Today is
Monday July 20, 2026
EAST TEXAS – A multijurisdictional sex sting operation in the area has resulted in 4 arrests. Authorities in Smith and Gregg counties, along with state and federal authorities, conducted the operation on Wednesday and Thursday. The suspects were arrested when they arrived at an undisclosed location after soliciting sex online with investigators posing as minors. They were arrested for online solicitation of a minor. They were identified as Rayme Everrett, 18 of Tyler, Manuel Huerta, 28 of Bullard, Randall Earl Powell, 55 of Longview and Gary Dean Tennison, 54 of Henderson. All were booked into the Gregg County Jail.
AUSTIN – Tyler’s employment rate continues to be low, and better than the state’s figure. The Texas Workforce Commission put Tyler’s unemployment rate in April at 2.8%. It was 3.6% in March. A year ago, Tyler’s unemployment rate was 3.4%. Longview’s unemployment rate has also dropped. It went from 3.8% in March to 3.2% last month. A year ago it was 3.9%. The Texas unemployment rate fell to 3.7%, returning to an all-time record low last held in December of 2018. April also marked the 108th consecutive month of annual growth for total nonfarm employment on the state.
MARSHALL – A Harrison County Justice of the Peace has been arrested. Our news partner KETK reports Harrison County Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace Megan Nicole Grigsby, 33, is free on a $10,000 bond. She has been charged with abuse of official capacity and with the theft of property that was valued between $2,500 and $30,000. Both charges are state felonies.
TYLER – Next year’s race for district 4 on the Tyler city council has become contested. Tyler lawyer Nick Pesina announced Thursday he would seek the post in the election next May. Pesina said he believes in keeping our neighborhoods safe, prioritizing infrastructure and championing economic opportunity throughout the city. Earlier this week Tyler businessman James Wynne announced he would seek the District 4 spot on the city council. That post is now held by Don Warren. He announced earlier this month he would be running for Mayor next year.
MEMPHIS, Tenn – Fred’s Stores announces more closings. Last month they announced the closing of 159 stores. That list included stores in Tyler, Whitehouse, Lindale, Kilgore and Gladewater. Those stores were suppose to be closed by the end of this month. On Thursday, the company announced it would be closing an additional 104 stores. Included on that list are stores in White Oak and Hallsville. Those stores are scheduled to be closed by the end of next month. The company said the closures are taking place at “underperforming†and “unprofitable†stores.
TYLER – The Smith County Republican Party will be getting a new chairman. This comes at the direction of James Dickey, the Republican Party of Texas Chairman. Several months ago the county party’s executive committee took a vote of no confidence against Chairman Brent Thompson. It had been alleged that he had abandoned the office he was elected to in 2016. The Smith County Republican Party’s executive committee has scheduled a meeting for Thursday, May 30 to elect a new party chairman.
GILMER – An Upshur County woman is heading back to prison following her conviction by a jury in Gilmer. After convicting Suzanne Johnston, 51, of engaging in organized crime, the jury sentenced her to 70 years in prison. She was also fined $10,000. Johnston had been previously convicted 12 times across Texas and for one federal crime. Of her 12 previous convictions, six were felony crimes where she had previously been sentenced to prison. Johnston, and two men, were arrested in a sting operation in August, 2017. One of the men, Hardy Weeks, who was her boyfriend at the time, is now dead. The other suspect, Shaun Weeks, is currently awaiting trial in federal court.
HOUSTON (AP) – A tiger, found in a filthy cage in an abandoned house in Houston, now has a permanent home in Henderson County. The tiger’s former owner has been charged with animal cruelty, and is free on bond. The Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Murchison has cared for the 350-pound tiger since it was found in February. A judge has ruled the sanctuary can keep the tiger. He also said that the former owner must pay nearly $12,000 for the animal’s care. The shelter is doing an online poll to name the tiger. The choices are Ezekiel, George, Loki or Navi.
TYLER – The East Texas Food Bank has received a nice donation. Members of the The Rotary Club of Tyler were on hand Thursday morning to present a check for $50,000 to the food bank. The funds will benefit the recently built Tyler Rotary Repackaging Room. The Rotary Club’s fundraising efforts for this project began in 2017. The repackaging Room is part of the East Texas Food Bank’s capital campaign project. It is titled “More Space. More Meals.: Our Blueprint to Fight Hunger.â€
TYLER – Tyler police are asking the public’s help in locating a man wanted for aggravated sexual assault of a child. He is Yoni “Johnny” Elia Cuadra-Venture, 19, who is pictured here. He is driving a 2005 Dodge Ram 4dr P/U gold in color, last known license plate is TX temp tag 15823Y6. If you know where he can be found, you are asked to contact detective Erbaugh, with any information, at 903-531-1099.
EAST TEXAS – The Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation continues to monitor flooded roadways following storms from a week ago. Crews in Gregg and Wood counties are monitoring the impacted roads throughout the day. Current road closures include:
GREGG COUNTY•Farm Road 2087 – Closed due to flooding from south of Loop 281 to 454 feet east of Interstate Highway 20. This road appears in the picture. The water could recede by late Friday but more rain is forecast.
