Today is
Thursday June 04, 2026
TYLER – Early Voting for the May 2 City-School Elections ends today. There are several city and school elections, including a special-called bond election for Tyler Junior College.
The cities of Tyler, Hideaway, Lindale and Winona; and the independent school districts of Lindale and Tyler District 4 are having elections. The City of Lindale is also holding a special election for a charter amendment.
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LUFKIN (KETK) – A Lufkin man was sentenced to 20 years in state prison on Thursday after he drove through an Angelina County home and left the homeowner dead in April 2025.
Jorge Urbina Lopez of Lufkin was arrested in April of 2025 after the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office said his Chevrolet truck left the roadway, hit a tree and smashed into a home in Moffett.
70-year-old Robert Bole was found dead inside the home after the truck drove into the home. The truck was later found under a tarp at Lopez’s home, which was just three miles away from Bole’s residence.
Lopez’s home was searched but he was only found after sheriff’s office deputies searched a second location. Lopez was found hiding under a bed and reportedly resisted arrest.
On Thursday, Lopez pleaded guilty to failure to stop and render aid in a collision causing death. The 217th Judicial District Court judge then sentenced Lopez to serve 20 years in state prison. Lopez’s 20-year sentence in state prison started on Thursday and he was given a 357-day credit for time he had already served in jail.
EAST TEXAS (KETK) — A number of cities across East Texas have been named in part of a statewide investigation regarding alleged unlawful property tax increases.
The investigation was launched by Attorney General Ken Paxton earlier this month, claiming that many cities are not complying with Senate Bill 1851, which requires them to complete and publicly post annual financial audits before increasing property taxes.
Due to possible violations of SB 1851, Paxton is demanding documents from over 1,000 cities across the state to ensure they are complying with audit and transparency requirements before raising taxes. The Office of the Attorney General clarified that the investigation of the cities is not for them raising taxes but to ensure they are following compliance with audit and transparency requirements.
East Texas cities that have been named in the investigation include:
*Alba
*Alto
*Arp
*Athens
*Atlanta
*Avinger
**Broaddus
*Brownsboro
*Bullard
*Caddo Mills
*Canton
*Carthage
*Center
*Chandler
*Clarksville
*Coffee City
*Crockett
*Daingerfield
*De Kalb
*Diboll
*Edgewood
*Elkhart
*Emory
*Frankston
*Garrison
*Gilmer
*Grapeland
*Hallsville
*Hawkins
*Henderson
*Hughes Springs
*Jacksonville
*Kilgore
*Livingston
*Lone Star
*Longview
*Lufkin
*Malakoff
*Mineola
*Mount Enterprise
*Mount Pleasant
*Mount Vernon
*Nacogdoches
*New London
*New Summerfield
*Newton
*Noonday
*Ore City
*Overton
*Palestine
*Pinehurst
**Pittsburg
*Point
*Quitman
*Rusk
*San Augustine
*Tatum
*Texarkana
*Troup
*Trinity
*Tyler
*Van
*White Oak
*Whitehouse
*Winnsboro
*Winona
*Zavalla
Paxton added, “I am demanding that cities prioritize transparency and work to minimize the tax burden of every citizen across the state,” Paxton said. “While many cities have complied with these requirements, I will continue to fight to ensure that every municipality across our state is following the law.”
TYLER – Traffic is currently stopped at the intersection of East Gentry Parkway and North Broadway Avenue after two vehicles crashed there on Friday afternoon. According to our news partner KETK, Tyler Police are directing traffic and no injuries have been reported.
TYLER (KETK) — The Texas job market is currently thriving, as the state added 40,000 non-farm jobs in January, signaling economic expansion across many industries.
Recent data from the Texas Workforce Commission shows that Tyler’s employment is 115%, while Longview’s 123%.’
Despite continued job growth across the state, many Texans are struggling to land interviews and find work. Stephen Lynch, with Workforce Solutions, said one of the biggest barriers is knowing where to look.
“Employers scan resumes and they are based upon keywords and they match up to the job description that they have posted,” Lynch said.
Lynch explained that while this may seem like a disadvantage, Lynch notes it can actually help you find your perfect match faster.
