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TYLER – The City of Tyler is celebrating Rosa Parks Day with a reserved seat on a Tyler Transit bus, according to our news partner KETK. The holiday, observed on the day of her arrest, honors Parks after she refused to give up her bus seat, going against an Alabama law in 1955 that required Black passengers to relinquish seats when a bus became full. “Her actions led to a 1956 Supreme Court decision banning segregation on public transportation,” the city said in a statement. “Today, Tyler Transit honors Rosa Parks and her legacy with her own designated seat.” The seat left in honor of Parks, 67 years after she was arrested for not giving up her bus seat, features a photo of Parks with the words “this seat is reserved for Rosa Parks.”

EAST TEXAS — It’s almost time for the Tyler and Longview Christmas parades. The Rotary Clubs of Tyler is putting on the Rose City event, and the local AMBUCS is presenting the Longview attraction. Both are set for December 1 in the cities’ downtowns, with the Tyler parade kicking off at 6 p.m. and the Longview activity beginning at 6:30 in the evening. The Tyler event will be capped by the lighting of the downtown Christmas tree by this year’s Children’s Miracle Network Miracle Child, three-year-old Hannah Harlow. Longview’s parade includes marching bands, floats, and an appearance by Santa. Click here for more on what’s happening in Tyler. Check this link for more information on the Longview parade.

TYLER — 114th District Court Judge Austin Reeve Jackson sentenced 60-year-old Charles Lennon II of Bullard to a prison term of 16 years after Lennon pleaded guilty to the felony offense of tampering with a human corpse. According to a news release, Lennon had been facing a maximum sentence of twenty years confinement before entering into the plea agreement with the Smith County District Attorney’s Office. Lennon was charged with the offense because of his involvement in attempting to conceal the body of 31-year-old Rachel Lynn Jackson, a young woman his son, Charles Lennon III, violently murdered. In April 2019, the younger Lennon entered a plea of guilty to the murder and was sentenced to life in prison, also in the 114th District Court.

TYLER – Visit Tyler has hired a new president. Diann Bayes (pictured) comes to Tyler from San Angelo, where she has served as vice president of Discover San Angelo for nearly six years. She has worked nearly 30 years in the travel and tourism industry. Bayes will begin her role on January 3, 2023. Visit Tyler began the search in October for a new president after Shari Lee announced her retirement after 14 years. Visit Tyler has also hired Sheridan Smith as vice president of marketing/communications. She was formerly a marketing director for Chick-fil-A. Visit Tyler is the destination marketing organization for Tyler, according to press materials.

TYLER – According to court documents unsealed Wednesday, 21 suspects from across the country have been charged for their alleged roles in transnational money laundering networks. The announcement came in a Tyler news conference. Suspects include those who allegedly laundered millions of dollars reportedly stolen from United States fraud victims through romance scams, business email compromises, technical support schemes, and other fraud schemes. Federal officials announced Operation Crypto Runner, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation into transnational cryptocurrency money laundering networks. They say the networks facilitate the movement of fraud proceeds from victims in the United States to foreign criminal organizations. Click here for more details.

TYLER — A 19-year-old Houston man was sentenced to eight years deferred adjudication, or probation, after pleading guilty to engaging in organized criminal activity. According to our news partner KETK, Kennedy Watkins was arrested with two other Houston men in Tyler in connection to several catalytic converter thefts. The three were all 18-years-old at the time of their July arrests, and Watkins has remained in jail since. In addition to his eight year sentence, Watkins was given 137 days credit for the time he spent in jail. According to deferred adjudication guidelines, if Watkins adheres to the condition of his release the conviction will be removed from his record.

TYLER — CHRISTUS Health and Texas-Oncology collaborated to build the Northeast Texas Cancer and Research Institute, which had its grand opening in Tyler on Tuesday. According to our news partner KETK, the new clinic is an 85,000-foot facility with about 3,000 feet designated for research space. The facility has specialized areas for radiation oncology, gynecologic oncology, hematology, and medical oncology.  Jason Proctor with CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Hospital said patients enjoy the new facility. “A lot of it is speechless, beautiful. It is such a healing presence, again it makes it easy for them to see their doctors,” he said. Continue reading Northeast Texas Cancer and Research Institute opens in Tyler

LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department arrested a murder suspect who was wanted out of Minneapolis, Minnesota on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, Longview police said they received a tip from Gregg County Crime Stoppers Network on the location of the suspect, 36-year-old Erica Shameka Roberts, who was wanted for second degree murder. Roberts was arrested and taken to the Gregg County Jail without incident by LPD Detectives with the Special Investigations Apprehension Unit. Back in October, the Minneapolis Police Department took to Facebook to ask for the public’s help in finding Roberts. They said she was charged with murder for fatally shooting Tanasha Austin back in March after a verbal argument.

