Wednesday, October 8

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Braelin James, 17, charged with murder in shooting death of 15-year-old Kenneth Payne
Texas

Braelin James, 17, charged with murder in shooting death of 15-year-old Kenneth Payne

HOUSTON, TX – Charges have been filed against a 17-year-old suspect arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a juvenile male that occurred at a gas station in southwest Houston. According to Houston Police, the shooting occurred around 7:15 p.m. on September 19 at 5330 North Braeswood Boulevard. Witnesses told police that a disturbance broke out between two groups at the gas station. As the groups began to leave, shots were fired toward one of the vehicles, striking 15-year-old Kenneth Payne. HPD patrol officers later responded to a hospital at 7600 Beechnut Street around 7:50 p.m., where Payne had been transported. He was pronounced deceased by hospital staff. Through the course of the investigation, detectives identified Braelin James, 17, as the suspect. He was arr...
Judge Lina Hidalgo blames GOP for shutdown, warns of health care impact on Harris County
Texas

Judge Lina Hidalgo blames GOP for shutdown, warns of health care impact on Harris County

HARRIS COUNTY, TX – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a statement criticizing the federal government shutdown, attributing it to the administration’s refusal to address rising health care costs. File Photo (August 2025) “The government is closed because the administration refuses to protect American citizens from soaring healthcare costs,” said Judge Hidalgo. She warned that the shutdown could significantly impact local residents, stating that nearly 670,000 Harris County residents who access health care through the Affordable Care Act would face increased premiums. She also cautioned that the county’s public hospital system could become overburdened, placing strain on the local health care safety net. Judge Hidalgo called on Republicans to “come to the table and agree to...
16-year-old identified as victim in fatal stabbing near Katy Freeway
Texas

16-year-old identified as victim in fatal stabbing near Katy Freeway

HOUSTON, TX – Houston Police have identified the victim in a fatal stabbing that occurred around 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday, September 30, in the 4500 block of the Katy Freeway (West Interstate Highway 10) service road. The victim has been identified as 16-year-old Franklin Torres-Concho. He was found unresponsive in a vacant lot at the location, suffering from multiple stab wounds. Paramedics pronounced him deceased at the scene. According to the Houston Police Department, Torres-Concho was known to frequent the Katy Freeway area near Shepherd Drive, Yale Street, W. 11th Street, and Washington Avenue. At this time, there are no known suspects or motive in the case. Anyone with information is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or speak anonymously with Cri...
Rialto police respond to 911 text threat of armed individual at Joe Baca Middle School
California

Rialto police respond to 911 text threat of armed individual at Joe Baca Middle School

BLOOMINGTON, Calif. – October 3, 2025 – According to the Rialto Police Department, officers responded to Joe Baca Middle School in the 1600 block of S. Lilac Avenue at approximately 12:25 p.m. on October 2 after a text to 911 reported an armed individual on campus. The school was placed on lockdown while officers, assisted by surrounding agencies, conducted a systematic search. No armed individual was located, and the lockdown was lifted. Detectives traced the phone used in the report to the campus at the time of the notification. Subscriber information led investigators to an address in Bloomington, where they determined a minor student possessed the device and had made the false report. The student was released to family, and the phone was seized as evidence. The motive remains...
Florida man arrested in connection with Searcy County homicide of his sister
Florida

Florida man arrested in connection with Searcy County homicide of his sister

DELAND, Fla. – October 2, 2025 – According to the Arkansas State Police Communications Division, a Florida man has been arrested in connection with the July homicide of his sister in Searcy County, Arkansas. On October 1, 2025, at approximately 3 p.m., the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office in DeLand, Florida, arrested Mark R. Brown, 68, on a charge of Capital Murder in the death of Mona Sloop, 69, of Leslie, Arkansas. Sloop was found deceased at her residence on Shady Grove Road in Searcy County on July 22, 2025. The arrest followed a joint investigation conducted by the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division, the Searcy County Sheriff’s Office, and the 20th Judicial District Drug Crimes Task Force. Arkansas State Police Special Agents and Searcy County investigat...
Explosion at downtown Houston high-rise injures six workers
Houston

