Today is
Tuesday June 09, 2026
UPSHUR COUNTY — Upshur County discussed Sheriff Larry Webb’s concern for the funding of COVID-19 Pressure Cell grant funding. According to our news partner KETK, the program that funded the grant is called Corona Emergency Supplemental Funding program. This program will help the expenses that would be put on the responsibility of the Upshur County judicial system. Webb said that they applied for the grant in the summer, received notification on the 16th that he received that money. He said they are waiting on the Texas Jail Commission to approve the plans that were put in place. Read the rest of this entry »
GRAND SALINE — Azizi, the youngest calf to the famous April the giraffe, passed away unexpectedly at the East Texas Zoo and Gator Park in Grand Saline on Tuesday. According to our news partner KETK, April garnered worldwide attention in 2017 when she gave birth to Tajiri. More than 1.2 million people tuned in live to witness his birth. The park said more than 300,000 people watched their video of new calf’s birth, which was live-streamed on YouTube. Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS — A 40-year-old Ore City man has been sentenced to 70 years in federal prison for child exploitation. According to our news partner KETK, Jeremy OKieth Kyle, who also goes by several aliases, pleaded guilty on Feb. 19, to three counts of coercion and enticement. According to information presented in court, between 2013 and 2018, Kyle, a convicted sex offender, committed numerous offenses against 18 minor female victims and four adult women. He used a variety of false personas and promises of love and money to convince the victims to meet him and engage in sexual encounters. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — Smith County is seeing incredible turnout so far in the 2020 election and it reached a new milestone Monday morning, according to our news partner KETK. More people have voted in the past two weeks than the entire early voting period for the 2016 election. According to the Smith County Elections Office, 58,973 people have voted so far this year. That is slightly higher than the 58,406 that cast early ballots four years ago. There are still five days remaining in early voting with Election Day set for next Tuesday, November 3.
LONGVIEW — Two people who wrecked a car after shots were fired and then ran from police on Sunday are in Gregg County Jail. According to our news partner KETK, just after 12:30 p.m. Sunday, an officer on Tammy Lane Drive heard gun shots and then saw a car speed from the scene. The driver lost control of the car and crashed into an unoccupied car parked on Alta Street. The three people in the car jumped out and ran. Officers caught two of them while a third got away. Longview Police arrested 21-year-old Dayson Adaway and 17-year-old Raven Reyes. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — The power is out at Broughton Recreation Center, and early voting polls are not in working order at that location. Early voters are encouraged to use another location. You can find early voting information at https://www.greggcountyvotes.com
NACOGDOCHES — Six students who sued Stephen F. State University after being accused of filing a false report against a Black student have reached a settlement with the university, according to out news partner KETK. A representative of the Houston-based Malley Law Firm confirmed Thursday that the settlement was reached but would not offer more information. The students claimed that university officials had violated their due process rights when they accused them of filing a false report that another student had threatened to use scissors to stab someone. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A 16-year-old fled from officials and crashed a vehicle in Tyler Tuesday morning. According to our news partner KETK, the driver of a Ford F-150 truck with an Oklahoma license plate ran a red light around 12:45 a.m. and was seen by a deputy, according to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. The SCSO deputy attempted to make a traffic stop when the truck sped off. The teenage driver ran numerous red lights and eventually ended up on North Broadway Avenue where she lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the Salvation Army sign. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — A former Whitehouse ISD employee pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of indecency with a child by exposure. According to our news partner KETK, William Henry Aldridge, 29, of Tyler, was sentenced to eight years of deferred adjudication. Aldridge, a former equipment manager, was accused of molesting a football player back in 2010 and 2011. According to an arrest warrant obtained by our news partner KETK, he was also accused of sexually abusing a fourth-grader. The district was contacted by police in October of last year and placed Aldridge on immediate leave before eventually firing him.
KILGORE — The Kilgore Police Department is warning local residents about a new scam involving your email. According to our news partner KETK, KPD says residents have received emails claiming they’ve been caught by a speed camera in Kilgore and that they owed around $875 in fines. The fake email includes a link that officials say, “under no circumstances should be clicked.” The department said, “This most likely allows them into your computer where they have access to your data…we don’t know how the scam works completely since we won’t click that link, but Texas doesn’t have speed cameras.” Governor Abbott signed a bill in May of 2019 that banned the use of red light cameras in Texas.
SMITH COUNTY — A 26-year-old woman who is accused of leaving a baby abandoned and strapped in a baby bouncer for about three hours is now at the Smith County Jail. According to our news partner KETK, a child was left in a garage apartment on County Road 2249 on October 3. The suspect was identified as Kelsey Paige Frazier from Tyler. Frazier was babysitting a child under the age of 1. At approximately 9:30 am, Kelsey left her garage apartment but did not take the child with her. Instead, the infant was left strapped in a baby bouncer located in the bathroom closet of the garage apartment, a news release said. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Tyler police are looking for a man who robbed a Tyler gas station early Friday morning. According to our news partner KETK, a man with a gun forced one of the two employees inside to give him money from the cash register and fled. The gunman was described as wearing dark clothing. Police said there were customers in the CEFCO station on Old Bullard Road when the gunman entered at about 2 a.m. but no one was hurt.
TYLER — A Tyler man was arrested Wednesday morning following an hours long standoff with Smith County Sheriff’s Deputies and Tyler police. According to our news partner KETK, Vicente Manriquez, 35, allegedly assaulted his wife at their home around 12:30, then reportedly took his kids to the tire shop that he owns off Gentry and Bow Street in Tyler. Deputies found his car after the wife gave them a description. The sheriff’s office set up a perimeter and called in the SWAT team and negotiators. They were able to talk Manriquez out of the shop just after 3:00 Wednesday morning. Manriquez has been charged with aggravated assault and was booked into the Smith County Jail. He was released Wednesday after posting bond set at $150,000.
GREGG COUNTY — A $1 million lawsuit was filed against a former Longview doctor on behalf of a boy who says he was sexually abused by him. According to our news partner KETK, Matt E. Hipke was arrested in August on two counts of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and he was released on a $1 million bond. The current lawsuit was filed in the Gregg County Court by the mother of the victim. The guardian is seeking damages because her son was “sexually assaulted, molested and or sexually abused†by Hipke during his medical visits. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Tyler ISD launches the “High Five Club.” “The High Five Club is just one way to show great appreciation to our Tyler ISD teachers, administrators, and employees who have gone above and beyond during this crazy, COVID-19 era we live in today,†Superintendent Dr. Marty Crawford said. “We invite parents, coworkers, and community members to send a High Five by completing the online High Five Club submission form at tylerisd.org.†When you submit a High Five, the Tyler ISD employee will receive a certificate showing your appreciation for their efforts. Read the rest of this entry »