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NEW YORK (AP) — Saks Global, the parent company of Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman, officially emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy Friday with fewer stores, less debt, a more focused strategy to pamper the affluent — and a new name.

The company said Friday that the new entity will be called Exemplar Luxury Group, and with an improved balance sheet, including a nearly 75% debt reduction and $500 million in extra financing. Its CEO, Geoffroy van Raemdonck, said the New York-based company is ready for its next chapter after navigating several tumultuous years.

“Today is really a brand new day for the organization and a new day where these three iconic banners have the right funding, the right equity and a bright future ahead of them,” van Raemdonck told The Associated Press on Friday during a phone interview.

Van Raemdonck said that the new name signifies the company’s focus on having an exemplary shopping experience — the best merchandise, and better personalized service with customers, with help from its sales associates and the treasure trove of data it has on its customers. The company employs more than 1,500 sales associates who have sold more than $1 million of goods each, he said.

Saks Global had filed for bankruptcy protection in January of this year, buffeted by rising competition and the massive debt it took on to buy its rival in the luxury sector, Neiman Marcus, in July 2024.

Before the bankruptcy, there were 33 Saks stores and 36 Neiman Marcus locations, according to the company, as well as its Bergdorf Goodman store on Fifth Avenue and roughly 70 Saks Off 5th discount stores.

Now, there are a total of 49 stores — 15 Saks Fifth Avenue stores, 33 Neiman Marcus stores and its Bergdorf Goodman store. The company shuttered most of its Saks Off Fifth discount stores, and it now has 12 outlets, the company said.

Exemplar Luxury Group said it has been teaming up with Pentwater Capital Management and Bracebridge Capital throughout its restructuring process. Both firms will have two representatives on the seven-person board. In addition, van Raemdonck as well as former Ulta Beauty CEO Dave Kimbell and Philippe Schaus, who most recently served as Global CEO of Moët Hennessy, will serve on the board, the company said.

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CROCKETT (KETK) – Three men were arrested in connection to a Royse City robbery on Friday after officials said a Flock AI camera spotted their vehicle heading through East Texas.

The Crockett Police Department put out a press release on Saturday stating that Houston County Sheriff’s Office dispatchers were notified that a vehicle involved with the robbery of $40,000 in Royse City was spotted by an artificial intelligence powered Flock camera in Anderson County.

The vehicle was reportedly spotted by the camera on Friday why traveling towards Houston County by way of Elkhart.

A deputy with the Houston County Sheriff’s Office saw the vehicle turn off of US Highway 297 North and onto Loop 304 before it continued onward towards FM 229. Crockett PD said one of their officers near FM 2076 then stopped the vehicle near Loop 304 and State Highway 7 West because it was reportedly speeding.

One of three people in the vehicle was reportedly arrested first because officers found out he had a warrant from Harris County. Crockett PD said the vehicle was then searched and around $40,000 in cash was found hidden along with a black mask and black gloves.

The officers continued to search the vehicle and found more masks, gloves and dark clothes that matched a description from the Royse City Police Department.

After the stop, Edward Davion Cannon of Houston, James Hoyd White of Houston and Aaron Oscar Carter of Houston were all arrested for engaging in organized criminal activity. They were booked into the Hunt County Jail where they’re currently being held on $75,000 bonds.

UVALDE COUNTY (AP) – Gracie the Giraffe, who went missing for about two weeks in Texas after wandering off a remote private ranch, was finally found Friday — and the open range appeared to have agreed with her.

The giraffe was spotted about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) south of her enclosure during an aerial search in the Texas Hill Country, according to Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson. He said Gracie’s owner, Vick Jones, contacted a veterinarian and began putting together a team to bring the giraffe safely back to the ranch.

“She’s in good shape,” Jones said. “She’s standing there, swishing her tail.”

Gracie, who is about 3 years old and weighs at least 1,200 pounds, was found within a half-mile of a pond and creek and had plenty of vegetation to feed on, said Jones, adding that she appeared to have been in that area for about a week.

