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TYLER — Smith County Road 384, also known as Old Longview Road, is back open to drivers. A portion of CR 384, northeast of Tyler, had been closed since June 18 so a crew could repair a bridge. The road was opened back up on Tuesday afternoon.

TYLER — The Smith County Commissioners Court Tuesday voted to approve an updated animal control ordinance for the county. Smith County Animal Control and Shelter Supervisor Amber Greene said the ordinance had not been updated in several years. The updated ordinance added definitions such as microchipping, which is now offered at the shelter, and explains how residents can show creditable proof when filing a complaint about a dog “running at large.” It also defined “shelter” and what it means for a dog owner to provide adequate shelter for their dog when it comes to animal cruelty investigations. Click here to learn more.

TYLER – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that a deputy was injured Tuesday during a pursuit in Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, Sgt. Larry Christian said the deputy was standing outside his vehicle when he was struck by the fleeing car and knocked over. Christian said the deputy is expected to be okay and is in stable condition. The suspect was eventually captured after crashing his car on Berta Street in Tyler. The chase began on FM 14, just a few miles away.

TYLER — The City of Tyler Main Street Department and Visit Tyler invite the public to celebrate the grand opening of the new Tyler Visitor Center, on the first floor of the downtown Plaza Tower, Thursday from 11:30 a.m. till 1:30 p.m. The event will begin with refreshments and tours of the facility and will end with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Visitor Center store and offices will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Merchandise is also available online at this link. The Visitor Center’s move from the Blackstone Building coincided with a wholesale renovation of the Plaza Tower by local developers.

KILGORE – The East Texas Council of Governments will host community meetings for residents affected by the March tornadoes in Panola and Rusk counties to offer assistance through its HOME Disaster Relief Program. Through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, ETCOG assists qualified individuals impacted by storms and other disasters in East Texas, according to a news release. The “meet and greet” gatherings will be held July 1 at Carthage Civic Center and July 6 at Mt. Enterprise Community Center, at noon and 6 p.m. on both dates. Interested residents can attend a meeting, contact 903-218-6565 or click here.

LONGVIEW — District 7 state Representative Jay Dean of Longview announced Tuesday that he will seek re-election in 2022. “I couldn’t be prouder of the accomplishments of the past few months,” Dean said of this year’s regular session in a news release. During his time in Austin, Dean has been consistently endorsed by conservative pro-life, pro-gun, and pro-family groups, according to the release. His district covers Gregg and Upshur Counties. He’s held his current post since 2017.

FLINT – Residents in Flint no longer have to worry about a concrete plant being built in the area after Tycon Ready Mix decided to move on from the project. According to our news partner KETK, the company announced June 24 that it had sold the property. The concrete batch plant was a problem to homeowners, who were worried the industry would lower the value of their homes. Other residents were concerned about their health.

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department said Monday that they arrested former Tyler Legacy principal Daniel Crawford in an incident earlier this month. Crawford was arrested for possession of a controlled substance penalty group 1 in a drug free zone and booked into the Smith County Jail. He has been released after posting  a $1,500 bond. Crawford resigned from Tyler ISD in early June amid an investigation into a “powdery white substance” found in his home. Tyler police told KETK in the early morning hours of June 3, emergency personnel were called to Crawford’s home. According to the incident report, officials found less than a gram of a “white powdery substance.”

TYLER – Dand “David” Cruz Woods pleaded guilty and was sentenced 12 years in prison for setting fire to the Coker Enterprises building in Tyler Oct. 12. According to our news partner KETK, Woods was arrested and jailed for a second degree felony Oct. 23 and indicted Jan. 12. The October 12 fire was the second fire at Coker Enterprises in less than two weeks, with the first one Sept. 30. It is not known whether Woods is connected to both fires.

TYLER — The 2021 #SchoolisCool back-to-school event is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 5, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tyler city officials say this year, the event will take place as a drive-thru event at Fun Forest Park on Forest Ave. due to Harvey Convention Center being under construction. The event helps children and parents prepare for the new school year. Free backpacks filled with school supplies will be given away to the first 2,000 school-aged children in line. The committee is seeking donations and sponsorships from local businesses and organizations. Monetary contributions are needed from the community to meet the goal of providing 2,000 backpacks to those in need, according to a news release. Continue reading #SchoolisCool event seeking donations and sponsors

