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Stars skid into NHL playoffs on 7-game losing streak and have season on the line again

The Dallas Stars have skidded into the playoffs on a seven-game losing streak.

Mason Marchment and other players say that skid doesn’t matter, and coach Pete DeBoer knows that the Stars will ultimately be judged on what they do in the playoffs.

“No concern,” Marchment said. “We’re not going to worry about the regular season. It’s behind us now. … We’re going to turn the page and ramp it up here.”

The Stars have no choice if they want another long playoff run after making it to the West final each of the past two seasons. Dallas, still the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, opens the postseason Saturday night with Game 1 at home against rested Central Division rival Colorado. The Avalanche finished their regular season last Sunday.

“We’ve got to figure it out. I mean, you know, Saturday’s the first time in probably three weeks where we’re playing basically with our season back on the line again,” DeBoer said. “So our desperation level has to be there, our execution has to be there. … We’ve got to make sure we’re ready for that.”

Dallas has been locked into a playoff spot since March 29, and the first-round matchup against the Avs has been anticipated for even longer than that. They met in a second-round series last year that the Stars won in six games against the then-defending Stanley Cup champions.

The Stars have gone 0-5-2 since getting their 50th win of the season April 3 at home against Nashville. They were outscored 34-18 while being outshot by an average margin of 10 a game in that stretch that culminated with a 5-1 loss at the Predators on Wednesday night.

“It doesn’t really matter. You’d like to be going into the playoffs in a different way. We went in the playoffs last year like 10-2 and lost the first two games,” Tyler Seguin said. “This year we’re going in oh-and-whatever. All that matters is the puck drop on Saturday, so we’ll move on pretty quickly.”
Streaking the wrong way

Dallas is only the ninth team in NHL history to enter the playoffs on a winless streak of at least seven games, according to SportRadar. The record of eight is shared by the 1987-88 Chicago Blackhawks and 1991-92 Montreal Canadiens.

The last team to do it was the New York Islanders with an 0-3-4 stretch to end the 2019-20 regular season that was suspended that March and never resumed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They were part of the modified playoff that began about 4 1/2 months later in a Canadian-based bubble, and lost in the Eastern Conference Final.

Only the 2001-02 Detroit Red Wings went on to win the Stanley Cup after skidding into the postseason with that long of a winless streak — a seven-gamer than included two ties. They were also the last team before the Islanders to even make the playoffs with that kind of finish to the regular season.
Stars injuries

Seguin returned for the Stars’ regular-season finale after missing 58 games following hip surgery in early December. He had the secondary assist on Marchment’s goal only 16 seconds into the loss at Nashville.

The 33-year-old Seguin has 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in the 20 games he has played this season.

In the same game that their six-time All-Star returned to the lineup, top goal scorer Jason Robertson (35 goals) played only six minutes before exiting with a lower body injury. His status for the playoff opener is uncertain.

Dallas is still without standout defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who missed the last 32 regular-season games since after injuring is left knee against Vegas on Jan. 28. He later had surgery and hasn’t yet returned to practice.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

From old guys chasing the Stanley Cup to new players breaking in, what to watch in the NHL playoffs

The puck drops on the first round of the NHL playoffs Saturday when Winnipeg hosts St. Louis followed by the must-see matchup of Colorado and Dallas.

The other six series get going next week, from the Toronto-Ottawa Battle of Ontario to Tuesday’s opener of another cross-state showdown between Tampa Bay and defending champion Florida.

An infusion of young talent fresh to the league in recent weeks, a handful of veterans in their mid-to-late 30s chasing the Stanley Cup and the best goaltender in the league this season looking to change his reputation are among the things to watch as the playoffs unfold.

“There’s a million different storylines that I love,” retired tough guy Paul Bissonnette said.
New guys

Just like Chris Kreider did for the New York Rangers in 2012, Tom Wilson for Washington in 2013 and Cale Makar for Colorado in 2019, a handful of teams have added top prospects just in time to make a difference at the most important time of year.

