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LUFKIN – Our News partner KETK reports that a Lufkin man was arrested around 5:45 p.m. on Thursday after allegedly fleeing the scene of a crash at the intersection of Frank Avenue and Hill Street. Chester Ray Jones, 38 of San Augustine, who was driving a Ford Expedition, rear-ended a Chevrolet Cruze after disregarding a traffic light and veering into the turn lane to avoid a stopped vehicle, according to a press release. Officials said the Ford continued through the intersection and left the road. Once stopped in the tree line, Jones reportedly ran from the vehicle before he was arrested moments later on Ellis Avenue, the press release stated.

The driver of the Chevrolet was taken to a local hospital by ambulance because she was complaining of a laceration to her leg, officials said. According to the city of Lufkin, Jones was arrested and taken to have his blood drawn.

ANDERSON COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK a man was found to be in possession of a “white crystalline substance” while being arrested for three previous warrants out of Anderson County, according to authorities. On July 11, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office served a warrant on CR 3704 and arrested Cedric Dupree on three warrants that involved two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of evading arrest with previous conviction. During the arrest, authorities said Dupree was found to be in possession of a “white crystalline substance.” Dupree received an additional possession of a controlled substance charge and was booked into the Anderson County Jail with a total bond of $60,000.

CHEROKEE COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK a man was arrested on Tuesday after a multi-agency narcotics search warrant operation in Cherokee County. According to the sheriff’s office, 25,000 pills, five pill presses, five ounces of meth, about 40 pounds of powder prepared to be turned into pills and multiple firearms were located in rural Cherokee County on CR 2510 during the search. Robert Martin, 44 of Alto, was arrested at the scene and officials said he is facing anticipated charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. “He’s passing these pills out or selling them. They can get into the hands of children, they can get into the hands of an adult who thinks they are taking something else. It can be detrimental to our community and the communities around us,” said Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson. Continue reading 25,000 pills seized in narcotics operation in Cherokee County

LUFKIN – Angelina College officials Thursday accepted a nearly $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education on behalf of the college. According to our news partner KETK, the Title V grant has two main parts. Establishing new tech programs for in-demand occupations and making better support services. Marcy Anthony, Title V project director said. “We’re now going to offer a networking administration degree, which is actually starting this fall in year two of the grant. Then, in year three, we’ll be able to offer a software development program as a new degree.” In addition to the new degree programs, the college will also provide more services designed to ensure student retention and success. In 2022, Angelina College was one of 78 higher education institutions selected to receive the Title V grant.

TYLER – Jaime W. Burke-Hicks, a teacher and student council adviser at The University of Texas at Tyler University Academy Longview campus, has been named the National Student Council Middle-Level Adviser of the Year at the 2023 Vision National Leadership Conference. She was named the Texas Association of Student Councils’ Middle-Level Adviser of the Year in May.
“This national recognition speaks volumes about Mrs. Hicks and her contributions to the district. I congratulate her, and we are extremely proud,” said Dr. Jo Ann Simmons, UA superintendent. Continue reading UT Tyler teacher named national adviser of the year

HENDERSON COUNTY – Three people were arrested on Monday in Henderson County after officials said a large amount of suspected meth was found during a traffic stop. According to our news partner KETK the Henderson County sheriff’s office stopped the car on FM 315, south of Chandler, where suspected meth was found during a search of the car. Timothy Haley, 54 of Chandler, Alec Graham, 27 of North Richland and Lauren Carpenter, 34 of Chandler, were all arrested for first-degree felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver over 4 grams. They were all booked into the Henderson County Jail.

TENNESSEE COLONY – According to our news partner KETK an officer at an East Texas prison was arrested after a random vehicle search produced a suspicious substance. The staff at the H. H. Coffield Unit found three vacuum-sealed bags of a “green leafy substance” while doing random searches of employee vehicles entering the unit on June 30. Officer Diana Ngyangau was arrested by investigators from the Office of the Inspector General for introduction of K2 and was drug tested.

