Today is
Tuesday June 09, 2026
TYLER – Traffic on Rice Road in Tyler is being diverted until 4:00 this afternoon between Kinsey Drive and Old Bullard Road due to roadwork and construction. Rice Road will be closed to local traffic between Cloverdale Drive and Briar Cove Drive and closed to truck traffic from Kinsey Drive to Old Bullard Road. A city news release says the work should take around nine hours to complete.
ATHENS – Three men are facing drug charges following their arrests southwest of Athens. They are Ricky Hurt (pictured), 60; Gerald Loden, 65; and Bradley Lowe, 25. The three were arrested at a property on County Road 1208. Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said they had received information from citizens about possible drug activity in the area that started the investigation that led to the arrests.
LONGVIEW – A fatal Longview fire appears to be arson. The fire in a duplex on Cherie Lane the night March 9th killed Randall Russell and his daughter, Lisa Russell Tesmer. The fire department says the investigation into the fire continues. The Longview News Journal, quoting a search warrant, says the police are investigating the fire as arson. It also says Kimberly Nicole Bruton, 32, is a suspect in the fire. She is currently free on a $1,000 bond after being charged with arson. She was arrested as she stood outside the burning home holding bottle of charcoal lighter fluid.
TYLER – Tyler Police are asking your help in identifying the suspect who stole several Coach items. The expensive items were taken from the Dillard’s store in the Broadway Square Mall. If you can identify this man, you are asked to contact the Tyler Police Department.
JACKSONVILLE – A felon wanted by Jacksonville police has been arrested. Last week we told you 26 year old Drayshadrian Hunter, who is also known as “Stinky Butt, was being sought. He was wanted on warrants out of the Jacksonville Police Department as well as Smith, Van Zandt and Kaufman counties. Friday, acting on a tip, the police went to a home on Talley Nichols Drive, where they found Hunter hiding in a closet. He was arrested without incident and booked into the Cherokee County Jail.
TYLER – Two Smith County residents are accused of trying to smuggle items into the county jail. They are Brittney Chene Boyd, 25, of Lindale and Andria Michelle Smith, 20, of Tyler. They are charged with a prohibitive substance or item in a correctional facility. Each is under a $25,000 bond. A deputy was patrolling the jail perimeter when she saw two women attempting to pass cigarettes over the wall. One was standing on top of the other one. They were immediately arrested. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Azalea Orthopedics has named Anthony Brooks as its new Chief Executive Officer. His appointment was effective February 26. Brooks previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of Longview Regional Medical Center since 2016. Prior to that he was the Chief Financial Officer for Sparks Health System in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and later as the Assistant CEO for Sparks Health System – Van Buren.
KILGORE – Three years of work will come to an end Saturday with the opening of a new Kilgore sports complex.A baseball tournament will open the complex. There are six baseball fields at the site, which is across from Driller Park on South Commerce. It will be known as the Whataburger Sports Complex because they signed a 10-year deal for the naming rights. They paid $50,000 up front and will pay $20,000 a year for the next ten years. The city paid for the complex with $2.2 million from the Kilgore Economic Development Corporation. A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for Saturday morning at 11:00.
MARSHALL – A Henderson woman is accused of providing false documents to get a job. The case against Stephanie Garcia, 29, first surfaced last November. The complaint maintained Garcia had been practicing nursing without a license at Davita Dialysis in Marshall. Investigators say they discovered that she had used another person’s license number in order to get the job. Garcia was arrested on Wednesday and booked into the Harrison County Jail under a $35,000 bond.
TYLER – The 59th Annual Azalea and Spring Flower trail begins in Tyler Friday morning. It all starts at 10:00 with the ribbon cutting and opening ceremony in the garden of the Pyron home on West Dobbs Street. Then, through April 1st, thousands will visit to see the blooming azaleas, dogwoods and spring flowers. There are two marked routes, the Lindsey Trail and the Dobbs Trail. Along with the flowers and the azalea belles greeting you at the many gardens, there is a host of activities, including a horse show, quilt show, an arts and crafts show at Bergfeld Park and the East Texas Symphony Concert. Read the rest of this entry »
PALESTINE – The University of Texas at Tyler Innovation Academy in Palestine may close at the end of the school year. UT Tyler spokesman Lucas Roebuck told the Palestine Herald-Press the school building failed the fire marshal’s inspection in August. UT Tyler President Michael Tidwell outlined the university’s strategic plans to Palestine City Council members on Monday. He did not say anything about closing the school. They are working on holding a public meeting with parents and students in Tyler Monday to discuss the situation. The charter school has over 200 students from second through 11th grades.
EAST TEXAS – The cleanup continues in the wake of the east Texas storms that killed two persons. A Longview man died when a Sunday morning storm toppled a tree onto his mobile home. At the Brushy Creek Campground at Lake o’ the Pines, high winds blew a tree onto a tent. A woman was killed and her husband seriously injured. Their three children escaped injury. The Corp of Engineers has released pictures of some of the damage around the lake. There are so many trees down, it is still hard to reach some sites. The damage is so extensive, they say it could be several months before the campground will reopen.
LONGVIEW – The Longview Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness is asking for items that will go in homeless outreach bags. The bags could include such items as individually wrapped bottled water, pulled top caned food and trail mix. You can also donate new socks, toothpaste, toothbrushes, hairbrushes as well as plastic forks and spoons. The task for says, by providing nonperishable items rather than cash, you can help meet someone’s immediate need without feeding a possible addiction. The items are being collected at the Longview Public Library during regular hours. The bags will be distributed at the Homeless Resource Day on March 24 at the Longview Fire Department Training Center at Teague Park.
MARSHALL — A former East Texas district clerk has been arrested again. Mellinda Craig, a former Harrison County district clerk, was arrested Tuesday for theft of a firearm. The stolen gun was found in her home while police officers investigated her son’s involvement in a recent double homicide in Marshall. Thomas Andrew Craig, 18, of Hallsville, is charged with evidence tampering; he’s said to have hidden the gun that killed a Marshall couple. While Mellinda Craig is not believed to have been involved in the capital murder, she was arrested and charged for having the stolen gun. She was elected to be Harrison County’s district clerk in 2010 but was removed from office during 2014 following an arrest for numerous assault and deadly conduct charges.
PALESTINE – One person has been wounded in a Palestine shooting. It happened shortly before 9:00 Monday night on San Jacinto Street. First taken to a Palestine hospital, and later flown to a Tyler hospital, was Carlos Scott, 34, of Palestine. Investigators say he had suffered multiple gun shot wounds. The investigation is ongoing.