A 10 Year Old El Pasoan Will Be in the Scripps National Spelling Bee + More Local News

Senate Okays Abortion Bill

A controversial abortion bill is headed back to the state House again.  The Senate approved the measure yesterday, but not before making several changes.  The bill imposes new restrictions on minors who try to get abortions without the consent of their parents.  This is the final week for the two chambers to agree on the bill.

Lawmakers Okay In-Person Prisoner Visits

State lawmakers have given final approval to a measure requiring most county jails to allow inmates to have in-person visits with their loved ones.  Some jails have been switching to video visits, but supporters of the measure say in-person visits help keep families from splitting up.  It's now up to Governor Abbott to decide whether to sign the bill into law.

Commuting Survey Offers Mixed Results For El Paso

A survey of 30 large cities gives El Paso a mixed report card, when it comes to commuting habits.  The report finds that 79 %t of us still drive to work alone each day, one of the highest rates in the country.  But eleven-percent of us are carpooling, which is also one of the highest rates.  The survey was conducted by the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute.

Texas' Tuberculosis Mortality Rate Nearly Double National Average

A new CDC study finds that more people die from tuberculosis here in Texas than in almost any other place in America.  The agency says the TB death rate here is one-point-seven times the national average.  Only Alaska and Washington DC have higher rates.  The high rate in Texas is unusual because tuberculosis is preventable and rates in the U.S. are generally low.

Eighteen Texas Students In National Spelling Bee

Texas will be well-represented at the Scripps National Spelling Bee that gets underway today in Maryland.  Eighteen of our students will be competing, including ten-year-old Liam Nyikos who's representing the "El Paso Times."  They'll face off against 283 other competitors.  The preliminary rounds begin today, followed by two days of on-stage competition.