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AUSTIN (KETK)– Exxon Mobil announced on Tuesday that it is seeking shareholders’ approval to make Texas its new legal home.

If approved, Exxon will join SpaceX and a number of other companies that have relocated their headquarters to Texas over the past few years. Exxon’s headquarters have been located in Texas since 1989.

Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement on Tuesday approving Exxon’s decision to move their ‘legal home’ to Texas, claiming it will help the state’s economic growth.

“Freed from the stranglehold of over-regulation, Texas is where global brand leaders thrive and jobs for hardworking Texans grow,” Abbott said. “I thank Exxon Mobil for their decision to redomicile in Texas and for their long-standing partnership with our state. With this decision, Texas will further dominate the corporate landscape and ensure our economic growth reaches new heights.”

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York federal judge on Tuesday urged over two dozen states to settle their antitrust claims against Ticketmaster and its parent company this week after the U.S. Justice Department reached a deal and dropped out of an ongoing trial.

But Dan Wall, a lawyer for Ticketmaster’s parent, Live Nation Entertainment, told Judge Arun Subramanian at a hearing in Manhattan that the chance all states would settle their claims by Friday was “about zero.”

He said he based his assessment on the nature of discussions between the ticketing and entertainment giants and the states over the past week. The states don’t all want the same kinds of relief, he said.

“There are too many parties,” Wall said. “We want to stick the landing here. Get it down. And we won’t stick the landing by Friday.”

At another point, Wall said: “There is zero chance we get this done by Friday.”

Subramanian quipped: “Not with that attitude.”

Still, the judge persuaded lawyers for both sides to negotiate in Manhattan federal court this week to see if they make progress before he decides whether to grant a mistrial request by the states and schedule a fresh start for a trial or to resume a trial next Monday that started with the presentation of evidence last week.

“Right now you should be focused on can we make a deal,” the judge told them, saying he would find them conference rooms throughout the courthouse to do their work. He even offered his robing room for office space. “I want to see if we can get a deal done here.”

Michael Rapino, president and CEO of Live Nation, attended the courthouse talks Tuesday.

On Monday, the Justice Department revealed that it had settled its antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster, describing the terms of the deal as a victory for consumers that would end an illegal monopoly over live events in the U.S.

At the trial, lawyers for the federal government and 39 states and the District of Columbia said Live Nation and Ticketmaster were squelching competition and driving up prices for fans through threats, retaliation and other tactics to “suffocate the competition” by controlling virtually every aspect of the industry, from concert promotion to ticketing. The companies insisted that artists, sports teams and venues set prices and decide how tickets are sold.

The Justice Department announcement was immediately met with strong criticism from multiple states. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson called it “a terrible deal.”

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat and member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, said Monday that the new deal was like previous agreements with the Justice Department that ultimately failed to curtail monopoly activity by Live Nation.

Klobuchar praised states for opposing the deal and said it was “troubling” that the deal was announced a month after the head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division was ousted.

According to a court document, Live Nation agreed to let up to 50% of all tickets sold at amphitheaters it owns, operates or controls to be sold through any ticketing marketplace.

It also said it would cap its service fees at those amphitheaters at 15% and divest ownership or control of 13 amphitheaters, including venues in Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Syracuse, New York, and Austin, Texas. It said Live Nation will create a $280 million settlement fund to settle claims or pay civil penalties to states.

None of that money will be paid out if no states settle, though. A Justice Department official said Monday that at least 10 states had agreed to join the United States in settling the case.

That leaves over two dozen states that have not agreed to the deal, lawyers for the states say.
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FILE – The Ticketmaster logo is seen along the sideline of the field before an NFL football game, Sept. 15, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
Photo Metadata (1 of 2)
Date Mar 3, 2026 10:35 AM
Headline Justice Department Ticketmaster Lawsuit
Source FR121174 AP
Notes FILE PHOTO
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NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KETK)– Six people have recently been arrested in Nacogdoches County after a large number of illegal drugs were found across the county in three different cases, including methamphetamine and cocaine.
Feb. 24 arrests

According to the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office, two residents in the 200 block of College Street were arrested on Feb. 24 after deputies conducted a search warrant of their home and found that 53-year-old Howard Clay Cooper and 36-year-old Jessica Marie Ady were distributing large amounts of methamphetamine.
2 vehicle crash delays traffic on US Highway 69 near Love’s Lookout

During the search of the home offficlas also stated they obtained 53 grams of methamphetamine and 29 grams of crack cocaine that were found in a secret compartment. After executing the search warrant, Cooper and Ady were taken to the Nacogdoches County Jail and charged with two counts of manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance. Both their bonds were set at $200,000, and they currently remain in jail.
Feb. 20 arrests

Earlier in the month, investigators for the sheriff’s office conducted a search warrant at a home in the Kingtown community. Following the search, 52-year-old Robert Williams and 80-year-old Franklin Rickenbacker were arrested after investigators found drug paraphernalia and other items used for distributing narcotics. It was also discovered that meth was being purchased from the residence provided by both suspects.

Following the arrest, Williams and Rickenbacker were both charged with delivery of a controlled substance and they both remain in the Nacogdoches County jail.
March 5 arrests

A third drug-related arrest was made in Nacogdoches County on March 5, following a traffic stop on FM 2782. During the traffic stop, deputies noticed suspicious behavior from the driver, 47-year-old Amber Leigh Kinkaid and the passenger, 33-year-old Matthew Bradley, prompting them to contact investigators.

Once investigators arrived on the scene, Kinkaid admitted to operating the vehicle without a driver’s license and confessed to having a large amount of methamphetamine in her possession. According to officials, investigations later found 140 grams of methamphetamine in Kinkaid’s possession.

Bradley and Kinkaid were both placed under arrest and taken to the Nacogdoches County Jail, where they were charged with delivery of a controlled substance and their bonds were set at $20,000. Kinkaid was released on bond on March 6, and Williams currently remains in jail.