EDGEWOOD â Authorities arrested an Edgewood woman Monday for allegedly pointing a knife at clerk in a grocery store. According to our news partner KETK, Edgewood police say the woman, identified as Brandy Ackerman told the cashier at Brookshire Brothers grocery store in Edgewood to open the cash register and give her all the money. She did this while pointing a knife at the cashier. When the cashier would not hand over the cash. It was said Ackerman put the knife away and said “I was just kidding”. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — Early voting ends with low turnouts in parts of East Texas. Tuesday marked the last day to vote early in East Texas as local races are once again expected to be close come election night. âIt affects your life,â said Smith County Elections Administrator Michelle Allcon. According to our news partner KETK, an important race in Smith County with a lot of money at stake is the Chapel Hill ISD bond that is worth $125 million dollars. Itâs the third time the proposal will be up for election and exactly a year ago, it failed by less than 50 votes. If the bond gets enough votes, it would give the school a chance to renovate aging buildings. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A Tyler roadway is partially blocked off Wednesday morning due to a sinkhole in the area of Commerce Street at Oakwood Drive, our news partner KETK reports. Officials at the scene said the sinkhole was caused by a water main break and estimate about four hours for repair.
LONGVIEW — A former Longview ISD employee was sentenced to nine years deferred adjudication on Monday after pleading guilty to sexual assault of a child. According to our news partner KETK, Richard Williams, 30, of Longview, was arrested and accused of having an improper relationship with a student in 2018. According to an affidavit, Williams, who was employed as an aid by Longview ISD, began a sexual relationship with a then 16-year-old that lasted nearly nine months before the girl told her parents. The two also knew each other from church and Williams was reported to be the childâs pastor at the time of his arrest. He was indicted for sexual assault of a child in August 2019, and pleaded guilty on Monday. Officials with Longview ISD at the time said this was an isolated incident.
TYLER â The son of Smith County Clerk Karen Phillips and County Precinct 3 Commissioner Terry Phillips, attempted to speak at the Commissionerâs Court meeting on Tuesday to âcorrect the slanderâ surrounding his family after his mother and brotherâs arrest. According to our news partner KETK during the public comment portion of the meeting, Judge Neal Franklin announced that Lance Phillips requested to comment on a specific agenda item and would be given three minutes to do so. âThis is what can happen to you when youâre driving down the Smith County roads. I just wanted to correct the slander about my family on and for the record,â Lance Phillips said. Read the rest of this entry »
LONGVIEW — The City of Longview recently celebrated the opening of their new Fire Station No. 5. A ribbon cutting made the new location official, which is at 102 W. Niblick Street, our news partner KETK reports. The renovation/addition to the existing station built in 1985 was projected to cost roughly $5.34 million, but the final cost came out to $4.85 million. It will serve as an administrative wing for meetings and physical training. âWe couldnât be more excited,â said Longview Fire Chief J.P. Steelman. âThis fire station is such an upgrade from the 38-year-old station we were in prior to this.â Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — East Texas cities are once again asking for lifeguard help ahead of summer. According to our news partner KETK, over the last couple of years, public pools across the area have experienced major lifeguard shortages. There were several reasons for the shortages: the pandemic, people moving onto different jobs and not enough potential candidates getting qualified. This year could be the same if pools around the area donât attract enough lifeguards. The recreation manager for Tyler Parks and Recreation Kandice Johnson said last summer was tough for everyone. âLast summer I was on the phone every day with another city asking, âwhat are yâall doing to get lifeguards?â,â said Johnson. âThereâs like a shortage. Itâs hard to find people. Weâre trying to start earlier than last year.â Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — A bill to help funding for public school educators is making its way through the Texas Legislature, but school officials said the bill in itâs current state just isnât enough. According to our news partner KETK, Tyler ISD Superintendent Dr. Marty Crawford was joined by representatives from Alba-Golden, Bullard, Carthage, Cushing, Brownsboro, Lindale, Longview, Mineola, Palestine, Pine Tree, Troup, Tyler, Union Grove and Whitehouse on Monday to call on the legislature to increase public school funding. Sounding what they called a âMayday! Mayday! Mayday!