Today is
Friday July 24, 2026
TYLER – Thanks to the League of Women Voters of Tyler and Smith County, you can learn more about the local candidates on next month’s ballot. They are hosting a public forum for the positions that have contested races. The races run from congress to justice of the peace. The candidate forum will be Monday night from 6:00 till 8:00 in the Taylor Auditorium of the Tyler Public Library.
TYLER – Here’s a look at road work planned in the Tyler district of TxDOT during the week of October 8th. Schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Slow down and pay attention when traveling through work zones.
Nighttime pavement marking operations are slated to start at 8:00pm on Sunday, October 7, continuing for several weeks. The contractor will be utilizing slow-moving mobile operations to install new pavement markings at locations around Tyler. Work will be conducted from 8:00pm to 6:00am, Sunday through Thursday nights until the work is completed. Brief delays are possible during this project. Read the rest of this entry »
WINONA – One person has been killed in a vehicle/ pedestrian accident in Smith County. It was reported shortly after 12:45 Sunday morning at Mile Marker 572 on Interstate Highway 20, about 4½ miles southeast of Winona. Dead at the scene was Kadarrian Dontae Milton, 18, of Tyler. The Department of Public Safety report says he was killed when jumped into the roadway in front of a tractor-trailer rig.
LINDALE – One person has been killed and one injured in a one vehicle accident on Interstate Highway 20 just west of Lindale. The accident was reported around 2:30 Saturday afternoon. Dead at the scene was Alicia Malagnon Retana, 54 of Yantis who was a passenger in the SUV. Injured were the driver, Luis Manuel Malgona-Retana, 32, and another passenger, Luis Manual Retana-Escalante, 66, both from Yantis. Both are in serious condition at UT Health-Tyler. The accident occurred when a tire blew out, causing the vehicle to go into a sideways skid. The vehicle then rolled over twice in a ditch, coming to rest on it’s top. The victim, who was not wearing he seat belt, was tossed from the vehicle.
JACKSONVILLE – The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality continues to work to resolve the do not use the water order for more than 550 customers of the Craft-Turney Water Supply Corporation in Cherokee County. The order was issued for an area southeast of Jacksonville when a contaminant was found in the water. They believe a fungicide entered the water supply. Customers in the area can use water to flush their toilets but cannot use the water for any other purposes, such as bathing, washing clothes, preparing food, drinking, gardening, or for pets. Read the rest of this entry »
WASHINGTON (AP/STAFF) — The Senate has confirmed Brett Kavanaugh as an associate justice of the Supreme Court, putting a second nominee from President Donald Trump on the highest court in the land. The senate’s action brought the following response from Congressman Louie Gohmert of Tyler. “Today is a great day for this nation. The confirmation of Justice Kavanaugh is a victory for the U.S. Constitution and for every single American who values freedom over tyranny. We have today added a Justice who wants justice and intends to let the Constitution speak for itself.†Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A woman has been killed in a one vehicle accident in Tyler. She has been identified as Michelle Baumsteiger, 30, of Tyler. The accident happened just before 3:30 Friday afternoon at Faulkner Park when her car left the road and crashed underneath a walk bridge. Police public information officer Don Martin said it is unknown at this time but a known medical condition of the driver may have resulted in the crash. The accident remains under investigation.
TYLER – Starting Monday, the Tyler Junior College police chief will be Michael Seale. He follows Randy Melton who retired earlier this year. Seale will manage the campus police department, which consists of 19 officers and six staff. A 13-year veteran law enforcement officer, Seale came to TJC from The University of Texas at Tyler, where he served as a cadet, officer, sergeant and lieutenant. Seale most recently served as the operations commander for the UT Tyler police department.
TYLER – The Texas Retailers Education Foundation has awarded the University of Texas at Tyler a $25,000 grant. It will be used to enhance marketing education in East Texas. The grant will fund UT Tyler’s first residential retail marketing summer camp next year for area high school students. The proposed week long event will combine on-campus academic activities with tours of area food production facilities, distribution centers and retail businesses. Regional partners in the project include the Tyler Independent School District, Cavender’s, Brookshire Grocery Company and John Soules Foods.
NACOGDOCHES – A Nacogdoches County deputy sheriff has been killed as he removed debris from a highway. Pronounced dead at the scene was Raymond Bradley Jimmerson, 49. The Department of public safety said the accident happened around 6:30 Friday morning 7 miles north of Nacogdoches on U.S. Highway 259. The initial report said the deputy was hit by a car, which pushed him into another lane of traffic where he was hit by a SUV. Deputy Jimmerson, who had been in law enforcement for over 20 years, has been with the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Department for 19 years. Funeral services are pending .
