Today is
Thursday June 04, 2026
AUSTIN – The unemployment numbers for Tyler and Longview continue to be among the best in the state. The Texas Workforce Commission reports the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held at 3.8%. February marked the 106th consecutive month of annual growth for total nonfarm employment in Texas. Tyler’s February unemployment rate was 3/7%. It was 4% in January and 3.8% in February of last year. Longview’s unemployment rate went from 4.3% in January to 4.1% last month. In February last year, Longview’s unemployment rate was 4.5%.
TYLER – A man named in warrants in Angelina County has been arrested in Smith County. Bryan James Thompson, 27, of Lufkin, was arrested Thursday afternoon by Smith County Sheriff’s deputies. He was named in two stalking warrants and one for burglary of a habitation. Angelina County authorities said Thompson had recently made direct threats to his ex-wife by threatening to shoot her. Deputies went to a manufacturing plant on Shiloh Road where he worked. When he saw the deputies he ran into a wooded area where they later arrested him. Besides the original warrants, Thompson is now charged in Smith County with evading arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia. He has been booked into the Smith County Jail.
TYLER – Smith County Fire Marshal Connie McCoy-Wasson has received two awards from the local chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. They are the Fire Safety Commendation Award and the Law Enforcement Commendation Medal. The medal is intended to recognize exceptional service or accomplishment in the field of law enforcement. The fire safety award is presented for accomplishments and/or outstanding contributions in an area of fire safety and service. McCoy-Wasson has been the Smith County Fire Marshall since 2015. She was reappointed by the county commissioners to another two year term last December.
CONROE – A Conroe man has been arrested on child pornography charges. Authorities feel there could be more victims in East Texas. Being held on a $250,000 bond is Chadrick Lashun McNeal, 23. He is accused of extorting inappropriate images online from girls all over the world using a variety of social media platforms. The DPS Special Crimes Bureau Chief, Tyler Dunman, says they believe there could be hundreds of child victims across the country and even worldwide. They are asking anyone who has interacted with McNeal or has additional information about his activities to immediately contact their law enforcement agency. The DPS says he has operated under the SnapChat usernames pboi58, jayyboyy56, and koolkids6.
TYLER – Six women have been honored in Tyler for their accomplishments in their careers and their public service. They were honored by group called Women in Tyler. It was founded in 1999 to as a way to celebrate Women’s History Month and to honor women who have contributed to the quality of life in the community. A planning committee selects the women who are honored at the yearly banquet, which has as a theme this year, “Women With A Passion.” Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – It is time for the annual Azalea and Spring Flower Trail in Tyler. This year marks the 60th year of the trail. It features mile after mile of blooming azaleas, dogwoods, and spring flowers. The official ribbon cutting, and opening ceremony, was held at the Pyron home at 212 West Dobbs Street, starting Friday morning at 10:00. The ceremony is always free and open to the public. Activities include a quilt show, arts and crafts fair and even an Alice in Wonderland movie and tea party. Activities run through April 7th. You can go to https://visittyler.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/AzaleaTrail19-fullweb.pdf for a look at the many activities going on for just over two weeks.
NASHVILLE – The largest Christian retail chain in America has announced plans to close all 170 stores this year and shift its offerings entirely online. A couple of months ago LifeWay Christian Resources announced plans to reduce its locations this year due to declining sales and financial pressures. LifeWay now announces it will close all of its stores. That includes the Tyler store on South Broadway and the Longview store on North Eastman Road. LifeWay says all of its brick an mortar stores will be closed by the end of the year. The Baptist Press reported LifeWay hadn’t had sales exceed its operating expenses in more than a decade. The margin between the two grew from $2.3 million in 2010 to $35.5 million in 2017.
MARSHALL – A Harrison County jury has handed out a lengthy sentence for sexual assault of a child. The jury took less than an hour to convict Christopher David McCartney, 29, of Harleton, of five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. They deliberated around half an hour to determine his punishment. Our news partner KETK reports he was sentenced to 75 years on each charge. And since the judge ordered that the sentences run consecutively, at the request of on an assistant district attorney, that means McCartney was sentenced to 375 years in prison.
TYLER – Beginning Friday, and running through August first, Robertson Avenue will be closed to through traffic where it intersects with Sunnybrook Drive. This schedule is subject to change due to weather conditions or other unforeseen issues. The action is needed because workers will be replacing an existing drainage structure as part of the Sunnybrook Drive structure replacement project.
TYLER – A suspect has been arrested in an attack on a woman running in a Tyler park last week. He is James Earl Roberts Jr., 32, of Tyler. Investigators were able to locate a fingerprint on the victim’s phone that was found in the park by police that eventually led to the identity of Roberts. He is said to be the man who attacked a jogger at Rose Rudman Park. She was attacked around 7:30 last Thursday evening. The woman was running on the paved trail in the middle of the park when a black male grabbed her from behind and dragged her into a wooded area. Officials said the suspect attempted to sexually assault her as she fought and screamed to keep him away. The man fled on foot. Roberts has been charged with aggravated kidnapping. He is now in the Smith County Jail under a $350,000 bond.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved just over $16 million in competitive local park grants. The money will help fund projects that will create and enhance outdoor recreational opportunities like nature trails, native gardens, playgrounds, splash pads, dog parks and sports fields at 38 community parks across the state. The grants, allocated to local government entities, appropriate state and federal funds for facilities in Texas on a 50/50 reimbursement match basis. Once funded, all grant-assisted sites must be dedicated as parkland in perpetuity, properly maintained and open to the public. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Two Tyler campuses are now part of the Adopt-a-Spot program. It is hosted by Keep Tyler Beautiful. Through the program, the community can adopt a street, park or campus and vow to keep it clean from litter. In 2017, Tyler Junior College was the first to adopt their campus. Now, the University of Texas at Tyler and Texas College have both officially adopted their campuses, joining the Keep Tyler Beautiful program. Each quarter the adopted campuses are to be cleaned by student groups. Keep Tyler Beautiful’s Adopt-a-Spot program has 38 miles of roadway, seven parks and now three college campuses adopted. Anyone can adopt a street or park in the City of Tyler. You can go to http://www.KeepTylerBeautiful.com for adoption agreements and program details.
TYLER – Over six miles of major roadwork was completed In Smith County last month, while another 18.5 miles of road construction projects are getting under way. That’s the report that Smith County Engineer Frank Davis gave to the commissioners court this week. He said only 2.96 miles of roads were paved last month because of rain. More than 5 miles of roads are scheduled for paving in this month and next month. And he feels with good weather they will meet or exceed that goal. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Tyler police have released the city’s crime statistics for 2018. Overall, crime in the city dropped. The report shows crime in Tyler was down nearly 3% last year. The Part 1 crimes, the major crimes, dropped by just over 4% compared with the previous year. But there was a nearly 35% increase in sexual assault. There were 105 sexual assault cases last year, compared to 78 in 2017. The least serious offenses, Part 2 crimes, were down about 1%. But, sexual offenses that were not rapes were up by 83% last year. Police Chief Jimmy Toler it was a challenging year, but the over all crime stats are heading in the right direction, down.
LONGVIEW – Residents in northern Gregg County want beer and wine sales in their area. The Longview News Journal is reporting that a petition of more than 2,000 signatures has been submitted to the Gregg County Elections department. It is asking that the Commissioners Court call an election to approve off-premise beer and wine sales in Precinct 1. The commissioners will likely will discuss the petition at their March 25th meeting. Gregg County Elections Administrator Kathryn Nealy told the paper the earliest that the court could call an election would be in November.