As he stepped to the free-throw line for the Philadelphia 76ers early in Tuesday night's season opener, Knicks fans erupted toward James with chants of “We don’t want you! We don’t want you!”

Such a rude reception from New Yorkers to one of the city’s newest residents.

The shouts of rejection came in part because there was a plausible scenario under which James would have opened the season at Madison Square Garden in a Knicks uniform.

James and his agent, Rich Paul, had said the Knicks would have been James’ first choice in free agency had New York not won its first NBA championship since 1973 last season.

Knicks fans said, we’re good.

The 41-year-old James got the final word as the Sixers won 106-100.

James talked smack with fans in the lower level. Yes, that was Spike Lee trying to play peacemaker.

James finished with 14 points and nine rebounds and had plenty of help in getting the W from new Sixers and holdovers. Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points, Jaylen Brown had 19, Joel Embiid had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and the Sixers ruined the Knicks’ championship party.

A good night in New York totally spoiled? Not quite, according to James.

“I wouldn't say that,” James said. “It was a great night for New York fans. Fifty-plus years. I was a part of that at one point where we hadn't won a major championship in Cleveland in over 50 years. The fans will never forget this moment.”

James' first basket for the Sixers was not nearly as memorable. He took a feed from Embiid in the paint and went up strong for an uncontested right-handed layup.

Just two points. Just one bucket of what the Sixers expect to be many, many more over the next two seasons as the NBA's career scoring leader opened his record 24th season.

Embiid appeared to wonder during the national anthem where the Knicks' championship banner was hanging in the rafters as James sat nearby on the bench with his head bowed and hands clasped.

The banner was indeed raised in a pregame ceremony.

It's the same kind of celebration the 76ers expect James, Embiid and the rest of a stout starting lineup to deliver on opening night next season.

It's the thrill of the chase, to end a championship drought — much like he did to break that drought in Cleveland — that in part drives James to keep playing after racking up a list of accomplishments unrivaled by his peers.

Sixers hope new starting five can jell and make title run

The Sixers got a first look at the potent lineup they put together this summer in hopes of winning their first title since 1983. James and a fellow All-Star in Brown started alongside holdovers Embiid, Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.

There are some questions about how that All-Star starting four plus Edgecombe will coexist when all have been the primary ballhandlers on their respective teams in the past. Who gets the ball in crunch time? Who has to sacrifice the most? Who has the most to gain?

Watching the answers unfold in real time will be fascinating for the Sixers and their fans.

The chemistry looked strong throughout the night. James hit Brown cutting to the basket to earn the assist on the former Celtics star's first points with the Sixers. The Sixers closed the third quarter with an 11-0 run, capped by Brown’s second straight 3-pointer that came at the buzzer and gave Philadelphia an 83-76 lead.

“We did that on the fly,” James said.

The offseason all the way through the countdown to the Sixers' home opener Thursday against Cleveland has been a swirl of excitement in Philadelphia. James jerseys are flying off the racks. Murals of him have popped up all over the city. He drew more than 10,000 fans to a public scrimmage and preseason games were sold out. There's a fascination with his helicopter rides from the Sixers' facility in New Jersey to New York.

Even his younger teammates admitted to being a bit awestruck when they first met James.

The Sixers entered the Garden almost unrecognizable from when they played there in early May in a second-round playoff series. They lost twice in New York and the Knicks finished the sweep in Philadelphia.

The Sixers loaded up with talent and pushed the payroll so they could challenge the Knicks.

“It's certainly been fun these first few weeks,” coach Nick Nurse said. “These guys have been really great.”

There's not much left for James to accomplish, except win that fifth ring.

Philadelphia is waiting.

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See AP’s full NBA coverage here

Protesters blocked the loading and unloading of fresh food and other goods at supermarket distribution warehouses near Naples on Monday, Sky TG24 reported. The truckers are adding their voices to demonstrations that have spread across Europe as the war disrupts economies.

One supermarket in the city posted a note on empty shelves apologizing that “some products may be temporarily unavailable or available in a reduced range" due to the truckers' strike.

Shortages of fresh pasta, packaged cheeses and meats as well as produce have been reported in Sicily, partly due to stockpiling by shoppers. Partially empty supermarket shelves were also reported in the southern regions of Calabria and Puglia.

Transport Minister Matteo Salvini met Tuesday with national trucking associations to help the truckers cope, promising tax credits to offset soaring diesel prices and funds to modernize trucking fees.

Diesel prices are roughly a third higher than before the Iran war, despite government-backed efforts to curb pump prices. A temporary diesel tax discount expired earlier this month.

The president of the Unatras group of trucking associations, Paolo Uggè, said Salvini promised that payments would begin Wednesday and pledged legislation to address operating costs, the news agency LaPresse reported. Another meeting was set for next week.

And just like that night four months ago, it felt as if fans would never stop cheering.

The Knicks celebrated their championship Tuesday with a banner night — two of them — before losing 106-100 to the Philadelphia 76ers in their season opener.

Wearing white uniforms with gold trim for the occasion — with gold sneakers as well for NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson — the Knicks received their championship rings from Hall of Famer Walt Frazier and then watched as the blue banner reading “2025-26 World Champions” rose to the rafters.

“Really special. Happy we got it out of the way and we can move on for now, but it was a really cool thing,” Brunson said after the game.

Outside of their preseason exhibition games, it was the first time the Knicks played at home since Game 4 of the NBA Finals, when Anunoby's tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining capped off a record-setting comeback from a 29-point deficit. The highlight of the play during a montage that was shown on the overhead videoboard set off some of the loudest roars of the night.

Brunson began his remarks to fans Tuesday by referencing that game, thanking them for not leaving the arena early.

The Knicks finished off the San Antonio Spurs in the next game, setting off “Knicks in 5! Knicks in 5!” chants around New York that resumed Tuesday night.

Brunson told fans that the Knicks were seeking to turn the page after the team's first championship since 1973.

“But one thing I would like to say,” he added. “The joy that this city had this summer, we would love to replicate that again.”

Brunson had talked about trying to move on from last season since the Knicks arrived at training camp, but acknowledged Tuesday night the difficulty in doing that until after they'd had one last celebration.

“You have everyone praising guys, praising us about what we’ve done a couple months ago,” he said. “And it’s just human nature and it’s difficult, but just to hold each other accountable we've been trying to do that, just to make sure that we’re on the same page and trying to get better.

“Obviously we’re very thankful for what we did, but there’s still a lot left for us to prove.”

Before raising the title banner, the NBA champions hung one at Madison Square Garden to celebrate the NBA Cup title they won last season.

The Knicks broke with tradition last December when they became the first team to win the in-season tournament and then not commemorate it with a banner. They said at the time they were looking ahead to bigger things.

They ended up getting the biggest thing possible in the rematch with the Spurs. The Knicks also defeated San Antonio in the NBA Cup final.

The NBA Cup banner went up sometime after the Sixers held their morning shootaround at the arena. Coach Mike Brown said before the game it was a recognition of the Knicks' journey last season.

“There were a lot of, obviously, ups and downs throughout the course of the year, and our guys rallied and figured out a way to win the NBA Cup,” Brown said, “and then you go ahead and win the regular season final, or excuse me, the end of season final, and it’s just a recognition to not just to our guys, but to the fans out there.”

The two banners were the first hung at Madison Square Garden by the Knicks since they won the Atlantic Division title in 2012-13.

But things move quickly in New York. After struggling through their opener, the Knicks know there's work ahead to stay at the top.

“Like, we shouldn’t sit there and think that we’re champions, because we're not,” forward Josh Hart said. “Right now we’re 0-1. We're the worst team in the NBA, as of right now.”

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See AP’s full NBA coverage here

The Austin based University Interscholastic League (UIL) has approved girls flag football as an official pilot program for the 2028-2029 school year. Led by Chief Community Officer and Vice President of the Houston Texans Foundation Hannah McNair, the Texans have championed the sport since the inception of its Girls Flag Football Program in 2023.

“While an official pilot program is a step forward in our mission to sanction girls flag football, I’m disappointed that official sanctioning will be delayed another three years,” McNair said. “I appreciate the continued progress made in expanding opportunities for deserving female student-athletes and the recognition of this sport’s positive impact on and off the field. At the Texans, we will continue to provide access to flag football for thousands of girls across our state as we look forward to the day we Make Texas Next.”

Over the last several years, McNair, who also serves as Co-Chair of the NFL’s Flag Football Committee, has led a statewide effort with Charlotte Jones and the Dallas Cowboys to advocate, engage and collaborate with leaders across Texas to sanction the sport.

Since 2023, the Texans’ Girls Flag Program has grown more than 1,525 percent, further cementing girls’ interest in the fastest growing sport in the U.S. By 2027, more than 270 Texas schools and nearly 6,000 female student-athletes are committed to participate in girls flag programs, representing more than 18% of Texas high schools.

To learn more about the Texans’ Girls Flag Program, visit www.houstontexans.com/girlsflag.

The fire happened in the 5400 block of Braesvalley Drive.

Flames can be seen in photos taken by KPRC 2 reporter Sandy Torres.

Deputy Chief of HFD Station 37 Patrick Davis says firefighters were called at approximately 6:24 p.m. and arrived to smoke and fire coming from one of the buildings. The fire would ultimately spread to three different buildings before it was brought under control at 7:33 p.m.

Approximately 100 firefighters responded to the scene. No apartment residents were injured, but a firefighter was transported to Memorial Herman Hospital after receiving a minor injury.

Davis says the affected units were all vacant and had no power. Eight to 10 units have fire damage while another 8-10 have smoke and water damage.

Arson investigators are currently looking to determine the cause of the fire.

The decision exacerbates a deeply personal element in one of the country's most closely watched and expensive campaigns for state office. Questions about the video will likely shadow Ramaswamy, a biotech billionaire who previously ran for president but has never before held public office, in the final two weeks of the contest. Democrats said he was growing desperate at a moment when more than 676,000 people have already cast ballots in Ohio.

The advertisement features Acton's birth mother, Donna Arthur, calling her “a liar” and insinuating she has mental health issues. Acton, Ohio's former public health director, has made no secret of facing homelessness and abuse as a child. Arthur lost custody of her children after their stepfather was indicted for raping Acton.

The video's origins were initially murky when it started circulating online. It first surfaced in a post by an Ohio political blogger, then spread across social media. It did not include the “paid for” tag that is legally required to air on television so viewers can know who produced and paid for it. D.J. Brynes, who blogs as “The Rooster,” told CNN he got the video from a voter who viewed it as part of a poll and recorded it.

Connie Luck, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy's campaign, said Acton's mother was not paid for the one-minute video, which she said will stream online and air on television.

Acton spent Tuesday condemning Ramaswamy for the ad even before his campaign confirmed its provenance.

“I won’t normalize somebody who has said that my childhood is just something I’m complaining about, who today just released an ad using my birth mother, who I was removed from at the age of 12 for severe abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse," she told Spectrum News, a cable news outlet in Ohio.

She said Ramaswamy made similar personal attacks during his run for the Republican presidential nomination two years ago, calling it “a lifelong pattern.”

Ramaswamy’s campaign initially issued a statement that did not address whether he was responsible for the ad or knew who produced it. In the earlier statement, Luck said Acton “has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of.”

Democrats and Republicans condemn the ad

Casey Putsch, a car designer and YouTube provocateur who competed against Ramaswamy for the Republican nomination for governor, said on social media that he would be voting for Acton in the wake of the ad's release. He called the video “pretty damn low.”

Acton's campaign released a statement from her brother, Philip Stearns, who said the two were removed from their mother Donna Arthur's custody as children after their stepfather, Arthur's husband, was indicted for raping Acton as a child. Acton has not seen Arthur, whose last known address was in Pennsylvania, since they were in a courtroom together in 1978.

Later Tuesday, the Acton campaign released a video featuring Stearns, who recalls his older sister taking “the worst” of the abuse they faced as children in order to protect him and disparages Ramaswamy and his allies for exploiting the situation.

According to police and court documents obtained by The Associated Press, Cledith Arthur was arrested and charged with the rape of his stepdaughter, then 12, in July 1978, after Acton's biological father reported him to authorities. The abuse allegedly happened from December 1976 to April 1978.

Cledith Arthur pleaded not guilty. He was indicted by a grand jury that September, but failed to show at a court hearing and remained a fugitive until at least 1981. He has since died.

High-profile Republicans who back Ramaswamy — including Donald Trump Jr. and influencer Laura Loomer — elevated the video in online posts.

But others joined Democrats in condemning the ad. Meghan McCain called it “dastardly” and Dan Hauser, a strategist for Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, said he deleted his post sharing the video once he realized “the very serious accusations that caused their issues.”

The Democrat running for U.S. Senate in Ohio, Sherrod Brown, described the spot as “disgusting” and said everyone — including his opponent, Sen. Jon Husted — should be willing to condemn it. Husted's campaign didn't respond to a request for comment.

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Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.

About 91 prospective jurors were brought into the ceremonial courtroom in the Harris County Civil Courthouse Tuesday morning for the voir dire process, which lasted all day.

The child custody trial is beginning although no resolution has been reached in Gilley’s criminal case. He’s accused of strangling his pregnant wife, Bauer, inside the family’s home in the Heights in Oct. 2024.

Earlier this year, Gilley cut off his ankle monitor and fled to Italy weeks before the capital murder trial was scheduled to begin. An Italian court ruled this week he could be extradited to the U.S., but only on a lesser charge of murder, in which he would face a lesser punishment than death or life without parole.

• RELATED: Italian court partially grants extradition for Harris County capital murder defendant Lee Gilley

In the family case, the jury will have to decide whether the soon-to-be 4-year-old and 6-year-old surviving children will live with their maternal grandparents or their paternal uncle and aunt, the brother and sister-in-law of Gilley.

Judge Angela Lancelin has made it clear the murder case will not be tried in her courtroom, as attorneys now do a delicate dance with words surrounding the criminal allegations.

Line of questioning from Lee Gilley’s attorney

Although Lee Gilley is not seeking custody of the children, his civil attorney Matt Mahoney is still representing him in the case and asked questions of the prospective jurors.

Mahoney focused on prospective jurors’ prior knowledge of the highly publicized murder case and their ability to set aside media coverage, online information, and personal opinions when evaluating the evidence.

Most prospective jurors said they didn’t recognize the name Lee Gilley, but about a quarter of the potential jurors raised their cards when asked if they knew about a guy who cut off his ankle monitor and went to Italy. A few of the potential jurors admitted to Googling Gilley’s name during the lunch break, just a day after an Italian court’s extradition ruling made headlines.

• Only On 2: Lee Gilley left the US on a private jet while fleeing capital murder trial in Harris County

Mahoney questioned jurors about potential biases stemming from allegations against the children’s father, whether sympathy for the maternal grandparents could influence their decision-making, and whether they had preconceived views about who should receive custody.

Throughout the questioning, he emphasized that the case was ultimately about deciding what outcome would be in the best interests of the two children rather than judging the conduct of absent parents or other family members.

Line of questioning from Matthew and Cristin Gilley’s attorney

Attorney Dennis Slate, representing the brother and sister-in-law of Lee Gilley seeking custody, sought to identify jurors who may have entered the case with a preference for the maternal grandparents or who might be influenced by sympathy over the loss of the children’s mother. His questioning focused on whether jurors could evaluate both families solely on their ability to provide for the children’s long-term needs and best interests.

Slate questioned whether jurors could could separate Matthew and Cristin Gilley from allegations and publicity involving Lee Gilley. He probed whether prospective jurors would hold negative views of the North Carolina couple because of their relationship to Lee Gilley or concerns arising from events outside the custody case.

Line of questioning from Christa Bauer’s parents’ attorney

Attorney Angela Stout, representing the maternal grandparents Chris and Sharon Bauer, questioned prospective jurors on their beliefs about family caregiving, the role of grandparents and extended family in raising children, parental fitness, domestic violence, grief and family support systems, child protection, loyalty to family members accused of wrongdoing, and the standards jurors would use when deciding what arrangement is in the best interests of young children.

Stout asked about jurors’ views and experiences involving family caregiving, domestic violence, grief and custody disputes—and how those might affect their assessment of the children’s best interests.

Stout also explored jurors’ personal experiences with crime, custody disputes, loss, and domestic violence to determine whether those experiences might influence their evaluation of the evidence.

Line of questioning from amicus attorney

An amicus attorney, Amy Carlin, has been appointed in the case to represent the best interest of the children.

Slate asked whether jurors might view Carlin as more neutral because she was court-appointed. Carlin briefly discussed stability and explained that she advocates for the children’s best interests, not either side.

Jury seated

The parties agreed to strike only seven prospective jurors before battling it out over dozens more over perceived biases attorneys interpreted during questioning.

Many jurors got dismissed after getting another round of questions about their previously shared biases toward Bauer’s parents and feeling that they should automatically be able to care for the children after suffering the loss of their daughter.

Some grew frustrated with the additional questioning from attorneys as the process dragged past 6:30 p.m.

Jurors started being selected around 7:30 p.m. after the sun had set.

Ultimately, eight men and six women were picked. The jury is made up of 12 people and two alternates.

Judge Lancelin reminded the jurors not to discuss the case or look the case up online.

Opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m.

U.S. and Guatemalan prosecutors called Rigoberto Ramon Miranda Orozco's sentencing another step toward justice in one of the deadliest smuggling attempts along the U.S.-Mexico border. Miranda Orozco, 50, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after admitting to arranging travel and accommodations for two people who died and another who was seriously injured.

Nearly 20 people in the U.S. and Guatemala have been convicted since the discovery of the abandoned trailer full of bodies horrified communities accustomed to seeing their young people leave, trying to flee poverty or violence in Central America and Mexico.

“It was clear that they suffered tremendously in their last few hours on this earth,” U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons told reporters at a news conference following the sentencing.

People tried to ‘claw their way out’ of a trailer with no air conditioning

The trailer’s air conditioning malfunctioned and would not blow cool air to the people trapped inside during the sweltering, three-hour ride in June 2022 from the border city of Laredo to San Antonio, authorities said. Prosecutors have said migrants paid up to $15,000 each to be taken across the U.S. border.

When the abandoned trailer was opened on a remote San Antonio back road, 48 migrants were dead. Another 16 were taken to hospitals, where five more died.

Simmons said investigators found clothing passengers had shed to cool off and claw marks on the trailer’s walls.

“They were literally trying to claw their way out,” he said.

Twenty-one of those who died were from Guatemala, Simmons said.

Miranda Orozco’s attorney, Alfonso Cabanas Jr., called the sentence “very tough.” He said his client was in Guatemala at the time and had no control over the type of transportation the migrants would take to San Antonio nor did he know the air conditioning was malfunctioning.

Cabanas said he doesn’t think harsh punishments will “make a dent” in such operations.

“What we do need is comprehensive immigration reform,” Cabanas said.

Other defendants still await sentencing

U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia sentenced Miranda Orozco, who was arrested in Guatemala in 2024 and extradited to the U.S. the following year.

He pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to bring a migrant into the U.S. resulting in death, aiding and abetting bringing a migrant into the U.S. resulting in death, as well as aiding and abetting bringing a migrant into the U.S. resulting in serious bodily injury, prosecutors said.

Simmons said prosecutors in Guatemala were integral in securing convictions for Miranda Orozco and others. Simmons was joined by Guatemalan Attorney General Gabriel García Luna, who reflected on the suffering the migrants inside the tractor-trailer endured.

“They paid for a promise, and those who cashed in on that promise abandoned them to their fate,” García Luna said.

Last year, Felipe Orduna-Torres, described by prosecutors as the leader of the smuggling operations inside the U.S., was sentenced to life in prison in the U.S. Armando Gonzales-Ortega, his top assistant, was sentenced to 83 years.

Sentencing dates have been set for more people, including the truck’s driver.

The tragedy is the deadliest among those that have claimed thousands of lives in recent decades as people attempt to cross the U.S. border from Mexico. Ten migrants died in 2017 after they were trapped inside a truck parked at a Walmart in San Antonio.

In 2003, the bodies of 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of San Antonio.

___ This story has been updated to correct the name and age of the man sentenced Tuesday. He is Rigoberto Ramon Miranda Orozco, not Rigoberto Román Miranda-Orozco. And he is 50, not 39.

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Associated Press writer Laura Turbay contributed to this story.

Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points and Brown had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his first game since being acquired from Boston. James began his NBA-record 24th season by finishing with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

The 76ers got three 3-pointers from Anfernee Simons and two from fellow newcomer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, as the reserves took advantage of the open looks they got when the Knicks were caught focusing too much on the bigger names.

Jalen Brunson scored 21 points but the NBA Finals MVP shot just 6 for 19 from the field.

Brunson told fans inside Madison Square Garden in a pregame ceremony when the Knicks raised their NBA championship banner and received their rings that: “The joy that this city had this summer, we would love to replicate that again.”

Maybe they can, but they will have to play a lot better than they did Tuesday in shooting 37% overall and 33.3% on 3s. Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and 12 rebounds.

The Knicks dominated the 76ers in a second-round sweep, early on during their streak of 13 straight victories as part of a 16-3 finish with the highest point differential in NBA postseason history.

Philadelphia then went out and traded for Brown and signed James after the NBA’s career scoring leader decided to leave the Los Angeles Lakers, setting the 76ers up with the potential to be one of the best teams in the league.

They certainly didn’t have a smooth start but played better as the game went on. The Sixers closed the third quarter with an 11-0 run, capped by Brown’s second straight 3-pointer that came at the buzzer and gave Philadelphia an 83-76 lead.

Maxey’s three-point play early in the fourth made it 87-78. The Knicks cut it to 96-95 when Towns made a 3-pointer, but Joel Embiid answered with one and the Sixers stayed ahead.

Embiid finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

Brunson, wearing gold sneakers for the occasion, couldn’t help the Knicks recover by hitting the type of big shots he did when they repeatedly came back to beat San Antonio in five games for their first championship since 1973.

The festive pregame party gave way to a first half filled with long stretches of fouls and missed shots, not leaving much reason for the cheers to continue. The Knicks went ahead by 10 with one good flurry but it was down to 58-54 at halftime.

Up next

76ers: Host Cleveland on Thursday night.

Knicks: Visit Boston on Friday night.

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See AP’s full NBA coverage here

“I think the remedial orders gave important direction,” said Audrey O’Neill, commissioner of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, referring to the 2018 injunction that spelled out the areas where DFPS and its sister agency, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission which regulates foster care facilities, should drastically overhaul. ”I believe these reforms are substantial and permanent.”

Both she and HHSC Commissioner Stephanie Muth spent hours testifying before U.S. District Judge Randy Crane, who held a hearing on the state’s request that it should be released from the seven years of federal monitoring for “substantial” compliance with the injunction.

Of that $320 million spent since 2019, a total of $66 million has been spent by the two agencies on federal court monitors who oversee everything from the number of children going into foster care each day to how quickly child abuse investigators reach a child victim of abuse and complete an interview with them. The other $254 million appeared to include enhancements to worker training, recruitment, retention, staffing increases, including a separate team of 60 state employees charged with compiling all the data sent to the federal monitors.

But attorneys for about 6,800 Texas children in long-term foster care, who filed the original 2011 lawsuit that resulted in the court monitoring, tried to prove with the state’s own star witnesses that the system is far from stable.

When asked by lead plaintiff lawyer Paul Yetter if moving the legacy state foster care to private contractors, an effort that began when Texas lawmakers approved sweeping reforms in 2017, was “rocky,” O’Neill responded: “There have been challenges.” To date, about 61% of Texas foster care children are in the care of private companies.

Specifically, Yetter had O’Neill recount how in July she terminated the agency’s largest private foster care contractor, EMPOWER, after it failed to improve managing the foster care cases of children in its care in Dallas and seven other counties. The agency first noticed EMPOWER was having persistent problems with retention of former state staff caseworkers in 2024. The caseworkers had been told by the state they would have to hire on with EMPOWER because their job was being eliminated or leave the agency. But many of those quickly quit the new contractor, forcing DFPS to shore up EMPOWER’s staffing with “master caseworkers” sent to help out.

But within months after those master caseworkers went back to their own jobs in late 2025, EMPOWER’s staffing problems persisted. After the second of two EMPOWER-managed children died in its care in March, DFPS moved to take over its operation through a court receivership. When EMPOWER failed to improve sufficiently by July, O’Neill fired EMPOWER.

Still the state legal team, led by private attorney Allyson Ho, argued: “It’s time for the Texas foster care system to be returned to Texas.”

Ho’s team has been moving aggressively to bring the ongoing and costly litigation to a close. She has helped the state overturn previous contempt sanctions against the state for its failure to investigate abuse and neglect at foster care facilities. She also successfully convinced a panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to remove U.S. District Janis Jack from overseeing the case for what the panel termed “antagonistic demeanor” toward state officials. Crane was appointed to take over the case.

She and her team questioned Muth and O’Neill on the witness stand about the work their agencies have done since federal monitors have been reviewing the foster care system’s progress.

Muth pointed to how the state’s new $35 million Terrell Center for Youth, a psychiatric hospital for traumatized foster care youth, is one of the lasting reforms the state has launched as a result of the lawsuit. While fewer children now come into foster care because the state has made a considerable effort today to avoid removing abused children from their homes, she and O’Neill noted how the children coming into state care have more behavior and mental health issues than previous generations.

“We are seeing a number of children coming in with higher needs than in the past,” Muth said. “This center was designed for that treatment.”

The hearing is expected to last for most of the week. Afterwards, Crane, the judge overseeing the case, will decide whether to release the state for monitoring or perhaps set a modified timeline for the case.

The case is the latest example of courts intervening to fix platform imbalances impacting politics and elections.

The suit was triggered by Lula’s campaign on Oct. 15, when it accused the tech company that owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp of using biased algorithms and AI restrictions to favor Bolsonaro. On Monday, hundreds of people protested in front of the company’s office in metropolis Sao Paulo.

Meta said it had “completed the implementation of measures to comply with the directive from the electoral court.” It added the restrictions ordered by the court “do not affect organic posts.”

Bolsonaro won the most votes in the first round of the elections on Oct. 4, with 47% to Lula's 45%, with polls and analysts suggesting they will be in a tight race for victory until the last minute.

Meta said it has enforced comprehensive measures to enforce compliance with electoral advertisement regulations and safeguard the integrity of the nation’s democratic process. It also said it implemented a dedicated human review system, under which any automatic blocks or limitations placed on presidential campaign ad accounts must undergo manual evaluation within two hours.

Meta insisted its recent operational incidents come from technical limitations rather than any partiality. It once again denied any allegations of political bias, manipulation or intentional interference in Brazil's elections.

Tatiana Cochlar, a spokesperson for Brazil’s electoral court, confirmed Meta’s response was received and added that later Tuesday representatives of the company and the two presidential campaigns are expected to meet with a judge in capital Brasilia to discuss the situation.

The case in Brazil mirrors precedents in Europe where the state apparatus also intervened. In Germany, a 2019 court ruling forced Facebook to restore a blocked political page to protect political equality. Five years later, Romania annulled its presidential election after hidden TikTok bot networks boosted a pro-Russia candidate. The European nation later passed legislation mandating tracking codes on political social media messaging.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

The 65-year-old independent politician's condition hadn't changed since the day before, according to an update Wednesday morning from a Melbourne hospital where she was being treated. No further details have been officially supplied about the injuries she sustained when she was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV outside her office in the city of Wangaratta, in Victoria state, on Monday.

Police allege it was a “targeted” incident. Brendan Nugent, a 43-year-old man from nearby Tarrawingee, was charged Tuesday with intentionally causing serious injury, dangerous driving causing serious injury and causing harm to a federal official.

Court documents show Nugent also faces charges of cultivating and possessing cannabis.

When Nugent appeared in Wangaratta Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, he didn't apply for bail or enter a plea.

He will remain in custody until his next court appearance in February.

Nugent remained quiet in the dock as his lawyer Chirag Patel told Magistrate Allison Vaughan that his client was suffering from potential mental health issues and a concussion. The lawyer did not explain how Nugent had been concussed.

Patel said Nugent suffered from a neurological condition, idiopathic transverse myelitis, but had not been diagnosed with any mental health problems.

The rare condition damages the spinal cord’s protective myelin sheath and disrupts nerve signals between the brain and body. This leads to rapid muscle weakness, sensory loss, pain, and bladder and bowel dysfunction, according to the Cleveland Clinic medical center.

Investigators haven't ruled out “further serious charges,” Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush told reporters in Melbourne on Wednesday. Bush wouldn't elaborate on the suspect's believed motivations but said the question would form the “centerpiece” of the police inquiry.

“There was nothing known to us that would have arisen or piqued our interest or given any indication that he was an immediate threat,” Bush said.

The suspect's parents said the injured lawmaker is their friend

According to eyewitnesses cited by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other officials, the suspect drove past Haines as she stood at the trunk of her parked car, before turning and driving back to ram into her. The driver then reversed and struck Haines again, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said.

The suspect was subdued by a crowd of bystanders, one of whom removed a knife from the driver's pocket. Others rushed to help Haines, who was pinned between vehicles.

The lawmaker's family released a statement expressing thanks for the “swift assistance of bystanders” as well as health workers and police.

Haines, who was first elected to Parliament in 2019 and had been reelected twice since, was initially taken to a hospital in Wangaratta, a city of 30,000 people. She was airlifted later on Monday to a hospital in the state capital, Melbourne, 236 kilometers (147 miles) away.

Australian news outlets are widely reporting that Haines has had a leg amputated. The Alfred Hospital didn’t respond to a request for comment on the reports.

The suspect's father, Rod Nugent, released a statement Tuesday describing Haines as a “deeply respected, valued and much-loved member of our local community.”

“Helen has been our friend for more than 20 years and what happened to her yesterday is devastating and unfathomable,” the father said, adding that he would cooperate with police.

The incident shocked Australians, as political violence is uncommon in the country and politicians are highly accessible to the public. Most lawmakers are not accompanied by security details and go about their work and personal lives on their own.

The incident highlighted growing fears about officials' safety

The incident has provoked an outcry in Australia, partly because recent data shows that threats of political violence in the country have grown. Police reported in 2025 that threats against parliamentarians had doubled over the past three years, with more than 1,000 such threats against politicians in the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

Australia's Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett told reporters Wednesday that the apparent attack was “what many had been dreading for some time."

Lawmakers were due to meet with Australia’s security agencies on Wednesday to discuss their safety. Such briefings are a regular occurrence but the latest meetings carried added weight after the week's events, some politicians said.

Albanese and lawmakers have this week urged their colleagues, reporters and the public to turn down the heat in increasingly fractious political debates. Many also said they hoped Australia’s easygoing culture of approachable politicians wouldn’t change.

Haines was not known for polarizing views. The daughter of dairy farmers and mother of three was a nurse, midwife and academic before entering politics, where she has advocated for health equity, rural prosperity and climate action.

Australia hasn't recorded the political violence seen in other countries

Elsewhere in the world, authorities have warned of growing threats to lawmakers. The United States has seen a rise in political violence over the past decade.

That includes the 2022 hammer assault on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; the 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump during his presidential campaign, as well as another on the president at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April; and the assassinations in 2025 of a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, and of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

In Britain, killings of politicians have also prompted bolstered security. Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, while Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the militant Islamic State group.

In July, the former British politician and reality TV contestant Ann Widdecombe was found beaten to death with a hammer at her home. A man has been charged with murder and terrorism-related offenses.

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Graham-McLay reported from Wellington, New Zealand.

Trump is hoping that $5,000 checks can boost GOP turnout in the elections — but even some of his devoted fans are doubting those government payouts would arrive. This most recent offer could reveal how much voters still trust him as they decide control of Congress on Nov. 3.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump and Vice President JD Vance announced a $25 million program to encourage the public to blow the whistle on suspected fraud in the U.S. government as they ramp up efforts to end the abuse of federal programs and dollars. The White House said that under the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, or WHIP, anyone who submits a tip to fraud.gov that leads to a fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action is eligible to receive up to $30,000.

Relations between the U.S. and Ukraine, meanwhile, appear to be at a new low, with Moscow strengthened by Trump’s recent rejection of new Russia sanctions and Kyiv undermined by disruptions in satellite support for its drones during the war.

Here's the latest:

Trump singles out 2 GOP House contenders in tough races

Trump brought up Laurie Buckhout and Jennifer Balkcom to the stage, who he said were expected to have “close races.”

“We have to get them in. We have to vote for them,” Trump told the crowd.

Buckhout is challenging incumbent Democratic Rep. Don Davis, who narrowly beat her in 2024. Balkcom is the Republican nominee in a western North Carolina district currently represented by Rep. Chuck Edwards, who dropped his reelection bid after an ethics investigation into improper conduct with female staff. Balkcom faces Democrat Jamie Ager, a farmer who has run on a platform partly focused on the continuing recovery from Hurricane Helene.

Trump said House Speaker Mike Johnson asked him to give the two “a special callout tonight because they’re going to have close races.”

Trump also called up the same two candidates to the stage when he campaigned in the state last month.

North Carolina Trump rally ends with return trip planned

The rally ended after the president headlined the event for just under two hours.

Trump said he planned to come back to the hotly contested state ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms.

Whatley contrasts himself with Cooper standing alongside Trump

North Carolina Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley, speaking alongside Trump, contrasted his campaign with Democratic rival Roy Cooper rather than heaping praise on Trump.

Whatley is locked in a tough race in the battleground, where Republicans have recently pulled back money in an increasingly defensive fight ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms.

Whatley attacked Cooper, a former two-term governor, over his handling of crime.

“Who is Roy Cooper going to stand with? Who is he going to fight for?” Whatley said.

Ramaswamy takes responsibility for ad with Amy Acton’s mother

Republican Vivek Ramaswamy ’s team confirmed late Tuesday that it produced a controversial advertisement featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent in the Ohio governor’s race, Amy Acton.

The campaign also said it will spend $4 million to broadcast the ad despite facing bipartisan rebuke for dredging up Acton’s painful childhood.

Acton, who has said she faced homelessness and sexual abuse as a child, had spent the day pushing back forcefully against the content of the video, the origins of which were initially murky. In it, her birth mother, Donna Arthur, calls her “a liar” and insinuates she has mental health issues.

The ad began circulating overnight, just two weeks before Election Day. Acton, Ohio’s former public health director, is in a tight race against Ramaswamy, a Trump-backed biotech billionaire and 2024 presidential candidate.

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Protesters interrupt Trump’s rally

A series of protesters disrupted Trump’s rally in Greenville, North Carolina. The fifth one said: “Gas is too expensive.”

Rally attendees frequently shouted “USA, USA” during the interruptions.

Trump largely focused on crime during his rally speech rather than the economy.

AP data shows more than 13 million early votes cast ahead of midterms

In statistics collected from 44 states, the more than 13.3-million figure now also includes early vote totals from Alaska, Arkansas, South Carolina and Texas.

The total is equal to almost a quarter of all early votes cast ahead of the previous midterm elections in 2022, and roughly 14% of the early votes received for the 2024 presidential election.

California, not surprisingly, led with 1.7 million ballots, with Florida next at 1.1 million. At roughly 1 million votes each, next were Georgia and Texas, both states with pivotal U.S. Senate races on Nov. 3.

Bill Clinton campaigns for Jolly as Democrats send $1 million

Former President Bill Clinton was in Florida encouraging voters to make David Jolly the state’s first Democratic governor in decades.

“I think we ought to give David Jolly a chance,” Clinton said at an event in Hollywood, Florida, casting the Republican in the race, Rep. Byron Donalds, as a reliable ally of Trump.

Clinton was in the state as the Democratic Governors Association gave $1 million to Jolly’s campaign. Jolly, who has waged an unexpectedly competitive campaign against Donalds, pressed the national party for financial support over the summer, arguing he could return Florida to its longtime swing state status.

DGA spokesperson Kevin Donohoe said Jolly has “run an aggressive, grassroots campaign that has given him a clear path to victory.”

