KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Median home prices in Tyler have reached nearly $263,000, up 13.9 % from 2020 and making the price of a local home hit a record-breaking high. According to our news partner KETK, Chairman John Wampler of the Greater Tyler Association of Realtors says we may never see property appreciation like this again. Wampler says, “I mean it’s a very crazy market out there right now. We have a record amount of sales, a record amount of price per square foot for each property. It’s just our inventory is the biggest issue. I think we are down active listings 43 percent from 2020.” This can be frustrating to both homeowners and buyers due to the lack of homes for sale. Continue reading Tyler home sales and prices reach an all time high

TYLER — TxDOT will be busy with another round of construction and maintenance work in the Tyler District this week. Tyler Maintenance will have a base failure crew on FM 3226. This will be under one-way traffic with flaggers controlling traffic. A second crew will be performing ditch work on various roadways. In Gregg County, maintenance crews will be continuing mill and inlay operations on FM 2204. There will be left lane closures east and westbound from US 259 BUS to Danville Rd. Click here for a complete rundown of roadwork around the district.

LONGVIEW — The city of Longview adds two street closures Tuesday after beginning one closure Monday morning. Starting Tuesday, Page Road, between Delia Drive and Lois Lane, will be closed to through traffic for improvements for the new Hallsville Elementary School. Go to this link for additional information on that project. Also beginning Tuesday, northbound traffic on S. High Street, at Nelson Street, will be reduced to single lane traffic due to installation of a new sewer main. Click here for more on that effort. East Whaley Street, from North Fredonia Street to North Green Street, is temporarily closed as of 6 a.m. Monday due to street paving. Click here for details. Drivers are encouraged to use alternate routes in all cases. Officials note that all three projects will move forward as weather permits.

LONGVIEW — A man was shot Friday night in Longview while he was reportedly committing a burglary, according to our news partner KETK and a statement from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. The release said that around 8 p.m. on March 4, deputies were called to a Longview home for a shooting on Juanita Road. When they arrived, they found Matthew Dillon George, of Longview, suffering from a gunshot wound. Detectives soon figured out that he was shot “while committing burglary,” according to the statement. The release said that the homeowner “verbally gave orders for George to leave, which he refused.” The homeowner then shot George because she was “fearing for her safety.” Continue reading Sheriff: East Texas homeowner shoots burglar

FRANKSTON — A 54-year-old man was hit and killed by a pickup truck near Frankston early Friday morning. According to our news partner KETK, around 5:20 Friday morning, DPS troopers responded to the scene of a vehicle-pedestrian crash on SH 155, roughly three miles south of Frankston. A preliminary investigation indicated that 31-year-old Antonio Roman, of Palestine, was traveling north bound on SH 155 in a 2019 Ford F-250. At the same time, 54-year-old Ian Folakan, of Frankston, was walking south in the northbound lanes, straddling the inside and outside lanes. Continue reading 54-year-old struck, killed by pickup near Frankston

TYLER — Tyler police arrested a man early Saturday morning after he allegedly attempted to kidnap his ex-wife from the Super 1 Foods near Gentry Parkway and Beckham Avenue before leading officers on a vehicle pursuit. According to our news partner KETK and Tyler PD spokesperson Andy Erbaugh, the suspect, identified as 37-year-old Adrian Perez, was apparently thwarted in his attempt to kidnap his ex, though it is still unclear how. When officers initially responded to the scene, they learned that the suspect had allegedly used or displayed a weapon in his kidnapping attempt. Shortly after, officers obtained a warrant for attempted aggravated kidnapping and immediately began searching for Perez. Continue reading Tyler man arrested after alleged attempt to kidnap ex, leading police on chase

LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department is looking for a missing woman. According to our news partner KETK, 45-year-old Barbara Alexander is approximately 5’6″ tall, weighs 195 lbs and has black hair and blue eyes. Alexander was last seen on Friday at 10:00 a.m. near the 2000 block of South High Street in Longview. She was wearing a burgundy long sleeve blouse and a long gray skirt. Police are asking anyone with information on Alexander’s whereabouts to contact Longview Police Department at 903-237-1199.

