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Eight accused of antifa ties convicted on terrorism charges over shooting at Texas immigration facility

DALLAS (AP) — A federal jury on Friday convicted eight people on terrorism charges over a shooting at a Texas immigration facility that federal prosecutors tied to antifa, the decentralized far-left movement that has become a target of the Trump administration.

One person was also found guilty of attempted murder after prosecutors say he opened fire last summer outside the Prairieland Detention Center outside of Fort Worth, wounding a police officer. The Justice Department called the violence an attack plotted by antifa operatives but attorneys for the accused denied that characterization, saying there were no antifa associations and that it was merely a demonstration with fireworks before gunshots broke out.

U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, an appointee of President Donald Trump, presided over the nearly three-week trial in Fort Worth. It was closely followed by legal experts and critics who called the proceedings a test of the lengths the government can go to punish protesters.

FBI Director Kash Patel had said the case was the first time charges of providing material support to terrorists had targeted people accused of being antifa members.

“Today’s verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa and finally halts their violence on America’s streets,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said.

Short for “anti-fascists,” antifa is not a single organization but rather an umbrella term for far-left militant groups that confront or resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations.
Protesters denied having antifa ties

Defense attorneys told jurors that there was no plan for violence on July 4 outside the facility in Alvarado.

There were nine defendants on trial in all, eight of whom faced the charge of providing material support to terrorists, among other charges. The ninth defendant, Daniel Sanchez Estrada, was charged with corruptly concealing a document and conspiracy to conceal documents. He was found guilty of both.

Sanchez Estrada’s attorney, Christopher Weinbel, said he can’t believe jurors “came to this conclusion.” Weinbel said he has deployed as a member of the Army several times in the defense of the U.S. and he’d hoped what he sacrificed “meant something.”

“But I feel like it turned its back on justice with this. … The U.S. lost today with this verdict,” Weinbel said.

Prosecutor Shawn Smith told jurors during closing arguments that the group’s actions — including bringing firearms, first aid kids and wearing body armor — were all signals of the group having a nefarious intent. He said they practiced “antifa tactics,” and were “obsessed with operational security.”

Attorneys for the defendants have said there was no planned ambush and that protesters who brought firearms only did so for their own protection.
First-of-its-kind case tests First Amendment rights

The terrorism charges followed Trump’s order last fall to designate antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. Those charges did not require a tie to any organization, and there is no domestic equivalent to the State Department’s list of foreign terror organizations. That’s in part because organizations operating within the United States are protected by broad First Amendment rights.

Critics of the Justice Department’s case have said the outcome could have wide-reaching effects on protests.

“That opposition is something that the government wants to squash so a case like this helps the government kind of see how far they can go in criminalizing constitutionally protected protests and also helps them kind of intimidate, increase the fear, hoping that folks in other cities then will think twice over protesting,” said Suzanne Adely, interim president of the National Lawyers Guild, a progressive legal group.
Trial focused on shots fired outside detention center

Attorneys for the defendants have said most protesters began leaving when two guards from the center came outside. That was before any shots were fired.

Prosecutors said Benjamin Song, a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, yelled “get to the rifles” and opened fire, striking one police officer who had just pulled up to the center.

Though it was Song who opened fire, prosecutors charged several other protesters with attempted murder of an officer and discharging a firearm as well but they were found not guilty. The prosecution had argued that from the group’s planning, it was foreseeable to those others that a shooting could happen.

The officer who was shot, Alvarado Police Lt. Thomas Gross, testified that when responding to the scene he saw a person clad in all-black with their face covered and carrying a rifle. He told jurors he was shot with a round that went into his shoulder and out of his neck.

Song’s attorney, Phillip Hayes, told jurors during closing arguments that there wasn’t a call to arms before Gross arrived on the scene and “aggressively” pulled out his firearm. Hayes suggested that Song’s shots were “suppressive fire” and that a ricochet bullet is what hit the officer.

Leading up to the trial, several people pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists after being accused of supporting antifa. They face up to 15 years in prison at sentencing.

Some of them testified for the prosecution, including Seth Sikes, who said he went to detention center because he wanted to bring some joy to those held inside.

“I felt like I was doing the right thing,” he said.

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Associated Press reporter Jim Vertuno contributed from Austin, Texas.

Life in prison for burning child

Life in prison for burning childANGELINA COUNTY — A Lufkin man found guilty of causing severe burns to a child was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday. In the 159th Judicial District Court, Judge Todd Kassaw sentenced Miguel Gonzalez, 28, to life in prison starting Thursday for his charge of injury to a child in an incident that occurred in September 2022.

According to law enforcement and our news partner KETK, Gonzalez intentionally put a female child younger than 14-years-old in a bathtub with hot water on Sept. 26 2022, causing severe burns that made parts of her skin allegedly peel off. At the time of the incident, Gonzalez was dating the victim’s mother and was watching the child. The victim’s mother first told officers that her daughter had fallen into the bathtub, but upon further questioning, she said Gonzalez had pushed her.

Gonzalez later told officials that the water in the tub was lukewarm, but he allowed her to play while he spoke with his roommate for a couple of minutes. According to law enforcement, Gonzales said the child turned on the hot water. Read the rest of this entry »

Sexual misconduct allegation under review

Sexual misconduct allegation under reviewRUSK – An attorney representing the Rusk Police Department said that it is aware of a sexual misconduct allegation against an officer stemming from a 2022 arrest. Attorney Antony J. King said the allegation comes from a June 20, 2022, arrest for driving while intoxicated. King said the department has begun reviewing evidence, including body camera footage, in-car dash camera recordings and incident reports.

