Monthly Archives: November 2025

By Wangmin Estes
Liberal Arts Science Academy

City Council Member Harper Lynn is accused of murdering fellow council member Dakota “Kody” Maddox. Lynn is a City council member and immigration attorney. In the early morning hours of February 3, 2025 City Council Member Dakota “Kody” Maddox was killed when his car exploded. Harper Lynn, who is a fellow city council member, is charged with the murder.

The prosecution witnesses in the trial were Jamie Tierman (a part-time employee at a bookstore in Redwood Crossing), Riley Knox (the IT Systems Administrator), and Jordan Reeves (lead investigator for the Major Crimes Investigation). When I arrived Janie Tierman was testifying. She knew Lynn and Maddox in middle school and observed that they had a very continuous relationship. When asked what Lynn was like in June of 2024 Tierman replied that “I was present at a budget meeting where Harper had an outburst towards Kody and afterwards, I texted her that she went too far, and she simply responded with a shrugging emoji.”

Tierman ran into Lynn again when going to City Hall. Lynn asked if “Maddox still parked his driveway overnight in case someone needed to send him a message.” To sum that up, Lynn seemed to still deeply dislike Maddox when Tierman talked to her. Next was Riley Knox. She is the City IT Systems Administrator. She was asked by the Chief of Staff for the City Manager to get all information about Maddox and Lynn. What she found was similar to what Tierman described, which was that Lynn seemed to deeply dislike Maddox. When collecting information about Lynn and Maddox, Knox found a deleted post from Lynn saying “You’ll get what’s coming to you, 86KM @KodyM.”

After that Knox found several strange searches including, “how to spoof a number in Texas,” “untraceable phone carriers,” 3 and “do police check library IP addresses.” The witnesses for the prosecution were Witnesses for the defense were Zane Torres (a digital forensics consultant), Gloria “Gigi” Parker (a retired middle art teacher). Gloria Parker was former Council member Maddox’s neighbor. In the early morning hours of February 3, 2025 Parker was sitting in her kitchen when she heard an explosion. Earlier in the morning Parker saw a figure go to Maddox’s car, but the figure wasn’t Lynn because the person was tall and broad. Parker describes Lynn as short. Zane Torres is a digital forensics consultant and cybersecurity analyst. Lynn independently asked Torres to review the digital evidence that the prosecution links her to the death of former Council Member Maddox.

There was a burner phone that was previously assigned to Lynn for her 2023 city council campaign. This phone pinged a cell tower near Maddox’s house, but because of triangulation doesn’t put the phone at Maddox’s house, but somewhere near it. Also it’s possible to clone a phone. After the recess the Judge ruled that Harper Lynn was innocent. The judge made this decision because Zane Torres, who is an expert in digital forensics and cybersecurity, stated that he didn’t think that the digital evidence left behind wasn’t enough to incriminate Lynn, while the prosecution expert didn’t seem to know his field very well.

By: Naden Ramirez
W. B. Ray High School

Babylonians, Egyptians, the ancient Greeks, and many other ancient societies believed that the earth was flat for centuries. In the modern world, we no longer believe in this idea, as the concept that the Earth is round and spherical is taught in schools worldwide. However, HB042 seeks to change this in Texas, as it requires the state of Texas and all Texas public institutions to recognize the Earth as flat, as written by Grace Ford, a senior at Liberal Arts Science Academy.

The bill includes provisions such as Section II. a. The TEA will work to update the curriculum to align with the fact that the Earth is flat. It also includes Section II c. All public institutions other than educational institutions must ensure they do not propagate false information that the Earth is anything other than flat. A penalty of the bill includes Section III. a. Failure of the public institutions to recognize the Earth as flat and adhere to relevant teaching will cause the revocation of all its state funds.

