A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck near the Midland-Odessa Metropolitan area Monday evening, briefly rattling parts of North Texas. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the quake happened in Martin County at 7:49 p.m., about 21 miles southwest of Ackerly, Texas. USGS map shows the location of the West Texas earthquake on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. The USGS initially reported the earthquake as a 4.8 magnitude with a depth of 4.8 kilometers. It later upgraded the magnitude to 5.1 with a depth of 8.4 kilometers. According to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, Monday’s earthquake was the seventh strongest quake in Texas history. Residents in Lamesa said their homes were shaking for five to 10 seconds when the earthquake hit. Residents in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex also reported feeling the tremor. The U.S. National Weather Service, Midland, Texas, shared on social media that its personnel felt the earthquake at their office. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office told NBC 5 they have not received any structural damage or injury reports. Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As developments unfold, elements of this story may change. Courtesy of Texas News – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth …

On Friday afternoon, Secretary of State Jane Nelson released 2021-22 election audits for four Texas counties, finding several failures and improved procedures but no evidence of widespread voter fraud. In 2021, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 1 to “detect and punish fraud” following unfounded claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The law requires the Secretary of State’s office to audit elections in four randomly selected Texas counties for the preceding two years after the most recent November uniform election occurring in an even-numbered year. A drawing is held to randomly choose two counties whose populations are over 300,000 and two that are under 300,000. “Texas’ audit process provides accountability and insight into how elections are conducted on a county level to ensure the integrity of our elections,” said Secretary Nelson. “While each audit is specific to a county, they include lessons for election officials across the state and offer voters the reassurance that our state’s election processes are thoroughly reviewed.” On July 28, 2022, the Secretary of State’s Office held the drawing to audit the 2021-2022 election period. The counties of Cameron, Eastland, Guadalupe, and Harris were selected. Below are the highlights of the audit’s findings,…

It’s a sad day for Texas Hip Hop– popular Houston rapper Justin “BeatKing” Riley has died at 39 years old. On Thursday afternoon, his manager made an Instagram post confirming the tragic loss saying, “Today, August 15, 2024 we have lost @Clubgodzilla.” BeatKing was best known for his music style and his significant impact on hip-hop culture in the South during the early 2000s. His infectious beats and innovative marketing strategies propelled him to stardom, captivating the hearts of both fans and fellow artists. The cause of death has not been made public at this time. BeatKing is survived by his daughters Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As developments unfold, elements of this story may change.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. Courtesy of Texas News – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth …

More details have surfaced about Josiah Anthony’s sudden resignation as lead pastor at Cross Timbers Church after church officials claimed that the clergy had a “concerning pattern of behavior, communicating inappropriately with women.” In late July, the Argyle church announced that the former senior pastor stepped down from his role due to “inappropriate and hurtful actions.” They further stated that those actions did not include any children, physical or sexual interaction, or any illegal activity to their knowledge. Following the announcement, the church issued another letter to its members in early August, offering further insight into the reasons behind the elders’ and the pastor’s decision to accept the resignation. According to the church, Anthony, who became senior pastor in 2022, openly preached about his mental health issues and suggested that his actions were a result of his struggles. However, church officials later found out that the pastor was not forthcoming or transparent. Josiah Anthony Cross Timbers Church said on July 2 that it received a report about inappropriate communication between Anthony and a former staff member. The communication was not sexual, but it was “excessively personal and overly familiar” with the other person, and the church stated it…

Vice President Kamala Harris told Republicans to “bring it on” in what she described as a “fight for our most fundamental freedoms” as she spoke to the American Federation of Teachers on Thursday. It was her latest stop in her whirlwind debut as the Democrats’ likely presidential nominee after President Joe Biden abruptly dropped his bid for a second term at the beginning of the week. Harris praised unions as the foundation of the middle class, and she criticized Republicans for their views on gun control and public education. “They have the nerve to tell teachers to strap on a gun in the classroom while they refuse to pass commonsense gun safety laws,” she said. Harris added that “we want to ban assault weapons, and they want to ban books.” The American Federation of Teachers was the first labor union to formally endorse Harris, and its president Randi Weingarten said she “has electrified this race.” Harris intends to travel aggressively to spread her message and rally voters. The outreach occurs as the retooled Biden campaign, now under Harris’ control, figures out its strategy for generating turnout and maximizing her time in a 100-plus day sprint to the November election against Republican Donald Trump….

