JD Conte
MMJ/Reporter
East Texas
JD is a multimedia journalist for KLTV. He graduated from Suffolk University in May of 2023 and is originally from Wallingford, Connecticut.
At Suffolk, JD was the sports editor for the Suffolk Journal and was also a Suffolk in the City reporter for New England Cable News. His senior year, he held what he describes as his “dream internship” in the control room at TD Garden, operating cameras for the jumbotron at the iconic Boston sports arena.
Outside of KLTV, JD enjoys photography as a hobby and likes to golf. He is an avid Boston sports fan and is looking forward to Texas football.
JD is enjoying the people and culture of East Texas. Have a story for JD? Email him at JD.Conte@kltv.com
City Utilities Director Katie Dietz says they’ve checked 27,000 meters in the City so far, with inventory expected to be complete by the end of August.
“Our Texas delegation is the third largest in the country, so this was a really big, exciting meeting, and it gave us good direction,” said Nancy Nichols of Smith County, a delegate to the convention.
Delegate and Smith County resident Nancy Nichols said, “Things changed yesterday; the whole feeling changed. There’s an excitement and I don’t feel weary about going.” Nancy and her husband Mike are currently pledged as votes to President Biden.
The new coach in Aggieland took the stand at SEC Media Days in Dallas on Thursday.
The Texas Longhorns took the podium on Wednesday at the first-ever SEC Media Days held in Texas.
Mount Pleasant Head Football Coach Joe Cluley is never far away from his favorite assistant coach.
The Longview Lobo Choir was recognized at Monday night’s ISD Board of Trustees meeting.
23 years after his death, an East Texas veteran’s grave is finally complete.
The council met in executive session for over three hours to discuss possible action related to the firing of Police Chief Melissa Davis.
The organization is serving 5,000 meals in the area Wednesday, and plan to serve another 10,000 Thursday.
Hundreds of volunteers are currently sheltering in Houston, waiting for the all clear to begin relief efforts the city deals with flooding and widespread power outages.
Hundreds of East Texans turned out to see new and old planes of war on Saturday at the Tyler Historic Aviation Memorial Museum.
Several members of the community, as well as Chief Davis' municipal police association rep, voiced their support for Davis during community comments.
Sheriff Botie Hillhouse says the crime is being investigated
The City of Tyler’s animal shelter is donating its standard adoption fees of $120 for dogs and $80 for cats in July to Special Olympics Texas.
As an 8 million dollar renovation project continues, the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center rebuilt one of its most popular attractions.
The 300-acre property will still be in the primitive stages of development for the Sept. 20 opening of this year’s fair.
City Council is hosting a workshop on July 9 to hear citizen input and discuss in depth the future of aquatics in the city. One option is building a $3.5 million pool at another site in the city.
With the arrival of Texas summer heat and road trips, it’s a good time to check your tires.
It was the Houston-based group’s tenth annual clinic at Lake Palestine.
Attendees will be able to shop with local vendors and get a “stamp” from each one. The more stamps you get, the more chances you have to win raffle prizes.
A Winona man pleaded guilty Thursday to dumping a felony amount of garbage in Smith County last year.
The Gregg County Historical Museum hosted another sensory-friendly event on Wednesday morning.
This round of storms saw 22 stores lose power and over $200,000 in product loss.
Trial began for a Dallas man in Tyler Wednesday morning in connection with a string of East Texas diesel thefts in 2022.
On Saturday afternoon, community members gathered at Tatum High to celebrate Jacoby Norris' progress.
Some new features include a drone show that features 300 drones performing maneuvers set to music and much more. Events on Saturday begin at 4 p.m.
Part of the issue addressed, the term “squatting” itself. Senator Bob Hall, who represents Van Zandt and Kaufman counties, says there is no technical definition for the term.
The county is offering debris pickup to residents who live on county roads, but Smith County Judge Neal Franklin said they’ve heard of businesses dumping debris on county roads and vacant properties.
Phillips was arrested for contempt of court in April.
Volunteers from Team Rubicon, a veteran-based disaster relief group, are assisting with storm cleanup in Smith County.
For the next week, volunteers from Team Rubicon will be helping with storm cleanup in Smith County. They’ve named the mission “Operation Unbreakable Rose.”
“Well, it’s a reunion, where everybody comes back together, everybody comes from out of town to see the rodeo, and we get to see each other,” said Rodeo Committee President Kyle Moore.
“I couldn’t see out of the door, so I walked to my back door and it was going the opposite direction, at that point, I knew we were in a tornado,” said Bennie Preston.
Hundreds of trees have been knocked down in the area surrounding Lake Tyler by recent storms.
NET Health’s Dalton Ray Knight, a registered sanitarian, discusses when you should throw out food if you’ve lost power, and tips for dealing with the issue.
“When I took the little gray pup out, he was barely able to walk, and he just cried, and he shook, and it broke my heart,” said Wiginton. “As a human being, I couldn’t just leave them.”
A Tyler man got life in prison after pleading guilty Friday to aggravated kidnapping at Rose Rudman Park in 2019.
30 students from International ALERT Academy in Big Sandy helped with storm clean-up efforts in Bullard on Thursday.
A restaurant in Lindale was damaged by high winds Tuesday morning.
With Memorial Day Weekend underway, many Lake Palestine residents are picking up the pieces of their boats instead of driving them.
A recent analysis by researchers at UT Tyler estimates visitors during the April 8 total eclipse had a $7.7 million dollar economic impact in the City of Tyler. KLTV's JD Conte speaks with Visit Tyler's Sheridan Smith on the influx of business the city saw on eclipse weekend.
“They can just walk over there, grab a book, maybe put one back,” said fifth-grader Caedmon Cumming.Students raised over $700 on East Texas Giving Day to support building the library, along with books to place in it.
The City of Bullard opened an all-inclusive section at Bullard Kids’ Park on Saturday morning.
A wreck involving a motorcycle and an SUV took place on Highway 271 N near the intersection with Highway 155 on Saturday.
A portion of the proceeds from East Texas Brewing Company's seasonal beer will benefit the Lighthouse through the summer.
Their car hydroplaned through a guard rail, sending them flipping down off the highway.
Pilots are practicing a variety of maneuvers, including two and four-plane formations.
21 Kilgore High students signed to attend local technical colleges in a signing day ceremony on Tuesday morning.
“He is the most humble and gentle gentleman who can also outlift everyone here, even the young people.”
