A lot of Texans woke up in a panic this morning due to a "Blue Alert". 

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
loading...

Wake Up!

This morning an emergency alert was sent out to help capture Seth Altman, a man accused of shooting an officer in Memphis, Texas. It certainly is a serious situation and the man is accused of being armed and dangerous. Many Texans received that alert at 4:58-5:14 a.m. (I've heard both) and plenty are upset about. Of course, we're concerned and course we hope this man is brought to justice, but we really didn't sign on for this.

The Alerts

There are now eight different Alerts in Texas. There's Amber, Silver, Camo (for Military), Blue, Clear (for people between child and senior age), Endangered Missing Person, Power Outage, and Active Shooter. It's a lot. To top it off, a lot of us feel like that there are a lot of "cry wolf" or family dispute situations. You can opt out of the email version of some of these alerts, but it appears you're all in or you not on your phone.

Opting Out/Back In

I have opted out of these alerts because I feel like they've drifted from what was a very important, core mission. I'm also going to add that I'm not a Junior Crime Fighter or detective and I'll count on law enforcement to take care of law enforcement business.

So here's how you opt out of these alerts. 

Iphone

*Tap "Settings"

*Tap "Notifications"

*Scroll down, then Toggle the three switches under "Government Alerts". You can choose "Amber", "Emergency", and "Public Safety".

Android

*Tap "Settings"

*Scroll to "Safety And Emergency" sub menu

*Find "Wireless And Emergency Alerts"

*Chose the level of alerts you want or toggle them all off.

Think Seriously About It

Again, these alerts perform a critical function in Texas, but some people have extenuating circumstances that require they be turned off (for instance, I can't have them go off during a live broadcast). It would also be my hope that officials develop more options for these alerts such as time of day or region. In the meantime it's up to you to stay in or opt out.

BUSTED: Most Commonly Stolen Items From Texas Wal-Mart Stores

Some folks get sticky fingers when they walk into Texas Wal-Mart stores. Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the U.S. and has to constantly adapt to "shrinkage," that is, theft.

Gallery Credit: Renee Raven

DON'T-Nation: The Items Texas Thrift Stores Don't Want From You

From the super obvious to the "oh..really?" here is a list of items Texas thrift stores probably don't want from you, each with an alternative disposal method.

Gallery Credit: Renee Raven