Today is
Saturday July 25, 2026
MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department is now using a new radio system. The department is addressing some misunderstandings about the changeover. They stress that the changeover does not put the public at any risk in the event of a major incident. They still are able to communicate with the sheriff’s department.They can even use an analog channel that was once used by the Marshall Fire Department. That channel is monitored by both police and sheriff’s department dispatchers. And they added, since they switched to the new system, there has been no emergency situation that required direct communication with the sheriff’s department.
TYLER – The trial of Jessica Lauren Vass, who is charged with killing two persons in a traffic accident a year ago, has been rescheduled. In an appearance in state district court in Tyler Monday, the Lindale woman’s trial was rescheduled for May 21. She was indicted last September on two counts of intoxication manslaughter. The wreck Killed Gary McCrary, 62, of Flint and Annette Burkhart, 56, of Garland. McCrary was assisting Burkhart in changing a flat tire on her car when the Vass vehicle hit the back of his pickup, which then hit the Burkhart car. Her car then hit the couple as they stood on the shoulder of Loop 49 just north of Highway 64.
LONGVIEW – The cause of a weekend fire in Longview remains under investigation. A woman in the home when the fire started was taken to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation and minor burns. Several of her pets died in the fire. The fire was reported shortly before 2:30 Sunday morning on Sandlin Street, west of Willow Park.
TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the week of April 16th. 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.
The Legacy Trails – Hike and Bike Trail Development:
The contractor continues sidewalk construction on the West Trail, which runs from Three Lakes Parkway to FM 2813. Sidewalk construction also continues along the Oncor easement between Dueling Oaks and Cumberland Road. No lane closures are planned. This project consists of constructing 4.4 miles of hike and bike trails in Southwest Tyler. It includes the construction of parking lots, driveways, landscaping, pedestrian ramps, crosswalks and drainage structures along the 10-foot wide hike and bike trails. The anticipated completion date is the spring of next year. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Tyler Junior College has announced Presidential Honors Scholars Ebony Griffin and Jairo Tec as the recipients of its annual Rotary Young Citizens Award. Selected by a vote of TJC faculty and staff, each received a $500 scholarship from the TJC President’s Circle fund. Griffin is a biology major from Rusk, and Jairo Tec is a general studies major from Henderson. Both plan to transfer to the University of Texas at Tyler.
KILGORE – Kilgore College is accepting applications for two board appointments to fill the vacant seat of the late James Walker and the seat of Bob Heath, who is retiring. Heath represents the South Zone, Voting Unit #1, Place 7. The remainder of the term for this seat lasts until May of 2019 when a regular election will be held. Walker’s vacant seat is Voting Unit #2, Place 2, North Zone. Anyone interested in being appointed to serve in one of these two vacant board seats can submit a letter of interest to Nancy Law, located in Office 100 on the first floor of the Stewart McLaurin Administration Building on the Kilgore campus. Applications will be accepted until 5:00pm on Monday, April 30.
TYLER – A San Antonio law firm is filing a claim against CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital and the Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital. The action is planned following the arrest of a former nurse who has been charged with murder.The Crosley Law Firm, with the assistance of a Tyler firm, is filing the action on behalf of a man who is said to be one of the victims of William Davis, 34, of Hallsville. Tyler police arrested Davis on Tuesday in connection with the death of a decorated army veteran. Davis was fired by the hospital in February. Davis’ license was suspended last month by the Texas Board of Nursing. The law firm contends the hospital knew of its Davis’ improper and dangerous conduct, but failed to intervene, causing further harm and injury to their patients. After the hospital receives notice of the claim next week, the lawyers will be able to file a lawsuit in 60 days.
2017 was a strong economic year for Tyler and Smith County. That was the message presented Thursday at the annual appreciation luncheon of the Tyler Economic Development Council. Council president and CEO Tom Mullins said, last year, over $200 million in new investments and over 1,900 jobs were announced. The biggest project last year was announced by Sanderson Farms, which will have facilities in the Lindale and Winona areas. And Mullins said he feels 2018 will be even stronger than last year.
KILGORE – High school students in the Kilgore area will soon have access to new dual credit courses in agriculture thanks to a partnership between Northeast Texas Community College and Kilgore College. The two schools held an official signing for the formal agreement late Thursday morning in Kilgore. The new dual credit courses will be available for the fall semester. The courses will lead to certificates and associate’s degrees in Farm and Ranch Management and Conventional and Sustainable Agriculture. Career opportunities for graduates of these programs include: equipment retail sales and service, farm operations, crop production management and agribusiness opportunities such as farm insurance, commodity marketing and more.
