DALLAS – The Dallas Morning News says a few years ago, with the nation in the throes of a pandemic, Sen. Nathan Johnsonâs effort to add 1 million low-income Texans to Medicaid drew support from a handful of Republicans in the GOP-dominated Texas Legislature. Most of those lawmakers are gone from the Capitol, an exodus that strips away at the Dallas Democratâs slim hope of seeing Texas join 40 other states and Washington, D.C. in expanding Medicaid under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Even so, Johnson filed his bill for the upcoming session â his third try â just in case the leaders of an increasingly conservative Texas Legislature change their minds. âI just want a million people to get health insurance, I want health insurance premiums to come down, and I want to do it without levying any new tax on the people,â Johnson said.
âThe strategy is to present something that would allow Republican leadership to say, âThis is a win for all of us.â I think if there were a signal from leadership, then we would see Republicans fall in line behind this,â he said. Senate Bill 232 would create the Live Well Texas program, which would expand Medicaid while adding elements passed in other conservative states â including incentives to encourage self-sufficiency through health savings accounts, employment assistance and rewards for healthy behaviors. Additionally, the legislation seeks to increase reimbursements to health care providers who see Medicaid patients, potentially expanding access to care for Medicaid patients by bringing more hospitals, doctors and others to the program. In 2021, Johnsonâs Medicaid-expansion bill had no Republican support in the Senate, but nine GOP House members joined 67 Democrats as co-authors of an identical House bill. The legislation was bottled up in a committee. Johnson tried again in 2023, but the effort gathered less bipartisan momentum during a particularly contentious session. âI was very serious about passing it when I first filed it, and we had a really good run at it, but I donât see how the situation has improved,â Johnson said. âBut I want something out there to say that if this state wants a conservative way to bring home its own tax dollars and improve the health of its population and bring down health premiums and stabilize family finances and help set people on a path to independence, there is a way to do it that has conservative bona fides.â Opponents of expanding Medicaid say the program is mismanaged, financially unstable, too expensive and fosters government reliance. They also argue that expansion does not improve health outcomes and prioritizes able-bodied adults over children and adults with disabilities who rely heavily on the program.
AUSTIN – The Austin American-Statesman reports that after a Republican Texas House member said a new GOP candidate for speaker is needed to break what he called a stalemate, neither lawmaker currently seeking to lead the lower chamber when the Legislature convenes next month gave any indication that he plans to drop out of the race. State Rep. Gary Gates of Fort Bend County on Friday sent a “dear colleagues” letter to members of the House Republican Caucus decrying the intraparty “bullying tactics” that have arisen amid the race for speaker between Reps. David Cook of Mansfield and Dustin Burrows of Lubbock. Cook has emerged as the choice of 57 of the 88 members of the House Republican Caucus but remains short of the 76 votes needed to secure a majority to become speaker. Burrows, meanwhile, is working to create a bipartisan coalition to push him to a majority. Both camps, along with third parties, have pushed the traditionally members-only speaker’s race into the public sphere. The Texas Republican Party, which advocates electing a speaker on the strength of GOP members alone, released a campaign-style video accusing Burrows of seeking to “cut a deal with the Democrats” to secure the post.
Burrows, a top lieutenant to outgoing Speaker Dade Phelan during the two terms the Beaumont Republican ran the chamber, is contrasting his 10-year service in the House, which includes chairing two major committees, with Cook’s comparatively brief four-year tenure. Cook emerged as a serious candidate for speaker in September when several Republican members assembled privately to discuss selecting an alternative to Phelan, who came under GOP fire for continuing the House tradition of awarding some committee chairmanships to the minority party. Cook walked away from that gathering with 48 committed votes for speaker. Phelan has since dropped a bid for a third term at the helm, and Burrows inherited some the speaker’s core supporters. After a Dec. 7 GOP caucus meeting, Cook’s support increased by nine members, but Burrows claimed he had locked down the magic number of 76 votes. That proved premature, and the GOP infighting continued. In his letter, Gates warned that reuniting the caucus could be problematic without a new face in the race. “Since our Caucus meeting, outside interest groups have been attacking the 31 Republican colleagues who are not supporting the Cook candidacy,” wrote Gates, a House member since 2020. This “has been detrimental for Cook to gain additional support from some of these Republicans, and now requires him to reach out to Democrats to get to the 76 needed votes.”
MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department (MPD) has identified the person involved in the officer-involved shooting on Thursday, December 19, 2024, as Evelyn Luna, 22, of Marshall. Luna has been charged with Aggravated Assault Against a Public Servant.
The incident began around 1:20 p.m. when officers responded to a disturbance call in the 100 block of Interstate 20. Upon arrival, officers learned that Luna was armed with a handgun. Additional resources, including the MPD Special Response Team (SRT), Crisis Negotiation Team, and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) SRT and deputies, were called to assist. Despite efforts to de-escalate the situation through negotiations, Luna fired a handgun at officers, putting the public at risk. An MPD officer returned fire, striking her. Emergency medical personnel from the Marshall Fire Department, who were already on the scene, provided immediate aid. Luna was then taken to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries.
After being medically cleared, MPD Detectives arrested Luna and took her to the Harrison County Jail.
(NEW YORK) -- Shares of Boeing fell in early trading on Monday, one day after a Boeing model 737-800 was involved in the Jeju Air plane crash in South Korea that killed scores of passengers.
The stock price dropped more than 4% at the open of trading on Monday morning. The slide came hours after South Korea's transportation ministry announced it would investigate the crash and conduct a full inspection of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft in use in South Korea.
All but two of the 181 people on board died Sunday in what authorities said was the deadliest plane crash in South Korea in decades.
The only survivors, a man and a woman, were among the six crew members onboard the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 when it skidded along a runway, crashed into a wall and burst into flames on Sunday morning, officials said.
In a statement posted on X on Sunday, Boeing said the company had established communication with Jeju Air about the incident.
"We are in contact with Jeju Air regarding flight 2216 and stand ready to support them," Boeing said. "We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew."
Boeing did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
Jeju Air said it would not suspend operations of its 737-800 aircraft.
"There are no plans to suspend operations, but they will examine those parts once more and check them thoroughly during the inspection process," said Song Kyung-hoon, head of Jeju Air's Management Support Division.
As the aircraft approached South Korea's Muan International Airport at 8:54 a.m. local time, the control tower gave it permission to land on a south-to-north runway, according to an official timeline by the Korean Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport.
Three minutes later, the flight control tower issued a warning of a possible bird strike, the transport ministry said. About two minutes after that warning, a pilot sent a distress signal, saying, "Mayday, mayday, mayday, bird strike, bird strike, going around," the ministry said.
An official cause of the crash is under investigation by South Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board.
The fatal crash and ensuing stock slide mark the latest setback for Boeing, which sought to put a series of scandals behind it last month when it struck a deal with a union representing thousands of West Coast factory workers, who had undertaken a seven-week strike.
The labor action began days after Boeing's troubled Starliner spacecraft returned to Earth without its crew due to mechanical issues, and months after a door plug blew out of the company's 737 Max 9 aircraft mid-flight, which itself happened five years after Boeing's 737 Max aircraft were first grounded worldwide following a pair of tragic crashes.
The losses for Boeing on Monday coincided with a broader decline in the stock market.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 700 points in early trading, dropping the index about 1.5%.
The S&P 500 slid 1.5% in early trading on Monday, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq also declined 1.5%.
ABC News' Joohee Cho and Kevin Shalvey contributed to this report.
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(NEW YORK) -- The widow of hockey player Matthew Gaudreau, who was killed alongside his brother when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver, has given birth to their son four months after her husband's death.
Madeline Gaudreau announced the birth of Tripp Matthew in an Instagram post on Sunday, sharing a photo of her and her newborn holding hands.
Trippâs father, former pro hockey player Matthew Gaudreau, and his uncle, Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau, died in August.
The brothers were home in New Jersey for their sisterâs wedding and were riding bikes when they were struck by a driver suspected of being under the influence of alcohol, according to police.
Johnny Gaudreau, 31, left behind his wife, Meredith, and two children. Meredith was pregnant with their third child at the time. Matthew Gaudreau, 29, was survived by his pregnant wife, Madeline.
