Today is
Tuesday July 21, 2026
BOSTON (AP) — A Delta Air Lines jet was roughly 300 feet (90 meters) from an American Airlines plane during a close call at Boston’s airport that forced the Delta aircraft to abort a weekend landing attempt, an aviation expert said Sunday.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the incident between two commercial flights that happened Saturday at Boston Logan International Airport.
Todd Curtis, a former safety engineer at Boeing, estimated the distance between the two jetliners using Flightradar24, a website that tracks flights. Curtis now coproduces a podcast about flight safety issues.
“This is a significant incident,” Curtis said, adding that it was particularly concerning because it involved two professional airline crews.
He said federal aviation officials have been concerned about such runway incursions for a while now and will scrutinize Saturday’s close call.
Near-misses and runway incursions at U.S. airports will be the subject of a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. The Senate Commerce?Subcommittee?on?Aviation, Space,?and Innovation will?seek ways to strengthen safety across the national airspace system.
The Delta flight from Dallas had to execute a go-around, or aborted landing, to avoid the American plane departing from an intersecting runway, according to the FAA and flight logs.
The crew of Delta flight 2351 coordinated with air traffic control to perform the go-around, an airline spokesperson said. The plane, which had 129 passengers and six crew members on board, landed safely and deplaned normally, according to the spokesperson.
Go-arounds are safe, routine procedures performed at the discretion of the pilot or air traffic controllers, according to the FAA.
LONGVIEW – A person is in the hospital after crashing into a Longview residence and causing significant damage, according to our news partner KETK. The accident occurred Monday morning officials say. The driver is facing “priority 1 injuries” and has been transported to the hospital after being pulled from the vehicle according to the Longview Fire Department. The department says they have stabilized the structure with the help of 16 personnel that responded to the scene.
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FRISCO (AP) — Newly released video from an officer’s body camera and a surveillance camera at a Texas running track captures the moments after a teenage athlete fatally stabbed another teen from a rival team in the stadium bleachers during a high school meet last year.
Karmelo Anthony, 19, was convicted of murder on June 10 in the death of Austin Metcalf, 17, and sentenced to 35 years in prison. A jury rejected Anthony’s claims of self-defense. The videos were included in a batch of evidence released by the Collin County court following the conclusion of the trial.
The surveillance video shows the track and bleachers on a rainy day. Suddenly a figure wearing a gray sweatshirt is seen popping up from behind a yellow tent and then running down the steps. The video has no sound.
He got to the bottom of the bleachers, tripped and fell on the ground, and then kept running along the edge of the fencing that separates the bleachers from the running track. He stopped briefly, turned to look at what appeared to be someone chasing him, and then kept running.
After making his way part way around the track, he was joined by an unidentified person. They stopped to talk and then hugged. They started walking again and were joined by another person. After talking more, Anthony walked toward the fence where he appeared to meet up with a police officer.
The officer put him in handcuffs and walked him toward the police cruiser. Anthony obeyed the officer’s commands and then started crying.
“He put his hands on me,” Anthony said in a broken voice. “I told him not to. He put his hands on me.”
The officers escorted him to the police cruiser and placed him inside.
HOUSTON COUNTY (KETK) – After heavy rains swept through the area overnight on Saturday, several roads near Crockett and across Houston County have been left flooded or damaged.
The Crockett Fire Department issued a public safety alert on Saturday morning after heavy rainfall caused flooding on several roadways throughout the area, making many roads completely impassable.
The Texas Department of Transportation shared that they’ve closed FM 228 in Houston County after it was damaged and partly washed out by heavy rainfall on Saturday. They said repairs are underway and are expected to be finished on Saturday night.
The Crockett Fire Department gave the following safety tips for anyone on the road during flooding and heavy rains:
Stay home unless travel is absolutely necessary.
Do not drive through flooded roadways.
Turn around, don’t drown.
Use extreme caution if you must be on the roads.
Monitor local weather and emergency updates.
KAUFMAN COUNTY (KETK) – Nine people were sent to local hospitals on Saturday after a 13-vehicle crash happened near FM 2965 on Interstate 20 westbound in Kaufman County.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), a multi-vehicle crash happened in the westbound lanes of Interstate 20 leaving several people injured.
The nearby Elmo Fire Department reported that multiple crashes happened on I-20 westbound near mile marker 511 at around 10:55 a.m. on Saturday. They also reported several other minor crashes on the eastbound side of I-20 from mile marker 509 to mile marker 511.
