TYLER – 
On Oct. 16, the Tyler City Council approved a 10-year tax abatement agreement with Hiland Dairy to support its upcoming expansion. This project, which is expected to generate up to $98 million in new investment, will create 30 new jobs with an estimated average annual salary of $66,000. The expansion project will add over 90,000 square feet of dry and refrigerated storage, as well as production space, significantly increasing Hiland Dairy’s capacity. The expansion includes eight additional production lines, with space available for two more lines in the future. This move aims to alleviate the current overcapacity of the Tyler facility, which produces one million gallons of milk per week and serves major local customers like Brookshire’s Grocery Company. Continue reading Tyler approves new tax abatement for Hiland Dairy
Texas county adopts policy to treat unclaimed bodies with dignity
TARRANT – NBC news reports that a Texas county that for years gave unclaimed bodies to a local medical school without families’ consent will now cremate or bury those people instead — but only after officials document that they have done all they can to contact relatives. The revamped rules, approved unanimously Tuesday by the Tarrant County Commissioners Court, are the latest change prompted by an NBC News investigation that revealed how the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth cut up and leased out the remains of hundreds of unclaimed people to other schools, medical technology companies and the Army. The vast majority of the unclaimed bodies — people whose families could not afford funeral arrangements or could not be found — came from Tarrant and Dallas counties, which each saved half a million dollars a year in burial and cremation costs. “The county is now in a position to do things ethically, as opposed to before, when we counted on the University of North Texas Health Science Center to handle our business,” Commissioner Alisa Simmons said after Tuesday’s vote.
Tarrant County had delegated the work of contacting dead people’s families and cremating their remains to the Health Science Center. The new policy brings that responsibility back to the county — at an estimated cost of $675,000 a year. Officials in Tarrant and Dallas counties had justified sending unclaimed bodies to the Health Science Center by saying their use for training and research would help improve medical care for the living. NBC News found repeated failures to contact relatives who were reachable before the bodies were declared unclaimed. The Commissioners Court did not publicly discuss the details of the new policy — or its costs — before it voted unanimously to adopt it. Commissioners Court records indicate that the county has $57,760 in a burials account and will have to find additional money to cover the cost of the new policy. A spokesperson for Judge Tim O’Hare, Tarrant County’s top elected official, said in a statement that Tuesday’s vote was important “to honor the dignity and memory of deceased individuals the County is responsible for handling after they pass away.”
After Paxton’s acquittal, Senate mulls changing impeachment rules
DALLAS – The Dallas Morning News reports work has begun on legislation to change state impeachment proceedings, a Texas Senate committee was told Tuesday. After the Senate voted last year to acquit Attorney General Ken Paxton of impeachment charges, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick criticized the process as rushed, secretive and unfair to the accused. Patrick followed by directing the Senate State Affairs Committee to study and propose changes to the impeachment process when the Legislature meets next year. During a State Affairs meeting at the Capitol on Tuesday, state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, said he has been drafting laws to address what he saw as flaws in the process.
Birdwell’s input is notable. The six-term senator chaired the committee that drafted the rules governing Paxton’s trial in the Senate. Birdwell was not at the Capitol Tuesday due to a COVID-19 illness, according to Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, who read aloud a letter from Birdwell. Last year, Patrick, who presided over Paxton’s trial, criticized the impeachment as “rammed through” the House without due process. The House voted 121-23 to impeach Paxton two days after its General Investigating Committee unveiled 20 articles of impeachment accusing the attorney general of corruption and misusing his office. Patrick has called for the Texas Constitution to be amended to require evidentiary hearings and a slower House impeachment process. “This is not a partisan issue,” Patrick said at the end of Paxton’s trial. “We owe it to future legislatures to make these changes so no future official impeached by the House, whether Republican, Democrat or independent, is subject to the way this impeachment process occurred in the House this year.”