TYLER – A man is in critical condition following a Tyler shooting. It was reported shortly before 8:30 Thursday evening at East Erwin and North Northeast Loop 323. The 39 year old man was shot multiple times in what police believe was not a random shooting. They believe that both persons involved in the shooting knew each other. The investigation is continuing and further details will be released at a later time.
TYLER – A pilot, who has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit arson, has been sentenced in Tyler federal court. Theodore Robert Wright, III, 33, formerly of Kemah, Texas, pleaded guilty last December. On Thursday, he was sentenced to 65 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark. He was also ordered to pay $988,544.83 in restitution. Federal prosecutors said Wright led a multi-jurisdictional fraud and arson scheme that spanned from Hawaii to the Gulf of Mexico and involved the destruction of various luxury goods, including vehicles, aircraft, and vessels. His three co-conspirators, who have also pleaded guilty, have also received prison sentences. Read the rest of this entry »
JACKSONVILLE – An area southeast of Jacksonville is under a do not use water notice. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has instructed Craft-Turney Water Supply to issue the notice. This means humans as well as animals should not use the water for any reason. The service area affected includes the south side of Loop 456 on the north boundary, County Roads 1615 and 1616 (including US 69 South) on the west boundary, State Highway 204 on the east boundary and Farm Road 768 on the south boundary. The state agency says an unknown contaminant has been found in the water. Some customers have reported a “very odd odor” coming from the water. Some have even reported skin and eye irritation.
NACOGDOCHES – Five suspects in a teenage crime spree in Nacogdoches County have been arrested. The five are boys, ages 17 and 18, are all are from Nacogdoches. Sheriff Jason Bridges says they are responsible for several auto burglaries last week end. Two handguns and a scope were reported missing. All of the teens have been charged with engaging in organized criminal activity. Two of them have also been charged with tampering with evidence. The teens are also suspects in car burglaries that occurred earlier this year in a subdivision near Appleby Sand Road. The sheriff said the investigation is continuing.
HENDERSON – Rusk county authorities are continuing the efforts to locate a missing woman. Kimberly Flint, 51, of Reklaw, was reported missing June 26th. Her car was later found on the Highway 84 bridge over the Angelina River. The car, which had hit a guardrail, was abandoned. Several K9 units joined law enforcement agencies to search the area on Wednesday. Despite three separate searches of the area, Flint has not been found. Anyone one with information about the missing woman is encouraged to contact the Rusk County Sheriff’s Department.
GILMER – Two Upshur County burglary suspects are in the hospital after being shot by the owner of the business. It happened just before 1:45 Thursday morning at Discount Tobacco in Gilmer. The stores owner said found the two in his store and shot at them as they fled. A check of area hospitals turned up two persons with gun shot wounds at Longview Regional Hospital. One had been shot in the chest and the other shot in the rear end. Gilmer Police Chief Mark Case says the investigation is continuing.
MARSHALL – A grand jury in Marshall has indicted a Gregg County woman for the sexual assault of a child. Named in the indictment was Zoya Grace Rogers, 28, of Kilgore. The Longview News Journal reports rogers was named in two counts of sexual assault of a child who was younger than 17. She was also indicted on charges of abandoning/endangering a child with criminal negligence. She is said to have left a child, younger than 15, alone for several hours. And the indictment says she knew that the child was autistic.
AUSTIN – The Presiding Officer Of North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority will continue heading the organization. Governor Gregg Abbott reappointed Linda Ryan Thomas to the post. Her term is set to expire February 1, 2020. Thomas, who lives in Longview, is a general partner at Butter Ryan Partners, Limited. The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority was established in 2004. It is an independent government agency created to accelerate the development of transportation projects in 12 North East Texas counties, including Smith and Gregg.
GREGG COUNTY – Motorists may experience some travel problems on Interstate Highway 20 in Gregg County on Thursday. Westbound motorists may expect a slowdown at the 590 mile marker. The westbound outside lane will be closed for work throughout the day at between Farm Road 2087 and State Highway 31.
LONGVIEW – The Governor’s Small Business Forum will be held in Longview on Thursday. It will be held at the Summit Club, 3700 Judson Road, from 8:00am till 2:00pm. Parking and lunch are provided. The forum provides small business owners with advice on how to start, operate, grow and sustain their businesses. You can go to https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/business/One_Page_Agenda_-_Longview_3.pdf to see the updated agenda.
