Today is
Thursday June 04, 2026
TYLER – A party with legal claim to The Oil Palace in Tyler has requested that the venue be sold, due to failed obligations, according to Smith County records. A document dated Aug. 7 shows the Oil Palace and Bobby Manziel as the borrower of $3.94 million on Dec. 4, 2017. The sale of the building is required to fall under Section 51.002 of the Texas Property Code. That means the must be put up via an auction held between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. of the first Tuesday of a month. The Tyler Gun Show scheduled for Sept. 13 and 14 at the venue is canceled. The last event to be held at The Oil Palace was the 2025 God & The Great Outdoors Hunting & Fishing Expo.
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WILLS POINT, Texas – A 25-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an ongoing child pornography investigation, according to our news partner KETK.
The Wills Point Police Department said Eli Joshua Steele was taken into custody on Friday and is facing six counts of producing, directing or promoting a sexual performance by a child, along with nine counts of possession with intent to promote child pornography.
Steele’s arrest is part of what authorities described as “an extensive and lengthy ongoing investigation” by the department’s criminal investigations division. The case has been referred to the Van Zandt County District Attorney’s Office for formal charges and prosecution.
According to Van Zandt County Jail records, Steele is being held on a total bond of $600,000.
LUFKIN – A Lufkin man is behind bars after an hours-long standoff Friday morning that ended with SWAT deploying CS gas canisters, according to our news partner KETK.
The standoff began after a series of incidents involving 42-year-old Charles Roman Taylor over the past several days, according to the Lufkin Police Department. Officers say Taylor called 911 more than 10 times starting around 4 a.m. Friday, speaking incoherently and eventually threatening to kill officers who responded to his home.
“When he stepped out the front door, officers tried to calm him and take him into custody on outstanding warrants,” Lufkin PD said. “Officers deployed a taser, but that did not immobilize Taylor, and he went back inside.”
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LONGVIEW — Jose Daniel Rodriguez Jr., a Longview man, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2023 murders of Alexander and Aleksei Gamez, according to our news partner KETK. A Gregg County jury found Rodriguez guilty of capital murder on Thursday, and 188th District Court Judge David Brabham handed down the life sentence the same day.
According to authorities, Rodriguez and three of his relatives went to a Harrison Street residence around 2:25 a.m. on June 10, 2023, searching for the Gamez brothers in connection with an earlier incident. Rodriguez waited at the home for nearly 20 minutes before Alexander and Aleksei returned in a black vehicle.
Surveillance video from the home shows Rodriguez approaching the vehicle with a firearm in his right hand. He shot Alexander once in the head before firing seven shots at Aleksei, striking him in the head and body. Rodriguez fled the scene but later claimed he acted in self-defense or in defense of another person.
The jury reviewed security footage and other evidence, ultimately rejecting Rodriguez’s claims. After four hours of deliberation, they returned a guilty verdict. Gregg County judicial records confirm that Rodriguez’s life sentence began Thursday.
BULLARD – The Bullard ISD Board of Trustees has appointed Jan Hill as the district’s interim superintendent, according to our news partner KETK. Hill, who dedicated twelve years of service to Bullard ISD, will guide the district through this transition period.
Hill first joined Bullard ISD in 2008 as director of curriculum, where she managed state and federal programs. In 2014, she was promoted to deputy superintendent, taking on a key leadership role in overseeing the district’s instructional programs.
This is not Hill’s first time serving as interim superintendent; she previously held the role in 2020 before Jack Lee was named superintendent. Hill is stepping into the position again following Lee’s departure to accept a role with Seguin ISD.
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TYLER – Desnique Deshawn Herndon, 28, was sentenced to seven life sentences by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker on Wednesday. In 2023, Herndon was convicted by a jury of six counts of sex trafficking of children and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children following a five-day trial before Judge Barker. Herndon remained in custody between the time of trial and sentencing. Beginning in 2019, Herndon engaged in trafficking multiple teenage girls for commercial sex acts. Herndon recruited the girls by social media, deceived them by promising riches, and placed them in hotels in the Tyler area. Some of Herndon’s victims were as young as 13 years old. Three of Herndon’s co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the offenses.
FORT CAMPBELL, KY. – An East Texas infantryman assigned to the 101st Airborne Division has died following a training accident near Camp Croft in Hungary, according to military officials and our news partners at KETK.
The soldier was identified Saturday as Sgt. Aaron Cox of Mabank. He was a member of the division’s 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team and died Thursday in a vehicle accident while preparing for Exercise Saber Guardian 25.
Cox enlisted in the Army in 2021 and was on his second deployment, having previously served in Poland in 2022. During his service, he received several medals, including the Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal and National Defense Service Medal.
The incident remains under investigation, military officials said.
WINONA – Luis Hernandez has won the Winona ISD Board of Trustees Place 3 seat after a runoff election held Saturday, following a tie in the May 3 election, according to unofficial Smith County results.
Hernandez received 244 votes, defeating incumbent Randy Hawkins, who received 181. The initial election ended in a rare tie, with both candidates receiving 137 votes. After a recount confirmed the tie, a second election was scheduled.
Hernandez campaigned on expanding athletic programs and implementing long-term planning for the district.
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