A Houston teenager accused of shooting and killing Westbury High School student LePaul Warren Jr. on Friday has been charged with murder, according to court records made public Saturday afternoon. Travoris Hines, 17, was arrested Friday evening according to police. He is scheduled to make an appearance before a magistrate judge later Saturday. If convicted, Hines could face life in prison.  MORE ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Westbury High School senior athlete shot and killed outside school  Warren was shot and killed outside the west Houston high school Friday morning. Police didn't speculate on a motive, but said Hines and the shooter might have interacted or argued before the killing. view article

Nick Codutti was Klein High School’s athletic coordinator when a former Tomball ISD student accused him of sexual abuse.Nick Codutti was Klein High School’s athletic coordinator when a former Tomball ISD student accused him of sexual abuse. view article

The governor is loosening diesel restrictions and seeking federal waivers after saying last week that ending the war in Iran was the key to lowering fuel prices. Texas is loosening restrictions on diesel fuel in an effort to increase supplies and bring down costs amid record-high prices.   A proclamation by Gov. Greg Abbott also raises the allowable weight for fuel, agricultural, and timber loads and suspends Texas Low Emission Diesel rules to the extent authorized by the federal government.  “Texas agriculture and freight run on diesel,” said Abbott. “Record prices put both industries at risk and raise costs for every Texas family.”   “Farmers and truckers can now use dyed diesel on Texas roads, and fuel, crop, and timber loads can move at a higher weight,” he added. “These steps cut costs on the farm, on the road, and at the store.”   Dyed diesel is off-road fuel typically used in agricultural operations and sold without a motor-fuels tax. Because it is untaxed, state law ordinarily bars its use on public roadways.  Gov. Abbott’s proclamation suspends state restrictions and associated penalties to allow expanded use of dyed diesel on Texas roads. It does not waive the underlying fuel tax.

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Former Klein High School head football coach has been arrested after an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving a former student, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Nicholas Alan Codutti, 43, faces charges of indecency with a child and sexual performance by a child. The alleged incidents occurred in Harris County in 2018 and 2019. view article

A 17-year-old suspect has been arrested following a deadly shooting that took the life of a Westbury High School senior near the campus on Friday morning. Police have not yet released the identity of the suspect who was arrested in the death of 17-year-old LePaul Warren. view article

A former Klein ISD athletic coordinator was arrested on Saturday, charged with multiple child sex crimes, according to court records. According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, 43-year-old Nicholas Alan Codutti was charged with indecency with a child and sexual performance by a child. view article

A student was hospitalized following an incident involving six students at an East Texas high school. The district, with police, vows action against such behavior. view article

Boyd ISD says its staff handled recent allegations of hazing properly, but police continue to investigate the arrests of four high school students as an assault. Boyd ISD says it has completed its investigation into recent allegations of hazing inside the Boyd High School field house, and said it found no wrongdoing by its staff. view article

A 15-year-old Spring ISD student has died after a shooting near Westfield High School on Tuesday afternoon, officials say. According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, the shooting occurred near Westfield High School on Ella Boulevard around 2:40 p.m. view article

As the sun peeked above the horizon, FWISD mother Adrienne Haynes watched kids walk warily alongside speeding cars, creep through construction barriers and hesitantly make their way across makeshift crosswalks. The FWISD students slowly made their way to their neighborhood school.   Haynes petitioned Fort Worth ISD for two years to bus those children in her Stop Six neighborhood rather than have them walk through construction near Loop 820.  On Sept. 11, buses finally began stopping near her neighbors’ homes. view article

Jay Stegall, a member of Fort Worth ISD’s Texas-appointed board of managers, did the math as he considered his vote on a multimillion, five-year security contract.   FWISD faces a nearly $50 million shortfall. The district poured tens of millions into Superintendent Peter Licata’s new instructional model. Projections show the gap could grow as a result of frozen appraisals and the district’s flat property tax rate. Stegall and manager Laurie George voted against the contract with school-security firm Centegix. Six other managers backed the deal that will see its first year funded by a $1 million donation from the Sid W. Richardson Foundation. The second-year cost is $1.8 million.  Board President Pete Geren leads the Richardson Foundation. He recused himself from the vote and exited the meeting room as required under the board’s conflicts of interest policy. view article

