Today is
Saturday July 25, 2026
LONGVIEW – The entertainment lineup for Longview’s July 4 Fireworks and Freedom Celebration has been announced. Sammy Kershaw will headline the outdoor free-to-the-public concert to be held just before the big fireworks show. The Ray Johnston Band is also scheduled to perform. The entertainment will be at the Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Complex on Wednesday, July 4th.
PALESTINE – There is a new head of the Palestine Economic Development Corporation. The Palestine city council named Gayle Cooper to the post at a meeting last week. Cooper comes to Palestine from Winnsboro, where she was the director of the Winnsboro Economic Development Corporation. Before coming to Texas, Cooper worked with several economic development organizations in Metro Phoenix, including the City of Goodyear and the Greater Yuma Arizona Economic Development Corporation. Corporation.
TYLER – Voters head to the polls from 7:00 to 7:00 on Tuesday for voting in the primary election. The election will include contested races for U.S. and state representatives, judges, district attorney, district clerk, commissioner and justices of the peace. Most of the contested races will be decided in the primary election. Smith County voters will be able to cast their ballots at any of the county’s 34 polling locations. You can go to https://www.smith-county.com/Government/Departments/Elections/CurrentElection.aspx to find a list of the polling locations. You can also find sample ballots at the same link. There was an increase in early voting with nearly 13,000 votes cast. This is up nearly 10% from the 21014 total. You can follow the returns Tuesday night KTBB as well as KTBB-dot com.
TYLER – A Henderson County man is jailed in Smith County for making a terroristic threat. Tyler James McGill, 20, of Brownsboro, was arrested shortly after 2:00 Monday morning at a south Tyler apartment. The arrest stemmed from a Snap Chap video that showed two firearms and the text which said, “coming to a school near you.” Also in the video was a Whitehouse-Troup road sign. Friends said they thought McGill was joking. Sheriff Larry Smith said his office takes any potential threat seriously and will act accordingly. McGill was booked into the Smith county jail under a $25,000 bond.
WHITEHOUSE – Two persons have received minor injuries in a three vehicle accident involving a Whitehouse school bus. It happened around 7:15 Monday morning on Farm Road 346 at County Road 15. The bus had stopped, preparing to turn, and a car was stopped behind the bus. A second car didn’t see the vehicles had stopped and hit the stopped car which in turn hit the bus. A child on the bus was taken to a Tyler hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the car that had been stopped was taken to a Tyler hospital in stable condition. The Department of public Safety reports the accident remains under investigation.
TYLER – UT Health East Texas has announced Vicki Briggs has been appointed chief executive officer of UT Health Tyler. Briggs brings a 30-year healthcare career to Tyler. UT Health Tyler was formerly East Texas Medical Center. Ardent Health Services and The University of Texas Health Science Center Tyler, UT Health Northeast, completed the purchase of ETMC on March 1. The purchase forms the 10-hospital UT Health East Texas system.
GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) — A Texas man has been arrested in a hit-and-run accident that killed a man in Kansas in November. Great Bend police say Rodney Campbell Jr., 58, of Anderson County, Texas was arrested Thursday in Texas. The Hays Post reports Campbell Jr. is accused of hitting 65-year-old James Zager with his car in November while Zager was walking across a street in Great Bend, Kansas. The driver then fled the scene. The Barton County District Court issued an arrest warrant for Campbell on Wednesday for failure to stop or remain at the scene of the accident.
TYLER – Minor injuries were reported in a car-train accident in Tyler Sunday afternoon. It occurred around 3:30 at the railroad crossing at Oakwood Street and Spring Avenue. A witness told officers the car had already entered onto to the tracks when the crossing arms came down. The driver tried to make a U-turn, but was hit by the slow moving train. In the car was a woman and three children ages 3, 9 and 10. The investigation into the accident is continuing.
TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the week of February 26. Weather conditions have had a significant impact on work schedules so some schedules have not changed from the previous week. Schedules are always subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Slow down and pay attention when traveling through work zones.
In Smith County, the contractor for the Lindale Relief Route is planning daily lane closures on Farm Road 16 at Toll 49, and on Interstate Highway 20 at Toll 49. Expect lane closures on FM 16 from 9:00am to 4:00pm., Monday-Friday, February 26 – March 2. Various I-20 lane closures will also be conducted from 9:00am to 4:00pm, Monday – Thursday, February 26 – March 1, and from 9:00am to noon, on Friday, March 2. The schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions. Local law enforcement will be assisting with work zone traffic control. Read the rest of this entry »
LIBERTY CITY – One person has been arrested in connection with a Gregg County stabbing. It happened around 4:15 Friday morning on Smallwood Road in the Liberty City area. Joshua Hyatt, 30, of Tatum, was found in the road with stab wounds. He was taken to the hospital for treatment. Sheriff’s department spokesman Josh Tubb based on what Wyatt and a witness told them, Hyatt and Carter Riley Brown, 20, of Gladewater, got into an argument over a woman. The argument led to the stabbing. Brown has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He’s being held in the Gregg County Jail on a $75,000 bond.
