Today is
Friday June 05, 2026
ANGELINA COUNTY (KETK) — A Lufkin man found guilty of causing severe burns to a child was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday.
In the 159th Judicial District Court, Judge Todd Kassaw sentenced Miguel Gonzalez, 28, to life in prison starting Thursday for his charge of injury to a child in an incident that occurred in September 2022.
According to law enforcement, Gonzalez intentionally put a female child younger than 14-years-old in a bathtub with hot water on Sept. 26 2022, causing severe burns that made parts of her skin allegedly peel off.
At the time of the incident, Gonzalez was dating the victim’s mother and was watching the child. The victim’s mother first told officers that her daughter had fallen into the bathtub, but upon further questioning, she said Gonzalez had pushed her.
Gonzalez later told officials that the water in the tub was lukewarm, but he allowed her to play while he spoke with his roommate for a couple of minutes. According to law enforcement, Gonzales said the child turned on the hot water.
Officials determined the water temperature was up to 143 degrees, due to the condition of the child’s skin after she left the bathtub.
Gonzalez was arrested on a warrant for an unrelated charge by the Lufkin Police Department and was later charged with two counts of injury to child, a first degree felony.
ABBEVILLE, La. (AP) — Jacob Sagrera unrolls an alligator skin and lays it flat on a metal table, brushing off flecks of salt. He holds it up to the light, looking for blemishes, and gives it a score. That score will help a tannery an ocean away prepare it to be used by a luxury designer — for items like boots, watch bands and handbags destined for fashion runways and posh shops.
Then he adds it to a pile of hides, each with a yellow tracking tag that allows authorities to enforce legal trade.
Advocates say commercial alligator farming has helped preserve a species often seen as scary, bothersome or good only for their skins. Not all conservationists think that’s a good thing, but for the farmers and luxury brands seeking to market their products as sustainable, it’s made sense to tie conservation to capitalism.
Some of the scientists who study them agree.
“These wetlands, these alligators … it has to have some kind of monetary value,” said George Melancon, alligator research biologist for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “Otherwise, people just forget about them.”
How alligator farming works
Sagrera’s grading work at his family’s operation, Vermilion Gator Farm, is just one step in a decades-old system.
American alligators were once in peril of being hunted to extinction, and went on the Endangered Species List decades ago. Their numbers weren’t too depleted to rebound in the wild if their habitat was maintained, say some experts, including Grahame Webb, director of Wildlife Management International and an adjunct professor at Charles Darwin University in Australia who has worked on reptile and crocodilian conservation since the 1960s.
But scientists with the state of Louisiana proposed a different way to boost their numbers: farmers would pay landowners for eggs, raise the gators to sell their meat locally and their skins on the luxury market and then release some back into the wild every year.
Now, Louisiana produces around 400,000 farmed alligators every year, according to the state’s wildlife & fisheries department, which valued farmed skins in 2024 at over $56 million. The state decides how many young alligators to release annually on data from nest surveys and hunting tags, and estimates around 3 million alligators now in the wild in Louisiana. As wild numbers have grown, they’ve dropped the percentage of farmed gators returned each year, from almost 20% in the early 2000s to about 5% now.
American alligators were delisted as endangered in 1987 but are now a species of “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, though their trade is still regulated because of how similar they look to other, more vulnerable crocodilian species. Alligators can be found across the Southern U.S., but Louisiana is by far the largest producer, with farms also in Georgia, Florida and Texas.
Farmers and state officials say the trackers help ensure every product came from a legal operation. One company that sells alligator leather goods, Col. Littleton in Lynnville, Tennessee, keeps records of all its tracking tags, said Hayley Holt, their director of corporate and specialty sales. They mostly sell within the U.S., but many retailers log where they sourced their materials in case they want to ship products internationally, Holt said.
Alligator farming benefits from a large legal market and strong regulation, said Oliver Tallowin, senior program officer on wildlife use and trade for the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
Some animal rights advocates question the ethics of raising alligators on farms. Beyond welfare concerns, some think the practice perpetuates demand for skins that can fuel poaching.
