Today is
Saturday July 25, 2026
TYLER — Tyler police are investigating a Thursday night shooting. According to officials, it happened around 9:20 at a basketball court on W. 29th St and Carter Blvd in north Tyler. The victim, who had been shot multiple times, was transported by private vehicle but flagged down a Tyler officer at the intersection of N. Palace Ave and W. Ferguson St. The officer transported the victim to UT Health – Beckham. The victim’s status is unknown at this time. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000.
EAST TEXAS — TxDOT crews are prepared to respond as needed as severe weather is forecast for East and Northeast Texas. According to forecasts, conditions could include heavy rainfall and gusty winds resulting in downed trees and debris, flooding, and other roadway issues. Maintenance crews in the Tyler District’s 8-counties have equipment readied and will respond as necessary should roadways be impacted. Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS — Governor Abbott has expanded the state disaster declaration adding 36 more counties ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Laura. The governor says Laura could increase to a category 4 hurricane. Governor Abbott, from the alternate state operations center in Austin saying they expect Hurricane Laura to be similar to Hurricanes Ike and Rita fast moving with heavy winds. The predicted ten foot high water surges have led to mandatory evacuations in the Beaumont, Port Arthur Texas city areas. Abbott says they’ve called for the full support of all relevant state agencies. Read the rest of this entry »
GILMER — An East Texas couple has been indicted in federal court for allegedly stealing identities to collect multiple stimulus checks that were provided by the CARES Act. According to our news partner KETK, Dalton Brewer and Emilee Fenton, both 24, are charged with theft of government money and aggravated identity theft. The indictment alleges that the two stole more than $3,600 worth of stimulus checks from two victims. The CARES Act was passed back in March to distribute stimulus checks due to the financial impact of hutdowns from the coronavirus pandemic. Most amounted to $1,200 for individuals along with an extra $500 for every child under 17.
LONGVIEW — The arrest affidavits for a former Longview physician accused of sexually abusing children who were his patients provide details on the alleged abuse. According to our news partner KETK, Matt E. Hipke, 58, was arrested and booked into the Gregg County Jail Friday on two charges of continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14. He was assessed bonds totaling $1 million, and released the same day. Hipke was a certified in internal medicine by the Texas Medical Board and specialized in adolescent medicine. He had practiced as the sole physician at the Adolescent Care Team in Longview. Read the rest of this entry »
WINNSBORO — A $1,000 reward has been offered in a case of missing cattle. According to Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Ranger Larry Hand, during the late evening hours of July 30, four head of cattle marked with yellow back tags were stolen from Winnsboro Livestock and Dairy Auction. The animals were consigned to be sold the next day. During the same time frame, additional cattle were stolen from another cattle company at the same location. Hand, along with Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Ranger Bo Fox, have been investigating the case and are now asking the public for help. Read the rest of this entry »
KILGORE — Kilgore police now know the identify a man wanted in a theft over the weekend. Police were asking the community for help in learning who the individual is, and they have come through. According to the departments facebook page, the man has been identified. The man, who’s identity has not been released at this point, is suspected of stealing a car from Zippy J’s gas station this past Saturday. Police are reminding residents not to leave your vehicle running, and unlocked when entering a store.
TYLER — The UT Health Science Center at Tyler will receive a grant for more than $2 million for plasma research to fight COVID-19. According to our news partner KETK, the money comes from the National Institutes of Health and will help answer questions on the effectiveness of convalescent plasma, or blood from people who have recovered from the virus. As of now, the experimental treatment is proving as a promising option for patients with COVID-19. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY — A Kilgore woman has been arrested for embezzling more than $300,000 from her employer. According to our news partner KETK, the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office arrested Kayla Walthers, 29, who worked as a payroll clerk for a medical business in Longview. Walthers is accused of embezzling money from September 2017 to March 2020. According to the arrest warrant, she would add money to her regular paycheck, send money to her friends, and deposit money into a second personal bank account. Authorities say she admitted to the theft when questioned by detectives. Walthers was released on bond and is awaiting trial. No court date has been set.
SMITH COUNTY — Child Protective Services is asking for the public’s help in finding a missing 1-month-old child. According to our news partner KETK, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services was granted custody of Gatlyn Baker, a male child born July 8, by Henderson County Family Court Judge, Nancy Adams Perryman on Tuesday. When DPS attempted to remove the child, Chelsea Baker, the child’s mother, ran with him. Gatlyn is believed to be with his parents, Kenny and Chelsea Baker, according to CPS. The Bakers were last seen in Flint but may be anywhere in the area. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — Longview police responded to a shooting around 2:15 Sunday afternoon where they found a 10-year-old with life threatening injuries. According to our news partner KETK, the shooting happened in the 200 block of Whatley. The victim was transported to a local hospital by the Longview Fire Department. Authorities report that the boy has died. His name has not been released. (Originally the press release stated he was an 8-year-old, but corrected the age on Monday.)
