Today is
Saturday June 20, 2026
BULLARD – A Bullard ISD bus was involved in a wreck on Tuesday, the district announced on Facebook. According to our news partner KETK, officials said Bus E1 was involved in an accident near CR 181 and FM 344. Six students and two student aides were on board but were not injured. Another bus came to pick up students.
TYLER – The Smith County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to rescind its burn ban following recent rains, highlighted by Monday’s downpour. “I 100 percent recommend rescinding the burn ban after the rain we’ve had,†Smith County Fire Marshal Jay Brooks said. “We received a good saturating, soaking rain, which was exactly what we needed.†The burn ban was issued by the Commissioners Court on July 5. Numerous other area counties are also lifting their burn bans. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The city of Tyler will be retiming 19 traffic signals this week for the year two signal timing improvements project. The identified intersections will build upon the corridors which were retimed in 2019 and 2021 and focus on areas that have seen less reliable travel times. according to a news release. This year the initial implementation of the new signal timings will be done remotely by the traffic engineer with the Advanced Transportation Management System (ATMS). Previously, signal retiming had to be accomplished in the field. Officials say the new system is allowing for a quicker implementation and less staff time in the field. Read the rest of this entry »
WINONA – The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down in Winona on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, the tornado had wind speeds of roughly 95 mph and was 200 yards wide, uprooting roughly 50 trees and damaging a few structures. No injuries or fatalities were reported in the four minutes it was on the ground. Most of the damage was right when the tornado was crossing FM 16 at Hussey Circle. It narrowly missed Winona ISD, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at NWS Shreveport Charlie Woodrum said.
TYLER — Starting Sept. 1, Tyler Solid Waste crews will continue collecting residential garbage and recycling at 6 a.m. In August, Solid Waste implemented a heat prevention program that allowed crews to start collecting an hour earlier than the usual start time of 7 a.m. The earlier start time allowed crews to work during the cooler hours and finish routes earlier. “After receiving great feedback from the community and our team, we decided to continue with the earlier start time,” said Solid Waste Director Leroy Sparrow as quoted in a news release. “Fulfilling the needs of our community while maintaining our crews’ safety is our top priority.” Read the rest of this entry »
DALLAS – Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a disaster declaration for 23 Texas counties after damaging winds and heavy rainfall across Texas — nine of them in East Texas. According to our news partner KETK, Camp, Henderson, Hopkins, Marion, Rains, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood counties are included in the declaration. Abbott said additional counties could be added as storms continue to move through the state.
TYLER – The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Oversight Committee approved approximately $3.5 million to The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center to fund two CPRIT cancer prevention related programs. With the assistance of $997,120, the DEFEAT (Delivering Education, Focused Navigation, and Equitable Access throughout East Texas) program will focus on recruiting underserved and uninsured women between 40 and 75 years of age to have proper access to breast cancer screenings, according to the release. The Health Science Center also received $2,482,127 for the continued expansion of the Colorectal Cancer Prevention grant “Screening to Optimize Prevention of CRC in East Texas.†Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — TxDOT schedules another week’s worth of roadwork in the Tyler District. In Gregg County, a Kilgore project consists of completely rebuilding the traffic circle and full width of roadway to the Rusk County line. The traffic will be reduced to one lane in the southbound direction for the duration of the project. In Smith County, Tyler Maintenance will have a crew on Loop 323 cutting high shoulders and spot cleaning ditches. The work will take place from the Loop extension to US 69. Click here for a complete rundown of roadwork around the district.
TYLER — City of Tyler officials are welcoming your input on their proposed 2022-2023 budget, beginning Wednesday. Improvements to public safety, services, and employee retention are listed as top priorities. Opportunities for public input are set for two city council meetings, on August 24 and September 14 — both at 9 a.m. at City Hall. Final adoption of the budget is scheduled for the September 14 meeting. Click here for all the details.
TYLER — Smith County Road and Bridge crews were clearing roads of downed trees and debris Monday after heavy rains fell across the county. As of 2 p.m.Monday, only one road was closed. County Road 334 was washed out north of CR 328, and barricades have been placed diverting traffic, Smith County Engineer Frank Davis said.