Unearthed audio reveals the Democrat U.S. Senate nominee arguing against adding more police officers and guns to schools.  Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico said adding police officers and guns to schools would make students “less safe,” according to previously unreported audio obtained by Texas Scorecard.  The unearthed comments came during a February 2020 interview with Texas Public Radio about school discipline and the use of law enforcement on campuses.  “Adding more police officers to our schools, adding more guns to our classrooms, only adversely impacts our most vulnerable students, in particular our black and brown students,” said Talarico. view article

At least six major hospitals have agreed to refuse gender-affirming hormones and surgery for transgender young people and agreed to make payments to the federal government, according to deals with the Department of Justice.   The most recent agreements came last week.  Most of the hospitals had already stopped offering the treatments because of state bans or previous pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration.   The DOJ agreements end investigations into care previously provided and stop the possibility of hospitals being forced to turn over patient records. The Justice Department says some providers have also agreed to help pay medical costs for children to “detransition.”  The hospitals have not admitted to doing anything wrong.   “It’s a really dangerous precedent when the federal government is allowed to politicize any one group of people’s care and end it,” said Eliel Cruz, a cofounder of the Gender Liberation Movement.  Here’s a look at the situation: view article

A Smith County student was taken into custody on Thursday after a search of their backpack. According to district spokesperson Elissa Thompson, CHISD administration received a tip that the student had a vape on campus. This prompted a police search of their backpack. They found in the backpack a handgun and a separate ammunition magazine. view article

A student at Ursula Rakow Middle School in Rockwall was detained on Monday after allegedly making a terroristic threat. On September 21, the Rockwall Police Department detained a middle school student at Rakow Middle School for making a terroristic threat. view article

A Tyler Independent School District student has been taken to the hospital Wednesday afternoon. According to Tyler ISD spokesperson Jennifer Hines, during football activities on Wednesday, a Tyler Legacy Hight School student-athlete experienced a medical emergency. EMS personnel immediately responded and took the student by ambulance for further medical evaluation and care. view article

The Boyd ISD school board will meet today after a hazing incident led to arrests. view article

JARRELL, Texas (KXAN) – After a mass shooting killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, a school district four hours away in Jarrell started the process of getting shatterproof film on the windows of its high school. The invoice, according to the superintendent, was $50,000.  view article

University to cut Mexican American, African, women's and gender studies majors.  The University of Texas at Austin will liquidate several grievance studies programs that observers had previously thought it would keep.  KUT reports that the university will eliminate majors in African and African diaspora studies, Mexican American and Latina/o studies, women’s and gender studies, and race, indigeneity and migration.  The left-wing outlet received a leaked email outlining the changes. view article

In the three years since the state Legislature required public school districts to staff armed personnel on each campus, Waco Independent School District has asked for waivers from full implementation. This year was no exception, with trustees voting last month to claim a "good cause exemption" under 2023's House Bill 3 due to an inability to fill district police department positions because of the unavailability of certified peace officers, the cost of hiring and the gap between local security needs and state security funding.  Several years after state legislators passed House Bill 3, which aimed to make schools safer, KXAN investigators checked in with roughly two dozen school districts in our viewing area to ask about compliance. Overwhelmingly, districts that responded to KXAN said they still faced funding challenges. view article

Parents at Alief ISD's Hastings High School received a troubling letter from principal Dr. William Price on Monday morning about a 'serious incident'. The district said an incident involving a staff member and a student ended with emergency responders on campus, but now the district isn't answering questions. view article

Alief ISD says a staff member at Hastings High School was injured during an incident involving a student Monday morning. The district says the campus was placed in a brief secure mode while school administrators and authorities responded to the situation. view article

A former Brinker Elementary School teacher who is facing multiple child sex abuse charges has paid bond and was released from the Collin County Jail last week. 64-year-old Paul Campbell, a former Plano ISD elementary school teacher who is facing one count of sexual abuse of a child and three counts of indecency with a child, posted bond on Friday, September 11, his lawyer tells FOX 4. view article

An 11-year-old Katy ISD student has died after she was hit by an SUV while riding an e-scooter on Roesner Road just after 5 p.m. Wednesday, renewing concerns among law enforcement and health experts about the risks young people face while riding electric bikes and scooters. view article

Palestine High School head boys basketball coach Maurice Montez Heade was arrested Friday at the high school following an alleged assault involving a student, according to the Palestine Police Department. Palestine Police Chief Mark Harcrow confirmed Heade was arrested and charged with assault of a family or household member by impeding breath or circulation, a felony offense. view article

