SMITH COUNTY – Smith County will have 19 voting centers open for the Primary Runoff Election from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26.
Statewide runoff races are on the ballot.
U.S. Senator, Attorney General, Railroad Commissioner and Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3, Judge are on the Republican ticket. The Democratic ballot will have runoff races for U.S. Representative, District 1, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General.
The City of Tyler Mayor Runoff Election is not on the current ballot. That election is set for June 13, with early voting beginning June 1.
These polls are open for the Primary Runoff Election Day: *Arp Community Center: 108 E. Longview Street, Arp *Bethel Bible Church: 17121 Highway 69 South, Tyler *Cameron J Jarvis Library: 102 S. Georgia Street, Troup *Chapel Hill Fire Department: 13801 CR 220, Tyler *First Christian Church (Christian Life Center): 4202 S Broadway Ave., Tyler *Glass Recreation Center: 501 W. 32nd Street, Tyler *Greater Life Church: 2751 FM 344 East, Bullard *Heritage Building: 1900 Bellwood Road, Tyler *Hideaway Members Services Building: 101 Hide-A-Way Lane, Hideaway *The Hub: 304 E. Ferguson Street, Tyler *Lindale Kinzie Community Center: 912 Mt. Sylvan Street, Lindale *&Noonday Community Center: 16662 CR 196, Tyler *Old Tyler Airport: 150 Airport Drive, Tyler *St. Louis Baptist Church: 4000 Frankston Highway, Tyler *St. Violet Baptist Church: 14129 FM 2767, Tyler *Three Lakes Middle School: 2445 Three Lakes Parkway, Tyler *Tyler Senior Center: 1915 Garden Valley Road, Tyler *Whitehouse City Center: 109 E. Main Street, Whitehouse *Winona Community Center: 520 Dallas Street, Winona
For more information about voting locations, times and what is on the ballot, or to use our interactive map, go to the Smith County Website.
Houses with a 'For Sale' sign in a small new neighborhood in Gunnison, Colorado 6/18/20 (Nathan Bilow/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) -- U.S. Treasury yields soared in recent days as the Iran war stoked inflation fears, threatening to drive up borrowing costs for everything from mortgages to credit cards to auto loans.
The yields on 30-year bonds – the amount paid to a bondholder annually – touched their highest point since 2007. Ten-year Treasury yields peaked at about 4.69% on Tuesday, marking a roughly three-quarter percentage point jump from the start of the war on Feb. 28.
The yield on 10-year Treasuries retreated on Wednesday, registering at 4.58%. Still, yields exceed the level reached during a bond selloff in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs in April 2025.
Since bonds pay a given investor a fixed amount each year, the specter of inflation risks higher consumer prices that would eat away at those annual payouts. In this case, a global oil shock has pushed up energy prices which in turn has trickled into other costs, such as groceries.
As a result, bonds have become less attractive. When demand falls, bond yields rise.
“It’s really all about the Iran war and its inflationary impact,” Ted Rossman, a senior industry analyst at Bankrate, told ABC News.
High bond yields make borrowing more expensive for average Americans because Treasury rates influence the rates offered by lenders.
Long-term Treasury yields help set interest payments for mortgages, credit cards, car loans and just about any other type of borrowing, Patrice Carrington, a professor of real estate at New York University, told ABC News.
The reason for the rise in borrowing costs is that regulated lenders are required to hold reserve assets, often made up in part by U.S. Treasuries, Carrington added. When Treasury yields rise, it raises the costs incurred by banks holding Treasuries on their books. Lenders, in turn, offset those added expenses with higher borrowing costs.
“The bank will pass along that higher cost of capital to any consumer loan,” Carrington said.
The onset of this pain for consumers is exemplified by the housing market, where the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage stands at 6.72% as of Monday, Mortgage News Daily data showed. Mortgage rates have climbed three-quarters of a percentage point from pre-war levels.
“That’s a really big jump,” Rossman said.
Each percentage-point rise in a mortgage rate can impose thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in additional costs each year, depending on the price of the house, according to Rocket Mortgage.
Credit card rates, by contrast, have remained flat over the course of the Iran war, though at heightened levels, Rossman said.
The average credit card interest rate stands at 19.57%, just slightly below where it stood before the war began, Bankrate data showed. At the start of 2026, futures markets expected the Fed to likely cut interest rates at least once by the end of the year, which would put downward pressure on credit card rates.
As the Fed weathers a renewed bout of inflation, however, markets estimate about a 50% chance of interest rates remaining unchanged over the course of the year and a 37% chance of a rate hike, according to the CME FedWatch Tool, a measure of market sentiment. Markets peg the odds of a rate cut this year at less than 2%.
As a result, credit card rates "are staying higher for longer" than many observers anticipated, Rossman said.
Analysts differed in their recommendations for consumers weighing whether to move forward now with securing a loan or wait for a potential decline in interest rates.
Liu Lu, a professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, said mortgage rates are unlikely to decline substantially in the near-term, meaning borrowers who can afford a loan at current rates may as well take the plunge.
“I wouldn’t bet on trying to catch the opportune moment,” Lu told ABC News.
Carrington, on the other hand, counseled patience for loan seekers.
Eventually, the economy will falter and the Fed will cut interest rates, pushing down borrowing costs, according to Carrington.
“We’re long overdue for a downturn,” Carrington said. “I absolutely think borrowers should wait.”
In the meantime, the impact of elevated bond yields on consumers isn't entirely negative. The trend means better returns for investors who place their money into financial instruments such as money market funds or high-interest savings accounts, which are historically safer investments than the stock market.
RUSK — A former corrections officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is awaiting a sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to conspiracy to assault an inmate in custody.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice and our news partner KETK, in his plea agreement, Samuel Thomas acknowledged that while he was on duty as a correctional officer, he opened the door of an inmate’s cell and allowed others to strike and injure the inmate. The inmate suffered bodily injury as a result of the actions, the DOJ said.
