Today is
Tuesday July 28, 2026
TYLER – Tyler Junior College’s Dr. Juan E. Mejia has been named recipient of the Nelson Administrative Leadership Award by the Texas Association of Community Colleges. Mejia, provost & vice president for academic and student affairs at TJC, received the award at the recent TACC Conference in San Antonio. The award was established in 2003 in memory of Carl M. Nelson, who served as president of Texarkana College.
TYLER – Dr. Larry K. Lowery has been named a 2017 University of Texas System Board of Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award recipient. Dr. Lowry is professor of occupational and environmental health sciences in the School of Community and Rural Health and is also director of environmental health graduate programs in the department of occupational health sciences at UT Health Northeast. He will received his award in Austin August 23rd.
ATHENS – 16-year-old Justin Gardner of Athens is listed as missing on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website. He was last seen July 21st and they feel he may still be in the area. He is said to be 5’8′, and weighs 185 pounds. If you know where he can be found, you are asked to call you local law enforcement agency.
TYLER – Two persons wanted in a Smith County animal cruelty case have been arrested. Authorities have arrested Roderick Johnson and Vanessa Mederos, both are 23 and both are from Tyler. They had been wanted in connection with three dogs that were left chained without food or water. One died before they were found. Both suspects remain in the Smith County Jail. Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL – A Harrison County teen has been arrested following a day long manhunt. Perry Brown Jr., 19, had been sought after breaking into a home on Saturday and being scared away by the owner. He is then said to have stolen a car and wrecked it after being chased by the car’s owner. Authorities arrested him after a short foot chase. The Marshall News Messenger reports he is said a suspect in numerous burglaries in the area.
TYLER – Tyler’s Bill Baker is the winner of Longview’s 40th Annual Great Texas Balloon Race. He also won the Texas State and the Southwestern Regional championships, which were being held at the same time. Baker also won the Longview race in 2003. The event started Friday and ran through Sunday in Longview.
BULLARD – A Bullard area resident is being charged with theft after some $20,000 worth of jewelry was stolen in Cherokee County. Sheila Ardry Jones, 49, is accused of taking the jewels after going into a neighbor’s home while the neighbor was gone. Some of the items were found in several different pawn shops. Jones was was arrested on the theft charge earlier this week. She is currently free on a $15,000 bond.
DALLAS – A Wood County College student has been killed in a Dallas drive-by shooting. Patrick Powell, 18, was shooting basketball in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas when he was shot Wednesday night. He died the next day. The police say they don’t believe that Powell, who was to be a sophomore at Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, was the target of the shooting. Two boys, ages 13 and 14, have been arrested and are facing murder charges in the case. A GoFundMe campaign has been started to raise money for Powell’s funeral.
PALESTINE – A Smith County Sheriff’s deputy has been bypassed in the search for Palestine’s new police chief. The Smith County Sheriff Department’s public information officer, Sgt Darrell Coslin, was one of four finalist for the post. Palestine City Manager Mike Alexander is said to have selected Dallas Police Dept. Lt. Andy Harvey for the post. Alexander will not confirm he has picked Harvey. He will only say that he has selected a finalist and that the city council will discuss the selection August 14th. Harvey has been with the Dallas Police Department for 22 years. He is currently in the department’s crime scene response section.
TYLER – Bond has been set at $1.25 million for a suspect in a Tyler shooting death. That’s after an exchange of gunfire between two men resulted in one person dead and the other in jail. Aquinas Lamar Dixon, 32, turned himself in at the Tyler Police Department Thursday morning. He had been wanted in the shooting death of Earnest Dennis, 28, around 8:45 Wednesday night. Dennis was found in a parking lot across the street from the Pool Hall Domino Club on Morris Street. He was pronounced dead at East Texas Medical Center. Investigators say the two men exchanged numerous shots at each other based on the number of shell casings they found. Dixon was booked into the Smith County Jail on a murder charge. He was later also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
LONGVIEW – Priscilla Kay Solomon, 41, of Longview has been charged with the possession of a prohibited weapon. She was booked into the Gregg County Jail on a $5,000 bond. A police officer first had stopped her for having an expired registration sticker. On the back seat, the officer saw a “sawed off” double barrel shotgun. When it was found the barrel was too short, Solomon was arrested. She also had an outstanding city warrant for failure to maintain financial responsibility.
