Can you make your Apple Wallet better? Yes. Go get David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called Pass4Wallet. You can find Pass4Wallet in the Apple Store.
Water line break fixed on SW Loop 323
UPDATE: Tyler Water Utilities crews and the contractor have completed repairs to the 12″ water line at SW Loop 323 in front of the KETK News building. The water supply has been restored and affected businesses and residents have been notified.
TYLER — Contractors and City crews are currently on-site making repairs to the water line break. Affected businesses and residents have been notified. The water supply in the area will be turned off by 10 a.m. to allow crews to complete the repairs. We anticipate water to be restored around 5 p.m. Areas impacted include KETK News, Jalapeno Tree, Towne Oaks Plaza shopping mall and some residences in the Richmond Road neighborhood.
Background: On Tuesday, Jan. 21, Tyler Water Utilities (TWU) identified a break in a 12″ water line at SW Loop 323 in front of the KETK News building.
Man sentenced after touching an East Texas child
CASS COUNTY — Our news partner KETK is reporting that an Arkansas man has been sentenced to 40 years after touching an East Texas child while he and his fiancé visited her family’s home.
The Cass County Criminal District Attorney said that Dillon Austin Venson, 24 of Pocahontas, AR., was found guilty of two counts of indecency with a child by contact and not guilty on an aggravated charge. Venson was sentenced to a total of 40 years in prison and will not be eligible for parole until he has served half the time, along with a $10,000 fine on each charge. According to the DA’s office, during the spring and summer of 2023, Venson and his fiancé visited the victim and her family at their home in Queen City.
During the first occasion, the victim younger than 14, woke up to Venson touching her leg and moving his hand to her private area the document stated, the DA’s office said. He then proceeded to touch her private area over her underwear. Continue reading Man sentenced after touching an East Texas child
Henderson ISD announces new superintendent
HENDERSON, Texas (KETK) — Henderson ISD board of trustees named Brian Bowman as the new superintendent, expected to begin in February. Bowman will bring over 20 years of educational leadership experience to HISD, much of it being in East Texas according to our news partner KETK.
Bowman currently serves as superintendent of Diboll ISD where he “managed a $20 million budget, secured major grants to enhance infrastructure and programming and implemented initiatives that improved student outcomes.” He has also spent time in the classroom as an administrator in a number of school districts including Gilmer High School where he served as principal. While he was principal, he lead the campus to achieve many academic distinctions and strengthen ties with the community.
Earlier in his career, Bowman was Director of Community and Media Relations at Longview ISD. While in this position, he managed public relations during a $267 million district bond project and expanded parent engagement initiatives. Continue reading Henderson ISD announces new superintendent
Hawkins city council votes to retain police department
HAWKINS — According to our news partner the Hawkins City Council held a special council meeting on Tuesday, where members voted 4-1 to retain the police department, despite the recent resignation of their police chief on Jan. 14. During the meeting, a public forum was held to allow residents to express their opinions on the decision. Emotions ran high as community members voiced their concerns. One resident stated, “Let’s get rid of them and start fresh,” while another added, “I just want security. I want to know my business is secure.” A third expressed fear, saying, “I’m scared to have these officers around if they’re not protecting us — the ones we have aren’t doing their job.”
Mayor Debbie Rushing explained that, under the current leadership, she could no longer guarantee the safety of the community, citing concerns that officers were not following the law.
The room was divided, with some advocating for the disbandment, while others voiced concerns about what the city would look like without a local police force and called for improvements within the department rather than its dissolution. Continue reading Hawkins city council votes to retain police department
Anita Bryant, a popular singer who became known for opposition to gay rights, dead at age 84
NEW YORK (AP) — Anita Bryant, a former Miss Oklahoma, Grammy-nominated singer and prominent booster of orange juice and other products who became known over the second half of her life for her outspoken opposition to gay rights, has died. She was 84.
Bryant died Dec. 16 at her home in Edmond, Oklahoma, according to a statement posted by her family to news site The Oklahoman on Thursday. The family did not list a cause of death.
Bryant was a Barnsdall native who began singing at an early age, and was just 12 when she hosted her own local television show. She was named Miss Oklahoma in 1958 and soon began a successful recording career. Her hit singles included “Till There Was You,” “Paper Roses” and “My Little Corner of the World.” A lifelong Christian, she received two Grammy nominations for best sacred performance and one for best spiritual performance, for the album “Anita Bryant … Naturally.”