After pleading guilty on Tuesday, Thomas can now face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and could be forced to pay a fine of up to $250,000. Thomas’ sentence will be determined by a federal judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Continue reading Former jailer facing prison time
GRAND SALINE — Following citizen concern about water issues, the City of Grand Saline announced they are aware of much-needed improvements for water system infrastructure and is seeking a grant.
Working with engineers, the city if pursuing a new Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) grant opportunity that could provide up to $5 million for critical water infrastructure improvements, the city said.
According to our news partner KETK, if obtained, the grant would fund a new water well, additional water storage and the replacement of aging water lines.
The grant would be obtained through a new program created by House Bill 500, which is expected to be fast-moving. Applications for the program are due by July 30 and funding decisions are expected to be made in September. Continue reading City pursues $5M for water improvements
TYLER – A man was arrested in Tyler early Wednesday morning after driving his car through a building on the Grace Community High School campus while he was allegedly intoxicated. According to the Tyler Police Department and our news partner KETK, Jaydien Williams struck the front of the administrative building on campus at around 4 a.m. No injuries were reported following the incident.
Williams was arrested following the crash and was charged with driving while intoxicated and possession of marijuana. The portion of the building hit by Williams’ car has been boarded, and repairs are expected to begin this week.
WINNSBORO — As storms rolled through East Texas on Tuesday night, a tragic strike of lightning left five horses at a Winnsboro equine refuge dead. The Hooker Ranch Equine Refuge is home to a herd of up to 100 horses, rescuing and rehabilitating the equines with veterinary care and a place to stay. On Tuesday night, the non-profit lost five horses after a lightning strike hit the property.
Our news partner KETK is reporting that among the five horses were two draft mares, two Standardbreds and a quarter horse. The Standardbreds — Lucy and “Look Don’t Talk” — were just put up for adoption while Freya, the quarter horse, was pending adoption.
To avoid any issues arising from burying the large animals on the property, community members lent the refuge a tractor to move the horses. Each horse was respectfully tarped and prepared for a proper burial, the refuge said.
The refuge, which operates as a shelter for surrendered horses across the state, focuses on keeping the animals out of the slaughter pipeline.
LUFKIN, Texas (KETK)– Lufkin residents gathered at City Hall today to protest a proposed $1 billion data center.
The facility planned by Denver-based developer Amp Z at the former Southland Paper Mill site, faces opposition over concerns about water usage, local infrastructure impact and potential noise. The proposed facility is located outside city limits and the Lufkin City Council did not address the matter during its meeting.
The Amp Z project is a one billion dollar data center intended for a 1,000-acre site. While the land purchase for the development is complete, the project remains in negotiation and planning phases. City officials have stated the facility would use approximately 500 gallons of water daily, utilizing a closed-loop system for water reuse.
Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, people stood outside city hall, marching, chanting and holding signs to express their opposition to the data center. Residents also raised concerns regarding the potential strain on local infrastructure and the noise levels once the vast 1,000-acre facility becomes operational. Christina Perez, a community organizer, voiced the broader implications of such development.
“This isn’t the only data set; this is just one of many that will probably come to Lufkin and the East Texas area,” Perez said. “For a lot of people, this is just home. It’s something that is replaceable and once we take all these things away, it’s going to be hard to get them back.”
The group of residents plans to present their concerns about the data center project to the Angelina County Commissioners Court. The project is still in the negotiation and planning phases.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Stonewall National Monument, the President’s House Site and the Women’s Rights National Historic Park are among 11 sites on this year’s annual list of the most endangered historic places in the United States compiled by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The 2026 list, announced Wednesday, marks America’s 250th anniversary with the foundational principle that everyone is created equal as the theme, said Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the nonprofit organization. The 11 sites offer examples of how, over time, Americans have fought against injustice and for equality, she said.
“We wanted to think about those ideas, especially this notion that all human beings are created equal and find places, sometimes unsung places … that not all Americans routinely think about,” Quillen told The Associated Press.
The sites are spread across the United States — from New York and California on the East and West Coasts, to Alabama and Texas in the South, to Michigan in the Midwest and the Four Corners of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah in the Rocky Mountain West.
At least three of the sites — Stonewall, the El Corazon church in Texas and President’s House in Philadelphia — have been endangered by Trump administration actions.
“We want to save these places,” Quillen said, “not just because the bricks and mortar is important but because the stories these places hold are important.”
For the first time since the list debuted in 1988, each site on the 2026 list will receive a one-time $25,000 grant to help highlight their connections to the principle that all people are created equal and address the threats they face.
The 11 sites are:
Montgomery, Alabama: Ben Moore Hotel
The hotel was a refuge for Black people living under laws that enforced racial separation in the South. Prolonged vacancy has caused structural deterioration and the historic Centennial Hill neighborhood surrounding it faces pressure from development. The hotel housed key players from the Civil Rights Movement, including the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy. The Conservation Fund announced in November that it would help preserve the hotel.
Modoc County, California: Tule Lake Segregation Center
Initially known as the Tule Lake War Relocation Center, it was set up as a camp but later became a segregation center where Japanese Americans who were thought to be disloyal to the United States were imprisoned. The site is now a national monument managed by the National Park Service. Only 37 acres of the 1,100-acre site is protected. Most of it is at risk of permanent alteration from a proposed nearby construction project.
California: Angel Island Immigration Station
It was the largest immigration port on the West Coast between 1910 and 1940, particularly for immigrants from Asia and the Pacific. Hundreds of thousands were processed, detained and/or interrogated there because of their race. The station currently is threatened by physical, environmental, political and economic factors. Additional funding is needed for structural repairs and programming to increase awareness.
Somerset, Massachusetts: Swansea Friends Meeting House
Recognized as the oldest surviving Quaker meeting house in the state, it was built in 1701 to serve as a refuge by a congregation fleeing religious persecution and looking for a safe place to worship. The building has been closed for years and needs significant rehabilitation.
