Today is
Friday June 19, 2026
LUFKIN — An Angelina County man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations. Phil Bernard Lewis, 47, of Lufkin, pleaded guilty on December 17, 2014, to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced Friday to 300 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark. Federal prosecutors say from 2011 to October 2014, Lewis conspired with others to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine from Mexico to customers in the United States, including Lufkin. Much of the cocaine was converted to crack cocaine. Once in Lufkin, Lewis stored the cocaine at several locations, including houses on Dale Street, Booker Street, and East Texas Road, until the drugs were distributed to other dealers.
TYLER – The work of one of the giants in the field of landscape photography is the focus of the Tyler Museum of Art’s next major exhibition, according to information from the museum. “Ansel Adams: Early Works” opens to the public Sunday, Oct. 11, and continues through Jan. 3, 2016. The more than 30 works in the show, drawn from the private collection of Michael Mattis and Judith Hochberg, highlight the small-scale prints Adams produced from the 1920s into the 1950s. TMA Executive Director Chris Leahy points out that the exhibit items are much less familiar than the high-contrast prints on high-gloss paper stock Adams manufactured to order in the 1970s and ’80s. Read the rest of this entry »
JACKSONVILLE — Police have arrested a man in connection with a Thursday night murder in Jacksonville. According to KETK, officials said Terry Woods, 44, of Jacksonville, is accused of killing Michael Hatton, also 44. Hatton was shot and killed on Bethune Street sometime after sunset, police said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Woods was arrested Friday morning when he voluntary surrendered at the JPD headquarters. There are no other persons of interest at this time. The case is ongoing.
GREGG COUNTY — East Texas Regional Airport is announcing completion of the airport terminal building renovation project. A rededication of the Henry Atkinson Terminal Building and ribbon cutting ceremony will be held in the terminal lobby at 10:00 Tuesday morning, October 13. The terminal building was originally constructed in 1946 and has undergone two previous renovations, according to information from Airport Director Roy Miller. The terminal building was named in honor of Judge Henry Atkinson in 1986. That honor will continue with the rededication. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — A man has been arrested in Smith County on multiple charges that are similar to charges leveled against him during an August arrest, and a K-9 partner played a key role. On Friday at about 10:00 a.m., a K-9 deputy observed a suspicious man walking on County Road 328 West and observed signs of intoxication, according to officials. Authorities say the deputy attempted a search of the man and felt what he believed to be a weapon in the man’s pants pocket. Officials say the man physically resisted when the deputy tried to detain him and that the two went to the ground. The deputy then deployed his K-9 partner Endy, who officials say was able to separate the two. Read the rest of this entry »
RUSK COUNTY – Authorities in the Kilgore area have taken Millard Wiley III, 32, into custody after he allegedly shot his father earlier this week. According to KETK, deputies and state troopers were called at 4:39 Wednesday afternoon to a shooting on Rusk County Road 167E. They found Millard Wiley Jr. with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to a Tyler hospital, where he is still recovering. The younger Wiley was taken to the county jail and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
LONGVIEW — A fatal accident in which the victim apparently fell out of a car has Longview police looking for leads. Police were dispatched at 7:49 p.m. Thursday to a Young Street location near the Martin Luther King Boulevard intersection. When officers arrived they were told a green, older model Ford Crown Victoria was traveling westbound on Young Street. As the driver of the car turned to travel north on MLK, the driver lost control of the vehicle and struck the west side of a store, causing significant damage to the building. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — Two UPS employees have been identified as the victims of a Smith County Accident. Killed was the driver of an 18-wheeler, William Harris, 54, and his passenger, Dan Banicki, 42, both from Florida. They died in the wreck on Interstate Highway 20 around 11:00 Wednesday night. According to one truck driver, he was hit from behind by another truck, which then caught fire. The driver said he tried to use a fire extinguisher and help the two escape but was unable to get them out. No other injuries were reported.
LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department has now arrested five people in connection with an August shooting at the Bunny’s store in northern Smith County, bringing this week’s arrest total to six in the case. According to KETK, police say Longview SWAT served a warrant on 15th Street around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. Police said they received information a suspect involved in a fatal shooting was at the location. Police were able to locate the suspect and take him into custody. Three other men at the location were also arrested and taken to the Gregg County Jail. One man died in the Bunny’s melee, in which more than 300 people were said to be involved. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Tyler Police are searching for the driver involved in a hit and run accident. It happened just before midnight Thursday on Loop 323 and Troup Highway. The condition of the victim is unknown. We’ll have more information as it becomes available.
PALESTINE — A former Anderson County teacher will be spending time in prison because of an improper relationship between an educator and Student. In a plea agreement with the state, Rachel Bauer, 25, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The former Frankston High School agriculture teacher was also sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication probation for the felony offense of Sexual Assault of a Child. The probation begins once she is released from prison. Bauer must register as a sex offender for life.
