LONGVIEW — The Gregg County Commissioners Court has approved an agreement to establish a police department for Longview ISD. According to our news partner KETK, the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement will now begin the formal review process required for the department to obtain its license. Longview ISD officials say they hope to have the process complete by this summer. The Longview ISD Police Department will maintain ongoing communication with the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office in the event of emergencies.
Schools cut ties with photographer
EAST TEXAS — Following Lifetouch Photography’s involvement in a controversy regarding the Epstein files, numerous school districts throughout East Texas are canceling their partnerships with the company. According to our news partner KETK, districts that decided to end their partnership with Lifetouch earlier this week, following the allegations, include: Athens ISD, Kemp ISD, Malakoff ISD, Cross Roads ISD, Van ISD, Edgewood ISD and Winnsboro ISD.
In the released Jeffrey Epstein files, Leon Black, the former CEO of Apollo Global Management, which is the parent company of Lifetouch, is accused of making at least $158 million in payments to Epstein for “purported tax and estate planning advice.” However, an investigation by the United States Senate Committee on Finance found that the money was used to finance Epstein’s sex trafficking operations. Continue reading Schools cut ties with photographer
David Rancken’s App of the Day 02/13/26 – Splat!
AI has gotten into everything, including adult coloring books. Download David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called Splat. Get Splat in the Apple Store and Google Play below.
Scoreboard roundup — 2/12/26
(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Bucks 110, Thunder 93
Trail Blazers 135, Jazz 119
Mavericks 104, Lakers 124
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Board approves $167.3M bond election
TYLER — Tyler Junior College (TJC) could be adding three new buildings to its campus with the passage of a $167.3 million bond, set to be voted on in the May election. In a unanimous vote on Thursday, the TJC Board of Trustees called for a bond election that would pay for three new construction projects and improvements to existing facilities, costing an approximate $167,328,269 million. The proposal for the construction projects was developed by TJC’s Facility Planning Committee, which consists of college representatives and community members.
“The committee identified three major projects to provide for TJC’s community partnerships, student learning environments, workforce preparation and the college’s technological and physical infrastructure,” the institution said. “These areas were selected, in part, because they impact the entire campus.” Continue reading Board approves $167.3M bond election
Family dispute leads to fatal shooting
HENDERSON COUNT — A family altercation turned deadly in Henderson County after a 22-year-old man was shot and killed by a relative on Feb. 6. Deputies were called to a disturbance in the 6300 block of County Road 4507, just outside of Athens, following an altercation between 22-year-old Timothy Parker and his 45-year-old stepfather, according to Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse and our news partner KETK, .
After the two separated, Parker returned to the scene with a gun and shot his stepfather. The stepfather’s dad then allegedly shot Parker. The sheriff told KETK News that Parker was pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency crews arrived and began treating the stepfather before transporting him to a local hospital to be treated and is expected to recover.
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing. The case will be forwarded to the Henderson County District Attorney’s Office and a grand jury will ultimately determine if any charges will be filed.
Plane crash kills two
HENDERSON COUNTY – The Henderson Sheriff’s Office has confirmed two have died in a plane crash near Echo Lake early Wednesday evening. According to our news partner KETK, Chip Crist, a cattle owner near the crash site, said the plane, which had left Florida, refueled in Nacogoches before attempting to continue its flight. Along with fire and police units at the scene, Texas Department of Public Safety and the Federal Aviation Administration are also there.
On Thursday morning, an FAA report states that an aircraft declared an emergency due to oil covering the windshield. It diverted but crashed into power lines near Echo Lakes’ runway. The plane is described as a Beech A36 model, a fixed-wing single-engine aircraft manufactured in 1994. The airplane is registered to AileRon T, LLC, based out of Orlando, Florida. The identities of the two people have not been released at this time.
Downtown road work
TYLER – Beginning Monday, Feb. 16, Consent Decree capacity improvements will move to the intersection of Elm Street and College Avenue. Work is expected to take approximately eight weeks, weather permitting. Full access to the Fair Plaza Parking Garage will remain available.
Traffic will use Woldert Street, University Place, and College Avenue off Front Street to access the garage. The intersection of College Avenue and Elm Street will remain open, and sidewalks in the area will remain open. Alleyway access off Elm Street will be closed during construction. Traffic control signs and devices are in place to guide motorists. Drivers are urged to use caution when traveling through the area.
President’s Day closings
SMITH COUNTY – Non-Emergency Smith County Offices will be closed Monday, February 16, for Presidents Day. They will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday, February 17. There will be no Commissioners Court meeting on February 17, because of a lack of quorum. Most of the court members will be attending a Texas Association of Counties conference. The next Commissioners Court meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, February 24, on the first floor of the Annex Building, at 200 E. Ferguson St. in Tyler. Meeting agendas can be found here.
Lithium storage on hold
EAST TEXAS – On Wednesday, Van Zandt County Commissioners voted to pass a moratorium, pausing all planned green energy projects in the county until Attorney General Ken Paxton investigates their full effects. According to our news partner KETK, the moratorium passed unanimously, pausing construction of nine battery storage units and seven solar projects in the county. This fight has been ongoing since 2024, when the Finnish-based company Taaleri Energia announced the Amador Bess Project in rural Canton.
Given the proximity of international infrastructure to their homes, national security is a major concern for many residents.
Continue reading Lithium storage on hold
David Rancken’s App of the Day 02/12/26 – Nibble!
Do you want to learn in bit sized chunks? Go find David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called Nibble. You can get Nibble in the Apple Store and Google Play below.
