City council tables data center zoning

City council tables data center zoningATHENS – Athens City Council has hit the pause button regarding potential zoning changes around a data center. Data Center developer Data Factory has leased land in the city. Their website says they plan to open with 10 megawatts of power this year, along with bitcoin mining operations.

Dozens of citizens showed up to Monday night’s city council meeting, with many waiting outside the council chambers. Every resident who spoke in the public comment session of the meeting spoke against the data center. Athens City Council members were set to vote on several potential zoning changes, including codifying what is classified as a data center. Officials say previous zoning laws did not account for this project.

Right now, it’s unclear how much water the center would use. City council unanimously voted to table all zoning items related to the data center. Officials plan to review and research those changes.

Group responds to former library director’s suit

Group responds to former library director’s suitTYLER — What began as public backlash over library leadership has now escalated into a federal lawsuit, with former director Ashley Taylor accusing the City of Tyler of violating her constitutional rights and bowing to outside political influence. In the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas last week, Taylor claims she was retaliated against for protected speech and targeted by false attacks from an outside advocacy group. She argues city officials violated her First Amendment rights and allowed Grassroots America – We the People (GRA) to interfere with her employment through what she describes as defamatory public campaigns.

Taylor alleges in the lawsuit the following legal violations: first amendment retaliation, viewpoint discrimination, tortious interference with existing employment relationship.

Count 1: First Amendment Retaliation
The complaint alleges that as director, Taylor’s work involved protected expressive activity such as curation, programming and signage. Yet, the lawsuit claims the GRA launched a multi-year pressure campaign against the library and Taylor. Continue reading Group responds to former library director’s suit

Congressman says he will retire after admitting to affair with staffer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas said Monday he will retire from Congress after bipartisan calls to expel him.

Gonzales had already said he would not seek reelection after admitting to an affair with a staff member who had later died by suicide. His retirement announcement came just hours after Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California said he would be resigning from Congress as he also confronted allegations of sexual misconduct.

House Republican leaders had already called on the three-term Gonzales to not seek reelection as they try to hold on to a strongly Republican district in November’s midterm elections. And the House Ethics Committee had initiated an investigation. Under House ethics rules, lawmakers may not engage in a sexual relationship with any employee of the House under their supervision.

“There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all,” Gonzales said in a social media post. “When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office.”

He said it has been a privilege “to serve the great people of Texas.” He gave no further details on his plans to step down. Previously, he had insisted he would serve out the remainder of his term as the GOP works to hold its slim House majority.

Last month, the top Republican and Democratic members on the House Ethics Committee said in a joint statement that an investigative panel would look into whether Gonzales engaged in sexual misconduct toward an employee in his office and whether he discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges.

That announcement came the same day that Gonzales, appearing on the “Joe Pags Show,” was asked if he had a relationship with the aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles.

“I made a mistake and I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales went on to say he had reconciled with his wife and had asked God to forgive him. He also said he looked forward to the Ethics Committee investigation.

But as lawmakers returned from a two-week break on Monday, there was a growing clamor among members to take a stand against alleged sexual misconduct. Swalwell’s alleged transgressions brought renewed attention to the issue.

Comments from lawmakers on social media suggested some were open to an expulsion trade-off of sorts that would affect each party equally.

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., said both Gonzales and Swalwell “are not fit to serve in Congress given their sexual transgressions against women who work for them.”

“There’s already been a resolution announced to expel Swalwell that I will support. I will introduce a resolution to expel Rep. Gonzales,” Leger Fernandez said.

In a separate post that came after the Texas lawmaker made his retirement announcement, she challenged Gonzales to make it “effective immediately.”

“He has until 2PM tomorrow — when we will file his expulsion,” she said on X.

Man accused in Molotov cocktail attack of OpenAI CEO’s home opposed AI, court documents say

SPRING, Texas (AP) — The man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI founder Sam Altman’s home in San Francisco was opposed to artificial intelligence and had list of other AI tech executives, according to court documents.

