Today is
Sunday June 07, 2026
TYLER – East Texas State Rep. Brent Money took to social media on Tuesday to express his disappointment that HB 2127 won’t be getting a public hearing this session.
According to our news partner KETK, the bill, which would amend the Texas Penal Code’s definition of homicide to include all abortions, was initially scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday but was then pulled from the schedule.
Abortion was made illegal in Texas in 2022 when the state’s “trigger law” went into effect following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overruling of Roe V. Wade.
On Monday, Money took to X and claimed that he was told the bill was pulled by the office of the Texas Speaker of the House which claimed it was pulled by Rep. John Smithee, the chair of the Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran held a town hall forum on Tuesday night in Tyler where several attendees quickly became hostile according to our news partner KETK. The forum was initiated for Moran to speak on issues he is covering in D.C. However, hecklers quickly began interrupting the presentation and question and answer portion of the event.
“I expected to have a setting like we saw tonight,” Moran said. “I know folks want to engage personally and a lot of people want to set this up and a lot of members of Congress are not doing in person townhalls but I think it’s our responsibility to the constituents to do those face-to-face town halls to engage, to be transparent, to be accountable. I expected some emotions tonight and that’s what we saw.”
Attendees became upset as Moran did not answer their questions when they pressed him on issues, including abortion, due process and immigration policies.
Ryan Nichols, who considered running against Moran in the upcoming May elections, was seen shouting at Moran over his due process policies. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A Tyler man has been arrested for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a minor in exchange for nicotine devices, according to our news partner KETK. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office became aware of the case after being contacted by a girl’s guardians on March 4. One of her guardians revealed to a sheriff’s deputy that they discovered she had been having an improper relationship with a grown man while going through the girl’s phone.
According to officials, one of the victim’s guardians said text messages from the victim’s phone revealed she was having explicit conversations and spoke about having sexual relationships with a man whose contact name was ‘J’.
Further text messages revealed the victim was offering to give the man sexual favors in exchange for vapes and other nicotine devices. Text messages also revealed the two parties making arrangements to meet at a nearby oil field in regard to their deal. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Children’s Fest 2025 will provide free vaccines for children under 2 years old on Wednesday at 815 North Broadway Avenue in Tyler, according to our news partner KETK.
Children’s Fest will include family-friendly activities such as games, vendors, prizes and health services provided by local health agencies. Children under 2 years old can get free vaccines to help reduce or eliminate many diseases, such as measles, mumps, and whooping cough, according to NET Health.
“Childhood vaccinations are one of the best ways for our community and us as parents to protect our children against vaccine-preventable diseases,” RN and Director of Immunization for NET Health Sylvia Warren said.
For more information about childhood vaccinations, visit MyNETHealth.org or call the NET Health Immunizations Department at 903-510-5604.
TYLER – Our news partner, KETK, reports that an East Texas woman was arrested on Monday after reportedly providing Jell-O shots with vodka to 5th graders at a Tyler elementary school Christmas party. According to a Smith County arrest affidavit, multiple children were throwing up, and one was unable to stand up after consuming six shots.
On Dec. 20, 2024, at around 11:15 a.m., a Tyler ISD police officer received a phone call from the Jones Elementary and Boshears Center assistant principal that said she believed a parent had brought Jell-O shots to a class Christmas party. The officer asked the suspect, Teresa Isabel Bernal, to come to the principal’s office. The officer said he saw on the conference table in the principal’s office a cafeteria boat containing four Jell-O shots.
While the officer was interviewing Bernal, she said the Jell-O shots came from a local business she found on Facebook. “The business is run out of a house, so she went by the house and purchased the Jell-O shots and brought them to the school for the Christmas party,” the affidavit said. When asked if the Jell-O shots contained alcohol, Bernal said, “They do taste different.” Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY – A Rusk man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for robbing and killing a 70-year-old man in 2022. According to the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office and our news partner KETK, on April 22, 2022, Christopher Anthony Peoples of Rusk robbed and attacked Valentine Ortega Sanchez with a knife, leaving him dead in his driveway near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Dixon Avenue.
Officials said around 1 a.m. on April 23, 2022, Peoples fled from deputies in a vehicle while disposing of evidence south of Rusk on FM 241, and then wrecked in the 3000 block of FM 241.
Deputies removed Peoples from the vehicle, and began life-saving measures before EMS arrived and took him to a local hospital by helicopter where he was then arrested for evading arrest in a vehicle. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – As the May 2025 elections approach, voters across East Texas are preparing to head to the polls to make their voices heard on various important local issues and races. Our news partner KETK has compiled a comprehensive guide to everything voters need to know, including key dates for early voting and essential details for counties throughout the region. You can find that list here.
POLK COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, a domestic dispute between a Polk County married couple on Sunday leaves husband dead from gunshot wounds and wife physically assaulted, police said. Around 8 p.m. Sunday night, Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a domestic dispute at a Southland Plantation subdivision residence and found a woman who was allegedly physically assaulted and a man with multiple upper body gunshot wounds, according to a Polk County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.
