Today is
Tuesday July 28, 2026
TYLER – If you have a jury summons in Smith County on Tuesday and Wednesday, you can forget about it. Smith County Jury Coordinator Lisa Bennett says jury duty has been cancelled for all courts for both days. However, if you have been asked to return for jury duty by a specific court, you must still report.
TYLER – Dr. Julie Delello and Dr. James Newsom, at the University of Texas at Tyler, will be receiving a 2017 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award. With the award, both will received $25,000. The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Austin August 23rd. Delello is an associate professor in the School of Education and the director of The University of Texas at Tyler Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. A University of Texas at Tyler alumnus, Newsom is a senior lecturer in history. Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL – Marshall police say they have identified five persons responsible for stealing from Wal-Mart. Police spokesperson Kelly Colvin says, because of their ages, they are not releasing any other information at this time. Last Friday they said the three men and two women entered the store on East End Boulevard North around 2:00am on July 21st. After filling their carts with around $2,000 in merchandise, they left through an emergency exit without paying.
KEY WEST (AP) – A companion pulled Candice Cooper, 38, of Lindale from the ocean at Smathers Beach Friday night. Key West police spokeswoman Alyson Crean said in a news release, Bill Baker told investigators he spotted Cooper floating and unresponsive in the water. He brought her to shore and called 911. The report says Baker began CPR and she was then taken to a hospital, where she died. Crean says they are looking into suspicious circumstances and the preliminary findings “indicate her death might be a homicide.” No other information was released.
LONGVIEW – An electrical malfunction caused some smoke which set of the fire alarms at the Gregg County Courthouse shortly before 4:45 Friday afternoon. The fire alarm alerted the jail staff to a problem on the 7th floor in the Gregg County South Jail Facility. Some jail inmates were relocated. As a precaution, inmates housed in two adjoining areas were moved as well. The fire alarm system worked as designed and in addition to notification, the evacuation fans removed the smoke from the building. Sheriff’s department Public Information Officer Joshua Tubb said there was no sign of flames or fire. All inmates were rehoused in their assigned areas prior to 6:00pm.
LONGVIEW – A young boy has been injured in a Longview shooting. The seven year old was hit in the arm after a couple of men fired several shots. Investigators say the boy was hit as the men fired toward a house on Douglas Street. The boy is being treated at a Longview hospital. We’ll have more information when it becomes available.
WHITEHOUSE- A three vehicle accident on Highway 110, south of Whitehouse, has killed Murray Clark, 51, of Whitehouse. Clark was killed when a car driven by Dante Roberson, 17, of Troup served into Clark’s Lane and hit the motorcyclist. The car then hit a pickup driven by David Hutton, 51, of Whitehouse. Roberson is in critical condition at a Tyler Hospital. Hutton was treated and released. The Department of Public safety says the accident, which was reported shortly after 6:15 Friday morning, remains under investigation.
LONGVIEW – LeTourneau University has named Dr. Benjamin W. Caldwell as Associate Provost for Academic Administration. His responsibilities include faculty development, support of the provost’s university-wide oversight of academics, and special projects within the provost’s office. He will also oversee the Margaret Estes Library, the Office of Sponsored Programs, and the department of Accreditation and Quality Assurance. Caldwell has served for the past five years as assistant professor in LETU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. Prior to teaching at LETU, Caldwell taught engineering courses at Clemson University.
LONGVIEW – A Gregg County jury found Deion Frazier Reed, 21, of Longview, guilty of murder. He was sentenced him to 60 years in prison. Reed becomes the third person sentenced in the 2012 shooting death of DeAundrey Rossum, 23, at Longview’s Signal Hill Apartments. Reed’s brother and one other man have already been sentenced in the case. Rossum, who was carrying $1,700, was killed after driving three three to Shreveport and then back to Longview on a failed drug run.
TYLER – A 3rd suspect connected with East Texas marijuana fields has been sentenced to prison. Erick Cruz Olemendo, 31, a Mexican national, has been sentenced in Tyler to two years in prison. Two others have previously been sentenced in connection with the marijuana fields that were linked to the Los Zetas Cartel. A 4th suspect, Albert Rueda-Ramirez of Tyler, has a plea and sentencing hearing scheduled for August 18. The men were said to be responsible for fifteen marijuana cultivation sites around East Texas. From July 2015 to last November, around 77,000 individual marijuana plants were seized from the sites. The value of the plants have been estimated at over $101 million.
