Daily Ledger
Daily digest straight from the source
Saturday, October 31, 2026
The lead · Oct 31
Fog will hang over Saturday morning and Tech's 11 a.m. kickoff before a dry Halloween night; strong west winds arrive Monday
After a wet Friday with significant rainfall across the South Plains, fog and low visibility are expected to linger through much of Saturday morning, Oct. 31, including tailgating and possibly the 11 a.m. kickoff at Galaxy Stadium, KCBD's forecast said Friday night. Drivers out early should slow down; drizzle or mist is possible.
The fog should clear by late morning, and Halloween evening should be chilly but dry, with temperatures in the 50s and light wind for trick-or-treaters. A slim chance of rain returns late Sunday into early Monday, followed by westerly winds of 20 to 30 mph on Monday, with gusts of 40 to 45 mph possible.
Sources KCBD
More Local
FM 41 closes overnight at US 87 starting Monday for bridge deck work, and Broadway closes between Avenues J and K on Tuesday
Beginning Monday, Nov. 2, FM 41 at US 87 will be closed to traffic from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. so crews can place the deck on the new bridge, with east- and westbound traffic detoured, the City of Lubbock announced Friday, EverythingLubbock and KCBD reported. Segments of the US 87 frontage road in the construction zone will drop to one lane at the same time.
Separately, starting Tuesday, Nov. 3, Broadway will be closed from Avenue J to Avenue K for underground utility work and temporary paving as part of the Broadway Street Reconstruction Project. TxDOT said the work will significantly limit traffic and advised drivers to find an alternate route or follow posted signs.
Sources EverythingLubbock · KCBD · EverythingLubbock
Save Lubbock filed petitions seeking a ban on Flock cameras and voter approval of any new economic development corporation
Save Lubbock submitted two new petitions to the Lubbock City Secretary on Friday, Oct. 30, one targeting Flock cameras and the other the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, KCBD reported.
The first petition asks the City Council to ban the purchase, installation, operation and use of Flock cameras, including automated license plate readers and other vehicle-tracking systems, end the city's contracts, remove the equipment, delete stored data and permanently ban the systems. The second calls for more transparency, public notice and accountability from LEDA and would require public review and voter approval before any new Type B economic development corporation is created. The City Secretary's Office must verify the signatures before the petitions go to the council.
Sources KCBD
Gov. Abbott rallied hundreds at The Funky Door on the last day of early voting as Gina Hinojosa made her own pitch to Lubbock
Gov. Greg Abbott, joined by state Sen. Charles Perry and state Rep. Carl Tepper, spoke to hundreds packed into The Funky Door in Lubbock on Friday, Oct. 30, the final day of early voting, urging supporters to turn out more voters, KCBD reported. Abbott touted job growth and public safety and accused Democrat Gina Hinojosa of voting more than 40 times for higher property taxes.
In a separate KCBD interview the same day, Hinojosa, an Austin state representative since 2016, said she has never voted to raise property taxes and pledged to wipe clean vendor contracts she called corrupt, use the money to pay teachers and replace Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath with an educator. Election Day is Tuesday.
Action PrintingRick Perry lost reelection to the board of Fermi, the data center company leasing Texas Tech land in Amarillo
Former Gov. Rick Perry failed to win reelection to the board of Fermi, the power and data center company he co-founded, at its annual shareholder meeting Friday, Oct. 30, The Texas Tribune reported. Fermi is leasing about 5,000 acres from the Texas Tech University System in Amarillo for its Project Matador campus.
A Fermi spokesperson said Perry and board member Jeffrey S. Stein won a majority of votes cast but not of all shares as the bylaws require, and blamed co-founder and former CEO Toby Neugebauer for breaching a founders' agreement by voting against Perry. Both remain on the board until successors are elected. Neugebauer said he did not campaign to remove Perry.