By the late 1960s, she was among the entertainers joining Bob Hope on his USO tours for troops overseas, had sung at the White House and performed at the national conventions for both the Democrats and Republicans in 1968. She also became a highly visible commercial spokesperson, her ads for Florida orange juice featuring the tag line, “A day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.”
But in the late 1970s, her life and career began a dramatically new path. Unhappy with the cultural changes of the time, Bryant led a successful campaign to repeal an ordinance in Florida’s Miami-Dade County that would have prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation. Supported by the Rev. Jerry Falwell among others, Bryant and her “Save Our Children” coalition continued to oppose gay rights around the country, denouncing the “deviant lifestyle” of the gay community and calling gays “human garbage.”
Bryant became the object of much criticism in return. Activists organized boycotts against products she endorsed, designed T-shirts mocking her and named a drink for her — a variation of the screwdriver that replaced orange juice with apple juice. During an appearance in Iowa, an activist jammed a pie in her face. Her career in entertainment declined, her marriage to her first husband, Bob Green, broke up, and she later filed for bankruptcy.
In Florida, her legacy was challenged and perpetuated. The ban against sexual discrimination was restored in 1998. Tom Lander, an LGBTQ+ activist and board member of the advocacy group Safe Schools South Florida, told The Associated Press on Friday, “She won the campaign, but she lost the battle in time.” But Lander also acknowledged the “parental rights” movement, which has spurred a recent wave book bannings and anti-LGBTQ+ laws in Florida led by such conservative organizations as Moms for Liberty.
“It’s so connected to what’s happening today,” Lander said.
Bryant spent the latter part of her life in Oklahoma, where she led Anita Bryant Ministries International. Her second husband, NASA test astronaut Charles Hobson Dry, died last year. According to her family’s statement, she is survived by four children, two stepdaughters and seven grandchildren.
Tyler ISD Foundation to Award $100K in Grants
Tyler — 
The Tyler ISD Foundation will visit Tyler ISD campuses on Wednesday, January 22, to award 35 grants totaling $100,000. Through its annual Grants for Great Ideas program, the grants will positively impact 17 campuses or facilities. The Grants for Great Ideas program encourages, facilitates, recognizes, and rewards innovative and creative instructional approaches that are not already supported by campus budgets. Throughout the day, Tyler ISD Foundation members, district administrators, and special guests will take their celebratory Grant Patrol caravan through campus hallways to surprise teachers by presenting checks that fund their projects. Since its creation in 1990, the Tyler ISD Foundation has gifted more than $3.5 million to Tyler ISD through innovative teaching grants, student and parent programs, academic and teaching recognition events, and scholarships.
Smith County receives budget award
TYLER – Smith County has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association. The Government Finance Officers Association said in release the award is, “highest form of recognition in governmental budgeting.”
The award was presented during Commissioners Court Tuesday morning. Smith County has also received the Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for about 15 years for the county’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.
After the presentation, Smith County Judge Neal Franklin said, “It’s nice to be recognized, to have our people recognized and our budget.”
Continue reading Smith County receives budget award
Man arrested after assaulting Texarkana police officer
TEXARKANA– Our news partner, KETK, reports that a 45-year-old man has been arrested after attacking a police officer on Friday night. Officers from the Texarkana Police Department were dispatched to a house in the 1600 block of West 11th Street after receiving a call about a man allegedly pulling a gun on another person. When officers arrived, they found a man who matched the suspects’ description, later identified as Jeffrey Troxel, standing outside.
“When asked about the disturbance, the man claimed he didn’t know anything about it,” officers said. Troxel then refused a pat down, and instead put his hand in his jacket to “pull something out.” The officer grabbed the suspect’s arm to prevent him from pulling out a potential firearm. Texarkana Police Department said Troxel went on to punch the officer in the face and lunged at him.
