Today is
Monday September 23, 2024
KILGORE – Kilgore Police Department has announced that they have a new K9 school resource officer named Dodo. According to a Facebook post and our news partner KETK, Dodo is a 20-month-old German Shepard and is replacing Ruger who has retired for health reasons. Officials said that Dodo was trained by Texas K9 Solutions in Winona. Dodo has the ability to detect tobacco products, vapes, alcohol, gunpowder and various illicit drugs, according to the post. Dodo was picked because, officials said, he interacted so well with students while being vetted. The post added that Dodo was paid for with money seized from a doctor who was convicted of illegally prescribing opioids in East Texas. Dodo rides in a Dodge Charger which has been repainted with school colors and the Bulldog mascot.
LONGVIEW – Last week, Mayor of Longview, Andy Mack had a health event sending him to the hospital. Tuesday, he sent out an update on Facebook letting everyone know how he was doing. Mack said that earlier in the week he had been having a bad headache and neck pain that he thought was attributed to some shoulder pain. But by Wednesday, Dec. 7 the headache had become “unbearable” and he then reached out to his brother, Dr. Ben Mack, to get his opinion. After going through some tests and an MRI, it was revealed that he had a small brain bleed and diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage and is expected to fully recover in short order, according to his statement on Facebook. “The main focus of my treatment has been to manage the pain which I can tell you has completely disappeared. I am expected to be released from the hospital within the next few days and will resume all my normal activities at that time.”
TYLER – A one-car crash shut down traffic Tuesday morning on South Donnybrook Avenue in Tyler after a car hit a power pole. According to Tyler Police and our news partner KETK, all south and northbound lanes of Donnybrook Avenue were closed from East Hudson Street to Troup Highway, and Oncor is onsite to repair the pole on Donnybrook Avenue and East Seagle Street.
KILGORE- Kilgore Police Department said that on Dec. 3 while responding a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 20, they found six Mexican nationals who were allegedly being smuggled by the driver of a red 2015 Ford SUV. According to our news partner KETK, Adan Torres-Ramirez, 30, of Huntsville, Alabama was allegedly transporting the six passengers to Florida for work. Officials added that none of the passengers knew the driver. During their investigation Kilgore PD interviewed the six passengers and determined that they had only been in the United States a few months and how much the driver and his boss had allegedly charged them for transportation, work and lodging. Torres-Ramirez was charged with six counts of smuggling of persons and is being held on $700,000 bond. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – While they may look like they have a hard exterior, on the inside this group of East Texas bikers have soft hearts. According to our new s partner KETK, the group known as Bikers Against Bullying East Texas, or Babet for short, said they just want to spread joy this holiday season and the rest of the year. The bikers teamed up with Mobile Home Masters in Tyler to make the Christmases of many foster kids a lot brighter, bringing in bags of toys, not on Santa’s sleigh, but on motorcycles. The president of Mobile Home Masters, Matias Pena, said it was a no-brainer partnering together for a good cause. “Getting involved with the kids is very important. They are our future, so making sure that we take care of them, put a smile on their face is something they’ll remember forever,” said Pena. It’s the toy run’s third year, and it’s bigger than ever before.
PALESTINE – A firefighter was injured by a handgun accidentally going off outside of Palestine Fire Station #2 on Saturday Dec. 3, according to our news partner KETK. Officers from Palestine Police Department arrived at the station and said they found the injured firefighter who had already been given emergency medical aid by members of Palestine Fire Department. According to Palestine PD, the firefighter was transported to Palestine Regional Medical Center ER and they expect them to recover. Witnesses said that one of the injured firefighter’s co-workers took their new gun from their vehicle and was showing it off when it discharged. The Palestine Fire Department employee whose gun went off accidentally has been placed on administrative leave while Palestine PD investigates.
TYLER — Law enforcement officials said they arrested a man in Tyler Friday evening, who was wanted for capital murder. According to our news partner KETK, Jason Edward Rhodes, 21, was arrested after a chase around 6:30 p.m. Rhodes led officers on a chase in a vehicle before running away in the area of Bow Street and Valentine Street, prior to his arrest. Deputies attempted to pull over the vehicle, a black Ford Mustang, on FM 14 but the driver drove away heading south. The driver lost control and hit a pole at Fannin Avenue and Valentine Street, officials said. When the car crashed, the passenger, identified as Rhodes, ran from law enforcement and the driver was taken into custody. Rhodes was caught in the 400 block of Bow Street. According to the sheriff’s office, Rhodes was the last of three suspects in a capital murder case out of Tyler to be arrested.
TYLER — UT Health Tyler has named Zach Dietze as CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2023. The organization said that Dietze is an experienced healthcare executive who most recently served as chief operating officer of Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Before that, he served as assistant administrator, then as CEO of Seton Medical Center in Harker Heights and as a program manager at Harris Health System in Houston. “We are thrilled to welcome Zach back to Texas and to UT Health East Texas. He is a people-first, physician-driven leader who understands that serving people is at the heart of everything we do,” said Donald Baker, market president of UT Health East Texas, as quoted in a news release. Dietze received his bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin and his Master of Healthcare Administration from Trinity University in San Antonio.