Sources The Texas Tribune
A Lubbock jury convicted former nurse Debra Fraher in the death of a ventilator-dependent 4-month-old
A Lubbock County jury on Friday, Oct. 30, found former licensed vocational nurse Debra Fraher, 71, guilty of injury to a child by reckless omission in the January 2023 death of a 4-month-old girl who depended on a ventilator, KCBD and EverythingLubbock reported. She faces up to 20 years in prison at sentencing before Judge Douglas Freitag.
Court documents say video showed the child's ventilator alarm sounding about 10 times in four and a half minutes while Fraher silenced it. Help arrived more than 12 minutes after the first alarm, and the baby died eight days later at UMC. Defense attorney Charles Blevins argued Fraher did not see that the tracheal tube had come out in the dimly lit room.
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock
Premiere Cinemas is building a 45,000-square-foot entertainment center with bowling and bumper cars at South Plains Mall
South Plains Mall and Premiere Cinemas + IMAX announced Friday, Oct. 30, plans for Premiere PLUS, a 45,000-square-foot family entertainment center connected to the existing 16-screen theater, scheduled to open in summer 2027, KCBD, EverythingLubbock and KFYO reported. Construction is already underway.
The locally owned expansion will include 16 bowling lanes, bumper-car arenas, more than 100 arcade games, a 7-D cinema, a 2,000-square-foot kids play area, party rooms, two cafes and a prize redemption center, bringing Premiere's mall footprint to more than 110,000 square feet. CEO Gary Moore called it an exciting investment in Lubbock and in the future of family entertainment in West Texas.
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock · KFYO
A 20-year-old was charged with manslaughter in a 2022 crash on Texas Avenue that killed an armored-truck worker
A 20-year-old man has been charged with second-degree manslaughter in a Nov. 3, 2022, crash that killed one person and injured six others, EverythingLubbock reported Friday, Oct. 30. He was booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center.
Court documents say he was driving an SUV with four passengers 21 mph over the speed limit on the eastbound Marsha Sharp Freeway access road when he ran a red light at Texas Avenue and struck a southbound armored vehicle, which rolled onto its side. Both men in the armored vehicle, Victor Gonzales and Dwayne Smart, were ejected. Smart suffered life-threatening injuries and later died; the other six people in the two vehicles had moderate injuries.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Potter County voters choose a district clerk Tuesday after the office's turnover and a settlement that cost over $280,000
Incumbent Stephnie Menke faces Democratic challenger Jessi Barrientos in the Potter County District Clerk race on the Nov. 3 ballot, the Amarillo Tribune reported Friday, Oct. 30, following up its August 2025 report that 28 employees left the office from 2021 amid allegations of a toxic workplace.
The Tribune said it has since learned the county's confidential May 2025 settlement cost more than $280,000 including claims and payroll expenses, not the roughly $120,000 first reported. Barrientos said that reporting inspired her to run to bring accountability to the office. Menke, who began working for Potter County 45 years ago, sat for an interview this year after declining to comment in 2025.
Sources Amarillo Tribune
Potter County's appraisal board says it wants to fix, not end, its shared district with Randall County
The Potter County Appraisal District board met Friday, Oct. 30, and formed a subcommittee to negotiate with Randall County's board over the 1987 contract that created the Potter-Randall Appraisal District, the only shared appraisal district in Texas, the Amarillo Tribune reported. The contract gives Randall's board alone certain powers, including guiding the chief appraiser on policy.
After a 35-minute closed session on a memo from consultant RSH Law Firm, board chair Zac Plummer asked that the memo be sent to Randall's board and local taxing entities. Board member Thomas Warren II said the goal is to bring the arrangement into compliance with state law, not to split the districts, and that it will still function as it has.
Sources Amarillo Tribune
Duffy Law Firm, PCBig 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark will step down Jan. 31, and Texas Tech's president praised his tenure
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark will resign effective Jan. 31, 2027, to take a job outside college athletics, the conference announced Friday, Oct. 30, EverythingLubbock and KCBD reported. The Big 12 Board of Directors will lead a national search for his successor.
