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TYLER – Our news partner KETK reports that two Mexican nationals received lengthy federal prison charges on Monday after trafficking methamphetamine in East Texas.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice Eastern District of Texas, 38-year-old Leopoldo Alonso-Palacios and 37-year-old Juan Luis Salinas-Leon, both Mexican nationals illegally living in Center, were sentenced to 168 months and 262 months, respectively, for drug trafficking violations.

Officials said Alonso-Palacios and Salinas-Leon were stopped while driving on Interstate-20 in Wills Point for speeding, and after the officers to searched the vehicle, the men were found with 937.7 grams of methamphetamine and Salinas-Leon with a firearm. Continue reading Two Mexican nationals sentenced for trafficking meth

HENDERSON COUNTY — A three-year-old and five-year-old girl both died when the boat the were in lost power and capsized on Cedar Creek Lake in Henderson County on Sunday night. According to our news partner KETK, the 21-foot-long boat capsized at around 10 p.m. on Sunday when they were heading back into shore. 10 adults were on board and made it to shore but the two children got stuck under the hull.

The boat reportedly began to take on water because it was over loaded and was then turned over by choppy water on the lake. First responders attempted to search for the girls but the tide was against them and they were pinned under the dock. The boat was eventually overturned a few hours later and the girls were found

 

TYLER – The two most powerful Republicans in the state were at odds on Monday after Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed the THC ban championed by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, according to our news partner KETK.

Local shop owners who sell THC products said they breathed a sigh of relief with their customers after learning about the governor’s decision.

“I knew that doing the right thing, would be done,” Owner of CBD American Shaman, Morris Anderson said.” Governor Abbott is doing the right thing, and we definitely appreciate it.”

Anderson added that he’s encouraged by the governor’s veto of Senate Bill 3, and the decision is giving some comfort to customers worried about a potential ban.

“It’s a relief, a weight lifted because it’s customers that come through here, they’re dealing with a lot…I know my customers here appreciate them, and this world will appreciate it,” Anderson said. Continue reading East Texans react to the governor’s veto of the THC ban

WINNSBORO – The Winnsboro ISD school board considered firing Winnsboro ISD Police Chief Heath Guy on Monday after he was placed on administrative leave recently.

Our news partner KETK was at school board meeting on Monday where many Winnsboro residents showed up to voice their concerns. Earlier in June, former Winnsboro ISD assistant football coach Nicholas Gabriele was arrested arrested after allegedly admitting to having a sexual relationship with a student.

Chief Guy was reportedly put on leave because he didn’t notify the district about a Texas Rangers investigation into Gabriele. However, KETK spoke with Guy’s wife, Ashley Guy, on Monday and she said he was specifically told not to notify the district because that could be considered felony interference. Continue reading Winnsboro ISD police chief placed on administrative leave

MT. VERNON – According to our news partner KETK, oil giant Halliburton has been awarded a contract to plan and design a geothermally-powered lithium mining project in Mt. Vernon that planners said could help end America’s dependence on Chinese lithium.

GeoFrame Energy’s geothermal and direct lithium extraction (DLE) project is set to start work with Halliburton in late 2025 and will extract battery-grade lithium carbonate from the Smackover Formation, which lies beneath much of East Texas. Halliburton, a company with more than 100 years of expertise in drilling wells, will work with GeoFrame Energy during the drilling, construction, design and operation phases of their first demonstration wells before the companies expand to “full field development.”

“This major breakthrough in East Texas could be the key to solving the U.S. lithium supply challenge. GeoFrame Energy is expected to produce approximately 83,500 metric tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate annually—enough to meet 100% of domestic demand,” GeoFrame Energy said in a press release. “By establishing a reliable, homegrown supply, the project offers significant economic and strategic benefits. It could also mark a turning point in ending U.S. dependence on Chinese lithium imports—a win for both Texas and the Trump administration.” Continue reading Geothermal lithium drilling wells coming to East Texas

SMITH COUNTY — A man has pleaded guilty to two counts of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle in connection to a 2024 fatal crash that left two people dead on FM 2767. According to our news partner KETK, Jose Bravo Jr., was arrested for intoxication manslaughter after a red 2009 Mercedes-Benz C-350 was driving southwest on FM 2767 on May 27, 2024 and took “faulty evasive action to avoid striking a dog” causing the vehicle to leave the road, ejecting three people.

Jose Bravo Delgado and Santa Lucia Bravo both died after they were ejected from the vehicle. Bravo Jr. submitted his blood for a voluntary test and officials said he told them he had been drinking before the crash. According to Smith County judicial records, Bravo Jr. entered a guilty plea on Monday in front of Kerry L. Russel of the 7th Judicial District Court.

His sentencing hearing is set for July 24.

TYLER — A twice-deported Mexican national has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for drug trafficking violations, according to acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Jose Mercedes Saucedo-Guerrero, 34, a Mexican national illegally living in Longview, was stopped for a traffic violation in Kilgore.

