Today is
Tuesday June 09, 2026
PALESTINE – Guns and drugs have been recovered as Palestine police arrest two persons. The early Thursday morning arrests occurred as officers served a warrant at a home on Old Elkhart Road. The home is located in a in a drug free zone. About 30 grams of cocaine and two firearms and money were seized. Facing drug charges are two Palestine residents, Jarious Williams, 24, and Cheyenne Rodriguez, 23. Williams is also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Both were booked into the Anderson County Jail. Read the rest of this entry »
NASHVILLE – This fall, three persons will be inducted into the County Music Hall of fame. One of them is Tyler native Johnny Gimble. He was born in Tyler in 1926. Gimble, a western swing fiddler, was selected in the Recording and/or Touring Musician active prior to 1980 category. He was an in-demand session player. His fiddle work would be heard on many classic hit recordings over the years. He toured many years with Bob Wills and toured a couple of years with Willie Nelson’s band. Gimble died nearly three years ago. The hall of fame induction ceremony will be held this October.
TYLER – A man accused of recording a woman who worked at the same business as him, while she was in the restroom, has been indicted by the Smith County grand jury. Charged with invasive visual recording in a bathroom/dressing room is Victor Antonio Cruz-Castellanos, 29, of Tyler. Tyler Police Detective Andy Erbaugh told our news partner KETK that the incident happened in December. Cruz-Castellanos, who was arrested on December 12th, remains in the Smith County Jail under a $100,000 bond.
TYLER – A new sci-fi move has the touch of a Tyler Junior College professor. The movie, which comes out this weekend, is “Ready Player One.†TJC computer-animation professor Justin Sullivan will see some of his art work on the big screen. Sullivan created a digital extra for the movie. Digital extras are similar to background actors in live-action movies. They don’t have speaking parts or any other role than to fill in the background of a scene. Besides some technical specifications, Sullivan’s only real rule for creating a digital extra was that it couldn’t be a character from the book. It had to be original. So, he imagined this character and created a backstory for her. He says he has no idea where she will actually appear in Steven Spielberg’s new sci-fi adventure.
TYLER – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office has secured an arrest warrant for 45 year old Martin Wesley Reynolds Sr. He is accused of tampering with a witness. Sheriff’s department detectives have information that Reynolds made threats against several witnesses who are scheduled to testify during his son’s upcoming murder trial. Wednesday evening they tried to serve the warrant on him at him residence in Whitehouse. He was not there and is believed to be in hiding. When Judge Kerry Russell signed the warrant, he set his bond at $200,000. If you know where can be found you are asked to contact the sheriff’s department.
KILGORE – Kilgore College has brought home awards from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association convention in Dallas. The Flare Magazine won first in Overall Excellence and The Flare newspaper and The Ranger Yearbook won second in Overall Excellence. The Flare newspaper staff received an Honorable Mention in the Best of Show, Division 2. The Flare newspaper staff received first place in Overall Design. The school’s student publications staff won 33 awards: 17 for production; 10 for visual reporting and six for narrative reporting. The Flare newspaper staff also brought home a second and third place in newspaper headline writing. Among the awards, sophomore Lucas Strough of Longview took home first place in Print News Writing. More than 400 students, representing 44 schools from Texas, competed head-to-head in 30 events during on-site contests.
JACKSONVILLE — A brutal beating that was caught on camera over the weekend at the Mud Nationals in Jacksonville is now under investigation. The video shows Chelsea Swain being attacked by several men. She posted a picture of herself getting treatment in Tyler and asking for help in finding the persons responsible for the injuries. Initially she said she did not want to file a report with authorities. But, earlier this week she contacted the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department and made a report. They say the incident is now under investigation.
TYLER – Tyler police have announced additional charges against two men accused of planting gas card skimmers. Now charged with engaging in organized criminal activity are Yoan Marquez Ramos, 28, of Haltom City and Jordan Adrain Borroto, 23, of Mansfield. The men were arrested in February after a card skimmer was found in a pump at a Bullard gas station. They were arrested following a chase when they realized officers saw them trying to remove the skimmer. They were already under an investigation which had found out this criminal organization had previously made 780 fraudulent transactions on at least 187 different credit cards in 29 cities and 3 different states. They remain in the Smith county jail, each under bonds of over $1.75 million. Read the rest of this entry »
NACOGDOCHES – The Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Department is looking for a woman wanted for interference with child custody. She is Carie Ann Durrett, 38. She was ordered by a court to surrender her 8 month old child. She refused and Sheriff Jason bridges says she is on the run with the child. It is believed that Chevie Durrett is in danger. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the Nacogdoches County Sheriff Office. Read the rest of this entry »
ELKHART – There has been another school lockdown in Anderson County. On Tuesday it was at Palestine High School. On Wednesday, and identical situation surfaced at Elkhart High School. A hand-written note taped above a water-fountain said “I’m gonna’ shoot up this school. Check your bags before 2:00.” The note was found just before 10:00. After a thorough search of buildings, students and their backpacks, the lockdown was lifted just over an hour later. As a precaution, two sheriff’s deputies were posted on the campus for the rest of Wednesday and will be there all day Thursday.
EAST TEXAS – For the second time in three months, federal immigration and customs officers have made arrests in North Texas and Oklahoma. The 89 criminal aliens and immigration violators ranged in age from 19 to 60. Most those arrested during the operation had criminal histories. Twenty three of the people arrested had illegally re-entered the U. S. after having been previously deported. Seven of the arrests were made in Tyler and six were made in Longview. The three day enforcement action ended last Thursday.
LONGVIEW – Gregg County has received money for some road improvements. The members of the North East Texas Regional Mobility presented county commissioners Wednesday with a check for $400,000. This is for reimbursement for the improvement work on U.S. Highway 259 at Hawkins Parkway. The county becomes the first recipient of the NET RMA’s Priority Project Program funding. The money was set aside in 2015 for the counties to fund their priority projects. The money was unused, so the agency was able to supply the Gregg County with two years of funding.
LONGVIEW – A Longview School District employee has been put on administrative leave pending an investigation. He is assistant band director Brandon McFarland. Our news partner KETK reports he was put on leave following allegations stemming from a school-sponsored trip to Florida over the spring break. The investigation stemmed from the educator bragging to students about an incident that happened during the trip. The school stressed there was no physical contact between any student and McFarland. A Spring Hill High School graduate in 2011, McFarland was hired by the Longview school system last June.
TYLER – The Ms. Texas Senior Classic Pageant is returning to Tyler. After being held in the Metroplex for 20 years, the pageant was held in Tyler the past two years. At a news conference Tuesday morning, the pageant’s State Director, Peggy Wagner of Plano, announced it will be returning to Tyler this September to the Holiday Inn on South Broadway. While in Tyler, the pageant has grown so, they had to add additional seating last year. The pageant is all about changing the image of aging. It is for women ages 60 and older. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Several Smith County employees were recognized, during Tuesday’s Smith County Commissioners meeting, for their years of service to the county. One of those was fire marshal, Connie McCoy-Wasson. She was honored for 25 years of service. She has held her current post since November 2015. She is the first woman to hold the post of county fire marshal. Prior to that she served as deputy fire marshal for more than 20 years. McCoy-Wasson wears many hats. She is also the county’s emergency management coordinator, chairwoman of the Local Emergency Planning Committee and treasurer of the Smith County Volunteer Fireman’s Association. This is a far cry from 1993, when she was hired as secretary by the late Fire Marshal Charles Shine. Since then she has gone to school and earned her certifications to become a firefighter, investigator and inspector, as well as earning her peace officer license.