TYLER — Tyler Police have identified two suspects in a 2017 homicide. According to Tyler PD’s Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh, detectives recently received information regarding two potential suspects, Jakysia Rodgers (pictured), 33, of Tyler and Quadaverine Allison, 32, of Longview.
On August 11, 2017, officers were called to Christus Mother Frances Hospital ER by staff regarding a victim with a gunshot wound brought in by private vehicle. Officers determined that the shooting occurred on Lawrence Street around 7:30 a.m. that day. After being, shot the victim asked for a neighbor’s help who drove him to the hospital in the victim’s car.
The victim, identified as Joshua Alon McGee, 22, died at the hospital from a single gunshot wound. Investigators believe that narcotics were related to the shooting.
TYLER — A Smith County gang member has been sentenced to three concurrent life terms after pleading guilty in a crack cocaine and money laundering conspiracy tied to the 5-2 Hoover Crips.
The Smith County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that Samatraus Forge pleaded guilty to his role in a 12-person conspiracy tied to crack cocaine trafficking, money laundering and gang activity. Judge Taylor Heaton handed down three concurrent life sentences, underscoring Forge’s role in the operation. Prosecutors presented evidence identifying him as a member of the 5-2 Hoover Crips, a gang that ran multiple drug houses and funneled narcotics through areas designated as drug-free zones.
A lead investigator from the Tyler Police Department testified about the year-long probe, revealing that at least three houses were used to move roughly $4,000 in narcotics proceeds each month. Forge is the first to be sentenced in the case. Eleven other defendants have been charged with engaging in organized criminal activity and are awaiting trial.
TYLER — After accepting a guilty plea deal, a man has been sentenced to eight years in state prison for a 2025 shooting at Lake Tyler on Thursday.
On May 18, 2025, the Tyler Police Department responded to a report of gunshots at a parking lot near Lake Tyler. Officials said no one was injured in the shooting. The suspected shooter, Dezavion Williams of Henderson, had a rifle and was taken into custody by officers. Williams was arrested and booked into the Smith County Jail for aggravated assault mass shooting.
On April 23, Williams was offered a guilty plea deal, according to Smith County judicial records. Williams accepted the guilty plea at a pre-trial hearing on Thursday and was sentenced to eight years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
POLK COUNTY (KETK) – A large indoor marijuana farm operating off U.S. Highway 59 was recently shut down after being discovered by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. On Tuesday, residents reported a persistent odor of marijuana in the area and suspicious activity involving frequent traffic to and from a property in the early morning hours, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were able to obtain a search warrant for the property, and during the search, they found a large quantity of marijuana, including over 1500 plants. The owner of the building Elier Jimenez, was placed under arrest following the search and charged with possession of marijuana between 50 and 2,000 pounds
SMITH COUNTY – A Georgia inmate orchestrated a $13,000 scam by directing an elderly Smith County woman to a local crypto kiosk. Now, the Sheriff’s Office is pushing for legislation to outlaw the machines they say enable financial crimes.
The Smith County Sheriff’s Office took a theft report on March 31 from an elderly Lindale woman who said she received a call claiming she had missed a subpoena from the sheriff’s office.
According to our news partner KETK, officials said the caller used the name of a real sheriff’s office employee and told the woman she needed to pay $13,000 to avoid being arrested for missing her summons. The caller then instructed her to deposit the money into a Bitcoin kiosk at 302 West MLK Jr. boulevard in Tyler. The suspect used a 903 area code and also sent the victim a text message showing the amount she allegedly owed. Continue reading Prison based crypto scam
What do the following states have in common? California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania.
There are three correct answers. First, they are all deep blue states that have been under the control of Democrats for decades (OK, Colorado went blue fairly recently). Second, they all run huge budget deficits. And third, they’re all in serious debt.
On average these states owe $18,800 for every citizen living in them. That per capita debt is rising every year.
To put that in perspective, the per capita in deep red Texas is only $4,500. In now even deeper red Florida, it’s a thousand dollars less.
Politicians in these blue states have figured out that they can buy today’s votes – and thus gain the power and perks of office – with tomorrow’s money. Tomorrow being when the sovereign debt that they incur for lavish, vote-buying social spending has to be repaid.
Since they won’t be in office when the bill comes due, it’s essentially free money.
It gets worse. The social programs funded by all this borrowing are almost always poorly managed and almost always fall far short of addressing whatever the problem was that led to their creation.
