INSIDER
Concrete truck driver indicted on two charges related to deadly Hays CISD bus crash
Read full article: Concrete truck driver indicted on two charges related to deadly Hays CISD bus crashA Bastrop County grand jury on Tuesday indicted a concrete truck driver in connection with a crash involving a Hays CISD bus that left two people dead.
End your summer vacation with an ‘off-beaten path’ camping spot in Bastrop
Read full article: End your summer vacation with an ‘off-beaten path’ camping spot in BastropIf camping is still on your list this summer, Lake Bastrop South Shore Park can be a great spot off the beaten path for you and your family.
Texas school bus with over 40 pre-K students struck by cement truck, killing 2, authorities say
Read full article: Texas school bus with over 40 pre-K students struck by cement truck, killing 2, authorities sayAuthorities say a concrete truck has crashed into a school bus carrying more than 40 pre-K students on a field trip in Texas, killing a boy on the bus and a man in a third vehicle.
Texas school bus with over 40 pre-K students struck by cement truck, killing 2, authorities say
Read full article: Texas school bus with over 40 pre-K students struck by cement truck, killing 2, authorities sayAuthorities say a concrete truck has crashed into a school bus carrying more than 40 pre-K students on a field trip in Texas, killing a boy on the bus and a man in a third vehicle.
Why some Texas cities are getting rid of their minimum parking rules
Read full article: Why some Texas cities are getting rid of their minimum parking rulesMost cities require homes and businesses to have parking. Critics say they drive up housing costs, foster car dependency and raise carbon emissions.
Texas is preparing for more wildfires without a break from heat in forecast
Read full article: Texas is preparing for more wildfires without a break from heat in forecastThe number of acres burned this year is dramatically lower compared to 2022. But a rash of new fires have put state and local officials on edge.
After abuse accusations at The Refuge, Texas will create new reporting and screening requirements for foster care workers
Read full article: After abuse accusations at The Refuge, Texas will create new reporting and screening requirements for foster care workersThe legislation came after The Refuge, a Bastrop foster care facility, hired a caretaker without knowing she had a history of sexual misconduct with children at a state juvenile facility. Coworkers also concealed evidence of the abuse, which further put the foster girls at harm.
Texas man ‘improperly carrying a loaded firearm’ accidentally opens fire, injures kids at restaurant, police say
Read full article: Texas man ‘improperly carrying a loaded firearm’ accidentally opens fire, injures kids at restaurant, police sayA Texas man was arrested after his gun went off at a restaurant and injured people, including kids, police said.
Bastrop County grand jury declines to indict caretaker at center of The Refuge abuse scandal
Read full article: Bastrop County grand jury declines to indict caretaker at center of The Refuge abuse scandalThe grand jury said it did not find sufficient evidence to indict Iesha Greene, who was reported to have sold and solicited nude photos of children at the Bastrop shelter.
Lack of communication between child welfare and juvenile justice systems hurts foster kids, court monitors say
Read full article: Lack of communication between child welfare and juvenile justice systems hurts foster kids, court monitors sayThe court-appointed watchdogs expressed concern after learning that a caretaker accused of exploiting children at a state-licensed facility in Bastrop had been previously fired from a state juvenile justice facility for misconduct.
Judge loses trust in Texas’ child abuse investigation of foster care facility and calls for federal inquiry
Read full article: Judge loses trust in Texas’ child abuse investigation of foster care facility and calls for federal inquiryU.S. District Judge Janis Jack said she is seeking a federal criminal investigation into allegations that children were sexually abused and trafficked at The Refuge, a state-licensed foster care shelter for victims of sex trafficking.
Sex trafficking allegations at The Refuge to be referred to federal prosecutors for potential criminal charges
Read full article: Sex trafficking allegations at The Refuge to be referred to federal prosecutors for potential criminal chargesJudge Janis Jack, who oversees a years-long federal lawsuit into systemic issues within the state’s foster care facility, sharply criticized the Texas Rangers and Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw, who concluded earlier this month that no wrongdoing had taken place at the now-shuttered The Refuge.
Child welfare monitors say there’s “ample evidence” kids were abused at Bastrop foster care facility, disputing Texas Rangers
Read full article: Child welfare monitors say there’s “ample evidence” kids were abused at Bastrop foster care facility, disputing Texas RangersCourt-appointed watchdogs of Texas’ troubled foster care system found "ample evidence" that former sex trafficking victims were abused at a foster care facility, contradicting the Texas Rangers’ findings earlier this month.
State-licensed shelter where sex trafficking victims were reportedly abused ordered to close
Read full article: State-licensed shelter where sex trafficking victims were reportedly abused ordered to closeThe Refuge, which closed Friday, said it fired an employee accused of coercing the victims to sell nude photos as soon as it found out. The Bastrop-based shelter has not addressed the other eight staff members also accused of causing harm to the girls.
Authorities watching for ‘creeping’ flames in Bastrop, but wildfire still contained
Read full article: Authorities watching for ‘creeping’ flames in Bastrop, but wildfire still containedA fire that started in Bastrop State Park is no longer growing, but authorities are still watching for “smoldering” and “creeping” flames as of Thursday morning.
Prescribed burn gone wrong likely sparked wildfire in Bastrop County, officials say
Read full article: Prescribed burn gone wrong likely sparked wildfire in Bastrop County, officials sayControlled burns, used to prevent catastrophic wildfires, are typically safe and rarely get out of control. Experts warn that burns gone awry can scare residents and compromise the critical fire management tool.
Texas wildfire no longer growing, some evacuations lifted
Read full article: Texas wildfire no longer growing, some evacuations liftedAuthorities say a wildfire in a central Texas state park is no longer growing and no injuries were reported after the blaze burned 1.2 square miles in the city of Bastrop.
Texas wildfire started in Bastrop State Park as a planned burn, officials say
Read full article: Texas wildfire started in Bastrop State Park as a planned burn, officials sayA wildfire whipped by gusty winds in a Central Texas state park has forced the evacuation of dozens of homes in the city of Bastrop, the site of a deadly blaze a decade ago.
Rejecting claims of innocence, judge says Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed should not get a new trial
Read full article: Rejecting claims of innocence, judge says Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed should not get a new trialDoubts over Reed’s guilt in the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites have lingered for more than 20 years and gained international attention. But a judge decided against recommending a new trial.
Bastrop asst. fire chief struck, police sergeant dragged by DWI suspect’s vehicle, city says
Read full article: Bastrop asst. fire chief struck, police sergeant dragged by DWI suspect’s vehicle, city saysA Bastrop assistant fire chief was struck and a police sergeant was dragged by a DWI suspect’s vehicle during a crash investigation Thursday night, city officials said.