Mariela Gonzalez
Reporter/MMJ
East Texas
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Mariela Gonzalez is a KTRE multimedia journalist. She grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania but has been calling East Texas her home since she graduated from Nacogdoches High School.
She then earned her B.A. in Mass Communications focusing on radio and television broadcasting at Stephen F. Austin State University in December 2020.
Mariela is very excited to continue in Deep East Texas and share stories from the same community that welcomed her with open arms.
She loves spending time with her family and her pets or exploring new cities with her friends during her free time.
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KTRE's Mariela Gonzalez speaks with Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce CEO Wayne Mitchell about what people can expect to see and eat at the 33rd annual Texas Blueberry Festival.
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“We’re right on track for that this year, and all of that goes into our foundation, the chamber foundation, and then we’re able to award scholarships.”
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The Houston County Water control improvement district has been under a boil water notice since May 24, and a week later, they hope to get answers soon as to when the notices will be lifted.
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A senior vice commander placed a wreath in remembrance of the fallen members of VFW 1836. A white flower was also set on the VFW marker to represent purity, along with other symbolic items.
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The City of Nacogdoches is gearing up for its most famous festival of the year.
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The Nacogdoches County appraisal office was flooded by storms two weeks ago. As of Wednesday, its lobby is open back to the public as they continue to work around repairs.
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At the commissioner's court meeting this morning, they approved modifying the agreement with the architects to expand the jail.
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“There’s a void in our life now; we’re lost without him. Somebody took a piece of our brotherhood we had in Lufkin baseball. It will never be the same,” said head baseball coach John Cobb.
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Modisette's teammates and family set up a display of his team jersey, along with flowers and a baseball, at the mound of the Lufkin Panthers baseball field.
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Graduating students studying emergency medical services practiced a variety of scenarios led by East Texas first responders on Wednesday.
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“Basically I don’t care if it’s $50 a sack, she’s going to eat, but I know people that don’t have a whole lot is really hard on them,” said dog owner Charles Cruse. According to Veterinarians.org, dog food prices rose from 2020 to 2023 and they have increased 45.5% for both dry and wet food.
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A fallen peace officer memorial honored lives lost in Nacogdoches County on Wednesday at the Exposition and Civic Center.
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San Augustine ISD is planning to use a newly passed bond for extensive upgrades.
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May is mental health awareness month, which encourages wellness and the importance of managing mental health.
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Early Thursday morning, many location in Nacogdoches were affected by the flash flooding and city officials and residents are now dealing with the aftermath.“It’s some of the worst flooding I ever seen in decades, and decades here,” said the city’s public works director Steve Bartlett.
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The Arthur Temple Forestry and Agriculture building has been sitting at the corner of Raguet and East College Street since 1950.
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In its final meeting before an affiliation with the University of Texas system, the SFA Board of Regents announced an interim president to take the place of outgoing President Steve Westbrook.
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Sheriff Tom Selman told commissioners that the county see a high influx of people coming to the lakes in the area for recreational uses and helps to ensure water safety.
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Officials are investigating a shooting reported on Mitchell Street.
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Drought conditions last summer and fall resulted in overgrazed pastures all over the Lone Star State.
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Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the Sunday shooting, but the investigation remains ongoing.
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City of Crockett officials said crews are working to remove trees that are blocking roadways and are assessing damage from heavy winds.
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An insurance business in Lufkin on Frank Street caught on fire Wednesday afternoon.
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No fatalities from the after-prom party shooting have been reported, but the initial gunshot injury count of nine has been raised to 11. According to Sheriff Mitchel Newman, two additional victims self-admitted to the hospital on Monday. Eight of the victims have returned home, while three remain hospitalized.
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Angelina County Commissioners approved a new prohibited technology security policy.
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Deputies responded to a disturbance to find nine teens between the ages of 15 and 19 had been shot around midnight at an after-prom party.
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The Nacogdoches ISD school board approved the maintenance and preservation of the Thomas J. Rusk Elementary School.
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In September, a voters’ petition squashed the city’s plans to use certificate of obligations to pay for new and repaired city infrastructure without voters approval.
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A new zoning ordinance was approved on Tuesday which will require any new BYOB venues to request a special use permit.
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he latest phase of construction at Lufkin Middle School from a 2018 bond package was presented Tuesday morning by Stephen Berry of Berry and Clay Construction.
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East Texas drivers can expect to see higher gas prices as a result of OPEC+ announced last week plans to cut production starting in May by 1 million barrels a day to the global market.
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On Monday, we spoke with Nacogdoches Police Sergeant Brett Ayres. He also said gun owners leaving unsecured weapons in plain sight has led to more theft cases.
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“A jail that’s at capacity severely limits law enforcement’s ability to get the criminals off the streets when we don’t have room to hold them,” said Angelina County Sheriff Tom Selman.
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The Angelina County Commissioners Court has approved James Nowak to become the sheriff’s second chief deputy. Nowak has recently retired as the chief of police in Willis.
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“It’s very preliminary right now at this phase. They were just trying to get an idea is this type of business allowed, where it would be allowed,” said director of planning Alaina Helton.
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The free event will continue from Friday through Easter Sunday. The church will give 50 hardcover books of the story after their Sunday services.
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April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and to commemorate the month Family Crisis Center of East Texas unveiled an art display at its Lufkin thrift store.
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The ordinance will require for any new BYOB venues to request a special use permit and provide additional zoning requirements upon the city’s approval or disapproval.
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One 17-year-old employee was taken to a hospital and another was arrested after a gun was allegedly handled improperly.
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SFA Gardens Director Dr. David Creech said the spring plant sale is their biggest fundraiser of the year.
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The Deep East Texas Council of Governments says the State of Texas is reporting higher broadband speed numbers and better internet coverage for the region than most residents actually experience.
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Lufkin High School’s PantherBots team gave their robot a rather intimidating name: Cobra. Student Ethan Cates said as of now, they are reworking the whole robot to advance their designs and coding.
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As more people move into Angelina County, the county has to keep up with infrastructure and maintenance of roads. Angelina County road Administrator James McMullen told commissioners at Tuesday’s meeting that the Road and Bridge Department has had a high call volume of new culvert installations due to the county’s growing population and new property developments.
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Narcan is a relatively newly available drug used to treat opioid overdoses. The CDC estimates nearly 27,000 lives have been saved so far.
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The vote passed unanimously at Thursday’s meeting. This will allow for more flexibility within the district.
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The Angelina County Fair is taking place in Lufkin, with livestock competitions, live music, activities and more.
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A school official said the current serving line layout was designed to feed 800 students during the ‘90s. Today, they are serving 1,200 students a day.
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“We are unable to keep up with that call volume. When you call 8-1-1, we have 48 hours to get out and locate this and we’re unable to meet that demand,” said Bartlett.
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Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, or SETrac, will be partnering with counties to come to their aide. On Thursday, SETrac and Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital hosted a community planning and response to emergencies event.
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Wildfires are always a risk in East Texas, especially with the hot summers and long droughts recently.A house bill is in motion to create and conduct various studies that would establish risk zones.
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