But wait, it gets worse still. Massive social programs are magnets for massive fraud. Here’s an example. Though the problem was known as far back as 2022, the story of staggering fraud surrounding an organization called, “Feeding Our Future” in Minnesota became national headline news in late 2025. Staggering is too weak an adjective. Mind bending might be better.
Feeding Our Future was what is called a “sponsor organization” whose purported purpose was to use government funding to provide meals to children living in poverty, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. But instead of feeding children, the organization submitted bills to the government to the tune of about $9 billion for meals that were never provided. The money went to Feeding Our Future principals who instead used it to buy luxury homes, commercial real estate, cars and jewelry. And, because the whole thing was run by Somali immigrants, a lot of the money also wound up being offshored to Somalia where it is credibly alleged to have funded terrorism.
Fallout from the Minnesota story became the catalyst for exposing similar fraud schemes in New York, Illinois and elsewhere.
The United States of America is $39 trillion in debt. That is a real problem and bad on its face.
But the debt burdens being carried by deep blue states could actually be worse. There is no mechanism in the Constitution or under federal law by which a state can declare bankruptcy. If a state can’t pay its sovereign debt, there’s no way to fix it.
And when more than 100 percent of a state’s tax revenue is soaked up by debt service, who do you guess will suffer first and suffer most?
If you guessed the poor who are dependent on the debt-funded government programs that politicians used to buy their votes, you guessed correctly.
BULLARD – The State of Texas is conducting its second review of the Bluebonnet Point Wellness facility in Bullard after allegations of neglect of an elderly patient who recently died.
According to our news partner, 81-year-old Robert Percharich, died on Sunday under the care of Bluebonnet Point Wellness in Bullard. His son Matthew is now seeking answers about how he said his father was treated.
“If they had enough staff, would my dad still be alive?” son of Robert Percharich, Matthew said.
“The whole plan was for him to come out and come home, get him back up to as just a baseline as possible,” Percharich said.
Robert has lived with vascular dementia for six years and was under the care of his family. He was admitted to Bluebonnet Point Wellness in early April after a major injury. After Robert’s death, Matthew said he was still haunted by the conditions his father lived in during his final days. Continue reading Son seeks answers in father’s death
JACKSONVILLE – A newly expanded production facility in Jacksonville opened Wednesday, positioning itself as a key supplier for a wave of proposed data centers in Texas. The Italian multi-national company, Luve, is a global leader in ventilated equipment and heat exchangers. Their products are critical for the cooling systems used in the booming data center industry.
At Luve’s ribbon-cutting, hosted by the City of Jacksonville, the company also announced a new contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars to support four future data centers in Texas.
“We were very welcomed here in the community. We can add to the community,” Ronald Bekker of the Luve Group said. “We have a responsibility as an employer to add to the community. You hear at the announcement of scholarships, for our people, for their children. So we are ready to step up our connection with the community here in Jacksonville.”
Additionally, the company said they expect to hire around 200 workers for the facility in the near future.
COLLEGE STATION (AP) – Regents on Wednesday unanimously appointed Susan Ballabina as president of Texas A&M, putting her in charge of the state’s largest public university as it continues to deal with the fallout from its last president’s resignation.
Ballabina, who assumes the role on May 11, most recently served as executive vice chancellor for the Texas A&M University System, overseeing day-to-day operations across its 12 universities and eight state agencies. Prior to that, she was former Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III’s chief of staff.
Regents named Ballabina the sole finalist April 13. State law required them to wait 21 days before finalizing the hire. She initially served on the presidential search committee before recusing herself to apply for the job.
“I was a reluctant applicant. I wasn’t sure that this was something I wanted to do, but after going through the process and preparing for the various interviews, I got more and more excited,” Ballabina said during the regents’ meeting after their vote.
The decision follows months of upheaval at the flagship campus after Welsh resigned amid political backlash over a secretly recorded classroom discussion of gender identity that was posted online.
The search unfolded as regents took a more assertive role in responding to controversy and shaping what can be taught, part of a broader political remaking of Texas colleges under new state laws.
Ballabina holds a bachelor’s degree from Tarleton State University, a master’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University and a doctorate in public affairs from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Ballabina has worked in the system for more than three decades, holding senior leadership roles at both the university and Texas A&M Agrilife. She helped cultivate partnerships such as the Aplin Center, a new campus hub for hospitality, retail and food-and-nutrition education, and coordinated statewide disaster recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey, according to the system.
Chancellor Glenn Hegar said she stood out among a pool of strong national candidates.