In total, the Elmo Fire Department said 24 people were assessed for injuries at the scene and nine of those people had to be transported to local hospitals to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. They said the crashes at the scene involved a total of 13 vehicles and four 18-wheelers.
The Elmo Fire Department added that mass casualty incident triage had to be established to help treat those injured at the scene. DPS said the roadway was reopened to traffic at around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
TRINIDAD – The City of Trinidad named Cameron Bechham as their new interim police chief during a city council meeting on Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, Bechham was sworn in after the Trinidad City Council voted 4 to 1 in favor of naming him the new interim police chief.
The decision to name Bechham police chief was made following the recent resignation of Charles Gregory, who resigned less than two weeks ago, following ongoing controversy involving the city’s water rights.
During Thursday’s meeting, the city council also voted unanimously to establish a water advisory committee to address the ongoing water problems that have plagued Trinidad residents for years.
LEGGETT (KETK) – The Alabama-Coushatta tribe of Texas and the Naskila Casino in Leggett are celebrating their growth with an eye toward expansion in Deep East Texas.
The vision is coming to life in Polk County as they made the first official step towards the future on Thursday with leaders of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas breaking ground on the future casino resort set to open in late 2028.
The future property will span across 95 acres of tribal land here in Legget, Texas, featuring an expansive gaming floor, more than 350 hotel rooms, a resort-style pool, and an event and conference space.
“It’s a long time coming really, it’s something that’s needed,” Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas Chairman Ricky Sylestine said. “We started out from nothing, now to where we are today, just because of the gaming aspect of it, we’ve really been blessed at this point.”
Thursday’s groundbreaking happened as the existing Naskila casino celebrates its 10th anniversary. Casino officials said the Naskila Casino generates an annual economic impact of $251 million dollars each year and has created over a thousand local permanent jobs. They added that this new casino resort will only expand that impact in East Texas.
To learn more about the tribe, their history and their enterprises, visit the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas online.
DALLAS (AP) — As people gather across the U.S. to celebrate Juneteenth, former President Barack Obama’s presidential center opened its doors Friday to the general public for the first time.
Located on a sprawling campus on Chicago’s South Side, the center honoring the nation’s first Black president has been designed to inspire people to make the change they want to see in their own communities. It’s the kind of contemplation that also comes as Americans gather for Juneteenth, which celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S.
The holiday marks June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas at the end of the Civil War with an order declaring the state’s enslaved people to be free with “absolute equality.” By then, 2 1/2 years had passed since the Emancipation Proclamation declared the freedom of enslaved people in the South.
“Juneteenth represents not just a commemoration of the end of slavery but it’s also part of the ongoing struggle for absolute equality and that ideal in American life,” said W. Caleb McDaniel, a Rice University professor and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Sweet Taste of Liberty.”
Obama’s presidential center in Chicago
The grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center includes days of events following Thursday’s star-studded dedication ceremony.
The center’s public opening arrives as a symbolic convergence of legacy and liberation. The nation is deeply divided politically and grappling with renewed questions about the arc of racial progress as the Supreme Court hollowed out the Voting Rights Act, endangering Black political representation in Congress.
The nearly 20-acre (8-hectare) campus includes a museum featuring a life-sized replica of the Oval Office, a garden designed by former first lady Michelle Obama complete with lettuce and strawberry plants, a professional-grade basketball court, a picnic area with grills and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library. Visitors can experience high-tech and hands-on exhibits spanning the campaigns, key moments of Obama’s presidency and life at the White House.
The spaces are designed to bring people together on a campus expected to draw as many as 1 million visitors annually, but the center also aims to encourage personal reflection. Louise Bernard, the museum’s director, has said they’re “inviting people to bring change home, however change may be defined, both small or large.”
The history of Juneteenth
This is the fifth year since Juneteenth was designated as a federal holiday by former President Joe Biden, who served as Obama’s vice president. But the celebrations, which began in Texas and then spread across the country, have a rich and long history in Black America, with the day often spent gathering for picnics and cookouts.
The holiday — a combination of “June” and “nineteenth” — marks the day when U.S. Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in the Texas port city with the declaration of freedom in General Order No. 3.
As the third year of the Civil War neared, President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring the freedom of “all persons held as slaves” in the still rebellious states of the Confederacy. Though, for many, it did not mean immediate freedom but a promise of liberation, to be secured with a Union victory.
“It really required the force of arms and the success of U.S. armies to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation,” McDaniel said.
