Today is
Thursday June 04, 2026
JACKSONVILLE – A newly expanded production facility in Jacksonville opened Wednesday, positioning itself as a key supplier for a wave of proposed data centers in Texas. The Italian multi-national company, Luve, is a global leader in ventilated equipment and heat exchangers. Their products are critical for the cooling systems used in the booming data center industry.
At Luve’s ribbon-cutting, hosted by the City of Jacksonville, the company also announced a new contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars to support four future data centers in Texas.
“We were very welcomed here in the community. We can add to the community,” Ronald Bekker of the Luve Group said. “We have a responsibility as an employer to add to the community. You hear at the announcement of scholarships, for our people, for their children. So we are ready to step up our connection with the community here in Jacksonville.”
Additionally, the company said they expect to hire around 200 workers for the facility in the near future.
TYLER – A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for a 2016 manslaughter case stemming from a fatal crash that killed a Tyler woman. Frank Brinkney Cobb pleaded guilty to manslaughter more than a decade after he struck 29-year-old Jessica Palma near the intersection of Gentry Parkway and North Albertson.
According to our news partner KETK and the Tyler Police Department, Palma was walking along the shoulder of Gentry when Cobb’s truck veered off the roadway and hit her. The vehicle then crashed into a tree. Both were taken to a local hospital, where Palma later died from her injuries.
Cobb was indicted in 2016 but was not arrested on the manslaughter charge until 2025. Throughout the case, records indicate he failed to appear in court.
NACOGDOCHES COUNTY – A Nacogdoches County man is behind bars and is being held on a $1.6 million bond after allegedly admitting to having child pornography. According to our news partner KETK, the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office said they had learned that a resident, identified as Bryan Christian, was downloading child pornography. On April 22, law enforcement obtained a probable cause search warrant for Christian’s residence on rural Nacogdoches.
Investigators also contacted the suspect at his workplace and seized his phone as evidence.
During an interview, Christian reportedly admitted to downloading child pornography, allowing investigators to search his phone, where they found evidence of the crime. They also found a loaded handgun in his possession, which he was not allowed to have at his work.
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TYLER – Dr. D. Robert DeHaas has been appointed dean of The University of Texas at Tyler School of Education, effective July 1.
In a release from the University, UT Tyler President Julie V. Philley, MD. said, “Dr. DeHaas has built a remarkable career redefining what modern educator preparation can look like. He has distinguished himself as a leader with a strong ability to design systems, grow programs and respond directly to community and workforce needs, which makes him an exceptional fit for UT Tyler as we continue to expand our academic footprint.”
Earlier this year, UT Tyler announced plans to re-imagine its School of Education to help address the teacher shortage in East Texas and partner with school districts to help strengthen the region’s K-12 outcomes.
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VAN ZANDT COUNTY — A search is underway for individuals believed to have attacked an elderly East Texas man on Tuesday evening. The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office said the aggravated assault occurred Tuesday from around 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the 8800 block of FM Road 279 in Edom. A preliminary investigation indicates that an elderly man from Edom was involved in a physical altercation and was assaulted by unidentified individuals who were driving a red Ford Expedition.
Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident is asked to contact Investigator D. Henson at [email protected], Investigator C. Hanner at [email protected], or the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 567-4133.
MARSHALL — The City of Marshall is mourning the passing of its municipal court judge, who died earlier this week. According to city officials and our news partner KETK, Judge Tristen Ellis died on Monday after serving as municipal judge since November 2025. The city said that Ellis leaves behind a legacy of integrity, fairness and dedicated public service.
“Judge Ellis was a valued member of the Marshall community and brought wisdom and professionalism to the Municipal Court,” Mayor Amy Ware said. “He was widely respected for his unwavering commitment to justice.”
His family will announce information about Ellis’s memorial services, and updates will be provided at a later date regarding the appointment of an interim judge.
WOOD COUNTY – A Wood County jury found a Quitman man guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the beating of a woman in 2023; he started his 65-year sentence on Wednesday. Bryan Ransom, 56, and three other people drove to a woman’s home on April 6, 2023, carrying a knife, machete, pepper spray, and a pole with a sprocket attached. According to the Wood County Criminal District Attorney’s Office and our news partner KETK, they severely injured the woman by beating her. Ransom stepped on the victim’s left arm to prevent her from defending herself while she was on the ground. The victim’s forehead needed to be stitched and stapled as a result. The jury reached its decision on Wednesday after less than an hour of deliberation, according to the county.
WHITEHOUSE – Track coach Blake Crutsinger was struck by a shot put in a “freak accident” at an East Texas regional track meet on Saturday, and Ponder ISD is asking its community to keep him in their thoughts and prayers.
