Today is
Tuesday June 09, 2026
WHITEHOUSE — A Whitehouse man was sentenced to 55 years in prison on Friday after pleading guilty to stabbing his mother to death in October 2021. According to our news partner KETK, at around 5:15 p.m. the Smith County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call of a woman being stabbed by her son in a neighborhood south of Whitehouse off Highway 110. Before deputies arrived to the scene, dispatch received a second call from the victim and reportedly told officials her son had stabbed her and had stolen her Honda CRV. When deputies arrived, they took her to a local hospital where 60-year-old Bernice Slabaugh, later died from her injuries. Officers with the Tyler Police Department located the car on Golden Road and pulled it over. The driver was detained and later identified as Carson Aaron Epifano, 26 of Whitehouse, and the son of the victim.
TYLER, Texas (KETK) – With severe weather moving through the area and into East Texas, about about 14,086 customers are without power as of 5:15 p.m. on Saturday. At it’s peak on Tuesday, more than 150,000 customers were without power in the local area.
Our news partner KETK has compiled a list of counties with power outages from ONCOR and SWEPCO’s power outage maps, as well as several electric co-ops. You can view that list here.
HENDERSON COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK, a 25-year-old man was charged with possession of child pornography on Thursday in Henderson County. The arrest affidavit indicated he used Snapchat to solicit images of minors by stating to be a part of a “modeling agency.†According to records, a Snapchat user later identified as Aaron Alvarado, 25 of Gun Barrel City, solicited children online for nude images by starting each chat with the following message:
“Hello, my name is Taylor Davis, I work for a technology based modeling agency called Models&Dancers. Looking for anyone interested in modeling, we pay are models about $7,500-$12,750 a week, if your truly interested or have questions, please message me back.†Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A pedestrian was reportedly hit and killed by a pickup truck near a Dollar General on Highway 31 west of Tyler on Wednesday, the Department of Public Safety confirmed. According to our news partner KETK, Vanessa Hill, 61, was crossing Highway 31 heading north at around 2:30 p.m. when the truck, which was heading east, hit the pedestrian. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene and DPS said they will release their identity once their family has been notified.
GREGG COUNTY – A Longview man pleaded guilty to tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse on Tuesday and a related murder charge was dismissed. According to our news partner KETK, Adam Nguyen, 24, was charged for his part in the death of 21-year-old Brantravious Williams in 2021. Officials responded to reports of gunfire at Williams’ Second Street home at around 11:17 a.m. Police found Williams dead in the home. Nguyen was at the time charged with murder, tampering, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of marijuana. Three years after his arrest, Nguyen pleaded guilty to tampering and the other charges were dismissed. Nguyen will be sentenced on June 10.
Programming Note: The KTBB and KRWR streams are temporarily out of service. This means that listening to KTBB or KRWR on our app or via our website, is not possible at this time. The company that hosts our streams is experiencing a service outage and hopes to have them restored shortly. Sorry for the inconvenience.
ZAVALLA — According to our news partner KETK, the Huntington Volunteer Fire Department responded to a church fire in Zavalla suspected to have started from an explosion. The Huntington Police Department announced on Monday that the fire department responded to a call at Solid Rock Baptist Church on FM 2109 in Zavalla. Officials said the church was under construction when calls came in of a fire. Huntington PD said it appeared “to have been an explosion,†causing a door and debris to be thrown up to 100 feet from the building.
The Huntington Volunteer Fire Department was assisted by other volunteer fire departments from Angelina County. The incident is being investigated by the Zavalla Fire Department and the Zavalla Police Department.