TYLER — A Tyler man was arrested early Friday morning and accused of hitting a woman and another vehicle with his car. According to our news partner KETK, 25-year-old Devonte Crawford-Milton was taken into custody by the Smith County Sheriff’s Department for outstanding warrants. Tyler police say Crawford-Milton was allegedly driving recklessly and struck another car along with a woman in the parking lot of Fuzzy’s Taco Shop on Troup Highway. The woman suffered minor injuries from the crash. Investigators say Crawford-Milton drove out of the city but was later arrested by Smith County deputies. He has a lengthy criminal history with three convictions for theft and two for assault. He was out on bond awaiting trial for a charge of evading arrest. Crawford-Milton still remains in jail, and detectives said they are working to charge him with aggravated assault for the incident at Fuzzy’s.

LONGVIEW — Longview police seek leads in two recent shootings. One took place at a sports bar late Thursday night, the other on South High Street Thursday afternoon with multiple vehicles shot. Each involved a victim who sustained what are termed non-life-threatening injuries. Police ask that you contact them or Crime Stoppers if you have any information. Learn more about the Thursday night shooting here. You can find more on the Thursday afternoon incident at this link.

TYLER — Brookshire Grocery Co. announced on Friday that they would be the latest company to show support toward Ukraine. According to our news partner KETK, the organization said in a Facebook post that they would keep Russian-made products off their shelves. This follows Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week. The effects of the invasion have been worldwide. More than 150 countries voted at the United Nations to condemn the attack and varying industries have attempted to show support for Ukrainians in their own way.

TYLER — NET Health’s George Roberts brings us up to date on the improving COVID picture in East Texas. Roberts notes that cases continue to go down in his survey area, and he’s hopeful that will continue in coming days. Among other things, hospital patient numbers dropped to 93 from 94 this past Monday and have fallen off significantly in recent weeks. Gregg County continues to lag behind other area counties, but Roberts isn’t too concerned, reiterating that the area-wide picture remains strong. Continue reading Roberts weighs in on latest COVID statistics

TYLER — A former Louisiana FBI agent who is accused of exposing himself several times to two Tyler teens has been indicted. According to our news partner KETK, David Harris is scheduled to appear in a Smith County court on June 20. He is also facing criminal charges in Louisiana and Florida for separate incidents. Harris is accused of several sex crimes dating back to 2016, though his attorneys maintain his innocence. He had previously been assigned to the FBI Field Office in New Orleans, where he investigated child sex crimes, but has since been fired by the FBI. A warrant stated that the investigation started in 2021 when the father of an alleged victim sent a letter to the Inspector General’s Office detailing incidents in which Harris allegedly exposed himself to the man’s daughter and another teenage girl from 2018-2019.

TYLER — A signature Tyler event helping usher in the spring season returns Saturday. It’s the ninth annual Brookshire’s FRESH 15 race. The race starts and finishes at Brookshire Grocery Company’s flagship store, FRESH by Brookshire’s, on Old Jacksonville Highway. Money raised will benefit multiple local charities. Drivers should note that there will several road closures. Click here for all the details.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department hands out its annual awards for outstanding service at a Tuesday banquet. Officer Blake Kelley was recognized as Officer of the Year. Rookie Officer of the Year is James Meredith, and the Priority Response Team was named Unit of the Year. Numerous other honors were also presented. According to a news release, the recipients “are called to serve” and “went above and beyond the call of duty.” You can view the complete list here, together with details on the recipients.

SAN AUGUSTINE — An electricity provider in East Texas is warning about a scam. The Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative says someone pretending to be with the company is calling people from local numbers demanding money and threatening to disconnect their service. The company’s service area includes San Augustine, Nacogdoches, Shelby, Newton, Panola, Jasper, Sabine, and Rusk Counties. The company says it would never call and demand payment immediately like that.

