Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, a Democrat who is the chief elected official of that county, instituted a face mask mandate because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and it took effect on Wednesday at 11.59 pm. Abbott, a Republican, issued an executive order - GA 38 - last month that banned local government in the state from imposing mask mandates and threatened fines of up to $1,000 for local government institutions and officials who try to impose a mask requirement....

Abbott’s tweet was criticizing President Joe Biden’s decision to restrict travelers entering the U.S and seven other countries from southern Africa in order to help prevent the spread of the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, now named Omicron. In doing so, Abbott appeared to link the steps to stop the Omicron coronavirus variant spreading internationally to the migrant crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border, which the governor frequently attacks the president over....

The investigation was first reported by The Texas Tribune and the nonprofit news organization ProPublica, which said that they had obtained state records. The report, for example, mentioned one letter—which noted a “formal investigation” by the DOJ of Operation Lone Star—that was allegedly sent last Friday by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to Texas’ attorney general. The department’s deputy general counsel wrote in the letter that the DOJ was looking into whether people who were arrested as part of Operation Lone Star were facing “differential and unlawful conditions of confinement based on their perceived or actual race or national origin,” the Tribune and ProPublica reported....

Biffle, ninth in the 2013 Cup standings and owner of 19 career Cup wins, said Thursday he is close to finalizing a deal with the team and sponsor 3M. “We’ve been in that (discussion) for about the last half of last year and over the winter talking with 3M and it’s kind of a mutual negotiation, so we’re well on our way to probably announcing something I would think in the first quarter, but we’ll wait and see,” Biffle said Thursday at NASCAR Media Day....

Jennings told SI.com on Tuesday that he feels remorse for comments he made after he left Green Bay to sign a five-year, $45 million free agent deal with Minnesota in 2013. The 31-year-old Jennings, who made two Pro Bowl appearances in a Packers uniform, never matched that level of success with the Vikings. The team released the wide receiver March 14, a day after landing receiver Mike Wallace in a trade....

On Monday, the former Alabama quarterback who spent three seasons as a backup in the NFL, joined ESPN as a college football analyst for the SEC Network. “I am thrilled to be joining the ESPN family,” McElroy said in a statement. “College football has always been one of my greatest passions, and I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity to take part in the launch of the SEC Network. The SEC provided me with the five best years of my life, and the fact I will be able to cover its 14 outstanding universities was extremely appealing and exciting....

On Tuesday, District Judge Janet Neff ruled that Republican chairman Ron Weiser and the party were unsuccessful in proving they had been inflicted a “concrete and particularized injury.” Neff also said they could have given recall committees against Whitmer, a Democrat, unlimited amounts of money but did not. Republicans said they would appeal the ruling. The Michigan Republican Party first filed the lawsuit back in September to prevent Whitmer’s reelection campaign from collecting donations exceeding the $7,150 per-person limit, according to the Associated Press....

Faith Sidman, from Oregon, lost her beloved sibling two years ago, but would text her number from time to time as a coping mechanism. Sidman, who has her sister saved in her phone under “Sissy,” would send messages sharing her love and memories. Out of the blue, a reply popped up on her phone, which simply said: “You have a wrong number.” Sidman shared the conversation to her TikTok page, @faithsidman1, where it shows she previously sent her sister a message saying: “I wish I could call you right now....

Italian giants Juventus will meet defending European champions Madrid in the final in Cardiff on June 3. The Serie A titleholders have not won the Champions League since 1995-96 but Atletico Madrid star Griezmann believes Juve will reign supreme at Millennium Stadium, allowing iconic captain and goalkeeper Buffon to pip Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the coveted individual award. Alves rivals Ronaldo for Europe’s best “Juventus will win the Champions League and therefore Gigi Buffon the Ballon d’Or,” Griezmann told Cadena Ser’s El Larguero....

Miller was lost for the season Dec. 15 with a left shoulder blade injury during a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Niners missed his contributions the rest of the way before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion and division rival Seattle Seahawks in the NFC title game. Miller found it difficult to use his left arm after the game. He took a hard hit from Buccaneers safety Keith Tandy after a 10-yard catch midway through the fourth quarter....

MORE: Top photos of first round | Grizz-Spurs TV times “We are undefeated in re-signing our core players, and we will remain so,” Wallace said Wednesday on ESPN Radio’s “The Chris Vernon Show.” “We are going to re-sign Mike Conley.” Conley played in just 56 games this season after experiencing Achilles tendinitis last month. He averaged 15.3 points and 6.1 assists. The Grizzlies, who are trailing the Spurs two games to none in their Western Conference first-round playoff series, have been hit hard by injuries this season....

The final score — plus the fact Giannis Antetokounmpo was playing for visiting Milwaukee — made for a fun night for Memphis faithful who watched the game at FedExForum. The Grizzlies’ bench added another twist to the festivities, participating in a crowd wave with five minutes remaining in the game: MORE: LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook are failing the Lakers in the clutch It’s not every team takes a jab like that at their opponents, let alone the current No....

At the end of March, Edward Guy Mason, packed three shopping carts full of flammables and ignited them inside his Bruce Rock store, before attempting to commit suicide, ABC News reported. Bruce Rock police posted an image of the blaze, which reached as high as a two-story building, on social media in March. Locals at the scene phoned the emergency services. After walking home from the incident, Mason was arrested at his residence....

Well, if you haven't before you have now. And if you didn't previously have an explanation for what it means, or an example you can point to, just watch the rest of the season unfold for the New England Patriots after losing star tight end Rob Gronkowski, affectionately known as "Gronk", for the rest of the season to a torn ACL in their thrilling 27-26 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday....

In a viral clip uploaded onto TikTok, users Dani and Blake could be seen sitting next to one another at their wedding. The clip started with the person holding the camera panning from a mobile phone with sports showing while the husband watched as he was sat next to his bride. It was captioned: “I still can’t believe my husband did this at our wedding.” As the camera zoomed in on the husband, he could be seen mouthing the words: “The footy’s on....

Such transactions have typically been hailed by market cheerleaders as votes of confidence. After all, they prove that sophisticated investors are willing to plunge billions of dollars into a foundering sector. But these life preservers bear a heavy cost: dilution. Most Americans experience dilution at bars, when unscrupulous bartenders cut top-shelf alcohol with excessive amounts of tonic or juice in mixed drinks. In recent months we’ve been feeling it in our wallets, as inflation (up 4 percent in the year that ended in March) has eroded wages....

Now, however, Michelle’s once orderly life is tending toward the chaotic, in the form of a presidential campaign, and no amount of planning can stave it off. Last week her husband’s name was on the lips of every Democrat from Boston to Berkeley after he announced he was forming a presidential exploratory committee. But Michelle was out of sight–the Obama campaign declined to make her available for this story–even as many Democrats wondered what she thought of her husband’s big leap....

And in Houssem Aouar, they look to have unearthed yet another gem. The Ligue 1 side’s first-team is now littered with a host of young superstars already looking likely to set the footballing world alight. Sought-after Frenchman Nabil Fekir stars alongside Mariano, Maxwell Cornet, Tanguy Ndombele and Lucas Tousart - with all five under the age of 25 - but it’s 19-year-old Aouar who is the talk of the town....

Online retailer Inmod sells an assortment of its signature space-age “Sputnik” chandeliers. The chrome designs are at once retro and modern and can be customized to suit any space. One customer recently ordered a 127cm model, with 50 shiny silver arms jutting out in every direction, according to cofounder Casey Choron. Its higher-end, imported models include handblown glass versions in red, white or black. The Ika Trio in red looks like a three-tiered bundle of red-hot chilis and retails for $1,699 (inmod....