Severe weather prep should include an auto insurance policy review, expert says

SAN ANTONIO – When it is raining cats and dogs or Tasmanian devils are in the mix, homes are not the only thing that can take a beating.

Vehicles can also take some blows if it is not housed in a garage or under a carport.

“Windows and windshields: that’s going to be one of the first things to go,” Insurance Council of Texas communications director Rich Johnson said.

Johnson said anyone counting on their auto insurance to cover weather damage should make sure their policy includes comprehensive protection.

“Your collision and your liability coverage doesn’t cover that,” Johnson said. “Hail damage or branches falling on your car or, you know, when your neighbor’s garbage can fly across the street. Comprehensive is the one that covers anything that hits your car.”

After determining who would pay for the repair work, find an auto body or collision repair shop that will provide an estimate.

Miracle Body and Paint CEO Manuel Rubio said new windshields can cost between $350 and $450 on average.

According to Rubio, the price of the windshield itself can jump significantly higher if different calibrations are needed.

Weather damage to a vehicle’s body can also cost a pretty penny, not only in terms of material costs but also in the cost of labor.

Removing dents left by hail is extremely labor-intensive. There could also be a long line of other car owners waiting to get their vehicles repaired following a hailstorm.

Wait times to get a damaged car repaired could take a week, one month or longer.

Rubio said now is the time when some customers realize their auto insurance did not include all the coverage they needed.

“A lot of consumers don’t realize they don’t have rental (insurance),” Rubio said.

Rubio said not including rental coverage can lower the monthly auto insurance cost.

“If you’re not careful to dictate that you want that … insurance agents often try to reduce your monthly payment because of increased prices and policy coverage, so they’ll leave out certain coverages that you misunderstood,” Rubio said.

Sometimes, he insurance company and the auto collision center can disagree over money as well as whether something will be repaired or replaced.

There is a provision in the insurance policy called the “appraisal clause” that can help both sides come to an agreement.

“It’s a mechanism for resolving disputes through resolutions for the cost of repairs,” Rubio said. “The appraisal clause can be invoked by the insurance company or by the consumer. Once it’s evoked, they each receive a referee, and the referees will come in and they’ll work out the repairs that are appropriate.”

The clause is also included in homeowners’ insurance policies.

Rubio and Johnson said consumers need to know exactly what they signed up for and what they can expect their insurance to do for them if and when they file a claim.

More coverage of this story on KSAT:

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George Karlaftis dives into the urge to sack Tom Brady his rookie year, Jayden Daniels lands on sack list | Speak

Kansas City Chiefs DE George Karlaftis joins the Speak crew to detail his desire to sack Tom Brady his rookie season, then unveils who is on his sack list.

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‘Tragic situation’ | HCSO: 9-year-old child dies after being left in hot car with water and windows cracked

Authorities said a woman left her 9-year-old daughter in a car around 6 a.m. When she checked on her after he shift, the child was unresponsive and later died.

GALENA PARK, Texas — A girl died Tuesday after being left unattended in a car at a Galena Park plant parking lot, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

It happened at an industrial complex along the Houston Ship Channel just south of Clinton Drive.

Gonzalez said a woman who works at the facility brought her daughter to work and knowingly left her in the car when her shift began around 6 a.m. The child was left with some water and the windows cracked, Gonzalez said. When the mother checked on the child when she got off work around 2 p.m., the 9-year-old was unresponsive.

CPR was started on the child, and she was taken to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead.

It’s unclear if the child has previous medical issues. Gonzalez said a window shade was put up in the front window of the car, which would have made it hard for people in the parking lot to see the child inside.

The mother was detained and taken in for questioning. It’s unclear if she will face charges.

Air 11 was over the scene on Tuesday afternoon around 4 p.m. In the facility’s parking lot, crime scene tape was blocking off three vehicles — a car, an SUV and a truck. Investigators later said the girl was left inside the car. Multiple law enforcement vehicles were also in the parking lot.

Workers were seen huddling underneath an overhang nearby.

Gonzalez said there appeared to be cameras in the parking lot that might have captured what happened.

Here’s a map of the area:

Kathleen Prause with USG Corp. issued a statement Tuesday night, saying:

“I can confirm a medical emergency occurred today at a USG plant in Galena Park, TX, involving the child of an employee. Our thoughts are with the family of the child and all those impacted. Our top priority is always the safety and wellbeing of USG team members and our community.

