Here are things to know for Monday, May 24:
1. Woman found dead inside vehicle that crashed in flooded bayou, deputies say
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A woman was found dead inside a vehicle that crashed into a bayou Saturday night in north Harris County, deputies said.
The damaged vehicle was found around 3 a.m. on the West Hardy Road and Pear Street, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said Philana Atkins was driving southbound on West Hardy when she struck a concrete bridge, causing her vehicle to flip into the flooded bayou. Deputies said a dive team was called to make sure there were no other passengers.
2. Family announces public viewing for Erica Hernandez
The family of Erica Hernandez announced Sunday the funeral arrangements for the mother of three.
The viewing is open to the public Monday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Leal Funeral Home at 708 College Ave.
Congressman Al Green will be at the funeral home Monday to present American flags to Hernandez’s children to honor her life.
3. Polling places for urban voters of color would be cut under Texas Senate’s version of voting bill being negotiated with House
The number of Election Day polling places in largely Democratic parts of major Texas counties would fall dramatically under a Republican proposal to change how Texas polling sites are distributed, a Texas Tribune analysis shows. Voting options would be curtailed most in areas with higher shares of voters of color.
Relocating polling sites is part of the GOP’s priority voting bill — Senate Bill 7 — as it was passed in the Texas Senate. It would create a new formula for setting polling places in the handful of mostly Democratic counties with a population of 1 million or more. Although the provision was removed from the bill when passed in the House, it remains on the table as a conference committee of lawmakers begins hammering out a final version of the bill behind closed doors.
Under that provision, counties would be required to distribute polling places based on the share of registered voters in each state House district within the county. The formula would apply only to the state’s five largest counties — Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar and Travis — and possibly Collin County once new census figures are released later this year.
4. George Floyd Park unveiled in Houston’s Third Ward
A Third Ward park was named after Houston native George Floyd.
During a ceremony on Sunday, a monument with George Floyd’s picture and the words, “I can’t breathe Mama,” was unveiled.
George Floyd’s sister LaTonya says the park means a lot to her family.
“I miss him so much and I love him so much there are just no words,” she said.
It was a special moment for Floyd’s family, people in the community, and many others who support the family.
5. Experts predict busy Atlantic storm season but not like 2020
The Atlantic hurricane season will be busier than normal, but it’s unlikely to be as crazy as 2020′s record-shattering year, meteorologists said Thursday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasted that the hurricane season, which runs from June through November, will see 13 to 20 named storms. Six to 10 of those storms will become hurricanes and three to five will be major hurricanes with winds of more than 110 mph (177 kilometers per hour), the agency predicted.
Since 1990, a typical season sees 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes — a climate normal that has increased in recent decades. There’s a 60% chance that this hurricane season will be busier than normal and only a 10% chance it will be below normal, NOAA said.