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UPSHUR COUNTY – A man charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, while on parole, was sentenced to life in prison after 13 minutes of jury deliberation, our news partner KETK reports. The jury first began hearing evidence on Wednesday about not only this case but the defendant, Robert Buchanan’s prior convictions as well. According to a press release, Buchanan had been convicted of attempted murder in 1993 for shooting two people with a gun. Later that same year, officials said he threatened to kill three other people.. Other offenses involving violence against women were also proven to have been committed by Buchanan, according to the DA’s office. Continue reading Upshur County man receives life sentence for assault

LONGVIEW – Officials seek your help finding a missing man. According to our news partner KETK, the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office says Charlie Robinson, 65, was last seen at the Dollar Tree on North Eastman Road in Longview. Robinson has grey hair, is five foot seven, and weighs 175 pounds, according to officials. Officials said that Robinson also has medicine that he needs but did not bring with him. He was last seen driving a grey 2004 Nissan Altima, license plate MGS0079, and could be headed towards Diana or Gilmer, authorities said. If you see Robinson or his car you can call 903-236-8400.

TYLER — Tyler city officials say all lanes of traffic are now open on Rice Road between South Broadway and Old Bullard Road — but the northbound lane of Old Bullard north of Rice will remain closed until further notice due to repairs. In the way of further clarification, the intersection of Rice and Old Bullard is open to traffic. The northbound lane of Old Bullard is closed between the Rice Road intersection and the shopping center driveway. Drivers can make a right turn onto Old Bullard Road from Rice Road. Drivers can also make a left turn onto Rice Road from Old Bullard. The far right lane on northbound Old Bullard is the lane that is closed. The middle lane is now the northbound lane. Rice Road was closed Dec. 1 between South Broadway and Old Bullard when a sinkhole was discovered. We’ll keep you up to date as further developments occur.

TYLER – A Shreveport, Louisiana, mother and son are among those indicted on federal charges in a fraud case involving Texas College. Angela Speech, 43; her son, Jeremy Marshall, 24; Devonaire Jones, 35; and Camyl Lewis, 24, were indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 16 and charged with multiple counts of student financial aid fraud. Speech and Marshall made initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love on Dec. 7. According to the indictment, between August 2019 and February 2020, Speech was the director of financial aid at Texas College. Speech allegedly used her access to students’ financial aid accounts to trigger financial aid payments to Marshall, Jones, Lewis, and others that they were not entitled to or eligible to receive. Continue reading Former financial aid director of Texas College indicted for student financial aid fraud

TYLER — Respiratory illnesses in East Texas are alive and well, says NET Health CEO George Roberts. It’s being called the “triple threat” or “triple-demic,” with COVID, RSV, and the flu all making their mark — though Roberts says RSV does appear to have peaked. In any event, there’s a lot you can do to fight back. Roberts urges flu shots, staying home when you’re sick, washing your hands, and covering your coughs and sneezes. He says COVID cases don’t appear as severe as in earlier days, but the disease is still not to be taken lightly. Roberts notes that all that is especially important during the holidays, when you’re likely to start getting around a lot of people.

LONGVIEW — During the monthly test of the City’s Emergency Warning Siren system on Wednesday, Dec. 7, it was determined that Siren #2 at the Longview ISD Aquatic Center was not sounding or rotating. Additionally, Siren #13 at Fire Station 5 was experiencing issues with its radio, according to a news release. Authorities say public safety personnel are investigating the issues and will coordinate any necessary repairs with Mobile Communications America, the third-party vendor that provides the service. It is unclear at this time how long the sirens will be out of service. Residents are encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts by call or text through the Smart911 system at this link.

TYLER — The City of Tyler is inviting you to visit Downtown on Thursday, Dec. 8, for the annual Holiday Open House. Local businesses will be expanding their hours of operation and hosting different activities from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Main Street Program will have a scavenger hunt that will allow families to explore the various Downtown businesses while in search of a unique Nutcracker hidden in each of the 15 locations. During the Holiday Open House, there will be a shuttle (sponsored by Bricks Bar and Grill) running from 6 to 8 p.m. The route includes eight different stops for participants to use to make their trip around the Downtown area. Scavenger Hunt forms can be found at each participating location. Click here for more information.

