Today is
Sunday July 26, 2026
LONGVIEW — One person was arrested for arson early Wednesday morning in Longview after their home caught fire. According to Longview Fire Department and our colleagues at KETK, they responded to the scene at 404 East Shofner around 3 a.m. for a reported structure fire. Crews reportedly found heavy fire and smoke conditions coming from two windows on the rear corner of the house. “The room of origin was determined to be in a back bedroom and the fire had spread into the attic,†officials said. “There were no reported injuries.†Officials said that crews were able to bring the fire under control in about 10 minutes, and the lone occupant of the home was questioned and later arrested for arson. Longview fire responded with three fire engines, two ladder trucks, an ambulance and four support vehicles for a total of 21 personnel.
TYLER – An arrest warrant affidavit provides new details in the death of a missing 18-year-old woman who was found Tuesday afternoon in a ravine behind the Hollytree Apartments in Tyler. Jamaurea Britton, 19, of Tyler, was arrested on Tuesday for murder, according to his arrest affidavit, after a body was recovered near his apartment and later confirmed to be Deja Hood. Hood was reported missing by her mother earlier that day after she had been out with friends and disappeared. Her mother told police she recalled her friend to be Britton, according to our news partners at KETK. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A body has been found near the Hollytree Apartments on Hollytree Drive around 1:00 Tuesday afternoon. While working on a separate case in the apartments, officers discovered the body, wrapped in a cloth material, in a nearby ravine. The victim, identified as 18-year-old Deja Hood, was reported missing by her parents. Officials said that the victim did not live in the apartment complex, but was there with Jamaurea Jermaine Britton, 19. Britton was arrested on a murder charge. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on a $1,000,000 bond.
NEW BOSTON – An East Texas court has awarded $26.8 million to a victim in a lawsuit against their convicted abuser according to our colleagues at KETK. A summary judgement was issued on Monday against Nolan Turner, 74 of Red Lick, who was convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 in March 2020 and sentenced to 30 years in prison after he failed to appear in the case’s final hearing. Read the rest of this entry »
ATHENS — According to the city council agenda and our colleagues at KETK, the City of Athens is set to confirm the appointment of Chad Allen as Chief of Police. Allen was previously the Chief of Police for the City of Keller, according to the city’s Public Safety Facebook page. He is set to replace former Athens Police Chief John Densmore in early October.
EDOM – The Texas Department of Public Safety says that one man is dead after a motorcycle and vehicle crashed on FM 279 on Saturday, according to our news partners at KETK. According to DPS, Roy Lewis Woods, 58 of Ben Wheeler, was driving a 2022 Harley Davidson motorcycle west on FM 279, 3 miles west of Edom. Karla Kay Coyle, 63 of Brownsboro was driving a 2012 Ford F-150 in the eastbound lane when the motorcycle reportedly failed to take a curve and hit the Ford. Woods was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Wade McMillan and Coyle had relatively minor injuries, DPS said. A DPS investigation into the crash is ongoing.
WOOD COUNTY – A former volunteer firefighter in Hainesville pleaded guilty to four counts of arson last Thursday. According to our news partner KETK, Courtney Keel of Mineola was arrested September 2021 after the Wood County Sheriff’s Office investigated a number of suspicious fires over 2020 that were worked by the volunteer firefighter. Though Keel pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree felony arson, motions for a new trial have been filed in his case.
TYLER – Six East Texas men were indicted in Smith County last month for soliciting someone under 18, according to KETK. The men had all been arrested in January as part of an undercover sting, where according to their affidavits, the men messaged who they thought was a 17-year-old named “Sarah†but was in reality a sergeant with the Office of the Attorney General conducting an online investigation. Read the rest of this entry »
HARRISON COUNTY – A man is dead after a rollover crash Friday evening on I-20 near Marshall. According to a preliminary DPS report And our news colleagues at KETK, a Ford F-150 was traveling east on I-20 and “failed to drive in a single lane, veering off the roadway to the right.†The truck overcorrected, and DPS said it caused the truck to rollover. The driver, identified as 47-year-old Billy Warren, of Lufkin, was pronounced dead at the scene. According to DPS he had not been wearing his seatbelt. The crash remains under investigation.
TYLER – With severe weather Sunday night in our region, there are reports of over 9,030 without power. According to our news partner KETK, these are current as of 6:00 P.m. Monday. For a county by county listing of power outages from ONCOR and SWEPCO click here.
