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TYLER — Karen Phillips, the current Smith County Clerk, announced she will seek re-election in the Republican Primary on March 3, 2026. According to our news partner KETK, Phillips announced during a gathering with family and friends that she intends to run for another term and continue to serve the citizens with accountability and conservative leadership. A county clerk is responsible for maintaining public records, administering elections, issuing licenses and certificates, and serving as the primary contact point between the county and its citizens.

Phillips has served as the Smith County Clerk for the past 15 years and claims to consistently deliver on her promises while operating with fiscal responsibility. She also said that during her first two years in office, she helped reduce the department’s budget by $150,000.

“I have worked hard to ensure efficiency, transparency, and accountability in the County Clerk’s Office,” Phillips said. “It has been an honor to serve the citizens of Smith County, and I look forward to building on these successes in the years ahead.” Continue reading Smith County Clerk Karen Phillips seeks re-election

ANGELINA COUNTY — A Huntington man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2022 murder of his wife on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, Christopher Marriott, 54, of Huntington, was first arrested for murder on May 24, 2022, after officials said he called 911 on May 19 and told law enforcement that he and his wife, Sandra Marriott, had both tried to commit suicide, but only she died.

Angelina County Sheriff’s Office deputies and investigators later found that he caused Sandra’s death. Christopher pleaded guilty to murder before 217th Judicial District Court judge Bob Inselmann on Monday and was sentenced to serve life in state prison.

His life sentence in state prison started on Monday.

LONGVIEW – Longview High School was sent into a “HOLD” on Wednesday after an altercation broke out between a small number of students, according to our news partner KETK.

Campus staff and administrators responded to the altercation immediately and de-escalated the situation with district safety personnel. Longview High School was sent into a “HOLD” during the altercation, as a part of the district’s Standard Response Protocol. The district did not offer any other information about the altercation on Wednesday.

“The situation was promptly resolved, and those involved are being addressed in accordance with district policy. At no point was there an ongoing threat to the campus. The HOLD followed our Standard Response Protocol. Longview ISD is committed to providing a safe, secure and supportive learning environment for all students, and we appreciate the continued cooperation of our families and staff.”
Longview ISD

BULLARD — Our news partner KETK is reporting that a former employee at Bullard Intermediate School has been arrested amidst an ongoing criminal investigation involving child sex crimes. On Oct. 15, the Bullard ISD Police Department interviewed the suspect, Bryan Taylor, who was relieved from his position on the same day after having only been working there for three months. The school district said all screenings and background checks were conducted as district procedures require.

On Wednesday, Taylor was arrested at his residence and booked into the Anderson County Jail. He has been charged with unlawful restraint and attempted sexual performance by a child and is being held on a $1 million bond. Continue reading Former Bullard employee charged with attempted child sex

TYLER – Tyler Water Utilities (TWU) has lifted the Stage 2 mandatory water restrictions that went into effect earlier this month while the Lake Palestine Water Treatment Plant was offline after multiple critical equipment failures and flooding in the filter pipe gallery. To help protect the system and maintain reliable service citywide during that time, TWU activated Stage 2 of the City’s Drought Contingency and Emergency Demand Management Plan, which called for a 10% reduction in total daily water use. Repairs have progressed enough to allow the plant to resume operations safely. With both the Lake Palestine and Golden Road Water Treatment Plants now contributing to the water supply, system pressure and capacity have stabilized. Continue reading Tyler Water Utilities lifts stage two water restrictions

TYLER – Smith County officials said in a release, that one of Smith County’s polling places will be closed for the rest of Wednesday after the water was shut off because of a water main break. The Heritage Building, at 1900 Bellwood Road in Tyler, is the polling place affected. Smith County Elections Administrator Michelle Allcon said she is notified the Texas Secretary of State’s Office this morning. County officials feel the break will be fixed the end of Wednesday.

There are four other early voting locations open until 5 p.m. today:
• The Hub, 304 E. Ferguson St., Tyler
• Lindale Kinzie Community Center, 912 Mt. Sylvan St., Lindale
• Noonday Community Center, 16662 County Road 196, Tyler
• Whitehouse Methodist Church, 405 W. Main St., Whitehouse

Early voting continues through October 31, and Election Day is November 4. There are 17 Texas Constitutional Amendment Propositions on the ballot, as well as several city and school elections throughout Smith County. They can be found by visiting the Smith County website.