Fellow Republicans urge Abbott to pardon Robert Roberson
HOUSTON – The Houston Chronicle reports a GOP megadonor and close ally of Gov. Greg Abbott is working with an unusual bipartisan coalition to call for clemency in the case of Robert Roberson, who is scheduled to be executed on Thursday in the death of his 2-year-old daughter. “I felt like God was pushing me and telling me that I needed to get involved in this case,” said Doug Deason, who advised the Trump administration on criminal justice issues and has been a crucial voice among Texas Republicans who oppose the death penalty and support other reform measures. “I’ve taken it very very seriously, I’ve done everything that I possibly can.” Texas lawmakers will also be holding a hearing at the Capitol on Wednesday to highlight Roberson’s case and other issues related to convictions based on“junk science.” That term is often used to refer to the diagnosis of “shaken baby syndrome” that was the basis for Roberson’s capital murder conviction in Anderson County back in 2002.
“This was a pretty clear case where Robert Roberson did not have due process,” said Lacey Hull, a Republican state representative from Houston, during an appearance on CNN this morning. “Texans deserve to know that our justice system is fair … and we cannot say that right now.” Abbott did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A slew of new scientific evidence and medical experts say that Roberson is not responsible for his daughter’s death. Similar claims of “shaken baby syndrome” made by prosecutors in child death cases have been discredited across the country. But Texas judges have so far denied all of Roberson’s legal appeals, and since he is set to die in just two days, a pardon or a commutation of his sentence by Abbott is his best chance. In an interview, Deason told the Chronicle he has been talking directly with Abbott’s general counsel, James Sullivan, and two other Abbott staff members in recent weeks. The bestselling author John Grisham, who has written about the Roberson case, is also a part of those conversations along with Roberson’s legal team, Deason said.
Cruz and Allred meet in the only debate in the Texas Senate race
DALLAS (AP) — Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic Rep. Colin Allred met for their only debate Tuesday night, trading attacks over abortion and immigration in a closely watched race that could help determine which party wins control of the U.S. Senate.
Nationally, Democrats view Texas as one of their few potential pickup chances in the Senate this year, while Cruz has urged Republicans to take Texas seriously amid signs that the former 2016 presidential contender is in another competitive race to keep his seat.
From start to finish in the hourlong debate, Cruz sought to link Allred to Vice President Kamala Harris at nearly every opportunity and painted the three-term Dallas congressman as out of step in a state where voters have not elected a Democrat to a statewide office in 30 years.
Allred, who would become Texas’ first Black senator if elected, hammered Cruz over the state’s abortion ban that is one of the most restrictive in the nation and does not allow exceptions in cases of rape or incest. The issue is central to Allred’s underdog campaign and his supporters include Texas women who had serious pregnancy complications after the state’s ban took effect.
Pressed on whether he supports Texas’ law, Cruz said the specifics of abortion law have been and should be decided by the Texas Legislature.
“I don’t serve in the state Legislature. I’m not the governor,” he said.
Cruz later blasted Allred over his support of transgender rights and immigration polices of President Joe Biden and Harris, accusing him of shifting his views on border security from the positions he took when he was first elected to Congress in 2018.
“What I always said is that we have to make sure that as we’re talking about border security, that we don’t fall into demonizing,” Allred said.
Allred accused the two-term U.S. senator of mischaracterizing his record and repeatedly jabbed Cruz for his family vacation to Mexico during a deadly winter storm in 2021 that crippled the state’s power grid.
The two candidates closed the debate by attacking each other, with Cruz painting an Allred victory as a threat to Republicans’ grip on Texas.
“Congressman Allred and Kamala Harris are both running on the same radical agenda,” Cruz said.
Allred, meanwhile, cast himself as a moderate and accused Cruz of engaging in what he described as “anger-tainment, where you just leave people upset and you podcast about it and you write a book about it and you make some money on it, but you’re not actually there when people need you.”
The last time Cruz was on the ballot in 2018, he only narrowly won reelection over challenger Beto O’Rourke.
The debate offered Allred, a former NFL linebacker, a chance to boost his name identification to a broad Texas audience. Allred has made protecting abortion rights a centerpiece of his campaign and has been sharply critical of the state’s abortion ban. The issue has been a winning one for Democrats, even in red states like Kentucky and Kansas, ever since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2022 to strip away constitutional protections for abortion.
