LONGVIEW– According to our news partner, KETK, on Wednesday, CHRISTUS Health broke ground on a new $36 million Cancer Center in Longview. Construction begins soon and should be finished by the fall of 2026. There’s one goal in mind for the state-of-the-art, 35-thousand-square-foot facility.
“We are going to reduce the incidence of cancer in northeast Texas and we’re going to improve mortality rates,” CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic physician vice president of operations John DiPasquale said. In 2024, across the United States, an estimated two million new cancer cases were reported. Nearly one hundred and fifty thousand of them here in Texas. The American Cancer Society reports that a new clinic of this type will provide access to treatment at home, reducing the financial burden of traveling to larger cities for care. Continue reading CHRISTUS Health breaks ground on new Cancer Center in Longview
(NEW YORK) -- Women are now being diagnosed with cancer more often than men in certain age groups, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society.
Among adults aged 50-64, cancer rates are slightly higher in women, and women under 50 are almost twice as likely as men in the same age group to receive a cancer diagnosis.
The report, released Thursday, found that while deaths continue to decrease, troubling racial disparities persist, with white Americans more likely to survive cancer than other groups.
Meanwhile, the report echoed data from recent years suggesting a worrying increase in cancer diagnosis among younger Americans, with colon cancer rates increasing among adults 65 and younger.
Broadly, the report suggested doctors are getting better at saving lives thanks to better treatments but reinforced worrying trends around rising diagnoses of some cancers, particularly among women. Changes in screening practices, lifestyle factors, obesity, environmental hazards and lower rates of smoking in men may be contributing to the trend, the report said.
Alcohol in particular was singled out as a possible lifestyle factor that may increase the risk of some cancers.
"For colorectal cancer, for example, it seems to be really excessive [alcohol intake] that is associated with increased risk of this cancer, whereas for breast cancer, there doesn't seem to be any safe level of alcohol, but the elevated risk is small," said Rebecca Seigel, senior scientific director of cancer surveillance research for the American Cancer Society.
As Seigel explained, higher rates of cancer in young people could also be part of a "generational impact" where people are diagnosed earlier in life and less frequently when they are older.
Lung cancer remains particularly deadly, with 2.5 times more deaths than colorectal and pancreatic cancer. Smoking continues to be the leading preventable cause of lung cancer, but other contributors, such as radon, air pollution and genetic mutations, may be driving cases.
"Overall, in this country, nonsmoking lung cancer, by itself, would be the eighth leading cause of cancer mortality, and worldwide, it would be the fifth leading," said Dr. William Dahut, the American Cancer Society's chief science officer.
Disparity rates in cancer outcomes remain striking as well, especially for minority populations.
Uterine corpus cancer, for example, has lower survival rates now than 40 years ago, with Black women at 63% survival compared to 84% for white women. Black men and women also face some of the highest death rates for prostate and breast cancers.
"I think the stubborn resistance in terms of outcomes among underrepresented minorities is a concern," said Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, interim chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society.
"We have our VOICES program, which is an attempt to enroll as many African American women from across the country in a longitudinal study, something that hasn't been done to try to answer some of these questions as to why that persistent burden is there," he added.
The report does include some good news. While it predicts around 1,700 deaths from cancer per day in 2025, cancer death rates have fallen by 34% since their peak in 1991, preventing nearly 4.5 million deaths over the past three decades. This progress is largely attributed to declines in smoking, earlier detection for certain cancers, and advances in treatment, including breakthrough therapies like immunotherapy and targeted drugs.
Prevention has been a critical focus too, with initiatives like smoking cessation programs and HPV vaccination playing pivotal roles in reducing cancer risk. Public health efforts targeting obesity, alcohol use and expanding access to screenings have also helped tackle preventable cancers by improving early detection.
Cancer experts stress the importance of staying current with screening recommendations. For example, the American Cancer Society recommends most people start screening for colorectal cancer at age 45 or even sooner if you have a family history. For breast cancer, mammogram screening should start at age 40 for women with normal risk and earlier for women at high risk.
The report is a call for people to understand their family history better and take steps to reduce cancer risk, Dahut noted.
