TYLER — The City of Tyler is launching its first on-demand MicroTransit route for South Tyler to complement existing fixed route services. Starting Monday, May 13, riders utilizing the South Tyler route will be able to book a ride by calling Tyler Transit at (903) 533-8057 from a bus stop. The ride will take them directly to the doorstep of a destination within three-tenths of a mile of the closest bus stop on the existing South Tyler route.
“Our goal is to improve our current customers’ experience riding with us and attract new users by providing a more convenient, reliable and efficient transportation option,” said Russ Jackson, Tyler Transit manager. “By tailoring our services with the MicroTransit pilot, we hope to meet the community’s needs without imposing additional financial burdens on our riders. We’re trying to make public transportation more accessible and flexible.” Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The hemp market in Texas is growing and with it comes competition to get products on the shelves first. According to our news partner KETK, some of the most popular items found on shelves are delta-8 and 9, which are different versions of THC, a cannabinoid found in a cannabis plant. Both naturally occur in marijuana with delta-9 being more potent.
“The majority of the delta-8 or virtually all the delta-8 that you’re finding in products is manufactured from CBD,†Leo Welder, a strategic consultant, said.
Welder a consultant with LJW3 Operating, owned his own cannabis and hemp testing lab in California before moving back to Texas. He said California had stricter rules on what hit the shelves, but Texas is lacking in that department. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY –Â An 18-wheeler crash is causing delays Thursday morning in Gregg County on I-20 near Kilgore. According to TxDOT and our news partner KETK, the 18-wheeler crashed and caught fire in the eastbound lane of I-20 near mile marker 583, between SH 135 and FM 2207, just south of Liberty City. The inside lane is open, but officials said the outside lane is closed with an estimated reopen time of about 1 p.m.
TYLER — In a confrontation between police and protesters at UT Austin late Monday, 79 people involved were jailed, according to the Travis County sheriff’s department. Most were charged with criminal trespass. About 150 protesters sat on the ground as state troopers and police encircled them, with hundreds of others shouting when officers dragged someone away. After police cleared the original group of demonstrators, hundreds of students and protesters ran to block officers from leaving campus. Protesters pushed in on officers, creating a mass of shoving bodies before police used pepper spray and set off flash-bang devices to clear a path for a van to take those arrested off campus.
The University of Texas System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin P. Eltife Tuesday released the following statement:
“As I have previously stated, any attempt to shut down or disrupt UT operations will not be tolerated. There is no rationale whatsoever that justifies the endangerment of our students and campus environments. Massive crowds of students, along with outside groups with absolutely no connection to UT, have intentionally caused disturbances with plans to harm our campus community. In fact, the majority of arrests to date have occurred with agitators who are not UT students. These activities will not be allowed. Read the rest of this entry »
BROWNSBORO — A Brownsboro elementary student was selected to be a model at the 34th annual Children’s Cancer Fund’s gala and she was escorted by Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott. According to our news partner KETK, Brownsboro Elementary School student, Cami, was selected to be a model at the fundraising gala that took place on April 19 in Dallas.
“We are so thrilled she was able to participate in such an amazing fundraiser, and are so very proud of our little bear! You looked beautiful Cami!†– Brownsboro ISD
The Cowboys said that Prescott as well as Troy Aikman teamed up with the Children’s Cancer Fund as honorary chairs for the gala. The Cowboys also announced that the gala raised over $2 million for children’s cancer research.
“Together, we raised an extraordinary $2.7 million for pediatric cancer research†– Children’s Cancer Fund and Dak Prescott
TYLER — On Saturday, April 27th the Tyler Police Department along with the Drug Enforcement Agency will be hosting a Drug Drop Off. It will be at the Brookshire’s on Rice Road between 10am and 2pm. The public can anonymously drop off their unused, unwanted and expired prescription medications as well as tablets, capsules, patches and other solid forms of prescription drugs, free of charge. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs will not be accepted.
LUFKIN — The Lufkin Police Department is investigating an overnight shooting. According to Lufkin Police Public Information Officer Jessica Pebsworth, officers responded to West Laurel around 10:20 p.m. Wednesday night a report of a man with a gunshot wound to the head after the man sought help from a neighbor. The victim told officers he had been robbed and shot by a man that he knew but he didn’t know the suspect’s name. The man was flown to an out-of-town hospital where he remains in stable condition. Anyone with information is asked to call the Department at 936-633-0356 or Crime Stoppers at 936-639-TIPS.
