Today is
Thursday June 04, 2026
MARSHALL – A Marshall foster parent has pleaded guilty to injury to a child. After entering her plea on Thursday, Michelle Lee Hayes, 44, was sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication. She took an 18 month old child to a Marshall hospital in May of 2017. She said she was carrying the child and was intoxicated when she tripped and fell. She later admitted she bruised the child’s head and face when she slammed his head into the side of his crib. The youngster was later transported to a Dallas-area hospital with severe injuries. Hayes was licensed to be a foster parent in 2016 and had three children in her care when the incident occurred.
GILMER – A fatal Upshur County accident remains under investigation. The accident occurred around 7:45 Thursday morning at the intersection of State Highway 300 and Farm Road 726. Dead at the scene was Whitney Emmel Petrick, 30, of Diana. The Department of Public Safety says Patrick pulled out in front of of a pickup driven by James Sterling Jones Jr., 29, of Longview. The report said Jones was stable at the scene.
SMITH COUNTY – A Smith County death is under investigation. The man’s body was found just before noon on Thursday. It was found near a tractor on his property off Farm Road 850 east of Tyler. Investigators first said he appeared to have suffered a shotgun wound. Justice of the Peace Mitch Shamburger has ordered an autopsy and the body was sent to to Forensic Medical in Tyler.
TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler has announced that Dr. Robert Beatty has been named the new dean of the school’s Soules College of Business. He assumes his new duties this summer. With five academic departments, 62 full-time faculty and nearly 3,000 students, the Soules College of Business is one of UT Tyler’s largest colleges. Soules awards nearly 900 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees per year in 12 different majors. Last year, the college received its full accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Only 5% of business schools globally hold this accreditation.
LONGVIEW – If you are looking for something to do this weekend, Longview’s Dalton Days is a family adventure. The activities were inspired initially by the story of a bank robbery. It has evolved into a celebration of our western heritage and has become a fun, family friendly tradition. Saturday’s activities start that morning at 10:00 with a bang. It’s the first of four reenactments of the infamous bank robbery in 1894. Then there’s western entertainment. There are exhibits, such as a blacksmith, soap maker, wood craftsman, chuck wagon demonstrations, root beer saloon and many others. The Dalton Day activities will be held downtown in front of the Gregg County Historical Museum and are free to the public.
LONGVIEW – A busy Longview street, that had been closed, has reopened. High Street had been closed in both directions from Nelson Street to South Street because of a gas leak. Workers have repaired the leak and the road was reopened.
KILGORE – A third person has been arrested in connection with a recent shooting in Kilgore. Xiavier Epps, 21, of Ore City, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His bond was set at $150,000. Previously arrested were Isaiah Orange, 17, of Kilgore. He is charged with aggravated robbery and possession of marijuana. His bonds total $153,500. Treylon Stephenson, 18, of Kilgore, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His bond is set at $100,000. Their arrests stem from a shooting earlier this week on Miles Street. The shooting occurred during a dispute between two groups. One of the shots hit an 18 year old woman in the neck.
MARSHALL – Funeral services have been scheduled for Marshall school trustee Barbara Carraway Alexander. She died at her home Tuesday afternoon following a lengthy illness. Funeral services will be held at 1:00pm on Saturday, April 13, at the Texas & Louisiana Baptist Association Building in Marshall. Viewing will be from 4:00 to 7:00pm on Friday, April 12, at Peoples Funeral Home in Marshall. Burial will be in Marshall’s Rosehill Gardens Cemetery. She would have celebrated her 69th birthday on Friday, April 5th. She represented District 2 on the Marshall school board, serving two terms on the board. The first was from 1990 to 2004. She was currently in her second term, which started in 2011.
HOUSTON – A judge has ruled that a Henderson County animal shelter can keep a tiger that was rescued from an abandoned Houston home. The Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Murchison has looked after the tiger since February. That’s when when some people entered a house to smoke marijuana and found the big cat. The 350 pound tiger was improperly secured in a small cage, and was sitting on hay and its own waste. The Houston Chronicle reports that the judge ordered the tiger’s owner to pay about $11,600 to cover the cost of the tiger’s care. Houston police have filed a civil lawsuit accusing Brittany Garza of animal cruelty. She refuses to explain how she obtained the tiger.
TYLER – The 35 Annual Taste of Tyler comes to Harvey Hall this evening from 6:30 to 8:30. You will be able to sample the food and beverages with around 60 Tyler restaurants participating this year. Along with the food and drink there will also be live entertainment provided by the Tuxedo Cats. If any tickets remain they will be available at the door for $30. This city-wide event raises money to support East Texas culinary and hospitality students.The Taste of Tyler hosted by the East Texas Restaurant Association.
LAIRD HILL – One person has been arrested in connection with a burglary that turned into a Rusk County homicide. Last Friday, Griselda Contreras, 41, the mother of five, was shot to death in her Laird Hill home. Investigators tell our news partner KETK, a man took a picture of a car parked in the area about the time of the killing. After putting the picture on Facebook, they started getting calls, which led them to Dylan Page Rachal, 19. Word is, he planned to steal a PlayStation 4 and a gun, but something went wrong. He has been arrested and charged with capital murder. He is in the Rusk County Jail under a $1,500,000 bond.
MARSHALL – A suspect in a Marshall shooting is in custody in Louisiana. Derrick Dewayne Johnson, 30, turned himself into the Bossier City Police Department on Wednesday. He was wanted in a Monday night shooting that occurred near the intersection of Dogan and Winston streets in Marshall. The warrant affidavit said that Johnson intentionally fired into a vehicle, injuring Savannah Carpenter, 17, who was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Johnson is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
BEAUMONT – A federal grand jury in Beaumont has indicted an Upshur County man on child exploitation charges. He is Jeremy OKieth Kyle, 38, of Ore City. He also goes by the names of Corey Webster and Rick. The indictment charges him with coercion and enticement, sexual exploitation of children, traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual contact, and penalties for registered sex offenders. The indictment says that on various dates in 2016 and 2018, Kyle, a convicted sex offender, is said to have committed numerous offenses against minor girls. If convicted of all counts, Kyle will receive life in federal prison.
TYLER – An East Texas bank has been named one of the best companies to work for in the state. Austin Bank was honored at the Texas Association of Business Awards dinner in Austin. This is the 11th consecutive year for Austin Bank to receive this award. Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the Best Companies to Work for in Texas. The 2019 list is comprised of 100 companies which benefit the state’s economy, its workforce and businesses. Austin Bank ranked #18 in the medium sized company category. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Austin bank has over 480 employees in 33 locations, 24 cities and twelve counties.
AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott has appointed 14 persons to the Texas Health Services Authority Board Of Directors. The two Tyler residents named to the panel are Paula Anthony-McMann and Dr. Jerome Lisk. McMann is the Chief Strategy Officer for UT Health East Texas. Dr. Lisk is is the director of Movement Disorders at the Neurological Institute at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital. The Texas Health Services Authority is responsible for coordinating the implementation of health information exchange in Texas. These appointments are subject to senate confirmation.