Today is
Thursday July 23, 2026
MARSHALL — Our news partner KETK is reporting that a search is underway in Marshall following a shooting on Sunday night that resulted in the death of a 48-year-old man.
The Marshall Police Department said officers responded to the shooting around 8:56 p.m. in the 1900 block of Bean Street. When officials arrived, they found the body of a man, identified as Carlos Dewayne Hill, 48 of Marshall. A preliminary investigation indicates that the person involved fled the area before officers arrived.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Marshall Police Department at (903) 935-4575 or Marshall-Harrison County Crime Stoppers at (903) 935-9969.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr. Hill,” said Marshall Police Chief Cliff Carruth. “Our investigators are working diligently to identify and locate the person responsible for this senseless act of violence. We are asking anyone with information to come forward and assist us in bringing justice to the victim and his family.”
TYLER – Amazon has opened its first fulfillment center in East Texas, just in time for the upcoming busy holiday delivery season. The building sits on 30-acres of land and has a 140,000-square feet floor plan. President of the Tyler Economic Development Scott Martinez has been with this project since it was just a daydream.
“Seeing this project come to life and in a timeframe that was just so quick, this whole construction was less than 12 months,” Martinez said. “It’s almost like seeing a child born and start growing. So it’s been very fulfilling.”
According to our news partner KETK, Monday’s ribbon cutting on the new Tyler facility was attended by several local officials including Tyler mayor Don Warren, State Rep. Cole Hefner and State Senator Bryan Hughes.
For better traffic flow, the company also paid for a new traffic signal and turn lanes nearby. The facility is in its third week of operation, with employees fulfilling shipments overnight and loading trucks early morning. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Tyler drivers have probably noticed a new site to see off Broadway Ave, as the construction gets underway for Parkside North, a new 92-acre development.
“What you’re seeing right now is just all of the foundational work,” Genecov president & CEO Ray McKinney said. “So you’re putting in storm sewers, which is how the rainwater gets funneled into a certain place, and so those are storm sewer pipes that you see there. All of that’s being done, the dirt works being done to flat it out so that you can build something on it because nobody wants to walk on a parking lot.”
Our news partner KETK is reporting that the Genecov Group is ready to get started on their new phases of development. The plan includes three types of areas to be built.
“The first part is the part that you see up here on the front is at the pad side, stretching from one end down to the other,” McKinney said. “Mostly, you’re looking at restaurant-type users.” Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A woman involved in an incident with Tyler Police Department where she discharged an officer’s gun has been sentenced to 40 years in prison according to our news partner KETK. Brianna Erwin, 33, was involved in an altercation with Tyler PD in May of 2025 when officers responded to a theft call at a Dollar General. Erwin, one of the suspects in the theft, resisted arrest causing an altercation between her and an officer. According to Tyler PD, Erwin grabbed an officer’s firearm during the struggle and discharged the weapon. Erwin was booked into the Smith County Jail on an outstanding warrant.
On Monday, at the 7th District Court, Erwin pleaded guilty to multiple charges connected to the May incident. Erwin received 12 months for possession of a controlled substance, 8 years for harassment of a public servant and 40 years for aggravated assault of a public servant.
The three sentences will be served at the same time so Erwin is expected to serve 40 years in prison. She was also ordered to pay $180 in restitution to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
HENDERSON COUNTY — Our news partner KETK has confirmed that the suspect involved in the Oct. 17 triple homicide in Mabank has died. The suspect, Christopher Kyle Reid, is accused of having killed three people at around 2:30 a.m. at the Cedar Creek Cove Subdivision in Mabank. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found the bodies of a woman and a man with apparent gunshot wounds.
Another woman shot at the scene was transported to a hospital, where she died. The deceased have been identified as: Kimberly Simpson, 51, Connie Patrick, 72, Ronny Hammonds, 57.
The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office said that Simpson and Connie were both shot multiple times, along with Hammonds, who also had injuries from blunt force trauma and multiple stab wounds.
Two other victims, ages 24 and 70, were hospitalized. The 24-year-old has since been released from the hospital, while the 70-year-old remains hospitalized but is awake and responsive, the sheriff’s office confirmed. Read the rest of this entry »
UPDATE: The Nacogdoches Police Department has arrested Hector Cuarenta, 17 of Nacogdoches, in connection with the shooting deaths of three people on Friday.
Cuarenta was wanted in connection to the deaths of three people on Hackberry Street on Friday but turned himself into Nacogdoches PD on Sunday night. Cuarenta was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and has been booked into the Nacogdoches County Jail.
