Today is
Saturday July 25, 2026
TYLER — Tyler police are searching for suspects involved in stolen ATM from Southside Bank on Three Lakes Parkway. According to a news release, officers were responding to a bank alarm when they discovered the ATM had been stolen. The money machine was found a short time later in the roadway at Three Lakes and Highlands Lane. The suspect’s vehicle, a white dump truck, was located off the roadway on Highlands Lane.
LONGVIEW — Longview Police are investigating a Saturday morning homicide. According to our news partner KETK, just before 10:30, officers were called to a house on 8th Street for a welfare check and found a deceased male. He was later identified as Llewellyn Williams, 58, of Longview. The preliminary autopsy and evidence at the scene determined Williams’ deaths was a homicide. Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact Longview Police (903)237-1110 or Gregg County Crime Stoppers (903)236-7867.
TYLER — An 8-year-old Lindale girl was killed in a two vehicle wreck on Toll 49 Monday. DPS Troopers responded to the scene on the just south of Hwy-64 W in Smith County around 8:30. The preliminary report indicates that the driver of a 2018 Mazda CX5, Daisy Pineda, 28, of Lindale, was traveling south on Toll 49 at a speed that was unsafe for the roadway conditions. The driver lost control of the vehicle and traveled into the path of a north bound Dodge 2500 pick-up towing a trailer driven by Steven Joseph Worl, 69, of Whitehouse. The vehicles collided causing extensive damage to both. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The debate to change the name of Robert E. Lee High School in Tyler has resurfaced. According to our news partner KETK, over 75 protestors supporting the change showed up outside Monday night’s board meeting with one goal – to put the topic back on the board’s agenda. Back in 2018, after several months of debate, the motion to change the school’s name was ultimately tabled with no action taken. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — One man injured, one man jailed following a shooting early Sunday morning. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a home on CR 3104, near Gladewater, on a report of shots fired at a large party. Officials said one victim with a gunshot wound to the head had been transported to Good Shepherd Hospital in Longview by private vehicle. The victim was identified as Quavion Mumphrey, 23, of Overton. Mumphrey was later flown to Parkland Hospital in Dallas for further treatment and is in serious condition. The alleged shooter was identified as Trevor D’Jaun Tinney, 19, of Overton. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Students and alumni of Robert E. Lee High School in Tyler are organizing to make another attempt to change the name of the school. According to our news partner KETK, they have been making plans to address the school board at its next meeting, outlining talking points and even gathering solutions for alternative names. So far, Rose City High School has proven most popular. The issue of changing the school’s name, which many consider offensive, has been raised multiple times in the past, and voted down each time. Read the rest of this entry »
UPSHUR COUNTY — One man is dead and another in jail after a Thursday morning shooting in Upshur County. According to our news partner KETK, Upshur County deputies responded to a reported shooting at a residence on Private Road 3051 around 7:40 a.m. They were told the victim had been taken to a local hospital in a private vehicle and that the man accused of the shooting had fled. Witnesses identified the victim as Michial Clint Moses. Moses died at the hospital. The suspect, identified as Matthew Gregory Harris, was found at a residence on Private Road 4351. Harris has been charged with murder and is in the Upshur County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
ANDERSON COUNTY — As coronavirus cases continue to spike across the Lone Star State, one East Texas County saw a large uptick in its confirmed case count. According to our news partner KETK, the Texas Department of State Health Services said in a news release, Anderson County has nearly 900 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus and nearly all are located in jails. The release did not specify the count at each facility located throughout the county. Anderson County also released a statement on Tuesday afternoon that one non-jail case was confirmed in the county to bring their grand total to 103 cases. Of those, 66 have recovered to leave the area with 37 active cases.
SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Commissioner’s Court held its first in-person meeting on Tuesday to provide an update from the Coronavirus Relief Fund Task Force. According to our news partner KETK, under the CARES Act, the Coronavirus Relief Fund is used for specific purchases under state and local governments to mitigate COVID-19. Texas received $11.24 billion which was allocated to counties across the state. Counties under 500,000 population, received $1.85 billion. With the money Smith County received, 20% was given upfront while 80% will be reimbursed at a future date. Read the rest of this entry »
VAN — Van ISD has canceled summer workouts for the boys athletic program until further notice after four staff members tested positive for COVID-19. According to our news partner KETK, only one of the infected staff members is associated with boys athletics, while the other three have not been in contact with students. All four are in quarantine. Workout facilities utilized by all students have been sanitized and will continue to be cleaned according to CDC guidelines. “Student and staff safety is always our number one priority and we have taken every precaution to keep our student-athletes safe. Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS — The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA) made a presentation at the Gregg County Commissioner’s Court on Monday. The total between the three projects is $635,000. It is the biggest donation to-date for the organization, According to our news partner KETK. “We’ve been able to take excess funds from toll revenues to support our counties in our area with their priority projects,†said Dave Spurrier, NET RMA senior board member. “The NET RMA was to give local and rural communities to give a larger voice and we collectively do that, support each other and this is just another way we’re doing that,†said Spurrier. Read the rest of this entry »
OVERTON — The City of Overton will host “Fireworks in the Park†on July 4. On Monday, the city of Overton’s Interim City Manager, Clyde Carter, told KTBB, “We’re just making it a bigger event with bounce houses, water slides, food vendors, food trucks, other vendors. This is the first time we are opening it completely up to the public, not charging any fees at all for vendors to come out and set up, they just need to contact the city ahead of time.” Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — After five years, Jack Ryan’s Steak and Chophouse in downtown Tyler announced that it will not reopen following the coronavirus shutdown. One of the owners of People’s Petroleum Building, Garnett Brookshire told KTBB on Thursday, “I can’t give you any details just because we haven’t finalized our plans…we hope what is coming as soon as this fall would be another great upscale steakhouse option for the downtown and Tyler community.” An announcement is expected this summer. Owners Brad and Wes Ebey said their original Jack Ryan’s location in Kilgore will remain open. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Hospitals in Texas are gradually resuming services and hoping to return to full capacity. Carter BloodCare says these are crisis times for the community blood supply. One-thousand donors are needed each day and the blood center is seeing an average of 600 a day for the past month. Carter BloodCare’s ability to meet the urgent transfusion needs of patients is in severe jeopardy. In the era of COVID-19, Carter BloodCare knows safety is top of mind for blood donors. While giving blood is still safe, Carter BloodCare continues to make social distancing and sanitization precautions top priority to keep donors healthy, while assuring blood is on the shelves for patients requiring transfusions. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Discovery Science Place announced plans to reopen to the public after concerns of COVID-19 forced its closure. On Tuesday, Executive Director, Chris Rasure told KTBB, “We have got a lot of new procedures in place to try and maximize everyone’s health and keep everyone safe. One of the first things that people will notice is that they are going to be required to wash their hands before they enter the museum. We built a brand new hand washing station out front by the front door…they’ll notice one of the main things is that we are limiting capacity.” Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS — The East Texas Food Bank will distribute emergency food boxes and/or fresh items such as produce (pending availability) at drive-thru distributions. The distributions are open to anyone and there are no eligibility requirements. A verbal declaration of name, address and income will be asked, but there is no ID or paperwork required. To pick up a box for someone else, a hand-written note must be provided with the person’s name, address, permission for you to pick it up and their signature. The distributions are drive-thru only and walkups will not be accepted. Tyler distribution will be Friday, June 12 from 8-10 a.m. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — Longview police have arrested a suspect wanted in a weekend stabbing. According to our news partner KETK, police responded to an assault call around 3:30 Saturday afternoon on Culver Street. The unnamed victim was found with a stab wound in the abdominal area. Lacey Steddum, 38, of Longview, admitted to the crime and told officers where to locate the knife. Steddum was booked into the Gregg County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
GREGG COUNTY — Longview police are investigating a fatal shooting Sunday morning. It happened just after 8:30 on Morrison Street. According to our news partner KETK, officers were responding to a shots fired report and found Ernest Berry Neal, 36, dead from a gunshot wound. Anyone with information is urged to contact Longview Police at 903-237-1170 or Gregg County Crime Stoppers at 903-236-STOP.
TYLER — An East Texas business is giving back to law enforcement agencies in our area. According to our news partner KETK, the owner of Superior Outfitters in Tyler, Austin Rohr, took time Friday morning to personally deliver checks to the Tyler Police Department and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. “We have a community that supports law enforcement. We’ve spent decades building strong relationships and to have Superior come here today, it goes a long way to show the support they have for law enforcement.†Sheriff Larry Smith says the money they received money will also be going toward their Sheriff’s Office Foundation. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Dozens of participants and onlookers packed Tyler’s downtown square Friday evening for a “Prayer in the Square” event. It was another in a series of local activities held in the wake of the George Floyd incident in Minneapolis. The gathering included prayers, music, and praise and worship. Some brought signs with messages including “Black Lives Matter,” “How many weren’t filmed?”, and “After we pray together, can we make change together?” There was also a voter registration table. “Prayer in the Square” was organized by Kilton McCracken of The Mentoring Alliance, a Tyler-based youth-focused ministry.