Meredith commented, "I love you Baby Tripp!" on Madeline's photo announcement, while Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau's sister, Katie, wrote, "Yay!!!!!!!!!!!! Aunt Katie loves you, mommy, and daddy SOOOO much."
"He was born to be a dad," Madeline Gaudreau said at the brothers' funeral in September. "The moment we found out about our son Tripp, it consumed his every day. He was downloading apps, ordering books, finding the best diaper brand, making sure I had the best vitamins and asking for tips from John. I will never forget the tears he had in his eyes when he first heard Trippâs heartbeat."
"I know Matt will surround his son for the rest of his life," she said through tears.
Madeline and Meredith Gaudreau pledged to take care of each other and their children.
"Please continue to take care of John like you always have," Meredith Gaudreau said in a message to Matthew at the service. "I got Madeline and Tripp."
Madeline Gaudreau also made a point to urge people to not drink and drive.
"Please do not put another family through this torture," she said.
The man suspected of crashing into the brothers, Sean Higgins, was arrested in August.
Higgins, who told police he had about five or six beers before the crash, failed a field sobriety test, according to the probable cause affidavit. He told authorities that his drinking "contributed to his impatience and reckless driving," the probable cause affidavit said.
Higgins was indicted by a grand jury this month on charges including two counts of second-degree reckless vehicular homicide, according to Philadelphia ABC station WPVI. His arraignment is set for Jan. 7.
(LONDON) -- Rebel forces in Syria are building a transitional government after toppling the regime of President Bashar Assad in a lightning-quick advance across the country.
The Israel Defense Forces continues its intense airstrike and ground campaigns in Gaza, particularly in the north of the strip around several Palestinian hospitals. A latest round of peace talks to end the 15-month-old war is set to resume in Qatar.
Meanwhile, the November ceasefire in Lebanon is holding despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, which Israeli officials say are responses to ceasefire violations by the Iranian-backed militant group.
Tensions remain high between Israel and Iran after tit-for-tat long-range strikes in recent months and threats of further military action from both sides. The IDF and the Yemeni Houthis also continue to exchange attacks.
Israeli strikes kill 150 in Gaza, officials say, as peace talks resume
More than 150 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip over the past three days, according to Palestinian health authorities.
The series of airstrikes on dozens of Hamas targets came amid a renewed push to reach a ceasefire in the 15-month-old war and return Israeli hostages home before President-elect Donald Trump takes office later this month.
Delegations from both Israel and Hamas were dispatched to resume indirect negotiations in Doha on Friday. The talks will be brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
President Joe Biden's administration, which is helping to broker the talks, urged Hamas to agree to a deal. Hamas said it was committed to reaching an agreement deal, but it remains unclear how close the two sides are.
-ABC News Nasser Atta, Bruno Nota, Diaa Ostaz, Samy Zyara and Morgan Winsor
77 killed in Gaza in past 24 hours: Health ministry
Approximately 77 people were killed and 145 injured over the past 24 hours in Gaza, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said Friday.
Israeli air forces struck "approximately 40 Hamas terrorist gathering points" throughout the Gaza Strip over the past day, the Israel Defense Forces said in a release Friday.
"Prior to the strike, numerous measures were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence," the release stated.
-ABC News' Bruno Nota and Sami Zyara
Amnesty 'extremely alarmed' by Gaza doctor's detention
Agnes Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International, said on Thursday that the organization is "extremely alarmed" by the detention of Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya -- the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.
"He should now be considered as victim of enforced disappeared and as such at great risk of torture and ill-treatment," Callamard wrote in a post to X. Israeli authorities "must urgently disclose" his location, she added.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed to ABC News on Thursday that Abu Safiya was in the custody of Israeli authorities and is currently being interrogated "for suspected involvement in terrorist activities and for holding a rank in the Hamas terror organization."
The IDF has alleged that Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives were hiding inside the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia. Abu Safiya was initially detained on Dec. 27 during an IDF raid on the medical facility, which has been besieged multiple times by Israeli forces.