We are monitoring the situation closely and are cooperating fully with local authorities as they respond and conduct their investigation.

We will provide updates as appropriate.”

Prevent hot car deaths

Doctors say leaving a child in a hot car can become dangerous in a matter of minutes.

“Once you start getting to a body core temperature higher than 102, 104, or higher, that can cause significant damage to the brain, organs,” said Dr. Anthony Arredondo of Texas Children’s Hospital. “So it’s hard to say what time frame, the longer they are in there, the worse it is.”

If you see a child or pet left inside a vehicle alone, you are encouraged to call 911 immediately.

Car temperatures can climb by 19 degrees in just 10 minutes.

According to the National Safety Council, 38 kids die every year after being left in hot cars.

Many deaths can be prevented by teaching your kids these four things:

How to unbuckle their car seat.
How to honk the horn.
How to turn on flashers or hazard lights.
How to unlock the front doors if the child lock is on the back doors.

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Popular unicycle performer Red Panda injured at halftime of WNBA game

MINNEAPOLIS – The popular halftime show performer who goes by Red Panda fell off her unicycle and crashed to the court during intermission of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final between the Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday night, unable to finish her show.

There was no immediate word on the extent of her injuries. She appeared to be grabbing at her left wrist after the fall — she fell forward off the unicycle onto the court — and was helped off the floor by wheelchair.

Red Panda, whose name is Rong Niu, is a Chinese American woman who comes from a family of performing acrobats. Her act is composed of her riding on her custom-built unicycle, which stretches about 8 feet above the court, and balancing custom-made bowls on her lower leg before flipping them atop her head.

She has performed at countless basketball games, including Game 5 of the NBA Finals last month in Oklahoma City.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

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Trey Songz, Feather, Ray J & NIA – “Lit Again” [Video]

Trey Songz, Feather, Ray J and NIA have dropped off a music video for their catchy collaboration, titled “Lit Again”.

No word on what forthcoming project this tune will appear on.

Watch the visuals below:

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U.S. halting some weapons shipments to Ukraine, White House says

The United States is halting some weapons shipments to Ukraine amid its war with Russia, the White House confirmed Tuesday.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CBS News in a statement that the “decision was made to put America’s interests first following” a Defense Department “review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe.”

A U.S. official told CBS News the move was over concerns about U.S. military stockpiles falling too low.

The Trump administration did not immediately confirm which weapons were being pulled from delivery or the scale of the pullback.

Kelly added, “The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran,” in reference to the U.S. strikes last month on three Iranian nuclear facilities.

Elbridge Colby, Defense Department under secretary for policy, said in a separate statement Tuesday night in response to the move that the “Department of Defense continues to provide the President with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end. At the same time, the Department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving U.S. forces’ readiness for Administration defense priorities.”

The U.S. has provided Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars in military aid since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Soldiers from a fiber-optic drone unit of the 93rd Brigade test the drones before going to the front lines in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on June 17, 2025.

Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images

In early March, following a confrontational Oval Office meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the White House announced it was pausing military aid to Ukraine that had already been earmarked by the Biden administration. It also said it was pausing intelligence sharing to Ukraine.

The pause on both fronts was lifted about a week later when Ukraine responded positively to talks over a potential ceasefire, which never materialized at the time.

Then, in late April, the U.S. and Ukraine reached a deal that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s mineral reserves. As part of the tenets of the deal, according to Ukrainian officials, the U.S. would contribute in the form of military assistance to a joint U.S.-Ukraine fund.

Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director-general of the Royal United Services Institute military think tank, told CBS News in March that about 20% of Ukraine’s military hardware is supplied by the U.S., with 25% provided by Europe and the rest of the world, and 55% produced in Ukraine.

Kristin Brown

contributed to this report.

Faris Tanyos

Faris Tanyos is a news editor for CBSNews.com, where he writes and edits stories and tracks breaking news. He previously worked as a digital news producer at several local news stations up and down the West Coast.

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Sephora makes bold move to reverse concerning customer behavior

LVMH (LVMHF) , which owns beauty retail giant Sephora, recently suffered from an unexpected shift in customer behavior.

In LVMH’s first-quarter earnings report for 2025, it revealed that its U.S. sales “saw a slight decline” during the quarter, while the company’s overall sales in perfumes and cosmetics remained flat.