Board Chair Robert L. Albritton said, “This unified decision sends a strong signal that Texas A&M is aligned, confident and moving forward with momentum.”
“Absolutely,” regent James R. “Randy” Brooks added. “We are looking forward to some peace in this organization, and we’re confident you can provide it.”
Texas A&M has cycled through leaders in recent years.
In 2023, M. Katherine Banks resigned as president after the failed hiring of Kathleen McElroy, an experienced Black journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin whom Texas A&M recruited to revive its program. McElroy walked away from an offer that university officials watered down after vocal groups outside the university criticized her past work for the New York Times and support for diversity.
Welsh followed as president, working to rebuild trust with faculty by reversing some of Banks’ unpopular changes and promising not to micromanage. But that approach later put him at odds with regents who wanted a leader who would respond more quickly to political controversy. His downfall came in September 2025 after he initially told a student he would not fire lecturer Melissa McCoul for discussing gender identity in a children’s literature course. He ultimately fired McCoul.
Two months later, Texas A&M regents approved systemwide restrictions on classroom discussion of race, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity unless the course and relevant materials are approved in advance by a university president. They also prohibited faculty from teaching material inconsistent with an approved syllabus.
Leonard Bright, president of the Texas A&M chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said Ballabina’s selection brought “some level of relief” because faculty feared regents might choose a politician. However, he said her lack of classroom and research experience raises questions.
“Is she going to stand up for faculty when there are political attacks?” he asked.
B. Don Russell, a Texas A&M professor and chair of the university’s distinguished professors group, offered a more supportive view, saying Ballabina was “among the most open for discussions with faculty” of the administrators he has worked with. He said her broad experience across the university system and in state politics will serve A&M well. He did not see her lack of traditional classroom background as a major limitation.
Since Welsh’s resignation, Tommy Williams — a former Texas lawmaker, Texas A&M alum and one-time top government relations official for the system — has served as interim president.
Texas has seen a broader political remaking of higher education since 2023.
Lawmakers banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices, programs and training; expanded regents’ authority over curriculum; and imposed rules limiting protesting on campus, including bans on encampments and overnight demonstrations. Supporters of these new laws say they keep universities focused on their core mission of providing degrees that lead to profitable careers. Opponents say they undercut universities’ mission to be spaces for open inquiry.
Ballabina takes over as Texas A&M, which enrolled 72,289 students in fall 2025, wraps up the spring semester. Final exams ended Tuesday, commencement began Wednesday and ceremonies in College Station continue through Saturday, according to the university’s academic calendar.
“This is an important moment for us,” Ballabina said, after choking up. “We’re going to celebrate 150 years. We’re going to roll out a new strategic plan. And how lucky am I to get the opportunity to lead us through that and help everyone get focused on what matters — and that’s our students; that is our life-changing research; and that is our staff who help us do everything.”
AUSTIN (AP) — The gunman who killed three people and wounded more than a dozen others in a mass shooting at a downtown Austin, Texas, bar in March was a “lone actor” and there is no evidence he was supported or directed by a foreign terrorist group, FBI investigators said Thursday.
The agency released a two-page update of its investigation into the attack on Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in the early morning hours of March 1 that ended when gunman, Ndiaga Diagne, was killed by police.
The shooting happened after the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran. Diagne was wearing clothes with an Iranian flag design and the words “Property of Allah.”
Despite lacking direct evidence of a motive for the shooting, investigators said Diagne was likely triggered into violent behavior by the war against Iran, “culminating in a violent, impulsive attack” at the bar, the report said.
Investigators determined Diagne admired Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had been killed. His affinity for Iran and its former leader were likely factors in the attack Diagne perpetrated on his own, investigators said.
“The investigation to date indicates Diagne was a lone actor,” the report said. He had never been the subject of an FBI investigation prior to the shooting.
Diagne, 53, was born in Senegal. He first entered the U.S in 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa and became a lawful permanent resident six years later after marrying a U.S. citizen, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“There is no evidence at this time that he was associated with a Foreign Terrorist Organization or that he received any direction, funding, or operational support for his attack,’ the report said.
The bar is located in the city’s popular hub of bars and nightclubs. Police said the gunman drove past the bar before circling back and firing the first shots from his SUV at people on the sidewalk and inside. He then parked, got out with a rifle and began shooting at people walking along the street before officers rushed to the intersection and shot him.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis has said officers arrived within 56 seconds of the first 911 call and killed the shooter after he fired at police.
