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Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Texas Renaissance Festival Founder Found Dead at Home Weeks After Court-Ordered Sale of His Event
Authorities say George Coulam, founder of the Texas Renaissance Festival, was found dead in his Todd Mission home on Wednesday, May 21 Earlier this month, a judge ordered the festival be sold following a failed $60 million deal Coulam founded the Texas Renaissance Festival in 1974George Coulam, founder of the Texas Renaissance Festival, has reportedly been found dead at his home. Law enforcement officials said the Todd Mission Police Department (TMPD) responded to Coulam's home on Wednesday, May 21, where the 87-year-old Ren Fair founder was found and pronounced dead, according to The Houston Chronicle. Coulam's body was found around 9 a.m. local time, CBS affiliate KHOU and NBC affiliate KPRC-TV reported. The Texas Renaissance Festival confirmed Coulam's death in a post on its Facebook page. 'We are deeply saddened by the loss of George Coulam, founder of the Texas Renaissance Festival,' the post read. 'For more than 50 years, he built a community that has become a cherished tradition for generations of performers, staff, and guests.' 'At this time, we ask for respect and privacy for Mr. Coulam's family and the extended Texas Renaissance Festival family as they grieve,' it continued. The cause of Coulam's death is under investigation. The TMPD said there is no suspected danger to the public, according to the Chronicle. Todd Mission Mayor Steve Mensing and Police Chief Ryan Rutledge did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Known to many as 'King George,' Coulam founded the Ren Fest in 1974, according to KHOU and KPRC-TV. Earlier this month, a Grimes County judge ordered the festival be sold following a lawsuit, KHOU reported. The judge also awarded $22 million in damages plus $1 million in legal fees to the plaintiffs, RW Lands, Texas Stargate and Royal Campground. The judgment was made following the failure of a $60 million deal, according to KPRC-TV. Anthony Laporte, attorney for Meril Rivard, who owns the companies involved in the lawsuit, said his client was 'reeling' from the news of Coulam's death, per the Chronicle. He called Coulam's death 'a sad loss.' 'Obviously, my client is saddened by the loss of George,' Laporte said. '(Meril Rivard) liked George, he got to know George.' Rivard said in a statement to the Chronicle that he and his family were 'shocked' by the news. 'Our thoughts go out to his loved ones,' he stated. 'Like everyone else who loves the Texas Renaissance Festival, we remain committed to ensuring that the festival lives on, and we are working steadfastly to make that happen.' Laporte said the process to complete the transaction for the festival is expected to 'move forward.' He added, 'We have a firm belief and commitment in Ren Fest 2025.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The Texas Renaissance Festival typically takes place in October, and lasts for six weeks, according to KHOU. Some former festival employees previously sued Coulam for sexual harassment and alleged they were wrongfully terminated from their jobs, per the Chronicle. Settlements were reached in June 2019 and June 2021. Additionally, Coulam was the first mayor of Todd Mission since it was incorporated in 1982, until Mensing was elected earlier this month, according to CBS affiliate KBTX-TV. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Watch: Escaped rodeo steers run loose on Texas highway
March 25 (UPI) -- A Texas highway turned into an impromptu rodeo when six steers escaped from a trailer and took off running. The Harris County Sheriff's Office said a latch came undone on the door to the trailer, allowing six steers to run loose on the Interstate 45 North Freeway, near the Montgomery County line, just before noon on Monday. The sheriff's office said the steers were on their way home to Barnum, Texas, after participating in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. "These particular cows are made for roping. They're meant to come out of a chute and take off running," Lt. Chris Adolph, head of the Harris County Sheriff's Office's livestock unit, told KPRC-TV. The truck had been carrying 31 roping steers, but the driver was able to maintain control of all but six of the bovines. Multiple lanes of traffic were closed while deputies attempted to wrangle the escaped animals. Sheriff Ed Gonzales said on social media that all of the steers were "accounted for and secured" just before 4:30 p.m. local time. Investigators said they were looking into whether the trailer had been properly secured before the latch came undone.