Yormark, commissioner since August 2022, oversaw the integration of eight new members and was a prominent voice on the House settlement, the College Sports Commission and College Football Playoff expansion. Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec said Yormark helped position the Big 12 for success in a rapidly evolving landscape and enabled member schools to elevate their national profiles, and that Tech respects his decision.
Sources EverythingLubbock · KCBD
No. 13 Texas Tech rallies past No. 22 Arizona 34-26
No. 13 Texas Tech came back from a 17-7 deficit late in the second quarter to beat No. 22 Arizona 34-26 Saturday afternoon in Lubbock. Quarterback Thomas Castellanos, named the starter shortly before kickoff, ran for an 8-yard touchdown and threw a 24-yard fourth-down touchdown pass to Kenny Johnson that gave Tech a 24-23 lead late in the third quarter, its first lead since early in the second.
Stone Harrington's 42-yard field goal made it 27-23 early in the fourth, and J'Koby Williams broke a 64-yard touchdown run with 2:05 left. Arizona's Michael Salgado-Medina kicked a 22-yard field goal to cut it to 34-26, but the Red Raiders recovered the onside kick to end the game, KCBD reported.
Sources KCBD
No. 13 Texas Tech hosts No. 22 Arizona at 11 a.m. Saturday before a sold-out Galaxy Stadium
No. 13 Texas Tech will host No. 22 Arizona at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, in a sold-out Galaxy Stadium, Texas Tech Athletics announced Friday. It is the Red Raiders' 12th consecutive advanced home sellout and the fifth of the 2026 season.
Fans still seeking seats are directed to SeatGeek, the official secondary ticket provider, and the athletics department encouraged ticket holders to download tickets before arriving. KCBD's forecast calls for fog, damp and chilly conditions through tailgating and possibly kickoff, clearing by late morning.
Sources Texas Tech Athletics · EverythingLubbock
TxDOT put walking billboards on University Avenue as darker evenings raise pedestrian risk; 11 died in Lubbock-area crashes last year
The Texas Department of Transportation took its Be Safe. Drive Smart. campaign to intersections along University Avenue between Marsha Sharp Freeway and 16th Street on Friday, Oct. 30, using walking billboards to remind drivers and pedestrians to watch for each other as daylight saving time ends, EverythingLubbock reported.
TxDOT said the Lubbock area had 88 crashes involving pedestrians in 2025, with 11 pedestrian deaths and 11 serious injuries. It urged drivers to yield in crosswalks, put phones away and take extra care in SUVs and pickups with large blind spots, and asked pedestrians to cross at crosswalks, make eye contact with drivers and wear reflective gear after dark.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Frenship FFA students and an ag teacher returned from the national convention with honors
Several Lubbock-area FFA students returned from the FFA National Convention in Indianapolis with awards, KCBD reported Friday, Oct. 30. Frenship High senior Karter Bowen, the Area 1 first vice president, served as a Texas delegate and placed in the top four nationally in swine production placement proficiency.
Ryan Pieniazek, lead ag science teacher at Frenship Memorial High School, received the Honorary American Degree, the highest honorary degree the organization gives. The two-year-old Frenship Memorial chapter earned a three-star national chapter rating, which fewer than 10% of chapters receive; KCBD said it is the first time a first-year chapter in Texas has received the rating.
Sources KCBD
Lubbock Symphony Orchestra extends music director David Cho's contract through the 2029-30 season
The Lubbock Symphony Orchestra announced Friday that music director David Cho has accepted a three-year contract extension, keeping him on the podium through the 2029-30 season. The extension comes in Cho's 15th season leading the orchestra, which marked its 80th anniversary this year with Verdi's Requiem at Buddy Holly Hall, KCBD reported Saturday.