“That shadow trafficking industry is going to be there because you’ve rooted your system in profit,” said Sarah Veatch, principal for wildlife policy for the nonprofit Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society of the United States. “Trade not only meets the existing demand, but it normalizes it, it legitimizes it and it grows that demand for wild animal skins.”
The alligator program and the future of luxury fashion
When brands market high-end items, sustainability is often part of the pitch.
Brands have taken a more active role in sourcing alligator leather by buying shares in or acquiring family-operated farms, tanneries and manufacturers, said Christy Gilmore, a consultant who communicates between Louisiana alligator officials and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a trade agreement among global governments.
“The brands started asking questions and digging deeper and quite honestly, just doing things that those of us who were small family businesses didn’t think about,” said Gilmore, whose family has been in the hide business for over a century and owns an alligator and crocodile tannery in Georgia. “We’re not sitting around thinking about what our carbon footprint has been.”
Meanwhile, the state wildlife and fisheries agency has increased its marketing budget over the years, from a cap of $300,000 to $500,000. That money comes from the industry, including sales of hunting tags each year, and goes into a fund dedicated to alligator programs.
The budget has gone up as they’ve had more money to spend and because of competition with hides from other crocodilian species entering the market, said Jeb Linscombe, alligator program manager for Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. But there’s also been concern that animal rights groups could push the luxury market away from alligator hides, Linscombe said.
A related industry, fur, has seen significant declines in recent years. Last year, Poland passed a law to end fur farming by the end of 2033 and New York Fashion Week announced it would ban fur for its fall 2026 shows.
Some animal rights groups think hides like gator and python could be the next target. Some smaller venues like London Fashion Week have already banned exotic skins.
New research on alligators, including role in climate change
The alligator program also drives research on a species that has long been a mystery.
Melancon, the alligator biologist, wants to better understand their biology to help ranchers — for instance, developing a vaccine against West Nile virus, which can cause skin lesions that damage the valuable hides.
Other researchers want to investigate whether alligators are a climate benefit. A study in the journal Scientific Reports last year found a strong correlation between the abundance of alligators in a wetland and how much carbon that wetland stores. That’s important because when released into the atmosphere, carbon dioxide is a main cause of global warming. That team is developing another study to see whether gators directly contribute to carbon storage, possibly by eating animals that nibble carbon-storing vegetation, said lead author Chris Murray, an adjunct professor of biology at Southeastern Louisiana University.
“Alligators can’t stop climate change,” Murray said, but “there’s the chance they are participating in the global challenge of climate change for the good and not the bad.”
Murray said he’s not doing the research to help the industry, but for conservation in general. He sees value in gators beyond luxury bags and he wants others to see it, too.
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TYLER – Tyler Police continue to investigate Thursday morning a shooting on Southridge Drive. The suspect has been identified as 26-year-old Kenus Lewis. Lewis has multiple warrants out for his arrest and is on the run. Police said he should be considered armed and very dangerous. Detectives obtained warrants on Lewis for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with a $750,000 bond and felon in possession of a firearm with a $500,000 bond.
According to Tyler PD and our news partner KETK, officers responded to the 1400 block of Southridge Drive following a reported shooting. Arriving officers found a 53-year-old man who had been shot in the abdomen. The man was alert and awake at when officers arrived at the scene. Tyler PD said he’s been taken to a local hospital for treatment. Read the rest of this entry »
PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg Police Department is seeking the your help in locating two suspects, who officials said stole two trailers from a local business in Pittsburg. According to officials and our news partners at KETK, the theft occurred around 12:15 a.m. Tuesday at Work Trailer. The stolen trailers were both described as black 35-foot gooseneck trailers.
The suspects used two separate trucks to steal the trailers, believed to be a Ram 3500 and a Ram 2500. The police department is asking anyone with information regarding the individuals to contact them at 903-856-3330.
JASPER COUNTY (KETK) — Four people have been arrested after they exploited an elderly man with a medical condition and used his financial information to make fraudulent purchases in Jasper County.
According to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began after the victim’s family contacted deputies with concerns that several caretakers were using the man’s credit card and forging financial documents and checks without his permission.
Investigators launched what the sheriff’s office described as an in-depth investigation. During the process, they uncovered numerous fraudulent charges, forged checks and other unauthorized transactions.