TYLER — Officials say skeletal remains found in eastern Smith County have been identified as those of Jerry Wayne Potter, 62. Potter was reported missing to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office on April 22. According to family members, it was not uncommon for him to not be seen or heard from for weeks at a time. On Tuesday around 3:15 p.m., sheriff’s deputies responded to a suspicious circumstance call from someone who had discovered the remains on his property. If you saw Potter at any time or have any information that may help with the investigation you are asked to call the Smith County Sheriff’s Office at 903-566-6600.
MARSHALL — Two East Texas men, convicted in unrelated arson cases, have been sentenced in the 71st District Court. In one case, a Woodlawn man, who was given probation in the February 2012 arson of Woodlawn Baptist Church, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after his probation was revoked. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, court documents say Dylan Shea Morgan, 20, violated his probation stemming from his April 2014 conviction. The violations included arrests on charges of criminal trespass and burglary. Authorities recommended Morgan be placed in a mental health unit in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — A Longview man has been charged with sexual assault of a 13-year-old child. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report 41-year-old Saturnino Torres was jailed on $150,000 bond. According to police, the child’s mother brought her to the Longview Police Department on September 24 to report the assault.
HALLSVILLE — A Hallsville ISD coach who remains on paid administrative leave until he resigns in December entered a voluntary settlement agreement with the district that stipulates he will never work there again. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Superintendent Jim Dunlap released the “voluntary separation agreement and release of claims” document involving Hallsville High School track and cross country coach Dean McDaniel, who resigned from the district Sept. 25. The document states that McDaniel, who has been with the district for 13 years, is considered eligible for rehire but is never to work again in Hallsville ISD. In the agreement, the district and McDaniel agree not to talk badly about each other and agree not to sue each other. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — Two persons have been killed in a fiery collision on Interstate Highway 20 in Smith County. The collision between two tractor trailer trucks was reported around 11:00 Wednesday night west of Highway 14. All eastbound lanes of I-20 eventually reopened after being shut down near FM 2015.
TYLER — A former Kilgore College plant supervisor who made claims of improper asbestos abatement at the school said in a federal lawsuit that he was fired in retaliation for reporting the activity. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. The Whistleblower Act lawsuit by former 13-year employee Dalton Smith names the school and Kilgore College President Bill Holda as defendants. A summons for Holda was issued Wednesday, the docket for the federal Eastern District of Texas showed. He had not received it by Wednesday night and said he was not prepared to comment without seeing the lawsuit. “I don’t know that it’s unexpected, but it’s very, very hard to evaluate, not seeing the specific allegations,” Holda said. “We will wait till we receive an official copy, consult with counsel and proceed with the legal process.” Smith could not be reached by cellphone Wednesday evening for comment. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency is now accepting applications for emergency farm loans due to damages and losses caused by drought beginning September 22 and continuing in Rusk, Smith, and Upshur Counties. Smith County Farm Loan Manager Joseph Grier asks farmers who want to apply for emergency loans to submit their applications as soon as possible. The deadline for applications is May 31, 2016, but Grier says if farmers wait too long, a backlog will develop and cause delays. Generally, farmers who have lost 30% of their production or sustained any physical loss due to the disaster are eligible for the emergency loans, according to an FSA news release. Read the rest of this entry »
LAKE TYLER — The Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office says it’s continuing its investigation of a reportedly suspicious house fire that broke out Wednesday morning and resulted in the total loss of a Lake Tyler residence belonging to Paul Manziel of Tyler. Manziel is the grandfather of football star Johnny Manziel. According to a county news release, the Fire Marshal’s Office has completed processing of the scene and released it back to the owner. Officials say that’s been done with assistance from ATF, including a canine and task force officer from the Denton Fire Department. Read the rest of this entry »
LUFKIN — Hospital officials have confirmed the first West Nile Virus case in Deep East Texas. According to KETK, a woman was recently diagnosed with the virus and is being treated at their hospital. Officials said all of the woman’s health records will be sent to the state. West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne illness. Up to 80 percent of people infected with West Nile virus will have no symptoms. However, some infections can result in serious illness or death. People over 50 years of age and those with weakened immune systems are at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill if they become infected with the virus. West Nile virus activity has also been reported in the East Texas counties of Anderson and Gregg. There have been 176 cases of reported West Nile in Texas this year.
LONGVIEW — Five persons have been arrested by members of the Longview Police Department SWAT team as they served a search warrant. The arrests occurred shortly after 2:00 Wednesday afternoon at a home in the 1300 block of El Paso Street. A search of the house turned up a firearm that was stolen in White Oak and a large quantity of powder cocaine, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine. The names of the suspects and their charges were due to be released following their arraignment.
