Texas

Houston area residents are reporting exorbitant prices of food, water, and hotel rooms while the state continues to deal with shortages of essential items after a winter storm hit the state.

The Texas Democratic Party is calling for the resignation of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who went on a family vacation in the middle of a deadly winter storm. He returned, calling the trip "a mistake."

Amid power and water shutdowns, the extreme cold is disrupting the food supply. Customers are finding empty grocery shelves across Texas and people desperate to stock up are forming long lines.

"When you've not had power for 3 1/2 days ... you begin to question whether [blackouts] are rolling at all," says Mansfield Mayor Michael Evans.

Patients and families at a children's hospital are being asked to not take showers, KUT reports. They were also told the toilets can't flush, and staff are changing linens only as needed.

About 7 million people in Texas, including residents of Houston, Arlington, Fort Worth, Tyler and San Antonio need to boil their water to ensure it's safe for cooking and drinking.

Nearly 3 million Texas electricity customers are enduring extreme cold and some cities say tap water must be boiled. One utility says its repair crews have been harassed by angry residents.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott deployed the Texas National Guard to move people without heat and power into shelters.

Police say a doctor who was terminally ill with cancer brought a gun to a Texas pediatrician's office and took hostages.

Thousands of Texas patients with long-term diseases like Alzheimer's were falsely told they had just six months to live. Rodney Mesquias and others were convicted last year.

Former police captain Mark Anthony Aguirre was paid $266,400 by the right-wing Liberty Center for God and Country to investigate an alleged ballot fraud scheme in Harris County, Texas.

"Conducting the championship in one geographic region allows for more planning and execution of safeguards," an NCAA official said on Monday. The NCAA hopes all 64 teams will play in San Antonio.