Today is
Friday June 05, 2026
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — A post on former Gilmer and New York Jets cornerback Kris Boyd’s Instagram account on Wednesday said he has started to breathe on his own after being shot in midtown Manhattan early Sunday morning. Boyd’s Instagram Stories feature a picture of the special teams standout lying down and smiling in what appears to be his hospital bed, with the words “God is real, God is powerful” at the top of the image.
“I’m sorry I have no words at the moment,” Boyd wrote. “Just grateful! I’m coming along, starting to breathe on my own now. Sincerely appreciate everyone!” The post came a few hours after Jets coach Aaron Glenn said he had spoken to Boyd and is confident Boyd will be OK. He added that Boyd was “upbeat” in their recent conversation.
“That’s what eases my mind, is that he’s in good spirits,” Glenn said. “His wife and his kid, they’re in good spirits and he will walk away from this just fine.”
Glenn was unsure when Boyd might be released from the hospital, where he has been listed in critical but stable condition. Read the rest of this entry »
SMTIH COUNTY — Smith County Democratic Party Chairman Hector Garza has stepped down to pursue the House District 5 candidacy and looks to replace Rep. Cole Hefner, who was first elected into the position in 2016. According to our news partner KETK, Garza announced that he will remain in the East Texas area and has officially submitted his bid for District 5, emphasizing health care and immigration policies.
After serving Smith County for two years, Garza explained why he decided to step away from his position to pursue the House District 5 candidacy. As he looks to run for House District 5 in the 2026 election, Garza said part of his motivation is to bring both parties together to resolve several state issues, including immigration.
“In today’s politics, it seems that Democrats and Republicans can’t meet anywhere to reach mutual ground that will help our communities,” Garza said. “Whether you’re left or right, it’s time that we sit down and we pass laws that will benefit the people in this state.” Read the rest of this entry »
JACKSONVILLE – According to our news partner KETK, a Jacksonville man who was arrested earlier this month for shooting a Jacksonville police officer has been charged with federal firearms violations. Bobby Michael Dennis was arrested on Nov. 5 following a four-day manhunt after shooting a police officer and a K-9 with an AR-15 style rifle. After Dennis was arrested, an additional firearm was recovered.
Due to having previous felony convictions, Dennis is prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law, according to the Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office. If Dennis is convicted of federal firearm charges, he faces up to life in prison. He was also charged with the following offenses following his arrest: attempted capital murder of a peace officer, interference with a police service animal and two counts of obstruction or retaliation.
The case is currently being investigated by several law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Jacksonville Police Department.
SABINE COUNTY — Three individuals were arrested Sunday as part of an ongoing Sabine County drug operation targeting methamphetamine distribution, according to our news partner KETK. Rotheria Andrew Sowell, 43, Phillip Eugene Wiseman, 56, and William Michael Lloyd, 58, were all taken into custody on meth-related charges. Sowell and Wiseman, who were already being held in custody on unrelated narcotics charges, were charged with delivery of a controlled substance with Lloyd being charged for possession of a controlled substance.
Read the rest of this entry »
OVERTON — A man has been arrested and charged with arson in connection with a vehicle fire reported in September. According to our news partner KETK, officers were dispatched Sept. 18 to a vehicle fire at 412 North Warren St. The fire was extinguished and investigators reviewed surveillance footage from a nearby business, which identified the suspect as Randy Eugene Reid.
Reid was already being held at the Rusk County Jail on unrelated charges. Police issued and executed a warrant for Reid’s arrest on Nov. 5. He was charged for arson with his bond set at $50,000 and remains in custody at the Rusk County Justice Center.
SMITH COUNTY – In the Smith County Commissioners Court meeting scheduled for Tuesday morning, a motion will be considered involving the Precinct 4 Constable’s Office joining the 2867G Task Force Model Program. According to our news partner KETK, the 2867G Task Force Model is a partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that allows local law enforcement to enforce U.S. immigration laws, including identifying and processing immigrants with pending or active criminal charges.
Smith County Precinct 4 Constable Josh Joplin recently defended his office’s decision to consider joining the 287(g) Task Force Model Program while reassuring residents that he will not target immigrants.
“We are not forming an immigration unit, doing sweeps, or conducting raids,” Joplin said. “We will not deviate from the services and standards the citizens of this precinct expect and deserve.” Read the rest of this entry »
ELKHART – Two more relatives were arrested last week in connection to the sexual assault of a child in Elkhart, arrest records have revealed. According to our news partner KETK, Carl Laza, 59, and Kaleb Laza, 27, were both arrested on Nov. 13 after the Dallas Police Department launched an investigation into Carl’s son Skylar Laza, who was arrested on Nov. 5
Skylar, a former Houston County Sheriff’s Office deputy, was arrested for aggravated sexual assault of a child after one of his juvenile relatives was interviewed forensically and corroborated videos of Skylar allegedly sexually assaulting him, arrest records show. According to an arrest affidavit, the juvenile victim recalled a time when Carl sexually abused him when he lived with the victim’s family in Elkhart. A Dallas PD officer interviewed Carl’s son, Kenan Laza, and he confirmed that Carl did live with the family in Elkhart around the time the child described. Read the rest of this entry »
SULPHUR SPRINGS – The former owners of the land where a massive AI datacenter campus is planned to built in Sulphur Springs are being sued by the city for trying to stop part of the datacenter project. According to our news partner KETK, the lawsuit comes after the Vistra Corporation, parent company of Luminant Mining Company, issued a cease and desist letter to the city on Sept. 30. They sent the letter after learning about Sulphur Springs’ deal with MSB Global to build 30 AI data centers on the land that Luminant had gifted to the city.
