Today is
Thursday June 11, 2026
TYLER – U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran held a town hall forum on Tuesday night in Tyler where several attendees quickly became hostile according to our news partner KETK. The forum was initiated for Moran to speak on issues he is covering in D.C. However, hecklers quickly began interrupting the presentation and question and answer portion of the event.
“I expected to have a setting like we saw tonight,” Moran said. “I know folks want to engage personally and a lot of people want to set this up and a lot of members of Congress are not doing in person townhalls but I think it’s our responsibility to the constituents to do those face-to-face town halls to engage, to be transparent, to be accountable. I expected some emotions tonight and that’s what we saw.”
Attendees became upset as Moran did not answer their questions when they pressed him on issues, including abortion, due process and immigration policies.
Ryan Nichols, who considered running against Moran in the upcoming May elections, was seen shouting at Moran over his due process policies. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – A Tyler man has been arrested for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a minor in exchange for nicotine devices, according to our news partner KETK. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office became aware of the case after being contacted by a girl’s guardians on March 4. One of her guardians revealed to a sheriff’s deputy that they discovered she had been having an improper relationship with a grown man while going through the girl’s phone.
According to officials, one of the victim’s guardians said text messages from the victim’s phone revealed she was having explicit conversations and spoke about having sexual relationships with a man whose contact name was ‘J’.
Further text messages revealed the victim was offering to give the man sexual favors in exchange for vapes and other nicotine devices. Text messages also revealed the two parties making arrangements to meet at a nearby oil field in regard to their deal. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – 
The Houston Chronicle reports that Edward Estrada’s client already had admitted to skimming — installing devices inside gas pumps to steal customers’ credit card information. But the Tyler lawyer wanted to make sure jurors understood that it didn’t rank with more serious financial crimes. As he prepared for the 2019 sentencing hearing, Estrada settled on a comparison. His client wasn’t nearly as bad as Enron, the giant Houston energy company whose executives misled investors for years, he stressed. While his client’s crimes cost victims collectively more than $150,000 — much of it reimbursed by banks — Enron lost billions. The Smith County jury apparently took the differences into account, but not in the way Estrada hoped. Enron executives faced sentences of 45 and 24 years. For his skimming, the jury sentenced Felipe Manuel Nieves-Perez to life in prison — “striking and alarming,” Estrada said. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Children’s Fest 2025 will provide free vaccines for children under 2 years old on Wednesday at 815 North Broadway Avenue in Tyler, according to our news partner KETK.
Children’s Fest will include family-friendly activities such as games, vendors, prizes and health services provided by local health agencies. Children under 2 years old can get free vaccines to help reduce or eliminate many diseases, such as measles, mumps, and whooping cough, according to NET Health.
“Childhood vaccinations are one of the best ways for our community and us as parents to protect our children against vaccine-preventable diseases,” RN and Director of Immunization for NET Health Sylvia Warren said.
For more information about childhood vaccinations, visit MyNETHealth.org or call the NET Health Immunizations Department at 903-510-5604.
TYLER – Our news partner, KETK, reports that an East Texas woman was arrested on Monday after reportedly providing Jell-O shots with vodka to 5th graders at a Tyler elementary school Christmas party. According to a Smith County arrest affidavit, multiple children were throwing up, and one was unable to stand up after consuming six shots.
On Dec. 20, 2024, at around 11:15 a.m., a Tyler ISD police officer received a phone call from the Jones Elementary and Boshears Center assistant principal that said she believed a parent had brought Jell-O shots to a class Christmas party. The officer asked the suspect, Teresa Isabel Bernal, to come to the principal’s office. The officer said he saw on the conference table in the principal’s office a cafeteria boat containing four Jell-O shots.
While the officer was interviewing Bernal, she said the Jell-O shots came from a local business she found on Facebook. “The business is run out of a house, so she went by the house and purchased the Jell-O shots and brought them to the school for the Christmas party,” the affidavit said. When asked if the Jell-O shots contained alcohol, Bernal said, “They do taste different.” Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY – A Rusk man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for robbing and killing a 70-year-old man in 2022. According to the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office and our news partner KETK, on April 22, 2022, Christopher Anthony Peoples of Rusk robbed and attacked Valentine Ortega Sanchez with a knife, leaving him dead in his driveway near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Dixon Avenue.
Officials said around 1 a.m. on April 23, 2022, Peoples fled from deputies in a vehicle while disposing of evidence south of Rusk on FM 241, and then wrecked in the 3000 block of FM 241.
Deputies removed Peoples from the vehicle, and began life-saving measures before EMS arrived and took him to a local hospital by helicopter where he was then arrested for evading arrest in a vehicle. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – As the May 2025 elections approach, voters across East Texas are preparing to head to the polls to make their voices heard on various important local issues and races. Our news partner KETK has compiled a comprehensive guide to everything voters need to know, including key dates for early voting and essential details for counties throughout the region. You can find that list here.
POLK COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, a domestic dispute between a Polk County married couple on Sunday leaves husband dead from gunshot wounds and wife physically assaulted, police said. Around 8 p.m. Sunday night, Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a domestic dispute at a Southland Plantation subdivision residence and found a woman who was allegedly physically assaulted and a man with multiple upper body gunshot wounds, according to a Polk County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.
