JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville police are looking into two shooting incidents that happened on Sunday night, including one near a nearby park that injured three. The Jacksonville Police Department reports that at approximately 9:35 p.m., several 911 calls reported a shooting near MB Davis Drive and Holloway Ave. in Lincoln Park. Three men with gunshot wounds were discovered. Private vehicles transported them to nearby hospitals for medical care. Continue reading Three hospitalized in shootings
Alan Greenspan, longtime chairman of the Federal Reserve, dies at 100
(NEW YORK) -- Alan Greenspan, the longtime chairman of the Federal Reserve, has died, his wife confirmed. He was 100 years old.
"Alan passed away at our home this morning at the age of 100 from complications of Parkinson’s Disease,” Andrea Mitchell, his wife and a chief correspondent at NBC News, said in a statement published by the network on Monday.
The economist is remembered for leading the American central bank amid periods of historic U.S. economic expansion, while critics have also said his policies contributed to and exacerbated the mortgage crisis and financial crash of 2008.
Greenspan, a libertarian Republican, became the 13th chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System two months before the stock market crash on Oct. 19,1987, known as Black Monday. He was credited with moving quickly to alleviate investors' fears after the crash and was instrumental in ensuring the Federal Reserve made plenty of money available to alleviate the impact on financial markets. Stocks quickly rebounded.
He was appointed Fed chair by four different presidents during his career, first by Ronald Reagan in 1987. Greenspan continued to serve as Fed chairman under presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. He steered the U.S. economy through the economic boom in the 1990s, the dotcom bubble, and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. His final term as chair ended on Jan. 31, 2006.
Under his leadership, the Fed fostered a distaste for regulation and promoted very low interest rates in the early 2000s -- two phenomena critics say encouraged a bubble in housing prices that eventually burst with disastrous effects on the global economy.
During his tenure, and before the financial crisis began, the nation experienced one of the longest periods of economic growth in its history.
A decorated economist, first inspired by music
Greenspan was born on March 6, 1926, in New York City, the only child of Herbert Greenspan, a stockbroker, and Rose Goldsmith Greenspan, a retail worker. His parents divorced when he was 4 years old, and he was raised mainly by his mother and his grandparents.
An aspiring musician, Greenspan attended Juilliard for a year and played saxophone and clarinet before dropping out and enrolling at New York University. He went on to gain his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in economics from New York University. He also engaged in some advanced graduate work at Columbia University in New York, where he studied under the influential economist Arthur Burns.
Though short-lived, his music career was an influential portion of Greenspan's life, and he considered the move into economics a logical progression. He saw the organization of economic data into sound fiscal modeling as analogous to the organization of musical notes into tunes, according to Greenspan biographer Justin Martin in his book, "Greenspan: The Man Behind Money."
"I get the same kind of joy from solving a hard mathematical problem as I do from hearing a Haydn quartet," Greenspan once told The New York Times Magazine.
Greenspan taught economics at NYU between 1953 and 1955 and then founded the economic consulting firm Townsend & Greenspan, where he served as chairman and president from 1954 to 1974. He returned to the firm in 1977 and stayed until 1987.
President Richard Nixon nominated Greenspan to chair the President's Council of Economic Advisers in 1974, the first of many government economic positions he would hold. Nixon resigned as president hours after Greenspan was nominated, but he continued to serve under President Gerald Ford. Greenspan also served as a member of President Ronald Reagan's Economic Policy Advisory Board and was a consultant to the Congressional Budget Office.
In the private sector, Greenspan served as corporate director for many companies, including Alcoa, General Foods and J.P. Morgan & Co. He also served as a member of Time magazine's Board of Economists and a senior adviser to the Brookings Panel on Economic Activity.
In 2002, Greenspan received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his contribution to global economic stability. In 2005, President George W. Bush presented Greenspan with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
He held the position of Fed chairman from the time Reagan appointed him in 1987 until 2006, serving an unprecedented five terms under four presidents before being succeeded by Ben Bernanke.
Greenspan is credited by many with facilitating the longest economic expansion in U.S. history. One day after the Black Monday stock crash, Greenspan affirmed the Fed's "readiness to serve as a source of liquidity to support the economic and financial system" and the central bank moved to encourage banks to lend on their normal terms. Unlike prior financial crises, the events of Black Monday notably were not followed by an economic recession or a banking crisis and less than two years later, the U.S. stock market surpassed its pre-crash highs.
During his tenure, Greenspan developed a reputation for being a consensus-builder and for his strong anti-inflation stance, focusing more on controlling prices than on promoting full employment. He led the Federal Reserve through several events with major economic consequences, including two U.S. recessions, the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
'How could we have possibly got it so wrong?'
Starting in June 2003, the Federal Reserve set the federal funds rate, the rate at which banks typically borrow from each other, to one percent for a year. Though its intention was to lower the cost of borrowing and stimulate the economy, critics said the rate was too low and encouraged investments in risky subprime mortgage-backed securities, which they say contributed to the financial crisis in 2008.
