H-E-B notes its roots in Kerrville as it deploys its mobile kitchen and $5 million in aid.   Before H-E-B formally announced its rapid response to the torrential rain and flooding that hit the Hill Country over the Fourth of July weekend, the grocer's jump to action was likely expected by many Texans who have witnessed H-E-B's disaster relief for years. This time, however, the grocer's efforts feel deeply personal since H-E-B traces its founding back to Kerrville, which experienced some of the most devastating flooding.  view article

As the public scrutinizes parts of the Hill Country for a lack of sirens during the July 4 floods, Crockett turned its own tragedy into preparedness. view article

The Canutillo Independent School District says it's developing new guidelines around a state law banning cell phones during school hours. In a public statement, the school district says policies will include consequences for students who don't follow the requirements. It also says the law allows exceptions for students with medical and special education accommodations. view article

Corpus Christi Independent School District is preparing to implement new cellphone restrictions for students in compliance with recently passed Texas legislation. Texas House Bill 1481, passed by the 89th Texas Legislature, prohibits student use of cellphones and other personal electronic communication devices during the school day. view article

The passage of House Bill 1481, a new statewide law forbidding students from using personal communication devices during the school day, has local school districts scrambling to address their cell phone policy. Many Texoma school districts have already begun addressing the new law. Burkburnett ISD announced that students must leave electronic devices at home, or powered off and put away if brought on campus, with some exceptions. view article

Big changes are coming to WFISD as board members approve and move forward with the purchase of body cameras for the district’s police officers this upcoming school year. During the regular school board meeting on Monday, July 14, WFISD Superintendent Dr. Donny Lee said board members approved the purchase of body cameras through a grant totaling $140,000. view article

Several law enforcement personnel from Liberty County, including members of the Cleveland ISD Police Department, the Liberty County Pct. 6 Constable’s Office, and the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, recently completed school-based law enforcement (SBLE) training hosted by the Texas School Safety Center. According to Pct. 6 Constable Zack Harkness, the training took place from Tuesday, July 8, to Friday, July 11, at a Clear Creek ISD campus in League City. view article

Although a new round of floods elsewhere prompted emergency rescues Sunday, no injuries or deaths were reported.  Crosses honoring the victims of the Hill Country floods, seen on July 11, 2025, were erected by artist Roberto Marquez next to the Guadalupe River in Guadalupe Park. Search efforts were suspended Sunday amid new warnings of potential flash flooding in the region. Storms on Sunday brought more floods across Central and North Texas, leading to rescues and evacuations in several counties. Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune view article

At least 132 people have died. State and local leaders say getting an exact figure of the missing is difficult because so many people were visiting the Guadalupe River on the holiday weekend.  More than 10 days after catastrophic July Fourth floods along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, the official death toll across six Hill Country counties has risen to 132 people, while an estimated 101 remain missing, state officials said Monday. view article

Today's weather: There’s a 10% chance of some morning showers. Otherwise, the day will be mostly sunny with a high near 84 and a heat index as high as 102.  Kerr search stalled due to weather  With more than 100 people still missing following July 4 flooding in the state, search efforts in the Texas Hill Country were cut short Monday for the second day in a row as rain continued to drench the region.  Search teams and recovery crews were called off again Monday afternoon when a renewed downpour swelled the Guadalupe River.  The Guadalupe River at Hunt was up 11 feet and continuing to rise by mid-afternoon.   Authorities restricted even emergency vehicle access to Highway 39, one of the places where homes were washed away. view article

Armies of Texan volunteers are leading flood recovery and cleanup, supplementing official efforts even as more flooding hits and the search for the missing continues view article

KERRVILLE — The distinct, earthy scent of bread wafted through Daric Easton’s restaurant and wine bar on the edge of this Hill Country downtown Saturday as workers and local residents filled the place with a typical weekend bustle.  But Grape Juice wasn’t open for business.  Instead, the place that normally seats about 55 people looking for a place to relax not far from the Guadalupe River was operating as a hub for residents and business owners trying to chart a new normal in the aftermath of Kerr County’s catastrophic and deadly July Fourth flood.  Piles of sanitary products, shoes, canned goods and countless other necessities are now just as common inside Grape Juice as the dining tables and racks packed with wine bottles. Residents whose homes were damaged or washed away came Saturday for boxes of food and household items. Or just for a roll of toilet paper. view article

