TYLER COUNTY – In retrospect, 2024 played out in big moments to etch into history books down the road, on the national and worldwide stages, and there was no shortage of big moments in Tyler County and throughout the Deep East Texas region.
From a series of floods to a countywide engagement over a coming TxDOT bypass project, there was quite a bit to chronicle in these pages, and as we laughed, cried and cheered with all of you, there was a lot to cheer about toward the year’s conclusion with the Woodville Eagles football team making a historic bid for the UIL 3A DII State Championship.
Here are a few stories published within the calendar’s confines of last year within the Tyler County Booster pages. These stories were chosen in this wrap-up due to a variety of metrics.
What follows is summarized/adapted stories originally written by Mollie LaSalle, Emily Banks-Wooten, Brian Besch and that Chris Edwards fellow.
February – Missing girl’s body found in river
POLK COUNTY – The five-day, region-wide search for Audrii Cunningham of Livingston came to an end when law enforcement officials located the 11-year-old’s body at the Trinity River under U.S. Hwy. 59.
“My heart aches with this news and I express my deepest sympathies and condolences to everyone who knew, who cared for and loved Audrii. The sheriff’s office will continue to process the evidence that has been gathered to ensure that justice for Audrii,” Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons said during a press conference.
“I want to thank the media for helping us with the coverage of Audrii missing. Your help has been immensely appreciated. I want to thank everyone who has been engaged in the efforts to find Audrii – from the investigators to the volunteers who have spent countless hours in hopes of finding her and to the community members who have been here supporting us since day one. I also want to say thank you to the Trinity River Authority for lowering the water levels so that the divers could reach areas of interest,” Lyons said.
While there were initially several persons of interest, law enforcement narrowed it down to one person of interest on Feb. 17 – Don Steven McDougal, 42 of Livingston, who was arrested that same day on an unrelated aggravated assault charge.
McDougal was later indicted on the capital murder charge and awaits trial, where he could be sentenced to death, if convicted. He was transferred to Tyler County Jail in the summer, due to staffing issues at the Polk County Jail.
Third time’s a charm…maybe
WOODVILLE – The Willis Motel has another new owner. Todd Emmerton, of Livingston was present at Monday evening’s special called hearing about the property, which began at 5:15 at the Woodville Fire Station.
Emmerton presented all necessary documentation to show proof of ownership of the property to council; the sale was finalized and Emmerton took ownership of the property January 3, 2024. When asked point blank what his plans were, he said, “ I plan on leaving it as a motel”.
City Administrator Mandy Risinger advised council that “ the ordinance in place requires a written plan for remediation or proposed action and then proof of financial responsibility in order to carry out that plan, and a timeline for when the plan will be completed”. Mayor Amy Bythewood asked Emmerton, “have you identified a contractor to assist with this project for the asbestos removal”? Emmerton responded, “I wasn’t aware of the asbestos, that was a surprise to me. I called all around and talked to the one gentleman who has been out there before, but he didn’t do the actual report. I have been unable to get a copy of the report”.
Bythewood added, “I don’t believe the council as a whole has received a copy of the report. We were in communication with the person a previous owner had hired to demolish the property (Steve Baker) and I was able to see the report from him. The property is ate up with asbestos and a lot of hazardous material”.
Emmerton was asked what his plans are for the motel. “I plan on tearing it down to the studs and remodeling,” he said. He also said he was going to get a loan to take care of the cost of the asbestos removal.
Bythewood further explained, “I want you to be aware that we are at the end grace of any extensions or anything. Because (the motel) is right on the highway in the middle of people coming back and forth from town, anything pretty is just overshadowed. It’s just so highly visible. We are at the end of the grace that we can give to an owner, even if it might be a new owner, and the next steps to actually removing it. You (Emmerton) are the newest owner and you’re hearing everything for the first time it seems like, which is unconscionable to sell you property like that”.
Risinger added that “we need to reconvene in 30 days, and have our attorney present, which will give Emmerton time to get an environmental report and an estimate for demolition, so he will know whether or not he wants to rehab, what the extent of the damage is, the environmental concern and an estimate of what it would be to abate it. The first thing that has to happen is abatement and clean-up”.
Emmerton was asked if he had a timeline for bringing the building down to studs and starting over; “not that long, depending on the weather, and the timeline for removal of asbestos”, he said.
The motel, long a contentious issue with the city, was later demolished.
April – Residents concerned about TxDOT relief route project
TYLER COUNTY – A relief route project, which the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) proposed as a way to support safe and efficient traffic flow from the north end to the south end of Tyler County has met with concern from some residents.
“We are squarely in favor of any expansion to highway 69 following the railroad right-of-way route and opposed to any other route,” said Steve Pittman. “We favor this route because it keeps traffic, and thus commerce, in our local cities,” he added.
Pittman is one of a group of individuals who represent both families and businesses in the county, retained to express concern for the proposed routes for the project, which TxDOT has named the US 69 Woodville-Colmesneil Relief Route.