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During an earnings call in April, LVMH Chief Financial Officer Cécile Cabanis said that Sephora was one of the main reasons for the decrease in U.S. sales.

“Sephora, on the other hand, faced very challenging comps after growing double-digit last year, and this explained the sequential deceleration of the U.S. market at group level,” said Cabanis.

She said that Amazon (AMZN) has been “very aggressive” about lowering prices, which contributed to Sephora’s lower-than-expected U.S. sales.

“In the U.S., we have a bit less momentum when it comes to e-commerce, especially because Amazon is being very aggressive, and being aggressive is mostly regarding price, and we try to avoid this technique,” said Cabanis.

She also warned that Sephora is suffering from an overall “softer demand in beauty,” which may be partially due to consumers being concerned about tariffs and the U.S. economy.

Sephora announces a major deal to attract shoppers

As Amazon prepares its big Prime Day sales event, Sephora has just made a huge effort to push more customers into its stores and away from online shopping.

Sephora recently announced in a new press release that it has partnered with Lyft to offer customers $20 off rides to select Sephora stores in New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago.

Select Lyft vehicles involved in the partnership will even be “custom wrapped with Sephora branding.”

In addition, Sephora is offering customers who visit stores $10 off any order over $50 at checkout, a free personalized “skin scan,” and exclusive product sampling. These promotions will last between July 7 and July 10.

“We know that people today highly value in-person experiences when they’re shopping for prestige beauty,” said Sephora U.S. Chief Marketing Officer Zena Arnold in the press release. “They’re looking for human connection and an expert-guided shopping journey, unique to their needs and goals.”

Amazon Prime Day is a major threat to beauty retailers

The move from Sephora comes ahead of Amazon Prime Day, which will offer significant discounts on a wide range of products between July 8th and July 11th.

It is no surprise that Sephora is stepping up its game to win over customers during Amazon’s big sales event, since the online retailer is offering bold deals on beauty products.

More Retail:

For example, Amazon is offering Prime members savings of up to 35% on fan-favorite Korean beauty products, up to 30% on select luxury fragrances, and up to 40% on select cosmetics such as “Tarte, Urban Decay, and IT Cosmetics,” according to a recent press release.

Sephora isn’t the only beauty retailer that recently noticed a pullback in consumer spending as Amazon continues to target more beauty consumers.

During an earnings call in May, Ulta (ULTA) CEO Kecia Steelman said that hair care sales remained flat during the first quarter of 2025, while makeup sales “decreased slightly.”

“Consumer engagement with beauty remains healthy, and our insights indicate beauty and wellness remain a top priority for beauty enthusiasts who tell us that they’re more willing to make tradeoffs in other discretionary areas to maintain their beauty regimens,” said Steelman during the call. “At the same time, they are cautious, and value is an increasingly important priority as they navigate ongoing wallet pressures.”

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July 4 holiday weekend 2025: List of events happening in Central Texas

AUSTIN, Texas – The July 4th holiday weekend is almost here and communities all over Central Texas are celebrating with family-friendly events and fireworks displays.

Below is a list of events being held this weekend in Central Texas, listed by county, then by city:

Travis County

Austin

48th Austin Symphony Orchestra July 4th Concert & Fireworks Celebration

Date & Time: Friday July 4, starting at 4:30 p.m.; fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m.
Location: Auditorium Shores and the Long Center, 800 W. Riverside Drive
Admission: Free, but VIP options are available

Attendees are allowed to bring chairs and blankets; they cannot bring pets (except trained service dogs), outside grills/cooking implements, alcohol, glass or personal fireworks (including sparklers).

Learn more about the event, including parking and transportation options, here.

Star Spangled Fest

Date & Time: Thursday, July 3, starting at 7 p.m.
Location: Long Center’s Dell Hall at 701 W. Riverside Drive
Admission: Tickets start at around $30 and go up to about $560 depending on seat location

The one-night-only show will feature a special performance by Reckless Kelly & Friends: including Alejandro Escovedo, Jason Boland, Jack Ingram, Lilly Hiatt, Kelly Willis, Calder Allen, Ellis Bullard, and Kat Hasty.

To learn more, click here.

Bee Cave

Hill Country Galleria Independence Day Festival

Date & Time: Friday, July 4 from 4-10 p.m.
Location: Hill Country Galleria in Bee Cave
Admission: Free

Attendees can enjoy live music performances, fair rides, water games and complimentary kids face painting, as well as peruse over 40 vendors. The festivities will end with a fireworks display after sunset.