LSO chief executive Heather Hocker said extending the contract was an easy decision for the board, citing Cho's work with musicians, audiences and the orchestra's school outreach across the South Plains. The next concert, Home for the Holidays, is Tuesday, Dec. 1; Cho returns to conduct Brahms' Double Concerto on Friday, Jan. 22.
Sources KCBD
Advanced GraphixThree Texas Tech students released Glide, an all-in-one fitness app
Texas Tech students Grant Moose, William Trapp and Grayson Archer have released Glide, a fitness app that combines workout tracking, macro tracking, daily checklists, journaling and recipe sharing in one place, EverythingLubbock reported Friday, Oct. 30.
The students said they began work in late January expecting to launch by spring, and the goal is to spare users from juggling multiple apps and subscriptions. Trapp said the idea is an app that does everything toward one goal, optimizing a user's fitness journey, and the developers said it is meant to help people stay consistent and track progress at any fitness level.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Earth lifted its boil water notice Friday
The City of Earth rescinded its boil water notice on Friday, Oct. 30, EverythingLubbock reported. Residents no longer need to boil water before drinking or cooking.
The notice had been issued after a water line break caused low water pressure in the Lamb County town northwest of Lubbock.
Sources EverythingLubbock
State
Paxton and Talarico close a tossup U.S. Senate race as Republicans fear Texas could go blue
Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico made final weekend pushes Saturday in a tossup U.S. Senate race that could help decide Senate control on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Paxton told supporters in Fort Worth that the race will go down to the wire; Talarico was set to rally in Houston later Saturday, the AP reported.
The Texas Tribune reported Saturday that Talarico holds a narrow but stubborn polling edge in the country's most expensive Senate race, with signs of tepid Republican turnout in early voting. National Republican groups funded almost entirely by Elon Musk have spent more than $272 million on the race.
Sources The Texas Tribune · EverythingLubbock (AP)
The Texas Supreme Court halted a deposition meant to unmask the group behind the transgender student mailers
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday, Oct. 30, temporarily blocked a deposition intended to identify the people behind the Texas Transgender Student Union, which mailed pamphlets in mid-October that purported to support trans students but appear aimed at riling conservative voters, The Texas Tribune reported. The order came 15 minutes before questioning was to begin; the court gave no reasons.
A Travis County judge had ordered the deposition this week at the request of the Transgender Education Network of Texas. Lawyer Mimi Marziani said the group now has enough information to sue some of those responsible. West Texas District Attorney Sarah Stogner opened a forgery investigation into the mailers last week.
Sources The Texas Tribune
Texas Parks and Wildlife is fighting release of a draft agenda amid fears it will sell Boca Chica land to SpaceX
Texas Parks and Wildlife on Friday, Oct. 30, asked the attorney general's office to block release of a draft commission agenda that listed a closed-door discussion of selling land near SpaceX's operations in Cameron County, The Texas Tribune reported Saturday.
Texas Monthly reported the commission was expected to discuss selling 1,300 acres, purportedly to SpaceX, at its early-November meeting; the item was pulled from the final agenda. The department owns nearly 500 parcels in the county, including the roughly 1,060-acre Boca Chica State Park. Elon Musk's company has acquired more land near the park over the past decade, stoking fears among locals and environmentalists that it will take control of a beach the community considers its own.
Sources The Texas Tribune
A Harris County grand jury indicted an ICE officer accused of running down a fleeing man in Houston
A Harris County grand jury on Friday, Oct. 30, indicted a 33-year-old U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, accused of intentionally striking a Mexican construction worker with an unmarked SUV on Oct. 10, the Associated Press reported.
District Attorney Sean Teare released body camera video and said Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, was running away during a parking-lot pursuit when he was hit; he broke his leg and remains in federal custody. ICE has said Parra Hernandez ran in front of the vehicle, which Teare said the video contradicts. The officer, whose name is withheld here until any conviction, is among few federal officers charged over conduct during the immigration crackdown.
