Southwest
Texas woman turns 115, making her the oldest living person in the US
A Houston, Texas, woman who turned 115 last month is now the oldest living person in the United States.
“She will tell you it’s by the grace of God,” her granddaughter Ethel Harrison, 69, also of Houston, told Fox News Digital.
“That’s how she made it so long. She is very spiritual.”
TEXAS WOMAN CELEBRATES HER 114TH BIRTHDAY, ATTRIBUTING HER LONG LIFE TO GOD: ‘JUST THE LORD KEEPING ME HERE’
Elizabeth Francis was the second-oldest person in the U.S. until the previous longevity record holder Edie Ceccarelli, 116, of Mendocino County, California, died on Feb. 22.
Elizabeth Francis, 115, of Houston, Texas, is now the oldest living person in the United States and the fourth-oldest documented person living in the world. (Ethel Harrison)
Francis is also the fourth-oldest living person in the world — according to the Gerontology Research Group (GRT), a Los Angeles-based global social science institution of researchers in gerontology, human longevity, public health and demography.
“Supercentenarians” are folks who have lived more than 110 years. While there are more than 97,000 people in the United States who are classified as centenarians, there are far fewer supercentenarians, according to data from the World Economic Forum, a nonprofit research institute based in Switzerland.
Francis lives at home with her daughter, Dorothy Williams, who is 95.
The two have several caregivers, including Harrison.
100-YEAR-OLD OKLAHOMA WOMAN CELEBRATES 25TH ACTUAL BIRTHDAY ON LEAP DAY
Francis always believed in the loyalty of family and taking care of her own, Harrison said.
Ben Myers (pictured far right) of LongeviQuest, a global research organization that tracks human longevity, gathers with Elizabeth Francis’ family members and presents her award as the oldest living American in the U.S. (Ethel Harrison)
“She was a caregiver herself,” Harrison said.
“She actually took care of her dad until he passed at the age of 99. And then she had a sister come live with her. She always said, ‘Treat people like you want to be treated.’ That was her motto and we’ve always kind of lived by that.”
Ben Meyers is CEO of LongeviQuest, a global research organization that tracks and studies human longevity.
WWII VETERAN, 100, CELEBRATES MILESTONE BIRTHDAY BY PLAYING DRUMS, REVEALS SECRETS TO LONGEVITY
“There’s a lot of interest recently in longevity and also aging,” Meyers said.
Ben Meyers, CEO of LongeviQuest, a global research organization that tracks and studies human longevity, said many of those he works with over the age of 100 have a strong sense of faith. (Ben Meyers)
“How to take care of people, live good, fulfilling lives. There’s really no better role model than supercentenarians. They’re very interesting — their histories, their philosophies,” he added.
“And there are folks who are interested in learning the secrets of longevity … trying to come up with formulas. But the only ones we know who are successful at aging to the maximum degree are supercentenarians. We call them the Olympians of aging. Ms. Francis is a great example.”
Meyers visited Francis and her family earlier this year to present her with an award to recognize her as the oldest living American in the U.S.
“One thing that she really is an example of more than almost anybody else I’ve met is just family and community,” he said.
CALIFORNIA WWII VETERAN, 103, SHARES REMARKABLE LIFE STORY AND ADVICE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: ‘PRAY EVERY NIGHT’
“She lives at home, and she’s the oldest person in the world to live at home. It’s really pretty extraordinary. Also, the community that she has through her church. So there [are] really active families and communities. It’s very difficult for people to reach that age in isolation,” Meyers added.
Francis is now officially the oldest living person in America after her 115th birthday last month. (Ethel Harrison)
Born in Louisiana on July 25, 1909, Francis has lived through two world wars and now two global pandemics.
She never drove a car, but she worked outside the home, running the coffee shop at a TV station in Houston during the 1970s and 80s.
Francis has three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
TIKTOK STAR AND WWII VETERAN ‘PAPA JAKE’ TURNS 100, WANTS FUTURE GENERATIONS TO KNOW HIS STORIES
Harrison said her grandmother’s main focus has always been on her family and her faith.