Getting the 10-foot-tall giraffe home to the Cedar Hollow Ranch, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of San Antonio, was taking some work.

Veterinarians needed time to sedate Gracie and put a hood over her eyes, Jones said. From there, Gracie will be moved with an open-pasture trailer to a taller, enclosed trailer made for giraffes for the trip back to the ranch.

Parts of the remote area cannot be reached by car, which prompted the search by helicopter. While Real County’s 2,700 residents were urged to keep an eye out for her, Gracie was found on private property where no one lives, Jones said.

“We didn’t bother her,” Jones said of the sighting. “She’s got water. She looked in really good shape.”

The Texas Hill Country has one of the largest concentrations of exotic captive animals in the U.S.

Johnson said this week he’s had reports of missing wildebeests, water buffalo, zebras and monkeys, though never a giraffe previously.

The area has a mild climate and rugged terrain — and plenty of vegetation for Gracie to eat. In Africa, giraffes thrive best in dry and semidry savannahs and grasslands.

Jones believes that Gracie, who arrived at the ranch in May, didn’t mean to leave it. She had been wandering up to a rocky area to feed on trees growing out of the rock and had always come back to the ranch’s giraffe enclosure.

Jones said Gracie wandered into the rocky area, fed, and came down on the wrong side of the gate. At that point, he said, it was easier for her to keep walking in the same direction than to try to go back.

The area wasn’t fenced because giraffes had not been going there until Gracie did — and building a fence requires jackhammering through rock to put up the posts. But Jones said he plans to have a fence put up now, and Gracie will stay in the ranch’s giraffe enclosure until it’s ready.

Despite Gracie’s size, she wouldn’t have harmed a person who encountered her off the ranch, Jones said.

“If you move toward her, she’s taking off,” he said.

LUFKIN – Patrol officers Wednesday night located and arrested a man who was wanted on aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charges, according to a news release from police. Javier Dejesus Martinez, 41 of Lufkin, was arrested as he walked to a gas station near Timberland and Atkinson Drives. He has been charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. This follows reports to police and the Angelina County Sheriff’s office of family violence.

Detective Reagan Matthews said the incident started with Martinez and the victim in a local motel Tuesday. Martinez strangled and struck the victim several times while at the motel.

The following day, the victim went to work at a convenience store on U.S. 69 north in Central and had belongings in the vehicle to leave Martinez. However, Martinez worked at an adjacent convenience store, and when he saw the victim in the parking lot, he reportedly began repeatedly striking the victim with a closed fist, knocking the victim to the ground and dragging the victim on the pavement, Matthews said.

Witnesses took photos of the incident, but told Sheriff’s deputies that Martinez threatened to kill anyone who called the police and he said he was not afraid of the police or confrontation, Matthews said. Martinez left the premises in the victim’s vehicle, and witnesses then called the Sheriff’s office. They were able to provide photos and video, she said.
When deputies talked with the victim at the convenience store, they were told of the abuse at the Lufkin motel, which is when detectives became involved in the case.

Matthews located the victim at a local hospital and scheduled an intimate partner violence exam with Harolds House, which documented both the new and older wounds.
Around 11 p.m. Wednesday, patrol officers recognized Martinez as he was walking on north Timberland Drive and arrested him without incident. Sheriff’s detectives are working on separate charges from the convenience store incident. Martinez had been on parole from federal prison on drug possession and trafficking charges.

LUFKIN – A man was arrested on Wednesday after he allegedly beat and strangled a person at a motel in Lufkin.According to our news partner KETK and the Lufkin Police Department, 41-year-old Javier Dejesus Martinez, was arrested after detectives learned he strangled and struck a victim in a local motel on Tuesday.

Then on Wednesday, the victim reportedly went to work at a convenience store on U.S. Highway 69. The victim was planning to leave Martinez and had already put their belongings in their vehicle.