The National Bureau of Economic Research, a research organization seen as an authority on measuring economic performance, later said that the recession officially began in December 2007.
In September 2007, Greenspan published a book that was both a memoir and economic commentary, "The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World," in which he criticized the George W. Bush administration for overspending and admitted that he supported the administration's tax cuts without stressing the need for spending cuts.
In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek in August 2012, Greenspan said, "one day before Lehman Brothers crashes, conventional wisdom was not even certain that we would fall into a recession."
"In fact, we learned many months later that the downward trend had actually started," Greenspan said. "How could we have possibly got it so wrong? I mean, I actually was saying, 'Yes, recession is coming, not that we're here yet.' We didn't know that it had already hit."
In October 2008, Greenspan acknowledged to a congressional committee discussing financial regulation that, "I made a mistake in presuming that the self-interests of organizations, specifically banks and others, were such as that they were best capable of protecting their own shareholders and their equity in the firms."
After Greenspan finished his term as chairman of the Federal Reserve in 2006, he established Greenspan Associates, an economic consulting firm in Washington, D.C.
With Greenspan as president, the firm had four employees as of October 2012. His client list has included giant finance clients like German firm Deutsche Bank and hedge fund Paulson & Co.
Personal life
Greenspan married artist Joan Mitchell in 1952. The couple divorced in 1953 after less than a year of marriage, and the marriage was later annulled. The two remained friends.
His first wife is remembered for introducing him to novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand, with whom Greenspan shared a friendship, a belief in free-market economic ideals and a philosophy of objectivism. In his 30s and early 40s, Greenspan spent many hours sitting with Rand's band of followers, known as the "Collective," discussing topics including politics philosophy, current events and economics.
In addition to Burns at Columbia, Rand and her group were instrumental in helping hone Greenspan's capitalist, free-market economic philosophy, according to Martin, Greenspan's biographer.
The group's open style of debate and discussion served Greenspan well in his various governmental roles. During his career in public service, he became known for a well-developed ability to communicate with Congress without offending those with opposing viewpoints or politicizing his messages.
Though he was said to back revamping the Social Security system and raising the retirement age, Greenspan was wary of how his public statements as Fed chairman might move markets. He rarely granted interviews. He was known for making openly ambiguous public statements about the state of the U.S. economy, once telling Congress, "If I've made myself too clear, you must have misunderstood me."
Greenspan married NBC News correspondent Mitchell in 1997. Their marriage was officiated by the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
"We've had the most wonderful marriage," he told Bloomberg Businessweek in August 2012. "It gets better every year. We're still very much together in love."
Mitchell is Greenspan's only surviving family.
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Scoreboard roundup — 6/21/26
In Focus: 06/21/26 – Rick Taylor and Will Tomlin – Firework safety
Screwworm preventing pet flights
EAST TEXAS – Some rescued dogs and cats from East Texas are being prevented from leaving the state on transport flights due to New World screwworm concerns in Texas. More than sixty animals from East Texas shelters were scheduled to be transported by Wings of Rescue to adoptive homes and out-of-state partners, but as a precaution, some destination states are no longer accepting animals from Texas. Shelters claim that because fewer animals can be placed out of state as a result of the change, overcrowding may get worse. Continue reading Screwworm preventing pet flights
City to rebuild police department
HAWKINS – Candidates running for Hawkins City Council seats informed voters a month ago that, if elected, they would deal with a number of issues, including the lack of a police department. They started the process of doing just that this month. Kayla Ross and her fellow council members unanimously decided to start accepting applications for the position of city police chief during her first full meeting as mayor on Monday night. That is the first step toward reviving the city’s police force, which was shut down a year ago by council members and former mayor Deb Rushing.
Firefighter hit by burning tree
LINDALE – A firefighter from the Lindale Fire Department had surgery on Saturday after being struck by a burning tree that fell on him on Friday while they were responding to a call. Firefighters were dispatched to the 14000 block of County Road 496 at approximately 5:53 p.m. on Friday due to a reported burning tree, according to the Lindale Fire Department. A firefighter was struck in the arm when the tree suddenly collapsed while they were attempting to put it out. He received emergency care on the spot before being transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Garrett Rose was identified by the department as the injured firefighter. He will probably require another surgery in the future, according to a family friend.
Flooding leaves Houston County roads damaged, blocked
HOUSTON COUNTY – After heavy rains swept through the area overnight on Saturday, several roads near Crockett and across Houston County have been left flooded or damaged.
The Crockett Fire Department issued a public safety alert on Saturday morning after heavy rainfall caused flooding on several roadways throughout the area, making many roads completely impassable.