Killed in the attack were 21-year-old Savitha Shan, 19-year-old Ryder Harrington and 30-year-old Jorge Pederson.
The FBI said the investigation into the attack remains open.
TYLER – A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for a 2016 manslaughter case stemming from a fatal crash that killed a Tyler woman. Frank Brinkney Cobb pleaded guilty to manslaughter more than a decade after he struck 29-year-old Jessica Palma near the intersection of Gentry Parkway and North Albertson.
According to our news partner KETK and the Tyler Police Department, Palma was walking along the shoulder of Gentry when Cobb’s truck veered off the roadway and hit her. The vehicle then crashed into a tree. Both were taken to a local hospital, where Palma later died from her injuries.
Cobb was indicted in 2016 but was not arrested on the manslaughter charge until 2025. Throughout the case, records indicate he failed to appear in court.
NACOGDOCHES COUNTY – A Nacogdoches County man is behind bars and is being held on a $1.6 million bond after allegedly admitting to having child pornography. According to our news partner KETK, the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office said they had learned that a resident, identified as Bryan Christian, was downloading child pornography. On April 22, law enforcement obtained a probable cause search warrant for Christian’s residence on rural Nacogdoches.
Investigators also contacted the suspect at his workplace and seized his phone as evidence.
During an interview, Christian reportedly admitted to downloading child pornography, allowing investigators to search his phone, where they found evidence of the crime. They also found a loaded handgun in his possession, which he was not allowed to have at his work. Continue reading Deputies find child images on phone
A view of the Dutch-flagged vessel MV Hondius is seen navigating the Atlantic Ocean near Saint Helena Island on April 24, 2026. (Emin Yogurtcuoglu/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(LONDON) -- An epidemiologist from the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that the suspected hantavirus cluster aboard a cruise ship is not the beginning of another COVID-19 pandemic.
Eight cases are currently being reported by the WHO, including five laboratory-confirmed cases and three suspected cases. Of those eight cases, three have died.
Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist and acting director of epidemic and pandemic management at the WHO, was asked during a press conference what the difference was between this cluster and the early days of the COVID pandemic.
"I want to be unequivocal here. This is not SARS-CoV-2. This is not the start of a COVID pandemic. This is an outbreak that we see on a ship," Van Kerkhove said.
Van Kerkhove explained that hantavirus doesn't spread in the same way that coronaviruses do, but rather through "close, intimate contact." Most hantaviruses don't transmit from person to person.
"The actions that are being taken on board [the ship] are precautionary to prevent any onward spread," she added.
There appears to be one confirmed case and two suspected cases that have not been added to the WHO's official count yet.
Officials told ABC News a female individual, who was on a KLM flight with the Dutch female patient who later died, developed symptoms and was admitted to a hospital. Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands confirmed on Thursday that the female patient has hantavirus and is receiving care.
Additionally, two Singapore residents who were on board the ship are currently being monitored. Singapore's Communicable Diseases Agency said it was notified of the individuals on May 4 and May 5.
"They have been isolated at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, where they are being tested for hantavirus. The risk to the general public in Singapore is currently low," the agency said.
The agency added that test results are pending, with one resident having a runny nose and the other is asymptomatic.
Three deaths have been recorded so far, including a married Dutch couple. The 70-year-old male patient died on April 11, and his body was taken off the ship on the island of St. Helena on April 24. His 69-year-old wife disembarked on the same day, and her health rapidly deteriorated. She died at an emergency department in South Africa on April 26.
A third passenger, a German woman, presented with pneumonia symptoms starting on April 28, according to the WHO. The woman died on May 2 from causes not yet known, according to Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates the cruise ship.
The WHO said 29 people disembarked on St. Helena on the same day that the body of the Dutch male patient and his wife disembarked.
They traveled to 12 countries: Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Great Britain, St. Kitts and Nevis, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, Turkey and the United States.
The disembarked guests have all been contacted by Oceanwide Expeditions. In the U.S., local authorities in three states -- Arizona, Georgia and California -- are monitoring the disembarked passengers and are conducting contact tracing, None have shown signs of illness at this time.
Anais Legend, technical lead for viral hemorrhagic fevers at WHO, said during the press conference on Thursday that "step-by-step guidance is being developed" for the disembarked passengers and that the WHO is coordinating with national authorities.
Anyone with any signs of symptoms will be isolated while other passengers have their risk exposure evaluated.
Public health experts said they expected a more robust response from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (DC) and the National Institutes of Health.
