Texas

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Texas Denies Parole to Selena's Killer

Yolanda Saldívar was convicted in 1995 of first-degree murder in the singer's death

(Newser) - The woman convicted of killing Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla-Perez has been denied parole after spending decades behind bars for fatally shooting the young singer at a Texas motel in 1995, the state's parole board announced Thursday. Yolanda Saldívar is serving a life sentence at the Patrick L....

Cops: Turning Off Girls' WiFi Almost Proved Fatal for Mom

The knife-wielding teens chased their mother out into the street Sunday in Houston, sheriff says

(Newser) - Three teenage sisters concocted a plan to stab their mother to death because she turned off the WiFi, according to authorities in Texas. The three girls in Houston—ages 14, 15, and 16—grabbed kitchen knives and chased their mother through the family home and out into the street on...

Judge: Lack of AC in Texas Prisons Is 'Unconstitutional'

But he declines to issue immediate order

(Newser) - A federal judge on Wednesday found the extreme heat in Texas prisons is "plainly unconstitutional," but declined to order the state to immediately start installing air conditioning, which could cost billions. The ruling affirmed claims brought by advocates of people incarcerated in Texas, where summer heat routinely soars...

Selena's Killer Poised for First Parole Review

Yolanda Saldívar has served 30 years of a life sentence

(Newser) - As the 30th anniversary of Tejano music icon Selena Quintanilla-Pérez's untimely death approaches, so too does the possibility of parole for the woman convicted of her murder. Yolanda Saldívar, now 64, will on Sunday be up for parole for the first time since her conviction for fatally...

DC Measles Patient Took Train While Contagious

Meanwhile, kids in Texas are showing signs of liver damage from too much Vitamin A

(Newser) - A person with highly-contagious measles took an Amtrak train to Washington, DC, last week, health officials said Tuesday, warning others may have been exposed on the train, at Union Station, or at an urgent care center. This is the third measles case reported in the DC area in recent weeks,...

Best States to Go Off-Grid
Best States to Go Off-Grid

Best States to Go Off-Grid

Iowa is especially ready for those seeking a self-sufficient lifestyle, per Home Gnome rankings

(Newser) - If you're ready for a more self-sufficient lifestyle that allows you to independently live off the land, Home Gnome has your back. The home-service site looked at all 50 US states to see which ones were the most suitable for off-the-grid living, making its assessment based on more than...

House GOP Moving to Impeach Judge Who Halted Trump Order

Republicans introduce impeachment article against James Boasberg, who tried to stop deportations

(Newser) - On Tuesday, President Trump called for the impeachment of James Boasberg, the chief judge at DC's District Court who recently ruled against the Trump administration's deportation orders— drawing a rare rebuke from Supreme Court Justice John Roberts. House Republicans are now moving toward impeachment anyway, with Trump supporters...

2 Convicted in Horrific Migrant 'Death Trailer' Case

53 migrants asphyxiated in Texas in 2022

(Newser) - Two smugglers charged after 53 immigrants died in the back of a sweltering tractor-trailer with no air conditioning were found guilty Tuesday after a two-week trial, the AP reports. Jurors in federal court in San Antonio took only about an hour to convict Felipe Orduna-Torres and Armando Gonzales-Ortega, finding that...

Texas Measles Outbreak Is Still Growing

Number of cases is almost as high as US total for last year

(Newser) - The measles outbreak in west Texas and New Mexico is continuing to grow, with the number of cases in Texas alone approaching the number of confirmed measles cases in the entire country last year. Texas officials said Tuesday that another 20 cases had been confirmed, bringing the total to 279,...

Texas Midwife Arrested, Charged With Performing Abortions

An alleged associate was also arrested and faces the same charges

(Newser) - In what appears to be the first arrest of an alleged Texas abortion provider since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, a midwife in the state has been criminally charged with illegally providing abortions. Maria Margarita Rojas was arrested alongside an associate accused of working with her,...

