Today is
Sunday July 26, 2026
TYLER – The city of Bullard will be getting assistance in housing stray dogs. Smith County Commissioners Tuesday approved an interlocal agreement with the city of Bullard to take its stray dogs into the Smith County Animal Shelter. According to the agreement, Bullard will be responsible for responding to animal control matters within its city, then transporting the dogs to the shelter. The city will pay any fees associated with impoundment, testing, medical treatment or other services. Whitehouse will pay Smith County $50 per dog that is brought to the shelter, as well as an additional $35 for each dog requiring euthanasia. The agreement between Smith County and Bullard is effective through Fiscal Year of 2018. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – A Longview woman has won on the TV game show Jeopardy and she appears on Tuesday’s show as the returning champion. Angela Ward won $11,800 on Monday’s show. According to the Longview News Journal, Ward is a former reporter for the paper. They report that about 18 months ago, she performed an online audition, which is a timed test. Based on that score, she was invited to a live audition in Oklahoma City. Her appearance on the show was filmed in Burbank, California in April. On Tuesday’s show she will be going up against Betsy Knudson of Salt Lake City, Utah and Farhad Mahmoudi of Encinitas, California.
LONGVIEW – Two east Texas programs are in the running for a state-wide award. The Texas Downtown Association has announced Tyler and Longview are finalist for the TDA President’s Awards program. It’s for the Best Promotional Event in the over 50,000 population category. In the running is Tyler’s Toast to Downtown Tyler, a monthly happy hour showcasing local bars, restaurants, and coffee shops in the Downtown area. For Longview, it’s Downtown Live, a free concert series at Heritage Plaza. Winners will be announced on November 8 at the President’s Awards Gala held in conjunction with the 2017 Texas Downtown Conference in McKinney. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Smith County Commissioner JoAnn Hampton has been indicted by the Smith County grand jury. The indictment, which charges Hampton with one count of injury to an elderly person, was returned on September 7th. The incident is said to have occurred on Sunday, April 2, at the Spring Creek Baptist Church on County Road 46. A woman told sheriff’s deputies Hampton entered her closed door meeting with the pastor and started shouting at her. She said Hampton pushed her, causing her to fall and to injure her wrist. The woman was treated and released at a Tyler hospital. Hampton surrendered to Authorities on April 24, and released on a $10,000 bond.
TYLER – 89-year-old Auzie Manning Campbell has been killed in a Smith County highway accident Friday night on State Highway 31 East near County Road 236. According to DPS, preliminary investigation shows Campbell may have been crossing the street to pick up her mail when she was struck by a minivan. Law officers had to divert traffic for a time onto County Road 236. DPS says further information will be released as it is verified.
TYLER – Smith County sheriff’s deputies have arrested two persons in connection with an injured toddler. Arrested this week were Terral Deshon Carter, 26, and Taylor Nicole Skinner, 24. The injured child is recovering following surgery at a Dallas hospital. On August 27th, the sheriff’s department received a call from Child Protective Services concerning a suspected child abuse case. A 15 month old child had been admitted to a Tyler hospital with severe injuries that were consistent with abuse. The child was later transferred to a Dallas hospital. After an investigation, Carter was arrested on a charge of for injury to a child/serious bodily injury. A day later, Skinner was arrested for Injury to a child by omission. Both remain in the Smith County Jail.
MARSHALL – With the start of the new school year, a record enrollment is being reported at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall. The school’s enrollment is placed at 1,533 students. That’s a 5% increase from the fall of last year. And with a freshman enrollment of 419 students, that’s the largest freshmen class in the history of the institution. The school was founded in 1912 as College of Marshall.
TYLER – It has been announced that Dr. Peter J. Plantes is stepping down on November 3rd as CHRISTUS Health’s Senior Vice President of Physician Enterprises and CEO of CHRISTUS Physician Group. He will be succeeded by Jason Markham, 43, (pictured) who will officially take over as Chief Administrative Officer of CHRISTUS Physician Enterprises. Last month, Markham was named Chief Administrative Officer of CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic, a role he will continue to hold in addition to his new position.
TYLER – It is time for the annual fall spruce up at Tyler’s Discovery Science Center. The children’s museum will close starting Monday for complete renovations and updates.The scheduled closing occurs each fall for updating exhibits and facilities and conducting deep cleaning and other maintenance tasks. It will reopen on Wednesday, September 27th. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A Smith County man has man has pleaded guilty to arson and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. State District Judge Kerry Russell sentenced Matthew R. Dutton, 31, of Flint, to 20 years in prison. He was arrested in May for assaulting his girlfriend with a knife and setting his single wide mobile home on fire. The mobile home was destroyed by the fire, which started on a bed. His girlfriend told investigators Dutton was intoxicated when he cut her with a knife and wouldn’t let her leave the home. About three hours after being assaulted, she was able to sneak out of the house and call for help.
