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TYLER – The Transportation Planning and Programming (TPP) Division of TxDOT will be collecting short-term traffic counts at 6,000 locations in the Tyler District until April 6. The effort began this past Monday. These 24-hour traffic counts will be collected by contract personnel for all system roadways, including state highways, city streets and county roads, according to a news release. Officials say on average, TPP collects 80,000 short-term traffic counts throughout the state on an annual basis. Traffic count data are then analyzed and adjusted to create an Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT), one of the many products produced from traffic count data. Continue reading TxDOT to conduct short-term traffic counts till April 6

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Longview man who is facing over a dozen federal charges in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot filed a motion last week asking the court to keep prosecutors from mentioning “imaginary police deaths that took place on Jan. 6, 2021.” According to our news partner KETK, Ryan Nichols, 32, was arrested on Jan. 18, 2021, by the FBI and has since been indicted on multiple charges including assault, civil disorder, tampering with a witness, and violent entry on Capitol grounds. Nichols was granted release from detention and allowed to return to his Longview home “strictly for the purpose of preparing for trial,” according to court documents. On Feb. 27, Nichols also filed a motion asking the court delay his trial to review 41,000 hours of soon-to-be-public CCTV footage to ensure he and the Court have “accurate facts and context surrounding Jan. 6.”

TYLER – After over 15 years, Jack Wilson will hang up his hard hat at the end of June as the chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity of Smith County. “There have been many changes during my time here, and our affiliate has evolved by leaps and bounds,” says Wilson as quoted in a news release. When I got here, we had built 74 homes, and soon we’ll finish construction on our 120th Habitat home in Smith County.” The affiliate will celebrate Wilson’s tenure with the organization in June with a hybrid Retirement Party Fundraiser, raising funds to benefit the mission of Smith County Habitat and to fund the lead gift toward the Jack Wilson Legacy Endowment Fund. Continue reading Smith County Habitat CEO Jack Wilson to retire after more than 15 years

CHAPEL HILL – Parents, grandparents, teachers, and business owners in Chapel Hill have joined together to support the school bond that was recently announced by the Chapel Hill ISD School Board. That’s according to a news release from Bulldog Strong, a political action committee formed by the group. Organizers say they will use the PAC to help get the word out about the bond and encourage voters to approve it. “Last year, we recognized that those of us who support our kids and teachers too often stay quiet,” Bulldog Strong President Paul Welch said as quoted in the release. “We formed the PAC last year to give ourselves a stronger voice. After what happened in Uvalde, we are even more determined to get this bond passed to improve the safety of our schools.” Continue reading Chapel Hill community members join hands to support school bond

TYLER — Former Tyler Junior College Dean Dr. Aubrey Sharpe died on Monday, the United Way of Smith County announced. He was 78-years-old. According to our news partner KETK, Sharpe was a development officer with United Way. “His impact on our organization and the community as a whole is enormous,” the nonprofit said. Sharpe was the organization’s board president in 1998, and he was on several sub-committees for many years. “His presence around the office would always light up the room, and he will be deeply missed by all of us,” United Way said. Sharpe was born in Miami, according to his obituary. He was a member of the Tyler Chamber of Commerce and previously the Dean of the School of Continuing Studies and Technical Administrator of the West Campus for TJC. Continue reading Former TJC Dean Dr. Aubrey Sharpe dies

SMITH COUNTY — One woman was injured in a Monday night crash in the Bullard area on FM 346 at Olivia Lane after her car flipped into a nearby pond. According to Bullard Fire Chief Peter Riley, that area of FM 346 has seen several similar wrecks due to the road’s sharp turns. Our news partner KETK reports, Bullard Fire was called to the scene of a crash where a car was flipped upside down around 11:40 p.m., and Riley said before they got there, two Bullard teenagers had climbed into the pond and turned the car on its side allowing the woman to breathe while first responders were on their way. Continue reading Bullard teens help save woman after car crashes into pond

TYLER – A groundbreaking ceremony will be held on March 30 at the site of a former bank in downtown Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, the building will be renovated into an apartment building. In April 2022, a New Orleans based tax-advantaged real estate company, NORF, purchased three buildings that they plan to reconstruct into rental units in Tyler. On March 1, NORF closed on financing and received the permits to start working on one of their previously purchased buildings known as The Wilcox on 230 South Broadway Avenue. NORF will be converting the former bank into 31 market-rate apartments that will highlight the building’s mid-century modern design and will include a green space along the former bank’s drive-thru. Continue reading Historic structure in downtown Tyler to be renovated into apartment building