About six months after Granger’s arrival in Galveston, the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery nationwide was ratified.
Celebrations across the nation this year
Juneteenth’s birthplace is celebrating with a daylong gathering at a Galveston park with music and fireworks, a parade and a worship service in a historic Black church. Nearby Houston lined up of musical artists and a domino tournament at Emancipation Park, established in 1872 by a group of formerly enslaved men.
Hundreds of other cities across the U.S. announced events over the long weekend, including a parade in Atlanta, a bike ride in Los Angeles and a festival on Martha’s Vineyard.
Several cities across the U.S. will host walks named for Opal Lee, the Texas woman who pushed for years to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Participants will walk 2 1/2 miles to symbolize the 2 1/2 years it took for the Emancipation Proclamation to be enforced in Texas. Lee, known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” turns 100 this year.
Reflecting on a continuing struggle
Black Texans embraced the date of Granger’s arrival as one to celebrate, even as the Ku Klux Klan was established in Texas by 1868. By the 1880s, “it was difficult to find a significant community in Texas where it wasn’t being marked by African Americans,” McDaniel said.
“They made it a community celebration, they made it a celebration of not only freedom but also a demonstration of community empowerment and institution-building,” he added.
Corey D.B. Walker, dean of Wake Forest University’s divinity school, said the holiday offers a way to recognize the nation’s “complex history” and what it means to be a U.S. citizen, especially amid efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to undermine the retelling of Black history.
“I think it really reminds people the importance of understanding a fuller, more robust portrait of our nation’s history and the many contributions of many individuals who have contributed to America’s experiment with democracy,” Walker said.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose on Wall Street Thursday and erased most of their losses from a day earlier to notch weekly gains.
The market’s reversal was powered by sharp gains for big technology companies. The decline on Wednesday was driven by anticipation that the Federal Reserve will likely raise interest rates this year in an effort to fight inflation.
On Thursday, stocks faced less pressure as bond yields eased and oil prices spent most of the day falling.
The S&P 500 rose 80.48 points, or 1.1%, to 7,500.58. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 72.15 points, or 0.1%, to 51,564.70. The Nasdaq composite surged 496.28 points, or 1.9%, to 26,517.93. Every major index notched weekly gains.
U.S. markets will be closed Friday for Juneteenth.
Technology stocks had some of the biggest gains and the most influence on the broader market’s rise. Intel surged 10.6% after President Donald Trump announced that the semiconductor giant will make chips for Apple in the U.S. Other big semiconductor companies gained ground. Nvidia rose 3% and Micron Technology jumped 8.7%.
On the losing end, SpaceX fell for the second straight day since its ballyhooed debut on the U.S. stock market last week. The Elon Musk-led rocket maker and AI company was down 3.6% following a 4.9% loss Wednesday.
Oil prices wavered after the United States and Iran signed an agreement to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil tanker traffic. Brent crude, the international standard, spent most of the day lower before settling 0.4% higher at $79.85 per barrel. U.S. benchmark crude fell 0.2% to $75.85 per barrel.
Airlines had some of the bigger gains. American Airlines rose 3.7% and United Airlines rose 2.1%. Cruise line company Carnival jumped 3.2%.
Energy companies lost ground. Exxon Mobil fell 2.1% and Chevron fell 2.2%.
Prices for crude oil are still above roughly $70 per barrel from before the war, but are well below the $100-plus price from a few weeks ago.
Higher oil prices have been weighing on markets throughout the U.S. war with Iran. The current deal between the nations waives sanctions against Iran and allows it to sell its oil freely. It also opens up the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil supply is shipped.
“While investors are welcoming the agreement as a constructive step for geopolitical risk, uncertainty remains elevated around potential flare-ups, the pace of shipping normalization, control of the waterway, the cost of access, and the path forward for Iran’s nuclear program.” said Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist for LPL Financial, in a research note.
Rising energy costs have been putting more pressure on already hot inflation. The average price of gasoline in the U.S. has dipped below $4 a gallon, but is still 25% higher from a year ago. Prices have been rising for a wide range of goods because of higher shipping costs.
Hotter inflation prompted the Federal Reserve to shift course from cutting its benchmark interest rate to likely raising rates by the end of the year. Lower interest rates can boost the economy by making borrowing easier for businesses and households, but it also tends to stoke inflation.
The Fed has been trying to balance its job of curbing inflation while supporting employment growth. The jobs market has remained relatively strong amid rising inflation, with low unemployment and solid job growth.
