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By Chris Edwards
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Hurricane season is officially among us as of today, and according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Texas, as well as the rest of the Gulf and East coasts will likely experience a “near-normal” hurricane season.
There are between 12 to 17 named storms predicted to form this season, according to forecasting, with one to four of them possible Category 3 hurricanes. The Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June 1 through Nov. 30.
According to the NOAA, an average Atlantic hurricane season is one with 14 named storms, with three of them “stronger hurricanes.”
The state’s Health and Human Services Commission, in a news release last Thursday, reminded all healthcare facilities, including long-term care facilities, and childcare operations to make sure their emergency preparedness plans are updated and in place for the hurricane season.
Stephen Pahl, the deputy executive commissioner with HHSC, said “Texas weather can be very unpredictable.”
On Tuesday, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham held a press conference and reminded Texans to prepare; to take measure to protect families and homes.
“Because of the GLO’s disaster recovery programs, Texas is better prepared for natural disasters like hurricanes, floods and wildfires,” Buckingham said.
In another news release from the Texas Electricity Ratings blog, despite predictions citing “near average activity” or “slightly below average activity,” predictions are subject to uncertainties. NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said during a news conference last week that “it only takes one storm to devastate a community.” Spinrad’s warning is something that Texans, unfortunately, know all too well, throughout the past two decades, with catastrophic hurricanes Rita; Ike and Harvey.
The site notes how the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) “plays a huge role in how tropical storms form by affecting the temperature of large areas of the mid-Pacific Ocean at the equator.”
There are three phases of ENSO: La Nina; El Nino and ENSO Neutral. According to the NOAA, conditions that both suppress and encourage hurricane development are at play. NOAA expects an El Nino pattern to develop, which has been absent in recent years. El Nino weather has historically dampened hurricane activity in the Atlantic. Last year saw La Nina conditions, in which colder than normal water moves into the mid-Pacific Ocean, thus bringing cold winter weather to the northern United States, but mild, drier weather to Texas.
According to NOAA, other factors in the Atlantic Ocean such as warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures can fuel storm development.
The normal peak times for tropical storms are in August and September, which means, if El Nino emerges by August, it could reduce the possibility of any storms hitting the Gulf of Mexico at that time.
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AUSTIN – The efforts of Attorney General Paxton’s Criminal Prosecution Division have led to repeat sex offender Daniel Barbosa, 37, being sentenced to 18 years in prison by Judge Jennifer Pena from the 290th District Court of Bexar County, Texas.
In April of 2019, the Defendant was released from prison after serving a sentence for Indecency with a Child by Exposure. Nine days after his release, the Defendant met a victim to whom he served alcohol tainted with drugs, which sedated the victim. He then sexually assaulted the victim. The victim reported the assault to law enforcement and sought medical treatment. A routine drug screen during that process revealed the presence of four different illegal drugs that she did not knowingly ingest.
On the morning of the trial, Barbosa elected to change his plea to “guilty” and elected to have his punishment assessed by the court. The parties negotiated a punishment range of 5–18 years in prison, and the case was set for sentencing.
After hearing from the victim, the defendant’s mother and aunt, Judge Pena called him “dangerous” and sentenced him to the negotiated maximum sentence of 18 years.
The Office of the Attorney General represented the State as the District Attorney Pro Tem of Bexar County, Texas, due to the elected District Attorney’s having represented Barbosa in his prior sexual assault case.
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From Staff Reports
WHITETAIL RIDGE – The Tyler County Sheriff’s Office recently made an arrest of a Harris County man who had several active warrants out for his arrest, according to Tyler County Sheriff Bryan Weatherford.
Weatherford said that on the morning of Friday, May 12, at approximately 1:30 a.m., deputies patrolling in the Whitetail Ridge area made contact with a suspicious male subject on County Road 2200. They identified him as Donnie Feit, a 36-year-old Cypress resident.
The deputies learned, after speaking with Feit, that he had several active warrants out of Harris County. He was subsequently arrested and transported to the Tyler County Jail, where he is awaiting transfer to the Harris County Jail. His charges, for which he has the warrants, include: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; criminal trespass and terroristic threat.
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STOCK PHOTO
By Chris Edwards
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WOODVILLE – An inmate at the Gib Lewis Unit was killed on Saturday by his cellmate, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
The deceased was identified as Jimmy Lynn White, a 61-year-old Red River County resident who was serving a six-year sentence on a possession of controlled substance charge out of his county of residence.
A TDCJ spokesman, Robert Hurst, reported that White died in the medical facility at the prison. The identity of the cellmate has not been released by TDCJ, and no charges have been filed.
Reportedly, White was scheduled to be released soon. His TDCJ records show that he was eligible for parole as of Feb. 19 of this year.
Earlier this year, another Gib Lewis inmate, Danny Luken, 56, who was serving a life sentence plus 84 years, was fatally injured by cellmate Jason Mark Ryder. Ryder was subsequently charged with his death.
Also of recent note, in August of last year, 42-year-old Justin Levi Galloway was killed at the prison. His death was initially reported as a suicide, but later ruled to be a homicide. A death certificate obtained by the Booster stated that, under a description of injury, was a listing of “noose around neck causing asphyxiation.”
On June 27, 2023, another death, of a guard, was reported, due to a self-inflicted injury.
According to data from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a total of 4,234 people died in state and federal prisons in 2019, which is the most recent year statistics are available. Of that number, 143 were homicides.
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Colmesneil’s legendary swimmin’ hole Lake Tejas is being prepped for the coming summer season. New amenities include a brand-new diving tower with spring boards on both the high and low dive tiers. The lake will be open beginning Memorial Day weekend to those who want to come out for a swim, or to lay out in the sun. It is also available for fishing and camping. To book an overnight stay, visit the webpage https://www.colmesneilisd.net/page/lake-tejas . CHRIS EDWARDS | TCB
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