Today is
Monday June 15, 2026
SHELBY COUNTY – Wednesday Gov. Greg Abbott added two more East Texas counties to the state’s disaster declaration. According to our news partner KETK, Morris and Shelby counties were included due to widespread electrical infrastructure damage. They join Franklin, Harrison, Marion, Upshur, Wood, Camp, Gregg, Hopkins, Panola, Smith and Titus counties on the state disaster declaration list. By having the disaster declaration, the counties will get more state resources, personnel and equipment to help deal with last week storm damage.
Tyler — UT Health Tyler has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR (National Cardiovascular Data Registry) Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2023. UT Health Tyler is one of only 262 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.
The award recognizes UT Health Tyler’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that UT Health Tyler has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations. Read the rest of this entry »
EAST TEXAS — The East Texas Food Bank (ETFB) will distribute fresh produce and emergency food boxes at multiple locations in East Texas this week to assist East Texans impacted by the power outages. Last week’s severe weather storm caused widespread power outages and damage, with several East Texas counties being part of the state’s disaster declaration. The emergency boxes contain shelf-stable food including cans of food and personal hygiene items. The distributions are open to the public while supplies last. No ID or paperwork is required. To find the schedule for this and other East Texas Food Banks events click here and select “find food.”
HARRISON COUNTY – A 35-year-old lineman has died after working in the heat trying to restore power to East Texans. Harrison County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Judge John Oswalt told our news partners at KETK that on Monday, the 35-year-old lineman told co-workers he was feeling overheated and not well. Oswalt said the worker was taken back to his hotel for a medical evaluation to rehydrate and take a cold shower. After the evaluation, Oswalt said the heat exhausted lineman told co-workers and evaluators that he was feeling better so they left him to recover and rest for while they went back out to work. When the lineman’s roommate return to the hotel later that day, Oswalt said the lineman was found on the floor unresponsive and called for medical help. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A Bullard man was indicted for impersonating a public servant in Smith County. According to our news partners at KETK, Jason Fears, 35, was arrested in January after officials said he flashed red and blue lights and made a hand signal at someone to pull over. The incident happened in Chandler, and the man Fears attempted to pull over called law enforcement. According to officials, the caller followed Fears to Tyler and he was later pulled over for speeding. After learning about the incident, Fears was arrested for impersonating a public servant, and booked into Smith County Jail. Fears was indicted on May 4 for exercising a function of a public servant without legal authority by performing “a traffic stop using emergency flashing lights,†according to the indictment. Fears was booked into Smith County Jail on Saturday following his indictment, and was released the same day after posting a $75,000 bond.
TYLER – ERCOT issued a voluntary conservation notice on Tuesday due to extreme temperatures and forecast record demand, according to our news partners at KETK.
The notice is in effect Tuesday from 4 p.m. from 8 p.m.
ERCOT said they are also requesting all government agencies to implement all programs to reduce energy at their facilities. On Monday, ERCOT said they broke the June peak demand record and said they are using additional tools to manage grid reliability.
Chapel Hill, Texas – Chapel Hill Independent School District has partnered with Mentoring Alliance (M.A.) to offer parents the option of after school childcare. The new program led by M.A. starts August 16 and offers families of children in Kindergarten through the 6th grade an affordable childcare option.
“As we increase parent and family engagement in Chapel Hill ISD, we are so excited to bring this program to our community that offers families affordable childcare,†said Ellie Perez, Parent and Family Engagement Coordinator. “While this program has existed in the Tyler area for years, we are proud to grow our community partnerships to now include an expanded after school program with the Mentoring Alliance.†Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Workforce Solutions East Texas is honored to host and extend an invitation to the Veterans Job Fair, a special event dedicated to honoring and supporting the brave men and women who have served our country with honor and dedication. This job fair aims to provide veterans with valuable opportunities to explore potential career paths, connect with reputable employers, and take decisive steps toward a fulfilling post-military career. Read the rest of this entry »
KILGORE — Like many schools and businesses, Kilgore College was closed Monday due to last weeks severe weather. According to college spokesperson Chris Craddock, they will resume regular business hours Tuesday. Craddock pointed out that KC is thankful for the dedication and hard work of the linemen out in the field that made this possible.
LONGVIEW – The Texas Department of Public Safety announced that Interstate 20 will be closed in both directions for 30 minutes around 3 p.m. today near Eastman Road in Longview.
The closure is needed to allow SWEPCO to install new power lines across the roadway.
Officials said detours will be in place to allow drivers to to take alternative routes.
GREGG COUNTY — With storms leaving the area in disarray, our news partners at KETK report that Gregg County has declared a state of local disaster on Monday. The declaration states: Severe weather conditions occurred in Gregg County, Texas on June 16, 2023 causing catastrophic damage to electric infrastructure. The event resulted in widespread power outages throughout the county, affecting the majority of residents and businesses. The damage to power transmission lines, substations, and other critical infrastructure has significantly impaired the ability to restore electricity in a timely manner. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – The City of Longview announced that recycled items will not be collected the week of Monday June 26. This is to allow residents to use recycling bins for food waste caused because of the recent power outages. Recycling services will hopefully resume Monday July 3. Officials also say that crews will pick up storm debris, and this won’t count against yearly bulky item pickups. Residents with yard waste need to contact the Public Works department or submit a work order through CitySend. Storm debris length must between 3 and 10 feet in length. Branches less than 3 feet have to be bundled. If you need more information click here.
VAN – The Van PD has a notice for drivers in their area of I-20. According to our news partner KETK, officers have talked to drivers who have found homemade spikes on the interstate. Several spikes have been found on westbound I-20 between mile marker 543 and 544. Police say this is the third time in over two weeks a spike has found. So far no one has been injured, not the same luck for the motorists tires.
SMITH COUNTY – On June 2 and June 13, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office received two separate calls involving deadly conduct near the intersection of FM 16 and FM 14 in the northern part of Smith County. Both of the unrelated callers reported being shot at by a male driving a black Jeep SUV under similar circumstances. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division began investigating the incidents and determined that they were related based on video footage of the suspect vehicle. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – The dedication ceremony of a portion of Guthrie Creek Trail in recognition of Frank “Penny” Edwards, originally set for 10 a.m. today, Friday, June 16, has been postponed and will be rescheduled.
The City of Longview is recovering Friday morning from a severe, overnight storm. As such, this dedication will be rescheduled to a later date and time to ensure Edwards’ service to our community is able to be fully celebrated and remembered.