According to our news partner KETK, the individual who came forward will remain anonymous and the department is committed to ensuring that the investigative process remains fair, objective, and consistent.

“The Department recognizes that allegations of this nature can have serious implications for all parties involved and for the community’s confidence in its public safety institutions,” King said. “Every complaint received by the Department is evaluated carefully, objectively, and without presumption. The goal of this review is to determine the facts, ensure accountability where warranted, and protect the rights and dignity of everyone involved.”

NASA clears its Artemis moon rocket for an April launch with four astronauts following repairs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA cleared its moon rocket on Thursday for an April launch with four astronauts after completing the latest round of repairs.

The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket will roll out of the hangar and back to the pad next week at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, leading to a launch attempt as early as April 1. It will mark humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than 50 years.

The Artemis II crew should have blasted off on a lunar flyaround earlier this year, but fuel leaks and other problems with the Space Launch System rocket interfered.

Although NASA managed to plug the hydrogen fuel leaks at the pad in February, a helium-flow issue forced the space agency to return the rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs, bumping the mission to April.

The space agency has only six days at the beginning of April to launch before standing down until April 30 into early May.

“It’s a test flight and it is not without risk, but our team and our hardware are ready,” NASA’s Lori Glaze told reporters at the end of the two-day flight readiness review.

Glaze and other NASA officials declined to provide the risk probabilities for the upcoming mission.

History has shown that a new rocket has essentially a 50% chance of success, said John Honeycutt, chair of the mission management team.

There’s so much gap since the only other SLS flight — more than three years ago without anyone on board — that it’s difficult to understand any risk assessment numbers, Honeycutt said.

“It’s not the first flight,” Glaze said. “But we’re also not in a regular cadence. So we definitely have significantly more risk than a flight system that’s flying all the time.”

Late last month NASA’s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, announced a major overhaul of the Artemis program to speed things up and, by doing so, reduce risk.

Dissatisfied with the slow pace and lengthy gaps between lunar missions, he added an extra practice flight in orbit around Earth for next year. That is now the new Artemis III, with the moon landing by two astronauts shifted to Artemis IV. Isaacman is targeting one and maybe even two lunar landings in 2028.

NASA’s Office of Inspector General warned in an audit this week that the space agency needs to come up with a rescue plan for its lunar crews. Landing near the moon’s south pole will be riskier than it was for the Apollo astronauts closer to the equator given the rough polar terrain, according to the report.

The report cited the lunar landers as the top contributor for potential loss of crew during the first few Artemis moon landings. It listed the space agency’s loss-of-crew threshold at 1-in-40 for lunar operations and 1-in-30 for Artemis missions overall.

Contracted by NASA to provide the moon landers for astronauts, Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin have accelerated work in order to meet the new 2028 target date. The inspector general’s office said many technical challenges remain including refueling their landers in orbit around Earth before flying to the moon.

NASA sent 24 astronauts to the moon during Apollo, 12 of whom landed on it. All but one of the moonshots — Apollo 13 — achieved their prime objectives. The program ended with Apollo 17 in 1972.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Shelby County missing teen has been found

UPDATE: The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that Taylor has been located.
UPDATE: The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said Taylor has been spotted in Tenaha and has shaved his head.

The sheriff’s office said Jayden Taylor is 6 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs around 175 pounds. Taylor was last seen at his parents’ home, seven miles northwest of Center, wearing a black Carhartt sweatshirt, black Nike pants and black, square-toed alligator boots.

Anyone with information about Taylor’s whereabouts is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 936-598-5601.

City installs license plate cameras

City installs license plate camerasBULLARD — A number of Flock Safety License Plate Reader (LPR) cameras have been installed in the City of Bullard to enhance public safety and assist in criminal investigations. The Bullard Police Department said cameras are being installed at city entry and exit points to capture vehicle license plates and basic vehicle characteristics. The cameras will allow authorities to identify vehicles associated with criminal activity.

According to our news partner KETK, the cameras do not violate their constitutional rights, stating that license plates are owned by the state of Texas and that cameras are used to capture information already visible to anyone traveling on a public roadway.

In order to remain transparent with the city, the department said that any search conducted with the Flock system while require a case number and a reason for conducting the search.

Texas man executed for fatally stabbing girlfriend and her son as survivor of attack looks on

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A Texas man was put to death Wednesday evening for fatally stabbing his girlfriend and her 8-year-old son in 2013, apologizing profusely to her older son who survived with multiple stab wounds and witnessed the execution.

Cedric Ricks, 51, was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. CDT following a lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.

He was condemned for the May 2013 killings of 30-year-old Roxann Sanchez and her son Anthony Figueroa at their apartment in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Bedford. Sanchez’s 12-year-old son, Marcus Figueroa, was stabbed 25 times and feigned death in order to survive.

Ricks apologized repeatedly to seven relatives of his victims who looked on, particularly Marcus Figueroa. The attack survivor showed no emotion, watching through a glass window just steps from where Ricks was strapped to a gurney. On the back of Marcus Figueroa’s neck, visible above his shirt collar and below his hair, were several scars apparently from the attack.

“I want to say that I’m sorry for taking Roxann and Anthony from y’all,” Ricks said when asked by the warden if he had a final statement. “I’m glad to be able to speak to tell y’all that face to face.”