An authorized guardian at Frost Independent School District was placed on administrative leave after leaving unattended gun in a restroom, school officials said. In a letter from the district, the incident involved a member of the Frost ISD Guardian Program. The authorized guardian left the firearm unattended in a restroom. The firearm was located by another campus employee moments later, who took measures to properly secure the weapon and reported to the campus principal, officials said. Frost ISD officials said in the letter that the quick thinking of the employee helped remedy the situation quickly and appropriately. view article

Hermleigh ISD is taking precautionary measures at school Thursday following a potential threat made against the district on Wednesday. The Scurry County Sheriff’s Department received a voicemail threat late Wednesday afternoon from the Metroplex area, directed generally toward Scurry County schools, according to a memorandum from Superintendent Jessie Ellerbe sent to district staff, parents and guardians. view article

A Cy-Fair ISD mother is facing two criminal charges after school administrators reported seeing her hit her young son at Moore Elementary and later threaten to shoot up the school, according to court records. Although the charges were filed months ago, records show she has not been arrested. view article

A multiagency law enforcement operation involving the San Antonio Police Department and Bexar County Sheriff’s Office located 45 missing and endangered children last month, the U.S. Marshals Service announced on Wednesday.  Operation Lightning Bug II brought together federal, state and local agencies from Aug. 10 through Aug. 31 to find children considered at heightened risk of violence or exploitation and investigate people suspected of human trafficking and other crimes against children..  Authorities executed nine felony warrants and 11 misdemeanor warrants and arrested seven people on new charges. Additional charges are pending in some cases. Authorities did not release the identities of those arrested or provide details about the pending cases. view article

COVID cases are climbing in nearly every state. In Texas, there were 2,200 emergency room visits for COVID in the week ending August 22, right as schools were heading back into session. A third of those visits came from the public health region covering South Texas. During the last week of August, the San Perlita Independent School District in the Rio Grande Valley shut down for two days to slow rapid spread among students. view article

Pearland ISD trustees will consider a partnership with UTHealth Houston’s Department of Psychiatry for its Youth Aware of Mental Health, or YAM, program at its Sept. 8 meeting. If approved, PISD students would have the opportunity to participate in five 45 to 60 minute sessions, focused on mental health awareness, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, empathy and other skills, documents show. view article

A clap of thunder mistaken for a gunshot prompted a multi-school lockdown and a multi-agency police response, according to Magnolia Independent School District officials. The district said that a teacher at Williams Elementary called 911 shortly before 1 p.m. on Thursday and reported hearing gunfire. view article

A former Manor ISD elementary teacher was arrested on a charge of injury to a child, according to the district and an arrest affidavit obtained by KXAN. Michael Nathan, a former teacher at Presidential Meadows Elementary, was arrested Wednesday night, according to Travis County jail records. The affidavit says during dismissal hours on Aug. 25, Nathan grabbed a student by the backpack while the child was walking by him and pulled the child back into the building. view article

The shortfall is the result of a decision by the Trump administration to withhold approval from Texas for about $9.8 billion in the next year from three programs, the bulk of which affects the Comprehensive Hospital Increase Reimbursement Program (CHIRP). This program gives hospitals additional funding to cover the difference between Medicaid rate payments and the actual costs that hospitals incur to provide services to Medicaid patients. Essentially, hospitals, which often are paid less than what they caspend on Medicaid patients due to outdated payment rates set by the state, are losing out on their additional reimbursement for 2027.  Local governmental entities collect taxes from hospitals — about $4 billion a year, according to the Texas Hospital Association — and under CHIRP, the federal government matches those funds so that Texas hospitals can then use them to cover the actual costs of providing Medicaid services. Hospitals say those CHIRP dollars are critical and if they lose that funding, they will likely have to cut services to patients.  Four million low-income Texans are enrolled in Medicaid, most of them children. view article

Dangerous actions taken by parents placed children at risk, according to a new statement from Sulphur Springs ISD. In a statement from Sulphur Springs ISD, two incidents were reported to them as bus drivers were completing their afternoon routes on Monday. In the first incident multiple vehicles followed the bus with one pulling in front and blocking the bus’s path, according to the statement. It is then said that one of the parents involved then confronted the school bus driver and demanded their child be allowed to exit from the bus view article