Texas

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Texas Death Row Lets Its Inmates Mingle

Program at Livingston's Polunsky Unit breaks the isolation of solitary, lets some share meals, chats

(Newser) - For the first time in decades, Texas death row inmates are experiencing a change in daily life: no handcuffs, no solitary, and—for a select group—a taste of community. After more than 25 years of near-total isolation sparked by a notorious 1998 escape, the Polunsky Unit in Livingston...

Man Lawmakers Fought to Save Is Scheduled to Die Oct. 16

Lawyers say they have 'powerful new evidence' of Texas inmate's Robbie Roberson's innocence

(Newser) - A judge on Wednesday set a new execution date for Robert Roberson, a Texas man who won a last-minute reprieve last year and could become the first person in the US to be put to death for a murder conviction tied to a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome. State district...

Man Calls Ex's Alleged Plan to Murder Him 'Pretty Ingenious'

Texas' Pamela Stanley is accused of plot to poison former husband with fentanyl-spiked chocolates

(Newser) - A Texas woman is facing charges after authorities say she tried to mail her ex-husband fentanyl-laced chocolates disguised as a gift. Pamela Jean Stanley, 63, was indicted by a Parker County grand jury last week after being arrested at the end of May, reports NBC Dallas-Fort Worth . Investigators allege...

Ken Paxton's Wife Seeks Divorce on 'Biblical Grounds'

Split follows impeachment trial and allegations of extramarital affair

(Newser) - Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton announced Thursday she is seeking a divorce from her husband, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, citing "biblical grounds." In a message posted on X , the Republican lawmaker described marriage as a "sacred covenant," the Texas Tribune reports. She said she...

Grand Canyon Hiker Dies Amid Extreme Heat

Man found unresponsive on trail in area likely to see 110 degrees on Thursday

(Newser) - A 67-year-old hiker from Texas died in the Grand Canyon on Tuesday with the Southwest baking under record-breaking heat. Park officials said the man from Alvarado was found unresponsive on the South Kaibab Trail below Cedar Ridge around 11:50am. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. His identity has...

10 Charged With Attempted Murder in ICE Center 'Ambush'

An officer was shot in the neck in Alvarado, but survived

(Newser) - Ten people are charged with attempted murder in the July 4 shooting of a police officer at an ICE detention center in Texas. The shooting occurred at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado. Ten to 12 people initially shot fireworks toward the detention center shortly after 10:30pm, according to...

Texas' Daunting Task: Finding 173 Missing People

'The primary job right now continues to be locating everybody,' says Greg Abbott

(Newser) - As Texas grapples with the aftermath of catastrophic floods, search crews in the Hill Country face the daunting task of finding more than 170 people still missing. At least 173 people remain missing, including 161 from Kerr County, the area hardest hit by the flooding, according to figures released...

Inspectors Visited Texas Camp 2 Days Before Flood

Inspectors signed off on doomed camp's disaster planning on July 2

(Newser) - Texas inspectors signed off on Camp Mystic's emergency planning just two days before catastrophic flooding killed at least 27 campers and counselors at the all-girls Christian summer camp, most of them children, the AP reports. The Department of State Health Services released records Tuesday showing the camp complied with...

Abbott: 161 Still Missing in Kerr County After Floods

'There very likely could be more added to that list'

(Newser) - The death toll from the Texas floods now stands at 111, authorities said Tuesday—and it could still more than double. At a news conference Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott said more than 160 people are missing and the number could rise, NBC News reports. "Just in the Kerr County...

Texas Doc Posts About MAGA Flood Victims, Loses Job

Dr. Christina Propst reportedly said she wished they would 'get what they voted for'

(Newser) - A Texas pediatrician has lost her job after a social media post linked to her appeared to wish harm on pro-Trump flood victims, sparking outrage. Blue Fish Pediatrics, a Houston-area clinic chain, confirmed a physician is "no longer employed" after a post attributed to her surfaced, per the...

