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LONGVIEW – Gas prices in the Longview area hit their highest point in history on Thursday. The average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline was $4, according to AAA. According to our news partner KETK, gas prices have skyrocketed over the past few weeks due to a variety of factors, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The previous record for Longview was $3.97, set in July of 2008 during the Great Recession. Tyler is considered likely to break its record for unleaded gasoline in the next day or two. It currently sits at $3.94, and the highest it has ever reached is $3.97. It should be noted that prices are always affected by whatever inflation issues are present at any given time.

CHAPEL HILL — Classes resumed at Chapel Hill High School Thursday following a bomb threat, and officials say the bomb search has concluded. Out of what was termed an abundance of caution, the school dismissed classes beginning at 1:15 Wednesday afternoon. The campus had earlier gone on lockdown, with students and staff evacuated from the building. According to the CHISD website, “All students and staff remained safe during the lockdown, evacuation, and dismissal process. Authorities have also concluded their search and have secured the campus.” There was no immediate word on any further investigation.

TYLER — Following autopsies, a recent double fatal shooting has been ruled a double suicide. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office issued that update Wednesday. The victims, discovered February 25, were 21-year-olds Cody Russell Lovelady Jr. of Flint and Jarah Breann Shelton of Tyler. Officials say around 11:15 that morning, a deputy saw a black Ford F-250 on FM 2868 near the intersection of Hwy. 155 South. The vehicle was still running and a female was sitting in the front seat with a handgun. After removing the handgun, authorities say the deputy realized that the female and a male who was also in the front seat were both dead. The deputy secured the vehicle and called for assistance.

TYLER — The City of Tyler has named a new city engineer and canceled its May election. Darin Jennings gets the engineer’s post after serving as the development services engineer manager since 2021. Officials say in his new position, Jennings will plan, direct, and administer all activities of the Engineering Department. Those include overseeing the design and construction of capital improvement projects and Half-Cent Sales Tax Fund administration. Meantime, the election was canceled because all candidates are unopposed. Mayor Don Warren gets a new term, along with Councilmembers Broderick McGee, James Wynne, and Brad Curtis. Click here and scroll down to “Tyler News” for more details on both items.

AUSTIN — Tyler and Longview continue to mirror a positive statewide trend in sales tax allocations from the Texas comptroller’s office. For March, Tyler gets $4,185,356.79, compared to $3,697,853.62 a year ago. For the year to date, it’s $15,245,737.53, up from $12,509,929.92 at this time last year. Longview picked up $3,109,664.00 for March; that figure was $2,519,508.46 a year ago. As for the year to date, Longview shows $11,119,750.26, compared to $9,062,804.44 at this time in 2021.

AUSTIN – A Tyler resident claimed a top prize winning ticket worth $3 million in the Texas Lottery scratch ticket game $250 Million Cash Party. The ticket was purchased at Raceway 6760, on Main St. in Lindale. The claimant elected to remain anonymous. This was the last of four top prizes worth $3 million to be claimed in this game. $250 Million Cash Party offers more than $250 million in total prizes, according to a news release. Officials say overall odds of winning any prize in the game are one in 3.45, including break-even prizes.

TYLER — Former Smith County elections official Denise Hernandez pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to spiking drinks with colon cleanser and giving them to her employees without their knowledge. According to our news partner KETK, Hernandez was charged with two counts of assault causing bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor in Texas. She had faced up to one year in jail for each charge along with a maximum fine of $4,000. Hernandez agreed to a plea deal that included 18 months of deferred adjudicated probation with no fine and cost of court proceedings. A Smith County prosecutor said that the two victims in the case agreed to the conditions of the plea deal. Continue reading Former Smith County elections administrator pleads guilty to spiking drinks

LONGVIEW — Longview Fire Department Battalion Chief Justin Jenkins was given a Unit Citation Award for saving a man’s life in an apartment fire. According to our news partner KETK, Jenkins was presented with the award on Feb. 24 for his heroism in the line of duty from the Longview Fire Department. On Jan. 22, at 7:36 p.m., LFD was called to 717 S. Green St. for an apartment fire. Jenkins had just returned to Fire Station 1 from a prior response and quickly arrived at the new fire. When he arrived, he began performing his size up around the building. Residents and bystanders notified Jenkins that there was a man still inside of the apartment. Continue reading Longview Fire Department chief given Unit Citation Award

