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TYLER – A UT Tyler employee was placed on leave after allegedly claiming the university is still doing DEI work, despite new state laws banning the office. DEI, or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Offices, were banned from public higher education institutions in a law that took effect on Jan. 1. The law states that higher education workers can no longer sign any statements dedicated to upholding DEI or attend trainings that reference “race, color, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation.” Our news partner KETK reports that they have launched an investigation into the employee.

According to an article posted by the Texas Scorecard, and part of an investigation and video by Accuracy in Media, UT Tyler Director of Student Belonging, identified as Tarecka Payne, told an undercover investigator that the university had to change the name of its DEI department three times. The article states she said the university can still do DEI work, but they just have to be “creative.” Continue reading Employee accuses UT Tyler of skirting DEI laws

LIVINGSTON — According to our news partner KETK, newly released documents obtained by Houston-area NBC affiliate KPRC sheds light on the death of an 11-year-old Livingston girl that went missing on Feb. 15. According to records from the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office, the examiner ruled that Cunningham’s cause of death was due to “homicidal violence with blunt head trauma.”

According to Polk County records, Don Steven McDougal, 42, was with the victim, Audrii Cunningham, on the morning of Feb. 15. Records show that McDougal and the child left Cunningham’s home in the suspect’s 2003 Chevrolet Suburban with the intent of dropping off the child at a school bus stop outside of the subdivision. Authorities said Cunningham never made it to Creekside Elementary school that day. McDougal was reportedly a friend of the Cunningham family, resided on their property in a camper and had access to the victim’s home. An Amber Alert was issued later that night and law enforcement began a search for the missing girl. Continue reading Cause of death of 11-year-old Livingston girl released

TYLER – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday the names of two people employed by the county are being used in recent phone scams. According to our news partner KETK, the caller will say he is either Sgt. Tim Jones or Sgt. Justin Hall and will claim to be with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office civil processing division, needing to discuss an urgent matter. Authorities say the discussion always ends with the victim owning money.

Officials say in a release that, “The Smith County Sheriff’s Office employs both a Sgt. Tim Jones and Sgt. Justin Hall, but their names are just being used for the purpose of scamming individuals,” officials said. “If you receive a call from anyone advising that they are a law enforcement official and you owe money, please just hang up.”

If you want to verify a scam, your asked to call the sheriff’s office non-emergency number at 903-566-6600.

TYLER — Friday is the deadline to get your applications for mail-in ballots to the Smith County Elections Office. Applications for ballots by mail must be received, not just postmarked, by the Elections Office by 5 p.m. Friday, February 23. The applications can be found here. The ballots can be delivered in person to the Elections Office, located at 302 E. Feguson St., by the person applying for a mail-in ballot or by a mail delivery worker and no other person. An application can be faxed to 903-590-4778 or emailed to [email protected] by February 23, but the original must be mailed or delivered to the office within four days, before the ballot can be mailed to the voter. Continue reading Applications for mail-in ballots due Friday

TYLER – It has 30 days since Harley Morris of Tyler disappeared. The Tyler Police Department said there is no new information on the missing 29-year-old. According to our news partner KETK, Morris was last seen Jan. 21 leaving the 50 Grand Club in Tyler about 3 a.m.

Andy Erbaugh, Public Information Officer for Tyler PD, said “Unless we know where to look, or put the drones or send the dogs, then we don’t have a location and nowhere to send them. Game wardens have been assisting us with their drones looking at wooded areas and just last weekend the game wardens were out with their drones looking and certain areas.”
Continue reading Search for missing Tyler man continues

AUSTIN – Thursday Gov. Greg Abbott announced the reappointment of Gary Halbrooks as the presiding officer of the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority. According to a release from the governors office, Halbrooks, whose a Tyler native, is president and CEO of Venue Properties Inc. He has served as a Smith County appointee on the NET RMA since 2012 and has been the presiding officer since 2021. The NET RMA serves to finance, acquire, design, construct, operate, maintain and expand transportation projects in 14 counties in North Texas.