The central bank closed its two-day meeting on Wednesday by maintaining its benchmark interest rate at its current level. But it signaled that it might raise the rate at least once by December.
“This shift in the risk distribution helps explain why around half of the committee thought that an interest-rate hike this year might be needed,” said James McCann, senior economist at Edward Jones, in a research note.
The Fed’s stronger signal for an eventual rate hike prompted a jump in bond yields on Wednesday, but they eased on Thursday.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.45% from 4.49% late Wednesday. The yield on 2-year Treasury, which more closely tracks action by the Fed, fell to 4.18% from 4.20% late Wednesday.
Markets were mixed in Europe after closing lower Asia.
TYLER – The City of Tyler Main Street program has been designated as a 2026 Accredited Main Street America program. The program is one of 838 nationally recognized Accredited Main Street America organizations and is part of a network of more than 1,600 communities leading positive commercial district transformation efforts throughout the United States.
“Receiving our 2026 accreditation signals that our efforts in leading revitalization, partnerships, and programming are in line with a greater movement happening nationwide: transforming historic downtowns into destinations that a community can be proud of,” said Main Street Director Amber Varona. “Main Street has worked to ensure this forward progress is advocated for and that the everyday person living, working and playing Downtown is represented in these revitalization and programming efforts.” Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Dozens of Tyler workers could lose their jobs by the end of June after John Soules Foods abruptly moved to end its sanitation contract with Fortrex, putting the company’s entire on?site workforce at risk.
Fortrex said it may have to shut down its operations at the facility effective June 26, which would affect all 84 Fortrex employees working at the John Soules Foods plant at FM 14 in Tyler.
The John Soules Foods plant itself will continue operating and is expected to bring in a different sanitation provider.
“The unforeseen business circumstances related to John Soules Foods, Inc.’s decision to immediately cease operations at its plant are not something that we anticipated,” Fortrex said in a statement. “We hope that this notice will be helpful to you in making a smooth transition.”
BULLARD – Drivers in Bullard should prepare for detours next week as TxDOT shuts down several streets to continue its widening project along Main Street.
The closure will stretch from Main Street down to South Houston Street, and officials are urging drivers to avoid the area while work is underway. To get around the construction zone, motorists are encouraged to use North Phillips Street and West Emma Street as alternate routes.
The project is expected to last through next Friday.
HENDERSON COUNTY – Local leaders in Henderson County held a workshop on Tuesday to discuss a proposed data center near Key Ranch Estates on Cedar Creek Lake. During the meeting, community members voiced significant concerns regarding the project’s potential impact on the lake, particularly the risk of water depletion.
According to our news partner KETK, the proposed data center’s water requirements sparked worries among residents, who fear that water levels at Cedar Creek Lake, considered the heart of their community, could be depleted. The workshop aimed to inform the community and allow residents to understand the potential impact on their area. Read the rest of this entry »
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose on Wall Street Thursday, taking back most of their losses from a day earlier, and are on track to notch weekly gains.
The S&P 500 rose 1.1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 302 points, or 0.6%, as of 10:49 a.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq composite jumped 1.4%. Every major index is on track for weekly gains. U.S. markets will be closed Friday for Juneteenth.
The gains are helping to cut losses from a day earlier that were driven by anticipation that the Federal Reserve will likely raise interest rates this year in an effort to fight inflation. Bond yields are pulling back. That, along with falling oil prices, is relieving much of the pressure on stocks.
The gains were broad and being led by technology stocks. Intel surged 7% after President Donald Trump announced that the semiconductor giant will make chips for Apple in the U.S. Other big semiconductor companies gained ground. Nvidia rose 2.2% and Micron Technology surged 7.7%.
On the losing end, SpaceX fell for the second straight day since its ballyhooed debut on the U.S. stock market last week. The Elon Musk-led rocket maker and AI company was down 6.5% following a 4.9% loss Wednesday.
Crude oil prices continued to fall after the United States and Iran signed an agreement to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil tanker traffic. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 3% to $77.20 per barrel. U.S. benchmark crude fell 3.4% to $73.46 per barrel.
Easing oil prices are relieving pressure on companies that rely heavily on fuel. Airlines had some of the bigger gains. American Airlines rose 4% and United Airlines rose 4%. Cruise line company Carnival jumped 3.4%.
Energy companies, though, lost ground on falling oil prices. Exxon Mobil fell 2.7% and Chevron fell 2.1%.