Martinez worked at a convenient store nearby and had seen the victim in the parking lot. Lufkin PD reported that after seeing the victim on Wednesday, Martinez repeatedly struck them with a closed fist, knocked them to the ground and dragged them on the pavement.

“Witnesses took photos of the incident but told Sheriff’s deputies that Martinez threatened to kill anyone who called the police and he said he was not afraid of the police or confrontation,” a Lufkin Police Department detective said.

Martinez then left the convenience store property in the victim’s vehicle and witnesses contacted the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office. Lufkin PD detectives became involved after the victim told deputies about the violence at the motel.

A detective with Lufkin PD found the victim at local hospital on Wednesday and set up a violence exam at Harold’s House, where their new and older wounds were documented.

The detective was able to secure a warrant for Martinez’s arrest in connection to the motel beating on Wednesday and they also discussed the case with Lufkin PD patrol officers.

At around 11 p.m. on Wednesday night, Lufkin PD officers were patrolling the city when they saw Martinez walking on north Timberland Drive. Martinez was arrested without incident and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Martinez is currently being held in Angelina County Jail on a $500,000 bond for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and has received an additional charge from the Sheriff’s Department for continuous violence against the family with no bond.

AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas education board on Friday approved 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 Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by Republicans, approved the list of over critics who argued the titles lack diversity and blur the separation of church and state enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Supporters say Judeo-Christian traditions were fundamental to the nation’s founding and that should be reflected in the public school curriculum.

The proposal, which mandates literary works such as Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” alongside passages 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. It is a departure from letting schools or teachers decide what students read.

The rollout will be staggered, starting with elementary school students in 2030.

Texas, which educates roughly 1 in 10 of the nation’s public school students, has been at the forefront of a charge by conservatives to incorporate more religion into classrooms. The state also allows public schools to hire chaplains to counsel students, mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms and has approved an optional Bible-infused curriculum.

A focus on Christianity

Critics say the reading list lacks diversity, blurs the separation of church and state that is enshrined in the Constitution and leaves teachers and students with little room to decide what to read.

“Kids of all faith backgrounds and no faith are served by Texas schools and they should all feel welcome in Texas schools,” said Elva Mendoza, legislative communications associate for the progressive Texas Freedom Network. “But this is sending the message to children that one and only one religious text — a Christian one — is worthy of making this required reading list.”

Others have applauded the possibility of mandated Christian religious reading in public schools. Brooke Mazel, a retiree from Lubbock, encouraged the board to adopt biblical materials, saying her children and grandchildren grew up with “strong faith and family values.”

“America should celebrate our 250 years that started as a nation of unwavering Christian values,” Mazel said.

The board is also set to vote Friday on a social studies curriculum that links Bible stories with American history.

Texas may be a trailblazer

A state law passed in 2023 required a mandatory list of at least one literary work be taught in each grade level. The proposed new list contains around 200 texts, including Bible passages, essays and books, far in excess of that requirement.

Antero Garcia, president of the National Council of Teachers of English and a Stanford University professor, said he doesn’t know of any other state with a mandatory reading list that includes religious texts. Educators at the district and school level usually choose the texts their students will read, Garcia said.

Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, agrees the move is “unique” to Texas.

Picture-book stories for elementary students including “David and Goliath” and “Daniel and the Lion’s Den” are on the required reading list. By fourth grade, students would encounter passages about Jesus in the New Testament.

By middle school, students would be expected to read several passages about Jesus, including passages from his most famous sermon, and another where he instructs people to cast aside earthly anxiety and seek the kingdom of God.

For high schoolers, the list requires the reading of specific Bible passages as supportive materials for literary works including works by Dickens and Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”
Holding diversity in check

Such strict requirements amount to “almost de facto censorship,” Meehan said, comparing the list to book bans.

“It certainly leans ideologically more conservative,” she said. “It excludes a lot of diverse voices from the reading list.”

