Today is
Tuesday July 28, 2026
LINDALE – Lindale police are trying to identify a man thought to be responsible for some vehicle burglaries. The burglaries occurred a few nights ago at the Hampton Inn. The suspect is described as a white male with an earring in his left ear. They say the man is working alone and driving a silver or light colored Ford Taurus or similar vehicle. The hotel’s video shows the man holding items that were identified by one of the victims as items coming from his vehicle. If you can identify him, you are asked to contact Lindale police.
KILGORE- A missing Kilgore man has been found. Yesterday, Kilgore police were asking the public’s help in locating the missing man. They said Robyn Allmond, 50, is suffering from a medical condition that may alter his ability to remember his surroundings and to return home. This morning, on their Facebook page, they announced Allmond has been found. No other information was released.
MARSHALL – A missing East Texas Teen has been located. The Harrison County Sheriff’s Department had been asking for the public’s help in locating Stephanie Ree Grace, 15. They report the girl has been found in Illinois and is safe. She is now in the custody of her grandfather. When reported missing, it was said she had last seen on Tuesday of last week at her home on U.S. Highway 80 in Longview. Authorities felt she may have been in the company of an adult friend identified as Brittany Badgett. They released no information on how the girl was found.
TYLER – We could find out today if the Carlton Hotel will be getting a new owner. Smith County commissioners are scheduled to discuss, in executive session, the possible sale of the building, which was opened over 60 years ago. County Judge Nathaniel Moran had previously said they have received some proposals for the property. But he gave no details. So during today’s meeting the commissioners could accept a proposal, or keep looking. The county bought the building in 1977. The last county office moved out, for better facilities, nearly four years ago.
TYLER – The trial of a man accused in a fatal Tyler wreck is being delayed. The trial of James Arthur Fulton, 41, has now been set for October 9th. A pre-trail hearing will be held on September 14th. On May 14th of last year, Fulton’s truck hit 21-year-old Haile Beasely’s car head-on in the eastbound lanes of West Grande Boulevard. The Tyler woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Fulton told officers he had two beers at a local restaurant prior to the crash. He then passed several field sobriety tests at the scene. Last November, Fulton was indicted on one count of criminal negligent homicide.
KILGORE – Kilgore College Trustees have hire a firm to help them cut costs through energy savings. They have hired the McKinstry Company. The Seattle company has offices in Dallas and Houston. They will analyze the college’s energy consuming systems to determine where where the energy savings lies. After determining where they can reduce energy and operating expenses, the company will then will develop a plan to implement facility upgrades that generate the savings. A news release from the college says McKinstry has a long-standing history of hiring military veterans and plans to hire Kilgore College graduates who are veterans to work on this project.
TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the Week of July 24th. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues.
Night work is slated to start Wednesday for a new U.S. Highway 271 project in Tyler. The project consists of repairing the base in the main lanes, conducting work on the side streets, applying a new surface, and striping. This work will have major impacts on traffic flow. Work will be conducted from 7:30pm to 6:00am, Sunday through Thursday nights. Expect lane closures and delays during this work. Get additional project information in the Smith County section of this release. Read the rest of this entry »
BULLARD – A member of the Lake Palestine East Volunteer Fire Department has drowned. Zane Simons, 19, was swimming with friends on Friday evening when he had a seizure and drowned. CPR was performed on him and he was rushed to a Tyler hospital where he died. To assist the family in paying for his funeral, a gofundme account has been established. You can go to https://www.gofundme.com/zane-simons-funeral-fund if you would like to donate.
LONGVIEW – There will be no jury selection in Gregg County on Monday. The district clerk’s office has posted on the county web site that jury selection set for Monday in Gregg County has been canceled.