TYLER – Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Judge Taylor Heaton to the new 475th District Court in Smith County according to our news partner KETK. Heaton’s term will start in the court on Jan. 1 for a term set to expire at the end of 2024. Heaton is currently judge of the County Court at Law No. 2 in Smith County, and has previously served as an assistant district attorney in Tyler for over 12 years. Gov. Abbott signed the house bill in June 2021 to create the 475th District Court to help reduce backlog of criminal cases, according to former Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran, who said the courthouse’s backlog had nearly doubled after the pandemic. Smith County District Attorney Jacob Putman testified in favor of the bill for a new district court in front of the House of Representatives before it was signed.
TYLER – The City of Tyler is celebrating Rosa Parks Day with a reserved seat on a Tyler Transit bus, according to our news partner KETK. The holiday, observed on the day of her arrest, honors Parks after she refused to give up her bus seat, going against an Alabama law in 1955 that required Black passengers to relinquish seats when a bus became full. “Her actions led to a 1956 Supreme Court decision banning segregation on public transportation,” the city said in a statement. “Today, Tyler Transit honors Rosa Parks and her legacy with her own designated seat.” The seat left in honor of Parks, 67 years after she was arrested for not giving up her bus seat, features a photo of Parks with the words “this seat is reserved for Rosa Parks.”
TYLER – Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran resigned from his position as Smith County Judge on Wednesday following his election to the U.S. House District 1. According to our news partner KETK in a special called meeting of the Smith County Commissioners Court, Constable Josh Joplin talked about his experiences with Moran throughout the years. “You have probably brought this county county further for law enforcement and public safety in your tenure than any county judge ever has in the history of this county,” Joplin said. “Your concerns for public safety and the safety of the people go unmatched.” Commissioner Precinct 1 Neal Franklin was sworn in as the new county judge and taking his seat as Commissioner Precinct 1 will be Bullard Mayor Pam Frederick who was appointed and sworn into office by Judge Reeve Jackson at Wednesday’s special called meeting. The motion to approve her appointment was unanimously affirmed. Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL – Police continue to seek leads in a shooting at Marshall’s Wiley College. Officials say at 1:40 Sunday morning, the Marshall Emergency Telecommunications Center received multiple calls regarding gunfire on Wiley Avenue. Marshall police responded, along with the Wiley College Police Department and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. On arrival, officers say they found one gunshot victim. The shooter had fled the scene. Investigation revealed that a second gunshot victim was transported to the hospital by private vehicle. Marshall police are working with the Wiley College Police Department on this ongoing investigation. Anyone with information regarding this shooting is asked to contact the Marshall Police Department at 903-935-4575 or the Marshall/Harrison County Crime Stoppers at 903-935-9969.
ATHENS – The National Weather service has been assessing storm damage in East Texas. According to our news partner KETK, the NWS Fort Worth had a storm survey teams out in Henderson County on Saturday and continued surveying through the weekend. The team in Henderson County confirmed a tornado impacted the city of Athens. They gave it a preliminary rating of EF-2 with max winds up to 115 mph. Extensive damage was reported at the Athens Steel Building Corporation on Northeast Loop 7. Trees have also fallen in the area near the building as well as on County Road 3718. We’ll continue to update this story as new information comes in.
PITTSBURG – Pittsburg Police Department said Sunday that a vehicle pursuit ended after a 15-year-old female allegedly stole a Jeep Wrangler in Harrison County and crashed into an unmarked Pittsburg Police car. According to our news partner KETK, Pittsburg Police said that they were asked by DPS to deploy stop sticks in order to stop the chase that had come in on Highway 11 east from Harrison County. Authorities said that the chase ended when the suspect crashed into the unmarked Pittsburg Police car on the 600 block of South Greer Boulevard. Officials said, the suspect was arrested and charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, aggravated assault on a public servant, evading arrest, and criminal mischief greater than $2500 and less than $30,000. They were transported to Gregg County Juvenile Center, according to Pittsburg Police Department.
HUGHES SPRINGS – Hughes Springs Police Chief Randy Kennedy said that Hughes Springs City Hall is salvageable, even after sustaining heavy storm damage on Friday evening. According to Chief Kennedy, the building’s roof collapsed, windows broke and various rooms received rain damage but the buildings records are intact. According to our news partner KETK, Chief Kennedy said that they are going to have get the windows replaced and a new roof but that the building isn’t as damaged as they originally thought. He added that the Hughes Springs Volunteer Fire Department building is a total loss and will have to be replaced entirely. City Hall will remain locked, so residents will either have to knock or make an appointment to be let in while repairs are being made in the next few days, according to Chief Kennedy. Chief Kennedy added that he wanted to thank a local storage facility for taking in their fire trucks while they work on replacing their fire department.