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TYLER — The Tyler City Council Wednesday authorized the city manager to execute construction contracts for improvements to the Southside and Westside Wastewater Treatment Plants and sewer system upgrades. The wastewater treatment contract comes to about $3.66 million, with the sewer system pact totaling some $3.32 million. It’s all being done under a 2017 consent decree with the EPA to address what’s termed the city’s aging wastewater collection system and resulting discharges. Meantime, some news for drivers as the council slates a new traffic signal for West Grande Boulevard and Old Noonday Road, the product of a recent traffic signal study. The design process is estimated to take about six months, and the construction process is estimated to take about a year.

TYLER – A second former sergeant has pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice following the plea agreements of two other former Van Zandt County officers. That’s according to our news partner KETK. Blake Snell, 28, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to felony obstruction of justice in federal court, and submitted a binding plea agreement that once accepted will sentence him to one year of probation. Charges were filed in the federal court on July 1 after his criminal charges in Van Zandt County for the same offense were dropped earlier this year. Snell was charged in Van Zandt County for the alleged misdemeanor of giving a false report during the investigation of former Chief Deputy Steven Craig Shelton. Continue reading Former Van Zandt County sergeant pleads guilty to federal felony

TYLER — The Smith County Commissioners Court heard Tuesday from several agencies requesting a portion of the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for water and sewer projects in a workshop-styled meeting. According to a news release, no final action was taken in court Tuesday and no money was allocated to any project, but the workshop served to narrow down the existing requests for funding to targeted water and sewer projects likely to be funded. After hearing nine presentations, the Commissioners Court targeted four capital improvement projects to move forward at the present time. The affected entities are Wright City Water Supply Company, Star Mountain Water Supply, the city of Winona, and the city of Lindale. Click here for additional information.

TYLER — Tyler City Council Wednesday received a presentation and recognized the new Downtown Tyler Historic District. The new district was created May 21 by the Texas Historical Commission State Board of Review and will be accepted into the National Register of Historic Places, according to a news release. The designation allows for contributing properties to apply for state and federal tax credit programs, an effort that will fast-track many revitalization projects, according to the release. “It is an exciting time for Downtown and the Tyler community,” said Main Street Director Amber Varona as quoted in the release.The district’s rough boundaries are Front Street, Border Avenue, the Cotton Belt railroad tracks, and Fannin Avenue.

TYLER — The Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office issued its first citation Tuesday after brush burning got out of control southeast of Lindale, damaging several properties, according to a county news release. Deputy Fire Marshal Chad Hogue said the property owner off County Road 35 (Lavender Road) was burning four brush piles Tuesday morning. Firefighters were called out, doused the fires with water, and asked the landowner to stay with them until completely out. At 2:08 p.m., the Lindale Fire Department was dispatched to the same property because the fires had gotten out of control, according to the release. Hogue said the fire spread behind neighboring residents’ properties and across a pasture and burned about a quarter mile down County Road 492 (Ann Campbell Road) near the Swan community. The fire burned 20 round bales of hay, threatened houses, and damaged two vehicles. Horses also had to be relocated, Hogue said. Continue reading Fire marshal’s office issues citation for burn ban violation

EAST TEXAS – David Yager, 29, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in the Eastern District of Texas to violating a detainee’s civil rights by using excessive force against him. According to a news release, Yager admitted that on or about Feb. 28, 2021, while he was acting as a sergeant in the Van Zandt County Jail, he repeatedly punched a restrained detainee in the chest with a taser, which he also deployed on the detainee. Yager admitted that the detainee was confined to a restraint chair at the time. Yager also admitted that his acts caused bodily injury to the detainee, and that he used force on the detainee despite knowing that there was no legitimate law enforcement need to use force. Yager admitted that he hit the detainee out of anger. The defendant faces a 42-month prison sentence. A sentencing date will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation.

LONGVIEW — Daily high temperatures in Longview are expected to remain in the high 90s and low 100s throughout the month and into August. City officials encourage residents to use caution in the summer heat. Several resources have been gathered to provide information about staying safe in extreme heat. Residents can also keep cool at a pool or splash pad or at the Longview Public Library. Also, remember to never leave a child or animal in a hot car as heat exhaustion and death can occur in as little as six minutes in the hot summer weather. Click here for a more detailed rundown of extreme heat resources.