MARSHALL – The collection system for the City of Marshall was notified of a possible wastewater spill August 15 at 4:30 p.m., according to a news release. Officials say a crew was sent out to investigate and upon their arrival they were able to locate the spill in the 1800 block of Elysian Fields Road. The spill was leaking from a 21†clay tile pipe that had busted in the west side of 8-mile Creek encased in concrete. The city crew immediately started flushing the area with potable water from a fire hydrant and also added granular chlorine to dilute the wastewater. City crews had to bust concrete from the side walls and work around a Kinder Morgan gas line in order to get to the sewer main. Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS — Following a lengthy drought, East Texans have begun experiencing a sharp turnaround in the weather, with rain, high winds, and flooding striking the area. Smith County Fire Marshal Jay Brooks said a tornado briefly touched down on the Winona High School football field at 10:36 a.m. Monday, and minor damage was reported. The Winona ISD Police Chief saw the tornado briefly touch down and the school was briefly placed on lockdown but is back up at its regular schedule, Brooks said at 10:50 a.m. He had reports of four houses being damaged, as well as power lines and minor damage to the high school. The National Weather Service –Shreveport said it had moved out of the area. Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY – After a delay caused by migrating birds, the SH 135 bridge replacement project in Cherokee County will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 6. TxDOT and contractor crews will begin placing message boards on the roadway to alert the traveling public of the upcoming road closure beginning Tuesday, Aug. 23. SH 135 will be closed to through traffic from 2.44 miles south of SH 110 in Troup to 5.12 miles north of US 69 in Jacksonville. Crews will be performing bridge replacements on the Mud Creek and the Mud Creek Relief bridges. The closure is expected to last until Spring 2023. Read the rest of this entry »
DALLAS — Texas has its lowest unemployment rate in more than two years — and Tyler is among the communities showing up well. The statewide jobless rate for July was four percent. It hasn’t been that low since february of 2020, before the pandemic. The state also set a new record for the number of people employed last month, at 13.5 million. Abilene and Austin had the lowest unemployment rates; McAllen-Edinburg had the highest. The unemployment rate in the Dallas-Fort Worth area was 3.8 percent, slightly lower than the statewide average. The unemployment rate was 3.9 percent in Tyler and four percent in San Antonio.
TYLER — TxDOT’s Tyler District will hold a virtual public hearing with an in-person option for the FM 2964 (Rhones Quarter Road) project, which proposes to widen FM 2964 from SH 110 to FM 346 in Smith County. The in-person event is set for Thursday, Aug. 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Whitehouse ISD’s Brown Elementary School on Smith County Road 2191 (Oscar Burkett Road). The virtual hearing will consist of a video presentation with audio and visual components and will be posted online as of Monday, Aug. 22, at 8 a.m. The presentation will remain available for viewing online until Friday, Sept. 9. You may call 903-510-9100 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, to ask questions and access project materials. Read the rest of this entry »
RUSK — The Cherokee County District Clerk’s Office reports a man who was on trial after being accused of capital murder was found not guilty Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, Cody Roberts was charged in the death of 18-year-old Trevor Lawson, who was found dead due to a gunshot wound in a home on CR 2117 near Maydelle on November 7, 2018. In March of 2022, Roberts’s first trial resulted in a mistrial after an investigator allegedly failed to disclose a piece of digital evidence to everyone involved in the trial.
NACOGDOCHES – Stephen F. Austin State University is preparing to discuss affiliations with four interested systems according to a recent presentation. According to our news partner KETK, there are 37 public universities in the state and seven university systems. SFA is one of only two unaffiliated institutions. The presentation mentions representatives of the Texas A&M, Texas State University, Texas Tech, and University of Texas systems had made informal contact with the SFA Board of Regents over the past several months expressing a desire to take part in any formal discussion should the board choose to evaluate a potential system affiliation. Read the rest of this entry »
FRANKSTON — The Frankston Police Department has released the name of a wanted fugitive. According to our news partner KETK, police say Donald Lee Meadows, Jr. is wanted on charges of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and evading arrest. Authorities said Meadows is also wanted in Smith County. Officials said Wednesday night there was a heavy police presence on Highway 155 near Lollipop Landing. According to our news partner KETK, the Coffee City Police Department says Meadows was wearing dark clothing. Authorities have advised those in the area to lock their doors and if they see or hear anything to call 911. CCPD said Meadows was last seen running in the woods northbound from the old rest area. CCPD and DPS are assisting with the search.
MAYDELLE – Wednesday storms in Cherokee County wreaked havoc on the small town of Maydelle. According to our news partner KETK, the Maydelle Volunteer Fire Department is currently without a roof. Witness Shelly Knott says the roof was suspended in a tree for about five minutes due to extreme winds, then fell into the road. According to Fire Chief Jody Gray, no injuries were reported, a few other structures were damaged in the area, and several people were without power.
KILGORE – TxDOT has announced a detour for motorists on SH 135 in Gregg County beginning Wednesday, Aug. 24, as crews begin resurfacing operations on the roadway. The project limits are from the traffic circle in Kilgore, south to the Rusk County line. Southbound traffic will continue to use SH 135 utilizing a lane shift. Northbound traffic will be detoured onto SH 42 (W. Woodlawn St), then north on Henderson Blvd. to SH 31. The detour will be in place for the duration of the project. Travelers in this area are advised to watch for road crews, expect some delays, and be aware that a detour will be in place. This project and temporary detour are subject to weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
TYLER — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office has recently been made aware of a new scam in our area. According to officials, the caller will tell you that you have missed a court summons and have a warrant out for your arrest. The caller will then request some sort of payment over the phone and give you specific instructions on how to pay. Authorities say all of these calls are a scam and you should simply hang up the telephone. Lately, these scammers have been using the name of Sgt. Kevin Mobley of the Tyler Police Department. Several other investigators and law enforcement officials have been named in the past. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The City of Tyler proposes $9.48 million in street and traffic improvements funded in the fiscal year 2023 budget and Half-Cent Sales Tax fund. According to a news release, this includes $2,060,000 in projects to be paid for by the Quality Street Commitment Fund and $7,428,000 in improvements to be funded by the Half-Cent Sales Tax Fund in fiscal year 2023. The $2,060,000 includes $585,000 for repairs and upkeep of 14 miles of historic brick streets and $1.3 million for seal coat and crack seal work on 25 lane miles of city streets. “Modernizing our traffic system and keeping pedestrians safe are at the top of our list when it comes to streets and traffic,†said City Manager Edward Broussard as quoted in the release. You can click here to learn more about the proposed budget.
