Today is
Friday July 24, 2026
TYLER — With severe weather hitting East Texas Tuesday afternoon, electric utilities and cooperatives are reporting power outages. Our news partner KETK has a county by county power outage list, you can see it here.
TEXARKANA – 
A Dallas man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr. Emmanuel Robles, 39, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder III on May 5, 2025.
According to information presented in court, between 2019 and 2021, Robles conspired with others to bring methamphetamine to East Texas for distribution. During this time, Robles distributed more than 1.5 kilograms of actual methamphetamine. Robles admitted to providing controlled substances to another co-conspirator in July 2019; August 2019; September 2019; October 2019; December 2019; January 2020; February 2020; March 2020; and April 2020. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The City of Tyler will show appreciation for outstanding public servants during Public Service Recognition Week from May 5 through May 9. All City of Tyler non-emergency offices and facilities will be closed Friday, May 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for an interdepartmental event. However, essential and emergency functions will continue. Celebrated since 1985, Public Service Recognition Week is a nationwide public recognition campaign honoring the men and women who serve as federal, state, county and local government employees.
UPDATE: The Nacogdoches Police Department said Donnell was found safe and in good spirits on Sunday.
“On behalf of the Nacogdoches Police Department, Donnell, and his family, thank you to everyone who shared the post or helped in the search,” Nacogdoches PD said.
NACOGDOCHES – The Nacogdoches Police Department are currently searching for a non-verbal autistic boy named Donnell. According to our news partner KETK, Donnel, a black, 15-year-old boy was last seen Sunday afternoon about 3 p.m. Near East Main and Timberlake Street. At that time, he was thought to be wearing a green shirt and blue pajama pants. Officials ask if you see Donnell, to please call the Nacogdoches Police Department at 936-559-2607.
TYLER – A funeral service was held for a fallen Tyler police officer Saturday in Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, Tyler Police Department Officer Sam Lively died April 26 in off-duty motorcycle accident.
Officer Lively had been a member of the Tyler PD since September 5, 2023. Services Saturday afternoon were held at Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, followed by interment which took place at Grove Hill Cemetery in Dallas. Lively’s friend and Smith County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Ryan Boller gave the eulogy at the funeral.
“Sam was special. Sam was exceptional. Sam brightened every room he walked into with his contagious smile and his expressive mannerisms, it made you think sometimes what is this guy on? He’s always on fire. Sam was just driven to his calling to serve,” Boller said.
TYLER – With voting Saturday May 3, 2025 complete, results are available. Our news partner KETK has the complete list. You can find it here.
HARRISON COUNTY – The Marshall-Harrison County Health District confirmed a case of measles in a child younger than five years old on Friday. According to our news partner KETK, officials with the MHCHD, suspect the exposure date and location is April 27 at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Hallsville. Investigators are seeing if this case is connected to the west Texas outbreak.
“Now that measles has made its way into our country, we must remain diligent in preventing its spread,” Harrison County Health Authority and MHCHD Medical Director Dr. Ricky Paul said. “The best protection against measles is to receive the Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccine.”
Officials add that measles is highly contagious and spreads through coughing, sneezing or being near an infected person. People can spread measles from four days before and four days after a rash appears. Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, watery or red eyes and a rash typically starting on the face and spreading downward two to five days after initial symptoms.
UPDATE: The Crockett Police Department has recovered the body of a missing teenager they believe to be Michael Ortiz. Police said they found the body Friday night on County Road 4020, near Box Creek, in Crockett. The investigation is being treated as a homicide. The Houston County Sheriff’s Office along with the Texas Rangers and Crockett Police Department are investigating the case. If you have information, you can contact 936-544-2862. Anonymous tips can also be left at 639TIPS.com.
CROCKETT – The Crockett Police Department is searching for a missing 16-year-old last seen on Tuesday evening. According to our news partner KETK, Michael Martin Ortiz was wearing black jogging pants and a black hoodie when he was last seen. If you have information on the location of Michael Martin Ortiz, your asked to contact Crockett Police Department Detective Humberto Gonzalez by calling 936-544-2021 or emailing him at gonzalezh@crocketttexas.org
TYLER – A Marshall ISD school bus in Tyler was involved in an accident late Friday afternoon. According to our news partner KETK, the accident happened around 5:30 p.m. at the Pilot Travel Center on FM 14. Officials from the district said a car ran into the side of the bus. The elementary school students on board the bus were on a field trip. Another bus was sent to Tyler to pick up the students and staff involved in the accident. They returned to Marshall around 8:15 p.m. No injuries were reporting
TYLER – The city of Tyler in a release said that the Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East boat ramps have reopened. Officials say because of the current high water levels, Tyler Water Utilities urges all boaters to use caution. Boat operators are reminded to stay alert for potential navigation hazards in the area and be aware of their wake to ensure the safety of other boaters and protect nearby properties.