To learn more, click here.

Williamson County

Cedar Park

Cedar Sparktacular July 4 Celebration

Date & Time: Friday, July 4, from 5-11:30 p.m.
Location: Elizabeth Milburn Park at 1901 Sun Chase Blvd.
Admission: Free

Attendees can enjoy food trucks and vendors, a free Kids Zone and live music. A fireworks display will kick off at 9:30 p.m., followed by a showing of “Despicable Me 4”.

Learn more about the celebration here.

Georgetown

42nd annual Sertoma Club Family July 4 Celebration

Date & Time: Friday, July 4, starting at 10 a.m.
Location: San Gabriel Park
Admission: Free; fees for some children’s activities

The festival will include live entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, food vendors, a petting zoo, games, and rides for all ages. The July 4th Hometown Parade will also kick off at 11 a.m. and the day will end with a fireworks display at 9:30 p.m.

To learn more, click here.

Hutto

American Rhapsody: Hutto 4th of July

Date & Time: Friday, July 4, from 6-10 p.m.
Location: Brushy Creek Amphitheater, Adam Orgain Park at 1001 Co Rd 137
Admission: Free

Attendees can enjoy bounce houses, caricatures, face painting, a game truck, and live music, as well as food, alcohol, treat, and retail vendors. There will also be a laser light show followed by a grand fireworks finale.

Learn more about the event here.

Leander

Leander Liberty Fest

Date & Time: Friday, July 4, from 4-10 p.m.
Location: La Verde Park at 3901 Burnham
Admission: Free

The event will feature market vendors, food and drink vendors, fun and games and live music, with the night ending with a fireworks show starting at 9 p.m.

Fireworks will be launched from Plum Creek Golf Course. However, Plum Creek Golf Course will be closed to the public during the display.

Learn more about the event, including parking and transportation options, here.

Round Rock

July 4th Parade and Frontier Days

Date & Time: Friday, July 4, all day starting at 8:30 a.m.
Location: Mays Street and Old Settlers Park
Admission: Free

The festivities will kick off at 8:30 a.m. with the Sertoma Parade in downtown Round Rock between Mays Crossing and Hwy 79.

At noon, Frontier Days will open at Old Settlers Park with a variety of events, including pig races, eating contests, live music and fireworks starting at 9:30 p.m.

Learn more about the event here.

Hays County

Buda

Red White & Buda

Date & Time: Friday, July 4; bike parade at 9 a.m. with festivities from 4-10 p.m.
Location: Buda Amphitheater & City Park at 204 San Antonio Street
Admission: Free

The festival features a bike parade in the morning, live music including Aaron Watson, sand volleyball, a food court, a splashpad and bounce houses and other activities, all leading up to a fireworks show starting around 9:15 p.m.

To learn more, click here.

Kyle

Kyle’s 2025 Independence Day Fireworks Show

Date & Time: Friday, July 4, 4-10 p.m.
Location: La Verde Park
Admission: Free

The event will feature live music, market vendors, food and drink vendors, and fun and games, ending in a fireworks show around 9 p.m.

To learn more, click here.

San Marcos

July 4th Fireworks Show

Date & Time: Friday, July 4, 9:30 p.m.
Location: UFCU Stadium at 1100 Aquarena Springs Drive
Admission: Free

Attendees can bring their picnic blankets and snacks to watch the fireworks display from the parking lots of the San Marcos Activity Center, San Marcos Public Library, City Park (parking is free for registered residents) or UFCU Stadium.

Patriotic music and a fireworks countdown will be simulcast on KTSW 89.9.

To learn more, click here.

This list is subject to change.

Holidays Lifestyle Travis County Williamson County Hays County

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Bryan Kohberger accepts plea deal in fatal stabbings of 4 Idaho college students, prosecutors say

Bryan Kohberger has accepted a plea deal that will spare him the death penalty in the slayings of four University of Idaho students in November 2022, according to a letter sent to the victims’ families by prosecutors.

Kohberger is charged with four counts of murder in the stabbings of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, who were killed at a home in Moscow, Idaho, during the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022.

In the letter, portions of which were shown to CBS News by Mogen’s father, Ben Mogen, the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office says attorneys for Kohberger requested a plea deal and Kohberger accepted it.

