Today is
Saturday June 20, 2026
TYLER — Although some portions of Smith County saw showers last week, it was not enough rain to consider lifting the burn ban, Smith County Fire Marshal Jay Brooks reported Tuesday. The Commissioners Court received an update on drought conditions from Brooks, who said only some areas of the county received rain and it was not enough to ease fire danger conditions. “The conditions outside are disastrous for us right now,†he said, adding that they haven’t seen drought conditions like this summer since 2011. When some areas of the county received brief periods of rain, the moisture quickly dried up. And while some areas of the county saw rain, other areas did not, Brooks said. “We are still under a burn ban and I don’t recommend rescinding it,†he told the Commissioners Court. Click here for more details.
LINDALE — (UPDATE) Madison Adams was found in Kaufman County and safely returned to Smith County by CPS, according to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. According to our news partner KETK, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported Madison Adams had been missing since Wednesday, Aug. 10. Adams is 16-year-old white female with brown hair and hazel eyes. She is about 5’2″ and 143 pounds, all according to the NCMEC.
TYLER/BULLARD — Tyler ISD has received a district Texas Education Agency accountability grade of “B” for the 2021-2022 school year. The district received a performance score of 88, up from the previous year’s (2019 was the most recent rating) 85 score, and an overall Met Standard rating. Schools and districts were labeled Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster for 2020 and 2021. Meantime, the TEA recently released 2022 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) results for third through eighth grades and End of Course exams for ninth through 12th grades. Bullard ISD earned a district rating of “A†with a score of 95 and received 10 campus academic distinctions.
RUSK – According to documents, a Cherokee County commissioner who was arrested Friday night for driving while intoxicated and evading arrest acted aggressive with a trooper and refused a blood alcohol test. That’s according to our news partner KETK. Precinct 2 Commissioner Steven Norton, 51, who has since apologized for the incident, was arrested after a deputy was dispatched in response to a reckless driver. The deputy had been advised that a driver in a white truck had run people off the roadway, and witnesses said the truck almost struck several vehicles. “I proceeded to make an investigative stop to check the welfare of the driver,†the deputy said. “I then turned on the sirens and lights of my fully marked patrol unit but the truck did not come to a stop.†Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Officials say Khamila Tavion Bradford-Burnley, 25, of Tyler was arrested Friday in a fatal Rusk County crash last year. According to our news partner KETK, on Feb. 27, 2021, at 1:48 a.m., troopers responded to a two-vehicle fatal crash on US 79, approximately 5.7 miles south of Henderson. According to officials, Bradford was traveling northbound and veered into the southbound lane, where she struck Jose Gustavo Servin, 23, of Henderson. Servin was pronounced dead at the scene and Bradford-Burnley was transported to a local hospital in serious condition.
KILGORE – In a Facebook post Monday, the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office issued a missing person alert for Britney Nichole Sharrer, 28, of Kilgore. According to our news partner KETK, officials say Sharrer was last seen at a residence on PR 3707 (Fox Creek RV Park) in the Kilgore/Gladewater area in July by her mother. Sharrer is approximately 5’4″ tall and weighs approximately 140-150 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. She has tattoos covering her arms and specifically has a tattoo of Winnie The Pooh on her left shoulder. Anyone with information on Sharrer’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office at 903-236-8400 or Investigator Prior at 903-236-8409. Reference case #C22-11326.
LINDALE — Smith County authorities say a missing person has been found alive at a residence on Hwy 110 extremely hot and thirsty. Authorities said he was receiving medical attention and will recover. On August 14 at 8:00 p.m., The Smith County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a man missing from FM 1253 near Lindale. He’s identified as Jose Cansino Ybarra, 63. Ybarra’s son told deputies they were attending a church retreat at this location when his father wandered off. The son advised that prior to notifying law enforcement, he and several of the retreat attendees had searched a large area including buildings, woods, and Ybarra’s room. Deputies, staff members, and concerned citizens began a search of the approximate 400 acre area, of which only 100 acres are developed. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – A Longview city official who has unsuccessfully run for city council twice was arrested Sunday for possession with intention to promote child pornography. Bernd “Dutch†Deblouw, 37, was born in The Netherlands and moved to Texas after college, according to his campaign website. According to our news partner KETK, he was hired by the Longview Fire Department in 2010, but has since left the department and is now the owner of Longview I.T. Deblouw has served the city in multiple capacities, including as the president of the zoning board of adjustment, and public safety was a key issue for his campaign, according to his website. He currently serves on the planning and zoning commission. His bond for the child pornography charge has not yet been set.
