Today is
Sunday July 26, 2026
TYLER — A section of New Copeland Road, which was closed this morning, has been reopened. Friday morning the Tyler Street Department is closed all lanes of New Copeland Road between Shiloh Road and Hubbard Drive. It was closed while they brought down a big tree that was in the process of uprooting.
TYLER – The new school year starts Monday for Tyler students. The district’s convocation is Friday.Teachers, administrators and staff will gather to usher in the new school year at the annual convocation. It will be held Friday morning at Green Acres Baptist Church. Over 2,500 district employees will hear from School Superintendent Marty Crawford and school trustees. The guest speaker will be Keith Davis, the former New York Giants football player whose career was cut short by a knee injury.Davis went on to create Winners, Inc. It provides tutoring, mentoring, and ministry programs for disadvantaged youth.
KILGORE – Employees of the Martin Gas and Frontier Communications were evacuated for a while Thursday afternoon following shots in the area. No one was injured, but the Martin Gas building and some cars there were damaged by gunshots. Roads around the area were closed for a while as they searched for a suspect. Officers, aided by two drones, searched the area but no suspect was found.
LONGVIEW – A man is being treated for multiple gunshot wounds following a Longview shooting. His wounds are said to be non-life threatening. The shooting was reported shortly after 2:00 Thursday afternoon at the Belaire Apartments on East Young Street. Investigators feel there may have been more than one suspect who fled before officers arrived.
LONGVIEW – Longview police are looking for a woman who robbed a restaurant with a pen. The robbery occurred shortly before 4:45 Wednesday afternoon at the business on State Highway 31. The woman went to pay after eating at the restaurant. When the cash register was opened, the woman grabbed an undisclosed amount of money. She then grabbed a pen from the counter and threatened the employee with it. No one was injured. The believe they may know the woman’s identity.
HENDERSON COUNTY – A portion of U.S. 175 in Henderson County, which was closed due to a live power line down on the roadway, has been reopened. The closure was at County Road 4404 and west about 500 feet between the LaPoynor ISD and Larue. The road had been shut down in both directions. The power company has removed the power line from the road and traffic is being directed through the area. Another brief closure will occur to allow Oncor to conduct necessary work. TxDOT crews are on scene to handle traffic control. No injuries were reported and there was no loss of power.
LONGVIEW – A Longview man accused of breaking into a store nearly two years ago, and firing at police officers, has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term. Nathan David Lanicek, 37, entered a guilty plea Wednesday afternoon. State District Judge Alfonso Charles sentenced to him to 50 years in prison. In exchange for his plea, the judge dropped a burglary of a building indictment. Lanicek broke into Academy Sports and Outdoors store off McCann Road and exchanged gunfire with Longview officers in the early morning hours of November 17, 2015. Several officers responded to the store after multiple security alarms were triggered. The suspect fled to the Best Buy store on West Loop 281. While officers were searching for the man, he phoned 911 and told them where he was and that he had been shot. Police were able to secure the area and Longview Fire Department medics removed him from the roof of the store. He was transported to Longview Regional Medical Center with critical injuries. He was booked into the Gregg County Jail two weeks later.
GILMER- Upshur County authorities are asking for the public’s help in finding a missing woman. She is Jennifer Lyne Lawrence, 33.She was last seen about three weeks ago leaving a residence in the Rosewood/Harmony area. He family has not had any contact with her since that time. She is a white female about 5’5″ tall and weighing around 160 pounds. She has brown eyes and brown hair. If you know where she can be found, you are asked to contact the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department.
TYLER – A Kilgore man is going to prison for federal drug trafficking violations. Andrew Jonathan Hearnsberger, 29, was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark. He pleaded guilty in May to to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin. Federal prosecutors say when Hearnsberger was arrested in January, authorities seized heroin, marijuana, multiple firearms and over $14,624.
TYLER – A Tyler SWAT team raid has resulted in two arrests. Arrested were 56 year old Jimmy Dean Thompson and 38 year old Mark Allen Brown, (pictured) both of Tyler. There were arrested as the officers served a warrant at a home on Overbrook Circle around 6:00 Wednesday morning. Both were charged with possession of a controlled substance. Thompson was also charged with possession of marijuana and was named in an outstanding warrant for theft. Both were booked into the Smith County Jail.
