Today is
Saturday July 25, 2026
PALESTINE – Guns and drugs have been recovered as Palestine police arrest two persons. The early Thursday morning arrests occurred as officers served a warrant at a home on Old Elkhart Road. The home is located in a in a drug free zone. About 30 grams of cocaine and two firearms and money were seized. Facing drug charges are two Palestine residents, Jarious Williams, 24, and Cheyenne Rodriguez, 23. Williams is also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Both were booked into the Anderson County Jail. Read the rest of this entry »
NASHVILLE – This fall, three persons will be inducted into the County Music Hall of fame. One of them is Tyler native Johnny Gimble. He was born in Tyler in 1926. Gimble, a western swing fiddler, was selected in the Recording and/or Touring Musician active prior to 1980 category. He was an in-demand session player. His fiddle work would be heard on many classic hit recordings over the years. He toured many years with Bob Wills and toured a couple of years with Willie Nelson’s band. Gimble died nearly three years ago. The hall of fame induction ceremony will be held this October.
TYLER – A man accused of recording a woman who worked at the same business as him, while she was in the restroom, has been indicted by the Smith County grand jury. Charged with invasive visual recording in a bathroom/dressing room is Victor Antonio Cruz-Castellanos, 29, of Tyler. Tyler Police Detective Andy Erbaugh told our news partner KETK that the incident happened in December. Cruz-Castellanos, who was arrested on December 12th, remains in the Smith County Jail under a $100,000 bond.
TYLER – A new sci-fi move has the touch of a Tyler Junior College professor. The movie, which comes out this weekend, is “Ready Player One.†TJC computer-animation professor Justin Sullivan will see some of his art work on the big screen. Sullivan created a digital extra for the movie. Digital extras are similar to background actors in live-action movies. They don’t have speaking parts or any other role than to fill in the background of a scene. Besides some technical specifications, Sullivan’s only real rule for creating a digital extra was that it couldn’t be a character from the book. It had to be original. So, he imagined this character and created a backstory for her. He says he has no idea where she will actually appear in Steven Spielberg’s new sci-fi adventure.
TYLER – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office has secured an arrest warrant for 45 year old Martin Wesley Reynolds Sr. He is accused of tampering with a witness. Sheriff’s department detectives have information that Reynolds made threats against several witnesses who are scheduled to testify during his son’s upcoming murder trial. Wednesday evening they tried to serve the warrant on him at him residence in Whitehouse. He was not there and is believed to be in hiding. When Judge Kerry Russell signed the warrant, he set his bond at $200,000. If you know where can be found you are asked to contact the sheriff’s department.
KILGORE – Kilgore College has brought home awards from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association convention in Dallas. The Flare Magazine won first in Overall Excellence and The Flare newspaper and The Ranger Yearbook won second in Overall Excellence. The Flare newspaper staff received an Honorable Mention in the Best of Show, Division 2. The Flare newspaper staff received first place in Overall Design. The school’s student publications staff won 33 awards: 17 for production; 10 for visual reporting and six for narrative reporting. The Flare newspaper staff also brought home a second and third place in newspaper headline writing. Among the awards, sophomore Lucas Strough of Longview took home first place in Print News Writing. More than 400 students, representing 44 schools from Texas, competed head-to-head in 30 events during on-site contests.
JACKSONVILLE — A brutal beating that was caught on camera over the weekend at the Mud Nationals in Jacksonville is now under investigation. The video shows Chelsea Swain being attacked by several men. She posted a picture of herself getting treatment in Tyler and asking for help in finding the persons responsible for the injuries. Initially she said she did not want to file a report with authorities. But, earlier this week she contacted the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department and made a report. They say the incident is now under investigation.
TYLER – Tyler police have announced additional charges against two men accused of planting gas card skimmers. Now charged with engaging in organized criminal activity are Yoan Marquez Ramos, 28, of Haltom City and Jordan Adrain Borroto, 23, of Mansfield. The men were arrested in February after a card skimmer was found in a pump at a Bullard gas station. They were arrested following a chase when they realized officers saw them trying to remove the skimmer. They were already under an investigation which had found out this criminal organization had previously made 780 fraudulent transactions on at least 187 different credit cards in 29 cities and 3 different states. They remain in the Smith county jail, each under bonds of over $1.75 million. Read the rest of this entry »
NACOGDOCHES – The Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Department is looking for a woman wanted for interference with child custody. She is Carie Ann Durrett, 38. She was ordered by a court to surrender her 8 month old child. She refused and Sheriff Jason bridges says she is on the run with the child. It is believed that Chevie Durrett is in danger. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the Nacogdoches County Sheriff Office. Read the rest of this entry »
ELKHART – There has been another school lockdown in Anderson County. On Tuesday it was at Palestine High School. On Wednesday, and identical situation surfaced at Elkhart High School. A hand-written note taped above a water-fountain said “I’m gonna’ shoot up this school. Check your bags before 2:00.” The note was found just before 10:00. After a thorough search of buildings, students and their backpacks, the lockdown was lifted just over an hour later. As a precaution, two sheriff’s deputies were posted on the campus for the rest of Wednesday and will be there all day Thursday.
