Today is
Saturday June 06, 2026
OVERTON– A Leverett’s Chapel ISD school bus was involved in a crash on Tuesday afternoon near the school. According to our news partner KETK, the crash occurred on Highway 42, approximately two miles north of the school. The district said the bus was rear-ended by another vehicle; however, all of the students and the driver of the bus were unharmed. The driver of the other vehicle was also uninjured.
“The safety of our students remains our highest priority, and we appreciate the prompt response of all who assisted,” Leverett’s Chapel ISD said.
LONGVIEW – The Spring Hill ISD Board of Trustees is asking voters to consider approving a tax rate increase and a $20 million bond proposal for facility maintenance and improvements. According to our news partner KETK, the bond package is designed to address the district’s important needs without increasing the district’s current tax rates. It’s been broken down into three propositions, with all three focusing on upgrading campus facilities, including renovating the district’s junior high school, improving its tennis complex and updating the football stadium.
Proposition A ($17.2 million) focuses on renovations to the junior high school and HVAC replacements.
Proposition B ( $1.975 million) addresses updates to the district’s football stadium.
Proposition C ($802,256) looks to improve the district’s tennis complex, including its restrooms.
The tax increase would provide the district with over $300 thousand in additional funding to help with increased pay for teachers and staff. The extra funding would also support Spring Hill ISD’s extra-curricular activities and provide the district with new instructional materials. Read the rest of this entry »
RUSK — According to our news partner KETK, a 19-year-old woman was arrested in Rusk on Monday night after she fled from Bullard Police and sped up to 110 miles per hour through East Texas cities.
Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson said he received a call around 10:30 p.m. Monday concerning a person who was being pursued out of the Bullard area while driving a vehicle on U.S. 69.
According to Bullard Police Department Sergeant Judith Tuell, officers initiated a traffic stop when Hannah Sweet fled the scene. She then made her way through Jacksonville toward the Rusk area while reaching speeds of up to 110 miles per hour. Officials with the Rusk Police Department deployed road spikes as Sweet was approaching the city limits coming from Jacksonville. Sweet was stopped and arrested by members of the Bullard Police Department and booked on charges of evading arrest with a vehicle and possession of a controlled substance.
Sweet was also charged with evading arrest with a vehicle by the Bullard Police Department.
TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler was given a $971,195 grant that will support research on treatments for pleural infections that cause fluid buildup in the lungs, according to a report from KETK. The research is being led by Professor of Cellular and Molecular Biology Dr. Andrey Komissarov with the UT Tyler School of Medicine.
Komissarov, along with the biopharmaceutical company SignaBlok, will conduct projects that give students the opportunity to analyze data, perform lab research and present scientific findings.
According to UT Tyler, 65,000 people in the United States are affected by empyema every year, which is caused by pneumonia. Treatment options are not always safe and could possibly lead to other complications, leading Komissarov’s team to find other methods. Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY — A Texas man has died after a fatal crash on Sunday evening southeast of Alto, according to a report from our news partner KETK.
Pye Kervantez Jr., 41 of Wylie, was traveling north on US 69 at around 6:20 p.m. on Sunday when his vehicle went off the road and into a ditch. There, he hit a culvert and went airborne, causing him to be thrown from the vehicle.
DPS confirmed Kervantez was pronounced dead at the scene.
GILMER – The head of the Texas Education Agency made a stop at Gilmer ISD on Monday, happening days after the TEA released this year’s report card for schools across the state, according to a report from our news partner, KETK.
Gilmer Elementary is celebrating their success in the classroom after the school saw a 7-point jump this year. In this year’s TEA ratings, the school raised from 83 to 90, scoring them an A.
Overall, the district scored a B in this year’s TEA ratings. Gilmer Elementary School principal Gina Treadway said the better grade is in part thanks to a new math and phonics program but that the students and teachers are who are really to thank. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A bill that would expand access to Ivermectin and permit it to be bought over the counter is now a priority in the Texas House.
State Rep. Joanne Shofner of Nacogdoches is proposing the bill as she believes it would give patients easier access to Ivermectin if passed. The bill would allow drugs like Ivermectin, which was created to kill parasites, to be bought over the counter with no prescription required. The proposal has received a priority bill number from the House Speaker, which makes Shofner hopeful that the bill will be added to the agenda for the current special session.
“What it says is that House District 11 is very, very important to the state capital and that, you know, sometimes rural Texas needs to jump up higher and louder to overtake some of the big cities,” Shofner said.