TYLER — Uncontrolled spread and the continued appearance of new variants are named as key factors amid rising COVID numbers in East Texas. Russell Hopkins is NET Health’s director for public health emergency preparedness. Hopkins says you simply can’t go any place where someone hasn’t been exposed — and adds that the new variants can “slip around and re-infect folks.” He says vaccinations, staying home when you’re sick, masking up, and washing your hands continue to be strongly advised. With regard to masking up, Hopkins tells KTBB it’s especially recommended if you go into retail outlets, churches, or other places “where people gather close together and for considerable amounts of time.” For more information on COVID-19 in East Texas, click here.

TYLER – A Tyler man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for kidnapping and raping a woman in March 2021. 50-year-old Michael Timmons pleaded guilty to three charges in court on Tuesday. According to a warrant obtained by our news partner KETK, Timmons and the victim had been living in a tent for at least three days at the end of a dead-end road in Tyler. She told investigators Timmons used quilts to partially cover up two tents that he set up just away from public view while she was held captive. The victim mentioned a fight, repeated beatings, threats, and allegedly being made to take meth. She finally got away after convincing Timmons to let her go to clean up and charge their phone in a Family Dollar, where she went inside and reportedly pleaded for help while Timmons ran away, according to the document.

WHITEHOUSE — A dog was found left in a crate on the side of FM 346 in Whitehouse Monday morning. According to our news partner KETK, Leandra Bissell made the discovery. “I could tell it was distressed and hot. The poor thing was soiled in its kennel,” said Bissell. She said she gave the dog a little bit of water, but it was hesitant to take it at first. She called the police and waited until an officer came out to see about the dog, which is currently being taken care of by officials. Police Captain Frank Brewer says people who see animals out alone in high temperatures should call the police or animal control. Bissell says she hopes whoever abandoned the dog is held accountable and that somebody’s able to take the animal in.

LONGVIEW — The Longview ISD Board of Trustees approved setting the minimum wage for hourly employees at $15 per hour during their July 11 regular meeting. According to a news release, that means hourly wages for Longview ISD staff will be adjusted district-wide for all hourly workers. Dr. James Hockenberry, Assistant Superintendent of District Services, explained that all hourly positions will be reviewed, and “equity adjustments will be applied as necessary or as needed.” As quoted in the release, he added, “These adjustments are being put in place to recognize the value of all our employees, each and every one of them has a profound impact on student learning in their own way.” Click here for further details.

COFFEE CITY — A Tyler man was arrested on Saturday in Coffee City after bystanders said he crashed into two cars outside of a Dollar General. According to our news partner KETK, officers who responded to the scene arrested Donald Burns, 54, for driving while intoxicated third or more. After further investigation, Coffee City Police located an empty bottle of Wild Turkey whiskey, and two empty Budweiser beer cans in Burns’ truck. No injuries were reported from the incident. Police reported that Burns truck left Highway 155 at a high rate of speed before colliding with two trucks, and missed several propane tanks by a few feet. “The force of the crash sent the last vehicle into the wall of the store and even knocked merchandise off the shelves inside,” police said. Officials said that bystanders told dispatch that Burns was attempting to leave the scene, and police were able to respond before he left. Due to his five previous convictions, Burns was arrested for driving while intoxicated third or more classified as a third degree felony.

TYLER – Following a June incident at a local trail ride, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith announced that a man was arrested and jailed on an accusation of promoting a mass gathering without a permit. According to our news partner KETK, Renault Kay was also charged with evading arrest/detention with a vehicle. His total bond is $3,500. Officials earlier announced they would be cracking down on regulations for trail rides and mass gathering events after five people were injured in a shooting at the June trail ride. Officials said the 30-year-old victim from the incident is still in the hospital. On July 9 around 6 p.m. the sheriff’s office was called due to reckless driving at a horse racing track on Smith County road 3104. Deputies arrived to the location and saw a woman collecting admission fees. Deputies told the woman they wanted to speak to the organizer of the event, and she mentioned she would call Renault Kay. Continue reading One arrested as part of mass gathering crackdown

BROWNSBORO – The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a missing 16-year-old who was last seen almost two weeks ago. According to our news partner KETK, officials say Maylon Couey went missing from Brownsboro June 29 and was reported missing to the sheriff’s office July 1. Maylon is 5’4″, approximately 120 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. Officials said she has ties throughout Henderson County up to the Dallas area, and that ask that any information on her location be sent to 903-675-5128.

TYLER – Hand Up Network, an East Texas-based nonprofit, has launched an Immigration Services Program that organizers say is unlike anything currently available in East Texas. They say the program is reasonably priced and will provide certified services to those who need to file necessary documentation, in addition to educational classes offered through the Hand Up Network’s existing Mentoring Program. Examples of services offered are educational classes in civics, ESL, FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), citizenship, and mental health support. There was a soft launch in June, and organizers say the response has been bigger than even expected. Click here for more information on the program and Hand Up Network’s other services.