LONGVIEW — Two people have been arrested in connection to the 2016 murder of Longview businessman and community figure Ron Horaney. According to our news partner KETK, Horaney was found dead in his home from multiple gunshots on May 30, 2016.
Reza Kamali, 87 of Longview, was arrested and charged with murder eight years after the crime. At his arraignment, his bond was set at $7.5 million. Alfredo Lizcano, 38, was arrested Wednesday morning for murder in Dallas County with a $10 million bond.
According to an arrest affidavit, investigators received information from a “Cooperating Individual†who reported being contacted by someone they identified as “Ray Kamali,†who authorities identified as being Reza Kamali. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — Early Voting began Monday, April 22, and runs through Tuesday, April 30, for the Joint City Election. The Cities of Tyler, Arp and Lindale have races in the election. There are four early voting locations in Smith County, including:
Arp City Hall, 109 W. Longview St. in Arp
Heritage Building, 1900 Bellwood Road in Tyler
The Hub, 304 E. Ferguson St., in Tyler
Lindale Kinzie Community Center, 912 Mt. Sylvan St. in Lindale.
Early voting polling places are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 30.
There will be six polling sites open on Election Day, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 4.
The Smith County Elections Office has launched an interactive map to help voters find what precincts are included in the cities holding an election. Click here for more information.
TYLER — On Monday, April 22, Tyler Water Utilities (TWU) identified a significant break in a water main located at 2025 SSW Loop 323. This break has resulted in the depletion of water tanks on the west side of town, causing water shortages or low water pressure in many households and businesses. TWU crews are working on the repairs, water valves have been identified and shut off, and the leak has been contained.
TWU is working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to determine the extent of the issue. The City will continue to update residents as they learn more.
GLADEWATER — The City of Gladewater has announced that there will be a water outage near Hendricks Street and Walnut Street this Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK, city contractors have planned these outages so that they can tie in waterlines in the area that have been replaced. The city added that any additional updates would be shared to their social media and their Genasys alert system.
TYLER — Insomnia Cookies, a popular late-open bakery, is planning to open a location in Tyler soon. According to our news partner KETK, on the website for Insomnia Cookies, they list a location in Tyler as “coming soon.†The address is 3979 University Boulevard Unit 400, near the University of Texas at Tyler campus. Insomnia Cookies’ describes themselves as a bakery that is open late to cater to late night cravings, offering a number of cookies, brownies ice cream and more. According to their website their locations offer delivery of the sweet treats as well.
HENDERSON COUNTY — Former Payne Springs police officer Jonathan Hutchison pleaded guilty to charges on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, on Monday, Hutchison pleaded guilty to his charges of manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance as part of an open plea. The court said that a charge of money laundering is being considered.
In March of 2023, Hutchison, alongside former Payne Springs Chief of Police April Meadows, were arrested after search warrants revealed controlled substances in their homes. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is hosting an open house for community members to update the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) on Tuesday, April 23, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. The meeting will be in the Tyler Development Center’s large conference room at 423 W. Ferguson St. During the open house, community members will learn about revised construction dates, updated project cost estimates, and clarification edits to project descriptions for proposed highway and transit projects, including: widening FM 756 from Jeff Davis Drive to FM 346, Constructing an overpass at the intersection of FM 756 and FM 346 and widening FM 2493 from Loop 323 to FM 2813. Read the rest of this entry »
WHITEHOUSE — The Whitehouse Independent School District named Dr. Casey Whittle as their lone finalist for superintendent on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, the Board of Trustees sorted through nearly 40 candidates, and decided Whittle would be the best fit.
“Our goal was to find the person we thought could inspire our students more than anybody else and could equip them with those type of opportunities,†Todd Raabe, Whitehouse Board of Trustees president, said. “We really believe Casey Whittle’s our man.â€
According to a release, Whittle has dedicated nearly 25 years to public education and served as assistant superintendent for human resources at Wylie ISD and as high school principal in Comal ISD. Whittle said he plans to help develop teachers, so they can take their students across the finish line. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A former employee of a Tyler nursing home pleaded guilty Friday in the death of a resident who was tied to a wheelchair. Bobby Posey, 23, was arrested after Larry Coffey, a resident of the Tyler nursing home where Posey worked, died after falling while tied to a wheelchair. Posey was charged with injury to an elderly or disabled person causing reckless body injury. On Friday, Posey pleaded guilty to the crime in Judge Austin Jackson’s court and received five years deferred probation.