LONGVIEW – There was a promotion ceremony Tuesday afternoon at the Longview Fire Department Training Facility. It was to recognize the employees who have been promoted to higher level positions within the department. Those saluted included:
Andy Parker – Training Section Chief
Kevin May – Fire Marshal
Michael Wylie – Battalion Chief
Jeremie Gothard – Captain
James McNatt – Lieutenant
Justin Jenkins – Lieutenant
Kyle McClenny – Driver Engineer
Logan Ledkins – Driver Engineer
David Thacker – Driver Engineer
TYLER – If you have a Smith County jury summons asking you to report for jury duty today, you do not need to show up at the courthouse. Jury Coordinator Lisa Bennett says Smith County jury duty has been cancelled for all courts on Wednesday. However, if you have been asked to return for jury duty by a specific court, you must still report.
KILGORE – Gregg County Sheriff’s deputies are looking for the person who stole a homemade barbecue pit. The theft occurred around 1:15 Tuesday morning on Farm Road 2276 southeast of Kilgore. It is black in color, with double smoke stacks, and 2 tier shelves inside. The pit also has a wood box located near the hitch, and a rusted fire box located at the rear of the unit. The BBQ pit is made on a double axle trailer with aluminum wheels, with a melted left tail light, and the wiring for lights is not working. If you know where it can be found, you are asked to contact the Gregg County Sheriff’s Department.
LONGVIEW – Longview police are looking for two men who passed counterfeit $20.00 bills. A Hispanic male passed one of the bills at the EZ Mart on McCann Road. The other bill was passed by a white male at Super 1 Foods on East Marshall. If you recognize these men, you are asked to contact Longview police. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – A Longview man has been arrested, accused of attacking his girlfriend. The woman ran into a restaurant to escape Leonard Edward Smith, 39, of Longview. She hid there till police arrived. The Longview News Journal reports the woman said Smith, “punched, grabbed, choked, dragged and slapped” her. She said he even choked her with an extension cord. Jail records show Smith has been charged with assault/family violence by impeding someone’s breath or circulation. His bond is $30,000.
TYLER – Smith County Commissioners Monday approved a $39.5 million dollar bond package to go before voters for November 7th. This is phase one of a road and bridge capital improvements project. It covers the first half of a six year plan. It would be paid out over 10 years. The bonds would be issued as needed in increments of $12 million during the first year, $12 million during the second year and $15.5 million during the third year. Approval of the plan will result in a increase in property taxes of $11.61 for the average home owner. The cost of phase two, the following three years, will be discussed several years down the road.
EAST TEXAS – Authorities have released the name of a man who shot himself following a standoff on Interstate 20 between Longview and Hallsville. He is Reginal Bussle, 26, of Grand Prairie. Department of Public Safety troopers began chasing the driver in Grand Prairie. The chase went through at least six counties before the standoff began involving Harrison County sheriff’s deputies and members of Longview Police Department’s SWAT team. It ended around 10:00 Saturday night when Bussie shot himself. The Texas Rangers are investigating the incident.
LONGVIEW – A Longview burglary suspect was arrested after fighting with the car’s owner on Rosedale Street. The car’s owner was tying to recover what Ceylan Javar Bridges, 20, of Longview, had taken. When Bridges saw the police, he ran. They arrested him after he ran into a house. The items taken in the auto burglary were recovered along with marijuana they found on him. Bridges is in the Gregg County Jail, charged with robbery, theft of property, evading arrest with previous convictions, failure to identify as a fugitive and possession of marijuana. His bonds total $85,000.
GRAND SALINE – A two vehicle accident near Grand Saline over the weekend killed a Van Zandt County man. Ethan Landaverde, 27, of Van died at a Grand Saline Hospital after his motorcycle hit the rear of a homemade trailer that was turning into a private drive. The accident occurred on Farm Road 17. The Ben Wheeler man whose pickup was pulling the trailer, was not injured. The accident was reported shortly after 5:30 Sunday afternoon
TYLER – A proposed name change for Tyler’s Robert E Lee High School is expected to come up at tonight’s school board meeting. The White Nationalist rally in Charlottesville has sparked renewed attention to Confederate monuments and memorials across the country. Some Tyler ISD parents want to change the name of the school. DG Montalvo, who is behind the movement wanting change, told KETK, there is a lot of racial tension still in the city. Another parent who, would like to see the name changed, said Robert E. Lee himself was not a fan of statues honoring Civil War Generals. An online petition to keep the name of the school showed over 9,000 signatures. Supporters for a name change are planning to raise the issue at the school board meeting Monday evening at 7:00 at the Davidson Conference Room at the Jim Plyler instructional Complex located at 807 West Glenwood Boulevard. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Smith County commissioners have called a meeting for Monday morning to discuss the capital improvement plan for roads and bridges. In several meetings over the past couple of weeks, the plan was discussed, including possibly undertaking the plan in stages. They have also discussed ways to fund it. The commissioners are considering a bond election to generate money for the improvements. If they decided to put the bond issue to a vote in November, the deadline to call the bond election is Monday. They have called a special meeting for Monday to discuss the issue. It will be at 10:30am in the commissioner’s court on East Ferguson Street.
