Today is
Friday November 22, 2024
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TYLER – The Tyler Economic Development Council said that delivery giant Amazon is planning to start construction of a new 140,000-square foot facility in Tyler soon. According to our news partner KETK, the new delivery station will sit on 30 acres at the North Tyler Commerce Park. Construction is said to start in the next couple of weeks.
Mayor Don Warren said in a release from the TEDC Monday, “On behalf of the City of Tyler, we are excited to have Amazon building a delivery station here in our city. The benefits from this project are enormous as it will add to our tax base, and provide faster service from when we make an Amazon purchase to the package showing up on our doorstep. This is a huge win for the City, County, and the Tyler Economic Development Council.â€
The release also said the new facility will help to better fulfill the last mile of any deliveries coming into the area from one of Amazon’s fulfilment centers.
(AP) — A costly campaign by abortion-rights advocates for state Supreme Court seats yielded mixed results in Tuesday’s election, with Republicans expanding their majority on Ohio’s court while candidates backed by progressive groups won in Montana and Michigan.
One of the most expensive and closely watched Supreme Court races in North Carolina, where a Democratic justice campaigned heavily on abortion rights and Republicans hope to expand their majority, remained too early to call Thursday.
Groups on both the right and left spent millions in the leadup to the election hoping to reshape courts that’ll be battlegrounds for voting rights, redistricting, abortion and other issues.
Abortion-rights supporters touted victories in states that Donald Trump won, saying it’s a sign that reproductive rights will be key in judicial campaigns after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade. In states like Montana and Arizona, state courts may soon be tasked with interpreting how abortion-rights amendments voters passed this week would impact existing laws.
“State Supreme Court judges don’t really have anything to say about the economy, but they certainly do have something to say about reproductive rights and voting rights and democracy and what your life is going to be like from a right to liberty perspective in your state,” said Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer for the American Civil Liberties Union. “So I think we have a real opportunity to define these judges and this level of the ballot by reproductive rights.â€
The ACLU spent $5.4 million on court races in Montana, Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio. Planned Parenthood and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee earlier this year announced they were collectively spending $5 million, focusing on court races in those states, as well as in Arizona and Texas.
Conservative groups also spent heavily in those states, but with ads focusing on issues other than abortion such as immigration and crime.
In Ohio, all three Democrats running for the state Supreme Court lost their race. The victory gives Republicans a 6-1 majority on the court. A county judge in October struck down the state’s six-week abortion ban and the state Supreme Court is expected to hear more cases aiming to undo regulations that, for example, require 24-hour waiting periods or in-person appointments for patients.
“Ohioans made a strong statement tonight that will keep the court under Republican control for years to come,†said Dee Duncan, president of the Republican State Leadership Committee’s Judicial Fairness Initiative, which spent nearly $1 million on the race.
Michigan Democrats won two seats on the state’s Supreme Court, expanding their majority to 5-2. While the elections are nonpartisan, parties nominate the candidates.
“With the liberal majority protected, Michigan Dems’ hard work past and future will not be threatened by the MAGA fanatics that threaten our values here in Michigan,†Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party Lavora Barnes said in a statement.
In North Carolina, Justice Allison Riggs trailed narrowly Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin in their race for an eight-year term on the state’s highest court. The Associated Press has not called the race, for which nearly 5.5 million ballots have been counted. Tens of thousands of additional provisional and absentee ballots still had to be reviewed by county election officials, and the trailing candidate could seek a recount if the final margin is narrow enough.
Riggs’ campaign focused on reproductive rights, running ads that said Griffin could be a deciding vote on the 5-2 majority Republican court for further abortion restrictions. Griffin had said it was inappropriate for Riggs to talk about an issue that could come before the court.
Heated bids for a pair of seats on Montana’s court were a split decision, with county attorney Cory Swanson defeating former U.S. Magistrate Judge Jerry Lynch for chief justice. State judge Katherine Bidegaray defeated state judge Dan Wilson for another open seat on the court.
Progressive groups backed Lynch and Bidegaray, casting the races as key to protecting abortion rights in a state where Republicans control the Legislature and the governor’s office. Republicans who complained about the court’s rulings against laws that would have restricted abortion access or made it more difficult to vote supported Swanson and Wilson.
A longshot effort by abortion-rights advocates to unseat three justices on Texas’ all-Republican Supreme Court fell short, with Jimmy Blacklock, John Devine and Jane Bland winning reelection. The three were part of unanimous rulings rejecting challenges to the state’s abortion ban.