Prices for crude oil are still above roughly $70 per barrel from before the war, but are well below the $100-plus price from a few weeks ago.
Higher oil prices had been weighing on markets throughout the U.S. war with Iran. The current deal between the nations waives sanctions against Iran and allows it to sell its oil freely. It also opens up the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil supply is shipped.
Rising energy costs have also been putting more pressure on already hot inflation. The average price of gasoline in the U.S. has dipped below $4 a gallon, but is still 25% higher from a year ago. Prices have been rising for a wide range of goods because of higher shipping costs.
Hotter inflation prompted the Federal Reserve to shift course from cutting its benchmark interest rate to likely raising rates by the end of the year. Lower interest rates can boost the economy by making borrowing easier for businesses and households, but it also tends to stoke inflation.
The Fed has been trying to balance its job of curbing inflation while supporting employment growth. The jobs market has remained relatively strong amid rising inflation, with low unemployment and solid job growth.
The central bank closed its two-day meeting on Wednesday by maintaining its benchmark interest rate at its current level. But it signaled that it will likely raise the rate at least once by December.
That prompted a jump in bond yields on Wednesday, but they eased on Thursday.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.43% from 4.49% late Wednesday. The yield on 2-year Treasury, which more closely tracks action by the Fed, fell to 4.15% from 4.20% late Wednesday.
Markets were mixed in Europe and Asia.
MIAMI (AP) — A disorganized cluster of storms that had been plaguing the Gulf Coast for days came together to form Tropical Storm Arthur on Wednesday — the first tropical cyclone of the season in the Atlantic basin.
Flash flooding was the main threat from Arthur, a weak tropical storm that the National Hurricane Center in Miami said would be short-lived. Maximum sustained winds were around 45 mph (75 kph), with little change in strength forecast before it is expected to dissipate by Wednesday night or early Thursday. A tropical storm warning remained in effect for a roughly 350-mile (560-kilometer) stretch along the coast of Texas and Louisiana.
The storm hung over coastal Texas on the same day a World Cup match was being played between Portugal and the Democratic Republic of Congo in Houston. The stadium is covered, and no plans were announced to move or reschedule the match.
National Hurricane Center director Michael Brennan said during a briefing that flash flood warnings were already being issued in the Houston metro area, with more likely to follow across the region, even after the center of the storm passes.
“The main threat from Arthur is going to be a prolonged, multiday, heavy rainfall event that could produce dangerous to life threatening flash flooding,” Brennan said.
A teenager appears to have drowned in a flooded retention pond outside Houston, authorities said Tuesday evening. A group of teens was playing near a construction zone and an adjacent retention pond when a 15-year-old boy entered the water, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said on social media. Rescue workers found his body using sonar technology following an extensive search.
“This incident serves as a solemn reminder of the dangers associated with floodwaters, particularly following periods of heavy rainfall,” the post said.
With the storm so spread out, forecasters weren’t particularly concerned with when and where the center would make landfall.
“A lot of the winds have already been occurring along portions of the coast of Texas and Louisiana,” National Hurricane Center operations chief Dan Brown said. “And there’s also been a lot a heavy rainfall that’s kind of preceded both the development of the storm and center of the storm.”
Flooding was likely through Friday over parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, the hurricane center said.
The tropical storm is expected to produce rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters), with isolated higher totals near 20 inches (50 centimeters). The combination of storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.
Swells generated by Arthur are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along the northwestern Gulf Coast for the next couple of days. Tornadoes are possible through Thursday.
The center of Tropical Storm Arthur was located Wednesday afternoon about 55 miles (90 kilometers) northeast of Port O’Connor, Texas, according to an advisory. The storm was moving northeast near 9 mph (15 kph), and an increase in forward speed was expected.
TYLER – Tyler Mayor-elect Stuart Hene says communication and transparency will be key priorities for his administration, especially as residents raise concerns about a proposed Bitcoin mining operation near a residential neighborhood.
According to our news partner KETK, Hene, who attended most of the meeting while coordinating with council members to avoid creating a quorum, said the gathering offered an important opportunity to hear directly from residents.
“It was a good opportunity for us to listen and hear feedback, not just from the people proposing the project, but also from the people who live in that neighborhood,” Hene said.
Hene emphasized that the proposal being discussed involves a Bitcoin mining facility, not a traditional data center. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Smith County Commissioners have taken the first step toward creating the Northeast Groundwater Conservation District, a multi-county initiative aimed at protecting water rights and natural resources across East Texas.
