Tyler PD academy grand opening April 9

Tyler PD academy grand opening April 9Tyler – Where Tyler police officers will train to serve and protect East Texas is about to be on full display. On Thursday, April 9, at 4 p.m., the Tyler Police Department will host a grand opening for its new Police Training Facility, located at 2520 East Commerce Street. The event will give the public an opportunity to explore the space and connect with Tyler police officers.

The Tyler Police Department, which includes 204 sworn officers, has developed a culture of expertise, with nearly half of its officers serving as certified trainers. The department launched its in-house police academy in 2021 to expand training capabilities.
Continue reading Tyler PD academy grand opening April 9

Dog breeder faces federal charges

Dog breeder faces federal chargesHOPKINS COUNTY — Months after a video surfaced of an East Texas breeder shooting a dog, a federal investigation revealed deplorable conditions at her unlicensed facility — charges that could send her to prison for up to 20 years. According to our news partner KETK, an indictment delivered from a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas on Monday names Kristine Michelle Hicks, 51, of Cumby and charged her with acting as an unlicensed animal dealer and four counts of wire fraud.

Hicks’ appearance in federal court comes after being arrested on Dec. 21, 2025, for a social media video depicting her allegedly shooting at a dog three times and leaving it for dead, spurring an investigation into her breeding facilities.
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Scam Alert: Bitcoin scam

Scam Alert: Bitcoin scamSMITH COUNTY – The Smith County Sheriffs Office has issued a Scam Alert. The White Collar Crime Division of the Smith Couty Sheriff’s Office is actively monitoring and documenting impersonation and Bitcoin scams targeting families of jailed inmates. 

The pattern used centers on fraudulent claims of bond?related ankle monitor fees, directed payments through Bitcoin ATMs, and the misuse of Smith County law enforcement identities, Smith County Sheriff’s Officials reported on Monday. Victims receive unsolicited phone calls and/or text messages from individuals claiming to be with Smith County Pretrial Services, the Smith County Jail, or a lieutenant or deputy with the Sheriff’s Office. Continue reading Scam Alert: Bitcoin scam

Courthouse dome installed

Courthouse dome installedSMITH COUNTY — The dome has been installed on top of the new Smith County Courthouse. Overnight, the 56,000-pound lower portion of the dome was installed. Hoar Construction officials monitored wind conditions throughout the weekend and were able to install it during the early morning hours of Monday, March 23. After 8 a.m., they installed the 16,000-pound upper portion.

A 900-ton mobile crane — one of the largest cranes of its kind and reportedly the second largest crane on wheels in the United States — was used, said Fletcher Rives assistant project manager for Hoar Construction.

“This milestone represents a major step forward in the restoration and brings the courthouse closer to completion,” Rives said. Continue reading Courthouse dome installed

Roadways closed for culvert work

Roadways closed for culvert workSMITH COUNTY — Smith County Road 129 will be closed Monday and Tuesday, March 23-24, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. between CR 146 and CR 113. Smith County Road and Bridge crews will be installing cross culverts under this section of the road.

The Texas Department of Transportation will be closing CR 436 at its intersection with Farm-to-Market Road 16 on Tuesday, March 24, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. This road will be closed for the tie-in of CR 436 to the new elevation of FM 16.

Smith County has an interactive map that shows what County Roads are closed. It can be found by clicking here. Go to the “How Do I” tab at the top of the page, select view and then click on “County Road and Office Closures.”

Tax office closed after crash

Tax office closed after crashPALESTINE – The Anderson County Tax Office will be closed on Monday after a vehicle crashed into the office on Sunday. According to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety is currently investigating how the vehicle crashed into the tax office, which is located at the Anderson County Courthouse Annex.

According to our news partner KETK, no injuries have been reported at this time. A specific time and date for when the office will reopen has not been announced.