The Texas Department of Transportation shared that they’ve closed FM 228 in Houston County after it was damaged and partly washed out by heavy rainfall on Saturday. They said repairs are underway and are expected to be finished on Saturday night.
The Crockett Fire Department gave the following safety tips for anyone on the road during flooding and heavy rains:
Stay home unless travel is absolutely necessary.
Do not drive through flooded roadways.
Turn around, don’t drown.
Use extreme caution if you must be on the roads.
Monitor local weather and emergency updates.
Teen’s body recovered after car crashes into Houston County creek
HOUSTON COUNTY (KETK) – The body of a teenage driver from near Houston was recovered from a creek near Crockett on Saturday after his car left the roadway.
Flooding leaves Houston County roads damaged, blocked
The Houston County Sheriff’s Office said they got a call at around 11 a.m. on Saturday about a young teen who was overdue at his home near Houston after he left Houston County Lake.
Deputies started searching along FM 229 in the areas that usually flood during times of heavy rain like the storms that moved through Houston County on Saturday morning. At around 1:45 p.m., the Houston County Emergency Management Coordinator was travelling on FM 229 when they noticed a damaged guardrail.
That damaged guardrail runs along FM 229 and over a creek which is just off of Loop 304, to the northwest of Crockett. The coordinator and a deputy went around 70 yards down the creek and found a front bumper of a car that had the missing teen’s license plate on it and then they found the roof of a car submerged about 30 yards further down the creek.
A Texas Parks and Wildlife Search and Rescue team that was in the area to help with flooding and the Houston County Search and Rescue team both responded to the scene and they were able to remove the young man’s body from the submerged car.
“This is a tragic event that will affect many of this young man’s family and friends,” Houston County Sheriff Zak Benge said on Saturday.
The cause of the crash is currently under investigation by the Crockett Police Department.
One shot, one injured in police chase
PANOLA COUNTY – One man was shot and a woman was injured after she reportedly jumped from a vehicle that was involved in a pursuit near the Texas-Louisiana border in Panola County on Friday.
According to our news partner KETK, dispatchers got an open-line 911 call at around 10:30 p.m. on Friday. In the background of the call, they could hear a man and a woman arguing. The woman on the call then reportedly told dispatchers that she had jumped from the moving vehicle and was injured. Sheriff’s office deputies, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper, the Flatwoods Volunteer Fire Department and UT Health EMS were all sent to where the woman’s phone was pinged on FM 2517 near County Road 4702 and the state border with Louisiana.
A deputy and sergeant with Panola County Sheriff’s office stopped the vehicle on FM 2517 near County Road 470. The driver was identified as the woman caller’s brother, Napolean Cordell “Polie” Lockett of Beckville. The sheriff’s office said Lockett then fled in his vehicle by turning onto FM 3359 and heading towards Louisiana before he reportedly turned onto County Road 455 where his vehicle crashed and rolled over. Continue reading One shot, one injured in police chase
Nine hospitalized in 13-vehicle crash
KAUFMAN COUNTY – Nine people were sent to local hospitals on Saturday after a 13-vehicle crash happened near FM 2965 on Interstate 20 westbound in Kaufman County.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), a multi-vehicle crash happened in the westbound lanes of Interstate 20 leaving several people injured.
The nearby Elmo Fire Department reported that multiple crashes happened on I-20 westbound near mile marker 511 at around 10:55 a.m. on Saturday. They also reported several other minor crashes on the eastbound side of I-20 from mile marker 509 to mile marker 511.
Video courtesy of Bonnie Rose.
In total, the Elmo Fire Department said 24 people were assessed for injuries at the scene and nine of those people had to be transported to local hospitals to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. They said the crashes at the scene involved a total of 13 vehicles and four 18-wheelers.
The Elmo Fire Department added that mass casualty incident triage had to be established to help treat those injured at the scene. DPS said the roadway was reopened to traffic at around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Newly released video captures the aftermath of a fatal teen stabbing at a Texas track meet
FRISCO (AP) — Newly released video from an officer’s body camera and a surveillance camera at a Texas running track captures the moments after a teenage athlete fatally stabbed another teen from a rival team in the stadium bleachers during a high school meet last year.
Karmelo Anthony, 19, was convicted of murder on June 10 in the death of Austin Metcalf, 17, and sentenced to 35 years in prison. A jury rejected Anthony’s claims of self-defense. The videos were included in a batch of evidence released by the Collin County court following the conclusion of the trial.
The surveillance video shows the track and bleachers on a rainy day. Suddenly a figure wearing a gray sweatshirt is seen popping up from behind a yellow tent and then running down the steps. The video has no sound.
He got to the bottom of the bleachers, tripped and fell on the ground, and then kept running along the edge of the fencing that separates the bleachers from the running track. He stopped briefly, turned to look at what appeared to be someone chasing him, and then kept running.
