Today is
Thursday June 04, 2026
TYLER – On Wednesday, Tyler City Council approved a $167,868 contract with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. for the Intelligent Transportation System Master Plan Year 6 – Traffic Signal Timing Improvements. According to a release obtained by KTBB, 26 highly-driven intersections in the city will be addressed. The areas being addressed include Southeast Loop 323, Beckham Avenue, Troup Highway, Shiloh Road, and East Grande Boulevard. The release quoted the improvement previous traffic light re-timings have done for city traffic flow, specifically the improvement of Broadway Avenue. Historical data from Texas Department of Transportation and Texas A&M Transportation Institute ranked Broadway as one of the most traffic-heavy roads in Texas, but since re timing plans began, the ranking has steadily improved. The project is set to be paid for with the Half Cent Sales Tax Fund.
MARSHALL – Marshall PD announced that a juvenile is in custody after a shooting Saturday. Officers arrived to the scene of the shooting at a home on Melanie Street after receiving a call of gunfire. One victim was found with a gunshot wound, and the injury is believed to be non-life threatening. The department will not be releasing any information regarding the suspect’s identity due to their age, but the suspect is confirmed to be held in the Willoughby Juvenile Detention Center
AUSTIN – Texas Governor Greg Abbott is alerting state health organizations to the possibility of Chinese espionage via medical technology. The Governor’s office on X released a letter directing state health agencies to mitigate data privacy concerns related to Chinese-sourced medical technologies.”
Abbott directed Texas state health agencies and public university systems to address potential cybersecurity risks linked to Chinese-manufactured medical devices, citing concerns that sensitive patient data could be accessed by foreign actors.Spying on Texans will not be permitted by the Chinese Communist Party.
The directive comes after warnings from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that some Chinese-made patient monitors, such as the Contec CMS8000 and Epsimed MN-120, have cybersecurity flaws that could enable unauthorized remote access and the exfiltration of protected health information.
LOUISIANA – The Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office announced that two Texas women flew cocaine and telephones into a federal prison in central Louisiana using a drone and plastic bird decoys, leading to their capture. Investigators were informed by the suspects that they were paid $40,000 to carry out the smuggling operation. The women were identified by deputies as Kassy Marie Cole, 41, of Hurst, and Melanie Jean Worthington, 38, of Joshua.
Worthington is accused of possessing marijuana and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, as well as bringing contraband into a correctional facility.
Cole was accused of possessing synthetic marijuana and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, as well as bringing contraband into a correctional facility. Cole had an outstanding warrant at the time of her arrest, according to authorities.
SMITH COUNTY — A 28-year-old man was arrested early Saturday morning after authorities said he shot his wife while their three children were inside the home. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office and our news partner KETK, deputies responded around 1:30 a.m. to a disturbance call in the 9200 block of Cityview Drive.
Dispatchers were told the suspect, identified as Adrian Lekindreth Scott Jr., was intoxicated and assaulting his wife.
While deputies were en route, Smith County dispatchers reported hearing gunshots and screaming during the ongoing 911 call. Deputies arrested Scott. Inside the home, deputies found his wife suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen and shoulder.
Deputies began providing lifesaving aid until emergency medical personnel arrived. Authorities said one deputy applied pressure to the wounds and placed a tourniquet on the woman’s upper arm before she was transported to the hospital for treatment. She is currently in stable condition.
Deputies also checked on the three children who were inside the residence at the time of the shooting. According to a Smith County affidavit, the wife alleged that she was holding her infant in bed next to her two other children when the shooting occurred. Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS – The votes are being counted and numbers are being reported across East Texas and the entire state. Find updated results as they come in at KTBB Election Central!
TYLER – Robert Harrison Johnson IV has been found not guilty by reason of insanity after a house fire in 2022 killed his half-brother with special needs. Johnson had been in a state hospital, and a report from January stated that he was insane at the time of the offense.
On May 18, 2022, Johnson’s half-brother Jack McKenzie Ross, 35, died in the house fire in the 11300 block of County Road 1113. He was arrested by police in DeSoto weeks later.
