Today is
Thursday June 04, 2026
HAWKINS – Severe storms moved through the area Sunday night, leaving uprooted trees and some structure damage in Wood County. Fortunately no injuries were reported. Our news partner KETK has compiled some videos and photos submitted by their viewers. You may view that gallery here.
GREGG COUNTY – The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has announced they will be investing about $1 billion in several projects in Gregg County in the next decade. Both the county and TxDOT believe the projects will keep pace with East Texas’ projected growth. Gregg County Judge Bill Stoudt spoke at a recent Longview Chamber of Commerce meeting which gave attendees an update on the status of the Gregg County projects. TxDOT was there as well.
TxDOT also officially announced the expansion of the interstate; I-20 will be expanded to three lanes. Another $140 million will be spent on Highway 42 and 31; both will become four lane highways between Smith and Kilgore. And there are also big plans at 31 and I-20, according to TxDOT Spokesman Jeff Williford. “Taking away those left exits. I think everyone knows those left exits as your kind of heading in that direction and how awkward they can be. So, they would do away with those with an interchange and flyovers and things like that,” Williford said.
Williford said the cloverleaf interchange will run about $270,000,000, and all the projects have important goals.
Some of the projects, like the widening of the interstate, do not yet have funding in place. That project has the big price tag of about $580 million.
PITTSBURG – Pittsburg ISD has announced that the current superintendent for Red Lick ISD may soon lead their district. Current Red Lick ISD superintendent Brandon Dennard was named Pittsburg ISD’s lone finalist to be their next superintendent on Thursday, after a comprehensive candidate search process was completed with help from Powell Law Group.
According to our news partner KETK, Dennard has over 25 years of experience in public school education and has been with Red Lick ISD near Texarkana since 2018. During his tenure as superintendent at Red Lick ISD, the district earned an “A” accountability rating and completed $1.9 million in improvements.
Throughout his career in education, Dennard has served, not only as a superintendent but also as an assistant superintendent, a principal, an assistant principal, a counselor, a teacher and as a coach. Dennard got his master’s degree in educational administration from the then-Texas A&M University-Commerce. He’ll be officially hired by the Pittsburg ISD board of trustees after a legally required 21-day waiting period.
VAN – The Van Police Department helped arrest two burglary suspects involved in a high-speed chase that started in Heath on Saturday morning. Officers were sent out to the Promontory neighborhood at around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday to respond to a reported burglary at an occupied residence. Suspects were reportedly spotted in a vehicle leaving the area and officers attempted to do a traffic stop on their vehicle but they fled. A chase ensued along Interstate 20 and by the time they reached Van Zandt County, the suspects’ vehicle was going over 100 miles per hour, according to our news partner KETK.
A Van PD officer was listening to the chase on his radio and was able to help bring the pursuit to an end by deploying spikes across Interstate 20 at mile marker 536 near Tyler. The suspects’ vehicle went on for only a mile after that but then two people in the vehicle ran into the woods nearby.
Texas Game Wardens were then called out to help find the two suspects. K9 Roux, her handler, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and a drone pilot eventually caught the pair after they fled through the woods for almost five miles. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – A Longview man was booked into the Harrison County Jail earlier this week on felony warrants out of Caddo Parish, Louisiana, and has since been extradited to Caddo Parish.
According to jail records, 41-year-old Nicholas Nolan Satterwhite was booked into the Travis Street Annex on May 2. Records show Satterwhite is wanted by the Shreveport Police Department on charges of indecency with a child involving sexual contact and online solicitation of a minor.
Caddo Parish warrant records list bonds totaling $250,000. He was extradited on May 7.
The investigation remains ongoing through authorities in Louisiana.
The Texas Department of State Health Services is lifting a new requirement for youth camps to install “end-to-end fiber optic facilities” in order to allow them to operate this summer, following a lawsuit from 19 camps that called the measure too challenging.
The state health agency announced on Thursday that it reached an agreement with the 19 operators, allowing camps that maintain a redundant broadband internet service to avoid any potential license denial or revocation for not having fiber service this summer, as long as they meet other safety requirements.
“This agreement will ensure that youth camps in Texas operate with the safety provisions envisioned by the Legislature while allowing camps and families to move forward with their summer plans,” said DSHS Commissioner Jennifer Shuford.
