Latest news with #youthcamps
Washington Post
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Texas lawmakers tackle state's catastrophic flooding in special session
For the first time since devastating Fourth of July floods killed at least 135 people in Central Texas, the state's Republican-controlled legislature is confronting the tragedy and what should be done to strengthen disaster preparedness amid growing criticism. Flood-related measures are among Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's priorities for the 30-day special session that began this week. Abbott's targets include improving early warning systems and bolstering emergency communications in vulnerable areas of the state, as well as relief funding for the counties hardest hit earlier this month. Lawmakers have filed more than a dozen similar bills that address more issues, such as tougher building standards for youth camps near floodplains and the creation of a real-time emergency communications system for all of Texas.
Fox News
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Fox News
Christian girls summer camp devastated by floods holds decades-long history with presidents, Texas politicos
More than two dozen children have died from the devastating flash floods gripping Texas' Hill Country, which is home to popular youth summer camps, including Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' summer program that holds deep roots with Texas politicians and presidential families stretching back decades. Flash floods inundated Kerr County, Texas, and the surrounding area in central Texas' Hill Country early on the Fourth of July holiday. Warnings over the flooding were issued Thursday, but the devastation hit the area in the early morning hours of Friday, taking residents by surprise. Kerr County, Texas, is home to a handful of youth summer camps, including Camp Mystic, a Christian girls summer camp established in 1926 by University of Texas football and basketball coach "Doc" Stewart. At least 27 campers and counselors were confirmed dead, and the camp was devastated by the waters that flooded the Guadalupe River and tore through the surrounding communities, according to Camp Mystic's website. "Today I visited Camp Mystic. It, and the river running beside it, were horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I've seen in any natural disaster," Abbott posted to X Saturday. "The height the rushing water reached to the top of cabins was shocking. We won't stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins." The camp describes itself as one that focuses on promoting spiritual growth and bringing out the best in campers during their stays, according to its website. "Camp Mystic is a private Christian summer camp for girls," the camp says on its website. "Established in 1926, Mystic is nestled among cypress, live oak, and pecan trees in the hill country of west-central Texas on the banks of the beautiful Guadalupe River. Mystic is located near the geographical center of Texas, 18 miles northwest of Kerrville. The staff at Mystic strives to provide young girls with a wholesome Christian atmosphere in which they can develop outstanding personal qualities and self-esteem." Camp Mystic has long and deep roots with Texas politicians and their families, including former first lady Laura Bush, who worked as a counselor there while attending Southern Methodist University in her youth, and former President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent his daughters to the camp. Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush, said in a media appearance on Monday that her mother worked as a drama counselor at the camp in her youth, while many of her friends attended the camp or sent their children to the camp. "My mom was a counselor there, but also so many of my friends were raised at this camp," Bush Hager said on NBC's "Today" show Monday. "Texas camps are institutions, as you just heard, where were many family members — generations — this camp was 100 years old, so grandmothers, mothers, kids have all gone there." "The stories that I heard over the last couple days were beautiful and heartbreaking," she said. "Texas has a type of resilience where they're generous people, where people want to reach out and help." The former first daughter continued that families flock to the Hill Country's summer camps despite the hot Texas weather because "of the love that's there." "Texas camps are really special because you're thinking about 90-degree weather, no air conditioning," she added. "My kids are at camp in Texas, and my husband said, 'Why are we sending our kids to Texas, to camp? It's hot!' And it's because of the love that's there." Former President George W. Bush released a statement on the devastation and death Sunday, saying he and his wife are heartbroken by the loss. "On this day of prayer, Laura and I are holding up our fellow Texans who are hurting," he said on Sunday of the tragedy. "We are heartbroken by the loss of life and the agony so many are feeling. Those who have lost their precious children are facing a grief no parents should ever know. We are grateful to the first responders and volunteers who are working to find the missing and comfort the grieving at Camp Mystic and along the Guadalupe. We know our words cannot help, but we believe the prayers of so many Americans will," The camp also drew multiple generations from former President Lyndon B. Johnson's family. A digital copy of Texas Monthly's May 1975 edition outlined that Johnson's two "daughters were also Mystic campers," while the Texas Tribune reported recently that the 36th president's granddaughters and great-granddaughters also attended the camp. The camp, across its nearly 100 years in operation, has seen multiple Texas political families