Today is
Sunday June 07, 2026
TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the week of July 16th. Schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Slow down and pay attention when traveling through work zones.
Motorists should prepare for lane closures on Interstate Highway 20 throughout the week as the contractor for the Toll 49 Lindale Relief Route project paints the bridge railing and beams for the mainlane and northbound bridges. The closures will be implemented from 9:00am to 4:00pm, Monday thru Thursday, and from 9:00am to 12:00pm, Friday moving from I-20 westbound to I-20 eastbound. Additionally, shoulder closures are set for U.S. Highway 69 at the Toll 49 intersection for work on large signs. Work will be performed Monday and Tuesday starting with the northbound shoulder. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler has announced it has been accepted into the NCAA Division II process. The announcement was made Friday afternoon by school president Dr. Michael Tidwell. UT Tyler is expected to join the Lone Star Conference. During a three-year transitional period, UT Tyler teams are not eligible to compete for NCAA championships. The Patriots applied for NCAA Division II status in February, after a nearly year-long vetting process with guidance from an expert consultant and internal research led by the school’s athletic director, Dr. Howard Patterson. UT Tyler currently sponsors intercollegiate teams in 17 sports. The leap into Division II could allow for the university to create a football program in the future.
KILGORE – Two Muslim men, who formerly worked for Halliburton in Kilgore, are claiming they were harassed by co-workers for their religion and because they hail from Syria and India. The Longview News Journal reports the men have filed a federal lawsuit because they were “subjected to taunts and name calling” by co-workers and supervisors. The suit was filed July 3rd in the Northern District of Texas by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. According to the lawsuit, one of the men reported his complaint to Halliburton’s human resources office in September 2015. The suit said he was “abruptly terminated in retaliation for his complaints.” The paper says a spokesman for Halliburton declined to comment on Friday.
KILGORE – The number of Kilgore College Rangerettes has grown. After a week-long tryout, 36 freshmen on Friday became the newest members of the Rangerettes dance and drill team. They come as far away as San Juan, Texas, east of McAllen and Woodward, Oklahoma, which is northwest of Oklahoma City. The announcement, made in a closed ceremony in Dodson Auditorium on the Kilgore campus, culminates a weeklong process for 96 young ladies. The new Rangerettes will join 36 sophomores to make a team of 72.
JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville police held a news conference Friday over an officer-involved shooting and killing of a dog. The officer had gone to a residence on Heath Lane on July 4th concerning a call about illegal fireworks. No fireworks were found. A video shows, as the officer was leaving the property, she was charged by a 100 pound German shepherd. It was running toward her with its teeth showing and growling. The dog tried to bite the officer and she pulled her gun and shot it. Jacksonville Police Chief Andrew Hawkes said, officers do not have to wait until they are injured to protect themselves from injury threat or death.” The incident remains under investigation.
TYLER – Tyler has set a new rainfall record for July 12th. The National Weather Service says Tyler recorded 2.03 inches of rain on Thursday. That makes the date the wettest July 12 on record, and the records go back to 1883. Previously, the wettest July 12th occurred in 1893 when 1.63 inches of rain was recorded.
LONGVIEW – Starting at 7:30 Friday night, the intersection of East Cotton Street and South Mobberly Avenue in Longview will be closed to all traffic. It will remain closed until 7:30 Sunday evening. The same intersection is expected to be closed during the same time period the following weekend. This time period was selected in an effort to limit the impact on motorists. This street work is part of the 2011 Street Bond Fund. This project consists of reconstructing Cotton Street from Green Street to M. L. King Jr., Boulevard with curb and gutter, drainage inlets and pipes, sidewalks, signs, and water and sewer improvements.
TYLER – Tyler is working to get flights back to Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. The city council on Wednesday voted to update the airport’s airline incentive program. This includes waiving landing and space rental fees for 12 months for airlines willing to offer new service to the airport. Also included is a new instrument landing system to help planes land during bad weather. Something else that will help is the expansion of runway 4-22. The expansion project, which has been underway for several years, is expected to be completed by November. This will allow the airport to handle larger aircraft that can fly longer distances.
TYLER – The accused killer of a Smith County girl had a pretrial hearing in a Tyler courtroom Thursday. Gustavo , who is charged with capital murder, listened as a DPS evidence analyst testified it would take another 30 days to test trace evidence, and another 60 days for the DNA testing. Then it will take another 30 days to write the report on the test results. His next pretrial hearing is scheduled on August 16th. At that time we could learn about a trial date. Zavala-Garcia is accused of kidnapping 10 year old Kayla Gomez from a Bullard church in November, 2016. Her body was found days later in a well on the man’s property.
FLINT – A Smith County man has been arrested for cruelty to a non-livestock animal. Arrested Tuesday was Keith Allen McAllister, 23, of Flint. He was booked into the Smith County Jail under a $150,000 bond. The arrest affidavit says a neighbor recorded the incident with his cell phone. The video shows McCallister hitting a puppy 15 times with a leather belt. McCallister has surrendered the dog to a local veterinarian. According to the affidavit, McAllister admitted to hitting the puppy. He told an investigator, he has anger issues.
MINEOLA – The Texas Education Agency has awarded the Mineola School District the Math Innovation Zone grant. A similar grant has gone to four other school district around the state. The three year grant is for $500,000. The district also has the chance for another $100,000 at the end of year. The grant funding will provide for additional staff, professional development, software, and hardware during this three year period.
MARSHALL – The Harrison County grand jury has indicted an Arkansas man in connection with an April murder. Indicted was Michael Gerald Clevenger, 49, Jr., of Cabot, Arkansas. He is charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is accused of wounding his wife and killing her firend, a man from Houston. The shooting occurred a motel in Uncertain, where the victims had been staying, northeast of Marshall. The woman told officers her estranged husband was responsible for the shooting. He was arrested in Atlanta after a short chase with Cass County deputies.
KILGORE – The Region 7 Education Service Center has announced the Lindale ISD Board of Trustees is the 2018 Regional School Board of the Year. Lindale School Superintendent Stan Surratt nominated the board for the award. They will serve as the regional representative in this year’s Texas Association of School Administrators School Board Awards Program. TASA will announce the five Texas Honor School Boards on August 10.
AUSTIN – Sales tax allocations from the state continue to increase in Tyler and Longview. The sales tax allocations from the state comptrollers’ office for July are based on sales made in May. Tyler’s July allocation exceeds $3.5 million. That tops the $3.1 million received last year by nearly 12%. For the year, Tyler has received from the state over $25 million, and increase of over 7% above the same period last year. Longview’s July allocation tops $2.7 million, and increase of over 16%. For the year, Longview’s allocation is up nearly 9% at over $18.7 million.
TYLER – Meals on Wheels Ministry, headquartered in Tyler, has a new president and CEO. The board of directors has announced Kari Kay Kietzer has joined the organization in the top leadership role. She has served as a consultant to the military, NATO and other organizations and has headed nonproft and for-profit agencies. Kietzer, who started her new job on Monday, succeeds long time president Mike Powell who retired. Meals on Wheels Ministry currently serves nearly 3,000 seniors and homebound individuals in 30 communities in Gregg, Henderson, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood counties.