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TYLER – With December here, that means there are Christmas light displays for you and your loved ones to enjoy. Our news partner KETK has a complete list for you. You can find it here.

LONGVIEW – A Longview middle school student was placed in custody Friday morning after threats were allegedly made against students and staff. According to our news partner KETK, Longview Police say a student allegedly made threats at Foster Middle School Friday mid-morning. A school resource officer looked into the complaint which led to a student being taken off Foster Middle School premises and transported to the Gregg County Juvenile Detention Center. The student was charged with making terroristic threats, which are a third-degree felony.

TYLER – After getting new DNA evidence, Tyler Police Wednesday arrested a man in connection to the 2005 sexual assault of two women. According to our news partner KETK, 40-year-old Jimmie Earl Gamble Jr. of Smith County was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault. TPD say the new DNA evidence was given to them by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Gamble is currently in the Smith County Jail on a $600,000 bond.

TYLER — Tyler Animal Control and Shelter is offering a ‘White Christmas Adoption Special” through December. When you make an adoption and donate 12 white towels, the shelter will waive the adoption fees. The standard adoption fee for dogs is $120 and $80 for cats. Animals adopted from Tyler Animal Services are spayed/neutered, micro-chipped and vaccinated. The towels will be used for the animals at the shelter. To adopt, view available animals or submit an application, go to the Tyler Animal Services webpage.

ARP — A man wanted in both Texas and Louisiana was arrested in Arp earlier this month after a pursuit with police. According to our news partner KETK, Arp PD announced on Wednesday that the Smith County Sheriff’s Office pursued a Chevrolet Camaro with a stolen license plate on Nov. 18 but were unable to continue their pursuit. Officials said a short time later an Arp police officer saw the car traveling on Highway 64 E and attempted to stop the car. The officer pursued the suspect for a short time before the Camaro experienced mechanical issues. The driver fled, and police said he was soon caught by the officer. Dealvin Darnell was arrested for evading arrest and possession of a controlled substance between four grams and 200 grams. Continue reading Wanted man arrested following police pursuit

TYLER — The Tyler city council voted on Thursday evening to suspend CenterPoint Energy’s filing to raise its costs. “The city has taken action by law that it can take,” said Tyler City Attorney Deborah Pullum. The city council took only a few minutes to suspend the filing, our news partner KETK reports. CenterPoint Energy gave the city of Tyler a notice of a proposed rate increase of 5.8% that would go into effect on Dec. 4 if no action was taken by the city. Hence why the city council met on Thursday. Pullum said they want to make sure the city and its businesses get to a fair number. “I think it’s important for all parties obviously and important to the customers because they only want to be charged fair rates but they also want to be able to get the services that they need,” added Pullum. Officials said they expect to have ongoing talks with the company and have 90 days to come to a decision with CenterPoint Energy on a rate.

TYLER — According to Smith County judicial records, the State of Texas has decided to not seek the death penalty for Steven Alexander Smith, a man accused of killing two Tyler dentists in 2022. According to our news partner KETK, 59-year-old Dr. Blake G. Sinclair and 75-year-old Dr. Jack E. Burroughs were both shot to death at Affordable Dentures & Implants in March of 2022. At the time, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said that Steven was a patient at the clinic when an altercation about dentures started. Steven allegedly went out to his vehicle, came back into the office, and shot Sinclair and Burroughs. “[He] went out and retrieved medium-caliber pistol from his vehicle, returned inside and started shooting,” said Sheriff Smith. Steven was later arrested outside of his home and indicted in May. His jury trial is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2024.

ATHENS — A former Athens school bus driver charged in connection to a fatal crash with a train in 2019 had his charges dismissed. According to our news partner KETK, in a Henderson County court on Nov. 21, 83-year-old John Franklin Stevens had his injury to a child and criminally negligent homicide cases dismissed. He was charged in connection to a January 2019 crash with a Union Pacific train that killed 13-year-old Christopher Bonilla and injured 9-year-old Joselyne Torres. He was driving the bus at the time when it was hit by the train and reportedly was pushed one-quarter of a mile before coming to a stop. Continue reading Charges dismissed for fatal bus crash

SMITH COUNTY — The executive director of the Sheriff’s Association of Texas has resigned in lieu of termination after being accused of misappropriation of funds. According to our news partner KETK, Smith County Sheriff and President of SAT Larry Smith announced on Thursday that Executive Director Steve Westbrook is accused of misappropriating the association’s funds after receiving two tips from employees on Nov. 16. On Nov. 17, Smith received confirmation that the Texas Attorney General’s Office was investigating the case and secured documents. Continue reading Executive Director of Texas Sheriff’s Association under investigation