Through its GoodBiz job coaching program, Goodwill helps around 700 East Texans each year find employment. Lewis says industries like manufacturing and service jobs are seeing high wages, like those at Amazon and YellaWood.
While the job market in Texas continues to excel, adults attempting to reenter the workforce are still facing challenges in finding work.
“It’s not just one part-time job. In many cases, they need multiple part-time jobs… their Social Security, a pension—it’s just not enough to keep up with the cost of living,” Lewis said.
For East Texans searching for their next role, the jobs are there; however, finding them in a tech-driven world is the challenge.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Singer D4vd has been arrested on suspicion of killing a 14-year-old girl whose decomposed body was found seven months ago in his apparently abandoned Tesla, authorities said Thursday. D4vd’s lawyers declared his innocence.
Los Angeles police said in a brief statement that homicide detectives arrested the 21-year-old Houston-born alt-pop singer, whose legal name is David Burke, on suspicion of murder in the investigation of the killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
Defense attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter responded in an email: “Let us be clear — the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death.”
Police said investigators would present a case to prosecutors at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Monday. The office said in its own statement that it is aware of the arrest and its Major Crimes Division will review the case to determine whether there is enough evidence to file charges.
“There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence,” the defense lawyers added.
It was their first public statement on the case. Authorities did not publicly name Burke as a suspect until his arrest. He was being held in jail without bail.
The singer had been under investigation by an LA County grand jury looking into the death of Rivas Hernandez. The probe was officially secret, but its existence — and the designation of D4vd as its target — was revealed on Feb. 25 when his mother, father and brother filed an objection in a Texas court to subpoenas demanding they testify.
The long-dead body of Rivas Hernandez was found in a Tesla towed from the Hollywood Hills on Sept. 8, a day after she would have turned 15. She was a 13-year-old seventh grader when her family reported her missing in 2024 from her hometown of Lake Elsinore, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. Authorities give her age as 14 when she was killed in court documents.
The 2023 Tesla Model Y was registered in the singer’s name at the Texas address of his subpoenaed family members, according to court filings from prosecutors. It had been towed from an upscale neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills where it had been sitting, seemingly abandoned.
Police investigators searching the Tesla in a tow yard found a cadaver bag “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay,” court documents said, and “detectives partially unzipped the bag and observed a decomposed head and torso.”
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Investigators from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office removed the bag and “discovered the arms and legs had been severed from the body,” according to court documents. A second black bag was found under the first, and dismembered body parts were inside it. No cause of death has been publicly revealed.
D4vd, pronounced “David,” gained popularity among Generation Z fans for his blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. He went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit “Romantic Homicide,” which peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. He then signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records and released his debut EP “Petals to Thorns” and a follow-up, “The Lost Petals,” in 2023.
When the body was discovered, D4vd had been on tour in support of his first full-length album, “Withered.” Later, the last two North American shows, in San Francisco and Los Angeles, along with a scheduled performance at LA’s Grammy Museum, were canceled, as was the European tour that was to have begun in Norway.
TYLER (KETK)– While Texans have experienced an increase in gas prices over the past couple of months, they have felt relief over the past few days as prices begin to drop.
According to AAA, gas prices have declined over the past week as crude oil continues to trade below $100 a barrel following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran earlier this month.
Across the state, the average price of regular unleaded fuel is currently $3.74 per gallon, 13 cents lower than a week ago. The national average has also decreased over the past few days to $4.09, which is eight cents lower than last week, according to AAA.
“Texas drivers are seeing some welcome movement at the pump as crude oil prices remain below $100 a barrel,” Daniel Armbruster, AAA Texas spokesperson, said. “That’s helped ease pressure on gas prices for now, but the situation remains fluid, and any escalation involving the Strait of Hormuz could quickly affect energy markets.”
TEXARKANA, Texas – A Texarkana, Texas man has been sentenced to a lengthy prison sentence for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Timothy Brooks, 46, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 255 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder III on April 15, 2026.
According to information presented in court, a federal drug trafficking investigation led authorities to Brooks. A search of his Texarkana residence in May of 2024 revealed an ice chest containing 10.8 kilograms of methamphetamine. Also located at the residence was a firearm, marijuana and other drugs, and various drug trafficking paraphernalia such as digital scales.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Texarkana, Texas, Police Department; and Miller County, Arkansas, Sheriff’s Office.