Posey’s indictment said that he had a legal duty to act, and had assumed care, custody, or control of the elderly individual by virtue of his employment at the facility. For ignoring the man’s restraints, Posey was found partially at fault for his fatal injury. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — With a theme of “Breaking Ground,†Smith County leaders met Tuesday to address the ever-growing region at the annual State of the County, according to our news partner KETK. Nearly 500 people gathered at Green Acres Baptist Church for Smith County’s 2024 state of the county, highlighting construction plans and new partnerships like at the county jail.
“We continue to work with entities, we’re working with the city of Tyler and then the other cities within the county so I think this unity that we’re seeing now is going to be nothing but movement forward, and it’s really going to be exciting,†Smith County Judge Neal Franklin said. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — Sections of Smith County Road 463, also known as Wood Springs Road under Interstate 20, and CR 370 have water over the roadways, according to county officials. Smith County Road and Bridge crews are out clearing downed trees, but none have been reported blocking the entire road to cause a closure. Drivers are reminded to not drive through high water crossings.
TYLER — Tyler Police are investigating after a man was shot in the ankle Sunday. According to our news partner KETK, officers said they received conflicting stories about where the shooting took place, but said a property on Lenox Avenue is of interest to the investigation. The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment of the not life-threatening injury. Tyler Police Department Public Information officer Andy Erbaugh said investigation is ongoing.
TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine received a $400,000 gift from an anonymous donor to support the hospice and palliative medicine fellowship. According to a press release from the school, the purpose of the gift is to retain physicians in the East Texas region. After a doctor graduates from medical school and residency, completing a fellowship can offer them additional specialization and differentiate them from other candidates. As the last piece of a physician’s medical education, a fellowship often determines where they stay for the rest of their practice.
“This generous donation to our hospice and palliative medicine fellowship program signifies a significant step forward in our mission to provide exceptional health care services to the East Texas community,†said Dr. Brigham C. Willis, School of Medicine founding dean. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY — It took years, but an intellectually disabled Texas inmate has been re-sentenced from death to life without the possibility of parole by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Randall Mays was condemned in 2008 for gunning down two Henderson County Sheriff’s Deputies. Six years before that, in 2002, the US Supreme Court decided that people with an IQ below 70 cannot be executed. Mays has an IQ of 63. Benjamin Wollf with the Texas Office of Capital and Forensic Writs helped represent Hayes and says the death penalty should only be used on those who qualify. Mays has had three execution dates come and go.
EAST TEXAS — Texas Department of Motor Vehicles issued a bulletin Wednesday regarding the April 8th Eclipse and big-trucks. Due to the Solar Eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, that is expected to cause severe traffic delays, no size/weight permitted travel will be allowed on that day from midnight to midnight in the following counties:
Anderson, Atascosa, Bandera, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Bowie, Brown, Burnet, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Coleman, Collin, Comal, Comanche, Coryell, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Dimmit, Edwards, Ellis, Erath, Falls, Fannin, Franklin, Freestone, Frio, Gillespie, Grayson, Gregg, Hamilton, Harrison, Hays, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Lamar, Lampasas, Leon, Limestone, Llano, Marion, Mason, Maverick, McLennan, McCulloch, Medina, Menard, Milam, Mills, Morris, Navarro, Parker, Rains, Real, Red River, Robertson, Rockwall, San Saba, Smith, Somervell, Sutton, Tarrant, Titus, Travis, Upshur, Uvalde, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Williamson, Wood, and Zavala. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Local Chick-fil-A restaurants donated thousands of soups and cookies on Wednesday to the Salvation Army in Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, the occasion was made possible through the donation drive that was held in February where for every soup bought, two would be donated.