TYLER — The City of Tyler Traffic Engineering Department will rebuild the traffic signal at the intersection of Old Jacksonville Highway (Farm Road 2493) and Loop 323 today. Work crews will work on the project between 9:00am and 4:00pm. Motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes if possible.
SMITH COUNTY — More repair work is planned for the Interstate Highway 20 eastbound outside lane today in Smith County. The work will occur at Mile Marker 566-567. Motorists should slow down, pay attention and expect lane closures from 7:00am to 6:00pm. Motorists can choose to take other routes if possible to avoid delays.
AUSTIN (AP) – A longtime Texas law against desecrating the U.S. or state flag has been ruled unconstitutional by the state’s highest criminal court. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday rebuked the 26-year-old ban that state lawmakers had approved shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court tossed a nearly identical law in 1989. There are few reported cases of the law having ever been enforced. But it was challenged after police in the small East Texas town of Lovelady arrested then-20-year-old Terence Johnson in 2012 after he threw a store’s U.S. flag onto the street. Johnson, who is black, told authorities he was upset over alleged racial comments made by a clerk. Writing for the Republican-dominated appeals court in a 6-3 decision, Judge Sharon Keller said the law is “invalid on its face.”
JACKSONVILLE – Republican Jacksonville attorney Chris Day has announced he’s running for Judge of the 2nd Judicial District Court. The bench will see a new presiding judge for the first time since 2000 with the retirement of long-time Judge Dwight Phifer. Day has practiced law in Cherokee County for over two decades. He said he believes it’s critical to elect experienced Constitutional conservatives to the bench. So far, he’s opposed by fellow Republican Susie Saxion.
RUSK — The two people arrested Monday in connection with the murder of Tony Scott Brazier have been formally charged and arraigned for allegedly tampering with/fabricating physical evidence, a 3rd-degree felony. The two are identified as Crystal Williams, 33, and James Dean Kemp, 24, both of Troup. Both were reportedly present when Brazier was shot, allegedly by Doye Allen Haney, and then reportedly fled the scene in Williams’s white Chevrolet Traverse. Bonds were set at $50,000 each. Officials say other charges may be brought against Williams and Kemp depending on the outcome of the investigation. Authorities are continuing to conduct follow-up investigations related to the murder. If other individuals are found to have been involved, charges may be pursued against them as well, according to officials.
SMITH COUNTY — Authorities are investigating after human remains were found in eastern Smith County. Officials say around 3:15 Tuesday afternoon, Smith County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies and detectives responded to a call of possible human skeletal remains being located in a remote area off Farm Road 850 near County Road 2222 in the Chapel Hill area. Investigators say the remains were still clothed and had apparently been at the location for a lengthy period of time. A wallet was located inside the pants pocket, but there was no identification. Sheriff’s patrol deputies, detectives, and members of the Alert Academy in Big Sandy searched for additional clues at the scene. Officials say it is not known at this time if foul play is involved. An attempt is being made to determine if the remains are those of a Smith County resident who has been missing for about one year in that area of the county.
TYLER (AP) – Papers dating back to the 1800s detailing the life of a Tyler judge are set to be handed over to the state. Judge M.H. Bonner’s papers will be donated Friday to the Texas State Archives. That’s according to Daye Collins, an official with the Bonner-Whitaker-McClendon House (pictured), a historic Tyler home built by the judge’s daughter and her husband that can be toured. The Bonner family gave the papers to the house two decades ago. But Collins tells the Tyler Morning Telegraph that eventually the state asked for the collection, which includes letters to Texas officials. Bonner served in Tyler as a district judge from 1873 until becoming a Texas Supreme Court associate justice in 1878. He returned to private practice in Tyler in 1882 and died the next year.
ATHENS — A big prescription drug smuggling ring is busted in East Texas, and two people are headed to prison. More than 100,000 bogus pills were shipped from China to Texas. Those shipments contained fake versions of Xanax, Valium, Viagra, Ambien, and more. Tom Giddens and Wanda Hollis from Athens face more than a year in prison for their role in the case — and another woman, also from Athens, faces sentencing at a later date. Investigators say most of the pills contained entirely different active ingredients from legitimate versions.
TYLER — Michael and Lisa Lujan of Mentoring Minds are the winners of this year’s T.B. Butler Award as Tyler’s top citizens. Mentoring Minds is a Tyler-based educational resource company. The award was one of several handed out Tuesday night at the annual meeting of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce. Patrick Willis of the non-profit management consulting firm Abegg Willis and Associates won the W.C. Windsor Award as top citizen under age 40. Large Business of the year is Suddenlink Communications; The Genesis Group was named Small Business of the Year. Volunteer of the Year honors went to Chad Cargile. The new Chamber chair is Bob Westbrook, with Claude Henry serving as chair-elect.