Today is
Tuesday November 26, 2024
TYLER — A Tyler man was indicted on two charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he was accused in two separate road rage shooting incidents in June. According to our news partner KETK, Ashton Smith, 21 of Tyler, was arrested earlier this year after officials at the time reported two shootings on June 2 and June 13 near the intersection of FM 16 and FM 14 in northern Smith County. The two unrelated callers reportedly told authorities they were shot by a Black man in a black Jeep SUV, and the shootings were linked after investigators reviewed security footage. One of the victims allegedly told authorities the incident stemmed from road rage. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY – All fire and hazmat crews have been cleared from an early Tuesday morning gas spill caused by an 18-wheeler accident on Loop 323, between Lavender Road and Farm-to-Market Road 14 in Tyler. According to Smith County Fire Marshall Chad Hogue the eastbound lanes of Loop 323 are open, while the westbound lanes are still closed. TxDot is still active at the spill area.
FLINT (AP) — American service members are twice as likely as civilians to take their own lives. For decades, discussions of suicide prevention skirted fraught questions about firearms. But some families who’ve lost a loved one to suicide want to talk openly. They believe if the United States wants to get serious about addressing an epidemic of suicide, it must find a way to respect a veteran’s right to own a gun, but keep it out of their hands on their darkest days. One mother who lost her 25-year-old son to suicide says the military must do more to keep guns away from its soldiers in crisis. She leaned out of the tent at a small-town summer festival, hoping someone would stop to ask about her tattoos, her T-shirt, the framed pictures of her son on a table in the back of the booth. Barbie Rohde has made herself a walking billboard for this cause. She feels called to say the words, as much as they sometimes rattle the people who stop at her booth: “veteran suicide.” Read the rest of this entry »
ANGELINA COUNTY — The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office said that they found more than 39 pounds of cocaine during a traffic stop on Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK, officials said that Lt. Wes Waggoner and Sgt. Chris Carrol with the ACSO attempted to make traffic stop on a Nissan Titan following a violation on Highway 59 north of Lufkin. In the course of trying to stop the Nissan, a Ford F-150 pickup truck came from behind Carrol and Waggoner’s vehicle and passed in front of them, swerving of the highway and almost causing a crash. After avoiding being hit, officials said the two deputies interviewed the driver of the Nissan. Minutes later, the press release said that a Department of Public Safety K-9 trooper showed up and the K-9 conducted a open-air sniff test. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Tyler Police Department is searching for two people suspected of robbing two stores in Tyler and pepper spraying an employee. According to Tyler Police Department Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh and our news partner KETK, a man and woman took a loaded cart at Academy Sports + Outdoors on South Broadway Avenue on Wednesday. Officer Erbaugh said when an employee confronted the suspects, the employee was pepper sprayed. The two then reportedly proceeded to rob Ulta Beauty north of Academy. Officer Erbaugh said the subjects drove east on Highway 31 in a silver sedan.
TYLER — Residents of the Tyler area attended Tuesday’s metropolitan planning open house for an update on who is paying for the massive Old Jacksonville project, according to our news partner KETK. “Originally it was proposed to be 100% state funding and now there’s an update that it’s actually 80% federal funding,†said Michael Howell, metropolitan planning director. The other 20% will come from the state to fund the $113 million widening of Old Jacksonville highway from the loop to FM 2813. “We did adopt the plan as it was originally shown, but they realized it was an error that was reported to us and went ahead and made a correction on that,†said Howell. In addition to the widening, an overpass will be built on the intersection of Old Jacksonville Highway and W. Grande to improve traffic flow from each direction. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — After two weeks of work locating and plugging an old “Legacy Oil Week†head, Smith County Road 2162 has been opened back up to drivers. The Railroad Commission informed the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office that it had finished work on the road near Troup, according to Smith County Emergency Operations Coordinator Brandon Moore. The Fire Marshal’s Office was contacted on October 17 after an unknown gas leak was reported. It took days for Railroad Commission workers to locate the leak, dig deep enough and plug it with cement. The Railroad Commission will be working in the area, but on private property and will not be in the way of any traffic.
SMITH COUNTY — One person was arrested in Smith County for illegal dumping after materials were found along a bridge and creek on private property. The Texas Game Wardens announced on Tuesday that a Smith County Game Warden received a call from a landowner about the dumped materials. The materials included sheetrock, housing trim and various plastic items. “Among the litter, the warden found a box with a bar code,†Texas Game Wardens said. “He used it to track down a local store where the supplies were purchased and traced it to a credit card.†Officials said the warden interviewed the owner of the card who recently did a home remodel for his family. He reportedly told the warden he paid someone familiar to the family to haul their materials and trash. “Unfortunately, the suspect kept the money and dumped the trash onto private property,†officials said. According to the Texas Game Wardens, the suspect was arrested for commercial dumping over 200 pounds, and their truck contained more building materials and trash.