TYLER – Smith County remains under a burn ban. Since the Smith County Burn Ban was issued on August 1, 2023, there have been a total of 57 illegal burning citations issued across the county. A violation of the burn ban is a Class C Misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $500. If your fire gets out of control and destroys a neighbor’s property, you could be held liable for the value of that property. Check here to see if your county is on the list. For more information related to the burn ban, please contact the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office at 903-590-2655. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – CHRISTUS Health and Aramark are ending their contract, and officials with CHRISTUS said employees laid off from Aramark are expected to begin employment with their new vendor according to our news partners at KETK. In a statement, CHRISTUS Health said they will begin working with a new vendor, Morrison, on Nov. 1 and Aramark employees will be offered positions. “We do not expect any disruption to current operations or employment,†the statement from CHRISTUS said. “While technically these employees will be laid off from Aramark, we expect them to transition immediately to employment with Morrison.†Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON COUNTY – Officials in Henderson County are investigating after a drowning Thursday night in the Cedar Branch Park subdivision. According to Payne Springs Fire Rescue, they and other agencies responded around 8 p.m. to “reports of a male subject that had been working construction at a residence went for a swim in the lake and went under the water and did not resurface.†The victim was later recovered after units began searching the water, including the Gun Barrel City Fire rescue boat that has side scan sonar. This sonar was used to locate the victim after officials had been searching the area for some time. The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident.
GLADEWATER – Gladewater residents are being asked to conserve water. On Friday, the City of Gladewater issued a notice to residents that they are now in Stage 1 Water Conservation due to water levels and their drought contingency plan as reported by our news colleagues at KETK. “We need everyone to work to conserve water usage as much as possible at this time,†according to a statement from the city. “We will provide an update as this changes.â€
CANTON – A new Sonic drive-in in Canton will feature something unique. According to our news partner KETK, this new Sonic will be first in the United States to have pickleball courts. The Canton Economic Development Corp. adds, the pickleball courts can be reserved using the CourtReserve App. If you’re wondering if pickleball will replace the playground for your kids, don’t. The new Sonic location will have both.
RUSK COUNTY — Rusk County Sheriff’s Office and the Henderson Police Department have apprehended three individuals and seized suspected methamphetamine, suspected cocaine, suspected MDMA, suspected marijuana and firearms. According to the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office and our news colleagues at KETK, they received leads during a fugitive apprehension investigation that led to a controlled substance search warrant being served at 1307 Martin Luther King Street in Henderson. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler received part of a $1.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study ants and their potential impacts on soils in southeastern U.S. environments. “This collaborative research award recognizes the high quality of our biology department’s work, which will help determine whether soil animals such as ants impact soils at larger scales,†said Dr. Kouider Mokhtari, UT Tyler interim senior vice president for research. “This novel research has broad applications that could advance our understanding of how soil nutrients and mineral composition are impacted by ant nests.†UT Tyler will collaborate with the University of Central Florida and Yale University’s School of the Environment on the two-year, two-part project.
TYLER – On Thursday, Sept. 21, Tyler Animal Services was alerted by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) that one bat submitted for analysis tested positive for rabies. The bat was found near the 9300 block of Tipperary Drive. The known individuals and animals with possible exposure have been identified and addressed. It is critical for people to not handle bats, skunks, raccoons or other wild animals. It is important for children to tell their parents of any contact with wild animals or any sick animals. If a person is bitten by an animal, the bite incident must be reported to the Local Rabies Control Authority, Tyler Animal Services Director Shawn Markmann, for proper investigation. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler is celebrating a record-breaking enrollment year, seeing its largest enrolled freshman class for the third consecutive year. UT Tyler is doing this while increasing retention with new transfer and graduate/professional students. Total fall 2023 enrollment for the university is 9,761 students. First-time-in-college freshmen made up 1,328 of those students, which is a 14% increase over the previous record year of 2021. New transfer enrollment is 1,163 students, which is an overall increase of 9.72%, the highest in the last three years. While graduate/professional programs saw a 21% increase with 692 students, which is the highest within the last five years. Read the rest of this entry »
MINEOLA — Mineola ISD recently granted its school the ability to bring in chaplains to help serve students during times of crisis. “We believe the benefit far out ways the concern,†said Mineola Superintendent Cody Mize. This comes after Senate Bill 763 was passed in June. The law allows public schools to use safety funds to employ or use volunteer chaplains. Mineola ISD voted to start using volunteers. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – On Wednesday, Sept. 20, the Tyler City Council and Smith County Commissioners Court came together in a joint public meeting to approve the design plan presented by Fitzpatrick Architects for Downtown Tyler’s public spaces. This is the first step of many the City and County will be considering moving throughout this process. The approved design for Downtown Tyler will help grow economic development, increase tourism, improve the quality of life for the community, as well as beautify the area with green space and landscaping. Read the rest of this entry »
WOOD COUNTY – A woman turned herself in to Wood County authorities on Wednesday after her employer reported they suspected her of theft. According to the Wood County Sheriff’s Office, the Lake Fork Special Utilities District reported a possible theft in late June. The report said the water supply corporation suspected their employee Rachel Sneed, of Mineola, had stolen about $40,000 from them. Officials said that during the investigation it was determined that Sneed had stolen “upwards of $300,000 using various methods over three years between 2021 and 2023. A warrant was issued on Tuesday for Sneed for theft of property, and was released on a $100,000 bond the same day she turned herself in to the jail.
