public safety

Amid increasingly intense weather, the Chemical Safety Board is the lone independent agency watching over the Gulf Coast's petrochemical corridor.

Residents say Kerr County's use of CodeRED alerts was sporadic and inconsistent. Local officials have not answered questions about when and how they utilized the system, which has been in place since 2009.

The very qualities that draw people to the beautiful Texas Hill Country — rolling terrain, limestone formations and lazy rivers — also make the area deadly during heavy rainstorms.

The National Weather Service (NWS) advises people to limit time in the sun and avoid strenuous activities during afternoon hours this week.

Texas added seven new confirmed measles cases linked to the outbreak total this week.

On June 9, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, saying the board has lost public trust and this was the only way to restore it.

The state health department is reporting 744 confirmed cases of measles linked to the West Texas outbreak since January. That is the same number it reported on Tuesday.

The cases were in El Paso and Midland counties.

Ninety- four people have been hospitalized with measles since it first broke out in Gaines County in January.

Health care professionals said the only way to prevent measles is to receive two doses of the MMR vaccine. Measles complications can include pneumonia, hearing loss, meningitis, and death.