According to our news partner KETK, the proposed district would allow Smith County to work alongside neighboring counties and state lawmakers to help safeguard local water resources. The district would be a partnership among 16 East Texas counties and would be led by the East Texas Council of Governments. Read the rest of this entry »
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CHEROKEE COUNTRY – Officials Tuesday have identified the man who was found dead and recovered from Lake Palestine last Thursday evening as 24-year-old Donavan Townsend.
According to Cherokee County Precinct 4 Justice of Peace Rodney Wallace, the incident occurred near the Brookshire’s Recreation Center.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices sank again Tuesday and dropped below $80 per barrel for the first time since early March, while U.S. stocks drifted near their all-time highs in mixed trading.
The S&P 500 slipped 0.6% and pulled 1.3% below its record set earlier this month. The market was nearly evenly split between stocks rising and falling, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 328 points, or 0.6%, to set a record for the second straight day. But drops for some influential tech stocks pulled the Nasdaq composite down 1.2%.
Stocks that had benefited from the boom in artificial-intelligence technology weighed on the market in particular following vicious swings over the last couple weeks.
They’ve been leading the market up and down amid worries that their stock prices shot too high in the mania around AI. That’s taken a toll because chip companies, makers of computer memory and other AI winners have grown so massive that they’ve become some of Wall Street’s most influential stocks.
Drops of 2.4% for Nvidia, 4.4% for Broadcom and 6.2% for Micron Technology were the heaviest weights pulling the S&P 500 lower.
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment sank 6.2% after reporting a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, while Robinhood Markets fell 1.4% after the investing platform said that it’s laying off about 10% of its full-time employees.
On the winning side of Wall Street was SpaceX, which rose 4.8% for its third straight gain since its debut on the U.S. stock market. It said it’s moving forward with a purchase of Cursor, a popular AI coding assistant, valuing it at $60 billion.
Yum Brands climbed 1.9% after it said it’s selling the Pizza Hut chain for $2.7 billion. Most of the restaurants will go to LongRange Capital, a private equity firm. Those in mainland China will go to Yum China Holdings.
All told, the S&P 500 slipped 42.94 points to 7,511.35. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 328.64 to 51,999.67, and the Nasdaq composite fell 307.60 to 26,376.34.
The strongest action was in the oil market, where optimism continued that a tentative U.S.-Iran deal on their war will reopen the Strait of Hormuz at the end of the week and get the global flow of oil going again. The price for a barrel of Brent crude fell 5.1% to settle at $78.96.
Oil prices fall as stocks drift.
In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in Europe following a mixed performance in Asia.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 briefly topped 70,000 for the first time before ending with a modest gain of 0.1% after the Bank of Japan raised its benchmark interest rate to 1%. That’s its highest level in three decades, and it followed a similar move by the European Central Bank last week.
The Federal Reserve began its own meeting on what to do with interest rates Tuesday, with an announcement on the decision scheduled for Wednesday.
It’s the first meeting under the Fed’s new chair, Kevin Warsh, who was nominated by President Donald Trump. Trump has been pushing for lower interest rates, which would give the economy a boost but also threaten to worsen inflation. The widespread expectation, though, is that the Fed will leave its main interest rate alone again.
In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.43% from 4.47% late Monday and from 4.56% earlier this month.
High yields in bond markets worldwide caused by expensive oil prices have threatened to slow economies and undercut prices for all kinds of investments, including stocks and cryptocurrencies.
High yields have already sent mortgage rates higher, and a report on Tuesday said construction crews broke ground on far fewer new U.S. homes in May than economists expected.
EL PASO (AP) – Contractors running Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities can rely more heavily on artificial intelligence tools to communicate with detainees and continue refusing to pay the minimum wage for detainees’ “voluntary work,” under relaxed detention standards released Monday.
ICE said the standards, which apply to for-profit contractors and jails that hold detainees, were revised to “reduce the burden on our detention operators.” Experts said the changes would help contractors limit legal liability, reduce costs and get more operational flexibility while doing little, if anything, to improve conditions for roughly 60,000 people currently detained.
“100% it’s going to result in deterioration of already problematic conditions of detention,” said Michelle Brane, a former Department of Homeland Security ombudsman who oversaw immigration detention practices during part of the Biden administration. “It’s consistent with their general practice, which is to eliminate accountability and oversight. They are not concerned with people’s basic rights or safety of detainees.”
