Woman arrested after cocaine, meth discovered during traffic stop

Woman arrested after cocaine, meth discovered during traffic stopVAN ZANDT COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK, a traffic stop in Van Zandt County led to the arrest of a Canton woman for multiple drug related charges on Wednesday. While officers were searching the vehicle they reportedly found what was suspected to be marijuana along with suspected methamphetamine and a firearm inside of the car. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Terry Lawson of Canton. Lawson was arrested and charged for possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Lawson was booked into the Van Zandt County Detention Center and has been released on bond. The case is still being investigated and officials said that Lawson is considered innocent until proven guilty.

“We have a renewed emphasis on stopping illicit drugs in Van Zandt County and having a Drug Interdiction Team is just the first step,” Van Zandt County Sheriff Kevin Bridger stated.

High-speed chase ends in crash; one airlifted

High-speed chase ends in crash; one airliftedVAN ZANDT COUNTY – One person was flown to a local hospital on Thursday after a high-speed chase started in Van Zandt County and ended in a crash according to our news partner KETK.

Delta County Sheriff Marshall Lynch said the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office started a pursuit but then lost the vehicle they were chasing down. The Rains County Sheriff’s Office reportedly found the vehicle and started the pursuit which then entered Delta County where deputies joined in the chase. According to Lynch, the chase continued on Texas State Highway 154 heading west at high speeds when the vehicle crashed near FM 1529.

The driver was removed from the vehicle by Delta and Hopkins County deputies along with local first responders. The injured driver was then flown by an Air Evac flight to a local hospital.

East Texas congressman meets with President Trump and Vice President Vance

East Texas congressman meets with President Trump and Vice President VanceTYLER – Congressman Nathaniel Moran had the opportunity to meet with President Trump and Vice President Vance to “increase liberty and prosperity for all Americans.”

According to our news partner, KETK, Congressman Moran was in the Oval Office this week discussing the emphasis of joint efforts between House Republicans and the White House to “secure the border, slash government waste, unleash American energy production and increase liberty for the American people.”

“It was an honor to visit the White House this week to speak with President Trump and Vice President Vance,” Moran said. “During our meeting, President Trump laid out his vision to increase liberty and prosperity for all Americans – and House Republicans are hard at work to deliver on that vision.”

What’s next for the church of Peter?

Nuns pray for Pope Francis in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, where Pope Francis is hospitalized since Friday, Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

As I write this, Pope Francis is in a hospital in Rome suffering with pneumonia and kidney failure. That’s not good news for an 88-year-old man. Francis could pull through and I hope he does. But in any case, his papacy will soon be over.

I was standing on a rain-soaked St. Peter’s Square on March 13, 2013, as Jorge Mario Bergoglio was introduced to the world as Pope Francis. A crowd of about 100,000 cheered as he gave his urbi et orbi blessing. All of us in the media scrambled to report that prior to his election, Bergoglio was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Early the next morning I sat in the ABC News Bureau in Rome and wrote the following to wrap up KTBB’s coverage.

I’m not Catholic. I’m a Methodist.

Still, I find myself rooting for the Catholic Church. Everyone who professes a Christian faith is descended from the church in Rome. For all the faults of the Roman Church, and they are numerous, at its core the Catholic Church has been an institution dedicated to elevating humans that they might become more worthy of their belief in having been created in God’s own image. The Christian faith in general, and the Catholic Church in particular, has, among other things, chastened its believers. The authority of the church mitigated the baser instincts of man. The teachings of the church have sought to summon our better angels.

As the church has forfeited moral authority due to ineptitude and self-inflicted wounds such as the clergy abuse scandals, nothing really good has rushed in to fill the resulting vacuum.

I also believe that to the extent that the Roman Church suffers a loss of respect, that loss of respect negatively impacts all Christian congregations. For most of the world, Catholicism is Christianity.

Thus, I wish Pope Francis well. I’d like to see the Catholic Church get some of its mojo back.”

The sad fact is that my wish was not granted.

I went on to say the morning after the election that Job One for the new pope was to re-evangelize Europe with an eye toward the same thing for the United States.

Mark 16:15 says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Much to my disappointment, too much of Francis’s preaching centered not on the gospels but on secular leftist causes such as climate change, transgenderism and unfettered illegal immigration. Pride flags and BLM flags in the sanctuaries of Catholic and other Christian churches served to distract from the dwindling numbers of parishioners in the pews.

European governments are now trying to figure out what to do about their own illegal immigration problem.

The fear is that Francis has packed the College of Cardinals with like-minded leftists who are likely to select another leftist pope.

The hope is that just as it did in our recent election, the pendulum will swing the other way.

For the sake of Christendom and the world, let’s pray that it does.

Bullard ISD calls school board election for May Third

Bullard – Bullard ISD calls school board election for May ThirdThe Bullard Independent School District (BISD) Board of Trustees has officially called for a
school board election to be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025. This election will determine the representatives for
Place 6 and Place 7 on the Board, as the current terms for these positions are set to expire. The election was
called at the regular monthly board meeting on February 10, 2025. Continue reading Bullard ISD calls school board election for May Third

TxDOT reports a drop in fatal accidents

TxDOT reports a drop in fatal accidentsTYLER — The Texas Department of Public Safety Tyler District reported a 22% decrease in fatal accidents in 2024. According to TxDOT and our news partner KETK, since Nov. 7, 2000, 87,000 people have died on state roadways and there hasn’t been a single day without a fatal accident since. TxDOT is working to end that streak and said the results are paying off. The report focused on five of the top factors found to contribute to accidents. The top two factors include drivers who fail to drive in a single lane and speeding.