“The idea is that the community helps out, that every time they buy a soup, we donate the soup. And over the course of time, it’s been like 75,000 bowls of soup over the last 15-20 years that we’ve been able to donate to the community,†Ikey Eason, Troup Highway Chick-fil-A owner, said. Read the rest of this entry »
RUSK COUNTY — A collectible pistol that was reported stolen three decades ago and ended up in a pawn shop is back in the hands of its original owner, and now law enforcement depict how they work with shops to identify stolen items. According to our news partner KETK, on Friday, a Camp County lawyer who bought the pistol at a pawn shop returned the firearm to Gordon Allen, World War II veteran and original owner. “Sometime the wheels of justice move slow but they still move,†Allen said.
Rusk County Sheriff Johnwayne Valdez said finding stolen guns at pawn shops is not a common occurrence, but it does happen. Unlike 30 years ago, when technology was limited, law enforcement and pawn shops now work together to check items brought into businesses. Valdez said pawn shops are required to put every item they purchase into a database, especially guns. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — Smith County residents will get to take one free trip to the landfill during the annual Smith Countywide Cleanup, which runs for the entire month of April. According to a news release from Smith County, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office Environmental Crimes Unit and Commissioners Court are once again offering the yearly program, which allows residents to take one truck-load of bulky items (3 cubic yards of solid waste) to the Greenwood Farms Landfill for free. During County Government Month, one voucher per resident are available in-person only at the Courthouse Annex, 200 E. Ferguson in Tyler, or any of the Justice of the Peace/Constable Offices throughout the County. The vouchers are available this week and can be used beginning Monday, April 1, through Saturday, May 4. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — Pam Frederick has officially withdrawn her recount petition for Precinct 1 Commissioner race, after 30% of the ballots were counted, our news partner KETK reports. According to David Stein, the county chair for the Smith County Republican Party, Frederick conceded, stopping the recount after officials recounted 30% of the votes finding zero discrepancies.
Frederick said in a statement, “Fifteen counters spent up to ten hours today recounting the paper ballots for the race. More than 3,000 votes were recounted which comprises approximately one-third of the total vote for the race. There were no discrepancies in the vote count, proving that the electronic voting system used in Smith County is accurate.â€
TYLER — The TJC Earth and Space Science Center featuring Hudnall Planetarium will offer a full slate of special events during the week leading up to the historic total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8.
Eclipse watch parties in Tyler on April 8
TJC has partnered with Visit Tyler to promote numerous eclipse-viewing sites across the city on April 8. Locations including Caldwell Zoo, Discovery Science Place, True Vine Brewing Company, Tyler State Park, and many more, will host their own special viewing events. For details click here.
TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler received a $447,195 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support breast cancer research. According to our news partner KETK and a UTT news release, Dr. May Abdelaziz, an assistant pharmacy professor at the Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy, is conducting research into HER2, a protein that promotes the growth of breast cancer. UTT reportedly received a grant from the NIH to support Abdelaziz’s research.
“The receipt of this NIH grant underscores the impactful research being conducted at the Fisch College of Pharmacy,†Dr. Amy Schwartz, Fisch College of Pharmacy dean, said. “Dr. Abdelaziz’s innovative work in developing targeted therapy for breast cancer highlights our college’s contribution to cutting-edge solutions in health care and pharmaceutical sciences.†Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an early Monday morning shooting that left a 79-year-old man dead. According to a press release, deputies responded to a home on Park Hill following a 911 call around 12:30 from a woman saying her father had been shot by her brother. Arriving officials attempted life saving measures, to no avail. The victim, identified as Dell Howard Tille, of Tyler, was pronounced dead at the scene. An an autopsy has been ordered. The suspect was arrested and the reported weapon was secured. Officials said charges are expected later this morning and the suspect will be identified at that time. The investigation is ongoing. More details will be released as they become available.
TYLER — A Tyler musician has reportedly died in a Bedford crash early Monday morning. According to our news partner KETK and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, at least one person died in the crash on Texas 183. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the deceased as Heber Hernandez, 24, who died at a Fort Worth hospital. Hernandez was the main vocalist for the band Petroleros Del Bravo, a popular Grupo Norteño band with sax in the Tyler area. “Thank you all for the love, support and prayers we have received in these difficult times. It hurts to know we lost a son, brother and friend. Our Heber Issac Hernandez, the heart of what we present here. Los Petroleros and our brother’s dream will live on just like he always wanted it. With all faith and love to Heber,†the Petroleros Del Bravo said in a statement. A funeral service will be held on Friday in Tyler.