MIAMI (AP) — A longtime informant who traveled the world partying with rogue U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents avoided a prison sentence this week after admitting he failed to pay taxes on nearly $4 million he received for years of undercover work.
Andres Zapata was sentenced Wednesday in Austin, Texas, to time served after agreeing to cooperate in a decade-long investigation that has implicated several agents in misconduct, according to two people who weren’t authorized to discuss the ongoing inquiry and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Zapata, 48, was extradited to the U.S. last year from his native Colombia, where he had worked closely with José Irizarry, a former DEA agent serving a 12-year sentence for skimming millions of dollars from money laundering stings to fund luxury travel, expensive sports cars and frat-house style parties.
The DEA paid Zapata, a professional money launderer, $3.8 million from 2015-2020 for his work as a confidential informant, court records show. He pleaded guilty last July to a single charge of failing to report those earnings on his tax returns. Informants are required by the DEA to report such income to the IRS but are rarely prosecuted for failing to do so.
The Justice Department’s criminal division, which prosecuted the case, declined to comment. The DEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Zapata’s lawyer, Don Bailey, argued at the sentencing hearing that it was unusual for prosecutors to target someone who had risked their life helping U.S. law enforcement combat violent cartels for an offense he didn’t even know he was committing.
Zapata and other informants “don’t get 1099s or W-9s,” Bailey said, referring to forms typically filed by independent contractors to report income. “You don’t know what you owe. You sign a piece of paper for money. You don’t get receipts.”
At the hearing, Zapata told a federal judge he was ready to move forward with his life after having spent over a year in a rough prison near his hometown of Medellin awaiting extradition.
“I’ve learned my lesson,” he said, according to a transcript of the proceeding.
U.S. District Judge David Ezra described Zapata at the hearing as having been “very cooperative” with the government. He denied a request by the AP to unseal sentencing records. In sentencing Zapata to time served in Colombia, the judge also ordered the former informant to pay $1.2 million in restitution, an amount reflecting the tax loss to the U.S. government.
Internal DEA records obtained by the AP show the agency first signed up Zapata as an informant in 1998, employing an erstwhile vacuum salesman whose brother-in-law got jammed up for drug trafficking.
Over the next two decades, he became one of the agency’s most prolific informants, arranging covert cash pickups and assisting in investigations from Peru to Los Angeles, the records show, earning more than $4.6 million from the DEA.
But he didn’t supply agents with just tips.
Under the cover of a DEA assignment, the Colombian-American dual national crisscrossed the globe with agents and sometimes prosecutors from Miami in what Irizarry has described as a “world debauchery tour” that flouted strict rules against cozying up to informants.
A secret WhatsApp chat agents used to revel in their three-continent joyride details Zapata’s role procuring prostitutes — and helping what Irizarry coined “Team America” get out of trouble. In 2018, Zapata had been on assignment in Madrid drinking with an agent who was briefly detained and accused of sexually assaulting a woman.
Irizarry told investigators that Zapata kicked back some of the reward money he earned as an informant. He recalled a night Zapata showed up at his apartment in Colombia with a bag containing $40,000 in cash — money Irizarry used to purchase a Tiffany ring for his wife.
Zapata also allegedly served as a go-between for payments Irizarry admitted to taking from Colombia’s “Contraband Czar” Diego Marin — a one-time DEA informant arrested in 2024 in Spain as part of a Colombian bribery investigation. Marin and Zapata appear in a video obtained by the AP partying with agents at a Madrid restaurant.
LONGVIEW – Looking to win the District 3 seat on the Longview City Council, two out of five candidates spoke on issues impacting Longview the most at a forum on Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK, District 3, which covers the south-eastern part of the city from Interstate 20 to north of U.S. Highway 80, has been under councilman Ray Wade since 2018. The seat opened up when Wade campaigned and lost the race to be a Gregg County commissioner during the March primary election.
Five candidates are vying for the seat to represent the district.
“[It’s] the oldest and most culturally enhanced part of our city,” candidate Marlena Cooper said.
Cooper, along with G. Floyd, were the two candidates present at Wednesday night’s forum, organized by the Longview Chamber of Commerce and the Longview News Journal.
