Today is
Friday July 24, 2026
TYLER – Because of a water main issue under the street, the eastbound lanes in the 1500 block of Rice road are temporally shut down. All eastbound traffic is using the center turn lane to keep traffic flowing in both directions. Traffic cones and barricades are being utilized to control the traffic flow at this time while the water department is working on the problem.
MARSHALL – A report of an aggravated sexual assault is under investigation in Marshall. It is said to have occurred on the campus of Wiley College. The school’s Facebook page says the college and Marshall police are investigating the report. The Marshall Police Department’s Public information Officer, Kelly Colvin, said they responded to Wiley Avenue shortly after 6:00 Saturday evening. The school is offering counseling for any student who wants it. President Dr. Herman Felton says the individuals involved have been identified. No other details were released.
TYLER – An Overton man has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Being held in the Smith County Jail under a $45,000 bond is Kevin Wade Cooper, 40. He is accused of hitting his ex-wife’s daughter with his car. The incident was reported Monday night on County Road 2228, just south of Tyler. Cooper was later stopped by Whitehouse police who had received a description of his vehicle. The girl is said to be in stable condition at a Tyler hospital.
TYLER – The Smith County grand jury has indicted a Henderson County man for murder in connection with a fatal accident. Sean Eammon Waite, 34, of Murchison was arrested after leading law officers on a chase on his motorcycle in mid June. It started as Waite was being chased by Tyler police on Highway 31 West towards Toll 49. Sheriff’s deputies then joined in the chase. It ended when the motorcycle crashed at the intersection of Highway 31 West and Farm Road 2661. Waite was arrested after a short foot chase. His passenger, Alicia Ann Adams, 28, was dead at the scene. Waite remains in the Smith County Jail on bonds totaling nearly $1 million.
TYLER — Judicial records show a Tyler man has been indicted in the death of his 4 month old daughter. Sofia Ibarra died after being removed from life support in a Dallas hospital in late June. Her dad, Andres Ibarra, 19, is charged with capital murder. He remains in the Smith County Jail under a bond of $1 million. He told sheriff’s department investigators that he hit the child in the ribs and abdomen with his fist four or five times and then threw her. After the incident, he went outside and smoked marijuana and then went to sleep. He discovered the next morning the child was pale and not breathing normally and took her to a Tyler hospital and was later transferred to Dallas.
TYLER — We’re used to being on the lookout for deer while driving — but come mid-fall, you’ll want to be super careful. Deer mating, or rut, season is fast approaching; that’s when does go into heat. Smith County Game Warden Chris Swift says the bucks will have one thing on their mind. Swift says the bucks are very elusive for 95 per cent of the year. But he cautions that once they get on a doe, they’ll run through a back yard — and are sometimes seen in downtown Tyler. According to Swift, “It’s just kind of a crazy time” of the year, though it only lasts for two or three weeks. Swift says the rut season in East Texas runs from Halloween to Thanksgiving, but it’s earlier closer to the coast. He says it keeps troopers busy answering car versus deer wrecks.
TYLER — The 8th annual Art of Peace celebration is underway in Tyler, and this year it’s getting some unexpected international attention. Again this year, the festivities include a peace poetry anthology, published under Art of Peace co-founder Anne McCrady’s literary imprint, InSpiritry. McCrady recently heard from the teacher of two high school students in Bhutan whose poems are included in the anthology, “Sowing Seeds of Peace.” He let her know that Art of Peace, InSpiritry, and his students were honored with a front-page story and full-cover photo in Kuensel, the national newspaper of Bhutan. As quoted in a news release, McCrady said, “For me as a peace advocate and for all of us with Art of Peace, having an international impact is a dream-come-true.†Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – When the East Texas State Fair opens in Tyler on Friday, new regulations will be in place on items allowed to enter the fairgrounds. The new rules, which are designed to keep visitors safe, are similar to rules set by other events, stadiums, and fairgrounds across the country. The fair will be using metal detector wands and bag searches to aid in the enforcement of rules prohibiting potentially hazardous items. These items include: permitted and non-permitted firearms, knives, or other weapons, tobacco, alcohol, illegal drugs, oversized bags, ice chests/coolers, pets, obscene material, unauthorized marketing, drones, hover boards, and non-permitted golf carts. Persons trying to bring any of these items to the fair will not be admitted into the fairgrounds. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Here’s a look at road work planned in the Tyler district of TxDOT during the week of September 17th. 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.