TYLER – One of the biggest science events of the year, a solar eclipse, takes place today. While East Texas is not in the path of totality, we will see a partial eclipse, and there are a couple of events in connection with it. The Center for Earth & Space Science Education at TJC offers outdoor viewing and the showing of a 25-minute film about solar and lunar eclipses and how they occur. Those activities began at 10:00am. And the Tyler Public Library is hosting a special event that began at noon. They even have 200 free solar eclipse viewing glasses to hand out. You can get more information on these two activities on the calendar of events on our web site.
TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the Week of August 2ist. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues.
In Tyler, repairs have been completed on Donnybrook Ave. at Loop 323 at the Torchy’s Taco drive. On Monday, crews plan to perform ditch repairs on Loop 323 in front of Goodwill Industries. No lane closures are planned during this work but caution is advised.
You can go to http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/tyler/044-2017.html for a complete rundown of Tyler District work for the next several days.
TYLER – Three persons have been arrested in connection with the burglary of Tractor Supply on Highway 110 South. It was reported Friday morning around 2:30. Arrested walking east of the building was Ediel D. Jaramillo, 31 (pictured). He’s been charged with burglary of a building. Numerous items believed to have been taken in the burglary as well as drugs were found during a search of the suspect’s vehicle. The second suspect, whose mother said he was not home, was arrested climbing out a home on Haynie Avenue. Ronald Christopher Crank-Harris, 30. He was arrested after a brief foot chase. And his mother, Reina Melendez, 47, was arrested and charged with hindering apprehension.
ATHENS – A man convicted of murder in Louisiana has been arrested in Henderson County. The manhunt began with the arrest of one man but another man ran into a wooded area near loop 7 and Farm Road 59, south of Athens. About an hour later authorities arrested Rodney Wayne Baker, 47, (pictured) originally from Athens. He was taken to jail on a parole violation from a Louisiana homicide case. The other man, Richard Anthony Brown, 64, of Athens, was arrested for an outstanding warrant.
AUSTIN – The latest report out of Austin shows area unemployment continuing to fall. Tyler’s unemployment number is not only better than the state’s rate, it also easily beats the national jobless figure. Tyler’s July unemployment rate is 3.9%. This compares to June’s figure of 4.6%. In July of last year, Tyler’s figure was 4.9%. Longview’s unemployment rate went from 5.4% in June to 5.1% last month. A year ago, Longview’s unemployment rate was 7%. Both Texas and the nation had a 4.3% unemployment rate last month.
TYLER – With just under two weeks left in the month, August 2017 is already the wettest August in Tyler since records started being kept in 1896. Through Thursday, The National Weather Service figures show Tyler has recorded 10.95 inches of rain. The previous August record was 10.25 inches in 1915. Three daily rainfall records have also been recorded this month. They are 2.99 inches on August 2nd, 2.54 inches on August 13th and 3.52 inches on August 17th.
TYLER – Smith County commissioners have called a meeting for Monday morning to discuss the capital improvement plan for roads and bridges. In several meetings over the past couple off weeks, the plan was discussed, including possibly undertaking the plan in stages. They have also discussed ways to fund it. The commissioners are considering a bond election to generate money for the improvements. If they decided to put the bond issue to a vote in November, the deadline to call the bond election is Monday. They have called a special meeting for Monday to discuss the issue. It will be at 10:30am in the commissioner’s court on East Ferguson Street.
CANTON – A man has been arrested in Tennessee after being accused of severely beating a woman in Van Zandt County. The U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force arrested Patrick Alan Bieber, 49. He is said to have put a 70 year old woman in her car in Terrell and beat her all the way back to Wills Point, where the two were living. When he found out she reported the incident to police, her took car, purse and rings and fled to Tennessee. He is charged with injury to the elderly and retaliation against a witness for threatening telephone and text messages he left on the victim’s phone.
DIANA – Upshur County authorities continue their efforts to find several bank robbers. Around 5:00 last Friday afternoon, the three men, one who was armed, took an undetermined amount of money from the Security State Bank in Diana. They then fled the bank on foot. No injuries were reported. Authorities have released a picture from a video that was made at a near by business. It shows two of the suspects just before the robbery and before they covered their faces. If you recognize them, you are asked to contact your local law enforcement agency.