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Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 1906, author Robert Ervin Howard was born in Peaster. The creator of Conan the Barbarian, he is one of the best-selling fantasy authors of all time.

The National Weather Service issued its first-ever blizzard warning for Beaumont yesterday morning. Although some residents briefly lost power, lots of people spent the day having fun in the snow. Check out these photos!

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Snow Blankets Houston

Snow, sleet, and ice blanketed a large swath of Texas from Austin and San Antonio to Houston Monday night and Tuesday morning, prompting the National Weather Service to issue its first-ever blizzard warning for Beaumont. That warning expired at noon yesterday.

Several thousand customers lost power in the Houston area, and grid operator ERCOT issued an internal transmission emergency alert for South and Southeast Texas early Tuesday morning. The grid's power supply and operating reserves remained stable, however.

Local news stations compiled photos from reporters and viewers, showing scenes of people sledding, building snowmen, and pets playing in the snow. One man even went skiing!

More Buoys Installed in Rio Grande

Shortly after President Trump's inauguration on Monday, crews installed more buoys in the Rio Grande to deter migrants from trying to cross the border illegally into Texas. The floating barriers had been a point of contention between state officials and the Biden administration since they were first installed in 2023.

Gov. Greg Abbott also shared a letter he wrote to President Trump, asking him to "protect Texas and the entire U.S. from the invasion along our southern border." Trump signed several executive orders on his first day in office aimed at enhancing border security and clamping down on illegal immigration.

Meanwhile, users of the CBP One app—introduced by the previous administration to help migrants schedule asylum hearings—received an alert stating that all pending appointments had been canceled after Trump was sworn in. Since that function was rolled out in January 2023, over 900,000 migrants had used the app to schedule hearings and to be admitted to the country.

Austin Couple Missing Since July

Today marks six months since a UT Austin graduate student and his wife went missing as they were traveling through Mexico on their way to Chile.

Known for their adventurous spirit, Frank Guzman and Caroline Katba last made contact with their families on July 22 from Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico, a week after embarking on a two-month road trip to Chile. In September, Guzman's professor told his family that he hadn't joined his online class, prompting a frantic search for the couple.

Without evidence of a crime, assistance from U.S. and Mexican authorities has been limited. In October, UT Austin closed its investigation into Guzman's disappearance.

A private investigator is now handling the case, and the family is trying to obtain access to phone and bank records. Guzman has been listed as a missing person by the Texas Department of Public Safety, and a GoFundMe campaign has been set up to assist the family with the search.

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➤ Wichita Falls: A pipe bomb was found under the Wichita River Bridge on Sunday. The device has been sent to a lab in Dallas for analysis, and the FBI and ATF are assisting in the investigation. (More)

➤ Richmond: Three 18-wheelers were involved in a wreck on US 59 early Tuesday morning amid icy conditions. Two people were hospitalized, and one truck carrying jalapeños spilled some of its load on the highway. (More)

➤ Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed his 106th lawsuit against the outgoing Biden administration on Monday, challenging its offshore drilling ban. "In 2021, I became the first State Attorney General to sue Biden just three days into his failed administration. Now, I will be the last AG to sue Biden on his way out of Washington," Paxton said. (See Details)

➤ Balch Springs: A suspect accused of stealing several items from a church was apprehended by police after he was found hiding in a trash can. (See Photo)

➤ Fredericksburg: Hilton is building a Home2Suites extended-stay hotel just off Highway 290, known as the Texas Hill Country Wine Trail. The $6 million hotel is scheduled to be completed in April 2026. (More)

➤ President Donald Trump acknowledged Gov. Greg Abbott in a crowd of supporters during a post-inauguration event Monday. "He's doing a phenomenal job, but now you're going to have a partner that's gonna work with you," Trump said. (More)

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➤ Houston Texans All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. told reporters, "I want to be here forever" when asked about a potential extension with the team. (More)

➤ Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford set season highs in points, rebounds, and blocks in the team's 110-105 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Monday. (More)

➤ The Texas Longhorns have the second-best odds to win next year's college football national championship as the team moves into the Arch Manning era. (More)

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➤ PayPal plans to invest $17.3 million to renovate 80,091 square feet of office space across three floors of a 24-story building in Austin. (More)

➤ San Antonio-based GOGO Charters is launching a daily bus route between San Antonio and Dallas with stops in San Marcos, Austin, Temple, and Waco. The company's luxury buses have extra legroom, televisions, device chargers, Wi-Fi, and on-board bathrooms. (More)

➤ Construction began Thursday on "The Mix," a $3 billion, 112-acre development in fast-growing Frisco. The project will include two hotels, a medical office, apartment units, a high-end grocery store, and a park. (Watch Video)

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➤ Some residents of a San Antonio neighborhood are complaining about a 9-foot concrete fence, which is said to have the appearance of a "Mexican drug cartel compound." The homeowner said that the onslaught of criticism about the fence demonstrates why he needs it. (See Photo)

➤ The recent cold weather has improved sales of firewood for Curtis Kinsey, the owner of a North Richland Hills landscaping and tree-trimming company called GI-Mow. (More)

➤ Texas ranks as the ninth-best state for driving a vehicle, according to a recent study that examined the cost of ownership and maintenance, accident rates, traffic and infrastructure, and access to vehicles and maintenance services. (See List)