Texas - Houston Stringer

Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos condemns Governor Abbott’s deployment of Texas National Guard

10Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Illinois, Texas

Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos condemns Governor Abbott’s deployment of Texas National Guard

AUSTIN, TX – State Representative Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos (D–Richardson) issued a statement this week condemning Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to deploy the Texas National Guard to Illinois, calling it an “illegal, out-of-state military operation” that diverts resources from pressing needs within Texas. File Photo (September 2025) In her statement, Rep. Rodríguez Ramos criticized the Governor’s actions as politically motivated and harmful to working families already struggling with rising costs, healthcare inaccessibility, and underfunded schools. She stated that nearly 5 million Texans, including 13 percent of children, lack access to necessary healthcare while the state remains the most uninsured in the nation. “Instead of addressing these crises, Greg Abbott is demanding Te...

Beaumont Police arrest two in Orange Avenue homicide

10Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Beaumont Police arrest two in Orange Avenue homicide

BEAUMONT, TX – Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of 34-year-old Joseph Bihm, who was found deceased inside a vehicle in the 1400 block of Orange Avenue. Beaumont Police responded to the scene at approximately 7:28 a.m. and located Bihm inside the vehicle. He was later pronounced dead by EMS. Patrol officers and detectives quickly identified a suspect vehicle, which was later stopped. The driver was detained as a person of interest. Further investigation led to the identification of multiple suspects, and arrest warrants were obtained for the charge of murder. Lamond Hines, 46, was arrested by the Beaumont Police Special Assignment Unit and detectives. A second suspect, 31-year-old Murry Gibbs, turned himself in the following evening and was ...

Driver arrested for human smuggling on Interstate 69

10Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Driver arrested for human smuggling on Interstate 69

SPLENDORA, TX – A driver was arrested on federal human smuggling charges following a traffic stop conducted by the Splendora Police Department’s Criminal Interdiction Unit on Interstate 69. Photo Credit: Splendora PD The vehicle, displaying New Mexico license plates, was stopped based on intelligence provided through an ongoing partnership with federal law enforcement agencies. Officers determined the driver was actively engaged in smuggling undocumented individuals across state lines. Among the occupants was an individual who had been deported in August and had illegally reentered the country just four days before the stop, having evaded U.S. Border Patrol. All occupants were turned over to federal custody. The driver is facing federal charges related to human smuggling. The S...

Enrique Gomez-Urbina arrested for murder of Mary Gonzales

10Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Enrique Gomez-Urbina arrested for murder of Mary Gonzales

AUSTIN, TX – A man has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Mary Gonzales, whose body was found in a field off Research Boulevard earlier this week. According to the Austin Police Department, officers responded to a call at 7:42 a.m. on Monday, October 6, 2025, and located an unresponsive woman with visible trauma in the 8100 block of Research Boulevard. She was pronounced deceased at 7:53 a.m. Homicide detectives and crime scene specialists processed the scene and began a homicide investigation. On October 8, 2025, the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office positively identified the victim as Mary Gonzales, a 43-year-old Hispanic female. That same day, a warrant for first-degree murder was issued for Enrique Gomez-Urbina, a...

Officer returns fire, woman jumps from balcony before 17-year-old surrenders to SWAT in Sharpstown

10Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Officer returns fire, woman jumps from balcony before 17-year-old surrenders to SWAT in Sharpstown

HOUSTON, TX – A woman jumped from a second-story balcony to escape a relative firing a gun inside an apartment on Harbor Town Drive, prompting a SWAT response and an officer-involved shooting where police returned fire. Screengrab via @houstonpolice on X The incident occurred around 8 p.m. Thursday at an apartment complex in the 6500 block of Harbor Town Drive in the Sharpstown area. According to Houston Police, officers arrived and found a woman on the ground outside the apartment. She told police she had jumped from the balcony to escape a male relative who was firing a gun inside the unit, where others were also present. When officers went upstairs and knocked on the apartment door, the suspect began shooting at them. Officers returned fire and took cover. The woman was moved t...

Paxton files joint motion with Texas GOP to close Republican primaries

9Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Paxton files joint motion with Texas GOP to close Republican primaries

AUSTIN, TX – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a joint motion with the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) seeking to invalidate a provision of the Texas Election Code that prevents the party from limiting participation in its primary elections to affiliated Republicans. File Photo (September 2025) The motion supports the RPT’s lawsuit against the State of Texas, in which the party argues that the current law violates its First Amendment right of association by forcing it to allow non-affiliated voters to participate in its candidate selection process. Attorney General Paxton and the RPT are asking the court to declare the contested provision unconstitutional, prohibit its enforcement, and allow the party to implement procedures that restrict primary participation to individ...

Paxton investigates TP-Link over alleged ties to Chinese government and misuse of consumer data

9Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas, U.S.

Paxton investigates TP-Link over alleged ties to Chinese government and misuse of consumer data

AUSTIN, TX – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into TP-Link Systems Inc., a major networking equipment manufacturer, over concerns that the company may be enabling the Chinese government to access and misuse the personal data of American consumers, including Texans. File Photo (September 2025) TP-Link, originally founded in Shenzhen, China, has become one of the largest suppliers of office and home networking equipment in the United States. Though the company now claims to operate independently from China under a California-based spin-off, the Attorney General’s Office is questioning the validity of those claims. The investigation will focus on the company’s ownership structure, production practices, and any continuing connections to the Chinese Communist ...

Paxton expands Discord investigation after platform used by reported assassin of Charlie Kirk

9Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Breaking News, Texas, U.S.

Paxton expands Discord investigation after platform used by reported assassin of Charlie Kirk

AUSTIN, TX – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has expanded his investigation into the online chat platform Discord following revelations that the reported assassin of Charlie Kirk used the service, along with ongoing concerns over the platform’s alleged role in exposing minors to sexual exploitation, extremist content, and addictive features. File Photo (September 2025) The move comes under the authority of the Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act, which allows the Attorney General to investigate digital platforms that may pose risks to minors. “I’m standing shoulder to shoulder with the Trump Administration to root out and defeat nihilistic violent extremism in all its forms,” Paxton stated. “Discord has chosen to allow extremist content, sexual expl...

Eight indicted alongside Houston woman accused of running illegal abortion clinics without licenses

9Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Eight indicted alongside Houston woman accused of running illegal abortion clinics without licenses

AUSTIN, TX – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the indictment and arrest of eight individuals, including several foreign nationals, in connection with illegal abortion clinics in the Houston area allegedly operated by Maria Rojas. File Photo (September 2025) The arrests are part of a broader criminal investigation into Rojas, 49, of Houston, who is accused of unlawfully posing as a physician while operating clinics in Waller, Cypress, Spring, and Katy. A Waller County grand jury previously indicted Rojas on 15 felony counts, including the illegal performance of an abortion and 12 counts of practicing medicine without a license. According to the Attorney General’s Office, the eight individuals indicted for practicing medicine without a license under Rojas are: Yaimara...

Suspect arrested after trying to pay water bill with meth and forged check

9Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Suspect arrested after trying to pay water bill with meth and forged check

TRINITY COUNTY, TX – Deputies with the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office arrested one person and are pursuing charges against another after a suspicious package was found in the overnight drop box at the Westwood Shores Municipal Utility District Office. According to the sheriff’s office, the package included a water shutoff notice, a check, and a small plastic bag containing a white powdery substance. Upon investigation, deputies confirmed the substance to be methamphetamine. The check included in the envelope was also determined to be forged. Deputies executed a search warrant at the associated residence early the following morning and located additional methamphetamine. One suspect was arrested on charges of felony forgery and felony possession of a controlled substance. A secon...