KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — The Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council has awarded more than $1.1 million in grants to East Texas organizations that are helping to fight the opioid epidemic. According to our news partner KETK, the grants are a part of $21.2 million in funds that the council distributed to organizations across the state. Officials called the statewide grants a milestone in the fight against opioid abuse.

“Today represents a significant milestone,” Texas Comptroller and council chair Kelly Hancock said on Sept. 17. “For the first time, the Council has awarded grants to communities in every region of our state. We look forward to seeing how these resources will change lives, as local organizations put them to work supporting individuals and families impacted by the opioid crisis across Texas.”

The following five East Texas organizations were awarded $1,198,845 in grants to help support their opioid recovery and treatment work: Continue reading East Texas organizations get $1.1M to fight opioid crisis

SULPHUR SPRINGS – East Texas will soon be home to a massive 1,677-acre AI data center campus that’s planned to open in September of 2026 according to our news partner KETK.

MSB Global broke ground on the multi-million dollar Matrix Data Center Campus on June 13. The Fort Lauderdale-based company is calling the site a “New Era for Net-Zero AI Infrastructure.” The campus development is planned to feature eight individual 100-megawatt(MW) data center buildings during the first phase of construction in 2026. By the end of the third phase of construction in 2028, MSB plans to have a 3,000 MW capacity for data processing across 30 identical 100 MW data center buildings on the campus.

MSB Global said the project is a public-private partnership between their company, the City of Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County. MSB’s Capacity Report for the campus says they’ll have 35% property tax abatement for their first 10 years in Sulphur Springs.

MSB plans to use the data centers to run artificial intelligence programs, to train large-language models and to offer cloud computing services. Their AI data centers will make use of NVIDIA GB300 AI GPU systems and immersion-cooled tanks that use fluids to cool their computers instead of air. Continue reading 30 AI data centers to be built at Sulphur Springs

ATHENS – Ahead of Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona on Sunday, many East Texans gathered together in Athens to mourn the conservative political speaker, who was killed in Utah on Sept. 10. According to our new partner KETK, many people spoke, prayed and participated in a moment of silence at a vigil in Kirk’s honor in downtown Athens on Saturday.

A similar event was held by residents of Palestine on Wednesday night. Another vigil will be held in Tyler’s Bergfeld Park from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Kirk’s memorial service will be held on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

LUFKIN — The Lufkin Police Department has arrested a man who was wanted for allegedly leaving several marijuana-filled Easter eggs in Lufkin parks earlier this year. According to Lufkin Police and our news partner KETK, Avante Nicholson was arrested after the Texas Rangers searched a home on Scott Street. Texas Rangers were searching the house to find a suspect in the Sept. 13 murder of 26-year-old Shelby County man, JaMichael Phillips.

The suspect was not staying at the home but Nicholson was found in the bathroom. Lufkin PD said the Texas Rangers also wanted to question Nicholson as a potential witness to the murder of Phillips.

Nicholson was wanted on three warrants for delivery of marijuana in a drug free zone and another warrant for delivery of marijuana. Lufkin PD said Nicholson’s warrants stem from the April discovery of five Easter eggs filled with marijuana at Morris Frank Park, Winston Park and Grace Dunn Richardson Park and near a Motel 6. Continue reading Man arrested after marijuana scavenger hunt

HENDERSON COUNTY — Judge Dan Moore retired after 20 years of service, celebrated by friends, family, and colleagues in the 173rd District Courtroom on Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK, the retirement event was marked by stories, laughter and gifts from those who worked with Judge Moore during his tenure.

Moore’s staff honored him with a framed flag that had flown over the Texas House of Representatives, symbolizing his dedication to public service. The courtroom was filled with people, reflecting the high regard in which Moore is held by the community. “It was a packed courtroom and a fitting send-off for a man who spent 20 years serving Henderson County from the bench,” Henderson County officials said.

NEW BOSTON – The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is currently investigating the death of an inmate who was killed at the Telford Unit in New Boston on Monday.

According to our news partner KETK and the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Isaac Jediah Acosta, a 20-year-old Hispanic man, was found unresponsive inside the Telford Unit with multiple puncture wounds from a knife or edged instrument on his body. Acosta was taken to the unit’s emergency room, where EMS tried to save his life. Life-saving measures failed and Acosta was pronounced dead at around 1:24 a.m. on Monday, a custodial death report revealed.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Office of Inspector General is investigating Acosta’s death as a homicide. KETK News has reviewed a video shared by a family member of Acosta, which has been circulating on social media and allegedly shows Acosta’s stabbing.

In the video, many inmates can be seen fighting outside of their cells in a common area of the Telford Unit. The video also shows a body being dragged along the ground of the area on a mattress.