He said he hoped one day that his victims’ relatives would be able to find it in their hearts to forgive him. He also addressed Marcus Figueroa, saying he hated that he took his mother and brother away.

“I always thought about you and I’m sorry that I took your mom and your brother away. I hate that you had to experience that, I just can’t imagine, but I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done, and I wish y’all peace and joy as much as you can but I’m sorry, that’s all I can say,” Ricks said. His voice cracking and tear forming in his eye, he added that he hoped to find the woman and her son in heaven and “tell them I’m sorry face to face.”

“I hope y’all go in peace. I really do. I’m sorry,” he concluded before the injection began.

As the drug took effect, he took 19 quick breaths, then made 10 snoring sounds, followed seconds later by some intermittent gurgles. Then all movement and sounds stopped, and he was pronounced dead 30 minutes after the injection had begun.

Among the other witnesses were Roxann Sanchez’s stepfather and brother, and Anthony Figueroa’s father, brother and grandmother. None of them showed any emotion in the death chamber witness area and declined to speak with reporters afterward.

The night of the killings, prosecutors said, Ricks and Sanchez had been arguing in their apartment when the woman’s two sons from a previous marriage tried to break up the fight. Ricks grabbed a knife from the kitchen and began to stab Sanchez multiple times, court records showed.

Marcus Figueroa ran to his bedroom closet and tried to call police. After killing Anthony Figueroa, Ricks began stabbing Marcus Figueroa, who played dead until his attacker left the apartment, authorities said. Ricks did not harm his own then-9-month-old son Isaiah, according to court records. Ricks fled and was later arrested in Oklahoma.

At his ensuing capital murder trial, Ricks testified that he had anger issues and had been defending himself against the two boys after they had come to their mother’s defense.

“Explaining my rage, I was upset. Things happen. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I wish I could bring them back, like, right now,” said Ricks, who also apologized at the time for the killings.

A day before the stabbings, Ricks had appeared in court after having been charged with assaulting Sanchez during a previous incident.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Ricks’ final appeal without comment. His attorneys had argued that prosecutors violated Ricks’ constitutional rights by eliminating potential jurors on the basis of race while selecting the trial panel.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office said court records show the prosecution’s jury selection decisions were “race neutral” and lower courts have already concluded that prosecutors’ actions were not discriminatory.

And earlier this week, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Ricks’ request to commute his death sentence or grant a 90-day reprieve.

Ricks was the second person put to death this year in Texas and the sixth in the country. Texas has historically held more executions than any other state.

Charles “Sonny” Burton, a 75-year-old inmate in Alabama, had been scheduled for execution Thursday. But Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday commuted his death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Burton had been condemned for a fatal shooting during a 1991 robbery at an auto parts store even though he didn’t pull the trigger.

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Lozano reported from Houston. Follow Juan A. Lozano: https://x.com/juanlozano70

Sheriff’s office looking for runaway

Sheriff’s office looking for runawayUPDATE: Found safe and unharmed, per the Smith County Sheriff’s Office Thursday morning.

TYLER – A Smith County teenager has not been seen since March 1, and her family believes she has run away. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, Kalyiah Smith, 16, is 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds, and has brown hair and eyes. She has been diagnosed with ADHD and is supposed to take medications for that, they said, but other than that, she has no medical or mental issues.

Kalyiah has ties to the immediate Tyler area, and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office reminds residents that anyone who is harboring a minor and is criminally negligent about whether the child is younger than 18 years of age and has voluntarily left home without the consent of a parent or guardian, can be charged with Harboring a Runaway, a Class A Misdemeanor.

If you have any information as to the whereabouts of Kalyiah Smith, please call the Smith County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 566-6600.

Lawmaker explains caucus addressing Islam

Lawmaker explains caucus addressing IslamTYLER – A new Texas House caucus created to stop Sharia Law is facing pushback. Over 30 state lawmakers have joined the Sharia Free Texas Caucus. In a statement posted on X (Formerly Twitter), one of the group’s founders, State Rep. Brent Money (R-Greenville), said the caucus is looking to address the teachings of Islam in part by advancing legislation to prohibit Sharia practices they say oppress women or incite violence against non-believers. The caucus also wants to reinforce what they view as the Biblical foundations of Texas.

“We’re just saying, hey, in Texas, we want to be welcoming to people, but you got to be a Texan when you get here,” said Money. He expressed concern over what he said is a growing Islamic influence in the state and wants to ensure there is no parallel legal system in Texas that treats people differently.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-TX) has asked senators to look at ways to prevent Sharia Law in Texas before the next legislative session, which starts in 2027.

Read the rest of this entry »

Judge urges states to settle Live Nation claims after US strikes deal but states say no chance

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

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

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

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

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

Subramanian quipped: “Not with that attitude.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That leaves over two dozen states that have not agreed to the deal, lawyers for the states say.
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FILE – The Ticketmaster logo is seen along the sideline of the field before an NFL football game, Sept. 15, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
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Date Mar 3, 2026 10:35 AM
Headline Justice Department Ticketmaster Lawsuit
Source FR121174 AP
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Texas man facing execution for fatally stabbing girlfriend and her 8-year-old son

HOUSTON (AP) — A North Texas man faced execution on Wednesday for fatally stabbing his girlfriend and her 8-year-old son nearly 13 years ago.

