Today is
Sunday June 07, 2026
GILMER – An Upshur County Jail inmate has died from a self-inflicted injury. The Texas Rangers’ report doesn’t say when William Meadows, 27, of Longview, died. On July 19, Meadows was found unconscious in a shower. The jail staff administered first aid and he was then taken to Longview’s Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center. According to a written statement from Sheriff Larry Webb, Meadows “appeared to be a victim of self-inflicted harm.†He had been booked into the jail July 11 on charges of violation of a protective order and violation of probation. Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL – One person is arrested and two are being sought in a rash of burglaries in Harrison and nearby counties. Executing a search warrant, officers arrested last week Dewayne Lamont Black Jr., 19, of Longview. He was arrested at a home on Oden Street. He is being held on charges that include engaging in organized criminal activity, burglary of a building, theft of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. His bonds total $51,000. The Longview News Journal reports that items taken in burglaries in Hallsville, Carthage and Rusk County, have been recovered. This includes electronics, firearms and tools. Still at large are Nathaniel Black, 20, and Donn Spearman, 19, both of Longview.
LONGVIEW – Longview police report a missing teenager has been found safe. Kayla Monk, 18, of Longview, was reported missing on July 27th. Detectives report today that she has been located, but they gave no details on how she was found or where she was prior to being found.
EAST TEXAS – Another area county and a city have been added to the burn ban list. Anderson County is now under a burn ban for 90 days. To coincide with that ban, the City of Palestine is now under a temporary burn ban. Other area counties under a burn ban are, Van Zandt, Upshur, Rusk, Marion, Harrison, Camp and Franklin.
TYLER – A second bachelor degree has been approved for Tyler Junior College. The approval comes from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. It has approved the college’s proposed Bachelor of Applied Technology in Healthcare Technologies and Medical Systems. The Texas Workforce Commission lists medical and health service managers as the fifth most-needed occupation. The Texas Workforce Commission lists medical and health service managers as the fifth most-needed occupation, with more than 875 job openings in Smith County last year. In the East Texas region, there is a projected 30% increase in medical and health care services management positions over the next 10 years. The approval notification will now be communicated to the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools/Commission on Colleges, to identify a start date for this degree.
TYLER – A Tyler native has been crowned the 2019 Miss America’s Outstanding Teen. She is London Hibbs, 17. Earlier this month she was crowned Miss Texas Outstanding Teen. She won the national title over the weekend during the national scholarship competition, which was held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. For her talent, she sang “Think of Me,’ from The Phantom of the Opera and was the preliminary talent winner. She also won the preliminary evening wear and onstage question award. For winning the crown, Hibbs was awarded a $31,000 college scholarship. Miss Hibbs will now be speaking to audiences around the country about her platform, “Check Yes 4 Life,” which encourages teen organ donation registration. She will also act as the official National Teen Goodwill Ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
TYLER – Free dental service is being provided this week at Tyler Junior college. Operation East Texas is a free dental, medical and vision outreach. It will run Monday through Friday at the Rogers Nursing & Health Sciences Center on East 5th Street on the TJC Campus. Services available will include limited dental services, including basic fillings and extractions, cleanings and sealants as well as medical and vision screenings. You need to bring a current list of medications and daily supplement bottles with you. All patients must be screened, and the number of screenings per day is limited. Treatment is prioritized by severity, and all patients will be seen by an on-site medical provider prior to receiving dental treatment. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – A man accused of capital murder in Tyler has died after he was found hanging in his Longview jail cell. Tony Waters, 55, of Kilgore, was arrested in Longview on Tuesday. He is accused of the Monday shooting of three persons at a Tyler home. Two of the persons died. Shortly after 12:15 Wednesday afternoon the jail staff, making a regular welfare check of the inmates, found Waters hanging in his cell. He had used his clothes to fashion a makeshift rope. The jail staff started CPR. Waters died Saturday at a Longview hospital. His body was sent for autopsy. The Texas Rangers are investigating the incident. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Three Cubans, who are living in Austin, have been arrested in Tyler in connection with a gas skimming scheme. They were arrested at the Exxon station at 858 SSE Loop 323. Tyler police were alerted shortly before 4:45 Friday afternoon that the suspect had returned to the station to get their skimmers. One tried to run into the woods, but all three were arrested. Police say the three are involved in an ongoing investigation where they used stolen credit card information to obtain cash from several ATM machines and numerous gift cards purchases at several retail merchants in Tyler. Investigators recovered numerous items of evidence that links them to skimmers and fraud. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – Longview police are asking for the public’s help in finding a missing teenager. She is Kayla Monk, 18. She stands , 5’-3†tall, and weighs around 173 pounds. If you have any information about the location of this subject please contact Det. Rebecca Reeves 903-237-1137.
KILGORE – The Kilgore College Diesel Technology program held its fourth annual Diesel Technology ASE Awards Ceremony Friday morning. Seventeen students were awarded certificates. 100% of the graduating class passed at least one ASE Student Certification test. ASE Student Certification is the first step in building a career as a service professional in the automotive industry. Read the rest of this entry »
ARP – A young Smith County boy, reported missing, has been found. Now, his grandfather is facing charges. The two year old was reported missing around 12:15 Friday morning. He had last been seen when his grandfather took him to a park in Arp around 7:30 Thursday night. They were found walking down the street, a couple of blocks from the boys home, around 8:15 Friday morning. According to the Smith County Jail log, 54 year old Burt William Hussey Jr. has been charged with endangering a child, tampering with evidence and possession of a controlled substance.
LONGVIEW – The proposed budget for the city of Longview is now available and easily accessible. You can go to https://www.longviewtexas.gov/2301/City-Managers-Budget-Presentation for the city manager’s budget presentation for Fiscal Year 2018-2019. The City Council will discuss the proposed budget during public hearings and will adopt a new budget in late August.
TYLER – Trustees at Tyler Junior College have approved a a tax rate increase for 2018-19. At Thursday’s meeting the trustees approved a half-cent tax hike. It would bring the tax rate to just over 20 cents per $100 valuation. The proposed rate is still contingent upon further information from the Smith County Appraisal District. The tax increase will help offset the 10% decrease in per-student funding from the state over the last five years. If the proposed rate is approved at the trustee’s August meeting, the average homeowner would see an estimated increase of 65 cents per month. Public hearings on the rate hike have been set for August 16 and 23.
TYLER – A Tyler man has been arrested for stealing a cash drawer from a business. Arrested early Friday morning was 60 year old Gary Lorenzo McCain. Police say shortly after 2:15, he entered the Food Fast on West Houston. When the clerk turned to get the customers’ cigarettes, McCain is said to grabbed the crash register and pulled the drawer from it, and fled. He was spotted walking near the intersection of Glenwood and Houston, trying to conceal the cash drawer under a shirt. He took off running when he saw officers, but was quickly caught. McCain was booked into the Smith County Jail. He is being charged with theft, with 2 previous convictions, evading arrest and 4 city warrants.