SMITH COUNTY – All non-emergency Smith County offices will be closed for business on Monday, May 25, for Memorial Day. Offices will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday, May 26, and Commissioners Court will be held at the normal time, 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Find the meeting’s agenda here. Offices and services from City of Tyler are also altering schedules and hours in observance of Memorial Day. Continue reading Municipal offices observing holiday
Marshals apprehend murder suspect
HENDERSON COUNTY – A Henderson County man who has been accused of killing his 84-year-old father was arrested in the Dallas area on Wednesday by U.S. Marshals. According to our news partner KETK, Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies had been searching for Ronny Medford since May 12 after he was accused of killing his father inside their family home in Payne Springs.
An arrest warrant for murder was issued by a district judge for Medford following the death of his father.
“We have been working closely with the community and law enforcement agencies to locate Medford and it worked,” the sheriff’s office said.
‘Cliff Booth’ starring Brad Pitt to get IMAX release ahead of Netflix drop
Cliff Booth isn't just headed to the big screen, it's headed to the biggest screens around.
Director David Fincher's latest film will arrive in IMAX theaters for an exclusive two-week run beginning Thanksgiving weekend before it debuts to Netflix in December.
Cliff Booth stars Brad Pitt back in the Oscar-winning role he first portrayed in Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood. It will be available to watch on IMAX screens starting on Nov. 25. Netflix subscribers will be able to stream the film on Dec. 23.
Fincher directs Cliff Booth from a screenplay written by Tarantino. While plot details are being kept under wraps for the time being, Netflix describes it as a return to the world of Cliff Booth, "only this time it’s 1977 and it’s a very different Hollywood."
Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Corey Fogelmanis and Karren Karagulian also star in the upcoming movie. Pitt is producing the film alongside Ceán Chaffin.
Cliff Booth takes the theatrical release date that Greta Gerwig's Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew previously held before it was moved from Thanksgiving to February 2027.
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Matt Damon to replace Ryan Gosling in new film from ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ directors
Matt Damon is in talks to team up with the filmmakers behind Everything Everywhere All at Once for his next project.
The actor is being eyed to star in Universal Pictures' upcoming, untitled event film from directors Daniels, ABC Audio has learned.
Universal Pictures had no comment when reached by ABC Audio.
Damon would replace Ryan Gosling in the project. Gosling was announced to star in the film back in March, although he dropped out of the project in April due to scheduling reasons.
This upcoming event film marks the first directing project for Daniels, the filmmaking duo of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, since sweeping the 95th Oscars in 2023 for their groundbreaking film Everything Everywhere All at Once. That movie walked away with seven Oscars, including best picture, best actress, best supporting actor, best director and best supporting actress.
While plot details of the upcoming film remain under wraps, production on the project is expected to start in Los Angeles in the summer.
Kwan, Scheinert and Jonathan Wang will produce the movie through their Playgrounds overall deal with Universal Pictures.
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Quinta Brunson to star in Betty Boop feature film
Quinta Brunson is taking on the role of Betty Boop.
The actress, creator, writer and producer is developing and set to star in a film adaptation of the cartoon icon, ABC Audio has confirmed.
The upcoming movie is set to trace the origin and evolution of Betty Boop through the perspective of her creator, Max Fleischer. It will examine the relationship between art and the artist as Max Fleischer navigates the pressures of creating one of the world's first animated icons, "especially when that icon begins to take on a life of its own," according to the film's official logline.
The movie will be Betty Boop's first starring role in a theatrical film since the 1930s, when she came from Fleischer Studios' Talkartoons series and was the only animated, independent female movie star of the era. Brunson will produce through her banner Fifth Chance Productions and has partnered with Mark Fleischer of Fleischer Studios for the project. Erin Wehrenberg is overseeing for Fifth Chance Productions.
"Betty Boop is one of our nation’s most beloved cartoon characters, yet somehow still remains pleasantly niche. She has had a quiet but undeniable impact on culture for nearly a century," Brunson said. "After Erin and I met with Mark and learned more about his grandfather’s creation of Betty, I realized there was a much deeper story to tell. One that could be explored in a way that feels refreshing, subversive, and timeless, much like Betty herself.”
Mark Fleischer said when Brunson first approached him with her idea for the film, he "was breath-taken."
"Quinta so embodies Betty’s love of life, intelligence, humor, sassiness and compassion that the relationship between her as Betty and Max burst into life at its mere mention,” Mark Fleischer said.
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Early voting through Friday
SMITH COUNTY – Early voting for the May 26 Primary Runoff Election runs Monday through Friday, May 18-22, 2026.
Statewide runoff races are on the ballot.
U.S. Senator, Attorney General, Railroad Commissioner and Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3, Judge are on the Republican ticket. The Democratic ballot will have runoff races for U.S. Representative, District 1, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General.
There are five early voting locations open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Continue reading Early voting through Friday
Sisters in jail on drug charges
HENDERSON COUNTY – A narcotics search warrant in Henderson County led to the arrest of two sisters and the discovery of several illegal drugs on Tuesday.
