With scores still missing from Texas flood, a quest to ‘find every soul'
It was his 10th day volunteering with the massive effort to find bodies — and to provide solace to the families most devastated by Texas Hill Country's historic flooding on the Fourth of July. Often working solo, Vine had maneuvered his skid steer and flatbed trailer to clear tons of debris carried downstream by the raging waters. So far, the contractor had helped recover the remains of eight people.
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Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Back to school: What to know about calendars, resources and new rules in Corpus Christi
As summer comes to a close, it's time for Corpus Christi families to start thinking about school buses, backpacks and books. The first day of school for Corpus Christi Independent School District students is Aug. 11. Other area school districts return shortly afterward, including the West Oso Independent School District on Aug. 12 and the Flour Bluff and Calallen districts on Aug. 13. If you have a child awaiting the start of the school year, here are a few things to know: When does the school year start? Where can I find the calendar? Corpus Christi ISD's 2025-26 calendar is available online at under the "school calendar" tab. The year starts for students on Aug. 11 and ends May 28. Corpus Christi ISD offers a fall intersession Oct. 13-17. Other school districts have different calendars. This means that in addition to different first and last days, each district also gives students different days off for holidays and intersessions. Exact dates might vary, but federal holidays, Thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks are recognized by each district. A handful of districts also give days off during the Nueces County Junior Livestock Show. West Oso ISD returns on Aug. 12. The school year lasts until May 28. The full calendar is available online at It includes a fall intersession Oct. 13-17. Flour Bluff ISD's school year lasts from Aug. 13 until May 28. The calendar is available at Calallen ISD returns Aug. 13. The school year lasts until May 29, though seniors will finish on May 21. The Calallen calendar is available online at Other school districts have already gotten back to the classroom, like London Independent School District, which returned July 23, and Tuloso-Midway Independent School District, which started on July 16. Tuloso-Midway ISD's calendar is available online at The school year lasts until May 21. Tuloso-Midway ISD's extended school year calendar includes several intersessions scheduled for Sept. 2-5, Oct. 27-31, Feb. 23-27 and March 30-April 2. London ISD's school year lasts until May 22, which is an early release day. The calendar includes intersessions scheduled for Oct. 20-24, Feb. 16-20 and March 30-April 3. How to attend back-to-school resource events: Get backpacks, haircuts, immunizations, sports physicals and more LEAD First is hosting its annual Happy Health back-to-school fair from 9 a.m. to noon on July 26 at Miller High School. The event is open to students of any age from any school. The fair will offer backpacks and school supplies while supplies last, health screenings, food bags donated by the Coastal Bend Food Bank, sports physicals, hearing and vision tests, diabetes tests, blood pressure checks, fatty liver tissue screenings and immunizations, as well as information about health services. Nueces County's Operation Health and Wellness is ongoing. The free event began July 21 and will continue through July 26. The event runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 26. Veterinary services are available at the Johnny S. Calderon Nueces County Center from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 24-26. The initiative offers the following health services at Mission of Mercy, West Oso Junior High School and the Calderon Nueces County Center: Mission of Mercy: optometry and dental services. West Oso Junior High School: general medical, immunizations, diabetes screening, behavioral health, back-to-school physicals, women's exams and pharmacy. Calderon Nueces County Center: immunizations, general medical, diabetes screening, behavioral health, back-to-school physicals, women's exams, pharmacy and veterinary services. The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Coastal Bend is hosting a Back to School Bash from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 26 at 3902 Greenwood Drive. The event features school supplies, free and low-cost eye exams and glasses, free haircuts, free sports physicals, limited free clothing and shoes, food, drinks and games. Operation Safe Return, hosted by the Corpus Christi Police Department, will provide 4,000 backpacks, school supplies, food bags, health tests and screenings, immunizations, sports physicals and safety information from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 2 at the American Bank Center. For immunizations, a parent or legal guardian must be present with a valid ID. Families should bring the child's immunization record and proof of health insurance. The event is designed for students of any age from any school. Students need to come with a parent or legal guardian to receive featured items. What to know about school cell phone bans This spring, Texas lawmakers approved legislation banning student cell phone use in public schools. The new law directs school boards to ensure schools comply with a written policy prohibiting students from using personal communication devices while on school property during the school day. This includes personal cell phones, smartwatches, pagers, radios and tablets. Students are still allowed to use electronic devices provided by their school. The law allows schools to either prohibit students from bringing cell phones to school or designate a method for storing cell phones while students are at school. Exceptions include if a student has a documented need based on the directive of a qualified physician or if a device is needed to comply with individualized education program plans for students with disabilities. Adult education programs are also excluded. Corpus Christi ISD announced in mid-July that district officials are studying the legislation, and the school board is expected to adopt a new policy on July 28. The district previously limited cell phone use last year, requiring middle and elementary students to keep devices turned off during the school day and allowing high school students to only use devices between classes and during lunch. 'We had overwhelmingly positive feedback regarding our updated cellphone rules for the 2024-2025 school year,' Superintendent Roland Hernandez said in a news release. 'While we understand the new legislation may necessitate further habit changes by our students and families, we appreciate the Legislature's desire to support schools in keeping the school day a focused learning environment." Other area school districts are having similar discussions. Here's the next nonstop flight out of Corpus Christi International Airport Corpus Christi police rule out foul play after finding body near Oso Creek Plans set to move forward with Cinergy Entertainment Center in Corpus Christi Corpus Christi City Council approves 2026 budget for crime control, prevention This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: What to know before Corpus Christi heads back to school Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
3 hours ago
- CBS News
A family hired a contractor to repair the driveway for their special needs child. They say the repairs quickly faltered.
