Today is
Tuesday November 26, 2024
SMITH COUNTY — A Waco man was sentenced to 45 years in prison on Tuesday for charges related to the 2020 shooting death of a man in Smith County. According to our news partner KETK, Joshua Tibbits, 32, was convicted of engaging in organized criminal activity in connection to the 2020 shooting death of a motorcyclist. Smith County officials at the time said 33-year-old Brandon Edwards was riding his motorcycle when he was shot and three men, including Tibbits, were arrested and identified as gang members. According to an arrest warrant, Edwards was wearing a jacket that depicted him as a member of the Cossacks Motorcycle Club and security footage showed a truck chasing Edwards near where he was killed. Tibbit’s trial began on Oct. 30, and he was convicted of engaging in organized criminal activity on Tuesday. Later that same day, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison.
LONGVIEW — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced that a Longview man pleaded guilty to two felony charges brought after he attended the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. According to our news partner KETK, Ryan Taylor Nichols, 32, of Longview, plead guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, according to a press release. U.S. District Judge Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth has reportedly accepted the plea and Nichols has been remanded into custody of law enforcement. The plea agreement hearing took place Nov. 7. Nichols had rejected previous plea deal offers from government prosecutors. Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS — The unofficial results from the November 7 election are in. More than a dozen proposed Texas constitutional amendments were on the ballot Tuesday, addressing laws on everything from property taxes and water projects to preventing what some call “wealth taxes.” Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON — On Monday, the Eastex Telephone Cooperative was awarded $25,000,000 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand broadband in Cherokee county. According to our news partner KETK, the award is expected to connect more than 1,200 homes and around 200 farms. “Our mission is to make sure every rural American is served. That’s the place where our emphasis is,†said Andy Berke, administrator, USDA Rural Utilities Service. Under the federal reconnect program, Eastex will be able to install and provide fiber infrastructure. “You can sell the goods you’re making in Chicago or New York from East Texas. You can study wherever you want from East Texas, or go see a doctor from this. There’s so much opportunity open to you by this,†said Berke. The fiber network monthly cost will be kept low for anyone who qualifies. Read the rest of this entry »
ATHENS — The Athens Police Department arrested a man after a money dispute reportedly led to the death of another man. According to our news partner KETK, on Nov. 3, APD officers were dispatched to a disturbance on the 900 block of East Lane Street where people were calling for help and pointing to an unconscious man laying on the ground. Officers then rendered CPR until the EMS arrived. Officers reportedly interviewed witnesses who described the disturbance that began when the suspect, Brayan Castro Castellanos, 28, walked over to a residence to collect money. Police said an argument began between the two men that led to a physical fight. The victim “was knocked off the porch onto his head, which was the unconscious male APD found upon arrival,†according to police. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — The Justice Department announced Monday that Smith County was one of four Texas counties found to be in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, stating that their elections website is not accessible to people with certain disabilities. According to our news partner KETK, Smith County received a public letter dated Nov. 6, one day before Election Day, along with Colorado County, Runnels County and Upton County, detailing the DOJ’s findings. The DOJ said they found the websites “are not accessible to individuals who are blind or have low vision, or who cannot grasp a mouse, and use screen readers, keyboards or other assistive technology.†The investigation was launched in response to a complaint about accessibility of the website. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — ampV’s flagship building will now be known as the Campbell and Snow Veterans Resource Center following a ceremony on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, the building was renamed in honor of Susan Campbell and Jim Snow, who co-founded CampV in 2017. In the past four years, CampV had more than 16,000 appointments aiming to help service members and their families. “It was Jim Snow and Susan Campbell that came together in a Starbucks parking lot, in a Starbucks of all places, and wrote down on a napkin a one-stop shop idea for veteran services here in East Texas,†said Jim Gladhill, CampV executive director. Campbell and Snow said there were a lot of resources for veterans to navigate but they wanted to be an organization that was easily accessible and online. “There are a lot of sources but it is hard for veterans to navigate all that goodwill online to be able to have a trusted resource and I think that’s what we are representing,†said Campbell. Their goal now is for CampV to serve more veterans and for their program to be redone across the state and nationwide. Click here for more details.
SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office said that a man was found dead in Lake Tyler on Monday around 6:30 p.m. According to our news partner KETK, Kendrick Young, 27, was last seen by his mother around 10 p.m. on Sunday. His fishing gear was reportedly spotted by a witness at Lake Tyler. Officials said that Young’s mother went to the lake looking for her son and found his car parked nearby. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office was contacted and Young’s body was found in the lake, near the intersection of CR 230 and Gordon’s Landing Road. Young was pronounced dead by Justice of the Peace precinct 3 Judge James Meredith. An autopsy has been ordered.
TYLER — A shooting on East Locust Street Thursday left one person injured. According to Tyler Police Department Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh and our news partner KETK, two people arrived at a hospital at around 2 p.m. with bullet holes in the car. Police said one person had gunshot wounds. The unnamed victim’s condition is unknown. Additional details were not available.
TYLER — A Tyler nurse has been recognized by Ardent Health Services with the 2023 Nurse of the Year Award. Rachel Carney, RN, is nurse in the renal/urology unit at UT Health Tyler. Presented annually by UT Health Tyler’s parent company, the award recognizes an outstanding nurse for their compassion, skill and willingness to go the extra mile in caring for others. Rachel’s DAISY Award nomination came from a patient who had a lengthy hospital stay following surgery. “In addition to helping with my medical needs, she talked me through several days of severe physical and psychological discomfort and helped me with things I never expected I would need help with, including bathing, changing my linens and shaving my beard,†the DAISY nomination read. “She even talked me through a borderline nervous breakdown and called to check on me during a well-earned day off. I felt like I was being taken care of by a loved one. I can’t express how much that meant to me.†Carney said she was shocked to receive the award. “I don’t do this for awards, I just try to do my job,†she said. Read the rest of this entry »
KILGORE — Kilgore Police have obtained an arrest warrant for a man wanted in connection to local construction fraud. Ignacio “Nacho†Terrones faces charges of misapplication of trust funds in construction fraud. Terrones is believed to be the subject of “several similar investigations in other cities and counties,†according to authorities. Authorities say Terrones was given the opportunity to turn himself in over the weekend, but failed to do so. Several other warrants have been issued against him as well. Kilgore Police said they do not want the public to approach or attempt to apprehend him. Anyone with information is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency or Kilgore Police Department Detective Joshua Sims at 903-218-6907 or email Joshua.Sims@cityofkilgore.com.
TYLER — Tyler Water Utilities (TWU) has partnered with KSA Engineers, as part of a national initiative by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to inventory the types of materials of all customers’ water service lines in the City’s distribution system by October 16, 2024. The inventory is an important step in protecting public health and minimizing the risk of lead entering drinking water from service pipes and fixtures in people’s homes. As part of this plan, TWU asks customers to complete a survey to identify the water service line material on their property. A customer’s water service line connects the water meter to their house or business and is their responsibility to maintain or replace. The material will be either PVC, copper, galvanized steel, or lead. Lead service lines were banned in 1986 because of Federal Safe Drinking Water Act amendments. If a home or business was built after 1989, the property is unlikely to have a lead service line. Read the rest of this entry »
LINDALE — The City of Lindale has issued a boil water notice to customers in Eagle Meadows. The roads affected are Meadow Lane, Shug Lane and Allison Lane. Officials said crews are working to make repairs as quickly as possible.
NACOGDOCHES — A jury in Hawaii has convicted a couple of stealing the identities of babies who died in Texas. The former Nacogdoches couple, Walter Glenn Primrose and Gwynn Darle Morrison, are in their mid-60s. They assumed the identities of Bobby Edward Fort and Julie Lyn Montague, two infants who died and were buried in central Texas near Burnet in the late ’60s. Primose and Morrison were accused in the trial of adopting the false identities in 1987 when they lost their home to foreclosure and had other serious debt problems. When they’re sentenced in March, the couple each face up to 19 years in prison on federal charges of conspiracy, passport fraud and identity theft.
SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler man has been indicted for shooting a man on Oct. 8, 2022. Kendrick Bell, 29, was reportedly charged after he shot someone by “firing several rounds into the victim’s car where he was seated.†According to our news partner KETK, a deputy from Smith County answered a call regarding a black Chrysler parked in front of the caller’s house. On his way to the address, a dispatcher notified the deputy of a shooting and that the suspect had fled the scene. Authorities said the shooting began due to a money dispute that occurred one day prior to the shooting. A crime scene analyst found the suspect’s driver’s side mirror cover that belonged to a 2010-2015 Camaro. On Oct. 14, a sergeant located the suspect vehicle at a Walmart on Loop 323 and conducted a felony stop. Read the rest of this entry »