East Texas News Headlines 1/16

Tyler,Tx - Parades, music and other events were held across Texas today to mark the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. In Tyler, the 26th annual MLK Rally was held at the Downtown Square followed by a march down Broadway and concluded with a service at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Church . Texas joined the rest of the country in honoring King's memory 44 years after his death.

Tyler, Tx - An Autopsy has been ordered following the death of a Smith County inmate. Smith County Sheriff J.B. Smith says 57 year old Sonya Armstrong who was jailed on a probation violation was taken to the hospital after jailers noticed she was having trouble breathing. Sheriff Smith says Armstrong had a history of Heart Disease. The Texas Rangers will investigate Armstrongs death which is normal procedure according to Smith.

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's the end of the road for Jon Huntsman. The Republican presidential candidate has pulled out of the race today and backed front-runner Mitt Romney. Huntsman, who served as President Barack Obama's ambassador to China, had counted on New Hampshire to make him a legitimate challenger to Romney -- but he could do no better than third.Huntsman says Romney is the best candidate to beat Obama in November. Huntsman announced his withdrawal at an event in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) — The founder of the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store chain, Dan Evans, has died at 76. The company said Monday that Evans — known as Danny — died Saturday in Lebanon, Tenn. No cause of death was given. Evans opened his first restaurant in Lebanon, Tenn., in 1969. The restaurant catered to highway travelers and focused on offering Southern hospitality, country-style cooking and an associated gift shop that came to define the chain. Evans helped build the chain into a national brand as CEO from 1969 to 2001 and chairman until he retired in 2004. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc., headquartered in Lebanon, Tenn., now operates more than 600 restaurants in 42 states.

WASHINGTON (AP) — There is no easing of gasoline prices this January like we usually see. Triple A says both gasoline and crude oil prices are at historic highs for this time of year. It says the national average for regular gas rose four cents a gallon last week to $3.39 -- up 11 cents so far this month. Triple A says we can thank crude oil prices hovering around $100 a barrel, plus repeal of the ethanol tax credit. Crude oil prices have pushed up from $76 a barrel in October because of increased global demand and optimism about the U.S. economic recovery. Triple A says analysts believe, and market indicators support, that it will be a turbulent year for gas prices.

SIDNEY, Mont. (AP) — Authorities investigating the disappearance of a Montana school teacher are asking land owners in parts of Montana and North Dakota to check for signs of disturbed soil. They say the body of 43-year-old Sherry Arnold could be buried somewhere. Two men being held in the case are awaiting extradition from North Dakota to Montana.

ROME (AP) —Rescue operations were suspended for several hours today after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground and overturned off the Tuscan coast. The jailed captain of the cruise ship made an unauthorized deviation from the programmed course, a blunder that led to it's deadly crash against a reef, according to the ship's Italian owner. At least 6 people died and more than a dozen are unaccounted for.

Moscow (AP) –A Mars Moon probe fell to earth Sunday but maybe no one saw it. Russian officials say they have no idea where the probe crashed, and the defense ministry told a news agency that fragments of the craft fell in the Pacific Ocean off Chiie’s coast, but that is based only on calculations, not witness accounts.