After making his way part way around the track, he was joined by an unidentified person. They stopped to talk and then hugged. They started walking again and were joined by another person. After talking more, Anthony walked toward the fence where he appeared to meet up with a police officer.
The officer put him in handcuffs and walked him toward the police cruiser. Anthony obeyed the officer’s commands and then started crying.
“He put his hands on me,” Anthony said in a broken voice. “I told him not to. He put his hands on me.”
The officers escorted him to the police cruiser and placed him inside.
Flooding leaves Houston County roads damaged, blocked
HOUSTON COUNTY (KETK) – After heavy rains swept through the area overnight on Saturday, several roads near Crockett and across Houston County have been left flooded or damaged.
The Crockett Fire Department issued a public safety alert on Saturday morning after heavy rainfall caused flooding on several roadways throughout the area, making many roads completely impassable.
The Texas Department of Transportation shared that they’ve closed FM 228 in Houston County after it was damaged and partly washed out by heavy rainfall on Saturday. They said repairs are underway and are expected to be finished on Saturday night.
The Crockett Fire Department gave the following safety tips for anyone on the road during flooding and heavy rains:
Stay home unless travel is absolutely necessary.
Do not drive through flooded roadways.
Turn around, don’t drown.
Use extreme caution if you must be on the roads.
Monitor local weather and emergency updates.
9 hospitalized after 13-vehicle crash on I20 in Kaufman County
KAUFMAN COUNTY (KETK) – Nine people were sent to local hospitals on Saturday after a 13-vehicle crash happened near FM 2965 on Interstate 20 westbound in Kaufman County.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), a multi-vehicle crash happened in the westbound lanes of Interstate 20 leaving several people injured.
The nearby Elmo Fire Department reported that multiple crashes happened on I-20 westbound near mile marker 511 at around 10:55 a.m. on Saturday. They also reported several other minor crashes on the eastbound side of I-20 from mile marker 509 to mile marker 511.
In total, the Elmo Fire Department said 24 people were assessed for injuries at the scene and nine of those people had to be transported to local hospitals to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. They said the crashes at the scene involved a total of 13 vehicles and four 18-wheelers.
The Elmo Fire Department added that mass casualty incident triage had to be established to help treat those injured at the scene. DPS said the roadway was reopened to traffic at around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Man shot, woman injured near border
PANOLA COUNTY – One man was shot and a woman injured after she reportedly jumped from a vehicle that was involved in a pursuit near the Texas-Louisiana border in Panola County on Friday, according to a news release and our news partner, KETK.
Panola County Sheriff Cutter Clinton said dispatchers received a 911 call at around 10:30 p.m. on Friday. In the background, they could hear a man and a woman arguing. The woman on the call then reportedly told dispatchers that she had jumped from the moving vehicle and was injured.
Sheriff’s office deputies, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper, the Flatwoods Volunteer Fire Department and UT Health EMS were all sent to where the woman’s phone was pinged on FM 2517 near County Road 4702 and the state border with Louisiana.
A deputy and sergeant with Panola County Sheriff’s office stopped the vehicle on FM 2517 near County Road 470. The driver was identified as the woman caller’s brother, Napolean Cordell “Polie” Lockett of Beckville.
The sheriff’s office said Lockett then fled in his vehicle by turning onto FM 3359 and heading towards Louisiana before he reportedly turned onto County Road 455 where his vehicle crashed and rolled over.
Deputies helped remove Lockett from the crashed vehicle and discovered that he had been shot in the abdomen. The deputies arrested him for evading arrest with a vehicle, violation of conditional bond in a family violence incident and an unrelated grand jury indictment for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Lockett was taken to a hospital in Shreveport to be treated for his non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was booked into the Panola County Detention Center after he was discharged from the hospital on Saturday morning.
The woman caller was transported to a hospital in Longview to be treated for her injuries from jumping out of the vehicle. The case is currently under investigation by the Panola County Sheriff’s Office, which has contacted the De Soto Parish Sheriff’s Office since part of the case took place in Louisiana.
The Texas Highway Patrol is investigating the crash and the sheriff’s office said more charges will be filed in this case.
Life sentence for child predator for abusing children
AUSTIN – A jury in Bexar County sentenced a child predator to life in prison, after he was found guilty of abusing children, according to a news release from Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office. Joe Suarez Jr., 71, was found guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child and indecency with a child, after the jury listened to four days of testimony. It took only four hours to reach a verdict. The court ordered a sentence of life without parole and two consecutive 20-year sentences, the maximum punishment allowed by law.
“My office worked tirelessly to put this child predator behind bars for life and secure justice for the victims of these heinous crimes,” said Attorney General Paxton. “We are committed to standing up for victims of sexual assault and will use every tool available to us to ensure that child predators are prosecuted to the fullest extent that the law allows.”
