Today is
Sunday June 14, 2026
TYLER – Our news partner, KETK, reports that school choice may soon pass it’s final hurdle in the Texas House of Representatives. Governor Greg Abbott said that for the first time in our state’s history, a school choice proposal has enough backing from representatives.
“I think House Bill Three is going to be one of the finest, if not the finest, school choice bill in America,” said State Rep. Brent Money (R) Greenville.
Money, who represents Hopkins and Van Zandt counties in Austin, said the bill will allow parents another option for education and should only affect the students and families who apply for the program.
“There are strong protections, legal protections, the strongest in the state that say that this program cannot be used to change the way homeschoolers homeschool, private schoolers private school and it’s not going to change the public schools either,” Money said. Read the rest of this entry »
HENDERSON – Our news partner, KETK, reports that during a search of a Henderson home on Thursday, authorities reportedly found illegal narcotics and a firearm.
The Henderson Police Department said multiple agencies conducted a joint operation, executing a state search warrant at a home on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive at around 7 a.m. The police department said they found methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and a pistol. One person was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The police department has not released the identity of the person arrested.
Henderson PD was joined by the Kilgore Police Department, Rusk County Sheriff’s Office and the North East Texas Regional SWAT Team.
WHITEHOUSE- A 35-year-old man was injured on Thursday while pouring gasoline on a controlled burn in Whitehouse.
The Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office responded to the 17000 block of Forest Lane in Whitehouse at around 1:41 p.m. According to our news partner, KETK, officials said the man was burning plastic household items, a toaster and aerosol cans. He was transported by helicopter to a local hospital for treatment after being issued a Class C Misdemeanor citation for illegal burning.
“Smith County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue reminds residents to never use ignitable liquids when conducting controlled burn,” the Smith County Fire Department said.
VAN ZANDT COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK, a traffic stop in Van Zandt County led to the arrest of a Canton woman for multiple drug related charges on Wednesday. While officers were searching the vehicle they reportedly found what was suspected to be marijuana along with suspected methamphetamine and a firearm inside of the car. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Terry Lawson of Canton. Lawson was arrested and charged for possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Lawson was booked into the Van Zandt County Detention Center and has been released on bond. The case is still being investigated and officials said that Lawson is considered innocent until proven guilty.
“We have a renewed emphasis on stopping illicit drugs in Van Zandt County and having a Drug Interdiction Team is just the first step,” Van Zandt County Sheriff Kevin Bridger stated.
VAN ZANDT COUNTY – One person was flown to a local hospital on Thursday after a high-speed chase started in Van Zandt County and ended in a crash according to our news partner KETK.
Delta County Sheriff Marshall Lynch said the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office started a pursuit but then lost the vehicle they were chasing down. The Rains County Sheriff’s Office reportedly found the vehicle and started the pursuit which then entered Delta County where deputies joined in the chase. According to Lynch, the chase continued on Texas State Highway 154 heading west at high speeds when the vehicle crashed near FM 1529.
The driver was removed from the vehicle by Delta and Hopkins County deputies along with local first responders. The injured driver was then flown by an Air Evac flight to a local hospital.
TYLER – Congressman Nathaniel Moran had the opportunity to meet with President Trump and Vice President Vance to “increase liberty and prosperity for all Americans.”
According to our news partner, KETK, Congressman Moran was in the Oval Office this week discussing the emphasis of joint efforts between House Republicans and the White House to “secure the border, slash government waste, unleash American energy production and increase liberty for the American people.”
“It was an honor to visit the White House this week to speak with President Trump and Vice President Vance,” Moran said. “During our meeting, President Trump laid out his vision to increase liberty and prosperity for all Americans – and House Republicans are hard at work to deliver on that vision.”
Bullard – 
The Bullard Independent School District (BISD) Board of Trustees has officially called for a
school board election to be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025. This election will determine the representatives for
Place 6 and Place 7 on the Board, as the current terms for these positions are set to expire. The election was
called at the regular monthly board meeting on February 10, 2025. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — The Texas Department of Public Safety Tyler District reported a 22% decrease in fatal accidents in 2024. According to TxDOT and our news partner KETK, since Nov. 7, 2000, 87,000 people have died on state roadways and there hasn’t been a single day without a fatal accident since. TxDOT is working to end that streak and said the results are paying off. The report focused on five of the top factors found to contribute to accidents. The top two factors include drivers who fail to drive in a single lane and speeding.
“There were 164 total fatalities. Although that number went down from 209 in 2023, it’s still too many fatalities,” TxDOT Tyler District Public Information Officer Jeff Williford said.
TxDOT hopes to see fewer fatalities but said 2025 is already off to a bad start.