A local family says they're out thousands of dollars after hiring a contractor to repair their driveway and build a wheelchair-accessible ramp for their special needs son. A new path meant to include Devin Roberts now leaves him behind, stuck watching from above. "The whole project is disappointing," said Casey Roberts, Devin's mother. "Obviously, with limited mobility, you have limited options where you can go, and we wanted to even go to family gatherings we were going to have in the backyard," Devin's father, Shawn Roberts, said. Devin has special needs. He's in a wheelchair and can't get around without help from his parents or brother, Nick, but that doesn't stop them from making sure he's always part of the world around him. "We started to plan for this 11 years ago after we had the patio and a front walk done," said Shawn. Finally, this year, the Roberts came up with enough money to get it done. It cost an estimated $37,000 to repair the driveway and build a wheelchair ramp to the backyard. They hired AB Concrete and Excavating to get the job done. Work began June 2, with the Roberts paying half of the total cost up front. "So, a significant investment, but we wanted to do it for our family," said Shawn. Bah: How does it feel knowing this is what you've been left with? Casey: It's disheartening. The Roberts say the project quickly went downhill. "This is way steeper than it's supposed to be. It's also too narrow, and there's also no ramp," Shawn explained. "Really, from the beginning, it didn't start off well, and it didn't end well." An industry expert met with KDKA-TV at the Roberts household to explain what, if anything, is wrong with the work that was done. "This part here you can tell was poured hot," said Brian Tomasits, as he described the errors he saw at the house. Tomasits owns Tomasits Landscaping, working in the field for over 30 years, and he even built the walkway to the Roberts' home and patio 11 years ago. "It's obviously a bad job, bad installation by the contractor," he said. Tomasits said the driveway and backyard walkway are already falling apart. "This is just two concrete trucks poured up against each other," Tomasits explained. Tomasits agrees that the path to the backyard is not wide enough for a wheelchair and is also way too steep. All told, the Roberts wrote three different checks to AB Concrete and Excavating during the project's construction, which was only expected to last three days. Those checks totaled $34,250, short $2,750 of the balance owed. Shawn said he was going to pay the rest until he saw the quality of the work and asked them to stop. "I just wish, if we would have known when he started it was going to end up this way, we wouldn't have had him start," explained Casey. "It was supposed to be a two-to-three-day job that turned into a month," Shawn added. On July 7, Shawn sent an email to the owner of AB Concrete and Excavating asking them to address the issues. On July 15, the owner responded, admitting there were inconsistencies in the finish, but said it was only because he wasn't allowed to complete the job. "We've tried over and over to get a resolution, and each time, his proposed solution is not what he delivers as a solution," Shawn said. "Absolutely, I think that would be the fair thing to do," said Shawn when asked if the family wanted their money back. KDKA-TV reached out to the owner of AB Concrete and Excavating. After multiple attempts to contact the owner, when asked if he was willing to meet and discuss the issues presented by the Roberts family or issue a refund, the owner claimed that he was still owed money for the job. "I believe [the question of a refund] is for Shawn Roberts and I to discuss or our attorneys to discuss," the owner said when contacted by KDKA-TV. When asked how much it would take to make more repairs to the home following the job, Tomasits said it would be between $50,000 and $60,000. With the nearly $40,000 the Roberts have already spent, that would leave them at nearly $100,000 all in. "Any money we have to pay additional out of pocket, that's less time or money that we have to save for Nicholas' education or Devin's future." A high price to pay, both literally and figuratively, for quality time as a family.
CBS News
5 hours ago
- CBS News
Fire destroys buildings at Miccosukee reservation, community vows to rebuild
A massive fire that tore through part of the Miccosukee Indian reservation Sunday night destroyed several buildings, damaged vehicles and left a deep mark on a tight-knit community. The fire erupted just before 8:40 p.m. at the Miccosukee Tiger Camp off Southwest 8th Street at 377th Avenue, prompting a swift multi-agency response that included Miccosukee police and security and more than 70 Miami-Dade firefighters. Sherry Tiger, whose grandfather Buffalo Tiger helped found the Tiger Camp, said three key community structures were lost: her aunt's home, a sewing and craft learning center, and a traditional Chickee building. "We still can't believe what we saw. A couple of buildings are down. This was a family camp with tradition and it has been here 40 to 50 years. It's my family camp," Tiger said. "We lost a sewing center for the community," she added. "A seamstress was in there where they teach people to do patch work and make clothing. We also lost a main Chickee building for the community where people go to eat and stay." Tiger said her aunt's family lost everything in the fire. "It is really tragic and very sad. I feel so bad for my aunt and her family. They lost everything. I have lived here my whole life," she said. Despite the loss, she emphasized the community's resilience: "That is what we do. We try to help each other." J.M. Richard, Assistant Fire Chief of Operations for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, said five buildings and multiple vehicles were damaged or destroyed. The blaze was elevated to a third alarm to bring in additional resources. "The fire was complicated by strong winds and down power lines throughout the street and the community hampering firefighting efforts," Richard said. He credited Miccosukee police and security for helping evacuate the area swiftly. "They assisted in the evacuation preventing injuries and I have to take my hat off to them," he said. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue released dramatic images and video from the scene, including aerial footage showing flames engulfing the area. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but officials said no injuries were reported and no foul play is suspected. Tiger said she believes the fire started by accident.
