Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
LONGVIEW – English Professor Dr. Stanley Coppinger has been presented with the Robert H. Selby Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award was presented over the weekend during the spring commencement ceremonies at LeTourneau University. The award is the highest recognition the university offers for excellence and effectiveness in teaching.
PALESTINE – Palestine police chief Andy Harvey will be meeting with religious leaders on Tuesday. The meeting at 10:00am is to discuss ways to develop a closer partnership with the police department. A notice on the meeting said the primary goal is to create a bond between the community and the police department in order to better respond to crises events and ease anxieties affecting faith groups. The meeting will take place at Palestine city hall.
LONGVIEW – Longview residents will get a look at the city’s bicycle and pedestrian plan Tuesday evening. The plan follows months of work, including open houses and an online survey, as they work to meet the needs of persons who walk, run or bike in the area. The plan will be covered during a Tuesday open house from 5:30 till 7:00pm at the Maude Cobb Convention Center. You will learn about the development of the plan and specific bicycle and pedestrian recommendations. Plus team members will be on hand to answer questions and share details about the plan.
LONGVIEW – A textbook clerk at Longview High School has been charged with sexual assault of a child. Booked into the Gregg County Jail on Friday was Richard Leland Williams, 25, of Longview. His bond was set at $100,000. The police department was contacted about the case on Thursday. Their investigation led to Williams’ arrest the following day. Read the rest of this entry »
WINONA – An electrocution east of Winona has killed a Smith County man. He is Jerry Wayne Wallace, 58. It happened around 10:30 Thursday morning off County Road 366. Officials said by the time they had arrived, the victim was already dead. Investigators say Wallace used bolt-cutters to cut a power line that was sagging over his camper. Officials said Wallace thought the lines were old and no longer active. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office reminds everyone to stay away from all power lines.
TYLER – A festival is causing some bus detours in downtown Tyler. It is the Red Dirt BBQ festival. Temporary bus line detours are in effect through the weekend. The detours will impact Route 1 Red Line, Route 4 Blue Line and Route 5 Purple Line. The bus detours began at 5:00 Friday afternoon and will run through the weekend. Everything gets back to normal on Monday. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – A student shows up with a gun on a Longview campus. It happened around 8:00 Friday morning at Forest Park Middle School. The student was arrested and the unloaded gun was seized. No threat was made According to a statement from the school district, the “Longview Police Department immediately took the student into custody and secured the campus.” They added they will be following the district procedure with regard to the student.
TYLER – One person was slightly injured when a car was shot at a Tyler intersection. It happened just before 10:00 Friday morning at the intersection of Shelly Drive and Old Bullard Road. The suspect’s car, a silver Toyota Camry had been following the victim’s car when the Camry’s driver shot through the passenger window of the other vehicle. The passenger suffered cuts to his leg from flying glass fragments. The suspect is described as white male in his early 30’s, short brown hair with goatee. The suspect’s car had paper plates.
LONGVIEW – An arrest has been made in a Longview homicide. Arrested in Gladewater was Rodrick Deshun Arkeith Elliott, 20, of DeSoto. With the help of the victim’s neighbors, he was arrested around 11:00 Thursday night in the death of Sandy Smith, 51, of Longview. She was found bleeding shortly after 4:00 Thursday afternoon on East Grand Street. She later died at a Longview hospital from her stab wound. Elliott is charged with murder and is being held on a $500,000 bond.
TYLER – Municipal elections are scheduled around the area on Saturday. Tyler voters will select either Mayor Martin Heines or his challenger Joel Rando. This is the third time the two have faced off, with Heines winning each time with at least 90% of the vote. Seeking the open District 2 city council seat is Beverly Beavers-Brooks and Broderick McGee. Council Districts 4 and 6 also are up for election, but the races are uncontested. The Longview city elections were cancelled when the candidates for mayor and council districts 1 and two were uncontested. Those candidates have been declared the winners for a term expiring in May, 2021. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – A traffic stop has led to a suspected Longview bank robber. Patrick Anthony Brandon, Jr., 31, of Houston, was stopped early Thursday morning for running a stop sign. It went down hill for Brandon from there. The officer smelled marijuana. A search of the vehicle turned up illegal drugs, a gun and a large amount of money. Then they found the demand letter presented to a teller at the Regions’s Bank on May 1st. Besides the gun and drug violations, Brandon is also charged with aggravated robbery. He’s in the Gregg County Jail under bonds totaling over $500,000.
LONGVIEW – A woman’s death is under investigation. Shortly after 4:00 Thursday afternoon, officers were sent to East Grand Street on a report of a woman who had been found bleeding. She later died at a Longview hospital. We will have more details for you when they become available.
AUSTIN – The Texas Water Development Board will provide $990,000 from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to the City of Alba. The money will be used to finance planning, design, and construction costs of wastewater system improvements. According to a state news release, Alba will replace 4,000 linear feet of pipeline. It will also include concrete manholes, service reconnections, and pavement repairs. This could save the city around $156,000.
LONGVIEW – A Longview middle school student, who has been walking to school, can now ride. Forest Park School Resource Officer Jose Montalvo and Gregg County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sgt. Tracey Freeman found out that Joseph Alvarado was walking an hour one-way to school every day. Impressed that the student was so dedicated to getting his education they contacted the Longview PD Blue Santa program. According to the police department’s Facebook page, the program was able to get a bike, complete with lights, and the officers donated it to him Wednesday. Now Joseph’s trip to school will go much faster.
KILGORE – A student with a gun turned up at a Kilgore school on Wednesday. Middle school officials were alerted late Wednesday morning to the student, who had an unloaded gun. Kilgore police were notified and the student was removed from the campus. School superintendent Cara Cooke said the matter was handled in 10 minutes, there was no lockdown and there was never any disruption to the classes. She said no student was ever in any danger.