LOCAL

David Varnado’s played fiddle across the United States alongside top country stars, and he’s also performed for an extraplanetary audience in a live broadcast from Mission Control to the

Thieves escaped with an undisclosed amount of money after they circumvented security cameras in a dawn burglary at a local gas station Monday. Officers were dispatched to 1708 N. Main St. about

Gladewater’s MLK/Juneteenth Committee is focused on the future, adopting a theme of ‘Generation Next’ for this year’s MLK Day Celebration Brunch. This year’s Jan. 20

Bids & BBQ is back March 1 at White Oak High School. It’s the fifth annual live auction event benefiting White Oak Future Farmers of America. Boasting free barbecue and hot dogs and

By Mayor Brandy J. Flanagan As we conclude 2024 and prepare for 2025, I want to highlight how far Gladewater has come and share the strategies guiding us forward. While previous leaders have also

Gladewater, White Oak, Union Grove ISDs plan delayed openings Friday. EAST TEXAS AREA DELAYED OR CANCELED CLASSES: All Saints Episcopal School – Classes canceled Thursday Atlanta ISD

Frigid weather makes outdoor painting pretty frustrating, but Hillie Shirley bundled up and kept on working this week, focused on bringing a new mural to life in the center of downtown

If the weather outside isn’t frightful yet, stay tuned. As area forecasts predicted temperatures in the 20s and precipitation incoming, the City of Gladewater spooled up it’s cold

“Flu A and B are on a rampage and so is strep.” Gladewater ISD posted a plea to parents and pupils Jan. 4, asking everyone to wash backpacks, hoodies and jackets before classes

With the Christmas season and New Year all wrapped up, the Gladewater Museum and its volunteers are turning their attention to their upcoming 2025 Night at the Museum. This year’s come-and-go

For the past 10 years, Gladewater High School’s Kevin Clark has been serving up a course fit for a king. Four courses, actually, ensuring the young lords and ladies of his Senior Advanced English

  ATHENS – The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) will host a two-day training event conducted by Toyota ShareLunker program partner Bass University. The in-person event takes place

By Jimmy Purcell White Oak City Coordinator In 2024, White Oak faced several challenges and opportunities that tested our resilience and showcased our community’s dedication to progress. One of

By Charlie Smith Gladewater City Manager As we rush into the new year, I reminisce about 2024 and what has occurred over the past 365 days that has impacted our community. The city is moving

The eyes are the windows to the soul, but David Coleman puts his heart and soul into windows for the sake of everyone’s eyes. “I’m just trying to give people a brighter outlook,” he quips, “let

I’m starting my 51st year in this journalism business and a lot has changed over that time. I started in “hot type,” where words were pounded out on manual typewriters and then formed by molten

Every year is full of change and excitement, but 2024 had more than its share of changes and excitement. Gladewater voters elected their first female mayor as Brandy Flanagan took the oath in

  ATHENS – New Year’s Day represents new beginnings, and for the Toyota ShareLunker Program, it’s the launch of the program’s 39th season. Anglers from across Texas and the nation will visit

Several Upshur County officials who were returned to office in the 2024 general election will be sworn in for new four-year terms at 11 a.m. New Year’s Day (Wednesday, Jan. 1) at the Upshur

“To be killed in war is not the worst that can happen. To be lost is not the worst that can happen. To be forgotten is the worst.” Several dozen locals braved the rain Saturday morning to ensure

White Oak’s council members officially signed off on the Gregg County Hazard Mitigation Plan last week during the final monthly meeting of 2024. “Us participating in this allows us to receive

Santa and his elves raised a clatter in Gladewater Saturday afternoon, rolling into town with a trailer full of toys in tow. It’s the 34th year a sprawling caravan of two- and three-wheeled

As the year draws to a close, City of Gladewater employees are steadily checking more items on the list – with, of course, new tasks being added regularly. “Public Works is continuing the

Christmas is coming, and Lee-Bardwell Public Library is giving Gladewater’s littlest elves a workshop to sell their homemade stock. Candles, cookies, sugar scrubs, hand-carved crafts, woodburned

8“Oh my goodness, look at these quilts.” Becky Davis wasn’t the only guest stunned by the handiwork inside First Methodist Church’s sanctuary Nov. 23. The draping of almost three dozen quilts

‘Tis the season for a cramped Christmas calendar with a handful of holiday events rapidly-approaching. First up, the annual City of White Oak Christmas Parade is set for 6:30 p.m. Monday.