A Democrat hasn’t been elected Florida governor since 1994.

Trump says he’s the reason Whatley is running for North Carolina Senate seat

Trump said at a North Carolina rally that it was his encouragement that led Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley to run in the battleground state.

“I’m the one that got him into this,” Trump said.

The rally comes after the Senate Republicans’ top campaign spending group pulled back in North Carolina.

Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chairman, faces former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

The Senate seat is open because Republican incumbent Thom Tillis decided not to seek reelection after clashing with Trump over his tax breaks and spending cuts legislation.

NASCAR driver Richard Petty accompanies Trump at North Carolina rally

Trump traveled to his rally Tuesday with NASCAR legend and North Carolina native Richard Petty.

Petty, a NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, is the latest sports figure to accompany the president at one of his rallies. Among those attending his rallies were Danica Patrick and Ted Nugent last night in Park City, Kansas; Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Bullhead City, Arizona; and Jake Paul and Jon Gruden in Youngstown, Ohio.

Trump arrives at North Carolina campaign rally site

The president is set to speak at the rally with Republican candidates in Greenville, North Carolina.

Air Force One did a flyover above the crowd gathered at the Pitt-Greenville Airport before it landed just before 7 p.m.

Before Trump’s arrival, several candidates addressed the crowd, including Michael Whatley, the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate. Whatley faces Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper.

Ruben Gallego says high gas prices have voters worried

Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego says Americans are feeling palpable fear over gas prices and predicts they will punish Republicans at the ballot box.

The Arizona senator and potential 2028 presidential candidate held a news conference at a Phoenix gas station Tuesday to highlight the rise of gas and diesel prices since the Iran war started.

A lot of voters are at gas stations anxiously watching the numbers tick up, waiting for the click that signals the tank is full, he said.

“The idea that they’re not going to bring that to the voting booth, I think it would be very naive on both sides,” Gallego said, adding that voters felt the same anxiety during Democrat Joe Biden’s presidency.

Arizona has two battleground House districts, and the state’s Democratic governor, secretary of state and attorney general are looking to hold onto offices they narrowly won four years ago.

Trump signs bill creating Chiricahua National Park

The nation’s 64th national park features towering rock spires formed from an ancient volcanic eruption in what is now southeastern Arizona. It’s part of the historical territory of the Chiricahua Apache Tribes and covers 19 square miles (49 square kilometers).

Native Americans referred to the site as the Land of Standing-Up Rocks, and early settlers called it Wonderland of Rocks. The name Chiricahua comes from the surrounding mountains.

President Calvin Coolidge named the site a national monument in 1924 under the federal Antiquities Act. President Franklin D. Roosevelt expanded it in 1938.

Its redesignation Tuesday as a national park comes amid deep cuts to the National Park Service workforce under Trump. Maintenance projects at many sites — including Chiricahua — have been ranked “low priority” by officials who have instead focused on projects wanted by the White House, including repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

The legislation creating Chiricahua National Park was sponsored by Arizona Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani and garnered broad bipartisan support.

Elizabeth Warren and Gretchen Whitmer campaign for Democrats in Nevada

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined Nevada Democratic candidates Tuesday for a get-out-the-vote event at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus.

They encouraged attendees to support Democrats on the ballot, and to support Ballot Question 6, which would codify abortion rights in the Nevada Constitution.

Whitmer told the crowd that UNLV students could make the difference in the competitive governor’s race between Democratic candidate Aaron Ford and Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.

“It’s up to you how you’re going to spend the next 14 days, but I implore you: don’t let any day go to waste. Don’t let any moment go to waste,” she said.

Other potential 2028 presidential candidates are flocking to the key battleground state ahead of the midterms. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., will also be in Nevada this week.

Judge rejects Trump administration bid to dismiss air pollution lawsuit against xAI data center

A civil rights lawsuit alleges that Elon Musk’s xAI company is illegally running dozens of natural gas turbines to power a $20 billion AI data center in Mississippi.

The NAACP and other groups say xAI failed to get a permit for the turbines, which are located near homes, schools and churches in the Memphis area, violating the federal Clean Air Act.

The Justice Department moved to dismiss the case, saying the plant is needed to power an artificial intelligence data center that is “critical” to the U.S. economy and military.

U.S. District Judge Debra Brown denied the motion, but granted a separate request allowing the Justice Department to remain in the case.

A Justice Department spokesperson said late Tuesday that “the executive branch, in coordination with states (not the NAACP of Mississippi), retains ultimate control over enforcement of the Clean Air Act.”

Democratic candidate for Wisconsin governor rallies college students as early voting starts

David Crowley was joined by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin for the rally on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus on the first day of early voting in the battleground state.

Crowley and his Republican challenger, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, urged supporters to cast their absentee ballots in person during the two-week early voting period. About 96,000 fewer absentee ballots have been requested by mail this year compared with 2022.

Crowley blames the drop on attacks against the U.S. Postal Service made by the Trump administration.

“A lot of people are reluctant to actually mail in their ballot,” he says.

Gavin Denning, a 19-year-old sophomore at UW, voted on Tuesday before attending the Crowley event. He says the chance to vote in person before Election Day is a “great opportunity” that he was glad to take advantage of.

Trump won’t say why Hegseth met with Netanyahu

Trump says he can’t discuss what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about at their meeting on Monday.

“I can’t do that now,” Trump said when asked about the meeting on Tuesday.

While the Pentagon wouldn’t confirm the meeting, Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Netanyahu’s office, told the AP the meeting was warm and that Hegseth thanked Israel on behalf of Americans for hosting U.S. troops.

Spielman also said they discussed offensive and defensive capabilities regarding threats in the region.

The meeting comes as Trump has signaled a willingness to resume hostilities with Iran following the U.S. midterm elections.

Republican Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden says Iran war making it harder for GOP to win

Van Orden said in a debate Tuesday that the war, which he supports, is “making it exponentially harder for Republicans to keep the House and Senate.”

Van Orden is a retired Navy SEAL who spent 26 years on active duty before being elected to Congress in 2022. Democrats are targeting his western Wisconsin swing district this year with political activist Rebecca Cooke, repeating the 2024 election Cooke narrowly lost.

Van Orden says, given his military background, “I know about war,” and he believes the U.S.’s stated intention of stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon is justified. He says Cooke is unwilling to ever go to war, even when it’s necessary.

Cooke, a part-time waitress and former small business owner, says she believes in diplomacy and economic sanctions first.

But Van Orden says diplomacy and sanctions didn’t work in Iran.

“They only respond to this horrible thing that is war,” he said.

Trump says it’s too early to think about endorsing his successor

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was asked whether he would endorse Vice President JD Vance if Vance runs to succeed him.

“I don’t think we’ve ever talked about it. You know, who would believe that?” Trump said of Vance, who was standing behind him.

He called Vance “a very talented person” and “a very good person,” but said it was too soon to talk about the future.

“It’s early, very early right now. We have to get through the midterms. We’ll see how it goes,” he said.

Vance told journalist Mark Halperin in an interview that he still hasn’t decided about running, but if he does, he expects Trump would back him.

Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate condemns uncredited ad featuring estranged mother

Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for governor in Ohio, is pushing back against an unattributed ad circulating online that features her long-estranged mother calling her “a liar” and insinuating she has mental health issues.

The ad began circulating overnight Tuesday, two weeks before Election Day.

Ohio’s former public health director is in a tight race with Republican billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy. His campaign did not address whether it knew who produced and paid for the spot, but said Acton has “some serious problems with the truth.”

Acton and her brother blamed the ad on the Ramaswamy campaign, accusing them of “a despicable low” by turning sexual abuse she endured as a child into a political talking point.

Trump says ‘it’s time’ for Ukraine to agree to a deal with Russia

The U.S. president is upping the pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to make a deal with his country’s Russian invaders after relations between the two men soured again.

“We want Zelenskyy to make a deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We’ve given a lot to Ukraine. We’ve gotten absolutely nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss.”

He says if that doesn’t happen, “I think it’s going to be a very bad thing.”

He also claimed Europe is growing weary of the conflict, though European countries have been trying to offset any scaling back of U.S. supplies.

Trump says ‘just stick with me’ on potential Hubbard freedom

The president says he has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Stephen Hubbard, who is the first American known to be convicted of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.

“Just stick with me ... I don’t want to talk about it,” Trump said about a potential deal to free Hubbard, who was sentenced in Russia to nearly seven years in prison in 2024.

He confirmed the administration has been “focused” on Hubbard, saying, “It’s time to have Mr. Hubbard back.”

Trump on Le Pen: ‘She’s the conservative voice’

The U.S. president left the door open to backing far-right French leader Marine Le Pen, a potential front-runner in next spring’s presidential election.

“Well, I don’t know her. I haven’t met her,” Trump said Tuesday when asked about a potential endorsement.

Still, he said he believed she was badly treated and said she was the victim of weaponization. Trump didn’t elaborate, but Le Pen was found guilty twice of embezzling public funds in France.

“She’s the conservative voice,” Trump added.

Trump ultimate decider for fraud rewards, Trump says

The president says he’ll be the “arbitrator” of who deserves the reward money for his new anti-fraud initiatives.

“I am going to do something which I think people will like,” Trump said. “I will be the arbitrator of all these decisions.”

The White House earlier Tuesday said the Justice Department will administer the program. Successful whistleblowers can receive up to $30,000, and Trump insisted they will get their money “immediately.”

Rubio accuses Iran of using Nazi tactics in the Strait of Hormuz by targeting commercial shipping

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is accusing Iran of using Nazi tactics in the Strait of Hormuz by targeting commercial shipping, which he says is a throwback to World War II.

In an interview with the Indian outlet News1, Rubio said Tuesday that people should pay more attention to what Iran is doing and trying to do to close the strait.

“We have a nation-state that is openly saying, ‘We are targeting commercial vessels; we are trying to kill sailors who have nothing to do with the war; we are trying to sink commercial ships,’” Rubio said. “You haven’t seen that since the second world war. They are doing Nazi U-boat tactics. And that’s what the world should be rallying around and condemning.”

By contrast, he said that U.S. forces in the region are defending commercial shipping and the vast majority of attempted Iranian attacks have been thwarted.

With more than 1.9 million votes counted and results reported from 90% of voting areas and locations, 75% of voters supported remaining in Canada, while 25% backed beginning a process toward separation, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta.

The referendum was not a direct vote on independence. Approval would have set Alberta on a path toward a future vote on separation from Canada.

“It’s a great result for Canada that Albertans have chosen unity,” Carney told reporters Tuesday before a Cabinet meeting in Ottawa.

Carney said the roughly one-quarter of voters who backed beginning the separation process did not necessarily want independence, suggesting only a smaller “hard core” favored leaving Canada. Some voters said they wanted to send Ottawa a message rather than separate.

Separatists confront defeat, Smith rules out another vote

Alberta separatist organizer David Parker acknowledged the scale of the defeat.

“Independence feels far away and we should not pretend this was not a defeat,” he wrote on social media.

In a televised address Tuesday night, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith welcomed the result and pledged not to hold another referendum on separation while she remains in office.

“Yesterday, Albertans voted overwhelmingly in favor of remaining a province of Canada,” Smith said. “The voter turnout was historic and a powerful testimony of the passion Albertans feel for our country and our province.”

Smith said Alberta would continue pressing Ottawa for greater provincial autonomy, but disputes would be settled within Canada’s political and legal institutions rather than through separation.

Carney said he spoke with Smith on Tuesday morning about the results and greater federal-provincial cooperation, including immigration.

“Don’t mess with Canada. President Trump is watching this,” Thomas Lukaszuk, a former Alberta deputy premier who led the Forever Canadian campaign against separation, told supporters.

A fringe cause has become a movement that won’t disappear

Alberta, home to the world’s fourth-largest proven oil reserves, is cowboy country and a conservative stronghold whose political culture has long had more in common with the American West than much of Canada. Resentment toward Canada's federal government in Ottawa runs deep, but hasn't traditionally translated into widespread support for independence.

Despite the overwhelming rejection, separatist leaders vowed to continue pressing for independence.

Separatist parties traditionally attracted only 1% or 2% of the vote, former Premier Jason Kenney said. Anger over COVID-19 restrictions helped mobilize activists who later embraced the separatist movement, he said.

Trump’s trade war and threats to make Canada the 51st U.S. state have helped Carney rally support in Alberta, where Liberal prime ministers have historically been unpopular.

At a separatist referendum night gathering at an Edmonton restaurant, the crowd fell quiet as results rolled in.

“We’re not going anywhere,” said Jeff Rath of the Alberta Prosperity Project. “We’ve dominated the conversation in the last year. We’ve been educating Albertans on the benefits of independence, and we’re going to continue moving forward.”

Rath said before the vote that he would be thrilled with 30% support. He also said he wanted Smith ousted as UCP leader and believed the party could splinter, potentially creating a new pro-independence party.

Ian Brodie, a University of Calgary political scientist and former chief of staff to Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, dismissed Rath and fellow separatist organizer Mitch Sylvestre as “nobodies,” saying they failed to gain traction even in a district that elected a separatist to Alberta’s legislature in 1982.

“Even on a very soft question — whether to hold a referendum on separation — they couldn’t gain real traction," Brodie said.

A referendum on a referendum

Edmonton voter Shawn Campbell said he voted to begin the separation process even though he doesn’t want Alberta to leave Canada.

“It sends a message to Ottawa that Albertans are not happy,” he said.

Dave Malka, 59, of Edmonton, criticized spending money on a “referendum on a referendum” rather than healthcare.

With Trump threatening Canada, Malka said, “It seems to be happening at the absolute worst time when we should be united. Instead we’re fighting among ourselves.”

Edmonton resident Ali Khowaja, who immigrated to Canada six years ago, welcomed the result, saying he was glad Alberta had chosen unity rather than experiencing a Brexit-style rupture.

“Over the years, you’ve seen the consequences and what that meant,” he said. “I was concerned, especially as someone who is an immigrant to Canada.”

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Ty ONeil contributed to this report from Wainwright, Alberta.

Each day, morning and afternoon temperatures will rise by a couple of degrees. Gone are the mornings in the 40s and afternoons in the 70s. It won’t be hot, but we’re losing that crisp fall feel the rest of the week. There is good news with humidity. It will stay low through the weekend.

Warm and dry through the weekend:

We are in a weather pattern called an omega block. Looking below you can see the Greek Symbol for Omega. This blocking pattern occurs when two areas of low pressure “block” high pressure from moving. Because we’re under the high, we’ll experience dry weather with warm temperatures. This pattern won’t change until early next week.

Tracking the tropics:

There is an area off the east coast that has a 40% chance of becoming our next tropical system. It is currently a noreaster but may become tropical. It will bring strong winds and coastal flooding from Delaware to the Outer Banks. There is already 8-12′ waves. It will not make direct hit on the United States.

Extended forecast:

I know you are all wanting to know when the next cold front will move through. It could move through Tuesday October 27th. Temperatures may fall back to the 50s in the morning and 70s in the afternoon. This would bring a cool fall feel on Halloween night. Of course we’ll keep you posted.

The market was made available on Sept. 30 and was slated to close on Jan. 31. It had more than $450,000 in volume before it was taken off Polymarket's international platform. The company's U.S. exchange is regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which bans trading related to “activity that is unlawful under Federal or State law.”

“Our primary goal at Polymarket is to bring objective, data-driven insight to the most important questions of our time,” a Polymarket spokesperson said Tuesday. “This market addressed whether the government would take action — a process that deserves scrutiny, particularly in a case of such serious concern. That said, we believe in the wisdom of crowds, have heard them loud and clear, and removed the market.”

Front Office Sports was the first to report on the contract.

Some outcry over the Polymarket contract has been aimed at its celebrity promoters. Philadelphia 76ers star LeBron James has an endorsement deal with Polymarket, and he recently appeared in a star-studded commercial that also included cameos by Derek Jeter, Eli Manning, Sue Bird and several celebrities.

Messages were left by the AP on Tuesday with representatives for James, Jeter, Manning and Bird.

Polymarket also has partnership agreements with the NHL, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the UFC and ATP Tour. Messages were left by the AP seeking comment from each organization.

A spokesman for Spike Lee, who also appeared in the Polymarket commercial with James, said the director had no comment. Messages also were left with representatives for actors Craig Robinson, John Leguizamo and Alexandra Daddario — who were also part of the commercial with James.

A woman identified in court documents by the pseudonym Jane Doe filed a lawsuit last month alleging that seven fraternity members sexually assaulted or exploited her in October 2024 and that Cornell mishandled her complaints. All of those men have denied her allegations, saying either that their interactions were consensual or that they weren’t involved.

Online critics characterized the Polymarket contract as degrading and questioned why celebrity ambassadors would associate themselves with the company. An online petition launched by UltraViolet, a women-led national advocacy organization, singled out James, Manning, Daddario and model Emily Ratajkowski while calling on other famous endorsers to cut ties with the company.

A message was left seeking comment from a representative for Ratajkowski, who also appears in the celebrity-filled commercial with James.

Prediction markets provide an opportunity to trade on the result of future events. Sports account for a major portion of the volume generated by the array of typically yes-or-no question, depending on the platform.

When a U.S. Army sergeant was indicted earlier this year over bets on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, he was trading on Polymarket’s international platform. The Associated Press reported in April that 50 brand new accounts on Polymarket’s international platform placed substantial bets on a U.S.-Iran ceasefire in the hours, even minutes, before President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire on social media, raising concerns of insider trading.

Polymarket had an active market on its international platform on Tuesday that allowed customers to trade on whether Cornell president Michael Kotlikoff will be out by Oct. 31. It had more than $10,700 in volume.

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See AP’s full sports coverage here

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Associated Press that the Eagles were not being disciplined for their actions with Hurts. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because conversations between the league and team were to remain private.

Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, offered a passionate defense of how the Eagles treated Hurts, following a statement from the league that said officials had been in contact with Philadelphia’s medical personnel and the Cleveland Clinic in London throughout the process.

“I have complete confidence in the Eagles’ medical staff and their handling of this situation, and I would characterize their work as very conservative, very patient-focused and appropriately guarded at every step,” Sills said at the league’s annual fall meeting. “I don’t think you can take that outcome and say there was something flawed about the process. Sometimes in medicine, we do all the right things and diseases progress and other things develop. ...

“In this case, everyone was incredibly conservative and incredibly vigilant and was very quick to make diagnoses of these conditions that might not have been diagnosed in a nonathlete.”

The NFL Players Association in a statement said it was told by the league that a review was not planned.

“Before conclusions are drawn about how this situation was handled, there must be a full investigation into what occurred,” the union said. “Determining the facts is essential to ensuring players receive the highest level of care and protection going forward.”

Hurts is on injured reserve and expected to miss the rest of the season after a blood clot in his left calf traveled to his lungs. The Eagles and agent Nicole Lynn said Monday that Hurts has deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary embolisms.

NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller took issue with “uninformed speculation” in reports Monday that Hurts went more than 30 hours without sleep last weekend before playing.

“Jalen Hurts returned to the hotel, slept for a period of time and went to the stadium,” Miller said, estimating that Hurts slept for around seven or eight hours. “Both talking to the Eagles’ staff and making sure from people on the ground, tracking the case, talking to the independent hospital and doctors involved that we have, I think, a complete understanding of the course of events.”

Sills said the league and the players' union study and track blood clots annually. He declined to go into specifics about Hurts' condition, citing patient privacy, and reiterated multiple times that treating a blood clot involves looking at multiple factors.

Dr. Caron Rockman, a vascular surgeon for roughly 30 years, said based on what she has read, there's no evidence the Eagles acted improperly while dealing with what she called not a textbook issue.

“It’s a judgment call,” said Rockman, who is currently a chair at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey and did not treat Hurts. “I think it’s really a case-by-case basis. In my personal opinion, superficial vein thrombosis is not a (disqualification) to fly.”

Hurts' treatment moving forward involves blood thinners, and he will not be allowed to participate in any football activities until he is off them.

Hurts played in London against Jacksonville on Oct. 11, three days after informing medical staff of the injury after practice. He was initially diagnosed by specialists in London with a left calf superficial vein thrombosis.

“I think there was incredible vigilance, there was conservative care, state-of-the-art imaging that was done in London,” Sills said. “And, as far as the timing and the decision-making, I have great confidence in that and believe that everyone acted with an abundance of caution.”

Sills in his opening statement that lasted more than five minutes said all decisions are made with medicine over football.

“The notion that there are external factors or that any of our physicians would put a player in harm’s way — that’s nonsense,” Sills said.

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AP Sports Writer David Brandt in Phoenix and AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi in Tampa, Florida, contributed to this report.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Matthew Atwater, who has been in the Harris County Jail on a murder charge since the July fire at the Cypresswood Apartments off Cypresswood Drive, has been indicted on two new arson charges tied to the injuries suffered by the young child and his father.

KPRC 2 News reporter Corley Peel obtained surveillance video at the time of the fire showing Atwater in the area moments before the apartment building went up in flames.

• RELATED: Man charged with felony murder, arson in Cypresswood apartment fire that killed brother, injured 13

According to prosecutors, Atwater initially told investigators he was cooking chicken, became upset and threw a gas can against a wall. He later gave a different account, admitting he poured kerosene on the floor and furniture before using a lighter to ignite the fire.

The two new indictments allege arson connected to the serious injuries suffered by the 3-year-old boy, identified as Atlas, and his father Eian. Both new charges also include an allegation that Atwater used or exhibited a firearm during the crime.

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Atlas remains hospitalized at Shriners Hospital, where he has a breathing tube and may face additional surgeries, according to his family’s GoFundMe page. According to court records, Atwater received a mental competency evaluation on September 26th.

Atwater is being held in the Harris County Jail on a $2.5 million bond, according to court records.

The woman’s secondhand account of Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff’s remark, which the university disputes, comes as faculty prepare for a potential vote of no confidence in the Ivy League school’s leadership. The Associated Press on Tuesday obtained a letter she sent to faculty leaders last week. Her lawyer confirmed its authenticity.

The former student’s rape allegations, detailed in a lawsuit last month that identified her only as Jane Doe, have sparked campus protests, renewed scrutiny of Cornell’s disciplinary system and led to the reopening of a criminal investigation of the alleged October 2024 assault.

“The letter was sent for informational purposes only,” the woman's lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, said. “Jane Doe thought it important that the Faculty Senate have this information as it deliberates and considers the resolutions or motions before it. Jane Doe would ask the Faculty Senate to give her letter whatever weight or credibility it deems appropriate.”

Dispute over president's remarks

In the letter, Jane Doe said her sorority president told her that Kotlikoff questioned why she waited until the following month to report being assaulted. The sorority leader, who spoke with Kotlikoff in November 2024, interpreted his remark as casting doubt on her story.

“President Kotlikoff’s initial response was along the lines of, ‘Why did she wait so long to report it?’ ” Jane Doe wrote in the letter. She said the conversation made her less confident that the administration could handle what happened with the sensitivity and fairness she expected.

Cornell’s dean of faculty, however, offered a different account of the conversation. In an email Tuesday to faculty senators and verified by the AP, professor Chris Schaffer said another official who was present for the conversation recalled Kotlikoff asking why bystanders had not reported the alleged assault sooner through the school’s anonymous tip line, especially because the allegations were already circulating on social media.

Schaffer said he waited to share Jane Doe’s letter with faculty senators until he could get another account of the conversation. He said he forwarded the letter to university lawyers, who passed it on to an independent team investigating Cornell’s response.

Schaffer said at a meeting last week that he was against the proposed no-confidence resolution, saying it identified no specific failures or fixes, but acknowledged faculty frustration. “The anger in our community is justified and I share it.”

Kotlikoff did not respond Tuesday to an email inquiry about Jane Doe’s letter. A statement from a university spokesperson also disputed her account of the conversation, saying Kotlikoff was asking about bystanders' actions rather than Jane Doe.

Faculty debate no-confidence resolution

Jane Doe’s letter, transmitted to the Faculty Senate through her lawyers and first reported by The New York Times, comes as Cornell faculty consider a resolution declaring no confidence in the university administration’s ability to address what some faculty members have described as an “ongoing crisis” of sexual assault on campus.

Faculty members began debating the resolution at a meeting last Wednesday, where Kotlikoff faced pointed questions about the school's response to sexual assault allegations and its oversight of fraternities. The Faculty Senate is expected to resume debate on Oct. 28 before holding an electronic vote.

In her letter, Jane Doe said she wanted faculty members to have information that might be relevant to their deliberations. She emphasized that she was not trying to tell them how to vote.

“My intention is not to prescribe how the Senate should interpret this account, but rather to provide information that its members may wish to consider or investigate further,” she wrote.

Noah Tamarkin, an anthropology professor and co-sponsor of the no-confidence resolution, said Tuesday he was still processing Jane Doe’s letter, but that it reinforced his belief that Cornell needs fundamental changes to rebuild trust.

“I continue to feel that the current administration hasn’t yet shown the capacity to do this,” Tamarkin wrote in a text message.

He said what stood out was Jane Doe’s account of how the conversation affected her and the apparent lack of a clear way for her to be heard or receive support.

“We need leadership that understands how much that matters," Tamarkin wrote.

Also Tuesday, the former Justice Department official leading Cornell’s independent investigation, Sally Yates, sent a letter to the university community outlining the scope of her review, which she said is expansive.

In addition to conducting a detailed examination of Cornell’s response to Jane Doe’s allegations, Yates wrote that her team is reviewing the university's sexual harassment and assault prevention and discipline practices, the role of campus police and other law enforcement agencies, the supervision of fraternities and sororities, and oversight by university leadership, including its board of trustees.

“We understand that some may be skeptical of our independence — I assure you that our independence is not a formality,” Yates wrote. The university, she said, has pledged complete autonomy and the resources “an independent review of this significance needs and deserves.”

“We will follow the facts wherever they lead with unwavering candor and principled judgment so that this community — and the public — can have confidence in the integrity of our findings," Yates, the former deputy attorney general, added.

The woman began showing symptoms on Oct. 7 and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja on Oct. 11, where she was later diagnosed with Ebola. It is unclear when she arrived in Nigeria.

Health Minister Muhammad Pate said authorities had begun tracing 44 people identified as contacts of the patient. “We are doing everything possible to contain this case by tracing all the contacts the individual may have had,” he said.

Uganda had previously reported Ebola cases, but it later declared itself free of the virus.

Uganda's Ministry of Health said the patient had only transited through Uganda and that she is a Nigerian woman who had been on a business trip to Congo's eastern region. The Nigerian authorities have not disclosed her nationality.

“Travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here. The location of exposure remains under investigation,” the ministry said in a statement. The ministry insisted Uganda has “no confirmed active Ebola cases."

Nigeria is the latest country to report an Ebola case as the latest outbreak spreads across the region. Kenya confirmed its first case earlier this month and has since recorded nine infections.

Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control, said on X that “we are facing an extremely serious threat,” with a fatality rate of nearly 50% of cases.

“This Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has already become the most geographically extensive in history, affecting several countries spread across three regions of Africa,” he said.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said two weeks ago it was stepping up surveillance following the detection of Ebola in Kenya and strengthening the country’s preparedness for a potential outbreak.

“These efforts have focused on early detection, isolation and referral, laboratory diagnosis, infection prevention and control, contact tracing, risk communication and protection of health care workers,” the agency said.

Nigeria established an Ebola task force in June following the outbreak in Congo in mid-May.

“We do not want a repeat of what happened during the last outbreak when a carrier entered the country, and everyone was scrambling to respond," Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, said when the task force was announced. “We have covered a lot of ground and established structures to address any potential threat.”

The spread of Ebola beyond Congo has heightened longstanding fears among health authorities about the rapid transmission of the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has infected more than 9,500 people and killed more than 4,600 people.

The latest outbreak is the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak on record and is on track to exceed the deadliest on record, West Africa’s regional outbreak between 2014 and 2016, which killed 11,000 people, WHO has said. Nigeria was one of the countries affected, recording 20 cases before the outbreak was declared over in the country after three months.

____

AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

TYLER — The Texas Attorney General’s office has finally weighed in on an ongoing fight over public access to an East Texas historic waterway that was fenced off by a wealthy rancher and businessman, siding with the locals.

The Attorney General’s office wants the courts to determine Creslenn Lake, which connects to the Cutoff, is a public waterway. They issued this opinion in the days leading up to oral arguments before the 12th Court of Appeals.

This opinion marks the first time the agency has offered a public opinion on the dispute, which began in 2022, and could bolster residents’ legal fight after a judge ruled the waterway was not navigable – meaning accessible by the public.

“The trial court ignored the historic use of Creslenn Lake and erred in its conclusion that neither the Cutoff nor the old Cedar Creek are navigable,” the agency’s office wrote.

Lawyers representing each side told the court whether they agreed with the opinion and defended their own arguments regarding public access on Tuesday. Now, the court will read through all the filings and issue an opinion. This could be done in a matter of days, or it could take months to years.

The Cutoff is a portion of the Trinity River in Henderson County that was dissected from the main river to make it easier for ships to transport goods from the Gulf to Dallas. Residents of southern Henderson County fished and camped on the river’s banks for more than a century.

When the land surrounding it was sold to wealthy businessman Phillip Surls, he fenced off the single remaining boat ramp.

Critics of Surls say if he is permitted to do this with no consequences, it establishes a precedent for other wealthy landowners to overtake Texas’ public waterways in the future. Surls’ legal team says he is well within his rights to block access as the waterway is not public.

Eric Allmon, who represents the nonprofit Save the Cutoff, which was formed by the community in southern Henderson County, said he agrees with the Attorney General’s arguments. Save the Cutoff has lost nearly every court battle for the Cutoff, but has continued to push for its return to public use as it was prior to 2022. The attorney general’s opinion could present enough support to overturn those losses — which it seeks to do.

“They only strengthen what we feel like was already a compelling case that the waters at issue should be considered navigable,” Allmon said.

However, Blake L. Beckham with the firm of Beckham Portela, representing Surls’ company Iron River Ranch II LLC, disagrees. He said the Attorney General’s arguments weren’t based on cases that match this situation and they focused on a law that was eventually repealed. Furthermore, the water in Creslenn Lake has nothing to do with the Trinity River or any other navigable stream, he argues.

“There’s no evidence in the record at all, up, down and sideways of impounding a navigable stream,” he said.

The 737 Max 10’s certification represents another milestone in Boeing’s efforts to restore its reputation and financial footing after years of safety, quality and production challenges. With production approved, the aircraft can now be sold to domestic and foreign carriers.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the certification followed “extensive safety reviews,” including thousands of hours of test flights, and called it a major win for American manufacturing.

“To think that it took us almost 10 years to get here. We all probably had a little less gray hair 10 years ago," Duffy said during a visit to Boeing's manufacturing plant Tuesday in Everett, Washington.

The Max 10 is an important piece of the company's effort to regain ground in the narrow-body market. For airlines, the larger plane offers a way to carry more passengers on a single flight, potentially lowering costs per seat. For travelers, it could eventually mean more seats on popular routes, though the impact on fares will depend on how airlines deploy the planes and how much competition they face.

Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said during Duffy's visit that the certification "clears the path to deliver an airplane that will set a new standard in commercial aviation." The Max 10 will typically seat 185-210 passengers, according to Boeing, compared with 175-195 on the Max 9 and 160-180 on the Max 8.

“Today is a very, very special day. It caps years of hard work and dedication by many," Pope said. "It marks another major milestone in our recovery, and it unlocks a key to our future growth.”

The company expects to begin deliveries in 2027.

The single-aisle jet was introduced at the Paris air show in 2017 to help Boeing compete with rival Airbus. But technical and regulatory hurdles repeatedly delayed certification.

Boeing’s struggles have been particularly acute since two deadly crashes involving the smaller Max 8 killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019 off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia. In 2024, a panel flew off of an Alaska Airlines Max 9 in midair, renewing scrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing and safety practices.

The delays have held up a key part of Boeing's business. More than 30 customers worldwide have ordered 1,555 Max 10s that Boeing has yet to deliver, accounting for more than 30% of its total 737 Max backlog.

Major customers include United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Ryanair. Alaska Airlines joined that list in January, ordering 105 Max 10s, with options for 35 more.

The Max 10 is intended to compete with Airbus’s A321neo model family, which entered service in 2017. The largest A321neo can carry more passengers and fly farther without refueling than the Max 10.

Still, Boeing designed the Max 10 to carry more passengers while burning less fuel than older aircraft — a potentially attractive combination for airlines facing soaring jet fuel costs amid the U.S. war with Iran. Those rising costs have put added pressure on airlines to control expenses.

Certification means the FAA has determined that the Max 10’s design meets safety standards, following engineering reviews and flight testing. But Boeing must continue to show it can consistently build the aircraft to the approved design, and each plane must be cleared before it can fly passengers.

The Max 10’s certification completes the lineup of four 737 Max models. The FAA cleared the Max 7 for airline operations in August.

Pope on Tuesday described the certification of both the Max 7 and Max 10 in the same year as a sign of the company’s resilience.

In the wake of the fatal Max 8 crashes, the FAA overhauled how it certifies Boeing aircraft. But over the past 18 months, the agency has gradually eased some of its restrictions on the company, increasing the limit on how many planes Boeing can produce. In July, the FAA also said Boeing could once again issue airworthiness certificates for its 737 Max and 787 planes at the end of production, allowing the company to take back some responsibility for determining whether finished aircraft are ready to fly.

Social media posts began circulating Monday and Tuesday, the opening days of early voting for the Nov. 3 midterm election, that showed a pamphlet marketed as a resource guide for LGBTQ+ students from the Texas Transgender Student Union.

The mailers, addressed to the “student” of the household, include sections encouraging youth to speak with a “safe adult” or one of several advocacy groups if their parents don’t support their identity. The mailers say parents’ don’t need to be involved with a student’s transgender identity and include a section about emancipation, when a minor becomes legally recognized as an adult.

A Texas Tribune review of online records shows a limited liability company, the Texas Transgender Student Union, was formed in early September in Wyoming, according to the state’s business records. The address listed on the mailers for the student union is a Houston-area post office box. The Wyoming LLC was first reported by Texas Observer reporter Steven Monacelli.

All of the online resources listed in the pamphlet link to the Texas Transgender Education Network, an advocacy group referred to as TENT, including a page encouraging students to contact the group. The organization has denied involvement in the mailers and said in a statement posted on its website that the pamphlets “do not represent the official position” of the organization.

TENT’s online materials do not promote or offer guidance to LGBTQ+ youth on seeking emancipation. The group’s resources primarily provide information on how to interact with state laws restricting bathroom use based on sex assigned at birth and prohibitions on certain school groups, as well as guidance on how parents of transgender children should interact with Child Protective Services.

While the group has denied any involvement with the mailers or similar texts that were sent last week, backlash against the group has been harsh, including threats of violence, the organization said. TENT recently locked its website to a single page with a statement about the mailers and texts.

“These instances will not shake our commitment to the dignity and humanity of trans youth, trans Texans, their families, and their loved ones,” the statement said. “Trans Texans belong here in Texas, this is our home and we’re not going anywhere.”

TENT said it still does not know who sent the texts. The organization last week sent a cease and desist letter demanding two digital messaging companies stop sending the texts, which offered to answer questions about gender-affirming care in Texas and guides on bathroom use for “trans kids at school.”

Conservative political commentators have shared the mailers online and linked it to the organization, including one that shared images of TENT’s board alongside the mailer.

Jon Bonck, Republican candidate for Texas’ 38th Congressional District, called the mailer “disgusting and evil” in a social media post Sunday and posted Tuesday that those accusing the mailer of being fake did not address its contents.

“The radical left is trying to brainwash Texan children and unravel the basic framework of our society,” Bonck said.