EMORY — Authorities say around 5 p.m. Sunday, 30-year-old Sean Douglas Alsip was captured by the Texas Rangers. According to our news partner KETK, the Rains County Sheriff’s Office said Alsip was taken to the county jail without incident. Authorities had earlier said Alsip could be armed and dangerous. Officials said they had last seen Alsip with Monica Robertson on County Road 3150 before they ran off. Robertson was detained by law enforcement before Alsip was caught. Further details on the nature of the case weren’t immediately available.
TYLER — TxDOT schedules another week’s worth of roadwork in the Tyler District. In Gregg County, Longview Maintenance will be performing base repair on SH 31 eastbound between FM 3053 and FM 1639. Crews will also be performing base repair on FM 349 westbound from just east of the intersection at FM 2276. Expect lane closures with flaggers controlling traffic on both jobs. In Smith County, Tyler Maintenance will have a base failure crew on FM 3271 just off of SH 110. This will be under flagging operation. Also, a sweeper and herbicide unit will be in various locations throughout the county. Click here for a complete rundown of roadwork around the district.
TYLER – As classes resume, Tyler ISD shares a reminder to ensure the safety of children while loading and unloading school buses. School bus drivers will activate alternating yellow flashing lights between 100 and 500 feet before a stop. Distance will depend on speed and whether they are in a residential area or on a highway. Once they reach the stop, the driver will activate alternating red flashing lights and deploy stop signs from the side of the bus with flashing red lights on the signs. Traffic approaching from both directions must stop unless there is a physical barrier in the median between the flows of traffic, as shown in the diagram below. Click here for more details, and click this link for additional back-to-school information.
HONOLULU – A former Nacogdoches resident accused of identity theft and of possibly being a Russian spy is asking to be released on bail. According to our news partner KETK and a sister station in Hawaii, a legal expert said new information about the alleged KGB uniform presented as evidence may be enough for the judge to grant his request. The attorney for Walter Primrose makes several arguments for his release. Among them, he said the invisible ink kit found in his Kapolei, Hawaii, home, “is believed to be a toy purchased many years ago for entertainment.†More importantly he said, the KGB uniform worn by Primrose and his wife Gwynn Morrison in an old photo didn’t belong to them. The prosecutor sent an email to defense attorneys saying the photos of the couple in the uniform, meaning there was only one, was taken in the 90s, and “federal agents were given the alleged uniform.†Read the rest of this entry »
GLADEWATER – Officials say about 15 homes were evacuated Friday after a gas leak caused road closures on Lee Street including Willow and Briar Cove in Gladewater. The gas line was hit by contract crews according to Gladewater Fire personnel, who said the leak resulted in a partial neighborhood evacuation. According to our news partner KETK, officials said the homes were evacuated for safety and roadways were blocked while fire personnel worked to locate the source of the leak. Gladewater police and public works staffers were also on the scene helping with road closures. Fire officials say CenterPoint was able to “locate and cap the line then continue on to make the final repair.â€
RUSK – A Cherokee County commissioner was arrested Friday night for evading arrest and driving while intoxicated. He has since apologized for the incident. According to our news partner KETK, Steven Norton, 51, said in an apology posted to his personal Facebook page that he “takes full responsibility for creating this incident.†Norton is the Precinct 2 commissioner and said he wants to apologize to his family, friends, constituents, and law enforcement personnel for his judgment on Friday night. “This is not who I am,†Norton said. “I promise with all my heart I had no intent to evade arrest. I didn’t see any lights until I was in my driveway.†Read the rest of this entry »
KILGORE — The City of Kilgore will temporarily convert the disinfectant used in the city’s water distribution system from chloramine to free chlorine beginning August 15 and ending around September 18. “For that month beginning Wednesday, said Public Works Director Clay Evers in a news release, “you may experience taste and odor changes associated with this type of temporary water disinfectant conversion.†Evers said public water systems are required to properly disinfect their water and maintain an adequate disinfectant residual in the distribution system. “Chloramine, free chlorine combined with ammonia, is what we normally use as a disinfectant because it persists for long periods while also limiting the formation of by-product contaminants,†added Evers in the release. Click here and scroll down to “Water system maintenance” for more information.
