Today is
Thursday June 04, 2026
SMITH COUNTY — On the first three days of early voting, just under 1,400 people voted at five polling locations in Smith County. That’s according Smith County Elections Administrator Michelle Allcon. She also added that in comparing running vote totals, “That is under the 2023 numbers. By the end of the third day in 2023, we were a little over 2,100.”
There are 17 Texas Constitutional Amendment Propositions on the ballot for the November 4 Election, as well as several city and school elections throughout Smith County. For more information about the propositions, click here.
CITY/SCHOOL ELECTIONS
The City of Whitehouse and the East Texas Municipal Utility District, as well as the Arp, Troup and Whitehouse Independent School Districts will all be holding special elections on November 4.
Early voting is being held October 20-31, at five polling locations in Tyler, Lindale, Noonday and Whitehouse. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Texas Rose Festival’s Rose Queen is visiting Tyler ISD elementary schools to read the Queen’s Tea to students and will be attending the Queen’s Tea event on Saturday, where students of all grades can meet the Queen and her Court. According to our news partner KETK, the annual tradition connects the Texas Rose Festival with local schools, giving students the opportunity to learn about community traditions and meet this year’s Rose Queen, Avery Craft Armstrong.
The Texas Rose Festival Queen’s Tea is a beloved community event where guests of all ages can meet the Queen and her Court in the beautiful Tyler Municipal Rose Garden on Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Admission is free. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER (AP) — Millions of Americans with Affordable Care Act marketplace health insurance will face higher costs next year if Congress doesn’t extend enhanced premium tax credits that have made the plans more affordable. The tax credits are at the heart of the federal government shutdown, which has entered a third week with no end in sight.
That prospect is forcing Americans to make difficult decisions about their health care and what they can afford. Among the enrollees is Celia Monreal, a mother of five in Tyler, Texas, whose husband has cartilage loss in his knees. The couple won’t be able to afford their health insurance plan next year if the subsidies expire.
Monreal, 47, and her husband, Jorge, 57, rely on the Affordable Care Act marketplace for health coverage. If Congress doesn’t extend certain ACA tax credits set to expire at the end of the year, their fully subsidized plan will increase in cost, putting it out of reach. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — Officials in Smith County are asking residents to refrain from burning due to increased fire danger. Smith County is not issuing a burn ban. According to the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office and our news partner KETK, the increased fire danger is due to unusually dry conditions this month, which was caused by the county experiencing an abnormally wet spring, early summer and robust grass crop.
“Due to this year’s robust grass crop that is now becoming drought-cured and dehydrated, fire behavior and resistance to control will likely increase,” the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office said.
SMITH COUNTY — Smith County has seen a 25% increase in DWI charges from 2023 to 2024, largely due to enhanced enforcement efforts, according to a detective with the sheriff’s office. Ryan Edmonds, a DWI expert currently assigned to the Crimes Against Children Unit at the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, explained to our news partner KETK that the rise in DWI arrests is attributed to increased training and the deployment of task forces during peak times for intoxicated driving.
“The biggest factor behind that increase is probably the enhanced enforcement that we’ve put into place,” Edmonds said. Read the rest of this entry »
Update: The pedestrian in this incident has died from injuries sustained in the crash. His identity is being withheld until family can be notified. The case remains under investigation.
TYLER — A Monday morning wreck shut down the westbound lanes of 110 Van Highway, just outside of Loop 323 for almost five hours. According to our news partner KETK, Tyler Police responded to the crash involving a pedestrian. Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh confirmed with KTBB that all roads are clear.
MARSHALL — The Marshall Police Department has arrested a juvenile in connection with threatening statements made toward a local school. According to a news release, upon receiving the report on October 9, investigators with the Marshall Police Department began working with the Marshall Independent School District Police Department and the Harrison County District Attorney’s Office to identify and apprehend the juvenile responsible for the statements.
Due to the subject’s age and the ongoing nature of the investigation, additional information was not released.
“The safety of our students, faculty, and community remains our top priority. The Marshall Police Department and our law enforcement partners take all reports of potential threats seriously and will continue to respond swiftly to ensure the safety and security of our schools.” – Marshall ISD Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office honored one of their longtime leaders on Thursday by unveiling a portrait of former Sheriff JB Smith. According to our news partner KETK, Smith started his tenure as sheriff in 1976 and after more than three decades, he retired in 2013. In a ceremony attended by many members of law enforcement on Thursday, including current Sheriff Larry Smith, former Sheriff JB Smith had his portrait hung next to the portraits of those who’ve held the role before.
“I’m so honored to be part of something like this because I feel like I’m a part of the lasting legacy of Smith County sheriffs,” JB Smith said. “There’s been many sheriffs over the years, and I’m just one of them. But I think I’ll have left a legacy and I hope it’s a positive one. Smith County is probably one of the best places in the whole world to live. We are so blessed here.”