Democrats and others took to social media to criticize the pamphlets as an obvious ploy to rally conservative voters in a midterm election that has Texas Democratic candidates polling stronger than they have in decades. Republicans have focused on support for transgender Texans as a sign that Democrats are out of touch with most Texas voters and described the information in the pamphlet as predatory.

A mailer ID for two of the pamphlets received by Tribune employees were associated with Maryland-based mail tracking company SnailWorks, according to a U.S. Postal Service employee who searched the IDs provided by the Tribune. SnailWorks’ services include political mail tracking to help coordinate campaign material disbursement, according to its website.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has paid Snailworks a total of $57,300 for “list rental” over the past two years, according to a Federal Election Commission search of campaign finance reports.

Snailworks did not respond to a request for comment.

The texts from last week prompted Texas Rep. Jeff Leach to ask the state attorney general’s office to investigate TENT for “circumventing and violating” state law. When asked about TENT’s lack of involvement in the texts, the Plano Republican said he was still “very interested to see what that investigation uncovers.”

TENT was not the only group to receive backlash over the texts and mailers. Preservation Austin, a nonprofit focused on historic preservation, received more than a dozen phone calls after its number was labeled as TENT’s on social media, an employee said. The nonprofit said the two groups are not connected, and employees were confused when calls began coming in about mailers they hadn’t seen.

The funds would come from the Water and Sewer System Consolidated Construction Fund and go toward the city’s contract with Sensus USA, Inc., which has been managing the installation of the AMI network since 2020.

Contract background

The original contract was awarded Nov. 24, 2020, under Ordinance No. 2020-0992, for a 10-year term with a maximum contract amount of $38 million. An initial funding amount of $18.5 million was allocated at the time.

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This is not the first time the contract has been amended. In October 2024, city council approved an additional $16,054,610 appropriation under Ordinance No. 2024-0768 — though that amendment did not increase the maximum contract amount.

To date, the city has spent $34,322,180.55 on the project.

Why more money is needed

According to Houston Public Works (HPW), the additional funding is necessary due to increased material costs, higher equipment pricing and rising operating expenses — cost escalations that were not anticipated in the original contract scope.

The additional $5.5 million is expected to sustain the department’s AMI operations through the end of 2027.

What AMI means for Houston

Public works said the AMI system is more than just a meter upgrade. Both the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) require the service, which is designed to minimize the risk of loss of life and property due to flooding during extreme weather events.

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Under the contract, Sensus USA, Inc. provides all tools, materials, equipment, labor, training and supervision necessary for the AMI network and its Software as a Service (SaaS) platform. Software maintenance and upgrades are covered under the SaaS agreement, while installation of individual meter reading devices and infrastructure is handled by HPW field personnel and/or contractors.

Netflix said Tuesday it earned $3.66 billion, or 87 cents per share, for the July-September period. That's up 44% from $2.55 billion, or 59 cents per share, a year earlier.

Revenue rose 12% to $12.87 billion from $11.51 billion.

Analysts surveyed by FactSet predicted earnings of 82 cents per share on revenue of $12.87 billion.

“With Netflix under pressure to find alternative lines of revenue beyond subscriptions, it’s concerning that the company lowered its estimate for its ad business,” said Emarketer senior analyst Ross Benes. “Revamping content strategy is not enough to fix this challenge but it is a worthwhile start. Guidance is not as aggressive as investors have grown accustomed to.”

Last week, the Los Gatos, California-based company announced that it plans to lay off about 6% of its workforce, amounting to nearly 1,000 positions, as the company makes wider “organizational changes.” At the end of 2025, per regulatory filings, Netflix had about 16,000 full-time employees worldwide. The most recent layoff announcement marks the biggest round of cuts that the company has rolled out in years.

Netflix also announced last week that Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria will be replaced by Peter Rice. Bajaria was with Netflix for nearly a decade. Rice will lead Netflix’s global content organization, overseeing scripted and unscripted series, film, live events and more across all regions. He takes over the post on Oct. 26.

While Netflix has benefited from membership sign-ups and price increases, the company is dealing with intense competition in the streaming sector from companies such as Amazon’s Prime Video and Disney+. There's also Skydance, after Paramount’s $81 billion buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery put HBO Max and Paramount+ under the same roof. Netflix walked away from its offer to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business in February.

The company is also competing for people's attention with YouTube and TikTok, where short videos are extremely popular.

For the current quarter, Netflix is forecasting revenue of $13.4 billion, slightly below analysts' expectations of $13.5 billion. New shows and movies coming this quarter include “East of Eden” and season four of “The Diplomat” as well as the sixth and final season of “Emily in Paris.”

Netflix also released “La Bola Negra,” a Spanish film about the interconnected lives of three gay men across a history that spans the early 20th century, the Spanish Civil War and the modern day. “La Bola Negra” — which cost $15 million to make — is expected to challenge “The Odyssey” for best picture. Netflix disclosed box office numbers for the movie, for the first time in its history. It made $313,391 over the weekend through Monday with a release in just four theaters.

Shares of Netflix fell $2.79, or 4.1%, to $65.90 in after-hours trading after the results came out.

As of Tuesday's close, Netflix's stock is down about 25% for the year to date. Analysts see several factors contributing to its difficulties.

“Investors are concerned about soft engagement trends, decelerating revenue growth, a slower margin expansion outlook, and most recently content executive leadership changes,” said John Belton, portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds.

—-

AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr contributed to this story.

William Reaves, 77, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted of first-degree murder in the September 1986 shooting death of Indian River County sheriff's deputy Richard Raczkoski.

The death chamber curtain went up promptly at the 6 p.m. execution time with Reaves already strapped to a gurney with an IV in his arm. Asked if he had any last words, he replied ”No, I do not.”

The injection began immediately after that. About 30 seconds later, Reaves took several big breaths and then stopped moving. After a few minutes, the team warden shook Reaves’ shoulders and shouted his name, but there was no response. A medic was called in a short time later to check for a heartbeat or any other signs of life, and Reaves was pronounced dead about a minute later.

Reaves was the eighth Florida prisoner over age 70 put to death this year, highlighting the nation’s aging death-row population as Florida continues to far outpace the rest of country in total executions. Last year, Florida set a state record with 19 executions in a year, and it's poised to tie that mark if another execution is carried out next month as scheduled.

DeSantis, who leaves office in January after two terms, has said he wants justice to be delivered to victims’ families who have often waited decades for death sentences to be imposed.

Marc Raczkoski, the deputy’s brother, briefly told reporters after witnessing the execution that his brother finally got justice.

But Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers, who was also on hand, said at a post-execution briefing that he saw the execution as closure, not justice.

“Would we all be so lucky to be 77 years old and to die so peacefully,” Flowers said. “That’s not justice in any way in my opinion.”

Reaves struggled with the deputy after dropping a gun

Raczkoski responded to a 911 call at a Vero Beach convenience store on Sept. 23, 1986, according to court records. Reaves later acknowledged he had placed the call from a payphone outside the store.

While the two men talked, a gun fell out of Reaves’ shorts, officials said. They then struggled over the weapon, and Reaves eventually regained control of it. Investigators said the deputy was trying to run away when Reaves shot him four times. Raczkoski died later that day from his wounds.

Reaves was convicted and sentenced to death about a year after the shooting. But the Florida Supreme Court overturned the conviction because of a conflict of interest with the prosecutor and ordered a new trial. Reaves was convicted again and newly sentenced to death in 1992. Subsequent appeals were unsuccessful.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday afternoon rejected Reaves’ 11th-hour appeal without comment.

Lawyers challenged lethal injection procedure

The Florida Supreme Court last week also rejected Reaves’ appeals seeking to spare his life.

His attorneys challenged Florida’s three-drug lethal injection protocol. All Florida executions are carried out via injection of a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.

The court has previously upheld the protocol against similar challenges. Florida's method differs from the single-drug injection used in states such as Tennessee, where condemned inmate Christa Pike was rushed to a hospital last month after surviving two doses of pentobarbital.

Reaves' attorneys also argued that jurors who recommended the death penalty were never told the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had rated the Army veteran as 100% disabled because of post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his service in the Vietnam War.

More than 100 military veterans appealed to DeSantis to halt the execution in a letter Monday, citing those factors.

Florida close to tying its 2025 record of 19 executions

A total of 47 people were executed in the United States in 2025. Florida led the nation that year with 19 executions and has accounted for more than half of the 32 U.S. executions — Reaves included — carried out thus far in 2026.

In July, Florida executed two prisoners in one day, becoming the first state in nearly a decade to do so.

On Nov. 5, Jesse Guardado, 64, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection in the same Florida death chamber. Guardado was convicted of robbing and killing a 75-year-old woman while stealing items on a crack cocaine binge in 2004.

____

The story has been updated to correct the spelling of the deputy's last name to Raczkoski, not Raczkowski, throughout.

The NBA picked the matinee matchup to tip off the season and it delivered plenty of entertainment.

Paul George scored 38 points, the most by a Celtic in his debut. The nine-time All-Star, in his 17th season, showed he's still got it in his first game with Boston since it acquired him from Philadelphia in exchange for 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.

Jayson Tatum, though, was off his game.

He missed 17 of 23 shots had 13 points and 11 assists. His lack of hustle on defense allowed Green to take his time for a fifth 3-pointer that gave the Pistons a 13-point lead with 3:33 left.

Tatum, a six-time All-Star, is set to play his first full season since tearing his Achilles tendon in May 2025.

Boston took its biggest lead early in the third quarter at 72-50 after George made three 3-pointers in less than a minute.

Detroit cut its deficit to six points after three quarters and surged ahead in the fourth. Green made a go-ahead 3, Duren added a three-point play and Robinson connected on a 3 to put the Pistons ahead 107-99 with 5:10 to go.

Jalen Duren had 22 points and nine rebounds, Duncan Robinson scored 21 points — making 5 of 9 3-pointers — and Ausar Thompson added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons.

Boston's Derrick White and Payton Pritchard scored 17 points apiece.

Up next

Celtics: Host the New York Knicks on Friday.

Pistons: At Miami on Friday.

___

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

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Food prices nationwide increased about 27% between December 2020 and December 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index. That means groceries that cost $100 at the end of 2020 would cost about $127 by the end of 2025, on average. Actual increases vary by product. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Charles Kuffner, a local political blogger, says rising food costs create difficult choices for families trying to cover everyday expenses.

“It’s a big pressure point on everybody,” Kuffner said.

What is driving food prices?

Kuffner points to several factors he believes contribute to higher grocery costs, including tariffs on imported goods and the cost of transporting food.

Tariffs can increase the cost of imported products, including some fruits and vegetables. Transportation costs also matter because groceries must be moved from farms and processing facilities to stores.

Many of these factors are influenced by federal policies, leaving local officials with limited direct control over grocery prices.

But Kuffner says county leaders can still make decisions that help families manage the cost of living.

Two things voters should look for

1. Find out which candidates support assistance programs

Kuffner encourages voters to look closely at candidates’ plans for helping residents who are struggling to afford basic needs.

“Listen very carefully to what the candidates have to say about the things that our local government does to provide assistance to people who need it,” Kuffner said.

For voters, that means asking candidates which assistance programs they support, who would qualify for help and how those programs would be funded.

2. Look at plans to lower other household expenses

Grocery prices are only one part of a family’s budget. Housing, health care, transportation and utility bills can also leave families with less money for food.

Kuffner said county government can help in areas such as health care and other essential services.

“Where the county can make a difference is by providing health services, and making household costs more affordable. Like, electricity and providing transportation assistance. Even lowering the price of housing, itself” Kuffner said.

Voters can ask candidates whether they would invest in services that help residents manage those costs, what they would prioritize and how they would pay for those programs.

County leaders cannot control every factor that affects grocery prices. But their budget decisions can influence the services and assistance available to residents.

Where do the candidates stand?

Ahead of the election, KPRC 2 reached out to candidates running for Harris County commissioner and Harris County judge to ask where they stand on food affordability and assistance for residents facing rising costs.

Steve Radack – Harris County Commissioner Precinct 4 Candidate

“The county can help address food affordability by keeping property taxes low, reducing wasteful spending, and finding creative ways to get food to people in need. For example, the county could partner with food banks to process wild hogs into inspected meat for distribution, a program I activated during my most recent tenure. Additionally, there should be a focus on redirecting money spent on promotional materials, billboards, and bus wraps toward more meaningful services. During my 32 years in public service, I worked to prevent unnecessary tax increases that would have cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Ultimately, the county should prioritize residents’ basic needs and responsible spending rather than costly self-promotion.”

Commissioner Lesley Briones - Harris County Precinct 4 (re-election)

“The affordability crisis is real, and working families across Harris County are feeling the pain every day. Rising grocery prices are forcing people to choose between filling the fridge, paying rent, and keeping the lights on. Americans deserve a government focused on people, not partisan politics. In the face of unprecedented instability and cuts at the state and federal levels, my Harris County Precinct 4 team and I are doubling down on our commitment to supporting our community. Nearly 40% of Houston and Harris County households are food insecure, almost three times the national average. In Precinct 4, greater Sharpstown has the highest rate of food insecurity. Through our partnerships with Tejano Center’s La Tiendita, Second Servings of Houston, and Common Market, Harris County Precinct 4 offers free, fresh food markets and weekly food distributions at our community centers to ensure that families have nutritious meals on their table. Over the summer, in partnership with The Houston Food Bank’s Kids’ Cafe and Brighter Bites, we expanded our free meals program so children had healthy food when school is out and family budgets are stretched thinnest. Local government has a responsibility to step up; we stand ready to serve and will always prioritize people over politics.”

Richard Vega - Harris County Commissioner Precinct 2 Candidate

Many families across Harris County are struggling with food insecurity, a challenge made even more difficult by rising grocery prices that place an increasing burden on household budgets.

As a pastor, I understand the importance of working together to meet the needs of our communities. Over the years, I have organized numerous events to help families facing immediate challenges. As County Commissioner, I will strengthen partnerships with local food banks, churches, nonprofits, and farmers to expand food distribution, improve access to fresh produce, and connect families with available assistance programs.

I support efforts to reduce food waste by connecting food retailers with local food banks and nonprofits, while promoting community workshops on budgeting, meal planning, and nutrition to help families stretch their grocery dollars. I will also work with community partners to identify gaps in food assistance and evaluate the effectiveness of these efforts. We must build on the strong foundation of our faith-based organizations and community partners to help families meet their immediate needs while creating sustainable solutions that provide lasting support.

My goal is to bring people and resources together to address immediate food needs, improve access to affordable, nutritious food, and help families across Harris County build greater financial stability.

Commissioner Adrian Garcia - Harris County Precinct 2 (re-election)

“Addressing social determinants of health has been a priority of mine from day one. The fact that Precinct 2 has the highest mortality rate by 20 years and coincidentally has the highest healthy food deserts is not lost on me, which is why I am very proud of my work to reduce costs and food insecurity.

“This has been accomplished by my congregate meal program that delivers thousands of meals to seniors and vulnerable populations in Precinct 2. I also created a strategic partnership with Finca Tres Robles’ urban farm to create a nonprofit farm and grocery store along with a Precinct 2 program to deliver fresh eggs to those same families.

“These programs combined with my mobile health clinics have delivered real savings to people struggling to get by in this crippling Trump economy.”

Orlando Sanchez - Candidate for Harris County Judge

“Harris County families are feeling the pressure of rising costs every day, and food affordability is absolutely a growing concern for our residents. Higher grocery prices, combined with property tax bills that have skyrocketed in recent years, are squeezing household budgets. When families must choose between putting food on the table and paying other essential bills, it affects the entire community - our schools, our neighborhoods, and our local economy. As someone who emigrated to Houston as a child and has served this county for decades, I understand that government should not make life harder for the people who pay the bills. County government must control its own spending, eliminate waste, and prioritize core services so that taxpayers can keep more of what they earn.

Economic hardship places real strain on individuals and families who come into contact with the justice system. Financial pressure can contribute to stress, instability, and sometimes involvement in the courts, whether through minor offenses driven by desperation, challenges meeting bail or fine obligations, or difficulty navigating probation and court requirements while working multiple jobs or caring for children. As a former Harris County probation officer, I saw firsthand how lack of resources can complicate rehabilitation and compliance. A justice system that works must be efficient, fair, and focused on public safety while recognizing that prolonged case backlogs or excessive costs fall hardest on those least able to absorb them. Strong families and stable communities reduce the burdens on our courts and jails.

Within the role of Harris County Judge, I will work to ensure fair and equal treatment for individuals experiencing financial hardship by prioritizing efficient court operations, adequate staffing and resources for the justice system, and results oriented budgeting that supports public safety without unnecessary waste. The County Judge leads Commissioners Court in setting the budget and policy direction for county departments, including support for the courts, Sheriff’s Office, prosecutors, and related services. I will insist on measurable performance, faster case processing where appropriate, and accountability, so that justice is delivered promptly and evenly, regardless of a person’s economic circumstances. Treating people fairly includes making sure the system itself is not needlessly expensive or delayed for those already struggling. We must fully support law enforcement and the courts while demanding that every taxpayer dollar produces real results.

Harris County residents should know that economic hardship is not an abstract issue. It is a kitchen-table reality for too many of our neighbors. My perspective is shaped by experience: as a Cuban immigrant who built a life here, as a veteran, as a former City Council member and 12-year County Treasurer who returned money to the general fund through efficiencies, and as a candidate focused on lower costs, safer communities, and accountable government.

Education remains one of the most powerful tools to break the cycle of poverty and open opportunity. Public safety, flood protection, and fiscal discipline are not partisan talking points, they are the foundation for families to thrive. As County Judge, I will put Harris County families first by rooting out waste, lowering the property tax burden, completing projects taxpayers have already funded, and delivering measurable results. Together we can build a county where hard work is rewarded and every resident has a fair chance."

Dr. Letitia Plummer - Candidate for Harris County Judge

1. Is food affordability a growing concern?

“Yes. Families don’t need the news to tell them, though it helps when a story confirms what they’re living. They see it at the checkout counter. Grocery prices in the Houston area are up roughly 28 percent since 2019, and fruits and vegetables jumped more than 7 percent last year alone. Two in five Harris County households struggle to keep nutritious food on the table. In homes with children, it’s half.

Families didn’t cause this. Republican policy choices did, and they landed hardest on the most vulnerable. Washington cut SNAP. Austin refuses to expand Medicaid, so a family that gets sick pays the hospital before it pays the grocer. And when county taxes go up without a full accounting, that money comes out of the same grocery budget. That’s why I opposed this year’s tax increase."

2. How does economic hardship affect people in the justice system?

“One clarification for your audience first. The office I’m running for is called Harris County Judge, but it’s the county’s chief executive, not a judicial seat. The County Judge presides over Commissioners Court and leads emergency operations when disaster hits.

To your question: hardship turns a small problem into a life sentence. A missed shift because you were in court. A missed court date because you had no ride and no child care. A fine you can’t pay that grows into a warrant. An eviction filing that follows you for years. A mental health crisis answered by a patrol car instead of a clinician.

Too many families in this county are one missed paycheck from a crisis. Many work two and three jobs to keep a roof over their head, with no health insurance and no homeowners or renters insurance. Those of us blessed with financial security may never live that reality, but my constituents tell me these stories, and I am listening. I want a county where a mom or dad can come home at night and tell their kids, ‘Everything’s going to be all right’ and mean it.

Thirty years of Republican economic policy in Texas has widened the gap between the very rich and everyone else into a gulf. None of it has made Harris County safer. Hunger and poverty lead to poor health and delayed care, and untreated illness, especially mental illness, too often ends in our jail. Stable families are safe families."

3. How can the office ensure fair treatment?

“The County Judge leads Commissioners Court, which writes the budget for the jail, the public defender, pretrial services and much of the courts’ operations. Fairness gets funded or starved in that budget. A budget shows you a government’s priorities, and mine puts people first. As County Judge, I will:

• Fund public defense so people get a lawyer early, whatever is in their bank account.
• Expand mental health response. On City Council, I won unanimous approval for Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams so police don’t handle non-violent mental health calls.
• Keep eviction defense funded, because losing housing is how one bad month becomes homelessness.
• Demand a safe, humane jail.
• Apply one standard of justice from Tanglewood to the Third Ward."

4. Anything else for residents?

“I’ve run a small business for more than 25 years. I know what rising costs do to a payroll and a household budget at the same time. During COVID, I launched Feed the Need with Houston chefs to get meals to seniors and hungry families. I also proposed container grocery stores, because too many of our working-class neighborhoods have no affordable place to buy fresh food. That’s the work I want to keep doing. Harris County needs a government that opens its books, spends every dollar carefully and makes Austin pay its fair share instead of passing the bill down to you.

That’s the real difference between my opponent and me. Orlando still runs on Ronald Reagan’s line that the nine most terrifying words in English are ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’ After 30 years of Republicans running Texas, I’d update it. The eight scariest words now are ‘I’m a Republican, and I’m here to help.’ Reagan liked to borrow John Adams’ line that facts are stubborn things. Here’s one: Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the country under Orlando’s party.

My campaign is about where Harris County needs to be years from now. This county shouldn’t be punished for thinking differently or drained of its economic power by Austin. Representative government answers to the people. The people hold the government in check, and the government holds the powerful in check."

In September, we first raised concerns about restroom access and the spacing of accessible parking spaces.

• 5-Star driver with 1-star bathroom problem at Hobby Airport over lack of immediate access for drivers with disabilities

It started with Kevin Yackly, who contacted 2 Helps You about a problem at the lot: There was no adequate restroom nearby.

After investigating, 2 Helps You brought the issue to the attention of the Houston Airports System Aviation Director and the City of Houston.

• Win for disabled rideshare drivers at Hobby Airport, but there’s one more problem to solve

Within days, restrooms were made available for rideshare drivers using the lot.

But that wasn’t the only problem.

2 Helps You raises concerns about accessible parking

During the initial investigation, 2 Helps You also found that accessible parking spaces were too close together, making it difficult for people with disabilities to get in and out of their vehicles.

For Yackly and other drivers who need additional room to maneuver, the limited spacing created a significant obstacle.

The airport director acknowledged the concern and committed to change, “We’ll have this fixed ASAP”, said Jim Szczesniak.

Hobby Airport makes changes to parking layout

On a return visit to the rideshare lot, 2 Helps You found that the airport had added more space around accessible parking areas, giving drivers more room to open their doors and exit their vehicles.

The changes were designed to improve access without reducing the number of available accessible parking spaces.

According to the on-site changes observed by 2 Helps You, new accessible parking spaces were added with additional room created for drivers.

Another 2 Helps You investigation leads to results

For Yackly, the changes address concerns that prompted him to reach out in the first place.

Airport leadership tells us they are not done as they are adding speed bumps.

The follow-up highlights the role of 2 Helps You in bringing consumer concerns to the attention of the people and agencies responsible for addressing them.

Do you have a problem that needs attention?

Contact 2 Helps You team at our help desk to share your consumer concern.

Remember, we should never be your first call, but we don’t mind being your last.

During early voting, both approaches work: Registered Harris County voters can choose any of the county’s 75 early voting locations, regardless of their precinct.

• RELATED: Harris County shatters early voting record on Day 1 with at least 104,000 ballots cast

That means you can vote near work, after picking up your child from school or while running errands — as long as the location is within the county where you’re registered.

More than 143,000 voters had been processed at Harris County’s early voting locations from 7 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19, through noon Tuesday, Oct. 20, according to the Harris County Clerk’s Office.

A familiar location or a shorter line?

At the Metropolitan MultiService Center on West Gray Street on Tuesday, some voters said familiarity and a sense of community made waiting worthwhile.

“I specifically chose this location because this is where I voted in the past,” Burdette Keeland said.

Asked why he kept returning, he said: “Because we come here. We’re old, and that’s what we do. Whatever we’ve done in the past, we do it again.”

He knew he had other options, but he said he’s a creature of habit.

Another voter said the neighborhood connection was part of the appeal.

“It’s a community thing,” Calista Ginn said. “It’s a line I’m happy to wait in.”

Across town, Dwight Barber had a different priority: convenience. There was no line to check in at the church polling location when KPRC 2 visited.

“If that was a line here, I’d go somewhere else,” Barber said. “But I always come to this location. There’s never been a line here.”

His experience is a reminder that a busy polling place does not mean every location in the county has a long wait.

You don’t have to vote in your precinct

Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth addressed the confusion during a voter education event ahead of early voting.

“Since 2019, Harris County voters have voted countywide, so they don’t have to worry about if they’re in the right precinct,” Hudspeth said.

Harris County voters can use any open county vote center during early voting and on Election Day. However, the location lists differ, so check the list for the day you plan to cast your ballot.

How to find an early voting location

Start at HarrisVotes.com and select “Vote Centers.” Choose “Early Voting” to see the appropriate locations.

Enter an address to find nearby voting sites. The address can be your home, workplace or another place near where you plan to vote. Searching an address helps you find locations; it does not change your voter registration.

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Ginn said she used HarrisVotes.com to find her polling place.

“You just enter your address and it tells you your closest polling location,” she said.

Voters can also use the free Harris Votes mobile app, available for iOS and Android devices, to find voting locations and access election information.

Check estimated wait times before leaving

The county’s online map lets voters compare listed wait times at different locations before deciding where to go.

Treat those times as estimates. A location’s line can change between the time you check and the time you arrive.

Turnout totals and wait times also measure different things. A site that has served a large number of voters may not have a long line when you visit.

The clerk’s office said it did not have data available to identify the locations with the longest or shortest waits. Officials described voter activity as steady throughout the day, with a consistent flow at early voting sites.

Which locations have had the highest and lowest turnout?

In its response Tuesday, the clerk’s office identified these five early voting locations as having processed the most voters so far:

- Metropolitan MultiService Center

- Richard and Meg Weekley Community Center

- Juergens Hall Community Center

- George H. W. Bush Community Center

- Trini Mendenhall Community Center

The five locations with the fewest voters processed were:

- Harris County Annex 47

- Barbara Jordan–Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University

- San Jacinto Community Center

- Pep Mueller County Park Clubhouse

- Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church

The rankings may change as early voting continues. They reflect the number of voters processed, not current line lengths.

What if the address search isn’t working?

Some voters have reported difficulty entering an address into the website’s search tool. The clerk’s office said it had not received reports confirming technical issues and did not identify a cause.

Voters experiencing problems can call the Harris County Clerk’s Office at 713-755-6965 for assistance finding a polling location.

The county’s online location tool also includes an “Early Voting Locations PDF,” offering another way to review addresses if the interactive search is not working.

The county boundary matters

The early voting flexibility extends throughout Greater Houston and across Texas: Voters may use any early voting location within their county of registration.

If you live in Fort Bend County but work in Harris County, for example, choose an early voting location in Fort Bend County.

Check your county’s elections website for its locations and hours. Do not assume an Election Day polling place is also open during early voting.

When does early voting end?

Early voting continues through Friday, Oct. 30. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Harris County early voting hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., except Sunday, Oct. 25, when polls are open from noon to 7 p.m. Other counties’ schedules may differ.

Unlike in many areas of medicine, experts say there’s a lot of variation in the U.S. transplant system. Knowing there are differences and what to ask might help.

“I had to ask a lot of questions to figure out what it was that I could do to move the needle,” said Katherine Screws of Phoenix, who got a rare intestine transplant after she decided to get on the waiting list at more than one hospital to increase her chances.

It can be difficult to learn how to navigate that search, but there's publicly available information about which hospitals perform the most of each type of transplant, plus their waiting times and outcomes. Long used by experts analyzing the transplant system, the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, or SRTR, database has new patient-friendly tools developed in the hopes that more would-be transplant recipients will use it.

“People are making these really high-stakes decisions without understanding the options,” said Dr. Allyson Hart of Minnesota’s Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, who helped design the tools.

Here are some things to know.

Different transplant centers have different criteria

There are about 100,000 people on the U.S. transplant list at any given time, the vast majority of whom need a kidney. With just over 49,000 transplants performed in the U.S last year, more people than ever are getting new organs. It’s mostly thanks to over a decade of increases in donations from the deceased, which are recovered by organ procurement organizations, or OPOs.

But more organs are needed to meet the demand, and different transplant hospitals have different criteria for who they'll accept on their waiting list.

Sometimes, “if a patient receives a ‘no’ at one place, they can go somewhere else and be successfully transplanted,” said Dr. Syed Ali Husain, a kidney specialist at NYU Langone Health.

Each transplant program's waiting list is linked to a national automated matching system. OPOs enter information about viable organs into that system, which generates lists of possible matches at multiple hospitals in order of priority. When the OPO offers an organ, the transplant team must quickly decide if it's a good choice for that patient or the offer moves to the hospital with the next-in-line candidate.

Some hospitals are more conservative than others about which organs they’ll accept, said Husain, who studies such differences.

One large study of kidney transplants found “there’s about a 16-fold variation in how quickly a patient will get transplanted at one center versus another,” he said. That's partly because some surgeons have more experience than others using kidneys with complex anatomy such as extra arteries, or those from older, sicker donors that still may be better than dialysis for the right patient.

How to find data about transplant centers

Typically, a doctor or other health worker points patients to the nearest hospital offering the kind of transplant they need. But the SRTR database allows people to compare transplant centers around the country in multiple ways.

Search for a particular organ and a list of the highest-to-lowest-volume centers pops up, with dials to show how they perform on such measures as getting a transplant faster, survival on the waiting list and the new organ's survival. Click on those of interest for more data.

For certain organs, there's a “personalized decision guide” to customize the search a little more with demographic and medical information that compares outcomes for patients similar to you. It may be important to know, for example, if hospitals you’re considering perform transplants for a lot of older adults or people with certain chronic illnesses, Hart said.

There's more data about kidneys, the most-transplanted organ, and a kidney decision aid also allows adding factors such as blood type and diabetes that play a particular role in those transplants. That tool shows the chances of getting a transplant in the first five years after joining the waiting list, or the alternatives — still waiting or having died or become too sick to get a transplant.

It's OK to quiz the transplant team

Like Screws, the Phoenix patient, some people choose to “double list” at a hospital closer to home and another higher-volume transplant program further away.

While not everyone is able to travel, the search tools can also help inform discussions with your chosen transplant program.

It's OK to come to a transplant program to say, “'Hey, there are other centers that do this faster. Help me understand why,'” Hart said. “Sometimes, that conversation is really enough to prompt maybe more aggressive offer acceptance than that center might otherwise do on their own.”

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The Associated Press’ health and science coverage receives financial support from the AP Fund for Journalism and private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

That was way off. She wouldn’t get one until three years after the crash.

It could have been longer if not for an unusual meeting with an organ procurement organization, or OPO, that taught the frustrated Screws how hospitals vary in which organs they accept or refuse — and she flew across the country for a better chance.

“I wish that there was more clarity with patients about when is an organ coming up that could be a match for you and why is it not a match,” said Screws, who received a transplant at her new hospital in just weeks. She wishes she had asked sooner, “What is the thing that’s holding this up?”

Screws’ journey shows how the transplant system often struggles to inform patients about options that can be incredibly difficult to navigate on their own. Among them are where to seek care, whether to get on multiple hospitals’ transplant lists, and how to discuss if you’d accept a less-than-perfect organ rather than continue waiting. And in the background, viable organs can be wasted. About 1 in 5 donated organs go unused, usually because a recipient wasn’t found in time.

For kidney transplants, the most common type, a large study found "there’s about a 16-fold variation in how quickly a patient will get transplanted at one center versus another,” said Dr. Syed Ali Husain of NYU Langone Health, who researches such differences.

One reason is that some surgeons have more experience than others using kidneys with complex anatomy like extra arteries, or those from older, sicker donors that still may be better than dialysis for the right patient, he said.

There’s far less information about rare types of transplants like the intestine, which is biologically more difficult to handle than some other organs.

“We offer them but they’re declined so often that it’s demoralizing,” said Lisa Stocks of California’s OneLegacy, one of the nation’s largest OPOs, who showed the data to Screws.

Screws was one of just 88 people in the U.S. to receive a new intestine last year, compared with more than 27,000 kidney transplants.

Whatever the organ, most patients don’t know what to ask, said Dr. Allyson Hart of Minnesota’s Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute. She helped design tools for a new patient-friendly online database that can help people compare waiting times and other characteristics of different transplant hospitals.

Too many patients think “they just needed to wait for five years and they would get transplanted,” Hart said, when often “that’s actually not what happens.”

Transplants are on the rise

With just over 49,000 transplants performed in the U.S. last year, more people than ever are getting new organs. That’s mostly thanks to over a decade of increases in donations from the deceased, recovered by OPOs that act as a bridge to transplant hospitals.

But about 100,000 people are awaiting a transplant, the vast majority of whom need a kidney. There’s growing pressure to retrieve and use more donated organs, even as donor registrations recently dipped and an aging population means organs increasingly come from older, sicker donors. And the government is in the midst of a yearslong overhaul of the transplant system.

One pending move threatens to close some of the nation's 55 OPOs under a controversial grading system that holds them accountable for the number of organs they procure and how many are transplanted — the latter, they argue, being out of their control because surgeons decide when an organ is right for their patient. Some, including OneLegacy, are part of lawsuits seeking to block such closures.

Regulators also grade hospitals, and Husain said some of the reluctance to use less-than-perfect organs has long stemmed from concern about getting a lower score if even a few of them fail.

Medicare is running a pilot project to see if financial incentives or penalties will push hospitals to perform more kidney transplants, so fewer of those donated organs go to waste.

A foodie who could no longer eat

In late 2024, OPOs around the country began receiving emotional letters from Screws and some of her family members. They detailed how a May 2022 car crash, a month after her wedding, required the removal of Screws' small intestine, the organ that breaks down food and absorbs nutrients. The self-described “passionate foodie” who loves to cook now got all her nutrition from an overnight IV drip that left her severely nauseous and unable to return to her engineering job or pursue plans with her husband to start a family.

“This accident completely derailed my life and the wait for a new organ has been excruciating,” wrote Screws, adding that her original transplant doctors “feel that it is possible there is a lack of awareness of small bowel transplant among organ procurement organizations.” She asked that the OPOs “confirm your organization’s matching programs are properly searching for and prioritizing small intestine donations.”

To OPOs required to recover as many organs as possible, it was a shocking question. They work closely with grieving relatives of deceased donors but seldom get questions from would-be recipients. Stocks, the OneLegacy nurse, realized OPOs have data that could help patients advocate for themselves, and started combing records.

How are donated organs retrieved and distributed?

Every transplant center has its own organ-specific waiting list linked to a nationwide automated matching system. The OPO in charge of each deceased donor enters information about organs deemed suitable for use, which generates lists of possible matches at multiple hospitals in order of priority. A patient who matches baseline biological characteristics still might not show up as a candidate if the surgeon added some additional requirements, such as wanting a donor to be younger than 40.

Transplant teams must quickly decide on an offer, based on lab tests, scans and other medical records. If they decline, the organ then is offered to the hospital with the next-in-line possible match.

“It’s the right donor at the right time. You can never predict these things,” said Dr. Cal Matsumoto at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, the second transplant center where Screws registered, and where she wound up getting a new intestine.

Matching begins before surgery to recover the organs, and distance also plays a role, as some organs last longer than others outside the body. Oftentimes, surgeons travel to personally remove certain tricky-to-handle organs rather than relying on a local surgeon to retrieve and ship them.

“Generally if it’s a very good donor, so to speak, there’s going to be a heart team, a lung team, a pancreas team and a liver team, so there’s a lot of coordination” even to schedule recovery, said Matsumoto. For intestines, he said, that also involves surgeons negotiating how they’ll divide critical blood vessels shared by nearby abdominal organs.

But the process is far from perfect: In a study published last year, a group of kidney patients who died on the waiting list had a median of 25 organ offers their transplant team had declined — organs that were eventually used in someone else.

An intestine with a quirk that’s working well

It turned out that Screws' local OPO, OneLegacy, had made nine offers for her during 2024 that were all rejected. Stocks said she had “candid conversations” with the transplant team about why they were declined, such as technical preferences about the retrieval, so she'd know better how to evaluate potential new donors.