In March 2016, an 8-year-old child made an outcry of sexual abuse to a teacher at her school. Following her outcry, two additional victims came forward to report that they had also been subjected to chronic abuse by the same offender, Joe Suarez Jr. Their reports of abuse were referred to the San Antonio Police Department (“SAPD”) by the Department of Family and Protective Services (“DFPS”). SAPD conducted an investigation and referred the case to the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, where it remained for several years awaiting grand jury presentation. After District Attorney Joe Gonzalez was elected and recused his office from the prosecution, the case was referred to another district attorney’s office in Texas before being transferred to the Office of the Attorney General in late 2023.
Given the years that had passed since the initial investigation, Sgt. Andres Alaniz investigated the case again. In 2025, at the conclusion of the OAG’s investigation and in conjunction with SAPD’s prior work, the defendant’s charges were presented to a Bexar County grand jury. Suarez was subsequently indicted for continuous sexual abuse of young children, and aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child.
The evidence showed that the defendant, who played in a local mariachi group, would offer mariachi lessons to children in the community to gain their trust, according to the attorney general. The defendant took advantage of the trust his family and community placed in him, and sexually abused multiple children in his home. He also worked as a truck driver and would sexually abuse children in the cab of his 18-wheeler.
City names new police chief
TRINIDAD – The City of Trinidad named Cameron Bechham as their new interim police chief during a city council meeting on Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, Bechham was sworn in after the Trinidad City Council voted 4 to 1 in favor of naming him the new interim police chief.
The decision to name Bechham police chief was made following the recent resignation of Charles Gregory, who resigned less than two weeks ago, following ongoing controversy involving the city’s water rights.
During Thursday’s meeting, the city council also voted unanimously to establish a water advisory committee to address the ongoing water problems that have plagued Trinidad residents for years.
Alabama-Coushatta Tribe breaks ground on new Naskila Casino resort
LEGGETT (KETK) – The Alabama-Coushatta tribe of Texas and the Naskila Casino in Leggett are celebrating their growth with an eye toward expansion in Deep East Texas.
The vision is coming to life in Polk County as they made the first official step towards the future on Thursday with leaders of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas breaking ground on the future casino resort set to open in late 2028.
The future property will span across 95 acres of tribal land here in Legget, Texas, featuring an expansive gaming floor, more than 350 hotel rooms, a resort-style pool, and an event and conference space.
“It’s a long time coming really, it’s something that’s needed,” Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas Chairman Ricky Sylestine said. “We started out from nothing, now to where we are today, just because of the gaming aspect of it, we’ve really been blessed at this point.”
Thursday’s groundbreaking happened as the existing Naskila casino celebrates its 10th anniversary. Casino officials said the Naskila Casino generates an annual economic impact of $251 million dollars each year and has created over a thousand local permanent jobs. They added that this new casino resort will only expand that impact in East Texas.
To learn more about the tribe, their history and their enterprises, visit the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas online.
As Juneteenth is celebrated across the US, Obama’s presidential center opens in Chicago
DALLAS (AP) — As people gather across the U.S. to celebrate Juneteenth, former President Barack Obama’s presidential center opened its doors Friday to the general public for the first time.
Located on a sprawling campus on Chicago’s South Side, the center honoring the nation’s first Black president has been designed to inspire people to make the change they want to see in their own communities. It’s the kind of contemplation that also comes as Americans gather for Juneteenth, which celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S.
The holiday marks June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas at the end of the Civil War with an order declaring the state’s enslaved people to be free with “absolute equality.” By then, 2 1/2 years had passed since the Emancipation Proclamation declared the freedom of enslaved people in the South.
“Juneteenth represents not just a commemoration of the end of slavery but it’s also part of the ongoing struggle for absolute equality and that ideal in American life,” said W. Caleb McDaniel, a Rice University professor and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Sweet Taste of Liberty.”
Obama’s presidential center in Chicago
The grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center includes days of events following Thursday’s star-studded dedication ceremony.
The center’s public opening arrives as a symbolic convergence of legacy and liberation. The nation is deeply divided politically and grappling with renewed questions about the arc of racial progress as the Supreme Court hollowed out the Voting Rights Act, endangering Black political representation in Congress.
The nearly 20-acre (8-hectare) campus includes a museum featuring a life-sized replica of the Oval Office, a garden designed by former first lady Michelle Obama complete with lettuce and strawberry plants, a professional-grade basketball court, a picnic area with grills and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library. Visitors can experience high-tech and hands-on exhibits spanning the campaigns, key moments of Obama’s presidency and life at the White House.
The spaces are designed to bring people together on a campus expected to draw as many as 1 million visitors annually, but the center also aims to encourage personal reflection. Louise Bernard, the museum’s director, has said they’re “inviting people to bring change home, however change may be defined, both small or large.”
The history of Juneteenth
This is the fifth year since Juneteenth was designated as a federal holiday by former President Joe Biden, who served as Obama’s vice president. But the celebrations, which began in Texas and then spread across the country, have a rich and long history in Black America, with the day often spent gathering for picnics and cookouts.
