Today is
Saturday July 25, 2026
PALESTINE – The City of Palestine will spray for mosquitoes starting on Monday. Between 9:00 Monday night and 5:00 Tuesday morning, sprayers will be dispatched to Area 2. Area 2 encompasses the streets of Kolstad Street to the north south to Loop 256 and the Willow Creek Business Park, and from Royall and Elm streets west to Oak and Variah Streets. You can go the City of Palestine’s website at cityofpalestinetx.com for a full map of the spraying areas.
LONGVIEW – Beginning Monday, High Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Eckman Street and South Street. This closure prohibits left turns on and off of High Street at Luckett Street, Hopkins Street, College Street, and Mitchell Street. College Street will be closed to through traffic east of High Street. This street work is part of the High Street Sewer Line improvements. This project consists of replacing sanitary sewer main along High Street between Mitchell Street and College Street and between Radio Street and Birdsong Street. The closure is scheduled for four weeks.
TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the week of May 14th. 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.
In Tyler, work has resumed on the project that’s extending turn lanes and adding right turn lanes at various intersections. On Tuesday, daytime lane closures are planned for Grande Blvd. and Old Jacksonville Highway during activation of new traffic signals. Night work is set for Wednesday and Thursday at the Broadway Avenue and South Town Drive work location. The southbound, outside lane of Broadway Ave. as well as South Town Dr., west of Broadway, will both be closed from 7:00pm to 6:00am each night. Alternate routes are encouraged. Additional project information is available in the Smith County section of this release. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Early voting is underway in Smith County in the runoff in the Democratic race for governor. That is the only race on the ballot. Polls will be open from 7:00 until 7:00pm on Tuesday. The early voting runs Monday through Friday of this week at the HUB on East Ferguson Street in Tyler. Hours are 8:00am till 5:00pm Monday through Wednesday and from 7:00am till 7:00pm on Thursday and Friday. The election is on Tuesday, May 22nd.
LONGVIEW – A Longview fire death is being investigated as a homicide. The body of Johnny Quentin Miller, 44, of Longview was found in a burning duplex on Loring Lane late Wednesday morning. No word on how the fire started. The preliminary autopsy report showed he had hemorrhaging around his anterior neck muscles and almost his entire body was covered in burns. It also said no soot was found in his airway. Detectives say they are still awaiting the final report from the autopsy which will guide their investigation. Miller’s missing Dodge Caravan has been found. It was located on South Mobberly Avenue.
TYLER – The spring commencement at Tyler Junior College was held yesterday, and it’s a special day for over a dozen Chapel Hill students. Over 1,200 degrees and certificates were awarded. This includes the first 11 graduates of the new TJC Veterinary Technician program and 10 graduates from the second class of graduates from the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene program. The 15 Chapel Hill students are from their school’s early college program. They’re received their Associate of Arts degrees before they got their high school diplomas.
MARSHALL – A Marshall woman, who drove her car into a school last month, has been arrested. Anterra Gatson, 30, was arrested Thursday and charhed with attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. and felony criminal mischief. Her bonds total $105,000. On April 11th, her vehicle crashed into a classroom at Price T. Young Elementary School. She was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. Even though there was extensive damage to the building, no students or staff were injured. Gatson was arrested after the investigation showed she deliberately crashed her car into the building.
MARSHALL – A string of vehicle burglaries is under investigation in Marshall. The burglaries happened Thursday night. A total of six vehicle burglaries were reported. In all six cases, the vehicles had been left unlocked. Marshall police remind you to lock the doors. Also, don’t leave any valuables in plain sight. If you have information about the suspects, or if you see anyone suspicious in your neighborhood, you are encouraged to call the police.
TYLER – The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority, for the third year in a row, is giving back $500,000 to the East Texas region by awarding funds to its member counties for transportation related projects. Harrison County will receive $150,000 for the US 59/Interstate 369 Marshall Relief Route. NET RMA will present Bowie County a check in the amount of $350,000 for a feasibility study for I-369 West Spur. So far, NET RMA has awarded $1,400,000 in funds towards the transportation-related projects in areas in East Texas.
HOUSTON (AP/STAFF) — A 28-year-old East Texas man on death row for the slaying of his girlfriend’s 13-month-old daughter in what prosecutors said was an exorcism has lost a federal appeal. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Thursday rejected arguments from Blaine Keith Milam, who was condemned for the 2008 beating death of Amora Carson at Milam’s trailer on County Road 2125 in Rusk County. Milam’s attorneys contended he had deficient legal help at his trial and in earlier appeals and that the trial judge gave jurors a faulty instruction. Evidence showed the child was bitten some 30 times and beaten with a hammer. Milam’s trial in 2010 was moved about 140 miles south to Conroe because of extensive publicity in Rusk County. Milam doesn’t yet have an execution date.