A new master plan for Gladewater Municipal Airport will soon be unveiled following a recent meeting between city leaders and representatives from Texas Department of Transportation. It was TxDOT

City of Gladewater personnel are shifting course a bit on plans to refurbish and relocate the community’s animal control facilities. The current pens at Gladewater Police Department are neither

Follow-through will be essential for the City of Gladewater’s updated vacant building ordinance to have an impact. “That will be picked up under policies and procedures for staff,” Mayor Brandy

More food. More help. More guidance. For years, Dean Hanssen has focused on more – not for himself but for the children and families who rely on the Gladewater Backpack Program, for the men and

A judge in Gilmer sentenced Breanna Rena Simmons to 15 years in prison last week after she pleaded guilty to three counts of being intoxicated when she had a car crash that severely injured her

Upshur County Commissioners Court on Friday accepted the resignation of one of the county’s two extension agents, Tina Rosenbalm, effective Dec. 3. Rosenbalm has been with the Texas A&M

A trio of portable toilets will provide a welcome respite in the coming days as the city takes the plunge on an interior/exterior revitalization of downtown’s public restrooms downtown. Donor

It was back in June that Gladewater Mayor Brandy Flanagan first publicly aired her concerns about the number of vacant commercial buildings languishing throughout Gladewater. Five months and many

The Upshur County Grand Jury recently returned 15 indictments, six of them sealed, and no-billed three cases in Gilmer, said District Attorney Billy Byrd. Defendants, charges, and bond

Years ago, during one of the numerous Presidential Economic Summits, I was given the task of identifying the single best thing that the US had done to maintain decades of leadership in business

Lt. David Applewhite brought two important documents to his Veterans Day podium Nov. 11 – a Bible and the United States Constitution. “In times past, a copy of the New Testament was given to

It is time for the White Oak Fire Department’s Annual Angel Tree sign-ups. This year, the dates to sign up will be on Nov. 19 & 21 from 6 – 8:00 p.m. at the fire station, located at 301

A conservative coffee roaster is ditching the “demon social media companies” to put his marketing dollars to best use — bolstering the budgets of school districts. Pass on the popcorn,

Kilgore College trustee Jon Rowe greets newly-hired Gladewater ISD superintendent Rae Ann Patty at last week’s GISD board meeting. Photo by James Draper The Gladewater ISD School Board’s special

Press Release Each year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds directly to states, which, in turn, distribute

Press Release ETCOG is proud to announce that its Executive Committee approved the renewal of purchasing a mass emergency notification system as a part of its public safety program for the 14th

  AUSTIN – With the white-tailed deer general season open, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) game wardens want to remind everyone about some practical safety and regulatory tips to

In May, Americans remember those members of the U.S. military who gave their lives for their country. Each November, the nation pauses to thank living veterans whose years of service then-and-now

The Gladewater ISD School Board’s special meeting Thursday evening lasted the better part of 45 seconds as trustees unanimously approved Rae Ann Patty’s contract to become the

Gladewater’s new community Christmas tree is standing tall and proud downtown – and just wait ’til it’s officially lit for the first time this weekend. Star-topped, the green

(Courtesy photo from City of Longview – https://longviewtexas.gov/4299/Sabine-River-Water-Trail) The flow’s steadily picking up speed for a developing paddle trail on the Sabine River.

Recent rains have lessened the imminent fire risk and burn bans have been lifted, but dry conditions persist here and there may be more restrictions coming in the weeks ahead. After putting

Community contributors made Christmas even more special for more than 250 local children last year, and the Darla’s Angels effort is on track for another successful giving season in 2024. Darla