Extreme heat continues to strike Southwest US and even Nebraska needs a cold drink

Parts of California and Arizona were under extreme heat warnings again Saturday while sweltering summerlike weather even stretched as far north as Nebraska just a day into spring.

Temperatures at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 C) were forecast in the Southwest, closing a remarkable week of record-breaking heat. Experts say April, May and June are likely to be hotter than normal almost everywhere in the U.S.

Win Marsh said the heat was a reason to return home early to Utah after she and her husband, Stephen, hiked 170 miles (273 kilometers) over two weeks in Arizona, starting at the Mexico border. Their goal was to complete more than 800 miles (1,287 kilometers) on the Arizona Trail.

“We know our limits,” Marsh, 63, said Saturday. “We can’t hike when our bodies can’t cool down. There’s no shade out there, and water sources are drying up. … We promised our kids we wouldn’t do sketchy stuff. We’re not out there for a search-and-rescue event.”

The National Weather Service predicted 100 degrees (37.7 C) in Tucson, Arizona. The Yuma Desert, a desert community in southwestern Arizona, was headed toward 105 degrees (40.5 C), a day after reaching 112 (43.3 C) — a record for the highest March temperature in the United States.

Two places in Southern California also hit that temperature Friday. Experts say triple-digit days typically arrive by May, not March.

In the Midwest, temperatures exceeding 90 (32.2 C) were predicted across Nebraska, followed by a big drop to the 50s and 60s Sunday. A red flag warning was posted, which means a higher risk for wildfires. Parts of Texas were also at 90 or higher Saturday.

“This heat is likely to break many long-standing records from over a century ago across the area,” the National Weather Service in Omaha, Nebraska, said.

All evacuation orders were lifted in areas affected by Nebraska’s Cottonwood and Morrill fires, which have burned more than 1,200 square miles (3,118 square kilometers) for days but are largely contained, the state Emergency Management Agency said. The areas are dominated by range and grassland.

March’s heat would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change, according to a report Friday by World Weather Attribution, an international group of scientists who study the causes of extreme weather events.

Detained immigrant children still face concerning conditions at Texas facility, lawyers say

DILLEY (AP) – Nearly 600 immigrant children were held in a Texas family detention center in recent months without enough food, medical care or mental health services, as their time inside stretched beyond court-mandated limits, according to court documents filed Friday.

Children and families held in the Dilley detention facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father were sent earlier this year also faced virus outbreaks and lasting lockdowns in December and January, although the total number of children held at Dilley has fallen in recent weeks, according to the attorney’s reports and site visits.

The case of Ramos, a preschooler who was wearing a blue bunny hat when he was picked up in Minnesota by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, stirred protest over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, including among detainees who gathered and held up signs in the yard inside Dilley’s chain-link fences.

Last week about 85 children remained detained at Dilley, but concerning conditions continued, said Mishan Wroe, directing attorney at the National Center for Youth Law, who visited in mid-March. In early February, a legal advocate for the children observed about 280 children.

The filings cited numerous poignant cases, including that of a 13-year-old girl held at Dilley who tried to take her own life after staff withheld prescribed antidepressants and denied her request to join her mother, as reported by The Associated Press. The government reported there had been “no placements on suicide watch,” according to the filing. The AP obtained Dilley discharge documents that described a “suicide attempt by cutting of wrist” and “self-harm.”

The filings were submitted in a lawsuit launched in 1985 that led to the creation in 1997 of court-ordered supervision of standards and eventually established a 20-day limit in custody. The Trump administration seeks to end the Flores settlement.

“For years, the Flores consent decree has been a tool of the left that is antithetical to the law and wastes valuable U.S. taxpayer funded resources,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. “Being in detention is a choice.”

Attorneys for detainees highlighted the government’s data showing longer custody times for immigrant children, and also cited worms in food, and poor access to medical care or sufficient legal counsel as reported by families and monitors at federal facilities.

