It was a record-setting first day of early voting in North Texas.

Denver Archdiocese Offers Limited Explanation; The Dallas Express Seeks Answers and Invites Readers to Share How His Ministry Has Influenced Their Faith

Father Chad Ripperger, a Catholic priest and exorcist whose teachings on spiritual warfare, morality and Catholic doctrine have drawn millions of views through online interviews, has agreed to a one-year pause from public speaking and interviews at the request of Denver Archbishop James R. Golka, the archdiocese said Monday.

The development, which LifeSiteNews reported Monday, raises questions about the future of a prominent public voice whose discussions of Catholic teaching have attracted attention well beyond traditional religious audiences.

Ripperger withdrew from an April 2027 speaking engagement, citing a restriction that he indicated would remain in effect until September 2027, LifeSiteNews reported.

The Archdiocese of Denver confirmed that Golka met with Ripperger to discuss his ministry and the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother, the community associated with his work.

Archdiocesan communications director Kelly Clark told LifeSiteNews that Golka requested a one-year pause to allow Ripperger to concentrate on the Society and those it serves. The archdiocese said Ripperger agreed and that the archbishop and priest would review the arrangement after one year.

The statement did not identify misconduct or announce a formal disciplinary finding.

A Catholic voice reaching millions

Ripperger’s public platform extends beyond traditional Catholic media.

His appearances on The Shawn Ryan Show and with Tucker Carlson have introduced discussions of Catholic teaching, exorcism, spiritual warfare and the supernatural through videos with millions of views.

One example is former Navy SEAL and podcaster Shawn Ryan, who publicly discussed returning to the Catholic Church in July 2026 after hosting conversations about Catholicism and spiritual warfare, including interviews with Ripperger, LifeSiteNews reported.

Although Ryan’s account does not establish that Ripperger alone prompted his return, the public conversations illustrate how Catholic teaching is reaching audiences outside traditional religious institutions. What remains unknown is how many individuals have entered or returned to the Catholic Church specifically because of Ripperger’s ministry.

That is a question The Dallas Express hopes to explore through firsthand accounts.

The Dallas Express has also explored prayer and deliverance in a Let’s Talk Local conversation with Christian Union founder Matt Bennett.

Denver archbishop’s decision draws questions

Golka became the sixth archbishop of Denver in March 2026, following his appointment by Pope Leo XIV. The Catholic Church entrusts bishops with oversight of priests and ministries within their jurisdiction, including matters involving public teaching.

However, the decision to pause Ripperger’s speaking and interview engagements has prompted questions about its scope, particularly given the considerable audience his ministry has developed. The archdiocese has publicly characterized the arrangement as a mutually agreed-upon period of renewed attention to his religious community.

It has not publicly identified an additional reason for the request.

Meet the archbishop:

The Dallas Express requests direct explanation

On October 19, The Dallas Express co-founder Sarah Zubiate-Bennett contacted the Archdiocese of Denver requesting an explanation for the decision affecting Father Ripperger’s public speaking engagements. Zubiate-Bennett left a voicemail requesting a return call and clarification of the circumstances surrounding the one-year pause.

A representative identifying herself as Cindy subsequently returned Zubiate-Bennett’s call and directed her to the archdiocese’s most recent public statement. According to Zubiate-Bennett’s account of the message, Cindy said, “For now, we don’t have any further information.”

The Dallas Express is seeking clarification on whether the arrangement is voluntary or obligatory, which public activities it covers and whether the archdiocese will release additional information.

Has Father Ripperger’s ministry changed your faith?

Beyond the decision itself is another important question: How many people have drawn closer to their Christian faith because of Father Chad Ripperger’s public ministry?

The Dallas Express wants to hear from readers who have experienced that influence firsthand. Have his interviews or teachings encouraged you to attend Mass, return to confession, explore Catholicism, pursue baptism or confirmation, or deepen your relationship with God?

Were you previously outside the Christian faith before encountering his work? The Dallas Express also welcomes firsthand information about canceled engagements, communications concerning the speaking pause or other verifiable developments related to the decision.

We want to hear your story. Contact The Dallas Express at news@dallasexpress.org or 469-210-8445, extension 101. Please include relevant details and supporting documentation. The Dallas Express will continue seeking answers from the Archdiocese of Denver while examining the broader impact of Ripperger’s ministry.

Provided by Dallas Express

Homebuilder confidence sank to a 14-year low in October, while 43% of builders reported price cuts as rising mortgage rates and construction costs strained the new-home market.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index fell three points to 29, its weakest reading since June 2012, according to a report released Monday.

The seasonally adjusted index measures builders’ views of the market for newly built single-family homes. Readings above 50 indicate that more builders rate conditions positively than negatively.