The list mandates that students reading Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” also read a eulogy for President Ronald Reagan written by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a staunch conservative.

Frank Strong, an English and journalism teacher and co-founder of the student advocacy group Texas Freedom to Read, said diversity is not only important for students needing to see themselves in what they read but also as a way to learn about different cultures.

Many of the books on the reading list are not controversial, but Mendoza asks why books like “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” need to be required for kindergartners.

“Can’t our kindergarten teachers be trusted to choose board books?” Mendoza asks.

AUSTIN (THE TEXAS TRIBUNE) – The Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal by Robb Elementary students and teachers who argued failures by the Department of Public Safety and Uvalde County contributed to a botched response to the 2022 shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers.

The court’s order, issued without comment, upheld a February ruling by the San Antonio-based 4th Court of Appeals that dismissed the lawsuit.

DPS and the county were sued for negligence by five teachers and 20 students who were at the school but not in the classrooms where the shootings occurred.

“Most were barricaded in nearby classrooms and could hear the gunfire, and some saw the shooter as he moved through the campus. The shooter also fired into the windows of at least one of the classrooms where the appellants were located,” the appeals court noted. “Several appellants lost friends and cousins in the shooting, and others were physically injured during the evacuation. All were traumatized.”

The lawsuit argued that DPS and Uvalde County failed to protect students and teachers — an allegation, the court acknowledged, “we quite frankly cannot disagree with.”

Even so, the appeals court said, their lawsuit argued that DPS and the county acted negligently under the Texas Tort Claims Act — a law that did not apply to their claims.

Students and teachers alleged that law enforcement officers failed to use their communication equipment and protective gear as they waited more than an hour to intervene and protect those inside the elementary school.

They also alleged that responders used “defective operational equipment in a manner that delayed rescue causing distinct injury,” because radios could be used only within a 10-foot radius of the building.

Students and teachers were injured “not only by the shooter’s conduct, but also by the delayed rescue itself,” the lawsuit said.

The appeals court ruled that under the Tort Claims Act, students and teachers had to show the “use of the property must have actually caused the plaintiff’s injury.”

The lawsuit did not present evidence that properly functioning radios would have minimized or eliminated the delay in the rescue, the court ruled.

In addition, many of the lawsuit’s claims revolved around law enforcement’s failure to use body armor, shields, firearms and protective gear. However, “it is well-established that non-use of property” does not waive the county’s and the Department of Public Safety’s immunity from lawsuits under the tort act, the appeals court ruled.

“As judges, we are bound by the maxim that ‘the waiver of governmental immunity is a matter addressed to the Legislature, not the courts,’” the opinion said.

To find the original article, go to The Texas Tribune.

WASHINGTON, 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 to Sen. Kaine, “Additive manufacturing in defense technologies has enormous capacity to boost our military readiness by enabling us to quickly develop parts and munitions and strengthen our supply chains. Virginia is home to many innovative additive manufacturing companies. This legislation would help us better understand how additive manufacturing can be applied to produce energetics and explosives and reduce choke points in production.”

This provision creates a pilot program to assess whether 3D-printable explosive and propellant materials can be safely used in military manufacturing. The program will test whether these materials can make munitions production safer, more reliable, and less vulnerable to supply chain disruptions compared to traditional manufacturing methods.

RDX and HMX are utilized in the manufacture of melt-castable explosives, nuclear devices, plastic explosives, rocket fuels, and booster charges that are employed in military applications. RDX and HMX are also extensively used in quarrying, metal mining, coal mining, and non-metal mining industries.

WASHINGTON (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 the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor this month, causing damage to the foam sealant installed as part of a $16 million rehabilitation project, a top official at the National Park Service said.

Heres’ the latest:

What Trump fed farmers at the White House

Farmers and ranchers invited to a Rose Garden dinner on Thursday were served New York strip steak joined by sides and desserts packed with seasonal ingredients.

