High court declines to hear Texas police hypnosis case, how Gov. Abbott will deliver State of the State

Plus: Sun Country is adding flights as low as $49 out of DFW  [Morning roundup] [NEWS]( | [BUSINESS]( | [SPORTS]( | [HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS]( | [ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT]( | [FOOD]( | [THINGS TO DO]( | [OPINION]( 01/25/2021 By Mallorie Sullivan Good Evening! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. ADVERTISEMENT [Dallas County reports 1,698 new coronavirus cases, 22 deaths; Tarrant County adds 24 deaths]( [Grand Prairie superintendent issues apology after ‘Chucks and Pearls’ picture]( [Ultra-low-cost carrier Sun Country adds flights from DFW to California and Mexico for as low as $49]( [Man who sued 2 Keller officers after being arrested, pepper-sprayed reaches $200K settlement with city]( [Judge tosses theft charge against Texas doctor accused of stealing coronavirus vaccine]( [Richardson man who stormed Capitol and allegedly threatened lawmakers will remain behind bars]( [Texas needs demographic data to get COVID-19 vaccines to all, but spotty reporting hinders that goal]( [The SAT is dropping parts of its exam. What does that mean for Texas students?]( [Man faces 2nd sexual-assault charge linked to string of attacks on North Texas sorority alumnae]( [COVID-19 pandemic concerns force Texas Gov. Greg Abbott into a televised State of the State speech]( Investigative hypnosis, a practice deemed dubious by researchers and courts in other states across the country, has sent dozens of men to Texas prisons — and some to their deaths. (Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer) INVESTIGATIONS [U.S. Supreme Court declines to take up Texas death row case involving police hypnosis]( The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from a Texas death row inmate who argued that hypnosis helped convict him of murder. The decision was a blow to inmate Charles Don Flores, who was sentenced to death for the murder of Farmers Branch resident Elizabeth "Betty" Black in 1998. It was also a setback for critics of the use of hypnosis by Texas law enforcement officers, who had hoped the Supreme Court would rule that investigative hypnosis is junk science that has no place in U.S. courts Flores’ lawyer, Gretchen Sween, said she will continue to fight for her client’s release from prison, but she wished the high court [had taken a look at how hypnosis helped put him there.]( TEXT THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS [Readers often tell us they want to stay informed but that they're short on time. That's why we're launching a new way for you to stay connected, with texts from The Dallas Morning News.]( [Want to get a quick hit of the biggest headlines of the day? Sign up for The Roundup. It's a Monday-Friday, daily briefing of the latest news impacting D-FW residents. Text us back with your questions or thoughts and we'll respond.]( 📱 Get connected. [Sign up here](. ❓ Got questions? We've got [answers](. *The Roundup is free to receive. Standard text messaging and data rates may apply. Allow us to introduce the latest from [FWD>DFW](. Making a difference is our "why." We'll keep you informed about the ways in which companies, causes, and the community are moving North Texas fwd. To sign up for this free newsletter, simply click on the button below. [SIGN ME UP]( [Four D-FW artists share their thoughts on art during COVID-19 and its role in the year ahead]( [North Texas doctors warn patients not to put off necessary medical care during COVID-19 pandemic]( [How the pandemic helped shape the future of Dallas-based Young Leaders for Change]( FWD>DFW features articles from The Dallas Morning News as well as special contributor columns and sponsored content that's relevant to our mission. [Win $1,000 to start your year off right]( [Here's to hoping 2021 outshines 2020, enter for a chance to win $1,000 on us.]( W[e're giving one reader $1,000 to make their 2021 New Year's goals happen. Stay inspired to reach those goals when you sign up for our]( newsletter]( sent straight to your inbox every weekend. [Don't wait to make this your year, click the button below to enter for your chance to win.]( [I WANT TO WIN]( ADVERTISEMENT  👋 That's all for this afternoon! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. Share the love! If you like this newsletter, please forward this email to a friend and [check out our other newsletters here](. Do you have feedback? Submit your thoughts, questions, praise and corrections to[the newsroom.]( ADVERTISEMENT STAY CONNECTED WITH US [Unsubscribe]( | [Free newsletters]( | [Dallasnews.com]( | [Subscriber login]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact us]( Copyright 2020 - [The Dallas Morning News, 1954 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75201, United States](