More builders cut prices

The share of builders cutting prices reached its highest level during the 2020-2026 period. Among builders making reductions, the average cut held at 6% for the seventh consecutive month.

Sales incentives remained widespread: 65% of builders reported offering them in October. That marked the 19th consecutive month in which at least 60% used incentives.

The index tracking prospective buyers fell five points to 18. Buyer traffic reached its weakest level since April 2012, apart from April 2020 at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the NAHB analysis.

The other two components also declined. Builders’ assessment of current sales fell two points to 33, while their expectations for sales over the next six months dropped five points to 32.

Dallas-Fort Worth sales weaken

North Texas’ broader single-family housing market also slowed in September. Sales fell 7% from a year earlier to 6,759, while pending sales dropped 19% to 5,536, according to the MetroTex Association of Realtors’ October 16 update.

The median sales price dipped 1% to $385,000, although the average price rose 4% to $509,534. The market held 4.3 months of inventory. Changes in the mix of homes sold may help explain the split between average and median prices, MetroTex said.

New construction represents a substantial share of the region’s housing choices. Newly built homes accounted for 31% of Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington listings from January through June 2026, according to a Realtor.com analysis. During that period, median asking prices for new homes averaged 9.8% above those for existing homes.

What higher rates cost North Texas buyers

The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage stood at 7.40% on October 15, up from 6.66% on August 27, Freddie Mac’s weekly survey shows.

For a North Texas buyer borrowing $400,000 over 30 years, that increase raises the monthly principal-and-interest payment from approximately $2,571 to $2,770, about $199 more each month, according to calculations by The Dallas Express.

That comparison assumes the same loan amount and repayment term. It excludes property taxes, homeowners insurance and other housing costs.

The Dallas Express reported a 6.11% average mortgage rate in March. Freddie Mac’s latest reading stands 1.29 percentage points higher.

Higher costs weigh on builders

Builders also face more expensive construction financing, building materials and diesel, along with worsening labor and lot conditions, NAHB chief economist Robert Dietz wrote in the Eye on Housing analysis.

Demand for new homes persists, but financing costs and weaker consumer confidence continue to keep prospective buyers from purchasing, the analysis said. Federal regulatory reform efforts are easing some of builders’ cost pressures, it added.

More than one-third of builders reported immigration enforcement activity in their markets during the previous month. NAHB attributed construction delays and some legal workers’ reluctance to report to work to that activity.

In the South, which includes Texas, the three-month moving average for builder confidence fell one point to 30. All four regions posted declines in their three-month averages, with the Midwest at 40, the Northeast at 38 and the West at 26.

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CNN reported on October 19 that growing distrust between the two leaders has raised concerns about the future of American support for Ukraine.

Trump has criticized Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, arguing that the strikes affect global fuel prices. Meanwhile, Ukraine continues targeting Russian energy facilities as Moscow maintains attacks on Ukrainian territory.

Another disagreement involves intelligence sharing. Zelensky has said American intelligence assistance was temporarily interrupted, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied that any suspension occurred.

The Trump administration’s decision to ease certain sanctions on Russia has also complicated relations with Kyiv.

Meanwhile, discussions about a possible meeting involving Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping have raised questions about Ukraine’s participation in future peace negotiations.

The developments highlight continuing differences between Washington and Kyiv as Ukraine seeks military assistance and diplomatic support.

Federal investigators have obtained DNA evidence that could substantiate allegations that U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) married her brother to help him obtain a green card, the New York Post reported Monday, citing people familiar with the investigation.

The newspaper linked the purported evidence to Omar’s 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. One source told the Post the DNA was critical to establishing the alleged sibling relationship.

The Post did not publish laboratory results with its report. The Dallas Express has not independently verified the DNA claim. Omar has repeatedly denied that Elmi is her brother.

Evidence follows home search

Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., home on October 12 under a court-authorized warrant, as The Dallas Express covered last week.

Investigators have also gathered government records and information from whistleblowers, the Post reported. Two people familiar with the matter told the newspaper that the search, DNA evidence and other material could support presenting an immigration-fraud conspiracy case to a grand jury. The Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office initiated the probe, according to the report.

The alleged marriage scheme concerns Elmi’s immigration status. Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000, according to her attorneys.

Omar denies wrongdoing

Omar rejected the sibling-marriage allegation when it first drew public attention during her 2016 campaign for the Minnesota Legislature.

“Insinuations that Ahmed Nur Said Elmi is my brother are absurd and offensive,” she said in a statement published by MPR News.

Her office also rejected allegations of wrongdoing after federal agents searched her home.

“The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong,” her office said in an October 12 statement that accused the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement to target political opponents.

