News of the Ark-La-Tex

Attorney General Paxton has sent a letter to Rep. Jim Jordan, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. James Comer, Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, in support of both committees’ upcoming hearings to investigate what Paxton calls the chaos at our southern border, which he says has been caused by the Biden Administration.

Liberty-Eylau Independent School District is hosting a job fair from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 25 at the Rader Dome on the high school campus.

The Texarkana Museums System invites you to celebrate Postcards from the Past: The Story of African American George Strong in Texarkana's Most Iconic Postcard at the Ace of Clubs House at 420 Pine St. in historic downtown Texarkana, USA.

Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders has declared a state of emergency across the Natural State due to the inclement winter weather.

The four inmates who escaped from the Columbia County Detention Facility yesterday are back in custody.

Texarkana ISD has announced an increase in pay for bus drivers.

The proposed merger between the grocery chains Albertsons and Kroger has antitrust laws in the spotlight, as the supermarket companies are already the two largest in the country.

Attorney General Paxton has announced his support for a U.S. Supreme Court-appointed Special Master’s order that documents concerning an agreement between Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado be unsealed concerning the Rio Grande Compact.

Due to the possibility of winter weather conditions this week, TxDOT crews in Bowie, Cass, Camp, Marion, Morris, Titus and Upshur Counties began pretreating many roads and bridges with brine today.

Four inmates escaped from Columbia County Detention Center early this morning.

The Texarkana, Arkansas, Police Department has cancelled an Amber Alert for a boy from Texarkana.

The Atlanta, Texas, Police Department has issued a warrant for felony theft for an Atlanta man.

A new traffic light is coming to the intersection of Richmond Road and Galleria Oaks this summer.

It is not a pandemic yet, but eye doctors worry the constant use of digital devices could eventually result in long-term health problems for many Texans.

Hempstead County Sheriff James Singleton has released a statement regarding the recent ruling from the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms regarding pistol braces.

Attorney General Paxton is co-leading a multistate lawsuit against the Biden Administration to stop a new U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) rule that prioritizes Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) investing over protecting the retirement savings of approximately two-thirds of the U.S. population, which is around 152 million workers.

A Republican-sponsored bill in the Arkansas Legislature would make it illegal to circulate petitions at or near polling places during elections.

A man who pleaded guilty to online child exploitation has been sentenced to almost 22 years in prison.

A pair of Houston men have been sentenced to prison in connection with ATM thefts in Bowie County.

The Shreveport Police Department has arrested a man who struck a police officer with a vehicle while fleeing from a traffic stop.

A Bowie County deputy is returning to active duty after being severely wounded in August of 2022.

A man convicted of seven counts of invasive visual recording has received a total of 14 years in jail.

The Atlanta Police Department has an active arrest warrant for a man suspected of sexual assault.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation wants people to be aware of romance scams as Valentine’s Day approaches.

Attorney General Paxton is leading a multistate coalition that is suing the Biden Administration over a new Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) program that unlawfully creates a de facto pathway to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of aliens.

The Texarkana, Texas, Police Department warns residents that leaving your car warming up could lead to someone driving off with it.

The Second Annual James Black’s Bowie Heritage Festival will be held April 21 and 22 in Washington, Arkansas.

The Texarkana Homeless Coalition’s Chili Cook Off will take place on Friday.

The Texarkana, Texas, Police Department wants to warn residents of another email scam going around in the area.

Attorney General Paxton has announced an investigation of Home Title Lock for potentially violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by misleading consumers with deceptive statements concerning the prevalence of home title theft and the need for Home Title Lock’s services.

A federal grand jury has charged two law enforcement officers with civil rights violations in the violent arrest of a man outside a convenience store that was caught on video and widely shared on social media.

A wreck at the 220 mile marker early this morning left traffic backed up on I-30.

A former sheriff’s deputy from Bossier City has pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of a fifth-grade girl.

A man has been arrested in East Texas after a police chase uncovered 77 pounds of marijuana in his vehicle.

The City of Texarkana, Texas, Health Department along with TAMU Health and Clover Educational Consulting Group will host a free flu and COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Southwest Center on Thursday, January 26th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The Hope Police Department has released their arrest records for the previous week.

