5 things for Houstonians to know for Friday, May 29

Harris County judge announces winding down of NRG pop-up hospital

Here are things you need to know for Friday, May 29:

1. Minnesota Gov. activates National Guard after days of violence, riots following George Floyd’s death

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called in the National Guard as a wounded Minneapolis braced for more violence Thursday, one day after rioting over the death of a handcuffed black man in police custody reduced parts of one neighborhood to a smoking shambles, with burned buildings, looted stores and angry graffiti demanding justice.

It was the second consecutive night of violent protests following the death of George Floyd, who gasped for breath during a Monday arrest in which an officer kneeled on his neck for almost eight minutes.

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2. President Trump signs executive order targeting social media companies after Twitter fact-check

President Donald Trump escalated his war on Twitter and other social media companies Thursday, signing an executive order challenging the lawsuit protections that have served as a bedrock for unfettered speech on the internet.

Announced with fanfare, the president’s action yet appeared to be more about politics than substance. He aims to rally supporters after he lashed out at Twitter for applying fact checks to two of his tweets.

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3. Several children at Texas Children’s Hospital have multisystem inflammatory syndrome linked to COVID-19

Texas Children’s Hospital confirmed that several children have or are suspected of having multisystem inflammatory syndrome, which is linked to the coronavirus.

The hospital stated that not all of its patients are critically ill from the syndrome.

Doctors are taking several steps to diagnose the children, including taking a close look at their symptoms.

MIS-C has similar characteristics of Kawasaki disease, including high fever, rash on the chest, back and abdomen, red eyes or conjunctivitis, swelling and inflammation of the mouth, lips and throat, enlarged lymph glands in the neck, and redness and swelling of the hands and feet.

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4. Harris County replaces unused NRG Arena tent hospital with new facility for potential COVID-19 surge

The controversial ‘Tent Hospital’ that was assembled, sat unused and then deconstructed, is being replaced with another facility inside NRG Arena.

“We can do it at a cost of about $200,000 a month,” Hidalgo told KPRC 2 Investigates Thursday.

The price tag is to keep the makeshift 150-bed facility in a state of readiness, Hidalgo said. The site will not be activated unless more hospital beds are needed.

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5. Did your child get free or reduced-price school lunches? You may be eligible for $285 in food aid.

Starting Monday, low-income Texas families can apply for $285 in federal aid per child to make up for the free and reduced-price meals they missed while schools were closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Schoolchildren up to 21 years old who received free or reduced-priced meals at school this school year are eligible for the program.

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3 things to share

WORD OF THE DAY

Echinate (or ech·i·nat·ed) [ih-kahy-neyt, -nit, ek-uh-neyt, -nit or ek-uh-ney-tid] (adjective) bristly; prickly.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

May 29, 1953: Edmund Hillary, of New Zealand, and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa of Nepal, become the first explorers to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Shadow owes its birth to light.” - John Gay


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