Today is
Thursday July 23, 2026
TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler R. Don Cowan Fine & Performing Arts Center announced its 2026–27 season, unveiling a dynamic lineup that brings some of the most celebrated names in music, Broadway, entertainment and storytelling to East Texas. With chart-topping artists, smash-hit musicals and nationally recognized performers, the upcoming season promises to be one of the Cowan Center’s most exciting and wide-ranging yet.
“This season reflects our commitment to presenting world-class talent across genres,” said Ryan Poynter, Cowan Center executive director. “From iconic rock and country artists to award-winning Broadway and innovative live experiences, we’re offering something unforgettable for every audience member.” Read the rest of this entry »
BEAUMONT – A Mexican national illegally living in the Eastern District of Texas, has pleaded guilty to immigration violations, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Jose Perez-Segura, 41, pleaded guilty to unlawful reentry by a deported alien before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn on May 13.
According to information presented in court, Perez-Segura was arrested by the Lufkin Police Department in August 2025 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Further investigation revealed Perez-Segura was an alien illegal present in the United States after having been previously deported in 2011 and did not have permission to return to the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lufkin Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald S. Carter.
SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Commissioners Court striked down a motion to conduct an audit on previous road bonds in a meeting on Tuesday. According to our news partner KETK, the independent audit would examine how the county has spent millions of dollars from taxpayer-funded road bonds from 2017 to 2021. The motion came to the court after a watchdog group raised concerns about a possible $7 million discrepancy, rising project costs and delays.
Ultimately, the court rejected the motion by a majority vote. Precinct 1 Commissioner Christina Drewry was the sole vote in favor of the audit.
“This is about not repeating the same mistakes,” Drewry said. “We didn’t do a great job of capturing all of the documents, the inspections, the engineering. There are documents that are missing. We shouldn’t have that. The road bond was $84 million.”
VAN ZANDT COUNTY — The Texas Department of Public Safety is seeking any information known of a hit-and-run that left a pedestrian dead on May 8 in Van Zandt County. According to our news partner KETK and DPS, the incident occurred on County Road 2501, rural Van Zandt County at around 11:30 p.m. The pedestrian was walking south and was struck by an unknown vehicle traveling in an unknown direction of travel.
The DPS asks that anyone with any information regarding the fatal crash is urged to contact them at 940-327-9122.
LONGVIEW — A Monday night dispute in Longview ended in violence when a man was stabbed and hospitalized, authorities said. According to our news partner KETK, the Longview Police Department said officers were dispatched to a “reported cutting” in the area of Hawthorne Avenue and East Culver Street on Monday at around 5:52 p.m. When they arrived, they learned two men had been involved in a verbal altercation.
During the altercation, the victim was reportedly stabbed and was taken to a local hospital for life-threatening injuries.
53-year-old Catalino Garcia Ramirez was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He remains in the Gregg County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
CROCKETT – An investigation is underway after an industrial building in Crockett caught fire on Tuesday night, which officials expect to continue to burn for the next few days. According to our news partner KETK and the Houston County Emergency Management Office, the building was identified as Animal Comfort Group. The fire started before 11 p.m.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and is under investigation, the Crockett Fire Department said. There were no reported injuries as of 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
“This fire is contained and will likely continue to burn for a few days,” the fire department said. “CFD will continue to monitor the area and work with property ownership to ensure it remains contained.”
Residents are asked to use caution in the area and be respectful of personnel working the scene.
AUSTIN (AP) – The city of Austin will pay $35 million to three men and the family of a fourth who were wrongly accused of the 1991 rape and murder of four teenage girls at a yogurt shop, a case that initially sent one of the men to death row and another to life in prison, under a tentative settlement reached Tuesday.
Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott, Forrest Welborn and Maurice Pierce had all insisted they were innocent of one of the city’s most notorious crimes. They were finally declared innocent by a judge in February after investigators determined the crime was committed by a suspect who died in 1999.
The settlement must still be approved by the city council at a later date. Details of the payments to the men and their families were not released.
“This settlement closes the final chapter of a devastating story in Austin’s history,” Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax said in a statement. “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with those who were wrongly accused and wrongly convicted in this case and hope that this settlement brings a sense of closure to everyone affected by this horrific event.”
Scott and his attorney Tony Diaz said in a joint statement they are hopeful the settlement will help improve investigation practices and safeguards against wrongful convictions.
“Discussions and negotiations are ongoing regarding police reforms that would help ensure that nothing like what occurred in this case ever happens again,” they said.
