The measles situation worldwide: Fewer vaccinations and more outbreaks

BANGKOK (AP) — The U.S. registered its first death from measles since 2015 this week, as a child who wasn’t vaccinated died in a measles outbreak in Texas.

Normally, most U.S. cases are brought into the country by people who have traveled overseas. So far, Texas officials have reported 124 cases. New Mexico has reported nine.

Experts point to declining measles vaccination rates worldwide since the COVID-19 pandemic. In the United States, most states now are below the 95% vaccination threshold for kindergartners — the level needed to protect communities against measles outbreaks.

Britain reported 2,911 confirmed measles cases in 2024, the highest number of cases recorded annually, since 2012.

Measles cases in the United States last year were nearly double the total for all of 2023, raising concerns about the preventable, once-common childhood virus. Health officials confirmed measles cases in at least 18 states in 2024, including in New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago.

“Measles anywhere is a threat everywhere,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control say on their website.

Here’s a brief look at the global measles situation.
Are measles outbreaks common outside the U.S?

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 10.3 million people were infected with measles in 2023 and 107,500 died. Most were unvaccinated people or children younger than 5. Cases were most common in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia where incomes are low and health services insufficient.

In places where measles have largely been eradicated, cases have been spread by travelers from other countries.

While measles-related deaths declined slightly in 2023, the number of outbreaks increased. Major outbreaks took place in 57 countries in 2023, including India and Indonesia, Russia, Yemen and Iraq. The largest number of cases in 2023 was 311,500 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
What is the impact of vaccinations?

The worldwide rate of childhood vaccinations has fallen in recent years, to 83% in 2023 from 86% in 2019, partly due to disruptions in immunization and health care due to the pandemic.

The WHO estimates that vaccination helped to prevent more than 60 million deaths worldwide between 2000 and 2023, as efforts to get the shots to more people ramped up. In 2000, 800,062 people are estimated to have died of measles. Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, major epidemics caused about 2.6 million deaths a year.

Measles is so highly infectious that 95% immunity is required to prevent epidemics, the WHO says. Put another way, it infects about 9 of 10 people exposed if they lack immunity.
What international efforts are underway to prevent epidemics?

The WHO and others are backing an effort called “Immunization Agenda 2021-2030,” to push for elimination of measles.

Independent experts declared the Americas free of endemic measles in 2016 but that status was lost in 2018 due to measles outbreaks in Brazil and Venezuela. Reduced vaccination rates are undermining efforts to fully eradicate the disease, experts say.

Global health organizations and other groups have increased their efforts to speed up immunization programs and close the gaps in prevention.

Florida ups the stakes for crimes by immigrants in the US illegally

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — For most people in Florida, misdemeanor theft can result in up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. For an immigrant illegally in Florida, that same crime now carries a felony punishment of up to five years behind bars and a $5,000 fine.

The new laws in Florida come as President Donald Trump cracks down on illegal immigration. They impose harsher penalties for offenses committed by people illegally in the U.S. than for everyone else. The consequences are particularly stiff for first-degree murder, which now carries an automatic death sentence for anyone who is in the U.S. illegally.

While Florida is more aggressive than most, there are other states considering similar measures to enhance criminal penalties based on immigration status.
A deterrence, but is it constitutional?

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis says “Florida will be safer and securer,” and a model for other states, because of its sweeping immigration laws.

The stiffer penalties are meant to be a deterrent, Republican state Rep. Lawrence McClure said.

“Don’t come to the state of Florida illegally,” he said. “That’s the premise.”

Some civil rights advocates and legal experts are raising alarm.

The laws are “leading into a head-on collision with the constitutional guarantee of equal protection to everyone who is in the United States,” said CĂ©sar CuauhtĂ©moc GarcĂ­a HernĂĄndez, a law professor at Ohio State University who specializes in immigration and criminal law.
Are mandatory death sentences allowed?

On his first day in office, Trump ordered a renewed emphasis on the death penalty. His executive order highlighted two particular grounds for it: murdering a law enforcement officer or committing any capital offense while in the U.S. illegally. But jurors and federal judges would still decide whether to impose the death sentence.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 1976 ruled North Carolina’s mandatory death sentence for first-degree murder violated the Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. States since then have generally used court proceedings in which jurors first decide guilt, then weigh aggravating and mitigating factors when deciding whether defendants should be sentenced to death.