Sources PBS NewsHour (AP) · EverythingLubbock (AP)
Mullin Hoard & Brown, LLPEl Paso ISD gave the comptroller counts of students enrolled without Social Security numbers, raising fears for undocumented children
El Paso ISD has given the Texas Comptroller's Office records breaking down how many students enrolled with a Social Security number and how many with a state-approved alternative number, El Paso Matters reported through The Texas Tribune on Friday, Oct. 30. Comptroller Don Huffines' office told the district not to include identifying information.
Board President Leah Hanany said the numbers cannot show citizenship because any family may register with an alternate number. State Rep. Vince Perez of El Paso said the office used a financial review, one of four ordered after Gov. Greg Abbott asked whether districts spend enough in classrooms, to collect unrelated documents. Huffines did not respond to a request for comment.
Sources The Texas Tribune
Abbott's campaign app has sent more than 20 million get-out-the-vote texts by matching phone contacts to voter rolls
Gov. Greg Abbott's campaign says its Abbott Impact app is responsible for more than 20 million get-out-the-vote messages, Nexstar's Austin bureau reported Friday, Oct. 30, through EverythingLubbock. Abbott urged supporters at a Harlingen stop Tuesday to download the app, which the campaign launched last October.
Once a user grants access to a phone's contacts, the app matches them to Texas voter rolls, shows which party primaries friends and relatives have voted in and which have not yet voted in the general election, and drafts a reminder text. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Sources EverythingLubbock
U.S. & World
A federal judge barred the Justice Department from threatening election workers with prosecution over suspected noncitizen ballots
U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson in California on Friday, Oct. 30, issued a temporary restraining order barring the Trump administration from threatening election officials with criminal prosecution over ballots from voters it claims are ineligible, Fox News and The Hill reported. She found the Justice and Homeland Security departments likely violated the Voting Rights Act's ban on voter intimidation.
The order also halts efforts to force workers to purge certain voters, deny ballot requests or set ballots aside. The suit was brought by unions including SEIU and AFSCME, plus LULAC and the NAACP. The Justice Department this week sent letters to election officials in all 50 states warning of possible prosecution if records were not preserved.
Sources Fox News · EverythingLubbock
A split appeals panel again refused to let the administration set aside 20,000 disputed California ballots
A divided panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday, Oct. 30, rejected the Trump administration's request to have California set aside about 20,000 ballots it says likely belong to noncitizens, upholding a lower court's finding that the list is not credible, The Hill and the Associated Press reported.
Judges Gabriel Sanchez and Mark Bennett wrote that there is no feasible way to segregate specific ballots without potentially catastrophic effects on the whole system. Judge Patrick Bumatay dissented, warning that California has a lax system for ensuring voters are citizens. It was the second time the panel split against the administration on the issue.
Sources EverythingLubbock · PBS NewsHour (AP)
The FBI began questioning donors to Alaska's other Dan Sullivan as prosecutors sought to isolate ballots ranking him
An FBI agent on Friday, Oct. 30, visited a boat dealership in Petersburg, Alaska, seeking a donor to Senate candidate Dan J. Sullivan, as federal authorities widened a criminal investigation into whether his candidacy was meant to confuse voters, the Associated Press reported. The Justice Department also sought a court order to isolate Alaska ballots that rank him.
Alaska U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman said the probe has run for months, and reports that Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign helped recruit Sullivan prompted a significant surge of agents. Donor Charles Flint, who gave $500, told the AP he did not feel misled and plans to rank Peltola first. Tuesday's race against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan could decide Senate control.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP) · PBS NewsHour (AP)
A judge ordered three taxpayer-funded Trump administration ads pulled, including one promising $5,000 if Republicans keep Congress
U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon in New York on Friday, Oct. 30, ordered the federal government to take down three taxpayer-funded ads that appear made for political purposes, siding with a coalition that includes the watchdog Common Cause, the Associated Press reported. The ads are titled $5,000 to Americans, Every Democrat Voted Against No Tax on Tips, and Cost of Socialism.
