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TYLER – Teresa Fletcher, 22, of Tyler, was sentenced to six years in prison Thursday for her part in the kidnapping and trafficking of two girls in February. According to our news partner KETK, a February 17 warrant said a Smith County sheriff’s deputy responded to a missing person report at the home on CR 420. The mother of one of the girls reportedly told deputies she had not seen her daughter since February 13. The mother told investigators she believed her daughter had been sex trafficked, according to the affidavit. Officials stated the victim’s boyfriend said she sent him her location via Facebook messenger on February 15 and he alerted the Tyler PD. The location was the home of Teresa Fletcher, documents show. Continue reading Tyler woman gets six years for promoting prostitution

TYLER – The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA) has completed a series of enhancements to Toll 49 with drivers likely noticing a smoother, quieter ride along with the latest in highway surface technology for skid resistance. That’s according to a Thursday news release from NET RMA. A new surface was installed between U.S Highway 69 and State Highway 155. The project is the first major resurfacing on this section of Toll 49 since it was constructed, according to the release. “NET RMA is proud of these Toll 49 enhancements,” says Glenn Green, NET RMA Executive Director, as quoted in the release. “The material we utilized is the most advanced, performance graded asphalt that will not only add strength, but it also provides a smooth, quiet roadway for our customers. This is a new, highly skid resistant surface that will last for years.” Continue reading NET RMA completes major Toll 49 enhancements project

AUSTIN – The University of Texas Board of Regents Thursday approved an allocation of $100 million in Permanent University Fund bond proceeds over the next 10 years that will help fund capital expenses associated with the start-up of the Tyler School of Medicine at the University of Texas at Tyler. Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife told KTBB, “It’s an ongoing commitment made by the Board of Regents to this community and to our new medical school, and I really appreciate my fellow regents joining me in supporting this.” Eltife added that he’s really looking forward to welcoming the school’s first class next year — and to a full-fledged medical school building, which he hopes to see completed by 2025. Continue reading Regents approve $100 million for UT Tyler School of Medicine

TYLER — 51-year-old Buford Dixon has been sentenced in Tyler to life without parole for continuous sexual abuse of a child. According to a news release from the Smith County District Attorney’s office, a jury convicted Dixon in July after prosecutors proved that he sexually assaulted his own biological daughter over the course of two years and another child who had resided with Dixon. At sentencing, the court heard testimony from the lead detective on the case, testimony about Dixon’s prior criminal history, and an additional abuse victim who had not previously testified, according to officials.

WHITEHOUSE – Additional law enforcement was assigned to the Whitehouse High School campus Thursday after an alleged verbal threat was made, according to the school. The school proceeded with its regular Thursday schedule, and officials with the district said “parents should rest easy knowing students are safe.” The district said it was notified by an anonymous source of an alleged verbal threat against the high school, and they immediately contacted law enforcement and worked with them to investigate. “A student was detained by Whitehouse PD and an investigation is ongoing,” the district said. “The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority.”

CANTON – After praying for rain for so long, some East Texans received more than they bargained for with this week’s heavy rains and flooding, and the city of Canton was hit hard by the storm. As a result of this week’s heavy rainfall, parts of Van Zandt County flooded, including the county courthouse. According to our news partner KETK, the water damage caused ceiling tiles to fall in a courtroom, almost hitting a court reporter in the middle of a trial. Trash cans and buckets were placed throughout the courthouse because of several leaks. The staff has also put fans to help dry out the building. Across the county, a few homes flooded, trees and power lines were downed, and streets were impacted even narrowing bridges down to a single lane. The First Monday Trade Days parking lot also flooded. On First Monday, the Canton Mayor Lou Ann Everett says they expect the grounds to be open next weekend just in time for trade days.

TYLER – The Tyler City Council approved a $195,900 engineering contract on Wednesday to work on a downtown Tyler traffic study. According to our news partner KETK, the city is working with Kimley-Horn engineers. The city will pay for the study, but they will be reimbursed through a Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) grant. Toole Design will give recommendations on how officials can improve the downtown area. This has been Toole Design’s focus since the start of 2022. Engineers will survey the area then make recommendations for changes based on their findings, which they will show to the council. Between 2010 and 2020, the City of Tyler grew at an average rate of 1% per year. Some recent developments in downtown include the Fair Plaza Parking Garage, Smith County Jail, People’s Petroleum Building and Plaza Tower. Officials have also proposed building a new Smith County courthouse. The traffic study will last nine months and should be done by late spring 2023.

The Tyler City Council voted on Wednesday to authorize the City Manager to execute a contract with Lone Star Land Enhancement in the amount of $3,678,365.44 for the Sanitary Sewer Right of Way Clearing. The Right of Way clearing project is prioritized by the current condition of the easements and by determining how urgent the need to access the sanitary sewer assets associated with the easement. In all, the project identifies 394,486 linear feet of easements needing to be cleared. This project is funded with water utility bond. The City Council also voted on Wednesday to authorize the City Manager to execute a design contract with KSA Engineers, Inc. in the amount of $467,000 for the design, bidding, construction administration and inspection of a new administration building at the Westside Wastewater Treatment Plant. Continue reading Tyler City Council approves contract to clear sanitary sewer right of way

TYLER — The City of Tyler is presenting the extension of the Legacy Trail Project to be paid for by the proposed Half-Cent Sales Tax Fund for fiscal year 2023. Phase II of the project will add a total of 2.2 miles of trail, which includes 1.7 miles of shared-use path and half a mile of sidewalks from Peete Elementary connecting with Stewart Park along the roadway rights-of-way and through W.E. Winters Park. Currently, the city is working with a consultant to survey the area and create design plans. This part of the project is estimated to cost $354,000 and be completed by February 2023. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2023. Continue reading Proposed Half-Cent work plan includes extension to Legacy Trails

JACKSONVILLE – A Jacksonville woman was arrested on Monday for failing to register as a sex offender for the second time. According to our news partner KETK, officials said Jennifer Gail Stevens, 38, was arrested at a residence on Jacksonville Square Drive. Failure to comply with sex offender duty to register is a third degree felony. Stevens was previously arrested in February for non-compliance with The Texas Sex Offender Registry Duty to Register.

