Beaumont | featured news

An exhibit chronicling South Park Schools is now on display in the Jefferson County Historical Commission's mini museum in the Jefferson County Courthouse. The exhibit will be on display until March 5 in the mini museum located near the exit at the front of the old courthouse building.

An Austin judge has denied Kirbyville school superintendent Tommy Wallis' latest effort to conceal records about his time at Bryan ISD.
Wallis, who has spent the past year fighting to prevent his former district from releasing documents about his tenure and departure, asked the court for a rehearing last week after Judge Tim Sulak ruled that some of the information requested by Bryan-area media must be released.
Sulak rejected Wallis' motion last week but did not explain the decision.

The lawyer for a former Beaumont ISD contract electrician accused of fraud and money-laundering filed another appeal on Tuesday in an attempt to stop his client's criminal trial, claiming Calvin Walker was denied due process.
Walker, indicted in July 2014, faces six criminal charges in Jefferson County's Criminal District Court. Walker previously told the Enterprise he is innocent of all counts.
In 2012, Walker pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge of failure to pay taxes in a timely manner after his trial in U.S.

A Vidor family is asking for help finding a lost dog who was stolen from the Beaumont Monday night.

Port Arthur ISD will make up for last week's weather cancellations by holding class on a holiday and a Saturday, the district announced Tuesday.

In the most active season in recent years, the number of Texans dying from a flu-related cause has now doubled.
The Texas Department of Health this season is reporting the deaths of 2,355 people for whom the flu was an underlying or contributing cause, up from 1,155 such deaths two weeks ago. The vast majority of such deaths occurred among the elderly, according to the department.
The deaths include four children, none in the greater Beaumont area.

Inequities between Beaumont ISD's high schools must be addressed during the consolidation of Central and Ozen, community members said at a Monday meeting to discuss the upcoming merger, where many attendees said they still didn't have enough information about the change.
The meeting, held by the Baptist Minister's Union, Ministerial Brotherhood Alliance and the NAACP, came days after the district announced the two campuses will merge for the next
school year.