An East Texas-based ministry is taking people from darkness to the light, restoring vision to more than 10,000 people through Sight.org’s mobile clinics in West Africa. Since Lewis Swann co-founded Sight.org in 2012 in Tyler, the organization says it’s also shared the Gospel with more than 50,000 people in Togo, a mostly French-speaking country of…
Tag: East Texas
East Texas woman navigates grief by building wooden crosses
Everyone handles the loss of a loved one differently. Amber Acosta refused to let her father’s memory fade away after his death in 2016. It was inside his workshop that Amber says she unexpectedly found inspiration. “Someone can have such a large presence in your life. And to not have that anymore, it can take…
RIAS exchange program brings 10th journalist from Germany to East Texas
Burak Ünveren, a broadcast journalist visiting from Germany, is leaving East Texas with a fresh perspective on local journalism and daily life in the United States.
WATCH: Golden Hour on the Texas State Railroad
Click here to take a trip on a historic railroad through the Pineywoods of East Texas.
East Texas athlete defies cancer diagnosis to play college softball
Softball has become a type of therapy for 18-year-old Addison Babbs. The freshman from Nacogdoches County is finishing her first semester at Angelina College and earned a spot on the Lady Roadrunners softball team. Until recently, very few of her teammates knew about an inoperable tumor deep inside the right half of her brain. Competitive…
Artist Robert Puschautz creates sacred art to elevate minds toward eternity
An East Texas artist is looking to his faith to bring beauty to the world. From his studio in downtown Tyler, Robert Puschautz is training aspiring artists to produce sacred art that inspires others. “There’s a need for new imagery, a need for beautiful art to occupy people’s hearts and minds,” Puschautz said. The Stabat…
Andy Eaker’s journey from childhood coma to hospital chaplain
Nearly 30 years ago, Andy Eaker miraculously bounced back from a serious childhood brain injury. Today, the Longview native is using that experience to encourage and empathize with patients as a hospital chaplain. In June 1996, Andy Eaker was one of the first examples of extraordinary faith profiled in KLTV’s ‘Power of Prayer’ series. That…
Fmr. East Texas nurse, 103, recalls treating soldiers wounded on front lines of D-Day
At 103, memories of serving during one of modern history’s defining moments are still a source of pride for Lucille Wright, who now lives along the shores of Toledo Bend Reservoir in rural Sabine County. She served in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps during World War II from June 1943 to February 1946, achieving the…
German soldiers captured in World War II held in East Texas POW camps
As the unprecedented D-Day invasion in France got underway in June 1944, German prisoners of war were arriving in Texas by the thousands. According to the Texas Historical Commission, more than 50 thousand German soldiers were held at nearly 70 prisoner of war internment camps in Texas during World War II. Many were captured in…
Tyler’s Camp Fannin trained soldiers for front lines at Battle of Normandy
Over the course of World War II, more than 200 thousand military personnel trained at Camp Fannin, located between Tyler and Winona, before seeing combat on the front lines in both Europe and the Pacific. Today, little evidence remains of what was once a sprawling, 14 thousand acre complex dedicated to the training of infantry…
Longview High School choir embarks on trip to perform at D-Day observance in France
The Longview High School Lobo Choir is setting out on a trip of a lifetime after being invited to perform at the 80th anniversary commemoration of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France. On Monday, the group of 28 students and seven chaperones, led by director Melody McMullen, left Longview High School on a charter bus…
WATCH: Solar eclipse brings totality to Tyler, Texas
Click here to watch as Tyler, Texas experienced totality during the 2024 solar eclipse.
German journalist learns about local journalism from East Texas’ largest news organization
After spending three weeks in the U.S., a broadcast journalist from Germany says his experience in East Texas will impact his reporting once he returns home. In late March, Raphael Jung, a news editor for the ARD network in Berlin, participated in an exchange program for broadcasters through the RIAS Berlin Commission. RIAS, an acronym…
Honoring the legacy of KLTV’s first newsman
95 years ago today, legendary KLTV 7 personality “Kip” Kippenbrock was born in Austin, Texas. He passed away in 2010, but is still beloved in East Texas. I am astonished by the impact he made during his tenure at KLTV. When I talk to long-time viewers around East Texas, they are all too eager to…
Marking 15 years at Your East Texas News Leader
Today marks 15 years since I first arrived at KLTV, KTRE! It’s a great reminder of how blessed I am to pursue my passion in life here in East Texas. From the Berlin Wall to the Great Wall of China, it’s been a privilege to take you around the world to show you how the…
International partnership brings more prominent journalists from Germany to KLTV newsroom
Two nationally-known journalists from Germany are learning about American broadcasters by spending a week embedded in the KLTV newsroom. Aline Abboud, a presenter for ARD network’s flagship ‘Tagesthemen’ broadcast, and Clara Pfeffer, a political correspondent for the RTL and ntv networks, are both fellows of the RIAS Berlin Commission, a bi-national exchange program for journalists…
Kilgore planning own festival as Munich, Germany celebrates 188th Oktoberfest
Record crowds are expected to celebrate the 188th Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany this month, marking the massive festival’s second year since back-to-back cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than six million visitors each year make the celebration of Bavarian tradition the largest festival in the world. Record crowds are expected to celebrate the 188th Oktoberfest…
Diedrich A.W. Rulfs: the German immigrant who became Nacogdoches’ master architect
Few names are as widely known in Nacogdoches as Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, or Thomas J. Rusk. But there’s one lesser-known figure whose lasting impact is plainly visible in every corner of the city – Deidrich Anton Wilhelm Rulfs. “As far as local history is concerned, belongs even higher than these people,” said Nacogdoches…
