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LONGVIEW — Longview ISD announced that Longview High School Principal James Brewer died on Monday evening following a “sudden cardiac event.” According to our news partner KETK, Brewer was preparing to start his 17th year at Longview High School and the district said he dedicated his life to education. LISD called Brewer an “exceptional leader, mentor, and friend to all who knew him.” The high school will provide counseling services and support to students and staff to help them cope with the tragic event. “The legacy of Mr. James Brewer will forever remain a guiding light at Longview Independent School District,” said Dr. James WIlcox, LISD Superintendent. Continue reading Longview ISD announces death of beloved high school principal

TYLER — Whitehouse native, Super Bowl Champ and MVP Patrick Mahomes will be one of three NFL quarterbacks featured in the Netflix series “Quarterback”. According to our news partner KETK, the eight part series will follow Mahomes, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota of the Atlanta Falcons during the 2022 NFL season. The series will look at the season from each quarterbacks point-of-view. Covering before, during and after the games and even following the players on their off days. And, each players will be “mic’d up” during the games. It’s an NFL first. To see the first minutes of the Netflix series “Quarterback”, click here. “Quarterback” has a July 12 release date.

EAST TEXAS – The East Texas Council of Governments was recently awarded a Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant of $1 million from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This grant will allow ETCOG to lead environmental site assessments and reuse planning throughout the region. With a primary focus on Longview, Marshall, Kilgore, and Gladewater, this funding aims to revitalize and re-envision contaminated properties, fostering sustainable redevelopment across the 14-county ETCOG region. Continue reading ETCOG Secures $1 Million Brownfields Assessment Coalition Gran

MARSHALL – The Marshall campus of the Texas State Technical College has received a $637,000 grant that will fund several new natural gas courses. The Natural Science Foundation Advanced Technical Education grant will fund around four or five new courses in the college’s Process Operations Technology program. The application process for the three year grant began in 2021 and the courses are planned to start being integrated in the Fall of 2024.
Continue reading Marshall TSTC campus receives $637,000 grant for natural gas courses

SMITH COUNTY — The suspect wanted in a Saturday night stabbing at the Flamingo Club on FM 14 in Smith County has been arrested. According to online records, Abiel Correa, 61, of Tyler, was booked into the Smith County Jail Sunday on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His bond has been set at $300 thousand dollars. The victim of the stabbing, whose identity has not been released, is said to be in stable condition following surgery at a local hospital.

MINEOLA – According to our news partner KETK the city of Mineola has found a time capsule in the post office. A local history buff came across a newspaper that referenced pieces of history being placed in a cornerstone vault. Postal employees said there had always been rumors of a time capsule but they thought it was all a lie. So the city of Mineola hired a company to find out. Saturday morning, surrounded by community members, the container was pulled from the vault but no one was expecting to find what they did. A treasure of historical artifacts was found inside the capsule.

An expert has been called in to restore pieces that need to be humidified. “We have newspapers from Tyler, from Longview, obviously the old Mineola Monitors, things like that and documents that we can’t quite open all the way yet and read everything that they have to say,” said Tiner. Once they can read them all, the fun of learning about this hidden treasure left behind from 1936 begins.

JACKSONVILLE – According to our news partner KETK the Jacksonville College board of trustees named Dr. David Erickson as the new college president during a meeting on Friday. Erickson’s family were founding members of the Baptist Missionary Association, which runs the BMA Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, according to a press release. He graduated from Central Baptist College in Conway, got his master of divinity degree from BMA Theological Seminary and a PhD in Baptist Studies from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Erickson has been a professor of Theological-Historical Studies at BMA Theological Seminary and was the seminary’s associate dean for eight years. He has also served as a trustee of the Texas Baptist Home for Children. Erickson’s plans as president include finding new resources for the school from the JC alumni association and the local business community. Erickson also hopes to find additional support for BMA of Texas churches.

LUFKIN – The City of Lufkin has announced that Twiga, who held the record for the oldest giraffe in captivity, died at Ellen Trout Zoo on Friday night. Twiga was 31 years, nine months and 7 days old, a record for giraffes which typically only live for about 25 years, according to our news partner KETK. She was born at the Los Angeles Zoo on Oct. 1st, 1991 and came to the Ellen Trout Zoo in 2008 from the Racine Zoo in Wisconsin. “Twiga helped our other two giraffes, Kellen and Luna, feel comfortable in their new home in Lufkin,” Ellen Trout Zoo director Gordon Henley said. “She will be greatly missed.”

JACKSONVILLE – The East Texas Food Bank has a new mobile food pantry available for Jacksonville and Cherokee County. According to our news partner KETK, the mobile food pantry will be at Jacksonville’s Alexander Gym Tuesday July 11 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and the second Tuesday each month thereafter. The food bank will be offering fresh produce and meat during this stop. Continue reading East Texas Food Bank offers Jacksonville mobile food pantry

BOWIE COUNTY – Law enforcement is asking for help in finding two inmates who escaped from Bi-State Jail in Bowie County. According to our news partner KETK, the two men are Wayde Burton Land and JC Lee Kirby. Jail surveillance video showed the pair leaving the jail in street clothes and going toward Texas Boulevard in Texarkana. The Bowie County Sheriff’s office ask if you have information on Land or Kirby to call them at 903-798-3149.

TYLER – The Guardian of Seniors’ Rights Award is given by the 60 Plus Association in recognition of Members of Congress who vigorously fight and defend the rights of senior citizens. Congressman Moran in a statement said, “Our seniors have spent their lives working to serve and better our communities, and I’ve made it a priority in Congress to safeguard their voice and rights.”

SMITH COUNTY — A portion of County Road 370, also known as Howell Lake Road in Precinct 3, was closed beginning Monday, July 10, so a bridge can be replaced. The concrete bridge with wooden piers, which runs over the private Howell Lake, will be replaced with a wider concrete bridge with concrete piles, Smith County Engineer Frank Davis said. Signs are up alerting drivers of the closure and drivers will need to take an alternate route. Work is being done by True Roads Construction and is expected to take about three months. For current Smith County road projects, click here.

SMITH COUNTY — Unfilled positions continue to make life hard on local law enforcement. “Law enforcement across the country is shorthanded,” said Sgt. Larry Christian, Public Information Officer with Smith County Sheriff’s Office. The problem seemed to get even worse in 2020, according to our news partner KETK. “COVID hit county jails really hard in the state of Texas,” said Craig Harrington, Gregg County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy. The year 2024 is shaping up to be a critical one for Smith County. The county recently released a draft budget for fiscal year 2024 that includes an emphasis on trying to hire more people to fill detention center vacancies. Christian said getting the right budget passed could shape the county’s future. Continue reading Smith County hopeful 2024 budget fixes ongoing staffing problem