The menu included a caprese salad with garden tomatoes, plus a side dish featuring White House-harvested peppercress. The meat was billed as a grilled prime New York strip steak. Dessert included roasted peaches and White House honey.

Dinner guests received organic garden seeds and tomato jam prepared by White House chefs.

In keeping with the theme, there was a white farm stand at the back of the garden, surrounded by baskets overflowing with carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, corn and other fruits and vegetables.

Vance says Watergate would fly over in today’s news, draws parallels between Nixon and Trump

Speaking at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library on Thursday, Vice President JD Vance said the legacy of the 37th president is “enjoying a bit of a renaissance.”

“If Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be like a 12-hour news story, the idea that it would have taken down a presidency is crazy,” Vance said in a conversation promoting his new book.

He went on: “If you look at the story of how the deep state took down Richard Nixon, it’s not all that different from what the same groups of people, the same institutions tried to do to Donald Trump in the first Trump administration.”

Vance noted his own parallels with Nixon. “Young senator, vice president, writes some bestselling books, is hated by the media,” he said. “It kind of sounds like JD Vance.”

Nixon was in his second term when he resigned over the Watergate scandal in 1974.

Housing bill being sent to White House, starting clock on Trump’s signature

Speaker Mike Johnson returned from what he called a “very productive” hourslong meeting with the president in the Oval Office following a highly dysfunctional week in Congress.

“We’re on exactly the same page,” Johnson said back at the Capitol.

Trump earlier this week abruptly abandoned plans to sign the bipartisan Housing package, which had overwhelmingly passed the House and Senate but got tangled when the president insisted Congress must first pass an unrelated voting bill called the SAVE America Act. That bill has failed to draw broad support in the Senate.

A group of House GOP lawmakers joined Trump’s rally call and refused to vote on other measures, essentially shutting down business in the House.

Trump, after meeting with Johnson, told Republicans in a social media post: “no more grandstanding.”

Johnson said they had to get back to work, and he said they were transmitting the Housing bill, which starts a 10-day clock for Trump to either sign it or veto the bill.

Merchant vessel hit by Iranian drone today

The merchant vessel that was attacked earlier today was hit by an Iranian drone, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation, said that the merchant vessel Ever Lovely was attacked by a drone being flown by the Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported the attack earlier on Thursday but only said that the ship was struck by a “projectile off Oman near UN-approved route for Strait of Hormuz.”

The center noted that there were no causalities nor any environmental impact.

U.S. says no Iranian funds have been released

A U.S. official told The Associated Press that no frozen funds have been released to Iran and will not be done until Iran meets the requirements of Trump’s interim Iran agreement.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC’s Squawk Box this week that Treasury would oversee how unfrozen funds would be spent.

“A very large percentage of it will go to buy U.S. foodstuffs and medicines,” he said.

U.N. agency pauses evacuation of ships through the Strait of Hormuz

A U.N. maritime agency has paused the evacuation of ships through the Strait of Hormuz after the British military said a vessel was hit Thursday by a projectile off the coast of Oman.

The head of the International Maritime Organization said the plan to move stranded ships through the strait will be on hold until the agency can confirm safety guarantees for the ships on the evacuation list and in the region.

It was unclear who launched the projectile or the type of vessel that was targeted. The report of a strike came hours after Iran threatened vessels to stop using a U.N.-approved route through the strait without Tehran’s permission.

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Reflecting Pool liner was cut with a sharp knife or razor, National Park Service says

A liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor this month, causing damage to the foam sealant installed as part of a $16 million rehabilitation project, a top official at the National Park Service says.

The agency reported the June 9 incident to U.S. Park Police, said Frank Lands, deputy director of operations for the park service. Lands made the statement in a court document filed late Wednesday as part of a lawsuit filed by a nonprofit organization to halt the Trump administration’s work on the project.