Amy Ayers, 13; Eliza Thomas, 17; and sisters Jennifer and Sarah Harbison, ages 17 and 15, were bound, gagged and shot in the head at the “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt” store where two of them worked. The building was set on fire.
Investigators chased thousands of leads and several false confessions before the four men, who were teenagers when the girls were killed, were arrested in late 1999.
Springsteen and Scott were convicted based largely on confessions they insisted were coerced by police. Both convictions were overturned in the mid-2000s.
Welborn was charged but never tried after two grand juries refused to indict him. Pierce spent three years in jail before the charges were dismissed. He died in 2010 in a confrontation with police after a traffic stop.
Prosecutors wanted to try Springsteen and Scott again, but a judge ordered the charges dismissed in 2009 when new DNA tests that were unavailable in 1991 and the previous trials revealed another male suspect.
Investigators determined in 2025 that new DNA science and reviews of old ballistics evidence pointed to Robert Eugene Brashers as the sole killer.
Since 2018, authorities had used advanced DNA evidence to link Brashers to the strangulation death of a South Carolina woman in 1990, the 1997 rape of a 14-year-old girl in Tennessee and the shooting of a mother and daughter in Missouri in 1998.
The link to the Austin case came when a DNA sample taken from under Ayers’ fingernail came back as a match to Brashers from the 1990 killing.
Brashers died in 1999 when he shot himself during an hourslong standoff with police at a motel in Kennett, Missouri.
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TYLER – On Wednesday, May 13, City of Tyler City Council members were sworn into office. Those taking their oath of office included newly elected Councilmembers Clint Childs (District 4) and Carleen Dark-Bays (District 6).
Re-elected Council member Petra Hawkins (District 2) will be re-sworn in at a later date.
Following the swearing-in, the council held its first meeting, where they elected District 2 Council member Petra Hawkins as Mayor Pro Tem. Members of the Council elect the Mayor Pro Tem, who serves in the Mayor’s absence for a one-year term.
SMITH COUNTY — A person has been arrested after a traffic stop in Smith County led officers to the discovery of a suitcase containing over 27 pounds of marijuana on Monday afternoon.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained from the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, deputies initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle on I-20 for traveling in the left-hand lane while not passing. The driver was identified as Reinaldo Hernandez.
Deputies detected the odor of marijuana while speaking to Hernandez. After getting consent to search and being denied, a detective and his K-9 partner conducted a free-air sniff, which resulted in a positive result. They then located a suitcase in the bed of the vehicle. The suitcase contained 25 vacuum-sealed bags containing marijuana. The bags totaled a weight of 27.5 pounds.
Hernandez was arrested for possessing marijuana in an amount equal to or less than 50 pounds but greater than 5 pounds. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on Monday and was later released after posting bond.
TYLER – Traffic signal work at the intersection of Troup Hwy and Loop 323 has now been completed. KTBB talked to Tyler PD Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh Tuesday afternoon and he made the confirmation.
TEXARKANA (KETK) – Two people are dead and one person is recovering at a hospital after a domestic dispute led to a shooting at Texarkana Aluminum early Tuesday morning, the Nash Police Department confirmed. According to our news partner KETK and the Nash PD, the shooting occurred at the facility’s parking lot at around 6:37 a.m. 48-year-old Eddie Hill Jr. was attempting to intervene in what is believed to be a domestic dispute between 40-year-old Wendell Champion Jr. and his wife, who worked at Texarkana Aluminum.
Champion Jr. then shot and killed Hill Jr. and shot his wife. She was transported to a local Texarkana hospital and is in stable condition, the police department said. Champion Jr. then shot and killed himself, Nash PD said. Champion Jr. had been convicted of murder in Harris County in 2010 and was released on parole in 2025.
There is no danger to the public at this time, the police department said. Both Hill and Champion Jr.’s wife were employees of Texarkana Aluminum, which will continue operations as normal but has counseling available for employees.
LIVINGSTON (KETK) – Two people have been arrested after law enforcement discovered a possible pipe bomb near a Livingston home on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, the Livingston Police Department said officers were notified of a possible pipe bomb on Banks Drive and several nearby homes were evacuated as a perimeter was secured.
With the help of the Montgomery County Bomb Squad and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, technicians safely disabled the device and began an investigation.
A search warrant was conducted on a nearby home, leading Livingston PD officers to more explosive components. The home’s residents, 44-year-old Brian Humphreys and 37-year-old Shaney Humphreys, were arrested on the scene for possession of explosives and booked into the Polk County Jail.