SMITH COUNTY – Smith County now has a new local health authority. Dr. Valerie B. Smith was appointed by the commissioner’s court on Tuesday and sworn in by County Judge Neal Franklin. She replaces Dr. Paul McGaha after his retirement. Smith is assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine. She has served the children of East Texas for nearly two decades as a pediatrician at St. Paul’s Children’s Foundation. Smith got her degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and did her pediatric residency at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. She got her master of public health from the UT Science Center School of Community and Rural Health. She was recommended to the commissioners court by the NET Health Board of Directors. Health Authorities are “physicians appointed to administer state and local laws relating to public health within an appointing body’s jurisdiction,” according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

TYLER — The sale of home generators is on the rise in East Texas. The owner of East Texas Generators in Tyler, John Crymes, says his company has seen a 300 percent increase in the sale of generators in the past two years.This follows the arctic cold of February 2021, and this winter’s ice storm, which resulted in 300-thousand power outages across the state and 40-thousand in East Texas. Whitehouse resident and generator owner Alfredo Llave says his home was without power for 10 days in frigid weather of two years ago and for five days because of straight-line wind damage two months later.Generators and other emergency preparation supplies can be purchased tax free from April 22 to 24.

ATHENS — Athens resident Monica Figueroa was arrested and charged with capital murder Monday in the death of her four-year-old son, Grayson Hurt. At last report, Figueroa was in jail awaiting her initial court appearance. According to Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse, at about 6:41 a.m. Monday the Athens Police Department received a call for service to Figueroa’s residence on Mitchell Street in Athens from Mary Johnson, Figueroa’s mother. When officers arrived at the residence, they located Figueroa. Officers entered the residence with emergency medical personnel and found the deceased child inside the door, partially covered with a blanket, according to Hillhouse. Investigators learned that Grayson was killed Sunday afternoon. Continue reading Two Athens women charged in death of child

HARRISON COUNTY – A man was arrested Sunday after a multi-county pursuit that went through Smith and Gregg counties on I-20 before ending in Harrison County. According to our news partner KETK, officials say Harrison County dispatch was told that Texas Park Police and multiple units from Smith County were in a pursuit on I-20 and headed toward Harrison County. “Units briefly lost sight of the vehicle in Gregg County,” officials said. “Harrison County deputies and Gregg County DPS units picked up the pursuit in Harrison County.” Officials said the driver — later identified as Taye Thomas Payne, 24, of Shreveport, La. — continued to flee in a gray Honda Accord and exited I-20 onto FM 968, where the car crashed into a wooded area near Hut Horton. Continue reading Shreveport man arrested in East Texas after multi-county pursuit

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith is renewing his ongoing battle against trail rides following the latest local incident. “We’re not trying to stop anybody from having fun, but each and every time one of these trail ride combination concert events happen, just almost every time you can set your clock by it, there’s going to be a shooting,” Smith said. Three men were arrested with five guns Saturday night at a trail ride on County Road 46 where two people were shot and sent to two hospitals, according to the Sheriff’s Office and our news partner KETK. Continue reading Sheriff denounces trail ride concerts following latest incident

LONGVIEW — What are your hopes and visions for the Longview Parks and Recreation department for the next 5 to 10 years? The city will host a community workshop on the topic at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 27, at the Broughton Recreation Center. Officials invite residents to come, hear about ongoing updates to the Parks Master Plan, and provide their input. The city is in the process of updating the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan, which was a chapter in the Longview Comprehensive Plan adopted in March 2015. Click here for more details.

UPSHUR COUNTY — The 6th Court of Criminal Appeals in Texarkana has affirmed the 99-year prison sentence handed to Charles Lance Taylor in an Upshur County case. That’s according to a news release from the Upshur County DA’s Office. Last May, a jury found Taylor guilty of retaliation against a witness in a January 2021 incident, and the 99-year sentence followed. According to our news partner KETK, officials say Taylor broke into the Morris County house of a woman he previously dated on June 23, 2020, and assaulted and strangled her. Morris County placed Taylor on three years’ probation for the assault, then revoked the probation and sentenced him to three years in prison. The retaliation verdict and 99-year sentence followed Taylor’s threats to kill the victim if she testified against him — which she did in spite of the threats. Continue reading Sentence affirmed in Upshur County death threat case

TYLER — TxDOT schedules another week’s worth of roadwork in the Tyler District for the week of March 13. In Smith County, 
Tyler maintenance will have a crew performing edge repairs on FM 2607, from SH 64 to FM 850. A second crew will be performing ditch work on FM 850, from SH 31 towards Overton. Expect lane closures with flaggers controlling traffic in both locations. In Gregg County, Longview maintenance will continue blade laying on FM 2906, both northbound and southbound, from SH 149 to where state maintenance ends in Easton. Expect lane closures with flaggers and a pilot car controlling traffic. Click here for a complete rundown of roadwork around the district.