Authorities said some of the stolen money was used for personal expenses, including car payments for one of the suspects and kitchen-related purchases for another suspect’s catering business.
Officials estimate that approximately $50,000 was fraudulently taken from the victim, though investigators said additional unauthorized transactions are still being discovered.
The following suspects have been arrested so far:
Brandy Cooper, 47, charged with exploitation of the elderly, forgery and credit card abuse of an elderly person.
Dameyen Cooper, 46, charged with exploitation of an elderly person and credit card abuse.
Jameica Rhodes, 46, charged with credit card abuse of an elderly person.
Annie Isom, 69, charged with credit card abuse of an elderly person.
The sheriff’s office said investigators believe multiple caretakers who were entrusted with the victim’s care and health may have been involved in the scheme.
Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing as they work to identify additional evidence and potential suspects.
GREGG COUNTY – The westbound outside lane of I-20 on US 259 in Gregg County will be closed for several days starting on Monday. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) said the lane is expected to be closed for three days as crews will be performing bridge maintenance. Due to the closure, drivers are being asked to plan ahead and watch out for work crews.
TYLER – Officials have confirmed that one person died and three people were injured on Thursday after an 18-wheeler and multiple vehicles crashed on Toll 49. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office and our news partner KETK, an 18-wheeler and multiple vehicles crashed on Toll 49 westbound near mile marker 19 at around 1:40 p.m. on Thursday.
When first responders arrived at the scene one person was dead from the crash, a sheriff’s office official told KETK News. EMS, firefighters, sheriff’s office deputies and the Texas Department of Public Safety are all responding to the crash.
“When we arrived on scene, we found an 18-wheeler involved with a couple of other passenger vehicles,” Smith County Emergency Services District 2 spokesperson Nikki Simmons said. “Unfortunately, there was one fatality, and we did have three other individuals transported.” Read the rest of this entry »
President Donald Trump likes to say that no one understands the Make America Great Again movement like him, its founder and undisputed champion. But as he weighs which candidate to endorse in the U.S. Senate runoff in Texas, some of the state’s Republicans fear he may be out of step with what his base wants.
In interviews with The Associated Press, several said it would be a mistake for Trump to endorse four-term incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, a favorite of the Washington establishment, over conservative crusader Ken Paxton, the state attorney general.
“Some of his hardest and most ardent supporters will see this as a slap in the face,” said Tom Oliverson, a Houston-area lawmaker who leads the Republican caucus in the Texas House.
Steve Toth, a Republican state lawmaker from The Woodlands who recently defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Crenshaw, said “what the president doesn’t understand here in Texas is the amount of frustration that Texas voters have with John Cornyn.”
Since Trump remains widely popular in the state, “I don’t think it’s a mistake that’s going to hurt him,” Toth said. “But do I think it’s a mistake for him to possibly endorse John Cornyn? Yes, I do.”
Cornyn and Paxton are facing off in a May 26 runoff after neither won a majority in the March 3 primary to clinch the nomination outright. Trump said March 4 that he would endorse one of them, and subsequently hinted in an interview with Politico that he was leaning toward Cornyn.
But no endorsement has been announced, leaving both candidates jockeying for the upper hand in a race that could become increasingly ugly and expensive in the weeks to come.
Cornyn has his own supporters within the Texas Legislature.
“I’m hoping that the president will look at all the facts and support an honorable senator who has represented Texas very well, as opposed to a crook and a liar,” said Rep. Charlie Geren of Fort Worth.
Cornyn tried to further align himself with Trump on Wednesday by reversing his position on the Senate filibuster. The senator said he would support changing the rules to pass the SAVE America Act, which the president has described as his top priority. The legislation would require voters to prove their citizenship when registering.
“I support whatever changes to Senate rules that may prove necessary,” Cornyn wrote in an op-ed in the New York Post, to get the bill “through the Senate and on the president’s desk for his signature.”
Paxton had already played for Trump’s favor on the issue, saying nearly a week ago that he would be willing to drop out of the race if the Senate passed the measure. Right now it’s stalled because there aren’t enough votes to overcome the filibuster, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune doesn’t want to change the rules.