Emergency Medical Services provided aid to both parties with the woman being transported to a local hospital where she was later released, however, the male was pronounced deceased at the scene, PCSO said. Officials began a comprehensive investigation and determined the dispute escalated from a verbal confrontation to a physical altercation. Read the rest of this entry »
WOOD COUNTY – According to a report from our news partner KETK, after deputies received reports of gunfire from a high school lake party, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office encourages parents to be aware of their children’s whereabouts.
The Wood County Sheriff’s Office released a statement to parents asking them to keep a closer eye on their children after shutting down a high school lake party where underage drinking and gunfire were involved. Officials said when deputies arrived, they observed a man running into a crowd wielding a pistol before he was taken into custody without incident. Officials said other suspects were detained with two firearms, marijuana, cocaine, and related paraphernalia.
The sheriff’s office encourages parents to be aware of where their children are, who they associate with and what environments they are in.
“We urge all parents to have open conversations with their children about the dangers of underage drinking, drug use and the potential risks of large gatherings,” officials said. “Your guidance and supervision are crucial in helping keep our community safe.”
TYLER – The bishop at the Catholic Diocese of Tyler mourns the loss of Pope Francis on Monday morning.
According to the Associated Press, Pope Francis died on Monday at the age of 88 with his last appearance in public on Easter Sunday during the morning blessing and popemobile tour through a crowd of St. Peter’s Square.
Bishop Gregory Kelly said he was impressed and inspired by Pope Francis’ work, mission and ministry in the Church, especially for his attention to the “dignity of immigrants and of those on the margins”.
“Having just celebrated the solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection on Easter, we commend the Holy Father into the arms of the Risen Lord whom he served so faithfully during his life and during his papal ministry. Even though there is grief at his passing, this is also a time to express our trust in the Lord and his promise of eternal life and the resurrection of the body for those who love him. I ask that you join me in praying for the repose of his soul and for the Church in this time.” said Bishop Kelly
The bishop invites people to join him for the celebration of a memorial Mass for Pope Francis on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Tyler.
GREGG COUNTY – According to a report from our news partner, KETK, a man was arrested in Gregg County on Friday evening after allegedly shooting and killing his neighbor’s dog on it’s owner’s property.
Around 7:49 p.m., Gregg County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a dog being shot by a neighbor in the northern area of Gregg County. Officials said following the investigation the deputy arrested Toby Odell Bennett, 63 of Longview, after he shot and killed his neighbor’s dog while the animal was on it’s owner’s property.
Bennett was booked into the Gregg County Jail for third-degree felony cruelty to a non-livestock animal on Friday and was released the following day after posting his $10,000 bond.
“The Gregg County Sheriff’s Office takes all allegations of animal cruelty seriously and remains committed to upholding the law and ensuring the safety and welfare of both people and animals in our community,” Gregg County Sheriff’s Office said.
NACOGDOCHES – Two Nacogdoches residents were arrested for possession of cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana and firearms by the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office early Thursday morning, according to our news partner KETK.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies pulled over Luther Levann Jackson, 38, around 11 a.m. for a traffic violation. They discovered an active warrant for his arrest, and took Jackson into custody. Later they also obtained a search warrant for Jackson’s residence in the 1700 block of Castleberry Street after an ongoing investigation revealed narcotics were present in the home, the sheriff’s office said.
When deputies searched the residence they reportedly found the following items: Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — According to our news partner KETK, a Houston man was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiring with others to burglarize ATMs in Tyler.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Texas, Julius Lawan Lockett, Jr., 30 of Houston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank theft and was ordered to pay restitution of $243,540.85 and forfeiture of $79,850 on Thursday. Officials said on March 28, 2021, Lockett and Jerome Christopher Mayes, Jr. drove from Houston to Tyler to steal money from ATMs in the area. They used a stolen Ford F-250 truck from Smith County, attached chains to the truck and to an ATM at Chase Bank at Southwest Loop 323 in Tyler to pull the ATM open and steal around $159,700.
On Jan. 29, Mayes was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for his role in the ATM conspiracy.
TYLER – School leaders in East Texas share their opinions following the Texas House’s passage of the private school voucher program early Thursday morning.
The Texas House and Senate have each passed different versions of the bill and will now need to negotiate a compromise. Once an agreement is reached, the final version will be sent to Gov. Abbott’s desk.
Joel Enge, Director of Kingdom Life Academy, is a vocal advocate for the proposed bill, which he believes empowers families with greater educational choice .“Parents now have the opportunity to choose,” Enge said. “They have educational freedom.”
Kingdom Life Academy, a project-based micro-Christian school in Tyler, sees education savings accounts as a game-changer—one that could open doors for more students to access schools like theirs. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY – A Mabank man was arrested Wednesday night after officials located a sock with suspected meth.
According to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, around 10:52 p.m., narcotics investigators stopped a 2010 Harley-Davidson motorcycle at the 8200 block of US Highway 175 West in Kemp and watched the driver, Joseph Duane Whitworth, 52 of Mabank, throw a sock into the grass ditch.
Officials said after locating the sock, they found a gallon-sized plastic bag with a large amount of suspected meth inside alongside clear plastic baggies known for packaging narcotic sales.
Whitworth was arrested for the manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair. He is currently being held at the Henderson County Jail.