-ABC News' Anna Burd, Bruna Nota, Dana Savir and Joe Simonetti
New round of Gaza ceasefire talks to begin in Qatar
A senior Hamas official announced the renewal of cease-fire talks in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday, following a visit to Cairo by a Hamas delegation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office later confirmed that an Israeli delegation will travel to Doha. Among those attending will be representatives from Mossad, Shin Bet and the Israel Defense Forces, the prime minister's office said in a statement.
-ABC News' Bruno Note and Joe Simonetti
Israel intercepts missile and drone from Yemen
The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that it intercepted one missile and one drone launched from Yemen, as Iran-aligned Houthi rebels there continue long-range attacks.
The incoming missile set off warning sirens, the IDF said, and was intercepted over Israeli territory. The IDF reported that shrapnel from the interception fell in the area of Modi'in in central Israel.
Some hours later, a drone was intercepted before reaching Israeli territory and thus did not set off any air alerts, the IDF said.
The Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks on Israel and on shipping in nearby waters until the IDF withdraws from Gaza.
Israel has launched several rounds of airstrikes on targets in Yemen in response to Houthi attacks.
In the most recent, Israel attacked Yemen's main airport -- and destroyed its control tower -- in the capital Sanaa. The bombs fell while the United Nations' coordinator for Yemen and the head of the World Health Organization were on site waiting to depart the airport.
The U.S. and U.K. -- supported by other allies -- began bombing Houthi targets in Yemen in January in response to attacks on regional commercial and military shipping.
Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Israeli custody: IDF
Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, is in the custody of Israeli authorities, according to a statement to ABC News from the Israeli Defense Forces.
Abu Safiya was "apprehended for suspected involvement in terrorist activities and for holding a rank in the Hamas terror organization," the Israeli military said in the statement. The doctor is "currently being investigated by Israeli security forces," the statement said.
The IDF has said Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives were hiding inside Kamal Adwan Hospital.
Abu Safiya was allegedly arrested by IDF forces on Dec. 27 when Israeli forces conducted a raid on the hospital, Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard said in a post on X Tuesday.
-ABC News' Ellie Kaufman, Anna Burd and Dana Savir
At least 85 killed in strikes across Gaza Strip
On the second day of the New Year, at least 85 people were killed in various attacks across the Gaza Strip, Gaza medical sources told ABC News.
Israel Defense Forces conducted an airstrike in "the humanitarian area in Khan Yunis," and killed "the head of Hamas Internal Security Forces in the southern Gaza Strip," Hassam Shahwan in the strike, the IDF said in a release Thursday.
The IDF also conducted an airstrike "on Hamas terrorists who were operating in a control and command center," in the humanitarian area in Khan Yunis, the IDF said.
-ABC News' Sami Zyara and Diaa Ostaz
Israel intercepts missile from Yemen, threatens Houthi leaders
A missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by Israeli air forces, the Israel Defense Forces said in a Monday night statement, amid continued Israeli and Houthi long-range attacks.
Sirens sounded "due to the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception," the IDF said.
The latest missile launch came shortly after Danny Danon -- Israel's ambassador to the United Nations -- said Israelis "have had enough" of attacks from the Houthis in Yemen, ongoing since October 2023 in protest of Israel's war in Gaza.
"Israel will not stand by waiting for the world to act," Danon said.
Addressing the Houthi leadership, he added, "Let me remind you what happened to Hamas, to Hezbollah, to [former Syrian President Bashar] Assad and to all those who thought to destroy us."
"This is not a threat, it is a promise," Danon said. "You will share the same miserable fate."
-ABC News' Will Gretsky, Dana Savir and Ellie Kaufman
Ukraine foreign minister meets Syrian leader in Damascus
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Monday met with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa -- also known by nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.
Sybiha became the latest foreign representative to meet with Sharaa in Damascus, where the latter's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham forces and their allies are establishing a transitional government having toppled former President Bashar Assad.
Sybiha wrote on X that he "personally conveyed the message" of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "We are with you and ready to assist in restoring normal life, stability and food security," Sybiha said.
"We rely on the new Syria respecting international law, including Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added. "This will pave the way to fully restoring our diplomatic ties, political dialogue and diplomatic presence. We are ready to develop cooperation in a number of areas."
