Local Headlines

Smith County Clerk Karen Phillips seeks re-election

TYLER — Karen Phillips, the current Smith County Clerk, announced she will seek re-election in the Republican Primary on March 3, 2026. According to our news partner KETK, Phillips announced during a gathering with family and friends that she intends to run for another term and continue to serve the citizens with accountability and conservative leadership. A county clerk is responsible for maintaining public records, administering elections, issuing licenses and certificates, and serving as the primary contact point between the county and its citizens.

Phillips has served as the Smith County Clerk for the past 15 years and claims to consistently deliver on her promises while operating with fiscal responsibility. She also said that during her first two years in office, she helped reduce the department’s budget by $150,000.

“I have worked hard to ensure efficiency, transparency, and accountability in the County Clerk’s Office,” Phillips said. “It has been an honor to serve the citizens of Smith County, and I look forward to building on these successes in the years ahead.” (more…)

Nearly 1,400 ballots cast in Smith County early voting

SMITH COUNTY — On the first three days of early voting, just under 1,400 people voted at five polling locations in Smith County. That’s according Smith County Elections Administrator Michelle Allcon. She also added that in comparing running vote totals, “That is under the 2023 numbers. By the end of the third day in 2023, we were a little over 2,100.”

There are 17 Texas Constitutional Amendment Propositions on the ballot for the November 4 Election, as well as several city and school elections throughout Smith County.  For more information about the propositions, click here.

CITY/SCHOOL ELECTIONS

The City of Whitehouse and the East Texas Municipal Utility District, as well as the Arp, Troup and Whitehouse Independent School Districts will all be holding special elections on November 4.

Early voting is being held October 20-31, at five polling locations in Tyler, Lindale, Noonday and Whitehouse. (more…)

Man sentenced to life for murdering wife

ANGELINA COUNTY — A Huntington man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2022 murder of his wife on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, Christopher Marriott, 54, of Huntington, was first arrested for murder on May 24, 2022, after officials said he called 911 on May 19 and told law enforcement that he and his wife, Sandra Marriott, had both tried to commit suicide, but only she died.

Angelina County Sheriff’s Office deputies and investigators later found that he caused Sandra’s death. Christopher pleaded guilty to murder before 217th Judicial District Court judge Bob Inselmann on Monday and was sentenced to serve life in state prison.

His life sentence in state prison started on Monday.

Former Bullard employee charged with attempted child sex

BULLARD — Our news partner KETK is reporting that a former employee at Bullard Intermediate School has been arrested amidst an ongoing criminal investigation involving child sex crimes. On Oct. 15, the Bullard ISD Police Department interviewed the suspect, Bryan Taylor, who was relieved from his position on the same day after having only been working there for three months. The school district said all screenings and background checks were conducted as district procedures require.

On Wednesday, Taylor was arrested at his residence and booked into the Anderson County Jail. He has been charged with unlawful restraint and attempted sexual performance by a child and is being held on a $1 million bond. (more…)

Tyler Water Utilities lifts stage two water restrictions

TYLER – Tyler Water Utilities (TWU) has lifted the Stage 2 mandatory water restrictions that went into effect earlier this month while the Lake Palestine Water Treatment Plant was offline after multiple critical equipment failures and flooding in the filter pipe gallery. To help protect the system and maintain reliable service citywide during that time, TWU activated Stage 2 of the City’s Drought Contingency and Emergency Demand Management Plan, which called for a 10% reduction in total daily water use. Repairs have progressed enough to allow the plant to resume operations safely. With both the Lake Palestine and Golden Road Water Treatment Plants now contributing to the water supply, system pressure and capacity have stabilized. (more…)

East Texas man arrested with over two pounds of crystal meth

NACOGDOCHES – A Nacogdoches man was arrested Friday Oct. 17 with 2.4 pounds of crystal meth in his vehicle. According to our news partner KETK, 50-year-old John Darren Taylor of Nacogdoches, was stopped by Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s deputies for speeding in a construction zone. Deputies found the crystal meth, along with 123 grams of Alprazolam pills and an unspecified amount of marijuana in the toolbox of Taylor’s pickup.

Investigators allege that Crawford had gotten the drugs from the Houston area with the intent of selling them in Nacogdoches County. He was charged with two counts of delivery of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. Crawford is being held at the Nacogdoches County Jail.

