WILLS POINT — Several residents in Wills Point were evacuated early Thursday morning due to severe flooding from heavy rainfall in the area. According to our news partner KETK, The Wills Point Police Department, City Marshal’s Office and Fire Department conducted a high-water rescue at a residence on Pecan Avenue, near the veternary clinic. Floodwaters exceeded 4-and-a-half feet in depth with a strong current, the police department said.
First responders were successful in locating and rescuing a family of four and their household pets. Several additional residents in the affected area were also successfully rescued and no injuries were reported, according to the police department.
Anyone who has been affected by the storm or flooding is urged to contact the American Red Cross for assistance by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS (733-2767).
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TYLER – U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas) released a statement on Thursday in support of President Trump after it was announced that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has been replaced. It was announced on Thursday afternoon that, after a little over a year as secretary of homeland security, Noem is being replaced by Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.). Noem will be transitioning to a new role as special envoy for “The Shield of Americas,” a new initiative that will focus on eliminating drug cartels from the country.
“I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren,” Noem said Thursday.
Moran also praised Trump for the actions he and his administration have taken during his current term to limit drug trafficking from entering the country. Continue reading Rep. Moran backs Sen. Mullin
TYLER — A man who was arrested in early 2025 in connection to a Tyler apartment shooting that left a woman dead has been additionally charged with injury to a child by a grand jury on Feb. 26.
Jorian Jackson of Plano was arrested on Jan. 22, 2025, for allegedly murdering his ex-girlfriend, Cheyenne Russell, in a Tyler apartment shooting. According to our news partner KETK, on Jan. 6, 2025, two children found their mother’s body and alerted an adult after an apartment shooting on Bellwood Lake Road. Upon arrival, Tyler Police Department officers made contact with Russell’s roommate, who found her dead on a couch underneath a blanket with blood on her face.
According to arrest documents, Jackson was at the apartment that day to drop off some Christmas presents for a child of his and Russell’s. The roommate told officials that the victim and Jackson had a rough relationship. Continue reading Additional “injury to child” charge
A woman and child walk by a damaged building, struck days earlier, during the U.S.Israeli military campaign on March 4, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) -- As the U.S.-Israeli military escalation with Iran continues, children may be experiencing devastating consequences of being caught in a conflict zone. Dozens of children and adolescents have been killed, many of whom were attending school at the time, according to the Iranian education ministry.
Doctors and humanitarian aid workers told ABC News that millions of children in the region are at risk of physical and mental health repercussions.
They add that it's important children have as much structure as possible to keep a sense of stability in their lives.
“Every war is a war on children,” Ahmad Alhendawi, regional director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe at Save the Children, told ABC News. “They are not the reason why the war started, but they are the ones who pay the highest prices. Their childhood simply gets disrupted.”
Mental health effects
Dr. Zaher Sahloul, president and co-founder of the humanitarian organization MedGlobal, told ABC News that the mental and emotional toll on children in conflict zones is a “huge problem.”
“Children are some of the most vulnerable sectors of the community because they need to feel that they are supported, they need it to feel that there is safety and shelter and supporting communities and they need normalcy,” he said.
Sahloul said that when children are caught in conflict zones, a sense of stability and routine is essential.
This includes going to school consistently, having playgrounds available so they can play, regular family meals and a place to sleep at night.
When any of these are disrupted, it can affect children’s mental health, causing anxiety, hyperactivity, withdrawal or feelings of sadness, according to Sahloul.
He added, “The trauma that [children] incur from violence and from what they see on TV, and of course the direct witnessing of bombs and missiles and its impact on their communities and neighbors and families, all of this will cause a lot of mental health trauma that manifests itself based on the age of the child.”
Studies of past conflicts have shown the effects of living in war-torn areas.
At least 10% of those who experience traumatic events in armed conflict will have serious mental health problems and another 10% "will develop behavior that will hinder their ability to function effectively," according to the World Health Organization in a review of research findings.
Mental health impacts can be exacerbated when locales that are supposed to be safe spaces come under attack, Sahloul said.
Over the weekend, Shajare Tayyiba Elementary School, an all-girls elementary school in Minab located in southern Iran was hit by airstrikes, according to Iranian officials.
Iran has blamed the U.S. and Israel for the strike on the school, but Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have denied any connection. Top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have insisted the U.S. does not target civilian infrastructure.
“That adds, of course, to the trauma,” Sahloul said. “These are areas that should be considered safe and when people die in school or in a hospital or in the market, I think that adds to the trauma.”
Physical effects on children
There are physical risks for children that come with living in conflict zones, such as breathing in smoke and ash from fires and blasts that can affect the nose and lungs.
