WEATHER NEWS

ERCOT asks Texans to conserve electricity on June 20 due to extreme heat

The voluntary conservation notice is scheduled from 4 to 8 pm on June 20.

ERCOT is asking Texans to conserve electricity from 4 to 8 pm Tuesday, June 20. The voluntary conservation notice comes ahead of predicted extreme heat and demand for energy that could break a record for the state, they say.

ERCOT is not in emergency operations, and controlled outages are not needed, they say.

Voluntary conservation notices are issued when ERCOT - The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the flow of electric power across Texas - deems it necessary while monitoring forecasted weather conditions across the state. High temperatures lead to higher energy use to keep homes and buildings cool.

Heat index values could hit as high as 120 degrees across North Texas on June 20, according to WFAA.

ERCOT lists several suggestions for Texans to reduce their power use:

Raise thermostats by "a degree or two" in the summer
Avoid using large appliances
Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances
Shut off pool pumps during peak hours, and set them to run during the early morning or at night

ERCOT suggests commercial businesses turn off any lights and equipment that are not in use and to turn off their air conditioning and heating units outside of business hours.

ERCOT also requests all government agencies (including city and county offices) implement any and all programs to reduce energy use at their facilities.

More information about the voluntary conservation notice and energy-saving tips can be found at ercot.com. Texans can stay informed about power grid conditions and notices by signing up for ERCOT's email list.

ERCOT Energy Use High Temperatures Record-Setting Demand Voluntary Conservation weather

Death Penalty

Tarrant County man gets death for murder of convenience store owner

Tarrant County Sheriff's Office

Christopher Turner

A man received the death penalty for his 2020 cold-blooded execution of a convenience store owner.

According to a release from the office of Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Phil Sorrells, a Tarrant County jury sentenced Christopher Karon Turner, 48, to death on November 20 for executing convenience store owner Anwar Ali during a robbery. Tarrant County Assistant District Attorneys Charles Boulware and Allenna Bangs represented the state.

On March 27, 2020, at around 6:15 am, Turner, a convicted felon, wore a surgical mask and a glove and entered the Super Big Country Mart in an unincorporated area of Tarrant County south of Fort Worth. There, he held a gun to the back of Anwar Ali, the 62-year-old store owner, and walked him through the store.

Ali did everything Turner demanded, including opening the cash register to give him money. And yet Turner forced Ali into the bathroom and onto his knees, and shot him in the neck. Ali was discovered, dead in the bathroom, about an hour later.

Turner fled the store in Ali's Toyota minivan with the money from the register and Ali's wallet. In the van, he found more than $50,000 cash in a black bag. Over the next few days, Turner went on a shopping spree, buying cars, jewelry, drugs, clothes, and more. He and others used cash and a credit card that belonged to Ali.

Turner fled to Colorado where U.S. Marshals arrested him. On his body they found a firearm which was determined to be the murder weapon.

"This was a premeditated, cold-blooded murder," Boulware told the jury. "From the moment he was charged with this crime, he has tried to escape responsibility."

Bangs noted that before this trial began, Turner obtained the names of jurors and their telephone numbers, and gave them to an inmate charged with murder. At the trial on November 20, as Bangs addressed the jury, Turner tried to hold up a sign to the jury but was handcuffed by Sheriff's deputies who removed him from the courtroom, while he yelled out "she lied."

Ali came to the United States from Pakistan decades ago to pursue the American dream. Ali's son, Hussein, spoke in the courtroom after the death penalty was announced. "Thank you for giving us justice," Ali said. "I hope there are no more devils like this person."