Today is
Saturday June 20, 2026
OKLAHOMA CITY — United Ag & Turf, a 31-location John Deere dealership headquartered in Bryan, has completed the acquisition of Fish & Still Equipment. Fish and Still Equipment has locations in Nacogdoches, Marshall, Henderson, Crockett, and Lufkin. The acquisition was completed July 18. According to a news release, the newly acquired locations continue to expand United Ag & Turf’s footprint, strengthening the ability to serve customers. “This acquisition continues with our strategy to provide preeminent parts, service, and equipment support and solutions to our customers through efficiency and scale, enabling better pricing and selection for our customers,†said United Ag & Turf CEO Brody Pettit as quoted in the release. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Tyler Fire Department has released the identities of the victims in a residential fire that broke out before dawn July 8 in the 500 block of W. Phillips St. Officials name Ava Christie Spaur, 61, and Mark Anthony Lilly, 46. The initial call indicated that smoke and flames were visible on the porch area of the structure, along with multiple people evacuating the building. Firefighters arrived to find heavy fire conditions and quickly began searching the structure and attacking the fire. The cause of the fire remains undetermined. Preliminary autopsy results indicate the presence of smoke inhalation. The final autopsy results are expected in the next few weeks.
TYLER/LONGVIEW — The Main Street programs in Tyler and Longview recently earned re-accreditation from The Texas Main Street Program of the Texas Historical Commission. According to press materials, the designation recognizes commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach. Downtown areas are the focus of the statewide and nationwide Main Street programs. Click here to learn more about Tyler’s downtown revitalization efforts. Go to this link for more information on Longview’s Main Street program.
EAST TEXAS — A number of fires have flared up this week in East Texas amid hot, dry conditions. Our news partner KETK reports all fires have been contained in Henderson County after several broke out. Three firefighters were taken to the hospital due to smoke inhalation from a Gun Barrel City fire. Authorities report five trailers destroyed in an illegally burned Rusk County trash pile fire. And more than 1,000 acres burned in Van Zandt County wildfires. Burn bans remain the rule throughout the region, and officials continue to urge you to observe them.
TYLER — The Smith County Commissioners Court approved auctioning off surplus equipment from the Road and Bridge Department. The online auction will begin on July 28 and runs through August 11 on this website. The Smith County purchasing director said the Road and Bridge equipment has outlived its useful life and is no longer needed by the County. The equipment can be viewed in person, by appointment, on August 1 and August 5, between 9 a.m. and noon. To schedule an appointment, call 903-590-4726. The equipment is located at the Road and Bridge Material Yard on County Road 1121 in Tyler. Read the rest of this entry »
PALESTINE — The Anderson County Jail reinstated its quarantine procedures on Tuesday after four inmates tested positive for COVID-19. “A positive test result of one person in a cell results in all inmates in that cell being quarantined,†Sheriff W. R. Flores said. “As a result, we currently have 44 inmates in quarantine.†With quarantine procedures in place, inmate visitation, religious services, recreation, and inmate movement have all been restricted. Individual legal and pastoral visits are still allowed, according to officials. “As we struggle with staff shortages in various divisions,†Flores said, “I ask for your patience and understanding as we continue to deal with the additional issues posed by the COVID-19 virus.†Flores encourages anyone who interacts with jail personnel or inmates to take precautions to ensure personal health and welfare.
