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HOUSTON (AP) — Never-before-glimpsed views of the moon’s far side. Check. Total solar eclipse gracing the lunar scene. Check. New distance record for humanity. Check.

With NASA’s lunar comeback a galactic-sized smash thanks to Artemis II, the world is wondering: What’s next? And how do you top that?

“To people all around the world who look up and dream about what is possible, the long wait is over,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said as he introduced Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen at Saturday’s jubilant homecoming celebration.

Now that the first lunar travelers in more than a half-century are safely back in Houston with their families, NASA has Artemis III in its sights.

“The next mission’s right around the corner,” entry flight director Rick Henfling observed following the crew’s Pacific splashdown on Friday.

In a mission recently added to the docket for next year, Artemis III’s yet-to-be -named astronauts will practice docking their Orion capsule with a lunar lander or two in orbit around Earth. Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are racing to have their company’s lander ready first.

Musk’s Starship and Bezos’ Blue Moon are vying for the all-important Artemis IV moon landing in 2028. Two astronauts will aim for the south polar region, the preferred location for Isaacman’s envisioned $20 billion to $30 billion moon base. Vast amounts of ice are almost certainly hidden in permanently shadowed craters there — ice that could provide water and rocket fuel.

The docking mechanism for Artemis III’s close-to-home trial run is already at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. The latest model Starship is close to launching on a test flight from South Texas, and a scaled-down version of Blue Moon will attempt a lunar landing later this year.

NASA promises to announce the Artemis III crew “soon.” Like 1969’s Apollo 9, Artemis III aims to reduce risk for the moon landings that follow.

Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart loved flying the lunar module in low-Earth orbit — “a test pilot’s dream.” But there’s no question, he noted, that “the real astronauts” at least in the public’s mind were the ones who walked on the moon.

Wiseman and his crew put their passion and feelings on full display as they flew around the moon and back, choking up over lost loved ones as well as those left behind on Earth.

During the their nearly 10-day journey, they tearfully requested that a fresh, bright lunar crater be named after Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll, who died of cancer in 2020. They also openly shared their love for one another and Planet Earth, an exquisite yet delicate oasis in the black void that they said needs better care.

Artemis II included the first woman, the first person of color and the first non-U.S. citizen to fly to the moon.

“Wonderful communicators, almost poets,” Isaacman said from the recovery ship while awaiting their return.

Apollo’s manly, all-business moon crews of the 1960s and 1970s certainly did not do group hugs.

For those old enough to remember Apollo, Artemis — Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology — couldn’t come fast enough.

Author Andy Chaikin said he felt like Rip Van Winkle awakening from a nearly 54-year nap. His 1994 biography “A Man on the Moon” led to the HBO miniseries “From the Earth to the Moon.”

“It’s amazing how far we’ve come and how different this experience is from back then,” Chaikin said from Johnson Space Center late last week.

The hardest part, according to NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, is becoming so close to the crews and their families and then blasting them to the moon. He anxiously monitored Friday’s reentry alongside the astronauts’ spouses and children.

“You know what’s at stake,” Kshatriya confided afterward. “It’s going to take risk to explore, but you have to make sure you find the right line between being paralyzed by it and being able to manage it.”

Calling it “mission complete” only after being reunited with his two daughters, Wiseman issued a rallying cry to the rows of blue-flight-suited astronauts at Saturday’s celebration.

“It is time to go and be ready,” he said, pointing at them, “because it takes courage. It takes determination, and you all are freaking going and we are going to be standing there supporting you every single step of the way in every possible way possible.”

KEMP, Texas (KETK) – The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office said three people were arrested on Friday after an illegal game room was searched in Kemp.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies executed a search warrant at “The Box” game room on N. Seven Points Boulevard in Kemp at around 12 p.m. on Friday.

“This operation is part of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office’s ongoing commitment to investigate and prevent illegal gaming activity within the county,” the sheriff’s office said in a post.

Alisha Norris, 43 of Gun Barrel City, was arrested at the scene and charged with gambling promotion, keeping a gambling place, possession of gambling device, equipment, or paraphernalia and engaging in organized criminal activity. Henderson County Jail records show that Norris is currently being held on a total bond of $42,500.

Later, Gayla Stanley, 64 of Gun Barrel City, and Rad Quarrington, 62 of Mabank, were also both arrested and charged with gambling promotion, keeping a gambling place, possession of gambling device, equipment, or paraphernalia and engaging in organized criminal activity.

Stanley’s being held in the Henderson County Jail on a total bond of $80,000. Quarrington’s bond has not been set and he remains in the Henderson County Jail.

Lynette Hooker bounced around the deck of the docked Soul Mate, smiled into the camera and proclaimed: “We’re finally leaving Kemah,” referring to a Texas port town.

“It’s only been four months,” she said as her husband, Brian, tugged on some rigging as they got ready to set sail.

The “Gulf Crossing” video more than three years ago marked the start of a sailing adventure — chronicled on Facebook — for a couple who are now at the center of criminal investigations after Lynette went missing in the Bahamas.