Michigan: Detroit Association of Women’s Clubs
Founded in 1921, the association was one of the first Black organizations in Detroit to own their headquarters building, which was purchased in 1941. But the building has been closed since 2024, when water pipes burst and damaged the interior. Money is needed to help the association reopen the building.
New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah: Greater Chaco Cultural Landscape
The landscape is an ancestral homeland sustained for over a millennium by the Pueblo and Hopi people, but is threatened by changes to federal land policy that could open up significant portions to oil and gas development. Permanent protections and tribal consultation are needed to protect its cultural integrity.
Seneca Falls, New York: Women’s Rights National Historical Park
The park tells the story of the first Women’s Rights Convention, held in Seneca Falls, in July 1848. It faces a deferred maintenance backlog of over $10 million. Additional funding and support are needed to help preserve the park as a place to teach visitors about the history of women’s rights.
New York: Stonewall National Monument
The first and only U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ history was the subject of administration actions that saw the rainbow Pride flag removed from its flagpole earlier this year before it was restored. The National Park Service had removed the flag in February, citing federal guidance that limited the agency to displaying only the American, Interior Department and POW/MIA flags. But the administration reversed course in April as it agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by advocacy and historic preservation groups that sought to block the flag’s removal at the Manhattan site.
After Trump returned to office, he ended diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and many references to transgender people were excised from the Stonewall monument’s website and materials. The Republican administration similarly has put national parks, museums and landmarks under a messaging microscope, aiming to remove or alter materials that it says are “divisive or partisan” or “inappropriately disparage Americans.”
Philadelphia: The President’s House Site
The administration abruptly removed exhibits on the lives of nine people enslaved at the site in the 1790s under George Washington, the first U.S. president, who lived there when Philadelphia served as the nation’s capital. The exhibits were taken down as part of a broad effort by the administration to remove from federal properties information it deems “disparaging” to Americans. The issue is currently the subject of litigation between the city and federal government.
Heath Springs, South Carolina: Hanging Rock Revolutionary War Battlefield
The Battle of Hanging Rock was a key battle in the Southern Campaigns of the Revolutionary War and is considered a Patriot victory that helped boost morale and ultimately weaken British control in South Carolina. Only portions of the core battlefield are protected and open to the public, with the area anticipating population growth and increasing development pressures.
Ruidosa, Texas: El Corazon Sagrado de la Iglesia de Jesus
The more than century-old adobe church served as a refuge and place of worship for Mexican and Mexican American farming communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border along the Rio Grande River. Vacant since the 1950s, the structure has benefited from continued restoration provided by the nonprofit Friends of the Ruidosa Church but remains threatened by proposed construction of a U.S. border wall that could come within a few hundred yards of the property.
SMITH COUNTY – All non-emergency Smith County offices will be closed for business on Monday, May 25, for Memorial Day. Offices will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday, May 26, and Commissioners Court will be held at the normal time, 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Find the meeting’s agenda here. Offices and services from City of Tyler are also altering schedules and hours in observance of Memorial Day. Continue reading Municipal offices observing holiday
HENDERSON COUNTY – A Henderson County man who has been accused of killing his 84-year-old father was arrested in the Dallas area on Wednesday by U.S. Marshals. According to our news partner KETK, Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies had been searching for Ronny Medford since May 12 after he was accused of killing his father inside their family home in Payne Springs.
An arrest warrant for murder was issued by a district judge for Medford following the death of his father.
“We have been working closely with the community and law enforcement agencies to locate Medford and it worked,” the sheriff’s office said.
SMITH COUNTY – Early voting for the May 26 Primary Runoff Election runs Monday through Friday, May 18-22, 2026.
Statewide runoff races are on the ballot.
U.S. Senator, Attorney General, Railroad Commissioner and Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3, Judge are on the Republican ticket. The Democratic ballot will have runoff races for U.S. Representative, District 1, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General.
HENDERSON COUNTY – A narcotics search warrant in Henderson County led to the arrest of two sisters and the discovery of several illegal drugs on Tuesday.
According to our news partner KETK, Henderson County Sheriff’s Office investigators conducted the search warrant in the 500 block of Williams Street and 3rd Streets in Athens at about 11:13 p.m. During the search, two sisters, Robyn Lynnette Dewberry and Unshella Reene Dewberry, were taken into custody.
Deputies found a quantity of suspected cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana while searching the house. Multiple digital scales and plastic baggies, which are commonly used in narcotics distribution, were also located.
Robyn was arrested for manufacturing, delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance and Unshella was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. The sisters were transported to the Henderson County Jail and are awaiting arraignment.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Single Gen Z women are outpacing their male counterparts when it comes to buying a home.
They accounted for 35% of all homebuyers in their generation, while single Gen Z men represented 18%, according to survey data from the National Association of Realtors.
NAR surveyed people who bought a home between July 2024 and June 2025. The survey included homebuyers from several generations, from Gen Z, ages 18-26, to the Silent Generation, ages 80 to 100. No other generation had a bigger share of single women homebuyers than Gen Z.
The survey data are the latest sign that single women overall are becoming homeowners at greater rates than single men. Single women across the generations made up a quarter of all homebuyers in the July 2024-June 2025 period, according to NAR. Single men, meanwhile, accounted for 11% of all home purchases.
This has been a longstanding trend going back at least to 1981. In 2006, at the height of the mid-2000s housing boom, the share of homes bought by single women peaked at 22%, according to NAR. For single men, their share of homeownership peaked at 12% in 2010.
Experts say there is no one-size-fits-all answer to why across the generations single women outnumber single men as homeowners.
Women now are outpacing men in college attendance, which can lead to higher incomes, said Jessica Lautz, NAR’s deputy chief economist.
They tend to have a strong desire for homeownership as a way to secure their independence, something they historically could not easily do alone.
“It wasn’t until the 1970s where women were legally protected to have a mortgage on their own,” Lautz said. “And they have embraced this and been very strongly embracing this.”