Cedric Ricks was sentenced to death for the May 2013 killings of 30-year-old Roxann Sanchez and her son Anthony Figueroa at their apartment in Bedford, a suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Sanchez’s 12-year-old son, Marcus Figueroa, was injured during the attack.

Ricks, 51, was scheduled to receive a lethal injection after 6 p.m. CDT at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) north of Houston.

His attorneys have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay his execution, arguing that prosecutors violated Ricks’ constitutional rights by eliminating potential jurors on the basis of race. Previous appeals by Ricks that alleged ineffective counsel and called for the suppression of evidence in the case have been denied.

In a 1986 ruling known as Batson v. Kentucky, the Supreme Court determined that excluding jurors because of their race violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

“At trial, Ricks already suspected that the State had singled out minority jurors to exclude them from his jury,” Ricks’ attorneys said in their petition to the Supreme Court.

Ricks’ lawyers said that notes prosecutors kept during the jury selection process and which were not obtained until 2021 show that prosecutors singled out minority jurors.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office said court records show the prosecution’s decisions in jury selection were “race neutral” and lower courts have already concluded that prosecutors’ actions were not discriminatory.

Ricks “viciously stabbed his girlfriend Roxann and her eight-year-old son Anthony to death,” the attorney general’s office said. “The public has a strong interest in enforcement of Ricks’ sentence.”

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Monday denied Ricks’ request for a 90-day reprieve or to commute his death sentence.

Prosecutors said Ricks and Sanchez were arguing in their apartment when Sanchez’ two sons from a previous marriage — Anthony and Marcus Figueroa — tried to break up the fight.

Ricks grabbed a knife from the kitchen and began to stab Sanchez multiple times, according to court records.

Marcus Figueroa ran to his bedroom closet and tried to call police. After killing Anthony Figuerora, Ricks resumed stabbing Marcus Figueroa, who survived the attack by playing dead. Ricks did not injure his then 9-month-old son, Isaiah, according to court records.

Ricks fled and was later arrested in Oklahoma.

During his trial, Ricks testified that he had anger issues and had been defending himself against the two boys after they had come to their mother’s defense.

“Explaining my rage, I was upset. Things happen. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I wish I could bring them back, like, right now,” said Ricks, who also apologized for the killings.

A day before the stabbings, Ricks had appeared in court after having been charged with assaulting Sanchez during a previous incident.

If the execution is carried out, Ricks would be the second person put to death this year in Texas and the sixth person in the country. Texas has historically held more executions than any other state.

Charles “Sonny” Burton, a 75-year-old inmate in Alabama, had been scheduled to be executed on Thursday. But Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday commuted his death sentence, reducing it to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Burton had been sentenced to death for a fatal shooting during a 1991 robbery even though he didn’t pull the trigger.

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Follow Juan A. Lozano: https://x.com/juanlozano70

$250k in funding for city improvements

0k in funding for city improvementsLONGVIEW — The City of Longview is proposing to allocate $250,000 in federal funding to resurface Park Street and expand its first-time homebuyer program. The city will have $100,000 to provide additional ‘First-Time Homebuyer Down Payment’ assistance grants. The first-time homebuyer program provides financial assistance to eligible low-income homebuyers on a one-time, grant-based basis. Qualified applicants may receive up to $5,500, depending on household income.

The amendment will also reallocate $150,000 for a resurfacing project and street overlay along Park Street.

The city of Longview will live-stream the meeting on Facebook on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. for anyone interested in learning more about the proposal or providing feedback.

Several drug busts leads to multiple arrests in Nacogdoches County

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KETK)– Six people have recently been arrested in Nacogdoches County after a large number of illegal drugs were found across the county in three different cases, including methamphetamine and cocaine.
Feb. 24 arrests

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Texarkana ISD bus crash update

Texarkana ISD bus crash updateUPDATE: Highway 31 East has been reopened following the crash, according to Smith County ESD 2.

SMITH COUNTY — A Texarkana ISD school bus carrying more than 20 students collided with a van on Tuesday afternoon near Tyler. Smith County personnel were dispatched at around 3:50 p.m. to the 14000 block of Highway 31 East near CR 2908 in response to the crash. Smith County ESD2 said 26 kids and two coaches were on the bus and no injuries were reported.

Both vehicles are out of the roadway and one lane of Highway 31 is shut down going eastbound.

Drivers getting flat tires in same area

Drivers getting flat tires in same areaTYLER — Multiple people spoke out on Facebook about flat tires after driving through an intersection on South Broadway Avenue in Tyler.

Screws were found buried in the tires, and the manager of Discount Tire on Loop 323, Bryce Matthews, said the shop has been dealing with an increase in flat tire repairs in the last 24 hours.

“It’s been a little crazier than usual. Discount Tire is a pretty busy place, but we welcome anybody and everybody,” manager of Discount Tire on Loop 323 Matthews said. “We’ve probably seen it increase yesterday by about twenty-five percent more than usual.” He states that one driver came in with 17 screws in their tires.

The city road department was called and a message left about the screws, they were asked to please take a sweeper truck out there.” Our news partner KETK has reached out to the Texas Department of Transportation, which said it will send crews to reported locations as needed.

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Eight accused of antifa ties convicted on terrorism charges over shooting at Texas immigration facility

Posted/updated on: March 17, 2026 at 5:06 am

DALLAS (AP) — A federal jury on Friday convicted eight people on terrorism charges over a shooting at a Texas immigration facility that federal prosecutors tied to antifa, the decentralized far-left movement that has become a target of the Trump administration.

