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KERR COUNTY – Three East Texans were among the 119 people who died during the July 4 Kerr County floods, according to a list released by the Texas Rangers on Friday. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. shared the Texas Rangers’ official list of victims from the floods, which devastated Kerrville, Kerr County and much of Central Texas on July 4. Many people were reported as missing in the days after the floods and according to the list, two people, Jeffery Ramsey, 63 of Lewisville, and Cecilia Steward, 8 of Austin, are still missing.

Three East Texans have been confirmed to have died in the floods, Carol Andrews, 65 of Athens, along with James and Cynthia Rushing of Sulphur Springs.

The full list can be seen on our news partner KETK’s website.

ARP – Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown was back in his hometown of Arp on Saturday to host his third annual school supply giveaway. Overshown, a former Arp Tiger, spent his time in Arp on Saturday signing autographs and giving out nearly 300 backpacks full of school supplies to local children. According to our news partner KETK, many parents and Cowboys fans also attended the event to see Overshown while enjoying Arp City Park.

Overshown’s currently recovering from a season-ending knee injury but said he expects to be back on the field for the Cowboys soon.

The Cowboys’ first regular season game is on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 7:20 p.m. on KETK, against their longtime rival and defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

TYLER – More than 2,800 Tyler ISD staff members joined together to kick off the new school year on Friday at the district’s annual convocation. According to a report from our news partner KETK, this year’s convocation included speeches from administrators, music, the unveiling of a new district logo and the performance of a new song written specifically for Tyler ISD.

“It’s always about continuous improvement and we had a great year last year. We jumped back up into a B-rating overall,” Tyler ISD Superintendent Marty Crawford said. “As a school district, we’re striving to become that A-rated district… and we have had a lot of great stories within a lot of our campuses. Looking forward to seeing what they can build on this coming year.”

The event was held at Green Acres Baptist Church from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on Friday. Tyler ISD’s school year officially starts on Wednesday.

TYLER – With back-to-school around the corner and hot deals on the table, stores are gearing up for the tax-free weekend in East Texas, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

“They’re buying their back-to-school supplies, apparel and footwear,” Tyler Academy Store Director Randy Smiley said. “It’s just a fun day for us here at Academy.”

Academy is one hot spot for Tyler shoppers, Smiley said Friday started pretty slow, but as soon as it hit lunchtime, hundreds of shoppers began entering their stores. He expects even more people to come through their doors this weekend. At Broadway Square Mall in Tyler, several businesses said they picked up just as much traffic on the first day of the tax-free weekend as well. Continue reading Tax-free weekend kicks off for back-to-school shoppers

HENDERSON – Our news partner KETK reports that the Henderson Police Department is currently trying to identify a man potentially involved in an assault that they say happened at a local gas station on Thursday.

According to the department, the man pictured to the left was involved in an assault that happened at the Fast Stop South in Henderson on Thursday at around 8 p.m.

The department described the man as a Hispanic male with black hair, a black beard and mustache, wearing a green long sleeve shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information on the assault is asked to called detective Randolph at 903-657-3512.

LINDALE — A boy is in the hospital and a family dog is dead following a Lindale house fire that engulfed a residence around 11 a.m. on Friday, officials said.

According to Lindale Assistant Fire Chief Troy Prichard, a single story residence located at the 12900 block of County Road 474 was almost fully engulfed with flames when fire crews arrived around 11:18 a.m. Crews discovered that the home and a nearby car were on fire, along with downed power lines at the scene.

Assistant Fire Chief Prichard said a 13-year-old boy was sent to a local hospital in stable condition to be treated for possible smoke inhalation and a family dog died as a result of the fire. Prichard also believes the home is a “total loss” and the cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Smith County Fire Marshalls.

ATHENS – Our news partner KETK reports that the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) in Athens announced an “emergency closure” Thursday night, just weeks after it reopened to the public.