TYLER — Tyler Junior College is one of five Texas community colleges selected to work with the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC) to incorporate Caring Campus into their student success efforts in the Fall 2022 semester. That’s according to a news release from the college. Supported by IEBC coaching and guidance, officials say college teams will engage in work developing specific behavioral commitments, helping faculty and staff to better connect with, and support, students to help them reach their educational goals. Through the program, TJC says it seeks to improve student success and satisfaction by reinforcing and formalizing work already being done while deepening a culture of “students first” — and providing a toolkit for faculty and staff to foster an environment that values students. The Texas program is funded by the Greater Texas Foundation.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Independent School District and East Texas Advanced Academies Friday issued a joint statement on the arrests of former J.L. Everhart Elementary School employees. The statement says Longview ISD Superintendent Dr. James Wilcox can confirm that a grand jury returned indictments last month against six former LISD employees for various offenses allegedly committed toward students enrolled in the J.L. Everhart life skills classroom during the initial weeks of the 2021-2022 school year. According to the statement, district officials first reported concern to the authorities in October when evidence of student mistreatment surfaced. The district says it immediately removed the alleged offending employees, contacted the parents, and began an open and active line of communication with the Longview Police Department and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Continue reading Longview ISD issues statement on recent arrests

AUSTIN — Both Tyler and Longview continue their upward trends in sales tax allocations from the state comptroller’s office. For July, Tyler pulled in $4,563,296.31, compared to its figure of $4,363,388.59 a year ago. For the year to date, the total is $33,897,359.15 — up from $29,887,067.79 in 2021. Longview gets $3,496,082.21 this month, an increase from $3,034,620.85 last July. Longview’s year-to-date figure is $25,037,602.23; at this time last year, it was $21,416,385.65. Visit this link for more detailed information.

TYLER — TxDOT will be busy with another round of construction and maintenance work in the Tyler District this coming week. In Gregg County, Longview Maintenance will be continuing hot mix overlay on FM 449, eastbound and westbound from Sam Page Rd. to the Harrison County line. Expect delays. Traffic will be controlled by flaggers and a pilot car. In Smith County, Tyler Maintenance will be repairing low shoulders on FM 2089. Expect lane closures with flaggers controlling traffic. A second crew will be doing ditch maintenance in various locations throughout the county. Click here for a complete rundown of roadwork around the district.

ATHENS — Officials in Henderson County are urging residents to be aware of what they term the clear and present fire dangers that have persisted throughout the county for more than a month. Fire Marshal Shane Renberg says the county has reported a series of recent wildfires, totaling 44 in the past week alone. According to our news partner KETK, there have been 153 within the county since June 1. The Texas Forest Service said Henderson County remains critically dry and that fires could very well continue into the coming week. The entire region has been affected by hot, dry conditions. Smith, Gregg, and Rusk Counties have issued burn bans within the past week, joining numerous other counties in East Texas.

TYLER – The Smith County District Attorney’s Office has released bodycam video in connection to a civil case against Curtis Traylor-Harris. According to our news partner KETK, Traylor-Harris is dealing with criminal charges as well as a civil lawsuit after being accused of stealing from residents while serving a writ of possession as Smith County Constable for Precinct 1. He was charged in November along with two others from his office, Derrick Holman and LaQuenda Banks, with theft and official oppression. Traylor-Harris was rearrested in May for a bond violation, records show. In June, a Smith County resident filed a lawsuit to remove Traylor-Harris from office, alleging that he chose to violate his oath of office on multiple occasions and could not fulfill his duties as constable since his peace officer’s license was suspended. Since then, a new constable was sworn in for Precinct 1, Ralph Caraway Jr. Continue reading DA’s office releases bodycam video of constable, deputies allegedly stealing from residence

TYLER – The Tyler Fire Marshal’s Office confirmed that two people died in a house fire on Phillips Street Friday morning. According to our news partner KETK, officials say one person killed was an individual who was initially unaccounted for. Firefighters confirmed a man and woman died in the fire and the man’s body has been sent for an autopsy. Tyler Fire was called at 3:37 a.m., and officials were able to get the fire under control within 45 minutes of the initial call. It was said by authorities that there was a delay in containing the fire due to the house’s multiple shingle roof and tin roof on top of that. The house, a short distance south of downtown, had been converted into apartments. Both victims lived in the same unit. Continue reading Two dead after Tyler house fire near downtown

