Today is
Friday June 19, 2026
TYLER — 34-year-old Chad Boening of Dallas and 33-year-old Jamie Hardy of Tyler have been indicted for a knife robbery in March at the Village at Cumberland Park in Tyler. Police say the two met the victim of the robbery online — and then set him up to be robbed. KETK reports two good Samaritans who were concealed handgun carriers foiled their plan. They held Boening on the ground until police got there, and HArdy was arrested a short time later. Both were charged with aggravated robbery.
LONGVIEW – Two new deans have been named at LeTourneau University. Dr. Steven K. Starrett as its new Dean of Engineering and Engineering Technology. The new dean of the School of Business is Van Graham, J.D. Both were named to the posts following a nationwide search. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Construction started this week on a portion of South Hillcreek Road at Lake Tyler. The work is for repairs to the drainage channel and road. This portion of South Hillcreek Road will be closed for around two months while crews repair erosion that has taken place in the channel and under the roadway. Until the project is completed, the road will remain closed to all traffic. Residences to the east of the project location may still be accessed from the east by Slack Road or County Road 2133.
LONGVIEW – Two men arrested for a Longview bank robbery have been indicted in the case. Named in the indictments are Michael Duntae Fagans, 39, of Kilgore and Christopher Lee Hutsell, 25, of Overton. They were indicted in the February 9th robbery of the Austin Bank in Longview. They were arrested 12 days later. Both remain in the Gregg County Jail. They are charged with aggravated robbery. And Fagans is also charged with evading arrest while Hutsell is also charged with theft of property.
LONGVIEW – The Gregg County grand jury has indicted two men in separate murder cases. The Longview News Journal says named in the indictments are Kyron Dylann Adams, 38,(pictured) and Mon’torio Dewayne Harris, 25, both of Longview. Adams is charged with the February 4th death of Thomas Lynn Harper, 34, of Gladewater. His body was found in a grassy area of a parking lot near J’s Place club. And Harris was charged in the February 5th death of Donald Ray Kennedy, 34, of Lakeport. His body was dumped off West Loop 281. Both victims had been shot to death. The deaths were the first two homicides in Longview this year
SMITH COUNTY — An East Texas teenager was arrested Thursday night by the U.S. Marshals Service. According to KETK, Jose Luis Rinconcillo, 18, Flint, was picked up around 6:20 p.m., by the USMS for aggravated sexual assault of a child, which reportedly occurred on September 28, 2016. He was arrested by the Smith County Sheriff’s Office on the day of the alleged offense and released the next day after posting $2,500 bond. According to the sheriff’s office, at 6:30 a.m.,on September 28, 2016, deputies were called to the 10000 block of County Road 1265 in the southern part of Smith County on a welfare check call. Read the rest of this entry »
CANTON — The South Van Zandt Volunteer Fire Department responded to a reported fire at Splash Kingdom Waterpark, 18814 Interstate 20, in Canton, around 3:00 this morning. The main office was reportedly engulfed in flames and is said to be a total loss. The fire spread from the main office and ticket counter to the building where refreshments and game room was located. Fire departments from Canton, South Van Zandt, Edgewood and Wills Point were at the scene. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No injuries reported. According to KETK, owner Mickey Lewis said despite the damage, the park will still be open this summer. “We do have our first event on May 10. We’re still going to open. We’ll have a temporary building set up and a full schedule as planned. So this isn’t going to hurt anything,†he said. According to the park’s website, opening day was set for Saturday, May 27.