The police report indicates damage to the pool, “including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material,? Lands said. About 70 fence post tops also were thrown into the pool, he said.

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‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration detention center in Florida is officially closed, governor says

The immigration center built in the Florida swamps known as “Alligator Alcatraz” is closing after nearly a year of holding thousands of immigrant detainees, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday.

DeSantis said the center was always supposed to be temporary and now federal officials have enough ability to handle detention and deportation in more permanent facilities.

Officials announced a temporary closure of the facility earlier in June, saying hurricane season made it unsafe to keep the detainees in the Florida Everglades. All the of people kept at the isolated airstrip had been sent to other facilities.

Immigration advocates said the tents were never safe or humane to hold people. Detainees at the facility have talked about their difficulty accessing lawyers, and have described poor physical conditions, including worms in the food, toilets that don’t flush, flooding floors with fecal waste, and mosquitoes and other insects everywhere.

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Homeland Security touts TPS win at Supreme Court

The top legal official at Homeland Security praised the Supreme Court’s decision on temporary protected status.

“The Court vindicates DHS yet again,” said James Percival, the department’s general counsel in a statement on X.

“The T in TPS stands for TEMPORARY, yet many of these designations became de facto amnesty. This is a win for the rule of law and common sense,” Percival said.

DHS secretary says the department is reevaluating warehouses purchased for ICE detention

Markwayne Mullin says his department is reevaluating the eleven warehouses his predecessor purchased to use as immigration detention facilities.

Mullin says some just “probably won’t work” and suggested a lack of “due diligence” when it came to purchasing the warehouses. They were purchased under Mullin’s predecessor, Kristi Noem.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement received huge pushback around the country after the purchases became known.

When Mullin came into office, he paused any new purchases and federal officials have been looking at ways to offload some of them.

AUSTIN, 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 by conservatives to incorporate more religion into classrooms. The state already allows public schools to hire chaplains to counsel students, mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms and has approved an optional Bible-infused curriculum.

For months, critics have blasted both the push to require Bible readings and the state mandating what books are read by students, which are decisions typically left up to teachers. Teachers could still assign students other books to read on top of the required titles.

A focus on Christianity

Critics say the reading list lacks diversity, blurs the separation of church and state that is enshrined in the Constitution and leaves teachers and students with little room to decide what to read.

“Kids of all faith backgrounds and no faith are served by Texas schools and they should all feel welcome in Texas schools,” said Elva Mendoza, legislative communications associate for the progressive Texas Freedom Network. “But this is sending the message to children that one and only one religious text — a Christian one — is worthy of making this required reading list.”

Others have applauded the possibility of mandated Christian religious reading in public schools. Brooke Mazel, a retiree from Lubbock, encouraged the board to adopt biblical materials, saying her children and grandchildren grew up with “strong faith and family values.”

“America should celebrate our 250 years that started as a nation of unwavering Christian values,” Mazel said.

The board is also set to vote Friday on a social studies curriculum that links Bible stories with American history.

Texas may be a trailblazer

A state law passed in 2023 required a mandatory list of at least one literary work be taught in each grade level. The proposed new list contains around 200 texts, including Bible passages, essays and books, far in excess of that requirement.

Antero Garcia, president of the National Council of Teachers of English and a Stanford University professor, said he doesn’t know of any other state with a mandatory reading list that includes religious texts. Educators at the district and school level usually choose the texts their students will read, Garcia said.

Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, agrees the move is “unique” to Texas.

Picture-book stories for elementary students including “David and Goliath” and “Daniel and the Lion’s Den” are on the required reading list. By fourth grade, students would encounter passages about Jesus in the New Testament.

By middle school, students would be expected to read several passages about Jesus, including passages from his most famous sermon, and another where he instructs people to cast aside earthly anxiety and seek the kingdom of God.

For high schoolers, the list requires the reading of specific Bible passages as supportive materials for literary works including works by Dickens and Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”

Holding diversity in check

Such strict requirements amount to “almost de facto censorship,” Meehan said, comparing the list to book bans.