“If we had a gathering, whether a party or a graduation, she was always there,” Harrison said.
Last year, Francis and her family celebrated her 114th birthday. (Ethel Harrison)
Francis only attended one church, which she’s still a member of, Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church, which was established in 1872.
“Pastor Cofield and the members still come out to the home,” Harrison said.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
Francis attributes her long life to her faith and still watches her church on television since she cannot attend in person. (Ethel Harrison)
“They come to visit and bring communion,” Harrison said. “She is still an active member even though she is not able to attend church. We watch on television.”
Meyers said the supercentenarians he interviews have a strong sense of faith.
“Ms. Francis gives 100 percent of the credit for her longevity to God,” Meyers said.
NEW YORK VETERAN, 105, SHARES HER SECRET TO A FULFILLING LIFE: FAITH, FAMILY AND ‘NO REGRETS’
Francis has three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren — all of whom were at her 114th birthday celebration last year. (Ethel Harrison)
Another characteristic Francis exemplifies, Meyer said, is “total fortitude.”
“Not letting herself get distracted by things that are outside of her control,” he said.
“She is really focused on her world. I’ve asked her about the events she lived through and her answers are quite blasé. Every event, good or bad, kind of rolled off her sleeve because she focused on her world day to day.”
Harrison said that although Francis is no longer a big talker, an old hymn definitely catches her grandmother’s attention and she enjoys singing along.
Francis is reportedly only one of 68 people who have reached the age of 115 and 25 of the longest-living Americans in history. (Ethel Harrison)
Francis always had a love for gardening and sharing vegetables with others.
“She believed in cooking her own healthy food and working hard — ‘Just work hard,’ she said. And that’s what we did.”
Francis is one of only 68 people known to have reached the age of 115, and she is among the 25 longest-lived people in American history, according to LongeviQuest.
Last year, when asked what she attributes her long life to, Francis told Fox News Digital, “Just the Lord working with me and keeping me here.”
Read the full article from Here
Southwest
Arizona governor vetoes Charlie Kirk memorial license plate, sparking GOP outrage: ‘This bill falls short’
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is facing fierce backlash after vetoing a bill that would have created a specialty license plate honoring slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, a move Republicans are blasting as a stunning act of partisanship after his assassination.
Kirk, who was assassinated while speaking at a Sept. 10 Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University, lived in Arizona with his wife, Erika, and two children.
The proposed specialty plate, referred to as the “Charlie Kirk memorial” plate or the “Conservative grassroots network special plate,” featured a photo of the late Kirk and the TPUSA logo in front of an American flag background.
Below the license plate number were the words “FOR CHARLIE.”
A custom Arizona license plate, featuring a Turning Point USA and Charlie Kirk design, shared by state Sen. Jake Hoffman. (Senator Jake Hoffman via X)
STATE DEPARTMENT REVOKES SIX VISAS OVER OFFENSIVE CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION COMMENTS
Of the $25 fee required for the plate, $17 would be an annual donation deposited into the Conservative Grassroots Network Special Plate Fund, according to the legislation.
While the recipient of the Grassroots Network Special Plate Fund was not explicitly designated as TPUSA in the bill, it noted the director of the fund would allocate revenue annually to a nonprofit organization, founded in 2012, that focuses on restoring traditional values, maintaining a grassroots activist network on high school and college campuses in Arizona, and assisting college students with voter registration and absentee ballots.
People gather at a memorial to mourn Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk outside Turning Point USA headquarters Sept. 12, 2025, in Phoenix. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
TPUSA, founded by Kirk in 2012, is well known for its grassroots activist networks on high school and college campuses. It is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.
The $25 fee and annual $17 donation are consistent with the fees for the other 109 nonprofit license plates offered by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).