“This investigation is still active and more charges are possible,” Livingston PD said. “At this time there is no threat to the public.”
TYLER – John Schnell of Tyler, a junior biochemistry major and Honors student at The University of Texas at Tyler, was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to serve a one-year term as the student representative on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Learning Technology Advisory Committee, effective June 1.
According to a release from UT Tyler, LTAC engages in policy research and discussion on technology use in higher education, making recommendations to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Student representative selection is based on academics, interests and leadership skills.
“We’re so proud of John and the great work he will do representing students across the state,” said UT Tyler President Julie V. Philley, MD.
Schnell will graduate from UT Tyler in May 2028, with a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry. LTAC membership currently includes representatives from public community and technical colleges, universities and health-related institutions, as well as one student member.
NEW YORK (AP) – Rex Reed, the prominent and outspoken film critic and journalist known for his longtime column in The New York Observer, died Tuesday. He was 87.
Reed died at his Manhattan home after a short illness, publicist Sean Katz said on behalf of Reed’s friend William Kapfer.
In a career spanning more than six decades, Reed became one of the most well-known voices in cultural criticism. He published eight books, acted in movies (playing himself in “Superman”), counted movie stars like Angela Lansbury as friends and often found himself in the spotlight for controversial comments. Most infamous among them was his assertion that Marlee Matlin’s Oscar win for “Children of a Lesser God” was a pity vote, and, decades later, comments about Melissa McCarthy’s weight and size in a review for “Identity Thief.” He also perpetuated a false conspiracy theory that Marisa Tomei’s 1992 Oscar win for “My Cousin Vinny” was fake.
When it came to the movies, he had a reputation for being a bit of a crank as well, often bemoaning the old days and feeling out of step with the next generation of film critics.
“I like just as many films as I dislike,” Reed told The New York Times in 2018. “But I think we’re drowning in mediocrity. I just try as hard as I can to raise the level of consciousness. It’s so hard to get people to see good films.”
Reed was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on Oct. 2, 1938, and spent his childhood moving around the South for his father’s job. He told the New York Times in 2018 that his origin story as a “controversial writer” began in the eighth grade, when he started writing a gossip column in the school paper and plotted his exodus to a more cosmopolitan life.
One of his first jobs was in the publicity department at 20th Century Fox, during the making of “Cleopatra,” but he was laid off due to budget cuts. The way he told it, he faked his way into film journalism while gallivanting around Europe with friends and looking for ways to fund a ticket home, including writing a Buster Keaton story for The New York Times. In the 1960s and ‘70s, he established himself as an in-demand magazine and newspaper writer and became a television staple, appearing on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson and “The Dick Cavett Show.”
One of his most famous profiles was of Ava Gardner in 1967 for The New York Times (“There Is Nothing Like This Dame”), which was included in his collection “Do You Sleep in the Nude?” with profiles of Barbra Streisand, Lucille Ball, Warren Beatty and others. His work appeared in Vogue, Esquire, GQ and Women’s Wear Daily. He spent nearly four decades writing about films for the Observer.
Reed also acted occasionally, playing the pre-transition Myron in “Myra Breckinridge” and appearing alongside Laurence Olivier in the Korean War movie “Inchon.” He never married and has no immediate survivors. It was his writing that was his legacy.
“I’d like to be remembered as someone who really tried to make things better,” Rex told his Observer editor earlier this year. “Or at least respected what was good when it happened. Not as a curmudgeon. That’s not what I am in real life.”
UPDATE: The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that Medford is now believed to have left the county.Authorities warn the public not to approach him, describing him as a “violent individual” who poses a threat to community safety. Anyone who spots him is urged to contact law enforcement immediately.
HENDERSON COUNTY – The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office is searching for Ronny Medford, who is a person of interest in connection with the murder of his 84-year-old father. According to our news partner KETK, the sheriff’s office said, the murder took place at Medford’s Payne Springs home on Monday morning.
Investigators have also released a photo of a vehicle they believe picked him up. Medford is considered “a very violent individual” and is suspected to still be in the area.
A district judge has issued an arrest warrant for Medford for murder. An autopsy is pending for his father’s cause of death. Read the rest of this entry »
LUFKIN (KETK) – Officials are warning residents that scam artists are allegedly impersonating Angelina County law enforcement officers and demanding East Texans send them Bitcoin payments. According to our news partner KETK and the Lufkin Police Department, scammers are impersonating a deputy from the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office, where they call residents to claim that they’ve missed jury duty and must pay thousands of dollars to make up for it.
