TYLER — One person was injured on Friday night after a vehicle crashed into a building on Magnolia Drive in Tyler. According to the Tyler Police Department and our news partner KETK, a vehicle crashed into a Tyler Junior College building at around 8 p.m. on Friday. The driver was injured and taken to a local hospital to be treated. The driver’s condition is unknown.
Tyler PD and the TJC Police Department are investigating the crash. Additional details were not available.
TYLER — Country music band Little Texas will take center stage at the 38th annual Tyler Cattle Baron’s Ball on June 27, bringing star power to one of the region’s biggest fundraisers for the American Cancer Society at the W.T. Brookshire Conference Center. According to our news partner KETK, this year’s gala features a venue change, moving to the conference center after being hosted at the Texas Rose Horse Park in previous years. Over nearly four decades, the Tyler Cattle Baron’s Ball has raised millions locally to support cancer research and families in East Texas.
“Our East Texas community has united to raise over $18.5 million for the American Cancer Society. This incredible achievement is a direct result of the generosity of our donors, supporters and volunteers,” American Cancer Society Staff Partner Melissa Ivey said.
The country music group Little Texas is known for the song “God Bless Texas.” The band has specific ties to the East Texas region, as two of its members were born and raised in Longview.
PAYNE SPRINGS, Texas (KETK) — More than 12 hours after a boat carrying three people capsized on Cedar Creek Lake, emergency crews continue an intensive search for a missing man feared to have drowned.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said three men were fishing on Cedar Creek Lake near Payne Springs on Thursday at around 10:30 p.m. when their boat took on water and capsized. Two men made it to shore and contacted emergency crews.
The third individual, a 42-year-old man, tried to swim to shore. Witnesses reported hearing him call for help, but he could not be found.
The Payne Springs Fire and Rescue said a resident assisted by launching a pontoon boat, transporting firefighters and other residents to begin an initial surface search while additional rescue boats were on their way.
Payne Springs Fire and Rescue conducted a surface and an underwater search before being assisted by the Texas Game Wardens. Search efforts continued until 2 a.m. Friday morning.
Search crews, including Texas Game Wardens, are on the lake on Friday looking for him. However, the search is being hindered by weather conditions and water depth, the department stated.
EAST TEXAS — The average base pay for public school teachers in East Texas remains among the lowest, as salaries across the state have dropped in the past five years, a study reports. In a study conducted by the University of Houston Education Research Center, researchers found that the average base pay of traditional public school teachers dropped in the 2024-2025 school year from $66,449 to $62,715, after seeing an increase the year prior.
According to the study, teacher base pay averaged $69,205 from the 2014-2015 school year to 2020-2021. Since then, the average has stayed “considerably lower” at $65,699.
Average Base Pay of Traditional Public School Classroom Teachers (in Constant 2024 Dollars), 2014–15 through 2024–25. Courtesy of the University of Houston Education Research Center.
Two educational service regions encompass East Texas and they have some of the lowest averages across the state. Continue reading Teachers among lowest paid in the state
(WASHINGTON) -- A U.S. fighter jet appears to have been shot down by Iran over Iranian territory, American officials confirmed to ABC News, marking a new and potentially dangerous point in the conflict.
One crew member aboard the downed two-seater F-15E has been rescued, according to two U.S. officials. The status of the other crew member is unknown, according to the official, and the search and rescue effort continues.
Combat search and rescue missions have become relatively rare for U.S. forces after more than a generation of near-total air dominance, with American aircraft typically operating with limited threats to aircraft in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The early indications that the U.S. fighter was brought down by enemy fire would mark the first time Iran has successfully downed a manned American aircraft in the war, which started in February.
In late March, an American F-18 fighter jet narrowly dodged an Iranian surface-to-air missile, according to a U.S. official. Earlier that month, an American F-35, the Pentagon’s most advanced stealth fighter jet, had to make an emergency landing after being struck by Iranian fire. Three F-15s were also brought down over Kuwait in a friendly fire episode earlier in the war, though all six pilots ejected safely, according to U.S. officials.
There are photos of the fighter jet that were released by Iranian state media that have not been independently verified by ABC News.
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the downed fighter jet, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Another U.S. official said Trump has been briefed on the rescue and condition of the recovered crew member.
