About

Rockwall Rocks! At least I think it does!

This is the blog of J.J. Smith, creator and publisher of the The Rockwall News, “Rockwall County’s leading online news and info service.”

I’m a former award-winning reporter and editor, who’s spent 30+ years working in print, radio and TV in news, advertising and public relations; with such leading brands as Dallas Cowboys Radio, KVIL-FM, Time-Warner Cable TV, The Houston Chronicle, Exxon, Macy’s, Six Flags Over Texas and Southwest Airlines.

Since 2003, my wife and daughter and I have lived in Rockwall.

On this blog, I post my thoughts and opinions about living in fast-growing Rockwall County TX, which lies about 30 minutes East of downtown Dallas, on the eastern shore of beautiful Lake Ray Hubbard.

With so many newspapers filing for bankruptcy and going out of business locally and nationwide nowadays, I decided it was time to launch… not an “Old School” newspaper… but an Internet Age daily news and info website on the Net where most everybody now goes for up-to-the-minute news, 24/7.  

The majority of the headline news and feature info is now located at www.TheRockwallNews.com, “First with the News in Rockwall County TX.” Please check it out and tell us how we can improve it!

Your comments about anything related to my entries are welcome. All I ask is that you keep your comments clean and appropriate for family members of all ages who read and use this blog.

You’re also welcome to email your thoughts and suggestions for blog entries to jj@therockwallnews.com, or – better yet – to start your own blog, which we will link to www.rockwallrocks.com and www.therockwallnews.com for everyone to read.

J.J. is also the founder and director of the new Lillian Smith Family Violence Foundation (www.lilliansmith.org), a non-profit organization which spearheads media and communitiy efforts to help prevent and stop domestic, dating and child abuse. When J.J. was 10, after experiencing years of family violence, he witnessed his abusive father shoot and kill his mother and then commit suicide. Now J.J. is committed to doing whatever he can to help prevent others from having to experience the pain and trauma which he and his family did. 

He is currently organizing and directing the Rockwall “War Against Abuse,” which includes professionals from across Rockwall County in law enforcement, health care, social services, schools, government, businesses and volunteers. Visit his “War Against Abuse” blog.

Last year he was the host of his own weekly radio show, “When Love Hurts,” on AM 1400 KGVL News-Talk in neighboring Greenville, which helped those hurting from love and relationship problems to learn to build happy, healthy relationships. He hopes to resume the program someday soon, since it provided him with so many opportunities to meet other victims, survivors and the community leaders who can help put a stop this local and national tragedy.

J.J. is married to Roxana Smith, who was born and raised in Costa Rica until she visited California when she was about 17 and decided to stay and became a US citizen. Their daughter, Lisa, is a sophomore at Rockwall High School.

He also has eight children over 20 from a prior marriage, plus ten grandchildren. He and Roxana are converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) and are active members of its local Heath congregation. He’s also a member of the Rockwall Republican Party, but works hard to keep an open-mind towards all political and religious views.