March 8

March 8, 1934: Longview police began a citywide drive against gambling machines and devices, and Chief Sid Henderson said officers so far had confiscated more than a dozen machines. No charges as yet had been filed.

March 8, 1950: Saying their fire departments were constantly called into duty outside city limits, the mayors of Longview, Kilgore and Gladewater asked Gregg County for increased budget allowances. Longview Mayor R.B. Williams referred to the city’s recent 33% population growth as another reason for the request.

March 8, 2000: “Longview University Center” was announced as the name of a campus opening in partnership with the University of Texas at Tyler. “We want the University of Texas on there,” said UT Tyler President Rod Mabry, but “we don’t want to appear to be the only university there.”

March 8, 2016: After a nearly 40-year run, AlleyFest in Longview was shut down. Organizers Longview Main Street and One Hundred Acres of Heritage blamed declining popularity in recent years for “indefinitely suspending” AlleyFest to focus on other ventures.