Today is
Wednesday June 10, 2026
HENDERSON – A Kilgore man remains jailed on a murder charge. Booked into the Rusk County Jail Monday morning was Marvin Durrell Sanders, 37. His bond was set at $1 million. He is said to have shot his cousin in the back of the head while the family was watching the Dallas Cowboys’ game on Sunday. No word on what lead to the shooting.
EAST TEXAS – Hunters for the Hungry is a statewide hunger relief program benefiting member Food Banks. This program provides deer meat for persons throughout Texas. Through the program, hunters can donate legally tagged, field-dressed deer to participating processors. The East Texas Food Bank is partnering with two processors in our area: Carnes Packaging and Country Store in Troup and Massingill Meat Market in Lufkin. These processors prepare and package the venison, then contact the East Texas Food Bank which makes the meat available to their partnering food pantries. This ensures the donations support families and individuals in our local community. You can contact the East Texas Foot Bank for more information.
TYLER – Christmas trees are starting to come down. There are a couple of ways to dispose of them in Tyler. You can drop off natural Christmas trees through January 21st at two locations. They can be dropped off at designated areas at Golden Road Park and Fun Forest Park. Just look for the Christmas tree recycling sign. All lights, ornaments, garland, and tinsel need to be removed from the trees. No flocked trees will be accepted. The trees at the parks are available for area fisherman to pick up and sink in nearby lakes to create fish habitats. Christmas trees will also be picked up at the curb for disposal at the city landfill.
GLADEWATER – Funeral services are scheduled for Gladewater Fire Chief Michael Kirkwood, 42. He died from health complications he had. According to the fire department’s Facebook page, visitation will be on Tuesday from 6:00 to 8:00pm at the Bates Cooper Sloan Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant. Funeral services will Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 at First Baptist Church in Mt Pleasant, followed by burial at Cemetery on Harts Bluff Road. The Longview News Journal quotes Gladewater Mayor Harold Wells as saying that Kirkwood came to Gladewater as a police officer and as a certified firefighter. Wells said he took on the fire chief role several years ago. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Four persons, including three children, have been injured in a Smith County fire. It happened on County Road 273, just east of Tyler, late Saturday night. The dad and three children ages 1, 3 and 4 were in the home while the mother was at work. Two young boys were treated and released at a Tyler hospital. The dad’s injuries were said to be non-life threatening. A four year old girl is in critical condition at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. The children’s aunt told KETK their the family lost everything, including their home and all their Christmas presents. It appears as if the fire started around a Christmas tree and a space heater in the home’s living room. Read the rest of this entry »
LUFKIN (AP) — Prosecutors are seeking to seize nearly $1 million in property from an East Texas minister and his family, who were convicted this summer of fraud charges for using hurricane relief funds to pay off personal expenses and fund their Jasper church. Walter Diggles, the former executive director of the Deep East Texas Council of Governments, was convicted in August of 17 counts of wire fraud and other charges. His wife, Rosie Diggles, was convicted on 12 counts of fraud and money laundering. Their adult daughter, Anita Diggles, was convicted of one conspiracy charge. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Gibson is asking a judge to order the forfeiture of more than $970,000 in property purchased with the funds intended to help with recovery from hurricanes Rita, Katrina, Ike and Dolly.
TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the Weeks of December 25, 2017 and January 1, 2018. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Slow down and pay attention when traveling through work zones.
This work has been postponed several times due to weather or other issues but Anderson County Road 300 traffic is now scheduled to be detoured starting Tuesday, December 26, for work on the US 175 Phase III project from Poynor to Frankston. The US 175 main lanes will remain open. CR 300 traffic will be detoured for approximately three days to allow construction crews to work on tying the intersection of CR 300 into the newly constructed US 175 westbound lanes. The daytime detour will direct traffic intending to turn north on CR 300 to use CR 303 instead. This detour will not directly impact the travel lanes on US 175. Signage and flaggers will be used to direct traffic being detoured to CR 303. The detour is 1.2 miles long and may increase drivers’ trips by about three minutes. We appreciate your patience and support during this work. The project is located in Anderson County but is grouped with the US 175 projects in the Henderson County section of this release. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER- A one vehicle accident in Tyler has left one person dead and two injured. It happened shortly after 4:15 Sunday morning on Loop 323 just northeast of Highway 69 North. Dead at the scene was the driver, Gustavo Espinoza, 18, of Tyler. Two passengers were taken to a Tyler hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Investigators say he was heading toward highway 69 when he drove off the right shoulder of the road and the vehicle overturned several times. They found evidence of alcohol at the scene of the crash and have requested an autopsy on Espinoza. The accident remains under investigation.