According to TFFC, the fishery will be closed to visitors until further notice due to unforeseen circumstances and safety concerns. This announcement follows just five weeks after they reopened to the public on July 1. The fishery said that they look forward to welcoming back the public soon and they apologize for any inconvenience.

KILGORE – An East Texas father was sentenced to 20 months in jail after his son died from a swimming accident at a Kilgore hotel in 2021, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

On April 25, 2021, 2-year-old Luke Wayne Killough was about to go swimming with his sister at the Kilgore Holiday Inn and Suites when he fell into the hot tub. Luke’s sister tried to save him, but was unable to, so she ran and got her father, Scotty Wayne Killough, who was nearby, making a bottle for his baby. She told her dad that her “boogie,” a nickname for her brother, was floating face-down in the hot tub. According to the mother, Dominique, Scotty ran over, pulled Luke from the water and performed CPR until medical personnel arrived. He was then care-flighted to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, where he died five days later due to brain trauma. Continue reading Father gets 20-month sentence due to toddler’s death

TYLER – Two lanes are currently closed going north on Old Jacksonville Highway due to a three-vehicle crash, according to a report from our news partner, KETK.

The crash took place on Dueling Oaks Drive and Old Jacksonville Highway, and one vehicle is currently on its side. First responders are currently on the scene. The condition of the vehicles’ occupants remains unknown.

Updates will be made as soon as they become available.

ANDERSON COUNTY – A suspect has been taken into custody on Thursday afternoon following a fatal shooting in Tennesse Colony, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

Following the shooting, the Palestine Police Department spoke with a witness who identified the suspect as 23-year-old Cyrus Johnson, who allegedly told her he had killed a woman and left her there. The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office later received information from a caller who found the victim’s body in a parking lot near the intersection of State Highway 321 and FM 246. The victim was identified as 20-year-old Kia-Patrick Roushelle Walker, who had previously dated Johnson, law enforcement confirmed.

Investigators found Johnson on Thursday around 12:30 p.m. at a rest stop on U.S. Highway 69 near Jacksonville, and he was taken into custody after being charged with murder. Officials then took a vehicle into custody and recovered a firearm during the arrest.

The sheriff’s office said there are no further details regarding the case available at this time.

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department said that a 45-year-old man was arrested on Thursday for allegedly approaching an 11-year-old girl while he was wearing a diaper and a pacifier, according to press release from the Tyler Police Department.

Tyler Police officers responded to Andy Woods Elementary School on Fry Avenue in Tyler on July 29 because of a report that a man was making lewd comments to an 11-year-old girl while wearing only a diaper and a pacifier. The girl quickly rode away from the man on her bicycle, Tyler PD said.

Wesley Worl, 45 of Tyler, was arrested on Thursday at his workplace without incident, and charged with criminal solicitation of a minor and criminal trespassing in connection to the incident at Andy Woods. He is currently being held at the Smith County Jail on a total bond of $600,000.

SMITH COUNTY – The 2026 proposed budget will keep property taxes the same, but organizations will receive the same amount as last year, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

The Smith County Historical Society is one of 15 organizations that currently get money from the county.

They receive a little more than $3,000, which goes to lawn and trash maintenance. At last week’s commissioners court meeting, they requested nearly $13,000 more to fix up Camp Ford.

“What we submitted was just the bare minimum of what’s needed to kind of keep the place safe for visitors,” Andy Bergfeld, president of the Historical Society, said. Continue reading Smith County budget won’t increase donations to non-profits

TYLER – On Wednesday, August 6th at approximately 11:45am officers with the Tyler Police Department responded to a child left in a vehicle at Stanton Optical on S. Broadway Ave. According to a press release from the Tyler Police Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh, it was determined that an 8-week-old child had been left in a car that was not running by her mother during an eye appointment. The mother was identified as Adasia Henderson, a 22-year-old female from Tyler. The child was in the car for over an hour when police were notified. The child was transported to a local hospital by EMS for treatment and observation.

Henderson was arrested for Abandoning/Endangering a Child, a felony offense.