Children may also be seriously injured during air strikes, resulting in disability such as the loss of limb, sight or cognitive capacity.
“The physical impact on children is much more significant because there are fears for their development,” Alhendawi said.
Sahloul added that because children’s bodies are often smaller, shorter and thinner than those of adults, they are more likely to be hurt by projectiles such as bullets or shrapnel.
In children, severe bleeding can lead to shock, he said. Children are also more prone to amputation because of the smaller size of their limbs and they’re more prone to burns because their skin is thinner than adults’ skin.
Sahloul said that mental health trauma in children can have effects on their physical health. Research has shown a significant association between physical health problems and clinical mental health symptoms.
“So [mental health symptoms] can lead to depressed immunity to fight infection,” he said. “It can lead to malnutrition. It can lead to stunted growth.”
Health experts noted adults may also experience similar physical and mental health effects in conflict zones and may benefit from similar interventions.
How to help
Experts told ABC News it's important to make sure that children are provided structure as much as possible while living in war zones to help with their development and well-being. Additionally, when possible, they said it important to create child-friendly spaces that allow children to learn, play and receive psychosocial support.
Alhendawi said Save the Children is not currently operating in Iran but is stationed in nine surrounding countries and is prepared to provide full shelter and basic services for a population that may be displaced.
This image provided by U.S. Central Command shows a F/A-18E Super Hornet preparing to make an arrested landing the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on Monday, March 2, 2026. (U.S. Navy via AP)
One of my favorite quotes comes from a 1921 book by Canadian author Basil King. It says:
Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid.”
That quote has informed most of my 35 years as an entrepreneur. I don’t hear those words as an excuse for ill-considered recklessness. I hear them as saying that bold action taken after thoughtful consideration of the risks has a way of unleashing positive reactions. Bold, decisive action can be infectious. Properly calibrated boldness can attract the favorable notice of people and organizations that can prove helpful in an effort or a cause.
So President Trump hopes.
Unleashing hell from above upon a sovereign nation run by sociopaths is about as bold as it gets. Having done exactly that, the president now very much needs mighty forces to come to his aid. (And to be clear, by saying his aid I mean our aid. Trump is acting on behalf of every American.)
The left is reflexively attributing Trump’s military action to every malign motivation they can think of. But I believe his motivation was entirely rational. I believe that he had information leading him to believe that despite last year’s Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran was closing in on a nuclear weapon. That, along with their well-documented possession of the ballistic missiles to deliver said weapons, and coupled with their murderous, apocalyptic rhetoric, meant in Trump’s mind that not acting would have been an impeachable offense.
Much good can come from this kinetic action in Iran. First and most obvious is the elimination of a homicidal regime that for nearly 50 years has been bent on the annihilation of Israel, the annihilation of the United States and indeed the immolation of the entirety of Western civilization.
But beyond that, putting the Iranian regime out of business – after having put the Maduro regime in Venezuela out of business – puts the squeeze on China, our number one strategic adversary. China is the largest oil importer in the world and Iran and Venezuela taken together account for about 25 percent of those imports. (For some perspective, the 1973 Arab oil embargo reduced total oil supply in the U.S. by only three to five percent, yet those of us who were alive remember the gas lines and the severe economic impact.)
If this operation succeeds, the U.S. gains de facto control of the Strait of Hormuz through which about 20 percent of the world’s daily oil supply transits.
Also, the defensive systems in both Iran and Venezuela that were provided by China have proved themselves essentially useless. Developing countries that might have been inclined to look to China for defense have certainly noticed.
But for all that, wars can destroy presidencies. Just ask Lyndon Johnson and George W. Bush.
So, let’s pray for those mighty forces that Trump is going to need. Because success would reshape the world for the better. But the negative impact of failure upon the fortunes of the U.S. and the West is simply too awful to contemplate.
SMITH COUNTY — A wreck involving a car and a motorcycle Thursday morning left the rider in critical condition. According to our news partner KETK, Smith County ESD2 said the wreck happened around 7:08 a.m. at the intersection of Highway 155 and FM 2868 near Noonday. The motorcyclist was taken to a hospital in critical condition following the wreck. Two people in the passenger car were not injured.
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SMITH COUNTY — As part of the ongoing US 69 and FM 2493 improvement project, a traffic switch is scheduled to occur the week of March 9, weather permitting.
Traffic will shift to the newly constructed, realigned section of FM 2493 at US 69 in Bullard. Once the switch is in place, the existing portion of FM 2493 (S. Houston St), south of CR 3801, will be closed to thru traffic.
Motorists should use caution in the area and anticipate possible delays as crews continue work in the area.
