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WASHINGTON (AP) — Air traffic controllers will use radar, not just visual checks, to ensure that helicopters maintain a safe distance from arriving and departing airplanes in the wake of last year’s fatal midair collision near Washington, D.C., federal officials announced Wednesday.

The Federal Aviation Administration said recent near-misses show that previous guidelines for pilots to maintain visual separation between helicopters and airplanes have failed to provide adequate protection around busy airports.

Under the new guidelines, air traffic controllers must use radar to keep helicopters and airplanes apart by specific lateral or vertical distances. The new requirement applies to more than 150 of the nation’s busiest airports, extending a restriction already put in place at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

“Today, we are proactively mitigating risks before they affect the traveling public,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a news release. “Following the mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), we looked at similar operations across the national airspace. We identified an overreliance on pilot ‘see and avoid’ operations that contribute to safety events involving helicopters and airplanes.”

Officials also specifically mentioned a Feb. 27 near-miss in which a police helicopter had to turn to avoid an American Airlines flight that was landing at San Antonio International Airport in Texas. A similar close call happened on March 2, when a helicopter had to turn away from a small aircraft that had been cleared to arrive at California’s Hollywood Burbank Airport, officials said.

The January 2025 collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter killed 67 people, making it the deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil since 2001. Among other factors contributing to the crash, investigators said controllers in the Reagan tower overly relied on asking pilots to spot aircraft and maintain visual separation.

The night of the crash, the controller approved the Black Hawk’s request to do that twice. However, investigators say the helicopter pilots likely never spotted the American Airlines plane as the jet circled to land on the little-used secondary runway.

Many of the people who died were young figure skaters and their parents and coaches who had just attended a development camp in Wichita, Kansas, after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held there.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An Arkansas law requiring that the Ten Commandments be prominently displayed in public school classrooms was struck down by a federal judge Monday.

The law is among those pushed by Republicans, including President Donald Trump, to incorporate religion in public schools. Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas all have enacted similar laws requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms. And as such, each mandate has faced legal challenges that many expect to eventually be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Here is a closer look at the status of the mandates, which have stirred the long-running debate over the role of religion in government institutions.
Federal court ruling blocks mandate in Arkansas, Republicans vow to appeal

Last year, seven Arkansas families of various religious and nonreligious backgrounds filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s new law requiring all public elementary and secondary schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom and library. The lawsuit named six school districts in Arkansas as defendants.

While it is unclear how many school districts or publicly-funded universities have hung up posters, local media outlets have cited multiple examples over the past five months. That includes the Ten Commandments being posted at the University of Arkansas on the Fayetteville campus, the Arkansas Advocate reported in October.

Critics argue that the mandate is unconstitutional and violates separation of church and state. Proponents of the legislation say the Ten Commandments have historical significance and are part of the foundation of U.S.

On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Timothy L. Brooks said in his written judgment that “nothing could possibly justify hanging the Ten Commandments—with or without historical context — in a calculus, chemistry, French, or woodworking class, to name a few.”

Brooks, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama, went on to write that there is “no need to strain our minds to imagine a constitutional display mandated” by the 2025 law; “One doesn’t exist,” he wrote.

While Brooks’ judgment blocks the requirement, it’s unclear how broadly his decision can be applied — if it is limited to the specific school districts named in the lawsuit or if it applies to the entire state. Megan Bailey a spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, one of the groups representing the parents challenging the law, said the ruling “makes clear the law is unconstitutional.”

“Given that, it would be unwise for any school district in Arkansas to move forward with posting the Ten Commandments,” Bailey told The Associated Press.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement that she plans to appeal the ruling and “defend our state’s values.”
Louisiana schools encouraged to hang up posters after most recent ruling

In 2024, Louisiana became the first state to mandate poster-sized displays of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom, from kindergarten through college.

While the challenge has wound its way through federal courts for nearly two years, a ruling last month vacated an earlier court order that had prevented the law from taking effect — clearing the way for displays to be installed in classrooms.