In Arizona, two justices won retention elections despite efforts to oust them over the court decision that cleared way for a long-dormant 1864 law banning nearly all abortions to be enforced. The state Legislature swiftly repealed it, and voters on Tuesday approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing abortion access up to fetal viability, typically after 21 weeks.
Conservatives also won in Oklahoma, where voters removed one of three Supreme Court justices appointed by a former Democratic governor who were up for retention. A 5-4 ruling by the court last year overturned a portion of the state’s near total ban on abortion. It was the first time any Oklahoma appellate judge had been removed through a retention election.
An Arkansas justice who wrote a blistering dissent when the court’s Republican-backed majority blocked an abortion rights measure from the ballot was elected chief justice. That race, however, won’t change the court’s majority.
The next big battleground comes next year in Wisconsin, where a race will determine whether liberals maintain their 4-3 majority on the court. The open race for retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley’s seat comes after the court flipped from conservative control in a 2023 election marked by record-breaking spending.
“It doesn’t seem like state Supreme Court elections are going to go back to the way they were 10 years ago anytime soon,†said Douglas Keith, senior counsel in the judiciary program at the Brennan Center, which has tracked spending on state court races.
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AUSTIN (AP) —Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars broadcasts could end next week as he faces a court-ordered auction of his company’s assets to help pay the more than $1 billion defamation judgment he owes families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
Or maybe not.
Both opponents and supporters of the bombastic internet show and radio host have expressed interest in bidding on the Infowars properties he has built over the past 25 years. They include Roger Stone, an ally of Jones and Donald Trump, and anti-Jones progressive media groups. If Jones supporters buy the assets, he could end up staying on Infowars.
Up for sale are everything from Jones’ studio desk to Infowars’ name, video archive, social media accounts and product trademarks. Buyers can even purchase an armored truck and video cameras. For now, Jones’ personal social media, including his account on X, formerly known as Twitter, with 3 million followers, are not up for sale, but court proceedings on whether they should be auctioned are pending.
The auctions resulted from Jones’ personal bankruptcy case, which he filed in late 2022 after the Sandy Hook families were awarded nearly $1.5 billion in damages in lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas over his claims that the school shooting was a hoax. Many of Jones’ personal assets also are being liquidated to help pay the judgment.
The deadline to submit bids and nondisclosure agreements on the Infowars assets is Friday afternoon. After the bids are reviewed, prospective buyers deemed qualified will be invited to a live auction that could see multiple bidding rounds next Wednesday. Any items not sold will be put up at another auction on Dec. 10.
Jones has expressed confidence that supporters — whom he did not name — will buy the assets of Infowars and its parent company, Free Speech Systems, allowing him to continue using its platforms. He also appears to be preparing for losing the brand because he has set up new websites and social media accounts and has been directing his audience to them.
“There’s a lot of buyers, people that are patriots that want it and will come in,†Jones said on his show in August. “If not … we’ll work with somebody else, fire something up. And it’ll be a little bit of a hiccup for the crew, and things. But that will just make us bigger.â€
Email messages to Infowars and Jones’ bankruptcy lawyer were not returned.
It’s not clear how much money the auctions might bring in. In court documents, Free Speech Systems listed the total value of its properties and holdings at $18 million. Proceeds from the sales will go to creditors including the Sandy Hook families, who have not yet received any money from Jones and his company.
Confidentiality agreements and sealed bids generally are used in auctions to maximize bid amounts while preventing bidders from talking to each other and driving down the offers. The trustee in Jones’ bankruptcy case said in court documents that the procedures for the Infowars auction were designed to attract the highest possible bids.
Christopher Mattei, a Connecticut lawyer representing the Sandy Hook families, called the auctions an important milestone in their yearslong fight to hold Jones accountable. He also said the families will be seeking a portion of all Jones’ future income.
“From the beginning, the Connecticut families have sought to hold Jones fully accountable for his lies and to protect other families from him,†Mattei said. “Stripping Jones of the corrupt business he used to attack the families while poisoning the minds of his listeners is an important measure of justice.â€
The families sued Jones and his company for defamation and emotional distress for repeatedly saying on his show that the 2012 shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut, was a hoax staged by crisis actors to spur more gun control.
Parents and children of many of the victims testified that they were traumatized by Jones’ hoax conspiracies and threats by his followers.
Jones, who has since acknowledged that the shooting did happen, is appealing the judgments.
Jones has made millions of dollars from his internet and radio shows, primarily through sales of nutritional supplements, survival gear, clothing and other merchandise.