WOOD COUNTY•Farm Road 1804 – Closed due to flooding from 607 feet south of U.S. Highway 80 to 269 feet north of U.S. Highway 69. With more rain in the forecast, it could be Monday or later before this roadway opens to traffic. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Rain damaged roads continue to show up in Smith County following last week’s storms. Smith County Engineer Frank Davis said that road crews have found road wash outs this week that had been unreported. He said motorists had reportedly been driving around a damaged road, through the ditch. He is urging residents to report any county road wash outs or trees down from last week’s storms. He said don’t assume they have already been reported. He also cautioned drivers to never drive when there is water over the road because the road could be unstable. While giving his monthly report on road bond projects to county commissioner’s this week, Davis said recent rains have delayed some of their progress. However, the county is meeting, or exceeding, its goals for the year on road bond projects.
TYLER – The race for a spot on the Tyler city council next year has its first candidate. Tyler businessman James Wynne has announced he will run for the City Council District 4 seat in next May’s election. That post is now held by Don Warren. He announced earlier this month he would be running for Mayor next year. Wynne, a Tyler native, is the owner of TDI Air Conditioning in Tyler. Wynne says he believes his business background and experience serving on city committees will be an asset in working as a member of the City Council.
TYLER – HealthFirst TPA, a division of UT Health East Texas, has been recognized among the nation’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare. The recognition comes from Modern Healthcare magazine. The recognition program honors workplaces in the healthcare industry that are focused on providing outstanding care. Winners were selected based on interviews with leadership and an employee survey. A ranked order will be revealed at an awards dinner. It will be held in September during Modern Healthcare’s Workplace of the Future Conference in Dallas.
TYLER – Tyler K-9 Officer Garrett Martin and his K-9 Izzie brought back two awards from the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association Conference held in Ft. Worth. Upon completion of the training, all 120 K-9 teams participated in a narcotics detection competition. Officer Garrett Martin and Izzie we’re awarded the 1st place trophy in the competition. They also received the Bark, Bandit Trooper Award for the top score for all dogs over 5 years of age. Another award went to Tyler K9 PACO, who recently retired. PACO was awarded the Meritorious Service Award at the conference for his over 8 years of service to the Tyler Police Department.
FORT WORTH – A Longview man’s death in Fort Worth in March is being ruled an accident. Ryan White, 25, was found in a Beach Street field near a homeless camp. At the time, investigators said that there were some signs of trauma to his body. He appeared to have been beaten. But the Fort Worth Star Telegram reports White died of a drug overdose in a hypothermic environment. The high temperature in Fort Worth that day was 40 degrees and the low was 25. According to the medical examiner’s report, White had a mixture of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin in his system.
TYLER – Smith County Commissioners have approved the second year of a $39.5 million bond package. The county received eight bids on the bonds, with BOK Financial Securities, Inc. submitting the winning bid at an interest cost of 1.837%. In November 2017, Smith County voters approved the bond package to improve county roads. More than 50 miles of road improvements have been completed in the first year. Steven Adams, managing director of Specialized Public Finance Inc., said once the documents are signed by county officials, they will go the Attorney General for approval. He expected to close on the sale on June 11. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A Tyler man is being charged with murder in connection with a fatal shooting last month. Treyvon Dewayne Maddox, 19, had originally been charged with deadly conduct for discharging a firearm. On Tuesday he was charged with murder. Maddox is charged with the shooting death of Keyundta Devor Barrett, 20, of Tyler. It occurred on April 20th on Tidwell Drive, off NNE Loop 323, on the outskirts of Tyler. Also shot were Kentrell Marquie Miller, 21, and Ira Brown Jr., 18, both from the Tyler area. Their injuries were not life-threatening.
TYLER – A Tyler man has been sentenced to federal prison for firearms violations. Heon Jong Yoo, 25, also known as Hank Yoo, was found guilty last November of seven counts of false statements made in connection with firearms transactions and one count of unlawful possession by a prohibited person. On Tuesday, Yoo was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder, III. Yoo was ordered to surrender to immigration officials for deportation after serving his sentence. Federal prosecutors say Yoo, a lawful permanent resident from South Korea, was an undergraduate student at the University of Texas-Tyler, when he falsely represented that he was a United States citizen in connection to seven different firearms transactions. Some of them involved semiautomatic weapons. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Area residents are urged to use caution when using the trail at two Tyler parks. The recent heavy rainfall caused erosion in some parts of the city’s walking and biking trails. Two specific trails were affected: the Rose Rudman Trail and the Faulkner Park Trails. A temporary reflective barrier has been placed at Rose Rudman where the ground around the West Mud Creek collapsed, south of Southside Park. Also, the bridge that crosses West Mud Creek at Faulkner Park has been closed with a barricade. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department advises trail users to use caution and to avoid crossing all bridges at the Faulkner Park trails. They also ask users not to ignore or cross the barriers and barricades.