"Being proactive on your diet, on your exercise, avoiding tobacco, getting your vaccinations and monitoring alcohol are really all important ways to actually prevent cancer," he said, adding that research efforts are also focused on finding new ways to detect cancer.
Miranda Guerriero, D.O., is a resident physician at University of Texas at Tyler and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
Pope Francis (R) reads a speech during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican on January 8, 2025. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)
(LONDON) -- Pope Francis fell and injured his arm on Thursday in his residence, the Vatican said.
"This morning, due to a fall at the Santa Marta house, Pope Francis suffered a bruise to his right forearm, without fractures," the Vatican said in a statement in Italian. "The arm was immobilized as a precautionary measure."
The pontiff, 88, was seen in a photo released by the Vatican with his arm in what appeared to be a soft sling.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News' Joe Simonetti and Helena Skinner contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) -- Three Stanley Cup championship rings have been stolen from the home of Pittsburgh Penguins star forward Evgeni Malkin during yet another burglary in a series of thefts from high-profile professional athletes, authorities said.
The missing rings were reported at 8:30 p.m. last Saturday, according to a statement from the Allegheny County Police Department on Wednesday.
“At 8:30 pm on January 11, Sewickley Heights Police requested the assistance of the Allegheny County Police Department’s General Investigations Unit for a residential burglary on Blackburn Road,” authorities said. “It was later determined the home belonged to Pittsburgh Penguins player Evgeni Malkin, who returned home from a game to find his home was burglarized.”
Detectives immediately began an investigation and discovered that Malkin’s three Stanley Cup championship rings were taken from the residence, police said.
“County Police are in contact with impacted law enforcement agencies, and at this time, detectives have not received any information indicating this incident is tied to any of the reported organizations targeting professional athletes across the country,” authorities said.
In December, the FBI issued a formal warning to sports leagues about organized theft groups targeting professional athletes following a rash of burglaries -- beginning in September -- at the homes of professional athletes while they were playing games or traveling.
“These homes are targeted for burglary due to the perception they may have high-end goods like designer handbags, jewelry, watches, and cash,” the FBI said in a Liaison Information Report obtained by ABC News.
The report stated that "organized theft groups allegedly burglarized the homes of at least nine professional athletes" between September and November 2024.
“While many burglaries occur while homes are unoccupied, some burglaries occur while residents are home. In these instances, individuals are encouraged to seek law enforcement help and avoid engaging with criminals, as they may be armed or use violence if confronted,” the report further stated.
Burglars have recently targeted the homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, along with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Don?i?. In addition, the homes of NBA guard Mike Conley Jr. and Bobby Portis have been burglarized. The FBI report does not specifically note or refer to any of these incidents.
“County Police are in contact with impacted law enforcement agencies, and at this time, detectives have not received any information indicating this incident is tied to any of the reported organizations targeting professional athletes across the country,” said the Allegheny County Police Department in reference to Malkin’s case.
The 38-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins star is currently playing in his 18th NHL season and has scored 506 goals to date placing him 45th all-time in league history.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Allegheny County Police Department and police said the investigation remains active and open.
ABC News' Aaron Katersky and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A real estate developer whose relationship with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was at the center of the Republican’s historic impeachment trial in 2023 pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge of lying to a financial institution.
The plea by Nate Paul, whose company is based in Texas, was entered before a U.S. magistrate judge and still must be reviewed by a district judge, court documents show. Records did not indicate when Paul might be sentenced.
Paul claimed that federal investigators acted improperly when they raided his Austin home in 2019. He later sought help from Paxton, and the relationship and dealings between the two men played a prominent role in lawmakers impeaching Paxton, who was later acquitted in the Senate.
Paxton has long denied wrongdoing and was not mentioned in federal indictments against Paul, which accused the developer of making false statements to banks in order to obtain more than $170 million in loans.
The Associated Press emailed a request for comment to federal prosecutors on Wednesday. Staff for Paul’s attorney, Gerry Morris, said he would have no comment.
Paul would figure heavily in 20 articles of impeachment filed against Paxton, who was accused of abusing his power and bribery in order to help the developer, who gave the Republican a $25,000 campaign donation in 2018.
The impeachment came about after eight of the attorney general’s top deputies reported him to the FBI in 2020. All were subsequently fired or quit and half the group later sued under the state’s whistleblower law.