The deal came after leaders of the Texas Legislature, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, released statements supporting the removal of the requirement for fiber-optic internet infrastructure at all Texas camps, citing the difficulty of meeting this requirement.
“We also recognize that there may be means other than fiber to provide reliable, redundant internet access, which would satisfy the purpose and spirit of the law,” Patrick and Burrows said in the statement.
In exchange for setting aside the requirement, camps agree to maintain “redundant internet connectivity” through other means, including through cellular or satellite technology. The lawsuit will be set aside until March 1, 2027, according to the agreement.
“This agreement keeps camp doors open for children and families across Texas,” said Brian Anderson, executive director of Camp Peniel, one of the camps that filed the lawsuit. “Camps are places where kids grow, build confidence, and form lifelong friendships, and this outcome makes sure those experiences continue this summer. Camps and campers across Texas are grateful to the state for agreeing to this temporary solution.”
Summer camps in Texas can qualify for licensure through DSHS. To obtain a license, among the steps they must fulfill is submit a sufficient emergency action plan, meet all other safety requirements, and maintain a reliable communication system capable of operating during an emergency, lawmakers said on social media and in statements.
Lawmakers are expected to revisit the camp safety standards in the 90th Legislative session in 2027 while ensuring that camps operate in good faith under these new regulations.
State legislators passed the fiber optic requirement, in addition to mandating a second type of broadband connection, after the July 4 flood in the Texas Hill Country. That flood killed 25 campers, two counselors at Camp Mystic and the camp’s executive director Dick Eastland — information that emergency responders struggled to confirm as one official noted phone lines were down and there was no cell service at the camp.
In April, the group of 19 camps in Texas filed a lawsuit saying the requirement to install fiber optic internet does not make their properties safer, violates the state Constitution and state law regarding property rights, and could prevent them from opening.
The group of camps, which includes Camp Champions, Camp Longhorn and Tejas Ministries, said in the suit that companies advised them that the service either could not be supplied, could not be confirmed as “end-to-end” — a term the lawsuit said isn’t defined — or would cost an amount “that greatly exceeded their resources.”
The suit, filed in a Travis County state district court, offered examples: Camp Liberty, in one extreme, received a quote of $1 million in upfront costs plus a $3,500 monthly service fee over five years. Camp Longhorn received a quote of more than $1.2 million.
The original requirement made no exception for rural camps, where fiber optic internet might not be available or “is so costly as to make it economically infeasible or unreasonably burdensome,” the lawsuit states.
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This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
HENDERSON COUNTY — The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in finding a man with several outstanding warrants for his arrest after he was accused of committing forgery and fraud. According to the sheriff’s office and our news partner KETK, an investigation was opened against 48-year-old Richard Lang after several businesses in the Chandler area reported counterfeit currency being used during transactions.
During the investigation, officials discovered that Lang had used counterfeit $100 and $20 bills at local businesses to purchase merchandise, fuel and lottery tickets. Investigators also gathered witness statements, surveillance videos and additional counterfeit currency during the investigation that linked Lang to the offenses.
Anyone with information about Lang’s whereabouts is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 903-675-5128 or the Henderson County Crime Stoppers at 800-545-TIPS.
NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KETK)– For more than a century, Stephen F. Austin State University has served as a cornerstone of higher education in East Texas. Now, the university is undergoing what leaders describe as a once-in-a-generation transformation fueled by the University of Texas System.
SFA officials say a 10-year campus master plan carrying an estimated $1 billion price tag is designed to modernize facilities, improve the student experience and position the university for another century of growth and success.
Construction equipment has now taken over portions of the campus known for its towering pine trees and blooming azaleas, signaling the start of a major expansion effort.
“This institution has a really strong history of being resilient and able to weather storms and get through tough times,” SFA President Dr. Neal Weaver said. “When you take that resilience and match it with the power and resources of the University of Texas System, you see what is happening here right now.”
Since joining the UT System in 2023, at least $58 million has already been invested into SFA. The university recently opened a new cafeteria — the first built on campus since the 1960s — while at least $160 million in additional projects are currently under construction or in development.
One of the most visible projects is underway at SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, where construction crews are building a more than 100,000-square-foot facility aimed at expanding a nationally recognized academic program.
