Today is
Sunday November 24, 2024
NACOGDOCHES COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK, Nacogdoches County Sheriff deputies were dispatched to do a welfare check in the 16000 block of U.S. 59 North at around 7 a.m. on Sunday morning. Shortly after the call for the check came in, more calls came in about shots fired. NCSO SWAT officers, the Nacogdoches Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety and Nacogdoches County EMS were all dispatched to respond to the reports of shots fired.
The man was eventually contacted and taken into custody at around 8:30 a.m. without any incident or injuries reported. He was then taken to a local hospital to be evaluated, according to the sheriff’s office.
Officials said an investigation into the standoff is underway.
TYLER – The Tyler Police Department said that one person was taken to the emergency room after a shooting on Saturday afternoon. According to our news partner KETK, officials received a report of a suspicious noise or gunshots around 4:50 from the area of West 5th Street and South Englewood Avenue. Arriving officers learned that one person had been shot and was taken to a local emergency room. The victim reportedly suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound after a disturbance between several people. The investigation is ongoing.
HENDERSON COUNTY – An 83-year-old Crockett man was charged with promoting child pornography into Henderson County and arrest documents allege he was in the process of downloading the material when an investigator stopped by. According to our news partner KETK, an investigation began on Oct. 2 when a device successfully downloaded files that contained child porn and later the IP address was traced back to a Crockett home.
On Oct. 24 an investigator stopped by the home and made contact with Bert Franklin Burris, 83 of Crockett, who was sitting at his computer in the living room, documents said. “The suspect stated that he does download and watch child pornography on a regular basis and the youngest child that he remembers seeing in child pornography is approximately 5 years of age,†the affidavit said.
Burris then told the investigator that he was downloading the material onto his computer when he made contact with him and that he had been viewing child pornography since he was about 50-years-old, the arrest documents said. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – For the past two weeks people have been able to get out and vote early before Election Day on Nov. 5. But as we get into the final hours some counties are seeing fewer people turning up to the polls. Smith County is worried about what election day will look like after getting a low turnout on Friday, according to our news partner KETK.
“Early voting started out really very, very strong,†but the last few days had been slow, so we’re hoping to pick up because our goal is to beat 2020, That is extremely low for the last day of early voting†Smith County election administrator Michelle Allcon said.
Polling locations have run across a few issues this year and are reminding people to follow the Texas election code when voting. “Please don’t wear your hats or your t-shirts or your buttons, keep your flags in the car,†Allcon said.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s deep partisan divisions extend to trust in the vote tallies for this year’s election, as a new poll finds that Republicans are much more skeptical than Democrats that ballots will be counted accurately.
Voters generally show more distrust toward nationwide voting results compared to the tallies done by their own local election offices, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
About half of Republican registered voters have “a great deal†or “quite a bit†of trust that the vote will be accurately counted by their local election officials and around 4 in 10 say the same about the vote count in their state, but only around one-quarter have at least “quite a bit†of trust in the nationwide count.
Republicans voters’ overall level of trust in all three, however, is lower than it is among Democratic voters. Roughly three-quarters of Democrats say they have at least “quite a bit†of confidence that votes will be counted accurately nationwide, in their state or by their local election officials.
This year’s election marks the first presidential race since former President Donald Trump began a campaign of lies about a stolen 2020 election — a narrative that has undermined public confidence in election results among a wide swath of conservative voters, despite no evidence of widespread fraud.
Election experts have warned that Trump may be laying the groundwork to once again challenge the election if he loses.
David Farrington, a 78-year-old conservative in Fort Worth, Texas, said he distrusts mail-in ballots and ballot drop boxes, both common targets for claims of voter fraud and election conspiracies attempting to sow distrust in election results.
“It’s not the vote count that I’m worried about,” Farrington said. “I have every faith in all the precincts and their ability to count the ballots that are there. But the ballots — we don’t know if they’re legitimate or not.â€
Conversely, Ruth Edwards, a 28-year-old kindergarten teacher in Tampa, Florida, said she has “never seen evidence that elections are rigged.â€
“It’s just people who are upset about their candidate losing who are now claiming it’s rigged with no evidence,†said Edwards, a Democrat. “It’s ridiculous.â€
Voters overall are more likely to believe that votes in the 2024 presidential election will be counted accurately by their local election officials or in their state than nationwide, according to the poll. About 6 in 10 voters have “a great deal†or “quite a bit†of confidence that votes in the 2024 presidential election will be counted accurately by their local election officials or in their state, while about half say this about votes counted nationwide.
