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Rick Perry Warns Of A ‘Trail Of Tears’ From Texas-Mexico Border Crisis

Marjorie Kamys Cotera
/
Texas Tribune
At a press conference in Weslaco Monday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry spoke about the influx of kids crossing the Texas-Mexico border.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: how to handle the influx of kids crossing the Mexico-Texas border?; Mike Modano heads to the Hockey Hall of Fame; “Freedom Summer” debuts tonight; and more.

There’s been an influx of children crossing the Mexico-Texas border this year – and state officials are sounding off about what to do about it. The Texas Tribune reports: “Gov. Rick Perry on Monday warned that if Central American leaders do not heed the call to stop their citizens from flooding across the Texas-Mexico border, the summer months will bear witness to a “trail of tears” caused by a surge of dead migrants.” He toured federal detention facilities that are housing the unaccompanied minors. About 60,000 kids are expected to cross the border this year. He criticized the federal government, saying it hasn’t done much to secure the border with Mexico. Last week, Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus directed the Department of Public Safety to allocate $1.3 million a week to ramp up border security operations, The Tribune reports. “The Obama administration has repeatedly defended itself against criticism from state lawmakers by saying it has staffed the U.S. Border Patrol to record levels,” The Tribune reported. At the U.S. Conference of Mayors that just wrapped up in Dallas, mayors are urging action to curb the number of kids crossing the border, as KERA's Stella Chavez reports.

  • Isaiah Austin, a former Baylor basketball star who’s from Arlington, won’t be able to play in the NBA because of a career-ending medical condition. Austin has Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue. The news comes just a few days before the 2014 NBA Draft. The discovery came during genetic testing, which was part of preparation for the draft. Austin was supposed to be a late first-round draft pick. "The draft is … days away, and I had a dream that my name was going to be called," Austin told ESPN. Read more about Austin’s reaction – and learn about Marfan -- from KERA News.

  • Drought-stricken North Texas has received lots of rain over the past few days – and Lake Granbury has benefited. We have video proof. At 9 a.m. Sunday, the water level at Lake Granbury in Hood County was around 682 feet. By 9 a.m. Monday, the level was up to 687 feet – 5 feet in just 24 hours. The Granbury area got 7.36 inches of rain on Sunday. Granbury previously had about 7 inches of rain all year. On Monday, on its YouTube page, the National Weather Service in Fort Worth released a neat time-lapse sequence of the lake filling up. Watch it here.

  • Mike Modano, the retired star of the Dallas Stars, is headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was among six people selected Monday to be inducted in November. ESPN reports:“Modano had 561 career goals and 1,374 points, both of which are records for players born in the U.S. The Michigan native was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars, became a star with the franchise in Dallas and ended his career with his hometown Red Wings.” Relive the March ceremony when the Stars retired Modano’s No. 9 jersey.


  • Watch the debut of the film “Freedom Summer” tonight at 8 on KERA-TV (Channel 13). The documentary focuses on the effort to get blacks registered to vote in Mississippi. Hear North Texans reflect on the 50th anniversary of that movement in KERA’s ongoing radio series, “The Voices of Freedom Summer.” Historian Bruce Watson, whose book serves as the source material for the documentary, recently appeared on KERA’s “Think.” Listen to that conversation here. Watch a preview of tonight’s documentary:

Photo credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera/Texas Tribune

Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.