Good morning, Longview.

On November 24, a Longview resident became a new millionaire after claiming a $1,000,000 Texas Lottery Blitz scratch ticket sold at Super 1 Foods on East Marshall Avenue— the winner chose to remain anonymous.

This win is the second of four top prizes in the game, following the last million-dollar ticket sold in October 2024 at Food Fast No. 1077 on South Eastman Road.

East Texas veteran Randy Ruby is asking for donations to create care packages for 20 Texas National Guard troops returning from Kuwait in the first week of December.

He seeks snack items, Bibles, bookmarks and handwritten letters—he hopes to collect 200 letters—with drop-offs available in Longview, Kilgore and Overton.

At Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Center on Monday, community members donated food and volunteers sorted items into boxes for the annual Longview Thanksgiving Food Drive — marking its 40th year.

Approved families will pick up boxes with a full Thanksgiving meal today as the drive supports nearly 2,000 families.

Motorists lined up Monday morning at the Longview Convention Complex to receive a free smoked turkey from law firm Goudarzi and Young—whose offices are in Longview and Gilmer.

The firm will hold a second turkey giveaway today at 10 a.m. at Gilmer Elementary School on U.S. 271 N.

Christus Health celebrated 40 years of Flight for Life, which serves over 120,000 square miles from four bases including Longview and uses helicopters with a pilot, flight nurse, and flight paramedic.

Longview will see Whataburger improvements from Jan 12 to Jan 26, Integrity Health Urgent Care will build a 3,003-square-foot clinic in White Oak starting Dec 1, and a converted HOTWORX fitness studio is set to open mid-December—sip and see planned on Dec 3.

Longview city offices will be closed on Nov.

27 and 28 for Thanksgiving—library hours, transit schedules, sanitation, and recycling services will change accordingly, with transit ending Wednesday at 12:00 p.m., book drops open at the library, and no recycling collected during the holiday week. Councilman Wray Wade will host a free Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 27 at the Broughton Recreation Center and residents can report water or sewer emergencies by calling 903-236-3030.

The Overton Mustangs beat the Goldthwaite Eagles 47-13 in the Class 2A Division II area championship on Friday—advancing to face district rival Mt. Enterprise in the Region 3 semifinals; kickoff will be Friday at 1 p.m. at Henderson’s Lions Stadium.

LeTourneau men’s basketball lost with a score of 88 to 75 to Centre on Saturday at the 84 Lumber Classic in Lookout Mountain — a loss that ended their 3 to 1 start while Jackson Mayes and Teigan Edwards combined for 49 points.

LeTourneau women’s team fell with a score of 79 to 69 to Belhaven at Rugg Arena and will face Rhodes today at 3:00 p.m. before Thanksgiving.

High school football playoffs are set for Friday with key matchups in Class 4A and other divisions scheduled from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.—including Kilgore versus Bridge City at Randall Reed Stadium and Athens against Sunnyvale at Lion Memorial Stadium—across several local venues.

KC Lady Rangers ended a 1-1 weekend with a 64-51 win over Northwest Mississippi Community College on Saturday — Ja’Sani Green scored 19 points and Madison Bob added 13 points after the team lost to Itawamba on Friday.

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.

Bright! A Season of Lights

5:30 p.m. — Longview Arboretum and Nature Center — Ticket prices vary — Experience a magical walk-through winter wonderland filled with sparkling lights and festive music.