GLADEWATER – A Gladewater man has been charged with making a terroristic threat. Arrested shortly after 6:00 Friday evening was Leroy Carter III, 58. According to the Gladewater Police Department Facebook page, Carter threatened to come to the Sonic Drive-In on East Broadway and shoot employees. Carter is being held in the Gregg County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
TYLER – A Tyler policeman is trading is changing weapons, from a revolver to a bible. A ceremony was held Friday afternoon as Detective Josh Green retired after 20 years on the Tyler police force. He is retiring to pursue full-time ministry. Green was the Senior Pastor for the County Line Baptist Church in Bullard for the past 5 years. He said he felt God’s calling to plant a church where a Gospel presence is desperately needed. After retirement, he and his family will be moving to Fort Collins, Colorado to begin the work of church planting. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A Tyler man, Joshua Adam Scales, 30, has been found guilty of murder. State District Judge Christi Kennedy sentenced him Friday afternoon to 35 years in prison. Scales had been charged with the shooting death of Jordan Ladue, 30. He was killed during a Troup robbery in July of last year. Scales was arrested a few days later in Reklaw at a relative’s house. He was caught as he was trying to crawl out of a back window of the house. Three others have been previously sentenced in the case.
AUSTIN – There was a slight uptick in Tyler’s unemployment rate last month. But, it is still beating the state and national rates. Tyler’s unemployment rate went from 4.1% in May to 4.3% in June. A year ago, Tyler’s unemployment rate was 4.8%. In Longview. June’s unemployment rate was 5.6%. That’s up from 5.3% in May. But that’s still better then a year ago when Longview’s unemployment rate was 6.9%. The June unemployment rate for Texas was 4.6% while the national rate was 4.4%.
LONGVIEW – A man accused of stealing an electric cart from the Wal-Mart in Longview has been arrested. Edward Mark Dickard, 52, of Longview, is said to have taken the cart from the store on Loop 281 shortly after 6:45 Wednesday morning. He wasn’t hard to find. Police found him driving the cart, valued at $4,000, on Highway 259. Dickard was arrested without incident and booked into the Gregg County Jail on a charge of theft of property.
JACKSONVILLE – The Cherokee County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) has received the 2017 Local Health Department of the Year Award, medium category. It was handed out in the annual conference of the National Association of City and County Health Officials in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. In a statement to CCDPH Executive Director Christopher Taylor, NACCHO officials said that the Jacksonville based county health department “stood out . . . by showing creativity, innovation, sufficient evidence of outcomes and impact on the community, with partners, community and key stakeholders.â€
SEVEN POINTS – A warrant arrest in Henderson County has resulted in additional charges against Billy Charles Hogue Jr., 32, of Tool. A deputy saw him walking along Highway 274 in the Seven Points area. Knowing he had an outstanding felony arrest warrant for possession of a controlled substance against him, the deputy arrested Hogue. He was then said to have found on him suspected methamphetamine. Hogue was also charged with a new charge of possession of a controlled substance. He remains in the Henderson County Jail.
TYLER – Arrests have been made in connection with gas skimmers that has turned up in Tyler and Smith County. At a news conference in Tyler today, it was announced five persons have been arrested in the Houston area in connection with the cases. And additional arrests are expected. The arrests follows an investigation that started in April of last year. It was conducted by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. And it is not just a local problem. The large scale organized crime investigation has found victims all the way from Maryland to Utah. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER- The city of Tyler wants to know what you think of front yard fences. The city is taking a survey to find out what residents feel about physical design alternatives for front yard fences. Such a survey is often used when designing zoning codes, planning redevelopment, and conducting urban planning research. The survey is online and will be open through July 28. All responses are anonymous. But, your input will assist the City in their review of the existing front yard fence regulations. You can go to Tyler-pz-dot-org to take the survey.
KILGORE – Three dozen young ladies have been named Kilgore College Rangerettes. The announcement was made this morning in a closed ceremony in Dodson Auditorium on the Kilgore campus. It brings to an end a week-long process of 89 candidates vying for a spot on the 2017-18 Rangerette line. The new Rangerettes will join 36 sophomores to make a team of 72. Among the new members of the squad is a student from Abilene and another one from Edinburg, which is north of McAllen. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – A Longview burglar is heading to prison. Detric Deshawn Sheffield, 31, was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to burglary. Last September, officers answered a suspicious person call. They saw a man coming from the back of a home on Lane Wells Drive. He was carrying what appeared to be a duffel bag and a back pack. He grabbed a bicycle and fled. He later abandoned the bike and fled on foot, but was arrested a short time later.
GILMER – An Upshur County man has received a lengthy prison sentence for the death of his grandson. Randell Jay Phillips, 42, of Big Sandy, has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the death of 2 year old Skylar Rabourn. The youngster died last October when Phillips’ vehicle left the road and hit a tree. The boy, who was unrestrained in the front seat, was trapped under the dashboard of the vehicle. He as pronounced dead at the scene. Phillips was charged with murder the case because of his prior DWI convictions in Gregg County. Over three hours after the fatal crash, his blood alcohol level was still two times the legal limit.