WASHINGTON (AP/STAFF) — Tyler Congressman Louie Gohmert has introduced the Armed Services Always Paid (ASAP) Act. This ensures that members of the United States Military get their paycheck on time in the event that Congress cannot pass a budget. According to Gohmert, “If Congress cannot pass an appropriation, it’s not right for these valiant warriors and their families to suffer through a late paycheck.†Gohmert says in a news release on his website, “In 2013, the Pay our Military Act was signed into law. That act, which allowed members of the armed forces to receive full pay and benefits during the shutdown, was passed unanimously by the House and Senate. However, the 2013 bill only exempted military pay for Fiscal Year 2014, not for any future years. We have the responsibility to provide complete certainty to the men, women, and families who sacrifice so much for our freedom every day.â€
AUSTIN (AP/STAFF) — The Texas House approved a strict ban on “sanctuary cities” Thursday, empowering local police to enforce federal immigration law against anyone they detain and threatening police chiefs and sheriffs who refuse to do so with jail. Late Wednesday, the debate took a dramatic turn when an amendment by Tyler State Representative Matt Schaefer was approved. It would allow local law enforcement officers to ask people about their immigration status during an arrest or a lawful detention, like a routine traffic stop. Opponents say this will spark the kind of immigration crackdown that the Trump administration has so far been unsuccessful implementing nationally. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Tyler’s mayor and four former mayors have come out in support of the Tyler school bond proposal. Mayor Martin Heines (pictured) and former Tyler Mayors Kevin Eltife, Charles Halstead, Barbara Bass, and Joey Seeber have all thrown their support to the proposal to upgrade the city’s high schools. In a news release today, Mayor Heines is quoted as saying, “This plan to upgrade the high schools is the most responsible and cost-effective way, using current facilities and land while providing our students with necessary safety and security upgrades, increasing capacity and enhancing technology.†Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A Tyler attorney is announcing his intention to run for Judge of the 321st District Court in the March 2018 Primary. Robert Wilson announced on Thursday he will be running for the post now held by Judge Carole Clark. According to Wilson, she has informally announced that she does not plan to seek re-election. A 3rd generation Tylerite, Wilson is a shareholder of the law firm of Wilson, Robertson & Cornelius, P.C. where he has worked since 1998. For the majority of his career, Wilson’s practice has focused primarily on family law. The 321st State District court handles family law cases.
MARSHALL – A man suspected of the robbery of a Marshall business and the shooting of a business owner, is now in custody in Louisiana. Shreveport police have arrested Christopher Kordelle Dumas, 26, of Shreveport. They want him on numerous armed robbery charges. He will also be charged with aggravated robbery and aggravated assault in Marshall for what occurred at Boost Mobile back on April 1. It is believed Dumas entered the East Grand Avenue business that Saturday afternoon and attempted to rob it. He is said to have exchanged gunfire with the owner of a nearby business who heard the commotion. The business owner has since been released from the hospital.
TYLER — Tyler Junior College has announced it will be renovating Wise Auditorium. KETK reports it’s been untouched for the last 50 years despite growth of the school. In its current state, TJC says the building does not meet the needs of students. After renovation, there will be more space for visitors, an improved stage, and an added rehearsal studio. Mitch Andrews is TJC’s Executive Director of Institutional Advancement and the TJC Foundation. He says, “We’re preserving a legacy facility, while redeveloping it to better serve our performing arts programs and our community.” Officials hope the newly renovated facility will serve to grow TJC as a landmark of East Texas.
EAST TEXAS – Today around East Texas, hospitals, EMS and coordinating agencies join together to practice the mass transfer of 200 patients. This would be necessary when evacuating hospitals or nursing homes before or after a hurricane; or if a hospital suffered damage during a weather event. Each hospital will be simulating the actual process of receiving the patients, assessing their condition, treatment plans, and admitting the patient to their facility. And all of this will be coordinated with the various agencies with real time data just as it would be in a disaster evacuation scenario. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – Longview’s Mobberly Baptist Church is expanding into Marshall. The church’s members have voted to acquire the building and property currently owned by Bel Air Baptist Church. Earlier this week, Bel Air members voted to gift the property to Mobberly. The church buildings and office include about 18,000 square feet of space and sit on around 3.5 acres of land. Early plans call for Mobberly to renovate the buildings and begin holding worship services and other ministry events beginning this fall. It is possible that Mobberly could begin hosting outdoor events on the property as early as this summer.