ATHENS - It is now official. The Athens school district will go to a four day school week next year. The action was taken by school trustees during a called noon meeting on Friday. The new school week will start with the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year on August 5. The shorter school week would be launched as part of a three-year pilot program. Their action was made possible in Texas after lawmakers approved two statutes in 2015. One ...
DALLAS -- It's Code Red for blood in North, Central, and East Texas. Linda Goelzer with Carter Bloodcare says Carter really needs platelets and the rare types: O-negative, A-negative, B-negative and AB-negative. "Volunteer blood donors are truly the foundation of the health care system," says Goelzer. "You are a first responder before you even know you need to respond -- and it's just as simple as community taking care of community."
KILGORE - M. Roberts Media is expanding its holdings in East Texas. The company, which recently purchased the Tyler Morning Telegraph, is now buying the Kilgore News Herald. The company also owns the Longview News Journal and the Marshall News Messenger. The paper says it can trace its roots back to the early days of the East Texas oil boom and has changed hands several times. Terms of the deal between M. Roberts Media and News Herald ...
One person has died in a one vehicle accident in Harrison County. Dead at the scene was Steven D. Alexander, 38, of Marshall. The Department of Public Safety reports his car was traveling at a high rate of speed on Macedonia Road when the accident occurred. His vehicle left the road and hit a travel trailer. The accident, which remains under investigation, was reported shortly after 9:15 Thursday night, just under 5 miles northwest of Marshall.
TYLER -- Union Pacific Railroad has closed Palace Avenue and Elm Street at the railroad crossings for maintenance and repairs. Work is expected to be complete by 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15. Travelers are encouraged to find an alternative route and to pay attention to all traffic signs and workers.
MARSHALL – At Thursday’s meeting, the Marshall City Commission voted to appoint Mark Rohr as city manager. Support Services Director Jack Redmon has been serving as acting city manager since April. Rohr has 31 years of local government experience. That includes 29 years as a city manager. He most recently served as city manager of League City, Texas, from March 2014 to December 2016. Rohr will tentatively begin his duties in Marshall next month.
RUSK - A Cherokee County jury has found a Bullard man guilty possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. The jury sentenced John Michael Lydy, 46, who is a habituation offender and a registered sex offender, to life in prison. According to a news releases from the Cherokee County District Attorney's Office, Lydy was distributing methamphetamine from his mobile home in the Shady Brooke subdivision near Bullard.