“There is longstanding precedent making clear that mandatory death penalty laws are unconstitutional,” said Kara Gross, legislative director and senior policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

But Florida’s new laws eliminate judicial discretion in certain cases. They require courts to impose a death sentence on defendants in the U.S. illegally who are found guilty of capital offenses such as first-degree murder or child rape.

Republican state Sen. Randy Fine acknowledged the legislation he co-sponsored will likely face a legal challenge, but he expects the Supreme Court to overturn its prior ruling.

“It’s almost 50 years later,” Fine said, adding, “The Supreme Court changes its mind on things.”
More time for the same crime

Last year, DeSantis signed a law enhancing penalties for people who commit state felonies after being previously deported and convicted of illegal reentry under federal law. The measure increased sentences by one classification, meaning someone convicted of a third-degree felony typically punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine would instead be sentenced for a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The latest Florida laws apply similar sentencing enhancements to anyone in the U.S. illegally, regardless of any convictions for reentering, and apply the enhanced penalties to misdemeanors.

If the new laws get challenged, GarcĂ­a HernĂĄndez said, a court would likely look to a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The justices said Texas failed to show a substantial state interest for a law barring state school funding for children not “legally admitted” to the U.S. The high court cited the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which says a state shall not “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

To defend Florida’s law, state attorneys would probably have to answer a similar question: “What is your compelling justification for treating individuals who are accused of a crime — the same crime — differently based solely on their citizenship status?” GarcĂ­a HernĂĄndez said.
Other states may follow Florida’s lead

Legislation pending in several states — including Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, South Carolina and Texas — would allow enhanced penalties for some state crimes committed by immigrants illegally in the U.S., according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural.

A bill by Texas state Sen. Pete Flores would raise penalties one notch for most felonies committed by people in the U.S. illegally.

Flores, who is chair of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee and co-founder of the Texas Hispanic Republican Caucus, described the legislation as “a common-sense, tough-on-crime response to enforce the rule of law and better protect Texans.”

Legislation that passed the Utah Senate and is now pending in the House takes a more narrow approach focused on theft and drug dealing. It would impose mandatory jail sentences, without the potential for early release, for repeat offenders who are lawful U.S. residents or for any offenders who were previously deported and then convicted in federal court of illegally reentering the U.S.

Republican state Sen. Cal Musselman said his legislation targets “a small group of individuals.” Law enforcement officers have told him they see “a clear connection between being deported multiple times, coming in, and committing crimes within the state.”

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Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri.

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Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Woman arrested after cocaine, meth discovered during traffic stop

Woman arrested after cocaine, meth discovered during traffic stopVAN ZANDT COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK, a traffic stop in Van Zandt County led to the arrest of a Canton woman for multiple drug related charges on Wednesday. While officers were searching the vehicle they reportedly found what was suspected to be marijuana along with suspected methamphetamine and a firearm inside of the car. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Terry Lawson of Canton. Lawson was arrested and charged for possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Lawson was booked into the Van Zandt County Detention Center and has been released on bond. The case is still being investigated and officials said that Lawson is considered innocent until proven guilty.

“We have a renewed emphasis on stopping illicit drugs in Van Zandt County and having a Drug Interdiction Team is just the first step,” Van Zandt County Sheriff Kevin Bridger stated.

High-speed chase ends in crash; one airlifted

High-speed chase ends in crash; one airliftedVAN ZANDT COUNTY – One person was flown to a local hospital on Thursday after a high-speed chase started in Van Zandt County and ended in a crash according to our news partner KETK.

Delta County Sheriff Marshall Lynch said the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office started a pursuit but then lost the vehicle they were chasing down. The Rains County Sheriff’s Office reportedly found the vehicle and started the pursuit which then entered Delta County where deputies joined in the chase. According to Lynch, the chase continued on Texas State Highway 154 heading west at high speeds when the vehicle crashed near FM 1529.

The driver was removed from the vehicle by Delta and Hopkins County deputies along with local first responders. The injured driver was then flown by an Air Evac flight to a local hospital.

East Texas congressman meets with President Trump and Vice President Vance

East Texas congressman meets with President Trump and Vice President VanceTYLER – Congressman Nathaniel Moran had the opportunity to meet with President Trump and Vice President Vance to “increase liberty and prosperity for all Americans.”