TYLER – There was a celebration at the Tyler Rose Garden Thursday. Mayor Martin Heines read a proclamation that designating the day as “Tyler Municipal Rose Garden Great Places in Texas Day.” The celebration was in recognition of the rose garden being named by the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association as one of the 2018 Great Public Spaces in Texas. The recognition is part of the APA’s Great Places in Texas program that recognizes and promotes streets, neighborhoods, and public spaces that has, what they call “exemplify exceptional character.†The Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is a 14-acre park, making it the nation’s largest rose garden. It has over 38,000 rose bushes of at least 500 different varieties.
TYLER – There will be more DNA testing in the capital murder case of Gustavo Zavala-Garcia. At a Tyler hearing Thursday morning, the state and the defense announced they agreed upon the clothing items that will be tested. State District Judge Jack Skeen signed the order for the testing.The clothes belong to the suspect and the 10 year old victim, Kayla Gomez-Orozco. She was abducted from a Bullard church in November, 2016. Her body was found days later inside a well on the suspect’s property. The new DNA testing could take months. The next pretrial hearing in the case is scheduled on July 12th. The trial is still set to start in October. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty.
GLADEWATER – A Gladewater man, critically injured in an accident late last month, has died. Dakoda Lane Gour, 21, was taken to a Longview hospital following the April 30th accident. The Croley Funeral Home obituary says he died on Wednesday. The Department of Public Safety report says he was leaving from a private driveway when he rode into the side of a truck on U.S. Highway 271. The truck driver swerved in an effort to avoid him, but was unsuccessful.
TYLER – The spring commencement at Tyler Junior College is going on today, and it’s a special day for over a dozen Chapel Hill students. Over 1,200 degrees and certificates are being aawarded. This includes the first 11 graduates of the new TJC Veterinary Technician program and 10 graduates from the second class of graduates from the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene program. The 15 Chapel Hill students are from their school’s early college program. They’re receiving their Associate of Arts degrees before they get their high school diplomas.
TYLER – And alert for a missing Tyler woman has led to her being found. Wednesday evening the police put out an alert for Zelda Boucher, 80. The woman, who suffers from loss of memory and confusion at times, was last seen around 10:00 Wednesday morning leaving her residence on South Tipton in her Lincoln Navigator with her two small dogs. A person who was aware of the media alert saw her walking her dogs in North Tyler and contacted the police. Her vehicle is still missing at this time.
TYLER – The police department has put out an alert for a missing Tyler woman. She is Zelda Boucher, 80. They have been told that she suffers from loss of memory and confusion at times. Boucher was last seen around 10:00 Wednesday morning leaving her residence on South Tipton. She was in her Silver 2005 Lincoln Navigator with Texas license plate BH61122. She is 5’4″, 120 lbs. silver hair, hazel eyes and is traveling with her two small dogs. If you see this lady, you are asked to contact Tyler police.
MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department is asking residents to join in a video registration program as a way to help fight crime. Business owners and residents are being asked to voluntarily register the fact they have installed video surveillance systems. This will allow detectives to know where the systems are located to help them if a crime is reported in the area. People who register their cameras with the police department will only be contacted if there is a criminal incident in the vicinity of their video surveillance system. The police department stresses the video registration is voluntary and there is no cost associated with registration. Participants in the program can retract their registration at any time.
TYLER – Smith County residents are being invited to look over new voting machines the county is considering buying. The county has looked at two businesses who carry state- and federal-certified voting machines. The court is considering remaining with its current vendor, ES&S, and purchasing the new ExpressVote machines. The County says ExpressVote was less expensive and offered more features that will streamline what polling workers have to do on election day, which they say will make the process more efficient. All of the machines will be ADA compliant, have battery backups, a voter-verifiable paper trail, and a voter activation card with a barcode, eliminating human error when selecting which precinct a voter is casting their ballot. Read the rest of this entry »
AUSTIN – Sales tax allocations are in the mail from the state. Tyler and Longview continue to run ahead of last year’s pace.The May allocations are based on sales made in March. Tyler’s check comes to $4,074,315.95. This is nearly 9% more than the same period last year. For the year, Tyler’s sales tax allocation is $18,138,592.75, an increase of over 5 1/2%. For Longview, the May allocation is $2,922,537.72, an increase of over 5%. For the year, Longview’s total comes to $13.494,587.17, and increase of 7.32% over the same period last year.