The visit came days after Zelenskyy announced Kyiv's dispatch of 500 tons of wheat flour to Syria as part of the "Grain from Ukraine" humanitarian program in cooperation with the World Food Program.
Gaza hospitals become âbattlegrounds,â WHO chief says
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said early Monday that Gaza's beleaguered hospitals "have once again become battlegrounds and the health system is under severe threat."
Ghebreyesus said the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north Gaza town of Beit Lahia "is out of service," following an Israeli raid which itself came after several weeks of encirclement and bombardment.
Israeli forces raided the compound on Friday, forcibly evacuating all remaining patients and staff. The Israel Defense Forces said it detained 240 alleged militants, among them hospital director Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya. The IDF said the hospital was a "command center" for Hamas "military operations" in the surrounding area.
Ghebreyesus said Safiya's "whereabouts are unknown. We call for his immediate release."
Kamal Adwan patients were transferred to the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, both of which have also reported repeated Israeli attacks. The latter "is itself out of function," Ghebreyesus said.
"Seven patients along with 15 caregivers and health workers remain at the severely damaged Indonesian Hospital, which has no ability to provide care," he added.
Four patients were detained by the IDF during their transfer out of Kamal Adwan Hospital, the WHO chief said.
Two other facilities -- the Al-Ahli Hospital and Al-Wafa Rehabilitation Hospital in Gaza City -- were also attacked and sustained damage on Monday, Ghebreyesus said.
"We repeat: stop attacks on hospitals," he wrote. "People in Gaza need access to health care. Humanitarians need access to provide health aid. Ceasefire!"
Family of Gaza hospital director asks international community to help find him
The family of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip, is pleading with the international community to help learn his whereabouts, alleging he was detained by Israeli forces during a recent raid on the medical facility.
The family posted a message on Abu Safiya's official Instagram page, on which the doctor had been posting updates about the hospital's functioning, pleading, "We do not know the fate of our father."
"We appeal to every compassionate individual and all international organizations and institutions to take action," said the family, asking the international community to apply media pressure and make appeals to "help us push for his swift release from captivity."
The message said Abu Safiya is still recovering from injuries he suffered a month ago while working at the hospital.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement released on Saturday that Abu Safiya is suspected of being a Hamas terrorist and is being held in Gaza.
Abu Safiya had not been arrested in previous IDF raids of the hospital.
-ABC News' Camilla Alcini and Nadine Shubailat
IDF issues statement on Kamal Adwan Hospital raid
The IDF released a statement outlining their operations in and around Kamal Adwan Hospital in the last few days.
The Israel Defense Forces said the hospital was a "command center" for Hamas "military operations in Jabaliya," although the statement and attached media do not provide corroborating evidence of this.
The statement says the IDF faced heavy fighting in areas near the hospital, and says the IDF detained 240 terrorists, including the director of the hospital, Dr Hossam Abu Safiya, whom it says is is "suspected of being a Hamas terrorist operative.â
Abu Safiya was one of the only male staff members at the hospital not detained during the IDF's raid of the hospital in October, and he would have helped coordinate numerous resupply and patient evacuations with Israel over the last several months.
Kamal Adwan is the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza and is operating at a limited capacity due to a lack of medical supplies and the repeated attacks on the hospital.
JACKSONVILLE â Our news partner KETK is reporting that former Jacksonville ISD Police Chief Marvin Acker died unexpectedly on Sunday morning. According to his obituary, Acker began his career with the Cherokee County Sheriffâs Office as a jailer in 1981 and continued his law enforcement career at the Jacksonville Police Department for 20 years.
Acker then went on to serve Jacksonville ISD in 2002 as a resource officer and from 2006-2016 he served as the chief of police for the school district. At the time of his death he was working with the Cherokee County District Attorneyâs Office. Continue reading Former Jacksonville ISD Police Chief dies
SMITH COUNTY â The Smith County Animal Control & Shelter announced on Friday they have ran out of space in their shelter and have since waved fees for adoption. According to our news partner KETK, most of the dogs have been spayed/neutered and are vaccinated. All the dogs are reportedly friendly and do great with other dogs.