Due to a chance of winter weather conditions tonight, TxDOT crews pretreated Interstate 30 in Bowie, Morris and Titus Counties yesterday.

A national farmers' advocacy group is asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the possibility of price collusion between major egg producers.

A man who crashed his vehicle into Wisdom Animal Clinic earlier this month is facing multiple felony charges.

The new Sevier County Medical Center has opened its doors.

Attorney General Paxton has joined a West Virginia-led cert-stage amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court, to strengthen the enforcement of the nondelegation doctrine, which would prevent unelected agency bureaucrats from exercising authority that the Congress has not granted them.

Attorney General Paxton announced that Texas is joining finalized opioid agreements with CVS and Walgreens totaling $10.7 billion nationally, with CVS paying $5 billion and Walgreens paying $5.7 billion.

The Wake Village Police Department has investigated numerous burglaries over the past several weeks taking place at storage facilities.

An Amber Alert for two sisters from McKinney, Texas, has been cancelled.

The Texarkana, Texas, Police Department has shared an Amber Alert from McKinney, Texas.

The City Council of Texarkana, Texas voted to approve a five year contract with AR-TX REDI, a regional economic development initiative, to provide economic development services to the City.

The City of Texarkana, Arkansas announces that City Manager E. Jay Ellington is resigning his position effective March 31, 2023.

A De Queen man has been arrested in connection with the sexual abuse of a minor.

The Hope Police Department has reported a pair of arrests.

Eight charges connected to the solicitation of a minor are on the table for a former Lafayette County Jail employee.

The Texarkana, Arkansas, Police Department wants residents to know the specifics associated with solicitation.

Chief Kevin Schutte announces that there will be a new look for Texarkana, Texas, police officers very soon.

The Texarkana, Texas, Police Department has arrested an Illinois woman in connection with vehicle break ins.

On a muggy Monday morning at Exploration Green in Clear Lake, walkers are on trails that meander along natural-looking ponds. Red-winged Blackbirds chirp in the distance and rabbits hide in the tall grasses and reeds.

A Texarkana man is being held on a $200,000 bond after being arrested in connection with the sexual abuse of a four-year-old girl.

Attorney General Paxton, along with the State of Oklahoma, is suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) to remove what he calls an illegal regulation from federal law that Paxton says cedes our sovereignty to the World Health Organization (“WHO”).

Judge Tommy Potter has announced the Miller County District Court, both city and county divisions in Texarkana, Arkansas will grant amnesty beginning February 1st through April 28th, 2023.

The City of Texarkana, Texas Council appointed Libby White to take the Ward 5 council seat vacated by former Council member Bill Harp on Monday, January 9th.

Beginning Monday, Jan. 23, FM 2148 will be closed at the I-30 intersection in Texarkana as crews begin construction of the new frontage road on the south side of I-30.

The Hempstead County Sheriff’s Office wants to alert the public of a phone scam going around from someone claiming to be with the sheriff’s office.

The Texarkana, Texas, Police Department is investigating an attempted ATM theft that took place Sunday at the Road Runner gas station on Richmond Road.

TexAmericas Center (TAC), which owns and operates one of the largest mixed-use industrial parks in the United States, has announced Pennsylvania-based Palmer International as the newest Corporate Citizen expanding to its property.

A motorcycle accident has left a Texarkana man in the hospital.

The Texarkana, Arkansas, Police Department is looking for a vehicle that was stolen from the Texarkana, Arkansas, School District.

The 2022 ranking of "green" buildings shows Texas in 9th place, demonstrating a commitment to LEED certification, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.

Today is the seventh annual National Day of Racial Healing.

A community is only whole when it lives together, works together, and overcomes obstacles together.

Steward Health Care has signed a contract with Robins & Morton for the construction of the replacement facility for Wadley Regional Medical Center.

The TAPD and the Bi-State Narcotics Task Force have arrested two men on charges of drug possession.

The Texarkana Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board plans to meet Wednesday, January 18, 2023.

Steward Health Care has signed a contract with Robins & Morton for the construction of the replacement facility for Wadley Regional Medical Center

The traffic stop was related to an investigation by the Bi-State Narcotics Task Force.

A man has been arrested in connection with the sexual assault of a child.