DALLAS (AP) – A number of Americans are dealing with cellular outages on AT&T, Cricket Wireless, Verizon, T-Mobile and other service providers, according to data from Downdetector. AT&T had more than 64,000 outages this morning, in locations including Houston, Atlanta and Chicago. The outages began at approximately 3:30 a.m. ET. The carrier has more than 240 million subscribers, the country’s largest. Cricket Wireless had more than 13,000, the outage tracking website said Thursday. Verizon had more than 4,000 outages and T-Mobile had more than 1,900 outages. Boost Mobile had about 700 outages. So far, no reason has been given for the outages. Representatives for AT&T, Verizon and Cricket weren’t immediately available to comment.

LIVINGSTON (AP) — A family friend accused of killing 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham was supposed to take the Texas girl to her school bus stop when they left her home in his vehicle nearly a week before authorities found her body in a river, according to court documents released Wednesday. A large rock was tied to her body when search teams found it Tuesday in the Trinity River in a rural area north of Houston about 10 miles from her home, according to the capital murder criminal complaint filed Tuesday against Don Steven McDougal.

Audrii’s family reported her missing on Feb. 15 when she failed to return to her Livingston home after school. Investigators discovered that she never got on the bus to go to school that morning.
McDougal, 42, lived in a camper on the family’s property near the shore of Lake Livingston and had previously taken Audrii to the bus stop or to school when she missed the bus, according to Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons.
Continue reading Murder charges in the death of Audrii Cunningham

CARTHAGE – Carthage Independent School District announced Tuesday they are welcoming a new director of safety and security. According to our news partner KETK, Darrin Peeples joins the district after being a Texas Game Warden for almost 14 years. Peeples has a bachelor’s in agriculture leadership and development from Texas A&M University.

Carthage ISD Superintendent Jarrod Bitter said, “We are thrilled to welcome Darrin Peeples to our team as the Director of Safety and Security. His extensive background in law enforcement and specialization in school safety makes him an incredibly valuable asset to our district. I look forward to working with Mr. Peeples to ensure the safety and security of our students, staff, and community.”

Peeples also obtained certificates from Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, EMS training and as an ALICE active threat trainer.

MARSHALL — Marshall drivers were asked to avoid the intersection of Highways 59 and 80 due to an unusual road hazard Tuesday morning. According to our news partner KETK, Marshall police said a “chicken gut truck” left a “trail of blood and gore” on the roadway. Police asked drivers to steer clear of the bloody lane as a hazmat crew cleaned the scene. “Drive safe, watch out for feathers, and maybe… keep your windows rolled up for this stretch,” police said. “Thanks for your coop-eration!”

CROCKETT — The Crockett Police Department said a woman was arrested on Monday for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend and attempting to stab a police officer. According to our news partner KETK, the police department and a deputy with the Houston County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the 300 block of Rose Street in reference to an assault at around 2:08 a.m. The caller reportedly told dispatch his girlfriend, Jhaeneisha Deshay Anderson, 40 of Crockett, had assaulted and injured him. When authorities arrived at the scene, they reportedly saw the man had multiple injuries to several areas of his body and officers learned that Anderson was heavily intoxicated and aggressive. Police said Anderson was barricaded inside the residence with three of her children.

Officers obtained keys to the residence and unlocked the door after Anderson reportedly refused to leave the residence. Continue reading Woman arrested after attempting to stab officer

PALESTINE – The City of Palestine Police Department said that two individuals were arrested following a traffic stop that led to the discovery of alleged drug paraphernalia. According to our news partner KETK on Sunday night around 10 p.m., Palestine PD reports that they made a traffic stop near for traffic violations on a vehicle that they had observed leaving a “known drug trafficking area.” Authorities had reasonable suspicion and detained and investigated the two individuals in the vehicle. They said the driver was identified as Sheila Brantley, 63 of Palestine, and the passenger provided an identity that officers determined to be false.