TITUS COUNTY – The Texas Game Wardens said that an alligator was found dead and tied down with a large stone on Lake Bob Sandlin recently. According to our news partner KETK, game wardens stated that they were contacted about a dead alligator found floating in Lake Bob Sandlin, Titus County. The alligator had been shot, and its neck was tied with a ski rope that had a large architectural stone tied to the other end to try to sink the animal.

Game wardens found a house that had stones matching the ones tied to the alligator. They contacted the homeowner, who then confessed to shooting the alligator with a .308 caliber rifle and tying the stone to its neck to try to conceal the crime, according to the Texas Game Wardens. The homeowner was issued citations and civil restitution, which could involve a fine or community service. According to the Texas Game Wardens, waste of game is a Class C misdemeanor, which could result in a fine of between $25 and $500.

MARSHALL – According to a press release from the Marshall Police Department(MPD), several individuals have been arrested in connection with a gathering that turned violent at City Park over the weekend that resulted in injuries and disrupted emergency access.

On Sunday, September 14, 2025, at approximately 8:34 p.m., MPD Patrol officers responded to a large disturbance after receiving calls for police response at City Park. The fighting began between two juveniles, and escalated when a large group of adults also became involved. When officers arrived, they discovered that the disturbance had grown to a point where it was obstructing emergency and medical access to surrounding roads near City Park and a local medical facility. Continue reading Marshall police make several arrests after a riot at City Park

DALLAS (AP) — Flights at Dallas-area airports were stopped and delayed Friday afternoon due to a telecommunications equipment issue, federal officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it was slowing flights to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field because of a reported local telephone company equipment issue. The FAA said the issue did not involve FAA equipment, and they were working with the telephone company to determine the cause. KTBB called both Tyler Pounds Regional Airport and East Texas Regional Airport and could not get a comment.

The FAA expects the delays to continue well into Friday night.
Continue reading Telecommunication issues causes flight delays at airports

TYLER – A Tyler doctor who was arrested in 2024 for allegedly sexually assaulting his patients was sentenced to 8 years in prison on Friday, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

On Oct. 24, 2023, 56-year-old Kenneth Donald Haygood was temporarily suspended by the disciplinary panel of the Texas Medical Board after violating a June 2023 Final Order, which restricted him from seeing female patients. The order stated that he needed to complete multiple continuing medical education courses and pass exams, in addition to paying a $5,000 administrative penalty. According to the Texas Medical Board, Haygood did not get consent before doing a physical exam of a female patient, and inappropriately discussed the encounter with the patient’s family via text message “in an attempt to intimidate them as witnesses.” Continue reading Former Tyler doctor sentenced to eight years

TYLER – Crews are putting the finishing touches on the fairgrounds for the 109th East Texas State Fair, with the highlight this year being the inaugural pro rodeo, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

The East Texas State Fair is partnering with Cavender’s to bring a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA)-sanctioned rodeo to Tyler, welcoming pro rodeo athletes across the country to East Texas. The rodeo will feature events such as bull riding, barrel racing and team roping, along with entertainment suitable for all ages.

The President of East Texas State Fair, Cody Rosenbalm, explains the community’s reaction to the rodeo: “We knew people were going to be excited about it, but we were not expecting this level of response from the community. There’s a big demand in Tyler for more rodeo opportunities.” Continue reading East Texas State Fair saddles up for first pro rodeo

JACKSONVILLE — According to our news partner KETK, a new 100,000-square-foot TubeFab facility is coming to Jacksonville, creating immediate new full-time jobs for residents and potentially more in the future.

TubeFab, a company that assembles copper tubing parts, plans to invest nearly $30 million in a new facility located in Jacksonville’s Norman Industrial Park. As of now, the facility will create at least 40 full-time job opportunities, with the possibility of more than 80 jobs in the future.

“We’re honored TubeFab chose Jacksonville as the site for this transformative expansion,” JEDCO’s Chairman of the Board, Darrell Dement, said. “This partnership represents exactly the kind of forward-looking development we strive to attract. These are the types of projects that bring new energy, innovation, and opportunity to our city.”

TubeFab was founded in 2014 and specializes in the fabrication of copper tubing parts and assemblies for the HVAC/R market. The new facility will help TubeFab grow its operations while also highlighting Jacksonville’s role as a manufacturing hub in East Texas.

TYLER — A man was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Thursday after a Tyler apartment shooting left one man injured in April, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

Around 10 p.m. on April 23, officers from the Tyler Police Department responded to a shooting at Southwest Pines Apartments on 3220 Walton Road, where they located one victim with a gunshot wound to the leg. Officers were able to apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, and he was taken to a local hospital. Continue reading Man sentenced to 12 years after Tyler apartment shooting