take part, including former Govs. Dan Moody, Price Daniel and John Connally sending their daughters to the camp, according to Texas Monthly, while James Baker, who served as chief of staff to former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, also sent his daughter and a granddaughter to Camp Mystic. Republican Texas Rep. August Pfluger's daughters and Georgia Republican Rep. Buddy Carter's granddaughters were attending the camp during the flooding and survived the tragedy. The camp's longtime director and co-owner, Dick Eastland, was among those who tragically died in the floods while trying to rescue the campers. Eastland purchased the camp in 1974, Fox Digital previously reported. "Camp Mystic's Dick Eastland no doubt gave his life attempting to save his campers," Pfluger wrote on X of the death. "For decades he and his wife Tweety poured his life into loving and developing girls and women of character. Thank you Mr. Eastland. We love you and miss you." President Donald Trump signed a disaster declaration Sunday for Kerr County, Texas, and told the media he will likely visit the area Friday. "These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing," Trump posted to Truth Social Sunday of the devastation in Texas. "The Trump Administration continues to work closely with State and Local Leaders. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was on the ground yesterday with Governor Greg Abbott, who is working hard to help the people of his Great State. Our incredible U.S. Coast Guard, together with State First Responders, have saved more than 850 lives. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!" "We wanted to leave a little time. I would have done it today, but we'd just be in their way. Probably Friday," Trump added in comment to reporters from New Jersey on Sunday when asked about plans to visit.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Death toll in central Texas flash floods rises to 70 as sheriff says 11 campers remain missing
Families sifted through waterlogged debris Sunday and stepped inside empty cabins at Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp ripped apart by flash floods that washed homes off their foundations and killed at least 70 people in central Texas. Rescuers maneuvering through challenging terrain continued their desperate search for the missing, including 11 girls and a counselor from the camp. How many more remain unaccounted for across the Texas Hill Country and beyond remains unclear as authorities haven't given an estimate even though it has been three days since the storm began pounding the state. In Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and other youth camps, searchers have found 16 bodies since Saturday afternoon, bringing the total number of dead there to 59, including 21 children, said Sheriff Larry Leitha. He pledged to keep searching until 'everybody is found' from Friday's flash floods. Four deaths also were reported in Travis County, three in Burnet, two in Kendall and one each in Tom Green and Williamson counties. Families were allowed to look around the camp beginning Sunday morning. One girl walked out of a building carrying a large bell. A man, who said his daughter was rescued from a cabin on the highest point in the camp, walked a riverbank, looking in clumps of trees and under big rocks. A woman and a teenage girl, both wearing rubber waders, briefly went inside one of the cabins, which stood next to a pile of soaked mattresses, a storage trunk and clothes. At one point, the pair doubled over, sobbing before they embraced. One family left with a blue footlocker. A teenage girl had tears running down her face looking out the open window, gazing at the wreckage as they slowly drove away. While the families saw the devastation for the first time, nearby crews operating heavy equipment pulled tree trunks and tangled branches from the water as they searched the river. With each passing hour, the outlook of finding more survivors became even more bleak. Volunteers and some families of the missing who drove to the disaster zone searched the riverbanks despite being asked not to do so. Authorities faced growing questions about whether enough warnings were issued in an area long vulnerable to flooding and whether enough preparations were made. President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration Sunday for Kerr County, activating the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Texas. 'These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing,' Trump posted on social media. The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the river in only 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as flash flood watches remained in effect and more rain fell in central Texas on Sunday. Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. Officials said more than 850 people were rescued in the first 36 hours. Gov. Greg Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state. 