Today is
Friday July 24, 2026
JACKSONVILLE – A man has been charged with capital murder in connection with a weekend slaying in Cherokee County. The shooting occurred around 6:00 Sunday evening on North Main Street in Jacksonville. Shot to death was Malcolm A. Hunter Jr. He was shot numerous times. while he was a sleep, by a man who had kicked in the front door of the residence. Witnesses identified the shooter as Jacolbe Kirby, 27, of Jacksonville. While the investigation was underway, Kirby showed up at the police department to “clear his name.” He was charged with capital murder since the shooting occurred during a burglary. Two other suspects are still being sought.
TYLER – Smith County sheriff’s deputies have arrested an man from Arp for continuous sexual assault of a child. Detectives arrested Jessie James Liggins, 38, and placed him in the Smith County Jail. His bond has been set at $400,000. The assault was reported late last week. Investigators learned the suspect has assaulted the girl, under the age of 14, on various occasions over an 18 month period. The last assault was witnessed by a family member. Investigators got a warrant for Liggins arrest.
TYLER – Tyler police report the traffic signal at West Front Street and Glenwood is back in operation. The intersection was turned into a four-way stop with stop signs on Monday when an accident knocked out the signal. The signs were taken down when the signal was repaired.
TYLER – Smith County has cancelled jury duty for Wednesday, July 25. Smith County residents who were planning to report for jury duty with their yellow cards don’t have to make the trip to the county courthouse. No new panels will be needed according to Smith County Jury Coordinator Lisa Bennett. However, if you have been asked to return for jury duty by a specific court, you must still report.
MARSHALL – A fatal Harrison County accident remains under investigation. It occurred shortly after 2:45 Monday morning on Interstate Highway 20, about a mile east of Marshall. Dead at the scene was Arthur Eugene Ford, 64, of North Richland Hills. The Department of Public Safety reports he was heading west when his tractor trailer rig ended up in the median and rolled over on it side. It then caught fire.
HENDERSON – Church burglaries are plaguing Rusk County. The sheriff’s department reports 7 churches have been broken into. The burglaries have occurred over the past several days. Several items have been reported stolen from each church. There is a person of interest in the cases. The person drives a Chevy S-10 pickup, which has been seen at some of the churches. If you have any information about the burglaries, you are asked to contact the Rusk County Sheriff’s Department.
TYLER – We may find out next month about a possible name change for Tyler’s Robert E. Lee High School. At Monday’s night meeting school trustees said they may vote on the issue at their next meeting, which will be in August. Plans call for a vote to take place when all board members can be present. The action came after both sides of the issue addressed school trustees.
TYLER – The traffic signal at West Front Street and Glenwood is not working because of an accident. The intersection has been turned into a four-way stop with stop signs until the traffic signals are operational again. The traffic signal is expected to be out until sometime on Tuesday. Expect delays Tuesday morning if you take that route to work.
GILMER – The Texas Rangers have been asked to investigate an injury to an Upshur County Jail inmate whose injury appears to be self-inflicted. William Meadows, 27, of Longview, was found late last week unconscious in a shower. The jail staff administered first aid and he was then taken to Longview’s Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center. According to a written statement from Sheriff Larry Webb, Meadows “appeared to be a victim of self-inflicted harm.†He had been booked into the jail July 11 on charges of violation of a protective order and violation of probation.
LONGVIEW – The Gregg County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing Longview woman. She is Felishia Pearson, 28. She was last see on July 14th. It is believed she is in the Longview area and they feel she may be in danger. She is 5’2″, weighs 140 pounds, and has “Autum” tattooed on her chest. If you know where she can be found, you are asked to contact the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office.