Overall Gen Zers, which the survey defines as those born between 1999 and 2011, still only made up 4% of all homebuyers during the survey period. And at the time of the survey, the share of U.S. homes bought by first-time buyers of all ages sank to the lowest level on record going back to 1981.
First-time buyers often don’t have equity from a previous home to put toward a down payment. That was the situation for Bri LaFluer. After years of socking away half her pay, working two jobs and aided by a slowing housing market, she bought her own home in 2023 at the age of 24.
“I’ve always been a really independent person and I just wanted my own place to have peace and quiet by myself,” said LaFluer, now 27.
Her home search began in 2021, but historically low mortgage rates made the market ultra competitive, which turbocharged prices. Two years later she finally landed a house in Baldwinsville, N.Y., about 15 miles from Syracuse, that was built in 1900 and has three bedrooms and 1.5-baths and a big yard. She got it for $175,000.
“I feel like it was meant to be and this just ended up being the perfect house for me and my dogs,” she said.
A content creator for a video game company, LaFluer lived with her mom and paid a modest rent, which helped her save up faster for the $20,000 down payment.
Aspiring Gen Z homeowners face a number of challenges to affording a home: They’re typically just getting started in their careers, with their best income-earning years ahead. They are unlikely to be married and may have student loans to pay off.
Their median annual income of $76,000, as of 2024, also was the lowest compared to homebuyers from all other generations, according to NAR.
Years of soaring home prices have further stretched the limits of affordability. While home price growth has slowed and prices have fallen in many metro areas, prices are mostly still rising. The median U.S. home sales price stood at $417,700 last month, up 0.9% from a year earlier, according to NAR.
Still, Gen Z homebuyers are also more likely to receive financial help from family, and many are savvy about looking into community grants or other payment assistance programs for first-time homebuyers. And 1 in 10 tapped their 401(k) retirement savings plan to put toward their down payment, according to NAR.
Other home shoppers have no recourse but to save up on their own.
LONGVIEW – The Longview Independent School District band program is preparing for an international spotlight after the Longview High School Lobo Band was selected to perform in the prestigious London New Year’s Day Parade in 2028. The invitation-only event features thousands of performers from around the world and winds through the streets of Westminster in central London. More than 300 students from the Big Green Marching Machine, along with the Viewettes and Majorettes, are expected to represent Longview and East Texas on the international stage.
District officials announced on Tuesday during a surprise gathering at the Mickey Melton Performing Arts Center for current students in grades 7 through 10, who will be eligible to participate in the trip. Longview ISD Director of Bands and Director of Instrumental Music Rhonda Daniel said the opportunity reflects the dedication and discipline students have demonstrated for generations.
DALLAS (AP) — As Dallas pulls out the stops for the World Cup this summer, one makeover is causing an uproar: the sudden disappearance of a beloved, giant mural downtown of swimming whales.
“I see that mural almost every day on my way to school and then one day they were painting it over,” Katy Rose Cusick said. “And it was just so incredibly shocking to me that that could happen so quickly.”
Work has been underway this month to paint over the mural that’s graced two entire walls of a parking garage for nearly 30 years to make way for art related to the upcoming World Cup matches. Wyland, the artist who created the mural, said in a statement that its destruction has left him “deeply disheartened.”
“When a piece that has carried meaning for generations can be erased without dialogue, it raises serious questions about how we value public art, artists, and the communities these works were created to serve,” Wyland said.
Cusick and Joshua Hurston, seniors at a local performing and visual arts high school, started a Change.org petition hoping to raise awareness to protect history and art. The petition has gotten hundreds of signatures so far, including from those with fond memories of spotting the mural as children.
“If we couldn’t save necessarily the mural, making sure that something like this doesn’t happen again,” he said.
A spokesperson for the area’s World Cup organizing committee said in a statement they were looking forward to “unveiling a new piece that captures this current historical moment and reflects the energy, unity, and global spirit surrounding the World Cup 2026,” adding that a “portion” of Wyland’s mural will be preserved “as a tribute to its lasting impact on the city.”
Dallas is hosting more World Cup matches than any of the other sites in the event co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with nine matches set to be played at AT&T Stadium in suburban Arlington, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The retractable roof venue will be called Dallas Stadium for the World Cup.
Downtown Dallas Inc. said in a statement that it was part of the early discussions about the mural and confirmed it wasn’t part of the city’s public art collection before introducing the World Cup organizing committee to the building’s owners. A spokesperson for the building’s owners, Slate Asset Management, said they were approached by Downtown Dallas Inc. and the organizing committee earlier this year about donating the wall for a new public art installation by a local artist.
The mural, titled “Whaling Wall 82,” was dedicated in 1999. Wyland has painted over 100 similar murals known as Whaling Walls around the world as part his mission for the conservation of ocean life.
“This was more than paint on a wall — it was part of my work, alongside the Wyland Foundation, to bring people together to protect our oceans and clean water,” he said.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The NAACP and Congressional Black Caucus are calling on Black athletes and fans to boycott the athletic programs of public universities in states that are taking steps that the nation’s oldest civil rights group says are restricting Black voting rights.
Launched on Tuesday, the NAACP’s “Out of Bounds” campaign urges current and prospective Black athletes, their families, alumni and fans to “withhold athletic and financial support” from major public universities in states that “have moved to limit, weaken or erase Black voting representation.”
If Black athletes participate in the boycott, it could deplete rosters for powerhouse football and basketball programs across the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference.
The NAACP’s campaign calls out Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and South Carolina as states to boycott, arguing that the athletic programs of those states’ major universities are especially reliant on Black athletic talent and should protect Black political interests.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson, during a news conference in front of the U.S. Capitol, accused Republican-led Southern states of “seeking to reinstitute a sharecropping reality” by recruiting Black athletic talent to play for flagship universities while limiting, in his view, “our ability to elect candidates of our choice.”