‘WE ARE NOT AFRAID’: ERIKA KIRK VOWS TPUSA WILL CONTINUE CAMPUS DEBATES NATIONWIDE
The state Senate passed the bill, 16-2, with the House of Representatives voting 31-23 in favor prior to Hobbs’ veto.
Specialty plates in Arizona are authorized by the legislature and sent to the governor to be signed into law. They have been offered since 1989.
In a letter explaining the veto, Hobbs cited concerns with the bill “bring[ing] people together,” claiming it would “insert politics into a function of government that should remain nonpartisan.”
Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is facing fierce backlash after vetoing a bill that would have created a specialty license plate honoring slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
ERIKA KIRK BATTLES FOR CAMERAS IN COURTROOM WHILE EXPANDING TPUSA CHAPTERS IN NEW STATE PARTNERSHIP
“Charlie Kirk’s assassination is tragic and a horrifying act of violence,” Hobbs wrote. “In America, we resolve our political differences at the ballot box. No matter who it targets, political violence puts us all in harm’s way and damages our sacred democratic institutions.
“I will continue working toward solutions that bring people together, but this bill falls short of that standard.”
Specialty license plates with political interests already approved by the state include the “Choose Life” Plate, which benefits the Arizona Life Coalition and its mission to promote anti-abortion advocacy and education; the “In God We Trust” Plate, which benefits conservative Christian legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom; and the Arizona Realtors’ “Homes for All” Plate, which funds affordable housing projects.
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, speaks during the Turning Point Action conference in 2023 in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Lynne Sladky/AP Photo)
DEMOCRAT JOHN FETTERMAN DECRIES ‘DEHUMANIZING’ ATTACK AGAINST CHARLIE KIRK’S WIDOW ERIKA
Another approved plate, “Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Plate,” which benefits Solid Rock Teen Centers, features a portrait of the legendary musician, who has made political comments about social issues including gender identity.
Republican state Sen. Jake Hoffman, who sponsored the bill, posted a fiery statement on social media after the governor’s action, claiming her “grotesque partisanship knows no bounds.”
“Even in the wake of a global civil rights leader — an Arizona resident and her own constituent — being assassinated in broad daylight for his defense of the First Amendment, Hobbs couldn’t find the human decency to put her far-Left extremism aside simply to allow those how wish to honor him to do so,” Hoffman wrote. “Katie Hobbs will forever be known as a stain on the pages of Arizona’s story.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
On Saturday, TPUSA COO Tyler Bowyer shared an X post that said, “Deport Katie Hobbs.”
TPUSA, Bowyer and Hobbs’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Read the full article from Here
Southwest
Air Force veteran warns ‘cartels don’t collapse — they fracture’ after notorious drug lord killed
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Nearly two weeks after Mexican forces killed notorious cartel boss Ruben “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, questions remain about how the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) will respond and whether the blow will meaningfully disrupt the flow of fentanyl into the United States.
Carlos De La Cruz, a 20-year U.S. Air Force veteran who deployed after 9/11 and later served along the southern border, told Fox News the cartel leader’s death marked a major victory, but warned Americans should not mistake it for the end of the fight.
“When I say that this is a significant win, I mean it,” De La Cruz said. “El Mencho ran one of the most violent cartels on the planet.”
Oseguera, who rose to prominence in the post–El Chapo era, oversaw CJNG’s aggressive expansion across Mexico and into key trafficking corridors feeding U.S. drug markets. Under his leadership, the cartel became a central architect of fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking and drew a $15 million U.S. reward for information leading to his capture.
NARCOTICS EXPERT REVEALS SLAIN DRUG KINGPIN EL MENCHO’S DEADLY IMPACT ON AMERICANS
Smoke rises from burning vehicles after a military operation that a government source said killed Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Feb. 22, 2026. (Screen grab obtained from a social media video. @morelifediares via Instagram/YouTube via Reuters)
But De La Cruz cautioned that removing a cartel kingpin does not dismantle the organization.
“Cartels don’t collapse when you just cut the head off — they fracture,” he said. “And part of that fracture is going to see a lot of short-term violence while all these factions fight over territory.”