MARSHALL — Marshall police have arrested 43-year-old Dameion Deon Redd of Marshall for a shooting that injured a woman and child on Monday. Police say Redd was booked into the Harrison County Jail on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and injury to a child. According to a news release, just after midnight Monday on East End Boulevard South, police responded to 911 calls reporting gunfire in the area. Upon arrival, officers found the woman and child had been shot in their apartment. Both victims were transported to area hospitals.

FLINT – A Winona man arrested this month is accused of creating multiple fake businesses in order to steal money from the company he was working for. According to our news partner KETK, a warrant says Andrew Boaz, 35, is accused of stealing a total of $85,979.29 from Nautical Mile Marine, a boat dealership where he had been employed for over nine years. The missing funds were discovered in October, according to the warrant, after a manager noticed an unfamiliar recurring charge to “Boat Parts Online” in the company’s credit card statements. Boaz was arrested Nov. 18 for felony theft and bailed out of jail the next day. His bail was set at the same amount of money the investigation determined to have been stolen by Boaz using the company credit card.

NACOGDOCHES – The Stephen F. Austin State University Board of Regents voted on Tuesday to accept the University of Texas system offer for affiliation. According to our news partner KETK, the decision was approved in an 8-1 vote by the board with one member opposing, saying they feared the decision would eventually lead to the name of the university being changed. Officials said SFA will now officially accept the university system’s offer so they can begin the process of affiliation. “We are honored and enthusiastic about taking the next steps together in this process with confidence that this union will make each of us stronger,” said Kevin Eltife, chairman of the UT System Board of Regents, as quoted in a news release. Continue reading SFA regents vote to join UT System

TYLER – Each year, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Tyler selects at least one child to represent CMN hospitals. This year the 2023 Miracle Child is three-year-old Hannah Harlow, who will debut as Miracle Child when she lights the city of Tyler’s Christmas Tree during the annual Christmas Parade on December 1. According to a news release, at the age of two, Hannah was diagnosed with XLH Rickets, a condition in which the body doesn’t produce or retain phosphorus. Without phosphorus, bones do not harden, so they are brittle and can easily break. Continue reading Hannah Harlow named 2023 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals “Miracle Child”

ARP – The Arp ISD community is rallying around Coach Winston Butler and his mother Dorene Freeney. According to information from the school district, around 2:00 Thanksgiving morning, their house burned down, and they lost everything. Thanks in large part to former Arp ISD athletic director Dale Irwin and his wife, Tonya Irwin, Butler and his mom are beginning the process of getting back on their feet. Much of the Arp community has already stepped up and helped in many ways with monetary, clothing, food, and other donations. Coach Irwin, in conjunction with Arp ISD and Arp State Bank, has set up dropoff locations at the bank and at Arp High School for anyone who wishes to help. Coach Irwin is personally picking up the donations daily and delivering them to the family. Fortunately, neither Butler nor Freeney was hurt in the fire. Continue reading Community steps up after Arp coach and mother lose home to fire

TYLER — Chapel Hill ISD announced on Tuesday they are mourning the death of a Wise Elementary student who died in a wreck over Thanksgiving break. According to our news partner KETK, in a message to the district, Superintendent Lamond Dean said Daniela Nevaeh Ramirez was involved in a crash and “with tremendous sadness” informed the district of her death. “Thank you for your concern and your continued support for Wise Elementary,” Dean said. “Please keep the Ramirez family and their close friends in your thoughts and prayers as they grieve this tragic loss.” Dean said the school trauma team of counselors is meeting with Ramirez’s friends and teachers, and that counselors “are well prepared to assist both students and staff following such tragic incidents.”

