Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
TYLER — TYLER — Tyler’s Texas Rose Festival has a new queen. Molly Louise Berry still remembers her first year in one of Tyler’s signature events. She told KTBB, “In 2007, I was a royal attendant to Queen Grace Ramey, and…it was absolutely amazing.” And fifteen years later, she’s amazed yet again. She told us, “I never dreamed ever in my life…I was mesmerized by the queen when I was six years old, and I can’t believe now I’m in that position.” Molly was presented Thursday night prior to the Tyler Rose Museum Winter Gala at Willow Brook Country Club, along with her full court and the 2022 festival theme, “Empires of Enchantment.†Read the rest of this entry »
ATHENS — An Athens man was arrested after an affidavit showed evidence that he possibly fathered a child of an underage Athens teenager. According to our news partner KETK, Martin Brandstorm, 47, was arrested Wednesday night for felony sexual assault of a child. According to an affidavit, the arrest warrant was issued based on DNA evidence that indicated a 99.9% positive result that Brandstorm fathered a child with a 16-year-old girl. Brandstorm’s bond was set at $1 million with conditions preventing him from having contact with any child under the age of 17.
TYLER — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office is investigating “several burglaries†in a south Tyler neighborhood Thursday morning. According to our news partner KETK, Deputy Larry Christian said that investigators were called out after 5 a.m. in the Vanderbilt Estates neighborhood, a gated community on Holcomb Circle. It appears a car was stolen along with “several other property items.†Christian said that they are searching for three to four suspects. He also stated that deputies were getting ready to deploy a drone as well as a K9 unit.
TYLER — Traffic is severely backed up in Tyler after a wreck at Loop 323 and Broadway. According to our news partner KETK, crews responded to the scene just before 9 a.m. It is unknown if anyone was seriously injured in the accident. The city has been enveloped in dense fog for the last couple of hours. Drivers are asked to avoid the area at this time.
SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler man was sentenced to 35 years in prison after his daughter’s feet had to be amputated following the winter storm when he did not take her to receive medical care. According to our news partner KETK, Glenn Caldwell, 45, was arrested last year after he kept his mentally disabled daughter from the doctor despite the fact her feet had been bleeding and were swollen and discolored. Caldwell admitted to police that his daughter had complained about her feet hurting throughout the week and that she even woke him up several times in the middle of the night telling him she was in pain. He also admitted to being aware of his daughter leaving a trail of blood that led from her bedroom to the living room and the bathroom. Read the rest of this entry »
VAN ZANDT COUNTY — A Van Zandt County man was sentenced to prison for kidnapping. According to our news partner KETK, Austen Lyn Walker, 23, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and accepted a four year sentence. In May of 2020, Walker and Courtney Odum, 22, were arrested for the kidnapping of Willow Sirmans, who was 14 at the time. Sirmans was found safely in Louisville, Kentucky, according to a Special Agent with the FBI Dallas field office. Walker and Odum were arrested on felony kidnapping charges in May 2020, before being extradited to Texas. Odum also pleaded guilty in December of 2021 and was sentenced to six years in prison.
SMITH COUNTY — Smith County Judge Robert Wilson has issued a notice: MASKS REQUIRED! In a Facebook post, Judge Wilson writes, “Due to substantial transmission of the Omnicron variant, face coverings/masks are now required to enter the courtroom of the 321st district court regardless of vaccination status.If you do not have a mask, one can be provided to you. If you have ANY symptoms of COVID or you know you were exposed to someone who is positive/symptomatic, please do NOT come to court and email my coordinator about your situation at [email protected] and we will reset your hearing. Thank you for your cooperation as we continue efforts to protect public health.”
RUSK COUNTY — A Longview man reported missing October 26, 2021, has been found in his wrecked vehicle. According to the DPS report, Clay W. Kirk, 65, along with his Nissan truck, were discovered by a property owner on Sunday. The report said Kirk was traveling east on State Loop 571 and disregarded the stop sign at the US 259 intersection. Kirk’s truck struck a dirt embankment, causing the vehicle to flip. The vehicle came to rest in a wooded area, not visible from the roadway. Further details were not available.