The ACC, SEC, Florida State University, the University of Alabama, four Historically Black College and University conferences — the SWAC, MEAC, SIAC and CIAA — and chapter members of the National African American Athlete Alliance in both Texas and Florida did not return The Associated Press’ request for comment.
The NAACP is among groups responding to a wave of gerrymandering in the aftermath of a U.S.Supreme Court ruling that winnowed a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Johnson repeatedly noted that Black athletes have been a core engine of the college sports business, which drives billions in TV deals, revenue and reputational prestige.
“Black athletes should not be asked to generate wealth, prestige, and power for state institutions while those same states strip political power from Black communities,” Johnson said.
“We will fight with all we have in solidarity with the Congressional Black Caucus to ensure that we have representation, or if we don’t, we will withhold the talent that plays on the football field or on the basketball court, be they male or female,” Johnson told reporters.
The boycott is part of a coordinated effort by Black political leaders and civil rights activists to dissuade Republican-led states from redistricting longtime majority-Black congressional districts. Civil rights activists have mobilized across the South to protest moves by state legislatures to change their maps, while voting rights groups and Democratic lawmakers have filed lawsuits seeking to block potential changes to the districts.
Black lawmakers oppose SCORE Act
And on Monday, the CBC said that it would unanimously oppose the SCORE Act, a bill backed by major athletic conferences that would set new rules for the payment of college athletes, unless the sports leagues oppose the redistricting efforts of GOP-led states.
“The Congressional Black Caucus cannot support legislation benefiting major athletic institutions that continue to remain silent while black voting rights and black political power are being systematically dismantled across the South,” Rep. Yvette Clarke, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, told reporters.
“The Congressional Black Caucus believes institutions that profit from Black talent and Black communities have a responsibility to stand with those communities when their fundamental rights are under attack,” the CBC said in a Monday letter to the commissioners of the SEC and ACC athletic conferences, as well as NCAA President Charlie Baker. “Silence in the face of injustice is not neutrality — it is complicity.”
After the caucus’ announcement, the SCORE Act was pulled from the schedule of the House committee overseeing the bill. Clarke said the decision showed that “silence from our institutions in moments of injustice carries consequences.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that the boycott was meant to oppose “a dramatic return to racially oppressive Jim Crow-like tactics.” He added that while athletes ultimately had to make individual choices, they would be supported by lawmakers and civil rights leaders in their decision-making process.
“We’re going to support them, and we know they have options,” Jeffries said.
Initiative’s timing is difficult
The timing of the initiative comes at a moment in the college athletic calendar that might make it difficult for it to have any immediate impact. The transfer portals for the high-profile Division I sports of football and basketball are all closed until 2027.
There may be an opportunity to influence prominent high school recruits who are still weighing their college prospects for the fall of 2027 and beyond. While many schools have received nonbinding verbal agreements from football and basketball players, those agreements won’t become official until late fall at the earliest.
The signing window for basketball opens in mid-November — about a week after the midterm elections — and the 72-hour early signing period for football arrives in the first week of December.
There is a chance that recruits could attempt to put pressure on flagship institutions in the targeted states by threatening to sign somewhere else. The reality, however, is that the pockets of those schools run deep, and asking a teenager to factor politics into a decision that could produce a life-altering financial windfall before they are even old enough to vote could prove tenuous.
Brandon Copeland, CEO of Athletes.org, the emerging college players association that aims to represent student athletes, told reporters that opposition to the SCORE Act and redistricting efforts are linked.
“It’s really a control mechanism,” Copeland said of the SCORE Act’s proposed changes. “That same tool is being used to suppress our voices, suppress our votes,” he said. Copeland, a former professional football player, said his organization will “stand tall alongside our athletes, but also alongside our mothers, our uncles, our aunts, our cousins, and everyone in this nation who deserves a voice.”
Activists seek pressure points
Activists have sought pressure points to dissuade GOP-led states from redistricting maps, including calls for mass protests and economic boycotts, though Johnson and the Black Caucus members did not endorse further measures, like calling for major Southern companies to relocate or for Black voters to leave states that take up redistricting plans.
Johnson cited the 2015 decision by the University of Mississippi to remove the Confederate flag from its campus, and Mississippi’s later decision to change its flag entirely, as successful demonstrations by Black student athletes, who in both cases expressed opposition to the flag’s presence on campus.
In 2024, the NAACP urged student-athletes to reconsider attending Florida universities due to the state’s bans on diversity, equity and inclusion policies and policies on the teaching of history in schools.
Lawmakers and activists have made such calls in the past, like when in 2021 Black lawmakers, activists and clergy called for a boycott of Georgia companies over the Republican state legislature’s implementation of a sweeping law that Democrats accused of enacting “Jim Crow 2.0.”
Major League Baseball decided to move its All-Star Game from the state that year over the protests, a move that enraged Republican lawmakers, who saw the effort as misguided. The All-Star Game returned to the Atlanta area in 2025.
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Associated Press sports writer Will Graves in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, contributed.
TYLER — Four East Texan firefighters were sent up to the Panhandle this week to provide support ahead of potential wildfire outbreaks. Three firefighters from the Lufkin Fire Department were deployed with an ambulance and command vehicle with the Emergency Medical Task Force at the request of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. They’re joined by several EMTF partners across the state in Plainview to help assist local agencies with wildland fires and severe weather.
A firefighter from Athens, Tyler Reed, was sent to Dumas along with an engine boss from Smith County Emergency Services District 2. He is pre-positioned for potential wildfire outbreaks as part of the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System.
According to the National Weather Service in Amarillo, dry windstorms with lightning have started up fires across the panhandle.
NACOGDOCHES COUNTY, Texas (KETK) — Several investigations have been launched by the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office due to multiple car burglaries that have taken place over the past week.
According to the sheriff’s office, four car burglaries have been reported across the county since May 14, which have led to several guns being stolen along with other valuables. The most recent incident occurred on Tuesday on Country Road 826 when three cars were burglarized, and one pistol magazine was stolen.