MARSHALL – Marshall man was found guilty of possession of a controlled substance by a jury on Tuesday and sentenced to 40 years in prison. According to the Harrison County District Attorney’s Office and our news colleagues at KETK, this comes after Anthony Byrd, 38, was arrested in March during a drug raid at the Timber Village Apartments. “After officers located and detained Byrd, a search of the apartment was conducted, which uncovered a variety of narcotics,†the district attorney’s office said. “Inside the apartment, officers found marijuana, Xanax, hydrocodone and 469 grams of methamphetamine that had been stamped into pill form mimicking the drug Adderall.†Read the rest of this entry »
TROUP – At Monday night’s Troup City Council Meeting, Mayor Jeff Hale and the Troup City Council adopted the lowest tax rate in Troup since 1986. For the previous three fiscal years, the Troup City Council had adopted a property tax rate that was less than the No-New-Revenue tax rate. Through the leadership of Troup’s Mayor and City Council, the property tax rate of $0.544700 adopted by the Troup City Council at Monday’s city council meeting is 23.43% less than the 2022-2023 property tax rate of $0.710545 and is a reduction of 42.77% in Troup’s tax rate since it peaked at $0.951771 in fiscal year 2012-2013. While lowering the city’s property tax rate by almost 43% since fiscal year 2013, Troup’s Mayors and City Councils have also supported law enforcement by increasing police salaries and benefits by an average of almost 19% in this year’s budget.
CARTHAGE – The Panola County Sheriff’s Office said they detained an escaped inmate who escaped from a work detail while in custody in Louisiana according to our news partners at KETK. Sheriff Cutter Clinton said in a release the Richland Parish Sheriff’s Office in Rayville, La. notified them on Monday that Jeremy Dewayne Young escaped from a work release detail and might have fled to Panola County. According to authorities, investigators became aware of a potential location on County Road 328 in DeBerry on Tuesday and observed a vehicle parked at the residence that was reported stolen out of Carthage and was suspected to be involved in the escape. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – The East Texas Food Bank will open The East Texas Food Bank Longview Resource Center in mid-October. With this expansion ETFB is doing its primary mission; getting more food to more people. The Longview Resource Center is located on Interstate 20 at 2900 Signal Hill Drive. David Emerson, CEO of the East Texas Food Bank said, “We are committed to addressing the issues of hunger and eliminating barriers in Gregg County. We estimate that ETFB will provide 936,000 meals annually at the Longview location.â€
Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW – After a remarkable tenure of leadership and dedication, Dr. James E. Wilcox, Superintendent of Schools for Longview ISD, has announced his retirement, effective December 31, 2025. Dr. Wilcox’s decision to retire is driven by his and his wife’s desire “to embark on new adventures,” as well as to allow the LISD Board of Trustees “ample time to chart the future course of the district.” “I will give every ounce of leadership and caring to our students until my last day with LISD,” he said. “I want the parents of our students to know that I truly do appreciate them sharing their most prized possession and God’s greatest gift to us all: their children.”
MARSHALL – Marshall Police are investigating an accident that resulted in the death of a child on Monday night. At 6:40 p.m. on Sept. 18, Marshall Emergency Communications received a call that a child had been struck by a vehicle in the 2000 block of Lower Port Caddo Road. The child was riding a battery-powered toy car when the accident occurred. The driver remained on the scene and no charges have been filed at this time. The investigation is ongoing. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The Smith County Commissioners Court on Tuesday, September 19, voted to unanimously appoint Smith County Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Chad Hogue to serve as Fire Marshal. After Commissioners Court, Hogue was sworn into the position by County Judge Neal Franklin.“Chad Hogue has proven his dedication and commitment to the Fire Marshal’s Office,†Franklin said. “In my mind’s eye, I believe he’s the man for the job for the future of our Fire Marshal’s Office.†Hogue said he was thankful for the opportunity. “I love Smith County and I love the Fire Marshal’s Office,†he said. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON – USDA Rural Development State Director Lillian Salerno will visit Henderson Wednesday morning September 20 at 11 to highlight a historic investment to expand high-speed internet infrastructure for more than 1,200 rural locations in Cherokee and Anderson counties. Salerno will talk about $25 million in funding through the USDA’s ReConnect Program. The USDA feels the ReConnect Program will help close he digital divide in rural areas and further econmic prosperity. This event is free to attend at 3675 U.S. Highway 79 South in Henderson.