Today is
Thursday June 04, 2026
SMITH COUNTY — A 25-year-old Tyler man was sentenced to 34 years in prison on Tuesday for the 2024 fatal stabbing of Noe Luna. According to our news partner KETK, Letierus Drew, 25, of Tyler, was arrested for murder on Jan. 21, 2024 after Smith County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a reported stabbing at a home in the 400 block of County Road 34.
Deputies learned that 43-year-old Noe Luna of Tyler had been stabbed and taken to a local hospital before they arrived at the scene. Luna died at the hospital a few hours later.
Authorities said that Drew was identified as a suspect in the stabbing after witnesses at the scene said he had forced his way inside the home and got into a physical fight with Luna. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — East Texas Food Bank employees volunteered to pack up boxes full of food on Tuesday as a part of National Hunger Action Day. According to our news partner KETK, the day of action was done as part of Hunger Action Month, a nationwide campaign held every September that encourages people to help end hunger in their community. On Tuesday, volunteers helped pack boxes that will be delivered to elderly East Texans in need.
“What we’re packing today is our senior box, our CSFP distribution program. So this is for our elderly population that is food insecure and that needs a little extra resources to be able to put food on the table,” Kim Morris with the East Texas Food Bank said. “So the boxes that they’re packing today are nutritionally balanced, and they should last about a month to supplement their food, to be able to get them through and make sure that they have not just to eat, but nutritious, healthy, other types. “ Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — Smith County Criminal District Attorney Jacob Putman announced this week that he will be running for re-election in 2026. According to our news partner KETK, Putman has served for the past six years, and during his tenure, the district attorney’s office has expanded from 48 to 85 staff members. In 2024, Putman and his office prosecuted over 7,000 criminal cases, including 4,472 misdemeanors and 2,886 felonies.
Due to the number of cases prosecuted in 2024, the attorney’s office was named a Gold Level Agency, the highest award a victim-friendly practice can obtain from the Texas Victim Services Association.
Putman will run in next year’s Republican Primary ahead of the November election.
AUSTIN — Efforts to save the life of an East Texan condemned for killing his two year old via “shaken baby syndrome” continue. In an open letter, a group of 20 exonerees are calling on the state to halt Robert Roberson’s execution. The Palestine man is scheduled to die October 16th and would be the first person ever put to death based on the now discredited science.
Sabrina Butler Smith, of Mississippi, spent more than six years in prison, two on death row, after her baby son died. She was 17. Prosecutors say the nine month old was shaken to death, but he had heart, kidney and lung issues. She was the first woman exonerated from death row in the U.S. Read the rest of this entry »
ATHENS — The Athens ISD band director was arrested Wednesday night after the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office found suspected methamphetamine inside his apartment. According to the sheriff’s office and our news partner KETK, around 10:20 p.m., investigators searched the Wood Street apartment of Nicholas Bartlett Durham, where they found him in possession of suspected methamphetamine. Durham was booked into the Henderson County Jail for possession of a controlled substance.
Athens ISD said that Durham had just begun his second year as a band director at Athens High School. The school released a statement regarding his arrest on Thursday morning: Read the rest of this entry »
ANGELINA COUNTY — Demolition of the former county jail, 113 N Second Street will begin Monday, September 8, and is projected to be complete within 30 days, according to a news release from the City of Lufkin. The release adds that due to safety concerns, the city will close the alley on the south side of the jail beginning September, 8. It is anticipated that the alley will be closed for approximately 3 weeks, and it will re-open as soon as it is safe to allow vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
TYLER — The northern portion of Rose Rudman Trail is expected to be closed for the next couple of days. According to the City of Tyler, the trail is closed so that they can conduct construction on nearby sewer lines. The road is expected to be reopened by Sept. 5.
TYLER — The City of Tyler will be working with a contractor to perform traffic signal maintenance at the intersection of Troup Highway and Lindbergh Drive on on Thursday, Sept. 4. The intersection will be dark with no signal indications. To ensure safety and minimize disruptions, most of Lindbergh Drive from Southpark Drive to Troup Highway will be closed to traffic. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternative routes and drive with caution through the intersection. In addition, entry and exit points into the Super One shopping center from the intersection have been closed completely to increase safety during the work.
LUFKIN — A Lufkin felon facing prison for a federal firearms violation Thursday. Michael Antoine Lovelady, 53, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to information presented in court, on March 14, 2025, Lovelady was arrested during a traffic stop for outstanding warrants. During the arrest, Lovelady attempted to flee when firearm was discovered in his waistband. Lovelady is a convicted felon and prohibited from owning or possessing firearms.
Lovelady was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 15, 2025, and faces up to 15 years in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
TYLER — Chapel Hill Independent School District and The University of Texas at Tyler announced two new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreements for Chapel Hill educators to advance their careers through high-quality graduate programs at a reduced tuition rate. According to a news release, the first agreement offers an Accelerated Master’s in Educational Leadership with principal certification, designed to be completed in just three terms through 100% online coursework.
The program provides hands-on learning, curriculum evaluation skills, and strategic planning expertise, preparing educators for leadership roles. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — Longview Police are investigating after an elementary school student was grazed by a vehicle on Wednesday morning. According to our news partner KETK, Longview ISD released a statement saying a student at Clarence W. Bailey Elementary was involved in an accident near campus. The child was taken to a local hospital out of an abundance of caution, but is expected to be okay. The mother reported to the district that the child is ‘doing well and is eager to return to school.’
The Longview Police Department identified the driver as Susana Granado, who was arrested for failure to stop at the scene of a collision causing bodily injury. She was booked into the Gregg County Jail and has since bonded out. Read the rest of this entry »
GILMER — After years of leading the way in Gilmer, City Manager Greg Hutson is stepping down, according to our news partner KETK. “I woke up one morning and I said, it’s time, “Gilmer City Manager Greg Hutson said. Hutson has served as city manager for Gilmer for almost nine years, and before that, worked for the city of Sampson Park.
“I have accomplished what I needed to accomplish, what I wanted to accomplish in Gilmer,” Hutson said. “The accomplishments we’ve made as it relates to the airport, the projects in process now at the parks, the maintenance of the tanks.” Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — An SUV crashed into Piada at The Village at Cumberland Park in Tyler on Tuesday afternoon. Tyler police and UT Health EMS responded to the scene. According to our news partner KETK, no injuries were reported. No word on the cause of the crash. Additional details were not available.
BULLARD – As Wednesday, Aug. 13, County Road 172 is now closed to through traffic as part of the FM 2493 widening project. According to TxDOT, the closure is expected to remain in effect for approximately one month.
Detour routes have been marked with signs, along with electronic message boards to assist drivers in navigating around the closure. Bullard ISD bus routes are not expected to be affected by this closure.
SMITH COUNTY — A father reported an inappropriate relationship to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office after he discovered his teen daughter and her 46-year-old co-worker were dating in late July. According to our news partner KETK, an arrest affidavit revealed that on July 20, a concerned father contacted the sheriff’s office about an improper relationship between his daughter and her co-worker, Cory Dashun Ransom.
“[The father] went through [his daughter’s] phone and found messages between her and Ransom indicating that they were in a dating relationship and that [his daughter] wanted a kiss from Ransom,” the document said.
The father also explained to officers that his daughter said Ransom touched her private parts. Read the rest of this entry »