Immediately following the Feb. 20 ruling from the full 5th U.S. Circuit of Appeals, Gov. Jeff Landry instructed schools to follow the law and post the Ten Commandments. In a letter to educators, Landry wrote that the court’s decision “removes any obstacles to the implementation of Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law” and that schools “should now proceed with placing the posters in classrooms.”

The law requires schools to accept donated Ten Commandments posters, which must have “large, easily readable font.” Earlier this year, a conservative advocacy group, Louisiana Family Forum, sent posters to most of the state’s parish school systems, The New Orleans Advocate/The Times-Picayune reported.

There have not yet been widespread reports of schools hanging up the posters, with some school officials expressing worries about potential litigation. However, others say it is imminent. Among them is Louisiana State University President Wade Rousse, who said the university intends to comply with the law but, as of last week, has not received donated posters.
Posters go up in Texas classrooms

Last year, a similar mandate in Texas took effect — marking the widest-reaching attempt in the nation to hang the Ten Commandments in public schools.

With no shortage of strong opinions among teachers, parents, and students, the posters began going up in classrooms as school districts accepted donations or paid to have them printed. About two dozen of the state’s roughly 1,200 school districts were barred from hanging the posters after federal judges issued injunctions in cases against the law.

In January, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments over the Texas law and litigation is pending.

HOUSTON COUNTY, Texas (KETK) — A man who was driving while using hallucinogenic drugs was arrested in Houston County earlier this week after holding someone in his car against their will.

According to the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, deputies received a call on Sunday evening stating that a man later identified as Christopher Russell Cross was holding a man in a vehicle against his will. It was later revealed that Cross had consumed mushrooms and PCP while driving with the victim.

The victim later stated that Cross told him that if he exited the vehicle, he would “send him to Jesus” and ordered him to urinate inside the vehicle, officials said.

Following the incident, officials found one pound of hallucinogenic mushrooms and 64 grams of PCP inside Cross’s vehicle. Cross was arrested and charged with kidnapping and two counts of possession of a controlled substance.

LONE STAR, Texas (KETK) — An investigation by the Texas Railroad Commission found that drilling fluids containing oil from a reserve pit at a Rose City Resources well site on U.S. Steel property leaked into a damaged pipe and flowed into a nearby low?lying area.

From there, the fluids migrated through underlying rock formations and ultimately entered the Ellison Creek Reservoir.

The Railroad Commission concluded that Rose City Resources is responsible for the unpermitted disposal and will be required to handle the cleanup, with the Commission providing oversight.

To date, cleanup efforts have primarily targeted the origin point and the lake’s east side, but Tuesday’s observations emphasize the need for more comprehensive action. Inspection findings indicate that areas on the western shoreline require more attention, aligning with suggestions from local officials.

The public is encouraged to report any additional affected areas to the Morris County Sheriff’s non-emergency number at 903-645-2232.

Residents who notice affected shorelines or have information about the spill are asked to contact the Morris County Sheriff’s Office at 903-645-2232.

TEXAS (KETK) — The window to apply for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) program has been extended to March 31, after a federal court order was issued on Tuesday ahead of the initial deadline.

Parents may submit new applications before the extended deadline and previously submitted applications may be updated.

Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced on Tuesday that the school choice initiative surpassed 200,000 applications, with more than 2,200 schools signed up to participate.

“Crossing the 200,000-student mark shows just how strongly Texas families are responding to the opportunity for more educational freedom,” Hancock said.

The TEFA program, established by the Texas Legislature in 2025, allows families to apply for educational funding, such as private school tuition, tutoring, and other educational services.

Applications for the 2026-2027 school year will now close on March 31 at 11:59 p.m. Families accepted into the program will have until July 15 to select a school for their children, as additional schools register on a rolling basis.

“Our team has worked to stand up a program that is transparent, accountable and focused on student success,” Hancock said. “As we head into the final hours before the deadline, I encourage any family still considering TEFA to take a few minutes to complete an application. This program gives parents more tools to support their child’s future, and we want every eligible student to have the chance to benefit.”