Meanwhile, Stocks also showed Screws how to use a database run by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients to decide whether to also seek care at a hospital that does more intestine transplants.

In June 2025, just a few weeks after “double listing,” Screws received a new intestine at Georgetown. It came, she learned, from a donor in Chicago. It was longer than is usually transplanted, but Matsumoto said it wound up fitting fine.

Screws’ original hospital, UCLA Health, cited patient privacy rules in declining to comment except to say that it follows federal transplant guidelines and that its transplant teams “continuously strive to enhance processes in service to our patients.” While its intestine program is small, UCLA is a major provider of kidney and other transplants.

Screws is careful to say her frustration wasn’t with her doctors, but with the lack of centralized, easy-to-understand information about what to expect. She had never heard of OPOs until her transplant coordinator mentioned them or realized there had to be a bridge between donors and transplant surgeons.

“My main takeaway was that there is more subjectivity to selecting an organ than I would have previously thought,” Screws said. Hers was “larger than average and maybe another surgeon wouldn’t have accepted that.”

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The Associated Press’ health and science coverage receives financial support from the AP Fund for Journalism and private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

“I’m back at square one where I don’t know what’s going on with me,” the actor said on the latest edition of her podcast “MeSsy,” along with co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who has been public about her own battle with MS.

Applegate first publicly announced in 2021 that she had been diagnosed with the disorder that causes the immune system to attack the cells in the central nervous system.

On Monday's podcast, Applegate revealed that despite the misdiagnosis, she still has “every symptom of someone with MS,” adding, “I still have to use wheelchairs when I go to the doctor’s office. I can’t walk from the car to the room.”

There is no single test for MS, and a diagnosis usually involves ruling out other causes. It can take years and seeing multiple doctors before one puts the clues together.

Dr. Benjamin Greenberg, a neurologist who specializes in multiple sclerosis and autoimmune neurological disorders at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, said the most reputable studies put the MS misdiagnosis rate at 10%.

“We rely on the clinical symptoms, the history, the MRI, often spinal fluid, and then a series of tests to rule out potential mimics. And unfortunately, those tests are not universally codified,” he said.

Greenberg said Applegate’s experience has lessons for both medical providers and patients. For doctors, it’s a reminder to ensure a single diagnosis doesn’t lead to a system-wide bias toward that conclusion.

“If I put ‘multiple sclerosis’ as a diagnosis on an MRI, a radiologist is far less likely to say, ‘Well, this isn’t multiple sclerosis. You really should consider something else.' It can permeate the system,” he said.

“For patients and families, my general recommendation is whenever receiving a significant serious or chronic diagnosis, if feasible, there is never a harm in getting second opinions.”

Applegate said the news had put her in an odd place since she and Sigler have become prominent advocates for people with MS.

"It’s weird because I feel like I let everybody down,” she said. “It’s very unnerving, and it’s really confusing for me.”

Most autoimmune diseases, especially in adults, aren’t caused by a specific gene defect. Instead, a variety of genes that affect immune functions can make people susceptible. Scientists say it then takes an “environmental” trigger, such as an infection, smoking or pollutants, to set the disease in motion.

On the podcast and earlier this year while promoting her memoir, "You with the Sad Eyes,” the Emmy-winning Applegate has been candid about unpredictable symptoms that have forced her to use diapers and scoot down stairs on her butt.

“My life has in some ways shrunk to the size of my California king,” she writes in her book.

The club said the 19-year-old Kindel had an unspecified issue shortly after the team's plane took off from the Salt Lake City airport on Tuesday.

The plane returned to the airport while Kindel was tended to on the flight by the team's medical staff. He was taken by ambulance to the University of Utah hospital.

The team said Kindel was conscious, alert and stable.

Kindel, in his second season with the Penguins after being selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2025 draft, has two goals and two assists in nine games. He played 18 minutes, 53 seconds in a 5-4 loss to Utah on Monday night.

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Houston Independent School District and Houston Christian University have formalized an agreement that guarantees HISD students admission to HCU — along with merit scholarships tied directly to their GPA. The higher the grades, the more money a student receives.

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The bar to qualify is intentionally within reach.

“All they have to do is apply, and we help them do that,” said Jill Quinn, HISD’s Deputy Chief of College, Career and Military Readiness. “Their GPA earns them access to admissions if they’re over a 3.0, or if they have three years of math.”

For families worried about the cost of college, the scholarship component is designed to make a real difference.

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“For our students, when they work hard at our high schools, they’ll be able to have access to money to make their college journey more affordable,” Quinn said. “We’ll help them get a great education at a lower cost.”

HISD Chief Academic Officer Alyssa Rocha said the partnership is especially meaningful for students who may not know where to start.

“This partnership makes that connection much more concrete and affordable, especially for our students who work so, so hard every day but might sometimes not be sure where to begin or what their options look like,” Rocha said.

HCU’s acting president Sandy Mooney said the message to every HISD student is simple: your hard work has not gone unnoticed.

“Your efforts matter,” Mooney said. “There is a future and your achievements will be recognized.”

The program also addresses something Quinn hears from students regularly — many simply want to stay close to home.

“A lot of our kids really want to stay home, and so having access to a great school in your home city is something that we’re really excited about,” Quinn said.

High school counselors will play a key role in connecting students to the program, with both organizations urging them to help students understand their eligibility before applying.

HCU’s Guaranteed Admission Program has served Houston-area students for several years, but Tuesday’s signing marks its expansion to the largest school district in Texas — opening the door for a significantly larger pool of students to take advantage of it.

The company, run by Elon Musk, posted a profit for the three months through September of $4.4 billion, or 35 cents per share, reversing a year-ago loss and easily topping Wall Street's expectations. Revenue soared to $14.6 billion, up 161%.

On a conference call with analysts, Musk suggested a merger with his electric car company Tesla might be in the works, something that has been rumored for months. He said both companies formed “special committees” of independent directors to discuss the issue, though he played down the chances of an imminent deal.

“Some people out there assume that a SpaceX and Tesla merger is a certainty,” he said. “I think that would be overstating it.”

The AI business became SpaceX's largest by revenue in the third quarter, although the Starlink satellite service remains the biggest profit generator.

“They beat across all metrics and the Starlink business looks to be accelerating,” said Dan Ives, an analyst at Yorkville Ives. “This is just what (Wall) Street wanted.”

The stock rose 7.5% in after-hours trading.

Musk also told analysts that for next month's launch of its Starship rocket, SpaceX will attempt to grab both the booster and ship with mechanical arms upon return to base, a key step toward demonstrating it can reuse the massive spacecraft.

“The only way that we can extend consciousness beyond Earth on a sustained basis is with a fully reusable orbital launch vehicle,” Musk said, calling the attempt, if successful, “a massive technology milestone.”

SpaceX hopes to get Starship on a regular launch pattern in preparation for NASA's upcoming lunar missions.

The company already has huge contracts with the federal government, and House Democrats have called for investigations into those contracts and Musk’s work with the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk has spent $276 million since July in support of Republican candidates.

In a filing for its initial public offering in June, SpaceX warned that a change in control of Congress could have a “material and adverse impact on our growth and competitive position.”

Musk recently drew criticism from politicians in Washington after speeds for a military version of SpaceX's satellite communications service were slowed for Ukraine following President Donald Trump's deal to get more diesel oil from Russia amid a push to end the war. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that it was Musk who ordered the slowdown, impeding Ukraine’s use of drones along the front. SpaceX did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment on the Journal story.

Both Trump and Musk have denied responsibility for the slowdown.

As midterm elections near, Musk on Monday promised to give one share of SpaceX to “every kid in America” next year, though he provided no details on how the distribution would be carried out. With communities nationwide protesting the construction of large data centers and concerns about AI safety, AI companies are trying to build goodwill. Anthropic pledged to commit 5% of its shares to a new “public benefit” fund.

SpaceX shares have been under pressure over concerns that the company was spending too much on major projects to compete with rivals such as Anthropic. The company said capital expenditures totaled $19.6 billion last quarter, nearly triple the figure from a year earlier, and it forecast spending would grow to $35 billion to $40 billion in the current quarter.

Shares of SpaceX closed Tuesday at $147.79, down from a peak near $201 after its IPO, which made Musk the world’s first trillionaire at the time. But the share prices for SpaceX and Tesla have since dropped, reducing his net worth to $925 billion, according to Forbes magazine.

Tesla reports third-quarter financial results Wednesday. Last week, Tesla unveiled a new Roadster sports car that in some versions may include thrusters allowing it to briefly fly using SpaceX technology — though experts say anything usable for drivers is a long shot.

Authorities initially received reports that a family was inside one of the homes at the time of the fire. However, the family was not present when the fire broke out — they arrived on scene after it had already started.

Harris County Fire Marshals remained on scene to investigate the cause of the fire. The investigation is ongoing.

METRO Police said the mobile unit is designed to bring officers, assistance and services directly to riders, employees and neighborhoods throughout the transit system. Moody Park was the unit’s first stop, with plans to move it to other locations based on transit and community needs.

KPRC 2 has received calls and concerns from residents who reported seeing a significant police presence at Moody Park, where early voting began Monday, Oct. 19. One resident said they had voted at the community center for years but had not previously seen a similar police presence there. The resident also questioned why officers were visible at that location but not at a polling place near River Oaks.

The resident expressed concern that the presence could discourage voting in the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood. However, it has not been established that the mobile command center’s deployment was connected to early voting or intended to affect voter participation.

The duo demonstrated how to prepare herbal oils and create homemade scrubs using ingredients like rose petals, calendula, lavender and carrier oils. They also shared tips for growing herbs at home and explained how the organization helps people explore the culinary, gardening and wellness uses of plants through educational programs open to the public.

Jones and Calloway also offered a preview of the 53rd Annual Herb Fair, happening Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The free event will feature locally grown plants, gardening experts, herbal teas, wellness products, handmade crafts and holiday gifts.

Shoppers can purchase an advance voucher online for early access to the popular plant sale. Proceeds support the South Texas Unit’s year-round educational programs and activities.

For more information about the Herb Society of America’s South Texas Unit and the Herb Fair, visit herbsociety-stu.org.

The move “severely harms the legitimate rights and interests” of Chinese businesses, the country’s commerce ministry said in a statement. “The nature of this act is egregious. China firms opposes this.”

The ministry also urged the U.S. to "correct its erroneous practice” and said Beijing would take “necessary measures,” without specifying them.

It came a day after the U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on five Chinese companies connected to Linwei Ding, who founded Shanghai Zhisuan Technology. The department said he had touted his experience with Google and claimed his company could replicate the American tech giant’s super intelligence infrastructure technology.

The startup incubation program MiraclePlus, which was sanctioned along with Zhisuan, gave seed capital in exchange for an ownership stake in Zhisuan, the State Department said. The other three Chinese entities facing penalties are linked to MiraclePlus.

Zhisuan “has knowingly engaged in, or benefitted from, significant theft of trade secrets of United States persons, which occurred on or after January 5, 2023,” the State Department said.

Ding was charged in 2024 with stealing artificial intelligence trade secrets from Google while secretly working with two companies based in China. In January, he was convicted by a federal jury in San Francisco of several counts of economic espionage and theft of trade secrets.

A judge later dismissed the economic espionage charges and sentenced him to 12 months in prison. The Justice Department is appealing the dismissal of the economic espionage charges.

China’s commerce ministry said its AI development is “the result of long-term cultivation in basic research, continuous innovation investment, and adherence to independent scientific and technological innovation and open cooperation.”

The country's achievements have “nothing to do with the so-called ‘stealing of trade secrets,’” the ministry said.

___

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

The Republican governor said she was commuting Toforest Johnson’s death sentence to life in prison without parole. Johnson was convicted of the 1995 murder of Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff William Hardy. Johnson has long maintained he is innocent.

“When presented with Mr. Johnson’s case, I had concerns there was not enough direct evidence to carry out the most serious punishment, death,” Ivey said in a statement. “My decision is not a determination of innocence, but a recognition that the circumstances of this case justify commuting his death sentence to life imprisonment, without possibility of parole.”

Ivey has overseen 27 executions during her time as governor. She has commuted the death sentences of three death row inmates.

Hardy was shot twice in the head while working off-duty security at a hotel. Johnson has maintained he was on the other side of town at the time of the shooting.

Ty Alper, one of Johnson’s attorneys, said they are grateful to Ivey for “diligently reviewing Toforest’s case and taking action to spare an innocent man from execution.” Alper said the fight to overturn the conviction will continue.

“Toforest Johnson is innocent. Now it is up to the courts to overturn his conviction and grant him a new trial. We will keep fighting until he is home with his family,” Alper said.

There has been a long-running legal effort to win a new trial in the case, which has garnered national attention and was the subject of a podcast. Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr, who was elected in 2018, has supported Johnson’s bid for a new trial. Carr wrote in a 2024 court filing that the “evidence in this case has unraveled over 20 years.”

Carr said in 2024 that credible alibi witnesses place Johnson elsewhere at the time of the crime. He said there are multiple reasons to doubt the key prosecution witness, a woman who “claimed she overheard Johnson confess to the murder on a three-way phone call on which she was eavesdropping.”

The key prosecution witness at Johnson's 1998 trial testified that, while eavesdropping on a phone call, she heard a man she believed was Johnson admitting to the crime. She was paid $5,000 in 2001 for her testimony, and Johnson’s lawyers argue that the state withheld evidence of monetary motivation for the testimony.

A number of former judges and prosecutors have joined those seeking a new trial for Johnson amid questions about his conviction. Former Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley, former Chief Justices Sonny Hornsby and Drayton Nabers and several former judges and prosecutors have submitted briefs or written editorials supporting a new trial.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall in an Oct. 16 letter had urged Ivey to reject the clemency request and “respect the jury's decision” and the decision of the courts reviewing the matter.

The Gamecocks received 23 first-place votes from a 31-member national media panel Tuesday. UConn, Southern California, Duke and Michigan round out the top five.

It is the fifth time in the past seven years that Staley's team has been ranked No. 1 in the preseason.

“It's a gift and curse,” Staley said. “I tend to not look at the number, but our players do. They look at it and feel like there’s a sense of respect to being No. 1. They also know that it’s pressure-packed. With the type of nonconference schedule we have, we’re going to be challenged. If we stand there at No. 1 at the end of our nonconference season that’s something to be truly to be proud of.”

South Carolina will face five ranked teams in the first month of the season, including UConn, USC and Duke.

“It’s a doozy of a schedule, something we have to do for us to actually keep having the roster we have,” Staley said. “Some of them are NIL games, some of them are games we just got to play because they are super competitive and we want to test ourselves.”

UConn, which lost to South Carolina in the Final Four last season, garnered six first-place votes and has been ranked in the top 10 of every preseason poll since 1994.

This is the third consecutive year that South Carolina and UConn have been 1-2 in the preseason poll, though the Huskies were on top a year ago. The two play each other on Nov. 24 in Uncasville, Connecticut.

USC picked up the other two first-place ballots. Expectations are high for the Trojans, who have a healthy JuJu Watkins back after she missed last season while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The No. 3 ranking matches the one they had two years ago.

Duke has its highest ranking in the preseason poll since 2013 when the Blue Devils were second. Michigan has its best ranking ever in the preseason Top 25. The Wolverines were ranked in the top 10 for the final 18 weeks of the poll last season.

“They came to Michigan to do things that have never been done before,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said of her stellar junior class led by Olivia Olson and Syla Swords. “We're in the position we're in because they came here and made a difference.”

The first regular-season poll will be released Nov. 9.

The rest of the rankings

Texas, Louisville, Vanderbilt, LSU and Iowa round out the top 10. Defending national champion UCLA is next with North Carolina, Notre Dame, Kentucky and TCU following the Bruins.

Washington, Minnesota, Ohio State, Ole Miss and Maryland are 16-20 while the final five in the Top 25 were Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Illinois, West Virginia and N.C. State.

It is the first preseason ranking for No. 17 Minnesota since 2019. Coach Dawn Plitzuweit’s team is coming off its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2018 and first Sweet 16 appearance since 2005, but lost leading scorer Tori McKinney for the season with a knee injury suffered last week in practice.

Conference supremacy

The Big Ten has nine teams in the Top 25, the most ever for one conference in the preseason poll. The Southeastern Conference has seven, including four in the top 10. The Atlantic Coast Conference has five and the Big 12 three. The Big East has one.

“When I left the Big East we had eight or nine teams in the Top 25 as well and it was the best league in the country. I couldn't imagine I'd go to a place that would be even greater,” said Barnes Arico, who is in her 15th year at Michigan. “With expansion this conference got better and better. The knock has been that the Big Ten hasn't won a championship, but UCLA did that last year and now we have some of the best players in the country returning this year.”

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Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college basketball coverage here

The mailer is addressed to children in the household, claims to be from something called the “Texas Transgender Student Union” and includes resource information that some parents say crosses a line. It repeatedly references the Transgender Education Network of Texas — known as TENT — and includes links to the organization’s resources.

But TENT says it had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Dalton Lyle says the moment he opened the brochure, he knew something was off.

“What to do if your parents don’t support you. What if I want to be emancipated?” Lyle said. “This is slimy, slimy stuff — very manipulative.”

His bigger question? Why him — and how did whoever sent this get his address?

• Long line to vote? Harris County voters have 75 locations to choose from

“This is a very bad faith approach to scare people over a topic that’s not going to affect most people,” Lyle said. “And again, it victimizes an already marginalized, vulnerable minority community.”

The brochure is now making the rounds across the state and generating strong reactions on social media. The Cypress Republicans Facebook page posted: “CFISD parents, did your child get one of these in the mail too? Vote red.”

KPRC 2 reached out to TENT, which was quick to distance itself from the materials entirely.

The organization says it did not author, authorize, approve or distribute the brochure — and that the “Texas Transgender Student Union” is in no way affiliated with their organization. TENT also says this isn’t the first time it has been impersonated. Two fraudulent text messages were sent out in the days before the brochures appeared, also falsely claiming to represent the organization.

In the wake of the impersonations, TENT says its organization has been met with what it describes as an onslaught of hate and threats of violence.

• Harris County shatters early voting record on Day 1 with at least 104,000 ballots cast

As for who is behind the texts and brochures — TENT says it still doesn’t know. But it says it is pursuing legal action.

Lyle hopes the exposure leads to real consequences.

“This is sociopathic behavior and whoever did it is not going to feel shame,” Lyle said. “The most important thing to do is expose this behavior. If there’s some policy that can be made to prevent it in the future, that would be ideal.”

KPRC 2 reached out to the Cypress Republicans about their social media post but had not received a response at the time of publication. KPRC 2 is continuing to work to identify who sent the brochures and why.

A thrilling end to the game with four goals in the last 20 minutes delivered a statement win for PSG, which is joined Liverpool as the only teams with three victories after Alexis Mac Allister led a rousing 4-3 comeback triumph over Villarreal.

Yamal had just displayed stunning skill to level the score at 2-2 from a narrow angle when PSG took the lead again through Vitinha, before Fabian Ruiz added another for a 4-2 victory.

“We never feel like we’re powerless, or that we’re beaten in any way," PSG forward Désiré Doué said. "We always know there’s an opportunity as long as the final whistle hasn’t gone,”

Injuries to stars Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia took some of the shine off the win for PSG, which could now face having to cope without two of its biggest difference-makers in attack.

Barcelona needs to bounce back quickly ahead of a Clasico against Real Madrid on Sunday, now that its run of wins to start the season has ended. Defending champion PSG equalled a club record by going 13 Champions League games unbeaten.

Doué and Lucas Hernandez also scored for PSG. Xavi Espart struck Barcelona's other goal.

“We made too many mistakes in this game, with the ball possession, easy ball losses," Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said. "This was a great test for us, you saw today in which areas we have to improve to make things better."

Flick added Rodri would play Sunday against Madrid after coming off the bench for the last half-hour.

The game took place with a visible police presence outside, against the backdrop of violent unrest across France.

What began in France as protests against school conditions has expanded to include a wide range of other groups and causes. There have been violent clashes, fires and looting.

Mac Allister and Ngumoha turn it around for Liverpool

Eighteen-year-old Rio Ngumoha played a starring role in Liverpool's comeback, setting up goals for Ronald Araujo, Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz.

Liverpool had been 2-0 down after an erratic start, which included captain Virgil van Dijk holding up his hands in apology after his wayward header allowed Georges Mikautadze to score the opener for Villarreal.

Manchester City bounced back from defeat to PSG with a slick 5-1 win against AEK Athens, with top scorer Erling Haaland on the bench. Phil Foden scored a hat trick, with his second goal the pick of the bunch coming at the end of a sweeping attack.

Atletico Madrid held on with 10 men for a 1-1 draw with Stuttgart, foiling the German underdog's bid to join PSG and Liverpool on nine points.

Julian Alvarez's goal for Atletico had canceled out Jamie Leweling's opener when midfielder Morten Hjulman made a reckless sliding tackle from behind on Angelo Stiller to leave Atletico clinging on.

McTominay scores two in Napoli win

Scott McTominay scored his first two goals of the season to help Napoli beat Bodø/Glimt 4-3 and relieve pressure on coach Massimiliano Allegri.

McTominay, who also hit the post, missed a month of the season after undergoing a surgical procedure in early September to treat an irregular heartbeat.

Serhou Guirassy scored twice but Borussia Dortmund wasted plenty more chances in a 2-1 win over Azerbaijan’s Sabah.

It wasn’t the sort of convincing victory the German team was hoping for, after last week saw a loss to Bodø/Glimt before a draw at Union Berlin which allowed Bayern Munich to take the Bundesliga top spot off Dortmund.

Pavel Kacor’s leaping volley in the 90th minute earned Slavia Prague a 2-2 draw with Fenerbahce, which had been leading 2-0 early on before a defensive blunder by Mattéo Guendouzi let the Czech side back into the game.

PSV won 1-0 against Porto, which slumped to a third loss. Roma cruised to a 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava.

(Corrects earlier version of story)

___

AP Sports Writers Jerome Pugmire in Paris, James Robson in Manchester, England, and Daniella Matar in Milan contributed to this report.

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Bo French, the Republican running for a seat on the three-member board of commissioners at the Texas Railroad Commission, said he never agreed to debate his opponent, state Rep. Jon Rosenthal, disputing the Dallas Press Club’s account that he did.

“They’re lying,” French said in a text message to The Texas Tribune. “The first I ever heard from them was after Rosenthal claimed that we had agreed to a debate, which also never happened. My campaign has never had any contact with his campaign. All of it was a lie. If, in fact, they did have a conversation with me or anyone on my campaign, that would show up in their call log. They can’t produce that either because it never happened.”

Asked why he didn’t correct the record when news of the debate became public, French said: “Why when (Rosenthal’s) own lies should be enough?”

French’s recollection of the exchange contradicts the Press Club’s, which told the Tribune over text that it engaged both candidates to settle on the night of Oct. 22, but that it did not have that conversation in writing. Rosenthal, a Democrat of Cypress, in late September said he and French had agreed to face off in Dallas.

“I do have personal notes from a great many phone calls that I made to candidates in multiple races,” said Carol Donovan, who organizes debates for the Club. “For his race, I noted that both candidates were available for 10/22/26. However, since then, all attempts to contact Mr. French to confirm the debate have been unanswered.”

In messages shared with the Tribune, the Club told Rosenthal’s campaign on Sept. 15 that French was available beginning the week of Oct. 22.

In lieu of a debate, Donovan said the Club will host a podcast recording with Rosenthal. Jeff Crilley, president and chief executive of Real News Public Relations, will moderate.

French’s refusal to debate caps a week of anyone’s guess about whether it would happen at all. Rosenthal said he will still go to Dallas.

“We will still be there on Thursday,” Rosenthal, an oil field engineer and four-term legislator, wrote on X.

The Dallas event was also the only public forum in which voters would hear from candidates running for statewide office.

The election for railroad commissioner has gripped the nation’s attention largely because of French, a high-ranking conservative operative with a history of inflammatory remarks that members of his own party — including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — have rebuked. Patrick asked French to resign from his erstwhile post as head of the Tarrant County GOP following a poll asking whether Jews or Muslims were a bigger threat to America. French went viral in September for a racist post where he singled out a group of students at a University of Texas at Austin Longhorns game.

High-ranking Republicans have said they would not vote for French. Karl Rove, a former adviser for George W. Bush, said he’d break a 30-year streak of Republican-exclusive support to vote for Rosenthal. Outgoing U.S. Senator John Cornyn said he would not vote for French either, but didn’t say whether he’d vote for Rosenthal.

The Gellert Global Group, a third-generation family business that imports Canadian cheese, took its case to the U.S. Court of International Trade, a specialized court in New York.

In August, Trump reached back to Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to impose the tariffs on Canada, prompting dollar-for-dollar retaliation from Ottawa and straining already-tense relations between the neighbors and longtime allies. The president last month escalated the conflict by announcing an outright ban on nearly $1 billion worth of Canadian products, including alcoholic beverages, dairy products and motorcycles.

The president’s Section 338 tariff authority had never been used in a trade dispute, let alone tested in court.

"No president should have the power to pull a dormant statute off the shelf and use it to impose sweeping tariffs or import bans without the limits Congress required,” said Sara Albrecht, chair of the Liberty Justice Center, a libertarian advocacy group that is representing the Gellert firm and which successfully challenged previous Trump tariffs before the Supreme Court earlier this year.

The White House said the administration would vigorously defend Trump’s tariffs on Canadian imports and considers Section 338 appropriate to counter what the administration considers Canadian discrimination against American dairy, alcohol and auto exports.

Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has sought to build a wall of protective tariffs — import taxes — around the U.S. economy. The centerpiece of the policy originally was his use of a 1977 law to declare America's longstanding trade deficits a national emergency, justifying double-digit tariffs on almost every country. But the Supreme Court struck down those tariffs in February, and the Trump administration was forced to refund billions of dollars to the importers that paid them.

Trump has since looked for other legal authority to tax imports. In July, for example, he hit dozens of U.S. trading partners with tariffs of 10% to 12.5%, charging that they had not done enough to crack down on imports produced by forced labor. Those tariffs are also being challenged in court.

Then he invoked Section 338 to sanction Canada for allegedly discriminating against U.S. dairy, auto and alcoholic beverages.

As Section 338 sat on the books unused for decades, Congress passed new trade laws. Some of them ceded to the president tariff power, which the Constitution originally granted to Congress. But the new laws also limited the president’s authority to certain circumstances — including dealing with national security threats and foreign currency crises — and required the government to carry out investigations and meet other procedural requirements beforehand.

The Liberty Justice Center argues that the newer trade legislation superseded the president's Section 338 tariff authority and rendered it obsolete.

“It makes me feel love that they always love me down there,” said Ryan. “I love being on the field with them.”

Ryan’s been through a lot in her young life. At 10 months she was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. By age four, struggling with mobility issues and unable to fully enjoy dance and cheer, she underwent a complicated neurosurgery that turned her life around

“It was a nine month process before surgery before we finally had it scheduled,” said Ryan’s mother Savannah. “Then a week before everything that could go wrong went wrong. We had a new surgical team a day before surgery but you would have never known it.”

Texas Children’s Dr. Nisha Gadgil performed the surgery on Ryan four years ago.

‘It was a surgery on the nerve roots in the lower back to keep the nerve roots in check," said Dr. Nisha Gadgil. “We went in through a tiny incision and tiny approach and cut rootlets in her spinal canal.”

The surgery was a success and following rehab Ryan was able to finally stand flat-footed just like her friends and today is thriving. Enjoy being a kid and enjoying life.

For Ryan and the Smith family, Cerebral Palsy will never define what she can do. For now she fully embraces the Friday night experience alongside her family

“We keep reminding her that she is 10 times stronger than no one will ever imagine because of what she has been through,” said Ryan’s father Tyler Smith.

Under the lights every week, Ryan is embracing the full Friday night experience with her family

SKY 2 was overhead around 4:44 p.m. as Houston firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.

The fire was reported at 4:14 p.m. at a home in the 4700 block of Sharman Street.

No injuries have been reported.

Tuesday, October 20

• KPRC 2 Insiders, here’s your chance to win a $250 Kroger gift card! (October 2026 - February 2027)
• Grow it, make it, use it | Using fresh herbs in your skincare routine
• • Annual Herb Fair
• Novatio School
• Plot-twist trips, paranormal adventures and AI-powered vacations, where will 2027 take you?
• • Your Bucket List Guide
  • Booking.com
• Premier Legal Group
• Join UT MD Anderson’s 11th annual Boot Walk to End Cancer® at Helix Park Nov. 14
• • UT MD Anderson’s Boot Walk to End Cancer^®

Monday, October 19

• Fort Bend Women’s Center shares resources for domestic violence survivors
• • Fort Bend County Women’s Center
• Día de los Muertos: Simple ideas for a meaningful ofrenda honoring a loved one
• • Walmart (visit your local stores for Día de los Muertos items; Selection varies by store)
• Fortis College
• Great Wolf Lodge Halloween Fun: Trick-or-Treat Trails & Family Activities
• • The Travel Mom
  • Great Wolf Lodge
• 3 years after getting full mouth dental implants, this Houston man’s smile is still sparkling
• • Texas Dental Implant Center

Friday, October 16

• Houston Life celebrates 10 years on the air with epic lookback of the broadcast

Thursday, October 15

• BOO! HL visits Houston Zoo to preview their annual Zoo Boo and all the month-long creepy crawly fun
• • Houston Zoo
  • Zoo Boo

Wednesday, October 14

• Monster Jam returns to Houston with The Amazing Spider-Man Truck
• • Monster Jam
• The Woodlands Christian Academy takes learning beyond the classroom
• • The Woodlands Christian Academy
• Fortis College prepares Houston students for careers in Sterile Processing
• • Fortis College
• Landry’s Chef Series: Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse celebrates 45 Years with new Fall menu
• • DelFrisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
• Meet Gonzo247, the man behind some of Houston’s most iconic street art
• • Gonzo247

Tuesday, October 13

• 3rd annual Buffalo Bayou Mural Festival celebrates 105 murals in Houston’s East End
• • Buffalo Bayou Mural Festival
• Smart home upgrades to refresh your space from floor to garage
• • Home Improvement Expert, Kathryn Emery | Be The Best Home
• Conjure up two bewitching Halloween drinks with Cursed Cauldron
• • The Cursed Cauldron
• Is Hotel Galvez really haunted? Houston Life explores one of Galveston’s spookiest hotels
• • Grand Galvez Ghost Tours

Monday, October 12

• Join UT MD Anderson’s 11th annual Boot Walk to End Cancer® at Helix Park Nov. 14
• • UT MD Anderson’s Boot Walk to End Cancer^®
• Houston Filipino Street Festival brings food, music and fireworks to Sugar Land
• • Houston Filipino Street Festival
• Houston Dynamo Legends Brian Ching & Wade Barrett celebrate Ching’s legacy ahead of big honors
• • Houston Dynamo FC Texas Derby Game
  • Brian Ching to be inducted into Houston Dynamo FS Ring of Honor
  • Brian Ching to be inducted into Houston Sports Hall of Fame
• The Perfect Pumpkins brings picture-perfect fall porches straight to your door
• • The Perfect Pumpkins

Friday, October 9

• Walt Disney Elementary teacher Jo Meek named KPRC 2 Teacher of the Month
• • KPRC 2 and Houston Life launch Teacher of the Month Contest to celebrate outstanding K-12 educators across Houston
• Thing 1 and Thing 3 stir up trouble ahead of Cat in the Hat’s return to the big screen
• • The Cat in the Hat | Official Movie Site | Warner Bros. Pictures
  • Houston Pumpkin Festival at Discovery Green
• Plan a fall day in Pearland: From haunted tours and seasonal dining to boutique shopping and more
• • Visit Pearland
• From “Ghost” to “Scandal” to “Law & Order”: Tony Goldwyn chats latest chapter
• • NBC’s “Law & Order”
• KPRC 2 Insiders, here’s your chance to win a $250 Kroger gift card! (October 2026 - February 2027)

Thursday, October 8

• Landry’s Chef Series: Fall flavors land at Morton’s The Steakhouse
• • Morton’s The Steakhouse
  • KPRC 2 INSIDERS: Enter for a chance to win a $200 in Landry’s gift cards!
• Huzzah! The 52nd annual Texas Renaissance Festival opens this weekend
• • Texas Renaissance Festival
• The classic American road trip is back! Why you should head west to Nevada’s Reno-Tahoe Territory
• • Your Bucket List Guide
  • Reno-Tahoe Territory
• Kid‑tested spooky‑season toy guide: slime, heroes, zombies and more
• • Mr. Dylan Emery | Kid-Trepreneur, Entertainer & Spokesperson
• Join UT MD Anderson’s 11th annual Boot Walk to End Cancer® at Helix Park Nov. 14
• • UT MD Anderson’s Boot Walk to End Cancer^®

Wednesday, October 7

• Dr. Ian Smith shares nutrition tips for navigating Menopause in his 30th book
• • Dr. Ian Smith’s new book ‘The New Menopause Kitchen’
  • ‘The New Menopause Kitchen’ Facebook group
• Texas Oncology Breast Care
• 7th annual ‘In a Pickle Festival’ bringing a whole lot of dill to Kingwood
• • In a Pickle Festival
• Walt Disney Elementary teacher Jo Meek named KPRC 2 Teacher of the Month
• • KPRC 2 and Houston Life launch Teacher of the Month Contest to celebrate outstanding K-12 educators across Houston

Tuesday, October 6

• Houston Attorney featured on new season of NBC’s The Traitors
• • NBC’s “The Traitors: New Blood”
• Veg ER
• “Gloria: A Life” brings Gloria Steinem’s story to the stage at Cypress Stage
• • “Gloria: A Life” at Cypress Stage
• Michael Douglas looks back on 60 years in Hollywood with new memoir ‘One Helluva Ride’
• • ‘One Helluva Ride’ by Michael Douglas

Monday, October 5

• Ventriloquist, singer and comedian Terry Fator chats new tour, new book and new music
• • Terry Fator
• Ready to hoop? The H-Town Classic is coming to the Academy in Katy this weekend
• • Academy Sports + Outdoors
• Best-selling author Brad Meltzer inspires readers with 40th book in his children’s series
• • Follow Brad Meltzer on Instagram
• Texas Dental Implant Center

Friday, October 2

• Houston Bluesfest brings generations of blues to POST Houston
• • Houston Bluesfest (10% off tickets with code HL10)
• Join UT MD Anderson’s 11th annual Boot Walk to End Cancer® at Helix Park Nov. 14
• • UT MD Anderson’s Boot Walk to End Cancer^®
• Meet Gonzo247, the man behind some of Houston’s most iconic street art
• • Gonzo247
• One of the most famous love stories of all time: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ now on stage at Alley Theatre
• • “Romeo and Juliet” at Alley Theatre

Thursday, October 1

• Houston Cinema Arts Festival opens with Mahershala Ali’s new film, “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother”
• • Houston Cinema Arts Festival
• What is a “poop root”? How tree roots can cause plumbing problems
• • Mission AC & Plumbing
• Call Me Mother exhibition spotlights Black maternal health
• • “The Call Me Mother Experience” at The Health Museum
  • Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton
• Pack your skis! Why Austria’s Skiwelt should be on your winter bucket list
• • Your Bucket List Guide
• Houston Christian University

Monday, September 28

• Oktoberfest 101: 4 beers, fun facts, food, and stein hoisting
• • What’s on Tap Radio
  • Equal Parts Brewing
• Matthew McConaughey & Woody Harrelson chat new Apple TV comedy “Brothers”
• • Apple TV’s “Brothers”
• 3 simple design tips to make your space feel more stylish with Benjamin Johnston
• • Ben Johnston Design

Friday, September 25

• Tokyo X brings Japanese culture, sumo wrestling and 10-yen cheese coins to Houston
• • Tokyo X
  • Shōgeki Sumo
• Inside the AI-powered Novatio School, rethinking what a school day can look like
• • Novatio School
• What to know before bringing home a puppy plsu spotting puppy mill red flags
• • Houston Humane Society
  • Texas Humane Legislation Network

Thursday, September 24

• Join UT MD Anderson’s 11th annual Boot Walk to End Cancer® at Helix Park Nov. 14
• • UT MD Anderson’s Boot Walk to End Cancer^®
• Grab your boots and get ready for some serious fair fun at the 90th annual Fort Bend County Fair
• • Fort Bend County Fair and Rodeo
• Dessert Gallery celebrates 31 years of keeping Houston sweet
• • Dessert Gallery
• Making magical memories: The Travel Mom takes her 3-year-old grandson on a Disney Cruise
• • The Travel Mom
  • Disney Cruise Line
  • Vacation Giveaways

Wednesday, September 23

• BOO! HL visits Houston Zoo to preview their annual Zoo Boo and all the month-long creepy crawly fun
• • Houston Zoo
  • Zoo Boo

Tuesday, September 22

• A book lovers dream returns to POST Houston this weekend at Readers Fest
• • Readers Fest at Post Houston
• A double knee replacement didn’t stop this Houstonian from skiing, golfing, and playing tennis
• • Dr. Berger Outpatient Hip and Knee
• Cheers to Fall: Pumpkin drinks, dishes and desserts to try this season
• • Goodtaste TV with Tanji Patton
• How Allied Outdoor Solutions can completely transform your space
• • Allied Outdoor Solutions
• From Gotham to H-Town: Who’s behind the wheel of Houston’s Batmobile?