TYLER – Tyler police detectives have obtained an arrest warrant on a suspect in a fatal weekend shooting at a Tyler daiquiri shop. Dycorrian Wayne Lofton, 22, of Jacksonville, has a warrant for murder with a $750,000 bond. Police say he is to be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with leads is asked to contact Tyler Police at 903-531-1000 or Tyler-Smith County Crime Stoppers at 903-597-2833. The case remains under investigation. Continue reading Warrant issued in daiquiri shop murder

TYLER — Smith County officials will host four citizen input meetings in July to discuss plans for the second phase of the six-year Road and Bridge Capital Improvement Project. Starting next week, a meeting will be held in each precinct to inform citizens of the projects that have been done so far in Phase 1 of the road bond, as well as projects planned for Phase 2. The first phase of the bond was approved by 73 percent of the voters in a November 2017 election. Now that year three of that first phase is coming to an end, the Commissioners Court is discussing calling the second phase of the two-part bond to improve the county’s nearly 1,200 miles of road. Click here to learn more.

TYLER – TxDOT is planning to conduct a range of construction and maintenance work in the Tyler District this week. Work schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure, or other unforeseen issues. As always, you’re asked to slow down and pay attention in work zones. To allow for more efficient travel during the July Fourth holiday, from Friday, July 2, through Monday, July 5, TxDOT will not allow lane closures that impact traffic flow on its construction and maintenance projects. Click here for the full rundown of projects around the district.

TYLER — NET Health recognizes four key players in pandemic response as it hands out its annual W. T. “Doc” Ballard Award for Excellence in Public Health. They’re Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran, Tyler Mayor Don Warren, former Tyler Mayor Martin Heines, and the Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy at UT Tyler. A news release cites their involvement in the city/county Joint Emergency Operations Center and the region’s first COVID-19 call center. Officials say the award is NET Health’s “highest accolade for outstanding service contributing significantly to the enhancement of public health.”

KILGORE – A manicurist was arrested and fired after he had allegedly touched a client inappropriately while giving her a manicure. That according to our news partner KETK. Kilgore Police say 49-year-old Qui Ngoc Nguyen, also known as Kevin, of Flint was arrested and terminated from Luxury Nail and Spa on North Kilgore Street. Investigators revealed that Nguyen was a registered sex offender in the State of Texas and had been employed by Luxury Nail and Spa for more than two years.

LONGVIEW — A 34-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for robbing a Regions Bank in Longview, Gregg County District Attorney Tom Watson said. According to our news partner KETK, Patrick Brandon also was found guilty of aggravated possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Brandon was charged with robbing the bank on Fredonia St. on May 1, 2018. Longview police stopped Brandon on a traffic violation later that day and found marijuana, other drugs, and a large amount of cash in his car, said a news release. Police say they then found evidence that connected Brandon to the bank robbery. Brandon will have to serve 30 years before being eligible for parole, Watson said.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man who admitted killing his wife has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. According to our news partner KETK, 48-year-old Billy Marsh was arrested in 2019 after telling police he had murdered his wife with a hammer. Harrison County deputies found Key-Ocea Marsh dead after Marsh turned himself in following the incident. Prosecutors asked the jury to give him life while the defense had asked for no more than 20 years, saying it was “a crime of passion.”

TYLER — The East Texas Food Bank is holding another mega drive-thru produce distribution Saturday in Tyler from 10 a.m. till noon at Green Acres Baptist Church. As with past distributions, the events are open to anyone and there are no eligibility or paperwork requirements. Officials note that these are drive-thru distributions and walk-ups will not be accepted. Multiple households can carpool. To pick up items for another household not present, a note must be provided. Even as the pandemic is ending, food bank staffers say they are still seeing an increased need for food assistance. Continue reading More drive-thru produce distributions

LONGVIEW — Longview’s Broughton Recreation Center will be closed until early fall 2022 as crews complete a $5.7 million renovation of the recreation center and the adjoining park. The renovation was funded by voters in 2018 as part of a $24.7 million parks package. According to a news release, it includes a renovation to the entry, construction of an additional gymnasium, additional parking, and renovating/relocating current facilities. Meanwhile, officials say the park will have an extended trail, improved basketball courts, and a plaza for hosting outdoor events. Construction on the project is scheduled to be completed over the next year. The center will remain closed throughout the renovation. Park features will be closed intermittently during the construction. The center was originally built in 1978.

TYLER — A reminder about a major road construction project on Tyler’s Hollytree Drive between Grande Boulevard and West Rieck Road, which began Sunday. According to a news release, area residents will be able to access their driveways and get to their residences. Contractors will be working from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The road will be closed to through traffic 24/7. Drivers can expect major delays, road closures, and detours. Residents are asked to avoid riding bicycles and scooters in the area. The road construction is scheduled to be completed July 30, depending on the weather.