At a glance, this bill seems incredibly intriguing and very strange to some, but when you find out the backstory of the bill, it becomes a lot more lighthearted. Grace Ford lacked an idea for her bill and so she left it up to the choice of her friend Connor, stating that “I couldn’t think of an idea for a bill, so [Connor] was like, ‘Hey, I have an idea,’ and I was like, ‘Great, I’ll do that, no matter what the topic may be and that’s how I ended up here.’” The lighthearted beginnings of the bill don’t detract from the fact that when it was time, she was a strong proponent of her bill.

During the actual proposal of her bill, she truly immersed herself in the character, stating that the origins of her bill came from her “Extensive research into the Illuminati and the medieval ages and how, in fact, the Earth is flat and how we’ve been taught this lie for so long that so many people believe it’s propaganda and false.” She also argued for the proposal of her bill as “We’re at a very pivotal time in our history where if we don’t stand up to the illuminati now, we’re going to get taken over.”

Although the actual concept of a bill that proposes teaching the earth is flat in schools is a rather incomprehensible idea, the fact that we should “ensure that we are a state of free thinkers” and allow for open and honest discussion is very important and relevant to our current political climate. Despite the fact that the bill wasn’t passed, Grace Ford demonstrated incredible commitment to her bill and her backstory behind it, allowing for a compelling story inside and outside of her bill.

By Sravya Garimella
Westlake High School

Youth and Government may appear extremely daunting at first, but upon closer examination, there is far more to it than meets the eye. Youth and Government is a nationwide program that gives students the opportunity to learn about the legislative process, debate real-world issues, and develop leadership skills in a supportive environment. According to former delegate Annika Krovi “The most important part of all of the programs is to be engaged in some ways!” Students simulate various
government roles, such as legislators and lawyers, and work collaboratively with peers. Through these experiences, students not only gain a deeper understanding of how government functions but also build confidence and lasting friendships. There is such a vast pool of opportunities for students, which makes it difficult to know what event embodies their interests. Krovi states “To me, YIG was very formative because it helped me discover my passion for government and public service! That only happened because I joined the events I was interested in, made friends, and learned more about the government through the conference. For that reason, I’d recommend that every student participates in this program and joins the events that they are inspired and interested in! That way, you’re having fun and learning at
the same time.” Youth and Government shows that when students step beyond their comfort zones, they gain more than just an understanding of politics. They build confidence, form lasting friendships, and develop a vision for the future, transforming challenges into opportunities for leadership and growth.

By: Dorcas Owala
John Marshall Law and Medical Services High School

The Youth and Government Program is focused on the key idea that “Democracy Must be Learned by Each Generation” in hopes that they can create future leaders of Democracy and help them gain life long skills for their future. The program allows students to be able to create/argue bills, write articles/news, act as attorneys, prosecutors, witnesses, judges, etc. With the help of the Volunteers, evaluators, leaders, etc, the Youth and Government is  able to fully lead students to a Democratic future which fosters an understanding of roles and purpose in the program.

During District and State Conferences, you can be able to see the hard work and efforts the YG team does to help organize the program. A media Evaluator,  says, “My volunteer title would be hope for the future. I firmly believe that our students need education for the future to better their decision making and prepare them while educating them in the present and reminding them about the past. How are we going to support the least among us? How are we going to make decisions that would benefit the lives of everyone included?”

Guidance is key in a children’s lives. Children are dependent and look up to superiors to gain insight and knowledge in order to help them figure out their goals. With the help and guidance of YG leaders and helpers, students are able to fully engage in their field and work hard to achieve state conference and further goals. Evaluators and Volunteers give students advice, confidence,  Amanda Puent says, “YG is important for students because it provides real work experience in a space that allows students across the state and from different backgrounds to come together. Whether they want to become a lawyer or a senator or something different it provides a space to understand how the legislative government works.”

Having a group of adults who are passionate about helping students form a future for themselves to become new leaders of their generation and to be involved in their Democracy and world is one heck of an advantage.  Delegates are able to place themselves in real world scenarios and use their knowledge for the better.