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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

UPSHUR COUNTY – A 19-year-old was arrested after a shooting in Mount Pleasant over an alleged drug dispute according to our news partners at KETK. According to police, Shaun Michael Brown was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and booked into jail on a combined $100,000 bond. The shooting reportedly happened around 8:49 p.m. in the 1600 block of Lupine Road. Upshur County deputies and investigators said that an 18-year-old male from Mount Pleasant was “shot multiple times during the course of a drug related dispute over payment for marijuana.”
Continue reading Assault with deadly weapon arrest in drug dispute

BULLARD – The Brook Hill School, which is a a private boarding school located in Bullard, has announced that Braxton Brady is their new Head of School. According to our news partner KETK, Brady is the current Head of School at Evangelical Christian School in Memphis, Tennessee. He also has a Master of Arts from the Covenant Theological Seminary in Missouri. Brady is said to join Brook Hill July 1.

“This announcement marks a significant moment in the life of our school, and we are confident that Braxton’s leadership will further elevate Brook Hill and our mission to educate the next generation for Christ and His kingdom,” acting Head of School and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Stephen Dement said.

MABANK — The Mabank Fire Department shared that Wayne McKenzie, a longtime member of the department, died on Wednesday, Jan. 17. According to our news partner KETK, McKenzie was 63-years-old and served with Mabank Fire Department for 31 years. According to an obituary from Moorhead Funeral Home, McKenzie was a hard worker who loved the outdoors, animals, construction and restoration. “We are saddened to hear of the loss of a great man and firefighter. We pray for his family at home and the Mabank Fire Department as they mourn the loss of a husband, father, friend, and brother. Rest easy brother, we will take it from here.” McKenzie’s obituary said that he worked at Southern Methodist University for 22 years before working in Mabank and then with Kaufman County until he died.

OVERTON – KETK reports that the Overton Independent School District said that Cristian Rodriguez, a student and football player, was injured in a “serious accident” on Friday night. According to the district, Rodriguez underwent surgery on on Saturday. Overton ISD has scheduled a meeting in the high school library at 5 p.m. on Sunday to pray and make cards for Rodriguez. n update that Overton ISD shared on Facebook said that Rodriguez’s surgery went well and that there is more optimism for his recovery.

TYLER – Smith County Emergency Services District 2 confirmed that a home on Holiday Hills Circle was a total loss after it caught on fire on Saturday. According to SCESD2, and our news partners at KETK, the first firefighters on the scene observed heavy fire conditions. The fire was also reportedly burning in trash and grass nearby the home. SCESD2 said they responded to the scene with 14 personnel, four engines, three tender trucks and two command trucks along with 10 volunteer firefighters. The Red Cross has been called into assist the family, according to SCESD2.

PALESTINE — The Palestine Police Department arrested two men after conducting a traffic stop on Wednesday near West Oak Street and San Jacinto Street and located drugs and a glass pipe. According to our colleagues at KETK, the Palestine PD conducted a traffic stop at around 8:34 p.m. and identified the driver as Jason Barnes, 48 and a passenger as Clinton Moore, 37 both of Palestine. Continue reading Traffic stop leads to arrests for drug possession

LONGVIEW – The Longview News-Journal has identified a 33-year-old homeless woman was killed about 11:30 p.m. Jan. 1 while reportedly crawling under a train in Longview. A police report released by the Longview Police Department through a public information request identified the woman as Ashley Nicole Ray. A witness to the incident told one of the responding officers that Ray had tried to crawl under a train on the tracks at the dead end of the 200 block of North Second Street. Continue reading Homeless woman killed by train identified

MARSHALL – Our colleagues at KETK say that Marshall PD has reportedly arrested one man following a shooting incident.Earnest Lee Cooks, Jr., 18 was arrested on five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of deadly conduct discharging a firearm. Continue reading Man arrested in shooting incident in Marshall

LONGVIEW – Our news partners at KETK report that the Longview Police Department says 2023 is on track to have one of their lowest incidents of crime since the 1990’s, as they are still vetting the numbers. KETK spoke with the department to break down these numbers in this KETK investigation. “We’re just not a violent city. We’re not that. If we ever were, we’re not that anymore,” said Captain Darin Lair. Continue reading Longview crime stats trending down

TYLER – A lawsuit aimed at removing Smith County District Clerk Penny Clarkston from office was filed earlier this month. According to our news partner KETK, JoAnn Fleming through her attorney states Clarkston should be removed citing the following alleged offenses: Neglect of duties, the issuing of subpoenas outside her legal authority, warrants issued untimely or without proper authority, a mishandling of jury duty including the refusal to summon a panel and not paying jury fees, falsifying filings.
Continue reading Lawsuit aims to remove Smith County Clerk

TYLER – Thursday, a Tyler woman was sentenced to 12 years in prison for arson in an April house fire that destroyed a house, car, motorcycle and killed a dog. According to our news partner KETK, 52-year-old Ruthie Cassettari was arrested in June after a fire on Kevin Drive in Tyler. Authorities say at that time, the homeowner felt Cassettari may have set the fire. Ring camera video shortly before the fire showed a car parked in front of the home that was the same make and model as the vehicle that Cassettari drove.
Continue reading Tyler woman receives 12 years for arson

WILLS POINT — A Wills Point woman was sentenced to federal prison for fraud violations to an elderly victim and ordered to pay $47,236 restitution. According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, Lisa Lynn Smith, 62, pleaded guilty to wire fraud on an elderly Plano man “by telling him lies about urgent personal and family expenses that she was facing.” Reportedly, Smith also told the victim she would be receiving a lawsuit settlement of over $2.5 million, and would use the settlement money to pay him back. Smith’s lawsuit settlement however, did not pay that amount. Prosecutors said the victim allowed Smith to use their credit card but was not told the specific expenses, that included rented cars, personal and family expenses. Smith was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison on Thursday.