TYLER – A Tyler business was robbed Sunday morning. It was the Valero Gas Station on the Old Jacksonville Highway at Rice Road. The man, who had a handgun, entered the store around 4:30. He took an undisclosed amount of money from the cash register and fled on foot. He is described as a black male wearing blue pants, a grey jacket and red hat. No injuries were reported.
TYLER – The Smith County Sheriff’s Department is looking for four persons in connection with numerous stolen vehicles in Smith, Cherokee, Titus and Henderson counties. They are identified as Jacob Spivey, Frank Meadows, Ashley Hoag and Adam Leal. If you know where anyone of them may be found, you are asked to contact the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. They say Jacob Spivey (pictured) is running from officers since he knows there is a warrant out for his arrest. He is known to stay in several locations in Tyler as well as Bullard. Authorities say Frank Meadows is a known drug dealer in the area. They feel he may be with Ashley Hoag, who has also been named in a felony warrant. As far as Adam Leal, investigators say he is known to stay in the North Tyler Area. You can see pictures of all of the suspects on the Smith County Sheriff Office’s web page.
GUN BARREL CITY – Two persons have been arrested on drug charges in Gun Barrel City. Concerned residents reported what they believed to be illegal drug activity. On Friday, the police served a search warrant at a residence on Tara Trace in the WillowWood subdivision. The two persons were arrested after officers found narcotics, paraphernalia, and weapons. The suspects names have not been released.
LONGVIEW – Crime dropped in Longview last year. The report was presented to the city council last week. According to the numbers presented by Police Chief Mike Bishop, violent crime dropped by 21.7%, property crime fell by 26.8% and the overall Part I crimes decreased by 26.4%. Murder dropped 50%, with 7 reported last year and 14 were reported in 2016. The only area not to see a decrease was in forcible rape, with 60 reported in Longview last year. The same number was recorded in 2016.
TYLER – Three persons have been arrested in connection with the Wednesday afternoon shooting in the parking lot at Best Buy, on South Broadway. Charged with aggravated assault was Wyatt Levi Proud, 22, of Tyler. He’s in jail under a $150,000 bond. Two persons, who were stopped the day of the shooting near Copeland And Shiloh roads were determined to be a part of the incident. Charged with unlawfully carry a weapon were Davonta Tramane Hill, 24, and Michael Franklin, 17, of Tyler. Investigators said an altercation in the parking lot led to the shooting. They say it was a drug related incident. No injuries were reported.
NACOGDOCHES – The Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Department has made arrests in a milti-county auto burglary ring. Along with the arrests, they have recovered property in 26 car burglaries that have occurred in the county. Arrested were Jamarcus Suell (pictured), 23, and Kindrick Davis, 23, both of Lufkin. Warrants are out for a third suspect. They have also identified four additional suspects in thefts in other counties. Investigators say the theft ring operated across five different counties. As the investigation continues, more charges are pending.
PALESTINE – One person has been wounded by a Palestine police officer. It all started as an officer tried to stop a vehicle with two persons around 11:00 Friday morning. But it wouldn’t stop and officers chased into it into the county. When they finally got the vehicle stopped, The passenger pulled a gun. An officer shot the man. He was taken to a Tyler hospital where he is being treated for a life threatening injury. His name has not been released. The other person, a woman who was driving, was not injured, and was questioned. No officers were injured. At a late afternoon news conference, police chief Andy Harvey said that they believe the man was involved in methamphetamine distribution. The Department of Public Safety and Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting.
PANOLA COUNTY – A Longview woman has been killed and another one injured in a Panola County shooting. Killed was Elania Johnson, 44, and wounded was Raven Dotrey, 21. The shooting occurred Wednesday night on a private road in northwestern Panola County. A woman is said to have rescued Dotrey’s two year old daughter from the suspect. Following a ten hour standoff, Jeffrey Mickens, 47, of Carthage surrendered to authorities. He is said to have been Johnson’s boyfriend. He has been charged with murder, attempted capital murder of a peace officer, aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping. Read the rest of this entry »
COLORADO CITY – And Upshur County man has been killed and a Dallas man injured when hit by a tractor trailer rig on Interstate Highway 20 near Colorado City. Dead at the scene of the Tuesday accident was Skyler H. Anderson, 32, of Gilmer. The Dallas man is in a Lubbock Hospital with critical injuries. The Abilene Reporter-News reports the two men were standing in a ditch following an accident. They were hit when the truck served to avoid the wreck. The accident remains under investigation by the Department of Public Safety.
MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying a copper thief. Shortly after 5:00am on February 15th, he entered Keith’s Air Conditioning and Heating on East End Boulevard. He is said to have stolen around $1,500 worth of copper. If you can provide information about the suspect’s identity, you are asked to contact the Marshall Police Department. You can go to the Marshall/Harrison County Crime Stoppers Facebook page to see a video of the suspect.
TYLER – Brookshire Grocery Company has announced it is buying 8 Winn-Dixie stores in Louisiana from Southeastern Grocers. They are all in southern Louisiana. The stores will carry BGC’s Super 1 Foods banner. After the closing process is over, the stores will undergo a brief transition period. They will then re-open as Super 1 Food Stores.
SMITH COUNTY – The City of Tyler Water Utilities is temporarily closing all public boat ramps on Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East. Because of the recent rains, the lakes are currently at an elevation of 376.46 feet Mean Sea Level. The Spillway elevation is at 375.5 feet. Ramps were closed because of boating hazards resulting from debris washed into the lakes by the recent rains. They were also closed to reduce damage from erosion of the shoreline caused by boat wakes. In addition, the lakes are closed to boat traffic from lake residents. The ramps will remain closed until the water recedes.
AUSTIN – A Tyler man has been named to head up a state board. Governor Greg Abbott has named Peter Lake chairman of the Texas Water Development Board. He had appointed Lake to the board in 2015. The Board provides leadership, planning, financial and technical assistance for the development of water for the state. Lake is the former head of business development at Lake Ronel Oil Company, and previously served as director of special projects for VantageCap Partners and as director of research at Gambit Trading.
HENDERSON – A Rusk County man has drawn a long prison term for murder. Earlier this week, Lamarlon Tremone Thompson, 39, of Mount Enterprise, pleaded guilty after a jury had been impaneled in his trial. According to the district attorney’s Facebook page, the jury later sentenced him to 99 years in prison. Thompson had been charged with the death of Floyd Thompson, 60. He had been missing for a month when his body was found in a well off Highway 135 near Mount Enterprise. He had been shot to death. When Thompson was arrested in September of 2016, he admitted to the killing and hiding the body.
BROWNSBORO – A Tyler chiropractor has been killed in a two vehicle accident in Henderson County. Sharn Alexander Dewet of Bullard was killed in the wreck on State Highway 31, just over 3 miles west of Brownsboro. The accident happened around 10:00 Wednesday night. The Department of Public Safety says, for some reason, a pickup ended up in the opposite late of traffic. The truck, driven by 27 year old Bunheng Sok of Athens, hit the victim’s car. Dewet was pronounced dead at the scene. Sok is in critical condition in a Tyler hospital.
TYLER – Reports of gunshots sent Tyler police to the Best Buy parking lot on South Broadway around 2:30 Wednesday afternoon. There was damage to two vehicles, but it is unknown if it was from the gunshots at this time. Witnesses report seeing what appeared to be a tan SUV, possibly a Lincoln SUV leaving the scene. Officers saw a tan Lincoln Navigator, with four persons, traveling north on Copeland Road from Rieck Road. When officers stopped it, they arrested the driver and a passenger for unlawfully carrying a weapon and possession of marijuana. The other passengers were released. Investigators are still trying to determine if they were involved in the shooting.
MARSHALL – Work is underway to repair a broken water main in Marshall. The water main is at the intersection of Rosborough Springs and West Meredith. A gas main that was not marked was damaged during excavation. The intersection of Rosborough Springs and West Meredith is blocked off. Also Rosborough Springs from Georgetown to West Emory is blocked as well while Centerpoint Energy makes repairs to a gas line. Officials say the water main could be repaired sometime today. Until then, residents in this area may experience low to no water pressure.
LONGVIEW – The importance of smoke detectors has been pointed out by a Longview fire. The fire was reported on Monday on Kennedy Trail. It was started when an unattended candle ignited the window curtain. No injuries were reported, thanks to a smoke detector. A woman was asleep in a back room when she was awakened by a smoke detector. Longview fire officials say it is important to have a working smoke detector in each bedroom and adjacent hallway. If you can’t afford one, contact the Longview Fire Marshal’s office to see if you qualify for a free one.
SMITH COUNTY — As witnessed in Flordia, acts of violence continue to affect our lives. Are you prepared? Sheriff Larry Smith and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Smith County Young Republicans and Lone Star Church, are presenting a free active shooter training for the public. The training is Thursday night at 6:00pm, at Lone Star Church, 604 West 4th Street in Tyler. Read the rest of this entry »
ATHENS – Texas Parks and Wildlife Department inland fisheries staff found under an acre of invasive giant salvinia in Lake Athens. It was found Monday in various locations near the Lake Athens Marina boat ramp. The next day a containment boom was deployed from just west of the boat ramp across the cove to the Athens Municipal Water Authority office. The proximity of the Lake Athens’ infestation to the boat ramp leads biologists to believe giant salvinia was introduced by a boater or angler carrying the invasive species on their boat or equipment. Read the rest of this entry »