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Justice Department sues Texas developer accused of luring Hispanic homebuyers into predatory loans

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:10:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department filed its first predatory mortgage lending case Wednesday against a Texas developer accused of luring tens of thousands of Hispanic homebuyers into “bait and switch” sales through platforms like TikTok.The lawsuit focuses on a massive development northeast of Houston, Colony Ridge, that promises homeownership with advertisements in Spanish, but then steers applicants into buying properties without basic utilities by taking out loans they can’t always repay, the Justice Department alleged. The suit said the developer uses high-pressure sales tactics that exploit limited English proficiency.“The impact of this unlawful, discriminatory and fraudulent scheme is devastating,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who oversees the department’s civil rights division. Many buyers found the lots didn’t have basic utilities, or were prone to flooding with rain and raw sewage.Colony Ridge CEO John Harris said in a statement that the lawsuit is...

Planeload of migrants sent to O'Hare Airport by Texas emergency management officials, City of Chicago confirms

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:10:19 GMT

CHICAGO — A private plane carrying approximately 100 migrants into O'Hare International Airport on Tuesday night was chartered by the Texas Department of Emergency Management, a City of Chicago spokesperson confirmed in a statement Wednesday afternoon.According to the statement, on Tuesday at approximately 7:15 p.m., police at O'Hare received a call stating the plane landed and left approximately 100 migrants at Signature Flight, a network that supports private aviation.The flight originated from El Paso, Texas, the statement confirms. The statement also says two unidentified individuals who flew with the plane reportedly fled Signature Flight and left the scene in an Uber prior to the arrival of police.Flight tracking data via flightradar.com indicates the chartered 737 left El Paso on Tuesday at 1:36 p.m. and arrived at O’Hare at 5:49 p.m. After dropping the migrants off at Signature Flight, the plan then flew to San Antonio, Texas.Texas Gov. Greg Abbott boasted Tuesday morning on...

Holiday gas prices reach lowest level since 2020

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:10:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- Americans are seeing the lowest holiday gas prices since 2020."Most Americans are seeing prices below $3," Energy and Investment Senior Advisor Amos Hochstein said.The Biden administration says the drop is because of the president's efforts. “Just about a year and a half ago, we were at $5 a gallon after the Russians invaded Ukraine. That took an enormous amount of effort to bring those prices down," Hochstein said.Hochstein says the price of gas also influences the price of food and travel costs."Bringing those prices down for American consumers, especially ahead of the holidays and into this year was critically important," Hochstein said.Right now, Gas Buddy estimates the national average price of gas is projected to be 80 cents cheaper than just a few months ago, but that could change.Recent attacks from Houthi militants in the Red Sea are raising red flags for companies like BP which just halted all shipments through the region, which could push pric...

Nearly every state saw population growth in 2023: These 8 didn't, Census says

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:10:19 GMT

(The Hill) — The South led the country in population growth in the last year, new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau found, but not every state saw an increase. The South is already the nation’s most populated region but accounted for 87% of the overall growth from July 2022 to July 2023. It was the only region to maintain population growth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the report found.In the last year, the region added more than 1.4 million residents, a 1.1% increase, for a total population of more than 130 million people. The growth can be attributed to migration patterns, the report said.About 700,000 people came to the South through domestic migration, moving from one region to another. More than 500,000 people moved to the South through international migration. This is the safest town in Illinois: report The only state in the region that saw losses over the last year was Louisiana. Texas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina all saw population increase...

Border deal will wait until next year

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:10:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Lawmakers in Washington say a deal to address the border crisis will have to wait until next year. “The Senate cannot afford to get this wrong,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday. “There’s no longer any disagreement that the situation at the southern border is unsustainable and requires the Senate to act.” McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) vowed to resume negotiations in the new year. “Make no mistake, the winter recess will be a busy and important few weeks for the U.S. Senate,” Schumer said. “Negotiations will continue around the clock.” For weeks, senators have been at odds on how to pass a package that both funds the war in Ukraine and also meets republicans border policy demands. “We are beyond the breaking point,” Congressman Tony Gozales (R-Texas) said standing in Eagle Pass on Wednesday. “We are already there.” Gonzales says border agents can’t wait until January; they need the help now. T...