TYLER – Five people have been found guilty of violating the Anti-Kickback Statue in connection to a $1.2 billion dollar healthcare kickback conspiracy,  U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs said on Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, those convicted were Susan L. Hertzberg, 65 of New York, New York, Matthew John Theiler, 57 of Mars, Pennsylvania, David Weldon Kraus, 65 of Loudon, Tennessee, Thomas Gray Hardaway, 51 of San Antonio and Jeffrey Paul Madison, 48 of Georgetown.
Continue reading Five convicted in $1.2 billion healthcare kickback scheme

TYLER – Our news partner KETK reports that Tyler ISD notified families on Thursday that internet and phone lines are down district-wide as of 11:40 a.m. In a statement, the district said that they are aware of the outage and are working to restore it. No timeline was given for a resolution.

TYLER – Tyler Junior College’s DrumBeat Student Media has earned three Pinnacle awards from the College Media Association in Atlanta. According to our news partner KETK, DrumBeat Student Media placed second for division III periodic newspaper of the year, two-year radio station of the year and two-year TV station of the year. TJC’s student journalists competed with 600 CMA college publications across the United States.
Continue reading TJC’s DrumBeat Student Media receives national honor

TYLER – Three people were indicted in the shooting death of an Army veteran in his Tyler home earlier this year. According to our news partner KETK, Stephanie Brasher, Anthony Taylor and Herbert Simpson were indicted by a Smith County court with capital murder Nov. 19. They’re charged with the February 6 shooting death of 61-year-old Warren Edward Rogers. Tyler Police arrested Brasher, Taylor and Simpson on capital murder charges and they remain in the Smith County jail on a $1 million bond each.

TYLER — The downtown Tyler area is now set for Christmas, but a big part of the celebration will be missing. In a public statement made on Monday, the Tyler Rotary Clubs shared why the Rose City Christmas Parade could not have been rescheduled. Locals were reportedly not happy with the decision, saying the event serves a vital purpose every year. “That parade is kind of important for the downtown businesses and for Tyler at large and for East Texas,” said Tyler resident, Aaron Thomas Hinds. The Rotary Clubs of Tyler released the following statement: Continue reading More details following Rose City Christmas Parade cancellation

LONGVIEW – Longview Regional Medical said Tuesday that one of their cardiovascular surgeons was named to the Diamond Level of the Beating Heart Hall of Fame. According to our news partner KETK, Dr. David Jayakar with the cardiovascular team at the Heart and Vascular Institute at Longview Regional Medical is the 47th person in the U.S, but the first in East Texas, to achieve this level. Dr Jayakar completed more than 1,100 off-pump coronary artery bypass procedures, according to the hospital.
Continue reading Longview surgeon named to Beating Heart Hall of Fame

TYLER – A former Tyler ISD substitute teacher was arrested on Tuesday after middle school student reported he had been sexually assaulted. According to his arrest warrant, and our colleagues at KETK Tyler ISD police were called to Hubbard Middle School on Oct. 27 after a 13-year-old student reported to the principal that substitute Davian Hunter, 29 of Tyler, had followed him into a bathroom. The warrant said district police spoke with the student and the principal contacted human resources “to ask that Hunter not be allowed to sub on any campus pending the outcome of the investigation.” Continue reading Ex-Tyler ISD substitute allegedly assaulted student

MARSHALL — A Shreveport man was arrested for driving while intoxicated and child endangerment after a wreck on Thanksgiving according to our news colleagues at KETK. The Marshall Police Department said 31-year-old Louis Elliot Tackett was booked into the Harrison County Jail and given a $77,000 bond. Police said Tackett was driving erratically on I-20 when he took the westbound exit ramp at East End Boulevard South, ran a red light and hit an 18-wheeler in the intersection. Tackett allegedly put his car in reverse and tried to back down the ramp before his vehicle jumped a curb and came to a rest. Responding officers said Tackett appeared impaired and had three children as passengers in his vehicle. No injuries were reported and children were put in the care of relatives, police said.