Kerr County Requested Money for Flood Warning System. Texas Said No

Doomed county's application for grant money was rejected in 2017, 2018

(Newser) - Kerr County, where dozens of people—many of them children—died in this weekend's catastrophic flooding, knew flash floods were a danger in the area—but its application for a grant to improve its flood warning system was rejected by the Texas Division of Emergency Management in both 2017...

Leavitt: Blaming Trump for Floods a 'Depraved Lie'

Meanwhile, death toll in Texas hits 104, with more still missing

(Newser) - In the wake of the devastating flash floods in Texas, questions have been raised regarding the apparent lack of warnings from local officials . Some have wondered whether Trump administration cuts to the National Weather Service played a role, though meteorologists pushed back hard against that idea, saying NWS warnings were...

Chiefs Owner's 9-Year-Old Relative Died in Texas Floods

Family mourns death of 'a precious little Hunt cousin' and the daughters of several friends

(Newser) - One of the young campers who died in the Texas floods was 9-year-old Janie Hunt, a relative of Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt. Her grandmother, Margaret Hunt, tells the New York Times that Janie was at Camp Mystic with six cousins, who all got out safely. The camp said...

Shooter Opens Fire on Texas Border Patrol Facility, Is Killed

Man is identified as 27-year-old Ryan Louis Mosqueda

(Newser) - A 27-year-old man has been killed after opening fire at a US Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas, reports the AP . The shooter, clad in tactical gear and carrying a rifle, opened fire at agents as they arrived at the annex facility in the Rio Grande Valley, reports Fox News...

Jenna Bush Hager Remembers Camp Mystic

'So many of my friends were raised' there, she says of Texas site devastated by flash flood

(Newser) - Jenna Bush Hager has a special connection to Camp Mystic, the 100-year-old Texas summer camp devastated by catastrophic flooding, and not just because her mother, former first lady Laura Bush, was once a drama counselor there . As an emotional Bush Hager said Monday on the Today show, "so many...

Measles Cases Hit 33-Year High
Measles Cases Hit
an Unhappy High
Jul 7, 2025 9:24 AM CDT

Measles Cases Hit an Unhappy High

1,277 cases is highest in 33 years

(Newser) - The US has recorded its highest number of measles cases in 33 years, with at least 1,277 confirmed cases across 38 states and the District of Columbia, according to data from Johns Hopkins University's Center for Outbreak Response Innovation . This surpasses the previous recent high set in...

Texas Camp Staffer: 'We Had No Warning' From Officials

At Mo-Ranch Assembly, staffers say they had to keep tabs on the weather themselves

(Newser) - Over a dozen people died at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, and 10 campers plus a counselor are still missing after devastating flash floods tore through the area. But at Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly, another camp in Hunt, staff managed to get everyone to safety before disaster struck, the AP reports....

One Figure Shows How Bad Measles Cases Are

US case count has outpaced record set in 2019

(Newser) - Measles cases in the United States have soared to levels unseen since the disease was declared eliminated 25 years ago. CNN reports the US has logged at least 1,277 confirmed measles cases so far in 2025, surpassing the previous post-elimination record of 1,274 set in 2019—and...

Among the Texas Victims: a Longtime Camp Director

Heart O' the Hills was not in session, but Jane Ragsdale was on the property

(Newser) - Heart O' the Hills Camp for Girls was not in session when the devastating flash floods hit Texas Hill Country early Friday—but longtime director and co-owner Jane Ragsdale was on the property and died in the flooding, the Houston Chronicle reports. The camp said in a statement : "...

His Vanishing Is Merely a 'Game of Clue' to the Masses

Texas Monthly looks into the disappearance of Jason Landry and the rise of true-crime sleuths

(Newser) - It's been nearly five years since 21-year-old Jason Landry vanished on a dark rural road in Luling, Texas. His car turned up—he'd apparently crashed the Nissan into a tree—and, inexplicably, his clothes were found scattered in neat piles in the middle of the road. But as...

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