WASHINGTON – Several schools in East Texas will receive a total of $1,085,651 in federal grants to provide first-generation and low-income college students with financial assistance and academic support services to complete their post-secondary educations, U.S. Senator John Cornyn announced. The grant funding comes from the Student Support Services Program and it is anticipated that each grant will be sustained for a total of 5 years. Tyler Junior College is set to receive $274,262.00. It was also announced that Kilgore College will receive $274,396.00. Read the rest of this entry »
GRAND SALINE – A Grand Saline ISD employee has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a letter sent by Superintendent Micah Lewis. Our news partner KETK reports, the employee was present at the elementary school campus on Friday, August 7. Lewis said that the school is working closely with the local health department. “After careful review, we have determined that the COVID-positive person came into contact with a limited number of staff members who will self-isolate based on health department standards,” stated Lewis. This is not the first case for Grand Saline. Another staff member tested positive back on July 30. Lewis said that individual also was in contact with a small amount of people. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate an early morning homicide. Deputies responded to a home on CR 384 in Tyler around 5:30 Sunday morning after being contacted by UT Health EMS regarding a woman dead from a gunshot wound. She’s been identified as Diamond Samantha Cruz, 21, of Tyler. Deputies received information that the suspect had fled the area in an unknown direction driving a Ford pickup. The suspect vehicle description was immediately broadcast to additional law enforcement agencies. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A hit and run accident involving a cyclist is under investigation. According to Tyler Police, an unknown vehicle struck the cyclist around 9:15 Friday night on W. Bow, then fled the scene. The victim was transported to Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler for treatment and is said to be in serious condition. Additional details were not available.
TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler says it was the target of a ransomware attack. According to our news partner KETK, in a letter to university supporters, school president Dr. Michael Tidwell said the university was notified by Blackbaud, a third-party database provider, of a “security incident†that occurred in May. Blackbaud provides software and online apps that support philanthropic and communication activities, serving a host of clients that include most of the University of Texas system. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — Tyler-Smith County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information that leads to an arrest in the “caltrops case.†According to our news partner KETK, nearly 300 of these “tire spikes†have been collected in the past weeks along I-20 in the westbound lanes, between Hwy 69 in Smith County and FM 314 in Van Zandt County. They have also been found in the westbound lanes of I-20 near the US 69 on-ramp in Lindale, near the Hideaway and Hwy. 110 exits and in the eastbound lanes near the Hideaway on-ramp. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Opposition continues to grow over a proposed overpass on the Loop in Tyler. The Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization decided to change the language in their transportation improvement program after an unanimous vote, eliminating the reference to the overpass. The language now reflects overall support to improving the intersection, meaning they will consider other alternatives. According to our news partner KETK, one of the fastest growing areas in Smith County is along Old Jacksonville Hwy from Tyler to Bullard, so the Tyler Area MPO started several expansion projects. Read the rest of this entry »
VAN ZANDT COUNTY – Two people were injured, two others have been taken into custody following a shooting in Van Zandt County late Wednesday night. According to our news partner KETK, deputies were responding to a shots fired report in the area of FM 198 and FM 1651, just south of Canton. When they arrived on the scene, they found the two victims and applied emergency first aid. One victim was flown to Dallas while the other victim was sent to a Tyler hospital.Two suspects were located a short time later, and are being held at the Van Zandt County Detention Center. The Sheriff’s Department said more information will be released as it becomes available.
HUNTSVILLE (AP) – A Texas inmate has been put to death for fatally shooting an 82-year-old man nearly three decades ago. That ends a five-month delay of executions in the nation’s busiest capital punishment state because of the coronavirus pandemic. Billy Joe Wardlow received a lethal injection Wednesday evening at the state penitentiary in Huntsville for the 1993 killing of Carl Cole at Cole’s East Texas home. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to stop the 45-year-old man’s execution. Wardlow was the first Texas inmate to be executed since Feb. 6. He was the second inmate in the U.S. to be put to death since the country began to reopen.
SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler man is behind bars on a murder charge for a Smith County shooting that left two Hispanic men dead last week. According to our news partner KETK, Ramiro Ortiz, 34, was booked Friday, July 3 for the deaths of Justino Rosales-Betancourt, 32, and Jose Betancourt, 35. He is being held on a $1.5 million bond. The shooting happened June 29 on Hwy 110 north. At the beginning of the investigation, Sheriff Larry Smith said that it was suspected the men “had a relationship and… it’s believed to be gang-related.†A third man, 20-year-old Saul Morado, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital by a private car. Read the rest of this entry »
JACKSONVILLE — A Jacksonville teen is behind bars this morning after an early-morning bust by multiple agencies. According to our news partner KETK, Cayden Lyons, 17, was taken into custody on Nacogdoches Street around 4:45 a.m. Friday morning. Lyons was booked for Engaging in Criminal Activity. Bond has been set at $1 million. No details were released on what Lyons is accused of, but Chief Joe Williams called his arrest a “high-risk operation.†Lyons was also charged with possession of marijuana. “This joint operation is the culmination of weeks’ worth of investigations and is just the first step in arresting individuals engaged in illegal activities in the Jacksonville area. We are very appreciative of the support from our law enforcement partners.†– Chief Joe Williams.
TYLER — A driver crashes into an All Saints Episcopal School security booth late Wednesday night. According to our news partner KETK, authorities say the crash happened between 11 p.m. and midnight. The driver reportedly took the time to take their license plates off the car before running away. No one was inside the booth at the time of the crash. The booth was built several years ago as a way to monitor visitors on campus and add an extra layer of safety during the school year. Police have no description of a driver at this time and are asking that anyone with information to please contact them.
WOOD COUNTY — A 15-year-old has been arrested for allegedly attacking his father, Mark Breding, and his father’s girlfriend. The girlfriend was killed. Breding is in the hospital after suffering severe wounds. The teenager was arrested following a tip to law enforcement. The Texas Rangers are investigating. The girlfriend has not been identified pending notification of next of kin. The suspect was not named because he is a minor. Breding owns a law firm in Wood County, according to their website he is an award-winning former prosecutor with extensive experience in family law, divorce, criminal defense, DWI, and child custody matters.
TYLER – The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved plans for its eight institutions to offer in-person, online, and hybrid courses this fall, according to our news partner KETK. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools were forced to cancel in-person classes and conduct everything remotely in the spring. Because of this, The UT Regents believe they are prepared to quickly alter its plans if needed. “This experience is unlike any we have faced before, but our institutions have responded to the challenge to fulfill our mission and help ensure the health and safety of our campus communities,†Chancellor James B. Milliken said. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A glitch in Smith County voting equipment may have affected some early-voting Republican ballots for the Precinct 4 Constable runoff. According to our news partner KETK, Smith County Elections Administrator Karen Nelson said the technical issue was detected Monday morning after voters alerted officials that their ballots did not contain the Republican runoff race between Curtis Wulf and Josh Joplin. The mistake was corrected by noon on Monday. If you voted before noon on Monday you can contact the Smith County Elections office with questions.
LONGVIEW — The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has suspended the liquor permit of a Longview bar owner who defied Governor Greg Abbott’s shut-down order. According to our news partner KETK, Melissa Lynn Kelly, owner of Outlaws bar in Longview, defied that order and kept her establishment open. “I have to pay my bills, so that means I have to open,†Kelly says her next step is to fight the suspension, “I’m not just going to lay down and take this. Governor Abbott has got everybody in Texas thinking that we have this dirty little bar where COVID is hiding and that’s not true at all. I have posted a Facebook post inviting the Governor Abbott to come to my bar, check it out. TABC has been there five times since I reopened and they have not found one thing that I’ve not complied with.”
EAST TEXAS — Early voting started on Monday and will run through July 10. The primaries were originally scheduled for May, but Governor Abbott delayed them until July because of the coronavirus. Abbott also doubled the length of the early voting period for the July primary runoff elections in a move to aimed at easing crowds at the polls during the pandemic. According to our news partner KETK, on July 14, Texas will hold its 2020 runoff elections to decide the final spots for Democrats and Republicans on the November general election ballot. There are 35 congressional, legislative and state board nominations up for grabs. Read the rest of this entry »
GILMER — The East Texas Yamboree Association has announced that this year’s Yamboree festival has been called off. According to their face book page:”It is with our greatest regret, that we inform you the Yamboree Firework Show and the 83rd East Texas Yamboree have been canceled for 2020. This decision comes after much deliberation from The City of Gilmer and Upshur County COVID-19 Committee. Public safety is everyone’s foremost concern. We wish each of you a safe and healthy 4th of July celebration, and look forward to planning the 84th East Texas Yamboree.”
EAST TEXAS — NET Health has issued information on several sites hosting testing for COVID-19. According to our news partner KETK, walk-up tests do not require registration or an appointment, and anyone can be tested, even if they are not symptomatic. Participants must have access to a telephone as results will be delivered by telephone call or message. Face masks also are required. Test locations include: Read the rest of this entry »