According to court documents, when Luminant transferred the mine land to the city they included a restrictive covenant in the deed that would prevent the land for being used for power generation or power storage of any kind. Since the datacenters are planned to include onsite power generation or storage, Vistra claims the covenant would prevent construction that equipment.
Vistra’s cease and desist letter says they brought up how this restrictive covenant could block the construction of a datacenter on the land to the city several times since they granted them the property in 2019. Read the rest of this entry »
NEW YORK CITY — New York Jets cornerback Kris Boyd is in critical condition after being shot in Midtown, according to our news partner KETK. Authorities Monday afternoon released a photo of the man suspected of shooting Boyd. Boyd attended Gilmer High School, where he played both running back and defensive back under current UTSA Roadrunners head coach Jeff Traylor.
The shooting happened just after 2 a.m. on 38th Street, according to the NYPD. A 29-year-old man was shot in the abdomen and taken to the hospital in critical condition, police said. Police did not identify the man as Boyd, but a spokesperson for the Jets said the team is aware of the shooting.
Boyd has been on injured reserve due to a shoulder injury he got in practice, according to the team. He has not played this season after signing with the Jets in March.
Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings out of Texas in 2019, Boyd has played for the Vikings, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Houston Texans.
TYLER – A driver is in critical condition after a motorcycle and a vehicle crashed on FM 3341 near Lake Tyler on Saturday.
According to our news partner KETK, EMS responded to the scene of a crash in the 18000 block of FM 3341 at around 4:50 p.m. on Saturday. EMS performed CPR on a driver injured in the crash before they were transported to a local hospital for treatment. The driver is currently in critical condition, according to Smith County officials.
UPDATE: Our news partner KETK is reporting that Chessa Taylor was found safe on Saturday, thanks to the many calls they received from concerned residents.
LUFKIN – The Lufkin Police Department is currently searching for a 14-year-old girl who was last seen on Friday. Chessa Taylor, 14, was last seen leaving her home by her mother at around 4 p.m. on Friday, according to Lufkin PD. Chessa was last seen wearing a green polo shirt, light-colored denim jeans and possibly cream-colored Reebok shoes.
Anyone with information on Chessa is asked to call Lufkin PD at 936-633-0356.
THE TEXAS TRIBUNE – A judge in Panola County won’t block the maker of Tylenol from distributing $400 million of dividends to its shareholders amid Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against the company. Kenvue, the company that makes Tylenol, will proceed with issuing the payment on Nov. 26, according to reporting from Reuters. “That is a distribution that’s being made as part of the normal course of business,” the lawyer for Kenvue told Reuters.
The lawyer also said Texas has “no jurisdiction” to block Kenvue’s dividend, since the company is based in New Jersey and incorporated in Delaware.
The state of Texas last month sued Kenvue, claiming it failed to inform consumers about the risk of having a child with autism if they took the medication while pregnant. Major medical associations said Paxton’s allegation overstated the unsettled science surrounding a possible link between autism and Tylenol. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY – A man is currently behind bars after allegedly breaking into the Lakewood Church, in Flint, on Thursday evening. According to our news partner KETK, deputies responded to an apparent burglary in progress at the church. Once they arrived, deputies could see the glass door entrance was shattered, leading them to believe the suspect had thrown a concrete lid into the glass. After being unable to locate the suspect inside the church, deputies were able to obtain footage of the break-in. Through the video, they identified the suspect as 48-year-old Timothy Myers Poole of Tyler.
Later that night, a deputy was conducting a traffic stop in north Tyler when Poole arrived at the scene and approached the deputy, allegedly acting aggressively toward him. According to officials, Poole was ordered several times to leave the scene but refused, which led to his arrest. Read the rest of this entry »
BULLARD – The Bullard City Council held a meeting on Thursday evening, where they tabled the decision to authorize an agreement to join the 2867G Task Force Model Program, according to our news partner KETK. City council said the decision to join the program was tabled because the city attorney was not present at the meeting on Thursday. The city council will reconvene again on Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. to continue discussions on joining the task force.
The 2867G Task Force Model is a partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that allows local law enforcement to enforce U.S. immigration laws, including identifying and processing immigrants with pending or active criminal charges.
Earlier this year, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office agreed to join the program, prompting protests throughout the county. Sheriff Larry Smith defended the decision to join the program, stating it protects the people of Smith County. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – According to our news partner KETK, Longview district leaders celebrated the beginning of construction for three new buildings and finally bringing the project to life after voters approved a $456,000,000 bond in 2024. The district is waiting on permits from the city to continue with construction plans, the estimated completion date is 2027.
The three projects include: A Multi-Purpose Facility, a Natatorium and a Career and Technology Center. The Multipurpose Center will feature air-conditioned practice fields, a batting cage and a Lobo Gift Shop. Every aspect of this building will be student-operated, from the concessions to the outdoor garden maintenance. In fact, there will even be a fully student-operated bank.
Additionally, the Career and Technology Center will be expanded all the way past the current parking lot. It will offer new engineering classrooms, mock court room experiences, and a nursing facility. Read the rest of this entry »