Monday, September 21

• Kindness and community returns to Houston with award-winning ‘Come from Away’ at Stages Houston
• • ‘Come from Away’ at Stages Houston
• A Look Inside Surgical Tech Training
• • Fortis College
• How the City of Houston is keeping older adults in mind during Falls Prevention Awareness Week
• • Falls Prevention Awareness Week
• Full-arch implants in Houston: rebuild your smile with lasting stability
• • Texas Dental Implant Center
• ROCO, Houston’s Chamber Orchestra, kicks off season 22 with packed lineup for opening weekend
• • ROCO Houston Chamber Orchestra

Friday, September 18

• Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• Salvador Dalí’s rare art comes to Houston thanks to Madame Christine Argillet, the last living link to the iconic artist
• • The Argillet Collection
  • “Salvador Dalí: The Argillet Collection”
• KPRC 2 Community: Standing with Houston families facing childhood cancer
• • Candlelighters
• The wait is over! Houston hot spot Burger Bodega has landed in Katy
• • Burger Bodega
• What’s in your water? Water purification company NECOA shows how Houston’s water measures up
• • NECOA
• Look Up: Discover Astrotourism in Australia’s Northern Territory
• • Australia’s Northern Territory
  • Your Bucket List Guide

Thursday, September 17

• Ben Chavez brings his “Golden Era” to the stage with “Last Day, County Fair”
• • Tickets to “Last Day, County Fair”
  • Follow Ben on Instagram
• Hands-On Training for High-Demand Jobs
• • Fortis College
• Lauren Kelly visits Jimmy Fallon at Rockefeller Center to chat Rodeo, Beyoncé and his fall season
• • NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”
• Breathtaking destinations for the fall travel season
• • Travel Expert, Jeanenne Tornatore | The Outside Insider

Wednesday, September 16

• Get Growing: What to Plant in Your Houston Fall Garden
• • Urban Harvest Planting Guide
• ‘The Music Man’ brings Broadway charm to the Hobby Center
• • Theatre Under The Stars “The Music Man”
• Meet Fariha Nasir the interior designer crafting spaces that tell stories
• • Fariha Nasir Pennies for a Fortune

Tuesday, September 15

• What’s the beef with beef? Good Ranchers talks imported meats and what to look out for
• • Good Ranchers
• The art and beauty of Ballet Folklórico with Instituto de Arte Nokali
• • Instituto de Arte Nokali
• Comfort Foodies serves up love, culture and big flavor for Latin Restaurant Weeks
• • Comfort Foodies
  • Latin Restaurant Weeks
• KPRC 2’s “Enough”

Monday, September 14

• A cello concert in the great outdoors? Free shows coming to two Texas state parks
• • Wild Notes Foundation
• Houston native Armani Greer steps into the spotlight in Tyler Perry’s ‘Why Did I Get Married Again?’
• • Armani Greer
• Ready for Recess? Inside the new River Oaks spot built for the whole family
• • Recess River Oaks
• Filling the vital need for non-emergency medical transport
• • CarlMichaels Transportation & NEMT

Friday, September 11

• Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo “Mission Rodeo” podcast
• Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• Celebrate Rosh Hashanah with traditional favorites at The New York Deli & Bagel Shop Bakery
• • The Bagel Shop Bakery
• 25 years after 9/11, Todd Hill’s story lives on through faith, purpose and hope
• • 9/11: Reflections of the Past 25 Years
  • Todd Hill 9/11 Memorial Scholarship Fund
• Kefita coffee bringing authentic Ethiopian coffee and culture to Houston
• • Kefita Coffee
• Owen Wilson, Rodrigo Santoro & Scott Waugh chat high-stakes action thriller ‘Runner’
• • ‘Runner’ (2026) in theaters now

Thursday, September 10

• Veteran’s fishing wish granted by nonprofit
• • Twilight Wish Foundation
• Quality roofs, easy process: Why Adams Roofing treats roofs as a complete system
• • Adams Roofing
• The Travel Mom
• • Beaches
  • Trafalgar
  • National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions
• Two veterans, two comebacks: Why they’re saying “you’re not done yet”
• • Fenix Shepard
  • Loved Unconditionally: A Spiritual Memoir of Trauma, Addiction Recovery, and Finding God Beyond Religion

Wednesday, September 9

• The signs and symptoms of prostate cancer
• • Texas Oncology
• 5 tips to avoid plumbing disasters
• • Village Plumbing & Air
• Việt Cultural Fest brings student robotics to Houston
• • Việt Cultural Fest
• The Perfect Pumpkins brings picture-perfect fall porches straight to your door
• • The Perfect Pumpkins

Tuesday, September 8

• The Travel Mom
• • Universal Kids Resort
• KPRC 2 Community: Standing with Houston families facing childhood cancer
• • Candlelighters Fun Walk
• Texas Dental Implant Center

Monday, September 7

• With love, from Fredericksburg! How the visitor bureau can help plan your stay
• • Visit Fredericksburg
• History, wine and Texas Charm at Das Peach Haus in Fredericksburg
• • Das Peach Haus
  • Dietz Distillery
  • Fischer & Wieser
• Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
• Step inside history at Fredericksburg’s National Museum of the Pacific War
• • National Museum of the Pacific War
• Make the most of your trip to Texas Hill Country with the Fredericksburg Food & Wine Fest
• • Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival
  • K Estate Winery & Vineyards
• Dot’s Bakery
• Albert Hotel

Friday, September 4

• Netflix’s “A Different World”
• • Stars from ‘A Different World’ reboot on Netflix chat about why the new series is a must-watch
• Dr. Rosie Thomas
• • Dr. Rosie Thomas explains the tax strategies small business owners need to know
• Rhythm Energy Question of the Week

Thursday, September 3

• Hank Schwaeble
• Hank Schwaeble’s “Normal for the Spider”
• Preemo’s Bakeshop
• “Miss Dee’s Kitchen” at The Hobby Center
• Jurassic Quest
• The Day Savers: A National Tradesmen Day Contest

Wednesday, September 2

• Southern Smoke Festival
• Houston Texans new Rivalries uniform is love letter to H-Town
• • Houston Texans Apparel
• 3 simple design tips to make your space feel more stylish with Benjamin Johnston
• • Ben Johnston Design

Monday, August 31

• National Matchmaker Day: Expert tips for setting up friends like a pro
• • Jenn Pinkerton
• Is your home Wi-Fi ready for back to school? Here’s what parents should know
• • Ezee Fiber
• Transform your existing patio into an outdoor retreat
• • Allied Outdoor Solutions
• The hidden reason you’re struggling to lose weight after 40
• • Optimal Body

Friday, August 28

• Houston Life celebrates 10 years on the air with epic lookback of the broadcast

Thursday, August 27

• Bar Moon brings cocktails, live music and a night out to Post Oak
• • Bar Moon
• Happy 190th birthday, Houston! Celebrate with FREE family-friendly activities at The Heritage Society
• • The Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park
• Companion Energy volunteers pamper pets at Houston Humane Society ahead of Clear The Shelters
• • Companion Energy
• Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
• Harris County Public Library
• George Observatory

Wednesday, August 26

• Next Level Urgent Care
• Woodlands Christian Academy
• Happy National Dog Day! How dogs bring us together plus easy homemade treats for your furry friend
• • National Dog Day: Small Treats. Big Wags: The Neighborhood Edition
  • 6 free dog treat recipes
• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• Derrick Shore and Cathy Hernandez take on the the ‘Minute-To-Win-It Oreo Challenge’

Tuesday, August 25

• Kam Franklin steps into the spotlight with her first solo album, ‘Land of the Neon Sun’
• • Kam Franklin’s Website
  • Preorder “Land of the Neon Sun” and receive a priority wristband to her album release party
• Singing, dancing, and a little murder, Night Court returns for another year of musical mayhem
• • Night Court at the Hobby Center
• Time Mission lands in Houston, bringing a new kind of social gaming adventure
• • Time Mission Houston

Monday, August 24

• 5 years of STEM magic: Crystal Lister shares 2 fun chemistry experiments
• • Mommy and Me The Listers
• From one restaurant to 6 locations, Local Table has been serving Houston for a decade
• • Local Table
• Next Level Urgent Care

Friday, August 21

• Antico Casa from Antico Pizza brings frozen Neapolitan-style pies to Houston (Aug. 20–23)
• • Antico Fine Food
• Donald and Lisa Pliner share their love story, fashion journey and legacy
• • The Selling of One’s Sole
• Kandi Burruss brings one-woman show “I Do, I Did, I’m Done,” to Houston
• • “I Do, I Did, I’m Done” Tickets
• Houston’s Starduster Lounge puts its spin on the viral martini trend
• • Starduster Lounge
• Next Level Urgent Care

Thursday, August 20

• Houston author Mariah Kingsley brings a fresh perspective to romance stories
• • “Fractured” on Amazon
• Labor Day Getaways: Vail Peaks, Coastal Sun in Corpus Christi and Tennessee’s Real-Deal Travel
• • Visit Corpus Christi
  • Discover Vail
  • Tennessee Vacation Instagram
  • Travel Expert, Jeanenne Tornatore | The Outside Insider
• Easy Back-to-School Lunches Kids Will Actually Eat, Recipes & Packing Tips
• • My Diary of Us Lunchbox Guide

Wednesday, August 19

• Houston humidity, meet your match: Simple tips for frizz-free hair
• • Frequency Salon
• Mambo Seafood
• Meet Fariha Nasir the interior designer crafting spaces that tell stories
• • Fariha Nasir Pennies for a Fortune
• Actors Jeff Daniels and Jared Harris take us inside ‘The Brink of War’
• • The Brink of War

Tuesday, August 18

• What do school accountability ratings really tell us? Local non-profit Good Reason Houston breaks it down
• • Good Reason Houston
• How the UH Mariachi Pumas continue to bring Mariachi to a new generation
• • Follow UH Mariachi Pumas on Instagram
  • Houston Theater Week Presented by Huntington Bank
• How 80s supermodel Kim Alexis is living her best life after 55
• • Kim Alexis
• Clear the Shelters is back: Houston pets are ready for homes
• Next Level Urgent Care

Monday, August 17

• For one Katy grandfather, an 11,000-mile motorcycle ride is about more than the road
• • Do What You Love to End ALZ program
  • Follow Scott “Sugar Bear” Brown on YouTube
• Houston hip-hop legend Willie D is inviting everyone to his big 60th birthday party
• • The Roast of Willie D: Cooked by Legends Tickets
• Personalized Dental Implants: Dr. Michel Azer on restoring smiles in Houston
• • Texas Dental Implant Center

Friday, August 14

• Enter to win a getaway for two from The Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor Bureau
• With love, from Fredericksburg! How the visitor bureau can help plan your stay
• • Visit Fredericksburg
• History, wine and Texas Charm at Das Peach Haus in Fredericksburg
• • Das Peach Haus
  • Dietz Distillery
  • Fischer & Wieser
• Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
• Step inside history at Fredericksburg’s National Museum of the Pacific War
• • National Museum of the Pacific War
• Make the most of your trip to Texas Hill Country with the Fredericksburg Food & Wine Fest
• • Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival
  • K Estate Winery & Vineyards
• Dot’s Bakery
• Albert Hotel

Thursday, August 13

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• Disco, roller skates and 1980s fun: The Garden Theatre brings the musical world of ‘Xanadu’ to the stage
• • The Garden Theatre’s “Xanadu”
• Melanie Lynskey chats new Netflix film ‘Don’t Say Good Luck’
• • Netflix’s Don’t Say Good Luck
• Houston Dynamo FC celebrates 20 years of its 2006 MLS Cup Championship
• • Houston Dynamo FC
• Next Level Urgent Care

Wednesday, August 12

• Get ready for mystery: ‘The Girl on the Train’ now on stage at Alley Theatre
• • Alley Theatre’s “The Girl on the Train” tickets
• Water heater warning signs Houston homeowners shouldn’t ignore
• • Mission AC & Plumbing
• Humble’s Cris Sosa advances to AGT live shows after hilarious cereal comedy set
• • Comedian Cris Sosa
  • NBC’s “America’s Got Talent”
• Kenny and Ziggy’s owner Ziggy Gruber whips up traditional Jewish kugel for National Deli Month
• • Kenny & Ziggy’s

Tuesday, August 11

• Houston Theater Week is almost here! Here’s how to snag BOGO tickets to 400+ shows
• • Houston Theater Week Presented by Huntington Bank
• Back-to-School Anxiety: What Parents Need to Know
• • Houston Christian University
• How the DiIorio family is celebrating 70 years of family, farming and community
• • DiIorio Farms
• Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly talk love, loyalty and drama of ‘Ransom Canyon’ Season 2
• • Ransom Canyon on Netflix

Monday, August 10

• Clear the Shelters is back: Houston pets are ready for homes
• Eclipse cruises take off: The Travel Mom on why astro‑tourism is booming with Princess Cruises
• • The Travel Mom
  • Princess Cruises
• Bear Grylls takes the cast of ‘The Chosen’ Into the Wild in new Prime Video series
• • Prime Video’s “The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls”
• Next Level Urgent Care
• These women athletes from Afghanistan escaped Taliban rule. Now the players of Houston Shine FC find joy in soccer again
• • Houston Shine FC

Friday, August 7

• Houston’s Pink Phurree dragon boat team heads to France to celebrate breast cancer survivorship
• • Pink Phurree Dragon Boat Team
• Now playing: Queensbury Theatre’s brand new production of Mean Girls The Musical
• • Queensbury Theatre’s ‘Mean Girls The Musical’
• 12-year-old Houston golfer Alaina Villarreal makes her debut on Stephen Curry’s UNDERRATED Golf Tour
• • UNDERRATED Golf Tour
  • Alaina Villareal
• Protein-packed rice for easy weeknight meals with SunRice Protein+
• • SunRice

Thursday, August 6

• Kenny and Ziggy’s owner Ziggy Gruber whips up traditional Jewish kugel for National Deli Month
• • Kenny & Ziggy’s
• Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey brings ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’ to Houston
• • Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents The Greatest Show On Earth
• Houston City College Is Where Art Meets Innovation
• • Houston City College
• Find Calm at the Coast: Travel Mom Emily Kaufman Celebrates ‘Spa Weekend’ at Terranea Resort
• • The Travel Mom
  • Travel Guard’s Spa Weekend Getaway Sweepstakes

Wednesday, August 5

• It’s National Sandwich Month: Husband-wife duo behind Yuma brings Brazilian flavor to a Cuban classic
• • Yuma
• WWE Superstar Trick Williams previews Survivor Series: WarGames coming to Houston
• • WWE Survivor Series: Wargames
• Ready to dance? Houston Rockets Clutch City Dancers to hold open auditions
• • Clutch City Dancers open Auditions
• Next Level Urgent Care

Tuesday, August 4

• Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly talk love, loyalty and drama of ‘Ransom Canyon’ Season 2
• • Ransom Canyon on Netflix
• Houston’s own Cris Sosa competes on NBC’s ‘America’s Got Talent’ Season 21
• • Comedian Cris Sosa
  • NBC’s “America’s Got Talent”
• Gexa Energy marks 25 Years by volunteering with Meals on Wheels, The Beacon and Houston Habitat for Humanity ReStore
• • Gexa Energy
• Brassica Shares the vegan secret behind its signature chocolate chip cookie
• • Brassica
• Master P Brings Hip-Hop History to Houston With Cash Money and No Limit Reunion Tour
• • Cash Money & No Limit Tour

Monday, August 3

• Houston students and teachers share their work beyond the classroom in new exhibition “The Sequence Is Yours”
• • Contemporary Arts Museum Houston‘s ‘The Sequence Is Yours’ Exhibition
• Sip, savor and celebrate Labor Day Weekend at the Galveston Island Wine Festival
• • Celebrity Chef Brian Duffy serves up a preview of the Galveston Island Wine Festival
  • Moody Gardens Galveston Island Wine Festival
• Modern dental implants give Houston patients natural, comfortable smiles
• • Texas Dental Implant Center

Friday, July 31

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• ‘Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-N-Fire’ brings high-octane family fun to Houston
• • Hot Wheels Monster Truck Live Glow-N-Fire at Toyota Center
• There’s a story behind every building: Take a tour of Downtown Houston with Preservation Houston
• • Preservation Houston

Thursday, July 30

• Meet the twin sisters who turned their cheesecake passion into a successful business
• • KK Cheesecakes
• How HCU’s high-tech simulation lab is preparing nursing students for in-demand jobs
• • Houston Christian University Linda R. Dunham School of Nursing
• Gexa Energy marks 25 Years by volunteering with Meals on Wheels and The Beacon
• • Gexa Energy
• Garbage Girlfriend

Wednesday, July 29

• Houston Shakespeare Festival is back at Miller Outdoor Theatre with a reimagined lead in “The Tempest”
• • Houston Shakespeare Festival
• In the CLASSROOM with Kroger: How they’re helping parents and kids start the school year happy, healthy, and prepared
• • KPRC 2 INSIDERS: Enter for your chance to win a $250 Kroger gift card!
  • Kroger
• Happy National Lipstick Day! Here’s the lowdown on choosing a matte, glossy, or satin pigment 💄
• • Makeup Artist Darcie Teasley
• Tony Danza is coming to Houston this week, here is where to see him
• • Doc’s Houston Presents Tony Danza - “Standards and Stories”

Monday, July 27

• Back-to-school safety: What kids should know and what parents should watch for in case of a school emergency
• • CPR and Safety Lady Gail Gould
  • Back to School Safety Webinar with CPR and Safety Lady Gail Gould
• Anaheim: The Urban Basecamp You Didn’t Know You Needed In Southern California
• • Gabe Saglie The Travel Guy
• Houston students turn thousands of plastic bags into an award-winning business
• • Plastic Free July
  • Next Use
• Allied Outdoor Solutions

Friday, July 24

• Houston celebrates Art House Theater Day with a “Car Wash” screening and preshow party
• • Houston Art House Theater Day
• The best tacos in Texas arrive in Houston this weekend + Texas Monthly Taco Editor‘s spicy gig getting paid to eat tacos
• • 2026 Texas Monthly Taco Fest South
  • Huncho’s Tacos
• BISSELL Pet Foundation Empty the Shelters
• Rosenberg Animal Control and Shelter

Thursday, July 23

• Meet the Houston Rig Hands: The city’s pro 3-on-3 basketball team 🏀🏀
• • Follow Houston Rig Hands on Instagram
  • BIG3 Playing at Toyota Center Tickets
• Houston City College’s Coleman Campus: Training the next generation of health care workers
• • Houston City College
• Vic Mignogna on Anime Matsuri, Star Trek & life with Dominique Sachse
• • Follow Vic Mignogna on Instagram
  • Anime Matsuri

Wednesday, July 22

• 16th annual Mayor’s Back 2 School & Health Fair brings free supplies, screenings to Houston families
• • Mayor’s Back to School & Health Fair
• Tips for Planning the Perfect Summer Getaway
• • Travel Expert, Jeanenne Tornatore | The Outside Insider
  • Marriott Bonvoy
  • Official Guide to Breckenridge
• Celebrate National Tequila Day at Zanti Cucina Italiana in River Oaks
• • Zanti Cucina Italiana
• Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman heading to Houston for blues experience
• • Performing Arts Houston Presents “Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience”

Tuesday, July 21

• How CenterPoint Energy says they’re building a stronger, more resilient electric grid
• • CenterPoint Energy Action Center
• NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior”
• Ox St. Kitchen
• Ivan Chavez Chavos BBQ
• The world’s fragrance community comes together at FRAGCON in Houston
• • Global Fragrance Convention

Monday, July 20

• Houston’s Girl Gone Grilling shares her buffalo chicken stuffed garlic bread
• • Katherine Salom “Girl Gone Grilling”
• Powerhouse performer Christina Wells, now in a wheelchair, is still lighting up Houston stages
• • Christina Wells
• When a smile needs more than veneers: one Houston patient’s transformation
• • Texas Dental Implant Center

Friday, July 17

• Hidden Omakase serves up a Summer favorite while continuing its comeback story
• • Hidden Omakase
• East Houston Medical Center works to improve access to health care in the community
• • East Houston Medical Center
• “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
• 13th Annual Ohana Surf Dogs Competition

Thursday, July 16

• 93Q’s Cowboys & Angels Concert Brings Country Stars to Houston
• • 93Q’s Cowboys & Angels
• Here’s Blue Willow Bookshop’s summer reading picks you need to add to your TBR
• • Blue Willow Bookshop
• UniverSoul Circus brings big top thrills to Houston Life
• • UniverSoul Circus

Wednesday, July 15

• Llamas, haunted houses, and mermaids?! Houston realtor Noel Collier talks HGTV’S ‘Extreme Buyers Club’
• • HGTV’s ‘Extreme Buyers Club’
  • Noel Collier Group
• Protect Yourself After a Crash: What to Do If You’re Illegally Solicited
• • The Miller Law Firm, home of The Texas Bulldog
• Skip the oven and beat the summer heat with this no-bake chocolate raspberry tart
• • Florence Jackson
• Raising Cane’s and the Norris family to honor Chuck Norris’ legacy on National Chicken Finger Day
• • Raising Canes

Tuesday, July 14

• Casa de Cultura turns a Houston gallery into a living archive one family story at a time
• • Photographer Violeta Álvarez
  • FreshArts
• The late Chuck Norris continues to empower kids through Kickstart Kids martial arts program
• • Kickstart Kids
  • Raising Canes
• Protein-Packed Plates: Casa do Brasil, Los Tios and a High Protein Bowl with Tanji Patton of Goodtaste TV
• • Goodtaste for the Soul with Tanji Patton

Monday, July 13

• Remembering the iconic artist David Adickes on his 99th birthday and his lasting legacy in Houston
• • David Adickes Art
• Spend the Summer at Moody Gardens: Animal encounters, weekly themes, and how to register
• • Moody Gardens
• There’s a story behind every building: Take a tour of Downtown Houston with Preservation Houston
• • Preservation Houston
• Celebrate 713 Day with Houston Rap Legend Lil’ Keke
• • Follow Lil Keke on Instagram
• Best places and deals around Houston to celebrate 713 Day

Friday, July 10

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• Houston Hula Academy brings the spirit of Polynesia to Houston Life
• • Houston Hula Academy
  • Drums of the Pacific
• A car lover’s dream! Where to see life-size Hot Wheels cars in the Houston area
• • Hot Wheels Legends Tour
• Fire Up The Grill: Easy Grilling for a Crowd
• • III Catering
• Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Thursday, July 9

• Meet the Houston 6-year-old golfer makes national tournament history
• • Ascend Golf Academy
• Fort Bend County Fair Celebrates 90 Years with Pat Green, Sawyer Brown and a Star-Studded 2026 Lineup
• • Fort Bend County Fair
• Houston City College: College that fits your schedule
• • Houston City College
• Goode Company Seafood celebrates 40 years
• Goode Company Seafood x Texas Parks and Wildlife

Wednesday, July 8

• Fort Bend County Fair
• Fung’s Kitchen
• East Houston Medical Center hosts free FIFA World Cup 2026™ watch parties and a chance to win a free trip to the final
• • East Houston Medical Center
• Houston’s Ensemble Theatre marks 50th anniversary with premieres, revivals and, honoring the past
• • The Ensemble Theatre
• Stars of Netflix’s ‘Little House on the Prairie’ chat reimagining the iconic story
• • Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie

Tuesday, July 7

• KPRC 2 Insider
• Inside the New Era of Fitness: How 24 Hour Fitness Is Rethinking the Modern Gym
• • 24 Hour Fitness
• Cosmic Ice Cream and Trill Burgers teaming up for National Ice Cream day
• • Cosmic Ice Cream
  • Trill Burgers
• Houston Ballet’s Dance 2 Thrive program brings movement, music and wellness to the Community
• • Houston Ballet
  • Dance 2 Thrive registration form

Monday, July 6

• Why Trae Tha Truth Keeps Turning His Birthday Into Houston’s Biggest Give-Back
• • Traeday 2026
• PopUp Bagels lands in Houston — grip, rip and dip your way to a viral bagel
• • PopUp Bagels
• When a smile needs more than veneers: one Houston patient’s transformation
• • Texas Dental Implant Center
• Your Bucket List Guide
• Flora Houston
• Make this at home! The Two-Ingredient Cocktail Popping Up Around Houston During the FIFA World Cup 26™
• • Bucanita by Buchanan’s

Thursday, July 2

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• These women athletes from Afghanistan escaped Taliban rule. Now the players of Houston Shine FC find joy in soccer again
• • Houston Shine FC
• ‘Read With Jenna’ debuts cozy Book Nook aboard MSC Seascape sailing from Galveston
• • ‘Read with Jenna’
• Keep Kids Safe Around Water: Expert Guidance on Supervision and Drowning Prevention
• • Bivona Law Firm
• New Sprouts in Kingwood Is Here | And Yes, You Can Sample Just About Anything
• • Sprouts Farmers Market

Wednesday, July 1

• Celebrate America’s 250th with Houston Life’s special Fourth of July Show
• • Houston Christian University’s Independence Hall
  • Baytown’s Fourth of July Festivities
  • PBS’s Annual A Capitol Fourth celebration
  • Houston Zoo
  • Blue Bell Creameries
• LIST: Fourth of July fireworks, parades, celebrations across Greater Houston

Tuesday, June 30

• This Thai-inspired hot dog brings new flavor to your Fourth of July cookout
• • MaKiin Concepts Hospitality Group
• Firework Safety | Cy-Fair Fire Department, TX
• United Against Human Trafficking
• Houston native shares how being stranded at sea during COVID inspired a documentary, memoir and mission to help others
• • Angela Harger Productions
• 5 Things Houston Homeowners Should Know Before the Next Power Outage
• • GenPro.com

Monday, June 29

• Meet the cast of ‘Young Washington’ ahead of the film’s July 3rd release
• • ‘Young Washington’
• From Houston to American homes: Good Ranchers celebrates America’s 250th with homegrown meat
• • Good Ranchers
• New Zealand by train: Scenic journeys, culture and food
• • Gabe Saglie The Travel Guy
• Gexa Energy gives back: Make-A-Wish reveal brings joy to local child
• • Gexa Energy
• Hands-on training at Houston City College prepares students for high-demand careers
• • Houston City College

Friday, June 26

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• Best Friends Animal Society hosts a free pet adoption event this Saturday
• • RSVP to Best Friends “Bring Love Home” Adoption Event
• Houston’s own Tyce Green stars in Disney’s ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’
• • Houston Broadway Theatre’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”
• Stay connected with reliable internet during hurricane season
• • Ezee Fiber
• Better STAAR scores, bigger goals: Here’s why Good Reason Houston focuses on a path to a living wage
• • Good Reason Houston
• Baytown Is Going Big for the Fourth of July
• • Visit Baytown
• Rodney Atkins

Thursday, June 25

• Best Friends Animal Society hosts a free pet adoption event this Saturday
• • RSVP to Best Friends “Bring Love Home” Adoption Event
  • Best Friends Houston
• A New Sprouts Farmers Market Has Opened in Webster—Here’s What You’ll Find Inside
• • Sprouts Farmers Market
• Why this financial expert says small business success starts with financial organization
• • Aragon Tax Return Services
• Mattress expert links poor sleep to serious health risks
• • Texas Mattress Makers

Wednesday, June 24

• Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announces historic agriculture complex benefitting Texas youth
• • Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
• Vegan recipes to add to your summer cookout menu
• • Dr. Chinwe Orabuchi
• Could your roof be hiding storm damage: What Houston homeowners should know
• • Adams Roofing
• Companion Energy brings ‘Energy that Cares’ to the Houston Humane Society
• • Companion Energy
• Travel Mom Emily Kaufman says now’s the time to book Australia
• • Travel Mom
  • Visit Sydney
  • Visit South Wales

Tuesday, June 23

• Houston Life goes LIVE from new IKEA Webster ahead of Grand Opening
• • KPRC 2 Insiders, Enter for a chance to win IKEA gift cards!
  • IKEA
  • IKEA Webster: Friends and Family Shopping Event

Monday, June 22

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• Family-owned restaurant Foreign Grill shares Uzbek flavors ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ match
• • Follow Foreign Grill on Instagram
• Prime Day Picks to upgrade your home
• • Home Improvement Expert, Kathryn Emery | Be The Best Home
• Meet the Houston skincare brand embracing beef tallow with no frills and all the beneficial ingredients
• • NutréLux Beauty
• Future-Proof Careers: Celebrating the HVAC Technicians Who Keep Houston Cool
• • Fortis College
• Why cruises are the hottest ticket this summer - expert tips & where to go
• • Carnival Cruises
  • Travel Expert, Jeanenne Tornatore | The Outside Insider

Thursday, June 18

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• KPRC 2 INSIDERS: Enter for your chance to win a $250 Kroger gift card!
• • Kroger
• The South Dakota Road Trip You Didn’t Know You Needed
• • Your Bucket List Guide
  • Travel South Dakota
• Hands-on training at Houston City College Southeast prepares students for high-demand careers
• • Houston City College
• Stay connected with reliable internet during hurricane season
• • Ezee Fiber

Wednesday, June 17

• WANTED: An audience ready to laugh at the Texas Outlaw Comics tonight at Houston Improv
• • Texas Outlaw Comics
• The cast of Netflix’s ‘I Will Find You’ talks bringing the bestselling thriller to life
• • Netflix’s Harlan Coben’s “I Will Find You”
• Saunawelt opens Houston’s first public European sauna house
• • Saunawelt
• Village Plumbing, Air & Electric shares summer safety tips as company celebrates 80 Years of servicing Houston
• • Village Plumbing

Tuesday, June 16

• ‘Heart & Hustle: Houston’ Star Muneera Page opens up about fame, friendship and season two
• • OWN’s “Heart & Hustle: Houston”
• Looking for a Father’s Day activity? See more than 100 exotic cars at Velocité in Houston
• • Velocité – A Father’s Day Tradition in Motion
• AEW Star Thunder Rosa balances two wrestling worlds while inspiring fans to chase their dreams
• • All Elite Wrestling at Smart Financial Centre
  • Follow Thunder Rosa on Instagram
• Transform your outdoor space with Carvestone - Plus, a chance to win $5,000 in outdoor furniture
• • Allied Outdoor Solutions

Monday, June 15

• Local 17-year-old filmmaker makes her mark with movie focusing on men’s mental health
• • “Used to Be” tickets
• WWE star Braun Strowman chats season 2 of ‘Everything On The Menu’
• • USA Network’s “Everything on the Menu With Braun Strowman”
• How Houston Habitat for Humanity is helping families build generational wealth
• • KPRC 2 Habitat for Humanity
  • Houston Habitat for Humanity
• Houston’s own Cris Sosa competes on NBC’s ‘America’s Got Talent’ Season 21
• • Comedian Cris Sosa
  • NBC’s “America’s Got Talent”

Friday, June 12

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• Why the Rothko Chapel may be Houston’s most transformative space
• • Rothko Chapel
• Keep your home cool and save on energy with these tips from Champion & Nash
• • Champion and Nash
• Marco’s Pizza brings New York-style pizza to your neighborhood
• • Marco’s Pizza
• Meet Yassine Cheuko, personal bodyguard to soccer superstar Lionel Messi

Thursday, June 11

• FIFA Fan Festival™ Houston

Wednesday, June 10

• Houston physician and educator Dr. Tim Garson makes history approachable and relatable to modern life in new book
• • Dr. Arthur “Tim” Garson
  • Book: “Five Thousand Years of Controversies: A Family’s Journey Through World History”
• Ishida Dance Company presents ‘Waiting/Rex’ at Asia Society Texas
• • Ishida Dance Company Tickets
• Father’s Day finds and summer-ready home upgrades
• • Kathryn Emery
• Peptides and functional health: How Antiage Institute helps Houstonians age better
• • Antiage Institute

Tuesday, June 9

• How a community effort saved Houston’s printmaking legacy
• How custom coasters are made by hand at Red Bird Press studio
• • Red Bird Press
• A 34-Day soccer watch party in Houston with Diplo, wagyu burgers and VIP lounges?
• • The Ranch Presents Pitch Live
• Find the right mattress with expert help in Texas
• • Texas Mattress Makers

Monday, June 8

• Meet Saxboy Billy, the man behind the viral “Puerto Rico Song”
• • Follow Saxboy Billy on Instagram
• Celebrate Culture through music and movement with Tx2 Dance Company
• • T2 Dance Company
• NBC’s ‘American Ninja Warrior’ Season 18: What Lauren Kelly learned from the Hosts
• • NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior”
• Replace an entire arch, not just a tooth: How ONEARCH changes lives
• • Texas Dental Implant Center
• Visit San Antonio

Friday, June 5

• The music collective behind the Houston remix for FIFA World Cup 2026™
• • Bombón
  • Official FIFA World Cup 26™ Houston Sonic ID
• Why Alley Theatre’s “Misery” is leaving Houston audiences gasping
• • Misery at Alley Theatre
• Young Houstonians will learn how to train like a pro at the Simple Truth Will Anderson Jr. ProCamp
• • Will Anderson Jr. Football ProCamp

Thursday, June 4

• Magician Michael Carbonaro is ready to wow fans in Houston with his new show ‘WONDERBOY’
• • Michael Carbonaro at Houston of Blues
• HCC Southwest ramps up hands-on training in AI, robotics and cybersecurity
• • Houston City College
• The Travel Mom’s tips for planning and booking a breathtaking Alaskan cruise
• • The Travel Mom
  • Holland America Cruises
• Spice Routes: Cardamom Challenge a culinary passport awaits at Houston’s stunning Ismaili Center
• • Ismaili Center

Wednesday, June 3

• Celebrate Freedom Festival returns to Emancipation Park this Saturday
• • Juneteenth Houston
• Why this red velvet cornbread recipe belongs on your Juneteenth table
• • Chef Cassi
• Houston Rockets Skills Camp returns to various locations this summer
• • Houston Rockets Youth Skills Camp
• KPRC 2’s 2026 Hurricane & Flood Survival Guide
• IMDB “Masters of the Universe”

Tuesday, June 2

• CPR and AED basics: Simple skills that can help save a life
• • Register for FREE CPR webinar on June 3
  • Gail Gould
• Meet the local break dancers uplifting women and youth through hip-hop, culture, and the arts
• • BGirl City Worldwide
• Cool Treats in the Heights: Where to find Hawaiian shaved ice and frozen cocktails
• • Happy Go Lucky

