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SMITH COUNTY – The Smith County Appraisal District is looking for a community representative to help with appraising property values in the county.

The district’s board of directors has a community representative that’s appointed by the Smith County Commissioners Court in order to speak for the community as the district determines who much value a given property can be taxed for. According to our news partner KETK the county’s current representative is Annie Dwyer and she’s moving out of Smith County so her seat will be vacant starting on Dec. 31. Applicants must reside in Smith County for at least two years in order to serve on the district’s board of directors.

The court is accepting applications until Monday, Sept. 29. To apply for the two-year community representative term that starts on Jan. 1, 2026, visit Smith County online.

TEXARKANA – A man was arrested on Sunday following a shooting in a Texarkana apartment complex according to our news partner KETK.

The Texarkana Police Department received calls on Sunday stating that a 34-year-old man had been shot at an apartment complex. Once officials arrived on the scene, they identified the suspect, who appeared to have sustained several gunshot wounds, and he was taken to a local hospital, where his condition was believed to be non-life-threatening. Following the shooting, officials identified 24-year-old Jack Nelson as the suspect. Officials went to Nelson’s home, but he was not there. They returned later that day after receiving a call from his family stating that he was home and willing to turn himself in.

Following his arrest, Nelson was booked into the Bi-State Jail and charged with aggravated assault. His bond has been set at $100,000.

LONGVIEW – A 24-year-old Lonestar man has been ordered to serve 10 years on probation in connection to a 2023 fatal crash that left a 23-year-old woman dead in Longview.

Hunter Tigert, 24 of Lone Star, was originally arrested for intoxication manslaughter in May of 2023 after the black Dodge Charger he was driving crashed in the 400 block of West Methvin Street, according to our news partner KETK. The Charger was carrying three passengers when Longview PD said the vehicle failed go through a curve in the roadway and crashed into a brick building. Longview 23-year-old Sydney Van Rijn was taken to a local hospital along with the two other passengers in the crash.

Rijn later died of her injuries at the hospital. Tigert was also injured in the crash and was arrested after being treated at a Longview hospital.

Tigert’s intoxication manslaughter charge was dismissed and he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury on Sept. 22. Tigert was given deferred adjudication by 188th District Court Judge Scott Novy meaning that he’ll avoid a conviction if he doesn’t violate the terms of his 10-year probation sentence.

SULPHUR SPRINGS – The City of Sulphur Springs will soon be home to more than 1,600 acres of artificial intelligence data centers. According to our news partner KETK the centers will be run by the Florida-based tech company MSB Global.

MSB Global broke ground on their massive facility in June, they’re planning to construct 30 AI data center buildings by 2028. The new centers will host servers for AI training while also offering other resources like large language model training and cloud computing. The project has prompted growing concerns in Sulphur Springs with several local shop owners like Sharon Feldt saying they know very little about the data centers.

“I don’t know enough about what they are doing out there. I wish we had been able to vote on this,” Feldt said. Continue reading Concerns over planned AI data centers grow in Sulphur Springs

SMITH COUNTY – Our news partners at KETK report that American rapper Ricky Hampton, known as Finesse2tymes, was arrested on Friday evening along with Halie Buckingham following a concert performed in Smith County after illegal drugs were allegedly found inside their vehicle. According to an arrest affidavit, Hampton was seen driving a red Corvette and was pulled over by officials for not wearing a seatbelt while turning onto Claude Street in Tyler. During the stop, officers reported smelling marijuana and spotted a hand-rolled paper cigar in the ashtray. Continue reading Rapper Finesse2tymes arrested in Smith County

TROUP –On Friday, September 19, at approximately 11:45 am, UT Health EMS, Arp Fire, and ESD 2 responded to a medical assist call in the 19200 block of FM 345 near Troup. Once on scene, medical responders smelled a strong odor of feces with multiple kenneled and loose dogs. Smith County Deputies arrived due to the possibility of an animal cruelty case. The animal living conditions were checked and Smith County Investigators were called. It was found that none of the dogs had received care of any kind for at least twelve hours. It was determined that the dogs were not receiving adequate care, food, or water. Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace James Meredith was notified and subsequently signed an animal seizure warrant. Continue reading Animal cruelty case being investigated by Sheriff’s Office

TYLER — The Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council has awarded more than $1.1 million in grants to East Texas organizations that are helping to fight the opioid epidemic. According to our news partner KETK, the grants are a part of $21.2 million in funds that the council distributed to organizations across the state. Officials called the statewide grants a milestone in the fight against opioid abuse.

“Today represents a significant milestone,” Texas Comptroller and council chair Kelly Hancock said on Sept. 17. “For the first time, the Council has awarded grants to communities in every region of our state. We look forward to seeing how these resources will change lives, as local organizations put them to work supporting individuals and families impacted by the opioid crisis across Texas.”

The following five East Texas organizations were awarded $1,198,845 in grants to help support their opioid recovery and treatment work: Continue reading East Texas organizations get $1.1M to fight opioid crisis

SULPHUR SPRINGS – East Texas will soon be home to a massive 1,677-acre AI data center campus that’s planned to open in September of 2026 according to our news partner KETK.

