Today is
Wednesday June 10, 2026
ATHENS – According to our news partner KETK The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) in Athens will be undergoing major renovations and updates and will be closed to the public starting Aug. 28. The tentative date for completion and reopening to the public is spring 2025. According to TFFC, “the 300,000 gallons of aquariums will be updated, new larger aquariums will be added, the dive theater and other existing indoor exhibits will be updated, and new exhibits will be developed.†In addition to upgrading the facilities, the closure will also give an opportunity for staff to develop new educational programming and volunteer opportunities. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) has raised more than $4.5 million in private donations to fund the massive project, said TFFC.
Until Aug. 28, TFFC operates from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. According to TFFC, hatchery production, the Toyota ShareLunker Program, Angler Recognition Program, Fish Art Contest and Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame selection and induction will all continue normal operations during the renovation. For additional information about TFFC, visit the TFFC website and Facebook page.
MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department said an 88-year-old pedestrian was killed after being hit by a car in the 2600 block of East Houston Street on Friday. According to our news partner KETK Marlene Floyd, 88 of Marshall, had died from her injuries by the time first responders arrived on seen around 10:40 p.m., according to a press release. The 71-year-old driver stayed on the scene of the crash and is cooperating with investigators, Marshall PD said. Officials said no charges have been filled in this case and an investigation is ongoing.
Marshall Police Department Chief Cliff Carruth stressed the importance of drivers and pedestrians fully paying attention to the road because these kinds of accidents are all too common. “It is a tragedy for all involved. We will keep these families in our prayers,†Chief Carruth said.
TYLER – According to our news partner KETK a 20-year-old Tyler man was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to helping “move and dispose†of the body of a 2022 murder victim. Christian Whitney-Polk, 20, was arrested on March 10, almost a year after authorities said they were searching for him in connection to the murder of 53-year-old Anthony Wilson. Wilson’s body was later found in the woods in North Tyler and his roommate, Timothy Jones, 27, was sentenced to 40 years in prison in June after pleading guilty to his murder.
According to an arrest warrant, Jones had told police in an interview “he had shot Anthony,†and after the shooting, contacted Whitney-Polk to help him move the body. “He stated he picked up Christian Whitney-Polk from his house, then drove him to the house on Gentry where they took Anthony Wilson’s body out, and they both disposed of Anthony Wilson’s body,†the warrant said.
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LUFKIN – According to our news partner KETK the City of Lufkin is trying to identify the driver of an SUV that was involved in an Abney Avenue crash that left a bicyclist dead around 6:17 a.m. on Sunday. The bicyclist was riding his bicycle west in the 900 block of Abney Avenue when officials said a black SUV going at a high speed crossed all three lanes and hit the bicyclist. According to a press release the driver kept driving west on Abney after the crash. The bicyclist was taken to a local hospital by ambulance where officials said he was pronounced dead. Authorities are canvassing the area for security footage of the crash or vehicle and ask anyone in the area to check their footage around 6:05 to 6:25 a.m. The vehicle in question is believed to have damage to the driver’s side headlight, according to a City of Lufkin press release. Anyone with information or video is asked to call the Lufkin Police Department at 936-633-0356.
CHEROKEE COUNTY – A deputy has been placed on administrative leave while Texas Rangers investigate an incident that took place on July 23 between him and an inmate at the Cherokee County Jail. Sheriff Brent Dickson contacted the Texas Rangers to investigate the incident after reviewing it himself. Pending the Texas Rangers investigation, Dickson said the deputy involved has been placed on administrative leave and no further information can be released at this time, updates will posted as they become available.
GROVETON – According to our news partner KETK a wanted man is in custody and a deputy was hospitalized with a head injury following a tense five-hour standoff in Trinity County overnight. Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace identified the suspect as Keith “KD†Williams. Authorities received a crime stoppers tip that Williams, a convicted sex offender last registered in Polk County, was living in an RV in Groveton. When they went out to serve a felony warrant, he reportedly locked himself inside the RV, shouting at officers from inside. While Williams was barricaded, Wallace said he threw items like spears, arrows, wooden blocks, chemicals, water and propane tanks at law enforcement. The suspect hit one of our deputies in the head with a hammer,†Wallace said. Read the rest of this entry »
BULLARD — According to our news partner KETK Bullard ISD has added two more officers as a response to Governor Greg Abbott’s new law, House Bill 3. This new law requires each school district in Texas to have one security officer on each school campus. “That brings us to five and that’s just an added security measure for students staff and our entire community,†said Bullard ISD Superintendent Jack Lee. New police chief Pat Hendrix says policies and procedures will continue to be followed and stressing the importance to keep an up-to-date secure building. “We have films, camera systems, we have different types of door locks, and we have a lot of safety procedures on these campuses,†said Hendrix. Read the rest of this entry »
RUSK COUNTY — Some county officials in East Texas are looking at the possibility of more burn bans being issued in the near future due to high temperatures and a lack of rain. “We know that the burn ban is coming,†said John Clary, Henderson Economic Development Corporation. Houston and Polk counties are now under a local state of disaster. Compared with 2022, 27 out of 28 East Texas counties were under a burn ban by mid-July. Rusk County Fire Marshal Patrick Dooley told our news partner KETK that conditions are relatively similar in the area compared to Houston County. Dooley said he and the rest of his team are watching the conditions daily to see what could happen next if things continue to get worse. Dooley said it’s something they don’t want to do but might have to do because of the conditions.