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DALLAS COUNTY (THE TEXAS TRIBUNE) – Allen West, the Dallas County Republican Party chair, resigned Wednesday, according to Dallas County Elections Department officials.
The announcement comes after West said on March 17 he agreed to use countywide polling sites for the May 26 runoff election, a decision that drew opposition from some party members.
Dallas Republicans initially planned to hand count primary ballots before scrapping the plan due to lack of staffing. Instead, they chose to require voters to report to precincts instead of countywide vote centers for the March 3 primary, causing chaos and confusion across the county. More than 12,000 voters from both parties showed up at the wrong polling location on Election Day.
West’s resignation, however, was not tied to the Election Day confusion but followed his later decision to support a return to countywide voting for the May runoff.
West did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement, the Dallas County Elections Department said West informed county elections administrator Paul Adams of his resignation Wednesday afternoon. The department declined to comment further.
West had for months supported the use of precinct-based sites for the primary and the elimination of the countywide polling place program, which allows voters to cast ballots anywhere in the county and had been used for years. But in a March 17 statement he said that using assigned precincts again for the runoff would expose the county party to “increased risk and voter confusion.”
“To then shift for the one day runoff election to precincts would bring about large-scale disruption,” West said in that statement in March.
West expected pushback from his own party for that decision.
In a blog post on the party’s website April 6, he said that continuing to use precinct-based voting for the runoff election would expose the county party to “a most dangerous course of action.” He said the party would face a lawsuit “alleging willful and intentional voter disenfranchisement.”
“The decision that I made was one rooted in years of understanding leadership and its responsibilities, namely, protecting your Troops,“ West, a former Florida congressman and Army veteran, wrote. “If there are those who do not see this as noble and honorable, that is fine with me. I have stated my position and under my watch as Chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party will not expose this organization to potential damaging legal efforts.”
Some Republicans in Texas have for years pushed to eliminate the countywide polling place program to eliminate the use of electronic voting machines and instead hand count ballots. It’s a push that began soon after the 2020 election and the lies President Donald Trump spread about the outcome.
Republican critics of countywide voting claim it makes elections less secure because it could allow people“to double or triple vote, though there’s no evidence that countywide voting is less secure. Texas election officials use procedures to prevent double voting, including the use of technology that tracks in real time who has voted and where.
Texas election officials say the countywide voting program, which has been in use in Texas for more than 20 years, allows counties to save money by operating fewer, centralized polling locations with fewer workers and less equipment.
To read this article in its original format, go to The Texas Tribune.
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TYLER – Ahead of the upcoming election, East Texans in Tyler Junior College’s appraisal district are voicing their concerns over a possible rise in property taxes stemming from the college’s $167.3 million bond. The proposed $167.3 million seeks to upgrade three existing facilities — workforce and academic building, student success center and student safety and the IT center — but the number is a major concern for many East Texans.
TJC said that for the average homeowner, the cost breaks down to about $84 a year on a $252,000 home, which is less than a streaming subscription, but it’s still an increase not everyone is sold on. State Republican Executive Committeewoman Christin Bentley argues that for many families, this isn’t just spare change; it adds up.
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CHEROKEE COUNTY – Cherokee County is mourning the loss of longtime constable Eddie Lee, who recently died. According to our news partner KETK, Lee dedicated over 50 years of his life to working in law enforcement and serving his community and was known for his commitment and integrity, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
“His legacy of service will not be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and all who had the honor of knowing him,” the sheriff’s office said.
SMITH COUNTY – Two men were arrested in Smith County on Tuesday after being accused of hanging a dog from a tree, leading to its death. According to our news partner KETK, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a report of animal cruelty at a property off in rural Tyler on March 13. Once on the scene, deputies spoke with the property owner, who said he had found a white dog hanging from a tree in his yard after two unknown men had illegally entered his premises.
Deputies later spoke with residents in the area who confirmed they observed the same two men two or three days earlier and claimed they had the same dog in their possession. After opening an investigation, the sheriff’s office identified the suspects as 17-year-old Jay Stansberry and 33-year-old Billy Perry, both of Tyler. Both men were arrested on Tuesday and charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals. Their bonds have been set at $100,000 each and they are currently being held in the Smith County Jail.