KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Smith County Road and Bridge crews were clearing roads of downed trees and debris Monday after heavy rains fell across the county. As of 2 p.m.Monday, only one road was closed. County Road 334 was washed out north of CR 328, and barricades have been placed diverting traffic, Smith County Engineer Frank Davis said.

MARSHALL – The collection system for the City of Marshall was notified of a possible wastewater spill August 15 at 4:30 p.m., according to a news release. Officials say a crew was sent out to investigate and upon their arrival they were able to locate the spill in the 1800 block of Elysian Fields Road. The spill was leaking from a 21” clay tile pipe that had busted in the west side of 8-mile Creek encased in concrete. The city crew immediately started flushing the area with potable water from a fire hydrant and also added granular chlorine to dilute the wastewater. City crews had to bust concrete from the side walls and work around a Kinder Morgan gas line in order to get to the sewer main. Continue reading Collection facility spill in Marshall

EAST TEXAS — Following a lengthy drought, East Texans have begun experiencing a sharp turnaround in the weather, with rain, high winds, and flooding striking the area. Smith County Fire Marshal Jay Brooks said a tornado briefly touched down on the Winona High School football field at 10:36 a.m. Monday, and minor damage was reported. The Winona ISD Police Chief saw the tornado briefly touch down and the school was briefly placed on lockdown but is back up at its regular schedule, Brooks said at 10:50 a.m. He had reports of four houses being damaged, as well as power lines and minor damage to the high school. The National Weather Service –Shreveport said it had moved out of the area. Continue reading Storms hit East Texas hard following lengthy drought

CHEROKEE COUNTY – After a delay caused by migrating birds, the SH 135 bridge replacement project in Cherokee County will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 6. TxDOT and contractor crews will begin placing message boards on the roadway to alert the traveling public of the upcoming road closure beginning Tuesday, Aug. 23. SH 135 will be closed to through traffic from 2.44 miles south of SH 110 in Troup to 5.12 miles north of US 69 in Jacksonville. Crews will be performing bridge replacements on the Mud Creek and the Mud Creek Relief bridges. The closure is expected to last until Spring 2023. Continue reading Cherokee County bridge replacement set following delay

EAST TEXAS — Across Texas, classrooms are now required to display “In God We Trust” posters as a new state law requires public schools to post donated signs of the phrase. Appearing on “Fox and Friends” Senator Bryan Hughes, of Mineola, explains why he authored the ‘In God We Trust Act’ and says it’s about reminding students of America’s National motto. Hughes says, “In our Texas public schools, we teach the truth about our history. We teach our founding documents. The Declaration of Independence says our rights come from our creator…this is consistent with that.” Multiple other states including Florida and Louisiana have similar state laws. Critics argue the posters could make students uncomfortable and that religion should be kept out of educational spaces.

SMITH COUNTY — On Tuesday, Aug. 23, Smith County residents have the opportunity to have their voice heard at the Smith County Commissioners Court’s public hearings on the proposed fiscal year 2023 budget and tax rate. The proposed budget was filed Monday, Aug. 15. It includes a proposed tax rate of 33 cents per $100 valuation, a drop from the current tax rate of 33.5 cents. “This year’s proposed tax rate continues the County’s long-standing tradition of seeking to maintain a low tax rate while providing excellent service to its citizens,” Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran said. Continue reading Smith County to hold public hearings for feedback on proposed budget and tax rate

DALLAS — Texas has its lowest unemployment rate in more than two years — and Tyler is among the communities showing up well. The statewide jobless rate for July was four percent. It hasn’t been that low since february of 2020, before the pandemic. The state also set a new record for the number of people employed last month, at 13.5 million. Abilene and Austin had the lowest unemployment rates; McAllen-Edinburg had the highest. The unemployment rate in the Dallas-Fort Worth area was 3.8 percent, slightly lower than the statewide average. The unemployment rate was 3.9 percent in Tyler and four percent in San Antonio.