"The CDC would typically be asked by WHO or by a country to help in technical assistance," Dr. Carlos del Rio, an H. Cliff Sauls distinguished professor of medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine, told reporters on Thursday.
Typically, CDC teams would be deployed to an area, he said, and the teams would perform contact tracing and interviews and conduct an outbreak investigation.
"I would envision by now, many, many days ago, we would have seen a team from CDC deployed to the area," he added.
Dr. Jeanna Marrazzo, CEO of the IDSA, added that she would have expected a CDC press briefing, an alert from the agency's Health Alert Network or information from the NIH on potential treatments in the pipeline that could receive emergency use authorization to help treat hantavirus patients.
Marrazzo said she is not aware that conservations about potential therpaies at NIH aren't happening but that it "doesn't give me a lot of assurance or reassurance that we are not hearing any of that."
The WHO said during Thursday's press briefing that the U.S. is coordinating with the global health agency in a technical capacity.
Because the cluster is limited and confined to a cruise ship, the "idea of sending messages across the world and panicking everyone is not required," said Dr. Abdirahman Mahmoud, director of the WHO's health emergency alert and response operations.
He added that the WHO is "informally" aware that contact tracing has been done of the U.S. passengers who disembarked last month and are back home.
TYLER – Dr. D. Robert DeHaas has been appointed dean of The University of Texas at Tyler School of Education, effective July 1.
In a release from the University, UT Tyler President Julie V. Philley, MD. said, “Dr. DeHaas has built a remarkable career redefining what modern educator preparation can look like. He has distinguished himself as a leader with a strong ability to design systems, grow programs and respond directly to community and workforce needs, which makes him an exceptional fit for UT Tyler as we continue to expand our academic footprint.”
Earlier this year, UT Tyler announced plans to re-imagine its School of Education to help address the teacher shortage in East Texas and partner with school districts to help strengthen the region’s K-12 outcomes. Continue reading UT Tyler names new school dean
VAN ZANDT COUNTY — A search is underway for individuals believed to have attacked an elderly East Texas man on Tuesday evening. The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office said the aggravated assault occurred Tuesday from around 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the 8800 block of FM Road 279 in Edom. A preliminary investigation indicates that an elderly man from Edom was involved in a physical altercation and was assaulted by unidentified individuals who were driving a red Ford Expedition.
Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident is asked to contact Investigator D. Henson at [email protected], Investigator C. Hanner at [email protected], or the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 567-4133.
MARSHALL — The City of Marshall is mourning the passing of its municipal court judge, who died earlier this week. According to city officials and our news partner KETK, Judge Tristen Ellis died on Monday after serving as municipal judge since November 2025. The city said that Ellis leaves behind a legacy of integrity, fairness and dedicated public service.
“Judge Ellis was a valued member of the Marshall community and brought wisdom and professionalism to the Municipal Court,” Mayor Amy Ware said. “He was widely respected for his unwavering commitment to justice.”
His family will announce information about Ellis’s memorial services, and updates will be provided at a later date regarding the appointment of an interim judge.
A hantavirus is a virus found in the urine, saliva or excrement of deer mice and certain other infected wild rodents (Icy Macload/Getty Images)
(LONDON and BELGRADE, Serbia) -- The total number of suspected hantavirus cases aboard a cruise ship has risen to five as global health authorities work to contain a potentially deadly cluster of the disease.
More than 100 passengers remain on the ship and the World Health Organization (WHO) is monitoring their health. Officials said that the "overall public health risk remains low" but that there may be some person-to-person spread.
The ship, the MV Hondius, which was off the coast of Africa in Cape Verde, is now en route to the Canary Islands after officials medically evacuated three people, including two in "serious condition."
Some passengers disembarked the ship before knowledge of the cluster and are back in their home countries. In some cases, authorities are advising those passengers to self-isolate.
In addition to the two patients who were evacuated, a third person, who is asymptomatic but a close contact of a German national who died on May 2, was also removed from the ship, WHO officials in Cape Verde told ABC News.
"WHO continues to work with the ship’s operators to closely monitor the health of passengers and crew, working with countries to support appropriate medical follow-up and evacuation where needed," Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the WHO, said in a post on X on Wednesday, in which he confirmed the evacuations.
"Monitoring and follow-up for passengers on board and for those who have already disembarked has been initiated in collaboration with the ship’s operators and national health authorities," he continued.
Tedros added that "the overall public health risk remains low."
Health officials confirmed two additional cases of hantavirus among crewmembers, bringing the total confirmed cases to five.