TYLER – A Tyler man is heading to prison for aggravated robbery. Jarode Detwin Wilson, 30, was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison. He was arrested last July for a Tyler carjacking. Police say Wilson had asked an acquaintance for a ride around 1:00 that morning. During the trip, Wilson reportedly pulled a gun and threatened the victim. The victim pulled over and jumped out of the car. Wilson took off in the vehicle but was caught by Tyler police a short time later.
LONGVIEW – One person has been killed in a duplex fire in Longview. It was reported just after 11:00 Wednesday morning on Loring Lane. The man’s body was discovered by firemen as they were putting out the fire. We will have more information when it becomes available.
LONGVIEW – A Longview man has learned, the hard way, it does not pay to run from the law. Catavion Stinson, 23, was arrested Tuesday night following a traffic stop. When the vehicle was stopped at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Rayburm Drive, Stinson, who was a passenger, ran away. The foot chase through a wooded area, which lasted only a couple of minutes, ended with Stinson’s arrest for evading arrest or detention with a previous conviction and 3 outstanding warrants. Due to Stinson’s prior attempt to evade, his evading charge was increased from a Misdemeanor A to a state jail felony He was booked into the Gregg County Jail.
WACO – Two Smith County residents have had charges against them dropped in connection with a Waco shootout. The shootout between members of two motorcycle clubs occurred at the Twin Peaks Restaurant on May 17th, 2015. Police arrested 177 bikers following the shooting. Tuesday, felony charges against 62 bikers were dismissed. Among them were James Larry Gray of Tyler and Jason Lee Cavazos of Arp. McLennan County prosecutors said they were dismissing the cases while focusing on those who were more at blame in the shooting. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – One person was injured when a vehicle crashed into a Tyler building. It happened around 12:45 Tuesday afternoon at the Christus Mother Frances North Park Medical Plaza on East Houston. The elderly driver said she accidentally pushed on the accelerator, causing the SUV to drive into the building. The accident pinned an employee between her desk and the vehicle. She had to be freed by Tyler fireman. She was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
TYLER – The speed limit is going up on a section of Toll 49. On their Facebook page, the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority said it is raining the speed limit to 70mph on the toll road between State Highway 110 and State Highway 31.
KILGORE – Kilgore College and East Texas Baptist University in Marshall have signed a partnership. The agreement was signed by school officials late Tuesday morning. As part of the agreement, ETBU will offer courses on the Kilgore campus leading toward a bachelor’s degree in Education, early childhood through sixth grade, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The agreement includes ETBU tuition rate discounts and scholarships for students in Phi Theta Kappa. ETBU also gets a office on the Kilgore campus for recruiting, student services and advising for Kilgore College students and graduates. The courses that will be offered on the KC campus are part of the Tiger Transfer Track Program that ETBU offers to community colleges and universities in the region.
TYLER – The city of Winona will be getting assistance in housing stray dogs. Smith County Commissioners Tuesday approved an interlocal agreement with the city of Winona to take its stray dogs into the Smith County Animal Shelter. According to the agreement, Winona will be responsible for responding to animal control matters within its city, then transporting the dogs to the shelter. The city will pay any fees associated with impoundment, testing, medical treatment or other services. Whitehouse will pay Smith County $50 per dog that is brought to the shelter, as well as an additional $35 for each dog requiring euthanasia. The commissioners court has approved similar agreements with the cities of Troup, Arp, Bullard and Whitehouse.
LONGVIEW – The board of the Longview Economic Development Corporation has agreed to provide funds for starting the East Texas Advanced Manufacturing Academy. At Monday’s meeting, the board agreed to provide over $1 million to get the project started. Several school superintendents, along with the chamber of commerce president, approached the board about the funding. The academy will teach and train students to work for area manufacturers. Several area companies have either signed on to help or shown strong interest in the project. Pine Tree School Superintendent TJ Farler told the Longview News Journal the academy should be able to start classes this fall.
LONGVIEW – LeTourneau University’s “Sting” Precision Flight Team placed 5th overall at the 2018 National Intercollegiate Flight Association SAFECON flight competition. It was hosted by Indiana State University, in Terre Haute, Indiana. The school’s 5th place finish was the highest overall ranking in the competition in LETU program history. Contributing to the 5th place 2018 overall score, LETU was ranked 4th place in Ground Events Championship and 7th place in Flight Events Championship.
TYLER – Trane has celebrated the one-year anniversary of the its residential heating and cooling research lab at The University of Texas at Tyler. Located on the university’s campus, the lab is made up of two, identical looking homes. One was built with standard construction techniques. The other was built with high-performance, energy-saving measures. It contains such things as energy-efficient windows, spray-in foam insulation, a tight building envelope, solar panels, and more. The lab is expected to lead to new products for the market within the next two or three years. Mayor Martin Heines joined with Trane and school officials for Tuesday’s celebration.