Author: Houston Stringer

AUSTIN, TX – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that his office has stopped several school districts from unlawfully using taxpayer funds to promote ballot propositions aimed at raising local taxes. According to the Attorney General’s Office, investigations found that Garland ISD, Judson ISD, Liberty Hill ISD, and Northwest ISD used district resources to encourage voters to support tax-related ballot measures. Texas law prohibits school districts from using public funds or resources to advocate for or against any candidate, measure, or political party. “School districts should focus on teaching children reading, writing, and arithmetic instead of unlawfully using taxpayer funds to meddle in elections that will raise taxes even higher,” said Attorney General Paxton. “ISDs...

KANSAS CITY, KS – A former credit union manager has been sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for stealing more than $750,000 from her long-time employer and compromising the stability of the financial institution. According to court documents, 71-year-old Rita Hartman of Atchison pleaded guilty to one count of making false entries in federal credit union records. Hartman managed Muddy River Credit Union (formerly Atchison Casting Credit Union and Bradken Federal Credit Union) for 30 years, overseeing all financial operations. Between 2007 and 2021, Hartman stole approximately $346,000 in customer deposits and fraudulently credited about $430,000 in fictitious deposits and loan payments to her or her relatives’ accounts. She concealed the theft by falsifying ledgers, altering...

NASHVILLE, TN – Thirty-eight individuals, including eight members and associates of the MS-13 gang, have been charged in a series of federal cases involving drug trafficking, firearms offenses, assault on law enforcement, and immigration violations, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee. The charges stem from investigations conducted under the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative, established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The initiative targets criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations operating in the United States. The Nashville HSTF includes agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the ATF, FBI, IRS Criminal Investigations, U.S. Marshal...

AUSTIN, TX – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the Galveston Independent School District after its board voted to not display the Ten Commandments in classrooms, citing a violation of recently enacted state law. File Photo (November 2022) According to the Attorney General’s Office, the district’s refusal violates Senate Bill 10, which requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments. In a statement, Paxton said, “America is a Christian nation, and it is imperative that we display the very values and timeless truths that have historically guided the success of our country.” The lawsuit follows a Galveston ISD board meeting in which members voted against implementing the measure. Paxton’s office had previously issued a legal advisory affirming that...

SHIRLEY, AR – A 31-year-old Van Buren County man has been charged with first-degree murder following the death of his 68-year-old father. According to the Arkansas State Police, the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance after Russell B. Branscum, 68, was found deceased inside his home at 14114 Highway 110 near Shirley on November 6, 2025. Special agents with the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division identified the victim’s son, Brian J. Branscum, as the suspect. He was located at a hotel in Hot Springs and taken into custody on November 8, 2025. The victim’s body was transported to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, where the cause and manner of death will be determined. The arrest was the result of a coordinated investigation by ASP CID Comp...