Monday, June 1

• Houston Author Jenny Block drops new book about finding authenticity, success and joy in life
• • Follow Jenny Block on Instagram
• The laughs keep coming in season 2 of Netflix’s ‘The Four Seasons’
• • Netflix’s “The Four Seasons”
• Discovery Green celebrating summer with free family fun and soccer-inspired events
• • Discovery Green
• Why natural looking dental implants are the new luxury in facial rejuvenation
• • Texas Dental Implant Center

Friday, May 29

• Texas Teen Pageant Queens use their platforms to empower foster kids, fight bullying, and inspire future farmers
• • Kyleigh’s Kidz
• Immersive Gamebox is launching ‘Soccer Arcade,’ the world’s first immersive soccer experience
• • Immersive Gamebox
• Tanji Patton reveals what’s next after 11 seasons of Goodtaste TV
• Sweet, Savory & Spicy: Creative cantaloupe recipes worth trying this Summer
• • Goodtaste with Tanji Patton

Thursday, May 28

• Game day skin care tips for FIFA World Cup 2026™ watch parties and summer heat
• • Board-Certified Dermatologist Dr. Sherry Ingraham
• A Quick Drive From Houston, This Louisiana Resort Delivers Vegas-Style Luxury Without the Flight
• • Coushatta Casino Resort
• Licasa Treatment Center Opens in Conroe to expand compassionate mental health and addiction care
• • Licasa Treatment Center

Wednesday, May 27

•  Powering Houston’s future: Electrical apprentices showcase skills at annual Wire-Off Competition 
• • IEC Texas Gulf Coast
• Los Souldees is the local band bringing the sounds you love from the past with a fresh Houston twist
• • Los Souldees

Tuesday, May 26

• Lone Star College
• A Houston little boy’s toughest battle led to a monster surprise!
• • Gexa Energy
• Captain MC’s Seafood
• The Window Source Houston

Friday, May 22

• Get your bike ready for summer rides with these simple safety tips
• • Sun & Ski Sports
• This easy road trip from Houston comes with luxury suites, gaming, and a powerful legacy
• • Coushatta Powwow
  • Coushatta Casino Resort
• Hear the hits - ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’ in Houston
• • “The Carole King Musical” at Theatre Under the Stars
• Support local veterans while having fun at the Patriots Charity Classic
• • Patriots Charity Classic Event

Thursday, May 21

• The World comes to Houston! Here’s what to expect ahead of the FIFA Fan Festival™ kicking off in EaDo
• • FIFA Fan Festival™
• This easy road trip from Houston comes with luxury suites, gaming, and a powerful legacy
• • Coushatta Casino Resort - New Legacy Tower
• SUMMER SWEEPSTAKES: Enter to win 3 weeks of free airport parking from The Parking Spot
• • The Parking Spot
• Train for Houston’s in demand jobs at HCC Northeast - Public Safety, Automotive, & more
• • HCC Northeast
• Schlotzsky’s Deli launches new stacked subs in Houston - Try three bold flavors
• • Schlotzsky’s Deli

Wednesday, May 20

• Schlotzsky’s Deli launches new stacked subs in Houston - Try three bold flavors
• • Schlotzsky’s Deli
• Swap, shop, sustain: Houston’s eco-friendly clothing event returns this Sunday
• • The Houston Clothing Shop
• A Houston little boy’s toughest battle led to a monster surprise!
• • Gexa Energy
• Early detection, AI tools, personalized care redefine preventive health
• • Fountain Life Houston Clinic
• Get your backyard summer ready with pest control, pool upgrades, trampolines and whole home backup power
• • Kathryn Emery
• Need summer plans? This easy Galveston getaway has dinosaurs, beaches & lazy rivers
• • Moody Gardens

Tuesday, May 19

• In the Kitchen with Kroger: Memorial Day hosting doesn’t have to start from scratch
• • KPRC 2 INSIDERS: Enter for your chance to win a $250 Kroger gift card!
  • Kroger
• Moody Gardens
• Houston Ballet closes 2025-2026 season with two standout productions
• • Houston Ballet
• From award-winning tv to action-packed films, Bob Odenkirk chats ‘Normal’
• • Follow Bob Odenkirk on Instagram

Monday, May 18

• Celebrate World Ocean Day in Galveston with art, music & ocean fun for free 🌊 🌊
• • Artist Boat
• A collector’s dream: U.S. Coins & Jewelry opens brand new showroom for buying and selling
• • U.S. Coins and Jewelry
• Mental Health Awareness Month: How to spot the signs when stress becomes something more
• • The Harris Center for Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)
• Spring couple transforms builder-grade patio into beautiful backyard with Allied Outdoor Solutions
• • Allied Outdoor Solutions
• Why natural looking dental implants are the new luxury in facial rejuvenation
• • Texas Dental Implant Center

Friday, May 15

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• At Houston’s Alley Theatre, “Dear Alien” explores the beautiful weirdness of being human
• • “Dear Alien at Alley Theatre
• Gear up inside the newly renovated and relocated Sun & Ski Sports Memorial City
• • Sun & Ski Sports Memorial City
• The Travel Mom on the perks of RV life on the road
• • The Travel Mom
  • Go RVing

Thursday, May 14

• Musaafer Houston Beekeeper cocktail program highlights honey from local neighborhoods
• • Musaafer
• Help us save lives at the KPRC 2 Community Blood Drive with Gulf Coast Blood
• • Schedule an appointment
• Port Aransas
• Children’s Museum Houston

Wednesday, May 13

• Why one Fulshear homeowner calls his generator “The Easy Button”
• • GenPro.com
• Family fun meets coastal charm in Port Aransas, Texas’ premier Gulf Coast getaway
• • Port Aransas
  • Red Dragon Pirate Cruises
• Local chef turns pandemic setback into a thriving Filipino food pop-up business
• • Aleng Nina’s
  • Chef Nina’s Pop-up Event at Third Place

Tuesday, May 12

• Rob Riggle among authors featured in ‘A Celebration of Reading’ 2026
• • Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation
• Texas’ legendary 1877 tall ship ELISSA joins Sail250 voyage to New York Harbor
• • The Official Official Tall Ship of Texas
  • Galveston 250 Kickoff Party Tickets
• The Future of noninvasive wellness is in Sugar Land
• • Oasis Aesthetics & Wellness and Oasis Dry Eye Center
• Chef Jose Hernandez on his roots, restaurants, and fresh pasta
• • Savoir Restaurant
  • Patton

Monday, May 11

• Texas breweries shine at World Beer Cup as American Craft Beer Week kicks off
• • What’s on Tap Radio
• Could Retirement Living Actually Feel Like a Resort? Inside Life at Eagle’s Trace
• • Eagles’ Trace by Erickson Senior Living
• Empty Bowls Houston returns for its 20th anniversary
• • Empty Bowls Houston
  • Houston Food Bank

Friday, May 8

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• Children’s Museum Houston and Houston Life present a first look inside the ‘Gallery of Wonder’ on KPRC 2
• Easy at-home kitchen STEM activities to spark curiosity with Children’s Museum Houston
• • Children’s Museum Houston
• Rung Film Festival returns to Houston, highlighting Pakistani storytellers on the big screen
• • Rung Film Festival
• Scammed out of $90,000: Houston woman shares warning for seniors
• • AARP Houston
• KPRC 2’s “Eat Like a Local”

Thursday, May 7

• Celebrate National Hamburger Month with OMG! Burger
• • OMG! Burger
• How Houston City College Is Building the City’s Workforce
• • Houston City College
• The Insperity Invitational presented by United Healthcare happening in The Woodlands this weekend
• • Insperity Invitational
• Bridge the Gaps

Wednesday, May 6

• From local finds to feel-good vibes, ‘Shop Fulshear First’ family-friendly night market
• • “Shop Fulshear First”
• Why you keep repeating the same unhealthy relationship patterns and how to change them
• • Jenn Pinkerton
• Houston Grand Opera

Tuesday, May 5

• Bun B announces “UGK Been Ridin’ Dirty,” Celebrating 30 Years of a Southern Hip-Hop Classic
• • Bun B Presents “Been Ridin’ Dirty” Tickets
• From classroom to center stage: The Tommy Tune Awards showcase Houston’s rising theatre talent
• • Tommy Tune Awards Finalists List
• Houston Life co-hosts learn calligraphy with live event artist Jenny Blaschke
• • Jenny Blaschke

Monday, May 4

• “Houston’s Enchilada Queen” Sylvia Casares serving up big flavor & family tradition
• • Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen
• This Houston program uses comedy to build confidence and change lives
• • Comedy Unlocked
  • The Opportunity Center
• Hot products: Summer grillin’ and chillin’ with Lifestyle and Home Improvement expert Kathryn Emery
• • Kathryn Emery
• New Smile: AI-driven design at Texas Dental Implant Center
• • Texas Dental Implant Center

Friday, May 1

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• Teatro Indigo
• Teatro Indigo at Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
• Mahjong for a Cause
• Sam Houston Race Park

Thursday, April 30

• St‑Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• National Pet Month is here! Houston SPCA offers tips for responsible pet ownership
• • Houston SPCA
• From Knee Replacement to the Boston Marathon: A Story of Movement, Medicine, and Meaning
• • Dr. Richard A. Berger Outpatient Hip and Knee Surgery
• Tyler Henry “The Hollywood Medium” heading to Houston for unforgettable live show
• • Tyler Henry Live at Smart Financial Center
  • Connect with Tyler Henry

Wednesday, April 29

• In the Kitchen with Kroger: Celebrate Mother’s Day with Kroger, the world’s largest florist
• • KPRC 2 INSIDERS: Enter for your chance to win a $250 Kroger gift card!
• Sail into Alaska with Princess Cruises - tips from The Travel Mom, Emily Kaufman
• • The Travel Mom
  • Princess Cruises
• How wearing denim became an international symbol of supporting assault survivors and victims
• • National Denim Day
  • Fort Bend Women’s Center
• Country superstar Parker McCollum surprises nurses ahead of National Nurses Week

Tuesday, April 28

• Inside Golden Roastery: A popular Middle Eastern shop serving traditional desserts and coffee
• How to make a popular Arab dessert Kunafa
• • Golden Roastery (Walk-in offer only; get 20% off Kunafa items from now to May 10)
• Help us save lives at the KPRC 2 Community Blood Drive with Gulf Coast Blood
• • Community Blood Drive at KPRC 2
• Cedric The Entertainer brings the laughs in new Netflix animated film ‘Swapped’
• • Netflix’s ‘Swapped’

Monday, April 27

• Summer safety for kids: what parents need to know
• • Bivona Law Firm
• From Blueprint to Backyard Oasis: A Missouri City Transformation Designed for Real Life
• • Allied Outdoor Solutions
• First annual AAPI Fest coming to Alief
• • AAPI Fest
  • Kaminari Taiko of Houston,
• The story behind Agnes and Sherman where Asian flavors meet American comfort food
• • Agnes and Sherman
  • AAPI Restaurant Weeks
• Hosts Mike “The Miz” Mizanin and Rocsi Diaz chat reboot of ‘American Gladiators’
• • American Gladiators

Friday, April 24

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• Step inside August Wilson’s “Fences” at Houston’s Alley Theatre - A timeless story of love, legacy, and second chances
• • August Wilson’s “Fences” at Alley Theatre
• Prime Video’s ‘Cocaine Quarterback’ Owen Hanson visits Houston, shares incredible comeback story
• • “Cocaine Quarterback” on Prime Video
• National Bucket List Day: A Trafalgar River Cruise with The Travel Mom
• • The Travel Mom
  • Trafalgar

Thursday, April 23

• Silambam Houston highlights the beauty of Indian classical dance at the Hobby Center
• • Silambam Houston
• A preview of Great Age on the Green, Houston’s new festival celebrating aging boldly
• • Great Age on the Green
• Kids learn money the fun way with Financial Fortunes card game
• • Financial Fortunes Card Game
• Teeing off for the LPGA’s first major of the season - The Chevron Championship
• • The Chevron Championship

Wednesday, April 22

• Houston is driving the Biotech future - starting with students
• • Texas Medical Center BioPath Program
• From ‘Dance Moms’ to the stage and page: Nia Sioux’s next act
• • Follow Nia Sioux on Instagram
• From ‘Dance Moms’ to the stage and page: Nia Sioux’s next act
• • Nia Sioux’s Memoir “Bottom of the Pyramid”
• Wildflowers, western heritage, and a Mother’s Day to remember at The George Ranch
• The George Ranch

Tuesday, April 21

• Orchid care 101: Simple tricks to keep your orchids blooming longer
• • Ace Berry
  • Flora & More
• Affordable luxury: New upholstered bed collection unveiled at Texas Mattress Makers
• • Texas Mattress Makers
• Music, food and rodeo fun for all at the Galveston County Fair & Rodeo
• • Galveston County Fair & Rodeo
• Texas Dental Implant Center

Monday, April 20

• Robins Landing Neighborhood Floor Plans - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• Homeownership Process - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• Volunteering - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• ReStore - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• Third Ward - Houston Habitat for Humanity

Friday, April 17

• ‘Houston Life’ is live today at the Houston Ballet Nutcracker Market Spring
• • Houston Ballet Nutcracker Market® SPRING
  • Dog Collar World
  • Linked by Stevi
  • The Hive
  • Big Creek Farms
  • EK The Boutique
  • House of Cottonwood
  • ParkerJoe

Thursday, April 16

• TUTS presents ‘Monty Python’s Spamalot’ rides into the Hobby Center
• • Monty Python’s Spamalot at TUTS Tickets
• One ticket, endless fun at the Galveston County Fair and Rodeo
• • Galveston County Fair and Rodeo
• Carpet Giant celebrates 50 years of proudly serving generations of Houstonians
• • Carpet Giant Website (mention Houston Life to get $150 off your purchase of $1,000)
• Faith ‘One Arm Wonder’ Malton and Zack ‘Pitbull’ Ruhl rappel 30 stories for non-profit Camp For All
• • Camp For All
  • Faith Malton

Wednesday, April 15

• Brush up on your makeup routine at Blushington River Oaks
• • Houston Life Deals (Get 20% off beauty services at Blushington River Oaks)
  • Blushington River Oaks
• The King himself shares how to save 20% on tickets to the Texas Renaissance Festival
• • Texas Renaissance Festival
• Ethan’s Ohana
• Cube Against Cancer 2026 Houston
• Cube Against Cancer
• Fortis College

Tuesday, April 14

• Former Texans WR Steven Sims Jr. to host FREE youth football camp
• • Must See Foundation
• Why it’s not just the generator - it’s the company behind it
• • Gen Pro
• How the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce helps local companies grow
• • Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Step Onward Foundation uses music to fight homelessness in Texas
• • Step Onward Foundation
  • Sunday Funday Community Celebration

Monday, April 13

• Robins Landing Neighborhood Floor Plans - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• Homeownership Process - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• Volunteering - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• ReStore - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• Third Ward - Houston Habitat for Humanity

Friday, April 10

• Your guide to the Houston Barbecue Festival this weekend: Top pitmasters, unlimited BBQ samples, and more
• • Houston BBQ Festival
• Texas CASA’s partner agencies train volunteers to be a voice and a lifeline for children in the foster care system
• • Become a CASA
• ‘Grow the Game’ Initiative expands soccer access in Houston ahead of the World Cup with Guinness World Records attempt
• • Airbnb GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™
• Houston’s Garden Theatre celebrates 5 years with Stephen Sondheim’s “Company”
• • The Garden Theatre
• Father daughter duo Steve Zahn and Audrey Zahn chat new film ‘She Dances’

Thursday, April 9

• The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary kicks off 22nd annual ‘Chic Boutique’
• • Chic Boutique
• Aramie Payton brings Broadway pedigree to Alley Theatre’s revival of “Fences”
• • Alley Theatre
• Layoff leads Houston creator to viral small business mission
• • Follow David on Instagram
• At just 19, Jalyn Hall is stepping into his moment
• • NBC’s “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins”
• KPRC 2’s “Eat Like a Local”

Wednesday, April 8

• Houston Underwater Film Festival returns this weekend with stunning ocean films 🌊🌊
• • School, college and scuba students: claim a free ticket by emailing huff@hups.org
  • Houston Underwater Film Festival Tickets
• Celebrate Earth Month by sipping sustainably!
• • Wine and Travel Contributor Daniela Garrido
• Shred Day Houston: Safely destroy documents and fight hunger on April 18
• • Comerica Shred Day Houston
• Trade-show-tested home picks: Coffee, Water, Bidets and Moving Gear
• • Kathryn Emery Home Improvement & Lifestyle Expert
• A kid’s guide to top play picks to cut screen time and spark creativity
• • Kid-trepreneur Dylan Emery

Tuesday, April 7

• Grand Marshals Kam Franklin & Brian Ching preview the 39th annual Art Car Parade
• • Houston Art Car Parade
• This Texas artist is turning Titanic artifacts into art
• • Souls of the Titanic
• In Houston, Your Windows May Not Last as Long—Here’s What to Know (and What to Do About It)
• • Pella Windows and Doors
• Houston’s Trillest Chef bringing bold flavors of H-Town the national stage
• • Follow Chef Machete on Instagram
• Texas Dental Implant Center

Monday, April 6

• Houston’s Garden Theatre celebrates 5 years with Stephen Sondheim’s “Company”
• • The Garden Theatre
• Sysco’s World Cup-themed food show is a preview of how Houston plans to feed the world
• • Sysco World Cup-themed food show
• The Houston Art Car Parade

Friday, April 3

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• WWE Wrestler Je’Von Evans
• WWE Monday Night Raw at Toyota Center Tickets
• IBEW Local 66
• KPRC 2’s “Eat Like a Local”

Thursday, April 2

• Disney on Ice
• The Chevron Championship
• Maxine Sharf brings ‘Maxi’s Kitchen’ to Houston Life with her mom
• • Follow Maxine Sharf on Instagram
  • “Maxi’s Kitchen: Easy Go-To Recipes to Make Again and Again”
• Father daughter duo Steve Zahn and Audrey Zahn chat new film ‘She Dances’

Wednesday, April 1

• Spring gets sweeter with two easy recipes: Carrot cupcake and blueberry crumble bun
• • Follow Cookbook Author Florence Jackson on Instagram
• This Houston Restaurant Hasn’t Raised Prices Since Its Food Truck Days
• • Black Restaurant Week
  • Chitalian Pizzeria
• Tarot, the Fool card and finding meaning on Derrick’s birthday (April Fool’s Day)
• • Tarot Card Reader Amber Ambrose
• Theatre Under the Stars presents ‘Back to the Future: The Musical’ through April 5th
• • TUTS “Back to the Future: The Musical”

Tuesday, March 31

• Send Well Wishes to Tessa on her last day
• • Tessa Barrera announces she’s leaving ‘Houston Life’
• Calling all book lovers: Houston indie bookstore crawl returns for its third year of literary adventure
• • 2026 Houston Bookstore Crawl
• Preview the 13th annual Insperity Invitational presented by United Healthcare
• • Insperity Invitational
• Texas roots and coastal growth, how the Oyster Bros in Palacios are redefining the gulf oyster
• • Oyster Bros
• Goodtaste with Tanji Patton

Monday, March 30

• How Autism Moms of Houston became a lifeline for families raising children who are neurodivergent
• • Autism Moms of Houston
  • Autism Awareness Festival
• An offer fit for a new you! Grab the Alloy Personal Training Houston Life Deal
• • Alloy Personal Training Houston
  • Houston Life Deals
• Who’s responsible when a child is hurt at daycare?
• • Bivona Law
• At just 19, Jalyn Hall is stepping into his moment
• • NBC’s “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins”

Friday, March 27

• Family fun, charity, & of course golf shine at Texas Children’s Houston Open ⛳
• • Texas Children’s Houston Open
  • TCHO Cleats for Kids

Wednesday, March 25

• Tessa Barrera announces she’s leaving ‘Houston Life’
• Plan aims to turn Garden Oaks Theater into an arts hub before it’s too late
• • Save the Garden Oaks Theater
• Fore! Preview the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open
• • Texas Children’s Houston Open
• Women, Wealth, and breaking ‘The Success Lie’
• • Chantell Preston
  • “The Success Lie” by Chantell Preston
• McGovern Allergy & Asthma Clinic
• Gexa Energy

Tuesday, March 24

• From puppy playtime to pesky nipping, helpful springtime tips for dog owners
• • Stephanie Bennett’s Believe in Dog Training
• How one Houston program is helping kids discover confidence—and their future
• • Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America
• Houston Ballet’s Busy Spring: Nutcracker Market, Sons de L’âme & YAGP Finals
• • Houston Ballet
• Breaking barriers and popping corks with CEO and Master Sommelier June Rodil
• • Master Sommelier June Rodil
  • Goodnight Hospitality

Monday, March 23

• Blooming Wonders at ARTECHOUSE
• • Spring arrives at ARTECHOUSE Houston with ‘Blooming Wonders’
• Texas Dental Implant Center
• • Trusted Dental Implant Care in Houston — Board-Certified Periodontist Helps Complex Cases
• Disability Attorney Marc Whitehead
• • Expert tax advice: Are your Social Security and Disability benefits taxable?
• Allied Outdoor Solutions
• • From basic to beautiful: See this stunning backyard transformation in Weston Lakes

Thursday, March 19

• Springtime fun at the Houston Zoo
• • Zoo Bloom
  • All you can Zoo
  • Saving the Galápagos Islands

Wednesday, March 18

• Houston Latino Film Festival celebrates 10 Years with Cheech Marin
• • Houston Latino Film Festival
• Find the good vibes every weekend for Jazzy Sundays in the Parks
• • Jazzy Sundays in the Parks
• Get to know Dash rising star, Avery Patterson
• • Houston Dash
• Kevin Williamson makes fans SCREAM all over again in latest franchise installation
• • Kevin Williamson
• Self Employed? Tax Filing Moves That Help You Qualify for a Mortgage
• • Habayit Home Loans
  • Mortgage Expert Rich Bonn’s Upcoming Webinar

Tuesday, March 17

• Houston’s Mezclada Dance Company blends hip hop, Latin and contemporary dance forms into high-energy performances
• • Performing Arts Houston New/Now featuring Mezclada Dance Company
• METRO rolls out systemwide changes: A first look at the new technology to help streamline your ride
• • Metro Houston
• Houston Life Deals: Fun & savings for the entire family
• • HoustonLifeDeals.com
• Frontier Utilities teams with Kids’ Meals Houston to pack thousands of meals
• • Frontier Utilities

Monday, March 16

• Affordable rodeo-ready outfits you can find at Target this season
• • Target.com
• Houston’s growing need for linemen: Why the trade pays and how to start
• • IBEW Local 66
• ET hosts Nischelle Turner and Kevin Frazier share highlights from the 98th Academy Awards
• • Entertainment Tonight Oscars Coverage
• Houston Ballet principal dancer Karina González brings Frida Kahlo to life in Broken Wings
• • “Broken Wings” at Houston Ballet Tickets
• The Largest Indoor Waterpark in the U.S.? It’s Just a Road Trip from Houston
• • Kalahari Resorts and Conventions

Friday, March 13

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• Houston Life Deals: Fun & savings for the entire family
• Outriding the Devil: Angela Ganter’s incredible rodeo comeback
• • Outriding the Devil premieres at River Oaks Theatre
• ‘Aliens’ 40th anniversary cast reunion and more at Pop Culture Con 2026
• • Pop Culture Con
• Alley Theatre brings Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” to Houston with a fresh twist
• • “The Importance of Being Earnest” at Alley Theatre Tickets
• Bounce your way to better fitness: trampoline workouts in West U
• • Motiv Fitness at West University
• Moon 2 Mars Festival returns to Space Center Houston with out-of-this-world fun and concerts this spring break
• • Space Center Houston

Thursday, March 12

• KPRC 2 INSIDERS: Enter for your chance to see Tim McGraw at RODEOHOUSTON
• The Birthday Joy Program helps kids in foster care, shelters and group homes celebrate their special day
• • the Birthday Joy Program Website
• Inside “The Feminine Universe” Houston’s new all-women immersive art experience
• • The Feminine Universe Art Show Tickets
• Bring the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo home with these sips and bites
• • Entertaining Expert Paul Zahn
• Spring is in full swing at CITYCENTRE Houston
• • CITYCENTRE
• Kalahari Resorts and Conventions

Tuesday, March 10

• Enjoy Spring Break at the Houston Museum of Natural Science
• • Houston Museum of Natural Science
• Honoring the fallen & recognizing community heroes
• • Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
  • BP America
• Houston author Margie Seaman proves it is never too late to chase a dream
• • Margie Seaman
  • “Someday Is Our Horizon” by Margie Seaman on Amazon

Monday, March 9

• NestFest beach cleanup invites volunteers to protect nesting sea turtles on the Galveston Coast
• From bumper boats to STEAM activities, enjoy a FUNonmenal spring break at Discovery Green
• • FUNomenal Spring Break at Discovery Green
• This veteran-owned business is helping Houstonians keep the heat the out and the savings in with new windows
• • The Window Source
• You’ve been diagnosed with cancer, now what? Non-profit CanCare pairs you with survivors who can help
• • CanCare
• Spring Break Staycation: Why The Travel Mom says Houston families love Great Wolf Lodge
• • The Travel Mom
  • Great Wolf Lodge

Friday, March 6

• Houston Life Deals
• Pickle vs. anime: Largest pickle festival in Texas comes to Rosenberg with anime-inspired food
• • In A Pickle Festival
• Expedia’s 2026 Air Hacks: Best days to book, when to fly and top savings
• • Expedia Air Hacks Report
• The Parking Spot making airport parking a breeze
• • The Parking Spot
• A rustic dream venue just outside Houston
• • Country Oaks Venue
• Rare Texas artifacts step out ‘From the Vault’ at The Bryan Museum
• • The Bryan Museum
• Rhythm Energy Question of the Week

Thursday, March 5

• Gold Buckle Foodie Awards at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
• Houston Life Deals
• Avoiding vacation headaches: New Vrbo survey on group travel reveals common pet peeves
• • Vrbo
• Houston wellness trend: A local body sculpting technique focused on lymphatic health
• • The Tox
• Catching up with Russell Dickerson ahead of debut RODEOHOUSTON performance
• • RODEOHOUSTON

Wednesday, March 4

• Houston Life Deals
• Moon 2 Mars Festival returns to Space Center Houston with out-of-this-world fun and concerts this spring break
• • Space Center Houston
• What to Wear to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo: Your Ultimate Style Guide 
• • Boot Barn
• Destin-Fort Walton Beach, more than beaches: reefs, fishing, little adventures
• • Visit Destin-Fort Walton Beach
• Baz Luhrmann’s ‘EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert’ gives fans a front-row seat to The King
• • “EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert” Film

Tuesday, March 3

• Diana Ross coming to Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
• Learn about the untold history of Black baseball
• • Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy
• Houston Life Deals
• Modern dental implants give Houston patients natural, comfortable smiles
• • Texas Dental Implant Center
• Houston native Kyrie McAlpin Talks ‘The Burbs’, Keke Palmer & a very Seth MacFarlane Christmas party

Monday, March 2

• Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
• • Houston Life kicks off opening day at 2026 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
• Suits & Boot Injury Lawyers

Friday, February 27

• Gabriel Basso takes us behind the scenes of Netflix’s ‘The Night Agent’
• • Netflix’s “The Night Agent”
• Mudbug Mania: Tanji Patton celebrates crawfish season in Houston
• • Goodtaste with Tanji Patton
  • Crawfish Shack
  • Crawfish Hideaway
• Theatre Under The Stars reveals 2026-27 season with Broadway tours & local shows
• • Theatre Under the Stars
• Boot Barn
• What to see and do in Malta — beaches, history and booking tips from The Travel Mom
• • The Travel Mom

Thursday, February 26

• Diana Ross at The Sugar Land Smart Financial Center
• KPRC 2 INSIDERS: Enter for a chance to see Creed perform at RodeoHouston
• Get a peek inside RodeoHouston’s World Championship BBQ Cookoff
• • Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
• Soulful river cruises that connect Black travelers to heritage and culture
• • AmaWaterways Soulful Experience River Cruise
• Houston Life Deals
• Allied Outdoor Solutions
• HCC Southeast College

Wednesday, February 25

• Behind the scenes of TUTS’ ‘Million Dollar Quartet’
• • Tickets to ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ at Theatre Under the Stars
• Houston influencers share their best thrifting tips for Rodeo
• • Find your nearest Goodwill store
• Plan the ultimate spring break getaway for everyone at Moody Gardens
• • Moody Gardens
• Ride along: METRO Police Chief explains new safety measures for Houston transit
• • Metro Houston

Tuesday, February 24

• Spring Break, but make it San Antonio
• • Visit San Antonio
• Alley Theatre’s ‘English’ explores identity, belonging, and the weight of learning a new language
• • Tickets to ‘English’ at Alley Theatre
• Looking for a Career Change? Here’s How You Could Be Job-Ready in 10 Months
• • Learn more about programs at United Education Institute Houston

Monday, February 23 (WE ARE BACK!!!)

• Indian Film Festival of Houston celebrates France with film, food and culture
• • Indian Film Festival of Houston Website
• KPRC 2 INSIDERS: Enter for a chance to see Riley Green perform at RodeoHouston
• • Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
• Chris Hemsworth will keep you on the edge of your seat in ‘Crime 101’
• • “Crime 101” Movie Times
• Modern dental implants give Houston patients natural, comfortable smiles
• • Texas Dental Implant Center

February 6 - 20

• Houston is off air due to the Winter Olympics, but that doesn’t mean we’ll stop entertaining you. Be sure to follow us on social media to see all the HL fun. We’ll be back Feb. 23.
• • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Thursday, February 5

• Papa Johns Pizza
• The Cody Stephens Foundation saves lives with free heart screenings for young athletes
• • Cody Stephens Foundation
• Get ready for the return of the one and only Monster Jam in Houston
• • Tickets to Monster Jam at NRG Stadium
• Getting your best night’s sleep: How the latest materials and technology can help you sleep better
• • Texas Mattress Makers
• What is an “Orphan Generator”? And why it could put Houston homes at risk during an outage
• • GenPro.com
• Follow Mersha the Mini Panther on Instagram (Use MERSHA20 to get a discount at PrettyLitter)

Wednesday, February 4

• Simon & Garfunkel Story at The Sugar Land Smart Financial Center
• Behind the scenes of ‘Real Women Have Curves’ on stage at Alley Theatre
• • Tickets to ‘Real Women Have Curves’ at Alley Theatre
• Decoding body language: How to spot liars, read subtle signals, and communicate with confidence
• • Jan Hargrave
• In the Kitchen with Kroger: Why they are your one stop shop for the Big Game and Valentine’s Day
• • Kroger

Tuesday, February 3

• MFAH’s new exhibit explores Frida Kahlo’s lasting legacy
• • ‘Frida: The Making of an Icon’ at MFAH
• United Way of Greater Houston’s 211: Help is one call away
• • United Way of Greater Houston’s 211 Helpline
• After the freeze - now what? How to care for perennials and shrubs in Houston
• • Gardening with Skip
  • Houston Home and Garden Show
• Go back in time at Popfancy Dessert Bar’s new retro 80’s sci-fi arcade cafe
• • Popfancy Fan Cafe

Monday, February 2

• Kenny G at The Sugar Land Smart Financial Center
• The relationship advice that helps couples feel closer — even during hard conversations
• • Connection Expert Jenn Pinkerton
  • Connectin Cards Couples Edition on Amazon
• Paris Hilton’s “Infinite Icon”
• Arandas Bakery
• Texas Dental Implant Center

Friday, January 30

• Monster Energy Supercross heads into Houston featuring the world’s fastest racers
• • Monster Energy Supercross at NRG Stadium This Weekend
• From Trinidad and Tobago to Top Chef: Tristen Epps’ journey is rooted in culture
• • Chef Tristen Epps
  • A Classically Black Dinner - Vibrant + Modern + African
• Few physicians leave a legacy like this: Houston honors cancer pioneer Dr. Philip Salem
• • Salem Oncology Center
• The Travel Mom: Family-Friendly Wave-Season Deals from Princess
• • The Travel Mom
  • Princess Cruises

Thursday, January 29

• The Simon & Garfunkel Story at The Sugar Land Smart Financial Center
• Former KPRC 2 reporter shares ‘With Love From Harlem’: The story behind America’s First Black power couple
• • ReShonda Tate’s new book ‘With Love from Harlem’
• American Home Buyer
• How personalized aesthetics - Botox, fillers & lasers - can help you age better
• • Anti Age Institute
• The cast of ‘Bridgerton’ takes us behind-the-scenes of the ton for season 4
• • Netflix’s Bridgerton Season 4

Wednesday, January 28

• KPRC 2’s new evening anchor Stephania Jimenez makes her Houston debut with passion and purpose
• • Follow Stephania on her KPRC 2 Instagram Account
• Cars, boats and more: What to know about this year’s Houston AutoBoative Show 2026
• • Houston Autoboative Show (Save $20 with Family Four Pack Option)
• Get a taste of Old Town Katy with Tanji Patton of Goodtaste TV
• • Goodtaste with Tanji Patton
  • Peanut Butter Pie from Southern Dough
  • Southern Dough Baking Co.
  • Humble Grounds Coffeehouse
  • Harvest Kitchen & Bakery
• A Family Business Built on Trust: Luke’s Plumbing & Air Conditioning Serves Houston for Over 30 Years
• • Luke’s Plumbing & Air Conditioning

Tuesday, January 27

• Remembering the iconic artist David Adickes on his 99th birthday and his lasting legacy in Houston
• • David Adickes Art Website
  • Follow ‘Adickes Art’ on Instagram
• Plan a Vacation Day: Experts share 2026 travel trends and how to protect your trip
• • The Travel Mom
  • Follow The Travel Mom Emily Kaufman on Instagram
  • Travel Guard Insurance
• Texans Serving Texans: Gexa Energy gives back
• • Gexa Energy
• Bill Skarsgård steps beyond horror roots in new film, ‘Dead Man’s Wire’

Monday, January 26

• Houston relationship and intimacy expert dishes on the small relationship habits that make love last
• • Houston Relationship Therapy
  • VIVID Relationships app
• Crawfish & Noodles gearing up for a busy crawfish season
• • Crawfish & Noodles
• Traveling smarter in 2026: What travel experts say to book now
• • Travel Expert Jeanenne Tornatore
  • Follow the Outside Insider on Instagram

Friday, January 23

• Discover why Sam Houston Race Park is a top spot for family outings with “Houston Life”
• • Sam Houston Race Park
  • Corgi Races
  • Shannon Jewelers Presents Diamond Dig
  • Wiener Dog Races

Thursday, January 22

• WEIGH IN: What are your must have products during a freeze?
• Cars, boats and more: What to know about this year’s Houston AutoBoative Show 2026
• • Houston Autoboative Show (Save $20 with Family Four Pack Option)
• Honoring Dr. Philip A. Salem for innovations in cancer care and research
• • Salem Oncology Center
• Bert Kreischer talks fatherhood, fame, and his new scripted comedy series, “Free Bert”
• • Netflix’s “Free Bert”
• Last chance to enjoy the Green Mountain Energy Ice at Discovery Green
• • Ice at Discovery Green

Wednesday, January 21

• Seth Rogen, Ike Barinholtz & Chase Sui Wonders chat comedy series ‘The Studio’
• • Apple Tv+’s ‘The Studio’
• Allied Outdoor Solutions
• Living Designs Furniture
• The Women’s Resource empowers women and girls through free financial and career coaching services
• • The Women’s Resource
• Houston woman helps bring Black cowboy history to PBS
• • Alma’s Way on PBS Kids
  • Black Cowboy Coalition

Friday, January 16

• School Makes You Super: KPRC-TV reporter and mom Haley Hernandez debuts first children’s book to ease school anxiety
• • Buy ‘School Makes You Super" here
• Children’s Museum Houston celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• • MLK Day Celebration at Children’s Museum Houston
• Two experts explain why Key Largo, Florida should be on your 2026 travel list
• • The Travel Mom
• The man known as “the human lie detector” works to keep serial killers behind bars
• • Killer Confessions

Thursday, January 15

• Young voices, lasting legacy: Houston students honor Dr. King in 30th Annual Oratory Competition
• • Foley MLK Jr. Oratory Competition
• Breaking through the plateau with Dr. Ian Smith’s ‘The Last 15′
• • Follow Dr. Ian Smith on Instagram
  • Purchase “The Last 15″ on Amazon
• Mindful eating tips and a pesto vinaigrette recipe to kickstart a healthier new year
• • Leaf & Grain
• Stay powered and protected with GenPro.com, Houston’s premier generator specialists
• • Call or log on to book an estimate and receive a functional mini generator worth $50 for FREE

Wednesday, January 14

• Check out the fun, food and giveaways for Houston Rockets fans this week
• • Houston Rockets Game Day Tickets
• A Kroger pharmacist’s guide to everyday wellness in 2026
• • Enter for a chance to win a Kroger gift card
  • Kroger
• Mix-MATCH Festival returns with over 20 performances celebrating Houston’s creative spirit
• • Tickets to 3rd Annual Mix-MATCH Festival
  • Daisies & Pancakes

Tuesday, January 13

• Kick off the new year with magic: Magician Curt Miller returns with his show “The Conjurer”
• • Curt Miller
  • Tickets to The Conjurer: An Intimate Magical Experience with Curt Miller
• Brad Meltzer Book Signing
• • Follow Brad Meltzer on Instagram
• Innovative Lasers of Houston

Monday, January 12

• Turn to tea this year to slow down, reset, and satisfy without regrets
• • Tea Please
• The Travel Mom: Family fun at Knott’s Berry Farm - a California getaway everyone will love
• • The Travel Mom
  • Visit Buena Park
  • Knott’s Berry Farm
• Pet adoption events for the new year at Fort Bend County Animal Services
• • Fort Bend County Animal Services
• New Year, New Smile: AI-driven smile design at Texas Dental Implant Center
• • Texas Dental Implant Center

Friday, January 9

• Shop The Sale Houston with proceeds benefitting childhood cancer research
• • The Sale Houston
• A new chapter begins: Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones chat about their new pairing
• • TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle
• Former radio personality, Sarah Pepper returns to Texas to emcee 2026 Chevron Houston Marathon
• • Follow Sarah Pepper on Instagram

Thursday, January 8

• Belle comes to Houston - Kyra Belle Johnson stars in Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ now at the Hobby Center
• • Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” Tickets at Hobby Center
• Mathew Knowles launches new Destiny’s Child nationwide tribute tour; Houston is first stop
• • Destiny’s Child: Iconic Reimagined Tribute Tickets
• Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Wednesday, January 7

• The story behind Luke’s Plumbing and Air Conditioning serving Houstonians since 1991
• • Luke’s Plumbing & Air Conditioning
• Where karaoke meets claw machines: Welcome to Klaw‑Oke Kingdom in Pearland
• • Klaw-Oke Kingdom
• Brace yourself, the 1993 Oilers vs. Bills game is featured in new docuseries ‘Don’t Call it a Comeback’
• • VICE TV’s “Don’t Call It A Comeback”
• New Year, Strong Start: EōS Fitness Experts Share Tips to Crush 2026 Goals
• • EōS Fitness

Tuesday, January 6

• Houston bagel pros talk schmear, slices and specials ahead of National Bagel Day
• • Bagel Shop Bakery
• Comedian Chinedu Ogu takes H-Town-rooted comedy on a national tour
• • Chinedu at Punch Line Houston
• Start your new year weight loss journey at Health Solutions and Weightloss
• • Health Solutions and Weightloss
• Enroll Now: Key deadlines and tips for 2026 Marketplace coverage
• • Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas

Monday, January 5

• Rosca de Reyes Season is here - and this Houston bakery is busy
• • Arandas Bakery
• Damp or Dry January? These non-alcoholic wines actually taste like wine
• • Daniela Garrido | Wine and Travel Expert
• New Year, New Smile: AI-driven smile design at Texas Dental Implant Center
• • Texas Dental Implant Center
• Freeze Miser

Friday, January 2

• Tough but fair: NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas visits Houston Life
• • NBC Nightly News
  • Tom Llamas
• Tarot Card Reader Amber Ambrose
• Opening weekend kicks off at Sam Houston Race Park TODAY!
• • Sam Houston Race Park

Thursday, January 1

• New Year’s fitness made simple: Tips and a low-impact workout for beginners
• • Hoodfit
• Chantell Preston
• HiFi at The Finn

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After traveling to Macao for two games against the Mavericks to start the preseason schedule, Kevin Durant and the Rockets are eager to get the season started and play some meaningful games.

