Today is
Sunday June 07, 2026
TYLER – One person has died in a one vehicle accident in Smith County. Pronounced dead at the scene late Monday night was Earl Sidney Brooks, 63, of Arp. The Department of Public Safety report says Brooks, who was not wearing a seat belt, ran a stop sign and ran off the road and into an embankment. The accident occurred at the intersection of Farm Road 2015 and County Road 313, about 6 miles northeast of Tyler.
LONGVIEW – The East Texas Regional Airport in Gregg County is receiving two grants through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program. The grants total $918,000. Our news partner, KETK, reports $810,000 is earmarked for a new taxiway. The remainder of the funds will pay for an airport study. U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao told KETK, “These Airport Improvement Program grants will ensure that a safer, more efficient East Texas Regional Airport remains an economic engine and vital infrastructure component for its community.â€
GRAND SALINE – Van Zant County authorities have arrested a man in a March shooting death. Arrested Monday was Dwight Dean Rosamond, 44. He has been charged with murder in the death of Ricky White II. The shooting occurred at a residence on County Road 1216 outside of Grand Saline. The night of the shooting, Rosamond told investigators White was a prowler and he shot him in self defense. But, investigators feel the autopsy report and forensic evidence didn’t match the story and Rosamond was arrested.
TYLER – Funeral services are scheduled for a former Tyler police officer. Joseph Alfred Barron, 90, died on Monday. He joined the police department on May 22, 1957 and retired in 1989 with 32 years of service. Visitation will be on Thursday, July 19th from 4:00 to 7:00pm at Caudle Rutledge Funeral Home in Lindale. The funeral service will be on Friday, July 20th, at 10:00am at New Harmony Baptist Church.
TYLER – The trials of three men charged with a Smith County murder, have been rescheduled. All three appeared in state district court in Tyler Tuesday morning. The trial of Martin Wesley Reynolds Jr. was rescheduled for August 20th. The trial of Colton Wade Tate and Nathan Ryan Garcia, was rescheduled for September 24th. The three, all from Whitehouse, are charged in last November’s shooting death of Andrew Carpenter, 19. The shooting occurred at a residence on Deerwood Drive, southwest of Whitehouse. The shooting is said to have been the result of an argument between Reynolds and Carpenter.
HALLSVILLE – Hallsville school trustees have approved arming administrators starting in August of next year. The resolution was approved at Monday night school trustee’s meeting. The resolution is the first step in implementing the district’s school guardian program. Trustees also approved intervention counseling for “red card†students. These are students who exhibit behaviors of an active shooter. Assistant Superintendent John Martin told the Longview News Journal, the program enables the district to “approve and enforce policies that allow staff members to have access to and/or carry weapons as a possible means of defense in the event of a violent, deadly act.†Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A meeting scheduled in Tyler Tuesday will look at ways to improve the traffic flow along South Broadway. The public will get its first opportunity to provide input on the U.S. Highway 69 Tyler Feasibility Study that’s looking at ways to improve safety and mobility along the corridor from Amherst Street to Farm Road 2813. The City of Tyler, the Tyler Area MPO and TxDOT have partnered to conduct the study that explores improvements, including what is called innovative intersections along the corridor. The meeting will be held at the First Christian Church on South Broadway from 5:00 to 7:00pm. Read the rest of this entry »
JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville police are encouraging residents and business to join them in a community camera program. The program allows persons to register the locations and capabilities of their security systems. Then, when a crime occurs, officers will know the locations of nearby video cameras to help them collect evidence in the case. They say this is one of the best methods to catch suspects and to convict them. You can get more information by clicking on the Community Camera program link on their web page.
HENDERSON – A woman is arrested in connection with a Henderson robbery earlier this year. Arrested late last week was Ashley Alexderia Page, 32, of Nacogdoches. She is charged with aggravated robbery in connection with the January robbery of the East Texas Professional Credit Union. Investigators used fingerprints found at the scene to lead them to Page. A man, also involved in the robbery, has also been identified. His name has not been released, but a warrant is out for his arrest.
KILGORE – The Kilgore school superintendent will soon announce she is stepping down. Cara Cooke has confirmed she plans to resign. She will be taking a job in a south Texas school district so she can be closer to her husband. Cooke was named the Kilgore school superintended in February, 2013.
TYLER – A Lindale teen pleads guilty in connection with the theft of a Lindale police car. Kelsey Nichole Wood, 18, entered the plea in state district court on Monday. Last November, she is said to have taken the vehicle, driving off at a high speed and injuring an officer. She was arrested after crashing the vehicle into a tree. She has pleaded guilty to aggravated assault against a public servant, felony escape and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Her sentencing will come at a later date.
TYLER – The trial of a man accused of recording a woman in a restroom has been postponed. The jury had been selected for the trial of 30 year old Victor Antonio Cruz-Castellanos of Tyler. But, after a motion to suppress was filed, the trial was postponed until mid August. He is charged with invasive visual recording in a bathroom or dressing room. Tyler police said a woman was going into the restroom when the suspect asked if he could go in before her. He is then said to have put a cellphone in a cabinet across from the stall in order to record her. Officials say the woman spotted the phone’s lens and confronted him. He remains in the Smith County Jail ever since his arrest last December.
TYLER (AP/STAFF) — A rare 7-week-old white lion cub is on public display at an animal sanctuary just north of Tyler. The little African lioness named Luna arrived last week. Someone came across the cub at a breeding facility and brought it to the Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary. She is among fewer than 500 white lions left in the world. Sanctuary director Emily Owen says white lions are endangered due to over hunting. Only about a dozen white lions are left in the wild due to poachers and “canned hunting facilities” where people pay to hunt the lions. The 12 pound cub is bottle-fed every two to three hours. When she is six months old, she will be moved to her own habitat.
TYLER — The countdown to Tyler’s 85th annual Texas Rose Festival is underway following a Friday night kickoff party at Willow Brook Country Club. Rose Festival Queen Amanda Elaine Hiles didn’t hide her excitement about the upcoming event. She told KTBB, “It has just been such an amazing tradition,” adding that “it’s really awesome to be part of… something that’s so special to our Tyler community.” Amanda’s been volunteering in the community since the beginning of the year. That included making a little girl’s last wish come true as Amanda crowned her “Queen of Hearts.” The youngster was suffering from a number of terminal illnesses, and Amanda calls the crowning “a moment I will cherish forever.” The 2018 Rose Festival is set for October 18-21. Go to http://www.texasrosefestival.com to learn more.
MARSHALL – The smoke testing of Marshall’s sewer lines starts Monday. It’s part of the city’s annual program to reduce groundwater infiltration into sewer lines. The process involves pumping non-toxic smoke into sewer main lines. This allows smoke to seep up through the soil and indicate any cracks or line deterioration. These cracks are a source for groundwater to infiltrate sewer lines and overload the collection and treatment system. The smoke testing program also allows the city to locate problems in private sewer lines that need to be repaired. The crews will be testing in the following areas: North Franklin Street, Wausau Street, Summit Street, Louisiana Street, West Street, May Street, Ida Street, Henderson Street, Dallas Street, Hargrove Street and Sledge Street. Read the rest of this entry »