SAN FRANCISCO – Children’s clothing retailer Gymboree is announcing the stores it plans to close as it restructures in bankruptcy. The company said it is aiming to slash its debts and close hundreds of stores amid crushing pressure on retailers. When it filed for bankruptcy protection last month, the business announced it could close up to 450 stores. They have now qannounced they will close 350 of their over 12-hundred stores. They have 20 stores in Texas. While stores in the Metroplex, Houston and El Paso are on the closings list. The Tyler store in the Broadway Square Mall will remain open.
TYLER- The Tyler city council has approved a long-range master plan for the Rose Garden Complex. The approval follows 10 months of work on the proposal. Under 20 to 25 year plan, Harvey Hall would be demolished and a new one built. Some of the existing fair buildings will be demolished and replaced with a single multi-use building. The plan also calls for a sports museum. The long range plan calls for extending Houston Street to Parkdale Drive and closing off a portion of Lyons Avenue at Front Street. The city council called for a traffic study before the traffic changes are implemented.
LONGVIEW – A Longview man has been jailed after being accused of stealing an ambulance. The police first encountered Daniel Wayne Shaklee, 31, on Glover Drive. Officers requested paramedics to evaluate the man. He asked to be taken to the hospital. On the way, he jumped from the ambulance and ran into a wooded area. When found, he asked again to go to the hospital, where he refused treatment. Officers say he then left and stole an ambulance. He was arrested at Methvin and High Streets. After being cleared at the hospital, he was booked into jail on a theft charge.
LINCOLN, New Mexico – A Gregg County woman has been killed in a New Mexico accident. The accident occured shortly before 4:00 Tuesday afternoon. Dead at the scene was Beverly Bradbury Cline, 78, of Kilgore. The accident occurred when a car driven by a Capitan, New Mexico woman drove onto the shoulder of the road and hit Cline and a parked vehicle. Investigators say the woman admitted to using medicinal marijuana and methadone earlier in the day. She has been charged with vehicular homicide.
TYLER – The City of Tyler is currently accepting applications from residents to serve on city boards and commissions. To serve, you must live inside Tyler City limits and not have any delinquent city taxes, city utilities or other city assessments. In addition, you must not have any pending claims against the city. And there may be additional requirements for some board positions. Those who are appointed will serve voluntarily, without pay, for a two-year term. Read the rest of this entry »
AUSTIN – A state report shows sales tax allocations are still rising in the area. The July sales tax allocations are based on sales made in May. Tyler’s allocations tops $3.1 million. This is up 7.5% from the same period last year. For the year, Tyler’s sales tax allocations are up over 3.5% to $23.3 million. Longview’s July allocation is $2.4 million, an increase of 10.6%. For the year, Longview has received over $17 million, which is up just under 1% from the same period last year.
GILMER – The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office is warning that a couple of old scams have resurfaced. One is where someone calls saying that a family member is in jail and is needing money to get the family member out of jail. They suggest you call that jail to see if that family member is there. And the second one is a caller says they represent Upshur County Sheriff’s Office as a third party representative and are trying to settle a civil litigation out of court and requesting a certain amount of money to be sent to them. The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office does not hire third party representatives. If you have questions, you can contact the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department.
TYLER – Smith County commissioners received a safety award at Tuesday’s meeting. The 2016 safety award was presented by the Texas Association of Counties. It was presented to Smith County by Isaac Garcia, a representative of the association’s Risk Management Pool. He told the court the county’s losses for worker’s compensation have been very good in 2016, as well as the past several years. And he said he expects to see good things continue in 2017, and for the county to apply for the Gold Star Safety Award.
TYLER – Two 911 calls resulted in the arrest of a Tyler teen. He is Desi Lee Griffith, 17. It started with a call about a bicycle theft. Then came a call from a girl who said a teen tried to sexually assault her near Andy Woods Elementary. She was able to get away from him and call 911. Police spokesman Don Martin said a witness to the bike theft gave them the name of the suspect, because they had gone to school with him. The description of the two suspects matched. They went to Griffith’s home, where he was arrested. He was booked into the Smith County Jail.