Records revealed that Johnson was smoking a cigarette in his room when embers landed on a nearby towel. Johnson, in a conversation with investigators, claimed that a “ghost” stopped him from leaving the house. He was also asked why he didn’t help Ross who was in the next room. His response was a claim that spirits forced him out. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – On Saturday, Richard DeFreece of Tyler stopped by the King’s Academy Upper Campus gymnasium to attempt to make 250 paper airplanes, in just 60 minutes. Our news partners at KETK report that DeFreece was able to complete the feat on camera, with multiple timekeepers and in front of several witnesses, who helped count the planes and made sure they could all fly. He’ll have to wait for Guinness World Records to review the evidence of his attempt before verifying his new Guinness World Record. DeFreece said the previous record was for 200 paper planes made in an hour. For 250 planes in a hour, around 4.16 paper planes a minute had to be made.
TYLER – Texas Department of Public Safety announced they’ll be increasing patrols for Super Bowl Sunday. Officials say this is in an effort to keep roadways safe, and as part of the nationwide Crash Awareness and Reduction Effort (CARE). DPS troopers will be keeping an eye out for impaired driving, speeding, seat belt violations and other dangerous behavior. Last year on Super Bowl Sunday, DPS issued more than 1,300 citations and nearly 3,900 warnings statewide.
WINNSBORO — One former Winnsboro ISD superintendent and another who had been placed on leave have been arrested again on Thursday, almost a month after their first arrests related to allegedly neglecting to report child abuse.
According to our news partner KETK, Brian Wilcox, a former superintendent of Winnsboro ISD and Aaron Nation, the current superintendent who was placed on administrative leave, were arrested on Thursday and charged with tampering/fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair and unlawful interception, use, or disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications.
They were booked into the Hopkins County jail with an undisclosed bond and have since been released, according to jail records. Read the rest of this entry »
ATHENS – An Athens ISD (AISD) teacher and basketball coach was arrested after marijuana and a firearm were found in his vehicle. According to a report from the district, the unidentified staff member was taken into custody on Monday morning and was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation. Our news partners at KETK had this excerpt from an AISD statement: “Athens ISD is committed to upholding the highest level of integrity as a matter of public trust,” the district said. “We appreciate the response of our staff and school resource officers and will continue to cooperate fully as the matter moves forward.”
TYLER – After violating his probation, Patrick Mahomes Sr., the father of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, was taken into custody and is currently being held at the Smith County Jail. Our news partner KETK reports that Mahomes Sr. was arrested after breaking his probation, according to the Smith County District Attorney’s Office. On February 3, 2024, he was arrested in Tyler for driving under the influence.
KILGORE – Chad Adamson, 43 of Tatum, involved in a fatal December wreck, was arrested this weekend. Adamson turned himself in to the Gregg County Jail on an intoxication manslaughter charge. His bond was set at $25,000 and he was released from the jail Monday.
A probable cause affidavit states that on December 9, while intoxicated, Adamson caused Christine Donley’s death in a two-vehicle collision on US 259 in Kilgore. According to the arrest report, Adamson struck Donley’s car after crossing the median and traveling south in the northbound lane. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – The Longview ISD broke ground on their new Early Childhood Learning Center Thursday. Our news partner KETK reports that the new center will be built on the site of Jodie McClure Elementary with around $61.8 million in voter-approved bond funds. The multi-building facility would house thirty classrooms, a library, a kitchen and a gymnasium. The 79,000-square-foot facility will house pre-kindergarten children between the ages of four-years-old and just six weeks old.
EAST TEXAS – NETRMA will be preparing Toll 49 for the predicted winter weather hitting the area. Efforts include putting brine on bridges and main lanes throughout all of Toll 49. Communications Director Colleen Colby has tips for drivers who still need to hit the roads.
“We’d ask our drivers to be extremely cautious on bridges, overpasses, ramps and turns, any areas that might freeze first,” Colby said. “We’d ask all of our drivers to reduce speed, to allow extra time to reach their destination. Make sure you increase the distance between yourself and any other vehicles and should you start to slide, ease off the gas pedal or brakes and steer into the direction of the skid.”
For safety purposes, NETRMA is also asking drivers to stay back at least 200 feet from vehicles treating roadways, and most of all, be patient. Should anything happen, authorities urge drivers to stay in their vehicles. And if you’re stranded, make sure to call 911 to get the appropriate help that you may need.