KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – According to the National Weather Service, three East Texas counties were hit by tornadoes on Tuesday but no fatalities or injuries were reported.

Our news partner, KETK, reports that in Tyler County, a tornado hit on Tuesday evening. It originated 0.5 miles west of Highway 287, leaving several trees and a few buildings damaged. The tornado moved northeast where it damaged a home and destroyed an outbuilding. Several pine trees were snapped at the trunk and 30% of a roof was peeled off of a home. Further east towards Highway 287, it damaged several trees before it ended near Little Cypress Creek. Following the severe weather, the county issued a Declaration of Disaster on Wednesday. County officials claimed that populated areas could be impacted by flooding, property damage, short-term electrical power and utility outages. Continue reading Three East Texas counties struck by tornadoes during severe storm

TYLER — The 37th Annual Cattle Baron’s Ball, Stars Over Texas, is scheduled for June 7, 2025, at the Texas Rose Horse Park, home of the event for the past seven years. Whitney Cain and Kimberly Taylor, 2025 Cattle Baron’s Ball Co-Chairs, announced the headliner entertainer is Wade Bowen. Tickets go on sale at the end of March.

“We are so thrilled to have Wade Bowen performing at the Ball, said Kimberly Taylor. “We invite you to join us on June 7h at the Texas Rose Horse Park.” “Our East Texas Community has united to raise over $18 million for the American Cancer Society. This incredible achievement is a direct result of the generosity of our donors, supporters, and volunteers,” said Whitney Cain.

The Tyler Cattle Baron’s Ball is the primary fundraiser for the American Cancer Society-Tyler. To support the Tyler Cattle Baron’s Ball, click here or call 903-570-8126. Continue reading Tyler Cattle Baron’s Ball headliner announced

NACOGDCOHES COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK, a Houston man was arrested on Tuesday morning after more than 17 pounds of ecstasy was found in the back of his car.

Donte Demond Brown, 44, was confronted by deputies at a gas station in the 3500 block of South Street after he was seen speeding through a construction zone on U.S. 59 South. Officials said they could smell marijuana as they were approaching Brown’s vehicle, although Brown claimed he did not use drugs. Once deputies searched the vehicle, they reportedly discovered drug paraphernalia and a bag containing pills that were later identified as ecstasy. In the trunk, officials said they found an additional 17.36 pounds of ecstasy, 11.2 ounces of meth and 1.11 pounds of cocaine.

Although deputies said they were unable to confirm whether Brown had recently used drugs, he was charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance.

“Each charge carries a possible punishment of five to 99 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $10,000. His bonds were set at $80,000 on each charge for a total of $240,000,” the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office said

CHEROKEE COUNTY – The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office conducted two search warrants and a traffic stop on Tuesday leading to the arrest of five people and recovered meth, cocaine, marijuana and firearms according to our news partner KETK.

The first arrest occurred during a traffic stop on Loop 343 in Rusk. During the stop, officials discovered 56 grams of methamphetamine inside the vehicle, officials said. The owner of the vehicle was identified as Joe Castillo, 56 of Rusk. Castillo was arrested and taken to the Cherokee County Jail and was charged with manufacture and delivery of a substance. His bail has been set at $50,000.
First Search Warrant

Following the traffic stop, deputies conducted a search warrant on a home on County Road 1817 in Maydelle. During the search of the property, officials said they recovered 198 grams of methamphetamine along with 12 firearms. The residents of the property were identified as Ronnie Goff, 56, and Lee Deshawn Cockrell, 47. Continue reading Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office seizes more than 2,000 grams of meth

LONGVIEW — Our news partner, KETK, reports that a pedestrian has died, the Longview Police Department said, after a pick up truck reportedly struck them on Tuesday night.

Longview police officers responded to the call on Tuesday at around 9:14 p.m. in the 200 block of West Loop 281. An initial investigation shows that a man was crossing the roadway “at an improper location” when a pick up truck traveling eastbound struck him.

Authorities said the pedestrian was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, and an investigation is still in progress.

RUSK COUNTY – Our news partner, KETK, reports that the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office arrested five people on Feb. 28 after drugs were seized along with a firearm.

An investigation led county law enforcement to Henderson, where they carried out a controlled substance search warrant at the Woodlawn Hills Hotel on U.S. Highway 79. Authorities said they found 39 individual packages of suspected cocaine and a firearm in the possession of Cameron Horn, 23 of Henderson. She has since been charged with manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and received bonds totaling $65,500.