The letter says Kohberger agreed to plead guilty to all the counts against him and that he would be sentenced to “four consecutive (back to back) life sentences on the four Murder counts” and would waive all rights to appeal.

The letter also says that if Kohberger “enters guilty pleas as expected” at an upcoming hearing, “we anticipate that this case will be set for sentencing in late July. If Defendant does not enter guilty pleas as expected, we are prepared to proceed to trial as planned.”

The family of one of the other victims, Kaylee Goncalves, also said they received the letter about the plea deal.

A hearing in the case has been scheduled for Wednesday.

Kohberger had been fighting the charges. His trial was expected to begin in August, following several delays.

The murders terrorized the community, and for weeks, the hunt for a suspect was shrouded in mystery. Kohberger was arrested six weeks later at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania. According to a police affidavit, DNA evidence linked him to a knife sheath found at the crime scene.

At the time of his arrest, Kohberger was a Ph.D. criminology student and teaching assistant at Washington State University’s Pullman campus, which is about a 15-minute drive from Moscow, Idaho.

Ben Mogan said he was relieved to get the letter about the plea deal.

“If you get a quick death sentence, then, you know, you don’t have to spend decades thinking about how terrible you made the world,” he said.

“We can actually put this behind us and not have these future dates and future things that we don’t want to have to be at, that we shouldn’t have to be at, that have to do with this terrible person,” he said. “We get to just think about the rest of our lives and have to try and figure out how to do it without Maddie and without the rest of the kids.”

The Goncalves family, however, said they “are beyond furious at the State of Idaho” in a Facebook post shortly after the news broke. “They have failed us. … This was very unexpected,” they wrote.

The family said the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office “vaguely mentioned a possible plea on Friday, without seeking our input, and presented the plea on Sunday.” The family has pushed for Kohberger to face the death penalty.

“The introduction of this plea deal, just weeks before the scheduled trial, is both shocking and cruel,” Aubrie Goncalves, the youngest member of the family, wrote in a letter shared on Facebook. “Bryan Kohberger facing a life in prison means he would still get to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world. Meanwhile, our loved ones have been silenced forever.”

In another statement released Tuesday, the Goncalves family said they “will not stop fighting for the life that was stolen unjustly.”

“We stand strong that it is not over until a plea is accepted,” they wrote. “At a bare minimum, please – require a full confession, full accountability, location of the murder weapon, confirmation the defendant acted alone, & the true facts of what happened that night.”

Martin Souto Diaz, an attorney for the Kohberger family, said in a statement provided to CBS News Tuesday evening on behalf of the family that, “In light of recent developments, the Kohbergers are asking members of the media for privacy, respect, and responsible judgement during this time. We will continue to allow the legal process to unfold with respect to all parties, and will not release any comments or take any questions.”

The trial was originally going to be held in Latah County, where the murders occurred, but Latah County District Judge John Judge later ordered the trial be moved over concerns the media coverage and statements from local officials would make it impossible for Kohberger to receive a fair trial. The Idaho Supreme Court moved the proceedings to Boise.

Bryan Kohberger listens to arguments during a pre-trial hearing on Oct. 26, 2023 in Moscow, Idaho.

Kai Eiselein / Getty Images

Kohberger’s defense team had previously tried to remove the death penalty as a possible sentence if he was convicted, but Ada County Judge Steven Hippler denied their motions back in November 2024.

Among the evidence prosecutors were planning to present was Kohberger’s Amazon purchase history showing he bought a Ka-Bar knife with sheath and sharpener, which they claimed matched the sheath found at the crime scene. Prosecutors also claimed “touch DNA” matching DNA taken from Kohberger was found on the sheath. The defense tried to exclude the touch DNA evidence, but Hippler denied that request.

Prosecutors were also planning to present surveillance video of Kohberger’s car and cellphone data that they said tied him to the vicinity of the killings.

Last week, the judge denied a motion by Kohberger’s lawyers, who were seeking to argue that four “alternate perpetrators” could have committed the murders. The judge called it “rank speculation” and said “nothing links these individuals to the homicides.”

Jordan Freiman

Jordan Freiman is a news editor for CBSNews.com. He covers breaking news, trending stories, sports and crime. Jordan has previously worked at Spin and Death and Taxes.