The holiday — a combination of “June” and “nineteenth” — marks the day when U.S. Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in the Texas port city with the declaration of freedom in General Order No. 3.
As the third year of the Civil War neared, President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring the freedom of “all persons held as slaves” in the still rebellious states of the Confederacy. Though, for many, it did not mean immediate freedom but a promise of liberation, to be secured with a Union victory.
“It really required the force of arms and the success of U.S. armies to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation,” McDaniel said.
About six months after Granger’s arrival in Galveston, the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery nationwide was ratified.
Celebrations across the nation this year
Juneteenth’s birthplace is celebrating with a daylong gathering at a Galveston park with music and fireworks, a parade and a worship service in a historic Black church. Nearby Houston lined up of musical artists and a domino tournament at Emancipation Park, established in 1872 by a group of formerly enslaved men.
Hundreds of other cities across the U.S. announced events over the long weekend, including a parade in Atlanta, a bike ride in Los Angeles and a festival on Martha’s Vineyard.
Several cities across the U.S. will host walks named for Opal Lee, the Texas woman who pushed for years to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Participants will walk 2 1/2 miles to symbolize the 2 1/2 years it took for the Emancipation Proclamation to be enforced in Texas. Lee, known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” turns 100 this year.
Reflecting on a continuing struggle
Black Texans embraced the date of Granger’s arrival as one to celebrate, even as the Ku Klux Klan was established in Texas by 1868. By the 1880s, “it was difficult to find a significant community in Texas where it wasn’t being marked by African Americans,” McDaniel said.
“They made it a community celebration, they made it a celebration of not only freedom but also a demonstration of community empowerment and institution-building,” he added.
Corey D.B. Walker, dean of Wake Forest University’s divinity school, said the holiday offers a way to recognize the nation’s “complex history” and what it means to be a U.S. citizen, especially amid efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to undermine the retelling of Black history.
“I think it really reminds people the importance of understanding a fuller, more robust portrait of our nation’s history and the many contributions of many individuals who have contributed to America’s experiment with democracy,” Walker said.
David Rancken’s App of the Day 06/19/26 – GeoLanes!
David Rancken’s App of the Day puts the world at your fingertips. David’s app is called GeoLanes. You can find GeoLanes in the Apple Store and Google Play below.
David Rancken’s App of the Day 06/18/26 – Phyphox!
If your a science aficionado, then go get David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called Phyphox. You can download Phyphox in the Apple Store and Google Play below.
Suspect charged after 3-year-old boy wound up in crocodile enclosure released on bail
(LONDON) -- The man arrested and charged after a 3-year-old boy wound up in a crocodile enclosure at a British zoo was released on bail Friday as the investigation continues, police said.
The unidentified 30-year-old suspect from Norfolk was released after investigators said he "was assessed as unfit for police interview," according to the Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon at Johnsons of Old Hurst, a family-run farm and zoo located in Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, when the unidentified boy "ended up in the crocodile enclosure," police said.
The boy sustained "serious injuries" while in the enclosure and was pulled out by staff from the zoo. He received medical treatment at the scene before being taken to the hospital, according to the police.
He was listed in critical but stable condition as of Friday. The suspect, who will remain on bail until September, is not known to the victim, according to police.
The suspect was arrested under suspicion of attempted murder.
Johnsons of Old Hurst said its tropical house, which is home to multiple species of crocodiles and other reptiles, will remain closed until further notice "out of respect to the family."
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family following the incident that occurred today," Johnsons of Old Hurst said in a statement on social media Thursday.
-ABC News' Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Traffic advisory for Juneteenth parade
Tyler – The Juneteenth parade begins on Saturday, June 20, from 8 a.m. to noon. Various roads will be closed, beginning at 9 a.m. The parade will start at Glenwood Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, then proceed east on Martin Luther King Jr., turn north on Border Avenue. It will then turn west on West 26th Street, turn north on North Glass Avenue, and continue east on West 32nd Street, ending at the intersection of 32nd Street and North Broadway Avenue.
Motorists are encouraged to plan alternate routes and expect temporary traffic delays in the area during the event. Officers will be present to assist with road closures and detours.
City leaders appreciate the public’s patience and cooperation as they work to ensure a safe and successful Juneteenth celebration for our community.
