Today is
Saturday June 13, 2026
TYLER – A trial date has been set next year for a Smith County capital murder suspect. The trial for Gustavo Zavala-Garcia was set for March 19 during a Thursday pretrial hearing. The date was scheduled for next year as prosecutors await forensic testing on some evidence. The test results are expected to be in early next year. He has been charged with the death of Kayla Gomez-Orozco, 10. She disappeared last November from a Bullard church during worship service. Her body was found days later inside a well on the suspect’s property. According to an arrest affidavit, a witness said they saw the man with Kayla shortly before her disappearance. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
TYLER – More credit card skimmers have turned up in Tyler. A Fraud Task Force investigator has found two credit card skimmers in the gas pumps at the service station at Commerce and NNE Loop 323 in Tyler. Investigators have found several skimmers at this location over recent months. Skimmer devices will capture your credit card information allowing the suspect to clone a new credit card and charge on your account. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Sunday’s Tyler Rose Run has been cancelled, but all hope is not lost. The city was informed Wednesday that the half-marathon and 5-mile race would not be run. The company staging the race said the reason for the cancellation was very low attendance. Mellew Productions also said there would be no refunds issued. And the company told KETK that they had ceased operations. Now, instead, Tyler runners plan to host a DIY race, a replacement for disappointed runners. They’re calling it the “Homemade Half.” Runners plan to meet at Rose Rudman Park between 7:30 and 8:00 Sunday morning. Organizers say when there are enough runners for a race it will start. We’ll keep you posted on further developments.
SMITH COUNTY – Westbound Interstate Highway 20 at Mile Marker 565 near Farm Road 2015 in Smith County reopened early Thursday morning after an overturned tanker truck containing a hazardous material shut down lanes. The wreck occurred around 4:30 Wednesday afternoon. TxDOT crews were on scene providing traffic control. TxDOT says special equipment had to be brought in, the truck had to be returned to the upright position before it could be removed, and its cargo — now known to be sulfuric acid — had to be pumped off.
PALESTINE – Because of a network hack earlier this year, several Palestine residents have received emails that are said to be from city personnel. But city spokesman Nate Smith says those emails are not officially from the city. They are from whoever hacked into the network and stole email contacts from city email. No other data, including personal financial information, was stolen or accessed during the hack. Smith says if you receive an email from a City of Palestine employee with a link to an invoice, do not click on that link. The link is part of an email phishing scam the hackers are using to steal information. Palestine does not send invoices via email. All invoices and statements from the city are sent using regular mail.
EAST TEXAS – Three area schools are among the nation’s top 150 community colleges. They are eligible to compete for the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence and $1million dollars in prize funds. On the list are Tyler Junior College, Kilgore College and Trinity Valley Community College. The three East Texas schools, and 147 other community colleges announced Wednesday, were selected from a national pool of more than 1,000 public two-year colleges using publicly available data on student outcomes. The schools will now submit an application containing detailed data on degree and certificate completion, including progress and transfer rates, labor market outcomes, which covers employment and earnings, and student learning outcomes. Ten finalists will be named next May. A panel will select a grand prize winner and a few finalists with distinction in the spring of 2019.
TYLER – A man charged in three counts of robbery, one of those was football star Patrick Mahomes, has pleaded guilty in a Tyler courtroom. In a plea agreement Michael Blake Pinkerton, 35, was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in prison for each robbery. The terms will be served concurrently. Mahomes and three others who were with him told deputies that a man that they believed to be armed with a handgun confronted them and demanded personal property from them as they were exiting their vehicle. Pinkerton and a companion were arrested a short time after the May robbery. Pinkerton was scheduled to go on trial in the case next Monday.
LONGVIEW – Two brothers are going to prison for a shooting death in Longview two years ago. The brothers pleaded guilty Wednesday to the September 2015 shooting death of Fedrick Louis Jones, 35. He was shot near the intersection of Scenic and Fairway drives. Devante Damon Darden, 19, (pictured) was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Deiontray Dewayne Darden, 20, was sentenced to 40 years. A third person, a juvenile was also arrested in the case. The three were arrested about a week after the shooting.
AUSTIN – Sales tax allocations from the state will soon be received by area cities. The state comptroller’s office is sending out $660.4 million in local sales tax allocations for October. This is nearly 2% percent more than last October. These allocations are based on sales made in August. Tyler’s allocation tops $3.4 million, which is over 9% above the same period last year. For the year, Tyler has received nearly $34 million, just over 4% more last year. Longview’s allocation for October is $2.4 million, an increase of over 7 1/2%. For the year, Longview’s total is over $24 million, which is down about half a percentage point from last year.
AUSTIN – The governor has appointed four persons to the Texas Commission On Fire Protection. One of them is Longview Fire Chief J.P. Steelman. Besides his duties as fire chief, Steelman is an instructor at the Kilgore College Fire Academy. He serves as regional director for the Northeast Region of the Texas Fire Chiefs Association and is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Steelman was appointed for a term to expire February 1st of 2023. The Commission develops and enforces statewide fire service standards and provides education and assistance to the industry.
TYLER – The Tyler city council is scheduled to discuss Wednesday a $1.58 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.The funding, over a three year period, would be for the hiring of 12 additional fire fighters. But a possible problem is, the city must provide matching funds, just under a million dollars over that period. With the exception of essential positions, the city has been under a hiring freeze. This was instituted because of falling sales tax allocations from the state. With a tight budget, the matter should generate a lot of discussion at Wednesday’s meeting. Read the rest of this entry »
TROUP – Some counterfeit bills have turned up in Troup. There were three bills, one was a $20 bill and two were $100 bills. The $20 bill was passed before it was discovered to be counterfeit. The two $100 bills were found on some railroad tracks. The investigation of the bills is ongoing.
LINDALE – A Lindale man has been killed in a motorcycle accident near Lindale. Dead at the scene was Kenneth Wayne Calip, 55. The Department of Public Safety reports his motorcycle left the road on a curve and hit several trees. The accident occurred just after 5:00 Monday afternoon on County Road 431 one mile west of Lindale.
FAIRFIELD – Two Trinity Valley Community College football players have been killed in a two vehicle accident in Freestone County. Killed were freshmen Tyler Spillman and Bryce Cook. They were returning to Athens from the Houston area when their vehicle and an 18-wheeler hit head on. The Freestone County Times reports the crash occurred near Fairfield on Farm Road 488 around 4:00 Monday morning.
Tyler’s annual Texans Against Crime block parties will be held on Tuesday from 6:00 to 9:00pm. Over 70 are scheduled. The parties are designed to encourage neighborhoods and businesses to get to know one another and to promote crime prevention.The City of Tyler’s Municipal Court is hosting its annual Texas Night Out “Block Party†in the parking lot of the Municipal Court Tuesday night from 6:00 to 8:00. There will be face painting, a bounce house, games, music, food and so much more. The event is meant to strengthen the relationship between the community and law enforcement officers. To find a block party near you, go to http://www.tylerpolice.com and the go to the “Community” tab and go to “Police Community Events.”