About one-quarter in each case have “a moderate amount†of confidence. About 3 in 10 say they have “only a little†or no confidence in the nationwide count, while fewer say that about the tally in their state or by local officials.
Drew Inman, a 31-year-old Republican working in law enforcement in New Jersey, said he is skeptical that votes will be counted accurately at all levels, but especially in counties outside his own.
“I definitely trust my vote to be counted at a local level more than I trust the national vote count,” he said. “… When you go national, there’s a lot more people involved and that can create corruption.â€
While ballots can include races for federal offices such as president or Congress, the U.S. does not run national elections as other countries do. All elections are run by the states and administered by local election offices in thousands of townships, cities and counties.
Election officials have recognized that many skeptical voters tend to point to other jurisdictions with false claims of fraud. Some groups have tried to counter this perception by emphasizing that elections in every state are run at the local level.
“What is difficult is when we have national elections, oftentimes people will maybe throw election professionals under the bus from another state, and that is not helpful,†said Tammy Patrick, a former election official now with the National Association of Election Officials.
Older voters have more faith in the vote count at all levels than younger voters, including the count conducted by local election officials. About half of 18- to 29-year-old voters have at least “quite a bit†of confidence that votes will be counted accurately in their state or by their local election officials, compared to around 7 in 10 voters ages 60 and older.
The gap is smaller for the nationwide vote count, though: About 4 in 10 18- to 29-year-old voters have at least “quite a bit†of confidence, compared to about half of voters ages 60 and older.
Bill Sanchez, a 29-year-old criminal defense attorney in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, said older voters have been watching and participating in the election process for longer, giving them more time to build trust.
“Younger voters have less experience voting and have spent a lot of their lives surrounded by this kind of misinformation that we’re seeing more and more of,†Sanchez said. “… It just sets the base for younger voters to be more distrustful.â€
About 6 in 10 Republicans say people voting who are not eligible is a major problem in U.S. elections, compared to 2 in 10 Democrats. Democrats and Republicans differ most sharply over whether mail ballots that are returned via the U.S. Postal Service or a drop box will be counted accurately. About 6 in 10 Democrats are “extremely†or “very confident†that mail ballots that are returned by these methods will be counted accurately, compared to around 1 in 10 Republicans.
Democrats, meanwhile, are much more concerned about voter suppression than Republicans. About half of Democrats say voter suppression is a major problem, compared to about one-third of Republicans
And about 4 in 10 voters are concerned about other countries tampering with U.S. voting systems or election results, which is down slightly from when the question was last asked in February 2020. This is something that independent voters are at least slightly more likely to be worried about than Democrats or Republicans.
Sanchez, the attorney from Pennsylvania, said he is more concerned about voter suppression than widespread fraud or ballots being miscounted and called for the expansion of early voting and mail ballots to “make voting as accessible as possible.†He also worries about the potential that false claims of voter fraud could incite violence and unrest, and said he hopes election officials’ attempts to inform voters ahead of the election will help.
“There’s a lot of misinformation and disinformation about election security from bad faith actors who are trying to build distrust and take advantage of the fact that people don’t always understand everything about the process,” Sanchez said. “And when we don’t understand things, we end up fearing it.”
MINEOLA — WorldAtlas listed the top nine most comfortable towns in Texas for seniors, deeming them as charming towns ideal to settle down due to their slow paced life, cozy natural setting and outdoor activities. Both Mineola and Hawkins represented East Texas on the list. You can view the entire list here.
SMITH COUNTY — A third person has been charged in connection to the March “cartel-related†kidnapping of a Tyler man. According to our news partner KETK, Brandon Markeith Jeffrey, owner of Mile High Eatery in the Tyler Pounds Airport, is accused of taking part in the kidnapping and was taken into custody on Thursday.
In March, Smith County officials said a man was found safe in the DFW area after being kidnapped from his Tyler driveway. According to an affidavit, his captors, identified as Julio Cesar Cordova and Walybert Eron Cordova-Rascon, demanded $10,000 from the family to return the victim. At the time, the Smith County Sheriff said the kidnapping was “cartel-related.†Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – Cumberland Academy announced layoffs to many staff members in an email sent to Cumberland parents and the Tyler community this week according to our news partner KETK. In the message, superintendent Charles Pulliam explained the private school is facing a shortfall of $2 million.
“Due to the state’s five-year funding freeze, the end of federal COVID relief, inflationary pressures, and rising operational costs,†said Pulliam in the letter.