The three previously confirmed hantavirus cases include a woman who disembarked and was on her way home from the Netherlands, a British national who is in critical but stable condition in a hospital in Johannesburg, and a passenger who traveled on the first leg of the voyage and is currently being treated at the University Hospital Zurich, according to Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates the ship. So far, three deaths have been recorded.
"Swiss authorities have confirmed a case of hantavirus identified in a passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship," the WHO said on X on Wednesday. "He had responded to an email from the ship’s operator informing the passengers of the health event, and presented himself to a hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, and is receiving care."
The type of virus in this outbreak has been confirmed as Andes hantavirus by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa and Geneva University Hospitals in Switzerland, the WHO said Wednesday. The Andes hantavirus historically has been shown to potentially transmit between people, according to the WHO.
Oceanwide Expeditions said of the three passengers who were evacuated from the ship, two are symptomatic and in serious condition and the third is asymptomatic but a close contact of a German national who died on May 2.
"In partnership with the RIVM (Dutch Institute for Public Health and Environment), Oceanwide Expeditions is expanding medical care on board with two infectious disease physicians, arriving today by plane from the Netherlands. This ensures that optimal medical care can be provided if necessary, during the next stage of this evolving situation," the company said in a statement.
Cape Verde officials said on Tuesday that the vessel was expected to sail to the Spanish island of Tenerife, but the president of the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the northwestern coast of Africa, said on Wednesday that the regional government was opposed to allowing the luxury cruise ship to dock in Tenerife.
"This decision is not based on any technical criteria, nor is there sufficient information to reassure the public or guarantee their safety," President Fernando Clavijo told radio station COPE, according to Reuters.
Clavijo said on social media that he had requested a meeting with the Spanish prime minister to discuss the ship. He added that the Canary Islands "always acts with responsibility, but it cannot accept decisions taken behind the backs of the Canary Islands institutions and without sufficient information to the population."
Mónica García, Spain's minister of health, said once the ship arrives at the port of Granadilla de Abona in the Canary Islands, there will be a "joint screening and evacuation mechanism will be launched to repatriate all passengers," according to RTVE, a Spanish national public broadcaster.
“Unless their medical condition prevents it, all foreign passengers will be repatriated through the European civil protection mechanism, about which the Interior Minister will provide further details later," Garcia said in Spanish.
WHO officials earlier on Wednesday said the three evacuated people were to be transferred to planes bound for both the Netherlands and Tenerife, but later updated the plan so that all would be sent to the Netherlands, officials told ABC News.
WOOD COUNTY – A Wood County jury found a Quitman man guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the beating of a woman in 2023; he started his 65-year sentence on Wednesday. Bryan Ransom, 56, and three other people drove to a woman’s home on April 6, 2023, carrying a knife, machete, pepper spray, and a pole with a sprocket attached. According to the Wood County Criminal District Attorney’s Office and our news partner KETK, they severely injured the woman by beating her. Ransom stepped on the victim’s left arm to prevent her from defending herself while she was on the ground. The victim’s forehead needed to be stitched and stapled as a result. The jury reached its decision on Wednesday after less than an hour of deliberation, according to the county.
WHITEHOUSE – Track coach Blake Crutsinger was struck by a shot put in a “freak accident” at an East Texas regional track meet on Saturday, and Ponder ISD is asking its community to keep him in their thoughts and prayers.
Our news partners at KETK report that after suffering a fractured skull during the regional track meet at Whitehouse High School, Crutsinger had surgery on Monday in Tyler to treat brain swelling, according to his wife Leslie. According to Leslie, Crutsinger is currently in a Tyler intensive care unit and will probably return to Dallas for inpatient treatment in two to four weeks.
Sometimes things of the past are recycled for today! David Rancken’s App Of The Day title gives you a big hint. It’s called Scoop – Carpooling & Commuting. You can find Scoop – Carpooling & Commuting in the Apple Store and Google Play below.
HALLSVILLE – An East Texas family’s long wait for justice ended this week, more than a year after their son was jailed in Mexico for mistakenly crossing the border with a firearm. Hallsville native Caden Hawkins was returning from work in Arizona last March when GPS detours routed him toward a border checkpoint, according to our news partner KETK, his family said Mexican guards instructed him to pass through toward the United States. While border guards checked his truck at the security checkpoint, Caden told officials that he had a pistol inside his truck and was immediately placed under arrest.
Rep.Jay Dean, who had been working on Hawkins’ case, announced on Tuesday that he had returned to Texas.