The revisions come as ICE detention facilities are reporting deaths in unprecedented numbers and face accusations of medical neglect, inadequate food and other inhumane conditions. They come as ICE is flush with cash, receiving more than half of the $70 billion immigration enforcement spending bill signed by President Donald Trump last week.
Dr. Sanjay Basu, an public health researcher who has studied ICE custody deaths, said the changes include “genuine improvements” to suicide prevention standards and mental health care. But he said the overall trajectory is “toward weaker standards governing a growing share of the detained population.”
ICE said the changes streamline its rules and move toward more relaxed standards used by the U.S. Marshals Service to hold pretrial federal inmates in jails. The agency said it considered input from operators “alongside operational, legal and policy requirements when making a final decision.”
Dr. Homer Venters, an expert on correctional health care, said the changes could curtail access to language assistance by eliminating mandates that required in-person and telephone interpretation and translation services.
New standard allows use of AI
The revised standard says facilities can use artificial intelligence tools such as machine-learning-based translation or generative AI for “noncritical communication” or “informal interactions with detainees.” That communication could include giving and receiving information to or from detainees during intake, having conversations with detainees in housing units and responding to a detainee’s grievance or other concerns, it says.
Venters called the changes alarming because grievances often include “very urgent or even emergent information such as when a patient has been denied lifesaving care.” He said the rule also leaves unclear whether health assessments, crucial to flagging medical and mental health conditions, could be conducted through AI.
ICE said the standards ensure contractors provide interpretation and translation services “at no cost to the detainees.”
Several experts said they were concerned by a change that bars facility operators from refusing to admit any detainee ICE sends them.
The change means facilities may not be able to immediately refer severely ill or disabled detainees whom they cannot accommodate to hospitals or other settings for care — but it could reduce their liability for subsequent deaths. A related rule change requires facilities to request that ICE transfer detainees they cannot serve elsewhere, but that might not happen for several days after they are admitted.
A favor to contractors
New language making clear that detainees who participate in voluntary work programs are not employees and therefore not entitled to wages and benefits “is a favor” to ICE’s for-profit contractors, said Dora Schriro, former director of ICE’s Office of Detention Policy and Planning during the Obama administration.
For years, advocates for detainees have argued in lawsuits that these programs, in which detainees receive a stipend of as little as $1 per work day, amount to forced labor. The lawsuits have sought millions of dollars in unpaid wages from ICE contractors like GeoGroup and CoreCivic, and now they could face tougher odds of success by strengthening their legal defenses, Schriro said.
Another change bars facilities from paying above the longtime $1-per-day minimum stipend, which was allowed under the previous standard and an argument that had been used against contractors in court, said Carmen Iguina Gonzalez, an immigration detention expert at the American Civil Liberties Union.
Claire Trickler-McNulty, a former DHS and ICE official who is an expert on detention standards, said ICE could use its increased budget to improve conditions instead of “lowering standards across the board.” She recalled that under prior administrations, she pushed ICE facilities to add soccer fields and other recreation and visitation improvements with leftover money.
“Their goal is to make it easier for the jail operators,” she said. “No longer are they trying to make sure the focus is on the detainees and their care and the experience in custody.”
TYLER– As temperatures continue to rise across East Texas this summer, local nonprofit PATH is holding its annual box fan drive throughout this month to keep East Texans cool. According to our news partner KETK, the annual “Beat the Heat Fan Drive” aims to provide hundreds of new box fans to vulnerable low-income East Texas families to combat serious threats posed by the heat during this time of year.
After donating over 1,000 fans last summer, PATH is now partnering with Meals on Wheels to focus on providing fans to households that did not receive one last summer. Donations of new box fans can be dropped off directly at the PATH location on Front Street in Tyler. Also, those interested can contribute monetarily through the PATH website.
PATH will be accepting donations until the end of June.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices are sinking again Tuesday and pulled back below $80 per barrel for the first time since early March, while the U.S. stock market drifts near its all-time high.
The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% following a rally that’s brought it back within 1% of its record set earlier this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 502 points, or 1%, as of 12:46 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% lower.
With optimism continuing that a tentative U.S.-Iran deal on their war will reopen the Strait of Hormuz at the end of the week and get the global flow of oil going again, the price for a barrel of Brent crude fell 5.4% to $78.66.