NACOGDOCHES COUNTY — As of 11:58 a.m., Fredonia Elementary has been placed on secure status, due to a shooting in the area confirmed to be a triple homicide. No one is allowed to enter or exit the campus until the secure status is lifted. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, the Tyler Police Department had officers out in the community to take unwanted medications from East Texans as a part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day events have recovered more than 20 million pounds of unused medications since 2010 as a way to help prevent drug misuse.
“Events like this help because it is pretty dangerous to flush any medication, flushing it down the toilet or even leaving it in the counter for your children or some other relative to find expired medication,” said Tyler PD community response officer Bianca Smedely.
Anyone who needs to dispose of unwanted pills or expired education medications but couldn’t make it out to Tyler PD’s event on Friday can find a list of more than 30 drop box locations online.
TYLER – As the United States government shut down threatens SNAP food benefits, the East Texas Food Bank is preparing to step up for East Texans who rely on the program’s assistance.
According to our news partner KETK and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, November’s SNAP benefits won’t be sent out if the government shut down continues on Monday. East Texas Food Bank CEO, David Emerson, explained that they’re already preparing to meet a greater demand for food.
“So we’re already buying more food in anticipation of this,” Emerson said. “So we always have truckloads coming in on a regular basis and just this week alone, just yesterday I ordered $200,000 more food, that we’re going to have to go out and purchase, that we weren’t planning on purchasing.”
Medicaid, WIC, TANF and CHIP benefits will reportedly be unaffected if the shutdown continues on Monday but the more than 41 million Americans who use SNAP will lose access to the program unless the government acts by Monday. East Texans can visit the East Texas Food Bank online to learn more about their services.
HENDERSON – The Henderson Police Department is currently investigating a shooting that injured a child on South Main Street on Friday.
According to our news partner KETK and the Henderson PD, officers responded to a reported shooting in the 800 block of South Main Street at around 12:26 p.m. on Friday. Once Henderson PD officers arrived on scene, they found a child who who had been shot.
EMS responded to the scene and transported the child to a local hospital for treatment. A Henderson PD official told KETK News that the child is currently in stable condition.
The shooting is currently being investigated as an accident and Henderson PD said there’s no threat to the public at this time.
LUFKIN – Our news partner KETK is reporting that the Lufkin Police Department is currently searching for a missing 12-year-old girl who was last seen on Mitchell Street on Thursday. 12-year-old Zahariah Freeman was last seen at her grandmother’s Mitchell Steet home between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. in Lufkin on Thursday.
Zahariah is described as a 5-foot-tall Black girl with brown eyes and black hair who weighs around 100 pounds. Lufkin PD said she often will wear blue sunglasses.
Anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to call Lufkin PD at 936-633-0356.
PANOLA COUNTY — A one-vehicle crash that happened on Friday in Panola County led to the discovery of a kidnapping victim. The case remains under investigation.
Panola County Dispatch received a 911 call on Friday at 5:03 a.m. from a female yelling for help, then the call disconnected according to our news partner KETK. Dispatch tried to call the number back and a male answered, who said that he was taking the victim to Louisiana where he would drop her off. The female victim could be heard calling for help in the background.
At 6:33 a.m. Dispatch was notified of a one-vehicle crash on CR 3031 off the loop. Deputies, investigators, a trooper and EMS responded and found that the driver was the suspect from the original 911 call. Deputies were informed by the suspect that he dropped the victim off outside of a business in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Just after 10:00 a.m. the victim was located at a residence in Shreveport and is seeking medical treatment. Investigators determined that the initial disturbance took place at a Carthage apartment complex.
The suspect is currently hospitalized with injuries from the crash and the case remains under investigation. Panola County Sheriff’s Office has stated that no names will be released while the investigation remains ongoing.
TYLER – A new mini golf course will begin construction soon in Tyler; however, people who live in the area are concerned about the noise and lights this development may bring. Due to the concerns, the City of Tyler granted the ‘Special Use Permit’ at a council meeting on Wednesday.
According to our news partner KETK, the new mini golf course would be located near the intersection of South Broadway and Donnybrook Avenue, behind ‘Andy’s Custard.’ Kyle Kingma, Genecov Planning Director, said this is all to meet an entertainment need in the growing city of Tyler.
“We have gotten feedback that there is a desire to have more outside entertainment within the city,” Kingma said. So, we think that this would probably check that box for people.” Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Two brothers arrested on dogfighting charges in 2024 had those charges dropped after they both pleaded guilty to other charges recently.
Kerry Jones, 36 of Tyler, and Michael Jones, 32 of Tyler, were both arrested after nearly 60 dogs were found near a residence on County Road 4136 in Tyler on Sept. 9, 2024.
