Today is
Saturday June 06, 2026
GILMER – Two Upshur County burglary suspects are in the hospital after being shot by the owner of the business. It happened just before 1:45 Thursday morning at Discount Tobacco in Gilmer. The stores owner said found the two in his store and shot at them as they fled. A check of area hospitals turned up two persons with gun shot wounds at Longview Regional Hospital. One had been shot in the chest and the other shot in the rear end. Gilmer Police Chief Mark Case says the investigation is continuing.
MARSHALL – A grand jury in Marshall has indicted a Gregg County woman for the sexual assault of a child. Named in the indictment was Zoya Grace Rogers, 28, of Kilgore. The Longview News Journal reports rogers was named in two counts of sexual assault of a child who was younger than 17. She was also indicted on charges of abandoning/endangering a child with criminal negligence. She is said to have left a child, younger than 15, alone for several hours. And the indictment says she knew that the child was autistic.
AUSTIN – The Presiding Officer Of North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority will continue heading the organization. Governor Gregg Abbott reappointed Linda Ryan Thomas to the post. Her term is set to expire February 1, 2020. Thomas, who lives in Longview, is a general partner at Butter Ryan Partners, Limited. The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority was established in 2004. It is an independent government agency created to accelerate the development of transportation projects in 12 North East Texas counties, including Smith and Gregg.
GREGG COUNTY – Motorists may experience some travel problems on Interstate Highway 20 in Gregg County on Thursday. Westbound motorists may expect a slowdown at the 590 mile marker. The westbound outside lane will be closed for work throughout the day at between Farm Road 2087 and State Highway 31.
LONGVIEW – The Governor’s Small Business Forum will be held in Longview on Thursday. It will be held at the Summit Club, 3700 Judson Road, from 8:00am till 2:00pm. Parking and lunch are provided. The forum provides small business owners with advice on how to start, operate, grow and sustain their businesses. You can go to https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/business/One_Page_Agenda_-_Longview_3.pdf to see the updated agenda.
TYLER – Sheriff Larry Smith and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office is presenting its annual “Citizen Awareness Trainingâ€. It is being held Thursday evening from 6:00 until 9:30pm at the Tyler Junior College-West Campus in room #104. This training will focus on drug abuse, the “Opioid Crisis†and how it affects Smith County. Speakers making presentations at this training event include Sheriff Larry Smith, and Dr. Emmanuel Elueze MD. Dr. Elueze is an expert in the study of addictions. This training event is open to the public and there is absolutely no cost to attend.
TYLER – The Tyler city council, Wednesday, approved accepting an $11.8 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration. The money will be used to fund about 90% of ongoing improvements to Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. $3.5 million will be used for the relocation and installation of a new instrument landing system on the newly constructed Runway 4-22. This will allow the airport to accommodate operations by larger aircraft, on a regular basis, during instrument flight rules conditions. The remainder of the money will be used to fund 90% of the 2018 Taxiway Charlie/Foxtrot Rehabilitation Construction Project. A ribbon cutting for Runway 4-22 is planned for November 9th.
MARSHALL – A Longview man has been indicted in connection with a fatal Harrison County accident. Brian Keith Woods, 48, was indicted for intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and two counts of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury. He is accused of hitting three pedestrians who had stopped to help a driver parked on the side of the road. The May 19th accident occurred on Interstate Highway 20 near Marshall. Killed was Sylvia Marie Keiter of Shreveport, Louisiana. One of the two persons injured was Sherri Beeson, 41, of Winona.
BULLARD – The new Director of School Safety for the Bullard school system is now on the job. Sworn in on Monday was John C. Jones. He was named to the post in late July. Over the past 20 years, Jones has served as a staff sergeant for the mortar section, of the United States Army National Guard. He has also served as a Special Agent for the FBI. He joined Bullard ISD after his retirement from the FBI. Jones and his wife have three children in the Bullard school system.
TYLER – An elderly Tyler man, who had been reported missing, has been found. Tyler Police had asked for help in finding Isiah Champion, 83. He left his home on West 34th Street Tuesday morning and was believed to have walked towards a park in the area. He had not been seen since he left his home. The police report he has been found safe and returned home.
LUFKIN – A missing East Texas teen is safe. The Angelina County Sheriff’s Department had put out a missing persons report for Vanity Anastasia “Ana” Jones, 18. She had been last seen at her home in Huntington on Sunday. She was said to have been missing and considered endangered .The sheriff’s department reports she was found in Tyler, with the help of the Tyler Police Department.
TYLER – The Smith County grand jury has indicted two men in connection with the death of a Bullard woman in July. Last week, the grand jury indicted Charles Edward Lennon III, 29, of Bullard, (pictured) with capital murder. His father, Charles Edward Lennon Jr, 56, of Tyler, was indicted for tampering with evidence. They had been charged in the death of Rachel Lynn Jackson, 31. The son is said to have been beaten her to death with a tire knocker.
TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler is looking for participants for their early childhood reading program. The program is called “Born to Read.” It is for soon-to-be parents and parents of children who are 3 and younger in Tyler and East Texas. The program is designed to give parents the tools they need to support their children’s early language and literacy development. The cost is free to the first 25 parents who sign up by October 12. Parents who register for the program are expected to participate in a 2-hour training seminar in October and one-hour monthly meetings from November to June 2019. Parents will also receive free access to literary resources and training. Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS – Don’t be surprised if your cell phone, and all those around you, goes off Wednesday. In fact, cell phones all across the country will go off Wednesday afternoon at 1:18 East Texas time. It is first nationwide test of a wireless emergency alert system. FEMA says the alert will not interrupt a phone call or an active data session. Even if you have opted out of other emergency alerts, you should still receive the national alert. The message will say, “Presidential Alert: This is a test of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” About two minutes later, the broadcast system will send a similar message through radio and television stations. Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS – State troopers have begun a month-long project that highlights school bus safety. During October, state troopers will be riding on or following school buses to catch motorists who break the law. State troopers will also be patrolling areas where school buses pick up and drop off students. School officials from 14 area counties, Anderson, Henderson, Van Zandt, Cherokee, Smith, Rains, Wood, Camp, Upshur, Gregg, Marion, Harrison, Rusk and Panola, have identified areas along their bus routes where traffic violations are common. They have passed on this information to local troopers. Drivers who violate the law could face fines as much as $1,250. Read the rest of this entry »