WACO (AP) — Prosecutors in Central Texas say they will retry a man whose quarter-century-old murder conviction was overturned due to questions about the fire science used at his trial. Ed Graf’s 1988 conviction for setting a fire that killed his two young stepsons was set aside in March by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. A judge set Graf’s bond at $1.5 million when he appeared in court Friday. McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna said Friday that his office would pursue a new trial.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Solid hiring helped lower unemployment rates in 40 U.S. states last month, the most since November. The declines show the job market is improving throughout most of the country. The Labor Department said Friday that unemployment rates increased in only three states: Louisiana, Tennessee and North Dakota. Rates were unchanged in seven states. California, New York and South Carolina all reported the largest unemployment rate declines in April. Each state’s rate fell by 0.4 percentage points.

AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas Senate honored Sen. Judith Zaffirini of Laredo after the veteran lawmaker cast her 50,000th consecutive record vote. The milestone occurred Friday morning and the Senate took time out of its floor session to praise the Democrat’s dedication to public service. Zaffirini has served in the Senate since 1987 and was the first Hispanic woman to serve in the chamber. Zaffirini’s colleagues noted she often missed family duties, including a son’s graduation, to make sure she didn’t miss a vote over her long career.

CARTHAGE (AP) — An East Texas sheriff who took office in January has resigned after pleading guilty to tampering and being sentenced to three years of probation. Panola (puh-NOH’-luh) County Sheriff Ron Clinton was arrested Feb. 28 on charges of tampering with a government record, abuse of official capacity and theft by a public servant. Clinton never repaid the county a $1,000 travel advance to attend a conference.