LONGVIEW — According to our news partner KETK, the Longview Economic Development Corporation will hold a public meeting on Tuesday to discuss a proposed bio mining process facility on 2120 E. Loop 281. The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall to approve of a “bio mining process facility to extract precious metals and other elements from recycled materials in heavy commercial zoning district.â€
According to the city, a vessel fabrication shop previously occupied the space but now the newly proposed facility would “recover precious metals and other elements from recycled materials in a low-carbon biotech process.â€
TROUP – The Troup Police Department said they’ve arrested a 17-year-old in connection to reports of shots fired in the city on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, the Troup PD, after the reports of shots fired came in on Saturday, they were able to find several people involved at a residence on Railroad Street with the help of Smith County Sheriff’s Office and other near-by agencies. They took several people in the home into custody and learned about other alleged criminal activities. They also found several firearms in the area. Latravion Dewberry, 17 of New Chapel Hill, was arrested on Sunday for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection to Saturday’s “shooting incidentâ€, according to Troup PD.
Troup PD said that their investigation into the incident is ongoing and more charges are pending.
TYLER – Severe weather hit our area again Friday night and more than 4,038 are without power across East Texas as 1:52 p.m. Sunday. Our news partner KETK has a list of power outage numbers that have been compiled from various power companies and electricity cooperatives. You can find the current list here.
LUFKIN – According to our news partner KETK, arrest warrants were issued after a “senior prank†went too far last Thursday. Lufkin ISD Police issued warrants for five high school seniors who they say vandalized the high school campus after hours. The students have also been barred from walking in graduation on Thursday night. A similar “senior prank†vandalism incident occurred this year in Longview, and students involved were not allowed to participate in graduation.
“Lufkin ISD will not tolerate this type of behavior that results in destruction of public property and disregard for staff, other students and the learning environment of our campuses,†Lufkin ISD said. “Parents need to have conversations with their children that these pranks can lead to school consequences, criminal charges and restitution for damages.â€
TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler’s (UTT) Master of Business Administration program has been ranked among the top 30 in the nation by Fortune Magazine. According to a release from UTT, their program is ranked 29th nationwide for Fortune Magazine’s “Best Online MBA Programs in 2024.†UT Tyler said that they are one of only two UT system schools in the top 30, having been ranked 46th last year. “This recognition by Fortune Magazine is a testimony to the quality of our programs and our dedicated Soules College of Business faculty, who prepare the next generation of business leaders and professionals in the East Texas region and beyond,†Dr. Amir Mirmiran, UT Tyler provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said. UT Tyler said that their online MBA program is affordable and flexible, offering a number of different concentrations and being able to be completed in as little as one year.
LONGVIEW – According to our news partner KETK, the Longview Police Department is warning the public of a scam after they recently arrested a person for allegedly stealing between $30,000 and $150,000. Muhammad Muzammil, 23 of Bolingbrook, Illinois, allegedly used scam tactics to scam a local victim out of a “significant amount of money,†according to Longview PD.
“Unfortunately, these types of crimes are becoming more common and often target the elderly and young adults. Protect yourself and your loved ones by staying informed and vigilant,†Longview PD said. Visit the Federal Trade Commission online for more information on scams and how to protect yourself from them. Read the rest of this entry »
MALAKOFF – The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office said that they arrested a woman on Saturday after suspected cocaine and a ‘large sum’ of cash was found during a traffic stop. According to our news partner KETK, Courtney Dawson, 29 of Malakoff, was arrested after Henderson County narcotics investigators Brad Beddingfield and Jonathan Daille found “a substance believed to be cocaine along with a large sum of U.S. Currency,†during a traffic stop, according to the sheriff’s office.
Dawson reportedly had an outstanding warrant for manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance and has been charged with manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence. She’s being held in the Henderson County Jail on a total bond of $1,550,000.
SHELBY COUNTY – Shelby County Game Wardens are searching for someone who killed and dumped an alligator on Friday or Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, the alligator was captured, killed and dumped on either late Friday night or early Saturday morning at the Pinkston Reservoir boat ramp on County Road 1211. Anyone with information on the gator dumping is asked to call Game Warden Sam Anderson or Austin Cryer at 936-332-8487 or 936-591-7265.