One person was also found guilty of attempted murder after prosecutors say he opened fire last summer outside the Prairieland Detention Center outside of Fort Worth, wounding a police officer. The Justice Department called the violence an attack plotted by antifa operatives but attorneys for the accused denied that characterization, saying there were no antifa associations and that it was merely a demonstration with fireworks before gunshots broke out.

U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, an appointee of President Donald Trump, presided over the nearly three-week trial in Fort Worth. It was closely followed by legal experts and critics who called the proceedings a test of the lengths the government can go to punish protesters.

FBI Director Kash Patel had said the case was the first time charges of providing material support to terrorists had targeted people accused of being antifa members.

“Today’s verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa and finally halts their violence on America’s streets,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said.

Short for “anti-fascists,” antifa is not a single organization but rather an umbrella term for far-left militant groups that confront or resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations.
Protesters denied having antifa ties

Defense attorneys told jurors that there was no plan for violence on July 4 outside the facility in Alvarado.

There were nine defendants on trial in all, eight of whom faced the charge of providing material support to terrorists, among other charges. The ninth defendant, Daniel Sanchez Estrada, was charged with corruptly concealing a document and conspiracy to conceal documents. He was found guilty of both.

Sanchez Estrada’s attorney, Christopher Weinbel, said he can’t believe jurors “came to this conclusion.” Weinbel said he has deployed as a member of the Army several times in the defense of the U.S. and he’d hoped what he sacrificed “meant something.”

“But I feel like it turned its back on justice with this. … The U.S. lost today with this verdict,” Weinbel said.

Prosecutor Shawn Smith told jurors during closing arguments that the group’s actions — including bringing firearms, first aid kids and wearing body armor — were all signals of the group having a nefarious intent. He said they practiced “antifa tactics,” and were “obsessed with operational security.”

Attorneys for the defendants have said there was no planned ambush and that protesters who brought firearms only did so for their own protection.
First-of-its-kind case tests First Amendment rights

The terrorism charges followed Trump’s order last fall to designate antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. Those charges did not require a tie to any organization, and there is no domestic equivalent to the State Department’s list of foreign terror organizations. That’s in part because organizations operating within the United States are protected by broad First Amendment rights.

Critics of the Justice Department’s case have said the outcome could have wide-reaching effects on protests.

“That opposition is something that the government wants to squash so a case like this helps the government kind of see how far they can go in criminalizing constitutionally protected protests and also helps them kind of intimidate, increase the fear, hoping that folks in other cities then will think twice over protesting,” said Suzanne Adely, interim president of the National Lawyers Guild, a progressive legal group.
Trial focused on shots fired outside detention center

Attorneys for the defendants have said most protesters began leaving when two guards from the center came outside. That was before any shots were fired.

Prosecutors said Benjamin Song, a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, yelled “get to the rifles” and opened fire, striking one police officer who had just pulled up to the center.

Though it was Song who opened fire, prosecutors charged several other protesters with attempted murder of an officer and discharging a firearm as well but they were found not guilty. The prosecution had argued that from the group’s planning, it was foreseeable to those others that a shooting could happen.

The officer who was shot, Alvarado Police Lt. Thomas Gross, testified that when responding to the scene he saw a person clad in all-black with their face covered and carrying a rifle. He told jurors he was shot with a round that went into his shoulder and out of his neck.

Song’s attorney, Phillip Hayes, told jurors during closing arguments that there wasn’t a call to arms before Gross arrived on the scene and “aggressively” pulled out his firearm. Hayes suggested that Song’s shots were “suppressive fire” and that a ricochet bullet is what hit the officer.

Leading up to the trial, several people pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists after being accused of supporting antifa. They face up to 15 years in prison at sentencing.

Some of them testified for the prosecution, including Seth Sikes, who said he went to detention center because he wanted to bring some joy to those held inside.

“I felt like I was doing the right thing,” he said.

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Associated Press reporter Jim Vertuno contributed from Austin, Texas.

Life in prison for burning child

Posted/updated on: March 17, 2026 at 4:01 pm

Life in prison for burning childANGELINA COUNTY — A Lufkin man found guilty of causing severe burns to a child was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday. In the 159th Judicial District Court, Judge Todd Kassaw sentenced Miguel Gonzalez, 28, to life in prison starting Thursday for his charge of injury to a child in an incident that occurred in September 2022.

According to law enforcement and our news partner KETK, Gonzalez intentionally put a female child younger than 14-years-old in a bathtub with hot water on Sept. 26 2022, causing severe burns that made parts of her skin allegedly peel off. At the time of the incident, Gonzalez was dating the victim’s mother and was watching the child. The victim’s mother first told officers that her daughter had fallen into the bathtub, but upon further questioning, she said Gonzalez had pushed her.

Gonzalez later told officials that the water in the tub was lukewarm, but he allowed her to play while he spoke with his roommate for a couple of minutes. According to law enforcement, Gonzales said the child turned on the hot water. (more…)

Sexual misconduct allegation under review

Posted/updated on: March 16, 2026 at 3:09 am

Sexual misconduct allegation under reviewRUSK – An attorney representing the Rusk Police Department said that it is aware of a sexual misconduct allegation against an officer stemming from a 2022 arrest. Attorney Antony J. King said the allegation comes from a June 20, 2022, arrest for driving while intoxicated. King said the department has begun reviewing evidence, including body camera footage, in-car dash camera recordings and incident reports.

