Today is
Saturday June 20, 2026
TYLER – The Tyler ISD Friday released its figures after the Texas Education Agency issued the 2015 state accountability system ratings for school districts and charter schools across the state. According to a TISD news release, districts, campuses, and charters receive one of three ratings under the new accountability system: Met Standard, Met Alternative Standard, or Improvement Required. The District, Robert E. Lee and John Tyler high schools, five middle schools, and nine elementary schools were rated as Met Standard. Of those, eight earned one or more distinction designations. Distinctions are awarded based on high levels of achievement in a particular index, according to the release. The performance index framework includes four areas: Student Achievement, Student Progress, Closing Performance Gaps and Postsecondary Readiness. Read the rest of this entry »
QUITMAN — The Wood County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers are investigating after two people were found dead in a house in Quitman. According to KETK, on Monday, deputies were conducting a welfare check at the home on County Road 1416. When deputies arrived, they found the doors and windows locked and had to force entry. Emma Moore, 75 and Bobby Harper, 67, were found dead. Their bodies have been sent for autopsy.
TYLER — A Tyler man has been given an eight year prison sentence for bank robbery. State District Judge Jack Skeen handed out the sentence to Samuel Dwayne Carroll, 45. Carroll, who was said to be a preacher at God’s Amazing Grace Ministries, was arrested on April 23, for the robbery of Regions Bank in downtown Tyler. He was caught shortly after the robbery at his home only four blocks away. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — The Gregg County Sheriff’s Department is looking for a man and a woman using counterfeited checks in the Longview and Henderson areas. The woman’s identity has not been confirmed. A felony warrant for forgery has been obtained for Colton Wayne Underwood. According to the sheriff’s department Facebook page, the two are going to Wal-Mart stores and liquor stores cashing counterfeit checks on a local business’ bank accounts. They may be traveling in a silver or grey Dodge Durango. If you have any information regarding the subject, you are asked to contact Inv. David Falco at 903-236-8438 or our anonymous Crime Stopper’s line at 903-236-STOP. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office has determined the cause of Tuesday’s Continental Battery Warehouse fire as accidental. But that comes with a strong advisory from Fire Marshal Jay Brooks, who says the blaze was sparked by an improperly disposed of cigarette butt. The facility is located on Reynolds Road in northeastern Smith County. The discarded cigarette ignited ground cover which quickly spread to a pile of recently cut brush from around the building, as well as a vehicle parked near the building, according to Brooks. He says the fire then spread to the building before firefighters arrived on the scene. No civilians were injured, but one firefighter was treated at the scene for minor heat illness. The building and vehicle were a total loss, but Brooks says the condition of the inventory has not yet been received.
TYLER — Emergency signal repairs are continuing today at the intersection of Loop 323 and Old Jacksonville Highway in Tyler. A traffic signal pole was damaged Wednesday night by a transport truck hauling salvaged construction materials. Drivers should avoid this intersection and seek alternate routes if practical. Repair is expected to be complete before evening rush hours.
LUFKIN — A Tennessee man suspected in a Lufkin theft is killed after leading officers on a chase and then rolling his SUV. KETK reports that after a Lufkin business reported a theft, officers found the suspect’s vehicle near the Ellen Trout Zoo. When they tried to stop the vehicle, he sped away. The chase ended shortly after 1:00 Wednesday afternoon with the SUV driving in the wrong direction on Ellen Trout Drive and crashing into a truck. The SUV, which had been stolen in Tennessee, then rolled into a ditch. Two persons in the truck were hospitalized. The man killed in the incident is identified as Clarence Edward Noe, 46, of Russellville, Tennessee.
TYLER — The Women in Tyler Planning Committee announced the 2016 Women in Tyler luncheon theme, “Women with a Cause,†on Thursday at the McClendon House. According to a news release, the community is encouraged to send in nominations for the award by Aug. 24 to P.O. Box 1432, Tyler, TX 75710. Honorees will be announced in January 2016 and will be honored at the Annual Women in Tyler Luncheon on March 31, 2016, at the Rose Garden Center. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A Tyler man is held on several charges following a burglary. Authorities say Smith County Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Dunklin responded Tuesday to a home on Yancy Lane in the northern part of the county and learned the house had been ransacked. While Dunklin was talking with the homeowner about the stolen property, which included a handgun, he overheard a deputy constable on his radio checking a handgun during a traffic stop of a motorcycle at Loop 323 and FM 14. Officials say the gun matched the description of the stolen firearm. Dunklin contacted the deputy constable and confirmed it was the handgun taken in the burglary, according to officials. Read the rest of this entry »
MANKATO, Minn. (AP) – The attorney for Adrian Peterson says the Minnesota Vikings star running back who was accused of injuring his 4-year-old son is off probation early. Rusty Hardin says Peterson finished one-third of his probation and its terms, which allowed him to apply for early termination. The Palestine native is done with probation nine months after he pleaded no contest to recklessly injuring his son by striking him with a wooden switch. Hardin tells the Star Tribune a judge in Texas agreed that Peterson fulfilled the requirements of his probation and signed the early termination order late last week. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Tyler police are searching for an armed suspect involved in a shooting Wednesday night that sent one man to the hospital. It happened around 11:30 at a home in the 300 block of North Beckham. Officers said they responded to the location and found a man with at least two gunshot wounds to his legs. The victim said he had gotten into an argument with another man. The suspect reportedly left, then showed back up with a gun and shot him numerous times before fleeing the scene on foot. The suspect is described as a a young black male with a thin build, wearing a red T-shirt and black shorts. He is also known to frequent the area and may live nearby. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Smith County volunteer fire departments have put out a call for bottled drinking water. The Smith County Volunteer Firemen’s Association says because of the high temperatures and lack of rain, they have extinguished more fires which have added physical stress on firefighters. You are asked to drop off bottled water at any of the volunteer fire departments in Smith County. They include Arp, Bullard, Chapel Hill, Dixie, Flint-Gresham, Jackson-Heights, Lindale, Noonday, Red Springs, Troup, Whitehouse, and Winona.