 

TYLER — After being notified this morning by the City of Tyler that the water would be shut off all day, the Cotton Belt Building is closed for the day, Wednesday, October 22.

The Smith County Tax Office, Record Services Department and Texas AgriLife Extension Agency are closed and will reopen for normal business hours on Thursday, October 23.

The Tax Office Substations in Noonday, Lindale and Troup remain open today and its online services are available.

HARRISON COUNTY, Texas – For the second time in a month, Ricky Hampton, whose stage name is Finess2tymes, has been arrested in East Texas on drug charges. According to Harrison County Jail records and our news partners at KETK, the rapper on Mondy was hit with eight different charges: possession of marijuana, tampering or fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair, prohibited substance/item in correctional facility, four counts of possession of a controlled substance, and possession of a dangerous drug. He was released from the county jail on Tuesday after posting a bond, which was set at $119,000.

HAWKINS – Hawkins ISD is asking voters to approve a $0.03 increase to the district’s maintenance & operations tax rate in their proposed Voter-Approval Tax Ratification Election, also known as VATRE. Our news partners at KETK report that VATRE is a local school funding election that asks voters whether to authorize the school district to access the maintenance and operations tax rate. $0.03 tax increase would account for $100 of taxable property value. Any property owner who lives in Hawkins ISD would pay 3 cents more per $100 of property value. This change is projected to generate $600,000 in funding for Hawkins’ district operations.

RUSK — Rusk Rural Water Supply Company (RRWSC) has issued a boil water notice to several areas due to a main line leak, according to our news partner KETK.

Due to the leak, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required the RRWSC to notify all customers in the following areas to boil their water prior to consumption: Continue reading Main line leak prompts boil water notice in Rusk

LINDALE — A man is currently being held at the Smith County Jail after assaulting the Lindale Police chief on Saturday evening. According to an arrest affidavit and our news partner KETK, the incident occurred on 114 Cannery Row at around 7 p.m. as Lindale Chief of Police Dan Somes was directing traffic. While Somes was directing traffic, Andrew Hist was trying to turn down a street that was blocked off and proceeded to get out of his vehicle, walked over, and allegedly punched Chief Somes in his face.

Following the assault, witnesses helped Somes detain Hist until officers arrived on the scene. While witnesses and Somes attempted to detain Hist according to authorities, he tried to resist and was taken to the ground.

Hist was eventually placed under arrest after additional officers arrived on the scene and he was taken to the Smith County Jail. Following his arrest, Hist was charged with assaulting a peace officer and resisting arrest.

SMITH COUNTY — On the first three days of early voting, just under 1,400 people voted at five polling locations in Smith County. That’s according Smith County Elections Administrator Michelle Allcon. She also added that in comparing running vote totals, “That is under the 2023 numbers. By the end of the third day in 2023, we were a little over 2,100.”

There are 17 Texas Constitutional Amendment Propositions on the ballot for the November 4 Election, as well as several city and school elections throughout Smith County.  For more information about the propositions, click here.

CITY/SCHOOL ELECTIONS

The City of Whitehouse and the East Texas Municipal Utility District, as well as the Arp, Troup and Whitehouse Independent School Districts will all be holding special elections on November 4.

Early voting is being held October 20-31, at five polling locations in Tyler, Lindale, Noonday and Whitehouse. Continue reading Nearly 1,400 ballots cast in Smith County early voting

WHITEHOUSE — With early voting underway, Whitehouse ISD is proposing a voter-approval tax rate that will “enhance teachers’ salaries,” and maintain small class sizes, allowing for more one-on-one attention between students and teachers.

According to our news partner KETK, if approved, tax rates will remain one of the lowest in Smith County, the school district said, and will focus on providing a better learning environment for teachers and students. It aims to “provide the teacher salaries needed to keep & attract experienced educators,” while also focusing on maintaining small class sizes.

Additionally, if passed, it will aim to help grow the district’s college preparation programs, as well as expand academic and fine arts programs, extracurricular activities, and the special education program. It will also allow the district to maintain its current safety programs and provide additional security measures. Continue reading Whitehouse ISD proposes voter-approval tax rate