MARSHALL – Marshall police are trying to identify five persons responsible for stealing from Wal-Mart. The three men and two women entered the store on East End Boulevard North around 2:00am on July 21st. After filling their carts with around $2,000 in merchandise, they left through an emergency exit without paying. They drove off after loading the items in tan colored GMC Yukon. Marshall police believe group may be from the Shreveport area. You can go to https://www.facebook.com/MarshallHarrison-County-Crime-Stoppers-1704018289857844 the Marshall/Harrison County Crime Stoppers Facebook page, to see video of the suspects.
WASHINGTON – “Kari’s Law” – a bill that would require businesses with multi-line telephone systems to have direct access to 9-1-1, with no extra digits, has passed in the U.S. Senate. The bill is named in honor of Kari Hunt, who died four years ago in a Marshall hotel room after being stabbed by her estranged husband. Her daughter tried to call for help, but didn’t know know to dial an extra 9, before dialing 9-1-1, to reach an outside line. The legislation previously passed in the house, where it was filed by Tyler Congressman Louie Gohmert. The two measures must now go to a conference committee to reconcile the differences before going to the president’s desk for his signature.
TYLER – The new dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Texas at Tyler is Dr. Javier Kypuros. The announcement was made Friday by Dr. Amir Mirmiran, provost and vice president for academic affairs at the school. Dr. Kypuros comes to Tyler after serving as associate dean of academic affairs within the College of Engineering and Computer Science for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He replaces Dr. Michael McGinnis who served as interim since January of last year.
ATHENS – A LaRue teenager, stopped for a traffic violation, has been arrested on drug charges. Brady Burnett, 18, was stopped on County Road 4402 for a headlight problem. A search of the vehicle turned up suspected methamphetamine. He was booked into the Henderson County Jail for possession of a controlled substance.
KILGORE – The Teachers of the year for the area have been announced. The Elementary Teacher of the year is Rachel George in the Marshall ISD. The Secondary Teacher of the year is Kathleen Brown of the Palestine ISD. The Announcement comes from the Region Seven Education Service Center in Kilgore. The two educators will now will represent Region 7 as semifinalists for the 2018 Texas Teacher of the Year Award. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – The serving of a search warrant in Longview has resulted in the arrest of Cameo Cornelius Phillips, 33, of Longview. The narcotics search warrant was served by city and county officers on Faircreek Drive. They found found drugs and a handgun during the search. Phillips is charged with possession of marijuana, and the manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance. She remains in the Gregg County Jail under bonds totaling $76,000.
DALLAS – A man wanted for sexual assault in Harrison County has been arrested following a chase in Dallas. Kameron Deshon Maxfield, 22, was arrested earlier this week following a chase that reached speeds up to 100 miles an hour. He was arrested after wrecking his car and a brief foot chase. According to KETK, He is wanted in Marshall after being accused of sexually assaulting his girlfriend back in April. He is also said to have run over her after she got out of his car at a Marshall service station.
TYLER – Another Tyler traffic signal box has been decorated. Keep Tyler Beautiful has added the box at South Broadway Avenue and West Grande Boulevard to its collection. Sponsored by Texas Star Title and Loans, the box features a photograph of an East Texas sunrise over a lake. You can go to http://www.KeepTylerBeautiful.com to get more information on the program.
EAST TEXAS – Texas Senator Ted Cruz will be making stops in Tyler and Kilgore on Friday. The senator starts with a visit at Skeeter Boats in Kilgore at 10:00am. He is scheduled to visit Tyler Junior College at 11:30. The stop includes a visit to the Robert M. Rogers Nursing and Health Sciences Center. This will be followed by with a roundtable discussion with faculty, staff and students of the school. The final stop will be at the general offices of Brookshires on the West Southwest Loop at 1:30.
