Today is
Monday June 15, 2026
KILGORE – At a Friday morning ceremony, Kilgore College was presented a $233,262 Skills Development Fund grant from the Texas Workforce Commission. Kilgore College has partnered with RedZone Coil Tubing to provide customized training to workers, with focused instruction on oil and gas standards for on-shore exploration. Trainees include coil tube operators, engineering mechanics, fluid pump operators, ground hands and information technology coordinators. Upon successful completion of training, trainees may be eligible for SafeLand, Aerial Lift and ForkLift certifications. The grant is benefiting workers in East Texas as well as the Permian Basin.
TYLER – A Longview man has been arrested for stealing nearly $50,000 in jewelry and cash. Terry Arnell Walker, 20, has been arrested for the robbery that occurred May 18th at Ana’s Hats on South Eastman Road. A woman had purchased the jewelry at a pawn shop shortly before the robbery. The Longview News Journal reports the police saw a picture posted on Facebook of the jewelry that had been stolen. Surveillance video from the pawn shop showed Walker observing the woman as she bought the jewelry. Walker remains in the Gregg County Jail under a $500,000 bond.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Louie Gohmert of Tyler weighs in after former FBI Director James Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee Thursday. Comey revealed that he’d orchestrated the public release of information about his private conversations with the President in an effort to further the Russia investigation. Gohmert responded, “For the head of the FBI to be leaking information I thought was just astounding. We finally got once and for all, I would hope, that Trump was not under investigation, is not under investigation.” Gohmert spoke with KTBB and said he was amazed Comey admitted as much as he did.
TYLER — Tyler Police are searching for several armed suspects following a gas station robbery Thursday night. It happened at the Food Fast convenience store, 1516 South Vine, just after 10:00. The clerk told officers a black male wearing a mask entered the store, pointed a gun at the clerk and demanded money. The clerk handed over the register drawer with an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect fled the scene with the drawer. Witnesses told police a second suspect, armed with a shotgun, waited outside the store during the robbery. Both suspects were dressed in black hoodies, blue jeans and black masks. A second witness believed the suspects got into a small to midsize tan sedan that was parked on Talley. Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL — Representatives from AT&T presented a $25,000 contribution to support the Boys and Girls Club of Big Pines — And its signature “Be Great” programs targeting under-served and at-risk teens in East Texas. Bryan Partee, the club’s executive director, says using early warning signals – attendance, behavior, and course failure — the club targets about 150 students every year. Partee says the club then works to ensure they have the tools they need to succeed in high school and beyond. The AT&T contribution is part of AT&T Aspire, the company’s signature education initiative focused on school success and career readiness.
MARSHALL – Late last month we had a story about a man accused of stealing around $1,200 worth of cigarettes from a Marshall business. He is said to have gone into the Dollar General on East End Boulevard on May 24th and took about 20 cartons of cigarettes. The suspect then left the store without paying. He was later identified as Justin Williams, 27, of Longview, and an arrest warrant was issued for him. Williams was arrested by Longview Police on Tuesday and was booked into the Gregg County Jail. He is charge with theft of less than $2,500. Williams is also a suspect in several other theft cases in neighboring cities.
EAST TEXAS – Homes in Tyler and Longview have been damaged in early morning fires. The Tyler fire was reported shortly after 4:00 Thursday morning on Victory Drive. Firemen noted heavy fire and smoke at the rear of the home. It was quickly extinguished. The resident awoke to a loud noise and found fire in a large storage area of the home. Smoke alarms were present, but did not activate due to the lack of fire and smoke in the main part of the home. While the cause of the fire remains undetermined, investigators reported that the occupant had noticed smoke in the room the day before and shut off the electrical power to the light fixtures in that room. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – A Longview motorcycle officer has been injured while escorting a funeral. Officer Rodney Smith was injured when a car from the procession made an unsafe turn into the officer. The officer, a ten year veteran with the police department, was ejected from the motorcycle and sustained multiple injuries. No word at this time on the extent of the injuries or about any charges in the accident.
LONGVIEW – Nearly a dozen persons have been arrested in connection with a string of Longview robberies. From May 1st through June 8th, 20 robberies have been reported in Longview, compared to 9 in the prior month. In 11 of those robberies the suspects targeted people in a public area. In 9 of the robberies the suspects targeted a person at an open business. The Longview Police Department has made ten arrests related to at least seven robberies. As the investigations continue they anticipate more of these crimes will be solved. Nine of the suspects arrested to date were adults and one was a juvenile. Eight of the adults are from Longview and one is from Nacogdoches. Read the rest of this entry »
KILGORE – Kilgore police are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying two persons suspected of forgery. The forgeries were committed at Brookshire’s in Kilgore on May 18th and 19th. It is believed the two are working together. The two are also said to have passed forged checks in Tyler and Chandler. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A man whose Tyler’s murder charge was dismissed a year ago, has filed a federal lawsuit against those he claims were involved in his wrongful conviction. The 32 page document was filed on Monday on behalf of Kerry Max Cook. He is suing 22 people and agencies who he claims fabricated and excluded evidence and created false evidence that led to him spending 20 years in prison. The suit claims the defendants set out to pin the murder on a homosexual. According to the suit, the defendants believed Cook was a homosexual. He is seeking a jury trial, compensatory and punitive damages as well as attorneys’ fees and costs. Read the rest of this entry »
HUNTSVILLE (AP) — An Upshur County man on death row for killing two men days apart during a crime trek across the state more than 15 years ago has received an execution date for later this year. Texas Department of Criminal Justice has received court documents setting 33-year-old convicted killer Clinton Lee Young for lethal injection October 26. Young, from Ore City, was convicted and condemned for the November 2001 fatal shootings of 41-year-old Doyle Douglas in Longview and then 52-year-old Samuel Petrey a day or two later in a Midland oilfield. Petrey had been carjacked in Eastland, about 50 miles east of Abilene. Young was arrested in Midland and tried for capital murder in Midland County.
WASKOM – A Harrison County man has been charged with deadly conduct following a shooting incident in Waskom. Police have arrested Michael Wilson, 53, of Waskom, following the Wednesday afternoon incident on Spur 156. Wilson is said to have gotten into an argument with three persons in a car. He is said to have fired one shot at the vehicle. Someone in the vehicle fired four shots in return. No injuries were reported. Authorities are viewing video of the incident as they try to identify the persons in the vehicle.
ATHENS — Five men were arrested for possession of methamphetamine, in separate cases. According to Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse, Clifford Keith Miller, 55, was arrested at a residence outside of Athens on HWY 175 West with a substantial amount of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and marijuana. A search warrant was issued following an unrelated investigation. Miller (pictured) faces up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY — A Longview man was arrested Wednesday on a motion to revoke probation warrant. According to KETK, Kevin Brian Weddle, 43, was arrested on a warrant out of Van Zandt County to revoke his probation stemming from a conviction for online solicitation of a minor for sexual conduct. Longview police arrested Weddle around 1:10 p.m. On December 8, 2009, Weddle was sentenced to 10 years probation and registered as a sex offender. He’s being held in the Gregg County Jail without bond.