South
Smugglers abandon two migrant girls at southern border with note to authorities
Smugglers abandoned two migrant children at the southern border in Texas this week, fleeing back to Mexico as Texas authorities came to the little girls’ rescue, amid continued concerns about the numbers of unaccompanied minors coming across the border.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said that its troopers had recovered the two little girls, who are five and nine years old, after the smuggler had abandoned them and fled back to Mexico.
The girls, from El Salvador, carried only a note with an address and phone number, and were then referred to U.S. Border Patrol.
ICE DEPORTATIONS CATCH UP TO TRUMP-ERA NUMBERS IN FY 2024 AS BIDEN ADMIN COMES TO A CLOSE
Texas troopers rescued two girls abandoned at the southern border. (Texas Department of Public Safety.)
The incident taps into ongoing concerns about unaccompanied migrant children coming across the border, with numbers increasing significantly during the recent migrant crisis.
There have been a number of incidents of abandoned children being rescued, often with phone numbers or addresses of relatives or others written on paper or stitched into clothing. When children arrive unaccompanied, they are transferred eventually to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and released to sponsors in the U.S.
A National Guard soldier stands guard on the banks of the Rio Grande at Shelby Park on January 12, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The issue made headlines earlier this year when the DHS Office of Inspector General sent a report to Congress finding that, over the past five years, more than 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children [UCs] had not shown up for immigration court hearings, and that Immigration and Customs Enforcement could not account for the location of all of those who did not appear.
“During our ongoing audit to assess ICE’s ability to monitor the location and status of UCs who were released or transferred from the custody of the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), we learned ICE transferred more than 448,000 UCs to HHS from fiscal years 2019 to 2023,” the internal watchdog reported.
TRUMP’S TRANSITION TEAM EYES EXPANSION OF ANKLE MONITORS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS NOT IN CUSTODY
“However, ICE was not able to account for the location of all UCs who were released by HHS and did not appear as scheduled in immigration court. ICE reported more than 32,000 UCs failed to appear for their immigration court hearings from FYs 2019 to 2023,” it said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS
The watchdog also found that approximately 291,000 unaccompanied migrant children have not yet been marked for removal proceedings, because ICE has routinely failed to schedule immigration court dates and serve notices.
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ICEs FY 2024 report found that, despite the surge of more than 500,000 unaccompanied migrant children into the U.S. during the Biden administration, just 411 were removed in FY 2024, an increase from the 212 in FY 2023. For comparison, more than 4,000 were removed in FY 2022.
Maryland
Maryland is resending thousands of mail-in primary ballots after a vendor mix-up – WTOP News
The State Board of Elections said some voters received the wrong party’s ballot because of a vendor error.
Thousands of Maryland voters are getting new primary election ballots in the mail because of an error in the first batch.
The State Board of Elections said some voters received the wrong party’s ballot because of a vendor error.
“It is possible only a small number of voters received the wrong ballot, and most voters received the correct ballot,” the board of elections said in a statement.
But all mail-in voters will be sent a replacement ballot.
“Mail-in voting is an integral facet of the electoral process. With over 500,000 voters requesting mail-in ballots, we want to eliminate any doubt in its integrity or accuracy … that is why I have arranged the sending of replacement ballots,” Maryland State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis said.
The affected ballots were requested and mailed before May 14, more than a month before the state’s June 16 deadline for voters who wish to have their ballots mailed to them.
Voters who requested ballots that can be downloaded, printed and mailed were not affected by the error. They have until June 22 — the day before the state’s primary election — to request ballots by web delivery.
“Please be assured that we are actively answering phones and responding to emails and will remain transparent as we navigate through this situation,” DeMarinis said. “We will make every effort to ensure that everyone affected knows the situation and how to cast their ballot.”
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Despite scoring 33 runs in its final three-game series, Mississippi State baseball didn’t leave College Station, Texas, with a series victory.