TYLER – Tyler police are investigating the robbery of two persons by two suspects. It happened just before 12:30 Monday afternoon in the waiting area at Ed’s Car Wash and Detail on South Broadway. An officer stopped a possible suspect’s vehicle near South Broadway and 6th Street. The driver got out of the vehicle and went into Pizza Hut, where ran through the business and out the back door. He was stopped by another officer about a block away. Kendall Thomas, 18, of Tyler was charged with evading arrest and possession of controlled substance. Investigators are looking into whether or not Thomas was one of the persons involved in the robbery. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – UT Health East Texas Air 1 revealed their new helicopter design and uniforms Monday. It came during a celebration at UT Health Tyler. They also showed new state-of-the-art technology that enables flight paramedics to transmit patient data to the hospital and a safety tracking system. In addition, the system allows paramedics to use Wi-Fi to transmit vital data such as EKGs and photographs back to the hospital. John Smith, CEO of UT Health East Texas EMS/Air 1, said, “The system is HIPAA compliant, ensuring patient privacy is protected.â€
KILGORE – A public meting has been scheduled on plans to expand State Highway 31 between Tyler and Kilgore. The plans call for the expansion of Highway 31 from Loop 323 in Tyler, east to Farm Road 1639 in Kilgore. The expansion of the road will address safety concerns along the highway. It calls for, among other things, widening the highway from two lanes to four lanes. The project will require the acquisition of new right-of-way. The meeting is will be Tuesday from 5:00 to 7:00pm at the Highland Park Baptist Church in Kilgore.
TYLER – A Tyler man is heading to prison for engaging in organized crime. Court records show Devonte Antoinne Black, 24, pleaded guilty last Friday in exchange for a 25 year prison sentence. He had been arrested last November for an aggravated robbery at the Fox Run Apartments on Tyler’s East Southeast Loop. Police say a pound of marijuana along with a firearm were taken. Also arrested in the case was Dikembi Spencer, 20, of Tyler. His trial is scheduled for next week.
TYLER – Tyler has set a new high temperature record for July 22. The National Weather service reports Tyler’s high was 106 degrees. That beat the previous record of 105 which was set in 1925 and 1963. This is also the hottest Tyler has recorded since the city hit 106 on August 20, 2011.
LONGVIEW – If you have been summoned for jury duty in Gregg County on Monday, you do not have to report. According to the county’s web site, jury duty for Monday, July 23rd, has been cancelled.
MARSHALL – Law enforcement officers in Harrison county have completed a check of registers sex offenders in the county. The check of the 175 register sex offenders was to make sure all were in compliance with state regulations. The three phase operation, called “Operation Safe Summer,” was conducted over several weeks. Three persons were arrested and booked into the Harrison County Jail. Arrest warrants have also been issued for two additional offenders. Arrested were Kendall Bernard Gatson, 37, Robert Louis Price Jr., 47 and David Wayne Knighten, 19
HENDERSON – Rusk County is back under a burn ban. The ban, signed by the county judge and Rusk County Commissioners Thursday morning, is an unconditional burn ban that is in effect for a period not to exceed 90 days. Rusk County had earlier been under a burn ban, but it was lifted on July 9th. Other area counties currently under a burn ban are Henderson, Harrison and Franklin.
HENDERSON – A second person has been named in a Henderson robbery that occurred earlier this year. A warrant has been issued for Michael Danyl Hopkins, 30, of Dallas. He is being accused of taking part in the robbery of East Texas Professional Credit Union in Henderson on January 13th. Arrested late last week was Ashley Alexderia Page, 32, of Nacogdoches. She is said to have collected the money while Hopkins held everyone at gunpoint. Page was identified by her fingerprints on the bank’s counter. She was arrested earlier this month following a traffic stop in Dallas County. Hopkins is in jail in West Virginia on unrelated charges.
TYLER – A southeast Texas man is accused of using his cell phone to record women in a Smith County restroom. Carlos Garcia, 45, of Stafford, is said to have hid in an adjoining stall and tried to photograph women after they entered the restroom. Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Darrell Coslin said the incident happened at a store on Highway 271. A woman noticed what he was doing and confronted him. As he tried to leave the store, several male customers detained him until sheriff’s deputies arrived. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on a charge of invasive visual recording.
RUSK – A Cherokee County jury has found a Jacksonville man guilty of murder. Terry Woods was convicted Wednesday of the October, 2015 shooting death of 44 year old Michael Hatton of Frankston. The shooting followed an argument between the two men. The shooting occurred just after sunset on October 8th on Bethune Street. Woods was arrested the following morning when he voluntary surrendered at the Jacksonville Police Department. The punishment phase of the trial is scheduled to begin July 30th.