EDGEWOOD – A high-speed chase that began in Edgewood ended in Forney, and according to police, the driver is a suspect in an Edgewood murder on Friday. 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 »
KILGORE – El Sombrero, a Mexican restaurant in Kilgore, “caught on fire and burned†Monday night after 17 years in business. According to our news partner KETK, owner Mike Kittner says the Kilgore staff will be working at the restaurant’s Longview location until the Longview location can be rebuilt. “We are currently working diligently with insurance and the great City of Kilgore to get through these difficult times,†Kittner said. “Thank you to everyone for your loyalty and patronage to El Som over the years, and we look forward to seeing everyone very soon or in Longview.â€
EAST TEXAS – The Tyler and Longview ISDs have held their convocations in preparation for the new school year. According to our news partner KETK, during the Longview celebration, checks totaling $1.8 million were awarded to 157 teachers. “They qualify through their annual evaluation score, and they qualify through their student growth score,†said John York, a human resource officer for the district. In Tyler, 2,800 district employees gathered for their annual convocation at Green Acres Baptist Church. Teachers said they are pumped to be back in the classroom. The theme for the Tyler event was health and wellness
TYLER – A Smith County pastor accused of stealing from an elderly couple in 2021 was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to theft charges. According to our news partner KETK, Jerome Milton, 66, pleaded guilty to two theft of property charges greater or equal to $30,000 or less than $150,000. One of the charges specified the theft was against an elderly individual. Milton was sentenced to 180 days in the Smith County Jail and 10 years of probation, with 500 hours of community service. In the case involving the elderly couple, Milton used their money, pension plan checks, and economic impact payments to make his car payment and purchase hotel rooms in Brownwood, according to an affidavit. Milton is also facing a money laundering charge. His jury trial for that charge was scheduled for Aug. 15, but it was canceled.
TYLER — City of Tyler officials are staying busy with a number of items. Not the least of those is the proposed budget. Improvements to public safety, services, and employee retention are listed as top priorities. Included is a new water rate plan that officials say will upgrade infrastructure and promote conservation. Opportunities for public input on the budget are available by attending one of two city council meetings set for 9 a.m. August 24 and September 14. Final adoption of the budget is scheduled for the September 14 meeting. Along with that, officials report that Shiloh Road water storage tank upgrades have been approved, as well as upgrades for more than two miles of sewer lines in the north end of the city. Click here for further details on all those items.
SHREVEPORT, La. – A Shreveport man wanted for a string of jewelry store heists in Texas and Louisiana is being held in Natchitoches Parish. According to our news partner KETK, the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office says 39-year-old Lester Ray Moody was arrested during a traffic stop on Interstate 49 near Cypress on Wednesday morning after an NPSO detective spotted him at a nearby business and called for backup. The sheriff’s office says investigators in Longview, Texas, had identified Moody from surveillance video at the Longview Mall on July 1, where a man later identified as Moody and an unidentified woman robbed a Kay Jewelers by posing as customers who asked to look at jewelry before spraying an employee with pepper spray and making off with the goods.
TYLER – The Tyler Fire Department has new headquarters at West Front Street and Hill Avenue. According to our news partner KETK, on Thursday afternoon, the grand opening of the new facility was celebrated just blocks away from the previous headquarters. Fire Chief David Coble says it’s been a years-long process. “Our building is right in the center of about 30,000 cars passing us every day. We also have a marquee sign out front where we can put fire messages on fire preventions so people can be well informed of what’s going on. We will also use it as a recruitment tool when we get ready to hire at the first of next year,†said Chief Coble. Officials also say the new facility will allow for a better and more secure space to not only work but also hold classes and store important fire equipment. To save a dollar during construction, the fire department was able to take and reuse some materials from the old Harvey Convention Center.