Following Oseguera’s killing on Feb. 22, the U.S. State Department issued travel alerts in multiple Mexican states, citing road blockages and criminal activity tied to security operations, underscoring concerns about instability in the aftermath.
Drawing on his military background studying enemy command structures, De La Cruz described the cartel fight as a long-term campaign requiring sustained pressure.
A mughsot of Ruben “Nemesio” Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” beside graffiti depicting the letters of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, covering the facade of an abandoned home in El Limoncito, in the Michoacan state of Mexico. (Eduardo Verdugo/AP Images; Drug Enforcement Administration)
“You don’t win a war with just one airstrike,” he said. “The goal is dismantling the networks and going after their financing.”
De La Cruz, who is running for Congress and is the brother of Texas Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz, argued that CJNG’s Foreign Terrorist Organization designation gives U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies expanded tools to target cartel infrastructure and financial pipelines.
KAROLINE LEAVITT WARNS CARTELS TO ‘NOT LAY A FINGER’ ON AMERICANS OR PAY ‘SEVERE CONSEQUENCES’
A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle after it was set on fire in Cointzio, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the cartel leader’s death. (Armando Solis/AP Photo)
But he stressed that the fentanyl crisis should be viewed as a domestic security emergency, not a distant foreign problem.
“For decades, they were using their territories as launching pads to pump chemical weapons into America — because that’s exactly what fentanyl is,” he said.
De La Cruz, who said he worked side by side with Customs agents while deployed to the border, warned that cartel networks are highly adaptive and that any gains could be temporary without sustained follow-through.
SEN MULLIN URGES SPRING BREAKERS TO CANCEL TRIPS TO MEXICO AMID COUNTRY’S VIOLENCE: ‘NO ONE SHOULD BE GOING’
Smoke rises after violence hit Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. (Courtesy of Scott Posilkin)
“These networks, they’re going to adjust. They’re going to adapt and they’re going to adapt quickly,” he said. “We have to continue to go after the money launderers, especially on our side of the border, because that’s the full fight.”
While Oseguera’s death removes one of the most dominant figures in Mexico’s criminal underworld, De La Cruz said the mission is personal.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“I took an oath to defend this country,” he said. “And I intend to stand by that oath.”
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
Read the full article from Here
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
TUCSON, Ariz. — More than five weeks after the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie — the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie — Arizona authorities say cadaver dogs used earlier in the investigation are not currently being deployed as the search continues.
The elder Guthrie is believed to have been kidnapped from her home in the Catalina Foothills in northern Tucson around 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 1.
While no suspects have been publicly identified, and she has not been found, cadaver dogs had been deployed earlier in the case, according to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. They have not been visible in weeks.
SEND US A TIP HERE
A member of the Pima County Sheriff’s Office remains outside of Nancy Guthrie’s home, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil; Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
“They are available if needed in the future,” he told Fox News Digital.
There are a number of reasons not to be using cadaver dogs at this stage in the investigation, according to Betsy Brantner Smith, a retired police sergeant and spokeswoman for the National Police Association.
NANCY GUTHRIE’S NEIGHBORS FLAG CAMERA GLITCHING, EXPERTS EXPLAIN WI-FI JAMMING
Savannah Guthrie visits the Today show at Rockefeller Plaza in New York on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
One would be if there’s credible information that Guthrie is still alive.
“Anything is possible,” Nanos told Fox News Digital last week, adding that he would not discuss specific leads or evidence in the case.
DNA IS STILL PENDING AS VOLUNTEERS FIND ANOTHER GLOVE IN THE SEARCH FOR NANCY GUTHRIE
Brantner Smith, who is not involved in the case, said departments may hold back K-9 resources for several reasons. Those could be that authorities don’t have a good idea of where to search, they think she might be concealed in a place where dogs would have a hard time detecting her, or they believe she’s been taken to Mexico, according to Brantner Smith.
