KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Median home prices in Tyler have reached nearly $263,000, up 13.9 % from 2020 and making the price of a local home hit a record-breaking high. According to our news partner KETK, Chairman John Wampler of the Greater Tyler Association of Realtors says we may never see property appreciation like this again. Wampler says, “I mean it’s a very crazy market out there right now. We have a record amount of sales, a record amount of price per square foot for each property. It’s just our inventory is the biggest issue. I think we are down active listings 43 percent from 2020.” This can be frustrating to both homeowners and buyers due to the lack of homes for sale. Continue reading Tyler home sales and prices reach an all time high

TYLER — TxDOT will be busy with another round of construction and maintenance work in the Tyler District this week. Tyler Maintenance will have a base failure crew on FM 3226. This will be under one-way traffic with flaggers controlling traffic. A second crew will be performing ditch work on various roadways. In Gregg County, maintenance crews will be continuing mill and inlay operations on FM 2204. There will be left lane closures east and westbound from US 259 BUS to Danville Rd. Click here for a complete rundown of roadwork around the district.

LONGVIEW — The city of Longview adds two street closures Tuesday after beginning one closure Monday morning. Starting Tuesday, Page Road, between Delia Drive and Lois Lane, will be closed to through traffic for improvements for the new Hallsville Elementary School. Go to this link for additional information on that project. Also beginning Tuesday, northbound traffic on S. High Street, at Nelson Street, will be reduced to single lane traffic due to installation of a new sewer main. Click here for more on that effort. East Whaley Street, from North Fredonia Street to North Green Street, is temporarily closed as of 6 a.m. Monday due to street paving. Click here for details. Drivers are encouraged to use alternate routes in all cases. Officials note that all three projects will move forward as weather permits.

LONGVIEW — A man was shot Friday night in Longview while he was reportedly committing a burglary, according to our news partner KETK and a statement from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. The release said that around 8 p.m. on March 4, deputies were called to a Longview home for a shooting on Juanita Road. When they arrived, they found Matthew Dillon George, of Longview, suffering from a gunshot wound. Detectives soon figured out that he was shot “while committing burglary,” according to the statement. The release said that the homeowner “verbally gave orders for George to leave, which he refused.” The homeowner then shot George because she was “fearing for her safety.” Continue reading Sheriff: East Texas homeowner shoots burglar

FRANKSTON — A 54-year-old man was hit and killed by a pickup truck near Frankston early Friday morning. According to our news partner KETK, around 5:20 Friday morning, DPS troopers responded to the scene of a vehicle-pedestrian crash on SH 155, roughly three miles south of Frankston. A preliminary investigation indicated that 31-year-old Antonio Roman, of Palestine, was traveling north bound on SH 155 in a 2019 Ford F-250. At the same time, 54-year-old Ian Folakan, of Frankston, was walking south in the northbound lanes, straddling the inside and outside lanes. Continue reading 54-year-old struck, killed by pickup near Frankston

TYLER — Tyler police arrested a man early Saturday morning after he allegedly attempted to kidnap his ex-wife from the Super 1 Foods near Gentry Parkway and Beckham Avenue before leading officers on a vehicle pursuit. According to our news partner KETK and Tyler PD spokesperson Andy Erbaugh, the suspect, identified as 37-year-old Adrian Perez, was apparently thwarted in his attempt to kidnap his ex, though it is still unclear how. When officers initially responded to the scene, they learned that the suspect had allegedly used or displayed a weapon in his kidnapping attempt. Shortly after, officers obtained a warrant for attempted aggravated kidnapping and immediately began searching for Perez. Continue reading Tyler man arrested after alleged attempt to kidnap ex, leading police on chase

LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department is looking for a missing woman. According to our news partner KETK, 45-year-old Barbara Alexander is approximately 5’6″ tall, weighs 195 lbs and has black hair and blue eyes. Alexander was last seen on Friday at 10:00 a.m. near the 2000 block of South High Street in Longview. She was wearing a burgundy long sleeve blouse and a long gray skirt. Police are asking anyone with information on Alexander’s whereabouts to contact Longview Police Department at 903-237-1199.

