CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Good morning, Coastal Bend. It is Wednesday, December 24th, Christmas Eve, and Bryan and Michelle Hofmann are here with you on KRIS 6 Sunrise as we help you get this festive day started. This morning, we are looking ahead to city service closures for the holiday, changes to store hours as people wrap up last-minute shopping, the latest on a tragic plane crash in Galveston Bay, new action on student loan borrowers in default, tonight’s massive Powerball jackpot, and how families can track Santa as he makes his journey across the globe.
Here are today’s top stories.
City holiday closures
- City Hall and most city offices closing for the holiday
- Senior center also closing through January first
- Garbage pickup changes for Thursday routes
The city has announced its winter holiday closure schedule. Beginning tomorrow, City Hall and most city offices will be closed and will reopen on Friday, January second. The city’s senior center will be closed starting tomorrow through January first. If your garbage pickup day is Thursday, it will instead be collected on Saturday.
Holiday store closures
- Many stores shortening hours for Christmas Eve
- Walmart, Sam’s Club and Target closing early
- H-E-B open today and closed Christmas Day
Several major stores are adjusting their hours today so employees can celebrate Christmas Eve with their families. Many Target stores will close at 8 p.m. Walmart and Sam’s Club will close at 6 p.m. H-E-B will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will be closed on Christmas Day. Most banks and post office locations remain open today but may operate on reduced hours.
Galveston medical transport plane crash
- Six people confirmed dead
- Medical plane crashed into Galveston Bay
- Cause of crash remains under investigation
Six people are now confirmed dead after a medical transport plane from Mexico crashed into Galveston Bay. The aircraft was carrying a two-year-old boy to Shriners Children’s Hospital on Monday when it went down. The Mexican Navy confirmed the recovery of the final missing person. The identities of the two survivors have not been released. Investigators say the plane “experienced an incident” while approaching Galveston, but the cause remains unknown.
Government will start garnishing wages for those with student loans in default
- Federal government targeting borrowers in default
- Wage garnishment to begin in January
- Millions currently in default or delinquent
The Trump administration plans to pursue student loan borrowers who are in default. The government will begin garnishing wages from those who have not made a payment in at least 270 days, with first notices expected in early January. As of April, federal officials reported more than five million borrowers in default and nearly four million more behind on payments.
Massive Powerball jackpot drawing tonight
- Jackpot climbs to 1.7 billion dollars
- Fourth-largest prize in U.S. lottery history
- Odds remain extremely low
Tonight’s Powerball jackpot now stands at 1.7 billion dollars after no ticket matched all six numbers in Monday’s drawing. At least nine tickets did win one million dollars and more than100 tickets earned $50,000 dollars. Tonight’s drawing ranks among the largest in U.S. lottery history, although the odds of winning remain about one in 292 million.
Santa tracker
- Santa begins his Christmas Eve journey tonight
- NORAD once again tracking his flight
- Kids can follow along online or through the app
Tonight, Santa Claus makes his journey around the world, including right here in the Coastal Bend. NORAD will once again track Santa’s travels, with more than a thousand volunteers standing by at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs to answer phone calls from across the globe. Families can also follow along using the NORAD app or online.
From our family to yours, we hope you have a warm, joyful and safe Christmas Eve with the people you love.
Thank you for waking up with the Hofmanns. As always, stay safe, stay curious and stay kind.
We will be off for the Christmas holiday, but we will see you bright and early Monday morning.
-Bryan and Michelle Hofmann
