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ATHENS — 51-year-old Doyle Wayne Brewer of Longview pleaded guilty Thursday in Athens to his seventh driving while intoxicated offense. According to KETK and the Henderson County District Attorney’s Office, he will serve a 25-year prison sentence as a result. The charge stemmed from a two-vehicle collision in which Brewer rear-ended another driver on Highway 31 just west of Athens. Neither driver was injured.

HOUSTON (AP/Staff) – Prosecutors have agreed to reset former Palestine star Adrian Peterson’s court date to Aug. 6 on a misdemeanor charge stemming from an incident at a Houston nightclub. The Minnesota Vikings running back was charged with resisting arrest and briefly jailed after a confrontation with an off-duty police officer at the club last Saturday. Police say Peterson pushed the officer after he asked Peterson and his acquaintances to leave the club, which was closed. Peterson and attorney Rusty Hardin arrived early for his initial court hearing on Friday, then left before Judge Natalie Fleming even arrived. Hardin says he wants prosecutors to gather more information. Peterson said outside the courtroom that he is “200 percent innocent” and that he didn’t “push, shove, touch anyone that night, especially an officer.”

TYLER – The Director of the Tyler Museum of Art, Kimberley Bush Tomio, has announced her resignation. She will become the Director of Museum Services at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. She starts her new duties next month.

“This decision was very difficult for me, as my twelve-year tenure at the TMA has been a tremendously rewarding experience,” said Mrs. Tomio. “The Museum has grown in scope and vision since my arrival, and has achieved many successes. It has been an honor to be part of the historic changes that took place, and I am confident the Museum will continue to build upon its reputation and the local support from its members, foundations and donors who recognize the importance of maintaining a world-class art institution for this community and the wider east Texas region.”

Mrs. Tomio arrived in Tyler in 2000 from Dallas, where she had served as Director of the Crow Collection of Asian Art and Associate Director at the Dallas Museum of Art. Prior to that, she held positions at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.

The Tyler museum of Art will soon start its quest for a new director.

TYLER — A federal grand jury in Tyler has returned multiple indictments charging individuals with separate federal crimes in East Texas.

Robin Marion Allen, 52, was indicted on charges of bank robbery. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison. According to the indictment, on June 25, 2012, Allen is alleged to have robbed the Wells Fargo Bank in Atlanta, Texas by giving a bank teller a note demanding a bag be filled with money.

Steven R. Lipps, 34, of Hope, Arkansas was indicted on charges of simple possession of a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison. According to the indictment, on April 23, 2012, Lipps was found to be in possession of methamphetamine while in the jurisdiction of the United States at the Red River Army Depot.

TYLER – A professor of biochemistry at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler and director of its graduate program in biotechnology, Dr. Michael Pangburn, has received the Regents Outstanding Teaching Award from The University of Texas System Board of Regents.

This is the first year that faculty at the six UT health institutions have been eligible for the award. Dr. Pangburn is one of 40 faculty members from these health institutions to receive the 2012 award.

“We are all very proud of Dr. Pangburn receiving this prestigious award for his exemplary teaching. He is a gifted educator who leads the successful master’s degree program in biotechnology at UTHSCT,” said UTHSCT Vice President for Research Steven Idell, MD, Ph.D.

Dr. Pangburn, who joined UTHSCT in 1984, has taught students enrolled in the master’s degree program in biotechnology since 1996. As a scientist at the Biomedical Research Center, he has spent the past 36 years studying the complement system, part of the body’s innate immune system that is the first line of defense against illness or infection.

The UT System Board of Regents established this award for the nine academic institutions in 2008. Last year, the board authorized $6 million to expand the awards to health institution faculty. Each year the UT System will make 40 awards of $25,000 each to outstanding faculty at the health institutions.

MARSHALL – A couple’s argument has led to a man being shot and his wife arrested in the case. Taken into custody was Bonnie Hooper, 79. Hubert Dean White, 62, was found on the floor of their home on County Road 1228. He had a bullet wound in the head. He was taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center in Marshall for treatment.

GILMER — The family of Jeremiah “Jeremy” Neely, who was killed while working at a gas well just southwest of Chireno in Nacogdoches County, has hired a wrongful death law firm. Jeremy Neely was an ex-Kilgore firefighter employed by Platinum Pressure Pumping, Inc. A high-pressure explosion resulted in Neely’s death and the injury of some of his co-workers in the early morning hours on July 5. KETK reports the family is working with Gilmer-based Tefteller Law. An employee of the firm told KTBB Thursday the family has yet to file a lawsuit.