HENDERSON — A Henderson woman accused of killing three people in a July 2014 accident near Kilgore is back behind bars. KETK reports Shelby Taylor, 23, was indicted by a Rusk County grand jury last October on three charges of intoxication manslaughter. Her bond was initially set at $750,000. On Wednesday, the bond was declared unpaid. Taylor was re-arrested and placed back into the Rusk County Jail for the same charges. Taylor waived her right to a pre-trial arraignment and pleaded not guilty. She is asking the jury to grant her community supervision as punishment because she has never been convicted of a felony in Texas. The accident took the lives of three people from Caldwell, Texas — a 43-year-old woman and her two children, ages 5 and 12.
LONGVIEW — Longview Police say a post circulating on social media in the area is incorrect. According to information from police, the original post said a man ran across a woman’s yard and she called police regarding a suspicious person. After people began to share the story on social media it changed to include a claim that a child was playing in the driveway and someone attempted to kidnap that child, according to officials. Police say as of late Wednesday afternoon, the Longview Police Department has not received any calls with this type of situation in the past week. Longview Police do remind citizens to always be vigilant and keep their children safe by watching their children when they are outside playing at home, in the park, or other places where someone might have quick access to their children.
TYLER — Additional funding is sought from the community as Tyler’s Salvation Army faces increased utility costs and an increase in clients seeking assistance due to rising temperatures. According to a news release from the agency, it’s seen a 40% increase in weekly meals served — 7,000 a week versus the normal 5,000 meals. Nearly 10% of the current shelter residents are said to be in the Salvation Army facility due to hot weather conditions. Temperatures are anticipated to be very high in upcoming days, and in general, August traditionally holds the spot for the hottest month of the year. This means that the agency can only expect to see an increase in the demand of Salvation Army services. To donate to The Salvation Army, call 903-592-4361, mail your gift to 633 N. Broadway Ave. Tyler, TX 75702 or to to http://www.salvationarmytexas.org/tyler/ to make a donation online.
RUSK COUNTY — Federal and local authorities were involved Tuesday in a large pot bust in southeastern Rusk County. According to KETK, the sheriff’s office says a task force seized about 100 plants from a mobile home on Farm to Market Road 1971. Law enforcement officials worked late into the night dismantling the indoor marijuana grow. Authorities arrested Tommie Bryce, 35, of Timpson, and David Williams, 38, of Carthage. Both were charged with possession of marijuana. The estimated street value of the plants is $120,000. Both suspects were placed in the Rusk County Jail. Organizations assisting with the case were the Henderson Police Department, Constable Precinct 3 Tim Barton, ATF, the Center Police Department, and CPS.
AUSTIN — Tea party Republicans, including an East Texan, are coming to the defense of indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton is facing three felony charges for securities fraud. State Representative Bryan Hughes (pictured) of Mineola says, “I know his character. I know he tells the truth. I’m very comfortable…speaking in support of him.” Hughes, now a state Senate candidate, doesn’t think this is a Republican attack. He says “that the indictment was driven by the liberal group Texans for Public Justice. I mean, they’ve even taken credit for it…they’ve crowed about it.”
LONGVIEW — Authorities Wednesday released the name of a two-year-old Longview girl accidentally shot to death. According to KETK, Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Judge B.H. Jameson says the victim was identified as Ariyana Gonzales. The girl was reported dead at the scene around 2:00 Monday afternoon at the Huntington Hills apartments in the 2500 block of North Eastman Road. Investigators say Ariyana had been playing with a gun when it accidentally discharged, hitting her. Jameson has ordered an autopsy from Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas. The investigation into the shooting is continuing.
EAST TEXAS — In the face of persistent hot, dry conditions, the number of East Texas localities issuing outdoor burning bans is continuing to grow. KETK reports the city of Gladewater now prohibits outdoor burning, as does the city of White Oak. According to the White Oak Police Department, any burning within city limits is prohibited until the ban is lifted, and no burn permits will be issued in White Oak. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — New documents reveal the murder weapon used during a Longview homicide. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, officers say 31-year-old Daniel Kadima beat his mother to death with a chair, or parts from a chair. Kadima’s mother. 61-year-old Hauwa Kadima was found dead in her apartment last week during a welfare check. Daniel Kadima was initially arrested for walking on the wrong side of the road but was later charged with murder.