The class of 2025 is headlined by Montreal’s Ivan Demidov, St. Louis’ Jimmy Snuggerud, Minnesota’s Zeev Buium and Washington’s Ryan Leonard. The hype around Demidov — one podcast even had a livestream of him arriving off his flight into Canada — has been the hottest because the 19-year-old Russian winger was considered the best young player not in the NHL.

“There’s a 19-year-old kid that played his first game (Monday night), Ivan Demidov,” longtime forward-turned-ESPN color analyst Ray Ferraro said. “He scored a goal and an assist. The building almost fell over in Montreal. It was amazing to watch.”

Snuggerud got his first goal for the Blues on Tuesday night. Leonard slid his into an empty net the same night Alex Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky’s record. Buium debuted in the Wild’s season finale.

“Not only Demidov but also Ryan Leonard coming in, Buium, it just seems like this young wave of players (are) getting to come in and potentially make an impact,” said Bissonnette, now an NHL analyst on TNT.

Demidov and Leonard will face off in the Canadiens-Capitals first-round series.
Older guys

Blues defenseman Ryan Suter is 39 and has played 1,526 regular-season games — the most of anyone currently in the NHL who has not won the Stanley Cup. Carolina’s Brent Burns, also 39, is next at 1,496.

Suter’s team is a long shot to win it all. Burns’ team has a better shot at getting through the East to have a chance at the Cup. There’s also Ottawa’s Claude Giroux at 36 and 1,262 games played and Dallas’ Jamie Benn at 35 and 1,192 games hoping to finally reach hockey’s mountaintop.

“One that I’d love to see win is Jamie Benn,” said 2003 Cup champion Mike Rupp, who now works for NHL Network. “He’s had some really good years. He’s had some years where he’s been in question and he’s been through some stuff as far as just, ‘Is that a good contract? Does he still have anything left in the tank?’ And I thought he’s really answered that the last few years.”

Want some other greybeards without a ring? Toronto’s Max Pacioretty, Minnesota’s Mats Zuccarello and Tampa Bay’s Luke Glendening and Cam Atkinson all fit the bill.
‘Helly’ in the spotlight

Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck just finished a second consecutive season that should win him the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender, which would be his third. He went 47-12-3 with a league-best 2.00 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage that’s the highest of any netminder with more than 35 starts.

He also might win the Hart Trophy as MVP. But now his play is really in the spotlight after developing a recent reputation for turning into a different (worse) goalie in April.

Hellebuyck over the past two playoffs has a 4.28 GAA and an .875 save percentage, which is the worst of anyone in that time with at least 10 appearances.

“I think the book is still out,” Bissonnette said. “If he’s able to get past that first round, it’ll do a lot for his psyche and his confidence, so if I’m a betting man, I’m betting on Hellebuyck this playoffs.”
Injury concerns

Even before the grinding toll of the playoffs gets underway, the wear and tear of the regular season and some bad luck has caused some injuries that could tip the balance of series.

The Stars won’t have No. 1 defenseman Miro Heiskanen for at least the start of their series against the Avalanche, more than two months since he had knee surgery. There’s also concern about scorer Jason Robertson, who left the regular-season finale with an apparent right leg or knee injury.

“Heiskanen makes such a huge difference on that back end.” TNT’s Anson Carter said. “When you have to go against (Nathan) MacKinnon every single night and have (Cale) Makar coming down the other way, you want to have someone that could equalize that. … You can’t replace a Heiskanen.”

The Capitals have their own questions, since starting goaltender Logan Thompson and 30-goal-scoring forward Aliaksei Protas were injured in early April. Edmonton won’t have top defenseman Mattias Ekholm for at least the first round, the Oilers’ fourth consecutive year opening the playoffs against Los Angeles.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Lee Corso to retire from ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ after four-decade run

Lee Corso’s nearly four-decade run on ESPN’s “College GameDay” is coming to an end.