“Man, looking forward to it, man,” said Durant. “It’s been a long training camp and so few preseason games, so we had a lot of practice time, so we’re looking forward to getting out there and competing against another team.”

After the Rockets added Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanović, along with a healthy Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams, what will the starting rotation look like to start the season, and how will Head Coach Ime Udoka manage their minutes on the court?

“Yeah, it’s a challenge, you know, nine-man rotation, ten-man rotation, 11, 12 guys that are deserving, so one thing we were conscious of was finding guys to come in and supplement guys with those heavy minutes and not have a lot of drop-off, and I think we addressed those issues so we feel comfortable with, like I said, 11, 12 guys we have going in, and that’s not possible, but ten we feel really good about,” said Udoka.

Wednesday’s game will start a stretch of playing three games in four nights for the Rockets, who will travel to San Antonio to face the Spurs on Friday night and then to Atlanta to play the Hawks on Saturday.

For at least a week, the Ukrainian leader has said that his country has not received early warnings about ballistic missiles aimed at the capital. Such intelligence, he said, saves lives by allowing the public to be alerted and giving military units time to try to intercept the missiles.

Zelenskyy said the change happened after talks with his American counterparts, including a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“We are thankful that intelligence works now, and I’m speaking about early warning, which is very important for our people, for children, adults, civilians, because we can hear when ballistic is coming,” Zelenskyy said on a visit to Norway. “So we are thankful to American side now that it works.”

Speaking to reporters in India, Rubio acknowledged mutual frustration between the U.S. and Ukraine over intelligence sharing and weapons supplies but emphatically denied that the Trump administration has made any changes to previous policy on either issue.

US envoy to go to St. Petersburg

In other developments, Russia unleashed another missile and drone blitz of civilian areas in Ukraine, killing at least nine people, officials said, as Zelenskyy sought more American and European help.

Zelenskyy was joined in Norway by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who has tried without success to steer Russia and Ukraine toward a settlement to end the war. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb also met with the Ukrainian president in Norway's capital.

Gahr Støre said Witkoff planned to fly to St. Petersburg on Wednesday to meet with Russian leaders, exchange ideas from the Oslo meeting and share proposals from European and American colleagues.

“Today was a good day for peace,” Stubb said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is willing to listen to new U.S. proposals about Ukraine but doesn’t expect any “miracle” from Washington.

At the White House, President Donald Trump stepped up the pressure on Zelenskyy to come to an agreement with Russia as relations between the two men have soured again.

“We want Zelenskyy to make a deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We’ve given a lot to Ukraine. We’ve gotten absolutely nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss.”

If that doesn’t happen, “I think it’s going to be a very bad thing.”

Zelenskyy speaks with Rubio after US support slows

The conversation with Rubio came after Zelenskyy told a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers Monday that he believes “some political decision has been made to slow down ... support for us.”

Ukraine has nearly run out of American-made Patriot air-defense interceptors that it needs to stop Russian ballistic missiles, according to Zelenskyy, who has pleaded for Washington to send more. But he said the Pentagon is delaying the delivery of missiles that other countries have purchased for Ukraine.

The Ukrainian leader also said speed restrictions were still in place on his country's use of Starshield, the military-grade version of U.S. company SpaceX’s satellite internet service Starlink, hampering battlefield operations.

Trump also has waived sanctions on Russia, a move that Zelenskyy slammed as helping Putin push on with Moscow’s full-scale invasion, which will hit the five-year mark in February.

Zelenskyy said he had “a substantive conversation” with Rubio.

“I am grateful for his readiness to help and his clear position,” Zelenskyy said on social media.

Rubio, who arrived Tuesday in India on an official trip, denied that the U.S. is withholding assistance from Ukraine.

“Nothing has changed,” he told reporters.

The Patriot ammunition Ukraine needs is in short supply and is also required elsewhere in the world, Rubio said.

“There has not been some deliberate political directive to go out and harm Ukraine,” he said.

Europe tries to make up for waning US supplies

European countries, worried about Russia’s plans on the continent and viewing Ukraine as a bulwark against Moscow's ambitions, are trying to take up the slack of any falloff in U.S. supplies, but some key assets are American-made.

European countries and European Union institutions have allocated 237 billion euros ($266 billion) to support Ukraine, compared with 115 billion euros ($129 billion) from the U.S., according to Germany’s Kiel Institute, which tracks assistance to Kyiv.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Tuesday questioned whether U.S. negotiators have been honest brokers in peace efforts. Ukrainian officials say the Trump administration has encouraged Kyiv to surrender land to Russia in return for peace.

“Although American negotiators have been trying to push Ukraine into surrender for … one and a half years now," Ukraine has not surrendered on Putin’s terms "because Europe has been supporting Ukraine,” Kallas said.

Russian attacks cause power outages in 12 Ukrainian regions

Four people were killed and 27 others wounded, including children, in Russian missile and drone attacks on the Kyiv region over the past day, regional police said.

Three were killed and six were wounded in the Obukhiv district, where warehouses were damaged, police said. In the Bucha district, one woman was killed and 21 people were wounded, eight of them children, while hundreds of buildings were damaged, according to police.

On Tuesday morning, three people were killed and four injured when two vehicles caught fire in a Russian attack on the Kyiv-Odesa highway, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said. The dead included the driver of a shuttle bus that was hit. The bus transports people from Kyiv to the National Military Memorial Cemetery.

Two more people were killed in a Russian attack Tuesday on warehouses on the outskirts of Dnipro in central Ukraine, authorities said.

National grid operator Ukrenergo reported power outages in 12 regions of Ukraine following the Russian attacks.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that its forces carried out drone strikes on logistics centers, port infrastructure and three cargo ships in the port of Reni in the Odesa region. It said that another bulk carrier was hit at sea on its way to Odesa.

Meanwhile, air defenses intercepted 136 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions overnight, the ministry said.

___

Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri and Jill Colvin in New York, Stefanie Dazio in Berlin, Lorne Cook in Brussels, Bill Barrow in Atlanta and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Meanwhile, an Israeli attack on an apartment in Gaza killed two people and wounded others. The Israeli military said it had targeted a Hamas militant.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Tuesday. Read our full coverage here.

Britain extends ‘defensive’ military support for Saudi Arabia

Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said Royal Air Force Typhoon jets would “conduct defensive counter-air operations over Saudi Arabia, helping to protect Saudi cities, civilian populations and critical national infrastructure from Houthi attack.”

That means the British planes would shoot down airborne drones or missiles, but not strike Houthi targets on the ground, Streeting said.

The U.K. also is sending a military transport and an unspecified number of military advisers to Saudi Arabia, and is extending its offer to provide in-air refueling of Saudi planes operating against the Iran-backed rebels for another 90 days, Streeting said.

Pre-dawn Israeli attack on Gaza apartment kills 2

The attack before dawn Tuesday killed a husband and wife and wounded others, according to Shifa Hospital. The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas militant. Other Israeli strikes on Monday killed at least four people.

Israel's military has killed more than 1,500 Palestinians in Gaza since Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire last year, according to the territory’s health ministry, which maintains detailed records and is regarded as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its toll but says women and children account for nearly half of those killed.

Death toll from Houthi attack on training camp reaches 73

The recruits were all aged between 18 and 20, and some were still missing a day after the Iranian-backed rebels hit the government's al-Alam military training camp with ballistic missiles, Shabwa governor Awad Ibn al-Wazir told The Associated Press as he announced the new death toll.

Monday’s strike was part of a recent surge of fighting in Yemen, which started when forces from the internationally-recognized government and Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on Houthi-held Sanaa International Airport in July, shattering a 2022 ceasefire deal that had largely paused Yemen's civil war.

UN says Houthi siege of Taiz risks humanitarian crisis

A Houthi missile hit a residential area in the besieged city of Taiz on Tuesday, killing two teenage girls and wounding six other people, local authorities said.

The Houthis have besieged Yemen’s third-largest city as part of their monthslong offensive against Yemeni government forces, repeatedly targeting it with missiles and artillery.

The rebels have largely encircled the city and cut off most supply routes from government-held areas, putting civilians at “grave risk,” U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said Tuesday. The siege has sent prices soaring, leaving many residents without food and other necessities.

“Humanitarian aid must be immediately allowed to enter the city and its passage must be facilitated. Civilians wishing to leave must be allowed to do so freely and safely,” Türk said.

Qatar says Israel isn't committed to negotiating an end to Gaza war

A senior Qatari official says Israeli leaders are instead focused only on “war and death and destruction” in the leadup to Israel’s first national elections since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

“Sadly, right now we do not have a partner for peace in Israel,” said Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry and adviser to the Qatari prime minister, speaking to The Associated Press on stage at the Global Security Forum in Doha.

Al-Ansari said: “You look at all the statements coming out from all the political parties and all the political candidates right now in the elections. Does any of them even talk about peace with Palestinians? Does any of them even talk about stability of the region?”

Qatar also warned that Iran's targeting of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and threats to undersea internet cables would cause the greatest harm to countries in the region, including Iran itself. Ibrahim Al-Hashimi, director of the Foreign Ministry's media department, said such actions “must stop immediately.”

Netanyahu holds call with Trump over Iran

Netanyahu suggested that Israel and the United States could launch new attacks on Iran in a video he posted of a call with Trump.

During the call, Netanyahu thanked Trump for his endorsement, which came about a week before Israel’s national elections. Netanyahu faces a tight reelection race widely viewed as a referendum on his leadership before and after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack and through a series of inconclusive wars, including with Iran.

“Donald, we have a job to finish. You said it, and we’ll finish it together. We’ll finish it, and no one else will do it,” Netanyahu said in the video.

Iran says it won't surrender enriched nuclear material

Top security official Gen. Mohsen Rezaei said during a meeting with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir on Tuesday that Iran won't negotiate with the United States until Washington takes steps to build trust and meets Tehran’s conditions.

Rezaei added in a statement reported by Iran’s state broadcaster that his country would not surrender “a single particle of enriched nuclear material.”

___

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

Booking.com’s 11th annual Travel Predictions surveyed more than 28,000 travelers across 32 countries to explore how people plan to travel in 2027. Travel expert Justin Walter of Your Bucket List Guide joined Houston Life to break down some of the biggest trends.

One emerging trend is the “plot twist” trip, with 79% of U.S. travelers saying they want to choose a vacation that lets them do something completely out of character. Paranormal experiences are also gaining attention, with 72% interested in activities that explore the unknown, from haunted histories to spiritual retreats.

Travel decisions are becoming more personal, too. According to the predictions, 82% of U.S. travelers say they will choose a vacation based primarily on how they want to feel rather than where they want to go. That could mean a relaxing coastal escape, an adventurous outdoor getaway or a trip designed to help travelers reconnect with others.

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Shared experiences are another major theme. From solo travelers building friendships through physical challenges to couples considering trips to work through disagreements, adventure could become a new way to strengthen relationships.

Technology may also play a bigger role in vacation planning. Booking.com found that 65% of travelers are interested in having an AI agent handle work tasks while they are away, potentially making it easier to disconnect and enjoy time off.

Whether you’re looking for an unexpected adventure or simply a chance to recharge, these predictions suggest that 2027 travel will be less about following a traditional itinerary and more about creating an experience that feels right for you.

To explore travel options, visit Booking.com. For more travel inspiration, visit Your Bucket List Guide.

The S&P 500 added 0.3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 529 points, or 1%, while more swings for stocks in the artificial-intelligence industry sent the Nasdaq composite to a modest loss of less than 0.1%.

Stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term, and several companies delivered results for the latest quarter that were better than analysts expected. Big expectations for growth generally are what have allowed the U.S. stock market to hit records recently despite worries about high inflation, higher interest rates and other challenges weighing on Wall Street.

Equifax rallied 11.3% for one of the market’s biggest gains after reporting a bigger profit for the summer than analysts expected, despite high mortgage rates slowing some parts of its business.

Hasbro climbed 11.2% after the toy company said its “Magic: The Gathering” game made more than $600 million in revenue during a quarter for the first time. 3M rose 5.8% after the company behind Ace bandages and Scotch-Brite sponges likewise reported a stronger-than-expected profit, even as shoppers broadly feel discouraged by high inflation.

Stocks got a lift after the price for a barrel of Brent crude erased an early gain to fall 0.7% to $108.79. Earlier in the morning, it got near $112 and approached its highest price since the war with Iran began in late February.

The drop in oil prices will relieve some of the pressure on inflation, if it lasts. Brent’s price has been yo-yoing between $97 and $112 per barrel this month on uncertainty about when the energy industry will return to normal.

For now, airlines and other companies with big fuel bills enjoyed the benefit of Tuesday’s drop. American Airlines rallied 3.7%, and United Airlines flew 2.3% higher.

Another winner was Braze, a customer engagement platform. Its stock soared 51.7% to $45.57 after Salesforce said it would buy the company for $47.50 in cash for each share.

Keeping the market in check was General Motors, which sank 6.8% despite reporting a bigger profit than analysts expected. It also announced a program to send up to $20 billion to investors by buying back its stock.

The pressure is on companies to deliver bigger profits not only now, but also in the future. GM gave a forecasted range for profit over the full year of 2026 whose midpoint fell short of analysts’ expectations.

AI stocks, meanwhile, continued to swirl. They’ve been at the center of the market’s recent uneasiness, as euphoria around the technology’s boom gives way to worries that high interest rates in the bond market will slow the borrowing that’s allowed companies to buy so many AI chips. Last week was the U.S. stock market’s worst since June because of weakness for AI-related companies.

CoreWeave has been particularly shaky. It initially fell more than 6% at the start of Tuesday’s trading, only to swing to a gain of 5% before pulling back to a rise of 1.7%.

Such reversals are nothing new for the company, which has borrowed money to buy AI chips that it rents out to customers over the cloud. A day earlier, it careened between a gain of 7% in the morning and a loss of 3.5% in the afternoon following last week’s tumble of roughly 25%.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 21.84 points to 7,712.57. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 529.85 to 52,495.88, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 6.07 to 26,424.82.

Tuesday’s struggles for AI stocks began in Asia, where a South Korean AI company, Elice, confronted a rough welcome to the stock market. Its stock dropped 32% in its first day of trading in Seoul, and South Korea’s Kospi index fell 3.7% overall.

In other stock markets abroad, indexes in Europe dipped after paring bigger losses from earlier in the day. The CAC 40 in Paris slipped 0.4%, and the FTSE 100 in London fell 0.3%.

A day earlier, European indexes fell sharply following violent protests that could ultimately force governments on the continent to increase their spending to ease voters’ anger. That in turn could put more pressure on their bond markets, which are already strained because of worries about already heavy debt loads for governments.

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AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.

Registrations are up 2.2% from the last major general election in November 2024, and up 2% from primary elections in March, according to a Friday release from the Texas Secretary of State. The latest figures are also 7.7% higher than the last midterm elections in November 2022.

Fast-growing suburban counties saw some of the biggest growths since the last midterms, including Kaufman (27% more registered voters), Waller (23%), Ellis (21%) and Hays (21%).

Notably, Tarrant, which political watchers consider a swing county, was the biggest county that had a drop in registered voters. The county had 32,503 fewer voters compared to four years ago, a 2.6% drop, according to data from the Secretary of State’s office. Tarrant grew by 4.1% between 2022 and 2025, per Vintage Population Estimates.

However, according to Tarrant County’s voter dashboard, the county’s latest voter registration numbers are far higher than what the state is reporting — 131,418 more. Based on the county’s figure, the number of registered voters in Tarrant County grew 7.8% compared to November 2022. Tarrant County officials have not responded to multiple requests for comment.

“Texas continues to see strong voter registration numbers, and we want every eligible Texan to be prepared to participate in the upcoming election,” Secretary of State Howden Robert Howden said in the news release.

Early voting starts Monday.

The jump comes amid a series of state and local actions that have threatened voter registrations statewide. Over the last month, officials have scrambled to resolve 500,000 voter applications left unprocessed due to a software error in the Texas Department of Public Safety web portal. The agency failed to send hundreds of thousands of applications to counties, leaving local officials to catch up only weeks before the start of early voting. That backlog has since been resolved, Texas officials said Wednesday.

On Thursday, county officials learned of a separate state error causing another several thousand backlogged voter registration records. The issue affects address updates made via Texas.gov between Sept. 1 and last week; election officials in four counties — Bexar, Travis, Williamson and Hays — have received additional records to process, according to the Texas Association of County Election Officials.

As local officials continue to process applications, registrations postmarked or submitted to DPS by Oct. 5 will be considered valid, and those voters can still cast a provisional ballot.

Earlier this year, the state also faced criticism over its efforts to purge its voter roll of noncitizens. Texas was one of the first states to turn over its roll to the federal government in January at the behest of the U.S. Department of Justice, which said the request is part of its efforts to enforce states’ maintenance of voter rolls.

A Department of Homeland Security tool used to screen for voter eligibility subsequently mistakenly flagged a number of eligible voters as potential noncitizens in counties across Texas. President Donald Trump has long claimed, without evidence, that millions of noncitizens are voting in American elections, a claim that the federal review of voter rolls has not supported.

The record high in voter registrations also comes after voter turnout rose in the March primary elections. Nearly a quarter of registered voters cast a ballot, an indication of heightened interest in this year’s high-stakes midterm election.

The truck was broken into on Oct. 13 near Professional Sports Authenticator, also known as PSA, which authenticates trading cards, autographs, comic books, and other memorabilia and grades their condition, Santa Ana Police Department spokesperson Natalie Garcia said in a news release. Pokémon and sports cards were among the items that were stolen, the release said.

The driver had left the truck unattended, Garcia said in a follow-up email Tuesday. How long the driver was gone is part of the investigation, she said.

The truck’s lock was gone and two pallets were taken, she said. A third pallet was disturbed.

“The estimated value of the stolen cards at the time of the incident was $963,000. However, the exact value of the stolen items has not yet been determined,” Garcia said in the news release.

Nick Andrews, a card collector near Boston, told The Associated Press the value of what was taken could be much higher.

PSA’s parent company, Collectors, said it has “deactivated the certificates for the stolen cards and notified marketplace partners so they can be on the lookout for rare and serialized items.”

The company also said it contacted affected customers directly and arranged for compensation based on fair market value.

Both FedEx and Collectors said they are working with law enforcement.

“The security of our customers’ shipments is a top priority,” FedEx spokesperson David Westrick said in a statement.

FedEx referred additional questions to police.

Some people who identified themselves as customers posted online that they got an email from PSA explaining what happened to their cards. They were worried they would never see them again or receive proper compensation.

Andrews, who collects vintage sports and Pokémon cards, told the AP in a phone interview that he was not affected by the theft but has heard from at least two dozen people who were.

“Thousands of cards, most likely, and millions of dollars, most likely,” he said of the losses collectors suffered.

He said one person who submitted cards for grading on behalf of several people told him that they lost half a million dollars in declared value.

PSA’s parent company did not get into specifics on losses in its statement.

“We understand the impact this has on collectors involved, many of whom see these cards as far more than a financial asset,” the statement from Collectors said. “Our team is focused on supporting them. We take this incident seriously, and we will continue working with law enforcement to hold those responsible accountable.”

The Houthis have largely encircled Taiz, cutting it off from most supply routes and putting civilians at “grave risk,” U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said Tuesday. The U.N. says the siege of the strategically important city in southwestern Yemen has left many residents without food and other necessities as prices soar.

The attack on Taiz came a day after a Houthi strike on a government military camp killed 73 recruits, the deadliest strike since the resurgence of the conflict over the summer, according to a senior Yemeni government official.

The conflict has intensified since forces from the internationally recognized government and Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on Houthi-held Sanaa International Airport in July, shattering a 2022 ceasefire deal that largely stopped fighting in the country's civil war.

Yemen has become a widening front in the Iran war that began in February — and the Houthis have increasingly launched attacks on Saudi Arabia because it supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

Britain said on Tuesday that it would expand its military support for Saudi Arabia to include “defensive” air patrols by Royal Air Force jets.

UN says Houthi siege of Taiz risks humanitarian crisis

Heavy fighting between the Houthis and Yemeni government forces caused extensive damage in a densely populated residential area of Taiz. Six people were wounded in the Houthis' deadly attack there.

Resident Zainab Ali said she was away when the strike occurred but returned to find her home had been destroyed.

“We are a family of orphans, and we do not know what to do,” she said.

Late on Tuesday, Yemen’s government forces claimed — without providing evidence — that they had thwarted Houthi attacks in several areas across Taiz and had killed dozens of Houthi fighters. The claim could not be independently verified, and the Houthis did not immediately comment. The rebel group rarely releases its own casualty figures.

A strategic gateway to southern Yemen, Taiz has been a focal point of fighting since the civil war began more than a decade ago; it is also one of Yemen’s most important historic and cultural centers.

Houthi fighters began advancing again on Taiz last month, after capturing the port city of Mokha, an area vital to controlling shipping through the Red Sea.

The Houthis have besieged Taiz as part of their monthslong offensive, repeatedly targeting Yemeni government forces with missiles and artillery.

“Humanitarian aid must be immediately allowed to enter the city and its passage must be facilitated. Civilians wishing to leave must be allowed to do so freely and safely,” Türk, the U.N. human rights chief, said.

He urged the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces to avoid using explosive weapons in areas where they could hit civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Britain pledges additional support to defend Saudi Arabia

While Saudi Arabia said Tuesday that it intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis, the country has struggled to defend against the rebel group's missile and drone attacks despite far superior U.S.-supplied arms.

“Saudi Arabia is in a very difficult position,” but the United States is not prepared to send troops to help, Tom Barrack, the U.S. envoy to Syria and Iraq, told the Global Security Forum in Doha, Qatar.

Barrack said President Donald Trump “has been clear that he supports Saudi Arabia, and the backing that they need logistically we'll supply, but America getting involved in a ground kinetic battle somewhere else seems fruitless.”

U.K. Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said the British government would expand its support to Saudi Arabia to include defensive patrols to protect Saudi cities from attacks. It means British planes would attack missiles or drones in the air, but would not strike Houthi targets on the ground. Britain had already offered to help with in-air refueling of Saudi planes.

The Egyptian government also will deploy air defense systems and aircraft to help repel missiles and drones fired toward Saudi Arabia but won't deploy ground troops to Yemen, according to a regional official who was briefed on the matter. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to reporters.

The matter still requires parliamentary approval.

Houthis attacked a Yemeni military camp as recruits were being trained

The Monday strike on the al-Alam military camp hit while recruits were lining up in formation for a training session. More than 200 recruits were wounded in the attack.

Videos from the area circulated online and analyzed by AP showed many motionless bodies lying on the sandy ground of the camp.

The recruits were all aged between 18 and 20, Shabwa governor Awad Ibn al-Wazir told AP. They were being trained to provide security in the province and not for combat operations, he said.

Yemen plunged into civil war in 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen and forced the government into exile.

A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year in an attempt to restore the government to power. The conflict killed more than 150,000 people and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.

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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb in Beirut, David Rising in Bangkok, and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this story.

Paxton spoke at The Table at Madeley as part of his “Come and Take It” tour, a 17-day campaign bus tour across Texas. His appearance came one day after early voting began in Texas.

Paxton said his campaign is focused on helping Texans afford housing, health care and everyday expenses.

• Ken Paxton, James Talarico make campaign stops in the Houston area as battle for Texas U.S. Senate seat intensifies

“Everything costs more,” Paxton told the crowd, pointing to gas, groceries and electricity bills. He argued that paychecks have not kept pace with rising costs.

Paxton outlines economic proposals

During his speech, Paxton promoted his “Protecting the Texas Promise” plan, which he said would put thousands of dollars back into the pockets of working Texans.

His proposals include:

• A $25,000 deduction for out-of-pocket medical expenses for families.
• A $50,000 down payment deduction for a first or second home.
• Deductions for gym memberships, nutrition programs, youth sports and physician-prescribed GLP-1 medications.
• Doubling the child tax credit.
• Making Trump accounts, which are designed to help families invest in children’s futures, permanent.

Paxton also highlighted his record as attorney general, citing lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies and technology companies, as well as legal challenges to Biden administration policies involving energy.

• Harris County shatters early voting record on Day 1 with at least 104,000 ballots cast

He said he has recovered billions of dollars from companies he accused of contributing to the opioid crisis and violating Texans’ privacy.

Paxton also praised President Donald Trump’s administration for supporting domestic energy production, arguing that federal energy policies affect electricity costs and the broader economy.

Paxton attacks Talarico’s record

Much of Paxton’s speech focused on criticizing Talarico, who is also campaigning for the U.S. Senate seat.

Paxton accused Talarico of supporting higher taxes and policies that would hurt Texas’ oil and gas industry. He also criticized Talarico’s positions on social issues, including transgender rights and school sports.

• Texas election guide 2026: Dates, voting requirements and Houston-area contacts

Those remarks were part of Paxton’s campaign arguments against his Democratic opponent. Paxton did not present supporting documentation for several of his accusations during the speech.

Paxton framed the race as a choice between competing visions for the country, arguing that the outcome could affect control of the U.S. Senate.

He urged supporters to vote early, volunteer for his campaign and encourage other Republicans to cast ballots.

Talarico also campaigning in Houston area

Talarico is also bringing his campaign to the Houston area this week as part of his “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts” tour.

The Democratic state representative has two appearances scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 21:

• Houston: 11:30 a.m. at the University of Houston.
• Richmond: 7 p.m. at Safari Texas Ranch.

Talarico, who campaigned in Fort Worth on Monday, has focused his campaign on lowering costs for working families and making health care more affordable.

The competing campaign stops come as Texas voters head to the polls for early voting, which runs through Oct. 30.

Executive VP of club business, international and league events Peter O’Reilly said officials are collaborating with Parisian and national authorities overseas, along with the U.S. State Department. League officials, including senior VP of security Cathy Lanier, have been on the ground in France, according to O'Reilly.

“There’s nothing more important from our standpoint than the teams’ security, the fans’ security — everybody involved with this game,” O’Reilly said at the league’s annual fall owners meeting. “Obviously being very vigilant in everything we do, in all of our planning on an hour-by-hour basis, working closely with the two teams.”

O’Reilly said there was never a point that the game was in danger of not being played at Stade de France, which is in the outskirts of Paris in Saint-Denis. He cited other sporting events ongoing in the city, including a Champions League soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona on Tuesday night.

The NFL has in the past moved games to avoid getting in the way of local response to an unforeseen event, and officials believe that is not an issue for the league's debut in France.

"We feel confident that we would not have any impact on the broader resources needed," O'Reilly said. “That’s always top of mind for us, and we feel confident that we wouldn’t be depleting resources in a negative way around this game.”

Rioters clashed with police, set cars on fire, stormed public buildings and engulfed a historic city hall in flames in France’s worst civil unrest in years as violence and looting swept through major cities.

About 2,400 people were arrested over the weekend, and authorities said thousands of businesses were damaged or looted. The rioting overshadowed demonstrations against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools in which hundreds of thousands of people marched peacefully.

The Saints traveled directly to Paris after playing at the New York Giants and are practicing in the area this week. The Steelers are set to travel closer to kickoff.

International play questions

With the collective bargaining agreement allowing for up to 10 international games, O'Reilly said that number is being considered for next season. There are a record nine on the schedule this year.

Where those games take place is still being discussed.

“We like continuity, but we are looking at new regions, and Asia would be one of them,” O'Reilly said.

After so much talk leading up to and coming out of the game in Melbourne, Australia, about the Los Angeles Rams waiting until late to fly there — and lost 27-7 to San Francisco — the NFL does not appear close to dictating when teams must travel.

“That is the discretion of the club,” O'Reilly said. “As it stands today, you let the football decisions reside at the football level in terms of how they want to plan and prepare for a game coming in. That’s not something we’re ruling out, and there could be discussion on is there some standardization in the future. But right now, that’s the prerogative.”

49ers owner Jed York returns from his suspension

With his suspension over Tuesday, 49ers owner Jed York was in attendance for the fall meeting.

York was suspended for six games and fined $500,000 for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy after being arrested in a prostitution sting in Ohio in August. He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors but was still punished by the league and stayed away from the 49ers during their 6-0 start.

York didn’t attend the owners’ meetings in Atlanta the week of his arrest.

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AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow in San Francisco contributed to this report.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

The White House said that under the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, anyone who submits a tip that leads to a fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action is eligible to receive up to $30,000, and that the Justice Department will administer the program.

During the announcement, Trump said payments will amount to a 1% commission on the amount of fraud the tip helps uncover. Trump also said he will decide who gets reward money in cases where more than one person claims to have provided the tip.

“I will be the arbitrator of all of these decisions,” Trump in the Oval Office with Vance and other administration officials standing behind him. “It'll be a binding arbitration.”

Trump said journalists could participate in the program.

The Republican president has undertaken an aggressive effort to eliminate fraud in government, establishing a task force on the topic in March and putting Vance in charge of it.

Critics have accused Trump and his family of profiting from the presidency through their many business ventures. The White House says Trump acts only with the best interests of the American people in mind.

Vance, who said his work leading the task force is “fun,” said tax dollars are being stolen.

“The president has said it must stop. It is stopping. And if you want to help us stop it, you get to share in the rewards," the vice president said.

The White House had said Trump would present a $10,000 check to Nick Shirley, a right-wing influencer who posted a video last year that said members of Minnesota’s Somali community were running fake childcare centers to collect federal subsidies. But a check was not given to Shirley in the presence of journalists.

The 24-year-old's video caught the attention of the Trump administration and conservative activists, though inspectors said the centers were operating as expected. Investigations, searches and arrests followed.

Shirley said during the event that fraud robs from poor and needy people.

“When you expose fraud, you help save America,” he said.

In July, Fahima Mahamud pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States by submitting inflated reimbursement claims for meals allegedly served to children at her childcare center, according to the Justice Department.

The White House says Mahamud was featured in Shirley's video.

The Eagles and Hurts’ agent released more information on his condition Monday. They said Hurts has deep vein thrombosis and a bilateral pulmonary emboli, which means a blood clot has traveled from the legs to the lungs.

• RELATED: Eagles QB and Channelview native Jalen Hurts sidelined indefinitely with blood clots; season at risk

Last Thursday, Robinson made comments on “NFL GameDay Kickoff” after Hurts was ruled out of playing against the Carolina Panthers.

NFL Network’s Michael Robinson accused Jalen Hurts of FAKING injuries so he doesn’t get blamed for his team’s struggles 😬 Doctors found multiple blood clots in Jalen Hurts’ lungs. https://t.co/EeKDqaq381

— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) October 19, 2026

“If I’m Jalen Hurts or anybody in Jalen Hurts’ camp, I’m saying well if everybody’s hurt, I’m hurt too...I’m not saying a superficial blood clot isn’t serious, I’m not saying that, but I would advise all of our viewers to go Google superficial blood clot as opposed to a real blood clot,” Robinson said.

