What a CBSA strike could look like, according to an expert
Slowed or interrupted travel, the passing of goods and significantly restricted borders should be expected if Canadian border workers take upcoming strike action.
Even though Uvalde's school police chief is now gone, Mario Jimenez doesn't feel any safer about sending his 10-year-old son back to class for the first time since his teacher was shot at Robb Elementary School.
"There were a lot more officers that were there and they should take responsibility for their own actions," Jimenez said.
The firing of embattled Uvalde school Police Chief Pete Arredondo, who for more than 70 minutes during the May 24 massacre made no attempt to confront a gunman firing an AR-15-style rifle inside a fourth grade classroom, did not satisfy or reassure many Uvalde residents nervously facing a fast approaching school year.
The restlessness illustrates the depths of the broken trust in Uvalde between residents and law enforcement more than three months after the slaying of 19 children and two teachers in one of the deadliest classroom shootings in U.S. history. The demands are constant: more firings, more security, more gun restrictions. But even then, some are unconvinced that any change is enough.
The first day of school in Uvalde is Sept. 6 and a big question is how many students will return.
Jimenez is putting his son back in the district, this time with an iPhone so he can track his location and have him phone for help if needed. His son's teacher, Elsa Avila, was wounded in attack.
"He just runs up to her, hugs her and starts to cry because he knows that she is okay," Jimenez said. "Everyday all he does is ask about how everybody else is doing even though his mental state is horrible."
Ronnie Garza, a Uvalde County commissioner, has five grandkids returning to class next month -- three to Uvalde schools and two to a private school. He has noticed a reluctance from parents to reenroll their children in the district and said many families are switching their children to the local private Catholic school.
Virtual schooling is another option, but a new Texas law passed during the pandemic caps the number of students who can learn at home to 10% of a district's enrollment. The Uvalde school district has not requested a waiver, according to the Texas Education Agency.
The district is installing higher fences, more security cameras and spreading more than 30 state troopers on campuses across the small South Texas town. To some families, that provides little peace of mind; the Texas Department of Public Safety had more than 90 troopers, many heavily armed, who were at Robb Elementary as the massacre dragged on.
"They were on campus that day and they also didn't do anything, so I don't know how much comfort that brings to us," said Kimberly Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter, Lexi, was among the students killed.
She has four other children between the ages of 8 and 18, the youngest of whom was also at Robb Elementary and now may do school virtually this year.
"They failed me, they failed us. I don't know that I will ever be the same after this as far as law enforcement," she said.
Arredondo's dismissal Wednesday followed months of pressure from Uvalde residents and investigations that revealed how nearly 400 law enforcement officers on the scene waited outside for more than an hour before they took down the 18-year-old gunman. Signs carried by parents into a heated school board meeting ahead of Arredondo's firing included one that read, "If you did not do your job, turn in your badge."
But it is not clear whether any officers besides Arredondo will have to do so over a fumbled response that Col. Steve McCraw, the head of the state police force, has called "an abject failure." Only one other officer, Uvalde Police Lt. Mariano Pargas -- who was the city's acting police chief on the day of massacre -- is known to have been placed on leave for their actions during the shooting.
An investigation into Pargas' actions is ongoing. Texas DPS also launched an internal review over the response by its troopers after a damning report by lawmakers revealed that the lengthy inaction by law enforcement went beyond Arredondo and local police.
It is not clear when either review will finish.
"Every officer that was in there that did nothing, we are going to go after them too," said Donna Torres, a Uvalde resident who since the shooting has demanded accountability at school board and city council meetings.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott called Arredondo's dismissal "the first step for accountability." Abbott's first comments after the shooting praised the law enforcement response but said days later he had been misled, a reversal that laid bare the conflicting and at times inaccurate statements by authorities in the days after the tragedy.
"This is a good start, but there is more work to be done," Abbott said in a statement. "There must be accountability at all levels in the response at Robb Elementary School."
------
Weber reported from Austin, Texas.
Slowed or interrupted travel, the passing of goods and significantly restricted borders should be expected if Canadian border workers take upcoming strike action.
A Courtenay, B.C., senior is downsizing and packing to move as she comes to accept she can no longer afford to stay in her home, after falling victim to a scam that robbed her of her life savings worth more than $100,000.
A man's daring rescue of a newborn wild foal that was trapped after falling down a steep embankment was caught on video over the weekend.
A bill that would ban federal employers from using replacement workers or 'scabs' during lockouts or strikes passed the House of Commons unanimously on Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Monday that a "tragic mistake" had been made after an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah set fire to a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians and, according to local officials, killed at least 45 people.
Boxing legend Mike Tyson required medical attention after experiencing an 'ulcer flare up' toward the end of a cross-country flight Sunday, his representatives confirmed to the New York Post.
An 81-year-old man who investigators say terrorized a Southern California neighbourhood for years with a slingshot has been arrested, police said.
Amid mounting outrage over high grocery prices, a retail expert says there's a solution to fostering more competition in the country.
Peel Regional Police say they have arrested 16 suspects and issued arrest warrant for another 10 individuals in connection with an auto theft investigation carried out by a 'highly orchestrated criminal operation.'
A Winnipeg pinball wizard is heading to the granddaddy of them all – the IFPA World Pinball Championship.
It’s the chance of a lifetime for a group of Ottawa athletes who are getting ready to represent Team Canada at the World Junior Ultimate championships in the United Kingdom.
Parishioners at Holy Trinity Anglican Church are praying for a monetary miracle, as their historic place of worship could collapse at any moment.
A Saskatchewan man made it to the summit of Mount Everest earlier this month.
IAMGOLD’s Cote Gold open pit mine, located off Highway 144 between Timmins and Sudbury, had its official ribbon-cutting ceremony this week as production ramps up.
When one is extended an invitation to the Royal Garden Party in London, England, there's undoubtedly no shortage of pomp and circumstance. Barrie, Ont. natives Megan Kirk Chang and her husband Brandon experienced just that as they entered the prestigious event hosted at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
An unlikely celebrity emerged from social media to cheer on the Edmonton Oilers as they face the Dallas Stars tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
The proprietors of Regina's sole discount theatre are aware they're carrying on a significant legacy.
When Jujhar Mann said he wanted to be a pastry chef on a grade school career project, he didn't imagine that pursuing his dream would land him on a popular Netflix baking competition.