According to our news partner KETK, the individual who came forward will remain anonymous and the department is committed to ensuring that the investigative process remains fair, objective, and consistent.

“The Department recognizes that allegations of this nature can have serious implications for all parties involved and for the community’s confidence in its public safety institutions,” King said. “Every complaint received by the Department is evaluated carefully, objectively, and without presumption. The goal of this review is to determine the facts, ensure accountability where warranted, and protect the rights and dignity of everyone involved.”

NASA clears its Artemis moon rocket for an April launch with four astronauts following repairs

Posted/updated on: March 15, 2026 at 3:48 pm

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA cleared its moon rocket on Thursday for an April launch with four astronauts after completing the latest round of repairs.

The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket will roll out of the hangar and back to the pad next week at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, leading to a launch attempt as early as April 1. It will mark humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than 50 years.

The Artemis II crew should have blasted off on a lunar flyaround earlier this year, but fuel leaks and other problems with the Space Launch System rocket interfered.

Although NASA managed to plug the hydrogen fuel leaks at the pad in February, a helium-flow issue forced the space agency to return the rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs, bumping the mission to April.

The space agency has only six days at the beginning of April to launch before standing down until April 30 into early May.

“It’s a test flight and it is not without risk, but our team and our hardware are ready,” NASA’s Lori Glaze told reporters at the end of the two-day flight readiness review.

Glaze and other NASA officials declined to provide the risk probabilities for the upcoming mission.

History has shown that a new rocket has essentially a 50% chance of success, said John Honeycutt, chair of the mission management team.

There’s so much gap since the only other SLS flight — more than three years ago without anyone on board — that it’s difficult to understand any risk assessment numbers, Honeycutt said.

“It’s not the first flight,” Glaze said. “But we’re also not in a regular cadence. So we definitely have significantly more risk than a flight system that’s flying all the time.”

Late last month NASA’s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, announced a major overhaul of the Artemis program to speed things up and, by doing so, reduce risk.

Dissatisfied with the slow pace and lengthy gaps between lunar missions, he added an extra practice flight in orbit around Earth for next year. That is now the new Artemis III, with the moon landing by two astronauts shifted to Artemis IV. Isaacman is targeting one and maybe even two lunar landings in 2028.

NASA’s Office of Inspector General warned in an audit this week that the space agency needs to come up with a rescue plan for its lunar crews. Landing near the moon’s south pole will be riskier than it was for the Apollo astronauts closer to the equator given the rough polar terrain, according to the report.

The report cited the lunar landers as the top contributor for potential loss of crew during the first few Artemis moon landings. It listed the space agency’s loss-of-crew threshold at 1-in-40 for lunar operations and 1-in-30 for Artemis missions overall.

Contracted by NASA to provide the moon landers for astronauts, Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin have accelerated work in order to meet the new 2028 target date. The inspector general’s office said many technical challenges remain including refueling their landers in orbit around Earth before flying to the moon.

NASA sent 24 astronauts to the moon during Apollo, 12 of whom landed on it. All but one of the moonshots — Apollo 13 — achieved their prime objectives. The program ended with Apollo 17 in 1972.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Shelby County missing teen has been found

Posted/updated on: March 14, 2026 at 6:27 pm

UPDATE: The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that Taylor has been located.
UPDATE: The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said Taylor has been spotted in Tenaha and has shaved his head.

The sheriff’s office said Jayden Taylor is 6 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs around 175 pounds. Taylor was last seen at his parents’ home, seven miles northwest of Center, wearing a black Carhartt sweatshirt, black Nike pants and black, square-toed alligator boots.

Anyone with information about Taylor’s whereabouts is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 936-598-5601.

City installs license plate cameras

Posted/updated on: March 16, 2026 at 3:09 am

City installs license plate camerasBULLARD — A number of Flock Safety License Plate Reader (LPR) cameras have been installed in the City of Bullard to enhance public safety and assist in criminal investigations. The Bullard Police Department said cameras are being installed at city entry and exit points to capture vehicle license plates and basic vehicle characteristics. The cameras will allow authorities to identify vehicles associated with criminal activity.

According to our news partner KETK, the cameras do not violate their constitutional rights, stating that license plates are owned by the state of Texas and that cameras are used to capture information already visible to anyone traveling on a public roadway.

In order to remain transparent with the city, the department said that any search conducted with the Flock system while require a case number and a reason for conducting the search.

Texas man executed for fatally stabbing girlfriend and her son as survivor of attack looks on

Posted/updated on: March 14, 2026 at 6:27 pm

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A Texas man was put to death Wednesday evening for fatally stabbing his girlfriend and her 8-year-old son in 2013, apologizing profusely to her older son who survived with multiple stab wounds and witnessed the execution.

Cedric Ricks, 51, was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. CDT following a lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.

He was condemned for the May 2013 killings of 30-year-old Roxann Sanchez and her son Anthony Figueroa at their apartment in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Bedford. Sanchez’s 12-year-old son, Marcus Figueroa, was stabbed 25 times and feigned death in order to survive.

Ricks apologized repeatedly to seven relatives of his victims who looked on, particularly Marcus Figueroa. The attack survivor showed no emotion, watching through a glass window just steps from where Ricks was strapped to a gurney. On the back of Marcus Figueroa’s neck, visible above his shirt collar and below his hair, were several scars apparently from the attack.

“I want to say that I’m sorry for taking Roxann and Anthony from y’all,” Ricks said when asked by the warden if he had a final statement. “I’m glad to be able to speak to tell y’all that face to face.”