'I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday — for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines,' he said in a statement. In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers for those touched by the disaster. History's first American pope spoke in English at the end of his Sunday noon blessing, 'I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in summer camp, in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them.' The hills along the Guadalupe River are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the Independence Day holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing. Survivors shared terrifying stories of being swept away and clinging to trees as rampaging floodwaters carried trees and cars past them. Others fled to attics inside their homes, praying the water wouldn't reach them. At Camp Mystic, a cabin full of girls held onto a rope strung by rescuers as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs. Among those confirmed dead were an 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp up the road. Locals know the area as ' flash flood alley' but the flooding in the middle of the night caught many campers and residents by surprise even though there were warnings. The National Weather Service on Thursday advised of potential flooding and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare alert notifying of imminent danger. At the Mo-Ranch Camp in the community of Hunt, officials had been monitoring the weather and opted to move several hundred campers and attendees at a church youth conference to higher ground. At nearby Camps Rio Vista and Sierra Vista, organizers also had mentioned on social media that they were watching the weather the day before ending their second summer session Thursday. Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes the ravaged area, acknowledged that there would be second-guessing and finger-pointing as people look for someone to blame. ___ Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee; Cedar Attanasio in New York; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Michelle Price in Bridgewater, N.J.; and Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Inside Isaiah Joe, Jaylin Williams' 'crazy' journey to Thunder, NBA Finals from Fort Smith
As the sea of excited kids start flooding in, so too do the memories. Isaiah Joe and Jaylin Williams can't help but reminisce every time they host their annual youth camps in Fort Smith, Arkansas. It's the city they've called home throughout their entire lives. It's where they went from playing in camps themselves to playing alongside each other at Northside High. And it's where they hope to bring back a championship as they now play together on basketball's biggest stage. Advertisement Joe and Williams are teammates on the OKC Thunder, which is facing the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals. "Being in this position with a guy like Jaylin is pretty cool," Joe recently said with a smile. "Moments like this don't happen too often. ... I think it's something that's probably not going to hit until later in life, but it's cool." 5 TAKEAWAYS: Thunder thumps Pacers in NBA Finals Game 2 as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC even up series Oklahoma City's Jaylin Williams (6) slaps hands with Isaiah Joe (11) after a play in the third quarter against the Grizzlies during Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs at Paycom Center on April 20. Williams and Joe were also teammates at Northside High in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Not your average Joe Eric Burnett would leave family gatherings on Thanksgiving and Christmas at a moment's notice. All it took was a text from Joe. "Coach B, can I get in the gym?" Advertisement Burnett never said no to those requests while he was Northside's head coach. Not even during holidays, Sundays, early mornings or late nights. He made countless impromptu drives to the school just to unlock the doors for Joe, who was equally eager to unlock new levels of his game. "He kept the gym open for me any time that I wanted it," Joe said. "I really appreciate that. He gave me the access to go in at any time and just better my game and keep growing." That wasn't the only way Burnett opened the door for Joe. Oklahoma City Thunder players Jaylin Williams (left) and Isaiah Joe (right) pose for a photo during their time together with Northside High in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Joe was only in the seventh grade when Burnett allowed him to start working out with Northside's varsity team, since his junior high didn't have an offseason program. But that's where any form of special treatment ended. Advertisement Once Joe stepped onto the court, Burnett pushed him just as hard as the high schoolers. And the 5-foot-10, 13-year-old kid grew up fast as a result. "I didn't make it easy," Burnett told The Oklahoman. "We had some tough workouts, and I think that really helped Isaiah for when he got to high school because he had already been there and done that. He was able to blend right in and do well for us." Joe did more than just blend in once he reached high school. He stood out. Joe led Northside to a Class 7A state championship over North Little Rock as a junior in 2017. He averaged 18.8 points and 4.5 rebounds, and he became the standard for Fort Smith hoopers. Advertisement That included Williams, who joined the team the following season as a sophomore. "(Isaiah) was the first person who I saw work at a high level," Williams said. "I was seeing him work out before school, go home, shower, practice, work out after practice and then come back to practice again. ... He showed me what I needed to do if I wanted to get to the level that he was on." REQUIRED READING: Why Alex Caruso was perfect veteran to guide OKC Thunder on this NBA Finals journey Forming the perfect storm Whether it was the backyard of his childhood home or Tilles Park, Williams grew up on concrete courts. But even that didn't stop him from sprouting at a rapid rate. Advertisement The future pro stood at 6-3 as a freshman and would often play a game called "Jelly or Jam" with his father, Michael. "Jelly" meant Williams would go for a layup, while "Jam" meant he would go for a dunk. Williams usually chose the latter, especially after he experienced a growth spurt. He stretched to 6-10 as a sophomore and instantly formed a lethal duo with Joe. "It was hard to stop those two, especially when I put them in a pick and roll," Burnett said. "What are you gonna do? Because Jaylin shot 3s in high school, too. We could do a pick and pop or roll him to the basket and let him post up. And Isaiah was a really good passer who read things well, so I did a lot of two-game with them." Northside reached the state title game again that season for a rematch against North Little Rock. But its dominant duo wasn't at full strength. Advertisement Williams came down with strep throat and the flu about a week before the game. That caused him to lose 20 pounds and left him bedridden. Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jaylin Williams (6) celebrates a basket with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) in the second half of the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday, March 8, 2024. Burnett did all he could to help Williams recover. He even walked down the street from the team's hotel in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to buy the big man some crackers, soup and Gatorade. But Williams only played about three minutes in the title game before he had to sub out, and Northside suffered a 64-51 loss. "I tried my hardest to go out there and play," said Williams, who led Northside to a 2019 state title after Joe's graduation. "I gave it my all, but we lost. Looking back, I wish I could change everything. I wish I could've won another one, but everything happens for a reason." Advertisement Maybe that reason is to win an even bigger championship together. After spending their college careers at Arkansas without overlapping, the Fort Smith natives were reunited in the NBA. OKC selected Williams in the second round (No. 34 overall) of the 2022 NBA Draft, and it signed Joe that same year. Now, the duo could help the Thunder win its first title in franchise history. "I've thought about it," Williams said when asked about that possibility. "It's crazy to think about it, but I think it'll sink in if it does happen. Us being able to share that with the state of Arkansas and the city of Fort Smith, that's when it'll really hit me if it does happen." Advertisement More: The Jalen Williams Way: How OKC Thunder forward paved a path to stardom, NBA Finals Fort Smith's hometown heroes Former teachers and coaches of Williams and Joe will sometimes make the three-hour drive to Oklahoma City to watch them play. The kids they spent so much time around are now men, and most of Williams' body has been covered in tattoos. But his most prominent piece sits on his right shoulder. It's a tattoo of Northside with a dual street sign that reads "Fort Smith" and "Arkansas." Below that are his high school and college jerseys, accompanied by the phrase "Hometown Hero." Williams still wears his love for Fort Smith on his sleeve. So does Joe, whose face lights up every time he talks about where he's from. Advertisement That's all it takes for the memories to start flooding in. "It's very important," Joe said of his roots. "I was born and raised there. I always have to show love to the people that supported me along the way. Without my hometown, I wouldn't be the person I am today. I wouldn't be in this position." More: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has brushed past legacy. NBA Finals will put him in elite company. Justin Martinez covers sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@ or on X/Twitter at @JTheSportsDude. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Inside Isaiah Joe, Jaylin Williams' path from Fort Smith to NBA Finals
Associated Press
05-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Equinox Guiding Service Highlights Summer Adventure Offerings and Community Partnerships in Midcoast Maine
Camden, ME June 04, 2025 --( )-- Equinox Guiding Service, an AMGA-accredited climbing outfitter based in Camden, Maine, is celebrating the launch of its new headquarters and a packed season of rock climbing adventures, youth camps, and professional guide development programs. Located at 20 Mechanic Street in downtown Camden, the new office space is a central hub for Equinox's growing operations, offering improved access to Camden Hills and regional climbing destinations including Acadia National Park and Grafton Notch. The grand opening event will take place on Saturday, June 8, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, featuring a prize drawing and local refreshments. Equinox Guiding Service continues to expand its instructional offerings this summer. The company's youth summer camps are already enrolling climbers ages 9–16, with programming that focuses on skill-building, movement, and outdoor exploration in Midcoast Maine's scenic rock climbing areas. In addition to its recreational programs, Equinox is reinforcing its commitment to professional development by supporting three of its guides through the upcoming AMGA Rock Guide Course. The training represents a major step in the company's goal to maintain the highest instructional standards in the industry. On June 6, Equinox Guiding Service will host Maine Outdoor Brands at its Camden headquarters, joining other businesses and nonprofits committed to advancing Maine's outdoor economy and stewardship. With increased demand for private guiding and instruction, July is expected to be a particularly busy month. Advance bookings are encouraged to secure preferred dates. Equinox Guiding Service offers private rock climbing trips, instructional clinics, and certification courses throughout Maine, including Camden Hills, Acadia, Katahdin, and Western Maine. The company is locally owned and operated, with guides certified by the American Mountain Guides Association. For more information, visit or call (207) 619-3957. Contact Information: Equionx Guiding Service Noah Kleiner +1 (207) 619-3957 Contact via Email Read the full story here: Equinox Guiding Service Highlights Summer Adventure Offerings and Community Partnerships in Midcoast Maine Press Release Distributed by