The route would stretch 25 miles, from one mile south of Recreational Road 255 in Colmesneil down to one mile south of Black Creek, near Warren.
The relief route roadway, according to a TxDOT overview, would “generally include two 12-foot travel lanes in each direction, a northbound 13-foot outside shoulder to be used as a hurricane evacuation lane, a southbound 10-foot outside shoulder and two-lane frontage roads in each direction that would require approximately 400 feet of right-of-way (ROW) width.”
The project was the subject of several public meetings last year, which were held both virtually and in-person. TxDOT’s timetable cites a fall 2024 date for the project’s draft preliminary design and draft environmental assessment to be completes, with ROW acquisition beginning next year, pending the environmental decision and decision on the route, as four possible routes are being looked at.
TxDOT stated that all of the dates and the scheduling of the project are tentative and subject to change, but also contingent on funding as to how it is ultimately built.
In a letter sent to TxDOT from attorneys Brad Elrod and Tommy D. Fortenberry and signed by several residents in both Colmesneil and Warren, the opposition is placed on any route that runs west of the current US Highway 69 route; that the route labeled as “Route D” on TxDOT’s options “is the only choice the makes sense for the future of the county.”
That route, which runs along the path of the long-deactivated railroad route, that ran parallel to US 69. According to the letter, many of the group of signers can remember that the railroad route was the long-accepted, commonly known route for any future highway expansion projects in Tyler County.
“For the past several decades, citizens have made decisions whether to buy or not to buy, to start a business, or build their family home in this area knowing about this possibility of the future development of the railroad bed,” the letter states.
“Everyone who has owned property along proposed Route D has had to consider the reality that their property would be affected by highway expansion.”
Pittman said the aim of the letter is to influence TxDOT to “stick with the initial plan.” “We would like to encourage TxDOT to stay on the railroad right-of-way,” he said.
The three western routes would have an extremely detrimental effect on businesses and homeowners in Warren, Hillister, Woodville and Colmesneil, said Greg Adams, who works as a GIS specialist with the Tyler County Appraisal District.
Adams, who worked on creating the original maps of the railroad ROW route, was asked by citizens to attend one of the public meetings last fall, held in Woodville, and said he was asked to leave. He brought several of his maps to display but was told the maps did not conform to TxDOT’s message.
“We’ve got to get ahead of this before they make these decisions,” Adams said.
Pittman added that any of TxDOT’s projected routes A,B or C would have catastrophic environmental and economic impact on the area, which would not only result in losses for landowners and businesses, but also would curtail tax revenue for the county.
“This will decimate communities if they don’t do it with the community in mind. Tyler County will be a shell,” he said.
Ultimately, TxDOT narrowed the route options down to two, and when the county adopted the alternative route as its choice, in October, County Judge Milton Powers announced that TxDOT said it was in favor of the route proposed by Pittman and Adams.
April- May: County experiences widespread flooding
TYLER COUNTY – Widespread flooding last Wednesday caused damage to property, and a widespread disaster declaration, issued by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Heavy storms, which began on Tuesday, April 9 and lasted into Wednesday morning, ended up with as much as 13 inches of rain reported in parts of the region. According to the county’s Office of Emergency Management Coordinator John Settlocker, the county is assessing damages throughout the county.
Settlocker said there have been 17 damage reports received. Several roads were closed on Wednesday, but are now open, as the waters have receded. Many roads, structures and Charmaine Dam in Ivanhoe, are all damaged as a result.
“At a sense of caution, Ivanhoe is closing the Charmaine Dam to all traffic until we can have the engineer team inspect for safety purposes,” said Ivanhoe Mayor Skip Blackstone.
Blackstone declared an emergency on Wednesday for the city, as many roadways in Ivanhoe were rendered impassible, and many residents were unable to leave their homes or the city.
That declaration is good for seven days from its issuance, unless the city council votes to uphold it.
Blackstone said the valve at Charmaine will remain open to keep the water level down until the inspection occurs.
Abbott signed a proclamation of disaster on Monday for counties in the region affected by the flooding, including Tyler County.
July – Beryl barrels through Texas
Hurricane Beryl, which roared across islands in the Caribbean last week as an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane, made landfall in Texas around 4 a.m. Monday as a Category 1, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm, which diminished into surges of flash flooding and high winds made its way north, from the coast into East Texas eventually leaving 2.7 million Texans without power.
Meteorologist Matt Lanza, of Space City Weather, posted online that the storm, with “widespread wind gusts of 75 to 85 mph so far inland was really unnerving.”
In Tyler County, emergency management officials encouraged residents to shelter in place and to stay off the roads during the storm surge on Monday. This same protocol was recommended by officials in neighboring Hardin; Liberty and San Jacinto counties.
Most of the damage, according to reports, has been confined to downed power lines and trees through the region. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a tornado watch until 10 p.m. on Monday for counties between Montgomery and Texarkana, and into northwest and north central Louisiana and southern Arkansas, and a wind advisory was in effect until Tuesday morning.
Tyler County Judge Milton Powers issued a declaration of disaster citing the county being in imminent threat of widespread and/or severe damage, injury, or loss of life, or property.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a press conference with Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) chief Nim Kidd that nearly three million power customers were without power, as 10 transmission lines were down.
Patrick said that the state has deployed assets throughout the Coastal Bend region; the Houston area and Deep East Texas, moving into recovery mode.
The state’s Public Utility Commission chairman Thomas Gleeson said during a news conference that he asked Texans for their patience as crews are out doing their best to restore energy across the state.
Entergy Texas issued an update Tuesday morning that as of 6:30 p.m. on Monday, approximately 247,000 Entergy customers were without power, but crews of more than 1,300 workers were tending to the problems, “but the company anticipates that it will take several days to fully restore power.”
Sam Houston Electric Cooperative (SHECO) stated that its system had sustained “several damage” in the storm surges, and as of Tuesday, more than 5,500 customers’ power had been restored.
December – Playoff run that united community ends at state
Woodville football was met with a buzzsaw in its first ever trip to the UIL State Championship. The Gunter Tigers won 28-0 for their third consecutive state title, and fifth in the past nine years at AT&T Stadium in Arlington Thursday.
“Obviously, we are disappointed with the outcome,” Woodville coach Ty Robinson said. “It is not going to take away from the season that we had. They (Gunter) are in the position that they are in for a reason. I couldn’t be any prouder of my guys and watching them for the last six years grow up has been one of the true blessings in my life. Being able to cap off their senior season with the historic run like we had this year is something that will always be a cherished memory.”
A crowd of 9,531 fans saw a defensive struggle in the first half, as the two teams combined for just 160 yards. The Woodville offensive line failed to give much protection for ball carriers and its passer versus a stingy Tiger defense. Quarterback Luke Babin (9-for-23, 93 yards, 2 Int) was sacked six times.
A punt return of 34 yards by Gunter senior Easton Overman set up good field position early in the second period. On the third play of the drive, quarterback Preston Tarpley (9-for-15, 121 yards, 2 TDs) found Cole Harpole running loose in the secondary for an easy 18-yard touchdown. It was the only trip to the red zone for either squad across the half.
A line drive kickoff to begin the second half was returned by Mitchell Gage 96 yards through a large hole near the hash marks to double the Tiger lead at 14-0. It was the longest in Class 3A state championship history, and second longest in any 11-man state title game.
Confusion in coverage moments later allowed Cash Rumage to slip behind defenders and haul in a 59-yard strike from Tarpley, opening the gap to 21-0. In three minutes, the Tigers had 155 yards on the two scoring plays after just 82 total yards in the first half.
An interception off a tip by Tiger Brock Boddie midway through the fourth quarter was returned 62 yards for the final score.
Though the score didn’t indicate it, the Woodville defense played well. The two busts in coverage overshadowed a performance by the unit that displayed its athleticism and solid tackling Thursday afternoon. Jacob Hyder and Jaythan Traylor each had 11 tackles, with the latter also picking up a sack and two and a half tackles for loss. Defense kept the game within reach, despite an offense that sputtered and special teams that made mistakes and surrendered big plays.
The Eagles had more punts (10) than first downs (nine). They were held to 147 yards of total offense. Yet, Gunter did not have much more at 205, with half of the Tiger points credited to special teams and defense.
Woodville finishes the year with a 13-3 record, while Gunter raised its mark to 14-2.
Robinson had a positive outlook on the future of Eagle football after the contest.
“Our J.V. team was undefeated this year, our seventh-grade team was undefeated, and I believe our eighth grade lost one game. We are graduating some great players, but we graduated some great players last year. We graduated some great players the year before and we have six or seven kids right now that are playing college football. ‘Next man up’ is the mentality we raised these guys with, and we will see if maybe we can come back (to state).
“Getting out of the second round (of playoffs) is something that Woodville High School has never done. We’ve had three or four 10-win seasons since I’ve been here, so we’ve gotten the program to a level, and we have maintained that level. Now, we have taken another step. The objective now is to not go back and to keep climbing.”
The coach said the season has allowed the community to unite in its support for the team and each other over the past few months.
“There is overwhelming support. This is what is so important about public schools and what is so important about athletics. It is so much more than football. It is so much more football and so much more than the team. Everybody came together. A lady put on social media that only two times has our community come together. One was with Hurricane Rita. I didn’t live there then, but everybody lost power for over a month, and the community really came together. It was first for tragedy and now in triumph. It’s been great to see that for our community, and I know the community appreciates what we’ve done. That is what’s so great about this sport in small town Texas. It is just different, and it is unbelievable. It is why I became a coach.”
