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SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Tax Office has closed early after an employee noticed water outside the building. On Tuesday afternoon, Smith County Tax Assessor-Collector Gary Barber reportedly noticed water coming up through the pavement in front of the tax office building on Front Street and notified the City of Tyler Water Utilities Department. The City said they shut off water to the Cotton Belt Building and Barber shut down the office. The Lindale, Noonday and Troup substation tax offices remain open. The Cotton Belt Building is expected to reopen Wednesday morning, officials said.

GREGG COUNTY — Gregg County authorities say there is no evidence of foul play in connection to the death of an inmate at their North Jail facility on Tuesday. According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, jail staff were conducting observation floor walks when they saw a 64-year-old inmate unresponsive in his cell. “Jail staff along with jail medical staff began immediate lifesaving procedures,” the statement read. “The inmate was transported to a local hospital by EMS personnel where he was later pronounced dead.” The Gregg County Sheriff’s Office notified the Texas Commission on Jail Standards about the death. Per policy, the Texas Rangers were notified and are investigating. The inmate’s identity will be released after his next-of-kin has been informed.

PALESTINE — The City of Palestine announced a water outage in some parts of the city for Wednesday morning. According to our news partner KETK, the water outage will occur on East Park Ave from Lakeview Ave to East Neches Street on Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., or until repairs can be completed. Officials said if the public has any questions or concerns to contact public works at 903-731-8423.

TYLER — A post office has been damaged after a man allegedly crashed into the building before 3 p.m. on Tuesday. According to our news partner KETK and Andy Erbaugh, the Public Information Officer for Tyler PD, it is suspected that the man was parked at front of the Azalea Post Office on 2627 S. Broadway Ave. when he put the car in drive instead of in reverse. The driver damaged the front of the building, going through the glass walls. No one inside was injured, but the driver sustained injuries due to the airbag opening, Erbaugh said. The post office reportedly remains open.

LONGVIEW – According to a release from Public Information Officer Richard Yeakley, the Longview Police Department dedicated its new building Tuesday afternoon. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at 3:00 p.m. And the public open house is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The festivities will take place at the new facility on South St. The new building is 3 stories tall, and over 68,000 square feet. To learn more about the building’s construction and view initial renderings, click here.

CHEROKEE COUNTY – Two people are dead and six people were injured after a pickup veered into oncoming traffic on US Highway 175, north of Jacksonville. According to our news partners KETK, in a release from DPS, a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado veered into oncoming traffic and hit a 2022 Honda Accord and then a 2022 Toyota Corolla. The driver of the Silverado, 69-year-old David Blakeney of Jacksonville, as well as the driver of the Accord, 23-year-old Antonio Santana III of Little Elm, were pronounced dead at the scene. The two passengers in the Accord and the driver plus three passengers in the Corolla were taken to a hospital.

TYLER — Mary Ruth “Ruthie” Graham earned her Bachelor’s degree from UT Tyler School of Nursing on her 72nd birthday. According to the university, Graham walked across the stage to receive her diploma on Dec. 8. Graham said in a release that after bonding with the nurses that helped her with the births of her four children she had decided that she wanted to help women in the same way they helped her, our news partner KETK reports. “I’d wanted to complete college all of these years, and this was my opportunity,” Graham said. “I knew it was my time.” She had earned her RN license in 1994 and worked in labor and delivery for 13 years. While working she helped her children through their own academic endeavors including four bachelor’s degrees, two master’s degrees and one pursing their Ph.D. Continue reading UT Tyler names 72-year-old graduate

SMITH COUNTY — A former ranch manager was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to cattle theft. According to our news partner KETK, Jesus Sergio Perez-Sanchez, 67, was first investigated back in Dec. 2021, where he was accused of putting three yearlings up for auction and placed one of them in his name without the landowner’s consent. He was then accused of taking a bull and a cow to an auction where he placed the cow under his own name, again, without the landowner’s consent. Perez-Sanchez was arrested for two counts of theft in March 2022 after officials said the landowner “noticed discrepancies in cattle sales and called Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Rangers.” According to Smith County judicial records Perez-Sanchez pleaded guilty to theft of cattle/horse/exotic livestock less than $150,000 on Dec. 8. He was sentenced to six years in prison on Friday.

TYLER — The East Texas Food Bank has a new resource center opening later this month that they say will allow them to serve more people than ever. According to our news partner KETK, they plan to serve 500 families per week and provide 756,000 meals each year with the new Tyler Resource Center at Robertson Road. The Tyler Resource Center will include a “Healthy Food Pantry” as well as access to other services to help families reach self-sufficiency. Other services include health screenings, rental assistance and help with SNAP benefits. “It’s just really all of the type of services that are available in the community,” East Texas Food Bank CEO David Emerson said. “We’re able to bring them here because we’re going to have 500 families every week showing up to get services and so they’re going to be able to learn about these other services. And we can then cooperate with those other partner agencies to get them everything, hopefully, that they need.” Continue reading New ETFB Resource Center to help Smith County residents in need

TYLER – Tyler Police closed a portion of Loop 323 Monday following a report of a suspicious package. According to officials, Tyler police and fire responded to a call of a suspicious property condition around 11:30 a.m. in the Whataburger parking lot located at 345 SSW Loop 323. The bomb squad was called to the scene. Around 2:20, the “suspicious property condition investigation” has been determined by Tyler PD to pose no real danger, and Loop 323 has been reopened. Tyler PD Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh said the item was an empty safe that was open with wires exposed that were likely connected to the keypad before the safe was pried open.

PALESTINE — A Palestine woman has been arrested and booked into the Anderson County Jail after leading police on a chase that ended on a dead-end road. According to our news partner KETK, Shelby Lynn Beckham, 32, had an active warrant for alleged possession of a controlled substance in Navarro County. After running a stop sign, an on-patrol officer attempted to stop Beckham. She then attempted to evade the officer down a dead-end road before being arrested for her warrant. Palestine Police in a statement said the found Beckham was in possession of a methamphetamine pipe and a trace amount of methamphetamine in a small plastic container.

ANGELINA COUNTY – The Texas Department of Public Safety said that one man is dead and another is injured after a 2015 Ford pickup truck crashed on FM 819 on Sunday accordeing to our news colleagues at KETK. Officials said the crash happened around 2 a.m. on Sunday morning when the Ford was traveling southeast on FM 819 near FM 2108. According to DPS, the Ford went off the left side of the road and hit a concrete culvert before hitting another concrete culvert and turning over. Bradley Napier, 42 of Lufkin, was ejected from the truck and pronounced dead at the scene by an Angelina County Justice of the Peace. Winston Conway, 38 of Lufkin, was taken to be treated by a local hospital after being ejected from the truck.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — The Texas Department of Public Safety has announced two upcoming lane closures on I-20 in Van Zandt County this week. On Monday and Tuesday, the eastbound and westbound outside lanes at I-20 and FM 859 will be shut down as a part of a bridge replacement project at FM 859. According to DPS, this is east of Splash Kingdom in Canton. According to our news partner KETK, the eastbound and westbound outside lanes at I-20 and FM 47 will be shut down Wednesday and Thursday as a part of a bridge replacement project at FM 859.

SMITH COUNTY — An East Texas county rules that a Jewish menorah cannot be displayed on a public square. Commissioners in Smith County decided not to permit the display of the Jewish symbol during the observance of Hanukkah. County Judge Neal Franklin said in recent years the county has allowed only secular holiday decorations on the downtown Tyler Square to avoid lawsuits and demands from fringe religious groups demanding to display symbols. Tyler Rabbi Neal Katz says the menorah has been displayed in the past without controversy, but the display broke a few years ago and was only replaced this year. Katz says the decision is “antagonistic” to the Tyler Jewish community.

HEMPHILL – The Six Mile Volunteer Fire Department said that Friendship Missionary Baptist Church on Highway 87 in Hemphill is a total loss after a fire burned the church on Saturday night. Six Mile VFD Chief Lonnie Johnston said that firefighters arrived on the scene around 10 p.m. on Saturday and were able to put out the fire by 12:30 a.m. Six Mile VFD and the State Fire Marshall’s Office are at the scene today trying to determine why the fire started.

CUNEY – Cherokee County Justice of the Peace Rodney Wallace has confirmed to our news partners at KETK that two people died and several others were injured in a crash on Highway 175 in Cuney on Friday night. The crash was a head on collision between two vehicles that caused a third vehicle to go airborne and roll. The two who died in the crash were a 70-year-old man and a 28-year-old-man. Both men were declared dead at the scene by Wallace. Several others, including an infant, were reportedly injured in the crash and had to be taken to hospitals in Tyler and Jacksonville.