TYLER – A Tyler man punched his ex-wife repeatedly and threatened her life while attempting to kidnap her, according to our news partner KETK. 37-year-old Adrian Perez is charged with kidnapping for an incident back on Friday, March 4. He is being held in the Smith County Jail on multiple bonds totaling close to $900,000. According to the warrant, Perez’s ex-wife ran from his home after sustaining “serious bodily injury inflicted upon her by [him].” The victim was able to drive to a Super 1 Foods on Gentry Parkway where a friend came to pick her up. The documents say that she planned to leave her car at the store and then be taken to a safe home. However, Perez had followed her, according to the warrant, and cut them off in the parking lot. He then allegedly grabbed her from the car by her hair, punched her in the face and torso, then threatened to kill her while dragging her to his truck.

GREGG COUNTY — One person is dead and three others are injured after a rollover crash half a mile west of Longview between Estes Parkway and Old Kilgore Highway. According to DPS, a 2020 Honda Passport towing a small box trailer was traveling west on I-20 in the outside lane. A 2004 Volvo Conventional Tractor towing a 2007 Featherlite trailer was also traveling west, approaching the Honda from behind. DPS said that the driver of the Volvo failed to control its speed and struck the towed trailer, causing the Honda to roll onto its side into the center median and its towed trailer to vault over the concrete barrier into the eastbound lane. The Volvo traveled into the center median, struck the concrete barrier and caught fire. Continue reading DPS identifies man who died in in 18-wheeler crash on I-20 near Longview

TYLER – A Tyler man was denied service at Fuzzy’s Taco Shop in Tyler for being intoxicated before allegedly hitting a woman with his car when he left, according to our news partner KETK. 25-year-old Devonte Crawford-Milton is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for the incident at the Troup Highway location just after midnight on Friday, March 4. The documents state that Milton was driven to the restaurant by a friend from a local bar. The manager denied entrance to both Crawford-Milton and the friend due to “their obvious intoxicated and belligerent state,” according to the warrant. Crawford-Milton then allegedly got back into the car by himself and backed into a parked car. As he was driving away, the warrant says that he “drove around the parking lot of Green Acres Shopping Center attempting to strike pedestrians.” Continue reading Warrant: Tyler man denied entrance to Fuzzy’s before hitting woman with car

UPSHUR COUNTY– The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office is looking for information about a theft at a church. The sheriff’s office said that they’re looking for a 1998 Ford Mustang that is painted a dull gray (possibly primer) with a wide black stripe on the hood and the spoiler on the trunk, and also may be black in color. The license plate is believed to have red coloring on it and is possibly from another state. Three people were inside the car on Sunday, March 6. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Investigator Rob Bowen at 903-680-8223

ATHENS — A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for a 35-year-old cold case murder out of Henderson County. According to our news partner KETK, 29-year-old Rickey Herriage’s body was discovered on March 8, 1987. Officials say his body was “bullet riddled” and had been thrown off the side of a bridge on CR 1500 on the same morning or the night before. To be eligible for a $5,000 payment, contact Henderson County Crime Stoppers at 800-545-8477, and you can remain anonymous. The rest of the $15,000 will be paid by Herriage’s family and friends. Continue reading $20,000 reward offered for information about 35-year-old cold case murder

MARSHALL — A Waskom man was sentenced to 50 years in prison last week after pleading guilty to murdering his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son. According to our news partner KETK, 33-year-old Larry Prudhomme entered his plea in the 71st District Court in Marshall on March 2. Deputies were called out to a home in Waskom in 2019 in reference to a child injury. When they arrived, Prudhomme and the victim’s mother, Danielle Faulkner, said the child fell off the porch, causing him to have a seizure and trouble breathing. While treating the boy, EMS noticed he was extremely bruised all over his body and told deputies that they didn’t feel the amount of bruising was consistent with falling off the porch. Prudhomme was initially charged with injury to a child, but the charge was upgraded to murder after the victim died. Faulkner has her next court date scheduled for April 12.