Our news partner KETK spoke with Michael’s lawyer Matt Bingham after a pre-trial hearing on Thursday. Bingham said that Jones wasn’t connected by evidence to any of the dogfighting that allegedly took place at his brother Kerry’s property. Given the lack of evidence against him, Michael was able to take a plea deal that allowed him to only plead guilty to a charge of possession of marijuana between 5 and 50 pounds. According to Bingham, the dogfighting charges and a cruelty to non-livestock animals charge have been dropped as part of his plea deal.
Michael has been sentenced to 11 months in jail and given credit for time served since he’s been in Smith County Jail for the past 13 months, according to Bingham. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK, a man was arrested in Henderson County on Thursday after over 455 files containing images of child pornography were found on his computer.
According to an arrest affidavit, a peace officer who had been assigned to investigate sex crimes and crimes against children in Henderson County received a Cybertip on June. 9, which is used to inform officials about suspected potential online sexual exploitation of children. The cybertip provided an IP address, along with a subpoena obtained from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, for T-Mobile regarding the IP Address. After officials received the subpoena, they discovered that the IP Address belonged to Nicholas Kent of Gun Barrel City. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – Longview High School was sent into a “HOLD” on Wednesday after an altercation broke out between a small number of students, according to our news partner KETK.
Campus staff and administrators responded to the altercation immediately and de-escalated the situation with district safety personnel. Longview High School was sent into a “HOLD” during the altercation, as a part of the district’s Standard Response Protocol. The district did not offer any other information about the altercation on Wednesday.
“The situation was promptly resolved, and those involved are being addressed in accordance with district policy. At no point was there an ongoing threat to the campus. The HOLD followed our Standard Response Protocol. Longview ISD is committed to providing a safe, secure and supportive learning environment for all students, and we appreciate the continued cooperation of our families and staff.”
Longview ISD
WHITEHOUSE — With early voting underway, Whitehouse ISD is proposing a voter-approval tax rate that will “enhance teachers’ salaries,” and maintain small class sizes, allowing for more one-on-one attention between students and teachers.
According to our news partner KETK, if approved, tax rates will remain one of the lowest in Smith County, the school district said, and will focus on providing a better learning environment for teachers and students. It aims to “provide the teacher salaries needed to keep & attract experienced educators,” while also focusing on maintaining small class sizes.
Additionally, if passed, it will aim to help grow the district’s college preparation programs, as well as expand academic and fine arts programs, extracurricular activities, and the special education program. It will also allow the district to maintain its current safety programs and provide additional security measures. Read the rest of this entry »
KILGORE – The Kilgore College Board of Trustees voted on Monday to name Dr. Staci Pollan Martin as the school’s interim president, since their current president Dr. Brenda Kays is retiring in February of 2026. Martin currently serves as Kilgore College’s vice president of organizational effectiveness and excellence, and she’ll officially become the college’s interim president on Nov. 1 according to our news partner KETK.
As a Kilgore College staff member since 2001, Martin has worn many hats including serving as vice president of student life and college affairs, vice president of student services, vice president of institutional planning, registrar and director of admissions.
Martin has a doctor of education degree in higher education from Texas Tech University, a masters of science degree in interdisciplinary studies from Texas A&M University–Texarkana and her bachelor’s of science degree in interdisciplinary studies from Texas A&M University. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Our news partner KETK is reporting that a Tyler man has pleaded guilty to two drug-related charges on Monday and accepted a 40 year prison sentence in connection with a 2024 fentanyl death.
Calvin Thomas Spencer, 28, was intially charged with first-degree murder, after Michael Crone, a Tyler-native, died after taking fentanyl pills. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office said Spencer was a barber at a truck stop in the 400 block of East-Northeast Loop 323 in Tyler where he was known to give Crone haircuts.
An arrest affidavit also revealed that Spencer sold Crone M-30 fentanyl pills and later died on Oct. 5, 2024. Read the rest of this entry »
JACKSONVILLE – The Neches and Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District (NTVGCD) has voted to suspend 40 controversial permit applications for high-capacity water wells in Anderson County according to our news partner KETK.
A member of the district’s board confirmed to KETK News that the NTVGCD board met in Jacksonville on Thursday and unanimously voted to suspend their consideration of 40 permit applications that were filed with their board by Pine Bliss LLC and Red Town Ranch Holdings LLC. The applications sparked controversy earlier this year when numerous East Texas public officials began to speak out against the proposed wells and their potential impact on the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer, which supplies water for much of Anderson and Houston counties.
