Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
1 dead, 13 injured after Texas trucker rams public safety building
BRENHAM, Texas — A Texas semitrailer driver rammed a stolen 18-wheeler through the front of a public safety building where his renewal for a commercial driver’s license had been rejected, killing one person and injuring 13 others, authorities said Friday.
The intentional crash into the single-story brick building off a highway in Brenham, a rural town about 80 miles west of Houston, littered debris in the parking lot and left a gaping hole in the entrance. The crash damaged the front of the red semitrailer, which was hauling materials on a flatbed.
After crashing into the building the first time, the driver backed up the truck with the intention of smashing it again before being detained, Brenham Mayor Atwood Kenjura said.
“It’s unfortunate that we are here gathered for a really senseless tragedy,” Kenjura said.
The driver — identified as Clenard Parker, 42 — was pulled out of the truck by authorities at the Texas Department of Public Safety office. Authorities say Parker did not resist when he was taken into custody and would face multiple felonies, but did not specify the charges.
On Thursday, Parker was told by employees at the office that he would not be eligible to renew his commercial driver’s license, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Justin Ruiz said. He did not elaborate as to why the renewal was rejected.
One employee was trapped in the building “for a period of time” after the crash, but no one who worked at the office suffered serious injuries, state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst said.
It was unclear Friday afternoon where the person who was killed was located at the time of the crash.
Following the crash, two people were flown to a hospital in Bryan and another to Houston. Three people were transported to local hospitals but later released, and eight others were treated on the scene.
Ruiz said they were still investigating whether Parker was armed at the time of the crash. He said they also were investigating whether his actions might be considered an act of terrorism.
“We’re trying to figure that out,” Ruiz said. He said the FBI was assisting in the investigation.
Kolkhorst and Kenjura said the quick response by law enforcement helped avert a greater tragedy.
Transplants halted: A Houston hospital said it halted its liver and kidney transplant programs after discovering a doctor manipulated records for liver transplant candidates, making them ineligible for transplants.
Memorial HermannTexas Medical Center said in a statement published Thursday in the Houston Chronicle that “inappropriate changes … effectively inactivated the candidates on the liver transplant waiting list.”
Memorial Hermann’s statement did not name the doctor, but The New York Times reported that Dr. Steve Bynon was the accused.
Memorial Hermann stopped the liver transplant program April 3 after learning of “irregularities” with donor acceptance criteria. An investigation found problems with information entered into a database used to match donor organs with patients, but the hospital did not provide details.
The “irregularities” were limited to liver transplants, the hospital said, but kidney transplants were halted because the programs share the same leadership.
Obesity drugs: Drug regulators in Europe have found no evidence that popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are linked to a higher risk of suicidal thoughts or actions.
The European Medicines Agency regulatory committee announced the results of its review on Friday. It’s the latest group to conclude there’s no known tie between a new class of obesity drugs and suicide.
In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said a preliminary review showed no evidence of such a link, though the agency said it could not rule out that “a small risk may exist” and that it would continue to study the issue.
The review by the European Union’s regulators was triggered last July by anecdotal reports that people taking the drugs had thoughts of self-harm. The regulators examined studies, post-marketing data and other research related to medications used in nearly a dozen drugs used to treat the diseases. The group did not review information regarding tirzepatide, the medication used in drugs sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Poland abortion ban: Polish lawmakers voted Friday to move forward with proposals to lift a near-total ban on abortion, a divisive issue in the traditionally Roman Catholic country, which has one of the most restrictive laws in Europe.
Members of the lower house of parliament, the Sejm, voted to work on four separate bills. Two of them propose legalizing abortion through the 12th week of pregnancy, in line with European norms.
The party of centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk is seeking to change the law to allow women to terminate pregnancies up to the 12th week of pregnancy.
Tusk won office last year after an election in which young people and women turned out in large numbers amid a record high turnout of nearly 75%. Political observers say voters were mobilized after the abortion law was restricted under the previous right-wing government.
Any liberalization bill would likely be vetoed by President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who remains in office until summer 2025.
Germany trans rights: German lawmakers on Friday approved legislation that will make it easier for transgender, intersex and nonbinary people to change their name and gender in official records.
The “self-determination law,” one of several social reforms that Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s liberal-leaning coalition government pledged when it took office in late 2021, is set to take effect on Nov. 1.
Germany, the European Union’s most populous nation, follows several other countries in making the change. Parliament’s lower house, the Bundestag, approved it by 374 votes to 251 with 11 abstentions.
The German legislation will allow adults to change their first name and legal gender at registry offices without further formalities. They will have to notify the office three months before making the change.
Papal Asia visit: Pope Francis will visit Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Singapore in September, the Vatican announced Friday, confirming the longest trip of Francis’ papacy that is sure to test his health, stamina and mobility.
The Vatican confirmed the Sept. 2 to 13 visit by the 87-year-old pope.
Francis’ health has become a source of increasing concern and speculation, even though the pontiff is able to carry out a rigorous schedule of meetings at the Vatican and even excursions to local parishes.