Rapper arrested for drug charges, again

HARRISON COUNTY, Texas – For the second time in a month, Ricky Hampton, whose stage name is Finess2tymes, has been arrested in East Texas on drug charges. According to Harrison County Jail records and our news partners at KETK, the rapper on Mondy was hit with eight different charges: possession of marijuana, tampering or fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair, prohibited substance/item in correctional facility, four counts of possession of a controlled substance, and possession of a dangerous drug. He was released from the county jail on Tuesday after posting a bond, which was set at $119,000.

Whitehouse ISD proposes voter-approval tax rate

WHITEHOUSE — With early voting underway, Whitehouse ISD is proposing a voter-approval tax rate that will “enhance teachers’ salaries,” and maintain small class sizes, allowing for more one-on-one attention between students and teachers.

According to our news partner KETK, if approved, tax rates will remain one of the lowest in Smith County, the school district said, and will focus on providing a better learning environment for teachers and students. It aims to “provide the teacher salaries needed to keep & attract experienced educators,” while also focusing on maintaining small class sizes.

Additionally, if passed, it will aim to help grow the district’s college preparation programs, as well as expand academic and fine arts programs, extracurricular activities, and the special education program. It will also allow the district to maintain its current safety programs and provide additional security measures. (more…)

Man arrested for reportedly assaulting police chief

LINDALE — A man is currently being held at the Smith County Jail after assaulting the Lindale Police chief on Saturday evening. According to an arrest affidavit and our news partner KETK, the incident occurred on 114 Cannery Row at around 7 p.m. as Lindale Chief of Police Dan Somes was directing traffic. While Somes was directing traffic, Andrew Hist was trying to turn down a street that was blocked off and proceeded to get out of his vehicle, walked over, and allegedly punched Chief Somes in his face.

Following the assault, witnesses helped Somes detain Hist until officers arrived on the scene. While witnesses and Somes attempted to detain Hist according to authorities, he tried to resist and was taken to the ground.

Hist was eventually placed under arrest after additional officers arrived on the scene and he was taken to the Smith County Jail. Following his arrest, Hist was charged with assaulting a peace officer and resisting arrest.

Tyler man receives 40-year sentence in fentanyl death

TYLER – Our news partner KETK is reporting that a Tyler man has pleaded guilty to two drug-related charges on Monday and accepted a 40 year prison sentence in connection with a 2024 fentanyl death.

Calvin Thomas Spencer, 28, was intially charged with first-degree murder, after Michael Crone, a Tyler-native, died after taking fentanyl pills. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office said Spencer was a barber at a truck stop in the 400 block of East-Northeast Loop 323 in Tyler where he was known to give Crone haircuts.

An arrest affidavit also revealed that Spencer sold Crone M-30 fentanyl pills and later died on Oct. 5, 2024. (more…)

Longview student altercation sent campus into ‘HOLD’ status

LONGVIEW – Longview High School was sent into a “HOLD” on Wednesday after an altercation broke out between a small number of students, according to our news partner KETK.

Campus staff and administrators responded to the altercation immediately and de-escalated the situation with district safety personnel. Longview High School was sent into a “HOLD” during the altercation, as a part of the district’s Standard Response Protocol. The district did not offer any other information about the altercation on Wednesday.

“The situation was promptly resolved, and those involved are being addressed in accordance with district policy. At no point was there an ongoing threat to the campus. The HOLD followed our Standard Response Protocol. Longview ISD is committed to providing a safe, secure and supportive learning environment for all students, and we appreciate the continued cooperation of our families and staff.”
Longview ISD

Hawkins voting on tax increase for operations

HAWKINS, Texas – Hawkins ISD is asking voters to approve a $0.03 increase to the district’s maintenance & operations tax rate in their proposed Voter-Approval Tax Ratification Election, also known as VATRE. Our news partners at KETK report that VATRE is a local school funding election that asks voters whether to authorize the school district to access the maintenance and operations tax rate. $0.03 tax increase would account for $100 of taxable property value. Any property owner who lives in Hawkins ISD would pay 3 cents more per $100 of property value. This change is projected to generate $600,000 in funding for Hawkins’ district operations.

Main line leak prompts boil water notice in Rusk

RUSK — Rusk Rural Water Supply Company (RRWSC) has issued a boil water notice to several areas due to a main line leak, according to our news partner KETK.

Due to the leak, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required the RRWSC to notify all customers in the following areas to boil their water prior to consumption: (more…)