Today is
Sunday June 14, 2026
LONGVIEW – A Longview man has been arrested, accused of attacking his girlfriend. The woman ran into a restaurant to escape Leonard Edward Smith, 39, of Longview. She hid there till police arrived. The Longview News Journal reports the woman said Smith, “punched, grabbed, choked, dragged and slapped” her. She said he even choked her with an extension cord. Jail records show Smith has been charged with assault/family violence by impeding someone’s breath or circulation. His bond is $30,000.
TYLER – Smith County Commissioners Monday approved a $39.5 million dollar bond package to go before voters for November 7th. This is phase one of a road and bridge capital improvements project. It covers the first half of a six year plan. It would be paid out over 10 years. The bonds would be issued as needed in increments of $12 million during the first year, $12 million during the second year and $15.5 million during the third year. Approval of the plan will result in a increase in property taxes of $11.61 for the average home owner. The cost of phase two, the following three years, will be discussed several years down the road.
EAST TEXAS – Authorities have released the name of a man who shot himself following a standoff on Interstate 20 between Longview and Hallsville. He is Reginal Bussle, 26, of Grand Prairie. Department of Public Safety troopers began chasing the driver in Grand Prairie. The chase went through at least six counties before the standoff began involving Harrison County sheriff’s deputies and members of Longview Police Department’s SWAT team. It ended around 10:00 Saturday night when Bussie shot himself. The Texas Rangers are investigating the incident.
LONGVIEW – A Longview burglary suspect was arrested after fighting with the car’s owner on Rosedale Street. The car’s owner was tying to recover what Ceylan Javar Bridges, 20, of Longview, had taken. When Bridges saw the police, he ran. They arrested him after he ran into a house. The items taken in the auto burglary were recovered along with marijuana they found on him. Bridges is in the Gregg County Jail, charged with robbery, theft of property, evading arrest with previous convictions, failure to identify as a fugitive and possession of marijuana. His bonds total $85,000.
GRAND SALINE – A two vehicle accident near Grand Saline over the weekend killed a Van Zandt County man. Ethan Landaverde, 27, of Van died at a Grand Saline Hospital after his motorcycle hit the rear of a homemade trailer that was turning into a private drive. The accident occurred on Farm Road 17. The Ben Wheeler man whose pickup was pulling the trailer, was not injured. The accident was reported shortly after 5:30 Sunday afternoon
TYLER – A proposed name change for Tyler’s Robert E Lee High School is expected to come up at tonight’s school board meeting. The White Nationalist rally in Charlottesville has sparked renewed attention to Confederate monuments and memorials across the country. Some Tyler ISD parents want to change the name of the school. DG Montalvo, who is behind the movement wanting change, told KETK, there is a lot of racial tension still in the city. Another parent who, would like to see the name changed, said Robert E. Lee himself was not a fan of statues honoring Civil War Generals. An online petition to keep the name of the school showed over 9,000 signatures. Supporters for a name change are planning to raise the issue at the school board meeting Monday evening at 7:00 at the Davidson Conference Room at the Jim Plyler instructional Complex located at 807 West Glenwood Boulevard. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Smith County commissioners have called a meeting for Monday morning to discuss the capital improvement plan for roads and bridges. In several meetings over the past couple of weeks, the plan was discussed, including possibly undertaking the plan in stages. They have also discussed ways to fund it. The commissioners are considering a bond election to generate money for the improvements. If they decided to put the bond issue to a vote in November, the deadline to call the bond election is Monday. They have called a special meeting for Monday to discuss the issue. It will be at 10:30am in the commissioner’s court on East Ferguson Street.
TYLER – One of the biggest science events of the year, a solar eclipse, takes place today. While East Texas is not in the path of totality, we will see a partial eclipse, and there are a couple of events in connection with it. The Center for Earth & Space Science Education at TJC offers outdoor viewing and the showing of a 25-minute film about solar and lunar eclipses and how they occur. Those activities began at 10:00am. And the Tyler Public Library is hosting a special event that began at noon. They even have 200 free solar eclipse viewing glasses to hand out. You can get more information on these two activities on the calendar of events on our web site.
TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the Week of August 2ist. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues.
In Tyler, repairs have been completed on Donnybrook Ave. at Loop 323 at the Torchy’s Taco drive. On Monday, crews plan to perform ditch repairs on Loop 323 in front of Goodwill Industries. No lane closures are planned during this work but caution is advised.
You can go to http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/tyler/044-2017.html for a complete rundown of Tyler District work for the next several days.
TYLER – Three persons have been arrested in connection with the burglary of Tractor Supply on Highway 110 South. It was reported Friday morning around 2:30. Arrested walking east of the building was Ediel D. Jaramillo, 31 (pictured). He’s been charged with burglary of a building. Numerous items believed to have been taken in the burglary as well as drugs were found during a search of the suspect’s vehicle. The second suspect, whose mother said he was not home, was arrested climbing out a home on Haynie Avenue. Ronald Christopher Crank-Harris, 30. He was arrested after a brief foot chase. And his mother, Reina Melendez, 47, was arrested and charged with hindering apprehension.
ATHENS – A man convicted of murder in Louisiana has been arrested in Henderson County. The manhunt began with the arrest of one man but another man ran into a wooded area near loop 7 and Farm Road 59, south of Athens. About an hour later authorities arrested Rodney Wayne Baker, 47, (pictured) originally from Athens. He was taken to jail on a parole violation from a Louisiana homicide case. The other man, Richard Anthony Brown, 64, of Athens, was arrested for an outstanding warrant.
AUSTIN – The latest report out of Austin shows area unemployment continuing to fall. Tyler’s unemployment number is not only better than the state’s rate, it also easily beats the national jobless figure. Tyler’s July unemployment rate is 3.9%. This compares to June’s figure of 4.6%. In July of last year, Tyler’s figure was 4.9%. Longview’s unemployment rate went from 5.4% in June to 5.1% last month. A year ago, Longview’s unemployment rate was 7%. Both Texas and the nation had a 4.3% unemployment rate last month.
TYLER – With just under two weeks left in the month, August 2017 is already the wettest August in Tyler since records started being kept in 1896. Through Thursday, The National Weather Service figures show Tyler has recorded 10.95 inches of rain. The previous August record was 10.25 inches in 1915. Three daily rainfall records have also been recorded this month. They are 2.99 inches on August 2nd, 2.54 inches on August 13th and 3.52 inches on August 17th.
TYLER – Smith County commissioners have called a meeting for Monday morning to discuss the capital improvement plan for roads and bridges. In several meetings over the past couple off weeks, the plan was discussed, including possibly undertaking the plan in stages. They have also discussed ways to fund it. The commissioners are considering a bond election to generate money for the improvements. If they decided to put the bond issue to a vote in November, the deadline to call the bond election is Monday. They have called a special meeting for Monday to discuss the issue. It will be at 10:30am in the commissioner’s court on East Ferguson Street.
CANTON – A man has been arrested in Tennessee after being accused of severely beating a woman in Van Zandt County. The U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force arrested Patrick Alan Bieber, 49. He is said to have put a 70 year old woman in her car in Terrell and beat her all the way back to Wills Point, where the two were living. When he found out she reported the incident to police, her took car, purse and rings and fled to Tennessee. He is charged with injury to the elderly and retaliation against a witness for threatening telephone and text messages he left on the victim’s phone.