Tyler Maintenance and Special Jobs crews plan to continue milling operations on Farm Road 14 between U.S. Highway 271 and Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard. Once complete, crews will move the operation to Farm Road 2015 at US 271. Base repairs are ongoing on Farm Road 2908 just north of Farm Road 2767. Expect lane closures with flaggers providing traffic control at all work locations. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER -Tyler Junior College will observe its 92nd Founders Day on Monday. The ceremony begins at 7:30am at Windsor Plaza, located at the corner of Apache Pass and South Mahon Avenue on the TJC main campus. The annual event celebrates the day the school was founded , September 17, 1926. It also serves as a time to remember TJC employees and board members who passed away last year. This year, TJC will honor the memories of: John Burket, Noamie R. Byrum, Gene Carney, Kenneth English, Norman Hoot, Steve Morrow, Tracy Rea, Ann M. Snyder, William L. “Bill†Thomas, and William W. “Bill†Wilmeth. The public is invited to addend the ceremony.
LONGVIEW – A suspicious vehicle call has resulted in the arrest of a Longview man. He is Jace Martin Laws, 33. He was found sitting in a car in the area of Farmer Street and West Pliler Precise Road. He ran from arriving officers, but was arrested after a short foot chase. He is said to have fought with the two officers and all three received injuries. They were taken to Longview Regional Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries. Laws was booked into the Gregg County Jail on 2 charges of assault on a peace officer and a charge of evading arrest.
RUSK – A Bullard woman has died in a Cherokee County accident. She is Nona Kay Bickerstaff, 79. Her pickup was was crossing over to the northbound lanes when she pulled out into the path of a truck driven by Clemente Martinez-Mendez, 33, of Jacksonville. Bickerstaff was pronounced at the scene. Martinez-Mendez was transported to UT Health-Jacksonville in stable condition. The accident happened just after 11:00 Thursday morning on U.S. Highway 69, nearly three miles north of Rusk.
TYLER – Acting on a citizen’s tip, Corey Edmond Simpson, 34, of Tyler, was arrested at a store on West Gentry Parkway shortly after 6:00 Friday evening. Simpson had been named in several warrants. As an officer tried to stop him from leaving a residence, he rammed the officer’s car and headed toward the Lake Tyler area. He is said to have hit a second vehicle at Old Omen and University. There were no injuries. Besides previous charges, he now faces additional charges of aggravated assault on a peace officer, evading arrest. He is in the Smith County Jail on bonds totaling $1,000,000.
TYLER – Tyler fire chief David Coble has graduated from FEMA’s National Emergency Management Executive Academy. The academy is at the Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Maryland. According to a city news release, it is for senior executives at the top of their careers. It’s the final phase of FEMA’s Emergency Management Professional Program. Chief Coble completed his training August 30th.
HENDERSON – One person has died in a one vehicle accident in Rusk County. Dead at the scene was Jesse Charles Key, 23, of Henderson. The Department of Public Safety reports his car left the road and ended up in a grassy ditch. As he overcorrected, the car went into a sideways skid and hit a drainage culvert. It then rolled several times, throwing the driver from the vehicle. The accident happened just before 3:15 Friday morning on U.S. Highway 79, 13 miles northeast of Henderson.
TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler is one of five Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Star Award finalists. The board recognized UT Tyler’s Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree program. The program is an online undergraduate transfer degree program designed for working adults seeking to complete their four-year degree for career advancement. A panel will now review which of the finalists will be honored with the Star Award. The winners will be honored at the Texas Higher Education Leadership Conference at the end of November.
LONGVIEW – Jury duty is cancelled in Gregg County on Monday. The Gregg County District Clerk made the announcement Friday. If you received a notice for jury duty for Monday, you do not have to report.
MARSHALL – The city of Marshall has a new tourism and marketing manager. She is Mallori James, who starts her new duties on Monday. She will be responsible for the leadership of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, implementing a marketing strategy to attract tourists and enhancing nature, culture, and arts opportunities for the city. James is currently a marketing consultant for Brookshire Real Estate in Lufkin. She previously was employed as an events specialist with the City of Lewisville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Before that, she was the Visitors Services and Meeting Event Coordinator for the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau.
AUSTIN – Twenty three independent school districts and colleges are getting nearly $5 million in grants from the Texas Workforce Commission. Tyler Junior College will be getting a grant for $261,975 while Trinity Valley Community College gets a grant for $279,139. The funds will help the two schools to purchase and install equipment to provide students in the medical profession with training for registered nurses. The chair of the Workforce Commission, Ruth Hughs, said the funds will help produce the highest quality of candidates for Texas employers in high-demand occupations as well as new emerging industries.