She was also wanted on a Harris County warrant. Officials said, Tamara Simon, 44 of Henderson, was found in possession of suspected methamphetamine. She was charged with possession of a controlled substance and received bonds totaling $10,000.Jayme Hogan, 20, and Aaron Yelverton, 22, were reportedly found in possession of suspected concentrated THC. Each were charged with the state jail felony possession of a controlled substance in penalty group two and received bonds of $10,000 separately.From Longview, Harold Holman, 31, had an outstanding Rusk County warrant for possession of marijuana and was given a $1,000 bond.

Future arrests are expected as the investigation continues and the sheriff’s office said no further information will be released at this time.

CAMP COUNTY– Our news partner, KETK, reports that two people had to be rescued from their RV’s following Tuesday morning’s intense thunderstorms.

The dangerous wind blew cabins into campers and overturned RV’s at Barefoot Bay RV Park on Lake Bob Sandlin in Pittsburg.

Vaia Hernandez was one of the people entrapped in her camper. Her RV was picked up by the intense winds and flipped it over on its side. A tree fell on her truck, leaving both properties a total loss.

“I don’t think you can repair this, I kind of don’t want to bother with it, I don’t want to look at it anymore, it’s just it’s traumatizing,” Hernandez said. Continue reading Two rescued from RVs at Camp County marina

TYLER — A former accountant at a Tyler nonprofit has been accused of stealing nearly $100,000. According to our news partner KETK and an arrest affidavit,  a manager at Hand Up Network alerted officials to a fraud alert from their work bank after a debit card for the organization was used twice at a casino in Lake Charles, La. The manager told officials that the card was used by their accountant, Dawn Pitcock. When confronted by the manager, she reportedly said she had used the card by mistake and paid the organization back.

However, the manager then became suspicious and began reviewing the bank account where he found 283 transactions to Apple.com since March 2024 totaling $96,826.58. When confronted, Pitcock said she believed that he was the person making those transactions, hence why she never questioned them. Continue reading Former accountant admits to stealing $100K from Tyler nonprofit

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — One person has died after a tree fell on an RV in Van Zandt County on Tuesday. According to our news partner KETK, Van Zandt County Sheriff Kevin Bridger said a woman died after the tree fell on her RV at the Reserve RV Park on County Road 4914. Bridger said her body was recovered from the RV and officials are working to notify her family. Additional information was not available.

TYLER — As much of East Texas was under a thunderstorm or tornado warning on Tuesday morning. Our news partner, KETK, has compiled pictures sent in from the community.

To view those pictures, click here.

TYLER – After severe weather hit East Texas on Tuesday morning, about 80,000 customers are reportedly without power as of 12 p.m.

Our news partner, KETK, has compiled a list of East Texas counties from the Texas power outage map and electric co-ops with power outages. To view that list, click here.

SMITH COUNTY – Smith County residents who suffered property damage due to Tuesday morning’s storms are being asked to report them the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Smith County Emergency Management Coordinator Brandon Moore reported that a couple of mobile homes in The Grove at Brook Hollow, located off Rhones Quarter Road, had trees that fell through them. The Smith County Road and Bridge Department reported a partial wash out of County Road 165, also known as Henry Moore Road, southwest of Tyler.

Road crews also responded to trees down on County Roads 134, 135, 168, 2115 and 2116. To report downed trees or wash outs of county roads, please call Smith County dispatch at 903-566-6600. To report property damages caused by the storm on March 4, 2025, click here. The Tyler-Smith County Tornado and Severe Weather Response Plan for 2025 as been released and can be found here.

BULLARD – Due to a power outage impacting about half of the campuses at Bullard ISD, all of the campuses will be released at 12pm. A district spokesperson added that school buses will also run beginning at 12 pm.

TYLER— As East Texas battles the storms, some roads have been shut down due to flooding, damages or car crashes.

Our news partner, KETK, has a full and updated list of road closures. To view that list, click here.

MINEOLA — Texas Republicans are making moves that they say will protect teachers. A bill filed by State Senator Bryan Hughes, of Mineola, would give protection to school workers who are facing complaints from transgender students, upset over being misidentified in the classroom. He says teachers should not be pressured to support something that conflicts with their deeply held religious beliefs.

The bill faces opposition from several civil rights groups, which testified at a hearing this week. They fear it will lead to bullying in the classroom.

TYLER — Our news partner, KETK, reports that staff were evacuated at People’s Petroleum in Tyler Monday afternoon after smoke was coming from the building.

According to Tyler Fire Department Assistant Chief Kelly Adkinson, when firefighters arrived they found no smoke but made the decision to evacuate people to investigate the situation. Adkinson said after Encore arrived they determined it was an electrical issue with an underground transformer located under College Street. Due to a strong smell of smoke, firefighters performed ventilation to help clear the smell out.

Officials said there were no injuries reported and staff and patrons were allowed to reenter the building after around 30 minutes.

HENDERSON COUNTY – Our news partner, KETK, reports that a 21-year-old from Kemp has been arrested for continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 in Henderson County.