MARSHALL – A video showing a Marshall teacher’s altercation with a student last week is getting a lot of social media attention. The video shows a girl arguing with her teacher because she took her phone. The argument then turns physical as the student pushes the teacher and she falls to the floor. Her injuries were said to be minor. School Superintendent Jerry Gibson told the Marshall news Messenger, the student was placed under arrest by the school district’s police department and has been charged with assault of a public servant and injury to the elderly. Both are third-degree felonies.
TYLER – The Tyler police department could soon be using a drone to help them with their work. The Tyler city council on Wednesday gave approval for the police department to seek a drone permit from the Federal Aviation Administration. With the help of a private donation, the police department has purchased a $6,000 drone. It can help officers in many ways, including assisting in finding lost persons. And you don’t have to worry about your privacy. The commercial model drone purchased by the police department is noisy, it can’t sneak up on you. It should take several months before they get the FAA approval.
CANTON – Van Zandt County authorities have seized 87 animals from some property near Canton where they found 50 dead horses. According to the SPCA of Texas, the animals consist of 70 horses, 9 donkeys, 6 pigs and 1 longhorn. More than half of the horses, the donkeys and the longhorn were roaming on a large, fenced pasture on the property. They had no access to food and little to no access to water. The other horses were confined to two smaller pastures on the property with no access to food and minimal water. They said the horses were so desperate for food that they were eating the bark off of the trees, leaving some trees completely bare. The pigs were confined to a small wire pen with no access to food. The animals, which were seized on Tuesday, will be examined by medical staff and cared for until a custody hearing takes place. That is scheduled to be held in Canton on April 19th.
TYLER – A former nurse at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital’s Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital in Tyler remains in jail on a murder charge. Arrested in the lobby of the Tyler Police Department Tuesday night was William George Davis, 34, of Hallsville. Davis is said to have entered a patient’s room and performed an “unskilled and/or unnecessary and/or inappropriate intervention.†His actions are said to have caused the patient to have a stroke which led to their death. Davis was jailed under a $2 million bond. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A gun has been found on a Longview school campus. The handgun was discovered around 10:00 Wednesday morning in the possession of a Pine Tree middle school student. The gun was not loaded. District officials say the campuses did not go into lockdown and there was no threat to their students at any time. According to a statement released by the district, the district’s safety plan was followed and the student was removed from the campus.
AUSTIN – Tyler and Longview’s sales tax allocation continues to run ahead of last year’s numbers. The State comptroller is sending out $651 million in local sales tax allocations for April. That is 5% more than in April last year. These allocations are based on sales made in February. Tyler’s allocation tops $3 million. That is nearly 3% more than last April. For the year Tyler’s allocation exceeds $14million, which is up nearly 5%. Longview’s April allocation is $2.3 million. That’s an over 5% increase. For the year, Longview’s checks top over $10.5 million. That’s an increase of nearly 8%.
QUITMAN – An Alba man is in the Wood County Jail, accused of attacking a deputy sheriff. Arrested was David Doyle McCarmack. On his Face Book page, Sheriff Tom Castloo said he wanted to thank state troopers, Alba police and sheriff’s deputies for the arrest. Details surrounding the attack have not been made available.
TYLER – The owners of two suspected Smith County illegal gambling businesses have been arrested on charges of engaging in organized criminal activity. Salim Abdul Hussain, 65, and Dilshad Ali, 58, both of Tyler, were free on bond when they were arrested on Monday. The two own stores on Highway 64 West that were raided in early February. They were charged with keeping a gambling place, gambling promotion, and possession of gambling devices and equipment. Deputies seized 11 gaming machines and money. They are currently free on bond on the new charges. Read the rest of this entry »
MT. ENTERPRISE – One person has been killed in a fatal accident in Rusk County. It happened just before 2:30 Monday afternoon on State Highway 135, six miles northeast of Mt. Enterprise. Killed was Ashlen Kyndal Branton, 19, of Nacogdoches. The Department of Public Safety reported her car drifted across the center stripe and hit an oversized load being carried on multiple trailers being pulled by a Peterbilt truck. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The truck’s driver was not injured. The crash remains under investigation.
WASKOM – Authorities are looking for a suspect in a fatal hit and run accident in Harrison County. The accident happened around 8:30 Sunday night on Farm Road 9, about 12 miles north of Waskom. Killed when his dirt bike was hit by a car was Nolan Leo Majeski, 32, of Winthrop, Minnesota. The car’s driver fled the scene. The car was later found abandoned. They are now working on identifying and finding the driver.
TYLER – You have four weeks to go in Smith County’s bi-annual cleanup program. Smith County residents can use vouchers to redeem at the landfill on the Old Kilgore Highway. The vouchers are available at the courthouse annex and all JP and constables’ offices. You can take 3 cubic yards of solid waste, which fills the bed of a regular sized pickup, and bulk items to the landfill. Then, the last week of the month, Tyler is having its free bulky item collection. This is where the city picks up large bulky items you put on the curb. Such things as furniture, appliances and large items that would normally require a special fee. Great help with your spring cleaning.