TDCJ officials said she worked at that unit for 29 months prior to the incident. The Coffield Unit has 518 employees and can house around 4,000 inmates. It is located five miles southwest of Tennessee Colony on FM 2054.

HALLSVILLE – Harrison County Sheriff’s are investigating the shooting of a Hallsville man. According to our news partner KETK, authorities were called to Walker’s Mill Road in Hallsville where they found 44-year-old Kevin Rogers shot. Rogers died at the scene. The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office is running an inquiry on the case.

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler was awarded $211,000 by the National Institutes of Health to help improve blood-clotting medications for treatments in lung disorders and diseases. The project is designed to identify dosing of fibrinolytic, or clot-busting, agents that can be safely and effectively administered to the compartment surrounding the lung to dissolve clots large enough to impair lung function. Dr. Steven Idell, UT Tyler professor of medicine and senior vice president for research, serves as principal investigator for the one-year NIH project. Continue reading UT Tyler Awarded $211,000 NIH Grant to Help Improve Pulmonary Medications

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, the city council announced on Wednesday that they approved a new ordinance that will reduce the school zone speed limit to 20 mph at 12 schools throughout the city. To see a full list of changes click here.
In addition to those changes, a stretch of Old Bullard Road will have a decreased speed limit. The portion of the road between Amherst Street and Old Jacksonville Highway will now have a speed limit of 30 mph, down from its previous speed limit of 45 mph.

CAMP COUNTY – A man was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for the 2021 murder of a 21-year-old Camp County woman.

According to the sheriff’s office, Tyrek Neal, 25 of Daingerfield, pleaded guilty to fatally shooting Makayla Goodson, 21, numerous times in her home in the Thunderbird Point community on Nov. 5, 2021.

Camp County Sheriff John Cortelyou said he wanted to congratulate the team who worked tirelessly on the case.

“This shows that it is not any one person, but a whole team that works together to have a successful outcome, and I want to say thanks team,” Cortelyou said.

TYLER — The City of Tyler is looking for school crossing guards for the upcoming academic year. With 17 schools and 28 school crossings, the City needs 35 guards to ensure the safety of students during their daily commute, according to a news release from the city. Currently, there are nine crossing guard positions available, offering an hourly wage of $11.55. Those hired for this role will have the opportunity to return for the following school year, earning a stable and reliable source of income. The crossing guard position follows the Tyler Independent School District (TISD) schedule, making it a seasonal opportunity. Continue reading Crossing guards needed for upcoming school year

TYLER — A new Texas law will give church security teams more protections. Senate Bill 694 is authored by Senator Bryan Hughes, of Mineola. According to our news partner KETK, the bill aims at protecting safety teams at houses of worship who remove or use force on anyone who is disrupting service. The bill will grant civil immunity to church security and safety teams. In order to be protected under the new law, the team must be hired employees or volunteer with paperwork to prove it. Senate Bill 694 covers the possession or use of a firearm leading to death, damage or injury. The Texas Security Coalition promotes every church to have adequate training, so no one is wrongly accused. The bill and training will benefit any church no matter how big the congregation is. This new law will become effective on September 1.

CROCKETT – Crockett Police have arrested a 17-year-old boy in a trio of robberies of businesses in Crockett. According to our news partner KETK, authorities arrested Jose Berrios Jr. Sunday for driving with a suspended license. During the stop, officers identified Berrios’ vehicle from video footage from a robbery at a local gas station. Police were able to collect blood and fibers from a robbery July 5 at a lumber store in Crockett. Because Berrios used a gun in one of the robberies he has been charged with aggravated assault and burglary. He remains in jail with a bond set at $60,000. Police also believe that Berrios was responsible for an unsolved aggravated robbery that took place back in April at a Crockett food store.