A few days after Lynette disappeared, police in the Atlantic Ocean island nation arrested Brian. He denies causing his wife’s death and has been cooperating with law enforcement, his attorney, Terrel Butler, said.

On Friday, Brian’s attorney reiterated his innocence and said his wife has not been found. She said police had just finished an intensive 4-hour interview with him in which she described him as continuously asking about his wife.

“He was a bit puzzled because he was uncertain as to why they were questioning him about causing harm or possible murder when they had not given him any information in terms of where she is, if they had recovered her,” she said.

Brian Hooker had told police that his wife of more than 20 years fell overboard Saturday night from a small motorboat that was carrying the couple from Hope Town to Elbow Cay, small islands on the eastern end of the Bahamas. He said Lynette, 55, had the keys and the boat’s engine shut off.

“Strong currents subsequently carried her away, and he lost sight of her,” police said in a statement Saturday.

He paddled to shore and alerted others early Sunday, said authorities, who arrested and questioned him Wednesday.

The U.S. Coast Guard has opened an investigation separate from the one by Bahamas authorities.

Karli Aylesworth, Lynette’s daughter, has said it’s unlikely her mother would “just fall” from a boat.

And while the couple is seen smiling, laughing and joking in social media videos of their voyage, they have a history of contention.

Brian and Lynette Hooker accused each other of assault in 2015, according to a Kentwood, Michigan, police report obtained by NBC News.

Brian Hooker, who was intoxicated and bleeding from the nose, told police his wife had struck him multiple times in the face, the report said. He told officers Lynette also was drunk. She was arrested for assault and spent the night in jail. A warrant was denied because it wasn’t clear “who started the assault.”

Aylesworth also told NBC that the couple’s relationship was volatile and that they have a “history of not getting along, especially when they drink.”

The couple’s home is in Onsted, about 72 miles (117 kilometers) southwest of Detroit. The closest big body of water is Lake Erie, about 60 miles (72 kilometers) southeast of Onsted.

Lynette Hooker’s mother, Darlene Hamlett, said Wednesday that the family “grew up on water” and that her daughter’s life has been “near lakes, on boats, sailing and swimming.”

The couple posted videos of their years sailing around the Caribbean on their “Sailing Hookers” Facebook page.

Lynette, in the March 2023 video, describes the start of the couple’s voyage aboard the Soul Mate as the sailboat slips through the Kemah, Texas, fog and into the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

“Pretty cool,” Lynette said as Brian blared the Soul Mate’s foghorn. Later, while changing an engine alternator belt, he looks up at his wife and says, “Hi sexy.”

In an earlier video, the couple explains how they bought the Soul Mate in the coastal town of Rockport, Texas, and fixed it up.

“After several years of driving around the country, looking for our perfect sailboat, we finally found her in Texas,” Lynette said in that eight-minute video, posted in January 2023. “She was a little rough on the edges. The decks needed to be redone, but we knew we were up for the task.”

That video shows them working together, scraping, priming and painting. “The decks are done! we’re still married! party time!” is printed in a message on the video.

A video posted two years ago shows them using their smaller motorboat to buy food on land. The video doesn’t give the couple’s location.

“We got the grub,” Brian says into the camera, which shifts to a case of beer at his feet and bags of groceries in the bow. “Delivery … the way of life, man.”

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Associated Press writers R.J. Rico and Dánica Coto contributed to this report. Freelance videographer Keith Gomez also contributed to this report.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KETK) — A Hollywood veteran and Texas leaders are making a direct pitch to bring more film and television production home, saying the Lone Star State has the talent, infrastructure and momentum to become a major player in the industry.

Actor Dennis Quaid joined Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on stage at the Lone Star Legislative Summit in Nacogdoches on Friday, just one day after appearing at SFA’s Nelso Rusche Distinguished Lecture Series.

The conversation focused on the rapid growth of film and television across Texas.

Quaid pointed to the established production areas like the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, which generates millions of dollars for local economies and said the goal is to expand that success into places like East Texas.

“The idea is to really build an industry that’s homegrown, where the crews come from here,” Quaid said. “We’ve always had great crews, but they have to go work in Louisiana or Oklahoma. Why should that be? You should be able to work right here and really grow an industry.”

State leaders made that vision more realistic after passing Senate Bill 22, which is designed to strengthen Texas’s film incentive program and attract more productions.

The law allows the state to invest $300 million every two years into the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Fund through 2035. It also expands incentives for productions that choose to film in-state, helping keep jobs and spending within Texas communities.

Additional incentives encourage filming in rural or economically distressed areas and hiring Texas-based crews, potentially opening the door for more development in regions like East Texas.

Supported by Texas-born actors such as Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson and Dennis Quaid himself, momentum is steadily growing. Quaid mentioned that some of his most rewarding experiences in film have taken place in Texas, and he believes the state has the potential to become a new hub for the industry.

POLK COUNTY, Texas (KETK) – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said on Saturday that one person has been found dead at the Polk County Jail. According to the sheriff’s office, the Texas Rangers and Polk County detectives started an investigation into the death at the jail at around 5 a.m. on Saturday morning.