LINDALE – Lindale police are asking the public’s help in identifying a theft suspect. She is said to have stolen some items from Walmart, some of which have been recovered. She was an in a dark colored, possibly Maroon or black 4 door passenger car. If you know her, you are asked to contact detectives Curtis Philpot or Chris Dworaczyk at 903-882-3313.
UNCERTAIN – One person has been arrested following a weekend shooting in Harrison County that left one dead and one injured. The shooting occurred late Sunday morning at a motel in Uncertain, which is located northeast of Marshall. Dead at the scene was Michael Campbell, 47, of Houston. Airlifted to a Shreveport hospital for a gunshot wounds to the stomach was Dianna Clevenger, 48, of Cabot, Arkansas.She said her husband Michael Clevenger, 50, was responsible for the shooting. His pickup was stopped in Atlanta after a short chase with Cass County deputies.
TYLER – Smith County authorities have arrested a woman on gambling violations. In the Smith County Jail under a $100,000 bond is Monica Prado, 39, of Tyler. She is charged with gambling promotion and possession of gambling device/equipment/paraphernalia. Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Darrell Coslin tells KTBB, she was arrested on Thursday as part of an ongoing investigation from November 2017. It involves a location on Highway 64 East. Detectives discovered that the location was operating as an illegal gaming room. And Sgt Coslin says the investigation is continuing.
PALESTINE – The Texas State Railroad has decided to increase local management. Named as general manager of excursion operations and guest experiences is Daniel Adair. Named as sales and marketing associate is Jennifer Price. Adair comes to East Texas by way of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. Price has spent most of her life in East Texas
GILMER – Two persons have been charged with capital murder in the death of a Longview woman, whose body was found last Sunday. At a news conference Friday afternoon, Upshur County sheriff Larry Webb announced Lindsey McFadden, 29, of Longview and Carlton Grant, 37, from the Metroplex, have been charged with the death of Rachel Rhoads, 24. She was reported missing March 31st. Her body was found a day later off Farm Road 726, just north of Highway 154 in Upshur County. Officials say they can’t discuss the autopsy results because of a gag order in the case. They did say, they filed capital murder charges in the case because Rhoads was killed as she was being kidnapped.
BIG SANDY – A shelter in place alert has been lifted in the Big Sandy school district. It was issued Friday morning following a threat made on social media. The school district said on its Facebook page, treating the threat very seriously, all students were kept in their first period classes as a safety precaution. When they felt confident that there was no threat at the school, the shelter in place alert was lifted early in the second period. No word on what type of threat was made.
PALESTINE – A student has been arrested for a recent threat against Palestine High School. Detectives have arrested Daniel Hayes, 17, and charged him with false alarm or report in a public secondary school, which is a state jail felony. He was taken to the Anderson County Security Center. He is charged with the threat that occurred on Tuesday. Two similar incidents at the school, on March 27 and April 5, remain under investigation. A threatening note found on the campus around 8:30 Thursday morning caused a lockdown. According to the school district, the note is “of a more specific nature than last week’s threat and will be able to be investigated in less time.” Nothing was found and the lockdown was lifted at 10:30.
LONGVIEW – A Longview man is heading to prison for attacking an elderly couple in their home last April. Malique Makail Henderson, 21, was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison. He is said to have hit an elderly woman in the head with a rock and forced his way into her South Green Street home. He is then said to have hit an elderly man. After stealing some items from the house, he ran away. Neighbors chased him and help police locate him. They found the items taken from the couple’s home.
GILMER – An illegal alien, who has been wanted for four years, is back in jail in Gilmer. Noe Paz-Aguillon, 31, was charged in 2014 with intoxication manslaughter and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was released to federal authorities for an ICE detainer in February of that year. They put him in house arrest in Dallas, and he fled back to Mexico. He had previously been deported twice from the U.S. He illegally entered the courty again and was arrested in Oklahoma on Wednesday. He is currently in jail awaiting trial on the two felony offenses. No bond has been set.
TYLER – A Tyler man has been found guilty of prostitution and human trafficking charges. During a bench trial, state district judge Judge Kerry Russell found Dekenndrick Lekeith Ross, 41, guilty. He could get up to 20 years in prison when sentenced later this month. Last June, Ross and Crystal Leshae Lilly, 26, also of Tyler, were arrested following a Department of Public Safety investigation of a human trafficking organization in the Tyler area. They were booked into the Smith County Jail on charges of trafficking of a person for benefits from forced labor and promoting prostitution. Lilly’s trial date has not yet been set.