Megachurch Founder Indicted on Child Sex Crimes Charges
Megachurch Founder
Turns Himself in
UPDATED

Megachurch Founder Turns Himself in

Ex-Gateway pastor Robert Morris faces child sex abuse charges

(Newser) - Texas megachurch founder Robert Preston Morris surrendered to authorities in Osage County, Oklahoma on child sex abuse charges Monday. Court records show that the 63-year-old, who has been charged with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, was ordered to surrender his passport, the AP reports. A...

It's Texas' 'Most Sweeping Abortion Bill' in Years

Senate Bill 2880 targets distributors of abortion pills, companies that process payments

(Newser) - There's been some uncertainty about how Republican states with abortion bans will try to project their power outside of state lines, reports AFP . But for Texas, the path is becoming clear. Amid the state's court challenge of New York's shield law , Texas Republicans have launched what experts...

Cops: Embalmer Mutilated Sex Offender's Corpse

'No matter what one thinks of his life, the law requires that he be treated with dignity in death'

(Newser) - A funeral home worker in Houston has been charged with mutilating the corpse of a registered sex offender. Amber Paige Laudermilk, 34, allegedly used a scalpel to cut off the penis of 58-year-old Charles Roy Rodriguez when she was working as an embalmer at the Memorial Mortuary & Crematory last...

Dad Sentenced After Girl Fatally Forced to Jump on Trampoline

Girl's mother was previously sentenced to life behind bars

(Newser) - The Texas man who forced his 8-year-old daughter to jump on a trampoline in 110-degree heat has been sentenced to 18 years behind bars, prosecutors announced. Daniel Schwarz, 48, pleaded guilty to manslaughter after the death of the girl, whom he and his wife had adopted, USA Today reports. The...

Texas Plans to Rename New York Strip Steak
Texas Plans to Rename
New York Strip Steak
in case you missed it

Texas Plans to Rename New York Strip Steak

'Liberal New York shouldn't get the credit for our hard-working ranchers'

(Newser) - The lieutenant governor of Texas has a beef with the name of one of the country's most popular steak cuts. In a post on X , Lt. Gov Dan Patrick called for renaming the New York strip steak the Texas strip, arguing: "Liberal New York shouldn't get the...

Another Death Reported in Measles Outbreak

Unvaccinated adult tested positive for measles after death

(Newser) - An unvaccinated New Mexico adult tested positive for measles after their death, state officials announced Thursday. However, the cause of death is still under investigation and the death has not yet been formally linked to the ongoing measles outbreak in the area, the Guardian reports. The person, who did not...

Rep. Sylvester Turner Dies 2 Months Into His Term

Texas Democrat had replaced Sheila Jackson-Lee

(Newser) - Hours after attending President Trump's speech to Congress, Texas Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner died at the age of 70, reports NBC News . The former Houston mayor was two months into his first term serving Texas' 18th District , a seat previously held by Sheila Jackson-Lee, who died in July. Turner...

He Heard Barking Under His Floor. Then, an 'Amazing' Find

Apparent stray was rescued from beneath Texas home, then found a family

(Newser) - After hearing a dog's distant barks and whimpering for several days, a renter of a duplex in Longview, Texas, placed a call to animal control that ended up saving the animal's life. The unidentified renter had started to sense the sounds weren't coming from a neighbor's...

Men Gun Down Rapper, His 5-Year-Old Daughter

Daughter of G$ Lil Ronnie had celebrated her birthday only the day before, says a relative

(Newser) - Texas rapper G$ Lil Ronnie and his young daughter were shot dead in a targeted shooting at a car wash in Texas on Monday. A witness in the Forth Worth suburb of Forest Hill reported hearing 20 to 30 gunshots just before 11am local time, per USA Today . Police said...

Powerful Storms Threaten Mardi Gras

New Orleans warns celebrations could be canceled at the last minute

(Newser) - Powerful storms with a threat of tornadoes are expected to punch through Louisiana and other parts of the South on Tuesday just as costumed revelers celebrate Mardi Gras in the streets of New Orleans and other cities in the region. New Orleans moved up its two biggest Mardi Gras Day...

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