TYLER — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office says it has recently been made aware of a bond scam in the Tyler/Smith County area. Officials say the scam involves a phone call that was received by a Tyler citizen. The caller identified himself as an investigator with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office using the name “Detective Scotch.†The caller informed the victim that a loved one had been arrested and he needed to pay a bond in crypto currency. The caller instructed the victim on what needed to be done and how to do it. Unfortunately, the victim complied and was swindled out of an undisclosed amount of money. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Nicholas Pet Haven in Tyler announced they will be closed for two weeks after a parvo outbreak at the shelter. That’s according to our news partner KETK. “11 sick babies so far,†shelter staff said. “$3,000 at ER for six babies not to mention mounting bills. We are closed on intakes.†The shelter is asking for no volunteers at this time while they are shut down to care for the sick animals, and ask for those that can to donate. “We will continue to help animals in need but they cannot come to our facility,†shelter staff said. “Thank you for your support.†Parvo is classified under the Merck Veterinary Manual as a disease of the stomach and small intestines. Parvo in puppies can also affect the bone marrow, lymphopoietic, tissues and in some cases the heart, according to the American Kennel Club. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A recent update to the national COVID spread map indicates that Smith County currently has the highest spread rate in the U.S. — and that East Texas in general has shown a higher spread rate then the rest of the country. That word Tuesday from NET Health’s Russell Hopkins. He says it’s apparently leveling off in the NET Health area — but he cautions that the figures still don’t reflect home testing. And he says officials won’t have home testing information until retail data become available. Hopkins recommends testing often, along with wearing a mask, getting vaccinated, and staying home when you’re sick. He tells KTBB the antigen test is a great way to sample and determine whether you’re safe at a particular time. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A Tyler man gets three lengthy prison sentences after pleading guilty Friday to murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in a Mother’s Day 2019 homicide. According to our news partner KETK, James Robert Smith III, 31, was arrested after police were called to the scene and found 27-year-old Donovan Reese dead in his car. Officials said Reese was at a gas station with two others helping someone change a flat tire when Smith arrived, said, “Hey, bro†and began shooting. The two had had previous encounters for about two years, according to investigators, and running into each other at the gas station was by chance. Smith was sentenced to 50 years for murder and 20 years for each assault charge.
LONGVIEW – The Longview Police Department said it is investigating after they found a body in the city Monday near some woods. According to our news partner KETK, officials said they found the body around 1:15 p.m. on McKay Dr. Further details weren’t immediately available except that law enforcement is no longer at the scene.
LONGVIEW — First National Bank of East Texas opens the doors to its newest branch, serving Longview, as of Monday, July 18. The branch is located on W. Loop 281, in front of the Northwest Village Shopping Center and just across Village Drive from Stanton Optical. The new branch joins First National Bank’s network of locations, including Big Sandy, Diana, Emory, Gilmer, Lake Fork, Mineola, Mt. Vernon, Ore City, Pittsburg, and Quitman. Bank officials say a special ribbon-cutting ceremony will be announced in coming days.
TYLER — TxDOT schedules another week’s worth of roadwork in the Tyler District. Tyler Maintenance will have a shoulder crew on FM 2089. Flaggers will be controlling traffic. A second crew will be performing ditch maintenance beginning on US 69 near Tyler Pipe. Expect lane closures with flaggers controlling traffic. This crew will then move to various locations throughout the county. Also, expect a sweeper truck and herbicide units performing work throughout the district. Longview Maintenance is scheduled to help perform seal coat operations with Henderson Maintenance crews in Rusk County. Weather permitting, this project will be on FM 3135 north and southbound, just north of US 79. Expect lane closures with flaggers and a pilot car controlling traffic. Click here for a complete rundown of roadwork around the district.
RUSK COUNTY – The Texas A&M Forest Service said that despite recent rainfall, East Texans must do their part to prevent future fires. According our news partner KETK, there are currently 27 East Texas counties under an active burn ban, and the forest service said they are raising awareness so the public will hopefully listen. Officials said even though it rained Thursday it will take consistent rainfall for things to go back to normal, and stress that those who violate burn bans will be fined. “We’re going to have to take a zero tolerance approach to burn ban violations,†Rusk County Fire Marshal Terry Linder said. “The best advice is please heed the burn ban in your county, if not, you’ll likely receive a citation.†Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler is on the receiving end of a very generous gift: $10 million from the Robert M. Rogers Foundation to its School of Medicine to support mental and behavioral health education. In recognition of the gift, the university will name its department of psychiatry the Robert M. Rogers Department of Psychiatry. As quoted in a news release, UT Tyler President Dr. Kirk Calhoun says, “Medical schools thrive on transformation gifts that can have a real impact on our students, our community, and our state. This gift is an opportunity to impact the improvement of mental health across the Northeast Texas region, and the Rogers Foundation Department of Psychiatry is going to be something very special.”
