News

PAPD arrests two murder suspects

April 3, Port Arthur police arrested two men suspected of killing a 42-year-old man July 2019, according to a news release. Officers arrested Rakeem Roache and Jayleen Lott for the murder of Joel Lopez Martinez. The victim was shot and killed at his residence July 19, 2019 around 1 a.m.

17-year-old killed in Orange shooting

April 4, at about 1:15 p.m., the Orange Police Department received a report of a shooting victim at Exceptional Care on 16th Street in Orange. Officers arrived at the facility and found 17-year-old Trey Chanley Gibson suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.

COVID-19 update April 4

The Southeast Texas Regional Emergency Operations Center has confirmed there are 112 cases of COVID-19 in the region, up from 94 yesterday.  In Jefferson County, there are 58 confirmed cases, with 34 in Beaumont and 13 in Port Arthur.

LU: No on-campus classes for summer sessions

Lamar University is keeping the majority of students off campus, at least through the scheduled summer sessions, according to LU information released April 3. The university has had three employees test positive for COVID-19.

Regional COVID count nears 100

The Southeast Texas Regional Emergency Operations Center released it's daily count of confirmed coronavirus cases in the six-county area. As of Friday, April 3, Jefferson County has 50 confirmed cases with Beaumont accounting for nearly a third of the 94 cases at 31.

Local precinct offices close after positive COVID-19 cases

Two Jefferson County precinct offices have closed and asked staffers to quarantine after two maintenance workers tested positive for COVID-19, confirms Commissioner Michael Sinegal of Precinct 3.

U.S. Attorney and IRS Advise Caution Regarding IRS Economic Impact Payments

The Internal Revenue Service will begin making COVID-19 economic impact payments in a matter of weeks. For most Americans, this will be a direct deposit into your bank account.

Citations, even jail possible for those who fail to social distance

Port Arthur Police Chief Tim Duriso said individuals who fail to adhere to officially mandated social distancing orders could face misdemeanor citations and hefty fines – or even arrest in more egregious situations.

Third party shot during disturbance

On Thursday, April 2, at about 11:30 p.m., Beaumont police responded to a residence in the 400 block of Giles in reference to a victim of a shooting. When officers arrived, they located a victim inside the residence suffering from a gunshot wound.

Beaumont awarded $801,000 federal grant for economic recovery

The city of Beaumont was awarded a federal grant of $801,000 to help recover from the economic fallout of the novel coronavirus outbreak, U.S. Senator John Cornyn announced April 3.