EAST TEXAS – For the second time in three months, federal immigration and customs officers have made arrests in North Texas and Oklahoma. The 89 criminal aliens and immigration violators ranged in age from 19 to 60. Most those arrested during the operation had criminal histories. Twenty three of the people arrested had illegally re-entered the U. S. after having been previously deported. Seven of the arrests were made in Tyler and six were made in Longview. The three day enforcement action ended last Thursday.
LONGVIEW – Gregg County has received money for some road improvements. The members of the North East Texas Regional Mobility presented county commissioners Wednesday with a check for $400,000. This is for reimbursement for the improvement work on U.S. Highway 259 at Hawkins Parkway. The county becomes the first recipient of the NET RMA’s Priority Project Program funding. The money was set aside in 2015 for the counties to fund their priority projects. The money was unused, so the agency was able to supply the Gregg County with two years of funding.
LONGVIEW – A Longview School District employee has been put on administrative leave pending an investigation. He is assistant band director Brandon McFarland. Our news partner KETK reports he was put on leave following allegations stemming from a school-sponsored trip to Florida over the spring break. The investigation stemmed from the educator bragging to students about an incident that happened during the trip. The school stressed there was no physical contact between any student and McFarland. A Spring Hill High School graduate in 2011, McFarland was hired by the Longview school system last June.
TYLER – The Ms. Texas Senior Classic Pageant is returning to Tyler. After being held in the Metroplex for 20 years, the pageant was held in Tyler the past two years. At a news conference Tuesday morning, the pageant’s State Director, Peggy Wagner of Plano, announced it will be returning to Tyler this September to the Holiday Inn on South Broadway. While in Tyler, the pageant has grown so, they had to add additional seating last year. The pageant is all about changing the image of aging. It is for women ages 60 and older. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Several Smith County employees were recognized, during Tuesday’s Smith County Commissioners meeting, for their years of service to the county. One of those was fire marshal, Connie McCoy-Wasson. She was honored for 25 years of service. She has held her current post since November 2015. She is the first woman to hold the post of county fire marshal. Prior to that she served as deputy fire marshal for more than 20 years. McCoy-Wasson wears many hats. She is also the county’s emergency management coordinator, chairwoman of the Local Emergency Planning Committee and treasurer of the Smith County Volunteer Fireman’s Association. This is a far cry from 1993, when she was hired as secretary by the late Fire Marshal Charles Shine. Since then she has gone to school and earned her certifications to become a firefighter, investigator and inspector, as well as earning her peace officer license.
KILGORE – A Rabies infected bat has been found on the Kilgore College Campus. Our news partner KETK reports the bat was found last week near the fine arts building. The test results that came back on Monday showed the bat tested positive for rabies. Students who touched the animal will be given the rabies vaccine injections. Kilgore police say it is unusual for nocturnal animals to move about during the day. Their warning is, don’t touch wild animals. If an animal appears to be sick, it probably is, so, don’t touch it.
EAST TEXAS – Threats against schools in Longview and Palestine have surfaced. Two Longview High School students have been suspended after threats surfaced on Instagram. Some students reported the posting, which has since been deleted. So far there have been no arrests and school officials say the students were suspended indefinitely. Meanwhile, at Palestine High Shool, a lockdown has been lifted after a threatening note was found on the campus. The entire campus was searched, including the students’ backpacks. When no weapons were found by 12:30, classes returned to normal following lunch. Longview and Palestine police are continuing their investigation of the two incidents.
KILGORE – A standoff with Gregg County sheriff’s deputies just outside of Kilgore had a successful ending Monday night. A man, whose name has not been released, has been taken to a hospital for observation. It started around 5:00 Monday afternoon with a report of a man, who was disturbed, firing shots from inside a home on Danville road. No injuries were reported and the road, which had been closed during the incident, has been re-opened.
TYLER – School trustees at Monday night’s meeting approved attendance zones for the 2018-2019 school year for its 17 elementary schools. A news release from the school district quotes school superintendent Dr. Marty Crawford as saying that adjusting the elementary school attendance zones will balance enrollment projections, continue to offer neighborhood schools, provide efficiencies in resource allocation and allow administrative tools to be deployed prior to considering a tax referendum. Zoning information for all TISD schools is available at https://www.tylerisd.org/zones Letters from the district containing zoning information will also be sent to each Tyler ISD household by April 1.
