TYLER – Tyler Pounds Regional Airport Thursday is holding a full-scale incident exercise from from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s purpose is to evaluate the preparedness of first responders and airport personnel in the event of an actual emergency. A press release from city officials said drones are prohibited during the time of the exercise
Tyler Police need help in missing person search
Officials are asking businesses and residents north of Gentry Parkway to North Loop 323 to check cameras or doorbell cameras from Jan. 21 between 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. and report to them if you’ve seen anyone matching Morris’ description. Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for his location. You can also contract Tyler Police at 903-531-1000.
David Rancken’s App of the Day 01/24/24 – Lapse!
East Texas doctors see uptick in flu cases
TYLER — East Texas doctors said they are seeing cases of the common cold, COVID-19 and even RSV, but flu cases this season have outnumbered all of them. According to our news partner KETK, cold weather is a notorious time for people to spread and contract respiratory illnesses. Dr. Douglas Curran, a family doctor with the East Texas Community Clinic, said their family clinic saw a total of 60 flu cases in just one day. “It’s that time of year. We are all inside and we are people that just continue to go despite being under the weather,” said Curran. Nacogdoches physician, Loyd Whitley, said this year he’s seen flu cases go through his office at a high rate. “I’m worried that we are on an uptick, and we may see more of it,” said Whitley. Continue reading East Texas doctors see uptick in flu cases
Tyler ISD awards nearly $80,000 to enhance student learning
TYLER — The Tyler ISD Foundation awarded 26 grants across 16 campuses totaling nearly $80,000 that will go towards approved projects that will enhance students’ learning. According to our news partner KETK, the grant funds will go toward approved projects that will enhance students’ learning. “So many of us learn better when we’re busy with the information and we’re actually participating and active with it,” said Sarah Starr, a Three Lakes Middle School media technology specialist. Teachers at Three Lakes Middle School will use the grant for what they call “classroom transformation stations.” “I am going to be using it for the reconstruction era of the civil war and we are all going to reconstruct our country with hard hats,” said Jennifer Constante, a Three Lakes Middle School 8th-grade social studies teacher. The middle school will have about 15-20 different themed kits that teachers can check out of the library. Empowering instructors to keep young minds active within their learning environments. Through Tyler ISD Grants for Great Ideas Program, more than seven thousand students will be impacted this school year.
Man sentenced to life following dental practice murders
TYLER – According to our news partner KETK a man pleaded guilty to capital murder on Monday for the deaths of two dentists in Smith County. Steven Alexander Smith, 42, of Tyler, was charged with capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for killing Dr. Blake G. Sinclair, 59 and Dr. Jack E. Burroughs, 75, after shooting them at Affordable Dentures & Implants on Highway 31 in March 2022. According the Smith County District Attorney, Jacob Putman, Smith pleaded guilty to capital murder and will be imprisoned for life without the possibility of parole.
Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said Steven was a patient at the clinic who got in an altercation about work on some dentures. According to the sheriff’s office investigation, Smith got angry at the clinic staff and went to his pickup truck. He later went back to the lobby of the clinic with a handgun and shot the two doctors inside.
Two Smith County roads closed due to high water.
SMITH COUNTY – High water has closed two Smith County roads. CR 113, southeast of Tyler is closed between CR 112 and CR 119. At the high-water crossing on CR 2164, southwest of Arp, work crews have put up barricades. To report a Smith County road with high water, call dispatch at 903-566-6600. Also, our news partner KETK has a list for road affected by high water in the region, you can find the list here.
Lindsey Park entrance renovation begins
TYLER – Construction began earlier this month on the main entrances to Lindsey Park off Spur 364. Each remodeled entrance will feature an archway. One archway will lead to soccer fields, while the other archway will bring visitors to softball fields. Each archway will have new lighting, landscaping and irrigation. A press release said that the entrances should remain open for most of the construction period. The Lindsey Park entrance project is being funded by the Governor’s Community Achievement Award, which was presented to Keep Tyler Beautiful in 2020. Construction should be complete by Spring of this year.
Heavy rains cause flooded roads
TYLER – The heavy consistent rain in our area can cause flooding on roads. Our news partner KETK has a list for those roads affected. You can find it here.
Woman arrested for intoxication manslaughter
TYLER – Our colleagues at KETK report that a Tyler woman was arrested on Monday for intoxication manslaughter in connection the death of her 9-year-old daughter. According to an arrest warrant, authorities responded to the scene of a two-car crash on SH 64 on Jan. 4 where it was determined a red Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV “was driving on the wrong side of the roadway” causing a head-on crash. Both occupants of the Trailblazer, identified as Krystle Medeiros, 38 of Tyler, and her daughter, were taken to the hospital for treatment before troopers arrived to investigate. Continue reading Woman arrested for intoxication manslaughter
UT Health cyberattack privacy risks
TYLER – Months after a cyberattack on UT Health East Texas, their parent company is warning patients their personal information may have been compromised. The ransomware attack from Nov. 23 prompted the parent company, Ardent Health Services, to notify law enforcement and launch an investigation with the help of an outside cybersecurity firm. Though the attack did not disrupt patient care, many hospital systems went offline, with Ardent saying at the time they could not confirm the extent to which patient health or financial data was compromised. Continue reading UT Health cyberattack privacy risks
Two crashes on Smith County CR 1125
SMITH COUNTY – Our news partners at KETK report one person was hospitalized Tuesday morning after two separate crashes on the same county road in Smith County. According to officials with Smith County Emergency Services District (ESD) 2, the single-car crashes happened on CR 1125 near Lindsey Park with both cars leaving the roadway and one rolled over. The crashes were reportedly called in at 8:04 a.m. and 8:15 a.m., and officials said the driver in the roll-over crash was removed from the car by a firefighter before being taken to the hospital for treatment. Smith County ESD 2 responded to the scene with two fire engines, two command vehicles, a brush truck and 10 firefighters. The crashes will be investigated by DPS.
David Rancken’s App of the Day 01/23/24 – Deepstash!
Portion of park to close for construction
TYLER — A portion of Rose Rudman Trail will be closed due to bridge repairs. The trail portion under the bridge will be closed, and trail use will be diverted to the sidewalk along Donnybrook Avenue at the trailhead near Lowe’s. The project is funded by the Half-Cent Sales Tax Fund. The project is set to begin Thursday, Jan. 25 and will run through Friday, Feb. 9.
Tyler man arrested in fatal stabbing
TYLER – A man was arrested for murder after a man was fatally stabbed in Smith County on Sunday. According to our news partner KETK, Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene in the 400 block of CR 34 near Tyler after a 911 call reported a stabbing around 5:15 p.m. When the deputies arrived they found the victim, identified as Noe Luna, 43 of Tyler, had already been taken to a local emergency room by family. Luna reportedly succumbed to his injuries a few hours later.
Letierus Drew, 23 of Tyler, was identified as a suspect during the preliminary investigation, according to authorities, and witnesses told them Drew was not welcome inside the home but had allegedly forced his way in and got into a physical fight with Luna. Drew was booked into the Smith County Jail where his bond was set at $500,000. Continue reading Tyler man arrested in fatal stabbing