Officials said that after being asked to exit the vehicle, the passenger allegedly became uncooperative and resisted arrest, after being restrained and secured in a patrol vehicle she was identified as Janna Linderman, 49 of Palestine. Palestine PD said that as Brantley exited the vehicle, they noticed a metal pipe allegedly connected to drug use falling from her clothing, the pipe was later tested and tested positive for cocaine. Continue reading Two arrests in known drug trafficking area

TYLER– Ruby’s Mexican Restaurant announced on Tuesday a man has been arrested after breaking into their location on Gentry Parkway. “We want to thank our Tyler Police officers for responding right away and finding this guy,” the restaurant said. “Our most important priority is our employees and their safety, and they can now breathe a little knowing this guy is off the streets.” According to our news partner KETK, Tyler PD responded to the location around 6:30 a.m. where Timothy Gardner, 26 of Tyler, was arrested for burglary of a building.

In a post to social media, the restaurant said someone had broken into the location and “ransacked the place.” No employee was reported to be injured, according to the restaurant.

CHEROKEE COUNTY – A Jacksonville man died last Thursday after a crash on Highway 110, half a mile south of Ponta according to our news partners at KETK. A DPS preliminary crash report states that 38-year-old Mark McGowan was walking south on SH110 in the northbound lane around 10:04 p.m. when he was hit by a 2017 GMC pickup towing a trailer headed north. McGowan died at the scene, DPS said. The investigation is ongoing.

WINONA – According to our news partner KETK Winona Volunteer Fire Department Lieutenant Joseph Boehm died in a car crash on Saturday night. Boehm was 29-years-old and had been a member of Winona VFD since 2021. According to the department, Boehm had got his firefighter 1 and 2 certifications and in 2023, he was promoted to lieutenant. He was awarded Rookie of the year his first year of service, and firefighter of the year the last two years in a row. He leaves behind his loving wife, three children, extended family members.

Boehm’s funeral service will be held at Stewart Funeral Home in Tyler at 10 a.m. on Thursday. Donations for his family’s funeral expenses can be sent to the funeral home in the care of Winona Volunteer Fire Department or to directly to the department via Cash App at $WinonaFireDepartment.

WINNSBORO – Winnsboro ISD and the Texas High School Bass Association report that a student died after passing out at the weigh-in Saturday for the Lake Bob Sandlin bass tournament. According to our news partner KETK, school officials said that Kale Robinson, a junior, passed out during the tournament weigh-in and was taken to an area hospital where he died later.

A statement from Winsboro ISD said, “It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the sudden and tragic loss of one of our Winnsboro High School students. Our entire Winnsboro ISD family is devastated by this heartbreaking news. Tomorrow, we will have counselors and local area youth pastors available at the high school to provide support for our students and staff as we navigate through this difficult time together. Please know that we are here for you, and we will do everything we can to help you through this. As a community, we are mourning this loss, and we will come together not only as a school but as a community to support each other during this incredibly challenging time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of our beloved student. #WinnsboroStrong“

According to the THSBA, Robinson had fished with the association for three years and had caught his personal best on Saturday.

JACKSONVILLE – The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said that an arrest has been made in connection to the shooting death of a 17-year-old Wednesday night in Maydelle. According to our news partner KETK, 20-year-old Isiah Mallord of Jackonville was arrested for murder and is being held at a local hospital in stable condition before he is transported to the Cherokee County Jail. Authorities say that Wednesday night on CR 1804 in Maydelle, Mallord got into a fight with Jayden Polk, a Jacksonville High School student. That fight escalated into the shooting in which deputies found Polk dead. Mallord was taken to a hospital for treatment by private transport for his gunshot wound.

Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson said “It’s a devastating event for our community. We’ve got a 17-year-old kid who is deceased over something stupid. It was a situation that didn’t have to happen and it turned deadly.”

MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department said that they’ve arrested a 23-year-old woman following allegations of an “improper relationship between a teacher and a 16-year-old student” at a Marshall ISD school. According to our news partner KETK, Margaret Claire Burris of Marshall was arrested Saturday morning after a search warrant executed on a student’s cell phone revealed text messages and photos exchanged between Burris and the student were inappropriate, and at times explicit.

Marshall ISD superintendent Dr. Richard Langley, reportedly found out about the texting accusations Tuesday morning. The teacher accused was placed on immediate administrative leave. Following her arrest, Burris was charged with an improper relationship between educator and student. She is currently in Harrison County Jail on a $20,000 bond.

TYLER – The second person wanted for murder in Tyler has been arrested. According to our news partner KETK, a 16-year-old minor boy was arrested by law enforcement in Anderson County late Friday afternoon. He is currently in the Smith County Juvenile Detention Center. The teen was arrested in the death of 20-year-old Nathan Martin of Tyler. Martin was found on the shoulder of Highway 69 North near CR 489 Feb. 7 with an apparent fatal gunshot wound. Also arrested was 25-year-old Joshua Bryant of Unk. Bryant was arrested Feb. 8 for capital murder and was booked into the Smith County Jail on a $1 million bond.

LIVINGSTON — The Texas Department of Public Safety said that they’ve arrested one of the persons of interest involved in the disappearance of an 11-year-old girl last seen in Livingston on Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, 42-year-old Don Steven McDougal was reportedly arrested Friday on an unrelated aggravated assault charge. However, officials believe that McDougal’s dark blue 2003 Chevrolet Suburban was involved in the disappearance of Audrii Cunningham. Authorities say that while McDougal has been talking to investigators, he has not confessed to anything.

Audrii was last seen Thursday around 7 a.m. In Livingston on Lakeside Drive. She is described as being approximately 75 pounds, 4’11, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was reportedly last seen wearing a black hoodie with white lettering, camo backpack, black pants and black high top tennis shoes.
Continue reading Person of interest in missing Livingston girl arrested

MARSHALL – Marshall ISD said that they’ve placed a teacher on administrative leave after they were accused of “inappropriate text communication with a student.” According to our news partner KETK, Marshall ISD superintendent Dr. Richard Langley, reportedly found out about the texting accusations Tuesday morning. The teacher accused was placed on immediate administrative leave. The Marshall Police Department have opened an investigation and more information will be released when the investigation is complete.

UPSHUR COUNTY – Upshur County District Attorney Billy Byrd said that Michael Caffey was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday for the murder of his father Timothy Caffey. Byrd said that Timothy Caffey, 66, had taken his son Michael off the street in order to help him but that Michael reportedly started using methamphetamines and demanded money from his father. According to our news partner KETK, Timothy was murdered at his home in the Latch community on March 26 of 2023. Byrd said Michael was arrested the next day in Liberty City while wearing clothes reportedly covered in his father’s blood. Byrd thanked the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office investigators Rob Bowen, Michael Barton and Linda Roberts, his investigator Jon Warren, citizens who provided information and the jury for bringing this case to a decision.

WHITE OAK – A White Oak man pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife and was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday. According to court records, James Michael Alexander Sr, 64 of White Oak, pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. In July, officials reported finding the body of a deceased woman in the 100 block of Larkspur, who was identified as Kimberly Alexander, 61. Police later found James at a hotel room in Longview that he had leased, and he was taken into custody without incident.

GLADEWATER, Texas – In a wave that began in the 2022-23 school year, more east Texas school districts have transitioned to a four-day school week. A recent survey taken in the Gladewater ISD could see the district join the ever-growing list soon. According to our news partner KETK, 72% of parents, 78% of students, and 92% of employees voted in favor of the school week being shortened. But Superintendent Sedric Clark noticed that a second polling of parents actually saw a decrease in there approval. “It was in the 70’s the first time. This time, it was at 67%,” Clark said. The district is preparing to host several meetings where parents are able to voice their opinion.