“It certainly leans ideologically more conservative,” she said. “It excludes a lot of diverse voices from the reading list.”

The list mandates that students reading Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” also read a eulogy for President Ronald Reagan written by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a staunch conservative.

Frank Strong, an English and journalism teacher and co-founder of the student advocacy group Texas Freedom to Read, said diversity is not only important for students needing to see themselves in what they read but also as a way to learn about different cultures.

Many of the books on the reading list are not controversial, but Mendoza asks why books like “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” need to be required for kindergartners.

“Can’t our kindergarten teachers be trusted to choose board books?” Mendoza asks.

___

Stengle reported from Dallas.

LUFKIN (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 State Representative Joanne Shofner (R)- Nacogdoches says could be necessary if the U.S. wants to stay ahead of China in the global race for artificial intelligence.

“We don’t want them to be in charge of all of this; it would be just dangerous for a communist country to be in charge of most of the data that is going on around the world,” Shofner said.

That race is also leaving many East Texans with questions about the long-term impacts data centers could have on water, agriculture and their quality of life. Leaving them to turn to county leaders who have little authority to regulate the facilities.

“The only way a county could really have any influence over a data center would be to enter into some sort of agreement with them,” Hunt said.

Shofner says the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) does have some regulatory authority over data centers, but only after problems arise.

“Right now we don’t know what an issue is,” Shofner said.

Hunt says East Texans want to embrace new technology without sacrificing the rural way of life that defines the region.

“But we also want to protect our rural countryside and this lifestyle that we love out here in the Pineywoods of East Texas,” Hunt said.

He recommends anyone with concerns contact their state representative and make their voices heard before the legislature meets in Austin next year.

ANGELINA 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 at the age of 54 on Wednesday, and a funeral has been scheduled for 2 p.m. on June 29 at Harmony Hill Baptist Church in Lufkin.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to Chad’s wife, Emily, and son, Caleb, and the rest of his wonderful family and friends,” the sheriff’s office said. “Pray that God’s comfort will be upon them during this time of sudden and unexpected loss.”

LUFKIN, 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 to locate those involved.

CARTHAGE — 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 the officials. Before that dismissal, Broomfield had requested many official documents pertaining to the officials involved in her lawsuit on Nov. 22, 2025.

Broomfield filed a Nov. 22, 2025, request seeking a wide range of official records related to her lawsuit. She asked for documents showing whether the Panola County Commissioners Court approved or paid for legal representation for several county officials, including any contracts, retainer agreements, invoices or meeting records where such matters were discussed.

She also requested emails, text messages and other communications from Jan. 1, 2021, to the present that referenced herself, individuals involved in her family court proceedings, various county officials and members of the commissioners court. The county then informed Bloomfield that they did not have the records requested in the Panola County District Clerk’s office and that the Panola County Judge’s office did not have recordings of the Panola County Commissioners Court.

Then on Dec. 10, 2025, the county filed a request with the Texas Attorney General’s Office that asked them to rule that certain documents Broomfield requested were exempt from release. On March 16, Panola County received a response from the Texas Attorney General’s Office, which determined the records Broomfield requested were not confidential and must be released. In response to that letter, Panola County filed a lawsuit against the Texas Attorney General’s Office on April 15, asking the 200th District Court in Travis County to find that the documents Broomfield requested are exempt from release.

“The information that the Attorney General ruled is not confidential and must be released to the Requestor consists of the communications between the undersigned, as counsel for Panola County, and Panola County officials, which are protected from disclosure by the attorney-client privilege and attorney billing invoices related to services rendered in litigation, which are not subject to disclosure,” Panola County’s lawsuit petition said.

Paxton’s office filed a response to Panola County’s petition on June 2, asking the presiding judge to enter a final judgment finding that the records can be released. 200th District Court records have no upcoming hearings listed for this case.