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Top Stories: Abbott Talks School Safety Plan In Dallas; Turnaround At Fort Worth Schools

Bill Zeeble / KERA News

The top local stories this evening from KERA News: 

Gov. Greg Abbott came to Dallas Wednesday to release a 43-page School and Firearm Safety Action Plan. It came nearly two weeks after the deadly shootings at Santa Fe High School. 

As KERA’s Bill Zeeble reports, the plan makes $120 million available to schools.

Other stories this evening:

  • The Fort Worth school district is pointing to successes in its lowest-performing elementary schools. Preliminary results from the state standardized STAAR test show improvement among fifth graders at schools transformed into leadership academies. The district added new staff to those campuses, extended the school day and gave students additional tutoring.

  • In 2016, armed militia groups supporting rancher Ammon Bundy seized control the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon and held it for several weeks. Bundy and his supporters were outraged by federal regulations on land use, and how it affected ranchers in the area. Journalist James Pogue was on the scene during the standoff, and today on Think, he talked with Krys Boyd about why people across the nation identified with Bundy.

  • A longtime adviser to Gov. Greg Abbott is awaiting approval from the Senate for a seat on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. President Trump nominated Andrew Oldham to the influential appeals court that hears cases from Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Democrats and liberal groups have opposed him citing a track record of conservative positions. KERA’s Christopher Connelly reports.

You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM.

Gus Contreras is a digital producer and reporter at KERA News. Gus produces the local All Things Considered segment and reports on a variety of topics from, sports to immigration. He was an intern and production assistant for All Things Considered in Washington D.C.