TYLER – A Grand Prairie man has been indicted on a second charge in connection to the death of a Smith County deputy. According to our news partner KETK, Daniel Nyabuto, 21, was indicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Dec. 1. Nyabuto was previously indicted for intoxication manslaughter in a July crash that led to the death of Deputy Lorenzo Bustos. Nyabuto’s bond was reduced in October from $750,000 to $500,000. In his request for a bond reduction, his attorney wrote that the night of the crash, Bustos and his fellow deputy “continued their detention of the vehicle they previously stopped for an unreasonably long time due to the fact they were in a moving lane of traffic causing an immediate danger to themselves, the two individuals they had recently detained and anyone else traveling in the northbound lanes of traffic.” Continue reading Man indicted for second charge in death of Smith County deputy

CHAPEL HILL — The Chapel Hill Independent School District is seeking community input regarding additional safety methods which may be used to further protect campuses. According to a news release, these measures are offered to every school district in the state and are known as the School Marshal Plan and the Guardian Plan. Additional documentation can be viewed on the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) website’s School Safety Services tab. These plans offer respective programs which allow for select and qualified district employees to carry a handgun, according to the release. The school board encourages staff, parents or guardians, students, and community members to complete the survey and provide their opinion on consideration of the implementation of these programs. The survey closes Monday, Dec. 19. Click here for more details.

AUSTIN — December is showing up as another strong month for sales tax allocations in Tyler and Longview, with numbers up from a year ago, continuing to reflect a statewide trend. According to the state comptroller’s office, Tyler is getting $4,847,836.53, compared to $4,426,909.70 a year ago. For the year to date, Tyler totals $58,253,320.09, compared to $53,216,955.30 at this time last year. Longview’s December total is $3,399,886.16; the December 2021 figure was $3,167,408.90. For the year to date, Longview shows $43,925,416.64, up from $38,762,679.54 at this time last year.

TYLER — A Whitehouse man was sentenced for a federal income tax violation in the Eastern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston announced Dec. 6. On Mar. 30, Anthony D. Klein, 48, pleaded guilty to attempting to evade or defeat taxes and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle. Klein was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $404,292 to the IRS. In 2016, Klein filed an IRS Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, with the Internal Revenue Service. On that form, he claimed that he had no taxable income and that he was entitled to credits in the amount of $5,836.00, according to a release. Continue reading Smith County man sentenced for federal income tax violation

TYLER — The Smith County Veteran Services Office held a groundbreaking ceremony at CampV Tuesday to kick off renovations to a building that will house its services. Currently, one of Smith County’s Veteran Services Officers is stationed out at a satellite office at CampV each week. But according to a news release, once the renovations are complete next year, the entire office will relocate to better provide services to veterans in one location. CampV Executive Director Travis Gladhill said since CampV started several years ago, it has become the pinnacle for services for veterans in East Texas. He added that CampV assists about 340 veterans per month. Click here to learn more.

RUSK – A boil water notice was issued for some Rusk Rural Water Supply Customers on Tuesday because there is sediment in the water. That’s according to our news partner KETK. People who live on the following roads should boil their water: FM 23W (Bulah) and County Roads 2214, 2311, 2312, 2313, and 2323. “To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes,” said Rusk Rural Water Supply Corporation in the official notice. People can also buy bottled water for drinking. Officials said they will notify people when the notice is lifted.

EAST TEXAS — What are the top 10 Christmas towns in Texas? The list has been compiled by tripstodiscover.com. The travel website says, “The top Christmas towns go all out for the holiday season. The top 10 are Grand Prairie, Marshall, Galveston, College Station, Jefferson, Richmond, San Antonio, Wimberly, Fredericksburg and No. 1 … the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Grapevine.

TYLER — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office warns of a missed jury duty scam. According to a news release, the sheriff’s office has received several calls from concerned citizens. They have each advised that an unknown individual has called and identified himself as Sheriff’s Captain Craig Halbrooks. The caller then tells the victim that he needs to discuss a criminal matter with them and states that they owe money because they missed jury duty. If you receive a call like this, you’re asked not give them any information and simply hang up the phone. The news release says the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, as well as any law enforcement agency, will never call anyone and ask for money. Continue reading Missed jury duty phone scam in Smith County