(Talk1370.com) -- Federal, state, and local law enforcement made dozens of arrests in Hays County for suspected ties to the Tren de Aragua gang. That and more in your Morning Headlines for April 3.
Tren de Aragua Arrests: Officials with the FBI say more than 40 people - including some minors - were arrested earlier this week during a raid connected to suspected gang activity near Dripping Springs. Those arrests happened Tuesday, according to the FBI’s San Antonio field office; the Hays County Sheriff’s Office and Texas DPS personnel acted on a search warrant obtained from an investigation that’s been ongoing for more than a year. At least some of the individuals detained are believed to be connected to the Venezuelan-linked Tren de Aragua gang; the FBI says it will be up to state and federal prosecutors to determine what charges are filed based on evidence obtained from the scene.
Austin Public Health Funding Crunch: We’re getting a picture of how federal spending pullbacks could impact programs being run by Austin Public Health. APH director Adrienne Stirrup told the city’s Public Health Committee Wednesday that grant losses for the department could total as much as $15 million dollars; Stirrup said the funding cuts have impacted 27 of the department’s full-time employees and another 25 summer youth interns. Another nearly $8 million dollars could be on the chopping block as well, Stirrup said. Replacing those lost federal dollars will be just part of the city’s upcoming budget conversations - next week, we’ll get a look at City Manager T.C. Broadnax’s financial forecast, which will help shape those budget conversations.
Dems Consider Lawsuit Over Turner's Seat: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott could be facing a lawsuit for what some call slow walking a special election for filling the Congressional seat left vacant by former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s death roughly a month ago. After two vacant seats in Florida were filled Tuesday, the Republican majority in the House is now up to 7 with two Democrat seats vacant. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Wednesday that House Democrats are considering the possibility of legal action to try and force Abbott’s hand; under state law, Abbott has the sole power to call a special election and no prescribed deadline to do it. It’s too late to add the seat to the upcoming May 3 election; the next regularly scheduled election would be November 4.
Severe Threat Friday into Saturday: While we're expecting to see some isolated showers over the next 36 hours, an increased threat for strong to severe thunderstorms will move into the area Friday evening into Saturday morning. As of this morning, much of Travis, Hays, and Williamson Counties are under a level 2 out of 5 risk for severe storms according to the Storm Prediction Center. Large hail and strong winds are the primary threats, though an isolated tornado can't be ruled out. Storms will clear Saturday morning, leaving behind much cooler conditions for Sunday into early next week.