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SMITH COUNTY – Two East Texas men were arrested on Wednesday after they attempted to steal from vehicles in Smith County.

According to the a press release from the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, at 1:05 a.m., deputies responded to the 11800 block of Bird Point Trail just south of Tyler, where a burglary was in progress involving multiple vehicles.

Deputies began speaking with witnesses who reported that two suspects had begun lifting vehicle door handles in their driveway. The homeowner confronted both suspects, who then ran from the area. Continue reading Two in Whitehouse arrested following car break-in attempts

MINEOLA – City of Mineola officials say that a water main break has caused the line pressure to drop and a Boil Water Notice has been posted. The area affect is Hwy 80 East from Hwy 69 to Graham Street, from Newsom Street to Blair Street over to Wigley Street, then back down Wigley Street to Hwy 80. Customers in this area will have to boil their water prior to consuming.

To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes. Instead of boiling, you can purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source for drinking water or human consumption purposes.

Once the boil water notice is no longer in effect, the public water system will issue a notice to customers that the boil water notice is over.

TROUP, Texas – An elderly woman near Troup filed a theft report with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office Saturday reporting that a handyman had possibly stolen several thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry from their home. Authorities later identified the handyman as Christopher McDowell – 53 of Troup. McDowell had worked inside the home multiple times, and even reportedly stayed in the victim’s bedroom for an “unusual length of time.” After a warrant was obtained, authorities arrested McDowell Wednesday night for the criminal offense of Theft of Property $2,500<$30K enhanced to a Third-Degree Felony. The bond was set at $100,000.

MARSHALL — A Marshall woman was sentenced to 16 years in prison for intoxication manslaughter after she killed a mother with a vehicle in 2024, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

At around 10 p.m. on Nov. 3, 2024, Marshall Police officers responded to Martindale Drive, where they found an ongoing altercation between multiple women and a disturbance involving around 40 people.

Officials said that 23-year-old Derkyla Fort was found underneath a vehicle along with her injured 5-year-old nearby. Fort was later pronounced dead at the scene, and her son was taken to a local hospital. The investigation led officers to believe Samantha Johnson was the one driving the vehicle that hit Fort, and she was later arrested.

Johnson pleaded guilty to intoxicated manslaughter with a vehicle and was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Monday.

LONGVIEW – State Rep. James Talarico (D-Round Rock) made a stop in Longview on Wednesday evening to host a campaign rally as part of his run for the U.S. Senate, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

Talarico, an eighth-generation Texan, is the second major Democrat to enter the Senate primary, joining former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Dallas), who unsuccessfully challenged Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in last year’s election.

The rally, held at the Longview Community Center, highlighted Talarico’s push to connect with voters in East Texas, a region long considered a Republican stronghold. Continue reading Rep. James Talarico brings U.S. Senate campaign to Longview

RUSK COUNTY – A woman was arrested in Rusk County earlier this month after 20.3 grams of methamphetamine were reportedly found inside her vehicle, according to our news partner KETK.

At around 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 6, Rusk County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a call regarding a suspicious white Ford F-150 being parked in a closed dental office parking lot near State Highway 43. Once deputies arrived on the scene, the driver had left, and a witness told authorities that they had given them enough money to get to a gas station and stated the driver had two dogs with her. Continue reading Woman arrested after 20 grams of methamphetamine found

HUNTINGTON — A Huntington ISD teacher has resigned after students reported she made a negative comment following the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Superintendent Carolyn Fiaschetti confirmed to our news partner KETK that Brianna Parrish, who taught U.S. government and world geography, stepped down on Tuesday. Parrish had initially been placed on leave after the district learned of the reported comments, though officials did not disclose what was said. The resignation comes as the Texas Education Agency reviews more than 280 complaints against teachers accused of making inappropriate remarks about Kirk.

“While all educators are held to a high standard of professionalism, there is a difference between comments made in poor taste and those that call for and incite further violence – the latter of which is clearly unacceptable,” TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said in a statement.

