Good morning, Longview.

On Tuesday, community members and Longview ISD administrators celebrated the Lobo Band’s second-place finish at the UIL Conference State Military Marching Band Competition at Baylor University by gathering at Longview High School to serve ice cream and honor the band's success — local organizers worked with businesses to provide ice cream and water for the event.

East Texas law firm Goudarzi & Young is giving away free smoked turkeys on November 24 at 10 a.m. at the Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Center in Longview and at Gilmer Elementary School in Gilmer; the event was moved due to growing turnout and construction, and each vehicle will receive one turkey on a first-come, first-served basis.

Next week, Thanksgiving marks one of Texas' busiest deer hunting periods, and officials from Texas Parks and Wildlife urge hunters to handle loaded guns safely to avoid accidents.

Recent data show accidents are rare since hunter education began—however, a fatal mishap in Marion County highlights the need for strict firearm safety measures.

Longview has earned the elite Public Protection Classification 01/1X from the ISO—an award reached by less than 1% of fire departments nationwide—after years of careful work by the fire department and city leaders.

The rating covers properties within 5 road miles of a fire station and will likely lower insurance costs when it becomes active in early 2026.

Barbara Richardson McClellan explains the history of pumpkins and sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving desserts and shares her family recipes for sweet potato pie and a pumpkin pie cake.

She details that early settlers roasted pumpkins with honey and cream and now offers two recipes for families to choose from — a nod to old traditions with a modern twist.

On November 20, the Hallsville girls and Lufkin boys won team titles at Tempest Golf Club in Gladewater—Kylee Strickland from Mount Pleasant led the girls with a score of 75 and Luke LaBouve from Marshall finished first among the boys with a score of 73.

Top Texas high school quarterbacks Haynes King and Chandler Morris have overcome injuries, transfers and tough challenges to succeed in college football.

King’s Yellow Jackets are 9-1 and ranked 16th while Morris’ Virginia Cavaliers must beat Virginia Tech on November 29 to reach the ACC title game—showing how the transfer portal works for student athletes.

Today at 7 p.m., Kilgore with a 10-1 record will play Stafford, who is 6-5, at Berton A.

Yates Stadium while Overton with a 7-4 record faces Goldthwaite, who is 8-3, at Groesbeck Stadium. Kilgore has shown strong play with stars like Kayson Brooks and the winner will meet Bridge City or Navasota next week—Overton’s record-setting quarterback adds extra excitement as both games could shape playoff plans.

High school football Round 2 playoffs are set for tonight as Longview (7-4) faces DeSoto (8-3) at 7 p.m. at Waco ISD Stadium—where standout players Johnny Hamilton and Jacaiden Davis will lead the Lobos in an effort to keep their unbeaten playoff record against the Eagles.

Other area matchups include Pine Tree, Kilgore, Gladewater, Daingerfield, Waskom and Mt. Enterprise hosting games later tonight.

Longview Mall Christmas Tree Lighting

2-6 p.m. — Longview Mall — Free entry — Celebrate the holiday season with a festive tree lighting, local vendors, and family fun.

Peppermint Land Holiday Expo

10 a.m. – 6 p.m. — Longview Exhibit Center — Free entry with RSVP — Celebrate the festive season with shopping, food, and enchanting holiday characters.

Longview Code and Coffee Meetup

2-4 p.m. — Silver Grizzly Espresso — Free entry — A relaxed environment to code, learn, and sip coffee with fellow developers.