Today is
Sunday July 26, 2026
TYLER – Tyler Police and Fire departments met at Tyler Park for their fifth annual Battle of the Badges softball game on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, Tyler PD’s crimes against children unit detective Ryan Caldwell created the program five years ago following his 4-year-old nephew’s type one diabetes diagnosis. “So the winner has bragging rights for the year and everything we make through raffle sales or anything, all the proceeds go to Tyler Type One Diabetes Foundation,†Caldwell said. Caldwell said the game is always a good time.
NACOGDOCHES — A Nacogdoches woman was booked in to Nacogdoches County Jail on Friday on the charge of capital murder of a person under 10 years old. According to our news partner KETK, Hanna Ruth Moses, 33 of Nacogdoches, was arrested and booked on Friday, March 15. Moses is awaiting trial and has not had a bond amount set yet. We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
TRINITY COUNTY – Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace shared on Facebook that he was bit by an alligator on Friday night. Wallace said the alligator grabbed into his flesh and went into a death roll while he was attempting to capture it. Wallace was apparently able to subdue the creature but not before he and another Trinity County resident suffered several cuts. According to our news partner KETK, Wallace says the alligator was relocated safely into a pond after its capture. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – East Texas native Miranda Lambert has been nominated for five Academy of Country Music Awards, including a record-breaking 17th Female Artist of the Year nomination. This year, Lambert has been nominated for Entertainer Of The Year, Female Artist Of The Year, Album Of The Year twice and Artist-Songwriter Of The Year. Lambert’s 17th Female Artist of the Year nomination breaks Reba McEntire’s record of 16 nominations for the award. “Palominoâ€, Lambert’s ninth studio album, has earned her two nominations for Album of the Year this year for being the artist and being one of the albums producers. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A new date has been set in a jury trial for a Jacksonville man charged in the 2021 deadly shooting at the New Orleans Flavors Daiquiri in Tyler. A pre-trial hearing was held on Friday for Jaderick Willis, 23 of Jacksonville, and his jury trial has been set for April 24. He was indicted for murder on Sept. 9, 2021. According to an arrest affidavit, a fight in the parking lot prompted the shooting which resulted in the death of Tylsha Brown who was at the daiquiri shop to celebrate her 46th birthday. Willis was also injured in the shooting, and originally listed as a victim by police before he was later arrested and charged with murder. A second man arrested in the shooting, Dycorrian Lofton, 24 of Jacksonville, was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The jury trial for Willis had previously been scheduled for Aug. 29, 2022 before it was delayed.
TYLER – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler blessed the Patrick R. Thomas, M.D., Therapy Garden on Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, the garden is intended to help patients get better by growing and caring for plants. This therapy is already being used to help patients recovering from strokes. “This garden provides patients the opportunity to get out of their rooms and participate in activities that promote healing, functional strength, restoration, and a return to independence,†said Sara Martin, occupational therapist. “Since functional activities are a vital part of therapy, what better way to highlight that than through gardening in our therapy garden.†The garden’s blessing started at 10 a.m. on Thursday and “Planting Day†was held all day. According to CHRISTUS, Micro Family Farms provided flowers to be planted in the garden.
TYLER-Officials at Tyler Junior College gave the all clear late Thursday morning after after issuing a shelter in place due to an active shooter threat. According to our news partner KETK, TJC officials say at 10:30am Thursday a caller reported multiple people were shot at the Pirtle Technology Building on the West Campus. When law enforcement arrived, they searched the campus and no threats were found. TJC gave the all clear by 11:15 that morning. College operation returned to normal.
TYLER — The City of Tyler plans to retime 18 intersections this year in an effort to improve traffic flow, approving a $121,085 contract at the council meeting on Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK, the contract is with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. for the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Master Plan. It’s year three of their intelligent transportation system master plan. Every year since 2020, the city of Tyler has retimed several lights. So far, they have completed 53 out of the 149 signal intersections. The city says they’ve received positive feedback from drivers since the project began. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — Longview ISD announced that the district will be taking additional measures to ensure the safety of their campuses thanks to the unanimous approval of up to $250,000 for glass reinforcement film on all campuses. According to our news partner KETK, the purchase of the materials for the glass reinforcement film is in line with the school safety standards that were put in place in November 2022, according to Scott Fisher, LISD Director of Safety and Magnet Grants. Purchasing the materials had to be approved by the school board since it was more than $50,000, per their policy, according to a release. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A Henderson man was arrested for sexual assault of a child and is in jail with bonds totaling $1 million. According to our news partner KETK, Russell Lewis Evans, 21, was arrested for continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and sexual assault of a child. According to his arrest warrant, Evans’ continuous abuse started when the victim was under the age of 10. His arrest warrant states that after each instance, Evans would threaten his victim if the victim ever told anyone of the abuse, one time even saying he would shoot the child in the head if they told anyone. His warrants were signed on April 5 and he was booked into Smith County Jail the following day. Continuous sexual abuse of a young child is a first-degree felony, punishable by 5-99 years in prison or a life sentence. Sexual assault of a child is a second-degree felony, punishable by 2-20 years in prison.
