Today is
Saturday November 23, 2024
TYLER – A road in south Tyler will be temporarily closed this week. East Cumberland Road between Wilder Way and Paluxy Drive will be closed for base repairs starting Monday. Construction will begin each morning at 7:00 and work will stop each evening at 6:00. The work will run through Friday. Cumberland Road will be closed to through traffic and only residents will have access. Motorists can expect major delays, so it is important to use an alternate route.
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.