Jones and other right-wing commentators once on the fringe have catapulted in popularity as many people have moved away from traditional news sources. Trump elevated them further during his 2024 campaign by repeating some of their conspiracy theories and appearing on several of their podcasts and shows. On Thursday, Jones, a long-time Trump supporter, even accepted proposals, some perhaps tongue-in-cheek, by Donald Trump Jr. and other conservatives to be the president-elect’s press secretary.
Stone, the Jones and Trump ally and a conservative commentator, said on his X account and on Jones’ show that he would like to put together a group of investors to buy Infowars. He did not return email and social media messages on Thursday.
“I understand the importance of Infowars as a beacon of the truth, as a beacon of truthful information. And therefore, I would like to do whatever I possibly can to ensure, if possible, that Infowars survives,” Stone said on Jones’ show in September.
People on social media also have urged billionaire Elon Musk, owner of Tesla and X, to buy Infowars, an idea Jones has backed but Musk has not publicly responded to.
On the other side, Jones’ detractors have shown interest in buying Infowars, kicking Jones out and turning it into something else, such as a news site that debunks conspiracy theories or even a parody site. They include officials at two progressive media sites, The Barbed Wire and Media Matters for America.
An opinion piece by The Barbed Wire in September by publisher Jeff Rotkoff had a headline that read, “Let’s Buy Infowars. Alex Jones used these exact materials to exploit his viewers, peddle conspiracy theories, and damage the lives of grieving parents. We want revenge.â€
Rotkoff urged readers to donate money to help put in bids, but he said Thursday that The Barbed Wire, based in Jones’ home state of Texas, was now unlikely to make any offers.
“But we have talked to a number of similarly ideologically aligned bidders and we are certain we will be outbid,†Rotkoff said in an email. “We’re thrilled that there appear to be multiple well-resourced bidders who share our interest in undoing much of the damage to our country done by Alex Jones. We’ll be rooting for those folks to be successful.â€
He declined to say who the other potential bidders were.
Who exactly has submitted bids so far has not been disclosed. Jeff Tanenbaum, president of ThreeSixty Asset Advisors, which is helping to run the auction along with Tranzon Asset Advisors, would only say there have been a large number of inquiries.
If detractors buy up Infowars’ properties and Jones gets the boot, he should be able to build new platforms fairly quickly, said Melissa Zimdars, an associate professor of communication and media at Merrimack College in Massachusetts.
“As long as there is an audience hungry for his content — and there is — he’ll be able to utilize X and various fringe social media platforms,” she said in an email.
DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government’s highway safety agency says Tesla is telling drivers in public statements that its vehicles can drive themselves, conflicting with owners manuals and briefings with the agency saying the electric vehicles need human supervision.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is asking the company to “revisit its communications†to make sure messages are consistent with user instructions.
The request came in a May email to the company from Gregory Magno, a division chief with the agency’s Office of Defects Investigation. It was attached to a letter seeking information on a probe into crashes involving Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving†system in low-visibility conditions. The letter was posted Friday on the agency’s website.
The agency began the investigation in October after getting reports of four crashes involving “Full Self-Driving” when Teslas encountered sun glare, fog and airborne dust. An Arizona pedestrian was killed in one of the crashes.
Critics, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, have long accused Tesla of using deceptive names for its partially automated driving systems, including “Full Self-Driving†and “Autopilot,†both of which have been viewed by owners as fully autonomous.
The letter and email raise further questions about whether Full Self-Driving will be ready for use without human drivers on public roads, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has predicted. Much of Tesla’s stock valuation hinges on the company deploying a fleet of autonomous robotaxis.
Musk, who has promised autonomous vehicles before, said the company plans to have autonomous Models Y and 3 running without human drivers next year. Robotaxis without steering wheels would be available in 2026 starting in California and Texas, he said.
A message was sent Friday seeking comment from Tesla.
In the email, Magno writes that Tesla briefed the agency in April on an offer of a free trial of “Full Self-Driving†and emphasized that the owner’s manual, user interface and a YouTube video tell humans that they have to remain vigilant and in full control of their vehicles.
But Magno cited seven posts or reposts by Tesla’s account on X, the social media platform owned by Musk, that Magno said indicated that Full Self-Driving is capable of driving itself.
“Tesla’s X account has reposted or endorsed postings that exhibit disengaged driver behavior,†Magno wrote. “We believe that Tesla’s postings conflict with its stated messaging that the driver is to maintain continued control over the dynamic driving task.”