Paul initially faced a dozen charges, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, but online documents noted only the plea to the single charge of lying to a financial lender.
HOUSTON (AP) — A man fatally shot a Texas sheriff’s deputy Wednesday at a shopping plaza in Houston and then evaded officers for hours before shooting a K-9 that helped find him hiding under trash in a dumpster, authorities said.
The 56-year-old suspect was then shot and killed by officers, ending an intensive afternoon search in the nation’s fourth-largest city following the killing of Jesus Vargas, a 17-year veteran of the Brazoria County sheriff’s department.
“What has happened is extremely tragic,” T. Michael O’Connor, the U.S. Marshal of the Southern District of Texas, said at a news conference.
The dog, named Rocky, was transported by helicopter for care and was in stable condition Wednesday evening, O’Connor said.
Authorities said Vargas was trying to serve an arrest warrant Wednesday morning when the suspect opened fire on him. The suspect then fled the scene, setting off a large-scale search that included helicopters, K-9 units and multiple law enforcement agencies.
Police identified the suspect as Robert Lee Davis, also known as Sean Christopher Davis. Davis had a warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Houston Police Department Chief Noe Diaz said.
Police said the suspect was eventually found close to where the deputy was shot. Diaz said the K9 had alerted officers to the dumpster and believed David had been hiding the there since the shooting. Officers opened fire after Davis shot the dog, authorities said.
Vargas was married and had three children, Brazoria County Sheriff Bo Stallman, said.
TYLER — Our news partner KETK reports that Tyler Fire Department responded to a popular barbecue restaurant on Sunday night after it caught on fire. at around 10:30 p.m., Tyler firefighters were dispatched to the scene on 1410 SSW Loop 323 at Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q. When units arrived to the scene, they found the restaurant in flames. The firefighters were on scene for approximately 40 minutes extinguishing the fire, however Tyler officials said no one was injured.
The possible cause of the fire, officials said, was discarded ash and amber from cooking meat had accidently fallen over and caught a wall on fire.
Tyler Fire said that Rudy’s is already working to reopen.
LONGVIEW – The Longview Police Department said an arrest has been made after multiple shots were fired at a Longview Amtrak station on Wednesday Afternoon. Longview Public Information Officer La’Darian Brown said that a man walked into the Amtrak station and fired multiple shots. It is unclear to Brown what caused the suspect to open fire. Longview PD has not identified the suspect at this time.
Brown confirmed that nobody inside the building was harmed. The suspect fled however officers were able to detain him, and he has since been arrested.
HAWKINS — Hawkins Police Chief Paul Holland has resigned, according to a member of the Hawkins Police Department and our news partner KETK.
This marks the third chief to resign at the police department in recent years. A member of the police department told KETK News over the phone that Holland stepped on Tuesday. Holland was appointed to the position back in June of 2024. Back in March 2024, the Hawkins City Council accepted the resignation of Chief of Police Guy McKee. In 2022, Manfred Gilow also resigned as chief of police. KETK spoke to Gilow back in 2022, who cited budget issues and a shortage of police staff as reasons that led to his resignation.
“The fact that we are understaffed in this police department. I have two openings in the last seven months. We cannot fill them. Nobody wants to do this job anymore and sure enough, not for 15-16 dollars an hour. Target has 25-dollar minimum wage,” Gilow said back in 2022. “Therefore, I think right now, it’s a time to make a decision.”
UPSHUR COUNTY — An East Texas man has plead guilty to murdering his wife with an axe. The Upshur County Criminal District Attorney’s Office said a Gilmer citizen called 911 to report a man attempting to get into their vehicle on Feb. 26, 2024 at around 1:43 a.m. Police were on the scene within two minutes of the call and located the suspect. The suspect “was soaking wet on the front of his clothes and dry on the back.”
When officers questioned who he was, he reportedly lied before telling them his real name, Craig Allen Smith, and admitted to lying. He told officers he did not want to reveal his identity because “his wife was dead and he did not want to get caught up in it.” According to our news partner KETK, Smith reportedly told police his wife had been dead for a few hours and that she was at a home on Walnut Street in Gilmer. He was booked into the Upshur County Jail for an outstanding warrant. Continue reading Man sentenced after brutally killing wife with axe
ARLINGTON (AP) —The Texas Rangers are making their regional game broadcasts available directly to consumers in a streaming package they say is the first step in providing multiple viewing options after several seasons of access issues.