JB Smith is also an author, humorist, rancher, a veteran and an auctioneer. To learn more about his life, visit JB Smith’s website.
LIVINGSTON (AP) — Texas’ top criminal court on Thursday again paused the execution of Robert Roberson, just days before he was set to become the first person in the U.S. put to death for a murder conviction tied to the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome.
This was the third execution date that Roberson’s lawyers have been able to stay since 2016, including an attempt nearly a year ago that was stopped by an unprecedented intervention from a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers who believe he is innocent.
The latest execution stay was granted by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Roberson had been scheduled to receive a lethal injection on Oct. 16. Since his first execution date more than nine years ago, Roberson’s lawyers have filed multiple petitions with state and federal appeals courts, as well as with the U.S. Supreme Court, to try and stop his execution. Read the rest of this entry »
Update: Tyler Police Department has arrested 35-year-old Kendrick Dawone Ross of Tyler. Ross was booked into the Smith County jail Thursday afternoon for Murder and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. His bond has been set at $1,500,000.
TYLER — Tyler police are investigating an early morning shooting that left one man dead. According to the department, around 2:25 Thursday morning, officers responded to a shooting at a residence on North Grand Ave.One victim, identified as Demonta Jaquis Brown, 32, of Smith County, was transported to a local hospital by EMS with gunshot wounds. He died as a result of those wounds.
A female victim is said to be in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds. A suspect was being interviewed by investigators. Police say this is not a random incident.
TYLER — The City of Tyler is taking steps to address congestion on South Broadway Avenue, one of the top 100 most congested roads in the state, by presenting a new traffic plan on Wednesday.
According to our news partner KETK, the traffic department unveiled the ‘South Tyler Mobility Study,’ conducted in 2023, as a roadmap to find short and long-term solutions to the ongoing traffic issues. The study suggests connecting other roads to Broadway and extending new roads as alternate routes for drivers.
As Tyler continues to grow, traffic issues are expected to worsen if not addressed promptly, according to Cameron Williams, a Traffic Engineer. He emphasized the importance of implementing a plan to prevent future congestion. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — Michael Stoltz, Chairman of the East Texas State Fair Board, gave the Commissioners Court an estimated economic impact the nearly two-week event had on the area. For the second year at its new location, The Park of East Texas, the fair saw more than 104,000 people in attendance, making an estimated $28.8 million economic impact on Smith County.
He said $995,000 in sales tax revenue was generated, 88 percent of the food and restaurant vendors at the fair were East Texas businesses, and 550 hotel room nights were generated.
Its first-ever professional rodeo was sold out all three nights, for a total attendance of 7,500 people, and was broadcast live nationally on the Cowboy Channel. He said more than 400 athletes competed in the rodeo, for a purse of more than $40,000. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Award winning actor Rob Lowe spoke to fans about his journey through a 40 year career in the television and film industries at University of Texas at Tyler’s Cowan Center on Tuesday night. Lowe was accompanied by our news partner KETK’s Kaci Koviak in their discussion about his career in Hollywood and current projects that have recently made it to television screens across the country.
While Lowe is widely known for his roles as Sodapop Curtis in the 1983 film The Outsiders and Chris Traeger in the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation, Lowe can now be seen in a new trivia game show titled The Floor. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce (TACC) hosted their annual luncheon at the W.T. Brookshire Conference Center where they celebrated 125 years of service to the Rose City, according to our news partner KETK. Chamber members were celebrated along with volunteers who dedicate their time towards helping out the community over the last year.
Those present witnessed a video presentation of highlights that occurred throughout the city in 2025 and an invocation from Elder of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Reverend Orenthia Mason.
A lot has been accomplished in the last 125 years and TACC Chief Operating Officer Grant Ingram is looking forward to what the future holds in the community.
“It’s incredible to see what all we have been able to accomplish and knowing that we are not done yet, we’ve got more to come,” Ingram said. “Tyler is growing, Tyler is a great place to live, to work, to play, to raise your family. to start a business. We’re just excited to be a part of that and support our business community.”
LIVINGSTON (AP) — Robert Roberson was calm and hopeful as he pondered his mortality and whether he could again avoid becoming the first person in the U.S. executed for a murder conviction tied to the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome.
With days to go before his scheduled Oct. 16 execution, Roberson maintained his innocence in the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis, in the east Texas city of Palestine. He is set to die by lethal injection nearly a year to the day after a group of Texas lawmakers, who say he is innocent, secured an extraordinary last-minute court reprieve as Roberson waited outside the death chamber in Huntsville.
Roberson said he was placing his hopes for another execution stay in the hands of his lawyers, his supporters and God. Read the rest of this entry »