Associated Press

Child dies in residential fire

TYLER — Fire officials in East Texas say a child who was among five people critically injured in a fire has died.

The Tyler Fire Department said Saturday that the child died after being taken to a hospital. Two other children and two adults were also critically injured in the Friday evening fire and remain hospitalized.

Fire officials say firefighters found the people in various locations of the home. All five were transported to local hospitals in critical condition and were then later transported to hospitals in the Dallas area, Fort Worth and Shreveport, Louisiana.

Investigators found that the fire originated in the living room area, but they’re still investigating the cause of the fire.

Mumps reported in ICE facility

HOUSTON — Health officials say seven cases of the mumps have been confirmed at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Houston.

The Houston Health Department said Saturday that the seven adults were detained during their infectious period. Health officials say there’s no evidence the disease was transmitted outside the facility.

The health department is working with the facility on infection control.

Mumps is contagious and spreads through coughing and sneezing. Common symptoms are fever, headache, and painfully swollen salivary glands that can cause puffy cheeks. Most people recover within weeks. Outbreaks are rare but have happened in Texas and the Houston region.

Money mandates trouble Aransas schools

ROCKPORT — Texas’ school finance system is putting additional strain on two coastal districts that lost millions of dollars after Hurricane Harvey and now owe the state millions more.

Port Aransas and Aransas County districts are seeking relief from ballooning recapture payments this year as schools struggle to pay teachers and meet student needs after the 2017 storm, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Aransas County district officials plan to cut 25 jobs next school year, in addition to the 59 positions cut since 2017-2018.

The district will likely have to pay $7 million of its local property tax revenue to the state by August. It accounts for about 20 percent of the district’s budget.