Jherson Manuel-Ramos, 27, of Bonham, pled guilty to 7 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division (TDCJ) for Online Solicitation of a Minor and Forgery of Government Document. The sentence was part of a plea agreement reached by the Criminal District Attorney’s Office where the Defendant will be convicted as a felon, be required to register as a sex offender for life, and at the completion of his confinement in prison, will be deported from the United States with a lifetime ban. This criminal will never be able to legally enter the country again.

Celebrating one of the world’s oldest street festivals, the annual event kicks off with a chariot parade through Downtown Dallas followed by dance and musical performances, kids crafts, yoga, ask-a-monk, a free vegetarian feast and a soulful concert to round out the day. photos courtesy of Festival of Joy

The Greater Texoma Jazz Orchestra will perform in Wynne Chapel on the Austin College campus Tuesday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. This season’s program celebrates the music of the Count Basie Orchestra, one of the most influential ensembles of the Swing Era. This event is free and open to the public.

TxDOT’s Travel Information Center north of Denison will host a work zone awareness driving safety event from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. April 22. The center is located at 6801 N U.S. Highway 75 in Denison, Texas. TxDOT personnel, local law enforcement representatives and first responders will be on hand to remind motorists to make driving safely a priority when passing through the state's active work zones. Several fun, interactive activities are also planned, and visitors can learn more about tourism opportunities statewide.

Fannin County Commissioners Court approved a Proclamation declaring that April 2026 will be recognized as Child Abuse Awareness Month in Fannin County. Stephanie Garcia, Director of Fannin Children’s Center Director, introduced volunteers and staff, and explained the important role of CASA advocates. "Child Abuse Prevention Month is a great time to bring awareness regarding child abuse and how each of us can make a difference in the life of a child and help them be safe," Garcia explained in a prepared statement. photo by Lisa Loiselle

1947 – An explosion on board a freighter in port causes Texas City in the state of Texas, United States, to catch fire, killing almost 600 people. The Texas City disaster was an industrial accident that occurred on April 16, 1947, in the port of Texas City, Texas, United States, located in Galveston Bay. It was the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history and one of history's largest non-nuclear explosions. The explosion was triggered by a mid-morning fire on board the French-registered vessel Grandcamp (docked at port), which detonated her cargo of about 2,300 tons (about 2,100 metric tons) of ammonium nitrate. This started a chain reaction of fires and explosions aboard other ships and in nearby oil-storage facilities, ultimately killing at least 581 people, including all but one member of Texas City's volunteer fire department. The tremendous blast produced a 15 ft. tsunami and a shock wave, leveling nearly 1,000 buildings. The tsunami was responsible for a significant portion of onlooker deaths. Two sightseeing airplanes flying nearby were blown out of the sky, while 8 miles away, half of the windows in Galveston were shattered. The explosion blew almost 6,350 short tons of the ship's steel into the air, some at supersonic speed. The Texas City disaster is generally considered the worst industrial accident in U.S. history. Witnesses compared the scene to the fairly recent images of the 1943 air raid on Bari and the much larger devastation after an atomic bomb was dropped at Nagasaki.