No. 10 Texas A&M beat the visiting No. 12 Bulldogs 7-6 on May 16. It was the rubber match of the three-game series. MSU (39-16, 16-14 SEC) won the first game 18-11 and Texas A&M (39-13, 18-11) took the second game 11-9.
The Bulldogs are still entering the postseason in good position. MSU will be anywhere between the No. 8 and No. 10 seed in the SEC Tournament and has a case to be awarded a top-16 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
MSU can hit and does it well. The Bulldogs entered May 16 with the No. 2 batting average in the SEC (.314) and the third-most runs (471). Pitching was more hit-or-miss.
Here’s what stood out regarding MSU’s pitching in the regular season finale as the Bulldogs head into the postseason.
Ryan McPherson is back, but can he find peak form?
Getting star sophomore Ryan McPherson back in any capacity is big for MSU, but the Bulldogs need him to look like his old self to have their best chance at a deep postseason run.
McPherson started Game 3 against Alabama. He pitched 2⅓ innings, allowing one earned run on 44 pitches. He got into some trouble in the third inning and was pulled.
McPherson has only pitched one other time since March 20, when he suffered a forearm strain against Vanderbilt. That was on May 9 vs Auburn, but he only threw 1⅓ innings before he injured his ankle after tripping behind home plate while backing up a potential throw in the second inning.
At his best, McPherson has lights-out stuff that can win a postseason game. He was 5-1 with a 2.45 ERA before getting injured.
Ben Davis quietly shined in bullpen
The MSU bullpen got plenty of action against Texas A&M. Senior reliever Ben Davis pitched all three days.
Davis threw one inning in the first game, 2⅓ in the second game and 1⅓ in the finale. Across the 4⅔-inning span, Davis allowed four hits and no earned runs. He struck out three.
It’s the first time this season Davis pitched three consecutive days.
Walks, not hits, cost Mississippi State the series
The Bulldogs outhit the Aggies 11-7 in Game 3, but the discrepancy in walks was too much to overcome.
MSU walked 13 batters and drew just one.
Four of the walks went on McPherson’s ledger, but the bullpen struggled with control as well. Five of the six relievers who pitched after McPherson walked at least one batter. Only 96 of the 176 pitches MSU threw were in the strike zone.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
Gas prices have surpassed the $4 mark across North Carolina due to
global oil supply disruptions tied to the war in Iran, and local
rideshare drivers struggling to make up for the increased costs are
changing how they operate.
Joel Bender, an Uber driver from
Buncombe County, said he has been turning down more trips than he
accepts to offset heightened fuel costs.
“Right now, I’m at a 10% acceptance rate, and I’m at about a 20% cancel rate,” Bender said.
AAA
reports prices across the state are averaging out around $4.17 for a
gallon of regular as of May 13, 2026. Meanwhile, the national average is
spilling above $4.50 — about $1.50 more since the war started.
>>Economist says higher gas prices likely to continue into summer travel despite U.S. oil production
Bender
said he is questioning whether or not he is getting back how much he
spends to pump gas into his tank. Bender, a nearly decade-long rideshare
driver, said he is not alone in this.
“There’s still some drivers who just say, ‘Listen, I’m going to make sure that I’m not screwed on this ride,’” Bender said.
Bender created a Facebook group with almost 700 members — a place where rideshare drivers can connect and support one another.
He
said drivers part of this group have opened up to him about how they
are dealing with these rising costs. Bender said the gas hike is
especially burdensome on people whose primary income comes from
rideshare driving.
“There are a number of drivers who do this to put food on the table and to make their monthly obligations,” Bender said.
He
said more drivers — even ones who’ve been driving for years — are
choosing to steer clear from the business altogether, no longer helping
some pay their bills.
AAA said gas prices are averaging out to be
the highest they have been since 2022 with other states, like
California, exceeding $6 for a gallon.
While Uber said it is
expanding its fuel discount program for drivers and couriers through May
26, Bender said this is still not enough to help him make up for
losses.
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