Texas state leaders and politicians quickly took to social media to respond to Saturday’s deadly shooting when Former President Donald Trump was removed from the stage just minutes into his campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The 2024 presidential candidate was speaking when popping sounds were heard. Video shows Trump reaching for the side of his face and crouching down with blood on the side of his head and ear. Secret Service agents then rushed to the stage, surrounded him, and quickly escorted him into a vehicle. According to two senior law enforcement officials, Trump is expected to survive and is fine. The Secret Service later reported that a tentatively identified gunman fired shots, killing a spectator and critically injuring two others. The alleged shooter is also dead, and it is unclear what the motive for the shooting is. Federal investigators and local law enforcement said the man is about 20 and is from Pennsylvania. NBC News reported that the FBI and the Secret Service are joining forces to investigate the incident as an assassination attempt. President Joe Biden: ‘There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick. It’s sick.’ President Joe Biden released…

Amarillo residents will vote on a so-called abortion travel ban in November, one of the few times Texas voters will have a say on abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. Supporters of the measure, who gathered 6,300 verified signatures to petition for approval of the ordinance, submitted their request to city officials to have it placed on the Nov. 5 ballot after the Amarillo City Council rejected it last month, per local rules. Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanley confirmed reports about the committee requesting to add the ordinance to the November ballot. Stanley said the request will be on the agenda for the council’s next meeting on July 9. The council will take a procedural vote, which Stanley said is expected to pass, so it will be officially placed on the ballot. This ballot move is the latest salvo in the battle over abortion rights in the conservative Panhandle city, and in a state with one of the most restrictive bans in the nation. The ordinance, first proposed by anti-abortion activists, aims to forbid the use of the city’s roads and highways to seek an abortion out of the state. It would punish anyone aiding a woman seeking the procedure, including by…

After months of debate, the Amarillo City Council rejected a so-called abortion travel ban, championed by statewide anti-abortion activists and certain residents. The council’s decision made Amarillo the largest conservative Texas city to reject the proposed policy, which would forbid the use of the city’s roads and highways to seek an abortion out of state. Now, a group of residents who petitioned for the ordinance will decide if the issue goes to voters in the Texas Panhandle city this fall. In rejecting the proposal, Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanley said the city has no authority to put the proposed policy in place. “What you’re asking me to do is put forward this ordinance and enact it into city law, that would exercise an authority I don’t believe I have,” Stanley said. The council first debated the issue last fall when a string of other Texas cities and counties passed similar local laws, which abortion rights advocates and legal experts consider dubious and unconstitutional. Amarillo residents, backed by Texas anti-abortion activist Mark Lee Dickson, forced the council to revisit the issue this year after they gathered enough petition signatures of registered voters. Two versions of the ordinance were considered during Tuesday’s meeting. Both were rejected on a…

“Just yesterday, by instinct, I was coming home,” said Carlos Pineda, standing on his front porch. But all that’s left of his home of 11 years is a tangled mess of debris behind him. Only traces of the memories inside remain: A tricycle, a toy dinosaur, a puzzle piece. A loss that’s hard to understand for some of his kids. “She started crying in her room, she was like, ‘What happened to my bedroom?’” said Pineda of his 9-year-old daughter. He said he was at work last weekend, and his wife and four children were able to drive off just minutes before the tornado tore through. His neighbors didn’t have enough time– the family was thrown 50 feet outside of their home, including a newborn baby. Pineda said one of the family members is still in the hospital with injuries, but the rest survived with cuts. “All we could do was just start cleaning up. That was our way of coping with this,” he said. It’s been difficult– even after a week of cleanup, debris still litters the properties of Valley View. “We’ve been cleaning nonstop since this happened. Nonstop. And it…

A Texas Amber Alert has been issued for two children who were last seen on Tuesday night, officials said. According to the DeWitt County Sheriff’s Office, officials are searching for Aiydann Ribera who is described as a 4-year-old Hispanic male who is 3’0″, weighs 34 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a neon orange shirt, black shorts, and black shoes. Officials said they are also searching for Angel Ribera, a 5-year-old Hispanic, who 3’5”, weighs 45 pounds, and has black hair and black eyes. He was last seen wearing a neon yellow shirt, black shorts, and black shoes. Both boys were last seen at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, in the 120 block of East 5th Street in Yorktown, Texas, officials said. According to the DeWitt County Sheriff’s Office, police are searching for 24-year-old Julian Ribera in connection with their abduction. Officials said Ribera is described as a Hispanic male who is 5’11”, weighs 175 pounds, and has brown hair and black eyes. Ribera was last seen in San Antonio wearing unknown clothing. Officials said Ribera is driving a black 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe bearing Texas license plate number FVK0342. According to law…