Today is
Thursday June 04, 2026
TYLER — The Texas Radio Hall of Fame announced their inductees today for the class of 2025. Among the inductees is our very own sports director, Bill Coates.
KTBB owner and general manager, Paul Gleiser, talks about the professionalism that Bill brings to the airwaves: “When I bought KTBB, one of the things I got in the bargain was Bill Coates, and thank God because he’s been a real pillar in KTBB’s success.” Gleiser adds, “Bill is all pro… he’s an all pro sportscaster… he’s an all pro talk show host… he’s an all pro advertising executive. He’s just an all around consummate broadcaster and it is entirely appropriate that he’s a member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. I couldn’t be more proud.”
The Texas Radio Hall of Fame annual reunion and and induction is the weekend of October 31, at the Texas Museum of Broadcasting and Communications in Kilgore. For more information, click here.
SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Commissioners Court has set a special-called meeting for 10 a.m. Friday, August 8, to discuss the Fiscal Year 2026 budget. At Tuesday’s regular meeting, the court discussed the proposed tax rate and scheduled public hearings. They took a record vote to set the proposed tax rate, unanimously voting to keep it the same as last year, which is 0.364231 cents. The public hearings on the proposed tax rate are set for 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 2.
“I don’t want to increase that tax rate. We have a lot of residents in the same fix as our employees,” County Judge Neal Franklin said, referring to higher cost of living prices on groceries, etc. He said county departments have been working to cut costs where they can. Franklin said he would still like to see a 3 percent cost of living raise for county employees this year. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — East Texas Congressman Nathaniel Moran was interviewed on NewsNation last week to discuss redistricting efforts in Texas and trade talks in Europe.
“I think it’s pretty laughable that Governor Newsom should be talking about stacking the deck or playing by a different set of rules. California right now is 43 Democrats and 9 Republicans,” Moran said in a July 28 interview.
According to our news partner KETK, Moran, a Republican and the U.S. Congressman for Texas District 1-Tyler, was commenting on California Governor Gavin Newsom, who’s come out against Republican efforts to redraw the Texas congressional map in order to create more Republican-leaning seats in Congress. Read the rest of this entry »
EMORY — The Emory Volunteer Fire Department responded to a structure fire at the Kearney Trailers facility on Highway 19 on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, the department said they were called out to the fire at 2:09 p.m. and when Engine 1 arrived at the facility they found smoke coming out of every door on a manufacturing building which was on fire in the back of the property.
Engine 1 then called for assistance and fire departments came from all across Rains County and neighboring areas. With their added assistance, firefighters were able to contain the fire to the main structure and its contents. The fire was extinguished by 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to an Emory VFD Facebook post. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — Smith County Emergency Services District 2 has confirmed that a cyclist was injured on Friday in a presumed hit-and-run crash on Highway 271. Our news partner KETK reports, a passerby noticed a cyclist bleeding and foaming from the mouth in the 12990 block of Highway 271 in front of the Southwest Food Brookshire’s Distribution Center in Owentown, south of Winona.
The passerby called 911 at around 9:06 a.m., and fortunately, an EMS crew was passing by when they made the call. EMS deployed a Lucas device on the cyclist to do CPR on him automatically. Smith County officials said the cyclist suffered extensive injuries and has been transported to a local hospital for treatment. The case is being investigated as a hit-and-run since nobody at the scene witnessed what caused the extent of the cyclists’ injuries.
TYLER – The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed a new world record for the longest lightning flash or “megaflash,” which struck from East Texas to Kansas City. According to our news partner KETK, he extensive 515-mile-long lightning flash struck during a severe thunderstorm complex on Oct. 22 of 2017. The flash could be seen from southeast of Dallas, near Athens and Corsicana, across Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and into Missouri, near Kansas City.
“This new record clearly demonstrates the incredible power of the natural environment,” WMO rapporteur of Weather and Climate Extremes Randall Cerveny said. “Additionally, WMO assessment of environmental extremes such as this lightning distance record testify to the significant scientific progress in observing, documenting and evaluating such events.” Read the rest of this entry »
LUFKIN — A U.S. District Court has ruled in favor of a preliminary injunction, preserving all women’s varsity teams at Stephen F. Austin State University, following a Title IX lawsuit after several sports teams were cut.
“The court finds that the financial burden self-imposed by SFA does not outweigh the harm suffered by plaintiffs. Therefore, the court finds that plaintiffs satisfied their burden for issuance of a preliminary injunction,” the order said.
