Vehicle inspections no longer required
Drivers will no longer be required to get annual safety inspections beginning Jan. 1, the Texas Standard reported. However, drivers in the state’s 17 most populous counties will still be required to get an emissions test in order to register their vehicles.
While mandatory vehicle inspections are going the way of the pay phone and video cassette recorders, drivers will still end up paying a $7.50 “inspection replacement fee” when registering their vehicle and getting a new windshield sticker.
The emissions test required in urban counties consists of an engine and exhaust test to ensure a vehicle isn’t exceeding the state’s legal limits on emitting pollutants.
The counties that require emissions test in order to register a vehicle are Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Ellis, El Paso, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis and Williamson.
Vehicle owners are urged to keep up with maintenance.
“We urge people to still take care of their vehicles, still check your tires, make sure your brakes are working, headlights, tail lights and mirrors are still safe before you drive,” Sgt. Billy Ray with the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
Long-term care advocates say more funding needed
The state’s lead ombudsman for residents in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes, is calling for lawmakers to fund more full-time and part-time positions and make other reforms to a long-term care system that ranks 42nd in the nation for safety and quality, The Texas Tribune reported.
Patty Ducayet, the state ombudsman, works independently from the Texas Health and Human Services Department, which oversees these facilities. She and others are also urging more volunteers to advocate for residents as well as more state funding to hire additional ombudsman.
“We would be lost in the long-term care community without them (volunteers), but they definitely need more support across the board,” said Andrea Earl, the associate state director of advocacy and research for the AARP.
In 2024, the state ombudsman had its highest turnover rate at 255. Ducayet said ideally the state would have one staff member for every 2,000 licensed care facility beds. Right now, the ratio is one person for every 2,514 beds, which would require hiring 22 more full-time employees as well as increasing the volunteer base.
Postal service warns of texting scam
Christmas is over, but that doesn’t mean scammers have taken a holiday. Officials with the U.S. Postal Service are warning about a scam being sent by text messages, The Dallas Morning News reported.
The scam consists of text messages being sent to cell phone owners that claims a USPS package can’t be delivered because of missing information. A link is included in the message. Clicking on the link can expose the user’s personal information.
“The criminals want to receive personally identifiable information such as: account usernames and passwords, Social Security Number, date of birth, credit and debit card numbers, personal identification numbers, or other sensitive information,” the news release says.
Postal customers are urged to go to the official USPS page to determine the status of a package: usps.com/sms-tracking.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com