TYLER — The City of Tyler is taking additional steps to comply with a request for pro-alcohol petitions. The request comes from Stand Strong for Tyler, which opposes efforts to place alcohol measures on ballots this November in the city and in Justict Precinct 2. A city news release sent says the steps come “in light of newly received information.”

The news release states, “It is, and continues to be, the City’s position that the requested petitions are open and are subject to disclosure. The City’s initial concern was that some information, such as the home addresses of peace officers, or the home addresses of City employees that have signed a confidentiality form, might be confidential under State law. In addition, the petitions contain the individual Voter Registration Numbers of citizens. When it appears that information might be confidential under State law, the Public Information Act provides a specific procedure for seeking an Attorney General Opinion, which the City of Tyler has done.

“After following the standard process for seeking an Attorney General Opinion, the City of Tyler has contacted other entities to get their input regarding the information contained in the alcohol petitions. The City has learned that other jurisdictions have received similar requests, and have released petitions without redactions [blacking out certain pieces of information]. Similarly, it has been learned that the City of Dallas received a public information request when it went through the alcohol petition process, and Dallas released the alcohol petitions without redacting any information.

“State law provides that when information cannot be released within 10 business days after receipt, the City must give the requestor a reasonable date when the information will be available. The City initially provided a release date of on or before August 13, 2012, based upon the ongoing verification process and the possible need to redact potentially confidential information. However, after contacting other cities and the Secretary of State’s Office, the City of Tyler has determined that it will be able to release the requested information, without any redactions, by close of business on July 13, 2012.

“The City is taking a calculated risk in releasing the requested information prior to receipt of an Attorney General Opinion, but the City is also balancing the public’s right to obtain information contained in the petitions with the individual privacy interests and has concluded that the information can be released earlier than the August 13, 2012 deadline. The City received payment today [Thursday] for the associated costs of producing the records, so the City of Tyler can now proceed with copying and releasing the documents.”

TYLER — Wednesday evening, members from Grassroots America – We the People agreed to show their Smith County sheriff candidate tapes in their entirety at the request of the candidates. According to KETK, candidate Chris Green claims his office had been wiretapped. He also claims opponent Larry Smith withheld information from Tyler Police Chief Gary Swindle and Fire Marshal Jim Seaton during a church fire investigation. Smith was grilled on all of the things Green said in his interview, not knowing Green said them. Smith denied any knowledge of wiretapping. He also denied having anything to do with an investigation of candidate Donn Rust’s family.

NACOGDOCHES — The Nacogdoches County Jail is getting a nurse practitioner. This comes after the death of inmate Edwinta Deckard. According to KETK, she died of dehydration in December. Jailers Elizabeth Owens and Danny Russell were charged with negligent homicide in connection with the incident.

SALADO — Authorities say the man known as the “Loan Ranger” has robbed yet another bank in Texas. According to KETK, Salado Police Chief Jack Hensley says the bandit knocked off the First State Bank in Central Texas on Monday at around 10:40 a.m. Authorities say he used a handgun and did not wear a mask. Witnesses say he wore a navy blue sports shirt and white shoes. After the robbery, the gunman left First State on foot. This is believed to be his sixth bank robbery in the past three years.

The man is accused of robbing Summit Bank on the 1100 block of Highway 35 North in Benton, Arkansas, on January 16, 2009 and again on June 30, 2011. Authorities say he then came to Tyler and robbed the Altra Federal Credit Union located in the 5500 block of Troup Highway on August 11, 2011. He’s also allegedly responsible for robbing the Compass Bank on the 6900 block of S. Broadway on May 17, 2012. And, most recently, he allegedly held up First State Bank at 50 South Main Street in Salado, Texas on July 9, 2012. He is also believed to have recently robbed a credit union in Temple, Texas.

Authorities are still waiting for surveillance video from the bank heist in Salado. Law enforcement authorities in all three cities, along with the FBI, are coordinating their efforts to catch the purported “Loan Ranger.” Officials say the robber received his nickname from the Texas Rangers ball cap he wore.

LONGVIEW — Longview officials now say the estimates of the damage caused to Lear Park because of vandalism June 13 totals about $18,000. Longview Police have arrested six people. Aryan Snyder and Brallan Yair Gamaz, both 19, and four juveniles have been arrested. Park employees found concession stands and restrooms vandalized at the baseball and soccer fields. All six suspects were charged with burglary of a building.