• RELATED: Eagles QB Jalen Hurts placed on injured reserve with blood clot in his calf

On Monday, Robinson released an apology on X, apologizing to Hurts and his family, as well as to the Philadelphia Eagles and the fan base for the comments.

My official apology to @JalenHurts @Eagles and the entire fanbase. My comments were wrong. No excuse. https://t.co/fhHW2VFT39

— Michael Robinson (@RealMikeRob) October 20, 2026

“They were unfounded and I never should’ve speculated on a health issue of a player nor his commitment to the team,” Robinson wrote.

Hurts is expected to miss the rest of the season because of the condition, the Associated Press reports.

Wright made the disclosure Tuesday at a press event hosted by CenterPoint Energy in Houston, joined by representatives from the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

• Houston groups declare ‘State of Emergency’ over ICE actions, two girls left alone after mother detained

Wright said the funding is intended to squeeze more capacity out of existing infrastructure rather than build new facilities. He described that strategy as a faster path to increasing power supply and pushing prices down.

“The fastest way to get new power onto the grid, which pushes down prices, is to liberate more power from the existing generation facilities we already have,” Wright said.

He pointed to New York as a cautionary example, where transmission constraints force the state to burn oil instead of cheaper natural gas during peak demand — a dynamic that drives up electricity prices across New England.

On LNG exports and domestic demand

When asked whether the U.S. can expand liquefied natural gas exports while keeping up with rising domestic demand, Wright said yes — citing growth in domestic production as the reason natural gas prices are roughly half what they were 20 years ago, when the U.S. was a net importer.

Wright also drew a contrast between states with strong energy production growth and those — including California, New York and Massachusetts — that have scaled back electricity output, arguing the latter have paid for it with persistently high energy prices.

On diesel and fuel costs

Wright acknowledged that ongoing global conflicts have kept diesel prices elevated but said the administration is pursuing several strategies to bring them down, including increasing domestic refinery output, coordinating with India on refinery capacity and pushing European partners to release diesel reserves.

A resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Wright added, could also free up additional diesel exports to global markets — though no timeline was offered.

Angel Reese fully realized her team couldn’t afford to fall behind by two games to the Golden State Valkyries in the best-of-seven WNBA Finals as the series shifts to Atlanta, so she led the charge on both ends and grabbed back some momentum for the Dream as they evened the series at one game apiece Monday night.

“Even from going in the locker room, first person I made eye contact with was Angel and I’m like: ‘Oh, I like this look. I like this look,'” Smesko, Atlanta’s second-year coach, said with a chuckle. “She started off aggressive. One thing we try to do is just give her a couple more breaks during the game, so that she can just keep that intensity going throughout the entire game, and she was just fantastic. Just on both ends of the floor, just a superior performance.”

The Dream won Game 2 79-65 as Reese delivered 30 points and 16 rebounds and Rhyne Howard set a WNBA Finals single-game record with six steals. That smothering defense flustered the Valkyries into committing 19 turnovers that led to 24 points for Atlanta. Game 3 is Wednesday night.

Now that her team has finally won its first Finals game after an 0-10 showing, which spanned three previous berths, Reese understands the defense and grit it will take to slow down Gabby Williams and a Golden State team that takes the same kind of pride in its top-notch defense — and did all season long to earn the league's No. 2 seed in just the second year for the franchise.

Reese felt she had failed the Dream when the Vallkyries buckled down on her leading to a scoreless second half in a 68-64 Game 1 defeat Saturday. She made sure it went differently Monday.

“I was hungry. I wanted one and we let one slip away and you can’t do that, especially on the road,” Reese said. “This is a good environment and a good team. We all came together and we were pissed. We felt disappointed. We felt embarrassed, and we didn’t like the outcome of that last game.”

After Game 2, Golden State point guard Veronica Burton felt similar emotions given her team's season-high turnovers, noting: “It starts with me.”

“It’s controllable, it’s definitely controllable,” coach Natalie Nakase said afterward.

“Just credit to them their effort, their hustle, their fight. I thought they did an excellent job getting into those lanes and creating those turnovers.”

The 24-year-old Reese became the youngest player to have a 30-point, 15-rebound performance in a playoff game and one of just six players ever to accomplish the feat in the postseason — joining Jonquel Jones of Connecticut in 2019 and Breanna Stewart for Seattle in 2020 as the only others to do so on the Finals stage.

At every chance, Reese called for the ball.

“Just the energy that she brings for our team, we feed off of that,” said guard Jordin Canada, who contributed 13 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. “So when she’s in that mode, we know we’ve got to give her the ball to some form of capacity, and try to give her as much space as she can to attack and do what she does best.”

The Dream will now be counting on their home crowd after dealing with the noise from Golden State's loyal, supportive “Ballhalla” fans. Games 3 and 4 were moved to State Farm Arena to accommodate more people — the Hawks' arena can host some 17,000 — than Atlanta's regular 3,500-seat Gateway Center Arena. Chase Center, meanwhile, has attracted sellout crowds of 18,064 for every Valkyries game since they started as an expansion franchise last year.

One of these teams will capture its first championship, and Reese wants to lead the way in the Dream taking the next big step to building something special for the long term.

“I think it's just the start,” she said. “Throughout the entire year we just continued to stick together and know who we are and we have the city behind us, we have the team, we have the coaches and everybody rally behind us so it feels really good. It's just the next step of who Atlanta is and who Atlanta is going to continue to be for the next couple years.”

___

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

The network has been entangled in legal action with Trump’s administration ever since the president issued its reporters a sudden ban from White House grounds a month ago, along with those from MS NOW and Politico, calling their content “fake news.” Last week, a federal judge granted the news outlets their request for a preliminary injunction against the government ban as the case moves through the legal system.

But that only addresses part of the problem.

The White House has continued to bar CNN from taking its place in TV pool coverage of Trump’s travel on Air Force One. And so the network may need to take additional action, said Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., an attorney for CNN, in a letter to Justice Department attorney Michael K. Velchik.

Media attorney says the spaces in question ‘belong to all Americans’

Boutrous noted in the letter late Monday that CNN has traditionally had “uninterrupted access to the Oval Office and Air Force One for 45 years. That is because those spaces belong not to any particular president or administration but to all Americans, and CNN and other members of the press serve as surrogates for the public when covering the White House.”

Now, though, the White House is engaging in “what appears to be a new unstated policy to interfere with CNN’s ability to fulfill its duties” as part ot the video pool. The pool consists of the five major U.S. networks: ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox, who alternate assignments and share video.

Boutrous noted that in his most recent ruling, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly had found the three media outlets were likely to succeed on the merits of their claim that the White House violated the First Amendment and due process with Trump’s ban, and thus were entitled to the relief they requested.

Still, though, the White House has selectively denied CNN access to cover the president’s travel on Air Force One — no fewer than four times to date, Boutrous wrote.

Such “efforts to retaliate and discriminate against CNN based on the content of its news coverage are mistaken, counterproductive, and unlawful," the attorney wrote.

“If these actions persist, CNN will have no choice but to return to the court to defend its rights, and it is prepared to fight as long as is necessary to secure them."

The Justice Department did not respond to a query from The Associated Press seeking reaction to the letter, in which Boutrous gave the White House two days to respond.

The showdown began in September

The extraordinary showdown between Trump and CNN, whose personalities he has mocked publicly, began more than a month ago. Trump announced on Sept. 18 that he was barring the network’s reporters, along with those from MS NOW and Politico, from White House grounds. The next day, journalists found their passes had been deactivated.

It was a marked escalation of Trump’s long-running efforts — in the courts and through administrative action — to restrict news coverage he finds objectionable, and a test of First Amendment protections in the United States.

Kelly first granted relief from the ban for two weeks, then granted the open-ended preliminary injunction last week.

And yet, the letter said, the network had been denied access to Air Force One in September for Trump’s visit to the U.N. General Assembly, for a football game in Knoxville, Tennessee, and for a trip to Texas and Oklahoma. This month, it was denied access to the plane for a trip to Georgia and Florida. In all cases, CNN was the scheduled pool network.

There has, however, been no explanation from the White House, Boutrous wrote. “In fact, the White House has not even directly stated to CNN that it is being excluded from the Oval Office or Air Force One."

Both candidates are making a final push to win over voters in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races.

• Harris County shatters early voting record on Day 1 with at least 104,000 ballots cast

Texas hasn’t elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1988, and with early voting already underway, both campaigns are urging supporters to head to the polls before Nov. 3.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is scheduled to make two stops in the Houston area Tuesday, Oct. 20, as part of his statewide “Come and Take It” bus tour.

His scheduled appearances include:

Conroe: 11:30 a.m. at The Table at Madeley

Fort Bend County: 5:30 p.m. at Safari Texas Ranch

Paxton, who campaigned in Fort Worth on Monday, is highlighting his record as attorney general and his conservative priorities.

“I’m asking you to look at my record and compare that with a guy named James Talarico,” Paxton said.

He has also emphasized affordability and economic opportunities for Texas families.

“My agenda is very simple. I’m going to fight so that every Texan can buy a home, raise a family, and live a healthy life without struggling to make ends meet,” Paxton said.

Democratic state Rep. James Talarico is also bringing his campaign to the Houston area as part of his “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts” tour.

Talarico has two appearances scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 21:

Houston: 11:30 a.m. at the University of Houston

Richmond: 7 p.m. at Safari Texas Ranch

Talarico, who also campaigned in Fort Worth on Monday, has focused his campaign on lowering costs for working families and making health care more affordable.

“Texans voted to bring down health care costs, but corrupt political deals have gutted our health care, sending premiums skyrocketing, all to fund tax cuts for billionaires,” Talarico said.

• Texas election guide 2026: Dates, voting requirements and Houston-area contacts

The Democrat is hoping to make history by becoming the first member of his party elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas in nearly four decades.

“And on November 3rd, we are going to do something extraordinary,” Talarico told supporters.

Early voting underway in Texas

The campaign visits come as Texans are already casting their ballots in the Nov. 3 general election.

Early voting began Monday, Oct. 19, and continues through Friday, Oct. 30.

With the election approaching, both candidates are focusing on voter turnout, including in the Houston area, where Harris County and surrounding communities represent a significant number of Texas voters.

The Senate Majority PAC, aligned with Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, will spend $1.2 million on a new television advertisement to boost Scott Colom, a district attorney, in his campaign against Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. The ad, first disclosed to The Associated Press, is set to start Wednesday and run through Election Day.

“Senate Majority PAC has been watching this race closely, and it is clear Colom is running a competitive race that has put Hyde-Smith on her heels,” group spokesperson Lauren French said in a statement.

With just two weeks to go in the race, it's unclear what impact the ad will have in a matchup that's been set since Colom won a March primary. Still, it's a substantial investment in a race that's seen only about $8 million in total spending, with Colom outspending Hyde-Smith nearly $4.6 million to $3.2 million, according to AdImpact.

Jake Monssen, campaign manager for Hyde-Smith, noted that the spending was coming late in the race.

“Team Cindy is confident that voters will reject this radical agenda at the ballot box on November 3rd,” he said.

Democrats believe Hyde-Smith is vulnerable

Hyde-Smith, first appointed and then elected in 2018, is running for reelection in a state Republicans have long dominated. In the 2024 presidential race, Republican Donald Trump won Mississippi by nearly 23 percentage points over Democrat Kamala Harris, and a Democrat hasn’t won a Senate race in the state since 1982.

However, some Democrats believe Hyde-Smith is vulnerable, and she underperformed Trump by 6 percentage points in 2020, the year he lost his White House reelection bid to Democrat Joe Biden.

The television ad touts Colom's time as district attorney, while labeling Hyde-Smith a “do-nothing” senator.

“A decade in power, Hyde-Smith hasn’t passed one piece of legislation, but she did vote to kick people off Medicaid,” a narrator says in the ad, which will run on television stations statewide alongside a digital campaign.

Harris and other high-profile Democrats have raced to campaign with Colom

Colom's campaign manager, Gerard Henderson, said that the contest against an incumbent senator is competitive because “thousands of Mississippians volunteered and chipped in.”

“We clearly have the resources and momentum to win,” Henderson said in a statement.

Colom has raised Democratic hopes in a year when electoral winds are at their backs. Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock was the latest high-profile Democrat to campaign with Colom last week, and Harris, who was Biden's vice president, is set to rally with Colom on Thursday.

Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate and were expected to face a friendlier map this year with fewer seats to defend. But high costs and gas prices amid an unpopular war in Iran under a Republican president have made Democrats optimistic, with the Senate Majority PAC spending its final weeks investing in conservative territory. It's already announced spending in Kansas, where megachurch pastor and Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton is trying to unseat Republican Sen. Roger Marshall.

Colom would be his state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction, the 12-year period after the U.S. Civil War when the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments were adopted.

Some Democrats have criticized national groups for not spending more in Southern states like Mississippi.

“I worry, to be very honest, that Democrats are missing a real opportunity to invest in a serious and sustained way in the South,” Warnock said Sunday on NBC’s ”Meet the Press."

The company announced plans to hire more than 300,000 seasonal, part-time and full-time employees across its U.S. operations network, including 26,500 positions in Texas.

Amazon said it will continue posting new job opportunities weekly from October through December. Many seasonal employees will have the opportunity to transition into full-time positions.

Amazon expands health care benefits for seasonal workers

Starting Jan. 1, 2027, seasonal employees who work at least 30 hours per week will become eligible for health care coverage, a benefit already available to Amazon’s regular full-time employees.

Employees hired on or after Jan. 1 will have access to the coverage starting on their first day. Seasonal workers already in qualifying roles will become eligible on the same date.

Amazon said health care plan options start at $5 per week, with $5 copays.

How much do Amazon holiday jobs pay?

Amazon said full-time operations employees start at a minimum of $20 per hour, with average hourly pay reaching nearly $24.

When benefits are included, average total compensation for full-time employees exceeds $32 per hour.

Seasonal employees earn an average of $20 per hour and may have opportunities to move into full-time roles.

How to apply for Amazon jobs in Houston

People interested in seasonal, part-time or full-time opportunities can find openings and apply through Amazon’s official hiring website.

Applicants can visit Amazon’s jobs website to search available positions and explore opportunities in the Houston area.

Amazon said additional openings will be posted weekly through December.

This comes after Infantino apologized last week in Zurich, Switzerland, to FIFA's 37-member ruling council — which he chairs — for “mistakes” he made in assembling a now-scrapped $4.2 billion sell-off plan for the World Cup.

The council is the main decision-making body at FIFA with a global spread of officials.

The planned meeting with Asian soccer leaders is to be held in a five-star hotel in Tokyo with the media largely excluded.

Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the president of the AFC, expressed early opposition to Infantino and his plan to create a subsidiary to run the World Cup but may have moved closer to Infantino, The Athletic has reported.

Infantino has offered to critics an open, independent review of how FIFA makes its decisions.

Infantino is electioneering

An Associated Press tally indicates Infantino is close to landing the simple majority of the 211 FIFA member federations he needs to win reelection in March to a fourth term. Some of the deciding votes could some from Asia.

The AFC had joined the criticism of Infantino in the wake of the proposed World Cup sell-off, but its members appear far from united. Qatar, the 2022 World Cup host, has expressed support for the FIFA leader while Jordan has declared its opposition.

The FIFA Council is scheduled to meet next on Dec. 16 in Doha, Qatar.

The AP count shows 87 of the 211 FIFA Member federations have indicated support for Infantino — either in individual comments or by endorsing statements of support by their regional confederations. The largest block of opposition comes from Europe.

The FIFA voting system

No sitting FIFA president has lost an election since 1974. The deadline for a candidate to file against Infantino is Nov. 18.

FIFA rules state candidates must have “played an active role in association football (e.g. as a player or an official within FIFA, a confederation or an association, etc.) for two of the last five years before being proposed.” They must have “declarations of support” from at least five of the 211 members.

“FIFA is a massive patronage network,” Jules Boykoff, a political scientist at Pacific University and a former professional soccer player, told the AP. “It brings in billions from the men's World Cup and distributes it to football associations around the world in exchange for loyalty.”

“The funds that FIFA distributes to soccer bodies around the world are meant to develop soccer, but there's scant oversight,” Boykoff added. “To say FIFA is in need of structural overhaul it to make an enormous understatement.”

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Counter Terrorism Policing said the men, a 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old dual U.K.-Iranian national, were arrested under the National Security Act.

One of the suspects was first arrested on Sept. 27, when the suspected plot against the U.S.-run base at RAF Fairford took place. The air base in western England has been used to bomb Iran during this year’s war.

The second suspect was first arrested on Oct. 1. Until Tuesday the men had been bailed pending more investigation.

Scores of residents were evacuated from their homes near the base as armed police officers and army bomb-disposal experts swarmed the rural area. Police later said they had found a quantity of an accelerant — gasoline — in three vans at the site, but no explosives.

British authorities have linked Tehran to the incident, which led the U.S. to pull its bombers from RAF Fairford. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the apparent plot was “almost certainly” directed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, or IRGC.

Iran has denied involvement, although it has previously said that it considers any base used to attack its territory a legitimate target.

Five other men in their 20s were arrested earlier then released on bail pending further investigation. No one has yet been charged.

Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the U.K., said detectives are looking at “many lines of enquiry involved in this hugely complex investigation.”

“This is very much a live investigation, and our evidence gathering continues, but at this time our position remains the same; we consider it highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement,” he said in a statement.

“Our investigators are continuing to examine what that level of involvement was and the ambition behind it," he added.

Last week the head of Britain's MI5 spy agency warned that both Iran and Russia were expanding their attacks against the U.K., and that the RAF base incident was not unique.

Ken McCallum, who leads the U.K.’s domestic security service, said Tehran is seeking to intensify its attacks in Britain beyond the traditional targets of Iranians opposed to the country’s Islamic authorities.

In all, more than 50 people have been arrested over Iran-linked plots in the past year, McCallum said.

During the peak Wednesday night into Thursday morning, it will be possible to see up to 20 meteors per hour in ideal viewing conditions, according to the American Meteor Society. Meteors are still visible for a few weeks before and after the peak.

The Orionids are viewable in the northern and southern hemispheres after midnight. While they get their name from the Orion constellation, they are visible across the night sky, according to NASA.

Orionids can be especially bright and fast, and can leave glowing trains that can last for several seconds. Here’s what to know about the Orionids and other meteor showers.

What is a meteor shower?

As the Earth orbits the sun, several times a year it passes through debris left by passing comets and the occasional asteroid. The source of the Orionids is debris from Halley’s comet, which passes near Earth every 75 years.

When these fast-moving space rocks enter Earth’s atmosphere, the debris encounters new resistance from the air and becomes very hot, eventually burning up.

Sometimes the surrounding air glows briefly, leaving behind a fiery tail — the end of a “shooting star.”

You don’t need special equipment to see the meteor showers that flash across the sky annually, but it will help to find a spot far enough from city lights and other light pollution.

How to view a meteor shower

The best time to watch a meteor shower is typically after midnight, or in the early predawn hours, when there’s usually less interference from moonlight.

Competing sources of light — such as a bright moon or artificial glow from lights on the ground — are the main obstacles to a clear view of meteors. Cloudless nights when the moon wanes smallest provide optimal viewing opportunities.

Be patient: It can take several minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark.

When is the next meteor shower?

The next major meteor shower, the Southern Taurids, is expected to peak Nov. 5, when there will be just a crescent moon, making for favorable viewing conditions.

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The Rays and their low payroll and small-ball style are heading to the World Series seeking the first championship in franchise history.

After a three-game sweep of the rival New York Yankees in their Division Series, the Rays eliminated the Cleveland Guardians in six games by winning three in a row to close out the AL Championship Series.

Next up is a matchup against the National League champion Milwaukee Brewers, another thrifty club from a small market that also has never won a World Series.

Caminero, the All-Star third baseman who hit 42 homers during the regular season, finally connected for the first time in the postseason, launching a drive off the left-field foul pole to give the Rays a four-run cushion in the seventh inning of a 7-3 win Monday night.

He savored every second of his home run trot, emphatically pounding his chest before reaching first base and imitating Randy Arozarena’s signature pose before crossing the plate while his former Tampa Bay teammate watched from the stands.

“Tampa, this is for you!” Caminero shouted to fans after the game. “Come on now! Let’s go!”

Veteran slugger Yandy Díaz, who guaranteed a Game 6 victory through an interpreter on Sunday, also blasted a two-run shot, going deep in the eighth after the Guardians closed to 5-3. Díaz also celebrated with a slow trot that wasn’t quite as demonstrative.

Díaz held the tomahawk steak, a tradition he started when the Rays clinched the AL East title, and flexed his arms while taking sprays of sparkling wine from teammates.

“Protein, medium well, big biceps,” Díaz said with a smile.

The Rays have time to enjoy their victory before heading to Milwaukee to face the Brewers in Game 1 on Friday night.

They got here by winning 98 games in the regular season thanks to excellent pitching, strong defense and a group of unselfish hitters with a knack for bunting and playing fundamental baseball. They opened the season with a payroll of $90.5 million that ranked 26th in the majors.

“These guys deserve it. It’s a special group,” Rays President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander said. “These guys did an unbelievable job coming together, exploding for 98 wins and building belief in one another. I’ve never seen a group come together like this one has with so many different ways to beat an opponent on a given night, so many ways to play to the scoreboard. They don’t bludgeon people; they just find ways to win and a lot of different ways to do it.”

The Rays are in the postseason for the sixth time under manager Kevin Cash. They lost the World Series to the Dodgers in 2020 and the Phillies in 2008.

This group has dominant pitching led by ace Drew Rasmussen, ALCS MVP Freddy Peralta and closer Bryan Baker.

“I thought this team really came together about as well as you could in the spring training setting, given the roster turnover that took place," Cash said. “There were a lot of new faces. And you could sense it was a pretty close-knit group.”

Now, the Rays are four wins from capturing the first World Series crown in the franchise's 29 seasons.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

The organizations are holding a press conference today at LULAC Headquarters, 150 W. Parker, fifth floor, to formally declare a “State of Emergency” in response to a series of incidents involving ICE that they say have caused irreparable harm to immigrant families and the broader community.

• Harris County shatters early voting record on Day 1 with at least 104,000 ballots cast

Two young girls left alone after mother detained

Among the most striking cases presented at the press conference involved two sisters — Alicia and Britany, ages 10 and 11 — who have been living alone in their Conroe apartment since their mother was detained by ICE.

The girls were present at the press conference and made themselves available for interviews.

“These are the two girls that are living alone while their mother is detained by ICE,” organizers said in announcing the event.

Calls for accountability following death, injury of immigrants

The coalition cited the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by ICE this summer as a catalyst for the declaration. Organizers say that since that incident, what they describe as inhumane treatment by ICE has continued without accountability.

“After the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by ICE this summer, the inhumane treatment continues without any sign of accountability or of recognizing the consequences of their unconstitutional actions and the horrendous suffering on families and our communities,” organizers said in a statement.

In a separate case, Miguel Parra was struck by an ICE vehicle in the past week. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare stated today there is enough evidence to take the case to a grand jury and seek an indictment against the ICE agent involved.

While coalition leaders praised the DA’s position, they pushed for immediate action.

“Though we are proud of our DA’s work, our question is, if that is so, why has this not happened? Make it happen! NOW!” organizers said.

• Father of three killed after softball game: Family seeks answers as sheriff urges an end to deadly conflicts

Mexican government representative to attend

Arq. Alejandro Yeverino, a representative of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, was also in attendance at the press conference, signaling international attention to the cases being raised by Houston advocates.

Little Joe to be honored at upcoming awards event

The coalition also announced that Little Joe will be recognized at the upcoming GHCFJ Liberty and Justice Awards.

Paris police said the curfew in two designated zones — around Place de la République and the Les Halles shopping district — had restored “public peace” overnight and would remain in place “for as long as necessary.” The curfew zones leave out other areas hit on Saturday, including the Champs-Elysées and the area around the Saint-Lazare train station and parts of the Rue de Turbigo in central Paris, where protesters set up barricades and lit fires.

In Lyon, one of France’s largest cities, authorities also renewed a curfew in the city center from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., saying no disturbances had been recorded overnight.

Marseille, France’s second-largest city, imposed a curfew for unaccompanied minors starting Tuesday night. Lecornu said the targeted curfews “helped keep last night calm.”

Student unions and groups from the “ yellow vest ” movement, whose protests over fuel prices shook France in 2018 and 2019, have called for another day of protests Saturday.

Soldiers from Sentinelle, the anti-terrorism operation that has patrolled French cities since the 2015 Islamic State group attacks, will take over guarding sensitive sites to free up more police officers and gendarmes for crowd control, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told lawmakers Tuesday.

“The deployment (of police forces) for next Saturday will be massive,” Lecornu told the National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament, without giving figures.

Suspect held over Limoges city hall fire

Police on Tuesday arrested a suspect in the arson attack that charred the historic city hall in Limoges, in central France, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said, adding that the person was being held in police custody and may not have acted alone.

French media reported that the suspect was close to radical environmentalist movements and was on a watchlist of people considered potential threats to national security. Darmanin declined to comment on the suspect’s profile, but said far-left groups appeared to have organized to attack symbols of the state throughout France.

Footage of the 143-year-old building in flames, its bell tower collapsing, spread widely online over the weekend. U.S. Vice President JD Vance shared it on X, blaming the unrest on immigration and writing, “I pray that France, a beautiful country of amazing people, will stop this madness before more of its landmarks burn.” President Donald Trump, who also relayed the video, said migrants had “taken over France.”

French officials have instead blamed the violence on far-left groups and opportunistic looters. At least 2,400 people were arrested after rioters in cities across France on Saturday clashed with police, set cars on fire and stormed public buildings, during nationwide protests against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.

On Sunday evening, small groups set fire to trash bins, bicycles and other objects in the streets and looted businesses in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities.

In Paris on Monday night, a police helicopter circled over Place de la République overnight, a central point in the weekend clashes, sweeping the square with a searchlight to check that the curfew was being respected.

Early Tuesday morning, workers used a crane to remove a giant fluorescent yellow vest draped over the statue at the center of the square, then used pressure washers to blast graffiti off the monument.

Louise Belanger, a volunteer who came to help with the cleanup, said she still could not apprehend the level of violence. “Normally when you are 20 you should be optimistic, you should be starting to build something (...) If you are only anger and violence, what are you going to do? This is sad for everybody in society,” she said.

Courts promise ‘extremely firm’ response

Speaking in Lille, northern France, Darmanin said 149 people had been jailed nationwide as of Tuesday at noon. According to the Justice Ministry, of the roughly 2,400 people arrested since Saturday, more than 800 have been sent before prosecutors, most of whom were either put on trial immediately or ordered to appear at a later hearing.

In Paris alone, about 300 people have been sent before prosecutors following the Oct. 17 protests, the city prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Darmanin said he had asked prosecutors to appeal any sentence they considered too lenient. “People with no criminal record ending up in prison for property crimes is extremely rare, if not unheard of,” he said, arguing that the French justice system will be “extremely firm.”

In Lille, he said, three men aged 20 to 25 with no criminal record were each sentenced to 10 months in prison and jailed immediately for looting a video game store in the city’s old town.

The National Assembly is launching an inquiry into the Oct. 17 violence and the authorities’ policing strategy, its speaker, Yaël Braun-Pivet, said, with findings expected “by the end of the year.”

Protests continued Tuesday on a smaller scale. Some 400 people, mostly high school and university students, marched in the western city of Rennes, and about 750 in Lyon, under pouring rain.

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Sylvie Corbet and Oleg Cetinic, in Paris, contributed to this report.

A recent Texas poll found that 79% of voters support tax incentives for employers that help provide child care through on-site facilities, subsidies or flexible scheduling. According to KPRC 2 political analyst Natalie Arceneaux the broad support reflects a challenge that extends beyond the household budget and into the state’s workforce and economic future.

“I think it’s always been an economic issue around, again, affordability,” Arsenault said.

She pointed to the financial burden of infant care, noting that families can spend approximately $11,000 a year on child care, based on a 2024 assessment. For many parents, that expense can force difficult decisions about whether to remain in the workforce or stay home to care for their children.

The cost of care, she said, becomes a significant factor in determining whether working makes financial sense for a family.

Child care costs create workforce challenges

The affordability of child care is closely tied to the ability of parents to pursue employment, but Arsenault said a strong economy must offer more than job opportunities.

Texas also needs jobs that pay enough for people to cover living expenses while raising a family, she said.

“If we can’t create jobs in an economy that supports having a family when people want to have a family, then, yeah, I think that’s a knock against Texas,” Arceneaux said.

Her comments highlight a broader question facing policymakers: whether the state’s economic growth is translating into financial stability for working families.

When the cost of child care consumes a significant portion of a household’s income, parents may have to weigh the cost of working against the expense of care. Those decisions can affect not only individual families but also the availability of workers for Texas employers.

Arceneaux calls for more creative child care solutions

While employers and policymakers often focus on traditional child care centers, Arsenault said solutions could also include tapping into resources already available within families and communities.

She noted that multigenerational households are increasingly part of the conversation, with grandparents and other relatives sometimes moving closer to family members to help care for children.

Rather than focusing exclusively on placing children in outside facilities, Arsenault suggested exploring ways to incentivize and support alternative arrangements.

“I think we need to get a bit more creative,” she said.

She raised the possibility of leveraging community resources and existing family support networks as part of a broader approach to addressing child care needs.

The discussion comes as employers and policymakers face questions about how to make child care more accessible while helping parents remain in the workforce.

Could child care influence the November midterms?

Arceneaux said child care could become a more prominent issue for voters, even though it directly affects only certain segments of the population at any given time.

The issue reaches beyond parents who currently have young children, she said. It also matters to people who hope to start families in the future.

Arceneaux connected the cost of raising children to concerns about declining birth rates, noting that financial pressures can influence whether people feel ready to have children.

“If you can’t afford to take care of yourself, then you’re probably thinking, ‘I can’t afford to bring a life into this world either,’” she said.

That dynamic could broaden the political appeal of child care affordability, making it relevant to younger voters and prospective parents as well as families already struggling to cover care expenses.

With 79% of voters in the cited Texas poll supporting tax incentives for employers that help with child care, the issue may offer an opportunity for policymakers in both parties to address a shared concern among working families.

As the November midterms approach, the debate over child care could become part of a larger discussion about wages, workforce participation, economic opportunity and the cost of starting a family in Texas.

Arceneaux’s central point is that child care is not simply a private family expense. It is also a workforce issue — and one with economic and political implications for the state.

“You see the variety and diversity,” Turturro says. “It’s always around you. When I’m on the train, there are so many different kinds of people. Especially the 7 train. I get a lot of things from the 7 train.”

Turturro’s Pino, the racist pizzeria worker of “Do The Right Thing,” came from guys Turturro grew up around. His Brooklyn-born trash-talking bowler Jesus Quintana from “The Big Lebowski” was based on a Lower East Side man Turturro met just after the man got out of jail. Turturro liked his voice.

“I interview a lot of people and I take things from them. They know I’m going to,” Turturro says. “Sometimes I keep in touch with certain people, but sometimes you feel kind of bad about that. Like a thief in the night.”

Sitting outside at a cafe around the corner from his Park Slope brownstone, Turturro chuckles. The symmetry with his latest New York character is almost too perfect. In “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York,” Turturro stars as Harry Lehman, an aging pickpocket in an increasingly cashless and digital New York.

The film, which Sony Pictures Classics releases in select theaters Friday, is a fitting capstone for the 69-year-old Turturro, a shape-shifting character actor who has always worked best when you don’t see him working.

“The whole skill of it is that the person doesn’t know,” Turturro says of pickpockets. “I used to make a list of everything I had in common and everything I didn’t have in common with a character. A lot of things resonated with me. People don’t look at you anymore.”

“The Only Living Pickpocket in New York,” written and directed by Noah Segan, is an elegiac ode not just to a bygone, analog New York but to a rich generation of New York actors. Steve Buscemi co-stars as a pawnshop owner and Giancarlo Esposito plays a police detective. A lot of the movie’s joy is seeing such archetypal New York performers on their home turf.

Turturro’s soulful performance has brought him something rare for the much-loved but relatively seldom-honored actor: Oscar buzz. “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” could land him his first nomination.

“I worked so hard and long before that it’s wonderful when things actually come together,” says Turturro. “It’s rarer than people think, you know what I mean?”

‘I don’t look like Robert Redford'

Turturro could just as easily be talking about the New York Knicks, whose championship he’s still basking in. “Miraculous,” he says, smiling. The sun was also shining on Turturro on a recent bright autumn day in Brooklyn. “The Only Living Pickpocket” had just played at the New York Film Festival, where many of Turturro’s longtime friends and collaborators, like Joel and Ethan Coen, came to support him. The moment has made him reflective.

“When I first started, I thought: I don’t know if I’m going to work. I feel like I have the ability, but I don’t look like Robert Redford,” says Turturro.

Ironically, it was a film with Redford, 1994’s “Quiz Show,” that Turturro attributes to him and his wife of 40 years, Katherine Borowitz, being able to stay in New York.

“I got ‘Quiz Show’ and I was going to get paid,” recalls Turturro. “I said, ‘Well, maybe we have enough.’ So we stayed here.”

Since then, Turturro has played street-wise New York hustlers, high-minded intellectuals and world-weary schlubs. He’s played a corner store owner (“Jungle Fever”), an NYPD hostage negotiator (“The Taking of Pelham 123”), a court-appointed defense attorney (“The Night Of”), a mob boss (“The Batman”), a scriptwriting playwright (“Barton Fink”) and a gigolo ( “Fading Gigolo,” which he directed). Like few actors, he has captured the city, from Broadway to the Bowery to Bayside.

In a changing city, Turturro abides

The kinds of characters Turturro has made a living capturing can feel like an endangered species in a more sanitized, high-priced New York. Turturro grants that the city has changed. Cab drivers, he notes, no longer tell you their life story while barely keeping an eye on the road. But regardless of the number of pickpockets left, Turturro finds the same spirit is alive.

“There are different people now in New York. But if you go to certain pockets, you can find them,” he says. “We were in neighborhoods for this and I was like, ‘Wow, this is a whole other world.’ We shot way out past Coney Island. Sometimes I had a dressing room in a hair salon. I’d watch the clientele.”

So Turturro can often be spied walking around Brooklyn like he always has been. He takes the subway home after Knicks games. For the most part, people are cool.

“Everyone treats me the same, and that’s the way I like it. I can understand people who are like superstars. But that does really reduce your options in life. It removes you from life, like, taking the train home after a game,” says Turturro. “If you lose yourself, what do you have? You don’t have anything.”

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This story was updated to correct the name of Turturro's new movie in the headline.

Murphy celebrated Milwaukee’s NL Championship Series sweep by saying the Los Angeles Dodgers had Hall of Famers but his team had gamers. The theme wasn’t much different from pep talks he gave his college teams.

“It’s kind of déjà vu,” said Cory Mee, who played for Murphy at Notre Dame from 1989-92. “I’ve heard this before.”

Murphy won exactly 1,000 games during a college coaching career that included stops at Maryville (Tennessee) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (California) before longer stints at Notre Dame (1988-94) and Arizona State (1995-2009). He now is on baseball’s biggest stage as the Brewers face the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series starting Friday.

He may have tempered his approach since making a cold call to then-Notre Dame athletic director Gene Corrigan and talking his way into the Fighting Irish coaching job at the age of 28.

But his knack for getting players to believe remains as strong as ever.

“Watching him with these Brewers, it struck me that he’s got a formula,” said Mike Moshier, who played for Notre Dame from 1986-89. “His algorithm is the same now as it was 40 years ago.”

That formula includes playing strong fundamentals, creating belief, outworking opponents, keeping everything fun and preparing for any obstacle.

“He does a really good job of explaining the expectation of how we’re going to respond, what toughness and discipline look like, to be able to respond to tough moments,” said Brett Wallace, who played for Murphy at Arizona State and again in the minor leagues and with the San Diego Padres.