TYLER — The Tyler Animal Services has partnered with The Salvation Army to offer no-cost adoptions for both dogs and cats with the donation of a dozen food items. The items will cover the adoption fee for dogs or cats and go to the Salvation Army food pantry. The standard adoption fee for dogs is $120 and $80 for cats. All animals adopted from Tyler Animal Services are spayed/neutered, micro-chipped and vaccinated.If you would like to adopt, see all pets available for adoption and submit an application on the Tyler Animal Services webpage. This donation campaign runs through Wednesday, June 30. The Tyler Animal Shelter is located at 4218 Chandler Hwy. For more information, call (903) 535-0045.

LONGVIEW — A woman was arrested in Longview for arson after entering another person’s house. Priscilla J. Calcote reportedly went into a house on Judson Road Wednesday for an unknown reason, according to our news partner KETK. Calcote reportedly grabbed items from inside the house, then took them to the yard and set them on fire. Calcote entered the home without permission and the owner did not know her, said Longview Fire Department officials. She was arrested by the Longview Fire Marshall and booked into the Gregg County Jail. Continue reading East Texas woman arrested for alleged arson

TYLER — A new express shuttle route for the City of Tyler Transit Department will offer free rides to local grocery stores for University of Texas at Tyler and Tyler Junior College students, faculty, and staff. City officials say Campus Express begins July 7 and will run twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The shuttle route begins at 10 a.m., departing Victory Village, and will run until 3 p.m. — making its final dropoff at the UT Tyler Police Department. A valid student and employee ID must be shown at the time of departure.

TYLER — The first ever Rose City Airfest, a project of the Cedar Creek Veterans Foundation, is set for July 2 at the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum (HAMM) at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. Organizers say attendees can celebrate America while supporting East Texas veterans and CampV, a 20-acre campus on West Front Street in Tyler. Proceeds will primarily benefit CampV, which serves veterans, active service members, reserves, and family members. Airfest attractions include aerial performers, concessions, a concert, and more. Click here for all the details.

TYLER — Texas College names Dr. Jan E. Duncan its new vice president for academic affairs. A news release cites Duncan’s “broad experiences and expertise that covers all levels of secondary and postsecondary education.” Most recently, she served as an instructional designer for the use of Blackboard for grade levels K-12. Duncan also has extensive experience in grantsmanship, according to the release. Duncan is a four-time graduate of Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, earning a baccalaureate degree, two master’s degrees, and a doctor of philosophy degree.

TYLER — The Smith County Commissioners Court Tuesday held its initial workshop to discuss the first working draft of the county budget for Fiscal Year 2022. The targeted tax rate for FY22 is 33.5 cents per $100 valuation, which is the same as FY21. This rate is about 7/10ths of a penny below Fiscal Year 2021’s no-new-revenue rate. The no-new-revenue rate for FY22 will not be known until late summer, according to a news release. The new budget takes effect October 1. County Judge Nathaniel Moran started the workshop with an overview of the budget, which he themed, “In the Blue” because the budget is focused on significant increases to law enforcement salaries across the board. Click here to learn more.

TYLER — Tyler police officers were called in to help Coffee City Police and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office in a high speed chase that ended just outside of the Tyler city limits last night around 9:00. According to our news partner KETK, the chase began in Coffee City and ended along highway 155S in Noonday. One person was arrested. Officials are searching for a second suspect. Additional details were not available.

TYLER — Concerned citizens packed the Tyler City Council meeting Wednesday morning, with many urging the council to approve an independent commission to work with councilmembers on redistricting. That’s according to our news partner KETK. Councilwoman Shirley McKellar, one of two Democrats on the council, said she was in favor of such a commission. Smith County GOP Chair David Stein was the only speaker at the meeting to oppose the commission. He said that while he would volunteer to serve if it was created, he trusted all councilmembers to create fair maps. No action was taken since the item was for presentation only. Redistricting happens every ten years after the annual census is taken.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council approved a $97,682.60 contract with Vortex Companies to line and repair a storm sewer pipe along College Avenue between West 4th Street and West 5th Street. The 24-inch pipe is in disrepair allowing groundwater to enter the pipe, according to officials. They say repairing the pipe with an internal lining prevents sinkholes and possible damage to private properties in the area. The project is funded through the Half-Cent Sales Tax Fund.