Local Headlines

Burst pipe closes road

TYLER – The water department is working in the area of Plantation Drive and Brynmar Court due to a water pipe that has burst under the road. Currently the road is closed along Plantation Drive from the 6100 block of Warwick Drive to the 1300 block of Brynmar Court and is expected to remain closed. Drivers are asked to use an alternate route and to watch out for water department workers.

Injured officer in hospital

TYLER – A Tyler Police Department officer was taken to a local hospital after their police vehicle was crashed into on Friday morning.

Department officials report that the crash happened on East Commerce Street at around 12:20 a.m. on Friday morning when a Tyler PD patrol vehicle on duty was hit by another vehicle going at a high speed south on Virginia Avenue. Both vehicles were a total loss.

The officer had to be extracted from his vehicle and was transported from the scene by EMS. He was taken to CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital, where he received emergency medical care. As a result of the accident, the officer sustained multiple injuries, including several broken bones. (more…)

Prison for burglary and assault

WOOD COUNTY – A Mineola man is facing 12 years in prison after burglarizing and assaulting his ex-girlfriend’s house in June, breaking his probation.

In May 2025, 36-year-old Cody Heidleberg was placed on probation for assaulting his then-girlfriend and mother of his child in 2022.

According to our news partner KETK and the Wood County District Attorney’s Office, Heidleberg burglarized his former girlfriend’s home and assaulted her.

Heidleberg was sentenced to 12 years for burglary of habitation and 8 years for assault causing bodily injury family violence impeding breath/circulation on Wednesday. His sentences will run concurrently and began immediately, according to court records.

Burn ban still in effect

SMITH COUNTY – A month after the Smith County Burn Ban was issued, there have been 175 outdoor burning reports in unincorporated areas of the county. Smith County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue gave an update to Commissioners Court on Tuesday, September 15.

Hot temperatures and dry conditions mean we are still under high fire danger, Hogue said, adding that he hopes the county will see some significant rainfall in the next 10 days.

During the first week, there were 58 outdoor fire incidents, 37 during the second week, 47 during the third week, and 33 outdoor burning calls last week. These do not include outdoor fires within city limits.

He said the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office has written 27 citations for all four weeks, but he did not know how many were issued by other agencies in the county. (more…)

Officials recover fisherman’s body

ALBA – A fisherman’s body was recovered from Lake Fork on Saturday morning following reports of an angler falling overboard, according to our news partner KETK.

Texas Parks and Wildlife said they received a call around 6:15 a.m. to try and locate a man that had fallen into the lake during a fishing tournament.

Officials have not yet released the identity of the fisherman.

Machinery thief gets 10 years

WOOD COUNTY – A Wood County man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of burglary of a habitation.

According to our news partner KETK and the Wood County District Attorney’s Office, Aaron Green was arrested in 2025 for attempting to sell a trailer and trencher on Facebook Marketplace that he had stolen.

The owner of the stolen property discovered Green was selling them on Facebook and worked with law enforcement to create a sting operation to recover his property and have Green arrested. (more…)

Unknown shooting victim is found

TYLER – On Friday, around 10:20 P.M. Smith County Sheriffs Office was called to County Road 1215 in rural Smith County to investigate a shooting. When Deputies arrived they found the victim had died at the scene.
 
Smith County Investigators and Crime Scene Investigators were notified. They are currently working the case. There are no suspects at this time.

Police dept. to be fired

TRINIDAD – Trinidad’s City Council voted unanimously Friday morning to place Interim Police Chief Cameron Beckham and four police officers on administrative leave, with plans to terminate them once the process is complete.

According to our news partner KETK, the move comes after the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) revoked all licenses for the Trinidad Police Department earlier this month. A TCOLE investigation conducted in August found the department had failed to meet minimum standards required under state law.

The investigation was prompted by a letter sent earlier this year from Henderson County’s 392nd Judicial District Court Judge R. Scott McKee to then–Police Chief Charles Gregory. In the letter, McKee warned that officers had withheld information from the court, raising concerns about the department’s compliance and transparency. Gregory resigned around the time the letter was issued in June, and two weeks later the city council appointed Cameron Beckham as interim chief. (more…)

District opens new high school

KILGORE – Kilgore ISD hosted an official grand opening for the district’s new high school on Saturday morning.

According to our news partner KETK, although students have been able to use the new facility during the first few weeks of school, the grand opening gave alumni, community members and families an opportunity to see what is behind the new doors.

The event featured group tours of the building, a key note address from Dr. Andy Baker and other Kilgore ISD officials and Bulldog pride around every corner.