LONGVIEW – The start of the Great Texas Balloon Race in Longview did not get off the ground Friday morning. The hot air balloons had been scheduled to fly over Longview, but wind conditions forced the flight to be cancelled. Other events got underway Friday afternoon at 4:00 at the East Texas Regional Airport.
TYLER – Keep Tyler Beautiful has added another newly wrapped traffic signal box in their Beauty and the Box program. The newest box is at the intersection of South Broadway and Loop 323. The artwork features a green-living design, promoting recycling and clean energy. It is being sponsored by Pyramid Homes. This program was launched in 2016 with the wrapping ten traffic utility boxes in the Downtown area. They showcased art designed by local artists. The program since added four additional boxes throughout the city.
FLINT – A Smith County woman is being treated for a neck wound and a suspect in the stabbing is in custody. The stabbing was reported around 12:30 Thursday afternoon off Highway 155 in the Flint area. The victim is being treated at a Tyler hospital. A woman was taken into custody at the scene. Their names have not yet been released. Also arrested at the scene was Allen Keith Bryant. His arrest was because of a parole violation.
TYLER- The Tyler City Council has received a presentation outlining a new Historic Preservation Strategic Plan for the city. The city was awarded, last year, a matching grant from the Texas Historical Commission to conduct a Historic Preservation Strategic Plan. The Lakota Group was hired to formulate and identify specific, realistic and achievable strategies for enhancing the City’s current historic preservation program. A steering committee has been meeting on the plan. There also has been community workshops and multiple Historical Preservation Board review sessions to help refine the plan. You can go to http://www.TylerHistoricPreservation.com to view the digital version of the plan. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – A Longview man caught with a large quantity of drugs has drawn a long prison sentence. Brandon Dewayne Bush, 31, who pleaded guilty to possession and delivery of drugs, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Bush was arrested in May of last year following a traffic stop. They found in his car, a large amount of drugs, including methamphetamine and marijuana. They also found drug paraphernalia, including empty bags and scales, and over than $7,000 in cash.
LONGVIEW – A Longview man is headed to prison for shooting his ex-wife. Jose Isabel Garcia, 41, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The Longview News Journal reports he has been sentenced to 38 years in prison. In July of last year, Garcia shot his ex-wife three times and then pushed her out of a moving car. She was shot once in the face and chest. Police reports say he also tried to choke her after the shooting, but drove away when he saw headlights approaching.
LONGVIEW – You will find out Friday morning why the Texas legislature, four years ago, declared Longview the Balloon Race Capital of Texas. The 40th Annual Great Texas Balloon Race brings to East Texas the best competitive pilots from around the world. Balloon flights begin over Longview Friday morning. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, the flights continue over the East Texas Regional Airport. Friday and Saturday nights you have the balloon glow followed by live concerts. And all of that is coupled with kids land and a variety of vendors, including food vendors. You can go to http://www.greattexasballoonrace.com to get a schedule of the various events.
LONGVIEW – A worker, helping erect a monument at Longview’s Teague Park, was injured when the monument fell on him. The accident happened around 12:30 Wednesday afternoon. Other workers used a tractor and chain to lift the 2,500-pound monument off the man. He is hospitalized at Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center with unknown injuries. A fire department report said the man’s injuries were not life threatening.
TYLER – A Smith County couple charged with sex crimes have a trial date. The Whitehouse couple, Johnny Floyd Crocker, 57, and Angela Elaine Crocker, 41, will be going to trial in Tyler October 2nd. Johnny is facing four counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Angela is facing two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of indecency with a child by sexual contact. Arrested near Shreveport in February, they had been on the run as they faced charges a various charges. The pair had been considered to be armed and dangerous. In fact, they had said they would not be taken alive. Johnny is a former law officer and is a registered sex offender.
TYLER – A Tyler teen is in jail for the sexual assault of a child. Being held in the Smith County Jail under a $750,000 bond is Justin Ray Dunford, 17. He is said the have assaulted the girl, under the age of 14, at a home south of the Chapel Hill area. Dunford had been living with the family but was not related to them. The girl had complained of soreness and went to the doctor where she told about the sexual assault. After an investigation, which included interviewing the girl at the Child Advocacy Center, Dunford was arrested.
