A drowning victim was recovered from Lake Palestine on Thursday night, the second drowning in East Texas in less than a week. Capt. David Holly said emergency crews race against time when responding to water calls. “There’s several stages that have to be conducted before everybody just goes into the water,” Holly said. “We have to have all the information from dispatch to be on scene as quick as we can.”
The Great Texas Balloon Race gates at Maude Cobb Convention Center in Longview open at 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $20 Friday, $25 on Saturday or $40 for both days. Kids under 12 get in free.
Smith County Animal Control and shelter staff said the dogs arrived with medical needs, including skin issues, eye infections and overgrown nails. Rescue groups and foster families have since taken in 30 of the dogs, leaving eight still waiting for a forever home at the Smith County Animal Shelter.
Matthew Orban was found guilty of sexual assault of a child Thursday morning after over four hours of jury deliberation. Orban’s charges allowed the jury to assign anywhere between two and twenty years. In closing arguments, Orban’s defense attorney, Rustin Bridges, advocated for probation or a low prison sentence.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller criticized the USDA’s response to the New World screwworm on this week’s edition of East Texas Politics on East Texas Now with Blake Holland. Smith County Pct. 3 Commissioner J. Scott Herod, a cattle rancher and owner of Cut Beef in Tyler, also appeared on the program. Plus, State Rep. Cody Harris talks data center water usage.
Five of the rescued dogs are now at Pets Fur People in Tyler. Executive Director Kat Cortelyou said what the dogs need next is not complicated, but it does require consistency and care.
“I don’t think it will be much time. Give them a good home and some good groceries and I think they’ll eventually forget where they came from,” Cortelyou said.