“We’re about to break ground on a brand-new entrepreneurship center, about a $45 million project that should open in 2027,” Weaver said. “Then this summer, we’re breaking ground on a brand-new $70 million residence facility that will add about 350 beds to campus.”
The growth comes as student enrollment continues to rise. SFA welcomed the largest first-time undergraduate class in school history for the Fall 2025 semester and recently recorded its largest spring enrollment increase in more than 15 years.
Weaver credits the university’s focus on affordability and workforce preparation for helping attract students.
“Being a part of the University of Texas System has allowed us to invest in the Purple Promise program,” Weaver said. “That allows students to come to school tuition- and fee-free if they come from a family that earns less than $100,000 a year.”
According to a 2025 economic report from SFA’s Center for Business and Economic Research, the university generates nearly $348 million in local economic activity and supports approximately 4,819 jobs.
“As we see more people coming to town because of SFA, we’re going to see more investment, more consumers, and more workforce candidates being generated through the university,” Kelly Augustine, President of the Nacogdoches Chamber of Commerce, said. “We’re very excited about that.”
The report also found that during the 2022 school year, SFA attracted more than 205,000 visitors to Nacogdoches — spending nearly $9 million at local hotels, restaurants and retail stores.
Students themselves spent nearly $102 million locally, directly supporting about 1,100 jobs. Nearly $40 million of that spending was recirculated throughout the Nacogdoches area economy, supporting hundreds more jobs.
Augustine believes the university’s impact goes beyond economics.
“We see students giving their free time to volunteer activities,” Augustine said. “We see faculty and staff applying their talents and knowledge with nonprofits and businesses across town.”
University officials expect enrollment to reach 15,000 students over the next decade, a number that could significantly reshape the future of Nacogdoches and the surrounding East Texas region.
“Just think about it — $1 billion being spent right here in Nacogdoches,” Weaver said. “That alone is a powerful economic driver for this region. We know there’s going to be a lot of money and jobs coming to Nacogdoches and East Texas.”
As cranes rise and construction continues across campus, university leaders say SFA is not simply expanding buildings — it is investing in the future of an entire community.
TYLER — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new requirements for SNAP retailers will directly affect millions of people who depend on the program, especially in communities where healthy food is already hard to find. Under the updated rules, grocery stores that accept SNAP must stock more than twice as many whole?food items as before, including proteins, grains, dairy, fruits and vegetables. For the 3 million Texans who use SNAP, this could mean better access to healthier choices in stores that previously offered limited options.
But the impact won’t be the same for everyone:
For SNAP users:
Better variety for families trying to stretch benefits while still eating nutritious meals.
More healthy foods on shelves — especially in small or rural stores that previously carried mostly processed items.
Potentially higher prices if retailers pass along the cost of stocking more perishable foods. Read the rest of this entry »
POLK COUNTY — A Polk County man was arrested on Wednesday after allegedly physically abusing his stepdaughter inside their home. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and our news partner KETK, deputies were contacted by staff members at Big Sandy ISD on Wednesday regarding a junior high student who they believed may have been a victim of abuse.
Once deputies arrived at the school, they observed several facial and bodily injuries on the student, prompting an investigation regarding concerns of possible physical abuse.
While speaking with officials, the student stated that her stepfather had physically assaulted her inside their home the previous night. The victim was later taken to the local Child Advocacy Center, where she underwent a forensic interview.
Based on information obtained during the interview, a search warrant was issued for the victim’s residence, and the stepfather was taken into custody and charged with causing bodily injury to a child. The victim’s mother was also taken into custody on Thursday morning after it was discovered that she was allegedly present during the abuse.
The sheriff’s office said that the investigation remains ongoing and additional charges may be filed.
Editor’s Note: KETK News has withheld the names of the suspects to protect the privacy of the victim.
TYLER — A Smith County gang member has been sentenced to three concurrent life terms after pleading guilty in a crack cocaine and money laundering conspiracy tied to the 5-2 Hoover Crips.
