Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
GLADEWATER – The Texas Transportation Commission has approved about $1 million for Gladewater Municipal Airport. The money will be used for pavement improvements and other improvements. A project contract bid is due to be completed this summer. Project costs will be funded through the city of Gladewater and TxDOT’s Aviation Facilities Grant Program.
TYLER – The trial of a former Tyler nurse, who is accused of murder, has been scheduled for later this year. Judicial records indicate the trial of William George Davis, 34, of Hallsville, is set for December 3rd in State District Judge Christi Kennedy’s courtroom. Davis was indicted last week for murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Davis is a former nurse at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital and the Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital. He is accused of killing a heart patient and injuring at least six others.
TYLER – A new park is opening in Tyler for the four-legged member of your family. The SPCA of East Texas invites you to the Bossart Bark Park Grand Opening Celebration. It will be on Saturday from 10:00 till 2:00 on West Grande Boulevard. It is an 8 acre community park for you and your pups. They say you are invited to join them for food trucks and sweet treats. It should be a lot of fun, no mellon collie there.
AUSTIN – A Smith County woman has been named to a state health council. Governor Gregg Abbot has named 3 persons to the Texas Diabetes Council for terms set to expire on February 1, 2023. One of those is Ardis Reed of Hideway. She is a is a certified diabetes educator and registered dietitian with the Trinity Mother Francis Health Quality Institute. The state council addresses issues affecting people with diabetes in Texas. It also advises the state legislature on legislation that is needed to develop and maintain a statewide system of quality education services to all people with diabetes and health professionals who offer diabetes treatment and education.
TYLER – A south Tyler restaurant will be shutting its doors. Saturday will be the last day of business for TGI Fridays at South Broadway and the Loop. In an email to KTBB, Brian Conway in the corporate offices said he could not provide specific details, but the closure was a business decision. The company released the following statement, “Due to business reasons, the TGI Fridays restaurant on S. Broadway Avenue in Tyler, TX will be closed as of July 1. This was a very difficult decision that was not made lightly, as we understand the impact it has on our Guests who enjoyed dining with us and on our Team Members. We’re working closely with our Team Members to provide job assistance, and we appreciate and thank all who have visited our restaurant over the years.†Conway said they will do as much as they can to assist the employees during the transition.
LONGVIEW – During Thursday’s meeting, the Longview city council named Keith Bonds as city manager. Bonds had been serving as acting city manager since the first of the year, following the retirement of City Manager David Willard at the end of last year. Bonds has served as assistant city manager since 2014 and has worked for the city of Longview since 1999. Prior to becoming assistant city manager, he served in a variety of roles including director of public works, director of water utilities, and utility engineer. Bonds is a Texas Licensed Professional Engineer with a B.S. degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University.
TYLER – Rabbi Neal Katz is officially on the November ballott. The Texas Secretary of State has certified Katz as an independent candidate for House District 6, which includes 76% of Smith County. The only other candidate is the incumbent, Republican Matt Schaefer. There is no Democratic candidate. Katz, 45, is the rabbi for Temple Beth El in Tyler and has lived in Tyler for 15 years.
TYLER – Officers have completed a two day check of sex offenders living in Smith County. The checks were done by a team of around 30 officers from a variety of law enforcement agencies coordinated with the U.S. Marshals Service Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force. Of the 383 persons who were investigated, 363 were in compliance. Four were found to be out of compliance. One offender was arrested for failing to comply with registration during the check. A second person at the location was arrested for an outstanding warrant. No word at this time on the other 15 offenders.
According to Sheriff Larry Smith, verification checks of this type are unannounced and comprehensive.
PALESTINE – A portion of Old Elkhart Road near the entrances to Walmart and Brookshire’s Grocery Store has been closed due to a downed overhead communication line. Firefighters estimate the road should be open by this evening. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes and watch out for workers in the area.
TYLER – A Tyler father, accused of critically injuring his infant daughter, is now charged with her death. Four month old Sofia Ibarra died Thursday morning soon after being removed from life support at Children’s Hospital in Dallas. Her dad, Andres Guadalupe Ibarra, 19, has now been charged with capital murder. He remains in the Smith County Jail under a new bond of $1 million. He told sheriff’s department investigators that he hit the child in the ribs and abdomen with his fist four or five times and then threw her. After the Sunday night incident he went outside and smoked marijuana and then went to sleep. He discovered the next morning the child was pale and not breathing normally and took her to a Tyler hospital. An autopsy will be performed by a Dallas lab.
LONGVIEW – A Longview man will have a long time to think about his 7th DWI conviction. After Fred Elton Alexander, 72, was found guilty of DWI, a Gregg County jury sentenced him to 99 years in prison. While on parole last September, Alexander was arrested at the Tree House Apartments on Avalon Street. According to the police report, he claimed the public handicap parking spot was his, cursed at the person parked there and threatened to slash the person’s tires if the vehicle wasn’t moved. He then backed into a fence. When arrested, his alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.
TYLER – The Tyler Police Department is once again stepping up its patrols targeting DWI drivers over the 4th of July Holiday. The extra patrols start Friday night at 8:00 and will run through 2:00 next Thursday morning. The department is one again participating in a state grant that will provide funding to the department to bring in officers who are not on regular patrol. If a suspected drunk driver refuses to take a breath or blood test, a search warrant will be obtained to have blood drawn by a nurse on staff at the Smith County Jail. Tyler police public information officer Don Martin says the no refusal program has proven to be an effective tool to combat drunken drivers.
TYLER – Four out of state shoplifters have been arrested by Tyler police. A merchant in The Village at Cumberland Park on South Broadway notified police around 9:00 Wednesday evening. A police officer working security for the shopping center saw the women leave the store and place the merchandise in their vehicle. After being spotted, the women ran. They were found hiding behind a hotel in the shopping center. Officers determined that they had stolen over a $1,000.00 worth of merchandise from several merchants and it was recovered. One of the suspects is from Shreveport, the others from Natchitoches, Louisiana.
VAN – Adults and children without health insurance can receive free health care in Van. East Texas Medical Outreach is holding the event at the Van Junior High School from 8:00am till 4:00pm on Friday. The free services that will be provided include immunizations, student athlete physicals and breast cancer screenings. There will also be biometric screenings, such as blood pressure, BMI, glucose, and cholesterol. Information will also be provided on Diabetes management and prevention and the importance of dental hygiene. All services will be provided on a first-come first-serve basis. And they ask you to bring your own drinks and snacks, in case there may be extended wait times for some services.
SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler woman wanted for murder has turned herself in. Alicia Radreaka Guthrie, 25, surrendered to the Smith County Jail just after midnight Thursday morning. Jeremy Taylor, 34, died Tuesday after being stabbed early Saturday evening. The stabbing occurred at a residence on Lenox Avenue. Investigators say he had been stabbed by his ex-girlfriend, Guthrie. She was previously arrested and charged with aggravated assault family violence with a weapon. She also had three outstanding city court warrants. Guthrie had been free on bond on the original complaint. Her bond has been set at $150,000.