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Jimmy Swaggart, Televangelist, Billboard Chartmaker, Grammy Nominee & Cousin to 2 Famous Musicians, Dies at 90

Jimmy Swaggart, who was among the most successful televangelists in the U.S. in the 1980s, died Tuesday (July 1) at the age of 90. He died at Baton Rouge (Louisiana) General Medical Center two weeks after suffering a cardiac event on June 15, according to a statement from Megan Kelly, a family spokesperson.

Over the course of his career, Swaggart wrote nearly 50 books and dozens of study guides and commentaries on the Bible.

He also recorded numerous albums. His 1980 album Worship received a Grammy nomination for best gospel performance, traditional. Swaggart placed four albums on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart in the mid-1980s: Living Waters (No. 12 in 1984), Jesus Just the Mention of Your Name (No. 32 in 1984), Sweet Anointing (No. 22 in 1985) and It’s Beginning to Rain (No. 13 in 1986).

But Swaggart was not a fan of Christian rock music. In 1987, he co-authored Religious Rock n Roll: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing with Robert Paul Lamb, in which he argued that the rise of the Contemporary Christian Music is as an extension of “worldly” entertainment interests.

Jimmy Lee Swaggart was born on March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, a small town in northeastern Louisiana. Swaggart had two cousins who made it big in music: rock ’n’ roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis (who was also born in Ferriday) and country music star Mickey Gilley. They were known locally as The Ferriday Three. Lewis, who was in the first class of artists inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and Gilley, who amassed 17 No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, both died in 2022 – Gilley in May at age 86; Lewis in October at age 87.

A fire-and-brimstone Pentecostal preacher, Swaggart began full-time evangelistic work in 1955. In 1960, he began recording gospel music albums and transmitting on Christian radio stations. In 1961, he was ordained by the Assemblies of God. A year later, he began his radio ministry.

In 1971, Swaggart began transmitting a weekly, 30-minute telecast over local TV stations in Baton Rouge. Two years later, he proposed to television producers in Nashville a program including a music segment, a short sermon and time for talking about current ministry projects. Within weeks, The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast was being broadcast around the U.S.

By 1984, Swaggart had overtaken Robert Schuller and Oral Roberts as America’s top televangelist. The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast reached nearly 2 million viewers a week on 500 stations. Swaggart’s monthly magazine, The Evangelist, was distributed to more than 800,000 households.

By 1985, his ministry was reportedly bringing in approximately $120 million a year from collections, magazine sales and merchandise sales.

A bitter rivalry among the top televangelists of the era led to ruin. Swaggart took the first swing when he accused Jim Bakker of having an affair with church secretary Jessica Hahn. On April 6, 1987, Swaggart and Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker appeared on the cover of TIME magazine with the cover line “Unholy Row: TV Preacher Jimmy Swaggart and the Besieged Bakkers.” Swaggart acknowledged that he had passed along rumors of Jim Bakker’s illicit behavior to officials of the Assemblies of God, the Pentecostal denomination in which both were clergy.

Swaggart also went after New Orleans preacher Marvin Gorman, accusing him of having multiple affairs. Gorman fought back, suing Swaggart for defamation and ultimately settling out of court for $1.8 million. Suspicious that Swaggart was an adulterer, Gorman asked his son to tail Swaggart one night. The son found Swaggart at a motel in New Orleans and took photos of the preacher checking into a room with a prostitute. On Feb. 16, 1988, Gorman handed the photos over to the Assemblies of God, which ordered Swaggart suspended for three months.

Five days later, Swaggart tearfully delivered what came to be known as “I have sinned” speech on live television, an image that has become iconic.

The national presbytery of the Assemblies of God defrocked Swaggart, removing his credentials and ministerial license. Swaggart countered by becoming an independent and non-denominational Pentecostal minister, establishing Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, based at the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge.

A second scandal involving another prostitute three years later further diminished Swaggart’s popularity. Even so, Swaggart was senior pastor of Family Worship Center until his death.

Swaggart is survived by his wife of 73 years, Francis (whom he married when he was 17 and she was 15); a son, Donnie; three grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

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F.R.O. NEWSIndependent journalism for New Braunfels, Comal County, Guadalupe County, and The Texas Hill Country.

Prevent hot car deaths

Sephora announces a major deal to attract shoppers

Amazon Prime Day is a major threat to beauty retailers

Travis County

Austin

Bee Cave

Williamson County

Cedar Park

Georgetown

Hutto

Leander

Round Rock

Hays County

Buda

Kyle

San Marcos