Van Zandt Fire Kills Mother, 4 Children

A mother and her four children, the youngest a 3-year-old girl, died after fire ripped through their home near Canton early Wednesday, Van Zandt County Fire Marshal Kevin Palmer said.

Three people escaped the mobile home after the fire broke out around 12:30 a.m., but four children were trapped in a bedroom. With trees and a boarded window blocking the way, firefighters cut through a wall to reach them.

Two boys, ages 8 and 5, died at the scene with their sister, while their oldest brother and mother later died at a Dallas hospital. The mother was the daughter of a county sheriff’s deputy, District Attorney Tonda Curry said.

Canton ISD said the children were students at Canton Elementary and Canton Intermediate, and counselors will be on both campuses in the coming days. The fire marshal’s office hasn’t released a cause and says the investigation is ongoing.

FEMA Denies Aid to Flood Survivors

FEMA denied Gov. Greg Abbott’s request for direct disaster aid to households in 30 Texas counties, leaving Hill Country families who lost homes in this summer’s flooding without federal help to rebuild.

The agency said the damage didn’t qualify for household aid, and it also refused aid for public repairs in eight counties, including Bexar, Atascosa, and Medina. Abbott has until Oct. 28 to appeal.

Kerrville officials said they’re disappointed, noting families across the city and Kerr County are still struggling to rebuild. The city hopes an appeal will lead FEMA to reconsider and pledged to keep working with local, state, and federal partners to find recovery resources.

Freed American Lands in San Antonio

A 74-year-old former Michigan teacher held in Russian custody for more than four years landed in San Antonio late Wednesday for care at Brooke Army Medical Center.

Stephen Hubbard, who is in poor health, is receiving medical and psychological evaluations before heading home to Michigan. Russia detained him in February 2022, accused him of fighting for Ukraine, and sentenced him to nearly seven years in a penal colony.

President Trump said Russia freed Hubbard at his request, with “no ‘swap’ necessary.” He later said the release depended on his decision to waive new Russia sanctions, a move members of Congress from both parties had criticized.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff, who thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg and called him “a humanitarian,” now faces criticism from both parties. Trump said Hubbard would visit the White House “in the next day or so.”

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➤ Big Bend: The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to let it resume building a border wall through the region after a lower court stopped construction. Ranchers and environmentalists suing to stop the wall say it wastes money and would harm the landscape. (More)

➤ Dallas: A federal jury convicted a 62-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico of using a dead American infant’s identity for more than 40 years to get a passport, driver’s license, and voter card. He faces up to 12 years in prison. (More)

➤ Pecos County: Texas Parks and Wildlife confirmed New World screwworm in a female elk killed by a hunter. The agency is urging hunters to check the eyes, ears, mouth, and hooves for wounds or maggots before field dressing their harvest this season. (See Warning Signs)

➤ Houston: Houston ISD is reviewing a confrontation at an Austin-Kashmere volleyball game where two women were filmed threatening to call ICE on students’ parents. One video has passed 8 million views, and two Houston state lawmakers have condemned the comments. (More)

➤ Statewide: The Texas Lottery sent $1.85 billion to public schools and veterans’ programs in fiscal 2026, its first full year under a new state regulator and a ban on courier sales. Sales slipped less than 1%. (More)

➤ Parker County: One bullet went through one person and hit a second during an argument Tuesday morning, deputies say. Ozzy Isidro Fierros, 22, confessed after a tip from the public led officers to a Weatherford business. He’s being held on $1 million bond. (More)

➤ Leander: The City Council voted unanimously to formally ask the local water district to restore Lake Lakewood, which has sat 4 feet below its historic level since September 2025. The district says raising it would put nearby homes at greater risk of flooding. (More)

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➤ Formula 1 returns to Austin for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, with practice today, qualifying Saturday, and the race Sunday. (See Schedule)

➤ North Shore hosts C.E. King tonight in a Houston-area showdown between two of Texas’ top-ranked high school football teams. (See Rankings)

➤ Houston Texans receiver Tank Dell will make his season debut Sunday against the New York Giants, returning from a knee injury for his first game in 673 days. (More)

➤ The Dallas Cowboys announced the death of Cornell Green, 86, a five-time Pro Bowl defensive back who helped anchor the original Doomsday Defense. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: NFL | NCAAF | NHL | NBA | Soccer | Golf | NCAA Volleyball

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➤ DFW Airport opened the first four gates of its new Terminal A expansion, where American Airlines began flying last week and expects more than 200 departures on peak days. The remaining six gates should open before the winter holiday rush. (More)

➤ McKinney’s Sunset Amphitheater will finish construction with $60 million, which its owner raised by selling the land beneath it and leasing it back. The 20,000-seat venue should open in early 2027, with tickets expected to go on sale by year’s end. (See Deal)

➤ Colony Park, East Austin’s long-planned 200-plus-acre development, is expected to begin signing homebuilders before infrastructure work begins next year. The city and developer Catellus plan homes, parks, offices, and shops with an Austin ZIP code, a rarity among the metro’s new neighborhoods. (See Plans)

➤ Blinn College drew 3,418 applications during Texas Free College Application Week, Oct. 12-18. Prospective students can still apply at no cost, since the Brenham-based college’s application is always free, including for fall 2027. (More)

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➤ A Cavalry Stetson hat blew out of an Army aircraft’s open cargo doors over Austin during last weekend’s Texas-Florida flyover. Its Fort Hood pilot hopes someone finds it and asks that residents look for a cross-saber pin with his rank above it. (See Stetson)

➤ Seguin’s Magnolia Hotel, a stagecoach stop dating to 1850, made Airbnb’s 2026 Halloween list of 31 spooky stays worldwide. Its second floor, which Airbnb calls the most haunted, includes an unrestored 11-room wing with no electricity. (See Hotel)

➤ Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning are in Dallas through October filming Discretion, an eight-episode Paramount+ legal thriller set at a Dallas law firm. Austin author Chandler Baker, a former lawyer, wrote the story. It’s due in 2027. (More)

➤ A Friona church is handing out coats to area kids for the 15th year. Victory Church started the service in 2012, hoping to give away 50 to 60, and it handed out about 180 that first year. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. 

➤ Russia is reportedly using fishing trawlers to spy on the undersea cables that keep Britain connected to the world. (Hear Details)

➤ Scientists in 1940s Maine spent 13 years trying to make a super dog, complete with millions in funding and a facility nicknamed the School for Dogs. (Listen Now)

➤ Amazon, UPS, and Spirit Halloween are racing to fill hundreds of thousands of holiday jobs even as broader hiring slows. (Hear Story)

Have you ever stayed somewhere you thought was haunted or oppressed?

1. Absolutely
2. Wasn’t sure
3. No
4. Don’t believe in that

Yesterday’s Results:

Would you volunteer to participate in a simulated mass-casualty event?

1. Of course!: 53%
2. Depends on disaster: 20%
3. No, too busy: 17%
4. No, too scary: 10%

Which Texas city unveiled a nearly 18-foot pecan sculpture in 2025?

Show me the answer