Today is
Friday June 05, 2026
HENDERSON COUNTY — A 79-year-old man was arrested in Henderson County on Wednesday for continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14-years-old. According to our news partner KETK, Billy Lide, of Brownsboro, was arrested after officials said the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Children Task Force, Narcotics Investigators and Special Assignment deputies executed a search warrant at a home on CR 3410 in Brownsboro.
According to the sheriff’s office, during the execution of the search warrant, probable cause was found to issue an arrest warrant for Lide “with additional charges to come for delivery of a controlled substance or marijuana to a minor, a second-degree felony.â€
Lide remains in the Henderson County Jail, as of Thursday morning, and is awaiting arraignment. Officials said the arrest was a joint investigation with the Cherokee County Children’s Advocacy Center and Cherokee County Child Protective Services.
PALESTINE — The State of Texas has filed a motion to execute death row inmate Robert Roberson October 17th. Anderson County prosecutors convinced a jury that Roberson’s two year old daughter died in 2002 of “shaken baby syndrome.”
Roberson’s attorney, Gretchen Sween, says Roberson rushed the girl to Palestine Regional Medical Center with what Sween says was advanced pneumonia, which caused her brain to bleed and swell. She adds, the child had had no skull fractures and that Roberson was arrested before an autopsy was performed. Sween also claims that prosecutors zeroed in on Roberson’s alleged lack of emotion, but what they didn’t say is that he has autism.
Sween is asking the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to intervene.
HENDERSON COUNTY — The body of a missing man from Crockett was found in southern Henderson County on Saturday, according to our news partner KETK. Patrick White Sr., 53 of Crockett, was initially reported missing on June 5 and was last heard from on June 2. Then on Saturday, June 15 at 8:44 p.m. his body was found in southern Henderson County.
On Thursday, June 13, Deshayon Maurice Knight (pictured) was arrested for capital murder in connection to White’s death after White’s pick-up truck was found and processed for evidence.
White’s body was sent for autopsy. The autopsy has reportedly already taken place and was attended by members of the Houston County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Rangers.
ATHENS — Former Coffee City Police Chief JohnJay Portillo was in the Henderson County 3rd District Court for a hearing on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, the hearing was held after Portillo’s attorney asked Judge Mark Calhoon for more time before a trial, to come to an agreement with the state. If a deal isn’t reached, Portillo could be on trial as soon as Oct. 21 or 22. Portillo was arrested back in December of 2023 on six charges of tampering/false entry on a government record. Portillo’s arrest came two months after the deactivation of the Coffee City Police Department and Portillo’s termination as chief.
“At the end of the day, there’s always discovery that could come out, there’s continuing investigations, breakdown in communications sometimes occur and then they pick back up in negotiations so, we’ll see,†said Justin Weiner, attorney for Portillo.
Weiner added that he’s proud to be representing Portillo.
“I’m very proud to represent John and very proud of the criminal justice system and hope that it works out the right way, that it typically does,†Weiner said.
TYLER — TJC has earned Military Friendly Gold status for 2024-25, furthering its mission to provide veterans, their families and the military community with opportunities to fulfill their future goals.
TJC achieved the gold recognition in the large community college category as one of only 21 institutions nationwide that achieved this status. TJC also ranked in the Top 10 schools among military spouses.
More than 1,800 schools across the nation participated in the 2024-25 survey performed by VIQTORY, publisher of G.I. Jobs magazine. Colleges earning the Military Friendly School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. Of the more than 8,800 schools nationwide, more than 1,800 schools participated in this year’s survey, with 665 earning special awards for going above the standard. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Curbside recycling collection will stop on Monday, June 17, until further notice. This change is due to a structure fire at Rivers Recycling in Kilgore. The facility sustained significant damages and will be closed for repairs. Rivers Recycling was the current material recovery facility used by the City of Tyler to accept and repurpose curbside recycled materials.
Any material collected from residential and commercial curbside recycling customers that continue to utilize the recycle cart will be taken to the landfill with the regular municipal waste collected. If the cart will continue to be used, it should be set out on its regular schedule. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — If tree removal companies are caught illegally dumping tree debris on Smith County roads or vacant lots, they could face up to two years in a state jail facility or a fine. According to a news release from Smith County officials, businesses that are paid to remove trees cannot dump or burn them, said Tommy Goodman, the Smith County Sheriff’s Environmental Crimes Unit deputy. They must take them to a landfill or to businesses that grinds them up to make mulch or other products, he added.
Since the first bout of severe weather hit Smith County on May 23, county officials have been telling residents who live on county roads that they could push their tree debris out on the rights of way for the Road and Bridge Department to pick up. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Tyler City Council approved an engineering agreement with C.T. Brannon Corporation for $420,285.00 to extend the 12-inch diameter water main at Highway 271 to FM 14 and North Broadway Avenue.