HENDERSON — The Rusk County Commissioners Court approved a burn ban Thursday morning. According to our news partner KETK, the ban prohibits all outdoor burning in unincorporated areas of the county. It is currently the only county-wide active burn ban in East Texas. The Rusk County Office of Emergency Management has posted about multiple fires that departments in the county have responded to this week. One was near Kilgore after a three-acre wildland fire broke out. Officials say the fire started as a small brush fire. They asked afterward for no one in the county to burn until further notice.

EAST TEXAS — Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran has won the Republican nomination for U.S. Congress District 1 in Texas, but we don’t yet know which Democrat he’ll face in November. We do know it will be either Jrmar Jefferson or Victor D. Dunn. According our news partner KETK, Jefferson led all four Democratic candidates with more than 45% of the votes in the Tuesday primary and Dunn earned more than 28% of them. The primary runoff elections are scheduled for May 24.

LONGVIEW — Because of the new changes this year in Texas, many vote by mail applications and ballots were rejected this election cycle — and East Texas was no exception. Tuesday’s primary was the first election day since Senate Bill 1, also known as the election integrity bill, was signed in Texas. According to our news partner KETK, Gregg County Elections Administrator Jennifer Briggs said her staff is in the process of reaching out to voters who need to make corrections on their ballots. She said the majority of the problems came from the new law, which states that ID numbers need to be on their application and on a ballot as well. For future elections, administrators across East Texas counties have recommended taking time when filling out a ballot. Briggs said there is still time to make corrections. East Texans have up to six days after the election to fix their mail-in ballot that was already submitted.

SMITH COUNTY — A Smith County jury sentenced Yoelvis Herrera, 33, of Houston, to 65 years in prison and $5,000 fine on Wednesday for the offense of Unlawful Interception of an Electronic Communication. Prosecutors presented evidence that on December 4, 2019, financial crimes detectives with the Tyler Police Department located a credit card skimmer inside a pump at a local gas station. The skimmer was removed and surveillance was set up at the pump. On December 8, 2019, detectives observed the defendant open the gas pump door and look inside for the skimmer. Continue reading Gas pump skimmer sentenced to 65 years in prison

SMITH COUNTY — A 70-year-old woman was killed after she failed to control her speed at a red light which resulted in a five-vehicle crash, according to our news partner KETK and the Texas Department of Public Safety. On Monday around 1:20 p.m. DPS troopers were called to the five-vehicle crash about two and a half miles west of Tyler in Smith County. According to DPS, Mary Grooms, 70, of Murchison, was driving a 2007 Infiniti G35 westbound on State Highway 31 in the inside lane approaching a red light. Continue reading Elderly woman dies after 5-vehicle crash in Smith County

TYLER — A Tyler man was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Monday after pleading guilty to several child prostitution charges. According to our news partner KETK, 26-year-old Brandon Johnson entered his plea before 7th District Court Judge Kerry Russell. He admitted to committing human trafficking, child prostitution, and child sexual assault. He was arrested in June 2021 after an investigation by the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Marshals. Judicial records show that he was sentenced to 40 years in prison for all three charges and they will be served concurrently.

TYLER — The Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) invites the public to attend an open house and provide input on a proposed amendment to the Master Street Plan which will extend Waljim Street, connecting Market Square Boulevard and West Grande Boulevard. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 8, from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Tyler Development Center’s large conference room across from City Hall. The Master Street Plan is a long-range planning document that classifies streets based on current and forecast traffic counts. It recommends street elements, such as curbs, turn lanes, bike lanes, or sidewalks that the street should incorporate to best convey traffic movement, according to a news release. Click here for more information.

TYLER — A Tyler man and woman are accused of kidnapping two girls and sex-trafficking them into Louisiana, according to multiple arrest warrants obtained by our news partner KETK. The investigation began with a missing person report in mid-February from a home on CR 420. 27-year-old Aaron Wallace and 22-year-old Teresa Fletcher are each charged with two counts of kidnapping with bonds set at $500,000 each. If convicted, they are both facing up to 20 years in prison.