The ads must come off government websites and social media, and any distribution through third parties, including the super PAC MAGA Inc., must be canceled. Rochon declined to pull several other ads. White House spokesperson Lauren Bis called the ruling a lawless order to stop the administration from sharing patriotic videos.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP) · PBS NewsHour (AP)
D. Williams & Co., Inc.Virginia and D.C. sue to stop Trump's 250-foot memorial arch as construction could start next week
The District of Columbia and Virginia sued in federal court Saturday to halt President Trump's proposed 250-foot memorial arch on the Potomac near Arlington National Cemetery, the third suit against the project, as the administration says construction could begin as early as next week. The arch would stand 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.
Attorneys general Brian Schwalb of Washington and Jay Jones of Virginia argue that three years of construction would snarl traffic between the jurisdictions, pollute the Potomac and interfere with emergency services, and they seek a temporary restraining order. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan heard the original suit, brought by three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian, on Friday but has not ruled.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP) · PBS NewsHour
Stocks had their worst day since June as Intel plunged 28.6% and the tech sell-off deepened
The S&P 500 fell 1.8% on Friday, Oct. 30, its worst day since June and its third straight losing week, as worries grew that the artificial intelligence frenzy pushed tech prices too high, the Associated Press reported. The Nasdaq dropped 2.9% and the Dow lost 572 points, or 1.1%.
Intel fell 28.6%, its worst drop since 1974, after a weak profit forecast for the final quarter; CEO Lip-Bu Tan said the PC industry remains under pressure. Amazon slipped 1.4% on weaker-than-expected summer profit. The market is still only 3.1% below its record high heading into Tuesday's midterm elections.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
The U.S. approved a $2.1 billion sale of 500 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine, paid for by Canada, Germany and Norway
The Trump administration said Friday, Oct. 30, it approved a proposed $2.1 billion sale of 500 Patriot air defense missiles for Ukraine, bought with donations from Canada, Germany and Norway through a U.S. program with no American funds, the Associated Press reported.
The approval followed accusations from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the Pentagon had delayed delivery of interceptors other countries purchased for Ukraine, which he said had nearly run out of the missiles needed to stop Russian ballistic attacks. He also said U.S. intelligence warnings had been interrupted and Starlink service throttled; Ukraine says both have since been restored.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Iran's supreme leader threatens a response without 'geographic limits' as mediators float a two-day Hormuz reopening
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Saturday that any threat from the United States or Israel should draw an immediate response without geographic limits, and he called for an updated list of potential U.S. and Israeli targets, Iranian state media reported. He has not been seen publicly since the war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.
At the same time, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a new proposal reached with mediators in Qatar would fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days. Saudi and Egyptian officials at a security forum in Bahrain on Saturday urged calm, warning that a new round of fighting would be more destructive, the AP reported.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Evacuees from occupied Oleshky reached Belarus on their way to Ukrainian territory under the war's biggest truce
Civilians from Russian-occupied Oleshky arrived in Belarus on Saturday, Oct. 31, after leaving the war-ravaged city by bus convoy Friday, part of a rescue operation under the most significant truce since Russia's full-scale invasion, the Associated Press reported. The ceasefire in Ukraine's Kherson region began Tuesday and is expected to last through Sunday evening.
Russia's Defense Ministry said evacuees bound for Ukraine were taken to Anapa, Russia, then flown to Homel, Belarus, accompanied by Ukraine's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets. Ukrainian lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia said four planes had landed. The estimated 2,000 remaining residents could also go to Russian territory or stay with replenished supplies.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Congo's Ebola deaths passed 5,000, the second-deadliest outbreak on record
Deaths in Congo's Ebola outbreak have topped 5,000, with 5,026 dead out of 10,351 infected, according to Congolese Health Ministry data released Saturday, Oct. 31, the Associated Press reported. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus and declared in mid-May, is now second only to the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, which killed 11,000.