According to a news release from the City of Tyler, the existing water line on Highway 271 ends south of Loop 323, and the project will begin there. It will extend north past Loop 323 before turning west to connect to the 16-inch water line on FM 14. North Broadway Avenue currently has multiple undersized mains that are not looped.
This project will also replace the aging smaller lines with a new 12-inch water line and connect the dead end together. According to a preliminary engineering assessment, the project is expected to require approximately 10,100 linear feet of water line for the Highway 271 segment and an additional 3,300 linear feet for the North Broadway stretch. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — To ensure the long-term reliability and safety of Tyler Water Utilities’ (TWU) drinking water infrastructure, the City Council approved on Wednesday, June 12, a contract in the amount of $980,659 with HDR Inc. for a comprehensive condition assessment of the Lake Tyler raw water pipelines.
The Golden Road Water Treatment Plant, which accounts for approximately half of the drinking water supplied to the City of Tyler, relies on two parallel pipelines from Lake Tyler for its raw water supply. Constructed in the 1940s and 1960s and spanning roughly eight miles each, these pipelines are considered vital infrastructure for running the plant and ensuring the delivery of safe and quality drinking water to the City of Tyler. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Fleishel Avenue is closed going east and west at the intersection with Beckham Avenue due to repairs being made at the traffic signal, according to the City of Tyler. The time-frame for the closure is unknown at this time. Drivers are urged to use an alternate route.
SMITH COUNTY — Groups of volunteers made it to East Texas to help with storm recovery efforts. Texans on Mission, formally know as Texas Baptist Men, have helped homeowners who are unable or cannot afford to remove trees from their properties. According to our news partner KETK, the group worked in a neighborhood off of CR 1111 near Chandler Tuesday afternoon.
Tyler resident Lela Clarke said her and her family are extremely grateful for everything the group has done. “It makes me start crying, they’re not getting paid for that,†Clarke said. She is grateful the volunteer group lent a helping hand when they felt hopeless. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The winner of the 2024 Cattle Baron’s Ball Truck Charitable Raffle received her new 2024 GMC Canyon Tuesday, donated by Hall Buick GMC. According to a release, Kim Updike, who has been attending the gala since 2007, won the raffle for the donated truck after purchasing three raffle tickets. The organization said that Updike and her husband have been longtime supporters of the Tyler Cattle Baron’s Ball, and that they have entered the raffle for the past 10 years. Updike said she started getting involved in the organization after her mother passed away from lung cancer.
“It’s a charity that we enjoy being a part of,†Updike said. “Everybody is affected in some way or another by cancer, personally or by a friend or family member, we’re all affected by it. It’s one of my passions to support the American Cancer Society.â€
SMITH COUNTY — Smith County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue released the cause of a Lindale house fire that resulted in the deaths of a mother and daughter. On Sunday, March 18, 2024, the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office was called in by the Lindale Fire Department to investigate a structure fire in Lindale, involving the death of two individuals. They were later identified as mother, Ruby Martinez, 83, and daughter, Gloria Clark, 67.
“After thoroughly investigating the fire scene, autopsy and toxicology results, and lab results of submitted forensic evidence, it was determined that Ms. Clark died from a natural event, causing an accidental fire, which resulted in the death of Ms. Martinez,†Hogue said. “The cause of the fire was accidental in nature. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.â€
TYLER — During the first three days of early voting in the Tyler City Council District 2 Runoff Election, only 325 ballots were cast. If you live in the City of Tyler District 2 area, you can early vote 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Friday, June 6-7, or 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, June 10-11. Early voting polling locations include The Hub, 304 E. Ferguson St.; the Heritage Building, 1900 Bellwood St.; and Lanes Chapel Methodist Church, Family Center, 8720 Old Jacksonville Highway, all in Tyler.
To find out if you live in District 2, or where the nearest polling place is, visit Smith County’s interactive map here.
Election Day is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 15. Polling places on Election Day will be The Hub, the Heritage Building, St. Louis Baptist Church, 4000 Frankston Highway; and Three Lakes Middle School, 2445 Three Lakes Parkway.
For more information, click here.
SMITH COUNTY — Smith County emergency personnel responded to 27 weather-related calls over night after the latest storms blew in in to the area during the early morning hours of June 5. About 29,076 people are without power this morning in Smith County and several roads are closed due to high water, Smith County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue reported from the Smith County Emergency Operations Center. Flooded roads include County Roads 448, 336 at Wiggins Creek, 381, 471 at Prairie Creek and 498, as well as Farm-to-Market Road 1253 at CR 455. To see Smith County’s interactive map of current road closures, click here.
A shelter remains open in Bullard for people who have suffered property damage and/or power outages. Bullard Intermediate School, located at 218 School House Road, is open for those who need a place to go.
For anyone in the community seeking shelter or needing assistance please refer them to call 1-800-REDCROSS and choose Option 4 for assistance. Read the rest of this entry »