Authorities allege Daniel Moreno-Gama threw the incendiary device about 4 a.m. Friday, setting an exterior gate at Altman’s home alight before fleeing on foot, police said. Less than an hour later, Moreno-Gama allegedly went to OpenAI’s headquarters and reportedly threatened to burn down the building.

On Monday morning, FBI agents went to Moreno-Gama’s home in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston, where they spent several hours before leaving. He has been charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and damage and destruction of property by means of explosives.

When Moreno-Gama was arrested Friday, officials found a document on him in which he “identified views opposed to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the executives of various AI companies,” court documents say.

Moreno-Gama wrote of AI’s purported risk to humanity and “our impending extinction,” according to the criminal complaint.

Advocacy groups that have issued grave warnings about AI’s risks to society condemned the violence.

Anthony Aguirre, president and CEO of the Future of Life Institute, said in a written statement Friday that “violence and intimidation of any kind have no place in the conversation about the future of AI.”

Hours after the attack on his house, Altman posted a photo of his husband and their toddler in a blog post addressing the threats against him.

“Normally we try to be pretty private, but in this case I am sharing a photo in the hopes that it might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house, no matter what they think about me,” Altman wrote.

He added that “fear and anxiety about AI is justified” but it was important to “de-escalate the rhetoric and tactics and try to have fewer explosions in fewer homes, figuratively and literally.”

City called music friendly

ATHENS – Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced that the City of Athens has been named as a Music Friendly Texas Certified Community.

“Congratulations to the City of Athens on earning the Music Friendly Texas Certified Community designation,” Abbott said. “With support from the Texas Music Office, the Texas music industry accounts for more than 196,000 direct and indirect permanent jobs and generates over $31 billion in annual economic activity statewide. Together, we will continue to work alongside communities in every region of our state to create good-paying jobs and boost economic growth.”

The Texas Music Office is a part of the governor’s office which works with communities who are interested in bringing more music to their area by creating a Music Friendly Texas Liaison position in their city government.
Continue reading City called music friendly

Man dies from injuries in high-speed Texarkana motorcycle crash

TEXARKANA, Texas (KETK) — A man has died from his injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash on Friday in Texarkana.

According to the Texarkana Police Department, 53-year-old Russell Daily of Arkansas was traveling eastbound on West Seventh Street at a high speed when his motorcycle left the curved roadway past the CPKC Railroad underpass.

Daily struck a metal bench at the T-Line bus stop at Elm Street and was transported to CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital. The police department said he later died from his injuries.

“Traffic investigators determined that excessive speed and the use of a vehicle tire on the motorcycle were the primary contributing factors in this crash,” the police department said. “It was also noted that Mr. Daily was not wearing a helmet.”

The police department urges all drivers to ensure motorcycles are properly equipped and to take precautions while on the road.

Husband of woman reported missing after going overboard in Bahamas interviewed by police again: Attorney

The Hookers' boat, "Soulmate," is seen in Marsh Harbor on Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas, April 8, 2026. (ABC News)

(NEW YORK) -- The husband of a woman who was reported missing in the Bahamas after going overboard on a dinghy was questioned again by police on Monday as he awaits any charging decision in connection with her disappearance, according to his attorney.

Lynette Hooker, 55, of Michigan, has been missing for over a week. She and her husband, Brian Hooker, 58, had departed Hope Town on the Abaco Islands for their yacht, Soulmate, in Elbow Cay around 7:30 p.m. on April 4, when bad weather caused Lynette Hooker to fall overboard, her husband told authorities.

Brian Hooker was arrested on Wednesday in connection with his wife's disappearance and interviewed by Bahamian police for approximately three hours on Friday. Police subsequently requested an extension to give them until Monday evening to make any charging decision, according to his attorney, Terrel Butler.

He was questioned by police again on Monday for about an hour, according to Butler, who said investigators did not present any new evidence. She also said police have not given Brian Hooker any updates on the search for his wife since his arrest. 

Police have until 7:20 p.m. ET Monday to charge or release him, according to Butler.

Butler said Brian Hooker is considered a suspect in his wife's disappearance and denies any wrongdoing.

Following his initial interview on Friday, Butler said Brian Hooker was "questioned in relation to causing harm, which resulted in her death."