Because of these factors, the school district said its necessary to consolidate, reduce and realign staff.
“We were blindsided,†said Jennifer Blake, one concerned mother. Jennifer Blake is just one of many parents with students at Cumberland Academy who received the following email on Wednesday afternoon. She said that the teachers were given little to no notice and little severance pay.
SMITH COUNTY — Smith County remains under a burn ban after receiving much-needed rainfall on Thursday, October 31. Smith County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue plans on giving an update to the Smith County Commissioners Court at its weekly meeting Tuesday morning. The Commissioners Court would have to vote to approve lifting the 90-day burn ban early if fire conditions improved. The burn ban was enacted on October 8, 2024. “There are chances for rain in the next few days, which could eliminate the need for the burn ban, but we must wait and see.†Hogue said. For more information on the burn ban from Smith County, click here. Our news partner KETK has running list of burn bans in East Texas. You can find it here.
UPDATE: According to the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, Peace has been located and is in good health. Officials thanked the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office, Nacogdoches PD, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Panola County Sheriff’s Office and Marshall PD for their assistance.
RUSK COUNTY – The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help in finding a 51-year-old man who is considered missing. According to our news partner KETK, Jason Peace is described as a white man, 5-feet-10-inches tall with a medium build. He was last seen on Oct. 29 a few miles south of Mount Enterprise.
According to the sheriff’s office, Peace is believed to have left his last known location in a white 2013 Dodge Ram 3500. The truck is described as having an auxiliary fuel tank near the front of the flatbed and brackets on the rear for a hay attachment.
The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office asks if anyone has information on the location of Jason Peace, to please call them at (903) 657-3581.
CORRIGAN – Gov. Greg Abbott visited East Texas on Wednesday for a $211 million expansion of a timber manufacturing company. According to our news partner KETK, RoyOMartin is expanding its wood manufacturing efforts in the Piney Woods. Their Corrigan plant, Corrigan OSB, LLC is now the largest facility of its type in the nation.
Executive Vice President of Manufacturing and Product Sales Terry Secrest said the new development will create 300 new jobs for the area. “These are not low-level entry type jobs that people can create a career with, and they can continue with a lifetime employment here continuing to learn and grow and excel,†Secrest said.
While speaking to a crowed of more than 200 entrepreneurs and workers, Abbott assured the new plan will put out more products and help Texas build new homes. Read the rest of this entry »
CAMP COUNTY — On Wednesday, East Texans voiced their frustrations in a packed meeting all against a proposed reservoir that would force them out of their homes. According to our news partner KETK, the Marvin Nichols Reservoir project would flood at least 66,000 acres of land in the Region “D†area. The project is spearheaded by Region “C†within the Texas Water Development Board. Region “C†is the DFW area and Region “D†encompasses Red River, Lamar, Delta and Titus counties. The reservoir has been in the works for decades to pump water from East Texas to the DFW area. Generations of East Texans say they are fed up fighting for their properties since the 1960s.
Dozens of residents are opposed to the project that would flood land where their homes, businesses and schools currently exist. “We just don’t want the lake. We want it to go away and never be heard of again,†Red River County resident David Stewart said.
Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER – The Tyler Police Department was notified early Wednesday evening of a broken gas line in the 800 block of South Broadway Ave, near the Children’s Park and West Rust St. The northbound lanes of South Broadway will be blocked for an unknown amount of time while Centerpointe Energy works on the issue. Northbound traffic is currently being diverted down East Dobbs St. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes and drive with care in that area.Â
LINDALE — Drivers in Lindale can expect traffic delays following a temporary closure on CR 474 beginning on Monday Nov. 4. According to our news partner KETK, officials from Smith County notified Lindale Police that CR 474, which is also know as Brick Yard Road will be closed for several days because of construction.
A spokesperson for the Lindale Police said “You will be able to drive up to that point from either direction, but you will not be able to drive through 474 until completion of the project.â€
GLADEWATER – Police in Gladewater are asking for help finding a 22-year-old that has been reported missing. According to our news partner KETK, missing is Wesley Don Heist. Wesley is described as 5-feet-9-inches tall, weighs 130 pounds with brown hair, brown eyes and several tattoos.
He was last heard from on Oct. 18 and is known to frequent Longview, Pine Tree and the Ore City areas. GPD asks that anyone with information on Wesley is asked to contact local law enforcement or Gladewater Police Department at 903-845-2166.