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Your essential guide to Olympians with Texas roots

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Valerie Allman, track and field, discus, Team USA, a Stanford graduate, Allman resides in Austin, where she trains at the University of Texas. She was raised in Colorado.  Ariel Atkins, basketball, Team USA, plays professionally in the WNBA for the Washington Mystics. She was born in Dallas and was a four-year starter at the University of Texas. This is her first U.S. team.  Simone Biles, 24, gymnastics, Team USA, is the dominant gymnast in the field and is a four-time gold medalist. She also earned a bronze in 2016. She has won 19 world championships. A native of Spring, Texas, Biles is expected to be the favorite to repeat as individual all-around champion.  Trayvon Brommell, 26, track and field, Team USA, will be one of the most-watched athletes in Tokyo. He has overcome a pair of Achilles heal injuries, including one suffered in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, to win the U.S. Trials last month. His time of 9.77 in the 100 meters is the fastest of the year. He will run a leg on th

Report says natural gas was primary reason for power outages, 1 died in Kerr County during storm

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A University of Texas report focused on February's winter storm describes massive natural gas failures — in both distribution and storage — as the primary cause for statewide power outages during the storm and loss of life.  A separate Texas Department of State Health Services report said at least 200 people died from the storm, including at least one in Kerr County. The report, produced by the University of Texas, Austin Energy Insitute and partially funded by the Public Utilities Commission, found all energy producers failed. Still, it found significant issues with the natural gas supply, including a failure to weatherize power plants and distribution systems.  The report flies in the face of Gov. Greg Abbott's insistence that the power shortages were the fault of renewable energy. The Texas Legislature approved Senate Bill 3, which was signed into law by Abbott and aimed to prioritize power plant shutdowns and penalize energy providers for failing to meet demand and creatin

Kerrville nursing home was hit with 16 health code violations during pandemic

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A Kerrville nursing home, where 12 people died from COVID-19, was cited 16 times in 2020 for health code violations by Texas regulators. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission issued the citations on Oct. 31 to Waterside Nursing and Rehabilitation, where 89 patients were infected with the virus. An additional 40 staff members contracted the virus. While Waterside officials corrected the issues by Nov. 10 — at the height of the outbreak — state officials found that the nursing home had failed to do the following: Did not keep safe, clean and homelike surroundings. Respect the residents' rights. To post information relating to the total number of hours and actual time of day to be worked by RNs, LVNs and CNAs. To make sure that the director of food service meets DADS qualifications. To make sure that its menus are followed and document any substitutions made to the menus. To include the nursing facility specialized services agreed to by the resident or LAR in the comprehensiv

Kerr County's positivity rate rises again, hospitalizations back to 30 people

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One day after reporting one of its smallest number of positive coronavirus cases, Peterson Health said 23 people tested positive for the virus on Thursday, but with a positivity rate back at 34%, where it’s been for most of the last six weeks. While Wednesday proved to be a one-day dip, the number of people hospitalized at Peterson Regional Medical Center ticked upward for a third consecutive day with 30 people admitted with COVID-19, placing the hospital back in a place where 34% of the patients there were being treated for the virus.  All of this comes on a day when President Joe Biden warned that another 100,000 people across the country could die in the coming weeks from the virus. In Kerr County, an estimated 100 people have died from the virus, while more than 3,000 have now been infected.   Peterson Regional Medical Center has treated a minimum of 129 people and those with COVID-19 have spent an estimated 1,343 days hospitalized since late June. Want more exclusive reporting? Vi