TYLER – Sheriff Larry Smith and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office is presenting its annual “Citizen Awareness Trainingâ€. It is being held Thursday evening from 6:00 until 9:30pm at the Tyler Junior College-West Campus in room #104. This training will focus on drug abuse, the “Opioid Crisis†and how it affects Smith County. Speakers making presentations at this training event include Sheriff Larry Smith, and Dr. Emmanuel Elueze MD. Dr. Elueze is an expert in the study of addictions. This training event is open to the public and there is absolutely no cost to attend.
TYLER – The Tyler city council, Wednesday, approved accepting an $11.8 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration. The money will be used to fund about 90% of ongoing improvements to Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. $3.5 million will be used for the relocation and installation of a new instrument landing system on the newly constructed Runway 4-22. This will allow the airport to accommodate operations by larger aircraft, on a regular basis, during instrument flight rules conditions. The remainder of the money will be used to fund 90% of the 2018 Taxiway Charlie/Foxtrot Rehabilitation Construction Project. A ribbon cutting for Runway 4-22 is planned for November 9th.
MARSHALL – A Longview man has been indicted in connection with a fatal Harrison County accident. Brian Keith Woods, 48, was indicted for intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and two counts of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury. He is accused of hitting three pedestrians who had stopped to help a driver parked on the side of the road. The May 19th accident occurred on Interstate Highway 20 near Marshall. Killed was Sylvia Marie Keiter of Shreveport, Louisiana. One of the two persons injured was Sherri Beeson, 41, of Winona.
BULLARD – The new Director of School Safety for the Bullard school system is now on the job. Sworn in on Monday was John C. Jones. He was named to the post in late July. Over the past 20 years, Jones has served as a staff sergeant for the mortar section, of the United States Army National Guard. He has also served as a Special Agent for the FBI. He joined Bullard ISD after his retirement from the FBI. Jones and his wife have three children in the Bullard school system.
TYLER – An elderly Tyler man, who had been reported missing, has been found. Tyler Police had asked for help in finding Isiah Champion, 83. He left his home on West 34th Street Tuesday morning and was believed to have walked towards a park in the area. He had not been seen since he left his home. The police report he has been found safe and returned home.
LUFKIN – A missing East Texas teen is safe. The Angelina County Sheriff’s Department had put out a missing persons report for Vanity Anastasia “Ana” Jones, 18. She had been last seen at her home in Huntington on Sunday. She was said to have been missing and considered endangered .The sheriff’s department reports she was found in Tyler, with the help of the Tyler Police Department.
TYLER – The Smith County grand jury has indicted two men in connection with the death of a Bullard woman in July. Last week, the grand jury indicted Charles Edward Lennon III, 29, of Bullard, (pictured) with capital murder. His father, Charles Edward Lennon Jr, 56, of Tyler, was indicted for tampering with evidence. They had been charged in the death of Rachel Lynn Jackson, 31. The son is said to have been beaten her to death with a tire knocker.
TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler is looking for participants for their early childhood reading program. The program is called “Born to Read.” It is for soon-to-be parents and parents of children who are 3 and younger in Tyler and East Texas. The program is designed to give parents the tools they need to support their children’s early language and literacy development. The cost is free to the first 25 parents who sign up by October 12. Parents who register for the program are expected to participate in a 2-hour training seminar in October and one-hour monthly meetings from November to June 2019. Parents will also receive free access to literary resources and training. Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS – Don’t be surprised if your cell phone, and all those around you, goes off Wednesday. In fact, cell phones all across the country will go off Wednesday afternoon at 1:18 East Texas time. It is first nationwide test of a wireless emergency alert system. FEMA says the alert will not interrupt a phone call or an active data session. Even if you have opted out of other emergency alerts, you should still receive the national alert. The message will say, “Presidential Alert: This is a test of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” About two minutes later, the broadcast system will send a similar message through radio and television stations. Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS – State troopers have begun a month-long project that highlights school bus safety. During October, state troopers will be riding on or following school buses to catch motorists who break the law. State troopers will also be patrolling areas where school buses pick up and drop off students. School officials from 14 area counties, Anderson, Henderson, Van Zandt, Cherokee, Smith, Rains, Wood, Camp, Upshur, Gregg, Marion, Harrison, Rusk and Panola, have identified areas along their bus routes where traffic violations are common. They have passed on this information to local troopers. Drivers who violate the law could face fines as much as $1,250. Read the rest of this entry »