The applications are suspended until studies can be done to determine what impact these wells could have on the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer.
East Texas State Senator Robert Nichols and State Representative Cody Harris attended the meeting on Thursday. According to Harris, the board also voted to accept a settlement offer from Sanderson Farms, a poultry company, who’s suing the district to invalidate their April vote for the permit applications. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Our news partner KETK has compiled a list of East Texas school bonds for the 2025 election cycle. Texas school districts do not receive state funding for renovations or buildings, which leads them to seek their funding through school bond elections. Early voting on the proposition begins Oct. 20 and ends on Oct. 31, while Election Day is set for Nov. 4. Click here to view the list.
PALESTINE — According to our news partner KETK, a registered sex offender in Palestine was arrested on Saturday after being made to believe he was meeting a 13-year-old girl.
Palestine Police Department officers were dispatched to a residence on Sugar Lane on Saturday, after a representative from a civilian group that investigated suspected online child predators advised them that they were at the location with a male individual who believed he was meeting with a 13-year-old child. The male suspect West Holmes, 52, of Palestine was identified by officers and placed under arrest after admitting during on-scene investigation to communicating online with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl and that he came to meet her in person. Holmes further admitted he sent sexually explicit messages in these communications. He was also found to be a registered sex offender, with a history of sex crimes against children.
Holmes was transported to Anderson County Jail, where he was booked for online solicitation with a minor, with his bond set at $150,000.
TYLER – Starting on Monday, East Texans will have the opportunity to vote early for the upcoming Nov. 4 Texas constitutional amendment election. Our news partner KETK News has put together the following list of early voting locations and hours when East Texans can vote early this year.
TYLER – The City of Tyler has announced that East Elm Street will be closed between Spring Avenue and Broadway Avenue which started on Monday, Oct. 20. According to our news partner KETK, the part of East Elm Street that’s closing this week will be shut down until Friday so Tyler Water Utilities can improve sewer capacity in the area as a part of Consent Decree Group 2 Segment 13a2, which is expanding 18,141 linear feet of sanitary sewer lines in Tyler.
The city added that after Friday the road will be open until their work resumes in late November or in early December. Tyler officials are asking drivers to plan ahead for this closure and any future closures they announce.
Broadway Avenue, Spring Avenue, Ferguson Street and Locust Street will also be closed from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Nov. 8 while a business uses a helicopter in the area.
LONGVIEW – Our news partner KETK is reporting that at least one person was killed in a crash involving a pedestrian on Saturday. According to Longview PD, the crash happened on Saturday night on U.S. Highway 80 near McCann Road around 8 p.m. The initial investigation revealed the vehicle was going westbound when it hit a man who was attempting to cross the road.
“Currently, the investigation indicates the pedestrian failed to yield the right of way to the vehicle while crossing the roadway,” the Longview Police Department said. “The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.”
HENDERSON COUNTY — Three people have died, and the suspect in the East Texas murders has been hospitalized after shooting himself in the head following a vehicle crash at a Buc-ee’s according to our news partner KETK.
The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office said the homicides occurred at 2:30 a.m. at the Cedar Creek Cove Subdivision in Mabank. Earlier this morning, the sheriff’s office was looking for the suspect, now identified as Christopher Kyle Reid Jr, in connection with the ongoing investigation, who was believed to be driving a 2003 maroon Dodge Caravan or a 2019 grey Subaru. When deputies arrived at the shooting scene on Taos Drive in Creek Cove Subdivision, they found an adult woman and an adult man dead from gunshot wounds. Another woman shot at the scene was transported to a hospital in Gun Barrel City where she died.
The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office identified the three deceased victims as Kimberly Simpson, 51, Connie Patrick, 72, and Ronny Hammonds, 57. The sheriff’s office said that Simpson and Connie were both shot multiple times along with Hammonds who also had injuries from blunt force trauma and multiple stab wounds. Read the rest of this entry »
DALLAS (AP) — Two people arrested in a July shooting outside an immigration detention center in Texas are facing new charges that follow President Donald Trump’s order last month to designate a decentralized movement known as antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
Autumn Hill and Zachary Evetts were indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Fort Worth on charges that include providing material support to terrorists and attempting to murder officers and employees of the U.S. government. Federal prosecutors accuse them of being members of an antifa cell that planned the shooting.
Hill and Evetts were already among 11 people facing attempted murder charges related to the July 4 shooting outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, southwest of Dallas, that injured a police officer.
In a post on X on Thursday about the new charges, Attorney General Pam Bondi called antifa “a left-wing terrorist organization,” and said, “they will be prosecuted as such.”
