Today is
Sunday July 26, 2026
LONGVIEW – More information has been released about a fatal Longview shooting. The October 15 shooting on Annette Drive killed Nicholas Trevion Johnson, 22. He died from multiple gunshot wounds. Charged with murder in the case is Cody Dewayne Fortman, 21. The Longview News Journal reports, according to an arrest warrant that has been returned in the case, the shooting followed and argument between the two men over a woman and money. Fortman remains in the Gregg County Jail under a $100,000 bond.
JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville is getting a new driver license office. The current office on East Pine Street will close at 5:00pm Friday. The new office on East Rusk Street will open Wednesday morning at 8:00. It will be nearly 3,000 square feet and feature queuing technology that allows customers to get in line online before they arrive at the office.
LONGVIEW – State funds are coming to Longview for one of its trails. The Texas Transportation Commission announced grant funding in the amount of $3,028,235 for expansion of Guthrie Creek Trail. When completed, the extension will provide a connection between the existing Paul Boorman Trail and Cargill Long Park Trail. Together, the three trails will combine to provide over 10 miles of continuous Shared Use Paths in Longview. Earlier this year, the Longview Economic Development Corporation (LEDCO) funded $1,983,923 million for Phase 1 of the project from Cargill Long Park to Akin Park. LEDCO also has pledged to provide up to an additional $4,678,013 for grant matching and other grant-ineligible costs associated with Phase 2 and 3. Construction is expected to begin this year on Phase 1.
MARSHALL – A Marshall businessman and former two term Marshall city commissioner is announcing he is running for the Texas house. Garrett Boersma announced Thursday he is running for District 9, the post currently held by Chris Paddie. The district includes the counties of Cass, Marion, Harrison, Panola, Shelby and Sabine. Boersma is currently president of Commercial Resources, a commercial real estate development and financing company.
TYLER – Tyler school officials were on hand Thursday morning for groundbreaking ceremonies at John Tyler and Robert E Lee High Schools. In the spring, voters approved the District’s $198 million bond proposal that included renovations and additions to both of the city’s high schools. TISD says, because of the package’s approval, around 5,000 students will be in new or renovated spaces. The John Tyler renovations will run $87 million, because the school is newer and they will be able to use more of the existing buildings. The Lee renovations will run around $122 million because the only current buildings to remain will be the field house, auditorium and varsity gym. And the school will stretch south to Shiloh Road.
MARSHALL – Marshall police are looking for a man accused of an armed robbery. The suspect is identified as Dandre Torrez Dunn, 24, of Marshall. A warrant has been issued for Dunn charging him with one count of aggravated robbery. He is said to be the armed man who robbed a convenience store on East End Boulevard South around 10:00 Monday night. The suspect escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash. You can go to https://www.dropbox.com/l/scl/AACRYYAvoZm7XwlPgzCtJ1sT1g1U4Be1bL8 and see a video of the robbery made by the store’s surveillance cameras.
TYLER – A Tyler man has been reported missing and his family is asking for the public’s help in locating him. He is Brandon Harward, 32. They feel he may be in danger. He is diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, which is an autism spectrum disorder. His family says he may be having a breakdown or in distress. Harward was last seen walking west on Shiloh Road about 2:00 Monday afternoon near Rose Rudman Park. He moved to Tyler more than two months ago and worked at Walmart on Troup Highway near Shiloh Road and lived in an apartment on Shiloh Road. He left without any of his belongings including his bicycle, wallet, phone and keys. He is 5-feet-7-inches tall, weighs 130 pounds, is blond-haired and balding, and has blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a long sleeve gray shirt with blue jeans and black dress shoes. If you have seen him or know where he can be found, you are asked to contact Tyler police.
CHAPEL HILL – Detectives with the Smith County Sheriff’s Department have found a credit card skimmer. It was found Wednesday on a pump at a station on Highway 64 East in the Chapel Hill area. The device captures credit card information which is used by the thieves to make fraudulent purchases. Detectives believe that this is part of a large criminal operation targeting a large area.
KILGORE – The Gregg County Sheriff’s Department is looking for two men who robbed the E-Z Mart on Highway 135 in Kilgore. It occurred around 4:15 Sunday morning. The suspects are described as two thin males; both wearing dark clothes and both had their faces concealed. They were said to be driving the car pictured here. You can go to the department’s Face Book page for an audio recording of the robbery.
PALESTINE – Palestine police are looking for the armed man who robbed a service station Tuesday night. It happened at the Mini Mart station on West Palestine Avenue. He was last seen running across the parking lot and into a residential area. A search was unable to locate him. He is described as a black male wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt, black pants, and a white or gray skull mask. The suspect had what appeared to be duct tape around both of his hands as well as both of his shoes. He was armed with a black handgun. No injuries were reported.