Corso, the longtime ESPN broadcaster and folksy former coach widely known for his endearing expressions and elaborate headgear picks, is set to retire after a career with the show that began in 1987, ESPN announced Thursday. His final broadcast will be Aug. 30 — Week 1 of the 2025 college football season — and the network said additional programming to celebrate Corso is also planned.

“My family and I will be forever indebted for the opportunity to be part of ESPN and ‘College GameDay’ for nearly 40 years,” Corso said in a statement to ESPN. “I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement.”

Corso, who turns 90 in August, began his popular headgear segment in October 1996 at a game at Ohio State. Since then, he has gone 286-144 in 430 selections wearing everything from helmets and mascot heads to dressing up as the Fighting Irish leprechaun from Notre Dame, the Stanford tree and historic figures James Madison and Benjamin Franklin.

“Not so fast, my friend” is one of his most well-known comments and his good humor alongside Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis and Desmond Howard and many others going back more than three decades helped make Corso and the show a beloved staple for millions on college football Saturdays.

“Almost 30 years together. I have enjoyed sitting next to you, watching you do your thing,” Herbstreit said in a video on social media. “So much fun and so many great moments on the show and off the show. This is a celebration for everything you did. You’re an icon and once in a lifetime person. It has been a special time for all of us. You’ve earned this retirement.”

Corso’s career has lasted through a health scare in 2009, when he suffered a stroke that left him unable to speak for a while. He returned to “College GameDay ”later that year. Though he hasn’t joined his colleagues as much on the road in recent years, Corso was at the site of last year’s national title game between Ohio State and Notre Dame in Atlanta.

Corso was a college and pro football coach for 28 years before transitioning to broadcasting. He coached 15 years in college at Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois.

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IRS decision on Harvard’s tax-exempt status could come in days: Sources

(WASHINGTON) -- The Internal Revenue Service is considering revoking Harvard University’s tax-exempt status and a decision could be made in the coming days, sources told ABC News on Thursday.

The White House has already put a freeze on $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contract value after the school refused to comply with a series of demands from President Donald Trump's administration.

The Department of Homeland Security is also threatening to revoke Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program status, which allows for noncitizen students to study there under a specific visa, unless it turns over student visa holders' records, specifically those pertaining to "illegal and violent activities," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told Harvard in a letter sent by the department.

Attempts to rescind Harvard’s tax-exempt status would likely face legal challenges. In a statement, Harvard said revoking its tax-exempt status would be unlawful and endanger “our ability to carry out our educational mission.”

“Such an unprecedented action would endanger our ability to carry out our educational mission,” a university spokesperson said. “It would result in diminished financial aid for students, abandonment of critical medical research programs, and lost opportunities for innovation. The unlawful use of this instrument more broadly would have grave consequences for the future of higher education in America.”

The White House said in a statement to ABC News that any investigation by the IRS into Harvard began before President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform that the school should lose its tax-exempt status.

“Any forthcoming actions by the IRS will be conducted independently of the President, and investigations into any institution's violations of its tax status were initiated prior to the President's TRUTH,” principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said.

Federal law bars the president from directly or indirectly ordering the IRS to conduct or terminate an audit or investigation. The law also bars the vice president or any employee of the president or vice president from direct or indirect involvement.

Asked Thursday why his administration was going after Harvard's tax-exempt status, Trump said, "Because Harvard is a disgrace, it's antisemitic. Tax exempt status is a privilege and it's been abused by a lot more than Harvard.

On Tuesday, Trump posted to his Truth Social platform: “Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting “Sickness?” Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!,” Trump said.

Trump said Thursday that he was not involved in the effort, telling a reporter, "I read about it just like you did."

The Trump administration had demanded that Harvard end its diversity, equity and inclusion programs; adopt merit-based admissions; and cooperate with immigration authorities.

In a letter on April 11, the Trump administration argued that the school "failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment" and proposed terms including changing the school's governance, adopting merit-based hiring, shuttering any DEI programs and allowing "audits" to ensure "viewpoint diversity."

ABC News' Peter Charalambous contributed to this report.

