Several school districts closed for total solar eclipse

Several school districts closed for total solar eclipseEAST TEXAS — A number of East Texas school districts announced they will cancel classes for the total solar eclipse on April 8, according to our news partner KETK. In early March, Bullard Independent School District shared calendar adjustments and said April 8 was changed to a school holiday. Bullard ISD said the date was originally an employee workday but adjusted it so staff can experience the eclipse with their friends and family.

Canton Independent School District said time was built into their calendar year and it was decided that the eclipse day will be a day off. “We hope our families are able to take advantage of this opportunity and experience this event with their children,” the school district said. Canton ISD said they will provide eclipse glasses for each of their students prior to the event. Continue reading Several school districts closed for total solar eclipse

Two men charged with weekend kidnapping of Tyler man

Two men charged with weekend kidnapping of Tyler manSMITH COUNTY — Two men have been charged in connection to a weekend kidnapping. Our news partner KETK reports, according to an arrest affidavit, on March 17 at around 4:06 p.m., the Smith County Sheriff’s Office 911 emergency dispatch received a call from a woman claiming two men in a red Honda passenger car had put a gun to her husband’s head and forced him to get in their car before driving away with him. The woman told police two of her husband’s sons followed the Honda car and pulled over at a donut shop on Highway 271. Officials said both sons were told to leave and were shown guns as a threat. During this time, the sons were reportedly told the kidnappers wanted $10,000 ransom to get their father back. The suspects also allegedly called the victim’s wife demanding money for his return. Continue reading Two men charged with weekend kidnapping of Tyler man

Sheriff Larry Smith: Kidnapping ‘directly related’ to cartel

Two charged with weekend kidnapping of Tyler manSMITH COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said a recent kidnapping in Smith County was related to a cartel. Smith said, “The kidnapping we had this last week is directly related to the cartel, no doubt about it, 100% directly related to the cartel. They try to extort money out of a citizen here in Tyler, Smith County who probably was involved with the cartel. He just better thank his Lord that we have the detectives we’ve got here, that we’re able to catch him and work with other agencies to free him when he got to Fort Worth,”
Continue reading Sheriff Larry Smith: Kidnapping ‘directly related’ to cartel

Two East Texans dead after overnight crash

BOWIE COUNTY – Two East Texans dead after overnight crashOur news partners at KETK report that a Texarkana woman and Tyler man are dead after a crash Tuesday night on U.S. Highway 59, four miles south of Texarkana. According to a preliminary DPS report, a 2024 Kia Telluride SUV was traveling southbound on the highway around 9:53 p.m. when it crossed into the northbound lane and struck a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV. The driver of the Kia was identified as Natasha Brewer, 48 of Texarkana, and the driver of the Chevrolet was identified as Jason Foster, 46 of Tyler. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Officials said the investigation is ongoing.

No ruling from appeals court, SB-4 still on hold

McALLEN (AP) — Texas faced skeptical questioning at an appeals court hearing Wednesday as the state pushed to enforce a strict new immigration law that would allow it to arrest and deport people who enter the U.S. illegally.
The one-hour hearing before a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ended without a ruling, leaving Texas’ new law on hold for now. A flurry of court activity, including a decision Tuesday from the U.S. Supreme Court that allowed the law to take effect for several hours, has caused uncertainty at the border.
Chief Judge Priscilla Richman raised a series of questions about how the state law would be carried out, including how Texas would respond if federal authorities don’t cooperate with a state judge’s order to deport someone. No arrests were reported during the hours the law was in effect Tuesday.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said it would not have authority to deport under the state law.
“This is uncharted because we don’t have any cases on it,” said Texas Solicitor General Aaron Nielson.
The Justice Department has argued that Texas’ law is a clear violation of federal authority and will create chaos at the border. Lawyers for the department faced a grilling from Judge Andrew Oldham, who was appointed by Republican President Donald Trump. The third judge on the panel, Judge Irma Ramirez, did not ask questions during the hearing but has previously voted to keep the law on hold.
Richman challenged Texas’ assertion that it is exercising a “core police power,” getting Nielsen to acknowledge that deporting people has been a federal responsibility. But Nielsen denied that Texas is “trying to take over the field” on border enforcement and said the state wants to cooperate with the federal government on what is widely acknowledged to be a crisis.
Nielsen also said he did not know how the law would affect someone who entered the country illegally but came to Texas from another state.
Regardless of how this three-judge panel rules, the legal fight will hardly be over. The 5th Circuit has been considering the state’s appeal of a scathing injunction from a lower-court judge that put the law on hold.
The 5th Circuit issued a decision earlier this month that would have allowed the law to take effect, and the Supreme Court essentially declined to intervene Tuesday. But hours after the law took effect, the 5th Circuit reinstated the lower court injunction, pausing the law again.
The Supreme Court did not rule on the merits of the law. It instead kicked back to the lower appeals court a challenge led by the Justice Department.
Under the Texas law, once defendants are in custody on illegal entry charges, they can agree to a judge’s order to leave the U.S. or face prosecution. However, Mexico has said it would refuse to take anyone back who is ordered to cross the border.
The impact extends far beyond the Texas border. Republican legislators wrote the law so that it applies in all of the state’s 254 counties, although Steve McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, has said he expects it will mostly be enforced near the border.
Other GOP-led states are already looking to follow Texas’ path. In Iowa, the state House gave final approval Tuesday to a bill that would also give its state law enforcement the power to arrest people who are in the U.S. illegally and have previously been denied entry into the country.
It now goes to Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds. If signed, it would take effect in July.
“The federal government has abdicated its responsibilities and states can and must act,” Republican Iowa state Rep. Steven Holt said.
In Texas, El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, the top county executive, said immigration enforcement should remain a federal, not state, responsibility, echoing the Biden administration’s view. He said heightened law enforcement presence in the city of El Paso during a previous migrant surge brought high-speed chases and traffic stops based on assumptions that passengers were in the country illegally.
“We had accidents, we had injuries, we got a little glimpse of what would happen if the state begins to control what happens in respect to immigration,” Samaniego said.
Arrests for illegal crossings fell by half in January from a record-high of 250,000 in December, with sharp declines in Texas. Arrests in the Border Patrol’s Del Rio sector, the focus of Abbott’s enforcement, fell 76% from December. Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings for much of the past decade, recorded its fewest arrests since June 2020.
Tucson, Arizona, has been the busiest corridor in recent months, followed by San Diego in January, but reasons for sudden shifts are often complicated and are dictated by smuggling organizations.
When Biden visited the Rio Grande Valley for his second trip to the border as president last month, administration officials credited Mexico for heightened enforcement on that part of the border for the drop in arrests. They said conditions were more challenging for Mexican law enforcement in Sonora, the state that lies south of Arizona.

