Today is
Monday September 23, 2024
TYLER – Several East Texas cities have issued water conservation notices due to the extreme heat and drought-like conditions. According to our news partner KETK, Bullard, Canton, Edgewood, Tyler, Van, White Oak, Whitehouse and Wills Point are asking customers to voluntarily conserve water usage and limit irrigation of landscaped areas. The water comes from Lake Tyler and Lake Palestine, and officials said current lake levels are not causing concerns about the water supply at this time. However, more severe and prolonged drought conditions could strain lake levels, which staff is monitoring closely. TWU is asking customers to voluntarily limit irrigation to Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays for customers with a street address ending in an even number (0,2,4,6,8). Water customers with a street address ending in an odd number (1,3,5,7,9) are asked to water on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Watering should be done between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The restrictions are not mandatory at this time.
EAST TEXAS — The USDA Waiver that gave all children access to free lunch during the pandemic has expired, according to our news partner KETK. The school districts affected will have the application for free and reduced lunch available for those students who will still need free lunch. In addition to the money provided for programs, a relief package will be given because of inflation. “The government gave us some extra cents, a high amount which brings us close to the amount we were getting in the summer with the feeding program so it’s going to be helpful definitely,” said Tyler ISD food director Victor Olivares. Other school districts who qualify for Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) will continue to receive free lunch for all of their students. CEP eligibility requires the campus to have a minimum percentage of 42% households with income on government assistance. Longview ISD is a CEP campus and will continue to renew to provide food for their students. “Best for our students and parents and everyone concerned that we will continue to feed all the students free,” said Longview ISD’s Nutrition Director.
KILGORE — The Kilgore Police Department is warning all residents of the city that they will be experiencing little to no water pressure after a main water line broke. According to our news partner KETK, it was discovered that a 16-inch main water line broke within the city. The estimated time on restoration is not clear yet, but updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
TYLER – Three 18-year-old men Houston men were arrested on Friday in Tyler and are accused of stealing several catalytic converters. According to our news partner KETK, Tedrick Dyrone Perry Jr, Kennedy Zuron Watkins and Avory Marquis Coleman were arrested. On July 15, around 6:20 p.m. the Tyler Police Department received a call about a suspicious vehicle at 5201 S. Broadway Ave. The caller said they saw the suspects’ vehicle parked close to her, and she told them to move so she could leave. After they left, she noticed her car started making strange noises. Then, she saw a catalytic converter had been partially stolen from her vehicle. Officials then received two more calls about similar incidents and people described a similar suspect. This happened at 5614 S. Broadway and 8668 S. Broadway. Police began searching for a vehicle described as a black BMW four-door with a Florida license plate. Law enforcement saw the car around 8:20 p.m., heading north on S. Broadway and they tried to initiate a traffic stop. found four catalytic converters in the trunk of the vehicle and two saws.
QUITMAN — A grand jury has formally indicted an Alba woman after she was arrested in January for allegedly stealing more than $20,000 from the city of Quitman. Amber Raelynn Highnote, 35, of Alba, has been accused of theft by way of unlawfully acquiring and exercising control over property of the city of Quitman, which reportedly went on between February 2018 and July 2021. Highnote’s official charge is theft of property more than $2,500, less than $30,000, which is a state jail level felony. According to our news partner KETK, Highnote worked as the city water clerk from February 2017 to July 2021, at which point she apparently resigned from her position. Read the rest of this entry »
COFFEE CITY – The 10-day-old baby, Ryder Williams, from Coffee City that was at the center of an Amber Alert was taken in by CPS at 10 p.m. on Thursday, according to our news partner KETK. Coffee City police were contacted around 3:30 p.m. after CPS could not locate the child. CPS decided to request the Amber Alert after the parents did not cooperate to turn the child over, said authorities. Officials then started investigating and found that an uncle of the father lived in Tyler. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office went to the Tyler residence to check for all three people, but they only located the father. He was taken back to Coffee City for the investigation and then released. Later, officials got a call that the mother had decided to turn her baby into Hunt County law enforcement. The baby was then taken to CPS. Police said the parents were allowed to go home. The couple also took drug tests, and they are awaiting the results. If the parents’ drug tests come back positive for methamphetamine, officials say they will be issued a warrant for their arrests for the endangerment of a child.