EMORY – Rains County Justice of the Peace Judge Robert Jenkins Franklin has been given 12 months of deferred adjudication, to avoid a verdict in his driving while intoxicated case.
Franklin was arrested on March 21, 2024 for driving while intoxicated. According to an affidavit for Franklin’s arrest, he was contacted by a Rains County Sheriff’s Office deputy investigating a report of a suspicious vehicle on the night of March 20. According to out news partner KETK, at 11:25 p.m. on March 20, Rains County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch contacted a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper to respond to County Road 2250, where Franklin’s vehicle was on the side of the road.
“Franklin stated that he had received some bad news earlier in the day and he was just sitting in his truck on CR-2250 approximately one mile from his residence. The strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was coming from his breath and when he would speak, he was slurring his words. I attempted to start the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests and Franklin quickly refused to do any testing,” the trooper said in a DPS probable cause affidavit. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, enough lawmakers showed up at the state capital on Monday to make a quorum for the start of the second special session called by Governor Greg Abbott.
Shofner said “It was a very dramatic day today here at the Capitol, House Bill 1, which covers flood relief for the Hill Country, has taken precedence in the second session, along with gaveling in bills that have been referred to committees.” “We can finally get that done and get that passed, so we are excited about doing that.” “Another one is property tax relief for our Texans.” Read the rest of this entry »
JACKSONVILLE – UT Health Jacksonville and the Texas Department of Transportation partnered on Monday to hold free child car seat inspections for the public.
According to a report from our news partner KETK, the event is being held at UT Health Jacksonville’s front parking lot from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. with no registration or appointment requirements. This safety check can help give parents piece of mind that they’re children are protected while riding in a vehicle. Certified child passenger safety technicians are on site to inspect appropriate harnessing, correct seat type and size, direction and placement, expiration dates, seat condition, and proper installation and positioning. Read the rest of this entry »
PALESTINE — The Westwood ISD Athletic Director and head high school football coach was served an additional two years of probation on Monday, following an incident where an un-enrolled 7th grade student participated in workouts during the summer, according to a report from our news partner KETK.
On Oct. 24, 2024, Westwood High School football coach Robert Bishop met with the State Executive Committee of the University Interscholastic League (UIL) to discuss an incident involving Westwood staff allegedly filming an opposing team’s signals. The committee placed Bishop on probation for the 2025-2026 school year and decided that the Panthers football team did not have to forfeit their undefeated season. While still on probation, Bishop has just been served another two years of probation for violating another one of UIL’s rules. Read the rest of this entry »
UPSHUR COUNTY – Several volunteer fire departments across Texas, including the New Mountain Volunteer Fire Department, received a $10,000 grant from State Farm and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), according to a report from our news partner KETK.
This was the second year in a row that the NVFC and State Farm partnered up to support local volunteer fire departments. The grants help departments secure the necessary equipment to keep first responders safe and protect their communities. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Indivisible Smith County, a local nonprofit political group, held a “Fight The Trump Takeover” protest on the S. Saunders Avenue overpass of Highway 31 in Tyler on Saturday, according to a report from our news partner KETK.
Fight The Trump Takeover protests were held all across the country on Saturday in response to the ongoing mid-decade redistricting effort being undertaken by Republicans in Texas. The East Texas organization Indivisible Smith County took part in the protests by hanging banners over Highway 31 in Tyler. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Chapel Hill ISD held a ribbon cutting on Saturday for their new Academies of CHISD career and technology center and their new Multipurpose Activity Center. According to our news partner KETK, the two new buildings are located at the Chapel Hill High School campus and were funded as a part of Chapel Hill ISD’s 2023 bond. The career and technical education facility was designed to improve on the district’s Academies of Chapel Hill education model with new classrooms and technical workshops.
“It’s almost like Christmas morning when you get a chance to open up that present for the first time that you’ve been wishing for just about a whole year,” Chapel Hill ISD superintendent Lamond Dean said. “It’s been awe-inspiring to see our community, all the hard work and dedication our staff have come through and for our children to have such facilities that will give them so many great opportunities that they did not have before.” Read the rest of this entry »
WINONA – Winona ISD announced that their campuses will be closed on Monday due to a sewer line issue. They plan on being back open for their first day of school on Tuesday.
“We will be back Tuesday for our 1st day of school and can’t wait to see our students and staff back on campus. Go Cats!! It’s going to be a great year,” Winona ISD said on Sunday.
To stay up to date with the district, visit Winona ISD on Facebook.