The MLB team announced Wednesday that it entered into a multiyear agreement with A Parent Media Co. Inc. (APMC) to stream Rangers regional games on the Victory+ service starting this year.
That is the same streaming service that took over regional broadcasts for the NHL’s Dallas Stars this season. While Stars games and extra content are streamed for free, access for Rangers games will cost $100 for the full season.
“The Rangers’ partnership with Victory+ as our direct-to-consumer provider is a tremendous first step as the club continues to finalize our television offerings for 2025 game broadcasts,” said Chief Operating Officer Neil Leibman, the team’s president of business operations. “Victory+ has proven itself over the past few months as a reliable streaming home for several professional sports teams, and we feel Rangers fans will enjoy the familiarity, convenience and simplicity of this service.”
While the team didn’t say what the additional options will be, those could include traditional cable and possibly some over-the-air broadcasts. The Rangers, who have more than 16 million households in their broadcast territory over parts of five states, said details about those options would be announced in the coming weeks.
Both the Rangers and Stars previously had their regional broadcasts on Bally Sports Southwest, part of the financially troubled Diamond Sports Group that has gone through a bankruptcy reorganization. The Stars and Diamond mutually agreed last summer to end their existing rights agreement. The Rangers’ deal with the group expired at the end of last season.
With Bally Sports Southwest not available through some cable companies and many popular streaming platforms, there were times when fans of the Rangers, Stars and NBA’s Dallas Mavericks had issues trying to watch games during a period when all of those teams were having success. The Rangers were World Series champions in 2023, before the Mavericks made it to the NBA Finals last summer and the Stars made it to the NHL Western Conference final.
APMC, which also does broadcasts for the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks, announced last month that early metrics for the Victory+ service and live games showed three to four times higher viewership and more than a half million downloads.
The Mavericks this season began a multiyear local broadcast rights agreement with TEGNA that reaches about 10 million people in more than 3.1 million Texas households.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Transportation Department is stepping up enforcement of persistent flight delays with a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines and a fine against Frontier Airlines.
The agency said the U.S. District Court lawsuit it filed in California on Wednesday alleges that Southwest illegally operated chronically delayed flights and disrupted passengers’ travel plans. It says it’s seeking “maximum civil penalties.”
“Airlines have a legal obligation to ensure that their flight schedules provide travelers with realistic departure and arrival times,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “Today’s action sends a message to all airlines that the Department is prepared to go to court in order to enforce passenger protections.”
The Transportation Department said its investigation found that Dallas-based Southwest operated two chronically delayed flights – one between Chicago Midway International Airport and Oakland, California, and another between Baltimore, Maryland and Cleveland, Ohio.
Both flights were chronically delayed for five straight months and together resulted in 180 flight disruptions for passengers between April and August 2022, the agency said.
The department fined Frontier Airlines $650,000 in civil penalties with $325,000 to be paid to the U.S. Treasury and the remaining $325,000 to be suspended if the carrier does not operate any chronically delayed flights in the next three years.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after the Transportation Department fined JetBlue $2 million for chronic delays, the first time it imposed a penalty for lateness on specific routes. The agency cited JetBlue’s chronic delays on “unrealistic scheduling.” JetBlue then said the government, which operates the air traffic control system, shares the blame for late flights.
Aviation-data provider Cirium said in a report released this month that Southwest ranked fifth among the 10 North American airlines it evaluated for their on-time performance, with 77.8% of arrivals and a little under 77% of departures last year taking place in a timely way. By comparison, top-ranked Delta Air Lines scored 83.5% for arrivals and 83.7% for departures.
Last year, federal regulators increased their scrutiny of Southwest Airlines after a series of incidents, including flying at very low altitudes while still miles away from an airport. The Federal Aviation Administration said in July it wanted to ensure the carrier was complying with federal safety regulations. The FAA declined to provide details, but noted that it continually adjusts oversight of airlines based on risk.
AUSTIN (AP) — Lorne Michaels, the creator of the long-running sketch comedy television show “Saturday Night Live” has donated his career archive to the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, the center announced Wednesday.
