Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
HOUSTON COUNTY – Law enforcement’s preliminary report of a Saturday afternoon accident that led to the death of two East Texas students provides more details. According to our news partner KETK, the Texas Department of Public Safety, a preliminary investigation found that around 3:40 p.m. on Saturday, a Ford Fusion was traveling north on Highway 19 and a GMC Terrain was southbound.
“It is reported that the driver of the Ford traveled off the road to the right and overcorrected the maneuver back to the left, which caused the Ford to travel into a side skid into the southbound lane where it was struck by the GMC.” DPS said.
The driver of the Ford was identified at 17-year-old Carter Snider of Hawkins. Carter was taken to a hospital where he later died. A 16-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the accident site. Another passenger in that vehicle is hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. The driver and passenger of the GMC, both 60-years-old were also hospitalized, the DPS report said.
Update: Authorities said a convicted murderer who was charged on Monday in connection to a fatal house fire, allege that he threw gasoline on his girlfriend the day he was supposed to be evicted. Tuesday, officials identified the victim as Marilyn Mceachin.
TYLER — Tyler Police have made an arrest in connection to a Monday morning house fire in which a woman was found dead. According to our news partner KETK, 67-year-old Gregory Bargaineer allegedly walked into the Smith County Jail lobby and “made statements about an incident with a female at their residence on Shady Trail.”
Investigators report that fire crews were sent to a house fire at 3300 Shady Trail and Bradshaw Drive around 4:00 a.m. Crew members found a woman’s body in back of the house. Her body has been sent for autopsy with identity release pending that report. Evidence gathered by Tyler PD during interviews led to Bargaineer’s arrest. He is has been charged with murder and held on a $750,000 bond.
TYLER – Kerry Max Cook was found innocent of the 1977 murder of Linda Jo Edwards back in June and now he’s suing Smith County and the City of Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, the allegations of his lawsuit are listed in a complaint filed by Cook’s lawyers Nov. 14. The complaint alleges that the City of Tyler, Smith County and several named officials violated his civil rights by engaging in a “homosexual witch-hunt” which led to him spending 20 years on death row for a crime he’s been found innocent of by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
Cook stated in the release, “For over 20 years I fought for my life from a death row cell,” Cook said in a press release. “After being kicked out the back door of Smith County’s legal system in 1999, I fought for another 25 years to clear me and my family’s name. This year, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals finally declared me ‘actually innocent,’ but my struggle does not end there. Today, I am pressing forward with a civil suit against the officers who framed me and against the broken Tyler and Smith County police agencies that let it happen.”
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SEVEN POINTS – 
UPDATE: KETK reports the missing man has been found.
Our news partners at KETK report the Texas Department of Public Safety has issued a Silver Alert for a 79-year-old man who was last seen in Seven Points on Saturday. Jesse Goode, is 79-years-old has gray hair, blue eyes, weighs 217 pounds and is 5’10”. He was last seen at 4 p.m. on Saturday in the 400 block of Nob Hill Lane near Cedar Creek Reservoir and Seven Points in Henderson County. A suspected vehicle to look out for is a white 1995 Ford F-150 with the license plate number: STH2454. The Silver Alert added that the truck has a small crane in the bed to lift a scooter. Anyone who sees Goode is asked to call 911 and Seven Points Police Department can be contacted at 903-423-2111 to report any other information.
TYLER –
Our KETK news partners report that Big Sandy and Hawkins ISD are in mourning after each district lost a student in a fatal crash on Saturday. “Big Sandy ISD is sad to learn of the passing of a member of our Wildcat family yesterday in a car accident. The district extends its deepest condolences to his family and to our many students who were friends with him and loved him.” Hawkins ISD also posted about losing one of their students in a fatal crash they said has impacted both communities. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – 
13 East Texas hospitals have been given “A” safety ratings for the Fall of 2024, that’s up two from 11 A ratings in the Spring of 2024. The ratings are reported twice a year by the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit that studies hospitals from across the country. They study hospitals for their numbers of errors, injuries, accidents and infections and rate them on a scale from A to F, with A being the safest. Our news partners at KETK have put together the following list of Fall 2024 ratings for East Texas hospitals: Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – 
What: Starting Tuesday, Nov. 19 through Saturday, Nov. 23, the northbound lane on Broadway Avenue near the Chamber of Commerce, located at 315 N. Broadway Ave., will be closed daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for roof work. Motorists are encouraged to drive with care in the area.
Where: Broadway Avenue near 315 N. Broadway Ave.
When: Tuesday, Nov. 19 through Saturday, Nov. 23 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
What: Starting Tuesday, Nov. 19 through Tuesday, Nov. 26, North Bois D’Arc Avenue from West Wilson Street and West Bow Street will be closed. Detours will be in place and motorists are encouraged to drive with care in the area.
Where: North Bois D’Arc Avenue from West Wilson Street and West Bow Street
When: Tuesday, Nov. 19 through Tuesday, Nov. 26
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Update: Our news partner KETK provided this late Friday night. Misty Head, wife of singer Sundance Head, said the singer remains in good spirits and there was no internal damage. Sundance was reportedly at his ranch hunting when the incident occurred.
“He was out of the vehicle reaching in to grab his [gun], when he grabbed it the [gun] came out of its holster and hit the exterior of the Jeep just right and went off. Sundance said it happened so fast and he could see the bullet dislodging,” the post said.
Sundance allegedly did not call 911, when attempting to reach for his phone after getting hit, the phone was covered in blood and took off down the driveway to the main road to flag someone for help.
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TYLER — A 70-year-old man from California is now behind bars for the sexual assault of an Irving woman. The man was busted in Tyler. Irving police say Patrick Hoversten was caught on camera pushing his way into a business and forcing a woman into a back room to sexually assault her. Hoversten is a truck driver from Sonoma, California. Public records show the suspect has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 1975, including multiple felony charges and a charge for indecent exposure, which he spent time in prison for since it was a repeat offense. Hoversten is facing aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault charges
TYLER – 
A Longview woman has been sentenced to federal prison for distributing fentanyl resulting in death in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. Rebecca Diane Merkel, 43, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle. According to information presented in Court, Merkel operated what was known to drug users as the “Walmart of drugs” out of her residence located on Williams Street in Longview. There, she and her co-defendants sold various illegal narcotics, including methamphetamine and pills laced with fentanyl, in exchange for money, stolen goods, and firearms. Merkel’s customers included street-level dealers in Gregg, Rusk, and Panola counties. Read the rest of this entry »
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HENDERSON – Trey Pinnell of Henderson, and a 2024 graduate of Henderson High School, had high hopes of winning at this years National FFA Convention. According to our news partner KETK, Trey had an invention he thought could be a winner. Baling pine straw, packaging it and selling it as mulching material.
The convention ran from Oct. 23 through Oct. 26 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The purpose of the convention is to help students develop career and college leadership skills to bring back to their local FFA chapter. Pinnell took to the stage with three other team members on Oct. 25 with high hopes of winning.
“Being on that stage in front of that many people is something I’ll never forget. I was really nervous, obviously a lot of people out there. When I heard my name, I kind of looked at my [agriculture] teacher, I couldn’t really believe it.†Pinnell said.
Trey, a 2024 Henderson High School graduate, became the first person in school history to have won a national FFA title.