Maryland Sen. Van Hollen shares photo with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador

Sen. Chris Van Hollen shares photo of meeting Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador. Via Sen. Chris Van Hollen/ X

(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump slammed a Democratic senator Friday for visiting Kilmar Abrego Garcia at the El Salvadorian priso and repeated the claims that his arrest was justified.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., shared a photo of the meeting Abrego Garcia Thursday night after spending hours for an audience with the man who the Justice Department said in court was wrongfully deported due to an "admnistrative error."

"I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return," Van Hollen said in the post.

Abrego Garcia's wife was told that the meeting between Abrego Garcia and Van Hollen was set up by El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, a source close to the family told ABC News.

The source said Abrego Garcia and his wife, Jennifer Vasquez, were not able to speak, adding that the family does not know where Abrego Garcia is being held.

Trump lashed out at Von Hollen during a news conference in the Oval Office Friday callng him "fake."

"They have no interest in that prisoner. That prisoner's record is unbelievably bad," he said.

The presidnt then read off a list of allegsations against the Abrego Garcia that have been made by the Administration but never made in court during the entire ordeal. Trump alleged the man was an MS-13 member and was sen wearing the gang's cliothing and assoociatnig with other members.

"This comes out of the State Department and very legitimate sources. I mean...I'm just giving you what they handed to me, but this was supposed to be certified stuff," Trump claimed.

Abreo Garcia's family and attorneys have desputed the allegations.

In a statement from Vasquez provided by CASA, an immigration advocacy group that is representing the family, Abrego Garcia's wife said her prayers have been answered.

"My children and my prayers have been answered," Vasquez said. "The efforts of my family and community in fighting for justice are being heard, because I now know that my husband is alive. God is listening, and the community is standing strong.

"We still have so many questions, hopes, and fears," Vasquez added. "I will continue praying and fighting for Kilmar's return home."

President Donald Trump, however, slammed the senator following the meeting, calling him a "GRANDSTANDER" in a scathing Truth Social post on Friday.

"Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland looked like a fool yesterday standing in El Salvador begging for attention from the Fake News Media, or anyone," he said.

During an event at the Oval Office later Friday, Trump continued to criticize the Democrats and other supporters for sticking up for Abrego Garcia and repeated claims that the deportee is a criminal.

The meeting comes after Van Hollen shared a video on social media earlier on Thursday showing guards stopping him and others from entering CECOT, the prison where Abrego Garcia is being held.

The Supreme Court and a Maryland federal judge ordered that the U.S. government "facilitate" Abrego Garcia's return to the United States after the Department of Justice said in court filings that the 29-year-old father was wrongfully deported because of an "administrative error."

The Trump administration has alleged it cannot bring him back and claimed outside of court, with little evidence, that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang. However, the Justice Department has not charged Abrego Garcia with any gang-related crimes and his alleged MS-13 membership has been disputed in court.

Further details of the status of Abrego Garcia's case have not been provided.

ABC News' Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.

Luigi Mangione indicted on federal charges for CEO killing

(Photo by Steven Hirsch - Pool/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) -- A federal grand jury in New York on Thursday returned a four-count indictment against alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione that charges him with two counts of stalking, firearms offense and murder through the use of a firearm, a charge that makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

Mangione is charged with stalking United Healthcare chief Brian Thompson outside the Hilton in Midtown Manhattan and then shooting him to death on Dec. 4, 2024. Thompson was heading to an investors' conference when he was shot and killed. Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days later and was initially charged in a federal complaint in connection with the murder.

He is scheduled to be arraigned in Manhattan federal court on April 25.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has already signaled her intention to pursue the death penalty in the case, which Mangione's lawyers are actively trying to stop.

Bondi said in a press release earlier this month that she ordered the death penalty for Mangione to "carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again."

Defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo argued in a motion filed last week that Bondi’s statement, issued before Mangione was indicted on federal charges, was improper and "prejudiced the grand jury process." She asked the judge to preclude the government from seeking the death penalty, and she demanded the government turn over documents and notes that relate to the attorney general’s directive.