The Smith County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that Samatraus Forge pleaded guilty to his role in a 12-person conspiracy tied to crack cocaine trafficking, money laundering and gang activity. Judge Taylor Heaton handed down three concurrent life sentences, underscoring Forge’s role in the operation. Prosecutors presented evidence identifying him as a member of the 5-2 Hoover Crips, a gang that ran multiple drug houses and funneled narcotics through areas designated as drug-free zones.
A lead investigator from the Tyler Police Department testified about the year-long probe, revealing that at least three houses were used to move roughly $4,000 in narcotics proceeds each month. Forge is the first to be sentenced in the case. Eleven other defendants have been charged with engaging in organized criminal activity and are awaiting trial.
TYLER — After accepting a guilty plea deal, a man has been sentenced to eight years in state prison for a 2025 shooting at Lake Tyler on Thursday.
On May 18, 2025, the Tyler Police Department responded to a report of gunshots at a parking lot near Lake Tyler. Officials said no one was injured in the shooting. The suspected shooter, Dezavion Williams of Henderson, had a rifle and was taken into custody by officers. Williams was arrested and booked into the Smith County Jail for aggravated assault mass shooting.
On April 23, Williams was offered a guilty plea deal, according to Smith County judicial records. Williams accepted the guilty plea at a pre-trial hearing on Thursday and was sentenced to eight years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Republicans in several Southern states pressed ahead with an aggressive election-year redistricting effort Wednesday, undeterred by demonstrations and objections to their plans to reshape majority-Black congressional districts that have suddenly become vulnerable because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
In Tennessee, protesters repeatedly interrupted legislative hearings on the redistricting plans, yet Republicans advanced them for a potential final vote Thursday.
Despite passionate pleas from Black Democratic lawmakers, Republicans in the Alabama House approved a measure to upend the state’s congressional primaries if courts allow them to switch their U.S. House districts. In South Carolina, Democrats chided Republican colleagues for abiding by President Donald Trump’s desires as they took an initial step toward redrawing a district long held by a Black Democratic lawmaker.
The stakes are high for minority voters who stand to lose their preferred representatives and for any Republican lawmakers reluctant to follow Trump’s wishes. In Republican primary elections Tuesday, Trump-endorsed challengers defeated at least five of the seven Indiana state lawmakers targeted by the president’s allies for refusing to support a congressional redistricting effort last year.
The Supreme Court ruled last week that Louisiana relied too heavily on race when creating a second Black-majority House district as it attempted to comply with the Voting Rights Act. The ruling significantly altered a decades-old understanding of the law, giving Republicans in Louisiana and elsewhere grounds to try to eliminate majority-Black districts that have elected Democrats.
The ruling intensified an already fierce national redistricting battle ahead of a November midterm election that will determine control of the closely divided House.
Since Trump prodded Texas to redraw its U.S. House districts last year, eight states have adopted new congressional districts. From that, Republicans think they could gain as many as 13 seats while Democrats think they could gain up to 10. But some of the new districts could be competitive in November, meaning the parties may not get all they sought.
Tennessee plan splits up Memphis district
Republicans on Wednesday proposed a new U.S. House map that would split Memphis’ home of Shelby County into three districts, instead of the current two. The map would break up Tennessee’s lone Democratic-held district, centered on the majority-Black city, creating a ripple effect of alterations to districts throughout the western and central parts of the state.
“Tennessee is a conservative state, and our congressional delegation should reflect that. This bill ensures it does,” Republican state Sen. John Stevens said.
Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton said the proposed districts were drawn based on population and politics, not racial data.
To adopt new House districts, Tennessee lawmakers also are seeking to repeal a state law prohibiting mid-decade redistricting.
Democrats and civil rights activists denounced the efforts during Wednesday’s committee hearings.
The proposal “is Black vote dilution at an industrial scale,” said Sekou Franklin, a political science professor at Middle Tennessee State University who is part of the Tennessee branch of the NAACP.
Protesters interrupted a Senate committee meeting, loudly chanting “Hands off our vote!” After senators suspended the hearing, state troopers cleared people from the room. Senators resumed their work elsewhere, advancing the legislation.
Later Wednesday, protesters in the hallway beat on the walls and doors of a committee room where senators were meeting. A House committee also paused its work as state troopers escorted chanting protesters from the room.
The candidate qualifying period in Tennessee ended in March, but legislation would reopen it to allow new candidates to join the races and existing candidates to switch districts. The primary election is Aug. 6.
