Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
AUSTIN – The Texas District and County Attorney Association recently named Smith County Assistant District Attorneys Chris Gatewood and Richard Vance as the Lone Star Prosecutor Of The Year. According to a release from the Smith County District Attorney’s Office, Gatewood and Vance, successfully prosecuted an intoxicated defendant who struck and killed Smith County Sheriff’s Deputy Lorenzo Bustos while he was conducting a traffic stop.
The TDCAA is the statewide organization that provides training, collaboration, and support to all of the County and District Attorney offices across the state. The Lone Star Prosecutor of the Year award is given by the TDCAA annually to a prosecutor or prosecutors who have demonstrated outstanding legal knowledge, dedication to justice, and a profound impact on their community.
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CHANDLER – 
Our news partners at KETK report that authorities said one person was pronounced dead at the scene of a two-vehicle crash Monday night on State Highway 31 in Chandler. According to the Chandler Volunteer Fire Department, first responders were dispatched to a major crash where one person was trapped on SH 31 shortly after 8 p.m. Firefighters immediately began trying to extricate the person trapped once they arrived to the scene, the fire department said. However, due to the extent of the patients injuries, Chandler VFD said the person did not survive and was pronounced dead at the scene by a Justice of the Peace. The occupants of the other vehicle involved were hospitalized and the fire department said their conditions are unknown.
SMITH COUNTY – 
Smith County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue gave an update about the burn ban and current fire conditions during Commissioners Court on Tuesday, October 29. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) for Smith County is at an average of 747. The KBDI ranges from 0 to 800, and is used to determine forest fire potential. Although rain is forecast this week, Hogue said “we need a significant amount of rain to make a difference.†Fire danger is especially high today because of high winds. Read the rest of this entry »
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TYLER – Former President Donald J. Trump has a five-point lead over Vice President Kamala Harris among likely voters in Texas, 51% to 46%, according to a pre-election poll conducted by The University of Texas at Tyler Center for Opinion Research. This finding is similar to results of a June poll that showed Trump with a five-point lead over President Joe Biden among likely Texas voters, 48% to 43%, with fewer undecided voters closer to the November 5, 2024, election, according to Dr. Kenneth A. Wink, UT Tyler professor and poll director.
The 5% lead for Trump is slightly smaller than his 5.6% win over Biden in Texas in 2020, and significantly smaller than his 9% win over Hillary Clinton in Texas in 2016. Fifty percent of all respondents thought the election would be “close,†with 63% of Democrats and 40% of Republicans expecting a close election. Read the rest of this entry »
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ATHENS – 
Our news partners at KETK report a Palestine man is behind bars for a Thursday hotel stabbing where one was hospitalized and a bloodied room with signs of a struggle was left behind, a warrant said. According to the Athens Police Department, officers responded to a stabbing at around 2:15 a.m. at the Victorian Inn hotel on 1803 SH 31 East in Athens. The warrant said police found the 37-year-old victim on the sidewalk outside of room 118 with stab wounds to the face, chest and abdomen. The victim told officers he had gotten into an argument inside the room with his acquaintance identified as 50-year-old Kerry Barnett, of Palestine. The documents state the victim told police Barnett had stabbed him with a knife and was still inside room 118. The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment, a probable cause affidavit said. Read the rest of this entry »
TEXARKANA – Our news partners at KETK report the Texarkana Police Department arrested two women on Thursday following accusations that they beat their roommate’s children. According to a release, Texarkana PD was contacted by the mother of three children who reported that she had left her children in the care of her roommates while she went to work. The mother reported that when she returned from work, her children told her that her roommates had beaten them with a belt and a stick, police said. Police said that “all three [children] had bruises and whelps on their buttocks and all down their legs.†Read the rest of this entry »
LIBERTY CITY — 
The Texas Tribune reports Zachary Carnes is a government professor at Kilgore College but these days, he says, he feels more like a “traveling preacher.†When he first started at the community college in East Texas, he stood in front of a wide array of adults, those who just graduated high school and those looking for a new direction in life. Now he finds himself driving in his pickup truck between high school campuses teaching a course on government to teenagers. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – 
Our news partners at KETK report that Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tx) and his challenger Rep. Colin Allred (D-Tx) are making what could be their last East Texas campaign stops of the year on Friday. Allred will be stopping in Crockett at around noon on Friday near an oil well in town. Later that night, he’ll be campaigning with Presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Beyonce down in Houston. Cruz will be stopping at CC’s Smokehouse in Nacogdoches at 3:30 p.m. and then he’ll be in Tyler’s 1836 Restaurant at 6:30 p.m. To learn more, visit Ted Cruz or Collin Allred’s websites online.
WOOD COUNTY – Wood County Sheriff’s Office reports that early Thursday morning, chainsaws and firearms were part of the items stolen from unlocked vehicles. According to our news partner KETK, authorities ask residents to lock their vehicles and limit the amount valuables left inside their vehicles. They also remind everyone that the suspects in this case are armed and are considered dangerous.
WCSO said the burglaries Thursday morning occurred in the 2370 series of County Roads and 1600 series of County Roads near Alba-Golden ISD.
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TYLER – 
Two dozen veterans are back in East Texas on Wednesday night after returning from an all-expense-paid trip to our nation’s capital, according to our news partners at kETK. 24 East Texas veterans landed from their ‘Heroes Flight’ at the Tyler Pounds Regional Airport on Wednesday night. The flight is an all-expense-paid trip by Brookshire’s Grocery Company to Washington, D.C. This is the 20th Heroes Flight and the first since the pandemic, with more than 700 applications submitted. The East Texas community gave loud cheers at the welcome home celebration for the brave veterans who fought for our freedom. Read the rest of this entry »
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SMITH COUNTY – 
Our news partners at KETK say two people died in a motorcycle wreck near Whitehouse Wednesday afternoon. According to preliminary information from the Texas Department of Public Safety, a passenger vehicle was going south on FM 756 while a motorcycle was heading north on the same road. DPS said the car tried to make a left turn into a private driveway and failed to yield the right of way to the motorcyclist. Two people on the motorcycle were taken to a hospital where they later died. DPS will not yet release the identities of those involved.
TEXARKANA – 
Our news partners at KETK report a 17-year-old was taken to an out-of-state hospital after being found with several gunshot wounds in Texarkana on Thursday. Officers were on their way to investigate a shooting at 2:15 a.m. in the 1500 block of Milam Street when they got another 911 call saying a victim was found in front of an apartment near the scene. Police reportedly started lifesaving measures on the teen, who they say “had been shot multiple times.†The teen was taken to Wadley Regional Hospital before being transferred to an Arkansas hospital. His condition is unknown as of Thursday at 10 a.m. “Our detectives are investigating and working to find out what happened and identify the person who did this,†Texarkana Police said.