According to our news partner KETK, Henderson County Sheriff’s Office investigators conducted the search warrant in the 500 block of Williams Street and 3rd Streets in Athens at about 11:13 p.m. During the search, two sisters, Robyn Lynnette Dewberry and Unshella Reene Dewberry, were taken into custody.
Deputies found a quantity of suspected cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana while searching the house. Multiple digital scales and plastic baggies, which are commonly used in narcotics distribution, were also located.
Robyn was arrested for manufacturing, delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance and Unshella was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. The sisters were transported to the Henderson County Jail and are awaiting arraignment.
James Lafferty says he’ll do ‘Dancing with the Stars’ under one condition: ‘I’m down’
James Lafferty is open to competing on Dancing with the Stars. That is, under one condition.
The One Tree Hill star said in a recent TikTok that if his series Everyone Is Doing Great reaches the most-watched chart on Netflix, he will lace up his dancing shoes and compete on season 35 of the reality competition show.
"I've been thinking a lot about this and I'm going to do it. Yeah, I'm going to do Dancing with the Stars. I'm down," Lafferty said. "I have one condition: that Everyone Is Doing Great makes the top 10 TV shows on Netflix in the U.S."
The actor told his fans, "How do we make that happen? We watch the show. We finish the show. We tell friends about the show. Most importantly, we hit the double thumbs-up on the show page on Netflix. I think if enough people do those things, or some of those things, we can make this happen."
Everyone Is Doing Great is a comedy series Lafferty created with his One Tree Hill costar Stephen Colletti. Netflix acquired the global rights to the show in 2026 and released its first two seasons on May 11.
Dancing with the Stars pro Ezra Sosa shared his thoughts on the possible casting, commenting, "he's hot im down." Lafferty responded by saying Sosa is "very kind" and that he's "not so bad yourself."
While Lafferty is looking to get a third season of Everyone Is Doing Great, he says he's also really interested in competing on DWTS.
"I want both things to happen because I am a terrible dancer and I've always wanted to fix that and I think Ezra can help me," Lafferty said. "I think everybody wins here."
Dancing with the Stars season 35 currently has three contestants confirmed: Maura Higgins, Ciara Miller and Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson.
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David Rancken’s App of the Day 05/20/26 – Goody!
How would you like to make your gift giving foolproof? You need to check out David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called Goody. You can find Goody in the Apple Store and Google Play below.
David Rancken’s App of the Day 05/19/26 – Manything!
How would like to create a monitoring system out of your smartphones? Find David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called Manything. You can download Manything in the Apple Store.
Single Gen Z women outpace Gen Z men to homeownership
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Single Gen Z women are outpacing their male counterparts when it comes to buying a home.
They accounted for 35% of all homebuyers in their generation, while single Gen Z men represented 18%, according to survey data from the National Association of Realtors.
NAR surveyed people who bought a home between July 2024 and June 2025. The survey included homebuyers from several generations, from Gen Z, ages 18-26, to the Silent Generation, ages 80 to 100. No other generation had a bigger share of single women homebuyers than Gen Z.
The survey data are the latest sign that single women overall are becoming homeowners at greater rates than single men. Single women across the generations made up a quarter of all homebuyers in the July 2024-June 2025 period, according to NAR. Single men, meanwhile, accounted for 11% of all home purchases.
This has been a longstanding trend going back at least to 1981. In 2006, at the height of the mid-2000s housing boom, the share of homes bought by single women peaked at 22%, according to NAR. For single men, their share of homeownership peaked at 12% in 2010.
Experts say there is no one-size-fits-all answer to why across the generations single women outnumber single men as homeowners.
Women now are outpacing men in college attendance, which can lead to higher incomes, said Jessica Lautz, NAR’s deputy chief economist.
They tend to have a strong desire for homeownership as a way to secure their independence, something they historically could not easily do alone.
“It wasn’t until the 1970s where women were legally protected to have a mortgage on their own,” Lautz said. “And they have embraced this and been very strongly embracing this.”
Overall Gen Zers, which the survey defines as those born between 1999 and 2011, still only made up 4% of all homebuyers during the survey period. And at the time of the survey, the share of U.S. homes bought by first-time buyers of all ages sank to the lowest level on record going back to 1981.
First-time buyers often don’t have equity from a previous home to put toward a down payment. That was the situation for Bri LaFluer. After years of socking away half her pay, working two jobs and aided by a slowing housing market, she bought her own home in 2023 at the age of 24.
“I’ve always been a really independent person and I just wanted my own place to have peace and quiet by myself,” said LaFluer, now 27.
Her home search began in 2021, but historically low mortgage rates made the market ultra competitive, which turbocharged prices. Two years later she finally landed a house in Baldwinsville, N.Y., about 15 miles from Syracuse, that was built in 1900 and has three bedrooms and 1.5-baths and a big yard. She got it for $175,000.