During the stop, officers deployed a K9 to conduct an open-air sniff of the vehicle, resulting in a positive alert for the presence of a controlled substance. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 2,972 grams of methamphetamine hidden in the vehicle. Further investigation revealed Saucedo-Guerrero was unlawfully present in the United States after having been previously prosecuted and deported on two separate occasions for immigration crimes.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Continue reading Illegal immigrant sentenced for drug trafficking

HENDERSON COUNTY — A three-year-old and five-year-old girl both died when the boat the were in lost power and capsized on Cedar Creek Lake in Henderson County on Sunday night. According to our news partner KETK, the 21-foot-long boat capsized at around 10 p.m. on Sunday when they were heading back into shore. 10 adults were on board and made it to shore but the two children got stuck under the hull.

The boat reportedly began to take on water because it was over loaded and was then turned over by choppy water on the lake. First responders attempted to search for the girls but the tide was against them and they were pinned under the dock. The boat was eventually overturned a few hours later and the girls were found

POLK COUNTY – Our news partner KETK reports an East Texas man was arrested on Friday after allegedly tricking an elderly person into paying him thousands of dollars in roof repairs he didn’t complete.

According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, on June 11 officers received a report from a local resident of a retirement community who had been scammed by 38-year-old Matthew “Billy” Boyce of Athens. Officials said Boyce scammed the elderly person out of several thousand dollars after Boyce told them he would repair their roof but didn’t do any work.

Boyce was arrested in Athens on Friday for exploitation of an elderly person and theft of a property, but has since bonded out of the Polk County Jail.

East Texans are encouraged to reach out to the Polk County Criminal Investigations Division if they were contacted by Boyce or have any information about him.

HENDERSON COUNTY – A Pennsylvania truck driver was arrested on Thursday after attempting to meet up with a 15-year-old boy during a Henderson County sting operation in February, according to our news partner KETK.

An affidavit from the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office reveals that on Feb. 2, an officer started an operation using the online dating website and messaging platform, Hornet, to target people looking for sexual relations with minors.The document revealed that the officer created a profile with the persona being a 15-year-old boy living in Henderson County.

“On Feb. 8, at approximately 2:03 p.m., the officer’s profile received a Hornet direct message from an account with the username ‘Bek,’” the affidavit said. “… during the course of chatting with the Hornet profile, the user believed the officer to be a 15-year-old minor living in Tool, Texas as indicated in the chat log.” Continue reading Pennsylvania truck driver arrested for child solicitation

TYLER – UPDATE: Today is the set deadline for an agreement to be reached between CHRISTUS Health and BlueCross BlueShield.

According to a released statement from CHRISTUS Health, despite months of negotiations, BlueCross BlueShield of Texas(BCBSTX) has so far been unwilling to seriously consider CHRISTUS Health’s requests for equitable reimbursement rates to cover the rising costs of providing quality health care.

The statement says that BlueCross BlueShield’s similar aggressive negotiation tactics recently used with other health systems also raise concerns about their commitment to reach a fair contract.

CHRISTUS said in the statement, “We continue to make good-faith efforts to negotiate fair insurance rates to ensure all who might need us have access to the largest, highest-quality health care system in the communities we serve.”

CHRISTUS Health also said that they remain dedicated to reaching an agreement that is in the best interest of their employers, physicians, care centers and most importantly, their patients – and hope that the same is true for BCBSTX.

More information about the agreement, or lack thereof, will be released as details become available. Continue reading CHRISTUS Health continues negotiations with BlueCross BlueShield

SMITH COUNTY – Smith County Emergency Services District 2 responded to the scene of a boat crash on the Sabine River that left one person injured on Saturday according to our news partner KETK.

According to the district, a man was injured when one boat crashed into another boat on the Sabine River at around 10:30 a.m. near FM 14 in Lindale. The man was then flown by helicopter to be treated at a local hospital for a head injury he got in the crash.

Smith County Emergency Services District 2 told KETK that both boats made it back to boat ramp. Officials said Texas Game Wardens will be investigating the boat crash.

TYLER – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed East Texas State Senator Bryan Hughes’ Life of the Mother bill into law on Friday to clarify Texas’ ban on abortion for doctors.

According to our news partner KETK, Senate Bill 31, also known as the Life of the Mother Act, clears up language from the abortion ban law that Texas passed in 2022. According to Hughes, the bill is designed to make sure that women having medical emergencies can get an abortion. The bill includes a number of edits and clarifications to the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code and the Texas Health and Safety Code. One change is to the definition of the term “life-threatening” which now includes conditions which may not be actively injuring a patient.

“This bill is to look at our pro-life laws and make the language even clearer, so there’s no question, no excuse when a mom presents with a medical emergency, she gets treated,” State Hughes said in March.

“For the purposes of Subsection (b)(2),”life-threatening” means capable of causing death or potentially fatal. A life-threatening physical condition is not necessarily one actively injuring the patient,” the text of Senate Bill 31 states. Continue reading Gov. Abbott signs Hughes’ Life of the Mother abortion bill

TYLER – Beginning Monday, June 23, the eastbound right lane of I-20, at Grand Saline Creek (east of mile marker 531), will be closed for repairs to a sinkhole near the bridge slab. Work is expected to occur primarily during daylight hours; however, a nighttime closure may be necessary early in the week.

The lane closure is anticipated to remain in place through Friday, June 27. Motorists should expect delays and are advised to use caution in the work zone.