Star Ukrainian athlete disqualified from Winter Olympics for refusing to remove war tribute helmet
(LONDON) -- A Ukrainian athlete has been disqualified and had his accreditation withdrawn at the Winter Olympics after insisting on wearing a “helmet of remembrance” as a tribute to people killed in his country’s ongoing war with Russia, officials said.
Vladyslav Heraskevych, a medal hopeful in skeleton and the Ukrainian flag bearer in the opening ceremonies last Friday, learned of the decision shortly before he was supposed to compete in the men’s skeleton competition on Thursday morning.
The International Olympic Committee said that it had “decided with regret to withdraw his accreditation for the Milano Cortina 2026 Games” after meeting with Heraskevych. The committee cited his refusal to compromise on wearing the helmet that he said honored those pictured on his helmet.
"I am disqualified from the race,” Heraskevych said following his disqualification. “Certainly we didn't find common ground in this regard (with the International Olympic Committee).
The IOC said that they were “very keen” for the athlete to compete and made multiple and repeated attempts to reach a compromise with Heraskevych.
“The IOC was very keen for Mr Heraskevych to compete. This is why the IOC sat down with him to look for the most respectful way to address his desire to remember his fellow athletes who have lost their lives following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the IOC said in their statement on Thursday morning.
“The essence of this case is not about the message,” said the IOC. “It is about where he wanted to express it.”
Olympic organizers said Heraskevych was able to display his helmet in all training runs and that they offered him the option of “displaying it immediately after the competition when going through the mixed zone.”
“It's not about the messaging, it's literally about the rules and the regulations,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry. “In this case, the field of play, we have to be able to keep a safe environment for everyone, and sadly that means no messaging is allowed.”
The IOC said that it informed Heraskevych on Tuesday that his helmet was “not compliant with the Olympic Charter … in particular the IOC’s Guidelines on Athlete Expression.”
The alternative the IOC offered was to allow him to wear a black armband or black ribbon as an alternative solution to the use of the helmet, but Heraskevych refused.
“I believe we didn't violate any rules,” Heraskevych said. "I see big inconsistencies in decisions, in the wording, in the press conferences of the IOC, and I believe it's the biggest problem that it's inconsistent.”
Heraskevych went further and said that this incident “looks like discrimination because athletes were already expressing themselves.”
"[A] U.S. figure skater, Canadian freeskier [and] Israeli skeleton athlete who is also here today, they didn't face the same things,” Heraskevych claimed. “So suddenly just a Ukrainian athlete in this Olympic Games will be disqualified for this helmet which is not violating any rules."
Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Amdrii Sybiha issued a statement on Thursday saying that “future generations will recall this as a moment of shame.”
“He simply wanted to commemorate fellow athletes killed in war,” Sybiha said. “There is nothing wrong with that under any rules or ethics. The IOC intimidated, disrespected, and even lectured our athlete and other Ukrainians on how they should keep quiet about ‘one of 130 conflicts in the world.’”
The final decision was made Thursday morning, according to the IOC, when Heraskevych met with Coventry who subsequently explained to him “one final time, the IOC position.”
“As in the personal meetings before, he refused to change his position,” the IOC said.
Heraskevych, meanwhile, said that his fight for justice is not over even if he won’t be competing in the Milano Cortina Olympic Games.
"I believe we need to continue to fight for our rights,” Heraskevych said. “I told you from day one that I do not agree with what the IOC says to us, so probably we will prepare a CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) case and we will defend our rights in CAS.”
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Scoreboard roundup — 2/11/26
(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Hawks 107, Hornets 110
Wizards 113, Cavaliers 138
Bucks 116, Magic 108
Bulls 105, Celtics 124
Pacers 115, Nets 110
Knicks 138, 76ers 89
Pistons 113, Raptors 95
Clippers 105, Rockets 102
Trail Blazers 109, Timberwolves 133
Heat 123, Pelicans 111
Thunder 136, Suns 109
Kings 93, Jazz 121
Grizzlies 116, Nuggets 122
Spurs 126, Warriors 113
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
$8.1M bond, but no tax increase
GLADEWATER — Gladewater ISD is asking voters to approve an $8.1 million bond for safety upgrades, new buses and career and technical education improvements, a proposal district officials say would not increase the current tax rate. The single-proposition bond would span 15 years and address transportation needs, facility renovations and equipment upgrades across the district, according to our news partner KETK.
Superintendent Rae Ann Patty said the bond would not raise the district’s interest and sinking (I&S) tax rate, which is currently .253336. The district passed a bond in 2014 that is set to expire in 2045 and has since paid down that debt enough to add the proposed $8.1 million while maintaining the same tax rate, according to Patty.
The proposal includes the purchase of new school buses that meet updated safety standards, including seatbelt requirements. Patty said that if the bond does not pass, buses would still be prioritized but the number purchased would be reduced due to budget constraints. Continue reading $8.1M bond, but no tax increase
Distributing child pornography arrest
PALESTINE — A man was arrested in Palestine on Wednesday for allegedly promoting child pornography online. The Palestine Police Department began an investigation in January after receiving several reports from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. It was reported that an individual living on Crestline Drive was uploading, downloading and distributing child sexual abuse material online. Further investigation led police to believe that the IP address used to upload the images was linked to the same residence.
On Wednesday, the police department searched the home and arrested 27-year-old Juan Carlos Torres. He has been booked into the Anderson County Jail on charges of promotion of child pornography and is being held on a $500,000 bond.