ECTOR COUNTY

The outage left about 165,000 people without water in Odessa and some surrounding areas. It has been attributed to a main line break in the city’s aging water system and comes amid a dayslong heat wave.

Utility companies and key oil and gas transportation hubs are on high alert as Russian hackers have been probing energy infrastructure’s digital networks for weak points.

Greg Abbott, accusing him of overstepping his authority in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, while state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, called for a special session so lawmakers could have a say in how Texas proceeds amid soaring caseloads. The party executive committee in Ector County, home to Odessa, passed the censure resolution 10-1, with one abstention and three voting members who were not present, according to the chairperson, Tisha Crow. "This is why I urge Governor Abbott to convene a special session to allow the legislature to pass legislation and hold hearings regarding the COVID-19 response," Perry said. In the upper chamber, state Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, has also called for a special session, as have several House Republicans. Abbott has not explicitly ruled out a special session before the Legislature meets again in January.

ODESSA, Texas After six members of a Facebook group called Open Carry Texas were arrested for openly carrying weapons outside a bar, the group posted a video indicating the members would travel to Odessa to teach Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis a lesson, the Midland Reporter-Telegram reported. Vice President David Amad said the group will organize a rally on June 6 according to a YouTube video posted on the Open Carry Texas channel. This guy needs a lesson, Amad said in his YouTube video. Griffis arrested the six members along with the bar owner and her employee. The arrests led to an extensive debate on social media and death threats directed at the Sheriff.