Today is
Saturday November 23, 2024
BULLARD – Some North Cherokee Water Supply customers are under a boil water notice today. According to the company’s web site, the notice is for the following customers in the Bullard area, the Katima Subdivision, Oakgrove Subdivision, Mulilo Subdivision, and County Road 3801. They say the notice was needed because of conditions caused by the weather.
KILGORE – Over night storms brought flooding to East Texas and the high water rescue of four persons in Rusk County. The two adults and two children, one an infant, were stranded on top of their car off County Road 1114 at the Rabbit Creek Bridge near Kilgore. Their car had been swept off the road and into some trees. New London, Kilgore Fire, and Kilgore Rescue units were called out for the swift water rescue. Around 9:00 Thursday morning it was reported all four had been rescued and all were unharmed.
SMITH COUNTY – Polls will open Saturday in city and school board races in Smith County. During early voting for the city and school elections in Smith County, 2,145 ballots were cast. The break out looks like this, in the Tyler city council and school board races, a combined total of 826 people voted. In the Bullard school board races, 439 people voted. The Winona city and school board races saw 193 persons vote and in the Chapel Hill school board election, 687 people voted. The polls will open Saturday morning at 10 polling sites around the county.
MARSHALL – Marshall police say their drug take back drive was successful. It was held Saturday at Marshall High School. Over 165 pounds of expired or unnecessary drugs were turned in. The drugs were given to the DEA in Tyler on Monday. Anyone who might have missed the event can bring their unused or expired prescription medication to the drop-box located in the lobby of the Marshall Police Department. The drop box is accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
TYLER – Smith County has received the 2018 Excellence in Safety Award from the Texas Association of Counties. The award is for maintaining a safe workplace. The award was presented at the Texas Association of Counties Conference in Austin. During the Smith County Commissioners Court meeting, County Administrator and Human Resources Director Leonardo Brown recognized his staff members Esmeralda Delmas, HR Coordinator; and Jaye Lynn Collins, Administrative Assistant who handles the county’s day-to-day workers’ compensation program.
WASHINGTON – A new federal judge will be seated in Tyler. The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Campbell Barker in the post. The vote was 51 to 47, with 2 GOP senators not present. Barker was former Deputy Solicitor General of Texas. He served four years in the criminal division of the Justice Department before his duties in Texas. Both Texas senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz voted in favor of Barker and both released statements with high praise for him.
LONGVIEW – A man accused of killings at a Longview hospital gets life prison terms. Kyron Rayshawn Templeton, 28, of Longview, pleaded guilty in state district court Wednesday. He was given two life terms for the two stabbing deaths. They will run concurrently. He also pleaded guilty to injuring a nurse and a visitor. He was given two twenty year sentences for the assaults. The Longview News Journal reports, they will also run concurrently, but will not be served until the life terms are complete. The attacks occurred in November 2013 at then-Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview, while he was at the hospital for his mother’s surgery.
EAST TEXAS – The 4th annual East Texas Giving Day produced a record amount of donations. In the 18 hours ending at midnight last night, $1,308,861 was raised. The money from 3,603 donations will go to 183 East Texas nonprofit agencies. The East Texas Communities Foundation said that that the current results on the website are still subject to final review and verification. Last year 158 area nonprofits received over $750,000 in donations.
TYLER – Tyler Junior College trustees are scheduled to name a new president on Wednesday. In January, Chancellor Dr. Mike Metke announced he planed to retire June 30. A total of 83 men and women applied for the position, and after a thorough review of each applicant by a board-appointed screening committee, the pool was narrowed to several semi-finalists, who were interviewed. Last week, TJC hosted the four finalists. Each candidate spent a day participating in a variety of visits, interviews, and forums attended by the TJC Board, community members, faculty and staff. School trustees met in a closed session Monday afternoon to deliberate on the new president. The board has its regular meeting Wednesday morning at 11:00 at which time they are scheduled to announce the sole finalist. A 21-day waiting period will then begin. On May 23, the TJC Board will vote and make it official, the person who will be the seventh president of Tyler Junior College, who will take office on July 1. Read the rest of this entry »
SHREVEPORT – Caddo Parish authorities have identified a Harrison County man killed in a weekend vehicle/pedestrian accident. Raymond Abercrombie Jr., 37, of Waskom, died in a Shreveport hospital just over half an hour after the accident. It happened just before 4:00 Saturday morning on state Highway 3132. Investigators say he was wearing dark clothing when he tried to cross the highway. The driver said he thought he had hit a deer trying to cross the road.
TYLER – A court reporter has been honored for her 25 years of service to Smith County. Kim Christopher was honored at Tuesday’s commissioner’s court meeting. She was the first African American woman to be hired as a Smith County court reporter. She has worked for numerous judges over the years. She served as a roving reporter, working in a different court each day or for weeks at a time. She has also taken the record for grand jury proceedings. She is currently the court reporter for County Court-at-Law Judge Jason Ellis.
PALESTINE – Tuesday afternoon, a boil water notice was issued for Palestine High School and Taco Bell. It was needed because of a fire hydrant replacement. Now, the city says that notice is being expanded to include the areas of Moore Drive and the Plaza Shopping Center on South Loop 256. According to the city notice, to ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and making ice should be boiled and cooled prior to use. The water should be brought to a vigorous, rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes. In lieu of boiling, you may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source.
MARSHALL – The City of Marshall unveiled a new “no littering sign.†It is part of a larger anti-litter education campaign that the city is promoting in an effort to get citizens to tackle the litter problem. In an effort to create a cleaner and safer environment and maintain a focus on creating an attractive community, the City Commission passed legislation last week strengthening the existing litter regulations. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY – The annual Smith County-Wide Clean Up ends this Saturday. The program allows residents to take bulky items to the landfill for free. Smith County residents can use vouchers which are available at the Smith County Courthouse Annex and all justice of the peace/constable offices. They can be redeemed at the Greenwood Farms Landfill, at 12920 Farm-to-Market Road 2767, or Old Kilgore Highway, in Tyler. Smith County citizens will be able to take 3 cubic yards of solid waste, which fills the bed of a regular sized pickup, and/or bulk items to be disposed of at the landfill. Items not accepted include: hazardous waste, pesticides, herbicides, solvents, gasoline, oils, paint, acid, batteries, Asbestos, wet paint, Freon, whole tires, televisions, computers, refrigerators and freezers.
KILGORE – Traffic on Business 259 at Kilgore College continues to be rerouted after a weekend accident. The pedestrian bridge at the school was struck last Saturday by an oversized load. The impact caused significant damage to the underside of the bridge. The location could remain closed for several days. The pedestrian walkway is also closed to foot traffic until further notice. Motorists should use alternate routes to avoid delays. TxDOT engineers, along with a Kilgore College consulting engineer, are evaluating the bridge and options for opening the roadway to traffic. Traffic will remain detoured as follows:- BU 259 northbound rerouted to FM 1249 – BU 259 southbound rerouted to Houston St., then SH 135.