Today is
Sunday June 07, 2026
EAST TEXAS – Weekend rains have caused some area burn bans to either be lifted or modified. Gregg County lifted its burn ban Monday. County Judge Bill Stoudt said the county has received sufficient rainfall, and drought conditions have abated. Rusk County commissioners on Monday rescinded an unconditional ban and enacted a provisional one. Rusk County residents can burn outdoors if they take the proper precautions. This means they can burn out doors by using a burn barrel under certain circumstances. There are still burn bans in place in Smith, Cherokee, Upshur, Wood and Harrison counties.
TYLER – Tyler police have arrested a man they say was trying to pawn stolen items. Wendell Halkman, 23, of Fort Worth is said to have broken into a Tyler home on Sunday. He then took the items he had taken from the home to First Cash Pawn on South Broadway. When they saw he was not familiar with the value of the items he was trying to pawn, they called police. As officers started arriving, he fled on foot. They later found him hiding in a dumpster at Broadway and Amherst. He is being held in the Smith County Jail for burglary of a habitation and evading arrest. He is also wanted in Fort Worth for robbery.
TYLER – Free rides are being offered, for a limited time, to Tyler Junior College. Tyler Transit and TJC have partnered to create the “Invest in our Future” campaign. It allows students, parents and guardians to ride the Tyler Public Transportation System’s fixed routes for free when riding to TJC. The campaign will run through the end of the month. Registration for fall classes at TJC continues now through August 26. A bus stop is located on the TJC main campus at the corner of Fifth Street and Baxter Avenue. Read the rest of this entry »
DALLAS – Mail processing operations are resuming at a Mentroplex postal facility. Postal officials have announced the North Texas Processing and Distribution Center in Coppell resumed daily operation on Monday. Last Tuesday the facility was shut down when mercury spilled from an improperly mailed package. Mail on its way to the Tyler area is routed through this facility. While the north Texas mail center was shut down, mail was diverted to other mail processing facilities in the Metroplex area. This slowed and delayed mail coming to this area. But now, since the plant has been cleaned and certified to be safe, mail delivery is returning to normal.
LONGVIEW – The Gregg County Sheriff’s Department is reporting that people are once again getting the IRS scam phone calls. Someone is calling, claiming to be an IRS official, wanting payment for a past due tax bill. They try and con the victim into sending cash, usually through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. They may also leave “urgent†callback requests through phone “robo-calls,†or via phishing email. The IRS says, this is not the way they operate. If you don’t owe back taxes, or have no reason to think that you do, don’t give out any information, just hang up.
ATHENS – A Silver Alert has been issued for an Athens woman. The Department of Public Safety issued the alert for Diana Lynn Musella. She was last seen leaving her apartment around 9:00 Wednesday morning. When she never arrived at her destination that day, she was reported missing. She is said to be driving a silver or beige Toyota Corolla with the Texas license plates DNZ2279. If you see her, you are asked to contact the nearest law enforcement agency.
EAST TEXAS – Another area county has been added to the burn ban list. There are over a dozen counties on the list, including Smith and Gregg counties. That latest to join the list is Wood County. Sheriff Tom Castloo say the county is now under a burn ban effective immediately.
TYLER – The annual United Way campaign in Smith County is off and running. The campaign had its kickoff Thursday as it attempts to raise funds to support 34 programs in the county. Through these programs, the United Way serves an average of 60,000 persons each year. Their goal this year is to increase its donor base by 20% over last year. That would bring it to just over 6,100 donors. And, again this year, anyone contributing $5 or more per week to the Smith County United Way campaign is automatically entered in a drawing for a car.
TYLER – UT Tyler’s Innovation Academy has been rebranded. The kindergarten through 12th grade charter school’s new name is University Academy. Dr. Jo Ann Simmons, the University Academy superintendent, said the name is appropriate because their students will graduate with an average of 30 hours of college credit from a UT institution. Operated by the UT Tyler College of Education and Psychology, University Academy enrolls more than 750 students on campuses in Palestine, Longview and Tyler. The charter school was founded in 2012. It will graduate its first class in the Spring of 2019.
TYLER – Tyler ISD Athletics has announced a new bag policy for CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium. It is being implemented for the 2018 football season to enhance security measures. Fans are encouraged not to bring any types of bags inside CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium during football games; however there are exceptions. Read the rest of this entry »
COPPELL – Area mail service has been disrupted because of a hazardous material spill in the Metroplex. Tuesday, there was a mercury spill at the processing and distribution center in Coppell. Mail on its way to Tyler is routed through this facility. The spill, which came from a package that had been mailed, caused delays in mail distribution. There is no official word as to when normal mail service will be reestablished. We understand it may not be until early next week. Meanwhile, the Postal Service has temporarily suspended operations at the North Texas facility, and mail is being redirected to other processing facilities.
PAYNE SPRINGS – The fire chief in Payne Springs has been suspended following his arrest. The volunteer fire department’s Face Book page says Randy Harley, of Mabank, has been suspended indefinitely. This follows his arrest for bribery and tampering with a governmental record. He was arrested by the Henderson County Fire Marshal’s Office. Harley was booked into the Henderson County Jail on Thursday. He was later released under bonds totaling $60,000.
TYLER – Tyler has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. It is for the fiscal year 2017-2018 budget document. This is the twelfth consecutive year that Tyler’s budget document has received this special recognition. The award, from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada, was presented to the Mayor and Council during the Wednesday’s city council meeting.
TYLER – A Flint man has been arrested for the aggravated sexual assault of a child. Arrested was Levester Cauley, 72. He is currently free on a $250,000 bond. The victim in the case told a family member who told the youngster’s mother, who in turn reported it to the sheriff’s department. After a medical evaluation and forensic interview, investigators determined that the step-grandfather had sexually assaulted the victim. On Tuesday, an arrest warrant was obtained for Cauley. He was arrested the following day.
MARSHALL – A ceremony has been held, as four new Marshall policemen took their oath of office. The ceremony was held late Thursday morning at the Marshall Police Department. All four have been assigned to the patrol division. The men are Cory Lemons of Whitehouse, Jordan Stiff of Waskom, and Dustin Gauthier of Marshall, all who graduated from the East Texas Police Academy last Friday. The fourth man is Michael Spencer of Marshall, who graduated from the Central Texas Police Academy in June of 2015.