State Headlines
The woman who killed Tejano music icon Selena in 1995 has been denied parole
Posted/updated on: March 27, 2025 at 6:25 pmHOUSTON (AP) â The woman convicted of killing Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla-Perez has been denied parole after spending decades behind bars for fatally shooting the young singer at a Texas motel in 1995, the stateâs parole board announced Thursday. Yolanda SaldĂvar will continue serving a life sentence at a prison in Gatesville, Texas, after a three-member panel of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted to not release her. In a statement explaining the denial, the board said the panel found that SaldĂvar continues to pose a threat to public safety and that the nature of the crime indicated âa conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others.â Her case will be eligible to be reviewed again for parole in 2030. ... Read More
Judge says extreme heat in Texas prisons is unconstitutional but doesn’t order they install AC
Posted/updated on: March 27, 2025 at 6:17 pmAUSTIN, Texas (AP) â A federal judge on Wednesday found the extreme heat in Texas prisons is âplainly unconstitutional,â but declined to order the state to immediately start installing air conditioning, which could cost billions. The judge affirmed claims brought by advocates of people incarcerated in the state, where summer heat routinely soars above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). But they will have to continue pressing their lawsuit later in a trial. The lawsuit was initially filed in 2023 by Bernie Tiede, the former mortician serving a life sentence whose murder case inspired the movie âBernie.â Several prisonersâ rights groups then asked to join his legal fight and expand it. The lawsuit argues the heat in the state facilities amounts to cruel and unusual ... Read More
Measles cases hit 370 total in Texas and New Mexico
Posted/updated on: March 27, 2025 at 6:17 pmWEST TEXAS (AP) - The measles outbreaks in West Texas and New Mexico have surpassed a combined 370 cases, and two unvaccinated people have died from measles-related causes. Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that's airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000. Already, the U.S. has more measles cases this year than in all of 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week. Here's what else you need to know about measles in the U.S. How many measles cases are there in Texas and New Mexico? Texas state health officials said Tuesday there were 18 new cases of measles ... Read More
Airman charged with posing as teen on Roblox to coerce 9-year-old into sharing explicit images
Posted/updated on: March 27, 2025 at 6:17 pmNEW YORK (AP) â A U.S. airman has been charged with coercing a 9-year-old girl to share sexually explicit images of herself, after he posed as a 13-year-old on the gaming site Roblox. David Ibarra, 31, was arraigned Wednesday in a New York federal court after being arrested in February in Anchorage, Alaska, where he was serving on active duty in the Air Force, prosecutors said in a statement. A judge ordered him to be held pending trial on charges including sexual exploitation of a child. Ibarra's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ibarra was serving as an air transportation specialist Senior Airmen, which mainly manage cargo, according to an Air Force spokesperson. Prosecutors say the girl, who lives on Long ... Read More
Most families of Walmart shooting victims wanted the case to end, El Paso DA says
Posted/updated on: March 27, 2025 at 6:17 pm(THE TEXAS TRIBUNE) District Attorney James Montoya said he decided against seeking the death penalty against the man who killed 23 people and wounded 22 others in a racist attack at an El Paso Walmart because most of the victimâs families wanted the case brought to a conclusion. As a result, Patrick Crusius, 26, will plead guilty April 21 to capital murder and aggravated assault charges and be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. âI believe in the death penalty. I believe that this defendant deserves the death penalty for what he did,â Montoya said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon, a day after he notified most of the families of those killed of his decision on whether to seek capital ... Read More
NY county clerk refuses to file Texas’ fine for doctor accused of prescribing abortion pills
Posted/updated on: March 27, 2025 at 6:17 pmNEW YORK (AP) -A county clerk in New York refused Thursday to file a more than $100,000 judgment from Texas against a doctor accused of prescribing abortion pills to a woman near Dallas, setting up a potential challenge to laws designed to shield abortion providers who serve patients in states with abortion bans. A Texas judge last month ordered Dr. Margaret Carpenter, who practices north of New York City, to pay the penalty for allegedly breaking that state's law by prescribing abortion medication via telemedicine. The Texas attorney general's office followed up last week by asking a New York court to enforce the default civil judgment, which is $113,000 with attorney and filing fees. The acting Ulster County clerk refused. âIn accordance with the New ... Read More
AG opens investigation into East Plano Islamic Center development
Posted/updated on: March 27, 2025 at 6:17 pmAUSTIN - KERA reports that Attorney General Ken Paxton is opening an investigation into a proposed development in North Texas aimed at supporting the areaâs Muslim community, claiming potential violations of Texas consumer protection laws. The East Plano Islamic Center, one of the largest mosques in the area, is planning the development in Josephine, Texas, roughly 40 miles northeast of Dallas. Paxton issued a Civil Investigative Demand into the corporate entity involved with the project, Community Capital Partners. "Under my watch, there will be zero tolerance for any person or entity that breaks Texas law,â said Paxton. âMy office has an open and ongoing investigation into EPIC City, which has raised a number of concerns, and this CID will help ensure that any potential violation ... Read More
Dallas Fed Energy Survey: Uncertainty spikes in the oil patch
Posted/updated on: March 27, 2025 at 6:17 pmDALLAS â Oil and gas activity edged up slightly in first quarter 2025, according to oil and gas executives responding to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Energy Survey. The business activity indexâthe surveyâs broadest measure of conditions facing Eleventh District energy firmsâcame in at 3.8, suggesting slight growth since the last survey. âBusiness activity showed little growth this quarter while respondents noted a heightened level of uncertainty due to geopolitical risk, trade policy and other factors,â said Michael Plante, an assistant vice president at the Dallas Fed. Key takeaways: The company outlook index fell to -4.9 this quarter, a decline of 12, indicating slight pessimism about the outlook. The uncertainty index jumped 21 points to reach 43.1 this quarter, pointing to increased uncertainty about ... Read More
