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MABANK – The Mabank Police Department is asking for your help in the search for 14 year old Sophia Flores of Mabank. Sophia was last seen November 17th. According to our news partner KETK, she is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs between 110 to 120 pounds. At the time of her disappearance, Sophia was wearing a grey hoodie and white sweat pants. Authorities believe that Flores may be in Henderson or that immediate area. If you have information contact local law enforcement

KILGORE – A traffic stop in Kilgore late Friday morning led to a chase with Kilgore Police, county and state officers. According to our news partner KETK, the driver of a pickup with a possibly stolen u-haul trailer which was allegedly full of marijuana. A high speed chase then occurred down interstate 20 into Kilgore with speeds over 100 mph. Both the Smith County Sheriff’s office and DPS laid down spikes to slow the truck down before it exited onto Highway 42. The driver passed through a number of red lights in Kilgore driving on the tires bare rims. After a second spiking from law enforcement, about 40 minutes had elapsed, the chase ended. The driver, a white male was charged with evading arrest and possession of stolen property. Authorities say additional charges are possible. He is in the Smith County jail and with a bond set at 1.5 million dollars.

KILGORE — The Texas Mutual Insurance Company, as part of a larger effort to support workforce development programs, has awarded the Kilgore College Foundation a 90 thousand dollar grant. The Foundations objective is training students for safe work practices. Also, they are helping Kilgore College buy a forklift and construct an area for forklift safety training. Texas Mutual Insurance also gave a 65 thousand dollar grant to Goodwill Industries of East Texas. These funds are part of the Texas Mutual Insurance Company commitment of seven million dollars in grants that will go to nonprofits groups in Texas. So far, nearly 50 organizations have received more than three and half million dollars to help develop safe training and workforce development. That according to a prepared statement from Texas Mutual Insurance. The Austin based company is the leading workers compensation provider in Texas.

KILGORE – A man was arrested in Kilgore Friday after officials said a pickup truck towing an allegedly stolen U-Haul trailer took off as a K9 unit in Smith County tried to make a traffic stop. And late Friday afternoon, we learned the story had taken on a significant illegal drug angle. According to our news partner KETK, Smith County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Larry Christian says the truck led authorities on a chase around 11:30 a.m. down I-20 into Gregg County, with speeds exceeding 100 mph. Officials say the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office and DPS deployed spikes in front of the truck before the pickup exited onto Highway 42. The driver blew through several red lights in Kilgore as sparks began to fly from the tireless rims of the truck and trailer, according to authorities. Continue reading Man arrested after 100 mph chase; officials say trailer “full of marijuana”

TYLER – Smith County reports retired judge Randall Rogers has died. According to our news partner KETK, the county said they are offering their thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of the former County Court at Law No. 2 judge. County officials also thanked him for his 30 years of service to the county.

TYLER – Two men have been indicted in a cryptocurrency money laundering conspiracy in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston. Randall V. Rule, 71, of Reno, NV, and Gregory C. Nysewander, 64, formerly of Irmo, SC, are charged with money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and a conspiracy to violate the Bank Secrecy Act.  The two are alleged to have conspired with others to launder the proceeds of wire fraud and mail fraud schemes through cryptocurrency. The defendants converted funds from romance scams, business email compromises, real estate scams, and other fraudulent schemes into cryptocurrency and sent the cryptocurrency to accounts controlled by foreign and domestic co-conspirators, according to federal officials. Click here for more details.

TYLER – Goodwill Industries of East Texas has been selected by Texas Mutual Insurance Company, the state’s leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance, as a recipient of grants from its second request for proposal (RFP) of 2022. According to a news release, fewer than 50 organizations have been awarded more than $3.5 million to support their efforts in workforce development and safety training. As quoted in the release, Goodwill CEO and President Kimberly Lewis said, “We are honored to be among those chosen by Texas Mutual Insurance Company to continue in our mission of providing skills training and vocational opportunities for people with barriers to employment.  Goodwill’s focus has always been around putting people to work and utilizing safe work practices is critical in every industry.” Continue reading Goodwill gets grant from Texas Mutual

TYLER — Tyler’s Glass Recreation Center will be closed for renovations and maintenance from Monday, Nov. 21, through Saturday, Nov. 26. During this period, officials say crews will be resurfacing the gym floor and repainting interior walls. The facility will reopen on Monday, Nov. 28, at 7 a.m. Classes and programs will resume their normal schedules upon reopening. For further information, call the Glass Recreation Center at (903) 595-7271 or visit this link.