Hegseth, Trump touted American air dominance over Iran
The incident comes after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and other U.S. officials have said that Iran's military capabilities have been severely crippled and that the U.S. has "total air dominance" over Iran.
Trump, in a primetime address to the nation earlier this week, said the U.S. was "nearing completion" of its military objectives and that Tehran's anti-aircraft abilities had been decimated.
"We’ve done all of it. Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Their missiles are just about used up or beaten," Trump said in his speech on Wednesday night.
"They have no anti-aircraft equipment," Trump added in his remarks. "Their radar is 100% annihilated. We are unstoppable as a military force."
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has made a number of false claims about U.S. aircraft being downed but the U.S. has pushed back on those.
Iran has maintained at least some ability to continue with attacks targeting U.S. facilities in the Middle East and other countries in the region, wounding more than 300 U.S. service members, according to U.S. officials. The number of wounded has increased at a relatively steady rate each week, data reviewed by ABC News shows. Thirteen service members have been killed in action since the war began five weeks ago, according to Pentagon data.
Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, with whom Trump has said he is negotiating, taunted the U.S. over the missing crew member in a social media post on Friday.
In the post, Ghalibaf suggested that the U.S. war effort had shifted from pursuing "regime change" to trying to locate and rescue downed pilots.
Ghalibaf was the first top authority of the Islamic Republic to comment on the missing crew members.
Trump told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl in a phone call earlier this week that the new leadership is better than what Iran had before.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney called the Iranian attack "disturbing" in an interview on ABC News Live.
"As a war like this drags on, it becomes increasingly likely that some incident like this happens. It's disturbing for a couple of reasons. One is it potentially represents a major escalation. If the missing crew member remains missing, huge political pressure in the United States to do anything to find that person. I dare say they'll be uncompromising," Ratney told ABC News Live's Elizabeth Schulze on Friday. "The other problem is it becomes just a huge political preoccupation in the United States. It becomes the sole story anybody thinks about. At the same time, the war is still going on, and there's a lot of crises globally at this point."
What do pilots do to prepare for being shot down?
Pilots undergo training in SERE -- which stands for Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape. It's a program designed to prepare them for the possibility of isolation behind enemy lines.
Under survival training, airmen are taught to stabilize themselves in the immediate aftermath of an incident, administering self-aid if wounded and securing basic necessities such as shelter, water and food, according to publicly available Air Force training materials.
Survival training often dictates the pilot leave the crash area, as it’s likely to be a focal point for hostile forces.
"To stay in the vicinity of the crash or parachute landing site may lead to capture,” an Air Force training manual on pilot survival training says.
Evasion training follows -- during which pilots learn how to move undetected through hostile terrain, according to the training materials. Pilots learn to navigate using maps and compasses, as well as natural cues such as stars and terrain features including rivers, bridges and other landmarks to orient themselves and move toward friendly forces.
The curriculum also includes resistance techniques aimed at helping troops endure interrogation and psychological pressure if captured. Finally, escape training focuses on recognizing vulnerabilities in captivity and exploiting opportunities to break free, according to the training materials.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
LUFKIN – A man is dead following an argument and shooting in a residential neighborhood on Chester Street early Friday morning. Lufkin Police arrested and charged 42-year-old Alex Dewayne Walker, with murder in connection with the death of 43-year-old Korsah Lemar Simmons, of Lufkin.
Early Friday morning, police were sent to a disturbance call. As officers arrived, one individual at the home was yelling, “he shot my uncle.”
Walker was standing outside the home and when officers approached, Walker laid on the ground, face down with his hands on his back. Officers found a 9mm gun in Walker’s front pants pocket.
As officers made their way into the home, they found Simmons on the floor in the bedroom with multiple gunshot wounds. Officers began lifesaving measures waiting for EMS to arrive. Simmons was pronounced dead at a hospital later in that morning.
Walker was booked into the Angelina County Jail, charged with murder. Bond has been set at $500,00
BIG BEND (THE TEXAS TRIBUNE) – In February, the Trump administration waived over two dozen environmental laws to clear the way for a 150-mile-long border barrier through West Texas, including Big Bend National Park and the adjoining state park, a rugged and scenic stretch with unscalable canyons along the Rio Grande.
