAMPAIGNS — A dispute over campaign donations has flared up in the final days of the Austin mayor’s race. City codes say candidates can raise only $33,000 from out-of-town donors before the general election, but McCracken has taken $41,525 from donors outside Austin. Leffingwell plans to file a complaint in Municipal Court, which handles possible violations of the city’s campaign-finance rules. (Statesman)
EARLY VOTING ENDS TUESDAY — Early voting for Saturday’s election in Austin and surrounding communities ends Tuesday, and voters who can’t vote Saturday should take advantage of the opportunity to vote early. Visit the City Clerk’s website for a list of voting locations.
TEXAS LEGISLATURE PROPOSE LAWS TARGETING TEENS — Lawmakers don’t want kids driving after 10 p.m., buying cigarettes or climbing into tanning beds. There’s also a bill to make young steer wrestlers wear safety helmets. “None of us would want to target any age group, but 17 and younger are inexperienced and still developing judgment and are prone to danger,” said Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas. Some say the government is crossing the line when the tanning booth bill passed in the House. The bill requires 16 ½ to 18 year olds to have a parent sign a consent form in person at the establishment. (Dallas News)
WATSON BILL MANDATES MORE OPENNESS FOR TEXAS SUPREME COURT — The nine Texas Supreme Court justices meet at least once a month to decide on appeals, but nobody outside the court knows how each justice votes. Sen. Kirk Watson’s bill asks for the votes to be disclosed. The bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unchanged, but it has languished for more than a month awaiting a floor vote. Austin Lawyer Tom Phillips thinks justices would feel pressured to file statements explaining their votes in anticipation of election-time attacks. (Statesman)
Happy Friday!
ULTRASOUND BILL SOFTENED, NOW VOLUNTARY — The Texas Senate has given initial approval to a bill that would have doctors offer ultrasounds to women seeking abortions. The original bill would have required the ultrasound. (KUT)
VOTER ID BILL HITS SNAG — A bill that would require voters to show a photo ID in order to vote has stalled in the Texas House. For a while it looked like a compromise bill would come up for a vote on the House floor. Now that bill is being blocked by a push-back from House Republicans. (KUT)
MAN EXECUTED DESPITE MENTAL QUESTIONS — The execution of a convicted Dallas killer proceeded as scheduled on Thursday despite reports that a new test showed Derrick Lamone Johnson may have been mentally disabled. In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court banned the execution of anyone with mental disabilities. Controversy surfaced after a group of lawmakers, angered that the State Board of Pardons and Paroles initially confirmed Johnson’s execution without reviewing the medical test information. The group asked Gov. Rick Perry to delay the execution. Perry declined, and Johnson was executed as scheduled shortly after 6 p.m. — soon after the U.S. Supreme Court refused Johnson’s last-minute appeals. (Statesman)
DEWHURST BECOMES LESS OPAQUE — AP reporter Jay Root Tweets, “Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst finally forms a blind trust, reveals his stake in a Houston investment company.” Texas Watchdog has more.
TEXAS DISASTER — Gov. Rick Perry looks to the federal government for help to deal with the H1N1 Swine Flu outbreak in Texas (KUT).
FT WORTH SCHOOLS CLOSED — The Fort Worth Independent School District will temporarily close all schools until further notice, effective Thursday, April 30, 2009. Schools will likely not reopen any sooner than Monday, May 11. This follows the official confirmation of one case of swine flu at one campus — previously reported as a probable case –and the announcement that there are three other probable cases at three other schools (release via KERA).
AFTER FIRST DEATH IN US, HOUSTON EXPECTS MORE FLU CASES — Local health officials say they expect more confirmed cases of swine flu in the next few days after a young boy from Mexico became the first confirmed death related to the virus here in Houston. As Pat Hernandez reports, more samples from suspected cases of swine flu are being sent to the centers for disease control for testing (KUHF).
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS CANCELED — The state of Texas is suspending all high school sports activities in the wake of swine flu fears in the country, the University Interscholastic League announced Wednesday (AHN).
GULF CARTEL’S REACH FOLLOWS NAFTA CORRIDOR — A mid-level cocaine bust nets members of the Gulf Cartel living in Texas, Minnesota and Wisconsin (Star Tribune).
NEW INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE CONNECTS TEXAS-MEXICO — Construction on the Anzalduas Bridge is nearing completion, with officials saying operations will begin as soon as October. The bridge will directly connect Mission with Reynosa, Tamaulipas, a Mexican city known for manufacturing as well as importing and exporting goods. (PRNewswire)
The Morning Roundup continues to focus on the H1N1 Swine Flu. The first U.S. death is in Houston, Texas. A Mexican child that was 23-months old was confirmed by the Center for Disease Control to have died from the H1N1 virus.
FLU DEATH IN TEXAS — The Statesman reports the first U.S. death from the H1N1 Swine Flu. The Mexican toddler came to Brownsville from Mexico. The child was transferred to a Houston hospital and died Monday night. Frank Michel, a spokesman with the City of Houston, said this morning that he did not know whether the child was a boy or a girl. The first swine flu death outside of Mexico was confirmed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman Dave Daigle.
NEW TEXAS SCHOOL CLOSURES — KUT reports that all schools in the New Braunfels and Comal Independent School Districts are closed. Three of the state’s confirmed swine flu cases were in that region.
MORE POSSIBLE CASES IN DALLAS CO. — KERA reports that Dallas County is reporting 3 more possible cases of swine flu, on top of 3 possible cases from Monday. County officials already confirmed 3 swine flu cases, and all patients are doing well.
KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE — KUHF reports that the flu is the flu. That’s how Dr. Ed Hsu puts it. Hsu is with the UT School of Health Information Sciences, says Swine Flu, although unexpected and largely unchecked, is not the most aggressive strain
out there.
VACCINE? — NPR reports that a vaccine for the flu could be ready by September before the next flu season.
MISBRANDED FLU — Alex Conant reports that government officials call the flu “H1N1 Flu” and not “Swine Flu” because it is combination of human, swine and bird flu. Media outlets are now having to waste time reporting explainer stories that could be otherwise used for more public health information
SIX BANKS FAIL STRESS TEST — Bloomberg reports that at least six of the 19 largest U.S. banks require additional capital, according to preliminary results of government stress tests.
Travelers coming from Mexico, or other international locations with confirmed cases of human infection of swine influenza A (H1N1), to the US should expect additional questions from customs agents and border patrol officers. Swine flu concerns have led the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enact “passive” protections against the spread of the virus.
“Travelers with symptoms, if and when encountered will be isolated,” DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a recent Washington press conference. “They’re asking ‘are you sick, have you been sick,’ and the like; and if so, then they can be referred for further examination.”
U.S. European Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou cautioned against travel to the U.S. and Mexico.
“Personally, I would try to avoid non essential travel to the areas which are reported to be in the center of the clusters in order to minimize the personal risk and to reduce the potential risk to spread the infection to other people,” Vassiliou said.
The U.S. State Department has not advised against travel to Mexico.
The World Health Organization is not “recommending any travel or trade restrictions.” The discussion of avoiding non essential travel helped fuel economic concerns that pushed stock prices down. Airlines took the biggest hit. Some airlines are waiving change fees for travelers headed to areas where swine flu has been reported.
NPR map of CDC confirmed Swine Flu cases.
CDC swine flu info
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