LONGVIEW – A Monday recount has affirmed that Easton Mayor Shannon Brown won the March Democratic Primary for Gregg County Commissioner in Precinct 4. The recount total showed Brown with 1,047 votes to Kasha Williams’ tally of 1,042. Those are the same vote results shown election night. The Longview News Journal reports Williams may challenge the results and is seeking legal advice. The paper says the issue centers around mail-in ballots that pushed Brown to victory.
NACOGDOCHES – A suspect is in custody in connection with a threat made against a Nacogdoches School. Mike Moses Middle School Principal Stephen Autrey posted on Facebook Sunday the threat was made against his school on the social media. The investigation resulted into the arrest of the suspect before lunch time on Sunday. No details were released about the nature of the threat or information about the suspect. Autrey said in his posting, “With the individual in custody, we do not feel that a threat to our school remains.”
TYLER – Beginning Monday, TxDOT started traffic counts in the Tyler district’s 8 counties. Motorists will notice road tubes at 6,400 locations around the Tyler district. The traffic data will be collected 24 hours a day on all system roadways through April 26th. Contract personnel are collecting the data for TxDot in Anderson, Cherokee, Gregg, Henderson, Rusk, Smith, Van Zandt, and Wood counties. The data is used for planning, funding distribution and pavement and bridge design. Other counts are also conducted annually by TxDOT’s Traffic Data Collection Programs.
MINEOLA – The Mineola Police Department is looking for two men who burglarized a convenience store early Monday morning. The two two broke into Young’s Chevron on East Broad Street. They left after loading a large amount of cartons of assorted brands of cigarettes into large trash cans. If you recognize the suspects, you are asked to contact the Mineola Police Department.
Second Suspect
MARSHALL – Two northeast Texas schools have signed an articulation agreement. The agreement has been signed by the school president’s of East Texas Baptist University in Marshall and Northeast Texas Community College in Mount Pleasant. The agreement will ensure that eligible graduates of NTCC will be able to seamlessly transfer approved courses, receive priority for admission and scholarships at ETBU. The University will also offer $11,000 each year in academic support to Phi Theta Kappa students.
KILGORE – A church van has been stolen in Kilgore. It belongs to Old Path’s Tabernacle on Green Hills Drive. It was reported stolen Monday morning. It’s a 2002 Dodge van, white in color, with Old Path’s Tabernacle decals. The license plate number is BM9-L570. If you see this vehicle you are asked to contact Kilgore Police.
MOUNT PLEASANT (AP/STAFF) — Authorities have identified a Tennessee trucker and four members of an Illinois family who died in an East Texas traffic accident. The Department of Public Safety on Saturday said investigators are trying to determine why a big rig rear-ended a minivan stopped on Interstate 30 as an earlier unrelated wreck cleared. Sgt. Sylvia Jennings says 64-year-old Wanda Gebhart of Pikeville, Tennessee, died at the scene Friday on eastbound I-30 at Mount Pleasant, 100 miles northeast of Dallas. Jennings says 41-year-old Jessica Brokish of Savoy, Illinois, and her three children were also killed. DPS didn’t immediately release names of the boys — ages 9 and 6 — plus a 2-year-old girl. The woman’s husband was driving. He has since been released from the hospital.
MARSHALL – One person has been seriously injured in a vehicle/pedestrian accident in Marshall. It happened Shortly after 5:15 Wednesday afternoon. The person ran across several lanes of traffic from the west side of East End Boulevard and ran into the path of a southbound vehicle. The person was first taken to a Marshall hospital and later transferred to a Tyler hospital where he remains in ICU. The accident remains under investigation.
KILGORE – Pending board approval, D’Wayne Shaw has been named Kilgore College’s new Dean of Public Services and Industrial Technologies. He succeeds Randy Lewellen who retired earlier this year after almost 28-years at the school. Shaw has most recently served as KC’s Technical Dual Credit Coordinator since August of 2017 and has also served as the Technical Department Chair at KC since 2011. He was first hired at Kilgore College in 1999 where he served as an automotive instructor.
GLADEWATER – Funeral services have been scheduled for the former mayor of Gladewater and a longtime trustee at Kilgore College. James Walker was 82 when he died Thursday. According to the obituary from Croley Funeral Home, services will be Monday morning at 11:00 at the First United Methodist Church in Gladewater. Burial will follow services at Gladewater Memorial Park. The family will receive friends Sunday afternoon from 4:00 until 6:00pm at Croley Funeral home in Gladewater.
MARSHALL – A man wanted in connection with a Marshall shooting has been arrested. The warrant for Demetrius Tranell Williams was issued shortly after the March 7th shooting. It started with a fight near the playground at the Belaire Manor Apartments on West Rusk Street. A man received a non-life threatening gunshot wound. Officers found Williams on East End Boulevard shortly after 2:45 yesterday afternoon. He was arrested without incident. He is now in the Harrison County Jail, charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and and unrelated charges of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance.