Today is
Friday July 24, 2026
TROUP –
On Friday, September 19, at approximately 11:45 am, UT Health EMS, Arp Fire, and ESD 2 responded to a medical assist call in the 19200 block of FM 345 near Troup. Once on scene, medical responders smelled a strong odor of feces with multiple kenneled and loose dogs. Smith County Deputies arrived due to the possibility of an animal cruelty case. The animal living conditions were checked and Smith County Investigators were called. It was found that none of the dogs had received care of any kind for at least twelve hours. It was determined that the dogs were not receiving adequate care, food, or water. Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace James Meredith was notified and subsequently signed an animal seizure warrant. Read the rest of this entry »
DALLAS (AP) — Flights at Dallas-area airports were stopped and delayed Friday afternoon due to a telecommunications equipment issue, federal officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was slowing flights to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field because of a reported local telephone company equipment issue. The FAA said the issue did not involve FAA equipment, and they were working with the telephone company to determine the cause. KTBB called both Tyler Pounds Regional Airport and East Texas Regional Airport and could not get a comment.
The FAA expects the delays to continue well into Friday night.
Read the rest of this entry »
MINEOLA – City of Mineola officials say that a water main break has caused the line pressure to drop and a Boil Water Notice has been posted. The area affect is Hwy 80 East from Hwy 69 to Graham Street, from Newsom Street to Blair Street over to Wigley Street, then back down Wigley Street to Hwy 80. Customers in this area will have to boil their water prior to consuming.
To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes. Instead of boiling, you can purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source for drinking water or human consumption purposes.
Once the boil water notice is no longer in effect, the public water system will issue a notice to customers that the boil water notice is over.
TYLER – Oncor Electric Delivery will be doing utility work Thursday, Sept. 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. According to the City of Tyler, the work will be on South Southeast Loop 323. The right, northbound lane between McDonald Road and Tanglewood Drive will be closed. Drivers are asked to anticipate delays and seek other routes. Signs will be posted, and workers will be available to help manager traffic. City officials ask that caution be used when traveling the work zone.
SMITH COUNTY – A 33-year-old man was arrested on Monday after reportedly being caught stealing from a Smith County golf course. According to our news partner KETK, Cody Kovarik was apprehended at a Lindale RV park for the Friday morning burglary at Garden Valley Golf Course. Smith County Sheriff’s Office said video surveillance from Friday captured Kovarik stealing several items from an outbuilding at the golf course.
Kovarik has a history of committing thefts in Smith County. He was listed by authorities as a suspect in an unrelated case from August. Kovarik been charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and burglary of a building. He is in the Smith County Jail. His bond has been set at $125,000.
TYLER – Stewart Funeral Home in Tyler has a way for you to pay your respects to Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was shot to death Wednesday, Sept 10. Stewart will have a register for you to sign, from 8 a.m. To 5 p.m. daily, until Friday, Sept 26. A spokesperson for Stewart Funeral Home told KTBB, that letters to the Charlie Kirk family can be dropped off as well. The register and the letters will be sent to Kirk’s Turning Point USA organization. The memorial service for Charlie Kirk will be Sunday, Sept. 21 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
TYLER- The City of Tyler announced Friday, the Water Business Office payment system, will be unavailable from Friday 6 p.m. to early Monday morning. This is because of required maintenance. City officials apologize for this inconvenience. To accommodate customers, the city will extend the due date for late payment deadlines to Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 10 a.m. During this period, the phone payment system, online payments and drive-thru kiosk will not be available.
This maintenance may also affect cash payments made at local retailers, including Walmart, Dollar General, Walgreens, CVS, and Office Depot. The Water Business Office is located at 511 W. Locust St. and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
SMITH COUNTY – The man who allegedly vandalized the statue of Jesus at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Flint was arrested Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, Smith County Sheriff’s Officers and the county SWAT team apprehended 36-year-old Jordan Grey Clark at his home in Flint. On Sunday September 7, Clark is accused of damaging the face and both hands of the marble statue of Jesus located in front of the church. The statue faces Old Jacksonville Highway. Clark was taken to the Smith County Jail and has been charged with criminal mischief at a place of worship, and his bond has been set at $400,000.
TYLER – On Wednesday Sept. 10, the Tyler City Council recognized an Infants at Work participant, Olivia Alacorn. The council took time to salute Olivia’s six months of service with the City of Tyler.
SMITH COUNTY – A Tyler man was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Monday after he impersonated a 10-year-old wanting to engage in sexual activity with other online users. According to our news partner KETK, Smith County officials started investigating Jodi Mack Hester of Tyler, in January. An investigator received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, about an immediate risk to a child. The electronic service provider, Tagged.com, reported possible online enticement and provided chat logs to the investigator dated from November 2024 to January 2025.
The Tagged.com user ‘Jodimarie’ claimed to have a 10-year-old daughter he wished to involve in sexual activity. The cyber tip included the users’ subscribing information and sexually explicit photos, identifying the suspect as registered sex offender Jodi Mack Hester of Tyler.
Read the rest of this entry »
AUSTIN – 
The Houston Chronicle reports the Texas Senate voted against delaying a controversial East Texas groundwater export project on the same day the company behind it hired one of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s top advisors as a lobbyist. Conservation Equity Management, a company affiliated with Dallas investor Kyle Bass, hired Allen Blakemore on Tuesday, the same day the legislation hit the Senate floor, according to lobbying records filed at the Texas Ethics Commission. Blakemore is Patrick’s political consultant and has also worked on the campaigns of several Republican senators. The Senate, which Patrick oversees, ultimately agreed to back a state-led study of the company’s proposal to pump huge amounts of groundwater out from under Anderson and Henderson counties. But it stripped a provision that would have put the project on hold until the findings came out in 2027. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY – Smith County Emergency Services District 2 broke ground on its twelfth fire station, Station 76 on Sunday. According to our news partner KETK, the new station will provide the unincorporated community of Jamestown with around-the-clock firefighter coverage, quickening response times to fires in the area.
Smith County ESD2 Chief Eric Greaser said Sunday, “We’re just very excited that we’re going to be able to get full time 24/7 coverage by career firefighters that are both trained as firefighters and as EMS professionals, EMTs, advanced EMTs or paramedics that’ll be working out of this facility with all the equipment that they’ll need to save lives.”
Once firefighters start working at Station 76, ESD2 will have 24/7 coverage of Smith County with 10 engine companies and three tender crews.
TYLER – The close of the second special session on Wednesday evening led to a disappointing end for House Bill 27, which would’ve required a study of new water drilling in East Texas. According to our news partner KETK, HB27 would’ve required the Texas Water Development Board to conduct a study on the effects of drilling permits on the Neches and Trinity Valley Groundwater District. HB 27 also pushed for lawmakers to allow a 16-month pause on approving drilling permits during the TWDB study. This leaves East Texans concerned about controversial groundwater drilling in the Neches and Trinity Valley area feeling let down, but not without hope. East Texas lawmakers are vowing to continue the fight.
Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – One lucky East Texan has purchased a Powerball lottery ticket worth $2 million the Texas Lottery Commission announced on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, the ticket was bought at the Super Food Mart on Loop 323 in Tyler. The winner correctly guessed Saturday’s five white ball numbers, 11, 23, 44, 61 and 62 but not the red Powerball number which was 17.
Nationwide, 18 people were able to guess the five white ball numbers, earning them $1 million prizes. The Tyler winner, and one other person in Kansas, increased their prize to $2 million by including the Power Play option when they bought their ticket. The larger $1.787 billion jackpot will be split between two tickets that were sold in Missouri and Fredericksburg, Texas.
SULPHUR SPRINGS – The North Hopkins ISD Field House was damaged in fire that around 4 p.m. Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, the North Hopkins Volunteer Fire Department, Dike Volunteer Fire Department and the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office all arrived on scene and found the fire centered to a small part of the locker room. An official with the Hopkins County FD said one corner of the building sustained medium damage, while the rest of the building had smoke damage. Authorities report no injuries. The fire marshal and and Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office suspect the source of the fire is electrical. An investigation is continuing.
ODESSA – An Odessa College student from Hallsville died Thursday during cross-country practice, the school confirmed Friday morning. According to our new partner KETK,Gage Broomall, a second-year athlete, reportedly collapsed at the start of practice Thursday afternoon. Despite immediate efforts from emergency personnel, he did not survive.
A press release from Odessa College said, “Gage was a valued member of the Odessa College Wrangler family, and his loss is deeply felt by his teammates, coaches, classmates, and all who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time.”
To honor Gage’s life and legacy, Odessa College and the Broomall family have established a scholarship in his name. Those wishing to contribute may do so online at: Gage Broomall Memorial Scholarship Fund.
SMITH COUNTY – Smith County Criminal District Attorney Jacob Putman announced Friday that he will be running for re-election in 2026. Putman has served for the past six years, and during his tenure, the district attorney’s office has expanded from 48 to 85 staff members. In 2024, Putman and his office prosecuted over 7,000 criminal cases, including 4,472 misdemeanors and 2,886 felonies.
Due to the number of cases prosecuted in 2024, the attorney’s office was named a Gold Level Agency, the highest award a victim-friendly practice can obtain from the Texas Victim Services Association.
“I am asking for your support so we can continue our mission,” Putman said.”My office has become a leader across Texas in innovation and excellence.”
Putman will run in next year’s Republican Primary ahead of the November election.
SMITH COUNTY – The Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of mobile home fire that killed one person. The Smith County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call from a person in a mobile home on FM14, in rural Smith County, near Briar Rose Venue. The caller reported a fire at her residence. Fire crews were sent at once to the scene. They discovered heavy fire in front of the mobile home. However, they could not engage in a rescue. After the fire was extinguished, 67-year-old Sherry Denise Jones found inside her home, deceased. The fire remains under investigation by the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office.
SMITH COUNTY – Smith County Road 177 will be closed starting Thursday September 4, as part of the Texas Department of Transportation’s Old Jacksonville Highway widening project. TxDOT has informed Smith County that the road will be closed where it intersects with Farm-to-Market Road 2493, for three to four weeks. Drivers can look for message boards with detour information in the area.
TYLER – A lockdown at UT Health East Texas in Tyler was lifted at around 1 p.m. on Tuesday after reports of a person carrying a gun at the Olympic Plaza. At a press conference that afternoon, Tyler Police Department public information officer Andy Erbaugh, said witnesses saw an argument between two people, when one of them flashed a gun. That’s when the active shooter alarm was activated.
Erbaugh said law enforcement responded to the alert within seconds. While the original call came from the Olympic Plaza, there were reports of a person going to the main hospital using the skyview over the chapel area on the second floor. But, officials didn’t not locate that person. Erbaugh stated the person wanted is a black man wearing green hospital scrubs. He noted, no shots were fired and no injuries have been reported. The hospital is functioning back to normal. Tyler Police asks residents if you see or know something about Tuesdays events, to call law enforcement.
RAINS COUNTY – 
NET Health received confirmation of a travel-related positive case of measles in an adult resident of Rains County, Texas. The individual has voluntarily remained isolated at their residence throughout their contagious period and has recovered from their case of measles. Persons who have been fully vaccinated against measles with two doses of the MMR vaccine have a very low risk of contracting the disease. However, unvaccinated individuals remain at higher risk, as do those in some other groups, including:
Children too young to have received both doses of the MMR vaccine yet
Anyone who have received only one dose of MMR
Those with compromised immune systems Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Our news partners at KETK report that the lockdown has since been lifted, the Tyler Police Department confirmed. During a press conference at around noon on Tuesday, Tyler Police Department PIO Andy Erbaugh said witnesses saw an argument between two people and one of them displayed a gun. At that point, the active shooter alarm was activated. Erbaugh said law enforcement responded within seconds. The original call came from the Olympic Plaza on Beckham Avenue. Other reports stated the person was heading to the main hospital using the skyview over the chapel area on the second floor; however, officials did not locate the person. Other law enforcement then arrived at the scene to help clear the hospital floor by floor. Authorities are currently reviewing footage. Read the rest of this entry »
LIBERTY CITY – A shooting Monday afternoon at Hugh Camp Memorial Park in Liberty City has claimed two lives. According to our news partner KETK, killed were 49-year-old Shawn Blake and his 16-year old daughter, Hailey. The Gregg County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday morning the suspect in the shooting is Christopher Hicks Jr. Hicks was taken to a hospital after suffering self-inflicted life-threatening injuries.
Because Hicks was Hailey Blake’s boyfriend, Deputy Chief Craig Harrington said, “This incident was believed to be a targeted attack and not a random act of violence.”
The sheriff’s office asks if anybody witnessed the shooting, to please contact them.
LINDALE – City officials are closing Commerce Street in downtown Lindale starting on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, the street will be closed for around five to six weeks while crews work on the Highway 16 drainage improvement project. While work is being done, drivers will be able to turn left off of Highway 16 onto Waters Street. The city asks drivers to plan ahead, especially when there is movement with school traffic.
LINDALE – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office confirms 17 people have reportedly been injured after six vehicles and two 18-wheelers were involved in a crash on Interstate 20 near Lindale Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, the crash occurred on Interstate 20, westbound near mile marker 558. Those injured were take to local hospitals for treatment. No fatalities have been reported.
LINDALE – Multiple people have reportedly been injured after several vehicles were involved in an 18-wheeler crash on Interstate 20 near Lindale on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office confirms multiple vehicles and possibly two 18-wheelers in the crash. The crash site is on Interstate 20, westbound near mile marker 558, east of Highway 69. I-20 is closed heading west from Jim Hogg Road.
TYLER – According to a press release from the Tyler Police Department, on Wednesday, August 27th Tyler Police Officers responded to the Wal-Mart located on Hwy 64 W in response to a man picking up a large beverage order that was purchased with stolen credit cards.
An investigation showed that a subject, identified as Israel Arroyo, 43, from Tyler, had made multiple pick-ups from online orders at multiple different Wal-Marts in Tyler with stolen credit cards. On August 28th, Investigators recovered over $5,100 in stolen beverages from Arroyo’s residence. The total amount of theft was over $21,000.
Israel Arroyo was arrested for state felony Debit/Credit Card Abuse. He was booked into the Smith County Jail. The investigation is ongoing, and further charges could be filed.
TYLER — A new hotel is coming to downtown Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, the Blackstone Hotel is being developed by Houston-based company, Valencia Hotel Group. The hotel is expected to have 144 rooms, a 5,700 square-foot meeting space and a ballroom terrace overlooking downtown Tyler.
The Blackstone Hotel is expected to bring in new jobs, create business opportunities and improve city services funded by tourism-driven tax revenue. Incentives for Tyler for the project will be capped at $12 million and will be entirely funded from dollars generated by the hotel. Doyle Graham, the CEO of Valencia, says construction will start immediately, and take about 42 months to complete construction.
LINDALE — 
Our news partners at KETK report a Lindale man was arrested on Monday evening after officer obtained a video of him “slamming” his eight-month-old infant on her side and back, an affidavit revealed. According to a Smith County arrest affidavit, on Monday, deputies responded to a home on County Road 4145 in Lindale due to a call claiming a child was being abused by the father, Tyler Kovalick. The caller also said Kovalick was aware there was a video of the incident. The affidavit explained that deputies spoke with Kovalick, who said that he got off work around 3 p.m. and picked up his children from the babysitter. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY — 
Our news partners at KETK report that human remains found in Smith County on Tuesday morning are believed to be those of a woman who went missing over two years ago. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, a Texas DPS dive team began searching for human remains at around 8:30 a.m. near a pond on 10068 County Road 42 near McDougle Road in New Harmony, the western part of Smith County, after a person found a backpack belonging to a missing person, Courtney Taylor Martin. The sheriff’s office said two young men found her backpack next to the pond on July 3. However, law enforcement had to postpone the search of the pond due to the Kerr County flooding. The human remains that were found will be taken to a forensic institution in Dallas. Read the rest of this entry »