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George H.W. Bush Hospitalized In Houston For Pneumonia Again, But He’s In ‘Good Spirits’

Adrees Latif
/
Reuters
Bush arrives on the field to do the coin toss at the Super Bowl in Houston on Feb. 5, 2017.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: Bush 41 is back in the hospital; Greg Abbott supports bathroom bill; Bernie Sanders will be in Grand Prairie Thursday; and more.

Former President George H.W. Bush has been hospitalized in Houston since Friday with a recurrence of a case of pneumonia — the same illness that put him in the same hospital for 16 days in January.

The 92-year-old former president has been staying at Methodist Hospital for observation because of a persistent cough, Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said in a brief statement Tuesday. He said doctors diagnosed a mild case of pneumonia that has been treated and resolved. The former president "is in very good spirits and is being held for further observation while he regains his strength," McGrath said.

Bush was hospitalized in 2015 in Maine after falling at his summer home and breaking a bone in his neck. He was also hospitalized in Houston in December 2014 for about a week for shortness of breath. He spent Christmas 2012 in intensive care for a bronchitis-related cough and other issues. [The Associated Press]

  • After long silence, Gov. Greg Abbottsignaled support of House “bathroom bill” that some hope provides an alternative to Senate Bill 6. Abbott called the bill, developed by state Rep. Ron Simmons, R-Carrollton, a "thoughtful proposal." The Texas Tribune reports: “The revised version of Simmons' House Bill 2899, which will be the subject of a committee hearing Wednesday, would invalidate local trans-inclusive bathroom policies, including anti-discrimination ordinances meant to allow transgender people access to public bathrooms based on gender identity and some school policies meant to accommodate transgender students.” [The Texas Tribune]

  • Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will hold a rally in Grand Prairie Thursday at noon. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports: “The 75-year-old Vermont senator, with other Democratic Party leaders, will gather with grassroots activists and supporters at noon at the Verizon Theater in Grand Prairie to talk about their goals, ranging from boosting the minimum wage to adopting comprehensive immigration and tax reform.” The rally is part of a “Come Back and Fight” tour. Admission is first-come, first-serve with the doors opening at 10:30 a.m. [Fort Worth Star-Telegram]

 

  • West Dallas is gentrifying, and residents who’ve lived there for generations are being pushed out. High-end restaurants and multiplying apartment complexes have crowded out the area’s bleak warehouses and weathered rental houses. A community in such homes were served an eviction notice last fall after the city’s housing codes were strengthened. That means 305 families used to paying $400 per month in rent have to be gone by summer. But many of them don’t have an affordable option. KERA will explore the housing issues further in One Crisis Away: “No Place To Go,” launching Tuesday. [KERA News]

 

  • Your chances of catching a March Madness matchup in North Texas just got better. The early rounds of the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments will be at two familiar Dallas venues and one that's in the works in Fort Worth. SportsDay reports: “SMU's Moody Coliseum will host the regional finals of the 2020 women's tournament, while the American Airlines Center will have the first and second rounds of the 2021 men's tourney.” Fort Worth’s new arena will host first- and second-round games of the NCAA men’s tournament in 2022. [SportsDay]

The High Five is KERA's daily roundup of news stories from Dallas-Fort Worth and across the state. Explore our archives here. And sign up for our weekly email for the North Texas news you need to know.