State Headlines
Records shattered as summer heat hits Southwest in March; ‘This is what climate change looks like’
Posted/updated on: March 21, 2026 at 3:07 pmWASHINGTON (AP) — The dangerous heat wave shattering March records all over the U.S. Southwest is more than just another extreme weather blip. It’s the latest next-level weather wildness that is occurring ever more frequently as Earth’s warming builds. Experts said unprecedented and deadly weather extremes that sometimes strike at abnormal times and in unusual places are putting more people in danger. For example, the Southwest is used to coping with deadly heat, but not months ahead of schedule, including a 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44.4 degrees Celsius) reading in two Arizona communities on Friday that smashed the highest March temperature recorded in the U.S. Two places in Southern California also hit that same temperature. All four spots are clustered within about 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) ... Read More
Texas jails aren’t meeting deadlines to free inmates, costing some counties thousands in settlements
Posted/updated on: March 21, 2026 at 3:07 pmJessica Jackson was supposed to be released from Dallas County jail in time for the holidays last year. She was arrested in early December for misdemeanor drug possession and violating parole, but was credited time for two years she’d already served on a previous aggravated robbery sentence. With the credits, Jackson was eligible for release on Dec. 19, when a judge ruled she had no time left to serve. But, Christmas passed, then New Year’s, and despite daily calls to jail staff from her public defender, family and a friend trying to help her, she could not understand why she was still in jail. By the time the county released Jackson 49 days later on Feb. 6, she had missed a job interview that she ... Read More
Man arrested after drugs found in residence near Livingston elementary school
Posted/updated on: March 21, 2026 at 3:07 pmLIVINGSTON, Texas (KETK) — An investigation into the sale of illegal drugs near a Livingston elementary school came to an end on Wednesday with the arrest of a man following the discovery of drugs in his residence. According to the Livingston Police Department, officers were looking into the sale of illegal drugs near Pine Ridge Primary School in a “lengthy” investigation. Officers executed a search warrant at a home connected to the investigation, finding the following: Methamphetamine Crack cocaine MDMA Synthetic marijuana Illegally possessed prescription medications Items commonly used to sell and distribute drugs A firearm The suspect, Alvin Taylor II was later arrested and charged with six counts of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Taylor ... Read More
Texas accepts some Islamic schools into voucher program after lawsuits
Posted/updated on: March 21, 2026 at 3:07 pmThe Texas comptroller has accepted several Islamic private schools into the state’s voucher program after the institutions sued to gain admittance. Four Muslim parents and three Islamic private school providers that operate four campuses had sued Texas leaders for excluding the schools while accepting hundreds of other non-Islamic schools. The two federal lawsuits asked the court to block the private school voucher program from discriminating on the basis of religion. As part of the dispute, U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett has extended the voucher application deadline to March 31 and ordered the state to consider the schools’ request to join the voucher program. The next hearing is set for April 24. The first lawsuit, filed March 1 by a parent acting on behalf of two ... Read More
TSA officers are quitting as a funding standoff forces them to staff airports without pay
Posted/updated on: March 21, 2026 at 3:07 pmEviction notices. Vehicle repossessions. Empty refrigerators and overdrawn bank accounts. Union leaders and federal officials say these are just some of the financial pressures Transportation Security Administration agents are facing during an ongoing government funding lapse — the third shutdown in less than six months that has forced the officers who screen airport passengers and luggage to keep working without pay. The public is experiencing the consequences in long wait times at some airports as more TSA officers take time off to earn money on the side or cut back on expenses. At least 376 have quit their jobs altogether since the shutdown began on Valentine's Day, according to the Department of Homeland Security, exacerbating staff turnover at an agency that historically has had some ... Read More
César Chavez Day events renamed, postponed or canceled
Posted/updated on: March 21, 2026 at 3:07 pmAUSTIN (AP) - Many of the upcoming celebrations and holidays honoring the late farmworker labor leader César Chavez are being renamed, postponed or completely canceled in the wake of allegations that he sexually abused women and girls while at the helm of the United Farm Workers Union. Labor rights activist Dolores Huerta revealed this week she was among those who say they were abused by Chavez, who died more than three decades ago. The allegations have prompted swift fallout, including from the United Farm Workers, which announced it would not take part in any events named after the organization's former leader. Canceled holidays Several states recognize a day on or near Chavez's March 31 birthday as an annual holiday, including California, Colorado, Minnesota, Texas, Utah ... Read More
How to monitor airport security lines at US airports while TSA officers go without pay
Posted/updated on: March 21, 2026 at 3:07 pmDALLAS (AP) - Scenes of airport security lines spilling out of terminals may be adding a new layer of stress for travelers as the busy spring break season unfolds. Some airports have seen wait times stretch well past an hour. In recent days, passengers reported waiting up to two hours in line at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, while people were advised to get to the airports in New Orleans and Austin, Texas, as much as three hours before their flights. Many other airports reported wait times in line with normal conditions, making it difficult for travelers — especially those with upcoming trips or those accustomed to arriving at the last minute — to know what to expect. The uneven delays are being driven by a ... Read More
Livingston ISD teacher arrested after meth discovered in classroom
Posted/updated on: March 21, 2026 at 3:07 pmLIVINGSTON (KETK) — A Livingston ISD teacher was arrested on Wednesday after methamphetamine and drug-use items were found in a classroom. On March 12, administrators notified the Livingston Police Department about a suspicious substance at the junior high school after staff responded to a medical situation involving an employee. Investigators found the substance to be methamphetamine, along with items commonly linked to drug use. After interviewing witnesses, teacher Amanda Stanzel was identified as a person of interest, who had already been taken to a hospital for treatment, police said. Officers interviewed Stanzel on March 13 and were able to obtain two arrest warrants from Polk County Judge Terri Mayer. Stanzel was released from the hospital on Wednesday and was booked into the Polk County Jail ... Read More
Federal judge grants injunction allowing clergy visits at Minneapolis ICE holding facility
Posted/updated on: March 21, 2026 at 3:07 pmST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Clergy will be allowed to minister to immigrants in a holding facility at the headquarters of the Trump administration’s enforcement surge in Minnesota, a federal judge ruled Friday. U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell granted an injunction requested by Minnesota branches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Church of Christ, and a Catholic priest who had sued the Department of Homeland Security. Under his ruling, clergy will be allowed in-person pastoral visits to all detainees at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, the site of frequent protests over roughly the 3,000 federal officers who had surged into the state at the height of the crackdown. Blackwell said the plaintiffs had met their burden of proving that ... Read More
Three Democratic pastors in Iowa are running for Congress, a snapshot of a national trend
Posted/updated on: March 21, 2026 at 3:07 pmDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — In polite company or otherwise, the Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott is very comfortable talking to people about religion and politics. She delivered an impassioned sermon last Sunday encouraging the people in the pews at Grace Lutheran Church to welcome strangers as Jesus did. The day before, she campaigned for Congress in rural Iowa, decrying Medicaid cuts and their impact on people’s access to health care. The Lutheran pastor and state senator is one of three clergy members in Iowa running as Democrats for the U.S. House of Representatives. After years of white Christians overwhelmingly supporting Republican Donald Trump, a striking number of clergy are currently running for political office as Democrats. While James Talarico, a 36-year-old Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seminarian ... Read More
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