AUSTIN – Sam’s Law, named after an East Texas student, is now on its way to the governors desk. The bill received unanimous approval in the Texas senate on Tuesday. It had previously received unanimous approval in the house. The measure will help students who have seizures. It mandates all school employees watch a video on seizure recognition and first aid, school nurses will watch a much longer video. Plus, the child’s neurologist and parents will give the school a form detailing what to do if that child has a seizure. The bill is named for Samantha Watkins, an 18 year old Kilgore High School student, who died after a massive seizure at home in December of 2016. She’d been showing signs of the epilepsy a few months before.
MINEOLA – A Wood County man has been killed in a one vehicle accident. Dead at the scene was Jonathan Wade Burge, 45, of Mineola. The Department of Public Safety reports Burge was heading west on U.S. Highway 80, at a high speed, and veered into the center median where the vehicle struck a culvert and rolled several times. Burge, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle. The accident occurred shortly before 11:45 Monday night just under 4 miles east of Mineola.
MARSHALL – Marshall police have arrested a man wanted in connection with a chase that left an officer injured. It started early Monday evening with a report of a man with a rifle who was threatening a woman a 3 small children. When officers arrived the man, identified as Antonio Dejuan Trammel, 34, ran off. A pursuing officer, and Trammel, crashed into an apartment window. The officer was injured, requiring surgery to his arm. Trammel ran into a near by wooded area. Even with the use of a DPS helicopter and K9 units, he was not found. Tuesday afternoon the police, acting on a tip, arrested Trammel behind a house on West Rusk Street. He was arrested without incident and booked into the Harrison County Jail. He is being held on an outstanding parole warrant issued by the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole. He will also be charged with at least one additional offense stemming from the Monday night incident.
AUSTIN – Thanks to the Texas Lottery and the Dallas Cowboys, a fitness grant of $1,000 is going to Kilgore’s Chandler Elementary School. For the third year, the lottery and the Cowboys have partnered to provide the Funds for Fitness grant program to Texas public schools. The funds are for creating new or enhancing existing youth health and wellness projects. As part of a five-year, $300,000 program commitment, the 2019 Funds for Fitness effort is awarding 15 schools funds totaling $60,000. The Kilgore school is one of the 15 to receive the grant funds.
KILGORE – Kilgore College has received a large gift. The Kilgore College Foundation has received an anonymous gift of $1 million. It will be used to complete a permanent operating endowment fund for the Rangerettes organization. While the Rangerettes have about 90 endowed scholarships with nine additional scholarships seeking endowment, this fund will serve to support operations and travel expenses for the group. No word on who gave the money. The school would only say it comes from a Kilgore College graduate and his wife, who is a former Rangerette.
GILMER – Two persons entered guilty pleases in state District Court in Gilmer on Monday. Lasandra Ann Peoples, 40 of Gladewater, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison. In December, 2017, she was armed with a knife when she entered the home of a 75 year old Gladewater woman. She left with an undisclosed amount of money. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – The cleanup continues in Longview following last week’s storms. The Longview Parks and Recreation Department reported continued closures at several parks and trails. Akin Park is closed and Julieanna Trail is closed, both due to several downed trees. Meanwhile, while Cargill Long Trail and Boorman Trail have been reopened, walkers should take care around crews continuing to clean up debris from the area. Residents needing help removing debris from their private property or those willing to volunteer to help their neighbors can email CL@LongviewTexas.gov or call 903-237-1379 during open business hours. You can go to https://www.longviewtexas.gov/civicalerts.aspx?AID=1904 for more information.
TYLER – Tyler police are investigating the weekend burglaries of several cell phone businesses. The burglaries occurred in about a half an hour span from around 2:45 to 3:15 Sunday morning. They first tried to pry open the door of the AT&T store near the Broadway Square Mall. The next alarm came from the Verizon Store on the West Southwest Loop. The third burglary was at the AT&T store on the Loop near the Troup Highway. Nothing was taken in any of the burglaries. At the last burglary, the suspects left in a small silver sedan that had a driver waiting on the two suspects who entered the store. Police Public Information Officer Don Martin says it is believed that the suspects are from outside of Tyler because of multiple break-ins at other stores across East Texas, including Lindale, Mineola, and Canton.
LONGVIEW – A Longview man has been arrested in connection with a fatal Gregg County accident last Friday. Arrested Saturday and charged with intoxication manslaughter is Michael Dean Buenrostro, 61. He was involved in a two vehicle accident on State Highway 42, about two miles south of White Oak. The Department of Public Safety says his car crossed over into the opposite lane of traffic hit a pickup driven by Kim Yvonne Hayes, 61, of Wagoner, Oklahoma. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
WHITEHOUSE – County Road 2171, also known as Willingham Road, will be closed starting Thursday for a bridge replacement. Workers will be replacing the existing bridge with a new box culvert structure, located just south of the Whitehouse city limits. Work on this project is anticipated to last about four months, depending upon weather. The road will be closed to through traffic so drivers need to seek alternate routes while construction is underway.