“Dilley remains a hellhole,” said Leecia Welch, the chief legal director at Children’s Rights, who visits Dilley regularly to ensure compliance. “Although the number of children has decreased, the suffering remains the same.”

Dilley is retrofitted for families, who receive basic necessities including adequate food and water while in detention, and the Trump administration is working to quickly deport detainees, the DHS spokesperson added.

A report from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement showed that about 595 immigrant children were held in custody for more than the 20-day limit in December and January, with some stretching into months, per the filing.

“Approximately 265 of these children were detained for more than 50 days and a shocking 55 children were detained more than 100 days,” the filing stated.

That is up from a previous government disclosure late last year that showed from August to September, 400 children had been held at Dilley beyond the 20-day limit. DHS did not respond to questions seeking comment on the data.

Chief U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee of the Central District of California is scheduled to have a hearing on the case later this month.

Boil water notice recinded

Boil water notice recindedMARSHALL, Texas (KTAL/KMSS) — The city of Marshall has restored full water capacity following a water main break. Restoring full water capacity is the process that allows the resin beads in a water tank to remove hard water minerals. While the city has made progress, permanent repairs to the damaged pipe are still needed, and crews are working to stabilize the system.

Residents are still encouraged to limit water use until the repairs are completed. The boil water advisory for Marshall was lifted by the city at around 5 p.m. on Sunday.

An Emergency Burn Ban remains in effect. Residents are reminded that all outdoor burning is prohibited until further notice.

Superintendent dies in single-vehicle crash

Superintendent dies in single-vehicle crashWASKOM – Waskom ISD is in mourning after superintendent Christopher Guastella died in a single-vehicle crash in Shreveport. The incident occurred on Saturday, March 21, around 1:25 p.m. at the intersection of Interstate 20 West and Bert Kouns Industrial Loop. According to the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office and our news partner KETK, Guastella, 51, of Waskom, was traveling westbound near Exit 8 of Bert Kouns when his vehicle left the road.

Guastella was taken to Ochsner LSU Health, where he was later pronounced dead. According to SPD, preliminary findings suggest that Guastella may have experienced a medical emergency prior to leaving the roadway.

Guastella leaves behind his wife, Jen Guastella, who serves as the Director of State and Federal Programs at Waskom ISD, and their two children. He had more than 17 years of experience in education, including more than a decade in leadership roles. Continue reading Superintendent dies in single-vehicle crash

Man arrested after drugs found in residence near Livingston elementary school

LIVINGSTON, Texas (KETK) — An investigation into the sale of illegal drugs near a Livingston elementary school came to an end on Wednesday with the arrest of a man following the discovery of drugs in his residence. According to the Livingston Police Department, officers were looking into the sale of illegal drugs near Pine Ridge Primary School in a “lengthy” investigation.

Officers executed a search warrant at a home connected to the investigation, finding the following:

Methamphetamine
Crack cocaine
MDMA
Synthetic marijuana
Illegally possessed prescription medications
Items commonly used to sell and distribute drugs
A firearm

The suspect, Alvin Taylor II was later arrested and charged with six counts of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Taylor is currently being held at the Polk County Jail under a $330,000 bond.

Since his residence was in a drug-free zone, some charges were increased and additional charges may be filed.

NWS warns of elevated fire danger

NWS warns of elevated fire dangerEAST TEXAS — Due to high winds and dry conditions, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Shreveport is warning of an elevated fire threat across East Texas into the weekend. The NWS is reporting high winds near 10 to 20 miles per hour with relative humidity values as low as 35-45% on Friday that will last until Saturday. The conditions maintain ongoing and dry fuels outdoors are favorable for wildfire growth.

Residents are urged to avoid outdoor burning and any activities that involve open sparks or flames. All wildfires should be reported to local law enforcement as soon as possible, the NWS said.

The advisory was issued for NWS Shreveport’s entire four state region, which includes East Texas, Southeast Oklahoma, Southwest and South-central Arkansas and Northern and Central Louisiana.