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WOOD COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, Brandon Shane Albrightson will spend two years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice-State Jail Division for injury to a child. Albrightson was found guilty by a jury on Tuesday, and previously had two misdemeanor assault cases in Wood County from 2022 that were still pending at the time of trial.

On Sept. 14, 2023, a father and two children went to the Winnsboro Police Department to file a police report. The father told officers that Albrightson, the mother’s boyfriend, had “put hands on” the oldest child. Both children, ages seven and 11, described to police a household of violence, depicting multiple altercations involving Albrightson and their mother.

LONGVIEW – A Longview residential fire is now being investigated as a possible case of arson. According to our news partner KETK, and the Longview Fire Department (LFD), reported structure fire occurred at 500 Dell Street on Wednesday morning. One occupant sustained minor injuries during the fire and was taken to a local hospital. It’s estimated the fire caused $120,000 in damage and three occupants have been displaced. On Thursday, LFD announced they’re investigating the fire as a possible case of arson.

TYLER — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office honored one of their longtime leaders on Thursday by unveiling a portrait of former Sheriff JB Smith. According to our news partner KETK, Smith started his tenure as sheriff in 1976 and after more than three decades, he retired in 2013. In a ceremony attended by many members of law enforcement on Thursday, including current Sheriff Larry Smith, former Sheriff JB Smith had his portrait hung next to the portraits of those who’ve held the role before.

“I’m so honored to be part of something like this because I feel like I’m a part of the lasting legacy of Smith County sheriffs,” JB Smith said. “There’s been many sheriffs over the years, and I’m just one of them. But I think I’ll have left a legacy and I hope it’s a positive one. Smith County is probably one of the best places in the whole world to live. We are so blessed here.”

JB Smith is also an author, humorist, rancher, a veteran and an auctioneer. To learn more about his life, visit JB Smith’s website.

CARTHAGE – Carthage ISD’s director of bands Johnnie Cotton has resigned from his position, according to our news partner KETK, after he said the district asked him to hang the Ten Commandments in his classroom on Monday.

“I would like to take this chance to explain why I resigned as Director of Bands at Carthage ISD. I believe very strongly that politics and religion have no place in the public schools,” Cotton said. “I spent my 42 years as a teacher and administrator making sure that my classroom/campus stayed neutral on both counts.”

Senate Bill 10 was passed by the Texas State Legislature in this year’s legislative session and then signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 20. The bill, which went into effect on Sept. 1, requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments from the Hebrew Bible.

“This summer, The State of Texas passed a law stating that you were required to post the 10 Commandments in your classroom if someone donated them,” Cotton explained. “I was informed Monday by Carthage ISD that I must do this and I refused. I was told it was required due to state law. Seeing this as a line I refuse to cross, I resigned.” Continue reading Band director resigns, refusing to post Commandments

TYLER – On Thursday, the Lake Palestine Water Treatment Plant was taken offline due to multiple critical equipment failures and flooding in the filter pipe gallery. Until the flooding issue can be resolved and the equipment failures repaired, Tyler Water Utilities is relying entirely on the Golden Road Water Treatment Plant to supply water to the entire City of Tyler.

While GRWTP can typically meet the City’s daily water needs during this time of year, any large water main break or sudden surge in demand could cause system pressure to fall below safe and acceptable levels.

To help protect the system and maintain reliable service citywide, TWU has activated Stage 2 of the City’s Drought Contingency and Emergency Demand Management Plan. Stage 2 calls for a 10 percent reduction in total daily water use. As of Saturday, Oct. 11, these restrictions are still in effect.  Continue reading Tyler requiring residents to reduce water

LINDALE – A five-vehicle crash occurred on Interstate 20 Thursday afternoon, leaving one person trapped inside a vehicle. According to our news partner KETK, the Lindale Fire Department reports firefighters were dispatched to Interstate 20 eastbound near mile marker 551. At the scene, three 18-wheelers and two passenger vehicles were involved in the crash, with several vehicles sustaining significant damage. The person trapped inside their vehicle was removed and cared for by EMS. The Lindale FD assisted by Smith County ESD 2 and a local hazmat company was conducting cleanup operations on Interstate 20.

HIDEAWAY LAKE – The eastbound lanes of Interstate 20 before FM 849 at mile marker 552 are backed up following a multi-vehicle crash.

LIVINGSTON (AP) — Texas’ top criminal court on Thursday again paused the execution of Robert Roberson, just days before he was set to become the first person in the U.S. put to death for a murder conviction tied to the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome.

This was the third execution date that Roberson’s lawyers have been able to stay since 2016, including an attempt nearly a year ago that was stopped by an unprecedented intervention from a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers who believe he is innocent.

