Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
LONGVIEW – Ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton, several Longview Fire Department members are traveling to assist. According to our news partner KETK, the fire department said six of their water rescue team members were activated on Monday to travel to Alabama and assist the Texas Task Force. Officials added that two others from the LFD are on stand-by for the Emergency Medical Task Force.
According to the Associated Press, Milton, a current category four hurricane, is on the path to directly hit Tampa Bay and is expected to make landfall on Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning.
“Please keep these members in your thoughts and prayers for a safe deployment as well as the citizens in the affected area,†Longview FD said.
BULLARD – The City of Bullard has hired a new city manager. According to our news partner KETK, the new city manager is Pam Frederick. Frederick is not unknown to city hall. She was formerly the mayor and a city council member from 2003-2022. Frederick is currently the Smith County Commissioner for precinct 1.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue serving our community,†Frederick said. “The experience, knowledge, and relationships I will bring with me to this position will have a positive impact on Bullard as we continue to grow.â€
According to a release from the city , the previous city manager, David Hartman, accepted a role for the City of Henderson. Frederick will assume her position as city manager Nov. 12.
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SMITH COUNTY – 
On October 7, 2024, a jury sentenced Defendant David Lloyd Stanley to life in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for committing the offense of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child. Prosecutors presented evidence at trial proving that the Defendant sexually abused the child victim from the ages of 7 to 12. Prosecutors also proved that the Defendant possessed thousands of images of child pornography on his cell phone. The cell phone evidence further established that the Defendant had solicited underage girls for sex. The case was tried by Assistant District Attorneys Richard Vance, Catherine McQueen, and Scott Severt in the 475th District Court with the Honorable Judge Taylor Heaton presiding.
SMITH COUNTY – The Smith County Commissioners Court voted on Tuesday, October 8, to issue a burn ban for the county. As of Tuesday morning, the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) for Smith County was at 709. The KBDI ranges from 0 to 800 and is used to determine forest fire potential. Smith County saw about 50 grass fires from September 23 through October 6, Smith County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue reported.
On Monday, October 7, a controlled burn that was left unattended damaged two buildings and burned more than 2 acres, he said. Hogue said the humidity is expected to drop this week. That, and with no rain in sight, the fire danger is increasing. He recommended that the Commissioners Court issue the “Order Prohibiting Outdoor Burning.â€
The burn ban order is in effect for 90 days, unless conditions improve, and the Commissioners Court approve terminating the order early. Read the rest of this entry »
NACOGDOCHES – The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has awarded Stephen F. Austin University a $250,000 grant to enhance its nursing program. According to our news partner KETK, SFA was selected out of 26 other institutions to receive the Student Success Acceleration Program 2.0 grant in order to help address the shortfall of nurses nationwide.
Dr. Marc Guidry, associate provost for the Division of Academic Affairs said in a release, “This grant supports two of SFA’s marquee programs at once, nursing and social work. I am especially pleased that all the money goes to students in the form of scholarships, stipends and supplies. The resources provided by this grant will enable more of our nursing students to persist and graduate with their registered nurse license while providing hands-on training for our graduate social work majors. It is a double-win for SFA and the state of Texas.â€
RUSK – Rusk ISD schools briefly were on lockdown status Monday morning after an accused murderer reportedly escaped from Rusk State Hospital. According to our news partner KETK, Juan Carlos Vasquez Rojas has been at the hospital since September after he was arrested for felony murder in Harris County. Rojas reportedly escaped while being taken from one part of the hospital to another.
Schools in the area went on lockdown while the Rusk and Cherokee County law enforcement searched the area. Rojas was captured not long after and the lockdown was lifted. Liberty County district court sent Rojas to Rusk State Hospital for a competency assessment before he can stand trial for the murder charge.
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LINDALE – 
Our news partners at KETK report a road extension project that has been in the works for almost seven years has broken ground in Lindale. According to City of Lindale officials, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the extension of East Centennial Boulevard on Saturday. East Centennial Boulevard, that intersects Highway 69 and runs between Lowe’s and Walmart, will extend to meet Jim Hogg Road. Lindale Mayor Gavin Rasco took part in the groundbreaking and said construction is set to begin. Read the rest of this entry »
AUSTIN -Â A Longview resident claimed a top prize winning ticket worth $1 million in the Texas Lottery. The ticket was purchased at a Food Fast convenience store, located at 3305 South Eastman Road, in Longview. A release from lottery officials said, the prize winner has elected to remain anonymous.
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SULPHUR SPRINGS – 
Our news partners at KETK report the Sulphur Springs Police Department is asking the public to help identify a man who was seen in security footage during a robbery on Saturday. Sulphur Springs PD said that the aggravated robbery happened at the Eagle Food Mart at 500 Main Street at around 11:04 p.m. on Saturday. They described a man seen on video from the store as a 6-foot-tall man who was wearing all black. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sulphur Springs Police Department detective Brian Shurtleff at 903-885-7602 or Crime Stoppers at 903-885-2020.
PALESTINE – 
Our news partners at KETK report the City of Palestine has announced that there will be a planned water outage from 6 p.m. on Monday to 4 a.m. on Tuesday. The residents in the following areas will be under the temporary outage:
N. Sycamore St. from Spring St. to Erwin St.
Crawford St. from Houston St. to John St.
W. Oak St. from N. Sycamore St. to Queen St.
Magnolia St. from W. Crawford St. to Main St.
Any questions can be directed to the City of Palestine Public Works Department by calling 903-731-8423.
EAST TEXAS — The Atlanta District of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced repairs for 15 bridges in East Texas will get underway in the coming months, according to our news partners at KETK. “We will be making repairs to the concrete decking, replacing bearing pads, and cleaning joints,†said TxDOT Mount Pleasant Area Engineer Wendy Starkes. The work is expected to start in December and will take about 22 months. Titus, Morris and Bowie Counties are all slated for repair projects.“Bridges scheduled for this work are on Interstate 30 in Titus, Morris, and Bowie counties and on State Loop 151 in Texarkana.†Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – 
The Longview Police Department said that a 19-year-old was arrested on Saturday after a fatal shooting on Baylor Drive, according to our news partners at KETK. Longview PD said that officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 1300 block of Baylor Drive at around 12:40 a.m. on Saturday. When they arrived at the scene they reportedly found the body of Robert Rayson, 25 of Longview, who had died from the shooting. A statement from Longview PD reported that the shooting occurred after an altercation started inside a home on Baylor Drive. Everyone at the scene of the shooting was interviewed and Longview PD said those interviews led to the arrest of Deleontre Mitchell, 19 of Longview. Mitchelll has been arrested for murder and was taken to the Gregg County Jail, according to Longview PD.
POLK COUNTY – 
Our news partners at KETK report that a wanted East Texas woman and her passenger were arrested after deputies discovered methamphetamine during a traffic stop, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said. According to the sheriff’s office, deputies saw a vehicle travelling in the Blanchard area commit a traffic violation on Sept. 26 and decided to conduct a traffic stop. “During the stop, officers discovered probable cause to search the vehicle, leading to the seizure of methamphetamine,†PCSO said. The sheriff’s office said the driver, identified as 37-year-old Marlena Anne Toomey, of Livingston, gave deputies a “government document†with false information. Read the rest of this entry »