Explosion at downtown Houston high-rise injures six workers

HOUSTON, TX – Six construction workers were injured following an explosion at a high-rise hotel under construction in downtown Houston. https://youtu.be/cuQ5Qq8FRR4 According to the Houston Fire Department, firefighters were dispatched at 11:08 a.m. on October 2, 2025, to 1319 Texas Street. Upon arrival, responders found multiple injured individuals on the street in front of the 17-story building. A primary search of the structure revealed two additional individuals, who were guided to the triage area. In total, six workers sustained thermal burns and lacerations and were transported to the hospital. There were no reports of fire or smoke inside the building. The explosion caused several windows to blow out and parts of the building’s façade to detach, prompting the establishmen...
Study: Farm conservation most cost-effective method to save Colorado River water
California

Study: Farm conservation most cost-effective method to save Colorado River water

RIVERSIDE, CA – A new study from UC Riverside’s School of Public Policy concludes that agricultural conservation is the most economical strategy for preserving Colorado River water, outperforming infrastructure projects such as reservoirs, canals, and wells. File Photo (September 2025) The analysis, led by graduate student Paloma Avila and conducted in partnership with the Utah Rivers Council, evaluated 462 federally funded water conservation and supply projects from 2004 to 2024. The projects totaled roughly $1 billion in 2023 constant dollars, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The study found that agricultural conservation programs cost as little as $69.89 per acre-foot of water saved, while infrastructure supply efforts averaged more than $2,000 per acre-foot. ...
Angel Ortiz charged with murder in fatal shooting at Bonner Drive residence
Texas

Angel Ortiz charged with murder in fatal shooting at Bonner Drive residence

HOUSTON, TX – Charges have been filed against a suspect arrested in the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old man that occurred around 9 p.m. on September 30, 2025, at a residence located at 8429 Bonner Drive. Angel Ortiz, 21, is charged with murder in the 179th Criminal District Court. According to HPD Homicide Division Detectives L. Patterson and C. Vaughn, patrol officers responded to a shooting call at the residence and found an unresponsive male in the driveway. The victim had suffered a gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased at the scene by Houston Fire Department paramedics. His identity is pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Investigators determined that the suspect and the victim had been talking when Ortiz picked up a rifle and poin...
Arkansas State Crime Lab rules Fordyce couple’s deaths a murder-suicide
Arkansas

Arkansas State Crime Lab rules Fordyce couple’s deaths a murder-suicide

FORDYCE, AR – The Arkansas State Crime Laboratory has concluded that the deaths of two Fordyce residents last month were the result of a murder-suicide. File Photo (August 2025) On September 15, 2025, the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division initiated a death investigation at the request of the Dallas County Sheriff's Office after a deceased couple was discovered inside a home in the 1700 block of West 4th Street. Deputies with the Dallas County Sheriff's Office and officers from the Fordyce Police Department responded to the residence around 11 a.m. after receiving a report of two unresponsive individuals. Upon arrival, authorities located the bodies of 81-year-old David Parham and 70-year-old Holly Parham. The Dallas County Coroner pronounced both individuals de...
Forrest City doctor sentenced to six years for sexually assaulting patients
Arkansas

Forrest City doctor sentenced to six years for sexually assaulting patients

FORREST CITY, AR – Dr. Sudesh Banaji, 61, of Forrest City, was convicted on September 29, 2025, of six counts of Second-Degree Sexual Assault following a jury trial in St. Francis County Circuit Court. The conviction stems from multiple incidents involving sexual assaults of female patients during medical examinations at Banaji’s clinic in Forrest City. He was sentenced to six years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections and ordered to pay $90,000 in fines. According to the Arkansas State Police, the investigation began in August 2023 when the First Judicial District Prosecutor’s Office requested assistance from the Criminal Investigation Division (CID). Special Agents with ASP CID arrested Banaji on August 26, 2024, following their investigation. For further information, c...