UPDATE: According to our news partner KETK, the Longview Police Department arrested a 21-year-old woman on Wednesday afternoon for the fatal shooting at an apartment complex on Sept. 12. Jarya Lashay Wilson, 21, of Longview, was arrested for murder and booked into the Gregg County Jail, where she is being held on a $50,000 bond.

LONGVIEW – The Longview Police Department is currently investigating a fatal shooting that happened at an apartment complex on Bostic Drive on Friday.

Longview PD said officers responded to a shooting that was reported at around 10:31 p.m. on Friday in the 200 block of Bostic Drive.

When officers arrived to an apartment complex on Bostic Drive, they found two male victims who had been shot. A Longview PD press release identified one victim as Jonathan Lee, of Lakeport. Lee was pronounced dead at the scene. Continue reading Woman arrested after fatal Longview shooting

TYLER – Oncor Electric Delivery will be doing utility work Thursday, Sept. 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. According to the City of Tyler, the work will be on South Southeast Loop 323. The right, northbound lane between McDonald Road and Tanglewood Drive will be closed. Drivers are asked to anticipate delays and seek other routes. Signs will be posted, and workers will be available to help manager traffic. City officials ask that caution be used when traveling the work zone.

FLINT– The father of the Flint man accused of vandalizing the marble statue of Jesus at St. Mary Magdalene Church explained to officers that his son acted in this way because he is a worshipper of Satan, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

At around 8:45 a.m. on Sept. 7, Smith County Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered that the face and hands of the Jesus statue located at the front of the church had been vandalized. Officials were able to obtain video footage of the incident, which showed around 1:14 a.m. the suspect shattering the hands, wrists and part of the face of the statue. After damaging the statue, the suspect was seen walking south towards County Road 1299. Continue reading Father of suspect in church vandalism cites Satan worship

TYLER — Ambetter Insurance may no longer be accepted by UT Health East if an agreement is not reached between the two companies by November. According to UT Health and our news partner KETK, UT has been working with Ambetter to reach a new agreement that would ensure that their members continue to have in-network access to their facilities. If a new deal is not reached by Nov. 1, UT Health East Texas facilities will be out-of-network for Ambetter customers.

Additionally, if an agreement is not reached by the start of the new year, UT Health physicians and providers will also be out-of-network for Ambetter customers starting on Jan. 7, 2026. However, UT Health does state that those under Ambetter can still access emergency services at in-network rates. Continue reading UT Health East Texas and Ambetter Insurance face network dispute

SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Office in Troup said they are receiving calls from concerned citizens about a scam text. According to a social media post on the county’s Facebook page, the fraudulent text appears to be from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) and claims the person has an outstanding ticket. The text reportedly threatens that if the person does not click a link to pay a fine, their vehicle registration and driving privileges will be suspended. The victims are calling the JP 3 Office, which offers auto-registration services.

Officials remind the public that neither Smith County nor the State of Texas’ DMV would ever text anyone about a ticket or demand payment. Do not click on any link, and immediately delete the text. If you ever question whether a text, call or email is legitimate, it’s probably is not. Always call the department or organization it appears to be coming from directly.

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County Emergency Services District 2 recently purchased land to relocate several fire stations in order to reduce fire response times. Our news partner KETK spoke with Eric Greaser, Chief of Operations for Smith County Emergency Services District 2 (ESD2), on Tuesday about the new land the district has purchased to relocate fire stations near Dixie, Noonday, and Winona.

“These stations that were located here from the volunteer fire departments oftentimes were on donated land or the best that they could do at the time,” Greaser said. “It didn’t necessarily address access on major roadways or where the call volumes have evolved to. So this is a more strategic plan for acquiring these properties and making sure that we can have great access to those calls and reduce response times.” Continue reading Smith County ESD2 buys land to relocate fire stations