The sheriff’s office said that three juveniles were identified as suspects in an earlier incident, but authorities do not believe the suspects were involved in other burglaries across the county. Although several arrests have been made in relation to the burglaries, the sheriff’s office said they are looking to identify suspects who may live in a different county.
“We are asking the public to remain vigilant during the summer months,” the sheriff’s office said. “Please always lock your vehicle and remove any weapons from it. These thieves are mainly looking for two things: cash and weapons. I have several investigators working on these cases, and the Sheriff’s Office will remain proactive in seeking to bring these criminals to justice.”
Anyone with information about the burglaries is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 936-560-7777 or Crime Stoppers at 936-560-INFO.
TRINITY COUNTY, Texas (KETK) — A man wanted out of Tennessee with several felony warrants, including counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, was arrested in Trinity County on Monday.
According to the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, they assisted the United States Marshals Service in executing a high-risk felony warrant for 42-year-old Norman Haun.
Haun had several charges and felony warrants out of Greene County, Tennessee, including the following:
Sixteen counts of sexual exploitation of a minor
Felony warrants alleging violation of sex offender registry requirements
Violations of community supervision for life
Haun was taken into custody without incident.
“Due to the serious nature of the allegations and the high risk classification of the warrant, additional precautions were taken by law enforcement personnel to ensure the safety of the public, officers, and all involved during the operation,” the sheriff’s office said.
Haun was taken to the Trinity County Jail, where he is being held with a $200,000 bond for failure to comply with sex offender registration and online solicitation of a minor sexual conduct. The sheriff’s office said Haun is pending extradition back to Tennessee.
“Crimes involving children are taken seriously, and law enforcement agencies across this country continue to work together to locate and apprehend those wanted for serious offenses,” the sheriff’s office said.
SMITH COUNTY – The Smith County Commissioners Court approved a contractor Tuesday for the Animal Shelter project. Casey Slone Construction was one of six bids received. Construction will begin immediately and is expected to be completed by the end of November. The shelter upgrade will cost about $1.8 million, including architect’s fees, and will be paid for by ARPA funding.
The project cost came in above what was planned, partially because of the amount of work that will need to be done underground, including a new sewer system. The project will include renovating the Animal Shelter building and the building next door, which previously housed the Facility Services Department. Continue reading County animal shelter to get upgrade
Female Aedes mosquitoes, including the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti), are observed feeding on human blood in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on May 01, 2026. These mosquitoes are known to transmit diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika, yellow fever, and West Nile virus. Rising temperatures are contributing to their survival. (Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(TEXAS) -- Texas health officials on Tuesday confirmed the state's first human West Nile virus case this year, an indication that mosquito season is beginning in the United States.
Public health officials have been warning that rising temperatures have allowed mosquitoes to thrive, increasing the risk of the diseases that they spread, including West Nile.
Last year, the U.S. reported 2,076 cases of West Nile across 47 states, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Colorado had the highest number of cases (285), followed by Illinois, Texas, Minnesota and California.
The Texas Department of State Health Services said the patient was a resident of Harris County, which includes Houston, but no other information about the patient was made available.
"West Nile and other mosquito-borne illnesses are a fact of life in Texas in the warmer months, and all Texans should take precautions against mosquito bites to stay safe and healthy," Texas DSHS Commissioner Dr. Jennifer A. Shuford said in a press release. "By removing standing water around the home, people can eliminate mosquito breeding grounds and reduce insect populations in their area."
Since 1999, West Nile virus has killed about 2,900 Americans, according to the CDC. Cases are typically reported between June and October, historically peaking in August.
The virus is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. Risk increases with older age, certain medical conditions -- such as cancer, high blood pressure and kidney disease -- and a weakened immune system.
Symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea and a rash. Severe illness can affect the central nervous system and result in hospitalization or death, according to the CDC.
There is currently no vaccine that protects against West Nile virus, and preventing mosquito bites is the best way to protect yourself, the CDC says.
No specific treatments are available. Doctors recommend patients rest, drink fluids and take pain medication to help relieve some symptoms. People with severe illness may need to be hospitalized for supportive treatment, according to the CDC.
The CDC says most people infected with West Nile virus are believed to have lifelong immunity. However, some with weakened immune systems or certain conditions may have their immunity wane over time.
ZAVALLA – An Angelina County home was left with substantial damage after a fire broke out for unknown reasons on Monday morning, officials say. According to the Huntington Volunteer Fire Department, several VFDs were dispatched to assist Zavalla VFD at a structure fire on Kitchen Cemetery Road. The majority of the fire was contained to the attic space, but the home sustained major damage.
The cause of the fire is unknown to fire officials at this time, Huntington VFD said. No injuries were reported and several valuable items were saved.
MARSHALL — An educational aide has been terminated from Marshall ISD after being arrested for allegedly swinging a student by her feet last week. The Marshall ISD Police Department was made aware of an incident involving former educational aide Rachel Kirspel and a student at the Marshall Early Child Hood Center on May 14.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by our news partner KETK, Kirspel had hung a 5-year-old student upside down by her feet and “had swung her side to side and then up and down,” hitting her head. Kirspel told investigators that she was trying to help get the kids on their mats for nap time but one student did not and instead was “playing around.” Kirspel put the student over her shoulder but when that didn’t work, she hung her upside down.
The student told investigators that Kirspel had pulled her nap mat from underneath her and flipped her over before picking her up by her feet, swinging her, and calling her “ugly.” Continue reading Police probe injury to a child
CHEROKEE COUNTY – A woman has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly shooting her boyfriend twice in the head near Alto on Monday. According to our news partner KETK , Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to a residence in rural Alto at around 7 p.m. Sheriff Brent Dickson said the shooting was initially reported as an accident.