Democrats noted that the state Supreme Court in April 2022 rejected a challenge to the current congressional map, finding it was too close to the election to make changes. This year, there’s even less time before the primary elections, raising the potential of confusion for both candidates and voters, Democrats said.
Alabama House backs a new primary
The Republican-led Alabama House on Wednesday passed legislation authorizing special congressional primaries as Republicans eye the possibility of getting a different congressional map in place for the November elections. The bill now moves to the state Senate.
Alabama is seeking to lift a federal court order that created a second congressional district with a near-majority of Black voters. That map led to the 2024 election of Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat. Republicans want instead to use a 2023 map drawn by state lawmakers that would give the GOP an opportunity to reclaim Figures’ south Alabama district.
The legislation won House approval on a party-line vote after four hours of fiery debate during which Black legislators said the moment calls back to the state’s shameful Jim Crow-era history.
“It’s a tragic step backward for Black Alabama voters. But we’ve been here before, and we will not give up this fight,” Democratic state Rep. Adline Clarke said.
Democratic state Rep. Juandalynn Givan likened the legislation to poll taxes and counting jelly beans in a jar — a virtually impossible task that was used to suppress Black voters during the Jim Crow era.
“It is a calculated political maneuver born out of fear, a fear that is of Black people and most importantly Black political power,” Givan said.
Tensions rose later Wednesday as dozens of protesters temporarily blocked a hallway outside the Senate, singing “We Shall Overcome” and shouting “we’re not going back” as security officers tried to get them to leave.
Alabama’s legislation hinges on the U.S. Supreme Court or a district court agreeing to lift the injunction.
“We’re going to be ready if the court hands down a favorable ruling,” said Republican state Rep. Chris Pringle, who sponsored the bill.
Alabama’s primaries are May 19. If a court grants the state’s request, the legislation would ignore the results for congressional seats and direct the governor to schedule a new primary under the revised districts.
South Carolina moves toward redistricting
The South Carolina House on Wednesday approved a resolution giving lawmakers permission to return later, after their regular work ends, to redraw congressional districts that could eliminate the state’s only Democratic-held district. The proposal now goes to the Senate, where it would need a two-thirds vote.
Republican House leaders said after the vote that they plan to introduce a new map Thursday and hold committee meetings on Friday. But during debate Wednesday, Republicans fended off specific questions from Democrats, including why they were willing to stop the June 9 U.S. House primary elections well after candidates filed and how much a rescheduled primary could cost.
Democratic Rep. Justin Bamberg said he felt sorry for Republicans who he said were giving up their principles to follow the whims of Trump.
“The president of the United States is a very powerful man. Wields a heavy, heavy thumb — Truth Social, X, Meta, Instagram. To be honest I don’t envy our Republican colleagues,” Bamberg said.
Democratic Rep. Leon Stavrinakis said democracy will die if lawmakers redraw voting districts for political reasons every time power changes or to protect someone in office.
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Chandler reported from Montgomery, Alabama; Collins from Columbia, South Carolina; and Lieb from Jefferson City, Missouri. Associated Press reporter Kristin M. Hall contributed.
VAN ZANDT COUNTY — A search is underway for individuals believed to have attacked an elderly East Texas man on Tuesday evening. The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office said the aggravated assault occurred Tuesday from around 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the 8800 block of FM Road 279 in Edom. A preliminary investigation indicates that an elderly man from Edom was involved in a physical altercation and was assaulted by unidentified individuals who were driving a red Ford Expedition.
Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident is asked to contact Investigator D. Henson at [email protected], Investigator C. Hanner at [email protected], or the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 567-4133.
MARSHALL — The City of Marshall is mourning the passing of its municipal court judge, who died earlier this week. According to city officials and our news partner KETK, Judge Tristen Ellis died on Monday after serving as municipal judge since November 2025. The city said that Ellis leaves behind a legacy of integrity, fairness and dedicated public service.
“Judge Ellis was a valued member of the Marshall community and brought wisdom and professionalism to the Municipal Court,” Mayor Amy Ware said. “He was widely respected for his unwavering commitment to justice.”
His family will announce information about Ellis’s memorial services, and updates will be provided at a later date regarding the appointment of an interim judge.