MONTGOMERY — The U.S. Forest Service says a firefighter from California has died in a helicopter crash in the Sam Houston National Forest in Texas.

The agency says Daniel Laird was a two-decade veteran of the U.S. Forest Service. He was helping with a controlled burn when the helicopter crashed Wednesday in Montgomery County, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of Houston.

Authorities say Laird was killed in the crash, while two other people suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Officials say Laird was a helitack captain from Tahoe National Forest in California.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

 

Suspects sought after pizza delivery driver shot dead

HOUSTON — Authorities in the Houston area say a pizza delivery driver was shot and killed as he returned to his car after delivering a pizza at an apartment complex.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office says the shooting occurred Thursday evening at a complex in northern Harris County and involved two suspects who were seen running from the parking lot.

The driver, who worked for Papa John’s Pizza, has not been identified. KTRK-TV in Houston reports that he was 45 years old.

He was found on the ground between two cars.

Authorities say the person who ordered the pizza is not considered a suspect and it wasn’t immediately clear if robbery was a motive in the shooting.

Investigators are checking surveillance cameras in an effort to identify the suspects.

 

District: Teacher made mistake with essay criticizing Trump

BAYTOWN — A Houston-area school district says one of its teachers used poor judgment when she had her students read an essay critical of President Donald Trump.

The teacher had her 7th grade students in the Goose Creek school district read a series of 10 essays from an outside source designed to help them practice inference and point of view.

One of the essays was titled, “Trump Against American Values.”

In a statement Wednesday, the school district said “clearly the teacher did not use good judgment” with the essay.

The district says the teacher “had no ill intent.”

The district says after the incident was made public, it received many calls about it that were “threatening in nature.”

The district is located about 40 miles east of Houston.