"The stakes could not be higher. The United States government intends to kill Mr. Mangione as a political stunt," the defense said.

Mangione also faces state charges in connection with the shooting. He has pleaded not guilty.

Jacob Elordi felt like ‘a phony’ speaking in his real accent for ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’

Ingvar Kenne/Curio/Sony Pictures Television

Jacob Elordi plays a celebrated World War II hero in the new limited series The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

The show, which premieres Friday on Prime Video, follows Lieutenant-Colonel Dorrigo Evans, played by Elordi, who is haunted by his experience as a prisoner in a Japanese war camp.

The story is a distinctly Australian one, which means Elordi got to speak in his real-life accent for the role. He tells ABC Audio not hiding behind an American accent this time around "was actually really scary."

"I didn't have any kind of gage for what that would sound like," Elordi said. "You know when you record your voice and you hear it back and it's like nails on a chalkboard? I could really hear my voice because I didn't have the wall of an accent or a real specific character to hide behind. So I kept hearing myself and when I heard myself, I just thought I was a phony."

Everything changed after he began filming the project, however. The actor said he began to love "the immediacy of acting in your own accent."

"It was an acting awakening, just kind of how how much easier thoughts kind of funneled into my head and how much more naturally they came off my tongue," Elordi said. "I was like, 'Oh, it could have been this easy the whole time,' you know?"

Elordi said getting to work on an Australian project was so exciting.

"It's something that I've wanted to do for a really long time. And I'm incredibly proud of it and I'm glad that it was on something that was as beautiful a piece of work as I think this show is," Elordi said. "It's nice to do something of substance and that has meaning to me at home."

Passengers on Southwest flight evacuated after engine fire forces plane’s return

HOUSTON (AP) — A Southwest Airlines flight had to be evacuated on Thursday after an engine fire forced it to return to a Houston airport.

The flight was leaving Hobby Airport on its way to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, when it was forced to return around 11:15 a.m. due to the fire, according to the Houston Fire Department.

When the plane landed, firefighters extinguished the blaze as well as a small grass fire near the runway, the fire department said in a statement.

No injuries were reported. The flight crew helped the 134 passengers evacuate the plane, Southwest Airlines said in a statement.

Passengers exited the aircraft on a taxiway at the airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said in an email.

The cause of the fire was being investigated, the FAA said.

The airline was working to get all passengers to their final destination in Mexico.

“We appreciate the professionalism of our flight crew in responding to this situation. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees,” Southwest Airlines said.

The engine fire comes as air travel is under heightened scrutiny following a series of crashes and mishaps. Federal officials have tried to reassure travelers that flying is the safest mode of transportation, and statistics support that.

A list of deadly shootings on college campuses in the US

The latest deadly shooting on a college campus in the U.S. unfolded Thursday at Florida State University, where two people were killed and at least six others were wounded.

Frightened students, faculty and parents there for a tour took cover and waited in classrooms, offices and dorms across the university in Tallahassee after it issued an active shooter alert. Some crammed into a freight elevator after hearing gunshots outside the student union.

The gun used in the shooting belonged to the 20-year-old suspect’s mother, who has worked for the sheriff’s office for 18 years, authorities said. They described the gun as her former service weapon.

The gunman, believed to be a student at the university, was shot and wounded by officers and was taken into custody, according to authorities. The two people who died were not students.

Florida State’s main library was the site of another shooting in 2014, when a 31-year-old gunman wounded three people before he was shot and killed by police.

Experts say mass shootings on college campuses, although rare, are often on the minds of students today because they grew up participating in active shooter drills in elementary and high school.

“There’s this overarching fear that at any moment, something could happen and each time it does happen, it reinforces these fears,” says Michael Lawlor, an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven in Connecticut.

Here is a look at other deadly shootings on U.S. college campuses in recent decades:

UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS: December 2023, 3 dead

A 67-year-old former business professor, whose applications to teach at UNLV had been rejected, opened fire in the building housing the university’s business school, killing three professors and badly wounding a fourth. The gunman was killed in a shootout with police outside the building.