Emergency Medical Services provided aid to both parties with the woman being transported to a local hospital where she was later released, however, the male was pronounced deceased at the scene, PCSO said. Officials began a comprehensive investigation and determined the dispute escalated from a verbal confrontation to a physical altercation. Read the rest of this entry »
WOOD COUNTY – According to a report from our news partner KETK, after deputies received reports of gunfire from a high school lake party, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office encourages parents to be aware of their children’s whereabouts.
The Wood County Sheriff’s Office released a statement to parents asking them to keep a closer eye on their children after shutting down a high school lake party where underage drinking and gunfire were involved. Officials said when deputies arrived, they observed a man running into a crowd wielding a pistol before he was taken into custody without incident. Officials said other suspects were detained with two firearms, marijuana, cocaine, and related paraphernalia.
The sheriff’s office encourages parents to be aware of where their children are, who they associate with and what environments they are in.
“We urge all parents to have open conversations with their children about the dangers of underage drinking, drug use and the potential risks of large gatherings,” officials said. “Your guidance and supervision are crucial in helping keep our community safe.”
TYLER – The bishop at the Catholic Diocese of Tyler mourns the loss of Pope Francis on Monday morning.
According to the Associated Press, Pope Francis died on Monday at the age of 88 with his last appearance in public on Easter Sunday during the morning blessing and popemobile tour through a crowd of St. Peter’s Square.
Bishop Gregory Kelly said he was impressed and inspired by Pope Francis’ work, mission and ministry in the Church, especially for his attention to the “dignity of immigrants and of those on the margins”.
“Having just celebrated the solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection on Easter, we commend the Holy Father into the arms of the Risen Lord whom he served so faithfully during his life and during his papal ministry. Even though there is grief at his passing, this is also a time to express our trust in the Lord and his promise of eternal life and the resurrection of the body for those who love him. I ask that you join me in praying for the repose of his soul and for the Church in this time.” said Bishop Kelly
The bishop invites people to join him for the celebration of a memorial Mass for Pope Francis on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Tyler.
GREGG COUNTY – According to a report from our news partner, KETK, a man was arrested in Gregg County on Friday evening after allegedly shooting and killing his neighbor’s dog on it’s owner’s property.
Around 7:49 p.m., Gregg County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a dog being shot by a neighbor in the northern area of Gregg County. Officials said following the investigation the deputy arrested Toby Odell Bennett, 63 of Longview, after he shot and killed his neighbor’s dog while the animal was on it’s owner’s property.
Bennett was booked into the Gregg County Jail for third-degree felony cruelty to a non-livestock animal on Friday and was released the following day after posting his $10,000 bond.
“The Gregg County Sheriff’s Office takes all allegations of animal cruelty seriously and remains committed to upholding the law and ensuring the safety and welfare of both people and animals in our community,” Gregg County Sheriff’s Office said.
NACOGDOCHES – Two Nacogdoches residents were arrested for possession of cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana and firearms by the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office early Thursday morning, according to our news partner KETK.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies pulled over Luther Levann Jackson, 38, around 11 a.m. for a traffic violation. They discovered an active warrant for his arrest, and took Jackson into custody. Later they also obtained a search warrant for Jackson’s residence in the 1700 block of Castleberry Street after an ongoing investigation revealed narcotics were present in the home, the sheriff’s office said.
When deputies searched the residence they reportedly found the following items: Read the rest of this entry »
KILGORE – 
Our news partners at KETK report officials responded to a Kilgore Walmart after receiving a call on Saturday of a man allegedly firing a flare gun inside, the Kilgore Police Department said. The police department was advised that “the gun had gone off inside the store and the man was walking towards the exit.” Officers arrived at the scene and quickly arrested the man. Upon further investigation, police said that the man “accidentally” set the flare gun off inside, before abandoning it on a shelf and walking away. Read the rest of this entry »
LUFKIN –
Our news partners at KETK report that the Lufkin Police Department said a motorcyclist has been flown to a hospital in Tyler after a crash on West Frank Street on Saturday. According to Lufkin PD, the crash happened in the 1600 block of West Frank Street at around 12:45 p.m. when a gray 2015 Honda Pilot and a motorcycle collided. The Honda was heading east and started to turn left from the middle lane but stopped when officials said the driver saw the motorcycle heading east in the inside lane. The motorcyclist tried to swerve to avoid the stopped Honda but crashed into the back passenger side of the car. The motorcyclist sustained life-threating injuries in the crash and had to be stabilized before they could be flown to a hospital in Tyler.
JACKSONVILLE – A man was taken into custody on Sunday after eight to ten gunshots were fired inside the Super Gallo grocery store in Jacksonville, according to our news partner KETK.
Jacksonville Police Department Chief of Police Steven Markasky said the four hour long standoff started after a man walked into Super Gallo and entered the business office where he fired several gunshots at the ceiling. The business was then evacuated, according to a Jacksonville PD press release. Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson confirmed the man was barricaded inside the office and was occasionally firing rounds into the ceiling. According to Dickson, the local SWAT team arrived at the scene and waited for the Texas Department of Public Safety’s SWAT team to arrive so they could help end the standoff. The Texas Department of Public Safety SRT and Crisis Negotiation Response Team arrived at the store and after four hours of calling out to him, the man was taken into custody without incident, officials said. A press release identified the man taken into custody as Amado Urquiza, 38 of Jacksonville.
Markasky said there were no injuries reported from the shots fired. He added that they’re currently processing the scene for evidence and that there’s no threat to the public as of Sunday afternoon.