HENDERSON COUNTY – Law enforcement Monday arrested persons with what they say was a large quantity of suspected meth found during a traffic stop. According to our news partner KETK, arrested was 54-year-old Timothy Haley and Lauren Carpenter, 34 both of Chandler. Also arrested was 27-year-old Alec Graham of North Richland. The trio were stopped near Chandler on FM 315 by Henderson County Sheriff’s. The suspected meth was discovered during the search of their vehicle. All three were arrested and booked into Henderson County jail on first-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

WHITE OAK – Police in White Oak are investigating a homicide after officials said Kimberly Jayne Alexander, 61, of White Oak, was found inside a home with a gunshot wound, according to our news partner KETK. Officials said they were notified on Monday of a deceased person inside a home in the 100 block of Larkspur where Alexander was found. The case is being investigated as a homicide. In a statement posted on the White Oak Police Department Facebook page, the investigation led to a warrant for murder on the suspect, James Michael Alexander, 63 of White Oak, who was Mrs. Alexander’s husband. Information had been gained that he recently leased a room at a Longview hotel. White Oak officers located him there and took him into custody without further incident. The Gregg County Sheriff’s Department lent their assistance with the arrest.

TYLER — Brookshire Grocery Co. announced on Tuesday they have reached an agreement with Walgreens where they will acquire the company’s 120 pharmacies in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. According to our news partner KETK, Brookshire Grocery said the vast majority of these locations are being converted to Walgreens pharmacies that will operate inside of their stores. “The pharmacy industry has become increasingly complex over the past few years, and it was important to us to find a business leader that has the capabilities to focus on providing exceptional pharmacy services and value to our customers,” Chairman and CEO of Brookshire Grocery Co. Brad Brookshire said. Continue reading Brookshire’s to sell pharmacy business to Walgreens

ANDERSON COUNTY — An officer at an East Texas prison was arrested after a random vehicle search produced a suspicious substance. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, staff at the H. H. Coffield Unit in Tennessee Colony, found three vacuum-sealed bags of a “green leafy substance” in the car of officer Diana Ngyangau June 30. Officer Ngyangau was arrested by investigators from the Office of the Inspector General for introduction of K2 and was drug tested. TDCJ officials said she worked at that unit for 29 months prior to the incident. The arrest was part of a series of random searches of employee vehicles entering the prison. The Coffield Unit houses up to 4,000 prisoners and has more than 500 employees.

LUFKIN — A Crockett man was arrested on Monday night and another man remains at large after a multi-agency task force in relation to the April shooting death of a man from Lufkin. According to our news partner KETK, just before 9:00 Monday night, Trederrick Dewayne Sherman, 17, was arrested on a murder warrant at a house on Briar Lane in Crockett. Jardon Lamontre Castle, 18, of Jasper, remains at large. Lufkin police said Richard Coutee was shot to death on his front doorstep April 3. Continue reading Lufkin homicide suspect arrested, another remains at large

LONGVIEW — Longview ISD announced that Longview High School Principal James Brewer died on Monday evening following a “sudden cardiac event.” According to our news partner KETK, Brewer was preparing to start his 17th year at Longview High School and the district said he dedicated his life to education. LISD called Brewer an “exceptional leader, mentor, and friend to all who knew him.” The high school will provide counseling services and support to students and staff to help them cope with the tragic event. “The legacy of Mr. James Brewer will forever remain a guiding light at Longview Independent School District,” said Dr. James WIlcox, LISD Superintendent. Continue reading Longview ISD announces death of beloved high school principal

TYLER — Whitehouse native, Super Bowl Champ and MVP Patrick Mahomes will be one of three NFL quarterbacks featured in the Netflix series “Quarterback”. According to our news partner KETK, the eight part series will follow Mahomes, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota of the Atlanta Falcons during the 2022 NFL season. The series will look at the season from each quarterbacks point-of-view. Covering before, during and after the games and even following the players on their off days. And, each players will be “mic’d up” during the games. It’s an NFL first. To see the first minutes of the Netflix series “Quarterback”, click here. “Quarterback” has a July 12 release date.