TYLER — It’s not nearly as bad as a few months ago, but NET Health’s George Roberts says the current COVID landscape in his agency’s survey area is still cause for concern. Roberts calls the dashboard figures “just the tip of the iceberg,” since his agency can’t track at-home test results. He notes that “anecdotally,” he has talked to a number of people who have had COVID or have family members who have had the virus, so he says he knows the numbers are going up. The actual dashboard remains a mixed bag, but one item of note is a jump in Tyler hospital patients to 59. Roberts continues to urge vaccinations and staying home when you’re sick. He says the omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants now make up about 62 percent of COVID cases in Texas. For more information on COVID-19 in East Texas, click here.

CANTON – A former Van Zandt County sergeant has been charged for deprivation of rights and is accused of unreasonably assaulting a pretrial detainee. That’s according to our news partner KETK. David Yager, who is representing himself in this case, is accused of punching a detainee “in the chest multiple times with a taser, which he activated in drive-stun mode, also known as dry-stun mode,” the court documents said. The documents accused Yager of tasing the detainee on Feb. 28, 2021 while they were restrained by a detention officer and secured in a restraint chair inside the Van Zandt County Jail. A notice of plea agreement has been entered in this case, and the court has given notice that this case is related to the charges against former officers Blake Snell and Steven Craig Shelton.

PALESTINE — Workforce Solutions East Texas (WSET) announces the relocation of its Palestine workforce center to its original location on East Murchison Street, one block from the Anderson County Courthouse and directly across the street from the Courthouse Annex. The Palestine workforce center is now open to the public, with business hours of Monday–Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Palestine and Anderson County are crucial to East Texas’ overall success,” said WSET Executive Director Doug Shryock in a prepared statement. “We’re thrilled to be in such a central location where we can provide necessary services to jobseekers and help businesses discover workers who will produce results daily.”

TYLER — Preliminary data for the Tyler Police Department shows that in 2021, there was a reduction in Part 1 crimes, which consist of violent crimes and property crimes, as well as a slight increase of crimes being reported. According to information from the police department, Part 1 offenses dropped more than 13% compared to 2020 data. There was also a drop of nearly five per cent for violent crime, with 489 reports for the year compared to 514 reported in 2020. The city of Tyler overall experienced a slight increase of about 1% in all reported crimes. In a prepared statement, Chief Jimmy Toler says, in part, “While we saw an increase of crimes being reported, I think that is a great sign of the trust and faith the Tyler community has in our officers.” Click here for a more complete rundown.

KILGORE – A wanted man was arrested in Kilgore on Wednesday after being chased by multiple officers, some who joined the chase after he ran past the police station according to our news partner KETK. “If you saw us running through the Chick-fil-A parking lot it wasn’t because we were hungry or needed to cool off with a strawberry shake,” Kilgore police said. “It was because were chasing a wanted fugitive.” According to officials, Donald “Danger” Godbey was spotted by patrol in the downtown area and fled from them. Godbey had already escaped from Kilgore officers the previous week. Continue reading Fugitive caught and arrested after chase through Kilgore

TYLER – A Tyler man has pleaded guilty to burglary of habitation after being charged for murder and burglary back in 2020, and has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. According to our news partner KETK, Robert Robertson, 23, is the third person of his three co-defendants to be convicted in the investigation to a shooting on Van Street in Tyler and has a plea hearing for his murder charge scheduled for next month. Robertson’s co-defendant’s Kevondus Brantley and Kobe Warthsaw have been convicted of murder for the 2020 shooting. Brantley pleaded to 15 years in prison, and Warthsaw was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to 40 years in prison. Continue reading 3rd person convicted in 2020 Tyler shooting investigation

TYLER – AAA is reporting the largest weekly gas price decrease for the year in Texas. The statewide gas price average per gallon is $4.33, AAA said. That is .16 cents less than on this day last week and $1.52 more per gallon compared to this day last year. AAA said drivers in El Paso are paying the most on average at $4.44 per gallon. According to our news partner KETK in Longview, the average gas price today is $4.39, compared to $4.53 a week ago. In Tyler, average gas prices are down to $4.27 from $4.40 last week. Texarkana’s gas average is now $4.36 from $4.51 last week. The main factors behind the recent drop, according to the AAA, is that crude oil prices are dropping due to concerns about a decline in global demand later this year and increased supply regionally. July is typically one of the busiest months for road travel.