âWe want nothing more than for them to find a home for the New Year. The following dogs are all at risk for euthanasia unless we can create the space needed for new intakes,â Smith County Animal Control said.
The shelter is located at 322 E. Ferguson St in Tyler and their hours are from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. To see a full list of dogs in the shelter, people can visit the Smith County Animal Control & Shelterâs Facebook.
(AP) â Officials assessed the damage on Sunday after a strong storm system moved across the southern U.S. over the weekend, spawning tornadoes and killing at least four people.
There were at least 45 reports of tornado damage across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Serviceâs Weather Prediction Center. Crews will do damage surveys to confirm tornadoes.
The storms during busy holiday travels caused some treacherous road conditions along with delays or cancellations at some of the busiest U.S. airports. As of Sunday afternoon, there were over 600 flight delays affecting Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to flight tracker FlightAware.
âItâs not unheard of, but it is fairly uncommon to have a severe weather outbreak of this magnitude this late in the year,â said Frank Pereira, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center.
In the Houston area, National Weather Service storm survey crews confirmed that at least five tornadoes hit north and south of the city on Saturday.
At least one person died. The 48-year-old woman was found about 100 feet (30 meters) from her home in the Liverpool area south of Houston, said Madison Polston of the Brazoria County Sheriffâs Office. She said the exact cause of death wasnât immediately known.
Four other people in Brazoria County had injuries that werenât considered critical, said Polston, adding that at least 40 homes and buildings were significantly damaged.
In Montgomery County, north of Houston, about 30 homes were destroyed and about 50 others sustained major damage, county official Jason Smith said.
In North Carolina, a 70-year-old man was killed Sunday in Statesville, just north of Charlotte, when a tree landed on the pickup truck he was driving. Highway Patrol Trooper DJ Maffucci said âit was just a freak accidentâ and he believed Matthew Teeple, of Cleveland, North Carolina, was killed instantly.
âItâs very sad, just terrible timing,â Maffucci said, adding that the storms were responsible for a number of downed trees and âquite a few wrecks.â
Two people were killed in storms in Mississippi, officials said. An 18-year-old died after a tree fell on her home Saturday night in Natchez in Adams County, said Emergency Management spokesperson Neifa Hardy. Two other people in the home were injured.
Another person died in Lowndes County and at least eight more were injured across the state, officials said.
The National Weather Service said two tornadoes hit around Bude and the city of Brandon, ripping roofs from several buildings.
Storm damage also was reported in the northern Alabama city of Athens, northwest of Huntsville.
Holly Hollman, spokeswoman for the city, said most of the damage from the early Sunday morning storms occurred downtown. She said it hurled large HVAC units from the tops of building and ripped the roof off a bookstore. A full-sized, stripped-down military helicopter was toppled from a pole where it was on display, she added.
âI stepped out on my porch and I could hear it roar,â she said of the storm. âI think we are extremely lucky that we got hit late at night. If it had hit during the busy hours, I think we might have had some injuries and possibly some fatalities.â
As of Sunday afternoon, over 40,000 people were still without power in Mississippi, according to electric utility tracking website PowerOutage.us. Texas, Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia each had about 10,000 customers without power, it said.
The storms closed some roads in western North Carolina, a region broadly devastated by Hurricane Helene this fall. That included part of U.S. 441, also known as the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway, which closed north of Bryson City due to high winds.
In Bumpus Cove, Tennessee, Justin Fromkin, president of Raising Hope Disaster Relief, worked Sunday to save what he could from the organizationâs supply tent â filled with clothes and food â after about 6 inches (152 millimeters) of rain fell.
Heâs spent the past few months delivering aid to areas in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee that are still reeling from Helene. The ground in some parts of the mountains is still unstable from Helene, Fromkin said, and Sundayâs downpour adds to the problem.
TYLER â In a study from the Hibbs Institute Family Index at UT Tyler, Tyler and Wichita Falls are ranked as the top two metropolitan areas in Texas for raising a family. According to our news partner KETK, factors impacting the study are access to health care, education, recreation, social environment and job stability.
HOUSTON (AP) â At least two people were killed and six more injured as several tornadoes touched down in Texas and Mississippi on Saturday, damaging homes and flipping vehicles as the storm system moved east across Alabama early Sunday.
