Nancy Berry – September 22, 2010

USDA Green Lights Import of Livestock From Mexico

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Friday that it will soon allow ranchers to import livestock from Mexico. Imports on live cattle, horse, and bison from Mexico into the U.S. has been banned since May 11, 2025 after concerns of infestations of the New World Screwworm (NWS). The USDA now says the port of entry in Douglas, AZ will open on August 24, 2026. The next phase of openings will take place at the Santa Teresa, NM, and Columbus, NM, ports. All animals will undergo a full USDA inspection to ensure they show no signs of NWS. “Protecting the United States from NWS and pushing this pest out of Mexico and back to the Darien Gap is a top priority at USDA and has the full attention of the Trump Administration,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. “The closure of the Southern ports of entry for the last year has been a tough but necessary action to control the spread of NWS in Mexico and protect the American livestock industry. Thanks to the work across the federal government as well as state, local, and industry partners, it is now safe to reopen the Douglas, Arizona, port in 30 days to resume the hundreds year old movement of cattle.” The USDA plans to use a phased reopening of Southern ports, contingent upon satisfactory progress on priority Action Plan milestones. They say these ports have been chosen, because Sonora and Chihuahua have been identified as the lowest-risk Mexican states for New World screwworm due to their strong, well-established inspection programs and their geographic distance from locations in southern Mexico where most cases are concentrated. They say the re-opening timeline will remain flexible and may be adjusted based on Mexico’s progress in meeting Action Plan milestones and addressing critical issues. The USDA says opening ports may be paused if USDA identifies increased risk in Sonora or Chihuahua via post-opening audits or other observations/information. According to data from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com), the national average price for one pound of 80/20 ground beef was $3.14 on May 1, 2025. The record price over the last year clocked in less than a month ago when the average was $4.23/lb on Jul 3, 2026. As of July 24, 2026, the current average is $3.41/lb.

Eyemart Express Announces Data Breach

Texas based Eyemart Express, LLC (“Eyemart”) announced on Friday a security breach involving personal data for some customers, including Social Security numbers. The nationwide provider of retail optical and optometric services, learned on February 13, 2026 about unauthorized access to its systems the day prior. Eyemart says they mailed notification letters to affected customers, unless their address was not available. If you have questions or would like additional information, including whether you are one of the customers where a mailing address was unavailable, you can contact Eyemart at 800-655-4635. Eyemart says as that in response to this incident and in an ongoing commitment to information security, they continue to review and update its training, processes, and procedures, and is working to implement measures to reduce the possibility of a similar incident in the future. They are also cooperating with federal law enforcement. For individuals whose Social Security number was involved, Eyemart is providing complimentary credit monitoring. As a reminder, everyone is entitled to a free credit report once per year by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com. If anything is incorrect, you can contact the credit reporting agency using contact information provided with the report.

City of Navasota Takes Action After Unauthorized Credit Card Use

The City of Navasota announced today that three city employees resigned after being caught using city funds for personal gain. Officials say the three employees came forward voluntarily and provided statements to Navasota police. They submitted their resignations and entered into restitution agreements to repay the amounts. The employees were caught misusing city issued credit cards. The cards were meant to purchase fuel for city vehicles, but they were instead fueling up their own vehicles. City administration says they received information about the abuse earlier this week and referred the matter to the Navasota Police Department. After an NPD investigation confirmed the misuse, the City consulted with the City Attorney’s Office and the Grimes County District Attorney’s Office to address the misconduct, recover public funds, and protect the integrity of City operations. The following information is from the press release from the City of Navasota: “The misuse of public funds is a serious violation of the trust placed in every City employee,” City Manager Robert Hemminger said. “Once this matter was brought to our attention, we acted quickly to alert law enforcement and provide documentation of purchases. Our responsibility is to protect the taxpayers, hold individuals accountable, recover the funds involved, and take appropriate steps to prevent similar misconduct in the future.” The City has already implemented additional safeguards, including supervisory review and oversight of credit card usage. City administration is also evaluating further procedural and technological controls to strengthen monitoring, documentation, and accountability. “The actions of a few individuals do not reflect the character and dedication of the many City employees who faithfully serve this community every day,” Hemminger said. “We remain committed to transparency, accountability, and restoring any public trust affected by this incident.” The investigation and review of relevant transactions remain ongoing. The City will take further action if additional unauthorized activity is identified. Because the matter involves an active investigation and personnel information, the City will not release additional details at this time.