Woman pleads guilty to child abuse
TYLER – On Thursday, a Frisco woman entered a guilty plea to first-degree child injury. Authorities accused Frisco resident Kamilla Musser, 47, of repeatedly abusing her child, leading to her arrest in Tyler in May 2024. She was sentenced to ten years of probation, which cannot be ended early, after entering a guilty plea to causing serious bodily injury or serious mental deficiency/impairment to a child through intentional, knowing, reckless, or criminally negligent actions. She is prohibited from communicating with the victim or the family involved in this case. She will also be imprisoned for ninety days. She will also not be able to renew her teaching license in Texas. Continue reading Woman pleads guilty to child abuse
Californian sentenced after assault
MINEOLA – After attacking an elderly man, a California man was found guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and given a 15-year prison sentence. The Wood County District Attorney’s Office reports that Arne Arthur Oliver, 46, of California, received a sentence for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon that was only five years short of the 20-year maximum. After less than an hour of deliberation, a Wood County jury found him guilty on June 16. Oliver must complete half of his sentence before being eligible for parole because the offense involved the use of a deadly weapon. Continue reading Californian sentenced after assault
Thousand-year-old ancient oak tree tied to ‘Robin Hood’ legend has died, wildlife charity says
(LONDON) -- A giant, ancient oak tree located in the the Sherwood Forest -- the iconic setting of the "Robin Hood" legend -- has died, one of the U.K.'s top bird and wildlife conservation charities said.
Famous for its enormous trunk -- about 36 feet in circumference -- and gnarled branches, the Major Oak was believed to be about 1,200 years old, according to the RSPB Bird & Wildlife Conservation Charity.
The tree had been in "visible decline" for several years, the charity said and failed to produce any leaves this spring.
"Whilst the tree's failure to produce leaves this year is heart-breaking for everyone -- from the many people over the years who have looked after this magnificent tree to the millions who have travelled here to see it -- we know the Major Oak will have a lasting legacy, first and foremost because it is so inextricably linked to Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest," Hollie Drake, senior site manager at RSPB Sherwood Forest, said in a statement.
The organization said it couldn't determine the exact cause of the tree's demise.
Among the factors cited were poor soil and a weakened root system as well as "well-intentioned efforts to preserve the tree's impressive shape" over the years, including metal bracing and coverings that prevented the tree from aging naturally, the organization said.
The group also cited the effects of climate change and recent heat waves and drought.
While the tree has died, the organization said the oak will remain standing in its place in the park, "continuing as an emblem in the landscape and providing valuable?decaying wood?habitat."
In addition, acorns and cuttings from the tree have already been grown into saplings.
"There are Major Oak saplings planted in locations right around the world, so we are planning work to ensure that its offspring will grow and generate their own acorns -- and legends -- for centuries to come," the organization said.
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Scoreboard roundup — 6/18/26
Fans are fuming after World Cup tickets they bought through resale sites fall through
ATLANTA (AP) — Bina Ramroop broke down in tears when she realized she wasn’t going to get the World Cup tickets she had bought for her grandson’s 13th birthday.
As thousands poured into Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday to see Spain face Cape Verde in what turned out to be a remarkable scoreless draw, Ramroop stood outside, increasingly stressed as she went back and forth for hours between StubHub representatives on the phone and FIFA representatives in the ticket booth. Each blamed the other.
No one could figure out why the tickets Ramroop bought months ago on StubHub for $485 apiece couldn’t be transferred from the original seller to the FIFA ticketing app. StubHub offered her a refund and, as Ramroop heard the crowd roar for the start of the match, she knew she had no choice but to give up and take the offer.
“I didn’t want a refund, I didn’t want my money back,” Ramroop said. “I wanted to go to the game.”
The World Cup has delivered thrills on the pitch, but fans have flooded social media with complaints about tickets that never arrived, orders that were canceled at the last minute and hours they spent trying to sort out problems between FIFA’s ticketing system and outside resale platforms. The vast majority seem to be about industry titan StubHub, but people who bought through competitors such as SeatGeek and Vivid Seats have also reported issues. Interviews with fans and industry experts show that some cases stem from technical glitches in the transfer process, while others could involve sellers who never had tickets to deliver in the first place, though StubHub denies such sales happen on its platform.
A grandmother’s disappointment
FIFA has urged fans to buy resale tickets through its own marketplace, where it slaps a 30% surcharge on every resold ticket — 15% each from the buyer and seller. But many fans bought through other resale sites, either out of habit or because those sites have lower prices or are easier to navigate.
Ramroop didn’t realize she was taking a risk when she bought through StubHub, which she had used in the past without issues.
As she and her grandson Elijah Gomes took the long, lonely train ride back to the Atlanta suburbs, Elijah followed the score on his phone. The match had ended scoreless, and he tried to cheer up his devastated grandmother by telling her they hadn’t missed much after all (Cape Verdeans would beg to differ ).
“He’s telling me, ‘Grandma, it’s OK, Grandma.’ And he’s trying to console me,” Ramroop said the next day.
She was hardly alone. An Associated Press journalist witnessed more than a dozen frustrated fans at the match who said they were stuck in similar situations.
StubHub blamed FIFA for the transfer problems that buyers like Ramroop have experienced. In a statement, it said FIFA has “poor technology infrastructure,” enacted last-minute transfer restrictions and didn’t launch its new ticketing app until a few weeks before the tournament. The company also called out organizers that “take anti-competitive actions” that limit where fans can buy and sell tickets.