Short for “anti-fascists,” antifa is not a single organization but rather an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups that confront or resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations.
The indictment said the attack began when a group of people clad in black and wearing masks, some carrying firearms and wearing body armor, shot fireworks toward the center and vandalized vehicles and a guard shed. Then, as officers responded, one person yelled, “get to the rifles” and opened fire, striking an officer, according to the indictment.
The indictment said that the group brought 10 firearms to the July 4 attack.
Cody Cofer, an attorney for Hill, said in an emailed statement that the new terrorism-related charge “could be understood by some as an attempt to appeal to a mob mentality rather than relying on the evidence and the law.”
Patrick McLain, an attorney for Evetts, said that so far he’s seen “zero basis” for any of the charges against his client.
The original charges filed over the summer say searches related to the attack found items including anti-government materials and flyers with political messages, but those documents did not mention antifa.
Antifa is a domestic entity and, as such, is not a candidate for inclusion on the State Department’s list of foreign terror organizations. There is no domestic equivalent to that list in part because of broad First Amendment protections enjoyed by organizations operating within the United States.
The July 4 shooting took place as Trump ’s administration has ramped up deportations. Days after that shooting, a man with an assault rifle fired dozens of rounds at federal agents and a U.S. Border Patrol facility in McAllen near the Mexico border, injuring a police officer. Authorities shot and killed the attacker.
GREGG COUNTY — The Texas DPS is investigating a fatal four-vehicle crash, including a school bus, that occurred on I-20 in Gregg County on Tuesday evening.
According to our news partner and the Texas DPS, all four vehicles were traveling westbound on I-20 when a box van collided into the rear of a truck tractor-semi trailer. Following the collision, the van was disabled in the roadway and was struck by a truck tractor-semi trailer, pushing the van into the path of a school bus, which caused damage to the left side of the bus.
Following the crash, the driver of the box van, 42-year-old Zuo Kpogba, was pronounced dead on the scene. The drivers of the other vehicles and the passengers on the school bus sustained no injuries.
The DPS states that the investigation is ongoing, and no additional information is available at this time.
TYLER – One family member of Nikki Curtis spoke with our news partner KETK’s Ashlyn Anderson on Thursday about why he is frustrated with Robert Roberson’s third stay of execution.
“This is my life every single day since I was five years old. Basically it’s been a repeat, repeat and repeat. My family has not been able to rest,” Nikki Curtis’ brother Matthew Bowman said.
Death row inmate, Robert Roberson received a last-minute stay of execution last week for the 2002 death of Nikki. His legal team said his conviction was based on junk science like Shaken Baby Syndrome, but Bowman disagrees.
“They haven’t showed any new evidence at all, it’s still the same stuff that we’re reviewing since 2016. It’s still blunt force trauma. It’s not shaken baby like everybody says. The autopsy makes that very clear,” Bowman said. Roberson’s attorney, Gretchen Sween said there is no evidence that Nikki was beaten to death. She added that those accusations are proven false by medical records and blood work. His team is pushing for a new trial. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Although the Texas House and regular special sessions have ended, the fight for Texas Groundwater hasn’t ended, according to our news partner KETK.
“This is my number one priority, without question. And it will be going into next session as well,” State Representative Cody Harris of Palestine said. Harris, along with several water conservation groups, continues to push back on a proposal to drill dozens of high-capacity groundwater wells in East Texas.
“Yesterday afternoon, we had a water workshop that was really for our water supply corporations,” Harris said. “It also turned into a discussion on groundwater and what’s going on with the Pine Bless and Red Town Ranch proposal.”
Those projects could potentially pump up to 10 billion gallons of groundwater to other parts of the state. Harris says part of the fight is getting Proposition 4 approved.
“It creates a $20 billion fund over the next 20 years for new water supply and to help fix existing infrastructure,” Harris said. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY — The Texas DPS is investigating a fatal four-vehicle crash, including a school bus, that occurred on I-20 in Gregg County on Tuesday evening.
According to our news partner KETK and the Texas DPS, all four vehicles were traveling westbound on I-20 when a box van collided into the rear of a truck tractor-semi trailer. Following the collision, the van was disabled in the roadway and was struck by a truck tractor-semi trailer, pushing the van into the path of a school bus, which caused damage to the left side of the bus.
Following the crash, the driver of the box van, 42-year-old Zuo Kpogba, was pronounced dead on the scene. The drivers of the other vehicles and the passengers on the school bus sustained no injuries.
The DPS states that the investigation is ongoing, and no additional information is available at this time.