TYLER – Republican Texas House Speaker Joe Straus has announced he will not seek re-election. He will step aside in December of next year when his term ends. Tyler Republican State Representative Matt Schaefer was pleased with Straus’ decision. Scahefer said we have had conservative leadership from Governor Abbott and Lt. Governor Patrick. But he said, “we have had a speaker of the house who has stood in opposition to much of what conservatives have been asking for.” Read the rest of this entry »
KILGORE – A new vice president of administrative services and chief financial officer is on the job at Kilgore College. He is Fred Gore, who comes to Kilgore from Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, where he served as associate vice president of finance. Gore graduated from The University of Texas at Austin’s Honors Business Program with a bachelor’s of business administration, earned a master of business administration in finance and accounting from Missouri State University and is currently pursuing a doctorate of business administration in higher education finance from the University of South Florida Muma College Of Business. Gore has worked 31 years as a CPA and 25 years in the non-profit business world which he says will really help with the technical part of accounting at Kilgore College.
PALESTINE – The city of Palestine has issued a temporary burn ban. The burn ban, which was issued Wednesday, coincides with the burn ban in effect in Anderson County. Palestine’s burn ban will last 90 days, or until lifted by Fire Marshal Kelly Hughes.
TYLER – The 84th Texas Rose Festival is officially under way. It started Thursday morning with a ribbon cutting and prayer service at the Rose Garden Center. Reigning over the festivities is Queen Emily Kaye Evans. She says she was surprised when asked to be queen. Her parents surprised her with the invitation when they came to where she was going to school at Belmont University in Nashville. She said she was so surprised, she didn’t have words, and she gasped and started crying. At first she said she wasn’t sure she would be able to do it. But after praying about it, she accepted the invitation. And she said she is very happy that she took on this role. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The 84th Texas Rose Festival, begins its 4 day run in Tyler on Thursday. This year the festival will be celebrating with displays of roses and activities such as the Rose Show, the Coronation, Queen’s Tea, and of course, the Texas Rose Festival Parade on Saturday. Activities get underway Thursday morning at 10:00 with the ribbon cutting and prayer service at the Rose Garden Center. Presiding over this year’s activities is Queen Emily Kaye Evans. Last year, around 46,000 out of town visitors attended the various rose season activities. The estimated economic impact for the community was $2.5 million. You can go to http://www.texasrosefestival.com for more information and a complete schedule of activities.
TYLER – A young child was killed when hit by a car in Tyler. Killed was two year old Braylon Lee. The accident happened at the Liberty Arms Apartments on North Broadway around 2:30 Sunday afternoon. Investigators say the driver was driving slowly in the parking lot due to children in the area and that Lee suddenly ran out in front of her vehicle. They say the driver was not a fault in the accident.
MARSHALL – A burn ban went into effect in Harrison County on Sunday. The burn ban was ordered after a consultation with the County Fire Marshal. Drought conditions have developed and it appears as if the conditions will probably continue to deteriorate. Cooking outside on enclosed pits or grills will be allowed, but open fires outdoors and outdoors burning are prohibited until the ban is lifted. The news release from the county said, “with the passing of another dry cold front and the expectation of lower humidity and high wind gusts, it is dangerous to burn outdoors.” It will take a substantial amount of rainfall before the ban is lifted.
TYLER – The League of Women Voters of Tyler/ Smith County is hosting a parley to debate the proposed Texas Constitutional Amendments on Monday in the Taylor Auditorium, Tyler Public Library. The League has teamed up with Jersey Mike’s and Good Shepherd School for a fun and informational public meeting, Parley & Poorboys. The deadline for ordering food was at noon on Saturday. Members of the Good Shepherd School Debate Team will present the pros and cons of the proposed Texas Constitutional Amendments, and Judge Nathaniel Moran will provide a brief, neutral, update on Smith County Proposition A – the issuance of $39,500,000 tax bonds for road construction and improvements. Copies of the LWV-Texas Education Fund’s *Voters Guide *on the proposed amendments will be available (free) to take home.
TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the Week of October 16th. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Smith County – Tyler Maintenance plans to conduct edge repairs on Farm Road 1252 with a second crew performing ditch maintenance on roadways around the county. Expect lane closures with flaggers providing traffic control. You can go to https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/tyler/051-2017.html and see the project update for TxDOT’s Tyler District.
LONGVIEW – A man has died in an early Sunday morning shooting in Longview. Nicholas Trevion Johnson, 22, of Longview, was shot at home on Annette Drive. He was taken to Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center where he later died. The investigation is continuing.