TYLER — Median home prices in Tyler have reached nearly $263,000, up 13.9 % from 2020 and making the price of a local home hit a record-breaking high. According to our news partner KETK, Chairman John Wampler of the Greater Tyler Association of Realtors says we may never see property appreciation like this again. Wampler says, “I mean it’s a very crazy market out there right now. We have a record amount of sales, a record amount of price per square foot for each property. It’s just our inventory is the biggest issue. I think we are down active listings 43 percent from 2020.” This can be frustrating to both homeowners and buyers due to the lack of homes for sale. Continue reading Tyler home sales and prices reach an all time high

TYLER — TxDOT will be busy with another round of construction and maintenance work in the Tyler District this week. Tyler Maintenance will have a base failure crew on FM 3226. This will be under one-way traffic with flaggers controlling traffic. A second crew will be performing ditch work on various roadways. In Gregg County, maintenance crews will be continuing mill and inlay operations on FM 2204. There will be left lane closures east and westbound from US 259 BUS to Danville Rd. Click here for a complete rundown of roadwork around the district.

LONGVIEW — The city of Longview adds two street closures Tuesday after beginning one closure Monday morning. Starting Tuesday, Page Road, between Delia Drive and Lois Lane, will be closed to through traffic for improvements for the new Hallsville Elementary School. Go to this link for additional information on that project. Also beginning Tuesday, northbound traffic on S. High Street, at Nelson Street, will be reduced to single lane traffic due to installation of a new sewer main. Click here for more on that effort. East Whaley Street, from North Fredonia Street to North Green Street, is temporarily closed as of 6 a.m. Monday due to street paving. Click here for details. Drivers are encouraged to use alternate routes in all cases. Officials note that all three projects will move forward as weather permits.

LONGVIEW — A man was shot Friday night in Longview while he was reportedly committing a burglary, according to our news partner KETK and a statement from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. The release said that around 8 p.m. on March 4, deputies were called to a Longview home for a shooting on Juanita Road. When they arrived, they found Matthew Dillon George, of Longview, suffering from a gunshot wound. Detectives soon figured out that he was shot “while committing burglary,” according to the statement. The release said that the homeowner “verbally gave orders for George to leave, which he refused.” The homeowner then shot George because she was “fearing for her safety.” Continue reading Sheriff: East Texas homeowner shoots burglar

FRANKSTON — A 54-year-old man was hit and killed by a pickup truck near Frankston early Friday morning. According to our news partner KETK, around 5:20 Friday morning, DPS troopers responded to the scene of a vehicle-pedestrian crash on SH 155, roughly three miles south of Frankston. A preliminary investigation indicated that 31-year-old Antonio Roman, of Palestine, was traveling north bound on SH 155 in a 2019 Ford F-250. At the same time, 54-year-old Ian Folakan, of Frankston, was walking south in the northbound lanes, straddling the inside and outside lanes. Continue reading 54-year-old struck, killed by pickup near Frankston

TYLER — Tyler police arrested a man early Saturday morning after he allegedly attempted to kidnap his ex-wife from the Super 1 Foods near Gentry Parkway and Beckham Avenue before leading officers on a vehicle pursuit. According to our news partner KETK and Tyler PD spokesperson Andy Erbaugh, the suspect, identified as 37-year-old Adrian Perez, was apparently thwarted in his attempt to kidnap his ex, though it is still unclear how. When officers initially responded to the scene, they learned that the suspect had allegedly used or displayed a weapon in his kidnapping attempt. Shortly after, officers obtained a warrant for attempted aggravated kidnapping and immediately began searching for Perez. Continue reading Tyler man arrested after alleged attempt to kidnap ex, leading police on chase

LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department is looking for a missing woman. According to our news partner KETK, 45-year-old Barbara Alexander is approximately 5’6″ tall, weighs 195 lbs and has black hair and blue eyes. Alexander was last seen on Friday at 10:00 a.m. near the 2000 block of South High Street in Longview. She was wearing a burgundy long sleeve blouse and a long gray skirt. Police are asking anyone with information on Alexander’s whereabouts to contact Longview Police Department at 903-237-1199.