The latest execution stay was granted by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Roberson had been scheduled to receive a lethal injection on Oct. 16. Since his first execution date more than nine years ago, Roberson’s lawyers have filed multiple petitions with state and federal appeals courts, as well as with the U.S. Supreme Court, to try and stop his execution. Continue reading Appeals court pauses Roberson execution

LIVINGSTON – Palestine native and longtime death row inmate Robert Roberson has been granted a stay by a Texas court Thursday morning. The length of the stay is not yet known. The Dallas Morning News presents this stay not only as an opportunity to present new evidence, but to further look into allegations of judicial bias and misconduct during Roberson’s capital murder trial in Anderson County. Roberson has maintained his innocence for more than 22 years on death row and two previous execution dates as he and his attorneys say new evidence proves Nikki died of accidental and natural causes, including severe, undiagnosed pneumonia and a fall from bed. It is not yet know if the state will attempt to appeal the stay. Roberson, 58, is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection Oct. 16 in Huntsville for his 2003 murder conviction.

Update: Tyler Police Department has arrested 35-year-old Kendrick Dawone Ross of Tyler. Ross was booked into the Smith County jail Thursday afternoon for Murder and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. His bond has been set at $1,500,000.

TYLER — Tyler police are investigating an early morning shooting that left one man dead. According to the department, around 2:25 Thursday morning, officers responded to a shooting at a residence on North Grand Ave.One victim, identified as Demonta Jaquis Brown, 32, of Smith County, was transported to a local hospital by EMS with gunshot wounds. He died as a result of those wounds.

A female victim is said to be in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds. A suspect was being interviewed by investigators. Police say this is not a random incident.

TYLER — The City of Tyler is taking steps to address congestion on South Broadway Avenue, one of the top 100 most congested roads in the state, by presenting a new traffic plan on Wednesday.

According to our news partner KETK, the traffic department unveiled the ‘South Tyler Mobility Study,’ conducted in 2023, as a roadmap to find short and long-term solutions to the ongoing traffic issues. The study suggests connecting other roads to Broadway and extending new roads as alternate routes for drivers.

As Tyler continues to grow, traffic issues are expected to worsen if not addressed promptly, according to Cameron Williams, a Traffic Engineer. He emphasized the importance of implementing a plan to prevent future congestion. Continue reading New plan aims to ease Broadway traffic

SMITH COUNTY — Michael Stoltz, Chairman of the East Texas State Fair Board, gave the Commissioners Court an estimated economic impact the nearly two-week event had on the area. For the second year at its new location, The Park of East Texas, the fair saw more than 104,000 people in attendance, making an estimated $28.8 million economic impact on Smith County.

He said $995,000 in sales tax revenue was generated, 88 percent of the food and restaurant vendors at the fair were East Texas businesses, and 550 hotel room nights were generated.

Its first-ever professional rodeo was sold out all three nights, for a total attendance of 7,500 people, and was broadcast live nationally on the Cowboy Channel. He said more than 400 athletes competed in the rodeo, for a purse of more than $40,000. Continue reading East Texas State Fair economic impact report

LONGVIEW — On Wednesday, the trial for one of the men charged in connection with the 2016 murder of Longview resident Ron Horaney has been set. According to our news partner KETK and court documents, the trial for 88-year-old Reza Kamali is scheduled for June 8, 2026. Kamali was arrested in 2024 and charged with murder eight years after the crime. His trial will be held at the 124th District Court.

Horaney was killed on the evening of Memorial Day in 2016, after answering the door of his Tryon Road residence in Longview. According to an arrest warrant, the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) received a call of a reported shooting. The sheriff’s office located Horaney, who later died at a local hospital.

In 2024, court documents showed that investigators met with the initial “cooperating individual” who called the sheriff’s office on June 10, 2016, to do a photo lineup, where the individual identified Kamali as the person who solicited the individual to kill the victim. Kamali was one of three people arrested for the murder of Horaney; the other two were Alfredo Lizcano and Rene Garcia Jr. Both men were also charged with murder in connection to the case. Lizcano’s trial has been scheduled for May 11, 2026.

SMITH COUNTY — Our news partner KETK is reporting that the Smith County Animal Shelter will continue to care for the 44 dogs that were seized last month at a home in Troup after a ruling on Wednesday. A hearing was held where Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace James Meredith ruled for the shelter to keep custody of the dogs who were found malnourished with skin disorders, overgrown nails and possible gastrointestinal disorders.

The woman who lived on the property had died, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office said. Now, the woman’s daughter will have 10 days to appeal the decision, but will be required to pay $24,000 to reverse the appeal. Since the shelter has taken custody of the animals, a veterinarian has examined the rescued dogs. Continue reading Court ruling keeps dogs at Smith County animal shelter