Two separate traffic stops have resulted in drug arrests in Henderson County. William Allen Henderson, 55, of Athens, was stoped for a traffic violation near La Rue. After finding an open alcohol beverage, the deputy searched the vehicle. A small clear plastic baggie containing crystal like substance believed to be methamphetamine and a pipe commonly used to smoke the drug were found. Henderson was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – A Longview man, Breylon Drachan Fountain 23, has been arrested following a Wednesday night shooting incident on East Whaley Street. Fountain was arrested by a Longview officer who heard a gunshot. He then found Fountain standing besides a swimming pool and holding a gun. Fountain had confronted two persons in the pool when he fired into a nearby wall. Either a fragment of the bullet or wall hit someone, causing a minor injury. Fountain is in jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
TYLER – One man remains in the hospital following a Tuesday afternoon plane crash. The two men involved were treated at East Texas Medical Center in Tyler. They were identified by the Department of Public Safety as Joshua Daniel, 36, of Bullard and Jamie Jackson, 33, of Tomball. Jackson, a flight instructor, was treated and released. Daniel, a student pilot, remains at ETMC in serious condition. The single engine aircraft crashed near U.S. Highway 69 north of Mount Selman. An FAA spokesman told KETK that the plane had departed from Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. According to a city of Tyler spokeswoman, the plane stopped in Tyler for fuel. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A Tyler church has been hit by gunfire. The shots struck the Higher Heights Baptist Church on the Van Highway around 8:30 Wednesday night. Church members inside the building say the heard the gunshots outside the church. Several bullet holes were found. No one was injured.
WASKOM – A one vehicle accident in Harrison County has killed Sharon Hyde Chaney, 55, of Karnack. The Department of Public Safety Reports her vehicle left the road and ran into a ditch before hitting several trees. The report says her car was traveling at an unsafe speed when the accident occurred. It was reported around 10:45 Tuesday evening on Farm Road 134, about 5 miles northwest of Waskom.
TYLER – A shooting on North Englewood in Tyler around 5:00 Tuesday afternoon sends a man to the hospital with a bullet wound to his thigh. A Tyler police report said the injury was not life threatening. His name has not been released. No charges have been filed and the case remains under investigation.
TYLER – Liberty Utility customers in Tyler and Smith County are in for a rate hike. An administrative law judge on Tuesday approved the interim rate increase. The company operates as Woodmark Sewer and Tall Timbers Sewer. The rate for Tall Timbers customers in Tyler will go up to $41.63 a month. Tall Timbers customers outside of city limits will see their monthly rate go to $54.93 a month. The rate for Woodmark Water and Sewer customers increases to $71.85 a month. The increases stem from a rate hike request the company filed nearly a year ago.
TYLER – Texas Spine & Joint Hospital is now part of the Baylor Scott & White and United Surgical Partners International statewide network. The joint ownership was announced and became effective on Tuesday. Texas Spine & Joint has received numerous awards since its founding in 2002. In May of last year Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics and CHRISTUS Health united to create the CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System. Last November, Good Shepherd Health System in Longview announced its merger with Christus Health.
TYLER – Beginning this month, the state’s campus carry law has been expanded to include community and junior colleges. Tyler Junior College has a policy in place which allows a person, with a concealed handgun permit, permission to carry the gun on the campus. Dr. Tom Johnson, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs at TJC, says there are a few areas where the concealed handguns are not permitted, and those areas are marked by large signs. He says you can go to the TJC website and type in concealed handgun policy in the search section to view the policy.
LONGVIEW — Burglary suspects Steven Williams and Robert Blackshear, both 19 years-old of Longview, have been arrested. They were on their way to the hospital, for some unknown reason, when they had a accident at Methvin and Fifth Streets. That’s where they were arrested for breaking into a home on South Mobberly Avenue to steal items from Jaun Richardson, who police say they stabbed in back. He is in the hospital. The teens are in the Gregg County Jail, charged with burglary of a habitation. Each is under a $50,000 bond.
TYLER – The City of Tyler has launched a new podcast series called Roses and Weeds. It’s designed to keep residents up to date with current events and news about the city. The first episode is streaming on iTunes and Soundcloud. It is covering such topics as the city’s updated noise ordinance, the Rose Complex Master Plan and the city’s Half Cent Sales Tax program. You can hear the podcast at https://soundcloud.com/rosesandweeds or find it on the city’s homepage.