CHEROKEE COUNTY – On Monday, a man was convicted of injury to a child and sentenced to 30 years in prison. According to our news partner KETK, Mark Shuptrine was found guilty of assaulting his 12-year-old son in the 2nd Judicial District Court of Cherokee County after a 3 hour jury deliberation. In accordance with the jury’s verdict, Judge R. Chris Day, sentenced Shuptrine to 30 years for the offense of injury to a child. Shuptrine then waived his right to appeal and plead guilty to two other charges including continuous violence against family and failure to appear, the release stated. Shuptrine will serve his sentence in the Texas Department of Corrections.
TYLER – The third suspect wanted in connection to a double murder at the Royal Crest Apartment complex in Tyler has been arrested. Lakimbrick Horn, 19, of Bullard, turned himself in on the capital murder warrant and has been booked into the Smith County Jail. His bond was set at $1,000,000 for the capital murder charge and $250,000 on a possession of marijuana charge. Two other suspects have also been arrested. Aaron Johnson, 20, who was reportedly shot during the incident, was arrested for capital murder with a $2 million bond. Nicholas Hudson, 18, was arrested for two counts of murder, each with a $1 million bond. Read the rest of this entry »
GILMER – An Upshur County man was sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a minor on Monday. Winston David Tackett, 73, was arrested after one of his victims reported the assaults to a teacher at her school. The teacher contacted Child Protective Services and the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office took over the case. “The defendant holds a position and respect in both the community and in his family and used that to hide his crime and keep his victim’s silenced,†Billy W. Byrd, criminal district attorney said. According to a press release, Tackett’s assaults go back to 2020 and each victim was assaulted multiple times. Officials said he will not be eligible for parole until he is 100-years-old. The family of the victims was in court to watch the plea, which required Tackett to waive his right to appeal and officials said the victim’s didn’t need to testify.
MARION COUNTY – A woman was taken to a local hospital in Marion County Friday morning after being rescued from a submerged Jeep in Lake O’ the Pines. According to our news partner KETK, a fisherman called the sheriff’s office after he found the black Jeep submerged in the south side of the lake. The fisherman told dispatchers that the Jeep was about forty feet from the Woody’s Camp boat ramp. When deputies and a local wrecker crew arrived, officials said they started preparing to remove the Jeep from the lake as they discovered a person was still inside and moving. With the help of the fisherman, wrecker crew and Marion County deputies, officials said that a woman was rescued safely from the vehicle and EMS took her to a local hospital. It was determined that the woman who was rescued was listed as a missing person from the Longview Police Department. The investigation continues.
MARSHALL – A Marshall man has pleaded guilty to the 2019 murder of 22-year-old Tyshun Darty, Harrison County judicial records show. Nathan DeWayne Irving, 24 of Marshall, has been sentenced to 15 years confinement which is running concurrently with a credit for time already served, according to judicial records. According to our news partner KETK, the shooting took place near the 1200 block of Elise Street around 11:30 p.m. on March 18, 2019. A nurse was performing CPR on Darty before he was transported to CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Medical Center where he later died.