PALESTINE – Texas lawmakers and East Texas school leaders visited Palestine for a school safety forum on Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK, the event was hosted by District 8 State Rep. Cody Harris and Palestine Independent School District Superintendent Jason Marshall. It was a conversation between educators and law enforcement on how to prepare for and prevent a tragedy. These conversations are very prevalent following the mass shooting in Uvalde. At the forum, different topics were addressed such as, the security children and teachers should feel, identifying characteristics of a school shooter and being aware of surroundings. Read the rest of this entry »
KILGORE – A wanted man was arrested in Kilgore on Wednesday after being chased by multiple officers, some who joined the chase after he ran past the police station according to our news partner KETK. “If you saw us running through the Chick-fil-A parking lot it wasn’t because we were hungry or needed to cool off with a strawberry shake,” Kilgore police said. “It was because were chasing a wanted fugitive.” According to officials, Donald “Danger” Godbey was spotted by patrol in the downtown area and fled from them. Godbey had already escaped from Kilgore officers the previous week. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A Tyler man has pleaded guilty to burglary of habitation after being charged for murder and burglary back in 2020, and has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. According to our news partner KETK, Robert Robertson, 23, is the third person of his three co-defendants to be convicted in the investigation to a shooting on Van Street in Tyler and has a plea hearing for his murder charge scheduled for next month. Robertson’s co-defendant’s Kevondus Brantley and Kobe Warthsaw have been convicted of murder for the 2020 shooting. Brantley pleaded to 15 years in prison, and Warthsaw was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to 40 years in prison. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – AAA is reporting the largest weekly gas price decrease for the year in Texas. The statewide gas price average per gallon is $4.33, AAA said. That is .16 cents less than on this day last week and $1.52 more per gallon compared to this day last year. AAA said drivers in El Paso are paying the most on average at $4.44 per gallon. According to our news partner KETK in Longview, the average gas price today is $4.39, compared to $4.53 a week ago. In Tyler, average gas prices are down to $4.27 from $4.40 last week. Texarkana’s gas average is now $4.36 from $4.51 last week. The main factors behind the recent drop, according to the AAA, is that crude oil prices are dropping due to concerns about a decline in global demand later this year and increased supply regionally. July is typically one of the busiest months for road travel.
TYLER – A former Van Zandt County Chief Deputy pleaded guilty to deprivation of civil rights on Wednesday after being accused of unreasonably assaulting an arrestee according to our news partner KETK. Steven Craig Shelton was accused of depriving a person of their rights while acting under color of law in September 2021 after an incident in Wills Point. Wednesday in court, Shelton submitted a binding plea agreement. Federal Magistrate Judge John D. Love recommended that the plea agreement be accepted by the district judge. The binding plea agreement includes a 44-month imprisonment sentence, five-year supervised release, and requires Shelton to pay restitution to the victim and community in an amount yet to be decided. According to court documents, Shelton “used his forearm to twice strike [the person] in the face while [they] were handcuffed.” Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – A sixth woman was arrested for injury to a child for events that took place while she was employed at a Longview ISD elementary school. According to our news partner KETK, Cynthia Talley, 56, was arrested on Wednesday and has been indicted for seven counts of causing bodily injury to a child. She has also been indicted for one count of unlawful restraint of a minor. Talley posted a combined bail of $20,000 for all eight of her charges, and was released the same day. All six of the women were indicted in late June after an investigation into the mistreatment of students at J.L. Everhart Elementary. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The Texas Veterans Land Board is encouraging the community to help make an East Texas veteran’s upcoming birthday extra special. Archie Thomas will be turning 100-years-old on July 13. According to our news partner KETK, he is a World War II veteran after serving as an Army Sgt. said VLB Chairman George P. Bush. “I would truly enjoy receiving 100 birthday cards for my 100th birthday,” said Thomas. He currently lives at the Watkins-Logan Texas State Veterans Home in Tyler. The veteran was born in Hearne, Texas and served in the Army Air Corps from Sept. 1942 until July 1945. When Thomas was 22-years-old, his aircraft was shot down in Germany in April of 1944. Thomas survived the crash, but nine other service members on his crew did not. Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY – A man was sentenced to 12 years in prison in Cherokee County for burglary of habitation, according to our news partner KETK. Anthony Wayne Brooks was convicted for this offense on Thursday in the 2nd Judicial District Court. The burglary happened in September, and a witness said Brooks put items from a home into the back of a truck and then drove away, according to Elmer C. Beckworth, the Cherokee County District Attorney. A jury convicted Brooks after about an hour of deliberations. Brooks also asked for the jury to decide his punishment. The jury decided on a 12 year sentence, and had been informed that Brooks had four previous felony convictions. 2nd Judicial District Judge Chris Day then finalized the sentencing. Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Richey and Assistant District Attorney Enoch Basnett represented the prosecution in this case, and Brooks’ lawyer was Sravanesh Muralidhar.
OVERTON — The City of Overton remains on a boil water notice that went into effect June 12, and a second break in the water line forced the city to shut off the supply altogether according to our news partner KETK. The good news: With the tank level at least 112 feet, officials say everyone should now have water. “As far as conserving water I think we are good, citizens should probably begin conserving water anyway due to the extreme heat and drought situation,” Overton Police Chief Bryan Pool said. Just off FM 850, a contractor hit a water line last weekend, and a second break that happened early Monday morning could be due to extreme heat, according to city officials. As a result, residents are feeling the hit and pressure. Read the rest of this entry »