💸🌊 Did Fiscal Conservatism Stop Kerr County from Installing Life-Saving Flood Warning System?
🚔📉 Pima Sheriff Ends Immigration Call Tracking After Arizona Luminaria Reveals Policy Lapse ⚖️💵 Ex-Edcouch City Manager Sentenced to Prison in Federal Corruption and Bribery Case
💸🌊 Did Fiscal Conservatism Stop Kerr County from Installing Life-Saving Flood Warning System?
César López, Border Center News.- Officials in Kerr County, Texas, are facing harsh scrutiny after it emerged that proposals for a modern flood warning system — which could have saved lives in the recent disaster that killed nearly 100 people — were repeatedly delayed or denied due to fiscal conservatism and public resistance to government spending. Since 2016, county commissioners had discussed and even drafted plans for sirens and gauges to alert residents along the Guadalupe River. However, applications for federal funding were blocked or deprioritized, and $10 million in pandemic relief was redirected to other projects after local backlash against federal aid. Community leaders now demand accountability, with some residents shocked to learn that warnings were considered dozens of times but never implemented.
📌 Key Facts
Nearly 100 people died in the July 4 Kerr County flooding.
A $976,000 warning system plan has stalled since 2016 due to budget concerns and a FEMA denial.
$10.2 million in ARPA funds received in 2021 — flood systems not prioritized.
Political pressure and anti-federal sentiment led to the refusal or redirection of funds.
Kerr County leaders discussed flood alerts at least 20 times since 2016.
The county's emergency manager recommended warning sirens and detection systems.🧭 Why It Matters
Lives could have been saved: Delays in installing modern flood alerts may have cost nearly 100 lives.
Public distrust of government spending has a direct impact on life-saving infrastructure.
Other Texas counties used federal money for flood prevention, highlighting missed opportunities in Kerr.🔮 What’s Next
Demand for accountability is growing from residents and local leaders.
Investigations are likely to be conducted into ARPA spending and county-level disaster planning.
New siren systems may finally be installed, especially in cities like Ingram.
A broader policy debate about balancing fiscal restraint with disaster preparedness could follow at the statewide level.
🚔📉 Pima Sheriff Ends Immigration Call Tracking After Arizona Luminaria Reveals Policy Lapse
John Washington, Arizona Luminaria.- The Pima County Sheriff’s Department quietly ended its requirement to track when deputies contact federal immigration agents, just days after a report by Arizona Luminaria revealed the department had not followed its policy for nearly a year. The 2018 policy required that all immigration-related calls be logged and summarized every month. However, the department ceased tracking these interactions in June 2023 — a lapse that Sheriff Chris Nanos claimed he was unaware of until questioned. Nanos later argued that the rule was a leftover from a prior administration and formally eliminated it on May 21, 2025. Civil rights advocates, including Supervisor Jen Allen, criticized the rollback, citing the need for transparency in an era of rising immigration enforcement. Experts say weak data tracking obstructs police reform, accountability, and trust, especially in communities fearing collaboration between local police and Border Patrol under Trump-era policies.
📌 Key Facts
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department stopped tracking immigration-related calls in June 2023.
The policy requiring monthly reports was quietly dropped in May 2025 after a media investigation.
Sheriff Chris Nanos claimed the rule was unnecessary and originated under a past administration.
At least 16 people were transferred to Border Patrol between January 2022 and June 2023.
Civil rights advocates are demanding greater transparency and a complete halt to immigration collaboration.
The sheriff’s office hasn’t provided records on key recent cases involving Border Patrol involvement.
🧭 Why It Matters
Transparency is at risk: Policy change follows investigative reporting, not community consultation.
Public trust may erode: Immigrant families fear police, undermining safety and justice.
Sets precedent: Local agencies may abandon oversight mechanisms without consequence.
🐄🚫 U.S. Shuts Border Again Over Flesh-Eating Fly Outbreak Spreading Further North in Mexico
John Hanna, Associated Press.- The U.S. has reclosed its southern border to livestock imports after detecting the flesh-eating New World screwworm fly further north in Mexico than previously reported. The parasite, which infests wounds of warm-blooded animals with larvae that consume living flesh, was found 370 miles from the Texas border. U.S. officials, fearing significant economic damage to the cattle industry, halted cattle, horse, and bison imports just days after briefly reopening three ports. Mexico's President, Claudia Sheinbaum, criticized the move as exaggerated, noting a decline in infected animals and compliance with all protocols. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has committed nearly $30 million to expand sterile fly breeding programs in Mexico and Texas to combat the outbreak. Lawmakers are urging faster approval of antiparasitic treatments. The screwworm was eradicated in the U.S. decades ago, and officials are determined to prevent its return through aggressive monitoring and biosecurity.
📌 Key Facts
The U.S. reclosed its southern border to livestock due to a screwworm fly outbreak in Mexico.
Latest infestation detected 370 miles from the Texas border, raising alarm.
Mexico reports 392 infected animals, with cases decreasing nearly 19% since June 24.
Sterile fly programs in Panama and upcoming facilities in Mexico and Texas aim to contain the spread.
USDA is investing $30 million for fly dispersal operations and facilities.
U.S. lawmakers are pressing for approval of existing antiparasitic treatments for livestock.
Mexico accuses the U.S. of overreacting, arguing scientific protocols are being followed.
⚖️💵 Ex-Edcouch City Manager Sentenced to Prison in Federal Corruption and Bribery Case
Mark Reagan, The Monitor.- Former Edcouch City Manager Victor Hugo De La Cruz has been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States in a public corruption case. U.S. District Judge Randy Crane handed down the sentence Thursday, following a similar ruling on June 3 for Rene Adan Flores, a former Edcouch alderman involved in the same scheme. Both men accepted bribes from Brownsville-based Pink Ape Media in exchange for steering a 2019 marketing contract to the company, owned by Mexican national Rodrigo Moreno-Fernandez. Edcouch paid the company $6,000 in total, while Flores pocketed $2,000 in kickbacks. Pink Ape Media was previously linked to a separate bribery case involving the Brownsville school district. De La Cruz and Flores are allowed to self-surrender. The case underscores persistent corruption risks in South Texas municipal governments.