He said he hoped one day that his victims’ relatives would be able to find it in their hearts to forgive him. He also addressed Marcus Figueroa, saying he hated that he took his mother and brother away.

“I always thought about you and I’m sorry that I took your mom and your brother away. I hate that you had to experience that, I just can’t imagine, but I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done, and I wish y’all peace and joy as much as you can but I’m sorry, that’s all I can say,” Ricks said. His voice cracking and tear forming in his eye, he added that he hoped to find the woman and her son in heaven and “tell them I’m sorry face to face.”

“I hope y’all go in peace. I really do. I’m sorry,” he concluded before the injection began.

As the drug took effect, he took 19 quick breaths, then made 10 snoring sounds, followed seconds later by some intermittent gurgles. Then all movement and sounds stopped, and he was pronounced dead 30 minutes after the injection had begun.

Among the other witnesses were Roxann Sanchez’s stepfather and brother, and Anthony Figueroa’s father, brother and grandmother. None of them showed any emotion in the death chamber witness area and declined to speak with reporters afterward.

The night of the killings, prosecutors said, Ricks and Sanchez had been arguing in their apartment when the woman’s two sons from a previous marriage tried to break up the fight. Ricks grabbed a knife from the kitchen and began to stab Sanchez multiple times, court records showed.

Marcus Figueroa ran to his bedroom closet and tried to call police. After killing Anthony Figueroa, Ricks began stabbing Marcus Figueroa, who played dead until his attacker left the apartment, authorities said. Ricks did not harm his own then-9-month-old son Isaiah, according to court records. Ricks fled and was later arrested in Oklahoma.

At his ensuing capital murder trial, Ricks testified that he had anger issues and had been defending himself against the two boys after they had come to their mother’s defense.

“Explaining my rage, I was upset. Things happen. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I wish I could bring them back, like, right now,” said Ricks, who also apologized at the time for the killings.

A day before the stabbings, Ricks had appeared in court after having been charged with assaulting Sanchez during a previous incident.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Ricks’ final appeal without comment. His attorneys had argued that prosecutors violated Ricks’ constitutional rights by eliminating potential jurors on the basis of race while selecting the trial panel.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office said court records show the prosecution’s jury selection decisions were “race neutral” and lower courts have already concluded that prosecutors’ actions were not discriminatory.

And earlier this week, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Ricks’ request to commute his death sentence or grant a 90-day reprieve.

Ricks was the second person put to death this year in Texas and the sixth in the country. Texas has historically held more executions than any other state.

Charles “Sonny” Burton, a 75-year-old inmate in Alabama, had been scheduled for execution Thursday. But Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday commuted his death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Burton had been condemned for a fatal shooting during a 1991 robbery at an auto parts store even though he didn’t pull the trigger.

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Lozano reported from Houston. Follow Juan A. Lozano: https://x.com/juanlozano70

Sheriff’s office looking for runaway

Posted/updated on: March 12, 2026 at 3:23 pm

Sheriff’s office looking for runawayUPDATE: Found safe and unharmed, per the Smith County Sheriff’s Office Thursday morning.

TYLER – A Smith County teenager has not been seen since March 1, and her family believes she has run away. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, Kalyiah Smith, 16, is 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds, and has brown hair and eyes. She has been diagnosed with ADHD and is supposed to take medications for that, they said, but other than that, she has no medical or mental issues.

Kalyiah has ties to the immediate Tyler area, and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office reminds residents that anyone who is harboring a minor and is criminally negligent about whether the child is younger than 18 years of age and has voluntarily left home without the consent of a parent or guardian, can be charged with Harboring a Runaway, a Class A Misdemeanor.

If you have any information as to the whereabouts of Kalyiah Smith, please call the Smith County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 566-6600.

Lawmaker explains caucus addressing Islam

Posted/updated on: March 13, 2026 at 10:21 pm

Lawmaker explains caucus addressing IslamTYLER – A new Texas House caucus created to stop Sharia Law is facing pushback. Over 30 state lawmakers have joined the Sharia Free Texas Caucus. In a statement posted on X (Formerly Twitter), one of the group’s founders, State Rep. Brent Money (R-Greenville), said the caucus is looking to address the teachings of Islam in part by advancing legislation to prohibit Sharia practices they say oppress women or incite violence against non-believers. The caucus also wants to reinforce what they view as the Biblical foundations of Texas.

“We’re just saying, hey, in Texas, we want to be welcoming to people, but you got to be a Texan when you get here,” said Money. He expressed concern over what he said is a growing Islamic influence in the state and wants to ensure there is no parallel legal system in Texas that treats people differently.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-TX) has asked senators to look at ways to prevent Sharia Law in Texas before the next legislative session, which starts in 2027.

(more…)

Judge urges states to settle Live Nation claims after US strikes deal but states say no chance

Posted/updated on: March 13, 2026 at 3:41 pm

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

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

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

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

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

Subramanian quipped: “Not with that attitude.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That leaves over two dozen states that have not agreed to the deal, lawyers for the states say.
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Headline Justice Department Ticketmaster Lawsuit
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Texas man facing execution for fatally stabbing girlfriend and her 8-year-old son

Posted/updated on: March 12, 2026 at 3:22 am

HOUSTON (AP) — A North Texas man faced execution on Wednesday for fatally stabbing his girlfriend and her 8-year-old son nearly 13 years ago.