EAST TEXAS – The East Texas Council of Governments was recently awarded a Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant of $1 million from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This grant will allow ETCOG to lead environmental site assessments and reuse planning throughout the region. With a primary focus on Longview, Marshall, Kilgore, and Gladewater, this funding aims to revitalize and re-envision contaminated properties, fostering sustainable redevelopment across the 14-county ETCOG region. Continue reading ETCOG Secures $1 Million Brownfields Assessment Coalition Gran

MARSHALL – The Marshall campus of the Texas State Technical College has received a $637,000 grant that will fund several new natural gas courses. The Natural Science Foundation Advanced Technical Education grant will fund around four or five new courses in the college’s Process Operations Technology program. The application process for the three year grant began in 2021 and the courses are planned to start being integrated in the Fall of 2024.
Continue reading Marshall TSTC campus receives $637,000 grant for natural gas courses

SMITH COUNTY — The suspect wanted in a Saturday night stabbing at the Flamingo Club on FM 14 in Smith County has been arrested. According to online records, Abiel Correa, 61, of Tyler, was booked into the Smith County Jail Sunday on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His bond has been set at $300 thousand dollars. The victim of the stabbing, whose identity has not been released, is said to be in stable condition following surgery at a local hospital.

MINEOLA – According to our news partner KETK the city of Mineola has found a time capsule in the post office. A local history buff came across a newspaper that referenced pieces of history being placed in a cornerstone vault. Postal employees said there had always been rumors of a time capsule but they thought it was all a lie. So the city of Mineola hired a company to find out. Saturday morning, surrounded by community members, the container was pulled from the vault but no one was expecting to find what they did. A treasure of historical artifacts was found inside the capsule.

An expert has been called in to restore pieces that need to be humidified. “We have newspapers from Tyler, from Longview, obviously the old Mineola Monitors, things like that and documents that we can’t quite open all the way yet and read everything that they have to say,” said Tiner. Once they can read them all, the fun of learning about this hidden treasure left behind from 1936 begins.

JACKSONVILLE – According to our news partner KETK the Jacksonville College board of trustees named Dr. David Erickson as the new college president during a meeting on Friday. Erickson’s family were founding members of the Baptist Missionary Association, which runs the BMA Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, according to a press release. He graduated from Central Baptist College in Conway, got his master of divinity degree from BMA Theological Seminary and a PhD in Baptist Studies from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Erickson has been a professor of Theological-Historical Studies at BMA Theological Seminary and was the seminary’s associate dean for eight years. He has also served as a trustee of the Texas Baptist Home for Children. Erickson’s plans as president include finding new resources for the school from the JC alumni association and the local business community. Erickson also hopes to find additional support for BMA of Texas churches.

LUFKIN – The City of Lufkin has announced that Twiga, who held the record for the oldest giraffe in captivity, died at Ellen Trout Zoo on Friday night. Twiga was 31 years, nine months and 7 days old, a record for giraffes which typically only live for about 25 years, according to our news partner KETK. She was born at the Los Angeles Zoo on Oct. 1st, 1991 and came to the Ellen Trout Zoo in 2008 from the Racine Zoo in Wisconsin. “Twiga helped our other two giraffes, Kellen and Luna, feel comfortable in their new home in Lufkin,” Ellen Trout Zoo director Gordon Henley said. “She will be greatly missed.”

JACKSONVILLE – The East Texas Food Bank has a new mobile food pantry available for Jacksonville and Cherokee County. According to our news partner KETK, the mobile food pantry will be at Jacksonville’s Alexander Gym Tuesday July 11 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and the second Tuesday each month thereafter. The food bank will be offering fresh produce and meat during this stop. Continue reading East Texas Food Bank offers Jacksonville mobile food pantry