 65th Azalea Trail ribbon cutting Friday

 65th azalea trail ribbon cutting FridayTYLER — The 65th Annual Azalea & Spring Flower Trail is set to kick off with a ceremony beginning at 10am, on Friday, March 22nd at the home of Joan Pyron, located at 212 West Dobbs. Shannon Dacus, Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce Board Chair, and Mayor Don Warren will also be present to give opening remarks at the ceremony. The ribbon cutting is free and open to the public. The Azalea & Spring Flower Trail will run for three weekends, March 22-April 8. Continue reading  65th Azalea Trail ribbon cutting Friday

Hwy 59 wreck leaves two dead

Hwy 59 wreck leaves woman, Tyler man deadBOWIE COUNTY — A Texarkana woman and Tyler man are dead after a crash Tuesday night on U.S. Highway 59, four miles south of Texarkana. According to our news partner KETK, a preliminary DPS report stated a 2024 Kia Telluride SUV was traveling southbound on the highway around 9:50 when it crossed into the northbound lane and struck a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV. The driver of the Kia was identified as Natasha Brewer, 48 of Texarkana. The driver of the Chevrolet was identified as Jason Foster, 56 of Tyler. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Officials said the investigation is ongoing.

Road closures due to construction

Road closures due to constructionTYLER — The City of Tyler said drivers can expect detours and delays on Wednesday due to construction on two roads. According to our news partner KETK, the city asks motorists to steer clear of the construction to take place on a portion of West Cumberland Road and Golden Road. Construction crews will be laying asphalt on Golden Road between Troup Highway and Old Troup Highway on Wednesday, officials said.

“Some driveways will be inaccessible during the construction. We ask motorists to use alternate routes or use caution while traveling on this road, as workers will be present,” the city said. Continue reading Road closures due to construction

Man gets 30 years for shooting at girlfriend

Athens man sentenced to 30 years for shooting atHENDERSON COUNTY – An Athens man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. According to our news partner KETK, Henderson County District Attorney, Jenny Palmer said in a release that Eron Demond Anderson, 43, was found guilty by a jury for shooting at his girlfriend. Officials responded to a shooting on June 10, 2023 where the victim said her boyfriend “grabbed her by the hair, threw her to the ground” and shot at her vehicle several times. Anderson reportedly sent the victim messages that said “I really hope you die if I don’t kill you first.” Anderson was arrested and booked the same day, and charged with aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a firearm. “We want to commend the victim for coming forward and reporting the abuse and violence she suffered at the hands of Eron Anderson,” Palmer said. “This verdict sends a strong message that domestic violence will not be tolerated in our community.”

10 life sentences for child sex abuser

10 life sentences for child sex abuserCOOKE COUNTY – According to our new partner KETK, a man was sentenced to 10 life sentences, one 10-year sentence and two 20-year sentences on Monday for charges related to events that happened in Cooke County and East Texas. A release from the Cooke County District Attorney’s Office states that David Michael Calhou was found guilty of five counts of sexual assault of a child, seven counts of aggravated assault and one count of assault strangulation. The jury took less than one hour before returning a guilty verdict, and another hour before returning with the punishment verdict.

Evidence presented at court said Calhoun was caring for the children, who were his nephews and stepchildren, around 2017 when he began abusing them. A release said the abuse continued in Harleton, Jefferson and Athens. Two other defendants have been indicted due to their connection to the case and are set for pretrial in April 2024. Five of Calhoun’s life sentences were ordered to run consecutively by the presiding judge. Continue reading 10 life sentences for child sex abuser

Thousands set to travel to East Texas for total solar eclipse

Thousands set to travel to East Texas for total solar eclipseEAST TEXAS — Thousands of people will travel to East Texas for the total solar eclipse on April 8 as some parts will be in totality. According to our news partner KETK, officials expect the City of Tyler to triple in size with thousands of people using major roads to come into East Texas.

“Just keep in mind that we’re expecting traffic to increase. Obviously, this is going to be one of the hot spots to be in, so just keep that in mind plan for more time to travel where you’re going,” Jeff Williford, with the Texas Department of Transportation, said. Continue reading Thousands set to travel to East Texas for total solar eclipse