Remembering Rev. Jesse Jackson; US ramps up military presence ahead of Iran talks
Civil rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson has died after a long battle with a rare neuromuscular disease. Straight Arrow News looks back at the activist who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., founded Rainbow PUSH Coalition and reshaped presidential politics.
Plus, gunfire erupts at a Rhode Island high school hockey game, leaving two dead and three critically injured. What police say sparked the violence.
And the sheriff publicly rules out Nancy Guthrie’s family as suspects as the search intensifies.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
Remembering civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson
Civil rights leader and former presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson has died. He was 84.
Jackson had been hospitalized since November and had battled a rare neuromuscular disease for years.
A close ally of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jackson rose to national prominence during the civil rights movement and went on to found the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which advocates for racial justice, economic equality and voting rights.
He ran for president twice, in 1984 and 1988, becoming one of the first black candidates to mount a serious campaign for the White House and to expand the political coalition that reshaped the Democratic Party.
Jackson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and spent decades negotiating the release of hostages abroad, pressing corporations on diversity and advocating for expanded political representation at home.
In a statement, his family described him as “A servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world.” They added, “His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions.”
The Rainbow PUSH Coalition said public observances will be held in Chicago, with more details forthcoming.
Two dead, three injured in shooting at hockey game in Rhode Island
Investigators are piecing together what led to a deadly shooting at a youth hockey game in Rhode Island.
Pawtucket police said a gunman killed two people and critically injured three others when he opened fire during a high school boys’ hockey game on Monday afternoon.
Authorities identified the suspect as 56-year-old Robert Dorgan, who also used the name Roberta Esposito. Police said he died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigators believe the violence stemmed from a targeted, family-related dispute that also involved a family friend.
Officials said a bystander stepped in to subdue the gunman, crediting that person with preventing the situation from escalating.
The investigation remains ongoing, with the FBI and ATF assisting local authorities.
The shooting comes less than two months after another deadly shooting at Brown University in the state.
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said additional mental health resources are being made available to students and families.
“Too many Rhode Islanders know what it feels like to lose a loved one, a neighbor or a friend to gun violence, and a tragedy like this is incredibly difficult for people of any age to process,” McKee said. “Agencies across my administration are working together to provide additional mental health resources to students and families this week.”
Pawtucket’s mayor also said the city, state and attorney general’s office have set up a 211 hotline to connect people with counseling and support services.
Sheriff says Guthrie’s family are victims, not suspects
After weeks of speculation, authorities have made one thing clear: Nancy Guthrie’s family is not involved.
The Pima County sheriff said all family members, including siblings and their spouses, have been ruled out as suspects in her disappearance.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos issued a statement Monday, calling online speculation about the family “cruel” and saying the Guthrie family members are “All victims, plain and simple.”
Authorities still believe someone abducted the 84-year-old from her Tucson, Arizona, home in the middle of the night on Feb. 1. A masked man was seen on her doorbell camera, about five-foot-nine to five-foot-ten, with an average build, wearing gloves and an Ozark Trail backpack.
A glove found two miles from the home has yielded a DNA profile of an unknown male. The FBI is working to confirm the results before entering them into the national database.
CBS News reported that investigators are also using a “signal sniffer” flying low over the area to detect any signal from Guthrie’s pacemaker. Her device disconnected from her phone at 2:28 a.m. the night she vanished.
In an interview with The New York Post on Monday, President Donald Trump said that if those responsible do not return her safely, they would face the “most severe” federal penalties, including possibly the death penalty.
The reward for any information on Nancy Guthrie stands at $100,000.
So far, no suspects have been named. Her daughter, “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, has repeatedly pleaded for her mother’s safe return.
Pentagon boosts Middle East presence ahead of Iran talks
The U.S. has ramped up air and naval firepower in the Middle East ahead of high-stakes nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva — with officials making clear the buildup preserves strike options if diplomacy fails.
U.S. officials told CNN the buildup includes repositioning tankers and fighter jets, shifting additional air defense systems into place and extending some deployments that were scheduled to rotate home.
Flight-tracking data and open-source air traffic communications indicate a spike in cargo flights and fighter jet activity. Satellite imagery appears to show a dozen U.S. F-15s at a Jordanian air base.
Tuesday’s talks in Geneva will be indirect and mediated by Oman, with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner involved.
Trump said he’ll be involved “indirectly” and believes Iran wants a deal. At the same time, Iran has announced new military drills in the Strait of Hormuz and warned against escalation.
The Gulf Arab states have urged restraint, warning that any strike could escalate the conflict.
Judge orders slavery exhibits restored in Philadelphia
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore slavery exhibits removed from the “President’s House” site in Philadelphia.
In a 40-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe granted a preliminary injunction ordering the National Park Service to restore the displays while the lawsuit proceeds.
The panels detailed the nine enslaved people George Washington kept at his home when Philadelphia briefly served as the nation’s capital.
Last month, park workers removed them without advance notice. The administration said it was reviewing exhibits for “accuracy” and alignment with what it called shared national values.
Rufe rejected the government’s claim that it could rewrite or remove that history at will.
She invoked George Orwell’s 1984, writing: “As if the Ministry of Truth now existed … this court is asked to determine whether the federal government has the power to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts. It does not.”
The order blocks further changes at the site but doesn’t set a deadline for reinstalling the panels.
The case stems from a 2006 agreement between Philadelphia and the federal government to preserve and interpret the site, including Washington’s slaveholding. Unless a higher court intervenes, the exhibits in Philadelphia must be returned while the legal fight continues.
SAN contacted the Department of the Interior for a comment.
US hockey seeks Olympic redemption after 2022 loss
It’s a collision course in women’s hockey at the Olympics, as the United States and Canada are set to face off for gold in Italy.
Team U.S. rolled past Sweden 5-0 in the semifinals, with goals from Cayla Barles, Taylor Heise, Kendall Coyne, Hayley Scamurra, and Abbey Murphy. The Americans haven’t allowed a goal in 331 minutes — the longest shutout streak in Olympic history.
The path to gold runs through Canada and Marie-Philip Poulin. She scored both goals in Canada’s 2-1 victory over Switzerland, bringing her total to 20 Olympic goals — the most in women’s hockey history. In her fifth Olympics, the captain, known as “Captain Clutch,” has clinched gold medals in 2010, 2014 and 2022 with crucial goals.
That last one is still a heartbreaker for the U.S. Canada beat the Americans 3-2 in the 2022 gold medal game, leaving Team USA with silver. Defenseman Caroline Harvey said, “The result still stings. You remember that feeling. We definitely want redemption, and that’s what we came here for.”
The gold medal showdown is set for Thursday.
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When Jeff Hanson decided to become a professor nearly 20 years ago, he made a vow: If he was going to be a teacher, he was going to be the favorite — the one everybody remembered.
Turns out, it was an easy oath for the Texas Tech University mechanical engineering professor to follow through on. Hanson has one of the highest teaching evaluations in the engineering college and has received the most influential professor award multiple times. His days are long, he said, because he regularly writes letters of recommendation, keeps up with current and former students and reviews concepts a student doesn’t understand.
This past Thanksgiving, he and his wife hosted more than 180 students at their house in Lubbock, Texas, for Friendsgiving — an annual tradition for almost 20 years. He regularly has students over for dinner and game nights. He wants them to know him as a regular person and not just Dr. Hanson.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
