Today is
Friday June 05, 2026
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.
UPSHUR COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, former Glenwood Volunteer Fire Department Chief, Katiland Ariel Gray was sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of cruelty to livestock animals /torture. According to Harrison County judicial records, Gray committed two offenses regarding cruelty to livestock animals on Aug. 11, 2024 and was indicted on Nov. 20 the same year.
Judicial records confirm that Gray pleaded not guilty to one count of cruelty to livestock animals and one count of cruelty to livestock animals/torture on Sept. 10, 2025. She was convicted and sentenced on account of both charges on the same day.
Gray will spend four years consecutively in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and is ordered to pay a total of $10,390.
TYLER – People in the Tyler area are being asked to continue to conserve water this week as city crews make repairs at the Lake Palestine water plant. Our news partner KETK is reporting that the Lake Palestine Water Plant has been offline since Thursday to fix equipment issues and flooding. Over the weekend, the City of Tyler’s water supply was limited to just the water from Golden Road.
Water Utilities Director Kate Dietz advises residents to continue to follow the water restrictions. Outdoor watering is limited to even-numbered addresses on Sunday and Thursday and odd-numbered addresses on Saturday and Wednesday. Watering only before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. As of now, four out of the eight filters at Lake Palestine are now up and running once again. Even so, Golden Road is still providing for the majority of the water demand right now.
Prohibited Non-Essential Uses: Washing sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, or buildings (except for fire protection) and using water for dust control.
Dietz is also asking everyone to limit car washing between 8 p.m. and midnight. For a full list of water conservation guidelines, visit the City of Tyler website.
CARTHAGE — The Carthage Police Department has officially relocated its operations to a new multi million-dollar facility. According to our news partner KETK, the new standalone police headquarters was completed Oct. 14, and is located at 453 West Sabine Street. The project, estimated at $3.7 million, was approved by the City Commission in June of 2024, according to the city.
City officials expect the new facility not only to alleviate current space constraints but also to help in recruiting officers, enhancing safety and security, improving evidence processing and offering more suitable work environments.
“All administrative functions, public services, and correspondence will now take place at this new location. The department looks forward to continuing to serve the citizens of Carthage with professionalism and dedication from its updated facility.” the Carthage Police Department said. For more information contact the department directly at 903-693-3866.
TYLER – The world is breathing a sigh of relief this evening as 20 Israeli hostages are now back with their families. This comes as a result of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, ending the bloody two-year conflict overseas that’s claimed nearly 70,000 lives. The first phase of this peace plan calls for Israel to pull back troops to an agreed line, with Israel still retaining control of over 53% of the land in Gaza.
President Trump said Gaza will now be governed by an international ‘Board of Peace’. The board will be focused on rebuilding Gaza, while a future permanent government is determined. Congressman Nathaniel Moran of East Texas agrees with this strategy, saying this “peace through strength plan” is critical to keeping peace in the Middle East.
“We’ve got to be with them across the sea,” Moran told our news partner KETK. “We can’t just wait for it to come to our borders.” Moran added that the top priority now is to provide the immediate resources needed, to help families impacted by this deadly conflict to get back up on their feet. Read the rest of this entry »
ANGELINA COUNTY – The Angelina County Sheriff’s is mourning the loss of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department assistant commander Chad Gartman, who died of cancer on Sunday. Gartman, who was 52-years-old, had a lengthy 31-year career in law enforcement and became a Texas Peace Officer after he graduated from the Angelina College Police Academy in 1994. He served as a deputy constable in Nacogdoches County for almost six years before he joined the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and started patrolling in East Texas.
According to our news partner KETK and the sheriff’s office, Gartman became assistant commander of the TPWD in 2016. He managed vehicle acquisitions and fleet maintenance for the over 650 Texas Game Wardens vehicles across the state.
Gartman’s and his wife Ashley had two sons together. Ashley’s father is retired Angelina County Sheriff Kent Henson.
TYLER – The Republican Party of Texas met on Saturday to discuss potential penalties for several lawmakers, including two East Texas State Representatives.
According to our news partner KETK, a special meeting of the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) was held on Saturday, where Texas GOP officials discussed whether or not they would concur with censure resolutions brought by county Republican Party officials. Resolutions were brought against ten State Representatives who are accused of making votes and taking actions against State Republican Party platform policies like having no Democratic Committee Chairs in the State House.
East Texas State Representatives Cody Harris of Palestine and Gary VanDeaver of New Boston were two of those ten State Representatives who faced potential penalties on Saturday.
Harris avoided a concurring vote and any penalties that the SREC could have levied against him but the SREC did concur with the resolution against VanDeaver. Read the rest of this entry »
CARTHAGE – Carthage ISD’s director of bands Johnnie Cotton has resigned from his position, according to our news partner KETK, after he said the district asked him to hang the Ten Commandments in his classroom on Monday.
“I would like to take this chance to explain why I resigned as Director of Bands at Carthage ISD. I believe very strongly that politics and religion have no place in the public schools,” Cotton said. “I spent my 42 years as a teacher and administrator making sure that my classroom/campus stayed neutral on both counts.”
Senate Bill 10 was passed by the Texas State Legislature in this year’s legislative session and then signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 20. The bill, which went into effect on Sept. 1, requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments from the Hebrew Bible.
“This summer, The State of Texas passed a law stating that you were required to post the 10 Commandments in your classroom if someone donated them,” Cotton explained. “I was informed Monday by Carthage ISD that I must do this and I refused. I was told it was required due to state law. Seeing this as a line I refuse to cross, I resigned.” Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — On Wednesday, the trial for one of the men charged in connection with the 2016 murder of Longview resident Ron Horaney has been set. According to our news partner KETK and court documents, the trial for 88-year-old Reza Kamali is scheduled for June 8, 2026. Kamali was arrested in 2024 and charged with murder eight years after the crime. His trial will be held at the 124th District Court.
Horaney was killed on the evening of Memorial Day in 2016, after answering the door of his Tryon Road residence in Longview. According to an arrest warrant, the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) received a call of a reported shooting. The sheriff’s office located Horaney, who later died at a local hospital.
In 2024, court documents showed that investigators met with the initial “cooperating individual” who called the sheriff’s office on June 10, 2016, to do a photo lineup, where the individual identified Kamali as the person who solicited the individual to kill the victim. Kamali was one of three people arrested for the murder of Horaney; the other two were Alfredo Lizcano and Rene Garcia Jr. Both men were also charged with murder in connection to the case. Lizcano’s trial has been scheduled for May 11, 2026.