Cornyn’s campaign began airing its first television advertisement of the runoff campaign, a bruising spot that uses a Christian theme that notes Paxton’s wife accused him of infidelity. A narrator’s booming voice intones, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” over images of churches and the Bible. The campaign is spending $330,000 for the opening round and is expected to expand it.
Cornyn was elected in 2002, at the height of Texan George W. Bush’s popularity as president. He has more recently been dismissive of Trump and his agenda, saying in 2023 that Trump’s “time has passed.” Likewise, he had called Trump’s proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall “naive” early on, and helped pass gun-control legislation after the Uvalde school shooting in 2022.
Rep. Matt Shaheen of Plano said Cornyn has the conservative credentials, notably as a reliable opponent of abortion rights, but has broader appeal than Paxton.
“John Cornyn is the only person who can beat James Talarico,” Shaheen said, referring to the Democratic nominee in the race. “And I believe the president understands that.”
Texas Rep. Wesley Virdell, a leading gun-rights advocate in the state House from Brady, said he’s worried that Trump will back Cornyn.
“I have concern that he may be getting bad advice from certain officials,” said Virdell. “I hope he will take other conservative members’ opinions into consideration, because I think it’s going to look really bad for President Trump if he endorses him.”
Paxton, despite the nod to Trump’s legislative priority, has shown no signs of dropping from the race. He plans to speak at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference, a gathering of the nation’s leading conservative officials and personalities, this year in Dallas.
Rep. Shelley Luther of rural Grayson County said her constituents would be disappointed if Trump backed Cornyn.
“They’d be like, ‘He’s out of touch with what Texans want,’” she said.
UPDATE: A pedestrian killed in a fatal crash on Wednesday night on West Gentry Parkway has been identified as 70-year-old Daniel Walker by the Tyler Police Department.
TYLER — A fatal crash on Gentry Parkway in Tyler left one pedestrian dead on Thursday morning. The Tyler Police Department responded to a crash at West Gentry Parkway, near the Texaco station at around midnight. According to our news partner KETK and Tyler PD Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh, a pedestrian was crossing the road at an angle, not at a crosswalk or intersection. The pedestrian was struck by a truck on the outside lane and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The driver of the truck stopped, along with a witness, Erbaugh said. There are no charges being pressed at this time and no other injuries were reported.
TYLER – Tyler Police Officers were called to Green Acres Baptist Church on Wednesday afternoon after a single-vehicle crash occurred outside of the building. Once officers arrived on the scene, they discovered the vehicle had struck a tree just outside the chapel. The driver was able to exit the vehicle and was uninjured. It remains unknown at this time how the crash occurred or whether the driver will face any charges.
HARRISON COUNTY – Multiple elk have been spotted in Harrison County. According to our news partner KETK, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office said it has been made aware of elk roaming around Sue Belle Lake Road. County officals asks the public not to approach the animals or try to chase them into the woods. The owners are aware of the situation and are working with neighbors to return the elk to their enclosure.
AUSTIN (KETK)– Exxon Mobil announced on Tuesday that it is seeking shareholders’ approval to make Texas its new legal home.
If approved, Exxon will join SpaceX and a number of other companies that have relocated their headquarters to Texas over the past few years. Exxon’s headquarters have been located in Texas since 1989.
Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement on Tuesday approving Exxon’s decision to move their ‘legal home’ to Texas, claiming it will help the state’s economic growth.
“Freed from the stranglehold of over-regulation, Texas is where global brand leaders thrive and jobs for hardworking Texans grow,” Abbott said. “I thank Exxon Mobil for their decision to redomicile in Texas and for their long-standing partnership with our state. With this decision, Texas will further dominate the corporate landscape and ensure our economic growth reaches new heights.”
MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department arrested a Center, Texas man Tuesday afternoon after he struck a Texas Department of Transportation truck while attempting to flee from officers.
At approximately 3:45 p.m. on March 10, Marshall Police received several calls reporting a reckless driver traveling northbound on East End Boulevard, U.S. Highway 59. Marshall Police patrol units located the vehicle and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. Near the intersection of Highway 59 and Loop 390, the vehicle pulled onto the shoulder and appeared to be stopping. Read the rest of this entry »