BULLARD – East Texas drivers are feeling the pain at the pump in a place where fuel normally hovers around the two-dollar-a-gallon mark. The offensive launched against Iran happened just four days ago and drivers in Tyler are already feeling the effects. Zippy J’s on Old Bullard Road in Tyler had their regular gas priced at $2.44 a gallon last week. As of Wednesday, the price has jumped to $2.79.
Even though the U.S. doesn’t import oil from Iran, China and India and the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to open waters, is blocked, that sends a ripple effect throughout the world, even on countries that don’t heavily rely on oil from the Middle East. Continue reading Gas prices surge amid U.S.-Iran conflict
TYLER – The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) confirmed there is no state-mandated deadline for removing campaign signs from roadsides following an election. The agency oversees signage within its highway jurisdiction but primarily focuses on placement rather than duration.
While the state agency does not enforce timing restrictions, officials noted that local governments may have their own specific requirements. Cities and counties retain the authority to set individual rules and time limits on how long political advertisements may remain in public view. Regulations on the duration of political displays vary by local municipality.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KETK. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KETK staff before being published.
SMITH COUNTY — A man was arrested in Smith County following a sting where he allegedly made plans for a prostitution operation involving someone he believed was a 15-year-old. The operation began on Feb. 27 when an undercover officer posted a commercial sex advertisement on a website known for prostitution and the exploitation of minors, according to our news partner, KETK. The officer was contacted by Christopher David Stevens, a man with a prior conviction as a sex offender, according to an arrest affidavit from Smith County.
In communications with the undercover officer, Stevens allegedly acknowledged he was interacting with a minor and expressed his intention to engage in sexual activities. He offered to secure a hotel room in his name for their meeting. As part of the arrangement, the undercover officer informed Stevens that she would be traveling from Abilene to Tyler. Continue reading One jailed in sting operation
HENDERSON COUNTY — A 38-year-old man has been charged with murder after surveillance video at an Athens sober living home allegedly showed him dragging what appeared to be a body from a bedroom, a Henderson County arrest affidavit revealed. On Tuesday evening, law enforcement was called after Derris Reynolds’ family members reported him missing. He was last seen on Feb. 25 at a sober living residence.
According to our news partner KETK, family members then requested the property owners to check the security footage of the residence where Reynolds was last seen. Once the homeowners reviewed the security video, they contacted the Athens Police Department.
Officers reviewed the security footage and saw Nicki Lee Gibby, 38, also a resident of the home, entering Reynolds’ bedroom. An argument between the two could be heard on the recording, and Reynolds was never seen leaving the room, according to the affidavit. Continue reading Suspect charged in roommate’s murder
LUFKIN — A man injured in a stabbing in a Lufkin parking lot Sunday evening led to the arrest of one, Lufkin city officials said. Lufkin police responded around 5:30 p.m. to a report of a stabbing in the 4500 block of South Melford Drive. Officers found the victim, a 32-year-old man, with a wound to his upper back and a woman applying pressure to the injury. Police assisted until emergency medical services arrived, according to our news partners at KETK. Surveillance footage from nearby stores showed the victim and a another man, identified as 30-year-old Justin William Benton, preparing to fight. Benton appeared to cut the victim in the back before leaving the scene. Benton was arrested and booked into Angelina County Jail for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was released on Monday after posting bail.
SMITH COUNTY — Crews are responding to a three-vehicle crash on Highway 110 South at Toll 49 in Whitehouse Wednesday morning. Smith County officials say the Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating the crash, which was reported at 11:17 a.m. Fire crews and EMS are on scene, and traffic is being affected. Injuries have been confirmed.
More details will be provided as they become available.
WILLS POINT — Several residents in Wills Point were evacuated early Thursday morning due to severe flooding from heavy rainfall in the area. According to our news partner KETK, The Wills Point Police Department, City Marshal’s Office and Fire Department conducted a high-water rescue at a residence on Pecan Avenue, near the veternary clinic. Floodwaters exceeded 4-and-a-half feet in depth with a strong current, the police department said.
A man injured in a stabbing in a Lufkin parking lot Sunday evening led to the arrest of one, Lufkin city officials said. Lufkin police responded around 5:30 p.m. to a report of a stabbing in the 4500 block of South Melford Drive. Officers found the victim, a 32-year-old man, with a wound to his upper back and a woman applying pressure to the injury. Police assisted until emergency medical services arrived, according to our news partners at KETK. Surveillance footage from nearby stores showed the victim and a another man, identified as 30-year-old Justin William Benton, preparing to fight. Benton appeared to cut the victim in the back before leaving the scene. Benton was arrested and booked into Angelina County Jail for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was released on Monday after posting bail.