CHANDLER – A Smith County man has died in a two vehicle accident in Henderson County. Dead at the scene was Kerry Wayland Hicks, 51, of Lindale. The Department of Public Safety reports Hick’s motorcycle failed to negotiate a curve and hit a pickup driver by KC Scott Allen, 30, of Itasca. Hicks, who was not wearing a helmet, was thrown from the motorcycle. The accident happened shortly before 8:45 Wednesday morning on Farm Road 317, 5 miles northeast of Chandler.
FLINT – A man has been injured in a tank explosion in Smith County. It happened just before 11:00 Wednesday morning on County Road 133, just north west of Flint. He was working on the well, which was on his property, when the explosion occurred. He was taken to a Tyler hospital for treatment. No word on his condition and his name has not been released. The Smith County Fire Marshal’s office is attempting to learn what caused the explosion.
GRESHAM – A toddler has been found walking in a Smith County road. Motorists found the youngster walking on the Old Jacksonville Highway shortly before 9:45 Wednesday morning. It turned out the youngster had walked away from the Gresham Learning Academy. The children had just been brought inside from recess when the youngster left the building through an unlocked door. The child’s parents were notified and Child Protective Services is investigating the incident.
TYLER – Smith County will be getting a new county extension agent. The Smith County Commissioners Court has named Claudann Jones to fill the position of Smith County Extension Agent for Family and Community Health. The position became vacant when longtime agent Patrice Dunigan retired. Jones has held the same position in Nacogdoches County since 2013. Prior to coming to Nacogdoches, she held the same position in Shelby County for nine years. She will assume her new duties in Smith County the first of next month.
KILGORE – A Kilgore business has been burglarized and numerous guns were taken. It happened around 4:15 Wednesday morning at Smitty’s Guns and Ammo on South Henderson Boulevard. The suspects used a stolen pickup to pull the front door off the business. The truck was found on Peterson Road in Rusk County. The store owner told our news partner KETK that 25 AR and AK firearms and four pistols were stolen. They are valued at $30,000. The investigation is continuing.
TYLER – A teenage runaway has been arrested on robbery and theft charges. It all began shortly after 5:00 Wednesday morning when police say the 14 year old boy stole a B-B gun at Wal-Mart on Highway 31. Around 6:30 he is said to have used the gun to rob the Donut Palace on East 5th Street. He is then said to have tried to rob a man in a nearby parking lot. He was found after police got a call from a resident who saw a juvenile jump over her fence at her residence in the area of the robbery. Investigators found the money taken in the robbery and the gun that he had discarded. The teen, who had run away from the Willow Bend Center on Highway 31 East, was booked into the Smith County Juvenile Attention Center.
TYLER – The Smith County Commissioners Court has approved the Smith County Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan. The plan, which was approved at Tuesday’s meeting, has been worked on for over a year. The 393-page document has been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, pending adoption by the Commissioners Court. The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires proactive, pre-disaster planning as a prerequisite for some funding, and encourages state and local authorities to work together on pre-disaster planning. Hazard mitigation is the use of long- and short-term strategies to reduce or alleviate the loss of life, personal injury and property damage that can result from a disaster. It involves strategies such as planning, policy changes, programs, projects and other activities that can lessen the impacts of hazards. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The Department of Education is investigating The University of Texas at Tyler for alleged Title IX violations. The department’s website says two cases were opened June 6th. One case is said to be denial of benefits and the other, retaliation, but details were not released. Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance. According to a statement from the school, “Our policy is that we do not comment on ongoing investigations, but our belief is that UT Tyler has not violated Title IX.â€
TYLER – The School of Nursing & Health Sciences at Tyler Junior College has a new dean. He is Dr. Cliff Boucher, who is serving as Dean of TJC North. He assumes the additional duties on July 18. Dr. Boucher follows Paul Monagan, who will retire in August after serving TJC as dean for the School of Nursing & Health Sciences since July 2006. At TJC, Dr. Boucher also served as Chair and Professor for the Department of Life Sciences and President of the Faculty Senate. In addition to his work at TJC, he has taught at UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the University of Michigan, Harvard University Medical School and UT Tyler. A TJC alumnus, Dr. Boucher received his bachelor’s degree from Austin College in Sherman, his doctorate from the University of Michigan, and completed a post-doctoral research fellowship at Harvard Medical School.