“Unfortunately, 2025 is starting off worse than 2024 did so far. Through the first 50 days, we’ve seen a handful of more fatalities so far and more crashes than we did in 2024 at this time of year,” Williford said.
MARSHALL, Texas (KETK) – A traffic stop in Marshall led to the arrest of two residents on Tuesday where police recovered drugs and stolen checks.
According to our news partner KETK, the traffic stop occurred in the area of East Grand Avenue and Bolivar Street. The individuals in the vehicle were identified as Amber Nicole Wage, 36, and LaMarcus Bernard Clayborn, 43.
While officers were searching the vehicle, they reportedly found a debit card and several checks in Wage’s possession that were not under her name. One of the fraudulent checks was made out to Clayborn. Authorities also found a white substance that was later identified as methamphetamine.
Following the investigation, Wage and Clayborn were arrested and transported to the Harrison County Jail. Read the rest of this entry »
CHEROKEE COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office jail was found in noncompliance with Texas jail standards.
According to Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson, medication distribution, restraint, recreational procedures and failing to do a proper face-to-face observation at the time of an inmate’s death were reasons for the failure. The sheriff’s office identified the inmate as Mason Tanner Johnston of Jacksonville, who was arrested for serious crimes against a child in 2021.
The sheriff said that these infractions are from a lack of documentation by the jailers when they perform their duties. “As a result of this inspection, I have taken the proper and necessary disciplinary actions against several jailers who failed to document their actions correctly during their shifts,” Dickson said. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Tyler City Council approved Municipal Court Presiding Judge Amy McCullough’s appointment of Attorneys Kristina Ross and Tab Beall as alternate judges. Following their approval Wednesday, both were officially sworn in. According to a release from the city, Kristina Ross is an attorney at Beard & Harris, PLLC in Tyler. Her practice focuses on estate planning, probate, and sports agency and management. She has been licensed by the State Bar of Texas since 2011 and is a member of the Smith County Bar Association. Tab Beall is a lifelong Tyler resident and attorney with over 40 years of legal experience, including serving as a partner at Perdue, Brandon, Fielder, Collins & Mott, LLP. He has been a member of the Smith County Bar Association since 1981 and served as president from 2002-2003.
LONGVIEW — According to our news partner KETK, the Longview Fire Department was sent to a house after a dog fell down a well under a house on Monday . However, with the help of Longview fire and animal control, the dog was quickly brought to the surface. The dog was a little shaken but officials said it was was unharmed. One of the rescuers has since chosen to adopt him, since the owner can not be located.
“Thank you to everyone who played a part in this miraculous rescue. It’s a true reminder of the incredible bond between humans and animals, and how a community comes together in times of need,” a spokesperson from Longview animal control center said.
TYLER – 
Investigators with the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (FCIC) have identified a sophisticated new criminal method that uses multiple steps to defraud consumers by impersonating law enforcement. The criminals send a fraudulent text alert to a victim, saying there have been suspicious transactions on their financial accounts and asking the victim to confirm that the transaction is indeed suspicious.
The criminal then contacts the victim while impersonating a bank representative and tells the victim that the suspicious activity is part of an FBI investigation. The criminal persuades the victim to withdraw and deposit funds into a “new account” via an ATM that is controlled by the criminal. Sometimes, these are video calls where the victim is on the phone with the criminal, who has their video turned off.
The criminals give the victim a debit card number linked to the criminals’ accounts to add to Apple pay or other third-party apps. Once the transactions are completed, the criminals instruct the victim to delete the debit card number and throw out receipts – which prevents law enforcement from tracing the fraudulent transaction. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – To improve efficiency, Tyler Water Utilities (TWU) will replace aging variable-frequency drives (VFDs) at the Lake Palestine Water Treatment Plant and the Lake Palestine Raw Water Pump Station. VFDs are crucial as they control the volume of water pumped from Lake Palestine for treatment at the water treatment plant and subsequently distributed through the system. Without functional VFDs, the plant would not be operable.
“The replacement of these VFDs is essential for maintaining the reliable operation of our water treatment and distribution system,” said Utilities Director Kate Dietz, P.E. “By upgrading this infrastructure, we are reinforcing our commitment to investing in modern solutions that meet the community’s water needs now and in the future.”
The design process is anticipated to be completed by May, and construction is scheduled to begin in July. The expected completion date is August 2026.
TRINITY — Our news partner, KETK, reports that a man has died after being struck by a vehicle on Tuesday night in Trinity.
According to Trinity Police Department, around 9:14 p.m. officers responded to a vehicle and pedestrian fatality crash on the 1866 block of Robb Street at the south end of Trinity city limits. Officials said that the male pedestrian died on scene after being hit by the vehicle, but the crash is still under investigation.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved,” Trinity PD said.