TYLER — The City of Tyler announced that Old Omen Road from University Boulevard to Shiloh Road has a “slightly different look.” According to our news partner KETK, the city said the road was recently seal-coated and repainted, adding a small buffer between the main lanes and the bicycle lane to make traveling safer for bicyclists on the roadway. The update is part of the city’s “Tyler Bike Stripes Project,” which identifies 11 bicycle lane routes and includes a centralized hub near downtown Tyler, painting bicycle lanes, and placing signage along the roadways.

TYLER — Retired Tyler Police Detective Wayne Allen was sworn in as Smith County Precinct 2 Constable Friday after recently being elected. Allen began working for the Tyler Police Department in 1991. He served in the patrol and traffic divisions before becoming a Financial Crimes Detective. In this role, he primarily conducted complex fraud investigations as a member of the United States Secret Service-East Texas Financial Crimes Task Force. In February 2019, Allen retired from the Tyler Police Department and moved into corporate security with The Home Depot before being elected Precinct 2 constable in November. Allen replaces Interim Precinct 2 Constable Shawn Scott, who was appointed by the Commissioners Court in October 2021. Scott recently was sworn in as police chief for Chapel Hill Independent School District.

TYLER — Tyler Recycles Day is back in 2022 on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 8 a.m. to noon. Officials say the event is Keep Tyler Beautiful’s most popular community collection event, joining thousands of local organizers holding recycling events across the country to celebrate America Recycles Day. During Tyler Recycles Day, community members may bring acceptable recyclables to the Downtown Recycling Center on N. Bois D’Arc Ave. Ark-La-Tex Shredding Company and Interstate Batteries will be providing special services for the duration of the event. Ark-La-Tex Shredding will offer free personal document shredding for individuals and businesses. There will be a collection station for all types of batteries hosted by Interstate Batteries. Continue reading Tyler Recycles Day 2022

LONGVIEW – Two Longview students were apprehended on Wednesday after threats were allegedly made towards Longview High School. According to our news partner KETK, Longview police officers were made aware around 10:30 a.m. of a possible verbal threat towards another student and staff at the campus. Officers said they took immediate steps to investigate the incident, which they say corroborated the initial accusation. Detectives obtained two directives to apprehend the suspects, which were signed by a local judge for the “exhibition, use or threat of exhibition or use of firearms” and “tampering with physical evidence.” Officials say the students were apprehended off school grounds without incident and taken to the Gregg County Juvenile Detention Center. Continue reading Police: Two Longview ISD students apprehended after threat towards high school

RUSK COUNTY – The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office says a juvenile was arrested on Thursday after a terroristic threat was made against the Carlisle Independent School District. According to our news partner KETK, deputies said they received a call from the school district, and after their investigation, the juvenile was arrested and charged with felony 3 terroristic threat. “The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Carlisle ISD administrative team for their quick actions that enabled us to quickly resolve this situation before it happened. We will work hard with all our school districts to ensure the safety of our children and their staffs,” said the sheriff’s office in a prepared statement.

TYLER – The Christmas season is almost here, and The Tyler Salvation Army began celebrating Friday with a Christmas Kick-Off. Celebrations began at 11 a.m. in the breezeway between JC Penney and Chick-Fil-A at Broadway Square Mall. The Christmas Kick-Off launches The Salvation Army’s Kettle and Angel Tree season. This holiday season, 43 locations will be hosting the iconic red kettle as volunteers ring a bell to raise money for The Salvation Army with the goal set at $385,000. This year, each kettle stand will have a QR Code and an NFC tag which will allow donors to use Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, and PayPal rather than dropping cash or coins in the kettle. Continue reading Tyler Salvation Army holds Christmas Kick-Off