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CROCKETT – The City of Crockett city administrator John Angerstein, State Rep. Cody Harris and State Rep. Trent Ashby have all expressed their opposition to a new permit application for wells in Anderson County according to our news partner KETK.

Redtown Ranch Holdings LLC in Anderson County has submitted a groundwater production permit application for 21 high-capacity groundwater wells that he said could extract 10 billion gallons of water a year from the Carrizo and Wilcox aquifers. Angerstein said the permit application also lists 11 more wells in Houston County that could drain another 5 billion gallons of water a year but aren’t covered by the Neches and Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District (NTVGCD) like the 21 proposed wells in Anderson County.

According to Angerstein, the 21 wells would extract 52 times more water than the city of Crockett uses for its population. Continue reading Officials express opposition to new high-capacity wells

SMITH COUNTY – Our news partners at KETK report a passenger was reportedly ejected from a vehicle following a crash in Smith County this afternoon. According to the Community Outreach Coordinator for Smith County ESD2, Nikki Simmons, the crash occurred at FM 2908 at around 12:40 p.m. Simmons did confirm the crash was a rollover, causing one person to be ejected from the vehicle. One person was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Simmons.

TYLER – A student from the University of Texas at Tyler was selected by Governor Abbott to serve a second year as a student regent on the University of Texas System Board of Regents, according to our news partners at KETK. Luke Schwartz, who is currently a graduate student at UT Tyler, was selected to represent students as the student regent for the University of Texas System Board of Regents. Schwartz received his bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Texas A&M University and is currently pursuing a doctorate of medicine at UT Tyler. Abbott appointed several other student regents for public university boards across the state. A board of regents will govern the activities of each university in their system. In Texas, public university boards are appointed by the governor. Continue reading UT Tyler student chosen for UT System Board of Regents

TEXARKANA – The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department said that Omarion Owens was arrested at the Hookah Lounge in Texarkana on Friday night, according to our news partners at KETK. The Texarkana, Texas and Texarkana, Arkansas Police Departments received multiple tips about Owens being at the lounge. When officers converged on the building a foot pursuit began and lasted for two blocks before Owens was arrested. Owens was then taken to the Miller County Jail and was charged for his felony warrants.

CHEROKEE COUNTY – Our news partners at KETK report the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating a string of car burglaries that happened overnight on Wednesday and Thursday. According to Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson, 15 vehicles were broken into at around seven different locations near FM 2138, County Road 1714 and County Road 1814 on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning. Continue reading Fifteen cars broken into in Cherokee County

MARSHALL – On May 30, 2025, seven illegal gambling operations were shut down and subjects were arrested in a coordinated effort led by the Joint Harrison County Violent Crime and Narcotics Task Force. This action follows an extensive investigation targeting businesses operating illegal gambling devices.

With support from Marshall Police Department Patrol and Criminal Investigations Division, Harrison County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division, Criminal Investigations Division, Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Harrison County District Attorney’s Office, seven search warrants were executed across Marshall and Harrison County. These warrants were issued by 71st District Judge Brad Morin. Continue reading Illegal gambling operations shut down

LUFKIN – Our news partner KETK reports that a 74-year-old man was killed in Lufkin after a car crash that caused his vehicle to flip over twice.

Members of the Lufkin Police Department arrived on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd Thursday evening after receiving reports of a car crash. Officials pronounced Willie Coleman dead on the scene.

“Coleman was traveling north on MLK when his Chevrolet truck went off the road to the right, traveled through a ditch and a creek before flipping twice,” Lufkin PD said.

Coleman’s family has been notified of his death and an autopsy has been ordered.

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, the ban on THC in Texas has local businesses and East Texans concerned.

Senate Bill 3 will ban all THC products and now waits for Abbott’s signature. Co-owner of Dragon’s Breath in North Tyler said a full THC ban will do more harm than good.

When the House and Senate passed the bill, co-owner, Lauren Gilmore made all THC products 25 percent off and she believes SB-3 becoming law would be harmful to Texans.

“Honestly, just putting people’s lives at risk and making ordinarily law-abiding citizens into criminals,” Dragon’s Breath co-owner, Lauren Gilmore said.

The bill was spearheaded by Lieutenant Governor, Dan Patrick. AG Commissioner, Sid Miller, has supported the bill and said taking away THC will protect kids. Continue reading Tyler smoke shop urges Abbott to veto THC ban bill

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, a longtime federal prosecutor has been named by President Trump as the acting United States Attorney of the Eastern District of Texas.

Jay R. Combs has been working for the Department of Justice since 2006, where he started as Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) on the U.S.- Mexico border. While he was at AUSA, Combs focused on immigration, narcotics and human trafficking cases along with fraud and white collar crimes.

Through his tenure, Combs received multiple nationwide awards and was recognized for his contributions to the fight against international drug cartels. Combs served in the United States Army as a Judge Advocate General for six years after serving 20 years in the U.S. Army. While in the Army, he served in several roles, including Executive Officer of an Air Defense Artillery Battery.

Combs looks to carry out the current administration’s goal of keeping Americans safe. Continue reading New U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Texas named

UPDATE: According to our news partner KETK and Van Zandt County Detention Center records, Franklin was released from jail at 9:53 a.m. Thursday morning after posting bond. Rains County Justice of the Peace Robert Jenkins Franklin was arrested on Wednesday for two counts of official oppression and two counts of tampering with a witness.

RAINS COUNTY — An East Texas judge is accused of threatening a defendant, saying, “I heard you have a problem with me, boy. You take that deal, boy — or dead men can’t testify.” Two days later, the defendant entered a no-contest plea in a felony case.

A lawsuit filed in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas, alleges that Justice of the Peace Jenkins Franklin threatened Coby Wiebe to enter a guilty plea in a criminal case over which he had no jurisdiction.

Weibe alleges that the threat made in October 2023 is part of a broader pattern of misconduct that Franklin exhibited and went unchecked by county officials, leading to a Monell claim against the county. A Monell claim is based on a 1978 Supreme Court ruling that allows a person to sue local governments for constitutional violations. Continue reading East Texas judge arrested on multiple charges released

TYLER – Dr. Mohammed Ali, associate professor of technology and program coordinator at The University of Texas at Tyler Longview University Center, received the 2025 Minilectureship Award by Epsilon Pi Tau, the international honor society for professions in technology. The award recognizes exemplary academic and professional leadership as well as outstanding contributions to the advancement of technology professions represented by the society. “We congratulate Dr. Ali for this recognition of his research and dedication to the field of technology. This is a great honor for not only him but also th Department of Technology and The University of Texas at Tyler,” said Dr. Mark Miller, UT Tyler professor and department chair.

LONGVIEW – Our news partner KETK reports that one person is dead after they were struck by a pickup truck on Wednesday night in Longview.

According to the Longview Police Department, around 10:36 p.m. officers responded to the 1600 block of Pine Tree Road where there was a crash involving a pickup truck and a person.

Officials said that officers determined a person attempted to cross the street and failed to yield the right of way to the truck.

The person was then taken to a local hospital where they later died. Their identity has not been released as of this writing.