Cruz, who fast made a name for himself in the Senate as an uncompromising conservative, has refashioned his campaign to focus on his legislative record.
Allred has meanwhile sought to flash moderate credentials and has the endorsement of former Republican U.S. Reps. Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney.
The two candidates alone have raised close to $100 million, according to the most recent reports from the Federal Election Commission. Tens of millions more dollars have been spent by outside groups, making it one of the most expensive races in the country.
Despite Texas’ reputation as a deep-red state and the Democrats’ 30-year statewide drought, the party has grown increasingly optimistic in recent years that they can win here.
Since former President Barack Obama lost Texas by more than 15 percentage points in 2012, the margins have steadily declined. Former President Donald Trump won by 9 percentage points in 2016, and four years later, won by less than 6. That was the narrowest victory for a Republican presidential candidate in Texas since 1996.
“Texas is a red state,” said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston. “But it’s not a ruby-red state.”
Officers stop woman from jumping off bridge
NACOGDOCHES – 
Our news partners at KETK report that two East Texas police officers are being recognized for their bravery after disregarding risk to stop a woman from jumping off a Nacogdoches bridge. According to the Nacogdoches Police Department, officers were called shortly before 12:20 p.m. on Sept. 27 to a bridge on W. Austin Street where a woman was threatening to jump. Nacogdoches Police Officer Seth Stover was the first person to get there and the department said he immediately began talking to the distraught woman. Afterwards, Officer Chris Snider arrived and also attempted to convince the woman to get on their side of the guardrail. Although the officers tried their best to talk the woman off the ledge, it seemed like the woman was ready to jump, the police department said. Stover and Snider then prevented the woman from jumping by pulling her over the guardrail and disregarding the risk to their own safety. “We commend these officers for their selfless actions in saving someone experiencing a mental health crisis,” Nacogdoches PD officials said. “Their exceptional efforts undoubtedly saved the life of the woman that day.”
Longview optometrist charged with online solicitation of minor
LONGVIEW – 
Our news partners at KETK report an optometrist’s arrest documents reveal he sent inappropriate photos to a minor living across the country and was taken into custody while at his Longview office. 51-year-old August Michael Wallace, a licensed Longview optometrist per the Texas Optometry Board, was charged with online solicitation of a minor and is currently behind bars at the Gregg County Jail. According to Wallace’s arrest documents, Homeland Security spoke to the Longview Police Department on Sept. 30 and handed over evidence pertaining to a Texas man who sent a 16-year-old photos of his genitalia and description of sexual acts he wanted to do to the minor. Continue reading Longview optometrist charged with online solicitation of minor
Kellogg’s faces protests over food dyes in popular breakfast cereals
(BATTLE CREEK, Mich.) Hundreds of people gathered outside the WK Kellogg headquarters in Michigan on Tuesday calling for the company to hold up its promise to remove artificial dyes from its breakfast cereals sold in the U.S.
Nearly 10 years ago, Kellogg's, the maker of Froot Loops and Apple Jacks, committed to removing such additives from its products by 2018.
While Kellogg's has done so in other countries including Canada, which now makes Froot Loops with natural fruit juice concentrates, the cereals sold in the U.S. still contain both food dyes and a chemical preservative.
In the U.S., Froot Loops ingredients include Red Dye No. 40, Yellow Dye No. 5, Yellow Dye No. 6 and Blue Dye No. 1.
Food activist Vani Hari, also known as the Food Babe on social media, spoke to the crowd of demonstrators at the cereal giant's offices in Battle Creek on Tuesday.
"I'm here for the moms, all the moms, who struggle to feed their children healthy food without added chemicals," she said.
In response to the protests, Kellogg's insisted its products are safe for consumption, saying its ingredients meet the federal standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The agency has said that most children experience no adverse effects from color additives, but critics argue the FDA standards were developed without any assessment for possible neurological effects.
The protests come in the wake of a new California law known as the California School Food Safety Act that bans six potentially harmful dyes in foods served in California public schools. The ban includes all of the dyes in Froot Loops, plus Blue Dye No. 2 and Green Dye No. 3.
The bill was passed by state legislators in August and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September.