East Texas pastor guided spiritual healing after America’s first mass shooting in a church
As gun violence in America has many churches taking a closer look at security plans, one East Texas pastor has a unique perspective on the matter. Brother Norman Crisp’s congregation at First Baptist Church in Daingerfield knows tragedy firsthand. On June 22, 1980, a gunman opened fire there, ultimately killing 5 people and wounding 10…
McClung family moving to Poland to pursue ministry as YWAM missionaries
An East Texas family is preparing to embark on a long-term mission to serve others in the region from a newly-established ministry base in southern Poland. This week marks one year since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The anniversary highlights an ongoing humanitarian crisis across central Europe. In early May, the McClung family…
Space Station device monitored lightning in East Texas during last week’s tornadic storms
As powerful storms produced tornadoes in East Texas last week, a special device was tracking lightning data from the International Space Station, flying 250 miles overhead. On Tuesday, December 13, a National Weather Service survey determined an EF2 tornado with peak winds of 115 mph touched down in northern Panola County around 3:30 p.m., traveling…
International exchange program brings German journalist to KLTV newsroom
A correspondent for a German TV network is learning about local journalism from the largest news organization in East Texas. Tom Garus of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB), an affiliate of the internationally respected ARD network, just completed a week embedded in the KLTV newsroom in Tyler. Based in Berlin, he serves as reporter and moderator for…
Poland relationship among oldest, most active of Tyler’s sister city partnerships
The City of Tyler’s partnership with Jelenia Góra in southwestern Poland is among the most active of its five current international sister city relationships. As one of the oldest cities in Poland, Jelenia Góra’s 900-year history includes nearly three decades of collaborations with East Texas. Jelenia Góra, Poland ‘Twinning’ ceremonies to formalize the sister city…
East Texas children send message to Ukrainian refugees through original artwork
Young artists from East Texas are sending a message of hope to Ukrainian refugees a world away. Students of the Tyler Art School, a private studio located in southeast Tyler, have created artwork that reflects their concern for the millions of Ukrainian children forced to flee their homes due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine….
Tyler partnering with Polish sister city to offer assistance to Ukrainian refugees
The Polish sister city of Tyler, Texas has become a receiving point for hundreds of Ukrainian citizens fleeing their home country after the invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Jelenia Góra, a city of more than 78 thousand residents in southwestern Poland, has mobilized its municipal government to provide humanitarian services in response to…
Donna McCollum: 44 Years as the Voice for Deep East Texas
In our industry, a tenure this long is uncommon. But that’s Donna — truly exceptional — both as a journalist and as a person. Retirement is a bittersweet moment for a beloved collegiate. KTRE and KLTV veteran reporter Donna McCollum is retiring after an amazing career of 44 years telling the stories of Deep East…
Trailblazing NASA astronaut Eileen Collins visits ‘Remembering Columbia’ Museum
In 2003, the town of Hemphill, in Deep East Texas, was thrust into the spotlight after the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy. After rising to the occasion and responding with hospitality, heroism, and humility, the people of this community adopted the motto, “Their Mission Became Our Mission.” One of the most visible actions taken to preserve…
Texas weathers historic winter storm
The effects of a week below freezing and record-setting winter weather will certainly be felt long after East Texas begins to thaw. Starting Sunday, February 14, much of Texas faced a period of historic cold. Snow, freezing rain, and ice triggered the National Weather Service to issue a Winter Storm Warning lasting several days. In…
WATCH: Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy 18th anniversary coverage
Click here to watch my reports from the ‘Remembering Columbia’ NASA Museum.
Hemphill museum to commemorate 18th anniversary of Shuttle Columbia tragedy
The Hemphill museum dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Space Shuttle Columbia will host its annual memorial service on Monday, the 18th anniversary of the tragedy that trust East Texas into international headlines. On the morning of February 1, 2003, the orbiter broke apart in the skies over East Texas, just minutes before Columbia’s…
East Texas NASA facility to play key role in football stadium-sized balloon mission to study stars
One of NASA’s next missions to study the origins of stars will feature a record-breaking telescope hoisted by a football stadium-sized balloon and the space agency is relying on an East Texas facility to make sure it gets off the ground. The Astrophysics Stratospheric Telescope for High Spectral Resolution Observations at Submillimeter-wavelengths, or ASTHROS, is…
International broadcaster exchange brings German journalist to KLTV/KTRE newsroom
An international exchange program is bringing another journalist from Germany to work side-by-side with the largest news organization in East Texas, KLTV and KTRE. Andreas Mitzkus will spend the next week shadowing and learning from producers, anchors, reporters, photographers, digital content producers, and news managers in the KLTV and KTRE newsroom. Mitzkus is a producer…
WATCH: Fall colors in bloom at America’s largest rose garden
Click here to take a tour of the eye-popping colorful blooms at the Tyler Rose Garden.
Couple rescued in boating accident reunited with ‘angel’ four decades later
A boating accident on Lake Palestine in Smith County nearly ended in tragedy for two families. Now, almost 40 years later, they’re finally learning the story of the man who rescued them and saved eight lives. Decades ago, Becky and Rodney Owens, their kids, and family friends were enjoying an afternoon of boating while visiting…
WATCH: Great Texas Balloon Race attracts top pilots from around the U.S.
The annual Great Texas Balloon Race and its nighttime balloon glows draw crowds of thousands of people from across East Texas and beyond. Click here to watch highlights.
Lane Luckie 