AUSTIN – Texas home sales increased in the first half of the year. The same was true in Tyler. According to the Real Estate Midyear Review Report, released Friday by the Texas Association of Realtors, home sales in the state jumped 5.5% compared to the first half of 2016. Over 166,000 homes were sold between January and the end of June. Texas home prices also continued to rise steadily in the first half of the year. The median sales price increased 7.7% from the previous year to $221,800. Tyler home sales increased 11.6% in the first half of 2017 to 1,439 single-family home sales. The median price in Tyler increased 4.9% to $183,000 during the same time frame. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The campus police at Tyler Junior College are investigating a report of a man exposing himself to three women. A news release from the school said it happened around 4:30 Thursday afternoon outside the OHPE faculty parking lot F-8 on main campus. The incident happened as the three were sitting in a car. He was last seen leaving the campus in a tan four-door vehicle. The man is described as a white male, slim build, 6 feet tall, short hair and appeared to be in his 20s. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans. Following the incident campus police issued a campus wide alert and increased patrols of the campus and nearby areas.
LONGVIEW – The 68th annual Gregg County Fair starts Friday and runs through September 16th. There’s the carnival, exhibits, fair food, petting zoo and even pigs racing for an Oreo cookie. Then you add to that the music, contests and the Miss Gregg County Pageant, there is something for everyone. Activities get underway Friday evening at 6:00. Admission is $6 per person. It is free to children 3 and younger, seniors 60 and older, and military personnel with ID. You can go to http://greggcountyfair.com for a schedule of activities and more information.
TYLER – The East Texas Human Needs Network has a new online services directory to help people in need in Smith and Cherokee counties. With access to the internet, you have help in a variety of ways by completing an anonymous help form. Help is available in such areas as abuse and neglect, crisis hotlines and helplines, housing and shelter, legal matters and much more. And there is a tool that enables you to translate the material to your native language. The organization’s founder, Christina Fulsom says, when you need help or answers as quickly as possible, before a small issue becomes an overwhelming problem, help is just a click away on the internet at 903HELP.
TYLER – Tyler has recorded a record low temperature for September 7th. The National Weather Service recorded a low of 54 degrees shortly before 7:00am. The previous record low for the date was 55 degrees recorded in 2011.
PALESTINE – Palestine’s new municipal court judge is Alex Nemer. He was named to the post by the city council at a called meeting this week. Nemer, an attorney, is a long-time resident and served as municipal court judge from January 1974 to December 1976. He has also served as the Assistant County Attorney and later the County Attorney for Anderson County. He succeeds the current judge William Curley starting next month.
AUSTIN – Sales tax rebates from the state are going out. For Tyler and Longview, the numbers are up. The state is sending out $668.3 million in local sales tax allocations for September, 6.2% more than in September 2016. These allocations are based on sales made in July. Tyler’s check tops $3.2 million. That is over 7 1/2% more than July of last year. For the year to date, Tyler’s sales tax allocations total over $30 million. Longview’s September check is for over $2.3 million, or nearly 10% over last year’s check. For the year, Longview has received over $22 million from the state, up just over 1% from last year.
TYLER – Tyler Police are looking for a missing 9 year old Hispanic male. He is Natanael Laja Candelerio. He’s 4’09†and described as slightly chubby. There is no clothing description. He was last seen around 111 West Martin Luther King Boulevard. If you know where he can be found, you are asked to contact the Tyler Police Department.
LIBERTY CITY – A Kilgore teen is arrested on two charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In the Gregg County Jail under bonds totaling $40,000 is Vangie Marie Weaver, 17. She is said to have cut one woman’s hand with a knife. The second woman’s hand was also cut by a knife and hit with a bamboo cane. Weaver was arrested after sheriff’s deputies were called to a home on Cain Lane in Liberty City around 12:45 Wednesday morning. No word on what caused the attack.
TYLER – Now parents of Tyler school students know where their child is after getting on a school bus. There is now an app for that. Introduced Wednesday, the app is called “Here Comes the School Bus.” Students scan on and off the bus with their student ID barcode. It’s a great safety feature and it makes sure your student never misses the bus. And if the weather is bad, the app will alert you when the bus is less then two miles away, so they don’t spend excess time in the rain. You get more information on the “Here Comes the School Bus” app on the TISD web site.
GUN BARREL CITY – Henderson County sheriff’s deputies, who were trying to serve a warrant, also made a drug bust. They were looking for Candice Renea Kirbie, 30, of Mabank. She wasn’t at a Gun Barrel City home. But they spotted her short time later in the passenger seat of a passing pickup. In her purse they found a a scale, a glass pipe and numerous plastic baggies, all commonly used in the sale and distribution of illegal drugs. They also found suspected methamphetamines. Kirbie was arrested for the outstanding felony warrant for the probation violation and charged with manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance.
