STOCK PHOTO SJNT staff Robert Dale ClaryCOLDSPRING — Robert Dale Clary, 67, of Shepherd, convicted in a 5-year-old murder case, recently was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Clary pleaded guilty on March 25 to the murder of 59-year-old Rhonda Darline Richardson of Shepherd, in 411th District Court before Judge John Wells. District Attorney Todd Dillon said the plea is the final chapter in an investigation that began when Richardson was found murdered in a wooded area near her home near FM 2025 in May 2019. At that time, San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office deputies and detectives arrived to a gruesome crime scene. A combined response from county, state and federal investigators identified several potential suspects, but further investigation focused on Clary. However, authorities lacked sufficient evidence to bring charges against Clary by the end of 2020. In 2022, at the request of both the Sheriff and District Attorney’s Office, a team of independent investigators, analysts and…

By Chris Edwardsnews@tylercountybooster.com LUFKIN – The region-wide flooding incidents, which began three weeks ago with various severe weather incidents over a two-day period and again on Sunday, have affected people in Tyler County, as well as other counties within the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) region of service. Last week, DETCOG announced that it is offering assistance to families affected by flooding within five counties: Tyler; Hardin; Jasper; Shelby and Newton. All five counties, which are represented by DETCOG, are included within the disaster declaration issued on April 10 by Gov. Greg Abbott. DETCOG’s Regional Housing Authority is accepting applications, and the organization’s executive director said that due to the disaster declaration, DETCOG is able to speed up the issuance of housing vouchers to those affected. Hunt said that the DETCOG housing program assists nearly 1,800 families throughout the 12-county region of service, and while there is…

TURN AROUND DON’T DROWN - All lanes of the U.S. 59 bypass were closed Monday due to extensive flooding. Visit drivetexas.org for road conditions or closures statewide. TxDOT photo By Emily Banks Wooteneditor@polkenterprise.com Polk County remains under a disaster declaration following severe thunderstorms Sunday night and Monday morning producing heavy rainfall that resulted in widespread flooding in low-lying areas and on roadways. “Residents began contacting 911 in the early morning hours Monday requesting evacuation from the flooded area. The Emergency Operation Center (EOC) was activated to assist with communication and resource management. We made residents aware that we were operating with communication challenges as the EOC was without phone and main internet service as our providers worked to repair these services,” Polk County Emergency Management Coordinator Courney Comstock said. Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy issued a local declaration of disaster and a voluntary…

HELPING HANDS - A $4,000 check was presented to Helping Hands to assist in its ministry. The funds were raised through the First Methodist Church’s pumpkin patch. Courtesy photo From Enterprise Staff Thanks to the support of the community through the purchasing of pumpkins and the generosity of corporate sponsors, First Methodist Church of Livingston raised $8,000 during its 2023 pumpkin patch last fall for two local charities. Since 1998, FMC has hosted the pumpkin patch during the month of October. In addition to selling a wide variety of pumpkins, there are also many free photo opportunity displays set up for families and a variety of free weekend events offered. The 2023 events included a fall festival, solar eclipse viewing and education, SPCA vaccination clinic and Halloween parade and trunk-or-treat. Proceeds from the 2023 pumpkin patch were split between Our Fathers House and Helping Hands Ministries, both of which serve the community’s homeless and families in need. Our…