HARRISON COUNTY — A man in Harrison County was allegedly scammed out of $29,000 after he received a call from someone claiming to be an attorney out of Georgia, according to our news partner KETK. The scammer said that the man’s grandson was in jail and facing some serious charges. He was told to gather clothes, wrap the money in them and mail it off. The sheriff’s office said the man sent the money and later realized his mistake. To prevent situations like this, the FTC recommends contacting the family member who the scammer said is in trouble on a phone number that you recognize. If you’re unable to get in contact with that person, check with another friend or family member if you’re unable to reach them, and never send cash by mail, gift card or wire money to someone who is demanding it. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for a $35 million expansion for their School of Nursing building. UT System Chairman Kevin Eltife was present, along with UT Tyler President Kirk Calhoun, UT Tyler Executive Vice President of Health Affairs Julie Philley and UT Tyler School of Nursing Dean Barbara Haas. Calling this expansion “critically important,†Calhoun said it will allow UT Tyler to expand the number of nurses and the various disciplines and expertise they bring to the table. According to our news partner KETK, the college of Nursing is the largest college on the UT Tyler campus with roughly 2,000 students, Calhoun explained. He expects the program to get even larger in the future. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY – Thrive Longview is one of more than 40 nonprofit organizations from Gregg County that are participating in East Texas Giving Day this year. According to our news partner KETK, the even it put on by the East Texas Communities Foundation and this year’s online donation event will be April 25. Thrive Longview works with middle schoolers to teach principles of community, stewardship and mentorship. They provide after-school programming from Monday through Thursday during the school year, an eight-week summer camp and leadership development programming on middle school campuses.
TYLER – Gov. Greg Abbott recently reappointed a Tyler woman to the state Dental Review Board. Amanda Richardson is a registered dental hygienist, professor and instructional designer at Tyler Junior College. According to our news partner KETK, she is a member of the American Dental Education Association, East Texas Dental Hygienists’ Association, Texas Dental Hygienists’ Association and the American Dental Hygienists’ Association. She got her associate degree in Applied Science in Dental Hygiene from Tyler Junior College, a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene from Texas Women’s University and a Master of Science in Human Resource Development from the University of Texas at Tyler. The Texas Dental Review Board serves on “informal settlement conference panels†to decide “whether an informal disposition of a contested case against a license holder is appropriate and make recommendations for the disposition of the complaint or allegation.â€
TYLER – A 2023 report said that recreational fishing created $117.9 million in business for Texas’ first congressional district. According to our news partner KETK, this includes Texarkana, Longview and Tyler. The American Sportfishing Association’s 2023 Economic Contributions of Recreational Fishing: U.S. Congressional Districts report shows 110,100 district one anglers made $117.9 million in purchases support over 1,310 jobs throughout the district. Across Texas, 4,313,700 anglers spent $4.6 billion on fishing, supporting 51,380 Texas fishing jobs, meaning that Texas has the second largest recreational fishing industry in the United States, according to the American Sportfishing Association. ASA said the report’s data is based upon angler participation and spending from 2021 data.
TYLER – A groundbreaking ceremony will be held on March 30 at the site of a former bank in downtown Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, the building will be renovated into an apartment building. In April 2022, a New Orleans based tax-advantaged real estate company, NORF, purchased three buildings that they plan to reconstruct into rental units in Tyler. On March 1, NORF closed on financing and received the permits to start working on one of their previously purchased buildings known as The Wilcox on 230 South Broadway Avenue. NORF will be converting the former bank into 31 market-rate apartments that will highlight the building’s mid-century modern design and will include a green space along the former bank’s drive-thru. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY – Smith County now has a new local health authority. Dr. Valerie B. Smith was appointed by the commissioner’s court on Tuesday and sworn in by County Judge Neal Franklin. She replaces Dr. Paul McGaha after his retirement. Smith is assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine. She has served the children of East Texas for nearly two decades as a pediatrician at St. Paul’s Children’s Foundation. Smith got her degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and did her pediatric residency at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. She got her master of public health from the UT Science Center School of Community and Rural Health. She was recommended to the commissioners court by the NET Health Board of Directors. Health Authorities are “physicians appointed to administer state and local laws relating to public health within an appointing body’s jurisdiction,†according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
MARSHALL – A Marshall woman has been found guilty and sentenced for the killing of her boyfriend back in 2020. According to our news partner KETK, Charlene Keigi, 63, of Marshall was found guilty of murder on Thursday in the 71st District Court. Keigi was arrested back on September 14, 2020 for the death of Terry Thomas. The sheriff’s office said Keigi called 911 at about 4 p.m. to report that her recently separated boyfriend was on her property. The call was then disconnected. Officials then said she called back a short time later saying she had shot Thomas, and that she’d be in the front yard waiting for them to arrive. When deputies responded to the scene, they reportedly detained Keigi and began rendering first aid to Thomas until EMS arrived. Thomas was taken to a local hospital where he later died from his injures. Keigi was sentenced to 18 years in prison after being found guilty.