The virus has no known vaccine or treatment and has spread to 67 of the country's 178 health zones, concentrated in Ituri and North Kivu, with cases recorded in other African countries. Africa CDC says about 80% of new cases come from outside monitored contacts. WHO's Dr. Patrick Otim called it a very tragic milestone.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Action PrintingBrazil summoned Argentina's envoy after defeated candidate Flávio Bolsonaro fled to Miami through Argentina
Brazil's government summoned Argentina's charge d'affaires on Thursday, Oct. 29, after defeated presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro passed through Argentina on his way to Miami, the Associated Press reported Friday. Bolsonaro is under investigation in Brazil over corruption and money laundering allegations.
Bolsonaro has refused to concede Sunday's election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and called it fraudulent without evidence. Argentine President Javier Milei backed Bolsonaro and has not acknowledged Lula's win. Bolsonaro's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup after refusing to accept his 2022 loss.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
One person was killed and six wounded in a shooting at a Spirit Halloween store in a Northern California mall
A shooting Friday night, Oct. 30, inside the Spirit Halloween store at Solano Town Center in Fairfield, California, left one person dead and six wounded, police said, the Associated Press and KCBD reported. Officers responded around 8:30 p.m.; at least three of the wounded were in critical condition.
Police said the mall remained an active crime scene as officers interviewed witnesses to identify the shooter. No information on the victims or a suspect had been released early Saturday.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP) · KCBD
A judge put off dismissing a criminal case against James Comey, giving prosecutors time to seek an indictment
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden on Friday, Oct. 30, put off ruling on whether to dismiss a placeholder criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey, giving the Justice Department a chance to pursue an indictment over allegations of a decade-old media leak, the Associated Press reported.
Comey's lawyers, including Ephraim McDowell, argued the criminal information was filed after the 10-year statute of limitations and is legally invalid. McFadden noted Washington grand juries have repeatedly rejected charges in politically delicate cases and said he would be extremely frustrated by any dawn raid to arrest Comey before an indictment; prosecutor Dustin Farahnak said that would not happen. It is the department's third criminal case against Comey.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Russia's last major independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, is shutting down, blaming state pressure
Novaya Gazeta, Russia's most renowned independent newspaper, announced Friday, Oct. 30, that it will close its office Nov. 9 after publishing its final issue, blaming relentless pressure from Russian authorities and security services, the Associated Press reported. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin.
Founded in 1993 with help from Mikhail Gorbachev's Nobel Peace Prize money, it was the last major outlet critical of the Kremlin still operating after others were shut or blocked following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Six of its journalists were killed, including Anna Politkovskaya, who reported on atrocities in the second Chechen war.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
G20 foreign ministers end Atlanta talks without a joint statement amid divisions over Ukraine
Foreign ministers from the Group of 20 wrapped up two days of talks in Atlanta on Saturday without consensus on several key security issues, with divisions over Russia's war in Ukraine overshadowing the meeting. Instead of a joint communique, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would release a chairman's statement summarizing the talks later Saturday.
Rubio told reporters the group is not close to universally accepted solutions but said members are working together on supply chains and critical minerals. He pressed partners to keep the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait open to commerce, the AP reported.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP) · PBS NewsHour
Pope Leo XIV became the first pope to vote in a U.S. general election, mailing a Chicago ballot
Pope Leo XIV has become the first pontiff to vote in a U.S. general election, casting a mail-in ballot in Chicago ahead of Tuesday's midterms, the Vatican confirmed Friday, Oct. 30, the Associated Press reported.
The Holy See press office said Leo, formerly Robert Prevost, voted as a U.S. citizen as he has whenever eligible, and had also voted while living in Peru as a missionary priest and bishop for more than 20 years. He holds U.S. and Peruvian citizenship. Federal law allows citizens living abroad, including those working for foreign governments, to vote absentee.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP) · PBS NewsHour (AP)
Duffy Law Firm, PC