Today is
Thursday June 04, 2026
LONGVIEW – Our news partner KETK reports that Seth Estes Vanover, aged 52 of Diana, has been sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan to a period of 12 years and 11 months in federal prison. Additionally, Vanover has been mandated to undergo a 15-year term of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and surrender four phones. In July of 2022, undercover agents began an operation designed to lure people into meeting minors for sexual acts. The FBI arrested Vanover in October of 2022 and he resigned from the police department that same day. His patrol car was searched and a cellphone was found. Procecutors said the device contained, “at least 234 videos and 133 photos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including infants, toddlers, and other young children.â€
HENDERSON COUNTY – Our news partner KETK reports that six individuals were arrested following the execution of a search warrant at a home in the Tool area of Henderson County. Investigators reportedly discovered methamphetamine, marijuana, a shotgun, an ATV that had been reported as stolen from Parker County, and stolen credit cards. Among the arrested were:
-Robert Hogue – Arrested for manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana
-Thad Love – Arrested for possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, fraudulent possession identifying information
-Robert Chewning – Arrested for possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon
-Ralph Brown – Arrested for possession of marijuana
They were brought to the Henderson County Jail and are currently waiting for their arraignment.
TYLER – In an announcement made on Thursday, UT Health East Texas says patients now have full access to MyChart. Services such as paying bills, scheduling appointments and prescription management are now back online. In the release, UT Health also suggested that users reset their passwords and to still expect some small features to still be unavailable on MyChart.
BIG SANDY — A pickup truck allegedly failed to stop for a school bus, resulting in the death of a woman at approximately 6:30 a.m. on US State Highway 155 near South Mulberry Road. DPS along with our news partner KETK reported that the woman was outside with a flashlight, assisting children in boarding the school bus. However, the driver of a pickup truck supposedly did not stop for the bus, which had its lights on and stop sign out, and ended up hitting her. The driver is reportedly facing charges and is currently being held in Upshur County Jail. The victim was declared dead at the scene.
LONGVIEW – According to a release from Public Information Officer Richard Yeakley, the Longview Police Department dedicated its new building Tuesday afternoon. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at 3:00 p.m. And the public open house is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The festivities will take place at the new facility on South St. The new building is 3 stories tall, and over 68,000 square feet. To learn more about the building’s construction and view initial renderings, click here.
CHEROKEE COUNTY – Two people are dead and six people were injured after a pickup veered into oncoming traffic on US Highway 175, north of Jacksonville. According to our news partners KETK, in a release from DPS, a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado veered into oncoming traffic and hit a 2022 Honda Accord and then a 2022 Toyota Corolla. The driver of the Silverado, 69-year-old David Blakeney of Jacksonville, as well as the driver of the Accord, 23-year-old Antonio Santana III of Little Elm, were pronounced dead at the scene. The two passengers in the Accord and the driver plus three passengers in the Corolla were taken to a hospital.
PALESTINE — A Palestine woman has been arrested and booked into the Anderson County Jail after leading police on a chase that ended on a dead-end road. According to our news partner KETK, Shelby Lynn Beckham, 32, had an active warrant for alleged possession of a controlled substance in Navarro County. After running a stop sign, an on-patrol officer attempted to stop Beckham. She then attempted to evade the officer down a dead-end road before being arrested for her warrant. Palestine Police in a statement said the found Beckham was in possession of a methamphetamine pipe and a trace amount of methamphetamine in a small plastic container.
TYLER – After last week’s cyberattack, UT Health’s parent company, Ardent Health Services, has announced that records and other vital platforms have been restored. Our news partner KETK reports that although clinics and emergency rooms are back to full service, some non-emergency procedures are still at a halt as some repairs are still being made.
TYLER – A massive inflatable Santa Claus has appeared seemingly out of thin air in the Hollytree subdivision in Tyler. A Hollytree resident told our news partner KETK that the aired-up Chris Kringle has been up for about a week, but its origins are unknown. Another resident said it’s located on an empty lot and nobody knows where it came from. Others also believe it’s a sign that Jolly ‘Ol St. Nicholas is coming to Tyler on Christmas Day. It can be found on 6709 La Costa Drive, Tyler in Hollytree.
TYLER – In a press release from DPS Sgt. Adam Albritton, a three vehicle crash on State Highway 31 East, west of County Road 246 in Tyler Wednesday afternoon has killed one and left four injured. The preliminary investigation states that a 2009 Isuzu Truck, driven by Cameron Reeves, 18 of Hawkins, “failed to stay in single lane” and collided into a Ford F-150. Reeves continued driving and led to Cory Threadgill, 40 of Gladewater, hitting a tree to avoid him. Out of the 5 involved, only Aidan Kelley, 20 of Chandler was declared dead at the scene. Reeves, Threadgill, Robert Pierzchalski, 67 of Henderson and Brandon Carpenter, 42 of Gladewater, were all transported to a Tyler hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
WHITEHOUSE, Texas – In an updated provided by our news partner KETK, Whitehouse Police have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to charge anyone involved in the throwing of alcohol during the city’s Christmas parade. In a statement, Chief Paul Robeson said they were unable to find evidence that the driver of the vehicle was under the notion that the 3 and 4 year old children in the back seat has thrown out a small-sized bottle of alcohol during the festivities. To find Robeson’s full statement, KETK has provided it here.
WHITEHOUSE, Texas – Patient care is now being affected because of the recent ransomware attack on UT Health East Texas. According to our news partner KETK, Patricia Cowan and her sister have been forced to wait on daily phone calls in order to find out if she can receive urgent treatment for her case of cancer. The ransomware attack, that was almost two weeks ago, means that now Patricia must travel 45 minutes to get care. Director of Communications Allison Pollan spoke with KETK and said that, “safely caring for patients remains our highest priority.â€
TYLER – Our news partner KETK reports that Tyler ISD notified families on Thursday that internet and phone lines are down district-wide as of 11:40 a.m. In a statement, the district said that they are aware of the outage and are working to restore it. No timeline was given for a resolution.
TYLER – Emergency rooms in the UT Health East Texas network are in “divert status” after a network outage caused by a possible security incident. According to our news partner KETK, The outage was first reported by UT Health on Thursday afternoon. In a statement provided by UT Health East Texas Director of Communications Allison Pollan, “Earlier today, we became aware of a network outage due to a potential security incident that is affecting UT Health East Texas. As we work to assess the impact of this outage and restore access, we are following established downtime protocols. As a precaution, our emergency rooms are currently on divert status as we work to bring our systems back online. We anticipate that network access will be restored in the next 24-36 hours,â€
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TYLER – In a released Tyler ISD announced that Tyler Legacy High School’s athletic field-house will go under a new name. Monday night, the Tyler ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to name the Field House at Tyler Legacy High School after former coach Mike Owens. It will now be called the Coach Mike Owens Field House. Coach Owens led the former Robert E. Lee High School (REL) to the 2004 Class 5A Division I State Football Championship. He retired after the 2010 season in 2011.