According to our news partner, KETK, Congressman Moran was in the Oval Office this week discussing the emphasis of joint efforts between House Republicans and the White House to “secure the border, slash government waste, unleash American energy production and increase liberty for the American people.”

“It was an honor to visit the White House this week to speak with President Trump and Vice President Vance,” Moran said. “During our meeting, President Trump laid out his vision to increase liberty and prosperity for all Americans – and House Republicans are hard at work to deliver on that vision.”

What’s next for the church of Peter?

Nuns pray for Pope Francis in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, where Pope Francis is hospitalized since Friday, Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

As I write this, Pope Francis is in a hospital in Rome suffering with pneumonia and kidney failure. That’s not good news for an 88-year-old man. Francis could pull through and I hope he does. But in any case, his papacy will soon be over.

I was standing on a rain-soaked St. Peter’s Square on March 13, 2013, as Jorge Mario Bergoglio was introduced to the world as Pope Francis. A crowd of about 100,000 cheered as he gave his urbi et orbi blessing. All of us in the media scrambled to report that prior to his election, Bergoglio was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Early the next morning I sat in the ABC News Bureau in Rome and wrote the following to wrap up KTBB’s coverage.

I’m not Catholic. I’m a Methodist.

Still, I find myself rooting for the Catholic Church. Everyone who professes a Christian faith is descended from the church in Rome. For all the faults of the Roman Church, and they are numerous, at its core the Catholic Church has been an institution dedicated to elevating humans that they might become more worthy of their belief in having been created in God’s own image. The Christian faith in general, and the Catholic Church in particular, has, among other things, chastened its believers. The authority of the church mitigated the baser instincts of man. The teachings of the church have sought to summon our better angels.

As the church has forfeited moral authority due to ineptitude and self-inflicted wounds such as the clergy abuse scandals, nothing really good has rushed in to fill the resulting vacuum.

I also believe that to the extent that the Roman Church suffers a loss of respect, that loss of respect negatively impacts all Christian congregations. For most of the world, Catholicism is Christianity.

Thus, I wish Pope Francis well. I’d like to see the Catholic Church get some of its mojo back.”

The sad fact is that my wish was not granted.

I went on to say the morning after the election that Job One for the new pope was to re-evangelize Europe with an eye toward the same thing for the United States.

Mark 16:15 says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Much to my disappointment, too much of Francis’s preaching centered not on the gospels but on secular leftist causes such as climate change, transgenderism and unfettered illegal immigration. Pride flags and BLM flags in the sanctuaries of Catholic and other Christian churches served to distract from the dwindling numbers of parishioners in the pews.

European governments are now trying to figure out what to do about their own illegal immigration problem.

The fear is that Francis has packed the College of Cardinals with like-minded leftists who are likely to select another leftist pope.

The hope is that just as it did in our recent election, the pendulum will swing the other way.

For the sake of Christendom and the world, let’s pray that it does.

Bullard ISD calls school board election for May Third

Bullard – Bullard ISD calls school board election for May ThirdThe Bullard Independent School District (BISD) Board of Trustees has officially called for a
school board election to be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025. This election will determine the representatives for
Place 6 and Place 7 on the Board, as the current terms for these positions are set to expire. The election was
called at the regular monthly board meeting on February 10, 2025. Continue reading Bullard ISD calls school board election for May Third

TxDOT reports a drop in fatal accidents

TxDOT reports a drop in fatal accidentsTYLER — The Texas Department of Public Safety Tyler District reported a 22% decrease in fatal accidents in 2024. According to TxDOT and our news partner KETK, since Nov. 7, 2000, 87,000 people have died on state roadways and there hasn’t been a single day without a fatal accident since. TxDOT is working to end that streak and said the results are paying off. The report focused on five of the top factors found to contribute to accidents. The top two factors include drivers who fail to drive in a single lane and speeding.

“There were 164 total fatalities. Although that number went down from 209 in 2023, it’s still too many fatalities,” TxDOT Tyler District Public Information Officer Jeff Williford said.

TxDOT hopes to see fewer fatalities but said 2025 is already off to a bad start.

“Unfortunately, 2025 is starting off worse than 2024 did so far. Through the first 50 days, we’ve seen a handful of more fatalities so far and more crashes than we did in 2024 at this time of year,” Williford said.