Continue reading Man arrested after assaulting Texarkana police officer
Barbecue chain ordered to pay $2.8 million to woman burned by sauce
SAN ANTONIO – The Dallas Morning News reports that a Texas jury has ordered a barbecue restaurant to pay $2.8 million to a woman who was badly burned by its barbecue sauce. The woman, 19-year-old Genesis Monita, sued Bill Miller Bar-B-Q in San Antonio after spilling sauce on her right leg, resulting in second-degree burns. The incident unfolded in May 2023, after Monita ordered breakfast tacos with barbecue sauce from the drive-through. She then pulled into a nearby parking spot to eat, according to the lawsuit. When she removed the sauce from the brown paper bag, Monita dropped it on her leg because it was so hot. Bill Miller B-B-Q’s policy says sauce should be heated to a minimum of 165 degree. That day, the sauce was 189 degrees. Monita’s attorney Lawrence Morales II said the restaurant should have warned her about the temperature of the sauce, and placed it in an adequate styrofoam container rather than plastic, and provided better training to employees.
Firefighters injured in rollover released from hospital
SMITH COUNTY – Two firefighters have been released from the hospital following a rollover on Tuesday morning, according to our new partner KETK.
At around 11:14 a.m., Smith County ESD2 received a request for assistance on a structure fire in Cherokee County. While on their way to the fire, Engine 146 from Smith County ESD2 from Troup was involved in a single vehicle rollover accident off FM 13. Once the firefighters regained consciousness, they called in the accident and began to free themselves from the vehicle. EMS arrived on the scene and both firefighters were transported to a local hospital. Medical personnel determined that the injuries sustained by the firefighters were non-life threatening, and a few hours later, they were discharged from the hospital.
Officials were on the scene to help clear the area and retrieve equipment, DPS and local law enforcement also offered additional assistance. The cause of the accident is under investigation by Texas DPS with full cooperation from Smith County ESD2, officials said.
David Rancken’s App of the Day 01/21/25 – Soosee!
When you need a detector in your food allergy toolbox, get David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called Soosee. You can find Soosee in the Apple Store and Google Play below.
Bitter cold spreads across much of the US as Texas and the South brace for rare winter storm
TEXAS (AP)-Frigid temperatures engulfed the South on Monday ahead of a winter storm that’s expected to spread heavy snow and disruptive ice around a region from Texas to north Florida that rarely sees such weather, sending residents rushing to insulate pipes, check heating systems and stock up on emergency supplies.
In Texas, both Houston airports announced flight operations would be suspended starting Tuesday in expectation of hazardous conditions from an unusual blast of severe winter weather taking aim at a huge swath of the South including much of the northern Gulf Coast.
Elsewhere, the East Coast contended with a thick blanket of snow while people from the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine shivered in bitterly cold temperatures from an Arctic air mass that sent temperatures plunging well below normal Monday with dangerously cold wind chills. Continue reading Bitter cold spreads across much of the US as Texas and the South brace for rare winter storm
Palestine PD search for suspect following robbery at knife-point
PALESTINE — Our news partner, KETK, reports that a search is underway for a suspect in a Sunday evening robbery at knife-point in Palestine. According to the Palestine Police Department, a man entered the Kwik Stop Convenience Store at 704 W. Palestine Ave. at around 10:40 p.m. with a knife and threatened the clerk, demanding money from the register.
“After the clerk complied, the offender attempted to force the female clerk to leave the store with him,” Palestine PD said. “She refused and the male fled on foot, southbound on North Howard Street, escaping with an undisclosed amount of cash.”
Officials said the suspect is a black male wearing a mask, black pants, and shoes with white soles. He was also wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with red, white, and black Viking head logo on the front, which was identified as the logo for Fleming Middle School in Houston. The suspect had a gray and brown backpack featuring a red tag with a white print at both the right shoulder, and on the lower right portion of the rear of the bag.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Palestine PD at 903-329-2254 or Anderson County Crimestoppers at 903-729-8477.
Local content creators react to looming TikTok ban
TYLER– Our news partner, KETK, reports that the potential ban of TikTok is set to fade nearly 170 million users to black in the United States. Content creator and Tyler local, Bridgette Hartt, says that the app not only transformed the quality of her life, but also her families.
“You feel silly, in a sense of crying over an app, but it’s so much more than that,” Hartt said. Hartt began her TikTok account by sharing funny videos with her family, but through the years, she has gravitated toward body positivity. “I started sharing clothing and just how to dress your body if you’re midsize. That’s kind of how I grew my community. Continue reading Local content creators react to looming TikTok ban