TYLER — A Tyler man was arrested early Friday morning and accused of hitting a woman and another vehicle with his car. According to our news partner KETK, 25-year-old Devonte Crawford-Milton was taken into custody by the Smith County Sheriff’s Department for outstanding warrants. Tyler police say Crawford-Milton was allegedly driving recklessly and struck another car along with a woman in the parking lot of Fuzzy’s Taco Shop on Troup Highway. The woman suffered minor injuries from the crash. Investigators say Crawford-Milton drove out of the city but was later arrested by Smith County deputies. He has a lengthy criminal history with three convictions for theft and two for assault. He was out on bond awaiting trial for a charge of evading arrest. Crawford-Milton still remains in jail, and detectives said they are working to charge him with aggravated assault for the incident at Fuzzy’s.

LONGVIEW — Longview police seek leads in two recent shootings. One took place at a sports bar late Thursday night, the other on South High Street Thursday afternoon with multiple vehicles shot. Each involved a victim who sustained what are termed non-life-threatening injuries. Police ask that you contact them or Crime Stoppers if you have any information. Learn more about the Thursday night shooting here. You can find more on the Thursday afternoon incident at this link.

TYLER — Brookshire Grocery Co. announced on Friday that they would be the latest company to show support toward Ukraine. According to our news partner KETK, the organization said in a Facebook post that they would keep Russian-made products off their shelves. This follows Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week. The effects of the invasion have been worldwide. More than 150 countries voted at the United Nations to condemn the attack and varying industries have attempted to show support for Ukrainians in their own way.

TYLER — NET Health’s George Roberts brings us up to date on the improving COVID picture in East Texas. Roberts notes that cases continue to go down in his survey area, and he’s hopeful that will continue in coming days. Among other things, hospital patient numbers dropped to 93 from 94 this past Monday and have fallen off significantly in recent weeks. Gregg County continues to lag behind other area counties, but Roberts isn’t too concerned, reiterating that the area-wide picture remains strong. Continue reading Roberts weighs in on latest COVID statistics

TYLER — A former Louisiana FBI agent who is accused of exposing himself several times to two Tyler teens has been indicted. According to our news partner KETK, David Harris is scheduled to appear in a Smith County court on June 20. He is also facing criminal charges in Louisiana and Florida for separate incidents. Harris is accused of several sex crimes dating back to 2016, though his attorneys maintain his innocence. He had previously been assigned to the FBI Field Office in New Orleans, where he investigated child sex crimes, but has since been fired by the FBI. A warrant stated that the investigation started in 2021 when the father of an alleged victim sent a letter to the Inspector General’s Office detailing incidents in which Harris allegedly exposed himself to the man’s daughter and another teenage girl from 2018-2019.

TYLER — A signature Tyler event helping usher in the spring season returns Saturday. It’s the ninth annual Brookshire’s FRESH 15 race. The race starts and finishes at Brookshire Grocery Company’s flagship store, FRESH by Brookshire’s, on Old Jacksonville Highway. Money raised will benefit multiple local charities. Drivers should note that there will several road closures. Click here for all the details.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department hands out its annual awards for outstanding service at a Tuesday banquet. Officer Blake Kelley was recognized as Officer of the Year. Rookie Officer of the Year is James Meredith, and the Priority Response Team was named Unit of the Year. Numerous other honors were also presented. According to a news release, the recipients “are called to serve” and “went above and beyond the call of duty.” You can view the complete list here, together with details on the recipients.

SAN AUGUSTINE — An electricity provider in East Texas is warning about a scam. The Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative says someone pretending to be with the company is calling people from local numbers demanding money and threatening to disconnect their service. The company’s service area includes San Augustine, Nacogdoches, Shelby, Newton, Panola, Jasper, Sabine, and Rusk Counties. The company says it would never call and demand payment immediately like that.