TYLER — The East Texas Food Bank will host their 12th annual Charlie Brown Thanksgiving event at the Bergfeld park on Nov. 3 at 5:30 p.m. According to our news partner KETK, children will be handed snack bags with jelly beans, juice, pretzels and popcorn. The snack selection symbolizes those depicted in the Thanksgiving meal of the Charlie Brown classic holiday special. The cartoon special will be shown at the amphitheater and attendees are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs or seat cushions. “The Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is a great way for families to kick-off the holiday season,†said David Emerson, CEO of the East Texas Food Bank. “This event reminds East Texans about the true spirit of the Thanksgiving season and the needs of so many families impacted by hunger in our area. We are asking for donations of plastic jars of peanut butter. Peanut butter is high in protein and just one regular size jar can make 16 sandwiches for a hungry family.†Snoopy will be present and children are welcome to take photos after the movie. Children can also enter a drawing contest to win prizes.
SMITH COUNTY — Smith County announced on Monday they have completed a Road Bond Project for County Roads 1125, 1140 and 1141, west of Tyler, according to our news partner KETK. The reconstruction included widening, stabilization and asphalt of overlay of almost 5 miles of road. The projects cost $1,757,194. According to county engineer Frank Davis, one section of road had needed to have increased asphalt thickness because of heavy truck traffic. These projects were a part of Phase 2 of the Road and Bridge Strategic Planning Project. Phase 1 of County Road 1125 included the reconstruction of 1.7 miles of the road from Highway 155 to Lake Placid Road completed in 2021. Phase 1 improvements to CR 1125 also included the replacement of a concrete bridge at Butler Creek.
KILGORE — On Monday, Kilgore College held a groundbreaking ceremony for the CDL Driver Training Track, classroom facility and construction of the warehouse training building. According to our news partner KETK, this will aid efforts to the major expansion to the Kilgore College Transportation Institute. The college’s partnership with the Kilgore Economic Development Corporation secured the land the track will be on and will allow for future expansion. Their goal is to become a fully equipped transportation training institute. Kilgore College also worked with the City of Kilgore in the design and approval of the project that will be constructed by RLM General Contractors.
TYLER — An employee of East Texas Lighthouse in Tyler recently won the 2023 Milton J. Samuelson Career Achievement Award from the National Industries for the Blind (NIB). According to our news partner KETK, Craig Ellis, had a 12-year career in management and owned a flooring business but in 2009 he became blind due to macular degeneration. Ellis struggled to find employment but, according to a press release, he impressed leaders at East Texas Lighthouse who created a job for him as an inventory planner. East Texas Lighthouse is a non-profit whose mission is to empower the blind. They have two divisions, a manufacturing operation and a community rehabilitation facility. According to a press release, they’re the largest employer of the blind across East Texas. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — On Thursday morning, the Tyler Rose Garden Center held its 90th Texas Rose Festival opening ceremony. According to our news partner KETK, Ronald Schoenbrun, the 2023 Texas Rose Festival Association President, welcomed attendees and spoke about the events coming over the next few days. This year’s queen, Laura Bryan said she is thrilled to have kicked off the weekend. “I cannot believe that it’s finally here and that we are able to celebrate the roses and celebrate the city,†said Bryan. Schoenbrun said that people come from all over to enjoy East Texas. “We get so many out-of-town people that want to participate, get to see Tyler and what Tyler is about,†said Schoenbrun. This year’s theme is the Story of Film, where duchesses will wear themed dresses based on different movies. “It will be like nothing anyone has ever seen if you’re coming from out of town, it’s going to be great so many amazing festivities throughout the week,†said Bryan. The 90th Texas Rose Festival runs through Sunday. Click here for a list of events.
SMITH COUNTY — A portion of Smith County Road 2162 remained closed as the Texas Railroad Commission continues to work to locate an old “Legacy Oil Well†head. Smith County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue was called out Tuesday, October 17, to an unidentified gas leak in the right-of-way of Smith County Road 2162, near Troup. Since then, the Texas Railroad Commission has worked to locate and identify the possible gas leak. They have dug a “massive hole†but needed to bring in bigger equipment to dig deeper to find the casing and seal it with concrete. Smith County Emergency Management Coordinator Brandon Moore said, adding that the issue is not a public health concern.
Read the rest of this entry »
WHITEHOUSE — On Tuesday, Whitehouse ISD showed off its new emergency response system, called Mutualink, that aims to give officers real-time security. Inside the Smith County Emergency Operations Center, a dispatcher is the first to receive the call that allows law enforcement a live look at everything inside the building, on every floor and every angle. According to our news partner KETK, Mutualink gives the district the ability to relay real time and accurate information to first responders during an emergency. “It puts our eyes immediately inside that building during an incident,“ said Smith County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jimmy Jackson. “We think that’s critical.†Once first responders arrive on the scene, using information provided by Mutualink, they can clear the building of any danger. Jackson said this real-time information officers now have is crucial. “As we all know, time saved [equals lives] saved a lot of times,†said Jackson. “Being able to get that real-time information in the hands of our first responders first-hand is a big deal.†Read the rest of this entry »