The postings may encourage drivers to see Full Self-Driving, which now has the word “supervised†next to it in Tesla materials, to view the system as a “chauffeur or robotaxi rather than a partial automation/driver assist system that requires persistent attention and intermittent intervention by the driver,†Magno wrote.
On April 11, for instance, Tesla reposted a story about a man who used Full Self-Driving to travel 13 miles (21 kilometers) from his home to an emergency room during a heart attack just after the free trial began on April 1. A version of Full Self-Driving helped the owner “get to the hospital when he needed immediate medical attention,†the post said.
In addition, Tesla says on its website that use of Full Self-Driving and Autopilot without human supervision depends on “achieving reliability” and regulatory approval, Magno wrote. But the statement is accompanied by a video of a man driving on local roads with his hands on his knees, with a statement that, “The person in the driver’s seat is only there for legal reasons. He is not doing anything. The car is driving itself,†the email said.
In the letter seeking information on driving in low-visibility conditions, Magno wrote that the investigation will focus on the system’s ability to perform in low-visibility conditions caused by “relatively common traffic occurrences.â€
Drivers, he wrote, may not be told by the car that they should decide where Full Self-Driving can safely operate or fully understand the capabilities of the system.
“This investigation will consider the adequacy of feedback or information the system provides to drivers to enable them to make a decision in real time when the capability of the system has been exceeded,†Magno wrote.
The letter asks Tesla to describe all visual or audio warnings that drivers get that the system “is unable to detect and respond to any reduced visibility condition.â€
The agency gave Tesla until Dec. 18 to respond to the letter, but the company can ask for an extension.
That means the investigation is unlikely to be finished by the time President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, and Trump has said he would put Musk in charge of a government efficiency commission to audit agencies and eliminate fraud. Musk spent at least $119 million in a campaign to get Trump elected, and Trump has spoken against government regulations.
Auto safety advocates fear that if Musk gains some control over NHTSA, the Full Self-Driving and other investigations into Tesla could be derailed.
Musk even floated the idea of him helping to develop national safety standards for self-driving vehicles.
“Of course the fox wants to build the henhouse,†said Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a nonprofit watchdog group.
He added that he can’t think of anyone who would agree that a business mogul should have direct involvement in regulations that affect the mogul’s companies.
“That’s a huge problem for democracy, really,†Brooks said.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The brother of a Texas businessman who is charged with killing his missing wife called for his brother to cooperate with law enforcement and direct them to the woman’s body Friday.
Brad Simpson, 53, was charged Thursday in Bexar County with the murder of Suzanne Simpson, 51, who has not been seen since Oct. 6.
“It is our sincere hope that Brad will find the compassion and courage to end his family suffering by cooperating with the authorities to help us find his wife,” Barton Simpson said during a brief news conference in the San Antonio suburb of Olmos Park.
“The situation is heartbreaking for us, but it brings some peace to our family knowing that the authorities have gathered enough evidence to move forward with charges,†Barton Simpson said.
“This helps us to come to terms with the reality that Suzanne is no longer with us,” Barton Simpson said.
Neither Olmos Park Police Chief Fidel Villegas nor Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Deon Cockrell discussed the evidence.
It was “enough information for the (district attorney) to take†the case and file charges, Cockrell said.
The arrest warrant for Brad Simpson was placed under seal by the judge in the case.
Brad Simpson is jailed on a total of $5 million in bonds on charges of murder, unlawful restraint, assault, tampering with evidence and possession of a prohibited weapon.
An attorney for Simpson, who was first arrested Oct. 9 on the unlawful restraint and assault charges, did not return a phone call Friday for comment.
Villegas, the Olmos Park police chief, said the search for Suzanne Simpson, which has included a wooded area around the couple’s home, a landfill and an area near where Brad Simpson was arrested along Interstate 10, continues.
The murder charge comes just more than a month after Suzanne Simpson, a real estate agent, was last seen alive outside the couple’s home in Olmos Park, where police have said a neighbor reported seeing the couple fighting.
“We hope that (charges) will allow (Simpson’s family) to enter the next phase of the grieving process,†Villegas said during the news conference. “We want them to know that the search for Suzanne is still ongoing.â€
TYLER – The City of Tyler and Tyler Fire Department held the annual Veterans Luncheon on Friday, Nov. 8 for all city employees to remember the bravery and dedication to Tyler’s military heroes. The event was held at Tyler Fire Station 5 and honored the 108 veterans who are now city employees. During the luncheon, a small ceremony, including the Presentation of Colors, was held to pay tribute. City Council members presented City veteran employees with a commemorative gift to thank them for their service.