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY: February 2023, 3 dead

A 43-year-old gunman fired inside an academic building and the student union, killing three students and injuring five others. He later killed himself miles away from the campus in East Lansing while being confronted by police.

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: November 2022, 3 dead

A student and former member of the school’s football team fatally shot three current players aboard a charter bus as they returned from a field trip, setting off panic and a 12-hour lockdown of the campus until the suspect was captured. Two other students were also wounded on the campus. The shooter has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and other charges and is awaiting sentencing.

NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY: October 2015, 1 dead

Just weeks into his freshman year, a student walked onto the campus in Flagstaff and opened fire. One student was killed and three others were wounded in the first deadly shooting since the university was founded in 1899. The shooter later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and aggravated assault and was sentenced to six years in prison.

UMPQUA COMMUNITY COLLEGE: October 2015, 9 dead

A 26-year-old man opened fire on his writing class, killing his instructor and eight other people at the school in rural Roseburg, Oregon. Nine more people were also wounded. The shooter then killed himself.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA: May 2014, 6 dead

A 22-year-old college student frustrated over sexual rejections fatally stabbed or shot six students near the school in Isla Vista, California, and injured several others before he killed himself.

SANTA MONICA COLLEGE: June 2013, 6 dead

A deadly act of domestic violence at home turned public when a 23-year-old man left after killing his father and older brother, carjacked a woman and shot at other vehicles. He then entered the campus where he had previously been enrolled as a student and opened fire, killing four more people before he was fatally shot by police in the school’s library.

OIKOS UNIVERSITY: April 2012, 7 dead

A former nursing student fatally shot seven people at the small private college in East Oakland, California. He was given seven consecutive life sentences and died in prison in 2019.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY: February 2008, 5 dead

A 27-year-old former student shot and killed five people and wounded more than 20 others at the school in DeKalb, Illinois, before killing himself.

VIRGINIA TECH: April 2007, 32 dead

In the deadliest shooting at a U.S. college, a 23-year-old student killed 32 people on the campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. More than two dozen others were wounded. The gunman then killed himself.

UNIVERSITY OF IOWA: November 1991, 5 dead

A former graduate student upset that his doctoral dissertation wasn’t nominated for an academic award fatally shot himself after killing five people and injuring one other person in a shooting spree on the campus in Iowa City.

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS: August 1966, 13 dead

A Marine-trained sniper opened fire from atop the 27-story clock tower in the heart of the university’s flagship Austin campus in one of the nation’s first mass shootings. He killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others before authorities shot and killed him.

ETX man gets 18-year sentence for drug operation

CHEROKEE COUNTY — An East Texas man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for running a nationwide counterfeit meth-laced pill operation from his rural property in Cherokee County.

According to our news partner KETK, Robert Jessie Martin, 47 of Alto, was sentenced to 18 years and four mounts in prison on Thursday. Martin reportedly distributed five kilograms or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and 500 grams or more of actual methamphetamine, according to the evidence presented in court.

As part of the operation, Martin allegedly set up multiple rotary tablet presses on his 75-acre property near Alto, where he produced hundreds of thousands of fake pills lace with meth. These pills were then trafficked across the United States for profit. Continue reading ETX man gets 18-year sentence for drug operation

Two Smith County men sentenced for possession of child porn

SMITH COUNTY — Two men have been sentenced to prison after investigators found communication between the two, where one sent child pornography files in exchange for nude pictures of the other.

According to our news partner KETK, Antonio Guevara-Valderrama and Nathaniel Connor Mitchell pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and received combined sentences of 50 years. An affidavit obtained from the Smith County Sheriff’s Office revealed that during a search of Mitchell’s phone in November 2023, officials found “several files containing apparent child pornography.” During the investigation, officers learned that these files had been shared by Guevara-Valderrama in what appeared to be in exchange for shirtless pictures of Mitchell.