Her attorneys subsequently demanded the return of seized property and challenged the search’s legality, The Associated Press reported. The Justice Department disputed their allegations.

“Our attorneys and law enforcement partners complied with all court orders and legal obligations, as they always do,” department spokesperson Emily Covington told the AP.

Provided by Dallas Express

A 22-year-old woman faces two manslaughter charges in the October 6 crash that killed Southern Methodist University graduates Julian Harris and Madison Duren in Dallas.

Authorities booked Aldrea Rogers into the Dallas County Jail on October 16. Jail records listed bond at $250,000 for each charge, or $500,000 total, Fox 4 KDFW reported.

Crash on Garland Road

Police and firefighters responded to the 9200 block of Garland Road near Knob Oak Drive that evening, according to the report.

Harris, 23, died at the scene. Emergency crews took Duren, 22, to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, where she later died. Three other people also went to a hospital.

In a separate 2021 case, The Dallas Express reported on a fatal rollover in the 9800 block of Garland Road.

A couple who met through theater

Duren graduated from Hawaii Baptist Academy in 2022 and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts in May 2026, her parents wrote in a memorial message on a family fundraiser.

She met Harris at SMU, where he studied a year ahead of her in the theater program. The two shared a love of acting and performed together in several productions, the family wrote.

At SMU, Duren played the father and Harris the son in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. Their roles reversed in Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play, with Harris playing the father and Duren his child, according to the family’s account.

Her parents also described her love of Scripture, noting that she filled her Bible with reflections and sermon notes.

Justin Duren and Bob Duren organized the fundraiser to help cover memorial services, cremation and travel for immediate family members. Organizers said donations would go directly to Duren’s parents, Sharon and Bob, and help support efforts to honor her memory.

The family said it had not yet decided how best to honor her legacy.

Provided by Dallas Express

Independents in Texas generally lean to the right, but for the first time in a couple decades, they now appear to be shifting leftward for Talarico.

For more on this story go to wfaa.com

Volunteers searching for missing Denton mother Marjulin Daiuru Briceño Arrieta say they found her wallet along Highway 380 on October 18, nearly three weeks after she disappeared.

Private investigator Alfonso Solis told FOX 4 that the group turned its findings over to law enforcement.

“So this is the breakthrough,” Solis said, describing the discovery as the search group’s first clue in three weeks.

The volunteers also found another item but declined to identify it, the station reported. Solis said the discoveries helped narrow the search area. Denton police told the station on October 18 that they had no updates to share.

Murder warrant predates discovery

Briceño Arrieta, 42, has three children. Police believe she is dead, but investigators have not found her body or her estranged husband, Richard Pastor Perez.

As The Dallas Express previously reported, detectives obtained a murder warrant for Perez, 49. The warrant predates the search group’s reported wallet discovery.

Denton police announced the warrant in an October 13 release and said FBI Dallas was assisting with the search.

Briceño Arrieta met Perez around 6:45 p.m. September 28 at his apartment in the 1900 block of North Ruddell Street, police said. Her family contacted police after relatives could not reach either person.

Investigators found her car near the apartment and traced Perez’s white 2013 Ford Escape through the Texas Panhandle using license plate readers, police said.

Albuquerque police later located the SUV. September 30 hotel footage showed a man matching Perez’s description leaving the vehicle, with no one else accompanying him, according to the department.

A fundraiser organized by Denisse Carrera seeks $10,000 for housing, utilities and other basic needs for the children, who relied on their mother’s income.

Reward for information

Denton County Crime Stoppers offers up to $2,000 for information leading to Perez’s arrest, police said. Anyone with information about his whereabouts can call 1-800-388-TIPS (8477) or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers.

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Texas households are reporting unsolicited mail addressed to students that provides information about unsupportive parents, legal emancipation and seeking “transgender”-related medical care outside Texas.

The mailings follow a separate text-message campaign that promoted resources from the “Transgender” Education Network of Texas, or TENT, an advocacy organization that denies authorizing either campaign.

Commentator Sara Gonzales reported receiving one of the envelopes at her home and posted photographs of the envelope and enclosed student resource guide on X.

“This was sent to my home. Addressed to the ‘students’ of our family from the ‘Texas Transgender Student Union.’ It coaches minors on what to do if their parents are not supportive of their ‘trans’ identity and walks them through getting emancipated,” Gonzales posted.

What the mailer tells students

The envelope identifies the sender as the Texas “Transgender” Student Union and addresses the mailing to students in the recipient’s family. Gonzales’ photograph shows black markings covering the recipient’s identifying information.