On Feb. 10, an investigator with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office’s Crimes Against Children Task Force was shown a forensic interview of a child at the Maggie’s House children’s advocacy center in Athens.

According to arrest documents obtained by KETK, the child was interviewed after they made an outcry at school which was reported to Child Protective Services. The child said they had earned a dollar bill by “doing something nice” to a man named Ian. Continue reading Kemp man charged with sexual abuse

EAST TEXAS — As severe weather hits East Texas, several school districts have announced that they will be closing or delaying classes on Tuesday to ensure students and staff remain safe. Click here for the list.

HAWKINS – According to our news partner KETK, a special city council meeting to discuss the reinstatement of three Hawkins Police Department officers ended in disagreement on Monday and the vote to re-hire them was called off. In Monday’s meeting, there were multiple motions on the floor to vote to grant the appeal and immediately reinstate the terminated officers, but the mayor refused to call the motions to a vote. Mayor Debbie Rushing repeatedly said it was an “out of order motion.”

According to the city’s ordinance, the council is required to vote on new police officers, which did not happen in the case of these officers. The police officers who were terminated are David Morris, Dale Lundberg and Vernon Polk.

Each officer was present at Monday’s meeting with their attorneys. One attorney said during the meeting that the hiring of the officers was lawful but the mayor still denied their motion. Continue reading Hawkins mayor denies motions to reinstate 3 police officers

CANTON – According to our news partner KETK, five people were arrested over the weekend for attempted burglary in Canton. Officials believe the five people were a part of several prior robberies in East Texas. The Canton Police Department responded to a possible burglary in progress early on Sunday morning. The people involved in the robbery had fled the scene prior to officers arriving. The group went on to attempt to burglarize more vehicles a short distance away.

Officers were able to locate those involved and conducted a traffic stop. According to Canton PD, five people were found inside the car, including two women, Rashae Abercrombie, 19, and Hailey Huber, 19, along with three juvenile males.

Further investigation of the vehicle led to marijuana being discovered along with a weapon. Following the investigation, all five suspects were reportedly arrested on multiple charges, including possession of marijuana, unlawful carry of a weapon and tampering with evidence. Items found inside the car indicated that the five people were part of several previous robberies in Van Zandt County. Canton PD said they will be assisting other departments in finding any possible connections.

KILGORE – Investigators are seeking help to identify a Jane Doe who has remained unidentified since December 2000. According to reports from our news partner KETK, investigative Genetic Genealogists with the DNA Doe project are currently working to identify the woman who was found over 24 years ago in a wooded area five miles northeast of Kilgore.

Investigators believe she would have been around 30 to 50-years-old, between 4’10” and 5’3” tall and weighing 115 pounds. Investigators also believe that the woman was dead for up to two years before she was found in 2000. The DNA Doe Project began working on this case in the fall of 2021, which was previously worked on by the team at Parabon Nanolabs. The case was taken on by a group of four genetic genealogists and six support staff members. Continue reading Investigators seek help identifying a woman after 24 years

TYLER – Our news partners at KETK report that revisions have been made to Tyler’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System MS4 permit to meet regulations from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). “Our Stormwater Management Program is dedicated to protecting public health, reducing flooding risks and improving water quality in our community,” City of Tyler Stormwater Management and Environmental Compliance Engineer Paul Neuhaus said. Smith County has partnered with the City of Tyler through an Interlocal Agreement (ILA) to implement these new TCEQ requirements. Continue reading Tyler City Council updates storm sewer system

LONGVIEW- The Longview Gas Plant, with over 600 miles of pipeline just outside of city limits, is believed to be unsafe by some of its employees.

The Longview Gas plant plays an important role in processing low quality gas produced across the region by separating the mixture into higher value products, like butane, hexane, and condensate. They are the only plant in East Texas to do so, and without them, many oil horses would grind to a halt. Due to the plant’s economic importance, and possible dangers presented by the conversion process, the Department of Homeland Security and the Texas Railroad Commission – which regulate the state’s oil and gas industry- consider the plant critical to Texas energy infrastructure.

In 2020, the plant was acquired by the Houston-based company, J. Global Energy Midstream. According to a report by The Tyler Morning Telegraph, Longview Gas Plant employees say that a chaotic working environment and cavalier attitude toward safety by the facility’s Brazilian ownership are endangering East Texans. This assertions has been illustrated by a worker death, two fires, and an oil spill, among other incidents. Continue reading Employees say safety issues at gas plant endanger the community

TYLER – Our news partner, KETK, reports that the Sulphur Springs Police Department is seeking the public’s help to identify a person who reportedly attempted to steal rent checks from a drop box.