"He definitely denies causing her death and he's still asking about her and is hopeful that she will be recovered," she continued, saying they have not been informed of any evidence that her body has been recovered. 

The attorney said Brian Hooker is "heartbroken" over the disappearance of his wife of 25 years and that his arrest has been "traumatic."

His arrest came after multiple sources told ABC News a criminal investigation had been opened into whether there was any wrongdoing in the case. The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the probe, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

In a statement posted to social media last Wednesday, Brian Hooker said "unpredictable seas and high winds" caused his "beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy" near Elbow Cay.

"Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus," he said.

Brian Hooker told police that his wife was holding the boat key when she went overboard, causing the 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy's engine to shut off, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force. He subsequently paddled the boat back to shore, arriving at a marina at around 4 a.m. on April 5, and reported his wife overboard, police said.

The Hookers documented their sailing travels on social media under the name "The Sailing Hookers."

Lynette Hooker's daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has called for a "full and complete investigation" into her mother's disappearance.

She told ABC News her stepfather, Brian Hooker, told her that her mom "fell out of the boat and that he threw a life jacket to her or something, and he doesn't know if she got it or not."

Lynette Hooker's mother, Darlene Hamlett, told ABC News she hopes "we find the truth" amid the investigation and alleged the couple have had a volatile relationship. 

"I just want the truth to come out and I'm hoping that they can do that, and I hope they find her and that that will help clear up all of this," she said.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

NASA already has next Artemis flight in its sights following astronauts’ triumphant moon flyby

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.”

Scoreboard roundup — 4/12/26

(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Sunday's sports events:

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Magic 108, Celtics 113
Wizards 117, Cavaliers 130
Pistons 133, Pacers 121
Hawks 117, Heat 143
Hornets 110, Knicks 96
Bucks 106, 76ers 126
Nets 101, Raptors 136
Bulls 128, Mavericks 149
Grizzlies 101, Rockets 132
Pelicans 126, Timberwolves 132
Suns 135, Thunder 103
Nuggets 128, Spurs 118
Jazz 107, Lakers 131
Warriors 110, Clippers 115
Kings 110, Trail Blazers 122

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Penguins 0, Capitals 3
Canadiens 4, Islanders 1
Bruins 3, Blue Jackets 2
Senators 3, Devils 4
Canucks 4, Ducks 3
Mammoth 1, Flames 4

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Diamondbacks 4, Phillies 3
Giants 2, Orioles 6
Twins 8, Blue Jays 2
Angels 9, Reds 6
Athletics 1, Mets 0
Marlins 2, Tigers 8
Yankees 4, Rays 5
Nationals 8, Brewers 6
Red Sox 9, Cardinals 3
Pirates 6, Cubs 7
White Sox 6, Royals 5
Rockies 2, Padres 7
Astros 1, Mariners 6
Rangers 5, Dodgers 2
Guardians 1, Braves 13

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

110 years for sexual abuse of children

110 years for sexual abuse of childrenLUFKIN, Texas (KETK) – A Huntington man was sentenced to a total of 110 years in prison on Thursday after he was found guilty of sexually abusing three young children over a span of several years.

According to a statement from Angelina County District Attorney Amy Wren and our news partner KETK, the first two victims in this case where helped by another child to tell their mother and their aunt about inappropriate behavior from Andrew Jacob Shortt, 30 of Huntington, in the year 2012.

“The victims were instructed by their mother not to tell their father and also, that ‘what happens between these four white walls, stays between these four white walls’. Shortt then
moved into the victims’ home and began sexually abusing them more frequently, perpetrating acts that constituted aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child on a regular basis,” Wren’s statement explained.

Three years later in 2015, the victims were able to report Shortt’s abuse of them to their father and the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office. Shortt was arrested that summer but the charges were dropped in 2016 after the victims’ family intervened. Continue reading 110 years for sexual abuse of children

Kemp game room search leads to 3 arrests for illegal gambling

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.

Michigan couple at center of Bahamas disappearance chronicled sailing adventures on social media

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.”

___

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