Today is
Monday June 08, 2026
HENDERSON — Henderson Police Department are searching for a suspect involved in a Wednesday morning shooting that left one injured. According to our news partner KETK, officers responded to a shots fired call near 1100 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and West Main Street. When police arrived, they were told the victim had already been taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
HPD and Rusk County Sheriff’s Office are attempting to locate the suspect. While the suspect is still at large, police said, they are “not believed to be an immediate threat to the public.â€
Anyone with information about the case are asked to contact the Henderson Police Department at 903-657-3512.
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KILGORE — Kilgore residents may have started to notice a taste or odor change in their tap water. According to our news partner KETK, the reason is The City of Kilgore temporarily converted the disinfectant used in their water distribution center from chloramine to free chlorine.
City officials explained, “public water systems are required to properly disinfect their water and maintain an adequate disinfectant residual in the distribution system. We have chosen to implement a temporary disinfectant conversion to free chlorine based on increasing water quality complaints and decreasing chloramine residuals.â€
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SMITH COUNTY – The first day of early voting in Smith County saw more than 9,000 votes cast at the polls on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, Smith County officials said 10,635 ballots were cast, 9,594 were cast in person. How does this compare to early voting during the 2020 election? In 2020, Smith County only saw about 6,000 people in the first day of early voting.
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AUSTIN – It was a packed committee room Monday in the Texas House. According to our news partner KETK, legislators met with witnesses to listen to testimony in the case and conviction of Robert Roberson of Palestine. Roberson is on death row for a crime that is now being called into question. He was found guilty in 2003 of killing his 2-year-old daughter, a conviction for which he was set to be executed last Thursday. A ruling from the Texas Supreme Court spared him in the 11th hour, citing concerns about a last-minute subpoena ordering Roberson to be present for House testimony about his case on Monday.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice would only allow Roberson to attend the proceedings virtually, an accommodation which Roberson’s attorneys and the House committee alike argued would not be acceptable. Given that Roberson has been diagnosed with autism, and he has been in custody for more than two decades, his attorneys argue that his ability to effectively communicate would be severely impeded in a virtual setting.
On Monday’s witness list was TV personality Dr. Phillip McGraw, Novelist John Grisham, Former judge on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Elsa Alcala, Terry Compton, a juror from Roberson’s 2003 trial and Gretchen Sween, Roberson’s attorney.
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UPDATE: ATHENS – Athens Public Safety announced that as of 4 p.m. West Corsicana Street is reopened.
ATHENS – Athens Public Safety announced on their Facebook that parts of West Corsicana Street are closed due to a structure fire. According to our news partner KETK, the City of Athens said the fire department received at call at 11:45 a.m. about a fire at a vacant furniture store, next to Travel Inn on West Corsicana Street. Officials said no one was inside the vacant building and The Travel Inn was evacuated. The Athens Fire Department had the blaze controlled by 1:30 p.m. They were assisted by District 8 Fire Department, Long Cove Fire Department, South Side Fire Department, Henderson County Fire Marshal and the Athens Police Department. According AFD Public Information Officer Michael Hannigan, the empty store had significant damage, while The Travel Inn had damage to several rooms. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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UPDATE: Robert Roberson will not testify before a Texas House committee on Monday, despite a subpoena ordering his presence at the House for testimony.
Rep. Joe Moody from El Paso said they still have “an impressive slate of witnesses†on the list. He maintained that their subpoena is legitimate and was not meant to create separation of powers issues, a point for which Gov. Greg Abbott has argued.
Given that Roberson is a person with autism with communication challenges, and has spent the past 20 years incarcerated, video conference would be poorly suited to Roberson, Moody argued.
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RUSK COUNTY – The Crims Chapel Volunteer Fire Department said that a motorcycle crash in Rusk County sent one person to the hospital by helicopter on Sunday. The single vehicle crash happened near State Highway 322 and County Road 240 in northern Rusk County at around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. EMS at the scene asked that a helicopter be brought in and the patient was sent to a hospital in Tyler to be treated. There was no word on the condition of the person injured.
TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler held their third annual Ratliff Relays engineering competitions on Saturday. The relays consist of cardboard boat races, carbon dioxide rocketry, water rockets, robotic car races and the always popular drone races.
“They will learn the dynamics from the classroom and then they will apply the concepts to a real design and prototype. So from this competition, students will have a lot of fun and they will realize how to apply our knowledge to solve real world problems,†said associate professor of mechanical engineering at UT Tyler, Chung-Hyun Goh.
TYLER – The community gathered together Saturday in Tyler to celebrate the 91st Texas Rose Festival Parade.
This years Texas Rose Festival theme is “Fanfare of Festivals,†celebrating festivals from various cultures. The parade featured Duchesses and Ladies in Waiting in dresses centered around those themes, and the Queen’s float was the grand finale.
Our news partner KETK has provided a link in which you can watch their coverage of the Texas Rose Festival Parade. The link for it is here.
TYLER – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Tyler State Park announced the opening of a new headquarters for the park on Friday. According to our news partner KETK, the TPDW said in a release, the new headquarters is designed to make visitors check-in much faster and reduce traffic congestion.
Other features include, conference rooms, holding offices, a new radio tower, increased parking and an interpretive gallery that describes the history of Tyler State Park.
“It is exciting to see the hard work and dedication of so many colleagues, partners and supporters result in such a beautiful facility,†said Rodney Franklin, director of Texas State Parks. “I am happy that we are able to design and construct a park headquarters of which all of Texas can be proud. This new facility will help support staff, serve our visitors and tell the story of the park better than ever and is befitting of one our most popular Texas State Parks.â€
TYLER – 
Tyler ISD recognizes National School Bus Safety Week from October 21 to October 25. This annual campaign serves as a powerful reminder of the critical role every driver plays in ensuring the safety of children as they travel to and from school. Each school day, millions of children rely on school buses, and the greatest risk to their safety occurs when children enter or exit the bus. Tyler ISD is using National School Bus Safety Week to raise awareness and encourage the entire community —parents, students, teachers, motorists, and school staff — to commit to these safe reminders. Read the rest of this entry »
SMITH COUNTY – Smith County residents began casting their ballots October 21 during two weeks of early voting for the November 5, 2024, Presidential Election. Now through November 1, registered voters can cast their ballots at any of the eight early voting locations, which include:
First Christian Church – Christian Life Center Room 5: 4202 S. Broadway Ave, Tyler
Heritage Building: 1900 Bellwood Road, Tyler
The Hub: 304 E. Ferguson Street, Tyler
Kinzie Community Center: 912 Mt. Sylvan St., Lindale
Noonday Community Center: 16662 CR 196, Tyler
Starrville Church of the Living God, 18396 Highway 271, Winona
Whitehouse Methodist Church: 405 W. Main Street, Whitehouse
Green Acres Baptist Church – Flint Campus, at 1010 CR 137, Flint
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