“This luncheon is a small token of our gratitude for their service,” said City Manager Edward Broussard. “Our veterans, much like our city’s motto, have answered the Call to Serve, demonstrating unwavering commitment and sacrifice for our community and country.”
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SMITH COUNTY – Non-emergency Smith County offices will be closed Monday, November 11, 2024, in observance of Veterans Day. County offices will reopen on Tuesday, November 12, for normal business hours.
Smith County has more than 90 employees who are veterans of all service branches, serving the community through their positions in the Commissioners Court, Fire Marshal’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, Road and Bridge Department, Juvenile Services Department, IT Department, Facility Services Department, Veteran Services Office, County Court-at-Law 3, Constable’s Offices, Animal Control, Tax Office and Judicial Compliance/Collections Department.
According to a release from Smith County, the Commissioners Court on Tuesday, November 5, adopted a resolution proclaiming November 11, 2024, as Veterans Day in Smith County, thanking all county employees who are veterans, as well as all veterans in the community, who have served our country to protect our freedoms.
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UPDATE: Police continue to search for a Tyler 17-year-old who was last seen Nov. 1. The Tyler Police Department shared on Tuesday photos of what Lily Peppler was wearing on the day she went missing. Anyone with information on Peppler’s whereabouts is urged to contact the department at 903-531-1000. Read the rest of this entry »
NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Tesla soared Wednesday as investors bet that the electric vehicle maker and its CEO Elon Musk will benefit from Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Tesla stands to make significant gains under a Trump administration with the threat of diminished subsidies for alternative energy and electric vehicles doing the most harm to smaller competitors. Trump’s plans for extensive tariffs on Chinese imports make it less likely that Chinese EVs will be sold in bulk in the U.S. anytime soon.
“Tesla has the scale and scope that is unmatched,†said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, in a note to investors. “This dynamic could give Musk and Tesla a clear competitive advantage in a non-EV subsidy environment, coupled by likely higher China tariffs that would continue to push away cheaper Chinese EV players.â€
Tesla shares jumped 14.8% Wednesday while shares of rival electric vehicle makers tumbled. Nio, based in Shanghai, fell 5.3%. Shares of electric truck maker Rivian dropped 8.3% and Lucid Group fell 5.3%.
Tesla dominates sales of electric vehicles in the U.S, with 48.9% in market share through the middle of 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Subsidies for clean energy are part of the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022. It included tax credits for manufacturing, along with tax credits for consumers of electric vehicles.
Musk was one of Trump’s biggest donors, spending at least $119 million mobilizing Trump’s supporters to back the Republican nominee. He also pledged to give away $1 million a day to voters signing a petition for his political action committee.
In some ways, it has been a rocky year for Tesla, with sales and profit declining through the first half of the year. Profit did rise 17.3% in the third quarter.
The U.S. opened an investigation into the company’s “Full Self-Driving†system after reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. The investigation covers roughly 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.
And investors sent company shares tumbling last month after Tesla unveiled its long-awaited robotaxi at a Hollywood studio Thursday night, seeing not much progress at Tesla on autonomous vehicles while other companies have been making notable progress.
Tesla began selling the software, which is called “Full Self-Driving,†nine years ago. But there are doubts about its reliability.
The stock is now showing a 16.1% gain for the year after rising the past two days.
TYLER – Gov. Greg Abbott was in Tyler Wednesday afternoon at Kingdom Life Academy to talk about the importance of school choice. According to our news partner KETK, Abbott was joined by school director Joel Enge in a question and answer session about Education Savings Accounts. The governor gave the floor to Enge who said he was excited about the advancement of school choice in Texas.
“As a Black founder of schools I can speak to the issue of how important school choice is for our Black and Hispanic students in our community, in the north Tyler community.†Enge said. “We desperately need school choice in order to open up opportunities that we offer.â€
MARSHALL – Law enforcement in Marshall have arrested a driver involved in a hit-and-run incident that has injured a pedestrian. According to our news partner KETK, Marshall Police received a call Tuesday night about an accident at the the intersection of West Burleson and North Bishop Street where a pedestrian had been hit by a vehicle.
Officers found a male victim at the location who said he had been hit by a dark-colored vehicle, whose driver fled the scene. The victim was taken to a hospital and treated for a broken leg.
Investigators identified the driver as 30-year-old Jonathan Olvera, of Marshall. Olvera was booked into the Harrison County Jail and charged with an accident involving serious bodily injury. He had an outstanding warrant from Marion County for tampering with physical evidence.
Marshall PD said “This investigation is ongoing, and no additional details are available at this time.â€