LONGVIEW — Pine Tree School Board member Charley Peck is resigning. School trustees accepted his resignation at a meeting last night. The resignation is effective immediately. Peck cited as reasons for his actions a new job and what he called personal reasons. He is facing a variety of legal issues, including a case concerning a $20,000 unpaid bank loan. Peck’s spot on the school board will be filled with an election next May.
GREGG COUNTY — The East Texas Regional Airport Tuesday announced new flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. According to a news release, starting October 5, there will be a 7:00 a.m. departure from ETRA arriving in DFW at 08:03 a.m., allowing passengers access to numerous morning connections with American Airlines. A new late evening ETRA arrival, 9:21 p.m. will provide the ability to complete a full day’s activities before arriving back in Gregg County. The evening flight will depart DFW at 8:25 p.m. Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL — A homicide investigation is underway in Marshall. According to KETK, police said around midnight, they received a call concerning a man in the roadway at the intersection of Ralph and Stanley Streets. Upon arrival, officers located the victim, identified as Anton Christopher Colton. He had reportedly been shot several times and was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives with the Marshall Police Department Criminal Investigations Bureau are handling the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Bureau at 903-935-4540 or Marshall/Harrison County Crimestoppers at 903-935-9969.
LONGVIEW — Longview authorities have still not released the name of a two year old girl accidentally shot to death. The girl was reported dead at the scene around 2:00 Monday afternoon at the Huntington Hills apartments in the 2500 block of North Eastman Road. Investigators say a child had been playing with a gun when it accidentally discharged, hitting the girl. Gregg County Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace B.H. Jameson has ordered an autopsy from Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas. The investigation into the shooting is continuing.
AUSTIN — An Anderson County man is one of four persons named by the governor to the Texas Lottery Commission. Named to the panel was Doug Lowe of Palestine. He was named to a term set to expire on February 1, 2017. Lowe is a solo practitioner at the Lowe Law Firm. He previously served as criminal district attorney in Anderson County for 16 years. He is a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, board member and treasurer for the Palestine YMCA, trial skills trainer for the Texas Children’s Commission, and certified fraud examiner. Additionally, he serves as an adjunct instructor for Trinity Valley Community College. Lowe received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Houston and a Juris Doctor from the University of Houston Law Center. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — Police are investigating the death of a 2-year-old girl Monday afternoon at a Longview apartment complex. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Gregg County Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace B.H. Jameson called the death “suspicious.†Jameson said he has ordered an autopsy from Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas. Longview police were called to Huntington Hills apartments in the 2500 block of North Eastman Road Monday afternoon to assist with an EMS call. Police said the victim died at the scene. Police did not immediately release information regarding the nature of the child’s death.
LONGVIEW – The second “super load†being transported from the Port of Caddo-Bossier to Eastman Chemical in Longview stopped for the day Monday on State Highway 149 near the Sysco facilities at Longview. The final journey starts this morning at 6:30 and is expected to take at least three hours to reach the plant, according to the latest information from TxDOT. “Super load†Part 2 is delivering a super long reflux tank. The transporter measures about 285 feet long, 13 feet wide, and 17.5 feet high. It will have one truck pulling and one truck pushing the combined weight of 716,455 lbs. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Firefighters are staying busy in East Texas, with several grass fires emerging as hot, dry conditions persist. KETK reports that while things are off to a late start this year, crews do expect to be fighting fires all the way through October. “The rain pushed it back,” says Kelcey Trotty, fire commander at the scene of one fire in Smith County. “We had all that rain for a little while. (It) kept everything nice and wet, and once it shut off we had pretty heavy vegetation growth. Now that it’s all shut off, we still have the vegetation without the water.” Texas is not in a drought but firefighters expect Smith County to consider a burn ban soon, especially if we don’t see more rain. Even if that burn ban doesn’t happen, officials advise East Texans to be extra careful when burning trash or debris. That way, we can avoid flames getting out of control in drier areas.
LUFKIN — An over hour long chase that started with a Lufkin traffic stop has resulted in two arrests. Taken into custody was Richard Kay, 27. His passenger, Dennis Arceneaux, 35, of San Jacinto, who was let out of the vehicle, was arrested by Cherokee County authorities. During the chase, which at times exceeded 100 miles an hour, Kay is said to have done donuts in a highway median and a field, thrown chain saws at officers and even swerved at an Angelina County sheriff’s deputy. Even after a state trooper shot out one of his tires, Kay is said to have continued driving at 70 miles an hour into oncoming traffic. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The City of Tyler Monday began converting its disinfection process to free chlorine. The process will end on September 30th. According to a news release from the city, generally, there are no noticeable changes in water quality as a result of this temporary conversion. However, some individuals may notice taste and odor changes and a slight discoloration to the water. The City will implement directional flushing, combined with routine water monitoring, as measures to remove iron particles from water lines and to maintain the highest water quality for our customers during the conversion. Read the rest of this entry »