A state appeals court has ruled the Texas Education Agency can release its 2024 ratings of the state’s school districts, overturning a previous ruling in a legal battle that has stretched nearly two years.  Several Texas school districts had sued against the release of last year's accountability scores over concerns about education officials rolling out an automated computer system to grade the state’s standardized tests.  On July 3, the 15th Court of Appeals — all Republicans appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott —granted the state approval to release the 2024 scores after doing the same for 2023 ratings in April. Previously, it ruled that TEA Commissioner Mike Morath did not overstep his authority when he changed the college readiness metrics that help determine schools' performance ratings.  This time, the court similarly found "no evidence" supporting claims that issuing the 2024 ratings went beyond the commissioner's authority. In a written opinion, Chief Justice Scott Brister declared that "it is time for local courts to stop obstructing those policies," while acknowledging how Texans rely on the accountability system to assess public school performance. view article

Religion and the river are constant Kerr County touchstones. As residents lean on their faith, they grapple with their relationship to the water. view article

KERRVILLE — A crowd gathered at Antler Stadium on Wednesday night, but they were not there to see the Tivy Antler football team run drills or host rival teams.  Instead, the parents, teachers, students and others who filled the bleachers solemnly looked ahead at the Kerrville Independent School District’s football field. They grappled with a grief caused by a devastating flood that swept away people young and old in the early hours of July Fourth.  As hundreds trickled in for a vigil for the flood's victims that night, people hugged. Some smiled when they spotted a friend, striking up a conversation. Many cried for the Texas Hill Country, which was struck last Friday by the state’s second-deadliest flood. Among the victims lost to the deadly currents of the Guadalupe River was Reese Zunker, who had coached soccer for 12 years at Tivy High School, home to about 4,700 students. view article

KERRVILLE — A crowd gathered at Antler Stadium on Wednesday night, but they were not there to see the Tivy Antler football team run drills or host rival teams.  Instead, the parents, teachers, students and others who filled the bleachers solemnly looked ahead at the Kerrville Independent School District’s football field. They grappled with a grief caused by a devastating flood that swept away people young and old in the early hours of July Fourth.  As hundreds trickled in for a vigil for the flood's victims that night, people hugged. Some smiled when they spotted a friend, striking up a conversation. Many cried for the Texas Hill Country, which was struck last Friday by the state’s second-deadliest flood. Among the victims lost to the deadly currents of the Guadalupe River was Reese Zunker, who had coached soccer for 12 years at Tivy High School, home to about 4,700 students. view article

The organized attackers lured officers outside and then began shooting. view article

Experts suggested that more data and education are needed as Texas and the rest of the country build in known flood plains. view article

Federal forecasters issued their first flood warning at 1:14 a.m. on July 4. Local officials haven’t shed light on when they saw the warnings or whether they saw them in time to take action. view article

These maps and charts show the scale and intensity of the Hill Country floods and highlight Camp Mystic’s proximity to high-risk flood zones.  Over the July Fourth weekend, the Texas Hill Country experienced catastrophic flooding that killed more than 100 people, left more than 160 others missing and caused widespread damage. One of the hardest hit areas was the town of Kerrville, where the nearby Guadalupe River rose rapidly early in the morning on July 4. view article

Texas Scorecard's Joseph Trimmer covered the aftermath on the ground. The videos he shot are available on ��.  Catastrophic flash floods swept across Central Texas over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. According to state officials, more than 100 people are dead and dozens more are missing. view article

Girls remain missing from the camp, which has hosted the daughters of governors and one president. view article

Raptor Technologies, the leading provider of school safety software, announced its partnership with Liberty Hill Independent School District to implement Raptor Badge Alert, the most advanced wearable panic alert system fully integrated into a school emergency management platform. The district will deploy Raptor Badge Alert across all campuses, equipping staff with a fast, reliable way to initiate emergency alerts and improving real-time communication with first responders. Raptor Badge Alert is a fully managed, end-to-end solution built for K-12 schools. It delivers scalable, compliant emergency response technology to help school districts meet safety mandates and respond quickly to critical incidents. view article

ULTIMATE THREAD DOCUMENTING FLOODING DISASTER IN TEXAS HILL COUNTRY WITH FIRST HAND VIDEO - Joseph Trimemer - Texas Scorecard I spent 2 days documenting the recovery, search and rescue efforts ON THE GROUND in the devastated areas - Joseph Trimmer - post on "X" view article