CHEROKEE COUNTY — A Rusk man has died following a motorcycle wreck around 2:00 Tuesday afternoon. According to the DPS report, Danny Crouch, 68, was traveling south on CR 1910, about 10 miles south of Jacksonville, when he failed to negotiate a sharp curve. Crouch’s Harley left the roadway and crossed a grass median. He was ejected from the bike and pronounced dead at the scene.
TYLER – A grand jury has indicted a Lindale woman in the deaths of two persons just west of Tyler. Indicted on two counts of intoxication manslaughter is Jessica Lauren Vass, 35. She was involved in a wreck that killed Gary McCrary, 62, of Flint and Annette Burkhart, 56, of Garland. McCrary was assisting Burkhart in changing a flat tire on her car when the Vass vehicle hit the back of his pickup which then hit the Burkhart car. The crash occurred April 12th on Loop 49 just north of Highway 64.
TYLER – It is nearly East Texas State Fair time in Tyler and some new attractions are being announced. There will be a countryfest on each Saturday at the fair with live country music. There will also be Matt’s Family Jam, an interactive musical attraction for everyone. There will be pony rides, a live tiger show, a street artist painting murals using only spray paint and a slingshot to shoot you 150 feet into the air. Then there’s the usual carnival, exhibits and fair food waiting for you September 22nd through October 1st at Tyler’s East Texas State Fair.
WINONA – One person has been arrested and another is being sought in the burglary of a Smith County business. The burglary in progress was reported shortly before midnight on Monday. It was at Crystal Springs Spirts on South Main in Winona. While heading to the business, deputies spotted the suspect’s vehicle heading South on Highway 271. After a brief chase, the suspects vehicle left the road and traveled through a field and down several embankments. The vehicle was found abandoned near some woods. Items taken in the burglary was found in the vehicle.
TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the Week of September 4th. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Summer seal coat operations resume Tuesday to finish up work on U.S. Highway 271 in Smith County. The roadway is being sealed from Farm Road 2015 north to .03 mile south of Interstate Highway 20. Once complete, work moves to Farm Road 2767 from Loop 323 eastward to FM 2908. You can go to http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/tyler/045-2017.html for a complete rundown of Tyler District work for the next several days.
TYLER – Tyler Junior College trustees have adopted a new budget of $90,708,721. The approval came at a meeting last week. Under the new budget, full-time employees will receive an increase to their annual base earnings of $600 plus 1%. School trustees also decided to keep the same tax rate. Even though the rate did not go up, they will still be receiving more money from homeowners because the appraised value of homeowners’ property in the TJC taxing district increased. School trustees also kept the same tuition rates, but there was a slight increase in fees. The surcharge for out-of-district students was increased by 1.1% and the no-resident student surcharge was hiked by 1.3%. School officials say the surcharge increase allows those who are not otherwise supporting the College with their tax dollars to pay an “equalization offset.”
TYLER – The month of August in Tyler was the wettest August on record. Tyler’s weather records started being kept in 1896. August also saw slightly below normal temperatures. The August rainfall total was 11.66 inches. Only .15 of that came from Hurricane Harvey. Still the month’s total easily surpassed August 1915 which held the existing record of 10.25 inches. Three daily rainfall records were also recorded in August. They are 2.99 inches on August 2nd, 2.54 inches on August 13th and 3.52 inches on August 17th. And the summer of 2017 was the second wettest on record with 21.45 inches. In the summer of 2007, 23.35 inches were recorded. Despite a cool August, June and July saw above normal temperatures. As a result, the summer of 2017 was 0.4 of a degree warmer than normal.
LUFKIN – A Cherokee County woman is facing a variety of charges after being accused of stealing a Lufkin police car and leading officers on a chase at speeds up to 100 miles an hour. Toscha Sponsler, 33, of Alto was first arrested shortly before 5:30 Saturday afternoon for shoplifting. As officers stood behind the police unit, the woman is said to have slipped out of one of her handcuffs and climbed through a sliding partition and into the front seat. She then drove away. The chase, which started near South First and Loop 287, ended near the state Highway 63 and U.S. Highway 69 south intersection when officers performed a maneuver that caused her to leave the road and hit a tree. Charges against her include unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, escaping and evading police, aggravated assault on a peace officer and possession of a controlled substance.
TYLER (AP/STAFF) — Friends and family have gathered to remember a former Texas high school football and track coach who disappeared while driving during Harvey. The Tyler Morning Telegraph reports that about 200 people attended the memorial Saturday for Ruben Jordan at Liberty Baptist Church in Tyler. Grady Turner remembered Jordan as unselfish with a “kind, loving spirit.” Jordan’s body was found Monday in Houston. The 58-year-old was last seen on August 26 helping people through floodwaters. Jordan, a retired coach at Clear Creek High School, also played football at John Tyler High School alongside “The Tyler Rose,” Earl Campbell. He graduated from JTHS in 1977, according to his Facebook page. From there, he attended Lamar University before going into coaching and teaching. Upon retirement, Jordan opened Friendswood Driving School.