PALESTINE – Officials say three dogs have died after Palestine police removed a dozen dogs from a residence and a father and son were arrested. According to our news partner KETK, the rest of the animals were taken to a local humane society. Authorities say an investigation began after an officer observed the animals living in “awful conditions at the residence.†The two suspects face multiple felony and misdemeanor charges. “This is not a puppy mill,†said Palestine police Sgt. Tinsley. “This is some people that were trying to take care of these dogs, and they were struggling to take care of themselves, and the dogs were suffering greatly.†Read the rest of this entry »
GILMER — 22-year-old Cody Wayne Crutcher has been sentenced in Upshur County to six years in prison for two counts of sexual assault of a minor — a girl who was Crutcher’s biological sister and was 14 at the time of the assaults. Officials say the case, out of the Kilgore area, dates to July 2020. They say the Gregg County DA’s office recused itself from the case due to threats the victim’s father made against multiple people involved in the prosecution and investigation of the case.
LONGVIEW — The Longview Housing Authority is accepting applications for the Housing Choice Voucher Program. Applications will be accepted online at this link from 8 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Aug. 18. If you require a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in LHA’s affordable housing program(s) or services, contact the Longview Housing Authority at [email protected].
TYLER — Residents and motorists in the Cambridge Road area in Tyler are urged to obey all detours and road closures while contractors continue with the construction on the extensive improvement project. Contractors are working in the area preparing to install water lines drainage infrastructure and begin laying the base layer of asphalt. Currently, Cambridge Road is closed from South Broadway Avenue to Bishops Gate Lane. Cambridge Road from Bishops Gate to Yale Drive is two-way traffic while from Yale Drive to Harvard Drive is a one-way road for eastbound traffic only. Detour signs, no left turn signs, road closure signs, and a message board are in place to warn motorists which direction to safely travel. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — About 15 dogs, a prairie dog, and a macaw were recovered from a property on CR 223 in southeast Smith County Monday as a result of a search warrant by the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, officials said. According to our news partner KETK, Sheriff’s Sgt. Larry Christian said the animals were placed in the care of Smith County Animal Control. Authorities say City of Tyler Animal Control assisted in the seizure. Christian said one Smith County Animal Control officer was bitten by a dog during the seizure and taken to a local hospital for treatment. Christian added that any animals located that weren’t being attended to were taken just “for their welfare.†He said the sheriff’s office is working diligently and has a detective working the case.
CHEROKEE COUNTY – Nicholas Pet Haven has requested help placing 45-50 small dogs, remnants of what they said was a “puppy mill†in Cherokee County. According to our news partner KETK, the shelter says three to four dogs each were stuffed into many stacked up rabbit cages. All dogs have food and water, but need to be vetted, groomed, and more. Nicholas Pet Haven is reporting the owners are elderly, requesting help, and willing to surrender to reputable rescues. Breeds include Yorkies, Chihuahuas, Miniature Poodles, and many more. You can contact the nonprofit at 903-630-4242 or by email at [email protected].
TYLER – The son of a Tyler pastor who pleaded guilty to two theft of property charges was arrested Monday and is accused of stealing from the same elderly couple as his father. According to our news partner KETK, Jerome Anthony Milton, 27, was arrested on two charges of credit card abuse against an elderly person and was released on a combined $125,000 bond. During investigations into his father, Jerome Rocky Milton, investigators said they found the younger Milton had been using the same bed-ridden elderly couple’s cards at an ATM machine to make withdrawals. According to an arrest warrant, the pastor said “he would send Anthony in sometimes to pull money out of the ATM from the [couple’s] accounts.†However, when advised that his son could be facing criminal charges, the pastor said he did not know why his son would have made those transactions. Read the rest of this entry »
EDGEWOOD – Officials have released identities in a high-speed chase that began in Edgewood and ended in Forney. Police say the driver, Braylon Diamente Hicks of Forney, is a suspect in an Edgewood murder on Friday. The victim is named as Alyssa Beth Flores of Wills Point. According to our news partner KETK, Wills Point PD and a Van Zandt County DA investigator observed a dispatched call from the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office regarding a shooting and kidnapping that had just occurred in Edgewood, and the suspect was heading towards Highway 80. The pursuit continued south on FM 2965 to I-20, where the suspect then reportedly began traveling westbound at speeds over 120 mph. Authorities say the chase continued at high rates of speed, passing vehicles on the shoulders and weaving in and out of traffic through Kaufman County. Read the rest of this entry »