HAWKINS — Jarvis Christian College has delayed the return of students to campus for the Spring 2022 semester due to the rapid surge of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus. According to our news partner KETK, students will return on campus Wednesday, Jan. 19, but classes will start virtually online on Monday, Jan. 10. Face-to-face classes will resume on Monday, Jan. 24. For faculty and staff who normally meet in person for the Faculty and Staff Institute on Monday, Jan. 3 will login virtually instead, and will not return to in-office hours until normal business hours resume at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 5. “Safety of our students, faculty and staff is our priority,†said Jarvis Christian College President Dr. Lester C. Newman. “With the projections and growth of the Omicron variant, we choose to proceed with an abundance of caution for this new year.â€
NACOGDOCHES — Nacogdoches police were on the scene of a fatal auto-pedestrian accident in the 2100 block of E. Main Street. According to our news partner KETK, just after 8:00 p.m. Friday, officials responded to a report of a vehicle hitting a pedestrian near the intersection of E. Main Street and Lamar Street. The pedestrian was pronounced dead by the Justice of the Peace. Additional details were not available.
PALESTINE — A 73-year-old woman was killed late Wednesday night after her car crashed outside of Palestine. According to our news partner KETK, a preliminary DPS report states that Marcella McDonald, of Palestine, was driving her 1995 Dodge Ram pickup on HWY 155 less than a mile south of the city. Her car reportedly went off the right side of the roadway for an “undetermined reason,†struck a culvert and hit several trees before coming to a stop. McDonald was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation is still ongoing.
UPSHUR COUNTY — On Wednesday around 3 p.m., a 30-year-old man died in a wreck on U.S. Highway 271, north of Gilmer. According to our news partner KETK, Raymond C. Haley II, 30, of Mount Pleasant, was pronounced dead at the scene. The initial DPS report indicates that a 2001 grey Chevrolet Tahoe was traveling north on U.S. 271 behind a brown vehicle described as a Kia Sportage, possibly a 2012 model. Information received from witnesses at the scene reported that the Kia slammed on its brakes in a possible road rage situation causing the driver of the Tahoe to steer right. Read the rest of this entry »
RUSK COUNTY — A man was fatally shot after an alleged burglary in Rusk County on Christmas Day. According to our news partner KETK, the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office got a call in around 12:40 a.m. to respond to CR 4174 for a burglary. According to Rusk County Sheriff Johnwayne Valdez, the owner of the home’s future son-in-law came to the house and noticed that one of the homes on the property had a flashlight shining through the windows, so he went to investigate. “He went over there and noticed that the door was open and he walked into the house, and there stands Jason Holland. He had no permission to be on that property,†Valdez said. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Smith County Sheriff’s Office deputies found four children inside a residence that was “extremely dirty.†According to our news partner KETK, Katelynn Schengeli, 26, was arrested Wednesday and charged with four counts of child endangerment. Cory Evans, 27, the father of twin girls and an 11-month-old infant involved in this incident was charged with four counts of child endangerment. On Wednesday, around 10:10 p.m. deputies were called to a home on Rhones Quarter Road to help with an EMS call. An 8-year-old child had called because his mother was unresponsive. Schengeli appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, said law enforcement. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — East Texas health experts say omicron is twice as contagious as the delta variant and encourage people to keep their guard up against COVID-19, according to our news partner KETK. Omicron is possibly already in East Texas. “Given the spread across the country, given that over 70% of the cases are linked to it, I think it’s safe to say it has arrived,†said Dr. Thomas Cummins, Division Chief Medical Officer at UT Health East Texas. He added that COVID-19 cases have slightly risen in the area. “This one is probably twice as infectious, so it moves really rapidly through people and from host to host,†said Cummins. Early evidence shows that the vaccines are offering protection against the new variant. Read the rest of this entry »