The scammers can make their call appear as if it’s coming directly from the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office but officials insist these calls are not real and should be promptly ignored.
“This scam is oftentimes done by scammers posing as other state and federal agencies, as well,” Lufkin Police Department Chief Travis Brazil said. “These scammers will always create a sense of urgency to make the victims panic and pressure them into paying quickly.”
Scammers will ask residents to make these payments through the new Bitcoin cryptocurrency ATMs that can be found at many convenience stores around the country. Usually, once a Bitcoin transaction is made, police can’t recover any of the funds from scammers, but luckily, Lufkin Police detectives were able to retrieve over $10,000 from a Bitcoin ATM last week after residents reported making their payment to the sheriff’s office.
Similarly, Angelina County Sheriff Tom Selman said a local woman recently showed up to the sheriff’s office with cash in hand and was able to keep her money because she couldn’t figure out how to use a Bitcoin ATM to make the payment that scammers demanded.
“None of these calls are real,” Selman said. “These are scammers scaring you by threatening jail time to get your money. Once the scammer empties the Bitcoin machine, the money is gone and we cannot trace it.”
The Diboll Police Department also warned of similar scams reported in their area, where scammers ask for gift cards and tell residents that they’re under a gag order and can’t talk to anyone about their illegal demands for payment.
“No law enforcement officer will ever call you and ask for any immediate payment in lieu of jail. We do not ask you to get gift cards of any type and we do not ask for you banking information, ever! We will not tell you that you are under a gag order and cannot contact anyone,” Diboll PD said. “If you have received any phone call or text and you even suspect it might be a scam, google the number for your local police department or sheriff’s office, call them and ask.”
The sheriff’s office and Lufkin PD are working to stop these scams but the best way to stop them is for East Texans to learn that these people are only after your money and that no one should ever have to call you for missing jury duty or to pay off a warrant.
“Neither department will call residents about missing jury duty,” Brazil said. “Please hang up on these callers and call either the Lufkin Police Department or the Sheriff’s Office to report the call. Notifying our offices will help you verify it is a scam and will give us more information to track down these scammers.”
Selman agreed and noted that nobody will get a call before being arrested.
“If there is a warrant for your arrest, we will come and arrest you. No one is arrested for missing jury duty,” Selman said.
The Smith County Sheriff’s Office has called for these Bitcoin ATMs and all cryptocurrency machines to be banned at the state level, in light of these recent scams.
LIVINGSTON (KETK) — A member of the Livingston Police Department was fired and arrested on Monday after being accused of having an improper relationship with a student.
According to the department, they were notified by Livingston ISD on May 1 regarding allegations of Ryan Boyd, a 45-year-old police officer, having an inappropriate relationship with a student.
Boyd was subsequently removed from the school campus and was placed on administrative leave while the department opened an investigation.
Boyd was terminated on Monday and was taken into custody by the Texas Rangers. He was later booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with having an improper relationship between educator and student.
“LPD understands incidents like this can damage public trust,” the department said. “We want our community to know that these allegations were taken seriously from the beginning. We remain committed to transparency, accountability and protecting our community.”
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Polk County District Attorney’s Office at 936-327-6868.
KILGORE – Injuries have been confirmed following a multi-vehicle crash on State Highway 31 on Monday afternoon. According to our news partner KETK, the Kilgore Fire Department, is currently on the scene of the crash on Highway 31 near FM 3053. Road closures and delays are expected over the next few hours, the department added.
DESOTO PARISH, La. – A Tyler man is dead after a single-vehicle crash happened in DeSoto Parish, La. on Sunday. According to our news partner KETK, the incident happened on Sunday, May 10, at approximately 6:00 a.m. on Louisiana Highway 175, near Louisiana Highway 5. According to the Louisiana State Police, the victim was traveling south on Louisiana Highway 175 when, for reasons currently under investigation, his vehicle went off the road and overturned.
The victim was identified as 35-year-old Delon Perkins, of Tyler. Investigators said he was properly restrained during the crash and was pronounced deceased at the scene. Impairment was not suspected, but toxicology samples were collected and submitted for analysis. The investigation into this crash is ongoing.
