Dr. Ian Smith is a physician, TV personality and best‑selling author — He's joined Houston Life to talk about his Ashe Cayne detective series and his newest thriller, Beyond Midnight. We discuss how his medical background shapes realistic scenes, his writing routine while balancing clinical and TV work, and what readers can expect from this installment (no spoilers). Where to find the book: Beyond Midnight is available at local bookstores and major retailers. For tour dates and updates, check Dr. Ian Smith’s website and social channels [VERIFY]. Don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe for more Houston Life interviews.

The Department of Homeland Security is trumpeting the start of a new immigration operation in Chicago that's stirring up fresh confusion and anxiety.

President Donald Trump has amplified his promises to send National Guard troops and immigration agents to Chicago by posting a parody image from “Apocalypse Now” featuring a ball of flames as helicopters zoom over the nation’s third-largest city.

As Chicago braces for an influx of federal immigration agents and possibly National Guard troops, churches citywide are turning up their response from the pulpit.

President Donald Trump is amplifying his promises to dispatch the National Guard to Chicago by posting a parody image from “Apocalypse Now" featuring a ball of flames as helicopters zoom overhead.

Chicago Cubs rookie starter Cade Horton has been almost unhittable since the All-Star break.

A combined no-hit bid by Chicago Cubs teammates Cade Horton and Ben Brown was broken up Wednesday night when Ozzie Albies singled leading off the seventh inning.

Chicago residents are bracing for an influx of military patrols and immigration agents in the coming days.

President Trump suggests New Orleans could be his next target for deploying the National Guard to fight crime.

U.S. employers posted 7.2 million job vacancies in July as the American labor market continued to cool.

President Donald Trump says he will direct federal law enforcement intervention to combat crime in Chicago and Baltimore, despite staunch opposition from state and local officials in both cities.

The playoff picture in the WNBA is unclear with nine days remaining in the regular season.

The Chicago Cubs have added Carlos Santana, agreeing to a one-year contract with the veteran first baseman that puts him in the mix for the playoffs, according to a person familiar with the deal.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the Trump administration will soon expand immigration operations in Chicago.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has signed an executive order to counter the Trump administration's plan to send federal officers into the city.

The Dallas Cowboys have traded Micah Parsons to Green Bay after four dominant seasons.

President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy the National Guard to Chicago and other big cities as a way to fight crime.

Public schools have reopened in the nation’s capital with parents on edge over the presence of thousands of National Guard troops, some armed, and federal law enforcement officers.

As far as Frank Nazar is concerned, everything is pretty much the same.

Several big-name NFL players are under pressure this season, with their futures and their teams' success on the line.

A federal judge has struck down two Trump administration actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the nation’s schools and universities.

Mira Sorvino is set to make her Broadway debut this fall in the musical “Chicago.”.

The Cleveland Guardians have been on a bit of a tear despite off-field challenges.

The Chicago White Sox threw a party that would have made Bill Veeck proud.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2026-27 school year has opened for a limited number of students as part of a beta test, according to the Department of Education.

As a political chess match wages on against Texas lawmakers and an attempt to block a vote on a “rigged” congressional redistricting map, officials with the Democratic National Convention are joining the effort in Illinois.

The WNBA said Saturday that the individual who threw a sex toy on the court at an Atlanta Dream game earlier in the week was arrested and that any person throwing objects onto the court will be ejected from the arena and face a minimum one-year ban.

The Friendly Confines are set to host The Midsummer Classic.

All-Star Game MVP Kyle Schwarber is deferring his selection to the Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame because of a rule requiring all living inductees to attend the ceremony.

Austin Slater is heading to the New York Yankees, giving them another right-handed bat they can plug into a part-time role down the stretch.

Fans are reeling following the successive deaths of celebrities including “The Cosby Show” actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, jazz performer Chuck Mangione, wrestler Hulk Hogan, heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne and baseball star Ryne Sandberg.