“I located about 29 files containing obvious child pornography,” the affidavit said. “The videos depicted children from infancy to pre-teen years in various sex acts with adults, including full penetration of the sex organs.” Continue reading Two Smith County men sentenced for possession of child porn

19 measles cases reported in Upshur County

UPSHUR COUNTY – The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has confirmed 19 cases of measles at an isolated location in Upshur County. According to our news partner KETK, all of the cases have been linked to two people who visited the county from out of the state and at the moment officials state that no known cases emerged from Upshur county residents.

DSHS Officials said in a release, “All affected persons are isolated from the public and are in quarantine at this same location, and are in daily contact with DSHS and are following all the appropriate guidelines.”

Upshur County has advised residents on what to do if they start feeling any symptoms related to measles. They said, “Seek emergency care if the patient has a hard time breathing or breathing faster than normal, signs of severe dehydration, confusion, decreased alertness, or severe weakness, young children having a blue mouth or crying without making tears, or unusually low energy of loss of appetite.”

DSHS reps also said that none of the cases are critical and everyone currently affected are over the age of 17. They added there are no reports of measles cases at any of Upshur County’s public schools, public buildings, county operations or medical facilities.

Michigan reports first confirmed measles outbreak since 2019

(MONTCALM COUNTY, Mich.) -- Michigan is reporting the state’s first measles outbreak since 2019, defined as at least three or more related cases, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

Three cases were confirmed in Montcalm County, according to a MDHHS statement.

Almost 25% of children under 3 years of age in Montcalm County have not received their first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to the MDHHS vaccination data. The state is reporting a total of seven cases so far this year, including those infected in the outbreak.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has separately confirmed at least five other states with measles outbreaks, including Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, Kansas and Indiana.

Nationwide, there are over 700 measles cases in at least 24 states. That's the highest number since 2019, which saw 1,274 cases. Texas makes up the bulk of those cases with over 560 infections, including two deaths among unvaccinated school-aged children.

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to humans. Just one infected patient can spread measles to up to nine out of 10 susceptible close contacts, according to the CDC.

Health officials have been urging anyone who isn’t vaccinated to receive the MMR vaccine.

The CDC currently recommends people receive two vaccine doses, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective and two doses are 97% effective at preventing measles. Most vaccinated adults don’t need a booster.

In the decade before the measles vaccine became available in 1963, an estimated three to four million people were infected every year, according to the CDC, with between 400 and 500 deaths.

ABC News' Mary Kekatos contributed to this report.

Jay Dean explains his vote for vouchers

AUSTIN – The Texas House of Representatives voted Thursday for a school voucher program that will divert some public education money to individual parents in the form of a voucher to be used as a private or parochial school. Among those voting for the bill was District 7 Representative Jay Dean. Dean had opposed such a use of educational funds int the past, and explained to KTBB why he agreed to this version. His full statement follows… Continue reading Jay Dean explains his vote for vouchers

Michael Ealy joins the cast of Muhammad Ali series ‘The Greatest’

Michael Ealy has joined the cast of Prime Video's The Greatest, executive produced by Michael B. Jordan, Ben Watkins and Muhammad Ali's widow, Lonnie Ali, according to Deadline.

He's landed the role of Malcolm X in the series about Ali and his life, both in and out of the boxing ring. Malcolm was spokesperson for the Nation of Islam when Ali made the decision to join the group.

Also added to The Greatest cast is Kai Parham, who will be portraying Rudy Clay, Ali's younger brother.

The cast also includes Omari Hardwick and Dana Gourrier as Ali's parents Cassius “Cash” Clay Sr. and Odessa “Bird” Clay. Snowfall's Amin Joseph will play heavyweight champion Sonny Liston, Ali’s rival.

Jordan’s Outlier Society is producing the The Greatest, while Outlier Society President Elizabeth Raposo is on board as an executive producer, alongside Authentic Brand Group’s Corey Salter, Marc Rosen and Matthew Gross, Roc Nation, Michele Anthony, Aiyana White, Jeff Augustin, Boyd Muir and Josh Wakely via his Grace: A Storytelling Company.

David Blackman for Polygram will serve as co-executive producer.