The Arkansas State Police is investigating the crash of a suspect who fled from Arkansas State Troopers and the North Little Rock Police Department yesterday evening.

The five largest cities in Texas are spending far more money on criminal justice than on community services, according to a new study.

The search for a missing man from Vivian, Louisiana, has been called off.

The Hope Police Department has released their weekly list of arrests.

A De Queen man has been arrested following an alleged assault on his girlfriend.

Multiple law enforcement agencies are searching for a Vivian, Louisiana, man.

Wadley Regional Medical Center was one of only three Primary Stroke Centers in the state of Arkansas and Texarkana to receive the Arkansas Department of Health Coverdell Defect-Free Care award for providing quality stroke care.

The City of Texarkana, Texas, wants to remind residents that city offices will be closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Harvest Regional Food Bank will begin construction on an addition to their warehouse and facility on Thursday, January 19th, which will allow the food bank to provide more hunger relief to families in need.

The Texarkana, Arkansas, Police Department arrested a man with felony warrants after the suspect fled through a school campus.

Two men were arrested after a high-speed chase with a Miller County Sheriff’s deputy left their vehicle sunk in a bayou.

A Wake Village man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and a substance believed to be fentanyl on New Year’s Eve.

A police chase in Shreveport yesterday afternoon led to a manhunt ending in four arrests.

The Don’t mess with Texas® Scholarship Contest is now accepting applications for the 2023 school year.

Texas may soon join other states with legalized fentanyl test strips, used by those with drug addictions to detect the presence of the often lethal opioid known as fentanyl.

Texarkana Police are warning local businesses about potential credit card scams after multiple stores in the area were hit last week. According to Public Information Officer Shawn Vaughn, there have been three incidents over the last few days where people used fake credit cards to make some big purchases. They say the scam artists are using blank credit cards to trick cashiers into believing that the transaction is being run as credit even though the back of the card has instructions to run it as cash.

Texarkana police are seeking a man who allegedly rammed his girlfriend’s car Friday afternoon, then shot her passenger in the arm. TTPD officers say around 5 p.m. Friday, Princeton Crawford became upset when he learned his girlfriend was giving rides home to one particular co-worker.

Miller County District Court and sister court at the Bi-State will be running an Amnesty Program through April 30th. Individuals can receive up to $350 off of any active misdemeanor warrants.

47 year old Christopher Jeff Langston has been sentenced by a Bowie County jury to life in prison for sexual assault of a child involving a victim who got pregnant and had his child at 14 years of age. The jury convicted Langston of sexual assault of a child Thursday after also hearing testimony from two other witnesses who allege they were sexually abused by Langston when they were 14.

Hooks High School student James Deanda has won the Texas High School state championship for UIL STUDENT CONGRESS after a grueling couple days of fierce competition in Austin.

The Animal Care and Adoption Center in Texarkana has closed temporarily. The adoption center is located on the 200 block of Harrison Street.

CHRISTUS St. Michael is writing another chapter in its more than 105-year history in Texarkana with the construction of the multi- million CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital – West, set to break ground early this year. Set to open next year, the new, fully-licensed hospital will be conveniently located at Gibson Lane and Arista Blvd. in Texarkana.

With the public appearance of the Omicron variant, many COVID testing sites are being overrun by residents wanting to know whether they are infected or not. This being the case, Arkansas has taken another step to relieve some of the pressure at these sites. Bridging The Gaps of Arkansas in Texarkana has teamed with the Arkansas Department of Health in distributing free COVID-19 testing kits to residents. Johnny Riley, of Bridging The Gaps, said interest in the kits is running high. His organization received nearly 300 kits Tuesday, Jan. 12 and they were out by midmorning the next day.

Schools are closing on the Texas side of Both Texarkana school districts are now closed due to COVID related issues and will remain closed through at least Monday.

Texarkana Fire investigators are figuring out the cause of a blaze that destroyed a former outlet mall in the 2600 block of New Boston Road in Texarkana, Texas, Monday evening.

According to Texarkana Emergency Management Coordinator Eric Schlotter, a surge in positive COVID cases since Christmas is a major cause of Monoclonal antibody treatment centers across the ArkLaTex being affected by a national shortage of treatments such as Regeneron.