A 55-year-old Texas man who told police he was in “an imaginary relationship” with WNBA star Caitlin Clark was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to stalking and harassing the Indiana Fever guard.

Federal immigration judges fired by the Trump administration are filing appeals, pursuing legal action and speaking out in an unusually public campaign to fight for their jobs.

NASCAR will hold a street race on Naval Base Coronado in Southern California next June as a replacement for its downtown Chicago event that ran the last three years.

Kansas City’s Rich Hill seemed a bit rusty in his return to the majors as baseball’s oldest active player.

Lloyd Howell has resigned as executive director of the NFL Players Association, citing distractions his leadership has caused in recent weeks.

Illinois has one of the nation’s worst problems with child sex abuse at juvenile detention centers.

Shane van Gisbergen extended his winning streak to two straight and three victories in the last five weeks with yet another dominating run on a road course.

White Sox great Paul Konerko got a present from one No. 14 to another in honor of the 20th anniversary of the 2005 World Series championship run — a jersey signed by noted Chicago fan Pope Leo XIV.

NASCAR’s first in-season tournament hasn’t made much of an impression on its drivers so far.

Michael Busch hit three home runs, Pete Crow-Armstrong connected twice and the Chicago Cubs went deep a franchise-record eight times in pounding the St. Louis Cardinals 11-3 for their fourth straight victory.

A veteran who died in Chicago without any recollection of their life has been memorialized in a funeral service with military honors.

The San Francisco Giants are showing their confidence in manager Bob Melvin, exercising his contract option for the 2026 season.

In this digitally driven society where people rely on apps to solve their problems, the family court system has adapted, implementing a group of co-parenting apps to break the communication barriers that stand between divorced and separated parents.

When it comes to NASCAR’s return to downtown Chicago, Julie Giese has a long list of responsibilities.

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte said a fan in Chicago who brought him to tears during a game against the White Sox this week shouted that he messaged his late mother the previous night.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is going to again play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have been snakebit all season.

A 22-year-old fan who heckled Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte during a game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Tuesday night has been banned indefinitely from all major league stadiums, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.

The University of Chicago Crime Lab's Policing Leadership Academy tackles some serious topics like how to make data-driven decisions or how to help officers handle on-the-job trauma.

People fearful of being arrested for wearing masks while protesting immigration raids in Los Angeles and other cities have voiced anger over Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents covering their faces.

There is no stopping Cal Raleigh at the moment.

Several major league teams played through a second straight day of muggy conditions as dangerously hot temperatures dominated parts of the United States during a June heat wave.

Tens of millions of people across the Midwest and East are enduring another sweltering day of dangerously hot temperatures as a sprawling June heat wave grips much of the U.S. Most of the northeastern quadrant of the country from Minnesota to Maine was under some type of heat advisory Sunday.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Seattle Mariners reliever Trent Thornton got sick while playing in the extreme heat that covered much of the United States.

Left-hander Shota Imanaga will rejoin the Chicago Cubs early next week in St. Louis following a sharp Triple-A rehab start on Friday.

Three people are dead and a regional airport has been heavily damaged after powerful winds including a tornado swept across the upper U.S. Midwest.

Cal Raleigh broke Hall of Famer Johnny Bench’s 1970 record for home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break, hitting his major league-leading 28th and 29th in the Seattle Mariners’ 9-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday.

Cal Raleigh broke Johnny Bench’s record for home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break, hitting his major league-leading 28th and 29th in the Seattle Mariners’ 9-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday.

A judge has denied singer R. Kelly’s request for furlough from prison after the convicted sex offender accused federal prison officials of plotting to murder him.

Legendary Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa returned to Wrigley Field for the first time in more than 20 years before Chicago’s game with the Seattle Mariners.

R. Kelly's attorneys say the R&B singer collapsed in prison and was hospitalized.

U.S. Reps. Veronica Escobar and Joaquin Castro said their names appeared on a list of targets compiled by the assassin who has been charged with killing the Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and shooting two others on Saturday.

