State Headlines
Texas school board to vote on required Bible readings in public education
Posted/updated on: June 26, 2026 at 12:57 pmAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas education board will vote Friday on a required reading list for more than 5 million public school students that includes Bible passages, widening conservative efforts to push Christian teachings in U.S. classrooms. The proposal in Texas — which would mandate literary works such as Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” alongside parables from the New Testament — has been closely followed by education observers who say it appears to be the first of its kind in the nation. If approved by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by Republicans, the reading list would take effect in 2030. Texas, which educates roughly 1 in 10 of the nation's public school students, has been at the forefront of a charge ... Read More
Supreme Court rules in favor of Trump administration on two immigration cases
Posted/updated on: June 26, 2026 at 12:57 pmWASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court voted 6-3 on Thursday to allow the Trump administration to end legal protections for migrants fleeing violence and natural disaster in Haiti and Syria, exposing hundreds of thousands more people to potential deportation. The Department of Homeland Security can now end temporary protected status, a program that protects a total of 1.3 million people from 17 countries. The Supreme Court also voted 6-3 to clear the way for the Trump administration to potentially revive an immigration policy once used to turn back migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. The court overturned a lower court order blocking the practice that limited the number of people who could apply for asylum each day. Meanwhile, a liner along the bottom of ... Read More
Texas officials say rodents and other small wildlife could be to blame for New World Screwworm infestations
Posted/updated on: June 26, 2026 at 12:57 pmMcALLEN (THE TEXAS TRIBUNE) — As the New World screwworm continues to infiltrate livestock and other animals in Texas, many have been asking how the parasitic fly landed here to begin with. Last week, the Texas Animal Health Commission identified a potential cause: small wildlife and rodents like armadillos, opossums and rabbits. MAP: Where have New World screwworm cases been reported in Texas? Until now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has pointed to multiple factors, including border policies under President Joe Biden to the illicit movement of cattle at the hands of drug cartels. The new finding is based on conversations with entomologists, Lewis R. “Bud” Dinges, executive director of the Texas Animal Health Commission, told the Texas House Committee on Agriculture and Livestock. However, ... Read More
Angelina County mourns loss of Deputy Chad Murray
Posted/updated on: June 26, 2026 at 12:57 pmANGELINA COUNTY, Texas (KETK)– A procession was held in Angelina County on Thursday afternoon in honor of Deputy Chad Murray, who died earlier this week. After spending several years working with the Brookshire’s coroperation Murary decided to begin a career in law enforcement at the age of 50 and graduated from the Angelina College Law Enforcement Academy in June 2022. Following his graduation, he began with the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office and spent the past four years serving as a patrol officer. “He had a strong desire to help people and make a difference in our community and always conducted his business in a professional manner,” the sheriff’s office said. “He was kind, patient and had a great personality.” Murray died at a local hospital ... Read More
Lufkin police searching for suspects after man injured in shooting near Brandon Park
Posted/updated on: June 26, 2026 at 12:57 pmLUFKIN, Texas (KETK) — The Lufkin Police Department is searching for individuals they believe were involved in a Saturday afternoon shooting that injured a man. The police department said the victim was driving towards Brandon Park with another man to meet with other individuals they had argued with earlier that day at a Nacogdoches County game room. As they were driving towards the park, gunshots were fired. A bullet grazed the victim’s head, and he was taken to a local hospital, while the other man was not injured. Officers reportedly located 27 shell casings in the middle of the 1000 block of Hosea Dolphus Street. Officials also found the victim’s vehicle, which had several reported gunshot strikes. The investigation remains ongoing, and detectives are working ... Read More
Lufkin community pleads for answers amid data center race
Posted/updated on: June 26, 2026 at 12:57 pmLUFKIN, Texas (KETK) — East Texas government leaders and state lawmakers say the community wishes to pause data center development to learn more about the facilities’ potential impacts on quality of life. As data centers continue to set up shop across Texas, people are trying to understand what impact they could have on the rural communities East Texans call home. Many people have brought their concerns to Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) Executive Director Lonnie Hunt, who says some residents feel data centers are moving in too fast. “Most of our folks are just right now saying let’s call time out, let’s put the brakes on,” Hunt said. “Let’s pause, let’s make sure that we know all the facts.” A rapid expansion that ... Read More