But as word spread that the Trump administration planned to erect a 30-foot-tall barrier to deter people from crossing the border illegally, people and officials from both political parties have made their opposition clear.
“A border wall in the Big Bend region is an absurd, wasteful, counterproductive idea that is loathed by nearly every person who has ever lived or visited there,” said Isaac Saul, who writes a political newsletter called the Tangle and has a home in Brewster County, where Big Bend is located.
The sheriffs of Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, Presidio and Terrell counties — a mix of Democrats and Republicans — wrote an open letter that said: “Based on decades of combined experience working with this terrain, we believe that construction of a continuous physical border wall in the Big Bend region would not represent the most practical or strategic approach to border security in this area.”
Local officials in nearby Alpine, along with Presidio and Hudspeth counties, have approved resolutions opposing the wall.
After strong opposition, the Trump administration apparently changed its plans: a map on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website no longer indicates that a border wall will be constructed in the Big Bend region from the state park to the Amistad National Recreation Area in Del Rio, as of April 2.
A spokesperson for the Border Patrol’s Big Bend Sector told Marfa Public Radio last week that there are “currently no plans for border wall construction” in the state park, which borders Big Bend National Park.
While the Trump administration hasn’t made any official announcement about its plans, the CBP website now shows the agency instead plans to install “virtual wall” technology through the rugged region that would alert Border Patrol agents when people cross the border.
It’s unclear if these plans are final, since the map legend has continuously changed in the past few weeks.
The Best of the Tribune in your Inbox
Advocates and residents say they are happy their efforts have apparently helped halt the plans to build a border barrier through the state park. But the fight isn’t over, they say.
“I don’t consider this a win yet because there’s still a lot of unanswered questions,” said Anna Claire, 29, a photographer who lives near Terlingua and led an online petition with more than 100,000 signatures opposing a barrier. “I would say a win is no border wall, period. The whole basis for this wall is that there is a crisis, but there isn’t a crisis and their own data doesn’t back that up.”
Documents obtained by Inside Climate News show the Border Patrol has sought access to Big Bend Ranch and other state parks to lay the groundwork for border barrier construction. Letters sent by the Border Patrol to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department included detailed maps of where the border barrier would go within Big Bend Ranch, Seminole Canyon and Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley state parks.
The Border Patrol’s Big Bend Sector, which encompasses 517 miles of the 1,950-mile-long U.S.-Mexico border, has historically been the least busy of the nine sectors. In fiscal year 2025, Border Patrol recorded 3,096 apprehensions in the Big Bend sector — accounting for just 1.3% of the 237,538 apprehensions recorded across the entire U.S.-Mexico border.
Last year, Congress approved $46.5 billion for the Trump administration to erect border barriers and add detection technology in different parts of the 2,000-mile-long U.S.-Mexico border. Contractors have started construction in parts of California, Arizona and New Mexico. But in Texas, where land along the border is privately owned, the administration has faced obstacles and opposition.
The government has sent letters to some landowners along the river, threatening to condemn some of their land through eminent domain if owners don’t willingly allow the federal government access to their land.
Luis Armendariz, 83, who owns about 1,000 acres of farmland and a hardware store in Presidio, about 100 miles upriver from Big Bend, said he received one of those letters and doesn’t see the need for a barrier in the area. He worries that a barrier would cut off his access to irrigation water from the river..
“If the wall is going to get in my way, I don’t want it,” he said.
To read this article in its original form, go to The Texas Tribune.
PAYNE SPRINGS — More than 12 hours after a boat carrying three people capsized on Cedar Creek Lake, emergency crews continue an intensive search for a missing man feared to have drowned, according to our news partner KETK.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said three men were fishing on Cedar Creek Lake near Payne Springs on Thursday at around 10:30 p.m. when their boat took on water and capsized. Two men made it to shore and contacted emergency crews.
The third individual, a 42-year-old man, tried to swim to shore. Witnesses reported hearing him call for help, but he could not be found.
The Payne Springs Fire and Rescue said a resident assisted by launching a pontoon boat, transporting firefighters and other residents to begin an initial surface search while additional rescue boats were on their way. Payne Springs Fire and Rescue conducted a surface and an underwater search before being assisted by the Texas Game Wardens. Search efforts continued until 2 a.m. Friday morning.