PALESTINE – The Palestine Police Department is looking for a 30-year-old man who was last heard from in February. According to our news partner KETK, a Facebook group dedicated to Zachary Overturf’s disappearance, his last known communication was with his mother on Feb. 26 via phone. His apartment, which he shared with a friend at Whispering Pines Apartments, had recently caught fire on Feb. 22 at 1:06 a.m., and only his wallet, credit card, cell phone and keys were found.
Overturf is about 6-foot-1-inch tall, weighs approximately 160 lbs., and is described as a White man with brown hair and blue eyes. He has several tattoos, including an incomplete circle on his right wrist, an eye on the right side of his neck, a wolf and native American girl on his shoulder and a ghost with scythe on his left leg.
Overturf is said to have frequented Timber Crest Apartments, which is near Whispering Pines Apartments. Facebook messages to Zach Overturf have not been able to be delivered since April 9.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Palestine Police Department at 903-729-2254 or send an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 903-729-8477.
SULPHUR SPRINGS (KETK) — An ongoing narcotics investigation in Hopkins County has resulted in the arrest of several people, the seizure of a large amount of illegal substances and over $70,000, officials said on Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK and the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office, investigators executed a search warrant at an apartment complex on Sulphur Springs. Three people were arrested at the scene.
During the search, the following illegal substances and contraband were recovered:
*309 grams of cocaine *1,677.5 grams of THC vape pens *73 grams of psilocybin *15 pounds of marijuana *Two AR-platform rifles *One pistol *$73,294.02
“The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office remains vigilant and proactive in its mission to protect the citizens of Hopkins County and will continue to take decisive action against illegal activity,” the sheriff’s office said.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A man accused of firing a gun at law enforcement officers near the Washington Monument this week was following the path of Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade before the shooting and made a vulgar remark about the White House after the confrontation, according to a court filing Wednesday.
The suspect, Michael Marx, was shot multiple times during Monday’s confrontation and was in the back of an ambulance on his way to a hospital when he said, “‘F(asterisk)(asterisk)k the White House’ and “Kill me, kill me, kill me,’” a Secret Service agent said in an affidavit.
The sworn statement does not specify whether investigators believe Marx had a particular target.
Marx was walking along the path of Vance’s motorcade when officers spotted him near the intersection of 15th Street and Independence Avenue. The officers were responding to a Secret Service agent’s report that Marx was seen near with White House complex with a firearm concealed on the right side of his body, the affidavit says.
Marx pulled a firearm from his waistband as he ran away from Secret Service officers and fired at one of them, but a bystander behind the officer was shot in the leg, the affidavit says. Officers returned fire and struck Marx in his abdomen, a hand and his left arm, according to the filing. It says Marx spit at officers as they provided him with aid after the shooting.
The teenage bystander was not seriously injured and has been released from a hospital, ABC News reported. ABC was first to report what the suspect allegedly said after the shooting.
Marx, who had a Texas driver’s license, was charged in a complaint with assaulting officers with a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm during a violent crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The shooting came just over a week after a California man tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner while armed with guns and knives. Cole Tomas Allen has been charged in that incident with attempting to assassinate the president and firing a gun at a Secret Service officer.
Around the time of Monday’s shooting, President Donald Trump was holding a small business event at the White House, which was briefly locked down as authorities investigated.
Online court records did not immediately list the name of a lawyer representing Marx.
Marx has used aliases, including Michael Patrick and Michael Zavici, according to the affidavit. It says Marx had a 2011 drug trafficking conviction in Florida that made it illegal for him to possess a firearm.
SMITH COUNTY – Smith County Road 1139, also known as Indian Creek Road, will be closed Thursday, May 7, for a bridge replacement. CR 1139, west of Tyler and near Lindsey Park, from Spur 364 to CR 1140, is the roadway affected. The project is expected to take about three months.
TYLER – The City of Tyler will show appreciation for outstanding public servants during Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW) from May 4 through May 8. All City of Tyler non-emergency offices and facilities will be closed Friday, May 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for an interdepartmental event. Essential and emergency functions will continue.
Celebrated since 1985, PSRW is a nationwide public recognition campaign honoring the men and women who serve as federal, state, county, and local government employees.
DALLAS (AP) — A former FedEx driver was sentenced to death on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to killing a 7-year-old girl he took from her Texas home while delivering a Christmas gift.
