WOODLAWN –
Our colleagues at KETK report that Woodlawn Volunteer Fire Department ESD#6 members Justin Blassingame and Mitchell Guffey are driving a trailer full of boxed food to help those in need in the Texas Panhandle. As Texas’s largest wildfire ever continues to burn, help is pouring in from across the state including here in East Texas. The Harrison County Fire Marshal’s Office thanked Blassingame, Guffey and several others for their work to get these supplies to where they’re needed. Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL –
The City of Marshall said that a fire that happened at a home in the 800 block of Alvin Street on Friday has displaced a family of five. According to our colleagues at KETK, a large plume of black smoke was seen from the fire station and when firefighters arrived they saw fire coming out of the windows of the home. No injuries were reported and all five family members had safely left the home. However, the home was severely damaged by the fire and the Red Cross has been notified to help the displaced family.
TEXARKANA –
The Texarkana Police Department said that they arrested a man on Saturday after he was reportedly seen at a local McDonald’s with a machete and a whip according to our news partners at KETK.
Around 10 a.m. on Saturday, Texarkana PD said they received a call about a suspicious person with a machete and a whip at a McDonald’s near New Boston Road.
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ATHENS –
Cattle auction prices have risen to record numbers in part due to East Texas rancher’s reducing their herd sizes in response to the 2022 drought.
“We actually had record-high calf prices last week in parts of Texas,†David Anderson, extension economist with Texas A&M AgriLife, said.
Due to the extreme drought in 2022, East Texas ranchers resorted to selling their cattle resulting in increased cattle sales for the Athens Commission Company.
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PARIS –
Our news partners at KETK report that a recent development in a murder case from 1996 has led to a Hopkins County Jail inmate being under investigation. According to the Paris Police Department, a DNA analysis reportedly reveals that it was likely that David Davy, a current inmate of Hopkins County Jail on unrelated felony charges, was present during an aggravated assault that resulted in a death in 1996. Read the rest of this entry »
GREGG COUNTY –
Our news partners at KETK report that during this year’s early voting primary, Gregg County voters surpassed the early voting totals reached in the 2022 and 2020 primaries. According to data provided by Jennifer Briggs, the Gregg County Elections Administrator, 7,068 people voted early in the 2024 primaries, compared to 6,762 early votes in 2022 and 6,709 in the 2020 primaries. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER –
The Tyler Police Department said they are searching for a woman suspected of pulling a gun at a man at Discount Tire on Friday according to our news partners at KETK. According to Tyler Police Department PIO Andy Erbaugh, at around 1 p.m. a woman was getting her vehicle serviced at the Discount Tire on Loop 323 when a man attempted to repossess her vehicle. The woman reportedly pulled out a gun on the man who then stopped trying to hook up the vehicle. The woman allegedly drove off and police are now working on an arrest warrant. Erbaugh said they know the identity of the woman but will not release the information as the investigation continues.
HENDERSON COUNTY –
Five people accused in the 2022 kidnapping and torture of a woman found in Athens were each sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication after either pleading guilty or nolo contendere to engaging in organized criminal activity, according to our news partners at KETK. Six people have been charged in the case, with the sixth person set to start pre-trial on March 19. All of them were initially arrested for aggravated kidnapping and later indicted for engaging in organized criminal activity. They were accused of holding a woman they had met online against her will in a home for a week as she was “severely tortured.†Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – It was a guilty verdict for a Longview man in the 2020 shooting death of Valerie Hackett. According to our news partner KETK, 41-year-old Brandon Harris shot and killed the 24-year-old Hackett Jan. 30, 2020 at the Ware Meadow Apartments in Longview. Harris was indicted for capital murder June 28, 2023. His trial began on Monday and concluded with the guilty verdict by a jury.
MARSHALL – A Marshall man has been given a 25 year prison sentence for first-degree murder. According to our news partner KETK, 23-year-old Jakeous Jamal Johnson received that sentence in the death of 50-year-old Cedric Eugene King. King was shot to death early morning Thursday June 17, 2021. Johnson was arrested at the scene and booked for first-degree murder. Johnson pleaded guilty to that charge Wednesday and sentenced the same day.
TYLER –
The Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary in Tyler has come to a settlement in an Endangered Species Act lawsuit brought against them by the Animal Legal Defense Fund in March of 2022. The settlement forces Tiger Creek, to make “significant changes to the facility and level of care being provided to the animals†in order for them to come in full compliance with the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s (AZA) standards with in two years. According to the ALDF, an agreed upon neutral third party auditor will make visits to the sanctuary in the lead up to their two year deadline to become AZA compliant. Tiger Creek, who continues to claim the allegations against them are baseless, has also reportedly agreed to become AZA accredited within five years of the settlement’s execution. If Tiger Creek fails to make the necessary changes required to become AZA compliant, all of their endangered and threatened animals will be transferred to the facilities of ALDF’s choosing, per their agreement. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Caldwell Zoo announced on Wednesday that they had been made aware of a scam involving fraudulent tickets. According to our news partner, zoo officials said in release the best way to be sure your tickets are real is to get them from Caldwell Zoo. You can do this in person at the zoo or online here.
KILGORE – The Kilgore Police Department asked for the your help and found a woman with dementia, who her family thought was missing . According to our news partner KETK, 77-year-old Dortha Jackson Wilson was seen turning onto I-20 near Kilgore near noon. Officers were notified they say, “She is fine, and her family has been contacted.â€