LONGVIEW — A wanted fugitive and known Latin Kings gang member was arrested in East Texas on May 7 for his alleged involvement of a 2024 murder in New Jersey. According to our news partner KETK, the FBI said , Ricky Vargas was wanted for allegedly stabbing a man to death outside of a bar in Garfield, New Jersey on Feb. 4, 2024.
A state warrant was issued for his arrest the next day, charging him with first degree murder, causing serious bodily injury, leaving the scene of a crime and two possession of a weapon charges.
On Feb. 7, 2024, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Vargas in the U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, Newark and New Jersey after additionally being charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
While searching for Vargas, the FBI was offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information leading up to his arrest. On May 7, Vargas was apprehended by FBI Dallas and FBI Newark in Longview.
JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville College honored one of its students with a posthumous degree this weekend after he was killed in a club shooting on March 22. Students, parents and educators gathered at Central Baptist Church in Jacksonville on Saturday for Jacksonville College’s graduation ceremony. One graduate who couldn’t walk the stage was Jacksonville native Keion Dewayne Redd.
Redd had earned the credits to complete his associate’s degree but was tragically killed as an innocent bystander in a March 22 club shooting in Smith County. Jacksonville College honored Redd on Saturday by presenting his associate’s degree to his mother, who walked in his place.
“This moment is about celebrating Keion’s accomplishments, the life he lived, and the future he was working toward,” Jacksonville College said. “His family wants him to be remembered for who he was, the people who loved him, and the milestone he earned.”
TYLER – Starting Monday, May 11, Consent Decree capacity improvements are moving to South Bonner Avenue between West Front Street and West Woldert Street. Work is expected to take approximately one week, weather permitting.
For Caldwell Elementary School dismissal, parents should enter for pickup on South Bois D’Arc Avenue, south of the intersection at West Elm Street. The Caldwell Middle School students, parents should enter the dismissal line at South Bois D’Arc Avenue and West Front Street.
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MARSHALL – A Marshall man was arrested on Tuesday evening after being charged with continuous sexual assault of a child under 14.
According to our news partner KETK and the Marshall Police Department, Craig Shady was arrested at his home on Baffo Road and Karnack Highway, after an arrest warrant was obtained in connection to their ongoing investigation.
The department said that, due to the sensitive nature of the case, no information about the victim will be released. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the department at 903-935-4575 or the Harrison County Crime Stoppers tip line at 903-935-9969.
“The Marshall Police Department remains committed to protecting victims, preserving their privacy, and thoroughly investigating crimes against children,” the department said.
SMITH COUNTY – Smith County Animal Control and Shelter held its first rescue coordination meeting with local animal rescue groups on Thursday. This initial gathering follows updated policies adopted by Smith County last week, aimed at improving communication and coordination with rescue organizations.
Local animal groups previously raised concerns about communication and coordination, particularly when the shelter operates at or near capacity. Part of the meeting’s conversation centered on the county’s two-tier system for animals.
This system categorizes animals into a “highly adoptable” tier and a “rescue and reclaim” tier. The “rescue and reclaim” tier includes animals designated for euthanasia. Rescue groups believe the “rescue and reclaim” list should be made public so they can identify which animals require immediate assistance.
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LIVINGSTON (KETK)– After being sentenced to death earlier this week, the man responsible for the murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand has been transported to a correctional facility in Livingston.
Former FedEx driver Tanner Horner received the death sentence on Tuesday after pleading guilty earlier this year to murdering Strand in 2022. Horner was given the sentence by a jury in a Fort Worth courtroom that heard nearly a month of testimony and evidence, including audio from Strand’s final moments before her death.
Horner was arrested in December 2022 and charged with capital murder after Strand’s body was found in Wise County. It was later revealed that Horner had kidnapped Strand from her home while he was delivering a package and subsequently strangled her to death nearly an hour afterward.
Horner will now remain at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston for the foreseeable future until a date is scheduled for his execution.
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LANEVILLE – Laneville ISD certified its election results Thursday night, even as residents questioned the integrity of a bond measure that passed by just 16 votes and urged the board to delay the decision. On Saturday, May 2, Laneville ISD’s $8.5 million bond that aims to improve facilities, safety, and infrastructure while also supporting the district’s educational environment passed with 53% of the vote.
Laneville ISD Bond Vote
149/52.84% voted FOR the bond measure, while 133/47.16% voted AGAINST it.
Voters argue the election lacked basic ballot security, saying the makeshift box failed to meet Texas Election Code standards and left ballots easily accessible — a flaw they believe undermines the integrity of the entire election.
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