Scoreboard roundup — 2/26/25

(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Wednesday's sports events:

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Celtics 97, Pistons 117
Raptors 91, Pacers 111
76ers 105, Knicks 110
Trail Blazers 129, Wizards 121
Thunder 129, Nets 121
Hawks 109, Heat 131
Clippers 122, Bulls 117
Kings 118, Jazz 101
Spurs 106, Rockets 118

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Jets 4, Senators 1
Devils 1, Avalanche 5
Canucks 3, Kings 2

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Stolen checks found during Marshall traffic stop

Stolen checks found during Marshall traffic stopMARSHALL, Texas (KETK) – A traffic stop in Marshall led to the arrest of two residents on Tuesday where police recovered drugs and stolen checks.
According to our news partner KETK, the traffic stop occurred in the area of East Grand Avenue and Bolivar Street. The individuals in the vehicle were identified as Amber Nicole Wage, 36, and LaMarcus Bernard Clayborn, 43.

While officers were searching the vehicle, they reportedly found a debit card and several checks in Wage’s possession that were not under her name. One of the fraudulent checks was made out to Clayborn. Authorities also found a white substance that was later identified as methamphetamine.

Following the investigation, Wage and Clayborn were arrested and transported to the Harrison County Jail. Continue reading Stolen checks found during Marshall traffic stop

Cherokee County jail found in noncompliance

Cherokee County jail found in noncomplianceCHEROKEE COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office jail was found in noncompliance with Texas jail standards.

According to Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson, medication distribution, restraint, recreational procedures and failing to do a proper face-to-face observation at the time of an inmate’s death were reasons for the failure. The sheriff’s office identified the inmate as Mason Tanner Johnston of Jacksonville, who was arrested for serious crimes against a child in 2021.

The sheriff said that these infractions are from a lack of documentation by the jailers when they perform their duties. “As a result of this inspection, I have taken the proper and necessary disciplinary actions against several jailers who failed to document their actions correctly during their shifts,” Dickson said. Continue reading Cherokee County jail found in noncompliance

City of Tyler appoints two new municipal judges

City of Tyler appoints two new municipal judgesTYLER – Tyler City Council approved Municipal Court Presiding Judge Amy McCullough’s appointment of Attorneys Kristina Ross and Tab Beall as alternate judges. Following their approval Wednesday, both were officially sworn in. According to a release from the city, Kristina Ross is an attorney at Beard & Harris, PLLC in Tyler. Her practice focuses on estate planning, probate, and sports agency and management. She has been licensed by the State Bar of Texas since 2011 and is a member of the Smith County Bar Association. Tab Beall is a lifelong Tyler resident and attorney with over 40 years of legal experience, including serving as a partner at Perdue, Brandon, Fielder, Collins & Mott, LLP. He has been a member of the Smith County Bar Association since 1981 and served as president from 2002-2003.

Dog saved from well underneath house in Longview

Dog saved from well underneath house in LongviewLONGVIEW — According to our news partner KETK, the Longview Fire Department was sent to a house after a dog fell down a well under a house on Monday . However, with the help of Longview fire and animal control, the dog was quickly brought to the surface. The dog was a little shaken but officials said it was was unharmed. One of the rescuers has since chosen to adopt him, since the owner can not be located.

“Thank you to everyone who played a part in this miraculous rescue. It’s a true reminder of the incredible bond between humans and animals, and how a community comes together in times of need,” a spokesperson from Longview animal control center said.

New fraud attacks Texas consumers

TYLER – New fraud attacks Texas consumersInvestigators with the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (FCIC) have identified a sophisticated new criminal method that uses multiple steps to defraud consumers by impersonating law enforcement.  The criminals send a fraudulent text alert to a victim, saying there have been suspicious transactions on their financial accounts and asking the victim to confirm that the transaction is indeed suspicious.

The criminal then contacts the victim while impersonating a bank representative and tells the victim that the suspicious activity is part of an FBI investigation. The criminal persuades the victim to withdraw and deposit funds into a “new account” via an ATM that is controlled by the criminal. Sometimes, these are video calls where the victim is on the phone with the criminal, who has their video turned off.

The criminals give the victim a debit card number linked to the criminals’ accounts to add to Apple pay or other third-party apps. Once the transactions are completed, the criminals instruct the victim to delete the debit card number and throw out receipts – which prevents law enforcement from tracing the fraudulent transaction. Continue reading New fraud attacks Texas consumers