TYLER – 44-year-old Reynaldo Campos, Jr., of Grapeland, has pleaded guilty in Tyler federal court to murder for hire. According to the indictment, on Feb. 9, Campos contacted an individual who he believed was a hitman, but who was in fact an undercover federal agent, and solicited the “hitman†to murder a former associate of Campos — claiming the intended victim had either stolen drugs from him or owed him money. Campos discussed the intended murder with the agent on multiple occasions over the next several weeks. On April 8, Campos and his girlfriend, Robin Pittman, traveled together from Houston County to Tyler to discuss the murder, to provide the “hitman†with a handgun to be used for the murder, and to provide the “hitman†with information about the intended victim. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – The Longview Police Department says a man was arrested Thursday in connection to the shooting death of a Longview teen. According to our news partner KETK, the Longview SWAT team was called to the scene and detained Lederrion Devonte Johnson, 29, around 3:00 p.m. without incident after a standoff on North Spur 63. Johnson was charged with murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and felon in possession of a firearm. Rahsaan Jefferson was killed after a shooting on Monday at the Preserve Apartments. He was an incoming student at Longview High School.
HONOLULU (AP) — Bobby Edward Fort enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1994 and retired 22 years later with a secret security clearance that allowed him to land a job in Honolulu as a defense contractor. But the real Bobby Fort was dead. The man who enlisted as Fort was held without bail Thursday on charges he stole the dead baby’s identity 35 years ago. Federal prosecutors say Walter Glenn Primrose and his wife had been fraudulently living for decades under the stolen identities of two dead Texas infants. Primrose’s lawyer says the prosecutor only provided speculation and innuendo the couple was involved in more nefarious offenses than nonviolent crimes.
KILGORE – A former Kilgore ISD educator was arrested and is accused of sexually assaulting a minor and having an improper relationship with a student, according to the Seymour Police Department. According to our news partner KETK, Phillip Nix was detained in Seymour, in West Texas, on Monday. He worked as head choir director for Kilgore High School from fall 2019 through the end of the school year in 2021, when he resigned from his position, according to Kilgore ISD. Nix was wanted on two warrants from Gregg County and bonded out from jail this week.
KILGORE — Kilgore College and The University of Texas at Tyler sign an agreement for the Longview University Center to provide the greater Longview community with what officials term a public four-year university student experience. Officials say the move continues the schools’ long history of partnership and cooperation. According to a news release, the partnership will guarantee seamless pathways to include dual credit and associate degree programs offered by KC to baccalaureate (and post- baccalaureate) degree programs offered by UT Tyler — with students having access to services from both educational institutions through a special dual admission.
TYLER — The Tyler City Council has approved a resolution granting the Tyler Police Department permission to apply for and accept (if selected) a grant for funding from the U.S. Department of Justice not to exceed $34,000. The funding would be used to purchase equipment for the police department to support crime scene investigations. The department will pursue a grant request to the DOJ under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant for fiscal year of 2022-2023. The money would be used to purchase a Leica Laser Scanner and all accessories associated with forensics investigations. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Smith County Commissioners Court will hold a special called meeting Monday, August 1, to discuss the courthouse bond proposal for the November 8 election. “The Commissioners Court intends to review all of the Courthouse planning that has been discussed for the last 23 years,†Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran said in a news release. “We will have one final discussion on how best to move forward.†The deadline to call a bond election for a new Courthouse and associated Parking Garage is August 22. “I anticipate we will take a formal vote to call a Courthouse Bond on either August 9 or August 16,†Judge Moran said in the release. “This has been a 23-year discussion in the community and over the past two years, we have held several meetings with individual stakeholders, community organizations and civic groups to move forward with the planning of a new Courthouse.†Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The East Texas Food Bank held a groundbreaking Wednesday on a new Tyler Resource Center and Fresh Produce Processing Center. According to a news release, it’s part of the overall strategic plan aimed at expanding programs, distributing more food, and serving more people. Officials say the resource center will include a “Healthy Food Pantry†to provide nutritious food through a client-choice distribution model. It will also help clients apply for social service benefits — and it will be located in a census tract where 34% of the population lives below the poverty line. The processing center will allow the ETFB to collect, store, repackage and distribute, fresh fruits and vegetables more efficiently, according to the release. Both facilities are due to be completed by the end of next summer.