Search crews, including Texas Game Wardens, are on the lake on Friday looking for him. However, the search is being hindered by weather conditions and water depth, the department stated.
FORT WORTH (AP) – Nuchi Nashoba grew up looking at a photograph of her great-grandfather Ben Carterby inside her grandmother’s Oklahoma home. But, she didn’t know much about the man in the frame other than that he was a World War I veteran.
It wasn’t until 1989 — when Nashoba was in her late 20s — that she learned a deep secret about her ancestor.
Carterby was one of the Choctaw code talkers — a group of 19 Native American soldiers who used their language to transmit encrypted messages to the Allies during campaigns in northern France. The soldiers were sworn to secrecy and hid details of their service from families for decades.
Over the past 20 years, Nashoba has led advocacy efforts to spotlight the group’s hidden legacy as president of the Choctaw Code Talkers Association. Now, the soldiers’ contributions are recognized in Fort Worth through a new plaque at the city’s Veterans Memorial Park.
The Choctaw Code Talker Historical Marker was unveiled during an April 1 ceremony hosted by the Oklahoma tribe, the Texas Historical Commission and the city’s parks and recreation department. Several descendants of the Native soldiers attended.
“Seeing the marker really brings me a lot of joy,” Nashoba said. “This is what preserves the history for generations to come.”
Choctaw code talkers’ ties to Fort Worth
Members of the Choctaw code talkers were men who volunteered to fight for the U.S. in World War I at a time when Native Americans were not recognized as citizens. Indigenous communities wouldn’t receive citizenship until 1924.
While in the battlefields in France, some of these men were overheard speaking their Choctaw language and were trained to use their words as “code.” They were placed on front lines and command posts so that messages could be transmitted to headquarters.
The soldiers shared words like “tanampo chito” for artillery and “tvshka” for warriors, according to the historical marker. The Germans famously failed to decipher these Choctaw transmissions within 24 hours throughout the war.
The Choctaw group is widely considered to be the first Native American code talkers to serve in the U.S. military. Their work paved the way for the Navajo code talkers during World War II.
“Their story is a testament to the resilience and patriotism of the Choctaw Nation,” Col. Brent Kemp, commander of the 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the National Guard, said at the unveiling. “Their ingenuity and bravery reminds us of the power of cultural heritage and the importance of preserving Indigenous languages.”
The Native American soldiers were in the 36th Infantry Division at Camp Bowie, a westside training site for more than 100,000 soldiers during World War I.
Council member Macy Hill, who represents Camp Bowie, said it was only fitting for Fort Worth to honor the legacy of the code talkers since they walked on the site’s grounds.
“This is where the Choctaw code talkers were initially trained and where they will forever be remembered,” she said.
Descendants carry the torch
As Ta’Na Alexander — the great-great-granddaughter of Carterby — watched the marker’s unveiling in Fort Worth, she couldn’t help but feel proud that her family’s history is slowly spreading across the U.S.
“It’s pretty monumental to realize that more people are starting to recognize the significant part of these men who were sworn to secrecy,” said Alexander, who is Nashoba’s daughter. “This marker connects the past to the future.”
She credits her mother’s leadership for widespread education about the work of Native soldiers.
Last May, the Choctaw Code Talkers Association led the charge to place a bronze sculpture honoring the group at the Choctaw Cultural Center in southern Oklahoma. The artwork depicts three soldiers in the middle of battle.
The organization also advocated for 23 Oklahoma bridges to be renamed after the code talkers and other Native veterans.
The Fort Worth marker was the group’s first venture into Texas, Nashoba said. The group is exploring other statewide recognitions, she added.
For now, Alexander invites Fort Worth residents to stroll through the memorial park to learn that her ancestors’ stories aren’t just about being Native. They’re about what it means to be American, she said.
“You might not be Native or Choctaw, but what we do share in common is that we have the right to vote,” she said. “We have a voice. We have a freedom that exists here that doesn’t exist anywhere else.”
——
This story was originally published by Fort Worth Report and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
How would like to have your old junk make you some cold cash? Go find David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called Vinted. Download Vinted in the Apple Store and Google Play below.
