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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.

LINDALE — The City of Lindale has rescinded a boil water notice issued Wednesday morning for residents on Boaz Lane and three houses to the West of Boaz Lane (14921, 14964, and 14965 CR 475). The notice was issued due to a water main break. Contact the City of Lindale at 903-882-4948 with any questions.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department hands out its annual awards for outstanding service at a Tuesday banquet. Officer Blake Kelley was recognized as Officer of the Year. Rookie Officer of the Year is James Meredith, and the Priority Response Team was named Unit of the Year. Numerous other honors were also presented. According to a news release, the recipients “are called to serve” and “went above and beyond the call of duty.” You can view the complete list here, together with details on the recipients.

SAN AUGUSTINE — An electricity provider in East Texas is warning about a scam. The Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative says someone pretending to be with the company is calling people from local numbers demanding money and threatening to disconnect their service. The company’s service area includes San Augustine, Nacogdoches, Shelby, Newton, Panola, Jasper, Sabine, and Rusk Counties. The company says it would never call and demand payment immediately like that.

HENDERSON — The Rusk County Commissioners Court approved a burn ban Thursday morning. According to our news partner KETK, the ban prohibits all outdoor burning in unincorporated areas of the county. It is currently the only county-wide active burn ban in East Texas. The Rusk County Office of Emergency Management has posted about multiple fires that departments in the county have responded to this week. One was near Kilgore after a three-acre wildland fire broke out. Officials say the fire started as a small brush fire. They asked afterward for no one in the county to burn until further notice.

EAST TEXAS — Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran has won the Republican nomination for U.S. Congress District 1 in Texas, but we don’t yet know which Democrat he’ll face in November. We do know it will be either Jrmar Jefferson or Victor D. Dunn. According our news partner KETK, Jefferson led all four Democratic candidates with more than 45% of the votes in the Tuesday primary and Dunn earned more than 28% of them. The primary runoff elections are scheduled for May 24.

LONGVIEW — Because of the new changes this year in Texas, many vote by mail applications and ballots were rejected this election cycle — and East Texas was no exception. Tuesday’s primary was the first election day since Senate Bill 1, also known as the election integrity bill, was signed in Texas. According to our news partner KETK, Gregg County Elections Administrator Jennifer Briggs said her staff is in the process of reaching out to voters who need to make corrections on their ballots. She said the majority of the problems came from the new law, which states that ID numbers need to be on their application and on a ballot as well. For future elections, administrators across East Texas counties have recommended taking time when filling out a ballot. Briggs said there is still time to make corrections. East Texans have up to six days after the election to fix their mail-in ballot that was already submitted.

SMITH COUNTY — A Smith County jury sentenced Yoelvis Herrera, 33, of Houston, to 65 years in prison and $5,000 fine on Wednesday for the offense of Unlawful Interception of an Electronic Communication. Prosecutors presented evidence that on December 4, 2019, financial crimes detectives with the Tyler Police Department located a credit card skimmer inside a pump at a local gas station. The skimmer was removed and surveillance was set up at the pump. On December 8, 2019, detectives observed the defendant open the gas pump door and look inside for the skimmer. Continue reading Gas pump skimmer sentenced to 65 years in prison

SMITH COUNTY — A 70-year-old woman was killed after she failed to control her speed at a red light which resulted in a five-vehicle crash, according to our news partner KETK and the Texas Department of Public Safety. On Monday around 1:20 p.m. DPS troopers were called to the five-vehicle crash about two and a half miles west of Tyler in Smith County. According to DPS, Mary Grooms, 70, of Murchison, was driving a 2007 Infiniti G35 westbound on State Highway 31 in the inside lane approaching a red light. Continue reading Elderly woman dies after 5-vehicle crash in Smith County

TYLER — A Tyler man was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Monday after pleading guilty to several child prostitution charges. According to our news partner KETK, 26-year-old Brandon Johnson entered his plea before 7th District Court Judge Kerry Russell. He admitted to committing human trafficking, child prostitution, and child sexual assault. He was arrested in June 2021 after an investigation by the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Marshals. Judicial records show that he was sentenced to 40 years in prison for all three charges and they will be served concurrently.

TYLER — The Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) invites the public to attend an open house and provide input on a proposed amendment to the Master Street Plan which will extend Waljim Street, connecting Market Square Boulevard and West Grande Boulevard. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 8, from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Tyler Development Center’s large conference room across from City Hall. The Master Street Plan is a long-range planning document that classifies streets based on current and forecast traffic counts. It recommends street elements, such as curbs, turn lanes, bike lanes, or sidewalks that the street should incorporate to best convey traffic movement, according to a news release. Click here for more information.

TYLER — A Tyler man and woman are accused of kidnapping two girls and sex-trafficking them into Louisiana, according to multiple arrest warrants obtained by our news partner KETK. The investigation began with a missing person report in mid-February from a home on CR 420. 27-year-old Aaron Wallace and 22-year-old Teresa Fletcher are each charged with two counts of kidnapping with bonds set at $500,000 each. If convicted, they are both facing up to 20 years in prison.

AUSTIN — A Tyler man has been renominated by Gov. Greg Abbott to be the presiding officer of the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority. It will be for another two-year term that will run through February 1, 2024. According to our news partner KETK, the RMA is a political subdivision that was created to “finance, acquire, design, construct, operate, maintain, and expand or extend transportation projects in 14 counties in North East Texas,” according to a press release from Abbott’s office. Gary Halbrooks is the CEO of Venue Properties, a real estate company involved “in the brokerage, development, investment, and management of commercial real estate throughout the southwestern and southeastern United States,” per their website. Continue reading Tyler man renominated to North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority

LINDALE — The City of Lindale has issued a boil water notice to residents on Boaz Ln and 3 houses to the West of Boaz Ln (14921, 14964 & 14965 CR 475). The notice was issued due to a water main break. Contact the City of Lindale at 903-882-4948 with any questions.

WHITEHOUSE — A Whitehouse ISD bus was involved in a wreck Wednesday morning, according to the district’s Facebook page. Our news partner KETK reports, the wreck was on Highway 69 just south of FM 346, which is roughly seven miles west of the high school campus. First responders were called to the scene, but no students were taken to the hospital. The district said that no serious injuries were reported. A separate bus picked up the students and brought them to their campuses.