The collection includes behind-the-scenes rehearsal notes, scripts and photographs of iconic characters and sketches from a show that launched the careers of comedians Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and others. It also includes some of 80-year-old Michaels’ personal correspondence.
SNL, the most Emmy Award-nominated show in television history, is in its 50th season. It is set to broadcast “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” live on Feb. 16.
Although way off Broadway and far from the show’s New York City roots, the Ransom Center is one of the top literary and humanities archives and research institutions in the country.
Its literary archive includes the collections of Nobel Prize winner J.M. Coetzee, Pulitzer Prize winners David Mamet and Norman Mailer, actor Robert DeNiro, the television drama “Mad Men” and the “Gone With the Wind” collection of Hollywood producer David O. Selznick.
The Michaels collection documents his career in television from his earliest writing for “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” and “The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show,” but the bulk of it is related to SNL. The Ransom Center plans an exhibit, “Live from New York! The Making of Lorne Michaels” to open in September with sketch drafts, correspondence, video, photos and artifacts that detail show production and highlight SNL’s role as a comedic window into, and influence on, culture and politics.
“Lorne Michaels has kept us up late and laughing for 50 years,” Ransom Center Director Stephen Enniss said, “and I’m confident for years to come his archive will be studied by students and researchers looking for insight into the social, political, and cultural history of our time. We are deeply grateful to him for entrusting this rich legacy to us.”
A Michaels representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
FORT WORTH – The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that tensions erupted Tuesday at the year’s first session of the Tarrant County Commissioners Court. Sheriff’s Office court deputies detained three people for breaking decorum before and during a briefing by Sheriff Bill Waybourn and other county officials on deaths in the county jail. Tensions ran high from the session’s start, when Mansfield resident Charlie Hermes shouted the words of the national pledge of allegiance as the rest of the courtroom recited. When the pledge was finished, Hermes continued to shout “including Mason Yancy.” Yancy, 31, died Dec. 27 after suffering a medical emergency. He was an open carry protester who often appeared at Arlington City Council meetings. After reciting the pledge to the Texas flag, County Judge Tim O’Hare warned that any other outbursts would be cause for removal.
Later, during a proclamation to honor the 175th anniversary of the founding of Tarrant County, Hermes spoke up from the audience after the commissioners voted to approve the declaration without hearing from a person who had signed up for public comment but was not present at the time. When the person who had signed up to speak on the proclamation was found to be absent, O’Hare asked County Administrator Chandler Merritt if there were more people in an overflow room. Chandler said there was, and O’Hare said the speaker would be given the chance to speak if he showed up later. But Hermes spoke from his seat in the audience, asking how commissioners could vote without hearing public comment. Having issued a warning, O’Hare ordered his removal. Later, during a briefing from Zelia Baugh, executive vice-president of behavior health at John Peter Smith Hospital, a commotion could be heard in the lobby outside the court. A crowd soon gathered to watch as C.J. Grisham, a civil rights and criminal defense lawyer from Temple, argued with a court bailiff about his right to carry a firearm in the building. It was unclear what started the argument, but Grisham could be heard saying that he had a right to bring his weapon into the county administration building because of his status as an Army veteran. During that argument, self-described law enforcement watchdog Manuel Mata, of Fort Worth, came to the lobby to confront court deputies. He filmed them as he demanded their names and badge numbers. Mata was detained and taken away. His arrest was confirmed on the county’s inmate lookup system. A court deputy told the Star-Telegram that Grisham was allowed to show his license to carry a firearm as a veteran and was released.
SMITH COUNTY – All non-emergency Smith County offices will be closed for business on Monday, January 20, 2025, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Offices will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday, January 21, and Commissioners Court will be held at its normal time, at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Smith County Annex Building, located at 200 E. Ferguson St. in Tyler. City offices will observe the following schedule on Monday, Jan. 20 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Continue reading Tyler and Smith County offices closed for MLK Day
LONGVIEW– According to our news partner, KETK, on Wednesday, CHRISTUS Health broke ground on a new $36 million Cancer Center in Longview. Construction begins soon and should be finished by the fall of 2026. There’s one goal in mind for the state-of-the-art, 35-thousand-square-foot facility.