Their investigation is ongoing and the sheriff’s office said they would identify the deceased after they finish notifying their family or next of kin.

REDWATER, Texas (KETK) — Redwater voters will decide on a $13.9 million school bond this May, separated into two propositions outlining district?wide improvement projects.

Proposition A, with a $9.9 million price tag, would upgrade the safety and security district-wide, fund a band hall expansion and make renovations to the gym foyer and locker rooms.

Proposition B, approximately $4 million, would cover stadium complex renovations such as a new track, turf field and drainage and fencing improvements.
Conceptual graphic of stadium improvements, courtesy of Redwater ISD.

The propositions, if approved, would be funded by a tax rate increase for homeowners in the district. Residents who are 65 or over and have filed for the homestead exemption will not be affected by the tax increase. According to Redwater ISD, the projected tax impacts are as follows:

If only Proposition A passes, the tax impact would be $0.1630
If only Proposition B passes, the tax impact would be $0.0659
If both Proposition A and B pass, the tax impact would be $0.2289

The average home value in Redwater ISD is $230,945. Homeowners in the district can access a personal tax calculator that will estimate the maximum tax increase at RedwaterISDBond.org.

Early voting begins on April 20 and ends April 28 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Election day is set for May 2 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

HEMPHILL, Texas (KETK)– A man was arrested in Sabine County on Thursday after stealing pie and money from a local barbecue restaurant.

According to the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to Hemphill BBQ after receiving a call regarding a theft. Once on the scene, it was discovered that the suspect, 27-year-old Logan Anderson, who was wanted by the sheriff’s office for outstanding warrants, had stolen cash from the restaurant’s tip jar and a pie from the counter.

Deputies obtained a description of Anderson’s vehicle and later pulled him over on FM 3121. The sheriff’s office said the deputies placed him under arrest after finding the stolen money in his possession and a pie inside the car.

Following his arrest, Anderson was charged with theft, possession of marijuana, which was also found in his vehicle prior to the arrest and outstanding warrants for which he was previously wanted.

Anderson currently remains in Sabine County Jail and his bond has been set at $6,000.

HOPKINS COUNTY, Texas (KETK) – William Doyle Magness was sentenced to life in prison on Friday after a jury found him guilty of the 1996 murder of Hopkins County woman Geraldine Blackmon.

According to 8th Judicial District Attorney Will Ramsay, Blackmon was shot at her home in Mahoney on March 13, 1996. Her murder went unsolved for decades until a rifle, that belonged to Blackmon’s then neighbor William Doyle Magness, was revealed to be the weapon that killed her in 2025.

“The case remained unsolved until the Spring of 2025 when Hopkins County Investigators Shea Shaw and Chris Baumann, along with Texas Ranger Warren Williamson, traveled to Magness’s home in Midlothian, Texas, to speak with him. Law Enforcement was granted consent to enter the home, and Mr. Magness began showing them his Thompson Center barrels,” Ramsay’s office said in a statement. “Magness unrolled a blanket and displayed a Thompson Center 308 rifle that had never been seen by law enforcement until that moment. The barrel was seized as evidence and sent to the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab in Tyler for ballistic testing. The results of such testing revealed that the 308 rifle barrel in Magness’s possession was the same barrel that fired the bullet jacket that killed Geraldine Blackmon in 1996.”

After Magness’ arrest on July 8, 2025, Ramsey’s office presented evidence during his trial that included a journal entry found in his home where Magness allegedly claimed he could get away with any crime.

The jury also got to hear testimony on Magness’ character from two of his former spouses, his stepdaughter and several other women who spoke to other crimes Magness allegedly committed.

“This is a day that very easily could have never happened without the dedication and hard work of the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office. I want to specifically thank the family of Geraldine Blackmon for their continued pursuit of justice. The case would have never moved forward but-for lead investigator Shea Shaw taking the initiative to go speak with Magness after so many years had transpired without progress,” Ramsay said. “Thanks also to Cherry Allen, Gary Littrell, Toney Hurley and Jerry Duncan for their work on the case in 1996. Last, but not least, some incredible women courageously took the stand to testify about their former relationship with Bill Magness. Their testimony was difficult but powerful. Ultimately, there were 10,986 days that passed between Geraldine’s death and Bill Magness’s life sentence, but the long arm of justice held fast. I appreciate this Hopkins County jury who heard the evidence and put this guy where he belongs for the rest of his natural life.”

The jury returned a guilty against Magness in under 20 minutes and then they returned a maximum sentence of life in prison in less than 30 minutes on Friday.

TRINITY COUNTY, Texas (KETK)– A lieutenant with the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office was indicted on harassment charges on Friday.

According to the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, the indictment comes following an investigation by their office after San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Nathan Deweese was accused of making repeated unwanted telephone calls to a Trinity County resident.

The calls were made over a period of several months from a blocked number and contained harassing content, according to officials.

After reviewing the evidence in the case, a Trinity County Grand Jury indicted Deweese on a third-degree felony charge of harassment. Following the indictment, Deweese was permitted to turn himself in to the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office and was magistrated by a county judge.