WILLS POINT – A former Wills Point ISD employee was arrested by Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office in relation to an indecency with a child investigation. According to our news partner KETK, Kenneth Dale Faling was arrested on Friday Feb. 24. He was a technology technician with Wills Point ISD, according to a statement from superintendent Richard A. Cooper. “At this time, Mr. Faling is no longer employed with Wills Point ISD. This alleged behavior did not occur on a Wills Point ISD campus or property,†Cooper said. In a Facebook comment Wills Point ISD said that Faling tenured his resignation Friday evening, the same day as his arrest. According to Van Zandt County, Faling is being held on $300,000 bond for the charge of alleged indecency with child sexual contact. Wills Point ISD Police Department and Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office are continuing to investigate the situation.
MOUNT PLEASANT – Mount Pleasant Police Department has announced that they’ve made an arrest in connection to a Whataburger shooting that left a man dead Saturday morning. According to our news partner KETK, Mount Pleasant Police Department responded to 2321 South Jefferson Avenue because of reports of a shooting around 2:18 a.m. Police officers said they found a male, Damien O’neal Jackson, 30, of Mount Pleasant, with multiple gunshot wounds in the Whataburger parking lot. Officials said that EMS transported Jackson to Titus Regional Medical Center where he died. Mount Pleasant PD officers interviewed several eye-witnesses and said they determined that a fight started inside the Whataburger and eventually those fighting were told to leave. As they were all leaving the Whataburger, Jackson was shot. Later around 9:20 a.m. officials said they arrested Kentravion Jajuan Evans, 18, and booked him into Titus County Jail for on a murder charge.
HAWKINS – Jarvis Christian University has announced that their current president and CEO is retiring in June, after 11 years at the school. According to our news partner KETK, Dr. Lester C. Newman started as JCU president in April of 2012 and has worked in higher education for 47 years. During his tenure at JCU, he helped save the school from “financial peril†and brought them to the point of operating without any debt, according to a press release. Dr. Newman also helped with turning around low enrollment, reviving Bulldog athletics, expanding degree programs and expanding the schools reach to Dallas. He recently brought them from being a college to a university through the creation of their business and criminal justice master’s degrees. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY – On Feb. 21, Henderson County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of a threat written on a Cross Roads ISD High School bathroom stall. According to our news partner KETK, the Henderson County Crimes Against Children Task Force worked closely with the school district and a K9 assisted in the investigation by conducting a search for firearms in the school. Carter Echo, 18, a student at Cross Roads High School, was interviewed by the task force on Feb. 24. After the interview, investigators prepared and presented an affidavit for an arrest warrant to Henderson County 392nd Judicial District Judge Scott McKee. McKee then issued an arrest warrant for Echo for the offense of terroristic threat, a third degree felony. Investigators arrested Echo and he is now waiting arraignment in the Henderson County Jail. If convicted, Echo could face up to 10 years in prison.
CHEROKEE COUNTY – A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of assaulting a peace officer on Thursday, according to Cherokee County. On Aug. 1 2022, Eric Paulk was arrested after hitting an officer over the head during the course of his arrest for an outstanding felony warrant, according to our news partner KETK. Paulk was convicted after 25 minutes of jury deliberation and Judge R. Chris Day sentenced him to 20 years in prison. Paulk was also fined $5000. Officials said that Cherokee County Sheriffs Office, Bullard Police Department and Jacksonville Police Department assisted in his capture.
MOUNT PLEASANT – Dollar Tree Inc. has been fined $254,478 after federal workplace safety inspectors arrived at a store in Mount Pleasant, according to the Department of Labor. According to a release, inspectors found “the national discount retailer again shortchanging employee safety†by allowing storeroom merchandise to block exits, walkways and “stacking boxes high enough to fall on workers.†The Sept. 7, 2022 inspection also said the company failed to keep areas in the store and storerooms “clean, orderly and sanitary†and announced the more than $250,000 in fines issued by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Thursday. Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS — Governor Abbott is expanding the disaster declaration that was issued because of the ice storm earlier this month. Abbott had originally issued a disaster declaration for seven counties because of the ice storm, including Denton County in north Texas, Travis and Williamson Counties in central Texas, and Smith County in East Texas. his new declaration adds 17 more counties in those same regions. He says that will make sure people in those counties have all of the resources available to them as they continue to recover from the storm. He’s urging people to report any damage using the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool found here on-line.