USA Today
10-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL GM denies false free agency report on ex-Broncos RB Samaje Perine
NFL GM denies false free agency report on ex-Broncos RB Samaje Perine In a world of reporters rushing to be first, NFL signings can sometimes be misreported. And with deals not becoming official until Wednesday, contracts can fall apart. It's unclear if it came from a faulty source or was a deal-in-progress, but KPRC-TV's Aaron Wilson reported in a since-deleted tweet that running back Samaje Perine was landing a three-year, $22 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday. Bucs general manager Jason Licht quickly denied that report when it was reshared by an aggregator, simply tweeting: "No we did not." Shortly thereafter, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported that Perine agreed to a two-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals worth up to $3.8 million. That deal won't become official until the new league year begins on Wednesday, but it seems to be legit, unlike the Tampa Bay report. The mix-up serves as a reminder that things can change quickly during the NFL's free agency negotiating window -- and some reports are simply inaccurate. Perine, 29, spent the 2023 season with the Denver Broncos, totaling 693 yards from scrimmage and scoring one touchdown. He was cut by the Broncos last summer and spent 2024 with the Kansas City Chiefs. Perine will now have a third stint in Cincinnati after previously playing for the Bengals in 2019 and again from 2020-2022. These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Someone Stole the Wheels From All the Teslas in This Parking Lot
As CEO Elon Musk ravages the federal government with chainsaws and fascist salutes, the wheels are coming off for Tesla — literally. New local reporting by League City, Texas' KPRC-TV has uncovered an unusual heist in which thieves pilfered 44 tires from 11 unsold Teslas sitting in an Amazon warehouse parking lot over Valentine's day weekend. At least two tire lifts were attempted, though only one of them was successful. The daring — and frankly kind of impressive — feat has stumped investigators, who say they have no leads, as the building's cameras weren't recording. It's unknown why the Teslas were parked in an Amazon warehouse, a mere 15-minute drive from the nearest Tesla showroom, though a recent surge of vandalism and protests targeting the EV company might have something to do with it. Though the thefts may or may not be politically motivated — automotive publication Jalopnik points out that the tires are worth about $350 a piece on the used market — they come at a time when anti-Tesla actions are heating up around the globe, resulting in arrests, investigations, and no small amount of pearl clutching from Musk's technocrat allies. A few days ago in lower Manhattan, activists occupied a Tesla dealership — a nonviolent protest tactic dating back to the Civil Rights movement — as protestors of all ages demonstrated peacefully outside. Video from Freedom captures the moment NYPD officers secured the storefront, swarming the front entrance and taking a number of activists into custody. Photos by Leonardo Munoz show the moment police formed a human barricade between the Tesla store and the protestors — a powerful image as Musk's interests become indistinguishable from the state's. And what good is a dramatic transfer of power without some good old fashioned browbeating to back it up? "These terror*sts are HELLBENT on scaring Elon Musk into silence," negged Nick Sortor, a right-wing media pundit with nearly one million followers on X-formerly-Twitter. In this scenario, the power of Musk's unfathomable wealth — not to mention his social media empire — is conveniently washed away. "DOGE has very high approval from the people as a whole, but the grifters super hate it," replied Musk, who apparently hadn't seen the latest numbers. While the "terrorist" epithet is laughable, the rhetoric from a high-profile Musk acolyte is noteworthy. It comes as Trump's team lays the groundwork for a new "War on Terror," expanding the definition of "terrorism" to include everyone from pro-Palestine activists to undocumented immigrants. And Musk's supporters are taking the bait. "Folks who do this are domestic terrorists," seethed Larkin's Lair, an "adult collector" of Transformers toys, under a video of a vandalized Tesla. The toy enthusiast included a screenshot of the definitions for "terrorism" and "violence," seemingly neither of which they bothered to read. While opinions will differ on the ethics of property destruction and theft, the move to lump "vandalism" in with "violence," and "protest" with "terror" is no accident. In the not-too-distant past, these tactics have been used to repress all kinds of progressive action, from workers movements to student marches to antiwar protests. As the global movement against Musk heats up, the onus should fall on those in power not to conflate terrorism with theft — even if their cars end up on cinderblocks. More on Tesla protests: Wave of Vandalism and Protests Hit Tesla