Sulphur Springs PD has made the above photos available so that people can come forward with more information should they recognize the suspect.
If anyone has any information about the person, officials ask they contact Det. Rusty Stillwagoner or Det. Jason Reneau of the Sulphur Springs Police.

MOUNT PLEASANT – Our news partner, KETK, reports that the Mount Pleasant Economic Development Corporation recently announced that NXG Truck Bodies is bringing 95 new jobs to the area with their new manufacturing plant. The new 120,000-square-foot manufacturing space will bring a $20 million investment to Mount Pleasant, according to the Mount Pleasant Economic Development Corporation (MPEDC).

“We’re thrilled to support this major development and look forward to seeing its impact on our community,” MPEDC said.

The NXG Truck Bodies plant is located on County Road 3210 just off of Highway 30 to the northeast of Mount Pleasant. They’re currently preparing the plant to start work on what NXG says will be the next generation of truck bodies.MPEDC said NXG Truck Bodies is currently hiring a production supervisor and a maintenance supervisor. Anyone interested in working at NXG Truck Bodies can apply in person at 2305 County Road 3210 or online. To keep track of the plant’s progress visit NXG Truck Bodies on Facebook or on their website.

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department said a fatal crash on South Broadway Avenue left one person dead and two people injured on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, the crash happened when an SUV turning to enter a Pizza Hut parking lot crashed with two motorcycles in the 7900 block on South Broadway Avenue at around 4:45 p.m. One motorcycle driver reportedly died in the crash, a Tyler PD spokesperson said. The other motorcycle driver and the driver of the SUV where both transported to a local hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

PAYNE SPRINGS – The Payne Springs Fire Rescue said one of their firefighters was hurt while fighting a fire in the Lunday Land II subdivision on Friday. According to our news partner KETK, Payne Springs Fire Rescue (PSFR) responded to a single story home fire at around 7:50 a.m. on Friday morning. The home was under high heat conditions and heavy fire when PSFR firefighters made their entry into the home. PSFR said one firefighter did get cut on his hand when glass cut through his gloves. The fighter was cut so badly that he needed stitches. The fire was extinguished with help from the Gun Barrel City Fire Department and the Eustace Fire Department.

The Henderson County Fire Marshal’s Office is currently investigating the cause of the fire.

TYLER — Our news partner KETK is reporting that the measles outbreak continues to grow in West Texas, healthcare professionals in East Texas are working to educate the public about the disease and its potential impact.

Dr. Doug Curran, Chief Medical Officer at East Texas Community Clinic, and Dr. Sarah Jethro, Chief Resident at the UT Athens Family Medicine residency program, provided in-depth insight into the situation and the steps East Texans can take to protect themselves. “Right now, we have more cases of measles in Texas and in the U.S than before I was born,” Jethro said.

On Wednesday, Texas reported its first measles-related death in over a decade. The Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed that the child, who was unvaccinated, passed away after receiving treatment at Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock. Notably, the child did not reside in Lubbock County.

Less than two hours way from Smith County, Rockwall County officials have also reported their first measles case. The patient had traveled overseas and later tested positive. The Rockwall County Commissioners Court does not believe the case is related to the outbreak in West Texas. Continue reading East Texas doctors urge vaccinations amid measles outbreak

PALESTINE – According to our news partner KETK, East Texas State Rep. Cody Harris ended a Q&A session one hour early on Friday night after he warned the audience to be respectful. There were school choice protestors outside and educators yelling throughout the evening.

Harris, who represents Palestine in the Texas State House, was holding a town hall at Palestine High School in order to answer questions about his education policy push in Austin. Harris was joined by the author of the school choice bill, Representative Brad Buckley of Salado.

Anytime Rep. Buckley would explain a fact in House Bill 3, he was met with loud comments, yelling and questions from the audience. Harris gave one warning and became fed up.

House Bill 2 will invest over $7.6 billion into public education including a significant portion for teacher pay raises. Harris said he wanted to bring the author of the townhall to explain HB3 in more detail. He explained that the point of the town hall was to explain the pieces of legislation to help rural East Texas public schools. Continue reading State reps booed off stage during education meeting

HENDERSON COUNTY – Our news partner, KETK, reports that five people were arrested in Henderson County after investigators conducted two major drug busts on Thursday.

According to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, at around 8:45 a.m. investigators conducted a narcotics search warrant in Moore Station on County Road 4300. Authorities found Mickey Shane Hargett, 62, and Lonnie Leon Hall, 60, at the home. Officials said they discovered a hole in the backyard where Hargett buried a plastic container that included baggies and scales for the distribution of narcotics. Hargett was arrested for the manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance along with active arrest warrants while Hall was arrested for possession of a controlled substance with active arrest warrants. Continue reading Five arrested in two major drug busts