TYLER — The countdown to this fall’s Texas Rose Festival is underway following Friday night’s Kick Off Celebration. Queen Molly Louise Berry tells KTBB, “It feels so great. I’ve been waiting for this for so long, and I’m so excited that it’s actually here. And It’s so wonderful welcoming all the out-of-town guests and welcoming them to Tyler.” How important is it to have the out-of-town guests on hand? Queen Molly says, “It’s extremely important because it brings more tourists and volunteers into Tyler and our community…which makes the festival possible.” Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The city of Tyler is advising drivers of roadwork that will close some streets and cause traffic delays. Among the projects is edge milling on South Palmer Avenue between East Fifth Street and East Front Street Monday, July 18, through Friday, July 22. Also, major road work is planned on Northwest Road near Lake Tyler from FM 848 to dead ends July 18 through August 5. Additionally, the eastbound and westbound lanes of East Elm Street between South Broadway Avenue and South Spring Avenue will be closed from July 25 through July 29. And Crow Road will be closed for construction from Old Jacksonville Highway past Oak Hill Boulevard from July 25 through August 5. Click here for all the details.
TYLER — 32-year-old Jonathan Evans of Whitehouse was sentenced Thursday in Tyler to life without parole for continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14. According to a news release, prosecutors presented evidence that Evans sexually abused a young female family member multiple times over a three-year period. Officials say the victim eventually disclosed the abuse to a family member who contacted Whitehouse police. Further investigation led to Evans’s arrest.
TYLER – A Smith County pastor who was indicted for alleged theft against an elderly couple in 2021 is now facing additional charges. According to our news partner KETK, Jerome Milton was indicted June 16 for two charges: money laundering and property theft greater than or equal to $30,000 or less than $150,000. The indictment said Milton acquired, concealed, and transferred money from “theft, misapplication of fiduciary property, credit card abuse and forgery†and moved the money between bank accounts from Feb. 2, 2017 to Oct. 14, 2021. He also allegedly stole property from the nonprofit East Texas Communities Foundation and Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church between Feb. 2, 2017 and Jan. 5, 2018, said the indictment. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Arguments were heard Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Tyler regarding a hazing lawsuit against Brownsboro ISD involving the varsity baseball team. That’s according to our news partner KETK. The lawsuit alleges that long-time hazing traditions within the baseball team ranged from upperclassmen having new teammates carry equipment to sexual assault. The hearing involved BISD’s second motion to dismiss the case after the first motion to dismiss was denied. The lawsuit holds the district liable for the alleged inaction of the baseball team’s head coach. Punishment was reportedly handed out to seniors in an incident said to have been caught on video. The judge said the ruling on the second motion to dismiss will be made available as soon as possible.
TYLER — The COVID numbers continue to go up in East Texas — and they’re rising “exponentially,” according to NET Health’s Russell Hopkins. Hopkins says people are picking these cases up in such places as retail outlets, churches, and businesses. And he tells us it won’t get better any time soon. According to Hopkins, “We’re behind the gun now…on mitigation measures,” so the numbers will keep going up “for the foreseeable future.” And he says the worst effects will be seen in hospitals and in those who are vulnerable to the virus. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The family of former constable Curtis Traylor-Harris is speaking out after the Smith County District Attorney’s Office released the bodycam footage from the incident relating to his charges. That’s according to our news partner KETK. “There’s been a lot said about Constable Harris that’s just not accurate or true,†said Benet Embry, Traylor-Harris’s brother-in-law and the spokesperson for the family. “He’s not the demon that the media and social media has portrayed.†Traylor-Harris (pictured) had a pre-trial hearing on his theft of property and official oppression charges Thursday morning, and is currently scheduled on the plea agreement docket for August. Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY – Morris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Todd Freeman (pictured) received a citation for allegedly attending a cockfighting ring in Cherokee County in May, according to Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson. According to our news partner KETK, Dickson said law enforcement is also working to get a warrant for an ex-commissioner from Houston County. That person’s name is not being released pending arrest. Officials recently arrested a new person in connection to the incident and issued 50 citations. Deputies are additionally trying to get nine more warrants. Dickson said all the roosters used in the fights will be put down due to orders from a judge. Officials discovered the cockfighting ring on CR 2638. 97 roosters were seized by authorities as well as two trucks and nine trailers.