Cedric Ricks was sentenced to death for the May 2013 killings of 30-year-old Roxann Sanchez and her son Anthony Figueroa at their apartment in Bedford, a suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Sanchez’s 12-year-old son, Marcus Figueroa, was injured during the attack.

Ricks, 51, was scheduled to receive a lethal injection after 6 p.m. CDT at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) north of Houston.

His attorneys have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay his execution, arguing that prosecutors violated Ricks’ constitutional rights by eliminating potential jurors on the basis of race. Previous appeals by Ricks that alleged ineffective counsel and called for the suppression of evidence in the case have been denied.

In a 1986 ruling known as Batson v. Kentucky, the Supreme Court determined that excluding jurors because of their race violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

“At trial, Ricks already suspected that the State had singled out minority jurors to exclude them from his jury,” Ricks’ attorneys said in their petition to the Supreme Court.

Ricks’ lawyers said that notes prosecutors kept during the jury selection process and which were not obtained until 2021 show that prosecutors singled out minority jurors.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office said court records show the prosecution’s decisions in jury selection were “race neutral” and lower courts have already concluded that prosecutors’ actions were not discriminatory.

Ricks “viciously stabbed his girlfriend Roxann and her eight-year-old son Anthony to death,” the attorney general’s office said. “The public has a strong interest in enforcement of Ricks’ sentence.”

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Monday denied Ricks’ request for a 90-day reprieve or to commute his death sentence.

Prosecutors said Ricks and Sanchez were arguing in their apartment when Sanchez’ two sons from a previous marriage — Anthony and Marcus Figueroa — tried to break up the fight.

Ricks grabbed a knife from the kitchen and began to stab Sanchez multiple times, according to court records.

Marcus Figueroa ran to his bedroom closet and tried to call police. After killing Anthony Figuerora, Ricks resumed stabbing Marcus Figueroa, who survived the attack by playing dead. Ricks did not injure his then 9-month-old son, Isaiah, according to court records.

Ricks fled and was later arrested in Oklahoma.

During his trial, Ricks testified that he had anger issues and had been defending himself against the two boys after they had come to their mother’s defense.

“Explaining my rage, I was upset. Things happen. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I wish I could bring them back, like, right now,” said Ricks, who also apologized for the killings.

A day before the stabbings, Ricks had appeared in court after having been charged with assaulting Sanchez during a previous incident.

If the execution is carried out, Ricks would be the second person put to death this year in Texas and the sixth person in the country. Texas has historically held more executions than any other state.

Charles “Sonny” Burton, a 75-year-old inmate in Alabama, had been scheduled to be executed on Thursday. But Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday commuted his death sentence, reducing it to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Burton had been sentenced to death for a fatal shooting during a 1991 robbery even though he didn’t pull the trigger.

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Follow Juan A. Lozano: https://x.com/juanlozano70

$250k in funding for city improvements

Posted/updated on: March 13, 2026 at 2:44 am

0k in funding for city improvementsLONGVIEW — The City of Longview is proposing to allocate $250,000 in federal funding to resurface Park Street and expand its first-time homebuyer program. The city will have $100,000 to provide additional ‘First-Time Homebuyer Down Payment’ assistance grants. The first-time homebuyer program provides financial assistance to eligible low-income homebuyers on a one-time, grant-based basis. Qualified applicants may receive up to $5,500, depending on household income.

The amendment will also reallocate $150,000 for a resurfacing project and street overlay along Park Street.

The city of Longview will live-stream the meeting on Facebook on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. for anyone interested in learning more about the proposal or providing feedback.

Several drug busts leads to multiple arrests in Nacogdoches County

Posted/updated on: March 13, 2026 at 3:42 pm

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KETK)– Six people have recently been arrested in Nacogdoches County after a large number of illegal drugs were found across the county in three different cases, including methamphetamine and cocaine.
Feb. 24 arrests

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Texarkana ISD bus crash update

Posted/updated on: March 11, 2026 at 3:44 pm

Texarkana ISD bus crash updateUPDATE: Highway 31 East has been reopened following the crash, according to Smith County ESD 2.

SMITH COUNTY — A Texarkana ISD school bus carrying more than 20 students collided with a van on Tuesday afternoon near Tyler. Smith County personnel were dispatched at around 3:50 p.m. to the 14000 block of Highway 31 East near CR 2908 in response to the crash. Smith County ESD2 said 26 kids and two coaches were on the bus and no injuries were reported.

Both vehicles are out of the roadway and one lane of Highway 31 is shut down going eastbound.

Drivers getting flat tires in same area

Posted/updated on: March 13, 2026 at 2:44 am

Drivers getting flat tires in same areaTYLER — Multiple people spoke out on Facebook about flat tires after driving through an intersection on South Broadway Avenue in Tyler.

Screws were found buried in the tires, and the manager of Discount Tire on Loop 323, Bryce Matthews, said the shop has been dealing with an increase in flat tire repairs in the last 24 hours.

“It’s been a little crazier than usual. Discount Tire is a pretty busy place, but we welcome anybody and everybody,” manager of Discount Tire on Loop 323 Matthews said. “We’ve probably seen it increase yesterday by about twenty-five percent more than usual.” He states that one driver came in with 17 screws in their tires.

The city road department was called and a message left about the screws, they were asked to please take a sweeper truck out there.” Our news partner KETK has reached out to the Texas Department of Transportation, which said it will send crews to reported locations as needed.

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