MSB Global broke ground on the multi-million dollar Matrix Data Center Campus on June 13. The Fort Lauderdale-based company is calling the site a “New Era for Net-Zero AI Infrastructure.” The campus development is planned to feature eight individual 100-megawatt(MW) data center buildings during the first phase of construction in 2026. By the end of the third phase of construction in 2028, MSB plans to have a 3,000 MW capacity for data processing across 30 identical 100 MW data center buildings on the campus.

MSB Global said the project is a public-private partnership between their company, the City of Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County. MSB’s Capacity Report for the campus says they’ll have 35% property tax abatement for their first 10 years in Sulphur Springs.

MSB plans to use the data centers to run artificial intelligence programs, to train large-language models and to offer cloud computing services. Their AI data centers will make use of NVIDIA GB300 AI GPU systems and immersion-cooled tanks that use fluids to cool their computers instead of air. Continue reading 30 AI data centers to be built at Sulphur Springs

ATHENS – Ahead of Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona on Sunday, many East Texans gathered together in Athens to mourn the conservative political speaker, who was killed in Utah on Sept. 10. According to our new partner KETK, many people spoke, prayed and participated in a moment of silence at a vigil in Kirk’s honor in downtown Athens on Saturday.

A similar event was held by residents of Palestine on Wednesday night. Another vigil will be held in Tyler’s Bergfeld Park from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Kirk’s memorial service will be held on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

LUFKIN — The Lufkin Police Department has arrested a man who was wanted for allegedly leaving several marijuana-filled Easter eggs in Lufkin parks earlier this year. According to Lufkin Police and our news partner KETK, Avante Nicholson was arrested after the Texas Rangers searched a home on Scott Street. Texas Rangers were searching the house to find a suspect in the Sept. 13 murder of 26-year-old Shelby County man, JaMichael Phillips.

The suspect was not staying at the home but Nicholson was found in the bathroom. Lufkin PD said the Texas Rangers also wanted to question Nicholson as a potential witness to the murder of Phillips.

Nicholson was wanted on three warrants for delivery of marijuana in a drug free zone and another warrant for delivery of marijuana. Lufkin PD said Nicholson’s warrants stem from the April discovery of five Easter eggs filled with marijuana at Morris Frank Park, Winston Park and Grace Dunn Richardson Park and near a Motel 6. Continue reading Man arrested after marijuana scavenger hunt

HENDERSON COUNTY — Judge Dan Moore retired after 20 years of service, celebrated by friends, family, and colleagues in the 173rd District Courtroom on Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK, the retirement event was marked by stories, laughter and gifts from those who worked with Judge Moore during his tenure.

Moore’s staff honored him with a framed flag that had flown over the Texas House of Representatives, symbolizing his dedication to public service. The courtroom was filled with people, reflecting the high regard in which Moore is held by the community. “It was a packed courtroom and a fitting send-off for a man who spent 20 years serving Henderson County from the bench,” Henderson County officials said.

NEW BOSTON – The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is currently investigating the death of an inmate who was killed at the Telford Unit in New Boston on Monday.

According to our news partner KETK and the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Isaac Jediah Acosta, a 20-year-old Hispanic man, was found unresponsive inside the Telford Unit with multiple puncture wounds from a knife or edged instrument on his body. Acosta was taken to the unit’s emergency room, where EMS tried to save his life. Life-saving measures failed and Acosta was pronounced dead at around 1:24 a.m. on Monday, a custodial death report revealed.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Office of Inspector General is investigating Acosta’s death as a homicide. KETK News has reviewed a video shared by a family member of Acosta, which has been circulating on social media and allegedly shows Acosta’s stabbing.

In the video, many inmates can be seen fighting outside of their cells in a common area of the Telford Unit. The video also shows a body being dragged along the ground of the area on a mattress.

TITUS COUNTY – The Texas Game Wardens said that an alligator was found dead and tied down with a large stone on Lake Bob Sandlin recently. According to our news partner KETK, game wardens stated that they were contacted about a dead alligator found floating in Lake Bob Sandlin, Titus County. The alligator had been shot, and its neck was tied with a ski rope that had a large architectural stone tied to the other end to try to sink the animal.

Game wardens found a house that had stones matching the ones tied to the alligator. They contacted the homeowner, who then confessed to shooting the alligator with a .308 caliber rifle and tying the stone to its neck to try to conceal the crime, according to the Texas Game Wardens. The homeowner was issued citations and civil restitution, which could involve a fine or community service. According to the Texas Game Wardens, waste of game is a Class C misdemeanor, which could result in a fine of between $25 and $500.

MARSHALL – According to a press release from the Marshall Police Department(MPD), several individuals have been arrested in connection with a gathering that turned violent at City Park over the weekend that resulted in injuries and disrupted emergency access.

On Sunday, September 14, 2025, at approximately 8:34 p.m., MPD Patrol officers responded to a large disturbance after receiving calls for police response at City Park. The fighting began between two juveniles, and escalated when a large group of adults also became involved. When officers arrived, they discovered that the disturbance had grown to a point where it was obstructing emergency and medical access to surrounding roads near City Park and a local medical facility. Continue reading Marshall police make several arrests after a riot at City Park