State Headlines
NTSB trying to determine why tractor-trailer stopped on train tracks before deadly West Texas crash
Posted/updated on: December 24, 2024 at 9:36 amPECOS, Texas (AP) — Federal officials investigating the deadly West Texas collision between at Union Pacific train and a tractor-trailer hauling a heavy equipment said Friday they were trying to determine why the tractor-trailer was stopped on the tracks, leading to the crash that derailed the train and propelled the heavy equipment into the air. Two employees of Omaha, Nebraska-based Union Pacific were killed in the collision Wednesday at a railway crossing in Pecos. The National Transportation Safety Board said the tractor-trailer was on the tracks for about a minute before the collision. The train was traveling at about 68 mph (109 kph) before the crew applied emergency brakes prior to impact, the NTSB said. The collision caused the heavy equipment to fly into a ... Read More
Abortion opponents shift focus to pills with lawsuits, proposed laws and possible federal action
Posted/updated on: December 24, 2024 at 9:36 amOpponents of abortion are increasingly focusing on restricting access to pills, which are the most common way to end a pregnancy in the U.S. This month, the Texas attorney general's office filed a lawsuit against a New York doctor, saying she violated Texas law by prescribing abortion pills to a patient there via telemedicine. The suit represents the first lawsuit of its kind and could lead to a legal test for the New York law designed to protect providers there who prescribe the drugs to patients in states with abortion bans. Anti-abortion officials are taking other steps, too, through legislation and lawsuits. Abortion rights advocates are also concerned that President-elect Donald Trump's administration could take action to restrict access if it chose to. Pills are ... Read More
Pickup truck driver killed by police after driving through busy mall store is identified
Posted/updated on: December 24, 2024 at 9:36 amKILLEEN, Texas (AP) — A pickup truck driver fleeing police careened through the doors of a JCPenney store at a busy Texas mall, injuring five people before he was fatally shot by officers, authorities said. A 53-year-old man identified as John Darrel Schultz of Kempner drove a truck and crashed into the department store in Killeen, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of the state capital Austin, on Saturday afternoon and continued into the building, striking people as he went, according to Sgt. Bryan Washko of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Emergency medical services transported four victims from the mall to area hospitals and another traveled to a hospital separately. They ranged in age from 6 to 75 years old and their conditions were ... Read More
Judge rules Arkansas law allowing criminal charges against librarians is unconstitutional
Posted/updated on: December 24, 2024 at 9:36 amFAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday struck down key parts of an Arkansas law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing “harmful” materials to minors. U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks found that elements of the law are unconstitutional. “I respect the court’s ruling and will appeal,” Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement to The Associated Press. The law would have created a new process to challenge library materials and request that they be relocated to areas not accessible to children. The measure was signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in 2023, but an earlier ruling had temporarily blocked it from taking effect while it was being challenged in court. “The law deputizes librarians ... Read More
Texas GOP Rep. Kay Granger set back by health challenges in last months in Congress, office says
Posted/updated on: December 24, 2024 at 9:36 amFORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Kay Granger of Texas is having "unforeseen health challenges” that have worsened in the final months of her more than two decades in Congress, a statement from her office said Monday. Granger, 81, has not cast a vote in Washington since July. In a statement provided by her office, Granger said she has been “navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year" but did not specify or elaborate. “However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable,” the statement said. Granger’s office did not immediately respond to questions emailed Monday about her condition or why they did not publicly disclose her health status earlier. Messages left ... Read More
FAA probes holiday drone show accident that injured a boy in Florida
Posted/updated on: December 24, 2024 at 9:36 amORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that it has launched an investigation into why several drones collided and fell from the sky during a holiday show over the weekend in downtown Orlando, Florida, injuring a 7-year-old boy who required surgery. The drones fell into a crowd of thousands of people watching the show at the city's Lake Eola Park Saturday night. The show was permitted through the FAA. “Our thoughts are with the family and all those impacted by the outcome of this event,” the city of Orlando said in a statement. “The city remains in contact with the vendor and FAA who will conduct a thorough investigation.” Adriana Edgerton told Orlando television station WESH that her son, Alexander, required surgery ... Read More
Texas sues NCAA over trans athletes
Posted/updated on: December 24, 2024 at 9:36 amAUSTIN (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued the NCAA to block the participation of transgender athletes in women's sports, arguing that it tricks and misleads fans. The lawsuit filed in state district court in Lubbock and announced Sunday, argues the NCAA violates the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by promoting women's sports that may include a transgender athlete. The law is designed to protect consumers from being misled or tricked into buying products or services that are not as advertised, the lawsuit said. The Texas lawsuit is the latest attempt by conservative politicians to target transgender athletes and push the NCAA into banning them from competition. President-elect Donald Trump has said he wants to stop trans athletes from competing. The lawsuit seeks ... Read More
The Container Store, buffeted by rough housing market and competition, seeks bankruptcy protection
Posted/updated on: December 24, 2024 at 9:36 amNEW YORK (AP) — The Container Store has filed for bankruptcy protection as the storage and organizational goods retailer with roots dating back to the 1970s grapples with mounting losses and cash flow shortages. The Texas company has faced increasing competition from retailers like Target and Walmart at the same time that demand for its goods is under strain in a rough housing market, where soaring prices and elevated mortgage rates have stunted sales. Under Chapter 11 protection, The Container Store will continue to operate while it restructures. The company said Sunday that it had filed for bankruptcy protection in Texas. The filing arrives two weeks after the trading of company shares was suspended by the New York Stock Exchange. The Container Store Group Inc. ... Read More
Jasmine Crockett to review panel: why are you skipping two years of maternal deaths?
Posted/updated on: December 24, 2024 at 9:36 amAUSTIN - The Dallas Morning News reports that U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, wants to know why a Texas committee opted not to conduct in-depth investigations of pregnancy-related deaths from 2022 and 2023. Crockett and several other House Democrats wrote Thursday to Jennifer Shuford, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, requesting a briefing by Jan. 2 about the decision. Investigative news outlet ProPublica has identified several pregnant women in Texas who died after they couldn’t access timely reproductive care. Crockett accused Texas Republicans of trying to bury their stories. “We are demanding the Texas Department of State Health Services explain its reasoning behind its decision to stop reviewing maternal mortality deaths in the years following their abortion ban,” Crockett said in a ... Read More
American Airlines settles with Black men kicked off flight for “body odor”
Posted/updated on: December 24, 2024 at 9:36 amDALLAS - The Dallas Mornings News reports that American Airlines has settled the lawsuit filed by three Black men who were kicked off a flight in January over a “body odor” allegation, according to the law firms representing the men. Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Xavier Veal, all from New York, and five other Black men had boarded a flight from Phoenix to New York City in January, when a white flight attendant complained of someone’s odor, according to the suit. All eight men were then forced to deplane with no reason given. None of the men had known each prior to the incident, nor were they seated together. It was later that they learned of the body odor complaint, which they say they ... Read More
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