Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
MARSHALL – A Longview man is free on bond following a fatal weekend accident in Harrison County. The accident also injured two persons, including a Smith County woman. Brian Keith Woods, 48, is accused of hitting three pedestrians who had stopped to help a driver parked on the side of the road. The accident happened around 12:30 Saturday morning on Interstate Highway 20 near Marshall. A Shreveport, Louisiana woman was killed in the accident. The two, who were injured, are hospitalized in Shreveport in serious condition. One of them is Sherri Beeson, 41, of Winona. Woods is facing charges of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and two counts of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury.
AUSTIN – Gregg County is one of 31 governmental entities and nonprofit organizations in the state getting a grant from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. They will be sharing in the $15 million grant funds. According to a state news release, the grants will fund community programs to expand treatment, promote recovery and improve quality of life for persons with mental illness. Examples of expanded treatment and services include supported housing, coordinated jail release, behavioral health services in schools and peer support services.
TYLER – The Democratic Party runoff election for governor was the only item on the ballot in Smith County on Tuesday. The contest is between former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez and Houston businessman Andrew White, the son of former governor Mark White. With 65 of the 73 precincts reporting in the county, the unofficial returns shows Andrew White with 569 votes to 511 votes for Lupe Valdez.
LONGVIEW – A northeast Texas woman has died in a four vehicle accident that shutdown Judson Road, just north of Hawkins Parkway. Cathy Hall Davis, 51, of Paris was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident happened shortly before 1:45 Tuesday afternoon when Davis’ SUV pulled from a private drive into the path of two vehicles. As the result of the accident a fourth vehicle was hit. Three occupants of the vehicles were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
TYLER – A social media posting caused a third of the students at Tyler’s Three Lakes Middle School to stay home on Tuesday. The posting followed an incident between two students in class and a perceived threat. A TISD news release said a Three Lakes student made an inappropriate response to unacceptable taunts. They said the incident was investigated thoroughly and the issues addressed through the student code of conduct. There was no word on what disciplinary action was taken or if the student would be allowed back on the campus.
LONGVIEW – Longview’s Green Street Bridge has claimed another victim. The latest vehicle to get stuck under the bridge was a Dixie Paper truck. It became stuck around 11:00 Tuesday morning. The driver let the air out of the tires and the truck was removed from under the bridge and the road was reopened. Height barriers were installed at the underpass last summer. Besides serving as a visual sign, they also make noise when they hit the tops of vehicles. Several years ago, as part of a reconstruction project, the roadway was lowered just over a foot, making the clearance 11 feet and four inches. But, all of this did not keep the bridge from capturing another vehicle.
BIG SANDY – Through a team effort, an unwelcome visitor to Big Sandy has been relocated. The visitor was a six foot long alligator. It was found around 8:45 Monday morning in the middle of Tyler Street. Police Sgt. Manfred Gilow, along with rancher Jeff Davis, took matters into their own hands. The Longview News Journal reports it took them 30 minutes to bring the gator under control. The two put a rope around it and then duck-taped the mouth. After a ride in a patrol car, the visitor was released into the Sabine River.
TYLER – In the wake of the school shooting at Santa Fe, Texas, Tyler School superintendent Marty Crawford has released a letter concerning school safety in the Tyler school district. While he said he could not publish the more intricate systems that are in use, he did point out some of the actions taken toward keeping TISD safe. It starts with a district police department with certified officers. Then there are badge access equipment, security gates and high definition cameras across campuses and others on school buses that also included digital recording devices. Dr. Crawford said he wrote the letter, not only as the school district superintendent, but also as a parent of two students in the school system. You can go to https://www.tylerisd.org/cms/lib/TX01918383/Centricity/domain/4/.homepage/2017-2018/School%20Safety%20Letter.pdf to see Dr. Crawford’s full letter on school safety.
SMITH COUNTY – A man who barricaded himself in his home on County Road 262, east of Tyler, is in the Smith County Jail. Arrested following a standoff of around 2 hours was Larry Coleman Hicks, 46. The standoff started when Hicks, a parolee, cut off his leg monitor. A parole officer, who went to check on Hicks, was pushed out of the house and the door was locked. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team was called out and they talked Hicks into surrendering.
TYLER – Voting began this morning in the Democratic Party runoff election for governor. There were 86 early votes cast in Smith County in the run off. The contest is between former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez and Houston businessman Andrew White, the son of former governor Mark White. They got the most votes in the field of 9 candidates in the March Primary Election. The polls will be open from 7:00am until 7:00pm at 10 polling locations throughout Smith County. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – The Longview school district is pulling the plug on its free college program. Parents in the district recently received a letter saying the district was ending the Early College High School Program, which started several years ago. According to the Longview News Journal, the district will still pay the tuition and fees and associated costs for juniors and seniors already enrolled in the program. But no freshmen or sophomore will be accepted in the new school year. This school year, the district has paid out around $230,000 for the 79 students enrolled in the program. The financial strain on the district is said to be the reason the Longview school district is taking the action.
PALESTINE – Palestine police will have extra patrols on the street starting on Tuesday. It is part of the police department’s efforts to encourage safe driving over the Memorial Day holiday. The extra patrols will be out through June 4th and will focus specifically on the offenses of driving while intoxicated, seat belt and child seat violations and speeding. The extra patrols are made possible by a STEP enforcement grant from the Texas Department of Transportation.
SMITH COUNTY- Two Smith County roads will be closed to traffic, beginning this week, for bridge replacements. They are County Road, 234 northeast of Chapel Hill, and County Road 356, east of Winona. The roads are expected to be closed through December. Detour signs will be placed on the roads to direct traffic around these locations. Replacing the bridges is part of the Texas Department of Transportation’s bridge replacement program.
LONGVIEW – A Longview traffic stop has resulted in two persons arrested for assault on a public servant. The officer stopped the car at Reed Road and Swan Street Sunday night. During the stop, the car’s passenger struggled with the officer over his taser. The woman driver began pulling on the officers collar, making it hard for him to breathe. A bystander came to the officers aid, allowing him to pepper spray the woman and to handcuff the man. Richard Alan Stansbery Jr., 48, of Longview was also charged with attempting to take a weapon from an officer. Maria Regina Stansbery,43, of Longview was also charged with driving while intoxicated. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – TxDOT’s district wide Summer Seal Coat program is underway in Cherokee, Van Zandt, and Wood counties. Seal coat operations will be conducted on roadways around the eight-county Tyler District for the next several months. Crews are currently working on U.S. Highway 69 in Cherokee County. Work continued Saturday on U.S. 69 as well as on U.S. Highway 80 in Van Zandt County. Seal coat is the department’s preventive maintenance program. It uses a two-step process to cover existing roadway surfaces with a layer of hot asphalt followed by rock. This seals the roadway to keep water. This will add years of life, requires less maintenance and provides a new driving surface for motorists.