TYLER – A Winona teen charged with posting a terroristic threat of a school shooting has been found incompetent to stand trial. That’s according to our news partner KETK. The 18-year-old, whom police identified as Tyler Tate, was arrested in December after the FBI National Threat Operations Center received a tip about a possible shooting threat at Winona High School. According to the sheriff’s office at the time, evidence was gathered including documentation of credible threats of death and/or serious bodily injury to individual students at the high school. An arrest warrant was signed by Judge Austin Reeve Jackson for terroristic threat, a third degree felony, and issued for Tate. Tate is still in jail and has been held on a million-dollar bond since his initial arrest in December. The jury trial has been canceled with the court’s incompetence finding.
TYLER — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office says a missing person has been found. Officials had earlier sought help finding George Ethan Black. They now say Black has been located alive and well in Rusk. He had checked into a healthcare facility there and an employee called the sheriff’s office after seeing him on a media outlet.
TYLER – The Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is hosting a meeting to inform the public about Tyler Transit’s intent to use federal funds to buy land for and construct a new transit facility. Although a future site for the facility has not been determined, adding an amendment for the proposed property purchase and future project to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) allows the city to begin actively looking for potential sites, according to a news release. The public meeting will be held Thursday, July 14, from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Tyler Development Center on West Ferguson St. Staff will be on hand to answer questions. If you can’t attend, there are other options for submitting input. Click here for more details.
TYLER — The Tyler City Council Wednesday authorized the city manager to execute construction contracts for improvements to the Southside and Westside Wastewater Treatment Plants and sewer system upgrades. The wastewater treatment contract comes to about $3.66 million, with the sewer system pact totaling some $3.32 million. It’s all being done under a 2017 consent decree with the EPA to address what’s termed the city’s aging wastewater collection system and resulting discharges. Meantime, some news for drivers as the council slates a new traffic signal for West Grande Boulevard and Old Noonday Road, the product of a recent traffic signal study. The design process is estimated to take about six months, and the construction process is estimated to take about a year.
TYLER – A second former sergeant has pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice following the plea agreements of two other former Van Zandt County officers. That’s according to our news partner KETK. Blake Snell, 28, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to felony obstruction of justice in federal court, and submitted a binding plea agreement that once accepted will sentence him to one year of probation. Charges were filed in the federal court on July 1 after his criminal charges in Van Zandt County for the same offense were dropped earlier this year. Snell was charged in Van Zandt County for the alleged misdemeanor of giving a false report during the investigation of former Chief Deputy Steven Craig Shelton. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Smith County Commissioners Court heard Tuesday from several agencies requesting a portion of the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for water and sewer projects in a workshop-styled meeting. According to a news release, no final action was taken in court Tuesday and no money was allocated to any project, but the workshop served to narrow down the existing requests for funding to targeted water and sewer projects likely to be funded. After hearing nine presentations, the Commissioners Court targeted four capital improvement projects to move forward at the present time. The affected entities are Wright City Water Supply Company, Star Mountain Water Supply, the city of Winona, and the city of Lindale. Click here for additional information.
TYLER — Tyler City Council Wednesday received a presentation and recognized the new Downtown Tyler Historic District. The new district was created May 21 by the Texas Historical Commission State Board of Review and will be accepted into the National Register of Historic Places, according to a news release. The designation allows for contributing properties to apply for state and federal tax credit programs, an effort that will fast-track many revitalization projects, according to the release. “It is an exciting time for Downtown and the Tyler community,” said Main Street Director Amber Varona as quoted in the release.The district’s rough boundaries are Front Street, Border Avenue, the Cotton Belt railroad tracks, and Fannin Avenue.