TYLER — A Tyler man was arrested early Friday morning and accused of hitting a woman and another vehicle with his car. According to our news partner KETK, 25-year-old Devonte Crawford-Milton was taken into custody by the Smith County Sheriff’s Department for outstanding warrants. Tyler police say Crawford-Milton was allegedly driving recklessly and struck another car along with a woman in the parking lot of Fuzzy’s Taco Shop on Troup Highway. The woman suffered minor injuries from the crash. Investigators say Crawford-Milton drove out of the city but was later arrested by Smith County deputies. He has a lengthy criminal history with three convictions for theft and two for assault. He was out on bond awaiting trial for a charge of evading arrest. Crawford-Milton still remains in jail, and detectives said they are working to charge him with aggravated assault for the incident at Fuzzy’s.

LONGVIEW — Longview police seek leads in two recent shootings. One took place at a sports bar late Thursday night, the other on South High Street Thursday afternoon with multiple vehicles shot. Each involved a victim who sustained what are termed non-life-threatening injuries. Police ask that you contact them or Crime Stoppers if you have any information. Learn more about the Thursday night shooting here. You can find more on the Thursday afternoon incident at this link.

TYLER — Brookshire Grocery Co. announced on Friday that they would be the latest company to show support toward Ukraine. According to our news partner KETK, the organization said in a Facebook post that they would keep Russian-made products off their shelves. This follows Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week. The effects of the invasion have been worldwide. More than 150 countries voted at the United Nations to condemn the attack and varying industries have attempted to show support for Ukrainians in their own way.

MARSHALL — Due to inoperable and/or non-functioning valves, the city of Marshall has shut down all of the city water pumps at the Water Plant as crews work to repair a damaged water main. Officials say this will lower the pressure and most likely result in a total loss of water. This will allow the city crews to begin to excavate the main and begin repairing the damage, according to a news release. According to the city, most if not all city water customers will experience low pressure and/or no water during this period. The City of Marshall is offering bottled water to the residents of Marshall.  Residents can pick up the water at the Convention Center on Saturday, March 5. starting at 1:00 pm. Officials are asking everyone to conserve water at this time. They say crews are working diligently to locate the break and repair the damage. Officials tell us the main was damaged by a contractor on the corner of Alvin Street and S. Carter. Continue reading Serious water issues in Marshall

TYLER — NET Health’s George Roberts brings us up to date on the improving COVID picture in East Texas. Roberts notes that cases continue to go down in his survey area, and he’s hopeful that will continue in coming days. Among other things, hospital patient numbers dropped to 93 from 94 this past Monday and have fallen off significantly in recent weeks. Gregg County continues to lag behind other area counties, but Roberts isn’t too concerned, reiterating that the area-wide picture remains strong. Continue reading Roberts weighs in on latest COVID statistics

TYLER — A former Louisiana FBI agent who is accused of exposing himself several times to two Tyler teens has been indicted. According to our news partner KETK, David Harris is scheduled to appear in a Smith County court on June 20. He is also facing criminal charges in Louisiana and Florida for separate incidents. Harris is accused of several sex crimes dating back to 2016, though his attorneys maintain his innocence. He had previously been assigned to the FBI Field Office in New Orleans, where he investigated child sex crimes, but has since been fired by the FBI. A warrant stated that the investigation started in 2021 when the father of an alleged victim sent a letter to the Inspector General’s Office detailing incidents in which Harris allegedly exposed himself to the man’s daughter and another teenage girl from 2018-2019.

TYLER — A signature Tyler event helping usher in the spring season returns Saturday. It’s the ninth annual Brookshire’s FRESH 15 race. The race starts and finishes at Brookshire Grocery Company’s flagship store, FRESH by Brookshire’s, on Old Jacksonville Highway. Money raised will benefit multiple local charities. Drivers should note that there will several road closures. Click here for all the details.