ANGELINA COUNTY – The Texas Department of Public Safety said that one man died and a woman was injured in a crash on State Highway 63 at State Highway 147 around 9:25 p.m. on Friday, according to our news partners at KETK. Earl Knockaert, 79 of Grapeland, was driving a Chevrolet SUV west on SH63 when DPS said he took a curve at an unsafe speed and left the roadway causing the vehicle to overturn. Continue reading Grapeland man dead, woman injured after crash

LIVINGSTON — Our colleagues at KETK report that Livingston ISD and community members mourn the loss of one of their students who died after being struck by an 18-wheeler when leaving a school bus. “Our district lost a member of its family. At times like this, we are reminded how precious life can be and how fragile each life truly is. It is sad when our district loses a member of its family. It is even more tragic when such a young life is taken away from us. We extend our thoughts and sincere condolences to family and friends. Continue reading Community mourns death of Livingston student

TYLER – Our news partners at KETK report that police responded to a report that someone had been shot in their car near Tyler High. Tyler Police Department Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh spoke with KETK about a reported shooting on the roadway near Tyler High and New Life Church. The caller told Tyler Police that they had been shot on the roadway and pulled into the parking lot of Tyler High where they awaited EMS. Continue reading Man reports being shot at Tyler intersection

LUFKIN – Three schools in Texas Friday received email bomb threats with the sender claiming to be a Russian terrorist. According to our news partner KETK, school districts in Lufkin, Hudson and Huntington received the email threat Friday morning as school began. The sender said they were partners in a terrorist organization and they planted bombs set to explode at a set time in retaliation in giving support to Ukraine. Authorities quickly determined that this was a hoax. The FBI, Texas DPS and other law enforcement agencies are continuing their investigation into this matter.

RUSK – The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a 16-year-old runaway. Her name is Madison Clark. According to a press release from the Cherokee County SO, Madison was last seen at her home on CR3904. She is white, 5”8′ and 110 pounds. Madison is believed to have left with an unknown male. Sheriff Brent Dickson reminds everyone that harboring a runaway is punishable by a year in jail and a $4000.00 fine.

DANGERFIELD – The Mount Pleasant Police Department responded to a call Wednesday at Priefert Manufacturing in Mount Pleasant. According to our news partner KETK, that call concerned an alleged stabbbing. When police arrived they were told two victims were transported to an ER, while the suspect left the scene. Law enforcement identified the suspect as 43-year-old Skip Springer of Daingerfeld. They obtained two warrants for Springer’s arrest for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Thursday night, the Mount Pleasant PD was contacted by the Daingerfield Police Department with information on Springer’s location. The Dangerfield PD and Morris County Sheriff’s Office went to the Daingerfield address where Springer was.
Continue reading Man arrested in Daingerfield after assault and hostage situation

ARP – Because of repairs to the water tower in Arp, Arp ISD was dismissed before lunch Friday. This was because of a lack of running water to the district. According to Arp ISD Communications Coordinator Mike Alzamora, students from all Arp campuses were dismissed at 11:15a.m. with school buses running at that time as well.

UPSHUR COUNTY — A man was sentenced to prison after injuring a man and pregnant woman in a drunk driving crash. According to our news partner KETK, Rodney Seahorn, 48, left a residence in White Oak and traveled North toward Gilmer in early April. He allegedly entered the intersection of FM 1844 illegally and in the wrong lane of traffic. Authorities said he collided with a husband and wife who were reportedly driving to Longview to celebrate the wife’s birthday, who was seven months pregnant at the time. Officials said the victims had to be cut from the vehicle and their bodies were crushed. The baby reportedly had to be surgically removed and was placed in the NICU for an extend time. Continue reading Prison for man involved in drunk driving wreck

TYLER – After last week’s cyberattack, UT Health’s parent company, Ardent Health Services, has announced that records and other vital platforms have been restored. Our news partner KETK reports that although clinics and emergency rooms are back to full service, some non-emergency procedures are still at a halt as some repairs are still being made.

MURCHISON – India, a tiger taken off the streets of Houston in 2021 has died in Murchison at the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch. According to our news partner KETK, ranch officials say that India had been lethargic and was less responsive to those caring for him. India was in the process of being taken for an examination, when he died.
Continue reading Tiger found in streets of Houston dies

TYLER – A Tyler man is sentenced to 11 years in federal prison Thursday in a Tyler court for a variety of charges, including using stolen valor. According to our news partner KETK, 39-year-old Derek Hamm in June pleaded guilty to money laundering, wire fraud, using a fake military discharge certificate, possession of a firearm by a felon and violation of the Stolen Valor Act. The Stolen Valor Act passed in 2013, makes it illegal to fraudulently wear medals, exaggerate rank and lie about military service to gain money, employment, property and other benefits.
Continue reading Tyler man sentenced for stolen valor scam