According to our news partner KETK, this comes a month after several SFA student-athletes filed a class action lawsuit against the university, which had eliminated its varsity women’s beach volleyball team, the Ladyjacks bowling team, and the men’s and women’s golf teams. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER– Brookshire Grocery Co. and its customers have raised $100,000 to support communities affected by the recent floods in Central Texas, which claimed the lives of more than 100 people. According to our news partner KETK, in July, customers and employee partners at Brookshire’s, Super 1 Foods, Spring Market and FRESH by Brookshire’s stores in Texas contributed to the flood relief campaign by purchasing donation coupons at checkout.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with those who were affected by this devastating natural disaster,” Brad Brookshire, Chairman and CEO of Brookshire Grocery Co., said. “It was important to our company to step up and help our Texas neighbors during this critical time. We are proud to be able to donate $100,000 to the victims and their families and hope it makes a meaningful difference to those affected.”
The funds raised will benefit the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund and TEXSAR (Texas Search and Rescue), both of which provide aid to those impacted by the floods.
TYLER — A corner wall of the Carlton Hotel Garage building has collapsed onto Elm Street in downtown Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, the collapse of the corner comes after several bricks were first seen falling from the building on July 24. That incident prompted the patrial closure of Elm Street, which was still closed to traffic when the corner fell this week.
After the first bricks fell on July 24, the building’s owner NORF Companies, put out a statement ensuring that the public’s safety is their first priority and that they’re assessing the building’s condition. Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS — Students in ten East Texas school districts are heading back to class on Monday and their safety is top of mind for every parent. according to our news partner KETK, as the back-to-school rush begins, the Lufkin Police Department is reminding drivers to slow down and lookout for young pedestrians.
Sgt. Eddie Ibarra, the Lufkin Police Department’s head of traffic told KETK that “yellow means slow down, it doesn’t mean speed up to beat the red light.”
According to TxDOT, last year there were 781 crashes, 11 of them involving school buses and two people were killed in Texas school zones. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Smith County Emergency Management Office is hosting a Community Preparedness Night to educate residents about the importance of being prepared for a disaster. According to a news release from Smith County, the free event will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, August 7, at UT Health Northeast in the amphitheater of the main building.
Smith County Emergency Management Coordinator Brandon Moore will talk about recent disasters, preparedness and public education, supporting vulnerable populations, training opportunities and hazard mitigation. They will talk about how you can volunteer with Smith County CERT, how to provide input in the county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan, and signing up for life-saving disaster alert systems. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — Two men who planned to kidnap, rape and murder a Texas woman have now both been sentenced to decades-long prison sentences. According to our news partner KETK, Brad McKinney, 53 of Kilgore, was sentenced to 25 years in state prison on Thursday after he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit capital murder on June 23. Dustin Adlai Yates, 52, was sentenced to 30 years in state prison for conspiracy to commit murder on July 15.
According to an arrest affidavit, Yates contacted McKinney to gather information on Yates’s ex-girlfriend and would pay him for his services. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office arrested Yates on Dec. 27, 2024 for stalking, after his ex-girlfriend informed them that Yates was contacting her by email on Oct. 31, 2024.
Yates was attempting to contact her despite warnings from the Houston Police Department not to contact her following a family violence case. The woman sent screenshots of the following messages from Yates on Dec. 1, 2024, to detectives: Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Hill Creek Branch bridge on Park Road 16 in Tyler State Park has been closed as of Wednesday, July 30, after routine inspections revealed erosion in parts of the structure. According to a news release, officials said out of an abundance of caution, TxDOT officials made the decision to close the bridge immediately to ensure visitor safety. Plans for repairs are currently underway, with construction expected to be completed in Fall 2025.
“Safety is always our top priority,” said Jeff Williford, Public Information Officer for the Tyler District. “TxDOT routinely inspects every bridge in the state to ensure they meet all safety standards and remain safe for the traveling public.”
ANDERSON COUNTY — As the water rights controversy continues to grow, several chicken farms in East Texas, including Sanderson Farms, have filed a lawsuit against the Neches and Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District.
According to our news partner KETK, the lawsuit follows the district’s transfer of the permits for Redwater Ranch and Pine Bliss LLC to drill into East Texas aquifers and extract billions of gallons of water, intended for use in the Dallas metroplex. The permit has caused many farmers across East Texas to grow worried about the future of their livelihoods, prompting nine farms to come together and take legal action to prevent the permit from being implemented.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are requesting that the court invalidate the district’s drilling permit application and issue a temporary injunction preventing the district from engaging in any further activities related to drilling permit applications. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — More Tyler homes will soon benefit from drainage improvements as the City adds Kidd Drive and Downing Street to the 2025 Structure Flooding Project. Recurring flooding has impacted three homes and several nearby properties. According to a city news release, on Wednesday, July 23, the City Council approved a Master Services Agreement for $42,300 with The C.T. Brannon Corporation for the design and construction phase services to Kidd Drive and Downing Street as part of the 2025 Structure Flooding Projects.
The City learned about stormwater issues in the area, and in 2018, a drainage study identified solutions to the problem. However, repairs were delayed due to challenges involving private property. The City continued monitoring the area until flooding began affecting homes, not just yards. Read the rest of this entry »