AUSTIN — A Tyler man has been renominated by Gov. Greg Abbott to be the presiding officer of the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority. It will be for another two-year term that will run through February 1, 2024. According to our news partner KETK, the RMA is a political subdivision that was created to “finance, acquire, design, construct, operate, maintain, and expand or extend transportation projects in 14 counties in North East Texas,” according to a press release from Abbott’s office. Gary Halbrooks is the CEO of Venue Properties, a real estate company involved “in the brokerage, development, investment, and management of commercial real estate throughout the southwestern and southeastern United States,” per their website. Continue reading Tyler man renominated to North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority

WHITEHOUSE — A Whitehouse ISD bus was involved in a wreck Wednesday morning, according to the district’s Facebook page. Our news partner KETK reports, the wreck was on Highway 69 just south of FM 346, which is roughly seven miles west of the high school campus. First responders were called to the scene, but no students were taken to the hospital. The district said that no serious injuries were reported. A separate bus picked up the students and brought them to their campuses.

RUSK COUNTY — The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office arrested two people, seized drugs, a firearm, 17 electronic gaming machines and gambling paraphernalia from the “Susie Q” game room on County Road 3291 in Garrison during an evidentiary search warrant. According to our news partner KETK, on Monday, RCSO executed a search warrant based on allegations of illegal gambling. During the search, they recovered 17 electronic gaming machines, gambling paraphernalia believed to be associated with keeping a gambling place, suspected “crack cocaine”, suspected marijuana, money and a firearm. Continue reading 17 electronic gaming machines, drugs seized in Rusk County, two arrested

EAST TEXAS — East Texans turned out to cast ballots Tuesday in this year’s Texas primary, with a number of seats contested on the local, state, and national levels. In one key contest, Nathaniel Moran cruised to an easy victory in the GOP race to succeed Louie Gohmert in Congress. Gohmert was vying for attorney general, but he’s now out of the race; Land Commissioner George P. Bush will face incumbent Ken Paxton in a runoff. In State House District 6, Matt Schaefer won big over challenger Charles Turner. Schaefer will go up against Democrat Cody Grace in November. John Moore and Pam Frederick won their Smith County Commissioners Court elections, and neither faces a November opponent. In Gregg County, longtime Precinct 2 Commissioner Darryl Primo was soundly defeated by challenger Ray Bostick Jr. Click here for the full Smith County results. Use this link for the complete results in Gregg County.

TYLER — The Caldwell Zoo is currently in the process of making changes to its leadership — and to the zoo itself. According to our news partner KETK, Hayes Caldwell, the zoo’s executive director for more than 50 years, is transitioning to the role of president and CEO of the Caldwell Foundation. His longtime assistant director, Scott Maddox, has reportedly taken the position of chief operating officer, leading day-to-day operations. Mr. Caldwell also announced that the new president and CEO of the zoo will be Steve Marshall, who is currently senior vice president of operations at the Audubon Zoo and Park in New Orleans. He will be transitioning into his new role at Caldwell in April. Continue reading Caldwell Zoo making changes in leadership, exhibits

TYLER — NET Health CEO George Roberts is upbeat about the continuing decline in COVID numbers in his survey area. Roberts says the virus appears to be bottoming out locally by all measures, including a hospital patient number now down to 94. But he cautions that things still aren’t back to normal yet. Roberts continues to urge vaccinations, saying we can’t be sure when there might be a resurgence. He says officials continue to monitor the recently discovered BA-2 omicron variant “very carefully,” though it doesn’t appear to be having any significant impact locally so far. Roberts says according to the CDC, BA-2 continues to account for some 3.9 per cent of COVID cases nationwide, as it did last week. For more information on COVID-19 in East Texas, click here.