Studies suggest that consumption of said dyes and colorants banned under the new California School Food Safety Act may be linked to hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral problems in some children, as the California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment outlined in a 2021 report.
While there are still thousands of chemicals allowed for use in our country's commercial food system, many of those that have been reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration have not been reevaluated for decades. Red 40, for example, was last evaluated for health risks in 1971.
Reports from the American Academy of Pediatrics align with this push to reassess the safety of artificial food coloring.
California previously made history in October 2023, when Newsom signed AB 418 into law, a first-of-its-kind bill that bans four harmful chemicals from candy, cereals, salad dressings and other processed foods in the state starting in 2027.
That law will end the use of brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and Red Dye No. 3 in food products sold throughout the state.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
More than 100 killed in Nigerian tanker explosion, police say
(MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA and LONDON) -- About 105 people were killed and another 50 others were injured when a tanker exploded in Nigeria, a local police spokesperson said.
The petrol tanker exploded after the driver lost control in the town of Majiya, in northwestern Nigeria, late on Tuesday, Shi'isu Adam, a spokesperson for the Jigawa regional police, told reporters on Wednesday.
Distressing videos taken by eyewitnesses at the scene appeared to show large columns of smoke and flames spreading from the overturned vehicle. Eyewitnesses described the scene as that of chaos and despair, with many struggling to rescue the injured amidst the flames.
Jigawa state Gov. Umar Namadi was briefed on the latest death toll as he visited the scene of the accident in Majiya on Wednesday morning.
A local resident, Sani Umar, who narrowly escaped the inferno, recounted, "It was terrifying. People were running in all directions, screaming for help. The fire spread so quickly that many couldn't escape."
The patrol tanker had been heading to Nigeria's Yobe state before it crashed at around 11:30 p.m. local time after the driver lost control of the vehicle, police said. Soon large crowds began to gather around the tanker at the scene of the accident, with some gathering leaking fuel from the truck when it exploded.
"We are worried that in spite of police warning people to stay clear from scenes of accidents involving fuel tankers, they still engage in such acts," Adam told reporters on Wednesday. "People gathered around the accident scene; that is the reason for the mass casualties."
At least 50 of those injured are continuing to receive medical treatment at the Ringim General Hospital for varying degrees of injuries, authorities said.
The area remained cordoned off on Wednesday as police continue investigations.
AT Abdullahi, the commissioner of police in Jigawa state, expressed on Wednesday his condolences to the families of the deceased and the entire people of Jigawa.
"This is a heartbreaking moment for us all," Abdullahi said. "We share in the pain and sorrow of the families affected. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the bereaved
A mass burial for the victims is due to take place on Wednesday.
ABC News' Guy Davies contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Cruz and Allred meet in the only debate in the Texas Senate race
Diary entry leads to arrest for sexual assault
TRINITY COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, a minor’s diary entry has been submitted as evidence following an investigation into an East Texas man accused of sexually assaulting her. On Oct. 6 investigators were made aware of a potential child sexual assault case. The department said the case involved a 15-year-old who had possibly been sexually assaulted about four or five years ago.
Deputies spoke to the mother of the child who alleged the assault occurred over the course of a few years. The victim reportedly “made an outcry to her mother after referencing a dream [she] had previously had.” Deputies were also told that multiple sexual assault accusations had been made against Justin Brandon Herring in the past, the sheriff’s office said. Warrants were obtained for Herring who was arrested on Thursday and booked on two counts of continuous sex abuse of child under the age of 14 and two counts of indecency with a child sexual contact. He is being held at the Trinity County Jail on a $600,000 bond. Continue reading Diary entry leads to arrest for sexual assault
Execution warrant upheld for East Texas man
PALESTINE – A district court will not throw out the execution warrant for Robert Roberson III, an East Texas man on death row accused of killing his daughter. According to our news partner KETK, Roberson, a Palestine native, was convicted of killing his 2-year-old daughter Nikki in 2002 and sentenced to death. He has maintained his innocence while on death row for the past 20 years, with an execution date scheduled for Oct. 17.