â alarm on May 1, the districts urged supporters to contact state lawmakers to support increased school funding. With a month left in the Texas legislative session, public education advocates are asking lawmakers to allocate more of the stateâs $32.7 billion surplus to schools. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER — To help restock the Community Pet Food Bank, Tyler Animal Services will waive adoption fees for dogs and cats with the donation of at least three bags of dog or cat food of any size during the month of May. The Pet Food Bank was established in 2015 so families in need or those who could not afford to feed their pets would have a safety net to keep them in their homes. Many times, people who want to surrender a pet to Tyler Animal Control and Shelter only need time to get over a short-term financial hurdle. The Pet Food Bank provides assistance through donated food and cat litter, and so far, 30,000 pounds of food and litter have been distributed over the years. Read the rest of this entry »
TYLER â The Glass Recreation Center in Tyler is offering free life skills classes for teens from age 13 to 17 starting on June 6. These classes which are being offered for subjects like resume writing and car maintenance are limited to 15 participants per subject and will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursdays. According to the center, parents can choose the classes their teen will participate in but class spots are limited. To learn more about the Teen Life Skills program, call the Glass Recreation center at 903-595-7271 visit Tyler Parks and Rec online.
TYLER â Tyler is home to the largest municipal rose garden, and on Rose Sunday, the community came together to honor our city of roses. Tylerâs rose garden blooms with more than 15,000 rose bushes, seeing 100,000 visitors every year according to our news partner KETK. On Rose Sunday, people gathered to celebrate these beautiful blooms. âWe are here to promote our rose garden, our beautiful 14 acres that are blooming out there and promote our city,â said Executive Director for the Texas Rose Festival Association Liz Ballard. There to honor Tylerâs roses was the Texas Rose Festival court, and the 2023 Rose Queen Laura Bryan. Today, more than one-third of the nationâs rose bushes are processed, packaged and shipped from this area. Itâs building up excitement for the 90th Texas Rose Festival in just a few months.
TYLER — The Bed Bath and Beyond stores in Tyler and Longview are both closing and offering store-wide sales, according to employees. Local store employees confirmed to our news partner KETK that they are closing and that everything in the store is between 10% and 30% off. Bed Bath and Beyondâs website said similar sales are happening across the country. The stores in East Texas are closing along with every Bed Bath & Beyond store nationwide after the chain filled for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier in April, according to the Associated Press. It is unknown when the stores will officially close but the last day to use any gift cards or store credit is May 8, 2023, according to the companyâs website.
CHEROKEE COUNTY — Beginning Monday, May 8, the Texas Department of Transportation will begin widening operations on FM 768 in Jacksonville. The work will widen the roadway from 18 feet to 23 feet, from Loop 456 in Jacksonville to FM 22. Motorists should expect lane closures while work is in progress with flaggers and a pilot car controlling traffic. Delays are expected.
LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department said Saturday 63-year-old Mark Horner was discovered dead in Marion County. According to our news partner KETK, Horner, a teacher for Trinity School Of Texas, had been missing since April 19th. It was reported that Chase County Kansas Sheriff’s Department said they may have seen Horner in their area. That proved to be false. The Marion County Sheriff’s department, who are conducting the investigation, said there are no signs of foul play in the death of Horner.
TYLER â On Friday night, DeMarvion Overshown alongside family and friends in Tyler, got to hear his name called, getting drafted by the Cowboys in the 3rd round of the 2023 NFL draft. According to our news partner KETK, after playing safety in Arp, Overshown signed with the Texas Longhorns, where he moved over to linebacker and led the Horns in tackles. Now he will get the chance to showcase the skills he learned in Arp and in Austin and take them to his new football home in Dallas.