Biden emphasizes Black-owned business progress, lead pipe replacement in Milwaukee

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:10:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – President Joe Biden spoke at the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce in Milwaukee today. He highlighted, among other things, 4,700 loans valued at $1.5 billion to Black-owned businesses that the Small Business Administration backed in the last fiscal year.“I'm here to celebrate the progress we're making for black small businesses here and around the country,” Biden started. “We're doing it by building the economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down.”In the 2021 infrastructure bill, $15 billion was included to replace lead piping across the U.S. The president toured Hero Plumbing, one of the companies that has been contracted to do the work.Biden claims that the original plan would have taken 60 years to change out all the necessary pipes in Milwaukee.  However, he said his administration proposed a new rule that would “require the water systems in Milwaukee to be fully replaced, every one of them, within ten years.”Wisconsin voted for ...

Colorado Supreme Court blocks Trump from state ballot

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:10:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - The Colorado Supreme Court decision to boot former President Donald Trump from their state's 2024 ballot is sparking a political firestorm.Trump is vowing to appeal the Colorado ruling swiftly, setting up a high stake’s decision at the Supreme Court.The 4-3 decision found Trump is constitutionally ineligible to run because he led an insurrection on January 6th.While leaving the White House Wednesday, President Joe Biden said it's up to the courts to determine the merits of the case but says he believes Trump did attempt an insurrection."There's no question about it. None, zero," said Biden.Trump did not mention the ruling at an Iowa rally Tuesday night but continues to call both the 2020 and 2024 elections rigged."Every time the radical left democrats, Marxist communists and fascists indict me, I consider it a great badge of honor," Trump said.His Republican 2024 rivals offered mixed reactions.Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley who is rising in polls, says Tru...

DOJ alleges Texas developer targeted Hispanic borrowers in land sale scheme

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:10:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- The U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday its first predatory mortgage lending case.In conjunction with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), officials are suing Texas-based housing developer Colony Ridge for targeting thousands of Hispanic borrowers with false statements and predatory loans. "It often ended with families facing economic ruin,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas. “No home and shattered dreams.""What we uncovered was disturbing," said Rohit Chopra, the CFPB director."Colony Ridge operates as a one-stop shop for discriminatory lending," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke.The lawsuit accuses the developer and lender of baiting the Hispanic community on TikTok, exploiting language barriers and locking families into unaffordable loans for flood-prone land that does not include infrastructure for utilities."The impact of this unlawful, discriminatory and fraudulent scheme is devas...

Smithville ISD investigating alleged bus incident involving HS basketball players

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:10:19 GMT

SMITHVILLE, Texas (KXAN) -- Smithville Independent School District confirmed to KXAN Wednesday that district officials, along with the Smithville Police Department, are investigating an alleged incident involving several high school basketball players earlier this month. Smithville ISD said in a statement to KXAN the district has received "allegations of an incident involving several Smithville High School basketball players that occurred on one of our buses earlier this month." District officials added they wouldn't comment further on the alleged incident due to the ongoing investigation."The District is working actively with our families to ensure that any students who engaged in misconduct receive the due process they are entitled and disciplinary consequences as appropriate," school officials said in an emailed statement to KXAN. "Above all, we are committed to ensuring a safe and healthy learning environment for all our students and will be focused on providing support to stude...

Allred widens lead over Gutierrez in Texas Senate poll; Cruz leads both Democrats

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:10:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Rep. Colin Allred has increased his lead over State Rep. Roland Gutierrez, and several other candidates, in a new poll of the crowded Democratic primary field for U.S. Senate.Allred is the first choice for 28% of Democratic voters, according to the poll by the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project. The Dallas-area congressman has increased his share by seven percentage points since an October poll.State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, polled at 7% in the new poll, down from 10% in October. No other candidate received more than 3% support in either poll.Forty-eight percent of respondents said they didn't know who they would vote for if the election were held today or hadn't thought about it enough to form an opinion — up from 46% in October. Trump widens Texas lead in Republican primary poll, but loses ground in matchup vs. Biden Republican incumbent Ted Cruz will likely be his party's nominee in the 2024 election. He has held the Senate seat since 2...