KRGV.com

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Thousands of gun advocates have gathered peacefully at state capitals across the U.S. to rally against stricter limits on firearms. Yesterday's "Guns Across America" rally at the Texas State Capitol was estimated to be one of the largest gatherings in the country. The rallies were being held days after President Barack Obama unveiled a sweeping package of federal gun-control proposals on Wednesday.

HOUSTON (AP) The family of a Texas man who died in a deadly terrorist attack at a natural gas complex in Algeria says he is being remembered for his "loving heart, caring nature" and sense of humor. Frederick Buttaccio's family said yesterday in a statement that the State Department confirmed that their loved one was killed after Islamists reportedly linked to Al-Qaeda took hostages at the natural gas plant.

PHARR, Texas (AP) Customer services company Convergys says it plans to hire about 1,000 new full-time employees in the Rio Grande Valley. The additional customer services representatives will nearly quadruple the number of employees at the Ohio-based company's 24-hour call center in Pharr.

HOUSTON (AP) Medical officials and others are criticizing a Houston city councilman's disparaging remarks about flu vaccinations and his comments that people "don't die from the flu." During a city council vote earlier this week to consider accepting $3.1 million in federal funding for childhood immunizations, councilman Jack Christie criticized flu vaccines and suggested the media is embellishing "the extreme fear of encouraging flu vaccinations."