Today is
Friday June 05, 2026
TYLER – Tyler’s water taste and odor issues have been remedied. The Golden Road Water Treatment Plant came back online last Friday. Customers should no longer be experiencing a strong odor or earthy taste to the water. When the plant went down on February 4th, that left the Lake Palestine Water Treatment plant the sole provider of treated water. At the same time there was a spike in a taste and odor compound coming from Lake Palestine to the the plant. Now that both plants are online, the blending of the water will aid in eliminating the taste and odor issues. The city says, if you are continuing to experience strong “earthy†taste and odor in your area, you are asked to contact Tyler’s Water Service Center at 903-531-1285 to report your location.
LONGVIEW – Some Gregg County dads have learned the hard way, don’t get behind in child support payments. Around 4:00 Monday morning, a multi-agency operation began looking for men that have outstanding warrants for non-payment of child support. The teams received the information from the Texas Attorney General’s office. The warrant roundup teams arrested six men. One of them was arrested four years ago during a similar operation. They are continuing efforts to locate the persons who were not arrested during this first warrant sweep.
TYLER – There was a brief pretrial hearing in Tyler Thursday for a capital murder suspect. Gustavo Zavala-Garcia, 26, appeared in state district court. Legal proceedings are moving toward his trial, which is set for July 15th. They are still waiting for some DNA results in the case. They are expected to be in sometime next month. His next pretrial hearing is scheduled for April 4th, at which time his attorney will be filing several motions. One is to seek a change of venue in the case. Zavala-Garcia is accused of kidnapping 10 year old Kayla Gomez from a Bullard church in November of 2017. Her body was found days later in a well on the man’s property. According to an arrest affidavit, a witness said they saw the man with Kayla shortly before she disappeared.
TYLER – There is no mascot change at the University of Texas at Tyler. For about a year, U-T Tyler has been considering the possibility of selecting a new mascot. But, Friday morning, school president Dr. Michael Tidwell announced Swoop will remain. School officials saw how much the students and community loved the eagle mascot, so they decided not to make a change. But Swoop will be getting an outfit update this spring.
LONGVIEW – A 2018 aviation graduate from LeTourneau University has received a $10,000 scholarship. Meyeon “Cecelia” Kim received the Air Wisconsin Airlines Airline Transport Pilot Certificate Training Program Scholarship through Women in Aviation. The scholarship is for classroom and simulator training required to be eligible to take the Airline Transport Pilot knowledge test. The training is provided by Air Wisconsin to four winners from flight programs around the country. She will attend the Women in Aviation conference in Long Beach, California, next week, to be presented with the scholarship. Kim is currently training to become a flight instructor.
LONGVIEW – Several agencies have been investigating massage parlors in Longview. The investigation has led to several arrests. The investigation began after the police department received numerous complaints on the businesses. Thursday, officers visited the six businesses. They checked to see if the employees were licensed as massage therapists. They also checked to see if the business had the appropriate license to operate as a massage parlor. Three persons were arrested for operating without a massage license. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation will open additional investigations on several of the locations due to record keeping. The information was forwarded to the city’s Developmental Services for consideration on removing the certificate of occupancy from several of the locations. Read the rest of this entry »
AUSTIN – Area unemployment has gone up slightly. The Texas Workforce commission reports Tyler’s January unemployment rate was 4%. It was 3.8% in December and 4% in January a year ago. For Longview, the unemployment rate went from 3.8% in December to 4.4% in January. But, it was 4.7% a year ago. The state’s unemployment rate rose to 4.2%. January marked the 105th consecutive month of annual growth for total non farm employment in Texas.
ARP – One person has died as the result of a one vehicle accident that occurred Tuesday morning near Arp. Paul James Wade, 47, of Arp died at a Tyler hospital two days after the accident. The Department of Public Safety reports his pickup was heading north west on County Road 294 when it left the road, hit a tree and overturned. Wade, who was not wearing his seat belt, was partially ejected from the vehicle.
EAST TEXAS — Funeral services will be held at 2:00pm on Saturday, March 16, at First United Methodist Church in Rockwall for longtime Congressman Ralph Hall. Visitation will take place from 6:00 to 8:00pm on Friday, March 15, at Rest Haven Funeral Home, also in Rockwall. Hall’s longtime strategist, Ed Valentine, says the Texas Republican died of natural causes at his home in Rockwall Thursday morning. The oldest-ever member of the U.S. House was 95. Hall became the oldest member of the U.S. House in 2012, breaking North Carolina Rep. Charles Manly Stedman’s record. Hall was 91 when he left office in 2014. Hall was elected to Congress as a Democrat in 1980. He became a Republican in 2004, backed by his friend, George W. Bush. Hall won the 2012 Republican primary despite a tea party challenge. But he lost in a primary upset in 2014.
TYLER – Repairs have been completed on a water main break in Tyler. It was reported around 2:00 Thursday afternoon at 1260 Rice Road. Those affected by the outage are encouraged to “flush†the water in their house by running the water in bath tubs and sinks for 5-10 minutes. Because of air in the lines from the repairs, customers may experience cloudy looking water. Flushing lines should remedy this issue. If the problems persist, the water service center may be reached at 903-531-1285.
MARSHALL – An East Texas fire department is accepting donations to help a fireman who is the victim of a fire. The donations are for Hallsville fireman Terry Richardson. Fire broke out in his home on Walkers Mill Road, north of Hallsville, shortly before 3:15 Tuesday afternoon. The roof of the home is completely gone and two rooms have been gutted. The fire, which started in the home attic, was fanned by strong winds. What caused the fire has not been announced. The Marshall News Messenger reports donations may be taken to the Hallsville Fire Department on North Central Street, which is open 24 hours a day.
LONGVIEW – On Friday, Industrial Drive will be closed to through traffic between Marshall Avenue, U.S. Highway 80, and Cotton Street to allow for railroad track maintenance. The railroad crossing on Industrial Drive will be closed to all traffic. Drivers are encouraged to use Eastman Road as an alternate route.
TYLER – Keep Tyler Beautiful has handed out two Beauty and Business awards. The third quarter award for 2018 has gone to The Genesis Group on Eagles Nest Boulevard. For the fourth quarter Holiday Edition, Keep Tyler Beautiful presented the award to Hospitality Health ER on the Old Jacksonville Highway. Both of the winners were nominated by the public for these awards and were selected by the Keep Tyler Beautiful board as the winners. The award recognizes businesses in the community for their improvement, upkeep, cleanliness and beautification efforts. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Many Texans want a border wall. That’s the results of a survey conducted by the Center for Opinion Research at UT Tyler. The poll was conducted over a two week period beginning on February 11. They asked whether they agree or disagree that a wall along the Texas-Mexico border is “necessary for a safe border.†The results showed 48% of respondents either “agreed†or “strongly agreed,†while 41% either “disagreed†or “strongly disagreed.†The results showed that 11% took a neutral position. The question produced responses along party lines, where Democrats strongly disagreed, 56% nearly as much as Republicans who strongly agreed, by 64%, with the statement.
GRAND SALINE – A missing Van Zandt county girl has been found. The sheriff’s department reported Thursday that Emily Marie Rosamond, 15, has been found and is safe. She had last been seen last Sunday between the hours of 10:00pm and 1:00am at her home. When she left home, she did not take any extra clothing, food, personal items or her medication. No word on how she was found or where she had been.