“There were 164 total fatalities. Although that number went down from 209 in 2023, it’s still too many fatalities,” TxDOT Tyler District Public Information Officer Jeff Williford said.

TxDOT hopes to see fewer fatalities but said 2025 is already off to a bad start.

“Unfortunately, 2025 is starting off worse than 2024 did so far. Through the first 50 days, we’ve seen a handful of more fatalities so far and more crashes than we did in 2024 at this time of year,” Williford said.

Scoreboard roundup — 2/26/25

(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Wednesday's sports events:

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Celtics 97, Pistons 117
Raptors 91, Pacers 111
76ers 105, Knicks 110
Trail Blazers 129, Wizards 121
Thunder 129, Nets 121
Hawks 109, Heat 131
Clippers 122, Bulls 117
Kings 118, Jazz 101
Spurs 106, Rockets 118

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Jets 4, Senators 1
Devils 1, Avalanche 5
Canucks 3, Kings 2

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Stolen checks found during Marshall traffic stop

Stolen checks found during Marshall traffic stopMARSHALL, Texas (KETK) – A traffic stop in Marshall led to the arrest of two residents on Tuesday where police recovered drugs and stolen checks.
According to our news partner KETK, the traffic stop occurred in the area of East Grand Avenue and Bolivar Street. The individuals in the vehicle were identified as Amber Nicole Wage, 36, and LaMarcus Bernard Clayborn, 43.

While officers were searching the vehicle, they reportedly found a debit card and several checks in Wage’s possession that were not under her name. One of the fraudulent checks was made out to Clayborn. Authorities also found a white substance that was later identified as methamphetamine.

Following the investigation, Wage and Clayborn were arrested and transported to the Harrison County Jail. Continue reading Stolen checks found during Marshall traffic stop

Cherokee County jail found in noncompliance

Cherokee County jail found in noncomplianceCHEROKEE COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office jail was found in noncompliance with Texas jail standards.

According to Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson, medication distribution, restraint, recreational procedures and failing to do a proper face-to-face observation at the time of an inmate’s death were reasons for the failure. The sheriff’s office identified the inmate as Mason Tanner Johnston of Jacksonville, who was arrested for serious crimes against a child in 2021.

The sheriff said that these infractions are from a lack of documentation by the jailers when they perform their duties. “As a result of this inspection, I have taken the proper and necessary disciplinary actions against several jailers who failed to document their actions correctly during their shifts,” Dickson said. Continue reading Cherokee County jail found in noncompliance

City of Tyler appoints two new municipal judges

City of Tyler appoints two new municipal judgesTYLER – Tyler City Council approved Municipal Court Presiding Judge Amy McCullough’s appointment of Attorneys Kristina Ross and Tab Beall as alternate judges. Following their approval Wednesday, both were officially sworn in. According to a release from the city, Kristina Ross is an attorney at Beard & Harris, PLLC in Tyler. Her practice focuses on estate planning, probate, and sports agency and management. She has been licensed by the State Bar of Texas since 2011 and is a member of the Smith County Bar Association. Tab Beall is a lifelong Tyler resident and attorney with over 40 years of legal experience, including serving as a partner at Perdue, Brandon, Fielder, Collins & Mott, LLP. He has been a member of the Smith County Bar Association since 1981 and served as president from 2002-2003.

Dog saved from well underneath house in Longview

Dog saved from well underneath house in LongviewLONGVIEW — According to our news partner KETK, the Longview Fire Department was sent to a house after a dog fell down a well under a house on Monday . However, with the help of Longview fire and animal control, the dog was quickly brought to the surface. The dog was a little shaken but officials said it was was unharmed. One of the rescuers has since chosen to adopt him, since the owner can not be located.

“Thank you to everyone who played a part in this miraculous rescue. It’s a true reminder of the incredible bond between humans and animals, and how a community comes together in times of need,” a spokesperson from Longview animal control center said.

New fraud attacks Texas consumers

TYLER – New fraud attacks Texas consumersInvestigators with the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (FCIC) have identified a sophisticated new criminal method that uses multiple steps to defraud consumers by impersonating law enforcement.  The criminals send a fraudulent text alert to a victim, saying there have been suspicious transactions on their financial accounts and asking the victim to confirm that the transaction is indeed suspicious.

The criminal then contacts the victim while impersonating a bank representative and tells the victim that the suspicious activity is part of an FBI investigation. The criminal persuades the victim to withdraw and deposit funds into a “new account” via an ATM that is controlled by the criminal. Sometimes, these are video calls where the victim is on the phone with the criminal, who has their video turned off.

The criminals give the victim a debit card number linked to the criminals’ accounts to add to Apple pay or other third-party apps. Once the transactions are completed, the criminals instruct the victim to delete the debit card number and throw out receipts – which prevents law enforcement from tracing the fraudulent transaction. Continue reading New fraud attacks Texas consumers

TWU to replace old equipment at Lake Palestine

TWU  to replace old equipment at Lake PalestineTYLER – To improve efficiency, Tyler Water Utilities (TWU) will replace aging variable-frequency drives (VFDs) at the Lake Palestine Water Treatment Plant and the Lake Palestine Raw Water Pump Station. VFDs are crucial as they control the volume of water pumped from Lake Palestine for treatment at the water treatment plant and subsequently distributed through the system. Without functional VFDs, the plant would not be operable.

“The replacement of these VFDs is essential for maintaining the reliable operation of our water treatment and distribution system,” said Utilities Director Kate Dietz, P.E. “By upgrading this infrastructure, we are reinforcing our commitment to investing in modern solutions that meet the community’s water needs now and in the future.”

The design process is anticipated to be completed by May, and construction is scheduled to begin in July. The expected completion date is August 2026.Â