TYLER — TxDOT’s Tyler District will hold a virtual public hearing with an in-person option for the FM 2964 (Rhones Quarter Road) project, which proposes to widen FM 2964 from SH 110 to FM 346 in Smith County. The in-person event is set for Thursday, Aug. 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Whitehouse ISD’s Brown Elementary School on Smith County Road 2191 (Oscar Burkett Road). The virtual hearing will consist of a video presentation with audio and visual components and will be posted online as of Monday, Aug. 22, at 8 a.m. The presentation will remain available for viewing online until Friday, Sept. 9. You may call 903-510-9100 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, to ask questions and access project materials. Continue reading TxDOT seeks input on FM 2964 project

WHITEHOUSE — Whitehouse ISD hired a new director of security, and Jeremy Black, a Whitehouse native, accepted the position, according to our news partner KETK. “Our staff stands ready to protect the folks here,” said Black. He considers the people of Whitehouse his family. So, when the director of security position opened up at the district he jumped at the chance. He has two children who attend Whitehouse ISD and a wife who teaches at the school. He says their safety is everything. “That definitely puts some skin in the game for me, but it’s not just that. It’s the team,. It’s the safety of everybody. I mean it’s one of beliefs here that we believe that everybody has the right to a safe and caring environment, everybody,” said Black. That’s why he is working on ways to increase security in more ways than one. Continue reading Whitehouse ISD increases safety by hiring director of security

SMITH COUNTY – Due to what’s termed a “catastrophic” water main break, the East Texas Municipal Utility District has issued a boil water notice for all customers north of I-20 and in Owentown. “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 utility district said. According to our news partner KETK, officials said the water system will notify customers when it is no longer necessary to boil water, and any questions concerning the notice should be directed to Schyler Williams at 903-730-1045.

RUSK — The Cherokee County District Clerk’s Office reports a man who was on trial after being accused of capital murder was found not guilty Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, Cody Roberts was charged in the death of 18-year-old Trevor Lawson, who was found dead due to a gunshot wound in a home on CR 2117 near Maydelle on November 7, 2018. In March of 2022, Roberts’s first trial resulted in a mistrial after an investigator allegedly failed to disclose a piece of digital evidence to everyone involved in the trial.

NACOGDOCHES – Stephen F. Austin State University is preparing to discuss affiliations with four interested systems according to a recent presentation. According to our news partner KETK, there are 37 public universities in the state and seven university systems. SFA is one of only two unaffiliated institutions. The presentation mentions representatives of the Texas A&M, Texas State University, Texas Tech, and University of Texas systems had made informal contact with the SFA Board of Regents over the past several months expressing a desire to take part in any formal discussion should the board choose to evaluate a potential system affiliation. Continue reading SFA to engage in talks with four systems for possible affiliation

FRANKSTON — The Frankston Police Department has released the name of a wanted fugitive. According to our news partner KETK, police say Donald Lee Meadows, Jr. is wanted on charges of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and evading arrest. Authorities said Meadows is also wanted in Smith County. Officials said Wednesday night there was a heavy police presence on Highway 155 near Lollipop Landing. According to our news partner KETK, the Coffee City Police Department says Meadows was wearing dark clothing. Authorities have advised those in the area to lock their doors and if they see or hear anything to call 911. CCPD said Meadows was last seen running in the woods northbound from the old rest area. CCPD and DPS are assisting with the search.

SMITH COUNTY — Over 9 grams of meth were seized in Smith County Thursday night, and one person is now in custody, according to officials. According to our news partner KETK, a Smith County Constable Precinct 4 deputy stopped to check a suspicious vehicle on Chapman Road when officials said the driver was found passed out in the front seat of the car. “After further investigation into the welfare of the driver, the driver was found to have been in possession of 9.69 grams of methamphetamine,” officials said. One person was arrested. The investigation is ongoing.