(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Twins 5, Royals 1
Braves 17, Diamondbacks 2
Mets 2, Giants 7
Blue Jays, White Sox (POSTPONED)
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Suns 107, Hornets 127
Timberwolves 108, Pistons 113
Lakers 96, Thunder 139
Cavaliers 118, Warriors 111
Pelicans 106, Trail Blazers 118
Spurs 118, Clippers 99
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Sabres 1, Senators 4
Penguins 3, Lightning 6
Bruins 1, Panthers 2
Canadiens 3, Rangers 2
Red Wings 4, Flyers 2
Blue Jackets 1, Hurricanes 5
Capitals 3, Devils 7
Jets 0, Stars 3
Canucks 2, Wild 5
Blackhawks 1, Oilers 3
Flames 3, Golden Knights 6
Maple Leafs 1, Sharks 4
Mammoth 6, Kraken 2
Predators 5, Kings 4
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
TYLER – Texas College has named Dr. SherRhonda Gibbs as their next president, making history as the Tyler institution welcomes its first-ever woman president. Gibbs is currently employed as the Dean of the Business and Economics Division at Morehouse College and has previously worked at the Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado, the University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Management and at Jackson State University.
She has her PhD in Business Administration – Management and has also worked as a software engineer with the Mayo Clinic and IBM. During her tenure at Morehouse, she helped raise more than $30 million to support student real estate, entrepreneurship, asset management, finance and professional development programs.
“The selection of Dr. SherRhonda Gibbs represents a defining moment for Texas College. Her visionary leadership, commitment to student success and record of transformative impact position her to lead this institution into a bold and prosperous future. We are glad to welcome her as our next President,” Texas College board chair Bishop Lawrence Reddick III said.
Current Texas College President Dr. Dwight J. Fennell will end his tenure with the historically Black college on June 30. Gibbs will start her tenure as president of Texas College on July 1.
TENNESSEE COLONY – Seven people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a scheme to bring meth into the Mark W. Michael state prison in Tennessee Colony. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) and the Texas Board of Criminal Justice’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) said they conducted a “high intensity interdiction operation” at the Michael Unit in January after they learned that drones were used to deliver large amounts of contraband into the prison.
During the operation, TDCJ said more than 100 cellphones, a large amount of meth, synthetic cannabinoids and other drugs were reportedly found in the prison.
“This operation underscores both the risks posed by contraband and the strength of our response,” TDCJ Executive Director Bobby Lumpkin said. “We will remain relentless in our fight to stop illegal narcotics from entering and harming those in our facilities.” Continue reading Meth, phones into prison by drone
LUFKIN — The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is offering a $4,000 reward for information that will lead to the arrest of a Lufkin man who is currently on the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender List. According to the DPS and our news partner KETK, Jacarlos Mark has been wanted by the Lufkin Police Department since 2025 for failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements in relation to a sexual assault of a minor conviction he received in 2003.
Mark is described by the DPS as 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing about 240 pounds. He has several tattoos on his neck, chest and both legs.
To be eligible for the $4,000 reward, information must be provided to the authorties thorough one of the following methods: Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477), submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive in relation to the tip and then clicking on the link under their picture or submit a Facebook tip by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “about” section)
RUSK COUNTY — After being extradited from an Arkansas jail to Rusk County, the newly released arrest documents outline what investigators say led a man to allegedly kill his wife with an axe. According to our news partner KETK, on March 18, around 2 p.m., Rusk County dispatch received a call from a family member of Scott Thompson. The family member reported that Thompson had claimed he had “killed his wife with an axe, left her in the hallway, and locked her in the trailer,” according to the affidavit.
When deputies arrived, they knocked repeatedly but received no answer. They observed “blood through the backdoor window in the hallway leading to the kitchen area,” and under “exigent circumstances,” the deputies forced entry into the house. A deputy found Thompson’s wife, Amanda Thompson, deceased and with wounds consistent with sharp force trauma to the back of her head, according to the affidavit.
Investigators quickly identified Scott as a suspect who had left the residence shortly before deputies arrived. Surveillance footage helped authorities determine the vehicle he was driving, and they were able to obtain his phone number. Tracking data indicated he was traveling toward Arkansas. Continue reading Woman brutally murdered with axe