Dooley is expecting a burn ban to be put in place in Rusk County in the next couple of weeks. “I’ve already briefed our commissioners and the county judge on the possibility of having a burn ban here in effect in the next few weeks,†he said.
LONGVIEW – Our news partner KETK reports that an individual was arrested in Longview after being found asleep at the wheel with illegal drugs in the vehicle, according to the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. On Wednesday, authorities responded to do a welfare check for someone that was found asleep in their car on the side of I-20 in Longview. When officials arrived, the driver was reportedly still asleep at the wheel. Authorities said they conducted a consent search of the vehicle, which led to the discovery of a “clear crystal substance of suspected methamphetamine.†The driver was arrested, taken to the Harrison County Main Jail and charged with possession of a controlled substance.
HARRISON COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK a man has been arrested after being pulled over for racing on Highway 80 and allegedly having meth in his vehicle. On Monday, a deputy with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office said he witnessed two vehicles racing on Highway 80 near Loop 390. The deputy was able to pull over one of the vehicles involved in the alleged race. The driver was identified as Darlin Ortega-Calderon, 18, and when speaking with the deputy, the release stated that Ortega-Calderon told him that the “other vehicle wanted to compete with him and they just took off.†Ortega-Calderon allegedly also told the deputy that he did not have a driver’s license or insurance. When the deputy conducted a search of the vehicle, officials said that methamphetamines were located in Ortega-Calderon’s wallet.
Ortega-Calderon was arrested and charged with racing on a highway, no driver’s license, fail to maintain financial responsibility and possession of a controlled substance.
MINEOLA — According to our news partner KETK a pastor of a church in Mineola was arrested on Tuesday for charges of indecency with a child by sexual contact, according to judicial records. Timothy Nall, 68, is the pastor of Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church in Mineola, where he has pastored for three years. This is the third charge brought against Nall for allegations of a sexual crime against a child. In 2014, he was indicted in Mississippi on allegations from a sexual battery case that involved a young girl. Nall was released from the Smith County Jail on a $50,000 bond on Tuesday.
At the time, Nall was the pastor of Farmington Baptist Church near Corinth, MS, and was accused of abusing a young girl when the child was 6 and 7 years old. The case ended in a mistrial after two jurors could not agree on a verdict, according to WREG. He was then indicted again for sexual battery and a new count of fondling stemming from the same allegations.
TATUM – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agreed on Monday to settle a lawsuit with the Sierra Club after health concerns were raised in 2019 over possible exposure from a local power plant. According to our news partner KETK the Sierra Club, as part of their proposed settlement, the EPA must either approve a Texas plan to reduce sulfur dioxide pollution or reject it and issue a federal plan as required by the Clean Air Act no later than Dec. 31, 2024. The Sierra Club said they sued in February after the EPA failed to act by the statutory deadline after they were required to reject or approve a plan submitted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Equality (TCEQ).
PALESTINE – A woman was arrested after a traffic stop led to a seizure of more than 116 grams of ecstasy. According to our news partner KETK around midnight on July 13, police conducted a traffic stop on the 100 block of East Palestine Avenue on a vehicle with a “defective brake lamp.†The driver was identified as 32-year-old Leslie Hawkins and officials said they conducted a probable cause search on the vehicle due to the smell of marijuana coming from the Hawkins’ car. During the search, authorities said they found two small bags of marijuana along with a plastic bag containing “seven multicolored tablets identified as MDMA (Ecstasy) in the console.†Police also reportedly found a larger plastic bag in the back seat containing even more ecstasy tablets. Hawkins was arrested and taken to the Anderson County Jail on the felony charge of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance. Read the rest of this entry »
TEXARKANA – According to our news partner KETK two teenagers were arrested for allegedly burglarizing several vape shops and stealing a vehicle from a driveway in the Texarkana area. Around 3 a.m. on June 10, police responded to an alarm call at the Vapor Stop on North Stateline in Texarkana. Upon arrival, officials said they saw the front door glass shattered and several items missing from inside the shop. Just a few minutes later, they received reports that someone had tried to do the same thing at another vape shop on College Drive but wasn’t able to get in. The suspects reportedly were able to get into two more vape shops that night, one on West 7th Street and another on Stateline. According to authorities, surveillance footage from the different stores showed the suspects using a large rock to break into each shop and stealing “whatever the could get their hands on.†The footage reportedly made it apparent that it was the same two suspects at each burglary, TTPD said. Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY – UPDATE: Robert Bacot, who was wanted out of Cherokee County is in custody as of 5:35 p.m. Monday evening. “Thank you to the many citizens and agencies who assisted today,†the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said. Authorities called off the search for Robert Bacot around 3 p.m. Monday afternoon. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office thanked the Jacksonville Police Department, Bullard Police Department, Jacksonville Fire Department, Texas Game Wardens, TDCJ Pack Dog Unit, TDCJ Investigators and Texas DPS for their help.
Bacot has two warrants for aggravated assault, one warrant for aggravated kidnapping and a parole warrant for his arrest. Authorities said they will continue to monitor the area, but officially called the search off.