The National Weather Serviceâs severe storm tracker indicated the system was moving east through Alabama into Georgia shortly before 4 a.m. The agency issued severe thunder storm warnings with the possibility of tornadoes in western Georgia and the northwestern tip of Florida directly above the Gulf of Mexico.
One person died in the Liverpool area, located south of Houston, and four people suffered injuries that were not considered critical, according to Madison Polston of the Brazoria County Sheriffâs Office.
There were âmultiple touchdown pointsâ in the county between Liverpool, Hillcrest Village and Alvin. Officials knew of around 10 damaged homes but were working to determine the extent of the damage, Polston said.
In Mississippi, one person died in Adams County and two people were injured in Franklin County, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
The National Weather Service said two tornadoes hit around Bude and the city of Brandon, ripping roofs from several buildings.
âThese storms are probably going to get a lot worse this evening and overnight the further east you go,â said Josh Lichter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
It appeared at least six tornadoes touched down in the Houston area, though they may discover there were more when crews go out to survey the damage, and there was damage in the area from both tornadoes and straight-line winds, Litcher said.
North of Houston, mobile homes were damaged or destroyed in Katy and Porter Heights, where the doors of a fire station were blown in, the weather service said.
The storms also caused departure delays of over an hour Saturday afternoon at Houstonâs two main airports, Bush Intercontinental and Hobby, according to the website FlightAware.
About 71,000 utility customers were without power in Mississippi Saturday and the number was expected to rise, said Malary White, chief communications officer for the stateâs Emergency Management Agency.
Around 3:30 a.m. Sunday, nearly 81,000 customers were without power in the state, down from 93,000 around 1 a.m., according to electric utility tracking website PowerOutage.us.
The emergency management agency did not have official damage reports Saturday. First responders were focused on ensuring safety and making sure everyone was accounted for, White said.
âWe do anticipate more thorough damage assessments starting in the early morning hours,â she said.
The National Weather Service office in Birmingham, Alabama, issued overnight severe thunderstorm warnings for several areas in the southern part of the state, advising residents to seek shelter to avoid possible damaging winds up to 60 mph (96.5 kph).
NEW HOPE, Pa. (AP) â Dayle Haddon, an actor, activist and trailblazing former âSports Illustratedâ model who pushed back against age discrimination by reentering the industry as a widow, has died in a Pennsylvania home from what authorities believe was carbon monoxide poisoning.
Authorities in Bucks County found Haddon, 76, dead in a second-floor bedroom Friday morning after emergency dispatchers were notified about a person unconscious at the Solebury Township home. A 76-year-old man police later identified as Walter J. Blucas of Erie was hospitalized in critical condition.
Responders detected a high level of carbon monoxide in the property and township police said Saturday that investigators determined that âa faulty flue and exhaust pipe on a gas heating system caused the carbon monoxide leak.â Two medics were taken to a hospital for carbon monoxide exposure and a police officer was treated at the scene.
As a model, Haddon appeared on the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle and Esquire in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1973 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She also appeared in about two dozen films from the 1970s to 1990s, according to IMDb.com, including 1994âs âBullets Over Broadway,â starring John Cusack.
Haddon left modeling after giving birth to her daughter, Ryan, in the mid-1970s, but then had to reenter the workforce after her husbandâs 1991 death. This time she found the modeling industry far less friendly: âThey said to me, âAt 38, youâre not viable,ââ Haddon told The New York Times in 2003.
âI kept modeling, but in a different way,â she told The Times, âI became a spokesperson for my age.â
In 2008, Haddon founded WomenOne, an organization aimed at advancing educational opportunities for girls and women in marginalized communities, including Rwanda, Haiti and Jordan.â
Haddon was born in Toronto and began modeling as a teenager to pay for ballet classes â she began her career with the Canadian ballet company Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, according to her website.
Haddonâs daughter, Ryan, said in a social media post that her mother was âeveryoneâs greatest champion. An inspiration to many.â
âA pure heart. A rich inner life. Touching so many lives. A life well lived. Rest in Light, Mom,â she said.