TYLER – A Tyler man pleaded guilty to promoting prostitution after being accused of kidnapping two girls to sex-traffic them in Louisiana, according to Smith County judicial records. According to our news partner KETK, Aaron Devonte Wallace, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Teresa Swan Fletcher, 23, was also indicted for aggravated promotion of prostitution in connection to the case. Her plea docket agreement is scheduled for Sept. 20.

BULLARD – A Bullard ISD bus was involved in a wreck on Tuesday, the district announced on Facebook. According to our news partner KETK, officials said Bus E1 was involved in an accident near CR 181 and FM 344. Six students and two student aides were on board but were not injured. Another bus came to pick up students.

TYLER – The Smith County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to rescind its burn ban following recent rains, highlighted by Monday’s downpour. “I 100 percent recommend rescinding the burn ban after the rain we’ve had,” Smith County Fire Marshal Jay Brooks said. “We received a good saturating, soaking rain, which was exactly what we needed.” The burn ban was issued by the Commissioners Court on July 5. Numerous other area counties are also lifting their burn bans. Continue reading Smith County, others lift burn bans

TYLER — The city of Tyler will be retiming 19 traffic signals this week for the year two signal timing improvements project. The identified intersections will build upon the corridors which were retimed in 2019 and 2021 and focus on areas that have seen less reliable travel times. according to a news release. This year the initial implementation of the new signal timings will be done remotely by the traffic engineer with the Advanced Transportation Management System (ATMS). Previously, signal retiming had to be accomplished in the field. Officials say the new system is allowing for a quicker implementation and less staff time in the field. Continue reading Traffic signal retiming to begin this week

WINONA – The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down in Winona on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, the tornado had wind speeds of roughly 95 mph and was 200 yards wide, uprooting roughly 50 trees and damaging a few structures. No injuries or fatalities were reported in the four minutes it was on the ground. Most of the damage was right when the tornado was crossing FM 16 at Hussey Circle. It narrowly missed Winona ISD, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at NWS Shreveport Charlie Woodrum said.

TYLER — Starting Sept. 1, Tyler Solid Waste crews will continue collecting residential garbage and recycling at 6 a.m. In August, Solid Waste implemented a heat prevention program that allowed crews to start collecting an hour earlier than the usual start time of 7 a.m. The earlier start time allowed crews to work during the cooler hours and finish routes earlier. “After receiving great feedback from the community and our team, we decided to continue with the earlier start time,” said Solid Waste Director Leroy Sparrow as quoted in a news release. “Fulfilling the needs of our community while maintaining our crews’ safety is our top priority.” Continue reading Tyler Solid Waste implementing earlier start time year-round

DALLAS – Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a disaster declaration for 23 Texas counties after damaging winds and heavy rainfall across Texas — nine of them in East Texas. According to our news partner KETK, Camp, Henderson, Hopkins, Marion, Rains, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood counties are included in the declaration. Abbott said additional counties could be added as storms continue to move through the state.

TYLER – The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Oversight Committee approved approximately $3.5 million to The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center to fund two CPRIT cancer prevention related programs. With the assistance of $997,120, the DEFEAT (Delivering Education, Focused Navigation, and Equitable Access throughout East Texas) program will focus on recruiting underserved and uninsured women between 40 and 75 years of age to have proper access to breast cancer screenings, according to the release. The Health Science Center also received $2,482,127 for the continued expansion of the Colorectal Cancer Prevention grant “Screening to Optimize Prevention of CRC in East Texas.” Continue reading UT Tyler Health Science Center receives more than $3 million in CPRIT grant funding

TYLER — TxDOT schedules another week’s worth of roadwork in the Tyler District. In Gregg County, a Kilgore project consists of completely rebuilding the traffic circle and full width of roadway to the Rusk County line. The traffic will be reduced to one lane in the southbound direction for the duration of the project. In Smith County, Tyler Maintenance will have a crew on Loop 323 cutting high shoulders and spot cleaning ditches. The work will take place from the Loop extension to US 69. Click here for a complete rundown of roadwork around the district.

TYLER — City of Tyler officials are welcoming your input on their proposed 2022-2023 budget, beginning Wednesday. Improvements to public safety, services, and employee retention are listed as top priorities. Opportunities for public input are set for two city council meetings, on August 24 and September 14 — both at 9 a.m. at City Hall. Final adoption of the budget is scheduled for the September 14 meeting. Click here for all the details.

SMITH COUNTY — No student injuries were reported after a Chapel Hill ISD bus was involved in a four-car crash on Highway 64 East. According to our news partner KETK, units with the Smith County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office were assisting DPS, Emergency Services District 2 and the Chapel Hill Volunteer Fire Department on the scene, according to Constable Josh Joplin Precinct 4. EMS arrived on the scene, and minor injuries were reported by officials, none of them having happened to students on the bus, according to officials.

TYLER — The Tyler ISD Board of Trustees approved its general fund budget for the 2022-2023 school year during its meeting on Monday. This budget includes lowering the tax rate by 10.98 cents and raising teacher pay. The district’s budget will be more than $169.5 million for the school year which includes a net funding increase of about $3.1 million, according to a release. Tyler ISD officials said that this increase comes from a healthy district property tax growth. Continue reading Tyler ISD lowers tax rate, increases staff pay

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