EAST TEXAS — East Texas Council Of Governments announces its Executive Committee approved the renewal of purchasing the Smart911 mass notification system as a part of its public safety program for the thirteenth consecutive year. This system allows ETCOG to partner with East Texas’ city and county emergency management coordinators to send messages quickly notifying citizens about emergencies such as: tornadoes and storm events, drinking water contamination, utility outages, evacuation notices and routes, missing persons, chemical spills or gas leaks and other emergency incidents where rapid and accurate notification is essential. Continue reading ETCOG funds Smart911 Emergency Mass Notification System

KILGORE — The City of Kilgore kicked off their the holiday season with their 92nd annual Christmas parade. According to our news partner KETK, the streets were filled with families in downtown Kilgore to see all of the floats go by in the themed ‘Rocking around the Christmas tree’ parade. Sheroa Hennigan, a resident, has watched the floats go by for more than 30 years. “This is one of the big highlights is the parade and we just absolutely love our small time feel, get to walk the city and get to do fun things and enjoy the lights and all the friends we get to see,” said Hennigan. For some it is a long time tradition to bring your loved ones and set out lawn chairs. For others it is a tradition to be apart of the parade. “We put it in a lot of parades. This is about the tenth time it’s been in this parade. We enjoy doing this its a lot of fun,” said Tulley Borders, a parade participant. Continue reading Kilgore kicks off holidays with 92nd Christmas parade

TYLER — UT Health East Texas confirmed that they are off divert status as of Tuesday morning and are treating patients in emergency rooms, hospitals and clinics.  The initial divert status was issued following a ransomware attack on the computer system of their parent company, Ardent Health Services. That’s according to our news partner KETK. Ransomware is designed to encrypt files and make them unusable before a hacker demands ransom in exchange for decryption. As of Monday, Ardent said it “cannot confirm the extent of any patient health or financial data that has been compromised,” but said they reported the event to law enforcement and hired third-party forensic and threat intelligence advisors. Ardent took its network offline after the attack, but that is no longer the case. Continue reading UT Health East Texas drops divert status

JEFFERSON– The Marion County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help in finding a 60-year-old cyclist last seen Friday in Jefferson. According to our news partner KETK, missing is Clyde Finely. Finley is a Black man . He’s 6-foot-tall, 180-pounds with black hair and blue eyes. Finely is known to be a long distance cyclist. The Marion County Sheriff’s ask if you have information to please call them at 903-665-3961.

TYLER – Even though the Christmas tree lighting in downtown Tyler was postponed due to weather, city employees put up Tyler’s new Christmas tree Monday night. According to our news partner KETK, the 30-foot artificial tree is topped off with an extra 5-foot star and has more than 1,800 ornaments. The Christmas tree lighting, which was originally set for Thursday, now is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. next Thursday. At that time, Tyler Mayor Don Warren and this year’s Miracle Child will be introduced and they will light up the tree.

TYLER – Our news colleagues at KETK report that former Bishop of the Diocese of Tyler Joseph E. Strickland released an open letter to the community on Monday after his forcible removal by the Pope earlier this month. In the letter, Strickland said he was asked to meet with the Apostolic Nuncio of the United States where he was read a list of reasons why he was being removed. He said he would like to make these reasons available but was not given a copy of the list. Strickland wrote that the reasons read to him “seemed to be related, for the most part, to my speaking the Truth of our Catholic faith, and to my warnings against anything that threatened that Truth” and mentioned him “not walking alongside my brother bishops as I defended the Church and her unchangeable teachings.” Continue reading Former Bishop pens open letter to community

TYLER — A local food pantry received a donation to feed and clothe people in need. According to our news partner KETK, on Monday, St. Vincent De Paul received a $30,000 check from the Tyler Friends of the Poor at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Center. According to the organization, the money will be used to help feed and clothe those in need. “We have to supply the food for our food pantry, this is a tremendous support in that aspect for our ministry,” said Grace Vierling, the executive director at St. Vincent De Paul.

TYLER — The Rose City Christmas Parade, scheduled for Thursday, November 30, has been canceled due to potential severe weather. The announcement was issued by the parade committee on Monday. Continue reading Rose City Christmas Parade canceled

HARRISON COUNTY — The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a 28-year-old Tyler man shot at the home of his ex-girlfriend. According to our news partner KETK, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office received a call on the morning of Nov. 23 from a women about shots fired  in Longview. The woman explained her ex-boyfriend had shown up at her residence and that another man had shot him. When investigators arrived they found Diante Hampton unconscious. Hampton was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Sheriff’s Office said the case is still open and they will release further details when they are available