Truck driver sentenced in fatal pileup
Posted/updated on: June 26, 2026 at 12:57 pmKAUFMAN COUNTY - The truck driver who was charged with five fatalities in a 2025 crash on Interstate 20 in Kaufman County entered a guilty plea and was given a 20-year prison sentence. In court, Alexis Osmani Gonzalez-Companioni entered a plea, ending a case that garnered statewide attention after investigators claimed he fell asleep while operating an 18-wheeler and crashed into stopped traffic close to Terrell. Following the collision on June 28, 2025, a number of cars and commercial trucks were involved in a chain reaction pileup. Gonzalez-Companioni, a Florida resident, admitted to investigators that he had dozed off prior to the collision. A truck carrying three generations of the Fort Worth McKellar family was struck first. Grandfather Billy McKellar, parents Zabar and Shawn, and ... Read More
Senators Ted Cruz, Kaine introduce bill to strengthen America’s defense industrial base
Posted/updated on: June 26, 2026 at 1:03 pmWASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced the Feedstocks, Uniformity, Safety, and Energetics (FUSE) Act. This legislation establishes a Pentagon pilot program to evaluate the extent 3D-printable energetic materials can safely expand domestic production capacity and strengthen the defense industrial base. Sen. Cruz said, “Critical energetic materials like RDX and HMX are essential to modern weapons systems but are hazardous to produce and rely on a limited domestic supplier base, creating safety and supply chain vulnerabilities. This legislation will enable the Department of War to test the performance and scalability of 3D-printable energetic materials at secure facilities and provide a controlled means of conducting assessments. I’m proud to introduce it and urge my colleagues to move it toward passage.” According ... Read More
Panola County sues Ken Paxton over public information request after racketeering lawsuit
Posted/updated on: June 26, 2026 at 12:57 pmCARTHAGE — Panola County is currently suing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to block the release of information on defendants in a recently dismissed lawsuit that accused several local officials of racketeering and misconduct, according to our news partner, KETK, and legal records. The dispute between Panola County and the Texas Attorney General’s Office started after county resident Lisa Broomfield submitted a Public Information Act request seeking a broad set of county records related to her lawsuit. Broomfield had sued several current and former Panola County officials whom she accused of racketeering, misconduct and running a “duck fund” that allegedly took payments for favorable outcomes in cases. On March 24, 123rd District Court Presiding Judge Edwin A. Klein dismissed and disposed of Broomfield’s claims against ... Read More
Former deputy pleads guilty to child sex crimes, child pornography
Posted/updated on: June 26, 2026 at 12:57 pmHOUSTON COUNTY - In federal court, a former Houston County deputy has elected to enter a guilty plea to charges of child pornography and sexual abuse of a child. Former Houston County Sheriff's Office Deputy Skyler Laza has agreed to enter into a written plea agreement to the federal charge of sexual exploitation of a child, also known as production of child pornography, according to court documents filed on Tuesday. According to related documents, Skyler Laza forced the child to engage in sexual activity, recorded it, and sent the footage. (more…) ... Read More
Crash involving 18-wheeler leaves two dead
Posted/updated on: June 26, 2026 at 12:57 pmPANOLA COUNTY - Authorities confirmed that an 18-wheeler crashed in Panola County on Thursday morning, killing two people. Around 4:20 a.m., the collision occurred in Panola County at the intersection of Highway 79 and FM 31. The driver and passenger in the 18-wheeler were confirmed dead by the Texas Department of Public Safety. They are both from Missouri. According to the Panola County Sheriff's Office, the Texas Department of Transportation is present and attempting to reopen the road. An investigation is ongoing. ... Read More
A giraffe named Gracie escaped in Texas, authorities on the hunt
Posted/updated on: June 26, 2026 at 12:57 pmSAN ANTONIO (AP) - A giraffe named Gracie is missing in Texas, and the search for her has become a tall order. Gracie, who is about 3 years old, has been missing for nearly two weeks after escaping her enclosure at Cedar Hollow Ranch in the Texas Hill Country, said Vic Jones, who owns the remote property about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of San Antonio. He said Wednesday that Gracie had wandered into a part of the privately owned preserve that other giraffes previously avoided. Jones said he has sent up helicopters to look for Gracie, a few sightings have trickled in, and a $5,000 reward is on the table. But the giraffe, which stands roughly the height of a tree, hasn't turned up. ... Read More
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