News You Ought to Know
DPS: Troopers fatally shot driver who pulled gun in Dallas
DALLAS (AP) — The Texas Department of Public Safety says troopers fatally shot a driver who pulled a handgun on them after fleeing a traffic stop in Dallas.
DPS says two troopers tried to stop the driver for a traffic violation on Saturday night but the driver fled. DPS says that about five minutes later, the driver pulled into a residential driveway.
DPS says the driver, who was alone in the vehicle, then pulled a handgun on the troopers as they approached. The troopers opened fire, striking the driver, who died at the hospital. The driver’s handgun was recovered at the scene.
The troopers were not injured.
DPS says the Dallas County district attorney’s office and the Texas Rangers are investigating.
Obama’s high school basketball jersey sells for $120,000
DALLAS (AP) — A basketball jersey believed to have been worn by former President Barack Obama while he was at a Honolulu prep school has sold at auction for $120,000.
Heritage Auctions said the jersey sold Saturday night in Dallas to a collector of American and sports artifacts who didn’t wish to be identified.
The jersey was offered by Peter Noble, who was three years behind Obama at Punahou School. Noble, now 55 and living in Seattle, said the jersey was destined for the trash when he picked it up. Years later he saw an old photo of Obama wearing a No. 23 jersey while at school.
The auction house says details on the shirt match the one Obama is photographed wearing.
Suspect in shooting mistake that killed girl, 9, surrenders
DALLAS (AP) — Dallas police say their suspect in the shooting mistake that killed a 9-year-old girl has turned himself in to authorities.
A police statement says 19-year-old self-described rapper Tyrese Simmons surrendered Thursday at the Dallas County jail. He is held without bond in the shooting death of Brandoniya Bennett.
The shooting happened Wednesday afternoon at an apartment building in the Old East Dallas section just northeast of downtown. Police said Thursday that Simmons went to the building to confront another rapper who had disparaged him on social media. When the other man refused to come out, police say Simmons went to the back of the apartment building and opened fire on the wrong apartment, wounding Bennett.
Texas woman pleads guilty to making up son’s illnesses
DALLAS (AP) — A Texas woman accused of exposing her son to unneeded medical tests and procedures has pleaded guilty to recklessly causing injury to a child.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Kaylene Bowen-Wright pleaded guilty Thursday in Dallas County court. Sentencing for the 35-year-old, who faces up to 20 years in prison, is set for October.
CPS removed the boy from her care in 2017 after it was alerted by a Dallas hospital that medical staff determined he didn’t have cancer or many of the symptoms Bowen reported.
On Friday the boy’s father, Ryan Crawford, told the newspaper: “I am happy that she decided to do the right thing. Eventually the lies had to stop.”
Crawford is now the sole managing conservator of the now 10-year-old.
Ransomware attack hits more than 20 Texas local governments
By KATHLEEN FOODY and JAKE BLEIBERG
DALLAS (AP) — More than 20 local governments in Texas were targeted in a coordinated ransomware attack of unprecedented size on Friday, but several of the cities had resumed normal operations by Tuesday, state officials said.
The Texas Department of Information Resources said in a statement that it believes a single source is behind all 22 of the attacks. It didn’t name the affected cities or provide details about the attacker’s demands.
The attack in Texas is similar to others that have crippled digital operations in cities around the country in recent years, Elliott Sprehe, a department spokesman, said Tuesday.
“Once it’s activated, your computer system is effectively locked from use until you pay that ransom as requested,” he said.
Cybersecurity experts said the number of cities affected by the Texas attack far exceeds attention-grabbing hacks of individual systems owned by cities, counties and state agencies in recent years.
The best recourse for victims of a ransomware attack is to restore the captive systems from a saved backup, assuming they have one, said Brian Calkin, chief technology officer for the Center for Internet Security. If not, officials must decide whether to pay the ransom or rebuild their system from scratch.
“Ransomware is mostly opportunistic,” Calkin said. “They’re casting as wide a net as possible and they want to see whoever they can catch and compromise.”