TYLER – Tyler police are asking for the public’s help in identifying this man. Investigators say he was involved in a hit and run accident. If you know who he is please contact Detective Shine at 903-595-7210 or call CrimeStoppers at 903-597-2833.
TYLER – The latest active shooter class by the Smith County Sheriff’s Department will be Thursday night. It starts at 6:30 at the Shiloh Road Church of Christ in Tyler. The training teaches what happens during an active shooter incident. It covers the human response both physical and psychological, common actions of the suspect and the law enforcement response. The training also covers actions you can take to help you survive the attack. The subject is graphic, and some portions of the training may not be suitable for children. Parents are strongly encouraged not to bring children younger than 13 to the training.
TYLER – Smith County’s burn ban has been lifted. It took effect August 3rd. The original order prohibited all outdoor burning was for a 90-day period, unless lifted earlier. Fire Marshal Connie McCoy-Wasson said rainfall over the Labor Day weekend, combined with lower temperatures and the anticipation of more rain in the near future, persuaded her that conditions were acceptable to resume outdoor burning. After consulting with County Judge Nathaniel Moran, both agreed that the ban should be lifted. Around 11:30 Wednesday morning, the ban was officially lifted.
TYLER – An fatal auto/pedestrian accident in Smith County remains under investigation. It occurred around 11:45 Tuesday night on State Highway 155, two miles south of Tyler. Dead at the scene was Nancy Sue Jones, 41, of Tyler. She was walking in the southbound lane when first hit by a car driven by a Frankston woman and then hit by a car driven by a Flint woman.
CHAPEL HILL – One person was killed and three injured in a two vehicle accident in front of Wise Elementary just before 3:15 Tuesday afternoon. The accident happened when Kristen Darius Lilly, 19, of Carthage, lost control of her east bound car. The vehicle went into the west bound lane and collided with a SUV driven by Maria Torres, 31, of Arp. Lilly was critically injured. A passenger in her car, Tia Shay Roland, 19, later died at a Tyler hospital. Torres and a three year old boy in her vehicle were taken to a Tyler hospital in stable condition. The boy was treated and released. The accident remains under investigation.
MARSHALL – Some Marshall area motorists have learned, the hard way, school safety zone violations can be costly. During the first week of the new school year, the Marshall Police Department issued nearly three dozen citations for various school zone traffic offenses. School district Police Chief Joe Arledge said the most significant safety concern was making u-turns near the Marshall Junior High School. It’s a violation of a city ordinance. Another safety concern was dropping children off across the street from the junior high school, forcing students to cross a busy roadway where there is no crosswalk. The majority of citations issued in schools zones were for speed violations.
PALESTINE – A Silver Alert for a missing Palestine man has been discontinued. The Department of Public Safety says Harry Albert Jenkins, 79, has been found. He was reported missing after having last been seen on Farm Road 860 in Palestine around 8:00 Monday night.
LONGVIEW – One person has been killed and one injured in a one vehicle accident in Gregg County. It was reported just before 3:00 Tuesday afternoon on U.S. Highway 259, five miles north of Longview. Dead at the scene was Taneithia Roshekia Scott, 35, of Idabel, Oklahoma. Her passenger, John Alfred Smith, 49, also of Idabel, is in critical condition at Longview Regional Hospital. The Department of Public Safety says their car was south bound when it drove off the road and into a ditch on the west side of the road. The car continued through the ditch and hit a concrete culvert and vaulted into the air. When the vehicle came down it began to roll, ejecting both persons from the vehicle. Both were not wearing their seat belts.
EAST TEXAS – Fatal accidents were reported in Smith and Gregg counties Tuesday afternoon. The Department of Public Safety says the Smith County accident occurred in front of Wise Elementary on Highway 64 East. The Gregg County accident occurred on U.S. Highway 259 north of Farm Road 1650. We will have more details when they become available.
TYLER – There are 7 new Tyler police officers today. They were sworn in Monday afternoon by police chief Jimmy Toler. The seven then received their badge. The new officers are Amber Thomas , April Peddy , George Edwards III, Kelly Womack, Rusty Adair, Spencer McGregor and Thomas Jenkins.
LUFKIN – A man wanted on theft charges in Tyler, has been arrested in Lufkin where bomb making equipment was found. Daniel Scott Standley, 36, of Lufkin, was wanted in Tyler. He was arrested Monday afternoon at apartments on South First Street in Lufkin. Police were called when running water damaged a downstairs apartment unit. What was first thought to be a meth lab turned out to be bomb making material. That brought out a Garland, Texas Bomb squad and federal ATF agents. Evacuated residents have since returned to their apartments. A second Lufkin man was arrested on drug charges. Additional charges are pending against both men