Camp Mystic says it’s grieving 27 campers and counselors. At least two dozen people were reported missing across the region Monday, though it is not clear how many people in total are still unaccounted for.  The number of people killed in devastating Central Texas floods surpassed 100 on Monday as emergency officials spent another day searching through snapped trees and wrecked homes for those who remain missing — and as clouds threatened to bring more rain and flooding to the region.  A deluge of rainfall inundated the Guadalupe River in Kerr County on Friday before dawn and unleashed a gush of fast-moving water that plucked cabins off their foundations and ravaged the area.  At least 103 people were killed across the region, including 28 children and 56 adults in Kerr County. At least seven people died in Travis County, six in Kendall County, three in Burnet County, two in Williamson County and one in Tom Green County. Portraits of those killed emerged on social media and news outlets over the weekend, including kids who texted their relatives that they loved them. view article

While Texas’ law was blocked by a federal appeals court last week, Paxton says the state is not giving up. view article

A North Texas man charged with capital murder after slipping mifepristone into his girlfriend’s food signals another attempt to rein in abortion pills.  A North Texas man charged with capital murder this month after he allegedly slipped his girlfriend abortion-inducing medication and caused a miscarriage marks the first time a murder charge has been brought in an abortion-related case in Texas.  The case tests a new method for reining in abortion pills — by threatening to prosecute individuals who provide them with the most severe criminal charge — while advancing the longstanding legal provision that defines an embryo as a person, legal experts say. The latter could raise serious implications about the legality of fertility treatments and in other legal realms such as criminal and immigration issues.   “It is shocking to people that the law can be used this way… that this is the extent and result of the more than 20 year old fetal personhood laws,” said Blake Rocap, a Texas attorney who works in abortion rights advocacy and studies pregnancy criminalization. Legal experts say the case will not change Texas laws that prevent women who receive abortions from being prosecuted. view article

Texas will not participate in a federal program that provides summer food assistance for low-income children after Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed state funding for the initiative on June 22. view article

The new law requires health insurance agencies to pay for any adverse effects from a gender mutilating surgery if they provided coverage for the surgery itself.
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The company announced this week that it would discontinue use of harmful color additives in school lunches by summer 2026, expanding the ban to all of its products by 2027.  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office has secured an agreement with food manufacturer General Mills to remove petroleum-based artificial colors from its products.  On Wednesday, General Mills announced plans to remove the artificial dyes from its U.S. cereals and foods served in K-12 schools by summer 2026. It also plans to eliminate the dyes from all U.S. retail products by the end of 2027. view article

Canyon ISD has issued a statement after a student was hit by a car Monday. The statement says, “Monday morning a West Plains High School student was leaving campus on foot and was struck by a vehicle while crossing Loop 335 in the crosswalk.” The statement continues to thank first responders and says, “We are keeping the student and family in our thoughts and prayers as they focus on recovery. Canyon ISD continues to work with TxDOT to improve traffic and pedestrian safety in the area.” view article

The Killeen ISD Board of Trustees said June 17 it will not release any findings from an internal investigation into the fatal stabbing at Roy J. Smith Middle School in March, citing federal privacy laws and a pending criminal case. “We received a briefing from legal counsel today about the internal investigation of the tragic and shocking incident at Roy J. Smith Middle School on March 10, 2025,” the board said. The incident involved an altercation between two students that resulted in the stabbing death of Serenity Baker. view article

The president of a Wharton County school board was arrested Tuesday, accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, according to jail records. Jerry James Svatek, Jr., 59, was taken into custody Tuesday morning. The jail website showed the charge against him was possession of child porn for a child younger than 10 years. view article

The president of the Boling Independent School District board is facing a felony charge. Authorities arrested Jerry James Svatek Jr., 59, Tuesday on a charge of possession of child pornography involving a victim under the age of 10. The investigation was led by the Department of Homeland Security, with assistance from the Texas Rangers, Department of Public Safety, and the Wharton County Sheriff’s Office. view article

Killeen ISD’s Board of Trustees received a legal update Tuesday on the internal investigation into the March 10 incident at Roy J. Smith Middle School, calling the event both “tragic and shocking.” While board members said they would like to share more about the findings, they noted in a statement that federal privacy laws and an ongoing criminal case prevent them from releasing details at this time. view article