TYLER – The Smith County Sheriff’s Department is looking for two suspects in an animal cruelty case. The two have been identified as Roderick Johnson and Vanessa Mederos, both are 23. They are wanted in connection with three dogs that were left chained without food or water. One died before they were found. Maderos has a warrant out for her arrest. Multiple warrants has been issued for Johnson. You are asked to contact the Smith County Sheriff’s office if you know where they can be found. Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying a credit card thief. The woman is said to have entered the Central Perks Café last Saturday and stole credit and debit cards from employees purses. She then used the cards at various Longview businesses later in the day. The woman is also a suspect in several similar incidents in Longview and Tyler. Anyone with information about the identity of the woman is urged to call the Marshall Police Department at 903-935-4575. Those wishing to remain anonymous are encouraged to call Marshall/Harrison County Crime Stoppers at 903-935-9969. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the Marshall/Harrison County Crime Stoppers Facebook page.
PITTSBURG – Funeral services are scheduled Wednesday for Lonnie “Bo†Pilgrim, 89. Pilgrim, the co-founder and longtime Chairman and CEO of Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, and Chairman Emeritus of Pilgrim Bank, died at his home on Friday. No word on the cause of death. According to the Erman Smith Funeral Home web site, a memorial service will be held at 1:00 pm on Wednesday at First Baptist Church in Pittsburg. Visitation with the family was held Tuesday evening. There will be a private family burial prior to the memorial service.
TYLER – A man suspected in several Tyler shootings has been arrested. Kadareawn Lee Mosley, 19, was arrested at his home on Tuesday. He had been named in two arrest warrants for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is thought to have been involved in a drug related shooting at Fun Forest park on July 8th. He is also accused in a shooting last Thursday on McDonald Road where a 13 year old boy was wounded. The police say he was acting in retaliation for the shooting at Fun Forest. He is also thought to be the person who, last Friday, shot someone in the back on Nutbush Avenue over money and narcotics. He remains in the Smith County Jail with bond set at $500,000.
BEN WHEELER – A two vehicle accident in Van Zandt County has left a motorcyclist dead. Dead at the scene was James Kinnaird, 51, of Chandler. He was killed when a pickup pulled out in front of him at the intersection of State Highway 64 and Farm Road 773, north of Ben Wheeler. The pickup’s driver, Stacy Burkett, 48, of Ben Wheeler, was uninjured. The accident, which was reported around 7:15 Tuesday morning, remains under investigation.
TYLER – Work starts on a part of Beckham tonight. TxDOT says motorists might want to use alternate routes to avoid delays. The work is on Beckham Avenue from about half a mile south of East Oakwood southward to 5th Street. The work will be tonight and Thursday night between 7:30pm and 6:00am the following morning, and then again Sunday through Thursday nights of next week. Motorists can expect lane closures and delays. The project consists of making base repairs in the main lanes, conducting work on the side streets and applying a new surface and striping.
MARSHALL – The president of Wiley College in Marshall has announced his plans to retire next June. President Haywood L. Strickland submitted his letter to the school’s trustees at their meeting late last week. He announced his plans to the public on Monday. In its efforts to name a successor for Strickland, school trustees have formed a search committee. Strickland became the college’s president in 2000. In March of last year a former Wiley College employee named Strickland in a suit filed against the school in federal court in Marshall. He claimed he was fired after showing proof to the school administration of financial mismanagement by Strickland. No court date has been set for the lawsuit.
TYLER – Smith County commissioners took no action Tuesday on new ownership of the Carlton Hotel. The commissioners were scheduled to discuss, in executive session, the possible sale of the building, which was opened over 60 years ago. But, following the closed door session, the matter was not discussed and no action was taken. County Judge Nathaniel Moran had previously said they have received some proposals for the property. But he gave no details. It’s not known if those proposals are still on the table of if the county will continue looking. The county bought the building in 1977. The last county office moved out, for better facilities, nearly four years ago. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A new Half Mile of History marker has been unveiled in Tyler. In a ceremony on the downtown square, the marker honoring Edgar “Leo” Chesley was unveiled. Chesley moved to Tyler in 1933 and became very active in the community. Among other things, he was President of the Rose Parade “Strutters” organization, a director of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, Director of the East Texas Symphony Orchestra and President of East Texas Savings and Loan Association. The marker honoring Chesley will be installed in the Half-Mile of History sidewalk in downtown Tyler.