Law enforcement agents walk around the neighborhood where Annie Guthrie, whose mother Nancy Guthrie has been missing for more than a week, lives just outside Tucson, Ariz. (Ty ONeil/AP Photo)
“I do believe that the sheriff’s department has much more information that they are not releasing to the public,” she told Fox News Digital. “And I’m not sure at this point why that would be, unless they have a solid suspect and don’t want to tip them off.”
FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X
Most departments, including the Pima County Sheriff’s, don’t have their own cadaver dogs and borrow them from state and federal authorities or neighboring jurisdictions.
An investigator looks inside a culvert in the neighborhood where Annie Guthrie, whose mother Nancy Guthrie has been missing for more than a week, lives just outside Tucson, Ariz., on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (Ty ONeil/AP Photo)
In Guthrie’s case, the sheriff’s department sought K-9 assistance from the local Border Patrol office earlier in the investigation.
SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER
PCSD deferred further comment on the K-9s to Customs and Border Protection, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A member of the Pima County Sheriff’s Office walks around Nancy Guthrie’s home on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026 in Tucson, Ariz. (Ty ONeil/AP Photo)
The biggest lead so far has been Nest camera video showing a masked intruder on Guthrie’s doorstep the morning of her abduction.
LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST
He is described as about 5 feet, 9 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall and of medium build.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, has been missing from her Arizona home since Jan. 31, 2026. (Don Arnold/WireImage/Getty Images)
He was wearing a black Ozark Trail backpack.
Authorities have said they won’t consider the case cold until they run out of viable leads to follow up on — and tens of thousands have come in so far.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB
Savannah Guthrie has asked anyone with information to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
There’s a combined reward of more than $1.2 million for information that leads to her mother’s recovery.
Read the full article from Here
Body recovered from retention pond after reported drowning in Iowa Colony
![~!@[WATCHLIVE!TV]>> NOW Portland Thorns FC vs Kansas City Current Match 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 Ｆｒｅｅ Ｓｔｒｅａｍｓ ＯＮ Ｔｖ Ｃｈａｎｎｅｌ](https://i2.wp.com/unicornriot.ninja/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/LiveChannel334x212v2.png?w=80&resize=80,80&ssl=1 "~!@[WATCHLIVE!TV]>> NOW Portland Thorns FC vs Kansas City Current Match 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 Ｆｒｅｅ Ｓｔｒｅａｍｓ ＯＮ Ｔｖ Ｃｈａｎｎｅｌ")
~!@[WATCHLIVE!TV]>> NOW Portland Thorns FC vs Kansas City Current Match 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 Ｆｒｅｅ Ｓｔｒｅａｍｓ ＯＮ Ｔｖ Ｃｈａｎｎｅｌ
2026 top-50 recruit Chris Washington Jr. drawing interest from Kentucky Basketball
Maine’s juvenile offenders and at-risk youth have been cast aside again | Opinion
Maryland House advances GOP-backed bill to tighten oversight of taxpayer-funded nonprofits
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
JD Vance says he was ‘obsessed’ with UFOs, believes aliens are actually ‘demons’
The EU's recipe for trade deals : easy on beef, tough on wine
Photos: ‘No Kings’ protests across the country
Jeffries declines to break with indicted Democrat after ethics panel’s guilty verdict
Hundreds of thousands march through London in stand against the far right
-
Sports1 week agoIOC addresses execution of 19-year-old Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi
-
New Mexico7 days agoClovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured
-
Tennessee6 days agoTennessee Police Investigating Alleged Assault Involving ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson
-
Technology7 days agoYouTube job scam text: How to spot it fast
-
Minneapolis, MN3 days agoBoy who shielded classmate during school shooting receives Medal of Honor
-
Science1 week agoRecord Heat Meets a Major Snow Drought Across the West
-
Politics1 week agoSchumer gambit fails as DHS shutdown hits 36 days and airport lines grow
-
Texas1 week agoHow to buy Houston vs. Texas A&M 2026 March Madness tickets