33-year-old Alanna Bilbo, and her boyfriend were in an argument about their relationship when her boyfriend started “yelling at her to shoot him,” the affidavit said. Bilbo then reportedly shot him between the eyes with a .22 caliber revolver and then again in the back of the neck after he turned to the left. After being flown to a Tyler hospital, the victim remains in stable condition as of Tuesday morning, Dickson said.
Bilbo was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, family violence and is being held at the Cherokee County Jail with a $150,000 bond.
Biblo and her boyfriend were allegedly using narcotics, Dickson told KETK News.
Health supplies are seen as healthcare workers receive training on administering the Ebola vaccine in a study carried out with the support of the World Health Organization as part of the fight against the Ebola virus in Kampala, Uganda on February 14, 2025. (Nicholas Kajoba/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) -- A deadly Ebola outbreak is continuing to spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, with officials on Tuesday saying there were more than 600 confirmed and suspected cases and more than 100 suspected deaths.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, and at least one American in the DRC has tested positive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Several public health experts told ABC News that while they agree with the CDC that the risk to the U.S. public is currently low, the outbreak is still concerning. They also expressed unease that the U.S. may not be prepared to adequately respond due to cuts to federal health agencies and its withdrawal from the WHO.
The experts noted cases have been found in remote regions of the DRC and Uganda, as well as urban areas, and the outbreak is growing rapidly. They added that although Ebola is a rare disease, it can be highly contagious and can lead to deadly consequences.
"We're worried that if this outbreak is not contained, that it could spread elsewhere on the continent, which could increase the risk of the virus spreading outside of the African continent," Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, professor of epidemiology and director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University School of Public Health, told ABC News.
"Ebola is not as transmissible a virus as, say, a coronavirus ... and that's why I don't think that this will ever become a pandemic scenario, but it doesn't have to be a pandemic to be a worrisome situation," she added.
Americans affected by outbreak
On Monday, the CDC confirmed that least one American in the DRC contracted Ebola while working in the country.
Dr. Satish K. Pillai, incident manager for the CDC's Ebola response, told reporters that the individual developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive late Sunday, adding that the patient and six other high-risk contacts were being moved to Germany for care and monitoring.
Serge, an international Christian missions organization, confirmed the patient is American medical missionary Dr. Peter Stafford, a board-certified general surgeon with a specialization in burn care, who was serving patients in the eastern DRC.
Pillai did not say if or when the Americans would be returning to the U.S., but experts say, even if the patient and contacts do, the risk level to the public does not change.
"We safely and effectively have [returned affected Americans home] many times before," Emily Smith, interim chair of the department of global health at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, told ABC News. "It's something we have good experience in and have always safely and effectively done. So, to me, no concerns about doing that."
Dr. Jesse Goodman, a professor of medicine and infectious disease at Georgetown University and former chief scientist at the Food and Drug Administration, said it is encouraging that when countries such as the DRC have experienced outbreaks in the past, they have not progressed to pandemic status.
"I think the most [the U.S.] would see is the kind of limited transmission that we've seen in the past because this virus almost always appears that transmission is from people who have symptoms," he told ABC News. "I think if there are cases that come to this country, I would expect limited transmission and think we have the capability to contain it."
During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, there were two cases of suspected transmission from a patient with Ebola to nurses caring for him. The CDC has established detailed infection prevention and control procedures for health facilities that suspect they have cases of Ebola.
U.S. may not be as connected to the global health community
Even with possible U.S. capability to contain Ebola domestically, the experts who spoke to ABC News said the U.S. is likely at a disadvantage when it comes to responding to several health crises both at home and abroad due to public health capacity cuts.
Last year, the State Department announced it would be taking over programs previously run by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the agency -- which oversaw foreign aid, disaster relief and international development programs -- would no longer be providing assistance to other countries.
In previous Ebola outbreaks, USAID provided millions of dollars and operational support in response, in addition to helping with preparedness activities in neighboring countries.
Additionally, earlier this year, the U.S. officially completed its withdrawal from the WHO, with federal officials saying at the time there are "plans" in place to work with organizations on surveillance, diagnostics and outbreak response to fill in gaps left by exiting the WHO.
Brown University's Nuzzo said the Ebola outbreak is the kind of situation public health experts warned about as USAID was gutted and the U.S. withdrew from the WHO.
"We warned that the United States would be flying blind, and it would be learning about deadly outbreaks late, and then it would be very difficult for the U.S. to respond because we would have fewer tools to do that,'" Nuzzo said. "The big worry here is that the outbreak wasn't declared until there were more than 200 suspected cases of the virus and that is very unusual. Usually, we get signals of an outbreak much earlier."
George Washington University's Smith concurred, "When we are talking about public health infrastructure and global health infrastructure, we're in a worse place today than we were two years ago."
Nuzzo also noted that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, an agency within the National Institutes of Health, ended research at its high containment lab in Fort Detrick, Maryland, due to "a safety stand-down" last year.
The lab was one of the few federal facilities studying Ebola and other deadly pathogens, which Nuzzo said could have been useful in understanding the virus and developing therapies for the recent outbreak.
"So now that we have Americans potentially exposed to a virus that's deadly, for which we have no vaccines or treatments, you can imagine how beneficial it would be to have a laboratory that can conduct world-class research to make sure we develop cures for this," Nuzzo said. "But we don't have it. So, we're basically behind the curve in being ready for this."
Goodman also said that the U.S. may not be as prepared because Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been actively shifting the department's focus away from infectious disease management and towards chronic illnesses.
During his confirmation hearings last year, Kennedy argued that too much federal funding has been "devoted" to "infectious disease and to drug development and very little to chronic diseases."
Goodman argued that there needs to be a focus on infectious diseases because of the threats they may pose to public health.
"I think the message here is these infectious disease, we may be done with them, but they're not done with us," he said. "There's a reason that so many of us work for so many years to be prepared for whatever the next thing is because we don't know what it is and we just need to be ready."
Kennedy told ABC News on Monday that his agency is addressing the recent hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks.