Our news partners at KETK report that after suffering a fractured skull during the regional track meet at Whitehouse High School, Crutsinger had surgery on Monday in Tyler to treat brain swelling, according to his wife Leslie. According to Leslie, Crutsinger is currently in a Tyler intensive care unit and will probably return to Dallas for inpatient treatment in two to four weeks.
HALLSVILLE – An East Texas family’s long wait for justice ended this week, more than a year after their son was jailed in Mexico for mistakenly crossing the border with a firearm. Hallsville native Caden Hawkins was returning from work in Arizona last March when GPS detours routed him toward a border checkpoint, according to our news partner KETK, his family said Mexican guards instructed him to pass through toward the United States. While border guards checked his truck at the security checkpoint, Caden told officials that he had a pistol inside his truck and was immediately placed under arrest.
Rep.Jay Dean, who had been working on Hawkins’ case, announced on Tuesday that he had returned to Texas.
PALESTINE – The Palestine Police Department is looking for a 30-year-old man who was last heard from in February. According to our news partner KETK, a Facebook group dedicated to Zachary Overturf’s disappearance, his last known communication was with his mother on Feb. 26 via phone. His apartment, which he shared with a friend at Whispering Pines Apartments, had recently caught fire on Feb. 22 at 1:06 a.m., and only his wallet, credit card, cell phone and keys were found.
Overturf is about 6-foot-1-inch tall, weighs approximately 160 lbs., and is described as a White man with brown hair and blue eyes. He has several tattoos, including an incomplete circle on his right wrist, an eye on the right side of his neck, a wolf and native American girl on his shoulder and a ghost with scythe on his left leg.
Overturf is said to have frequented Timber Crest Apartments, which is near Whispering Pines Apartments. Facebook messages to Zach Overturf have not been able to be delivered since April 9.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Palestine Police Department at 903-729-2254 or send an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 903-729-8477.
SMITH COUNTY – Smith County Road 1139, also known as Indian Creek Road, will be closed Thursday, May 7, for a bridge replacement. CR 1139, west of Tyler and near Lindsey Park, from Spur 364 to CR 1140, is the roadway affected. The project is expected to take about three months.
TYLER – The City of Tyler will show appreciation for outstanding public servants during Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW) from May 4 through May 8. All City of Tyler non-emergency offices and facilities will be closed Friday, May 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for an interdepartmental event. Essential and emergency functions will continue.
Celebrated since 1985, PSRW is a nationwide public recognition campaign honoring the men and women who serve as federal, state, county, and local government employees.
GLADEWATER — Gladewater ISD is moving forward with a series of major upgrades after voters approved the district’s $8.1 million bond during Saturday’s municipal election. The district was one of nine across the region where voters said “yes” to new school funding. A significant portion of the bond will go toward campus safety, including installing keyless entry systems at every school. The district will also purchase new school buses equipped with seat belts, thereby improving student transportation safety.
Another major focus of the bond is strengthening the district’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, an investment aimed at preparing the future workforce of East Texas. Superintendent Rae Ann Patty said the upgrades will ensure students are learning on equipment that reflects real?world industry standards.
Work will begin this summer, starting with HVAC system upgrades and the purchase of new buses. Most construction and classroom improvements are expected to be completed during the 2027–2028 school year.
The bond marks a significant step forward for Gladewater ISD as it works to enhance safety, modernize learning spaces, and expand opportunities for students across the district.
KILGORE — A pedestrian was killed last month in Kilgore after falling from the bed of a pickup truck and being struck by a police vehicle responding to a crash, according to a report from the Texas Department of Transportation. According to our news partner KETK, the incident began when a driver of a pickup truck, believed to be intoxicated, was traveling north on State Highway 135 with a passenger in the bed of the truck in the early hours of April 18. The passenger, who was also reportedly intoxicated, had been asleep during the ride.
According to the report, the passenger woke up at some point, and around the same time, the driver missed an exit and attempted to make a U-turn. During that maneuver, the passenger fell from the bed of the truck onto the roadway. The Kilgore Police Department said they received an automatic 911 call from a smartphone, along with GPS coordinates for its location. Dispatchers sent units to the potential crash after they “could hear an unresponsive individual with labored breathing throughout the call.”
The crash report states that a person driving a Kilgore Police Department vehicle was traveling northbound on State Highway 135 en route to a crash and encountered the pedestrian—who was wearing dark clothing and no reflective materials—lying in the outside lane. Read the rest of this entry »
UPSHUR COUNTY – Following a nearly three-year investigation of drug trafficking in Upshur County, seven people have been placed under arrest in connection with a drug ring that had been distributing large amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
According to our news partner KETK and the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy assigned to the DEA Task Force opened an investigation in December 2023 on Cole Seabolt, who is known as an illegal drug supplier in the county.
During the course of the investigation, authorities became aware of a drug trafficking organization that had operated in Upshur and surrounding counties, distributing large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl.
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