State Headlines
Democrat James Talarico flips a US Senate seat in Texas and sends a shock through the GOP
Posted/updated on: November 4, 2026 at 4:24 amAUSTIN (AP) — Democrat James Talarico flipped a U.S. Senate seat in Texas on Tuesday, defeating Republican Ken Paxton to pull off the party's first statewide victory in more than 30 years and sending a jolt through a longtime GOP stronghold that President Donald Trump carried by double digits just two years ago. The 37-year-old state legislator, former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian will become Texas’ first Democratic senator since 1993, laying bare how voter frustration midway through Trump’s second term imperiled Republicans deep inside typically safe turf. The victory is a rejection of Trump’s pick for the seat and threatens Republicans’ control of the Senate, where Democrats needed to gain four seats to retake the majority. A large crowd erupted in cheers at ... Read More
Democrat Gina Hinojosa elected Texas’ first Latina governor, ousts Republican incumbent Greg Abbott
Posted/updated on: November 4, 2026 at 4:24 amAUSTIN (AP) — In a stunning upset, Gina Hinojosa was elected the first Democratic governor of Texas in more than 30 years on Tuesday, ousting Republican incumbent Greg Abbott and catapulting a decided underdog to national prominence leading what has long been the nation's most populous red state. She will become Texas' first Latina governor — and the first Democrat to hold the office since Ann Richards in the 1990s — following a groundbreaking victory that topples one of the nation's most prominent Republican governors and steadfast supporters of President Donald Trump, possibly accelerating the state’s shift to an emerging battleground. Her victory was part of an electrifying night for Democrats in Texas, where James Talarico won election to the U.S. Senate over Republican Ken ... Read More
Democrats deliver a stunning rout in Texas to retake power for the first time in decades
Posted/updated on: November 4, 2026 at 4:53 amAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrats finally got their wish in Texas. Shut out of power for decades, Democrats on Tuesday romped up and down the ballot in Republicans' most populous stronghold, flipping a U.S. Senate seat and retaking the governor's mansion in a history-making election that ushered in an overnight resurgence for a party that has spent much of the last 30 years fighting for scraps. The stunning victories showed how voters, frustrated over high prices and concerned about government corruption, soundly rejected President Donald Trump's party and handed Democrats a decisive foothold in a fast-changing state of nearly 32 million residents that is one of the world's 10 largest economies. The dominant showing included winning back counties along the border with Mexico — where ... Read More
Law enforcement to beef up in Dallas entertainment district after shootings and nationwide violence
Posted/updated on: November 4, 2026 at 4:24 amDALLAS (AP) — Law enforcement will beef up its presence in a Dallas entertainment district where several deadly shootings occurred over the weekend, federal authorities announced Monday as they joined elected officials nationwide in decrying gun violence in popular public places. Across the country, numerous mass shootings on Halloween weekend left at least 10 people dead and dozens more injured. In Dallas, three shootings in Deep Ellum, a neighborhood of music and restaurants, left four people dead and 15 injured over the span of an hour and 15 minutes early Sunday. “Everyone deserves the freedom to walk down the street, to celebrate a fun night out during our nation’s holidays and to simply exist in public without fear for their safety or their children’s safety,” ... Read More
What’s next in the investigation of the Learjet crash in Florida that killed 9?
Posted/updated on: November 4, 2026 at 6:40 amAUSTIN (AP) - Investigators are just beginning the lengthy process of determining why a business jet plummeted from the sky in Florida after encountering a thunderstorm and slammed into the ground with such force that it created a crater and shattered the plane. The experts at the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the crash that killed all nine people aboard the Learjet that was headed to the Bahamas, but it will likely take more than a year to determine exactly what caused this tragedy. Dramatic videos from witnesses — combined with the disturbing final radio transmissions as the pilots realize their fate — will give investigators important clues. The cockpit voice recorder would also help if investigators can find it intact. ... Read More
Five arrested after narcotics seized in Polk County burglary investigation
Posted/updated on: November 4, 2026 at 4:24 amPOLK COUNTY (KETK) – Five people were arrested last week after the Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigated the burglary of a local residence. On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives investigated a burglary and searched for several people with felony warrants. According to the sheriff’s office, detectives learned information that led them to Jason Lada’s residence. Savanna Mitcham was arrested at Lada’s home in connection with two warrants she had, one for burglary of habitation and the other for engaging in organized criminal activity. The sheriff’s office said the detectives found suspected illegal narcotics at Lada’s residence and they contacted fellow detectives from the Polk County Narcotics Division. Those detectives also investigated the scene and secured a search warrant for the rest of ... Read More
Houston County man charged with sending explicit photos to a minor over social media
Posted/updated on: November 4, 2026 at 4:24 amHOUSTON COUNTY (KETK) – A man was arrested in Houston County after sending sexually explicit images and videos to a minor through social media. According to the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, an investigation was launched into Daniel Anthony Felan after a deputy received a complaint from a minor who stated they had received sexually explicit images and videos from Felan through social media. As part of the investigation, detectives with the sheriff’s office and members of the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Internet Crimes Against Children collected digital evidence and social media records against Felan. Felan was later arrested on Oct. 25 by Homeland Security investigators and was charged with display of harmful material to a minor and possession of material appearing to depict a ... Read More
Polk County Grand Jury indicts man for murdering mother of three
Posted/updated on: November 4, 2026 at 6:39 amPOLK COUNTY – An East Texas man was indicted for murder by a Polk County Grand Jury following the death of 31-year-old Kelly Taylor Mariah Little earlier this year. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office initially arrested Cody Allen Laviolette and charged him with aggravated assault and unlawful restraint following Little’s murder, which took place on May 23 inside Laviolette’s home, according to officials. Laviolette was additionally charged with continuous sexual assault of a child and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after being taken into custody in May. After the grand jury reviewed evidence presented by detectives, they chose to indict Laviolette on murder and tampering with physical evidence for Little’s murder. Following the most recent charges, Laviolette has accumulated 16 felony offenses, with combined ... Read More
Monarch butterflies get tiny trackers to help scientists follow their mysterious migration
Posted/updated on: November 4, 2026 at 4:24 amAUSTIN (AP) - As a child, Rebeca Quiñonez-Piñón wondered where monarch butterflies stop for a meal and a night's rest on their long migrations across North America. Now she and other scientists are attaching tiny tracking devices to hundreds of butterflies to find those critical stopover locations before they disappear. Swarms of dazzling orange-and-black monarchs use environmental cues to travel some 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) from as far as southern Canada to spend the winter in forests of oyamel fir trees in central Mexico, a protected biosphere reserve that's also a World Heritage site. For decades, however, scientists have struggled to build a clear picture of the butterflies' routes, how far they fly each day and where they settle at night. Solar-powered radio tags attached ... Read More
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