"Yeah, we're working on it," Kennedy replied when asked if he was worried about the outbreaks. Kennedy did not respond when asked what his message might be to Americans who are concerned about the diseases potentially spreading in the U.S.
On Sunday, the State Department issued "Level 4 -- Do not travel" advisories for Uganda and the DRC due to the outbreak.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the Ebola outbreak "concerning" while speaking to the press on Tuesday.
"The lead is obviously going to be CDC and the World Health Organization, which was a little late to identify this thing unfortunately," he said. "It's a little tough to get to because it's in a rural area. So it's a kind of confined and hard-to-get-to place, in a war-torn country, unfortunately. But we'll have more to announce on that. We're going to lean into that pretty heavy."
Nuzzo said she's worried that the U.S. hasn't built a public health system that acknowledges viral outbreaks as recurring threats, saying the U.S. has been caught off guard with previous incidents such as COVID-19.
"We don't do that with other recurring hazards you know; we don't try to build FEMA in the midst of a hurricane," Nuzzo said.
ABC News' Shannon Kingston contributed to this report.
PALESTINE – Three teenagers were placed under arrest on Sunday after driving a vehicle stolen from Jacksonville. According to our news partner KETK and the Palestine Police Department, officers on Sunday observed a vehicle matching the description of a vehicle recently reported stolen being driven near North Sycamore and West Pine Streets.
While the officers attempted to make a traffic stop, the driver sped off, prompting a police chase. The vehicle pursuit ended after the vehicle struck a curb, leaving it disabled.
The suspect, who was identified as a minor, and two other teenage boys proceeded to exit the car and attempted to leave the scene on foot. Two of the boys were located and arrested shortly after the incident on Sunday, while the third was taken into custody on Monday morning. Continue reading Teens held for car theft, other crimes
Bullard – Bullard has announced that Kristen Haynes will be the new principal of Bullard Elementary School. Mrs. Haynes currently serves as assistant principal and testing coordinator. She will step into the role following the retirement of the current principal, Amy Bickerstaff, this summer.
Mrs. Haynes has served in education since 2009 and has held teaching and administrative roles in Bullard ISD since 2015. Before becoming assistant principal of Bullard Elementary School in 2022, she served as a 6th-grade English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) teacher and team leader at Bullard Intermediate School and dean of students (grades 3-5) for summer school. Mrs. Haynes has also held teaching and administrative roles at Tyler ISD and Cumberland Academy.
Mrs. Haynes earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and a Master of Educational Leadership from Stephen F. Austin State University.
AUSTIN (THE TEXAS TRIBUNE) — Dozens of wind projects in Texas are in limbo after the U.S. Department of Defense paused issuing routine federal permits citing national security concerns, a move that experts say expands the Trump administration’s crusade against wind energy.
According to data collected by the American Clean Power Association, 54 Texas wind projects are waiting for the department to review development plans to ensure that turbines don’t interfere with military operations. It’s part of a broader nationwide logjam that has ensnared 165 onshore wind projects, a figure first reported by the Financial Times.
Federal law requires any structure 200 feet or taller — such as antennas, smokestacks or wind turbines — to be reviewed first by the Federal Aviation Administration, then the military, which must determine whether a structure may interfere with military airspace.
Federal law requires the Department of Defense to conduct those reviews within 60 days of receiving an application from the FAA. But “right now, the entire process has just ground to a halt,” said Dave Belote, a wind energy consultant who helped design the review system when it was established more than 15 years ago.
Normally, the defense department evaluates whether a turbine is within the line of sight of a radar or in a low-altitude military airspace. If so, the department and developer typically agree on mitigation options — a process that usually takes a matter of weeks.
“In the past, those have been fairly trivial — you meet the requirements and you get the permit,” said Jonathon Blackburn, an Austin-based energy consultant.
However, the department has not approved a wind project since August 2025, and in April the department canceled all pending meetings with wind developers waiting for clearance, according to the trade group.
These delays have caused disruptions to developers’ projects, hindering their ability to secure project financing, jeopardizing local permits contingent on federal approvals, and delaying construction timelines, turbine orders, and contractor scheduling.
“There’s a lot of delay coming out of the permitting process from the federal government, and delays add cost,” Blackburn said. “Maybe the federal government is not able to flat-out stop projects, but they are able to drag them out.”
In a statement, a DoD official said that the department is still actively evaluating the projects to ensure they do not impair national security or military operations, a process that requires high levels of interagency coordination.
The department’s evaluation of wind turbines “is inherently complex and time-consuming because it involves balancing two critical, and sometimes competing, interests: developing energy sources while ensuring military operations and readiness are not degraded or impaired to the extent an unacceptable risk to national security is created,” the official said.
The department didn’t respond to questions about why approval wait times have blown past federally required deadlines.
“It’s not clear why these policies are being implemented during an affordability crisis, but I think it shows the level of disdain the administration has for renewable energy in general and wind power specifically,” said University of Texas energy professor Michael Webber.
Texas is home to more wind turbines than any other state, and also has a number of military installations.
According to a 2019 report by the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, there are 17 military bases with flight facilities in the state and large expanses of airspace set aside for military operations. This includes several training routes for Air Force and Navy pilots flying out of Laughlin Air Force Base near Del Rio, the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, San Antonio’s Randolph Air Force Base and the Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene.
The pause is the latest move by an administration that is attempting to slow the growth of wind power across the U.S. Most of the administration’s efforts have focused on offshore projects.
Last year, the administration suspended leases for five major projects off the East Coast, citing national security concerns related to radar interference. Federal judges later ruled against the administration in all five cases, finding that the government exceeded its authority and failed to prove that the projects posed national security threats. All five projects have since resumed construction.
The Interior Department announced in March that it had reached an agreement with TotalEnergies to pay the company $1 billion to walk away from a planned offshore wind project and instead expand fossil fuel investments.
SMITH COUNTY – Smith County will have 19 voting centers open for the Primary Runoff Election from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26.