The defense’s motion to vacate Roberson’s execution warrant was denied by Judge Alfonso Charles, who is the Presiding Judge of the Tenth Administrative Judicial Region, on Tuesday. Charles was also asked to decide whether to remove the previous now-retired judge, Deborah Oakes Evans, from the case. He denied both the motion to recuse the execution warrant and the motion to vacate Judge Evans from the case.
Roberson attended court remotely via Zoom from the Polunsky Unit in Livingston where death row inmates are housed. Arguments were heard in front of a full courtroom of reporters of spectators.
Continue reading Execution warrant upheld for East Texas man
Diary entry leads to East Texas man’s arrest for sexual assault of minor
TRINITY COUNTY — A minor’s diary entry has been submitted as evidence following an investigation into an East Texas man accused of sexually assaulting her. According to the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, on Oct. 6 investigators were made aware of a potential child sexual assault case.
The department said the case involved a 15-year-old who had possibly been sexually assaulted about four or five years ago.
Deputies spoke to the mother of the child who alleged the assault occurred over the course of a few years.
The victim reportedly “made an outcry to her mother after referencing a dream [she] had previously had.” Deputies were also told that multiple sexual assault accusations had been made against Herring in the past, the sheriff’s office said.
The victim had previously written in her journal:
“I have something to confess that I can’t tell anyone, and I was scared what mommy would do….so…every time I think about it my stomach turns, and I get really hot, and scared, and I even start breathing really hard but…those things that [Herring] did to [redacted], he did to me,” the victim wrote.
19-year-old suspect of burglaries across Marshall behind bars
It was noted that Herring and the victim currently do not have direct contact and live at separate residences. During a forensic interview, the victim recounted multiple instances where Herring got the victim alone beginning two months after she turned 10-years-old.
Warrants were obtained for Herring who was arrested on Thursday and booked on two counts of continuous sex abuse of child under the age of 14 and two counts of indecency with a child sexual contact. He is being held at the Trinity County Jail on a $600,000 bond.
Harris works to appeal to Black men, a critical group for Democrats
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- For a second day this week, Vice President Kamala Harris is focusing on a key voting bloc that is a critical base for the Democratic Party: Black men.
On Tuesday, Harris will participate in an audio town hall event with Charlemagne tha God, host for the popular "The Breakfast Club" podcast. Also on Tuesday, the vice president is meeting with Black entrepreneurs in Detroit.
Her events come a day after her campaign rolled out a comprehensive plan -- just three weeks until the election -- to help Black men "get ahead" economically, which includes providing one million fully forgivable loans to Black entrepreneurs and an effort to invest in Black male teachers.
In an interview on "Roland Martin Unfiltered," also released on Monday, Harris argued that economic policies that consider "historical barriers" facing Black people benefit all Americans.
"If you have public policy, and I'm talking about economic public policy specifically at this point, but if you have public policy that recognizes historical barriers and what we need to do then to overcome," Harris said. "First, speak truth about them and then overcome them, that in the process of doing that, not only are you directly dealing with the injustices and the legal and procedural barriers that have been focused on Black folks, but by eliminating those barriers, everyone actually benefits, right?"
The focus on Black voters comes after former President Barack Obama sternly chided Black men over "excuses" to not vote for Harris while speaking to a group of Black at a campaign field office in Pittsburgh's East Liberty neighborhood last week.
"You have [Trump], who has consistently shown disregard, not just for the communities, but for you as a person, and you're thinking about sitting out?" Obama asked. "And you're coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses?"
Harris is polling ahead of Trump with Black voters who are registered to vote, 82-13%, according to the latest ABC News/Ipsos poll. That compares with 87-12% in the 2020 exit poll (a slight 5 points lower for Harris; no better for Trump). Black men are at 76-18% (compared with 79-19% four years ago), the poll found.
These differences from 2020 aren't statistically significant, and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock said he agrees.
"I don't buy this idea that there will be huge swaths of Black men voting for Donald Trump. That's not going to happen. What I would urge folks to do is to show up, to understand that if you don't vote, that is a vote for Donald Trump. That's the concern.," said Warnock on a Tuesday campaign call with reporters.