NEW YORK (AP) – J.C. Penney says it is closing 154 stores nationwide in what it is calling the first phase of its efforts to shrink its footprint. The Plano, Texas-based retailer said it could take about 10 to 16 weeks to complete the closures. Penney filed for bankruptcy protection last month, making it the biggest retailer to do since the coronavirus pandemic forced non-essential stores to be shut down temporarily. As part of its bankruptcy reorganization, Penney said it planned to permanently close nearly a third of its 846 stores in the next two years. That would leave it with just over 600 locations. The Texas stores are in Dallas, Lewisville, Greenville, Lufkin, Paris, Palestine and Huntsville.
TYLER — A man was killed early Friday morning after being hit by a train while sleeping on the tracks. According to Tyler police, the crash occurred just before 5 a.m. near the intersection of Bellwood Street and Whiteside Road. According to a news brief from Tyler Police, the man has been identified as Juan Zuniga Jr, 23 years old. The train attempted to stop but was unable to do so in time. Zuniga’s family has been notified. Union Pacific Railroad Police were also on scene.
TYLER — Peaceful protests have been taking place across East Texas for over a week and Tyler has been no different. According to our news partner KETK, residents have been gathering on the downtown square, but Thursday night they decided on a different location at the corner of Broadway and Rice Road. Demonstrators were seen holding signs and wearing t-shirts, shouting “No Justice, No Peace.†Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Tyler police are investigating two incidents in downtown Tyler after Gentry Donuts was robbed and Andy’s Frozen Custard was vandalized. According to our news partner KETK, investigators are reviewing security tapes. At Gentry Donuts, the drive-thru window was smashed and a cash register was stolen, along with food and drinks. Andy’s Frozen Custard on the square had multiple front windows smashed. Tyler Police said the two cases are not related.
SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Jail had its yearly inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, TCJS, found the facility to non-compliant on two issues. The jail was deficient on physical education and nutrition. Sheriff Larry Smith addressed both issues with KTBB on Wednesday,”We are installing lights on top of the roof of the jail so we can do recreation at night. The second and third floors are the only ones we were deficient, and that happens as a result of logistics of physically moving prisoners on those levels to recreation on the roof of the jail.” Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Tyler firefighters put out a large fire at Ye Olde City Antique Mall on Locust Street in the downtown area. Fire Marshall Paul Findley was on with our news partner KETK, “Thankfully this building as old as it is, has got some fire walls in it, and that has assisted us tactically in being able to get a handle of it.” No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is not yet known.
TYLER — The coronavirus has taken another local favorite, this time El Charro on the Ridge, a popular Mexican restaurant in Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, the owner of El Charro, Manny Vela, released the following statement on their Facebook page: “First of all, I want to thank all the support, and prayers, not only during this COVID 19 crisis but for years of patronage and friendship. Our hearts and prayers go to all the victims of this worldwide crisis. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — Peaceful protesters in Longview showed up at the police department over the weekend, holding signs and a moment of prayer. According to our news partner KETK, Longview Police Chief Mike Bishop was among those in uniform. The chief said, “Our officers and our agency are just as appalled as the community as to what occurred with Mr. Floyd.” Chief Bishop continued, “We want the citizens to know that we respect their right to peacefully protest.” Many people in the crowd we asking for more insight into diversity training for East Texas officers. The gathering ended with a moment of silence for George Floyd. Longview Mayor Andy Mack said in a post on Facebook, “People are welcome to have peaceful protests at any time in our City.”
SMITH COUNTY — A teenager is dead following a shooting in Smith County. Smith County deputies responded to a home on Holiday Hills Road, north of Tyler, around 3:15 Thursday morning. The victim was found in the driveway and was pronounced dead at a Tyler hospital. According to our news partner KETK, family members identified the victim as Zane Collier, 17. Collier was a senior at Chapel Hill High School. No word on any arrests. Smith County Deputies are still working the scene.
TYLER — Two staff members at The Heights of Tyler senior living facility have tested positive for COVID-19. According to our news partner KETK, both staff members have been away from the facility for more than one week and are doing well at home. “At this time there is no indication the virus is spreading in our center, and our residents and staff are doing well,†a center spokesperson commented. Read the rest of this entry »