In his first words directed specifically to Americans, Pope Leo XIV told young people on Saturday how to find hope and meaning in their lives through God and in service to others.

The longest-serving legislative leader in U.S. history has been sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison on federal corruption charges.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has asked for an investigation into a suburban Chicago police department for allegedly sharing data from automatic license-plate readers with a Texas sheriff seeking a woman who had an abortion.

The Chicago Sky are struggling with a new coach and revamped roster.

Police say they've retrieved one of the two irreplaceable instruments owned by the rock band Heart that were stolen in Atlantic City, New Jersey, two weeks ago.

A bottlenose dolphin at the Brookfield Zoo Chicago gave birth to a calf early Saturday morning with the help of a fellow mom.

Chicago police officials say an officer killed this week was accidentally shot and killed by her partner after they encountered someone with a rifle when they chased a suspect into an apartment.

The Chicago White Sox have reached an agreement that will give Justin Ishbia, the brother of Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia, the chance to buy a future controlling interest in the club.

Authorities have made an arrest in the theft of two irreplaceable instruments owned by members of the rock band Heart that were stolen from a venue in New Jersey last weekend.

Eager customers have lined up outside electronics stores hours in advance in Tokyo to collect Nintendo’s much-anticipated Switch 2 video game consoles.

Two irreplaceable instruments owned by members of the rock band Heart were stolen from a venue in New Jersey last weekend as the group prepared to launch a nationwide tour.

Cincinnati Reds star Elly De La Cruz played with a heavy heart.

Filings for U.S. jobless aid jumped last week but American workers broadly remain secure in their jobs despite economic uncertainty over global trade.

A push in Texas to ban children under 18 years old from social media platforms is fading at the state Capitol.

There's another artificial intelligence blunder impacting news organizations.

It was a busy opening weekend for the WNBA with record breaking performances and ratings as the league’s stars shined.

There is a new landmark at the home of the Chicago White Sox — Section 140, Row 19, Seat 2.

The Chicago White Sox plan to unveil a graphic installation on Monday that honors Pope Leo XIV.

The Chicago Bears seem to have shifted their attention for a new enclosed stadium back to the suburbs from the city’s lakefront, citing “significant progress” with local leaders to build on a tract of land they own in Arlington Heights.

Cooper Flagg is starting to settle into his new reality.

A popular Turkish American online streamer who is critical of President Donald Trump was recently detained and questioned at O’Hare International Airport after his flight from Paris landed in Chicago.

A small nodule has been found in the prostate of former President Joe Biden during a routine physical exam.

Rick Welts was there, 40 years to the date earlier, when the NBA draft lottery got started.

Tim Elko’s first big league hit was a homer.

The election of Pope Leo XIV, who is the first U.S. pope and has Creole roots, is raising more awareness about the complexity of the Creole identity.

It’s the biggest victory for the struggling Chicago White Sox in a long time.

Pope Leo XIV, now the successor of St. Peter, leads the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church in a sacred role that few others will ever hold.

Recruiting women into construction and manufacturing has for years been a painstaking but broadly popular effort to address persistent labor shortages.

A Chicago-born cardinal walks into a conclave.

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese is ready to start winning in the WNBA after setting records as a rookie.

Speakers blasted “Born in the U.S.A.

The sports loyalties of Pope Leo XIV became a topic of conversation almost as soon as the white smoke emerged from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, originally from Chicago and known for his extensive missionary work in Peru, has been elected the first American pope, taking the name Leo XIV.

The head of Homeland Security says travelers who aren’t REAL ID compliant by the upcoming deadline this week will still be able to fly but should be prepared for extra scrutiny.

SNAP benefits meant to help feed Houston families are ending up in the hands of the wrong people and being spent a thousand miles away in the Chicago area.

The president of the nation’s largest union for federal workers says the organization’s ongoing staff downsizing will devastate the services it provides members and threatens the group’s survival.

Lance McCullers Jr. finally made it back to the mound in a major league game.