Today is
Thursday June 04, 2026
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.
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.
LONGVIEW – The Texas Department of Public Safety is asking for assistance from the public on a hit and run accident. It happened Sunday night just after 8:20 on Farm Road 2767 near State Highway 31 in Gregg County. Injured was a pedestrian, Bridget Lee Scott, 38, of Longview. She is in critical condition at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Francis Hospital in Tyler. She was hit by a northbound white pickup, possibly a Chevrolet. Video obtained from a nearby business shows a white pickup truck traveling north about the same time as the accident. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – An investigator with the Tyler Police Department submitted her resignation following her arrest Saturday morning. Melinda Weaver, 32, was charged with public intoxication. She is currently free on a $260 surety bond. Police public information officer Don Martin said Weaver had been with the department just over 6½ years.
HALLSVILLE – A manager of a Brookshire’s store in east Texas is in the running for a national award. Ray Jackson, who is store director at the Brookshire’s store in Hallsville, is in the running for the Food Marketing Institute’s 2019 Store Manager Award. Jackson has been with Brookshire’s for 38 years. He took over his current duties in 2012. Even though there was no growth in the community or reduction in competitors, his store saw a sales increase of 2.26% last year. The winners will be announced on May 14th in St. Louis, Missouri.
KILGORE – Some students have won scholarship money at Kilgore College just by playing a game. The “Clash for College†video game tournament, hosted by the KC Gamers Guild, awarded $4,000 in KC scholarships as prizes for the top five winners of the tournament. It was open to KC students and high school juniors and seniors, it featured Overwatch for Xbox in a one-versus-one double-elimination format. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Three Tyler Junior College professors have distinguished themselves as endowed teaching chairs for 2019. The program enables professors to nominate and reward their peers who demonstrate excellence as educators. This year’s recipients are:
• Jae Jerkins, professor, humanities and philosophy – The Thomas Shelby, Jr. Endowed Chair for Teaching Excellence
• James Ledet, coordinator/professor, public administration and criminal justice – The George W. Pirtle and El Freda Taylor Pirtle Endowed Chair for Teaching Excellence
• Regan Minkel, English professor – The Dorothy Fay and Jack White Endowed Chair for Teaching Excellence
TYLER – Some Tyler students got a first had look at the effects of drunk driving with a mock accident. Juniors and seniors at Lee High School were dismissed from class for the Shattered Dreams alcohol awareness event. Tyler fire, police and EMS units, as well as the Air One helicopter, all respond to the scene. There was also a hearse from a local funeral home on hand. The students got to see how the jaws of life were used to removed the injured, who were treated on the scene. Police officers were also on hand to investigate, arrest, and book the mock student “drunk driver.â€
LONGVIEW – A woman has pleaded guilty to the kidnapping of a Kilgore College Rangerette. Nancy Alice Motes, 59, pleaded guilty Monday morning to 2 counts of aggravated kidnapping. She was sentenced to five years in prison on each count. The sentences will run concurrently. In December, 2016, Motes kidnapped Alexa Blair, 19, at gunpoint from Blair’s home on Airline Drive in Longview. She was reportedly choked until she passed out and later was tied up in a storage building in Rusk County. Blair was able to escape and call police. Blair’s mother, Rangerettes Director Dana Blair, was at home at the time of the kidnapping and was tied up by Motes.