Gov. Abbott showing no rush to replace late U.S. Rep. Turner
Posted/updated on: March 27, 2025 at 6:17 pmAUSTIN - Three weeks after U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turnerâs death and just over a month before the stateâs next uniform election, Gov. Greg Abbott has not yet called a special election to fill the seat representing parts of Houston, a Democratic stronghold, in Congress. Turner, who previously served in the Texas House for nearly three decades before becoming mayor of Houston, died March 5, two months into his first term representing Texasâ 18th Congressional District. His funeral was held in Houston on March 15. Turner was elected to Congress last year after his predecessor and political ally, former U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, died in office after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Abbott has the sole authority to call a special election to fill Turner's ... Read More
Cornyn makes it official
Posted/updated on: March 27, 2025 at 6:17 pmWASHINGTON - The Austin American-Statesman reports that U.S. Sen. John Cornyn made official Wednesday what he has been saying for weeks: He will seek a fifth six-year term in Washington in 2026, leaning into his support of President Donald Trump and relitigating his complaints about the policies of former President Joe Biden. "President Trump needs a partner who's battled-tested to restore law and order, cut taxes and spending, and take back our jobs and supply chain," Cornyn says in the video announcing his campaign, in which he also criticizes the spike in illegal immigration under Biden after Trump's first term ended. The announcement drew an almost immediate rebuke from Cornyn's potential chief rival in the Republican primary â Attorney General Ken Paxton, who in a ... Read More
Trump administration says it will pull back billions in COVID funding from health departments
Posted/updated on: March 27, 2025 at 6:17 pmWASHINGTON (AP) - Federal health officials said Tuesday they are pulling back $11.4 billion in COVID-19-related funds for state and local public health departments and other health organizations throughout the nation. âThe COVID-19 pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago,â the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement. The statement said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects to recover the money beginning 30 days after termination notices, which began being sent out on Monday. Officials said the money was largely used for COVID-19 testing, vaccination and global projects as well as community health workers responding to COVID and a program established ... Read More
HUD undermines two Texas housing discrimination cases
Posted/updated on: March 27, 2025 at 6:17 pmWASHINGTON - ProPublica reports that the findings were stark. In one investigation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development concluded that a Texas state agency had steered $1 billion in disaster mitigation money away from Houston and nearby communities of color after Hurricane Harvey inundated the region in 2017. In another investigation, HUD found that a homeowners association outside of Dallas had created rules to kick poor Black people out of their neighborhood. The episodes amounted to egregious violations of civil rights laws, officials at the housing agency believed â enough to warrant litigation against the alleged culprits. That, at least, was the view during the presidency of Joe Biden. After the Trump administration took over, HUD quietly took steps that will likely kill ... Read More
Former Austin Mayor Carole Keeton dies at 85
Posted/updated on: March 27, 2025 at 6:17 pmAUSTIN - The Austin American-Statesman reports that Trailblazing former Austin Mayor and Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton died around noon Wednesday at her home in Tarrytown, her son Brad McClellan confirmed to the American-Statesman. She was 85. "Mom was first in a lot of things â first woman mayor of Austin, first woman comptroller, but first of all she was a mom and a grandma," said McClellan, an Austin lawyer. "Always the most important things were her sons â my brothers â and her grandkids. There's no question about that." Mayor Kirk Watson said Keeton's imprint on Austin and on Texas is lasting and genuine. "Carole Keeton was a historic figure in Austin and the state," said Watson, whose first stint as mayor came after Keeton ... Read More
Funding overhaul has transformed Texas community colleges
Posted/updated on: March 27, 2025 at 6:17 pmTEXAS (AP) - Community colleges in 2023 celebrated a long-awaited investment from the Texas Legislature, positioning Texas to lead the country in connecting young people to the workforce. That year, state legislators reimagined how community colleges are financed with House Bill 8. The old funding formula awarded schools based on enrollment. Schools now have to see their students through to graduation to get money: The new formula ties state dollars to degree and certificate completions, transfers to four-year universities and high schoolersâ participation in dual credit courses. The effort was born out of state leadersâ desire to better prepare young Texans for the workforce. By 2030, at least 60% of jobs in Texas will require a postsecondary credential, and yet, less than 40% of students ... Read More
Supreme Court takes up $8 billion phone and internet subsidy for rural areas
Posted/updated on: March 27, 2025 at 6:17 pmWASHINGTON (AP) â The Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday in a major legal fight over the $8 billion a year the federal government spends to subsidize phone and internet services in schools, libraries and rural areas, in a new test of federal regulatory power. The justices are reviewing an appellate ruling that struck down as unconstitutional the Universal Service Fund, the tax that has been added to phone bills for nearly 30 years. Tens of millions of Americans have benefited from the programs that receive money from the fund and eliminating it âwould cause severe disruptions,â lawyers for associations of telecommunications companies wrote. The Federal Communications Commission collects the money from telecommunications providers, who then pass the cost on to their customers. A conservative advocacy ... Read More
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