LONGVIEW — A man was killed Sunday night after he allegedly pulled a pistol on an off-duty Kilgore police officer and threatened him with it. According to Kilgore Police and our news partner KETK, the officer who was working an off-duty security job for Hospitality ER in Longview, was checking the parking lot around 9 p.m. when the man confronted him. Officials said that during the encounter “for unknown reasons” he pulled a pistol and began making threats with it. The two then began to struggle for control of the weapon. “As the struggle intensified the officer pulled his weapon and fired in an attempt to stop the aggression, striking the suspect,” officials said. “Immediately following the shooting the officer summoned ER staff who attempted life-saving measures.” Continue reading Man killed at Longview ER identified

GUN BARREL CITY – More details are emerging after the Gun Barrel City Police Department and Gun Barrel City Fire Department responded to a possible carbon monoxide poisoning on Garret Lane that left one dead on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, after arriving at the scene, officers and firefighters said they found a three-year-old girl, two boys ages four and six, and the children’s 28-year-old mother. They say they immediately began trying to save the victims’ lives and they were all then transported to UT Health Texas Cedar Creek Lake. The six-year-old was unresponsive when they arrived and later died, according to officials. Continue reading More details on apparent carbon monoxide death in Gun Barrel City

TYLER – The United Way of Smith County is hosting their third annual “Tyler Gives” online fundraiser on November 29th, which falls on International Giving Tuesday. According to a news release, the event is aimed at meeting local needs by providing United Way’s partnering local nonprofit agencies with a generous gift at the end of the year. More than 400 individuals came together last year and raised over $230,000 on TylerGives.org in a matter of hours. Thanks to Tyler Gives sponsor Express Employment Professionals and its subsidiary Specialized Recruiting Group, all fees associated with the event are covered, allowing 100% of the donations to go directly to meeting needs. United Way and the event sponsors are providing a $75,000 match for Tyler Gives this year. Continue reading United Way hosting third annual Tyler Gives event with $75,000 match

CRAFT – It may be awhile before we know more about a hostage situation in Cherokee County that led to an officer-involved shooting. In a prepared statement, DPS Sgt. Adam Albritton says, “For the safety of the medical staff, no information about the suspect or his condition will be released at this time.” Authorities said the suspect was shot south of Jacksonville Saturday in a confrontation with law enforcement after he allegedly held his wife and daughter hostage. According to our news partner KETK, Albritton says around 11:52 a.m., the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office got a 911 call from a man who claimed to be holding his wife and daughter hostage. Continue reading Further details pending on officer-involved shooting in Cherokee County

LONGVIEW (KRLD/Staff) — An East Texas man recently released following his alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol incident is ordered to house arrest. Ryan Nichols was released from a Virginia jail pending his trial. He is not allowed out of his home in Longview except for medical, court, and church service exceptions. A U.S. judge decided to release Nichols because he claimed it wasn’t possible for Nichols to access digital evidence he may need for his trial next year. The Longview News-Journal reports Nichols was also ordered to stay away from Washington, D.C., except for business related to his case — and ordered to avoid all contact with anyone involved in the Capitol incident, including co-defendants.

EAST TEXAS — Plans continue for East Texas Christmas parades, with the Rotary Clubs of Tyler putting on the Rose City event and the local AMBUCS heading up arrangements for the Longview attraction. Both are set for December 1 in the cities’ downtowns, with the Tyler parade kicking off at 6 p.m. and the Longview activity beginning at 6:30 in the evening. The Tyler event will be capped by the lighting of the downtown Christmas tree by this year’s Children’s Miracle Network Miracle Child. Longview’s parade includes marching bands, floats, and an appearance by Santa. Click here for more on what’s happening in Tyler. Check this link for more information on the Longview parade and other holiday activities around Longview.

GUN BARREL CITY – A six-year-old has died from possible carbon monoxide poisoning following an incident in Gun Barrel City. According to our new partner KETK, police and firefighters responded Saturday to a location on Garret Lane. They said they found a three-year-old girl, two boys aged four and six, and a 28-year-old woman. They say they immediately began trying to save their lives, and all four were then taken to UT Health Texas Cedar Creek Lake. The six-year-old was unresponsive when they arrived and later died, according to officials. The three-year-old and four-year-old were last listed in critical condition and have been transferred to a children’s hospital in Dallas. The woman is reportedly expected to recover. Authorities say the Henderson County Crimes Against Children Taskforce is investigating the incident along with the Gun Barrel City Police Department.

CRAFT – Authorities say a man was shot south of Jacksonville Saturday in a confrontation with law enforcement after he allegedly held his wife and daughter hostage. According to our news partner KETK, DPS Sgt. Adam Albritton says around 11:52 a.m., the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office got a 911 call from a man who claimed to be holding his wife and daughter hostage. When sheriff’s personnel and DPS troopers arrived at the scene, in the area of the Craft community off Highway 69, the suspect allegedly confronted them with a gun in a threatening manner. “Unfortunately, officers had to defend themselves, and the incident ended with the suspect shot,” said Albritton. The alleged hostage-taker was transported to a local hospital, while officials say his wife and daughter are uninjured. There was no immediate word on the suspect’s condition. The Texas Rangers are investigating.

TYLER — TxDOT schedules another week’s worth of roadwork in the Tyler District for the week of November 28. In Smith County, Tyler maintenance will have a base failure crew on FM 850, west of FM 3226. A second crew will be performing bridge maintenance, first on SH 110 S at the Mud Creek bridge between Whitehouse and Troup, then on FM 346 south of FM 344. Motorists should expect lane closures with flaggers controlling traffic in all locations. In Gregg County, Longview maintenance crews will continue bridge channel maintenance on SH 31. Expect right lane closures north and southbound with flaggers controlling traffic. Click here for a complete rundown of roadwork around the district.

TYLER — The Better Business Bureau Serving Central East Texas continues its holiday season advisories as holiday shopping kicks into high gear. The Monday following Black Friday, known as Cyber Monday, has become the second major holiday shopping event of the year. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), approximately 97 million shoppers took advantage of CyberMonday deals in 2021. And even with inflation and price hikes on the minds of consumers, an estimated 166.3 million shoppers were planning to shop during the Thanksgiving holiday, including on CyberMonday. The BBB reminds consumers to be on the lookout for misleading advertisements, lookalike websites, and untrustworthy sellers. Continue reading BBB tip: Cybercriminals will be on the prowl this Cyber Monday

TYLER — Tyler Junior College has scheduled a series of Registration Rally events — including a special Saturday session — for its upcoming winter and spring terms. “We’re excited to offer registration and testing hours on Saturday, for the convenience of those who might be unable to attend on a weekday,” said Claire Mizell, TJC director of admissions, as quoted in a news release. “For those who are not already TJC students, we will also have staff on hand to assist them with starting the admissions process.” Walk-in advising and registration will be held on the second floor of Rogers Student Center, on E. Lake St. on the TJC central campus. On Saturday, Dec. 3, advising and registration will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with TSI testing available from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Continue reading TJC offers Registration Rally for winter, spring semesters

TYLER – Visit Tyler is joining the nationwide movement to celebrate local businesses as it takes part in Small Business Saturday. According to a news release, Shop Small Saturday was founded in 2010 and happens annually on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. That makes it the perfect time to start your holiday shopping at local small businesses, according to organizers, who say those businesses are the heartbeat of the Rose City. The Visit Tyler Visitor Center and Boutique Shop is hosting a special Small Business Saturday Pop-Up Shop from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. inside Plaza Tower in Downtown Tyler. Continue reading Tyler celebrates Small Business Saturday

TYLER — Eight-year-old Romio Hernandez and 11-spentyear-old Aiden Moreno spent their Thanksgiving giving back, according to our news partner KETK. “To help the homeless people, maybe they don’t have a house, so we are giving them food to help out, and invite them here, and give them food, serve them, give them drinks so they can feel welcomed,” said Aiden. They volunteered at the Tyler Salvation Army serving hot meals to those in need, putting a smile on everyone’s face. Continue reading Children spend their Thanksgiving feeding those in need

SMITH COUNTY – Drivers continued to face big challenges on part of I-20 in Smith County Thursday following a late morning accident. DPS reported late Thursday afternoon that the westbound lanes remained shut down after a tractor-trailer overturned in the left lane near the Highway 110 interchange. Traffic was being diverted onto other highways at the Highway 110 exit, and drivers were advised to avoid the area. You can use this link to stay up to date on this accident and others around East Texas.

EAST TEXAS — Plans continue for East Texas Christmas parades, with the Rotary Clubs of Tyler putting on the Rose City event and the local AMBUCS heading up arrangements for the Longview attraction. Both are set for December 1 in the cities’ downtowns, with the Tyler parade kicking off at 6 p.m. and the Longview activity beginning at 6:30 in the evening. The Tyler event will be capped by the lighting of the downtown Christmas tree by this year’s Children’s Miracle Network Miracle Child. Longview’s parade includes marching bands, floats, and an appearance by Santa. Click here for more on what’s happening in Tyler. Check this link for more information on the Longview parade and other holiday activities around Longview.