SULPHUR SPRINGS (AP) — A Texas man has been sentenced to five years in prison after a jury found him guilty of sending threatening Facebook messages to a judge. The Sulphur Springs News-Telegram reported that Robert Alan Hawkins was found guilty and sentenced by a visiting judge this week. Hawkins was charged after sending several threatening Facebook messages to District Judge Eddie Northcutt in December 2016 and January 2017 including a picture of ISIS soldiers about to execute hostages and a comment that this was the “next step.” Hawkins had previously sent letters to Northcutt saying the judge and Hopkins County, about 75 miles northeast of Dallas, were corrupt. Hawkins said he sent the messages to force the county to arrest him so he could expose the corruption during his trial.
PALESTINE – A second suspect in a Palestine burglary has been arrested. The first arrest occurred shortly after 3:30 Friday morning and police received a report of two suspicious persons in the area of Sunset Road. An officer tried to stop two suspects he found walking in the area. One was able to run away. Arrested was Ronnie Morrison, 22, of Palestine. In his backpack they found items that had been stolen from vehicles on Sunset Road. Morrison is being held in the Anderson County Jail on charges of burglary of a vehicle, fraudulent use/possession of identifying information and theft of firearm. Acting on a tip to Palestine Police from one of its Facebook posts, officers in Fairfield arrested Romello Smith, 22, Palestine, (pictured) on Saturday night. He was taken to the Freestone County Jail.
LONGVIEW – One person has been killed in a one vehicle accident in Longview. Gregg County Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace Tim Bryan tells the Longview News Journal, killed was Yvette Floyd, 54, of Longview. The wreck was reported shortly after 7:00 Saturday morning on Bronco Drive. Investigators say her northbound car went out of control and hit a tree.
LONGVIEW – Longview has recorded its 10th homicide of the year. It was reported just before 2:00 this morning on Twelfth Street. A man told officers when he arrived home he was confronted by an armed man wearing a bandana. The man shot at the suspect and then entered his home. The suspect, who was dead at the scene, has been identified as Jalen Johnson, 24, of Port Arthur. There was a car that fled the scene and was stopped by a Longview Officer. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Lamontrel Dunn, 26, from Kilgore. He was arrested on outstanding warrants. There is no word at this time if he was connected to the shooting.
LONGVIEW – A new warehouse is coming to Longview and bringing with it 400 jobs. The Longview Economic Development Corporation signed the deal with the Dollar general Corporation on Friday. The warehouse will be built on a 110-acre site at the Longview North Business Park. DG Distribution of Texas will build a nearly 1 million-square-foot distribution center at the location. DG Distribution of Texas is a division of Dollar General Corp. in Tennessee. It will be the company’s 17th warehouse. Groundbreaking is expected to occur early next month and it should open sometime in 2019.
TYLER – A donation has made it possible for a member of the Smith County Sheriff’s Department to wear body armor. The bullet and stab protective vest goes to the department K9 named “Joker.” The vest comes because of a charitable donation from a non-profit organization. The vest, which is sponsored by an anonymous sponsor, will be embroidered with the sentiment “This gift of protection provided by Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.†Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks. Read the rest of this entry »
AUSTIN – An unemployment record for Texas. And Tyler is running ahead of the state. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 3.8% in November. This sets a new record for the lowest unemployment rate recorded in four decades. Tyler’s unemployment rate fell last month. It went from 4.2% in October to 3.5% in November. A year ago it was 4.4%. Longview’s unemployment rate went up slightly, to 4.2%. It was 3.9% last month. But it is still far ahead of the November 2016 unemployment rate, which was 6%.