Here are things you need to know for Thursday, May 14:
1. AMBER ALERT: Texas officials release photo of person interest in 14-year-old’s disappearance
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An Amber Alert was issued for a Texas teen Wednesday evening after Willow Sirmans, 14, was reported as a runaway Tuesday, according to the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office.
Late Wednesday night, officials released a photo and description of a person of interest in the teenager’s disappearance.
On Thursday morning, officials said they believe Walker is driving a white 2012 Toyota Camry bearing Texas license plate LGH-9294.
2. Houstonians are weighing concerns as gyms prepare to reopen Monday
Gyms and fitness centers are preparing to reopen on Monday but a lot of Houstonians are wondering if they should stay away a little longer or go and get back into their old fitness routine?
If you’ve been sweating it out at home over the past couple of months a sports medicine expert says you may want to stay the course.
“Probably not the best idea if you can get by at home,” says Dr. Rand McClain, a sports medicine physician. “You’re definitely increasing your risk, there’s no two ways about it.”
3. Houston area seeing slight uptick in number of coronavirus cases, but what does it mean?
Over the last seven days, data provided to the Texas Department of State Health Services showed an uptick in the daily number of positive COVID-19 cases reported in Harris County.
However, infectious disease experts say daily totals can be misleading and a better barometer is the positivity rate. This rate gives the daily percentage of those testing positive for COVID-19.
According to state data analyzed by Channel 2 Investigates, the positivity rate in Texas began dropping from a high of 15% on April 12 but has since plateaued at between 5% and 7% since April 23.
4. Man accused of stealing elderly man’s stimulus check, deputies say
A Montgomery County man is facing serious charges after he was accused of stealing an elderly man’s stimulus check in New Caney, deputies said.
Deputies said just after 10 p.m. Wednesday a Montgomery County Precinct 4 deputy on patrol in the Peach Creek Forest Subdivision spotted a man going through mailboxes.
The man was stopped and found in possession of meth in addition to a stimulus check for $1,200.
Deputies went to the address on the check and learned it belonged to a disabled elderly man who had been expecting the check.
5. 2 arrested after Texas police find 6-year-old locked in shed
Police have arrested two people after finding a 6-year-old boy locked in a shed in Dallas.
A witness directed officers to the boy on Sunday night during a welfare check at a home in a suburban neighborhood on the city’s southeast side, said police spokeswoman Tamika Dameron.
The boy, his 7-year-old sister and their 4-year-old brother were removed from the home and placed in foster care, said a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
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WORD OF THE DAY
Palanquin [pal-uh n-keen] (noun) (formerly in India and other Eastern countries) a passenger conveyance, usually for one person, consisting of a covered or boxlike litter carried by means of poles resting on the shoulders of several men.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
May 14, 1804: One year after the United States doubled its territory with the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition leaves St. Louis, on a mission to explore the Northwest from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The precision of naming takes away from the uniqueness of seeing.” - Pierre Bonnard