TYLER – 
Officials have recovered a body from Lake Tyler believed to be the 19-year-old missing man. Family has been notified, Smith County ESDS2 officials said, and the body has been taken to the funeral director. The man has ben identified as Eli Swinney, according to Smith County ESD2. Nikki Simmons, the Smith County Community Outreach Coordinator, confirmed that Swinney was found on Monday morning at around 11:15 a.m. Simmons also provided a reason why the search was paused early Monday morning. “We had to take into consideration getting some clear minds out there, and we had such a large grid and really weren’t getting close to anything,” Simmons said. “In addition, because it was such late hours, we really weren’t getting a clear picture of where we needed to look.”
Simmons also confirmed no arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
TYLER — 
A man was arrested in Tyler on Wednesday after a 13-year-old girl told her teacher that a family member was sexually abusing her. According to the arrest affidavit from the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, on Monday, the sheriff’s office was contacted by a CPS investigator who received a report about a 13-year-old girl who told her teacher that she was being sexually abused by a family member. Officials said on Tuesday, forensic interviews by detectives were conducted at the Smith County Texas Child Advocacy Center with the 13-year-old girl and her sister. “During the forensic interview with one girl, she disclosed that Arnulfo Ramierz-Salas, had been sexually abusing her since she was seven years old,” the affidavit said. “She remembers being alone in her bedroom in Tyler when Salas walked in and told her to ‘hush’, pulled up her shirt and began touching her underneath her clothing.” Read the rest of this entry »
TRINIDAD — 
Our news partners at KETK report a Southeast Texas man was sentenced on Thursday to federal prison after stealing funds from Trinidad ISD to purchase trips to Walt Disney World. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Texas, Brandon Delane Looney, 39, of Orange, pleaded guilty to theft from a program receiving federal funds and was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Officials said Looney stole almost $340,000 from Trinidad ISD between 2017 and 2023 while serving as Trinidad ISD’s business manager. Read the rest of this entry »
Tyler, TX – 
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has officially released the 2022-2023 accountability ratings, marking the end of a prolonged freeze on public reporting of school district performance data. This long-awaited announcement confirms what Tyler ISD had already projected using publicly reported data from the last two school years. “Every few years, we see the same recalibration pattern,” Superintendent Dr. Marty Crawford said. “As the agency in Austin has repeatedly inferred, “the C is the new B,” these ratings inferences have baked-in decreases aligned with a more rigorous assessment in the name of continuous improvement. The reality is that Tyler ISD has been and will continue to be competitive, regardless of how the system is adjusted. We’ve thrived through these cycles before, and we’ll continue to do so, advocating for our students and communities while maintaining the high standards East Texans expect from their schools.” While the district rating dropped 10 points from the 2021-2022 school year to the 2022-2023 school year, a trend seen statewide due to changes in the accountability system, Tyler ISD outperformed our comparison schools, garnering 64 distinctions, the highest the district has ever received. That’s a 31 percent increase from the distinctions received during the 2021-2022 school year. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The Houston Chronicle reports that Edward Estrada’s client already had admitted to skimming — installing devices inside gas pumps to steal customers’ credit card information. But the Tyler lawyer wanted to make sure jurors understood that it didn’t rank with more serious financial crimes. As he prepared for the 2019 sentencing hearing, Estrada settled on a comparison. His client wasn’t nearly as bad as Enron, the giant Houston energy company whose executives misled investors for years, he stressed. While his client’s crimes cost victims collectively more than $150,000 — much of it reimbursed by banks — Enron lost billions. The Smith County jury apparently took the differences into account, but not in the way Estrada hoped. Enron executives faced sentences of 45 and 24 years. For his skimming, the jury sentenced Felipe Manuel Nieves-Perez to life in prison — “striking and alarming,” Estrada said. Read the rest of this entry »
KILGORE – 
Our news partners at KETK report officials responded to a Kilgore Walmart after receiving a call on Saturday of a man allegedly firing a flare gun inside, the Kilgore Police Department said. The police department was advised that “the gun had gone off inside the store and the man was walking towards the exit.” Officers arrived at the scene and quickly arrested the man. Upon further investigation, police said that the man “accidentally” set the flare gun off inside, before abandoning it on a shelf and walking away. Read the rest of this entry »
LUFKIN –
Our news partners at KETK report that the Lufkin Police Department said a motorcyclist has been flown to a hospital in Tyler after a crash on West Frank Street on Saturday. According to Lufkin PD, the crash happened in the 1600 block of West Frank Street at around 12:45 p.m. when a gray 2015 Honda Pilot and a motorcycle collided. The Honda was heading east and started to turn left from the middle lane but stopped when officials said the driver saw the motorcycle heading east in the inside lane. The motorcyclist tried to swerve to avoid the stopped Honda but crashed into the back passenger side of the car. The motorcyclist sustained life-threating injuries in the crash and had to be stabilized before they could be flown to a hospital in Tyler.
JACKSONVILLE – A man was taken into custody on Sunday after eight to ten gunshots were fired inside the Super Gallo grocery store in Jacksonville, according to our news partner KETK.
Jacksonville Police Department Chief of Police Steven Markasky said the four hour long standoff started after a man walked into Super Gallo and entered the business office where he fired several gunshots at the ceiling. The business was then evacuated, according to a Jacksonville PD press release. Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson confirmed the man was barricaded inside the office and was occasionally firing rounds into the ceiling. According to Dickson, the local SWAT team arrived at the scene and waited for the Texas Department of Public Safety’s SWAT team to arrive so they could help end the standoff. The Texas Department of Public Safety SRT and Crisis Negotiation Response Team arrived at the store and after four hours of calling out to him, the man was taken into custody without incident, officials said. A press release identified the man taken into custody as Amado Urquiza, 38 of Jacksonville.
Markasky said there were no injuries reported from the shots fired. He added that they’re currently processing the scene for evidence and that there’s no threat to the public as of Sunday afternoon.
Tyler – 
The Empowerment North Tyler Rails to Trails Exploratory Committee invites the community to an informative meeting regarding the inactive rail corridor that runs through the heart of North Tyler. This meeting is open to the public and will take place on Monday, April 21, at 6:00 PM at the Empowerment CDC Complex, located at 309 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Tyler, TX 75702. Read the rest of this entry »
NACOGDOCHES –
Two Nacogdoches residents were arrested for possession of cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana and firearms by the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office early Thursday morning. According to the sheriff’s office, deputies pulled over Luther Levann Jackson, 38, around 11 a.m. for a traffic violation. They discovered an active warrant for his arrest and took Jackson into custody. Later they also obtained a search warrant for Jackson’s residence in the 1700 block of Castleberry Street after an ongoing investigation revealed narcotics were present in the home, the sheriff’s office said. Read the rest of this entry »
DALLAS – KERA reports that North Texas transportation leaders want to restructure transit in the region to solve a dispute with some cities dissatisfied with the system. The Regional Transportation Council voted last week to push for legislation that would see the organization spending the next two years working on a “new transit vision,” said transit director Michael Morris. “I think we need a whole different transportation authority way to deliver transit in the region,” he said. “I think the DART cities are paying more than their fair share for transit. I think there’s lots of communities that aren’t paying any share to transit.”
This comes as a handful of member cities are pushing for state legislation that would cut funding for Dallas Area Rapid Transit by 25%. Two bills would direct a portion of tax contributions to the agency into a general mobility program cities could use for other transit projects. “I think there needs to be legislative change,” Morris said. “I happen to think it’s not the legislation that was introduced.” He suggested gathering the three regional transportation authorities – DART, Trinity Metro and Denton County Transportation Authority – as well as cities, the RTC and the state to file legislation directing the RTC to come up with a new approach to regional transportation ahead of the next legislative session. “The legislature would be instructing the Regional Transportation Council to pull together over the next two years a new vision to deliver transit,” he said. The council also voted to continue mediation between DART and some of its member cities, despite some leaders saying the talks had reached an impasse.
NACOGDOCHES –
A Nacogdoches man was arrested on Tuesday after three different types of illegal narcotics were discovered inside of his vehicle and home. According to the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office, and our news partners at KETK, around 2 p.m. deputies conducted a traffic stop on the 600 block of W Main Street where they asked Michael Anthony Green, 56, of Nacogdoches, if they could search his vehicle and they were denied. Deputies then requested a K9 unit and the dog alerted to the presence of drugs, and a search was conducted. Officials said deputies found a large amount of cash and three different types of of illegal narcotics inside Green’s vehicle including: Read the rest of this entry »
CARTHAGE –
Our news partners at KETK report that a juvenile has been arrested after allegedly making a threat to a local Carthage daycare. The FBI contacted the Carthage police department after a threat was made on social media “showing daycare with alarming text overlay”. An immediate investigation began where officials learned that the suspect was a juvenile and has since been taken into custody. The case will be referred to District Attorney and Juvenile Probation for prosecution, the Carthage police department said.
Tyler – City of Tyler reports that downtown traffic signals are without power, and Oncor estimates power will be restored around 3:30 p.m. on Friday. However, if damage or additional repairs are identified during restoration, the estimated time could be extended. Street crews have placed stop signs and generators at main intersections. City officials remind drivers they should treat a “dark” traffic signal as an all-way stop. Meaning, each vehicle comes to a complete stop and takes its turn to proceed through the intersection.
UPSHUR COUNTY – The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has confirmed 19 cases of measles at an isolated location in Upshur County. According to our news partner KETK, all of the cases have been linked to two people who visited the county from out of the state and at the moment officials state that no known cases emerged from Upshur county residents.
DSHS Officials said in a release, “All affected persons are isolated from the public and are in quarantine at this same location, and are in daily contact with DSHS and are following all the appropriate guidelines.”
Upshur County has advised residents on what to do if they start feeling any symptoms related to measles. They said, “Seek emergency care if the patient has a hard time breathing or breathing faster than normal, signs of severe dehydration, confusion, decreased alertness, or severe weakness, young children having a blue mouth or crying without making tears, or unusually low energy of loss of appetite.”
DSHS reps also said that none of the cases are critical and everyone currently affected are over the age of 17. They added there are no reports of measles cases at any of Upshur County’s public schools, public buildings, county operations or medical facilities.
BEAUMONT – A multi-agency drug task force has arrested 16 people in drug trafficking ring. According our news partner KETK, Operation Take Back America, has teamed up with the U.S. Marshalls Service and the Department of Justice.
A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office said, “This investigation 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — 
Our news partners at KETK report a Longview man was sentenced to 80 years in prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl for four months in 2023. According to the Gregg County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, Justin Taylor Argo, 27 of Longview, was convicted after the ongoing sexual abuse of a six-year-old girl. The testimony at trial revealed that Argo assaulted the child multiple times a week over four months in 2023. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY – Smith County officials announced Wednesday afternoon that all non-emergency Smith County Offices will be closed for business on Friday April 18, for Good Friday. These offices will be back open for normal business hours on Monday, April 21.
LINDALE – 
Smith County Sheriffs Department was involved in a high-speed chase late Wednesday morning leading to the arrest of a suspect firing guns at Hideaway Lake. According to Smith County Sheriff’s Sgt Larry Christian, the first report came in about 11 AM. It said that the suspect, 45-year-old Mason Lowell Ahrens of Hideway, had been firing gun shots out of a pickup truck towards unidentified buildings at Hideaway. By 11-30, deputies pursued Ahrens on highway 69 south through Lindale. He was arrested near Tyler Pipe south of Interstate 20. No injuries were reported.
TYLER –
A Tyler tax preparer has been sentenced to federal prison for her role in a tax refund fraud scheme in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr. Karistha Johnson, 38, pleaded guilty to making false and fraudulent statements on a tax return and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle on April 15, 2025. Johnson was ordered to pay $1,244,934 in restitution.
“Ms. Johnson, in her role as a tax preparer, took advantage of those seeking assistance by filing fraudulent returns,” said Christopher J. Altemus Jr., Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Dallas Field Office. “By fabricating deductions and business expenses, she filed hundreds of false returns, resulting in more than $1.2 million in fraudulent refunds. The women and men of IRS-CI remain dedicated to safeguarding our tax system and ensuring that individuals who engage in fraudulent activities face the full consequences under the law.” Read the rest of this entry »