Significant hurdles remain in the negotiations, including what to do with Iran’s nuclear program. But the hope on Wall Street is that this agreement will mean a long-term fix to a conflict that has worsened inflation around the world. The price of Brent has come down sharply from its $100-plus level of a few weeks ago, though it could still take months for the energy industry to get back to full speed.
On Wall Street, stocks benefiting from the boom in artificial-intelligence technology were weighing on the market following their vicious swings over the last couple weeks. They have been leading the market up and down amid worries that their stock prices shot too high, too quickly in the mania around AI. That’s taken a toll because chip companies and other AI winners have grown so big that they’ve become some of Wall Street’s most influential stocks.
Drops of 1.7% for Nvidia and 3.5% for Micron Technology were the two heaviest weights pulling the S&P 500 lower.
Robinhood Markets fell 1.6% after the investing platform said in a regulatory filing that it’s laying off about 10% of its full-time employees, while Dave & Buster’s Entertainment sank 5% after reporting a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.
On the winning side of Wall Street was SpaceX, which rose 12.8% toward a third straight gain since its debut on the U.S. stock market. It said it’s moving forward with a purchase of Cursor, a popular AI coding assistant, valuing it at $60 billion.
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Yum Brands climbed 2.2% after it said it’s selling the Pizza Hut chain for $2.7 billion. Most of the restaurants will go to LongRange Capital, a private equity firm. Those in mainland China will go to Yum China Holdings.
In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in Europe following a mixed performance in Asia.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 briefly topped 70,000 for the first time before ending with a modest gain of 0.1% after the Bank of Japan raised its benchmark interest rate to 1%. That’s its highest level in three decades, and it followed a similar move by the European Central Bank last week.
The Federal Reserve is beginning its own meeting on what to do with interest rates Tuesday, with an announcement on the decision coming Wednesday.
It will be the first meeting under the Fed’s new chair, Kevin Warsh, who was nominated by President Donald Trump. Trump has been pushing for lower interest rates, which would give the economy a boost but also threaten to worsen inflation. The widespread expectation, though, is that the Fed will leave its main interest rate alone again.
In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.43% from 4.47% late Monday and from 4.56% earlier this month.
High yields in bond markets worldwide caused by expensive oil prices have threatened to slow economies and undercut prices for all kinds of investments, including stocks and cryptocurrencies. High yields have already sent mortgage rates higher, and a report on Tuesday said construction crews broke ground on far fewer new U.S. homes in May than economists expected.
SMITH COUNTY – All non-emergency Smith County offices will be closed for business on Friday, June 19, for Juneteenth.
TYLER – All non-essential City offices will observe the following schedule on Friday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth.
City Hall
City Hall offices will be closed Friday, June 19.
Tyler Water Utilities
The Water Business Office will be closed Friday, June 19. The kiosk at the drive-through offers 24/7 access for water utility customers with its ability to accept checks, money orders, credit/debit cards, and cash payments. Those choosing to pay with cash should be aware that no change will be given. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Nearly two weeks after the FBI carried out an “authorized court operation” at a Smith County furniture store, a fourth suspect has now been arrested in connection with the case.
According to our news partner KETK, an indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, four individuals are facing federal charges stemming from the June 2 raid at Ximena’s Furniture. The charges include:
*Conspiracy to transport illegal aliens
*Trafficking in false identification documents
*Conspiracy to commit money laundering
Three suspects, Virginia Gamez Ponce Valdivia, Keyla Stacy Valdivia Gamez and Arturo Alcantar-Perez, were taken into custody earlier this month. On Friday, authorities arrested the fourth suspect, Guillermo Limon-Sanchez, in Travis County, where he is currently being held on a federal detainer. Read the rest of this entry »
GILMER – Mrs. Baird’s partnered with the East Texas Food Bank last week to donate over 11,000 loaves of bread to families across the area this summer, according to our news partner KETK.
This month instead of just getting produce, families will also receive a Mrs. Baird’s loaf of bread. The Church at West Mountain in Gilmer hosted Mrs. Baird’s donation at one of their monthly distributions for the ETFB.
“Summertime is a perfect time for us to partner with food banks, because we know there’s a big need in our community,” Shane Sumrow with Mrs. Baird’s Bread said. “School’s out kids are not getting those school lunches and breakfast and so we know there’s a need for bread that’s going to make a lot of sandwiches for kids and families here in East Texas this summer.”
This donation is a part of Mrs. Baird’s Fighting Texas Hunger Campaign which is aiming to donate 182,000 loaves of fresh bread to families across the state.