The enclosed guide directs students whose parents do not support them to adults such as teachers, counselors, relatives and youth organization staff. It also lists TENT, OutYouth, Montrose Center/Hatch and Resource Center Dallas as places to seek support.

A separate section discusses legal emancipation and links to TexasLawHelp for information about the process. Another addresses hormones and related medical care, advising students to contact an organization rather than obtain medication on their own.

The brochure also addresses seeking care outside Texas. It tells students under 18 that parental consent, custody and the laws of both states can matter, and advises them to consult a legal organization before trying to arrange such care.

“Even if your family doesn’t accept you as you are, groups like these are ready to become your found family,” the guide states.

The identity of the organization or individual responsible for producing and distributing the mailers remains unclear. References to established advocacy organizations do not establish that those organizations authorized or mailed the material.

The mailings emerged before early voting began Monday in Texas for the November 3 general election. In-person early voting runs through October 30, according to the Texas secretary of state’s calendar.

Texts prompted call for investigation

State Rep. Jeff Leach (R-District 67) called on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) on October 13 to investigate organizations and individuals he alleged were helping Texans circumvent Senate Bill 12, The Dallas Express previously reported.

The controversy began after Texans received unsolicited text messages linking to TENT’s back-to-school toolkit. The guide addresses bathrooms, student clubs, names and pronouns, with separate resources for students, families and school employees.

TENT subsequently denied sending the texts. On October 14, it sent cease-and-desist demands to messaging companies Peerless Network and Infobip, seeking to stop the campaign and identify the client behind it, the Texas Tribune reported.

TENT denies sending the mailers

The organization has also denied involvement in the physical mailings. Its website displays the statement under an update labeled October 17.

“We are aware of text messages and now physical mailers that have been circulated concerning TENT that appear to have been issued by or on behalf of the organization. These text messages and mailers were not authored, authorized, approved, or distributed by TENT and are not affiliated with our organization. The texts do not represent the official position or communications of the organization. We will continue to monitor the situation and remain committed to our organizational values of unequivocal support for trans Texans, their families, and their loved ones. Trans Texans belong here. This is our home and we’re not going anywhere,” TENT’s statement said.

No evidence reviewed for this report establishes that a political campaign, party or advocacy organization orchestrated the distribution.

The Dallas Express reached out to TENT for additional comment but did not receive a response.

Provided by Dallas Express

Federal agents arrested 11 foreign nationals in California Monday as prosecutors announced election-related charges against 28 green card holders, most of whom allegedly cast illegal ballots, the Justice Department announced.

FBI Director Kash Patel highlighted the arrests as Texans began early voting for the November 3 election. The California crackdown, dubbed “Operation Protect the Vote,” spans all four U.S. attorney’s offices in the state.

“We will use every legal resource to hold those who violate our election laws accountable and defend every American citizen’s constitutional right to vote,” Patel wrote on X.

All 28 defendants have legal immigration status as lawful permanent residents. Green cards do not confer U.S. citizenship or eligibility to vote in federal elections. The cases include allegations of illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration and false statements in naturalization proceedings.

Alleged voting across multiple election cycles

Omar Alexander Muñoz, a 72-year-old Belizean national who lives in Commerce, allegedly claimed U.S. citizenship when he registered in September 2019, then voted in 2020, twice in 2022 and again in 2024, prosecutors said. He also allegedly denied ever claiming U.S. citizenship on his naturalization application.

Camino Giles Jiménez, 51, a Mexican national living in Kerman, allegedly voted in three U.S. elections, including the June 2026 primary. Amandeep Kaur, 30, an Indian national living in Rancho Palos Verdes, allegedly registered in December 2022 and voted in November 2024.

The charges are allegations. Prosecutors must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

California voter-roll dispute

The arrests follow an October 15 federal lawsuit seeking to prevent California from counting mail ballots from more than 20,000 registrants federal investigators identified as likely foreign nationals until officials verify their citizenship.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said all 28 defendants appear on that larger list. The list does not establish 20,000 cases of illegal voting.

“California is mailing ballots to noncitizens, and they are refusing to comply with federal law,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in the DOJ’s announcement.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D) has disputed the federal government’s evidence supporting the broader list, The Associated Press reported.

North Texas cases preceded California operation

The California cases follow a September 15 announcement of charges against seven people in the Northern District of Texas involving alleged illegal voting or false citizenship claims, as The Dallas Express previously reported.

Among them, Moises Anwar Arellano-Alba, 36, an illegal alien from Mexico, allegedly claimed citizenship on a 2023 Texas driver license application and voted early in Dallas County in 2024, prosecutors alleged.

Texas in-person early voting runs through October 30. Registered voters can vote at any early voting location in their county of registration.

Provided by Dallas Express