LONGVIEW – Four Longview firemen have been injured in a fire that displaced a family of four. Fire Marshal Kevin May told the Longview News Journal no other injuries were reported in the fire on Gay Street. It was reported around 11:00 Friday night. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
CHAPEL HILL -Three persons have been arrested following a police chase in Smith County. It started Thursday with a state trooper chasing a pickup that had been speeding in south eastern Smith County. The truck finally stopped and the three persons in the truck fled on foot. Earl Nelson Jr., 38, of Tyler,(pictured) was arrested. The search then began for Trinity Driver, 28, of Arp, who was driving the pickup, and Kendall Durham, 28, of Tyler. One of the deputies’ dog tracked them to a home on County Road 2301. It took the sheriff’s department SWAT team to enter the house to arrested the two. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Longtime Smith County Extension Agent Chad Gulley has retired. He has been the County Extension Agent in Smith County since 2011. He has also served the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services in Polk and Nacogdoches counties, for over 17 years. Gulley was honored this summer with state and national Distinguished Service Awards. He received the 2017 Distinguished Service Award at the National Association of County Agricultural Agents meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah in July. A week later he was also honored with the Texas County Agricultural Agents Association Distinguished Service Award at its annual meeting in Odessa. Gulley retired on Friday to begin a new career working for Shelby Savings Bank.
TYLER – A topping out ceremony was held Friday morning for the future home of the College of Business and Technology at the University of Texas at Tyler. The four-story 140,000 square-foot building is expected to open for classes next fall. It will feature student meeting places, classrooms and specialized experimental labs. It will also contain faculty offices, a courtyard, second-floor terrace and specialized landscaping. Those who attended the ceremony were invited to sign the final beam that will be located on the tallest part of the building’s roof.The $56 million structure is part of a larger project that includes an adjacent parking garage, adding roughly 400 parking spaces, as well as renovations to the current Business Building. It will become the new home of the College of Arts and Sciences.
EAST TEXAS – Accidents in Henderson and Cherokee counties have left two persons dead and one injured. The Henderson County accident happened shortly after 5:45 Thursday afternoon on Farm Road 315, just south of County Road 4201, 10 miles north of Chandler. Dead at the scene was Austin Dale Boyles, 23, of Grand Saline. He was a passenger a pickup driven by Westin Dale Milliorn, 19, of Grand Saline. He is in serious condition at a Tyler hospital. The Department of Public Safety reports he was heading north when he failed to negotiate a curve. When he went off the road he overcorrected and went off on the other side of the road where he hit a tree. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The body of a Tyler soldier returns home on Friday for funeral service which will be held early next week. The body of Specialist Alexander Wayne Missildine, 20, will be arriving at Tyler’s Pounds Field Regional Airport around 2:00 Friday afternoon. Serving with the 10th Mountain Division’s Louisiana-based brigade combat team, Missildine was killed October 1st by an improvised explosive device in Iraq. Funeral services will be held Monday afternoon at 2:00 at Green Acres Baptist Church. The family will receive friends on Sunday from 5:00 to 7:00pm at Jackson’s Burks Walker Tippit Funeral Home.
LAKE PALESTINE – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is reporting that Giant Salvinia has been found in Lake Palestine. It is generally in the rear of Saline Bay past the Farm Road 344 bridge. A containment boom has been put across the opening at the bridge with hopes of keeping the plant material inside the contained area. Texas Parks and Wildlife is asking residents to be patient while they try to keep this extremely invasive plant from spreading further. It can easily be spread from one body of water to another by boat or trailer. They are asking people to triple check boats and trailers when leaving the lake to make sure you not taking some of the plant with you.
LONGVIEW – Longview police are investigating an animal cruelty case. Animal control officers have found a dog that had been shot with a 20 inch arrow. The dog was taken to the Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center where the arrow, which had pierced his lungs, was removed. On top of that, it learned the dog had been shot numerous times with a pellet gun and a pellet was still inside him. The dog, which was found near Rawley Court and Glover Drive, will live. If you recognize him, you are asked to contact Longview police.
TYLER – Senior math majors at the University of Texas at Tyler have been recognized for outstanding academic research. Senior mathematics major Vincent Villalobos of Tyler won an Outstanding Student Presentation Award at the 2017 National Math Fest Conference. Also, senior mathematics major Yansy Perez of Tyler placed second in the 2017 University of Texas System Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Research Conference. According to a news release from the school, both students participated in this year’s LSAMP Summer Research Academy. This is where individual research projects are prepared under the supervision of science, technology, engineering and mathematics faculty at the school. It is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
TYLER – A trial date has been set next year for a Smith County capital murder suspect. The trial for Gustavo Zavala-Garcia was set for March 19 during a Thursday pretrial hearing. The date was scheduled for next year as prosecutors await forensic testing on some evidence. The test results are expected to be in early next year. He has been charged with the death of Kayla Gomez-Orozco, 10. She disappeared last November from a Bullard church during worship service. Her body was found days later inside a well on the suspect’s property. According to an arrest affidavit, a witness said they saw the man with Kayla shortly before her disappearance. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.