TYLER — Texas has seen a rapid population growth in the last year, with more people wanting to move to the Lone Star State and East Texas, according to our news partner KETK. “Basically that means you are going to have more people, which means more workers, more ability to compete,” said Dr. Ray Perryman, economist and CEO of The Perryman Group. Perryman spoke on Thursday at the 40th Annual Perryman Economic Outlook Conference. The outlook predicts economic trends for the entire United States, Texas and East Texas. Perryman said that expanding industries in the Tyler area are creating slightly more opportunities for work when compared to the rest of the state and nation. “We’re looking for the output in Texas to grow just a little bit faster than Tyler, but the job growth to be a little bit faster in Tyler than in the state,” said Dr. Perryman. Continue reading Economist predicts significant job growth in Tyler

TYLER — According to out news partner KETK the Tyler Police Department is investigating the scene where a person was shot in the leg and another wounded. According to Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh, on Thursday at around 4:49 p.m., Tyler PD was dispatched to a shooting in the 2900 block of North Grand Avenue. One victim was reportedly shot in the leg and taken to a hospital and a second person was reportedly also shot but taken to a local hospital by a private vehicle. Erbaugh said the two victims appear to be from the same incident that police believe was between them and a possible third person. The investigation remains active and police officers are still on the scene. Erbaugh said more information will be shared as it becomes available.

MARSHALL — The Marshall Police Department has issued a warning of a man described as wearing “army gear” and carrying a rifle who reportedly fired one shot in the air. According to our news partner KETK, Marshall PD is actively searching in the West Rusk and Adkins area but have not located the man at this time. Officials urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to 911. They ask people to remain indoors if they are in the vicinity and to avoid the area if possible. Authorities said they will update the public as more information becomes available.

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler Thursday announced two teams of their mechanical engineering students won a total $30,000 through the Department of Energy Innovation Competition. According to our news partner KETK, the students were selected by the DOE for developing projects that will help their communities have clean energy.
Continue reading UT Tyler engineering students win 30K

TYLER – Southside Bank has announced the opening of a new loan production office in Dallas at 5949 Sherry Lane, Suite 1055. the office officially opened on January 16 and will primarily serve clients in the Dallas area. This new office adds to the bank’s 15 locations throughout North Texas, and Lee Gibson, Southside’s President and CEO says it further demonstrates Southside’s commitment to growing their North Texas presence.

Southside Bank is headquartered in Tyler, with approximately $7.97 billion in assets. They currently operate 55 branches and a network of 73 ATMs throughout East Texas, Southeast Texas, and the greater Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, and Houston areas.

TYLER — On Wednesday, Jan. 10, the Tyler City Council approved continuing the professional services contract, in the amount of $2,379,480, with Fitzpatrick Architects and Halff for the Downtown Improvement Project. The companies will handle the architectural and engineering services for the project’s design/plan production, bidding, and construction. For the past nine months, collaborative efforts between the City, Smith County, Fitzpatrick Architects, and Halff resulted in finalized design plans for Downtown Tyler. The design was reviewed at a joint meeting with the Smith County Commissioners and City Council. It was also discussed with the Main Street Board and businesses located Downtown. The next steps include developing plans for bidding on the project and construction management during the duration of the project. Continue reading Downtown Improvement Project moves forward

TYLER– The Tyler Parks and Rec announced on Wednesday that the Glass Recreation Center is closed until further notice due to a water leak. According to our news partner KETK, officials say the water at the center has been shut off and the center will be closed until the situation can be accessed. The Glass Recreation Center say they will provide updates when they get more information.

KILGORE – Kilgore city officials report that five water breaks that were discovered Wednesday morning have been fixed. According to our news partner KETK, the breaks were found around 10:15 a.m. on Longview Street and Kay Street were repaired by 5:15 p.m. The city wants to remind homeowners to call city crews to turn off their water and to not get into their meter box. They wrote in a release, “If you have a personal shutoff installed as part of your repair from this freeze, the city will waive the fee for turning off the water.”

The city of Kilgore website also has a trash pickup update. You can find that here.

SHELBY COUNTY – Our colleagues at KETK report a 60-year-old man died in custody in Shelby County, the sheriff’s office said. James Jackson of Center died at approximately 5:35 a.m. on Wednesday morning. The Texas Rangers were called in and are investigating the death.

TATUM – Our news partners at KETK report that the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decided last week to uphold the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s designation that Panola and Rusk counties do not meet national air quality standards for harmful dioxide due to a local coal plant. According to the Sierra Club, the EPA made its original nonattainment designation for the two counties in the 2010 sulfur dioxide National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Locals also raised health concerns in 2019 over possible exposure from the Martin Lake coal plant pollution. Continue reading Court upholds EPA air quality standards

TYLER – With severe winter conditions subsiding, TxDOT is asking drivers to be aware of their workers as they go about their day. With TxDOT working hard to treat roads, bridges and overpasses, they are also responsible with whats left after the freeze has gone. Jeff Williford, Public Information Officer for Tyler’s TxDOT District said, “Clean up, just from the granular material and things we put out. Branches, like I said before. We’ll work on clean-up of those, moving them from the roadway. Keep that in mind when you see us out, even after these events, to give us room ”
Continue reading TxDOT is cleaning up after the big freeze

KILGORE – With the icy winter weather letting up, Kilgore city officials report three water main breaks. According to our news partner KETK, two of the breaks are on Longview Street with the third on Kay Street. Repairs are expected to take most of the day. Highway 42 at Longview Street is currently running at one lane. Kilgore police said on Wednesday that there are still some scattered patches of ice, along with some black ice on the roads.