Part of the Harris campaign's plan for Black men includes legalizing recreational marijuana nationwide. Such a move would "break down unjust legal barriers that hold Black men and other Americans back," the campaign said in its release.
This takes the Biden administration's current stance, which includes pardoning people convicted of marijuana possession, a step further. For Harris' part, such a proposal is evidence of her evolving position. She has become more progressive since her time as attorney general of California when she was heavily criticized for aggressively prosecuting weed-related crimes.
Asked if she ever smoked by Charlamagne tha God back in 2019, Harris responded, "I have. And I inhaled -- I did inhale. It was a long time ago. But, yes."
She went on to clarify that she believes in legalizing the substance.
"I have had concerns, the full record, I have had concerns, which I think -- first of all, let me just make this statement very clear, I believe we need to legalize marijuana," she said. "Now, that being said -- and this is not a 'but,' it is an 'and' -- and we need to research, which is one of the reasons we need to legalize it. We need to move it on the schedule so that we can research the impact of weed on a developing brain. You know, that part of the brain that develops judgment, actually begins its growth at age 18 through age 24."
Her answer garnered backlash due to her record prosecuting the substance, particularly given the racial disparities in punishment nationwide. Harris' new proposal looks to correct those historical inequities.
But is it enough?
In addition to the new proposals, Harris has aggressively been campaigning in Black communities in the past week, stopping at several local Black-owned businesses and churches in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan as well as appearing on several media programs with predominately Black audiences.
In September, Harris told a group of Black reporters in a moderated conversation hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists that she was "working to earn the vote, not assuming I'm going to have it because I am Black."
Her campaign launched a "Black Men Huddle" organizing call on Monday, which featured remarks from campaign senior officials Tony West, Brian Nelson, Quentin Fulks and Rep. Cedric Richmond. Later, there was a weekly event focused on Black men supporting Harris featuring actor Don Cheadle.
"What the vice president is doing is giving us the tools to be able to go and have meaningful, impactful conversations when Black men turn back around to us and say, 'Well, what's in it for me,' I think that we have policy and tools like this that we can say exactly that," said Fulks.
Doc Rivers, who interviewed Harris for his "ALL the SMOKE" podcast on Monday, said he agreed with Obama's comments last week and pushed for Black men to cast their ballots.
"I agree 100% with President Obama -- it's unacceptable not to vote. When you look back at what your parents and your grandparents had to do to get the right to vote, that's unacceptable for me," said Rivers. "But there are Black men who out there that feel hopeless, they don't believe a vote helps them in either way, and I'm here to tell them they're wrong."
ABC News interviewed Black men in Pittsburgh's predominately Black Homewood Brushton neighborhood last Friday about their impressions of Harris and what she needed to do to get their vote.
Aquail Bey, a student at The Community College of Allegheny County and president of its veterans club, said Harris needs to meet them where they are and genuinely speak with them.
"She's doing a good job right now, but I think she should have -- go to places where they are, you know, meet them on their own terms, you know. Go to the neighborhoods where they are, go to the barber shops ... " Bey said. "Wherever the Black men are, go to where they are, speak to them a way that they understand."
Aaron Stuckey said people shouldn't assume Black men aren't getting behind Harris.
"Just poll us instead of assuming that that's where we're not going," he said.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Smith County donates surplus to Mustard Seed Ministries
SMITH COUNTY – Smith County donated surplus computer equipment to Mustard Seed Ministries that will be refurbished and given to local school children. Dr. Karen Jones, founder and president of Mustard Seed Ministries, received the donation from the Smith County Information Technology Department on Monday, October 14. Items included 178 desktops, 110 laptops, 70 monitors, 12 printers, five servers, seven scanners, and three switches. The donation was approved earlier in Commissioners Court.
For years, Smith County has donated outdated and broken computer equipment to Mustard Seed Ministries. The nonprofit organization dismantles and reassembles the equipment and donates them to school children who do not have computers. Mustard Seed supplies schools in Tyler, Whitehouse and Mineola.
Mustard Seed Ministries, is a nonprofit organization of the United Methodist Church. For more information, visit http://www.mustardseedcomputers.com.