Asked about the technical issues, FIFA on Wednesday reiterated that sales through its official site are guaranteed to go through.
An industry’s longstanding problem
Industry observers say the problems appear to stem from more than one cause. For some, it may indeed be technical glitches — an issue that StubHub says is “very, very rare” and one that it is hard at work to solve. For others, they say it’s likely a more longstanding scourge: speculative sellers.
Scott Friedman, an industry veteran and co-founder of a consultancy called the Ticket Talk Network, said some sellers list tickets before they actually have them, betting that prices will fall closer to the event so they can buy the tickets at a better price later. But because World Cup ticket prices have surged since the tournament began, those sellers have been forced to either buy expensive tickets to fulfill their orders or cancel and accept penalties from resale platforms. StubHub’s penalties are typically 200% of the ticket price, Friedman said.
“This is not new at all,” said Friedman, pointing to other high-profile events where frustrated fans were left empty-handed, including Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. “This has been going on, but it’s making global news because it’s the World Cup.”
StubHub says it requires sellers to prove they have tickets before they list them.
But regardless of the reason for the canceled sales, Friedman said “StubHub should fill every single order to make sure fans get in the biggest global sporting event that happens every four years.”
That’s what many fans say they expected when they purchased through StubHub.
StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee promises replacement tickets or a refund if tickets fail to arrive. But the policy repeatedly says those remedies are provided at StubHub’s “sole discretion,” meaning the company can choose a refund instead of securing replacement seats.
“That is pretty explicit language,” said Michael McCann, a sports law expert at the University of New Hampshire. McCann noted that a buyer could try to challenge the language under state consumer protection laws, but it would be an uphill battle.
A father’s regrets
Pape Ndaw is crestfallen that the high school graduation gift he got for his son — tickets for them to see the Netherlands and Japan near their home city of Dallas — never arrived.
He bought the tickets for about $550 apiece in December. Then, two days before the June 14 match, he received an email from StubHub telling him, “The seller can’t deliver your original tickets.”
Ndaw accepted store credit rather than a refund, thinking he would use the funds to quickly get replacements, only to then realize that the cheapest last-minute tickets were going for more than $1,500 each. Not only were they not going to get to go to the game, but Ndaw said StubHub rejected his belated request for a refund instead of store credit.
Breaking the news to his soccer-obsessed son was brutal, Ndaw said.
“It was a disastrous thing,” he said. “He had told all his friends that he was going to that game. He literally cried. I mean, he is a 17-year-old kid, but he cried.”
A family’s attempt to make the best of it
Others fared somewhat better.
Patrick O’Neil of Pittsboro, North Carolina, traveled to Atlanta with his wife, son and relatives after purchasing five tickets through StubHub for the Spain-Cape Verde match. Two tickets transferred successfully, but three never arrived.
O’Neil’s 15-year-old son and his uncle ended up using the two tickets, while O’Neil, his wife and another relative watched from a nearby bar.
After local media caught wind of their ordeal, O’Neil said StubHub contacted the family and offered tickets to another game. Since the family had already bought tickets to one, though, he and his wife asked the company to instead give the seats to local nonprofit Soccer in the Streets so they could go to people who otherwise might not be able to attend a match.
“StubHub is not evil, but they’re part of the whole system that makes it really hard for just normal kids and people who might want to see a match get to go,” O’Neil said.
On Thursday, a StubHub representative confirmed to the AP that the company would honor the O’Neils’ request and send tickets to the nonprofit.
___
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Suspect arrested for elderly abuse
SMITH COUNTY – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man for financial abuse of an elderly person after an investigation connected him to victims who’ve lost over $2 million dollars, according to our news partner KETK.
On April 7, investigators met with a 77-year-old woman who had reported that one of her friends, whom she had known for years, had taken over $200,000 in checks from her. The friend reportedly told her that he’d been arrested and he persuaded her to post a $34,000 bail. A few days later, the bail bond company, to whom she gave a check, threatened to report her to the Smith County District Attorney’s office after her check bounced. Continue reading Suspect arrested for elderly abuse
Bicyclist dead after being struck by truck
RUSK — A bicyclist is dead after reportedly falling onto the roadway and being struck by an 18-wheeler on Highway 84 in Rusk on Wednesday evening, according to Rusk officials and our news partner, KETK.
Rusk Police Sgt. Jeremy Farmer said the fatality happened at around 8:50 p.m., when Charlotte Goff, 55, was riding her bicycle along the roadway near Loop 343. Police said she fell onto the roadway and was then struck by an 18-wheeler that was passing by.
Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Brenda Dominy pronounced Goff dead at the scene. The driver of the 18-wheeler stopped and is cooperating with the police, Farmer said. At this time, no criminal charges have been filed.
The investigation is ongoing.