Texas
Rams add an offensive weapon in sixth round with Texas WR Jordan Whittington
The Los Angeles Rams continued their run in the sixth round on Saturday after taking defensive lineman Tyler Davis and kicker Joshua Karty. With their third pick in the sixth round and 213th selection overall, the Rams selected, Texas wide receiver Jordan Whittington.
Whittington is the first wide receiver that the Rams have selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. While some expected the Rams to take one earlier, they find in the later stages of day three. Whittington is the third Longhorns wide receiver to be drafted behind Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell. As the third option in the Texas offense, he’s had 652 yards and 505 yards over the past two seasons.
On the Rams
Whittington will likely come into the Rams offense as a depth piece. With several wide receiver contracts such as TuTu Atwell, Ben Skowronek, and Demarcus Robinson all expiring after 2024, it makes sense to bring in another wide receiver on a rookie deal. He was a versatile player at Texas with experience across the offensive formation and has no issue getting tough as a blocker. Per Dane Brugler’s ‘The Beast’, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said, “I don’t know if there’s another guy in our locker room who’s more respected than Jordan Whittington.”
More of an inside receiver, Whittington does bring some special teams experience. He could be a Skowronek replacement next season if the team opts not to bring him back. There ay not be much of an immediate return on this pick, but it’s a much needed selection.
Beekeeper Christie Ray arrived at the scene and was stunned. She knew a swarm of honeybees had escaped after a truck overturned on a Texas road, but nothing prepared her for what she saw.
About 20 million bees were flying in groups so large they resembled dark clouds. So many sat on a tree branch that it broke. The air smelled like honey, beeswax and bananas, the odor bees release when they sting.
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The Texas Board of Education on Friday approved mandated reading lists for public school children that include passages from the Bible – the latest effort by leaders there to infuse the education system with conservative and religious ideals.
The Republican-dominated board, in a 9-5 vote with one member absent and not voting, approved the reading lists for over 5 million public school students beginning in 2030.
Texas had already mandated that the Bible’s Ten Commandments be displayed in all public schools, a decision that was upheld by a federal appeals court earlier this year, following on the heels of other Republican-led states seeking to infuse public education with Christian teachings.
Critics say these decisions are at odds with the Constitution’s “establishment clause,” long understood by courts as separating church and state. Supporters say the measures restore basic Judeo-Christian teachings to school systems, which many have said are historically significant.
The required reading list is wide-ranging and includes mostly non-Biblical and classical texts, such as Aesop’s fables, tales about Native Americans, and a children’s versions of Don Quixote. Critics have noted that much of the list comprises texts written by white male authors, in a state with a majority of Latino and Black students.
Rachel Laser, the head of the advocacy group Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said in a written statement that the Texas board of education’s decision sought to “misuse public schools to impose one narrow set of religious beliefs and indoctrinate a new generation of Americans in the lie that America is a Christian country.”
Reporting by Brad Brooks in Colorado; Editing by David Gregorio
LEAKEY, Texas – A giraffe that escaped a ranch in the Texas Hill Country two weeks ago has been located, according to the manager of the ranch.
The giraffe named Gracie disappeared from the Cedar Hollow Ranch on June 12.
What’s new:
Vick Jones, who manages the ranch, told FOX Local on Friday that Gracie was spotted by a helicopter about 7:30 a.m. nearly 4 miles away from the ranch.
According to Jones, she is in a heavily wooded and brush-filled remote area. He said Gracie was in good shape and had lots of trees to eat and water to drink.
Jones said there are no roads leading to where she is, so a veterinarian is assembling a team to figure out the best way to get her back to the ranch. She’ll have to be tranquilized and loaded onto a trailer, which will take “the better part of a day.”
Gracie the giraffe is seen from a helicopter in rough terrain in the Texas Hill Country on June 26, 2026. (Real County Sheriff Nathan T. Johnson/Facebook / FOX Local)
What they’re saying:
According to Jones, the exotic-animal ranch has had giraffes for about 30 years. He said Gracie ventured into an area most of the giraffes don’t go and was able to get out of a gate.
“We released her into the canyon,” Jones said. “She actually started going up and feeding in an area we’d never had giraffes feed in before. It’s up on a rock slab, just a limestone slab, and she goes up the hill and went up over the mountain.”
An image of Gracie the giraffe was shared by authorities after the animal went missing June 22, 2026. (Real County Animal Rescue-Shelter/Facebook / FOX Local)
What’s next:
Gracie should be back at the ranch within the next day or so, Jones predicted.
The Source: Information in this story came from Vick Jones and previous FOX Local reporting.
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