Jurors in a Fort Worth courtroom decided on Tanner Horner’s punishment after hearing about a month of testimony and evidence that included audio of Athena Strand’s last moments from inside his delivery van. Horner, 34, pleaded guilty to capital murder last month in the 2022 killing just as his trial began. Athena’s body was found two days after she was reported missing from her home in the rural town of Paradise, near Fort Worth.
Horner didn’t visibly react when the judge read the sentence, according to a livestream of the court proceedings.
Jurors found there was a probability Horner would commit criminal violence and be a continuing threat to society. They said there was nothing in the commission of the crime or in Horner’s background to warrant life without parole instead of death.
Prosecutor James Stainton told jurors in opening statements that Horner had told, “lie upon lie upon lie upon lie” in the case, including telling authorities that he accidentally struck Athena with his van while making the delivery and then killed her in a fit of panic.
Several jurors cried as they were shown video and heard audio from inside the van after Athena was taken. He could be seen lifting her into the van, and then driving away, telling her not to scream or he’d hurt her.
Horner then covered the camera, but the audio continued recording. Horner asks Athena questions, including how old she is and where she goes to school, before stopping the van and telling her they are going to “hang out.” Horner tells her to take off her shirt and she begins crying, and asks whether he’s a kidnapper.
She asks him: “Why are you doing this?” He replies, “Because you are pretty.”
“My mom says I can’t do that to somebody,” she tells him. “And you can’t do that to me either.”
As the recording, which lasts over an hour, continues, Athena’s screams can be heard. At one point he tells her: “If you don’t shut up, I will hurt you worse.”
A medical examiner testified that Athena died of blunt force injuries with smothering and strangulation.
While acknowledging during opening statements that the evidence against Horner was “overwhelming” and “terrible,” Horner’s attorney, Steven Goble, told jurors that Horner’s mother drank while she was pregnant, that he has autism and suffered from “various mental illnesses throughout his life” in addition to being exposed to a “massive amount of lead.”
Goble had asked jurors to sentence Horner to life in prison.
Athena’s family has said that the package Horner had dropped off was a Christmas present for her — a box of “You Can Be Anything” Barbies.
The trial was moved from rural Wise County to Fort Worth after Horner’s attorneys argued that he would not have received a fair trial.
GLADEWATER — Gladewater ISD is moving forward with a series of major upgrades after voters approved the district’s $8.1 million bond during Saturday’s municipal election. The district was one of nine across the region where voters said “yes” to new school funding. A significant portion of the bond will go toward campus safety, including installing keyless entry systems at every school. The district will also purchase new school buses equipped with seat belts, thereby improving student transportation safety.
Another major focus of the bond is strengthening the district’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, an investment aimed at preparing the future workforce of East Texas. Superintendent Rae Ann Patty said the upgrades will ensure students are learning on equipment that reflects real?world industry standards.
Work will begin this summer, starting with HVAC system upgrades and the purchase of new buses. Most construction and classroom improvements are expected to be completed during the 2027–2028 school year.
The bond marks a significant step forward for Gladewater ISD as it works to enhance safety, modernize learning spaces, and expand opportunities for students across the district.
KILGORE — A pedestrian was killed last month in Kilgore after falling from the bed of a pickup truck and being struck by a police vehicle responding to a crash, according to a report from the Texas Department of Transportation. According to our news partner KETK, the incident began when a driver of a pickup truck, believed to be intoxicated, was traveling north on State Highway 135 with a passenger in the bed of the truck in the early hours of April 18. The passenger, who was also reportedly intoxicated, had been asleep during the ride.
According to the report, the passenger woke up at some point, and around the same time, the driver missed an exit and attempted to make a U-turn. During that maneuver, the passenger fell from the bed of the truck onto the roadway. The Kilgore Police Department said they received an automatic 911 call from a smartphone, along with GPS coordinates for its location. Dispatchers sent units to the potential crash after they “could hear an unresponsive individual with labored breathing throughout the call.”
The crash report states that a person driving a Kilgore Police Department vehicle was traveling northbound on State Highway 135 en route to a crash and encountered the pedestrian—who was wearing dark clothing and no reflective materials—lying in the outside lane. Continue reading Police vehicle fatally strikes pedestrian
TYLER — Tyler Police have identified two suspects in a 2017 homicide. According to Tyler PD’s Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh, detectives recently received information regarding two potential suspects, Jakysia Rodgers (pictured), 33, of Tyler and Quadaverine Allison, 32, of Longview.
TYLER – Dr. D. Robert DeHaas has been appointed dean of The University of Texas at Tyler School of Education, effective July 1.