“I feel like it was meant to be and this just ended up being the perfect house for me and my dogs,” she said.
A content creator for a video game company, LaFluer lived with her mom and paid a modest rent, which helped her save up faster for the $20,000 down payment.
Aspiring Gen Z homeowners face a number of challenges to affording a home: They’re typically just getting started in their careers, with their best income-earning years ahead. They are unlikely to be married and may have student loans to pay off.
Their median annual income of $76,000, as of 2024, also was the lowest compared to homebuyers from all other generations, according to NAR.
Years of soaring home prices have further stretched the limits of affordability. While home price growth has slowed and prices have fallen in many metro areas, prices are mostly still rising. The median U.S. home sales price stood at $417,700 last month, up 0.9% from a year earlier, according to NAR.
Still, Gen Z homebuyers are also more likely to receive financial help from family, and many are savvy about looking into community grants or other payment assistance programs for first-time homebuyers. And 1 in 10 tapped their 401(k) retirement savings plan to put toward their down payment, according to NAR.
Other home shoppers have no recourse but to save up on their own.
In brief: ‘The Agency’ season 2 trailer and more
The Agency season 2 has its first trailer and premiere date. Paramount+ has announced that the second season of the spy thriller series will debut on June 21. All 10 of the new episodes will be available to watch at the same time. The series stars Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith, Katherine Waterston and Richard Gere. It follows a CIA agent living undercover who will do anything to save his lover, who is living as a political prisoner in Sudan ...
America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is coming back for season 3. Netflix has announced that the third season of the popular docuseries will debut on June 16. Season 3 follows the 2025-2026 squad as they go through auditions, training camp and the NFL season. All seven of the 55-minute episodes in season 3 will debut at once ...
A stage adaptation of The Housemaid is on the way. Deadline reports that a stage production of the Lionsgate psychological thriller, which starred Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, is in development. The Notebook playwright Bekah Brunstetter is attached to write the adaptation of Freida McFadden’s bestselling novel ...
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Scoreboard roundup — 5/19/26
(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Cavaliers 104, Knicks 115
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Braves 8, Marlins 4
Orioles 1, Rays 4
Reds 4, Phillies 1
Guardians 4, Tigers 3
Mets 6, Nationals 9
Blue Jays 4, Yankees 5
Red Sox 7, Royals 1
Astros 2, Twins 1
Brewers 5, Cubs 2
Pirates 6, Cardinals 9
Rangers 10, Rockies 0
Athletics 14, Angels 6
White Sox 2, Mariners 1
Dodgers 5, Padres 4
Giants 3, Diamondbacks 5
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‘The Boys’ star Erin Moriarty predicts fans will feel ‘really satisfied’ by series finale
The series finale of The Boys drops Wednesday on Prime Video. The big question is whether or not The Boys will be able to stop the sociopathic and seemingly invincible superhero Homelander, when all attempts so far this season have failed. So, will the finale manage to wrap up the story in a way that makes viewers happy?
Erin Moriarty, who plays Annie aka Starlight, told ABC Audio, "I hope so. I really hope so, I think the writers have done a brilliant job executing it. And I think that will translate into the fans feeling really satisfied by it, hopefully. We always hope so."
"But I think ... Eric Kripke [CRIP-kee], our showrunner, has done a brilliant job," she added.
Moriarty's Annie recommitted to the seemingly hopeless fight against Homelander, who is literally immortal, in last week's episode, after she regained her sense of hope. That came despite a very bleak season that has seen the deaths of several major characters. But as star Jack Quaid, who plays Hughie, notes, it's that emotion that has been carrying the characters through this season.
"Hope is a very big, poignant theme this season because I think the question the writers are asking is, 'How do you have hope in a world that's so dark, and dreary and horrible?'" he told ABC Audio.
"And I think that the answer to that is that hope is a choice. And sometimes all you have is hope and ... [it's] hard to keep alive. But doing so — it's not naive. It's not overly optimistic. It's actually kind of bada**."
All episodes of season 5 of The Boys are streaming now.
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Band invited to 2028 London Parade
LONGVIEW – The Longview Independent School District band program is preparing for an international spotlight after the Longview High School Lobo Band was selected to perform in the prestigious London New Year’s Day Parade in 2028. The invitation-only event features thousands of performers from around the world and winds through the streets of Westminster in central London. More than 300 students from the Big Green Marching Machine, along with the Viewettes and Majorettes, are expected to represent Longview and East Texas on the international stage.
District officials announced on Tuesday during a surprise gathering at the Mickey Melton Performing Arts Center for current students in grades 7 through 10, who will be eligible to participate in the trip. Longview ISD Director of Bands and Director of Instrumental Music Rhonda Daniel said the opportunity reflects the dedication and discipline students have demonstrated for generations.
Daniel said performing in London will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a recognition of the band’s long-standing tradition of excellence. Continue reading Band invited to 2028 London Parade