TYLER — Smith County Fire officials say a fire at Tyler Pipe has been extinguished, and crews began the process of clearing the scene late Thursday morning. They say the fire was in the so-called back house, in the rear portion of the facility. No word yet on the cause or extent of the fire, called in around 8:40 Thursday morning. The business, located on the 11000 County Road 492 in Smith County, manufactures soil and utility pipe products. According to KETK, several fire departments, including Red Springs, Dixie, and Lindale, were called to the scene.

TYLER — Tyler’s sales tax revenues deposited for the month of July have grown 9.34% as compared to July 2011. This has resulted in a 2.31% cumulative year-to-date increase. According to a city news release, in a review of the detailed payment information, the current period collections represent a 6.42% increase and prior period collections (primarily audit and prior period related collections) amounted to a 2.92% increase for the total of 9.34%.

The reported revenue of $2,844,191.49 is comprised of $1,896,127.66 general sales tax revenue and $948,063.83 half-cent sales tax revenue. The figures represent receipts from May 2012 collections as there is a two-month lag before taxes are reported and remitted back to the City from the State.

“We are very pleased to see a jump after seeing revenues in the last few months incrementally go up and down,” said City Manager Mark McDaniel. “The year-to-date increase of 2.31 percent is still below our budget of 3 percent growth; so, at this time, we will continue with the soft hiring freeze that was put in place as a precautionary measure to ensure we are keeping our expenses in balance with current revenues. In addition, we will continue the postponement of employee pay adjustments until we reach our goal of 3 percent growth and we are approaching our expenditures and next year’s budget in a very conservative manner.”

LONGVIEW — A Longview man is in custody for reportedly choking his son. Willie Dean Taylor, 43, was arrested at his home on Nikki Drive Tuesday. Longview Police said Taylor was arguing with his wife, when his son entered the room. Officers said Taylor grabbed his son by the neck and choked him until he saw his wife leave the room to call 911. Taylor was booked into the Gregg County Jail for assault family violence. His bond was set at $7,500.

TYLER — There’s some controversy right now surrounding a local non-profit organization. It involves an event scheduled for this weekend, and why a big-time movie star will not be making an appearance in east Texas. According to KETK, billboards around town claimed Halle Berry is coming to town. For month’s, local non-profit “Sisters in Christ” has claimed Berry was making a trip for a charity event at The Cascades in Tyler. But the problem is there are media reports from Halle’s “people,” denying she’s making such an appearance. KETK said calls to Berry’s publicist were not returned.

Another problem: Sisters in Christ founder and CEO Michelle Johnson has a record of writing hot checks. The reports also claim Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham is recommending Johnson face jail time. Calls to Bingham were also not returned.

But the one person who would talk: Johnson herself. “My history with the law is like everybody else,” Johnson said. “I have a background. Somebody, somewhere, we all have fallen short.” Johnson admits her record goes all the way back to late the 80s. “It does go back that far. I was in my early 20s then. I want to clear up I didn’t know how to balance a checkbook, and I’m 47 now … I know how to balance a checkbook.” But when it comes to Halle Berry … she believes she did no wrong, claiming she met Berry in Los Angeles in April. “I asked her could she come out to Texas to help us out,” Johnson said. “Her response was ‘yes,’ she had a lot on her plate … that was basically all I needed.”

But she does say she has faith from God that the event may still go on if they can find another venue in the next couple of days. She went forward with planning the event, until she couldn’t pay the money due to The Cascades and the event was canceled. Johnson says “Sisters in Christ” never sold a single ticket for the event, hence why she couldn’t pay the money due.

TYLER — A Tyler rehab facility, Ellis Rehab “Just for Kids”, announced it will close. The facility provides physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology for children. Representatives at their main clinic site, located at 5609 Donnybrook Avenue in Tyler, tell KETK, that they are closing “to maintain the least possible damage to everyone concerned.” The exact reason for the closure has not been confirmed. The director of the clinic says they are notifying their clients, and they will provide them with a list of other pediatric doctors who will be able to provide therapy services for their children. He tells KETK that the clinic will be maintaining medical records.

One patient told KETK, she received a call Wednesday afternoon informing her that her child’s session scheduled for the next day was canceled, and that the services there would no longer be offered.

COFFEE CITY — Simmering disagreements in Coffee City have erupted into shouting and charges of corruption in city government. According to KETK, Mayor Tony Moore is under fire, and it’s coming from a group called the Concerned Citizens of Coffee City. The group formed at a meeting in 2010; back then they were worried about a property tax. Now, the causes are many. Lauren Savage edits two websites for the group, one a spoof and the other full of venom and, some would say, racist parodies of the mayor. Savage is also vice president of the Texas Nationalist Movement, whose members contend Texas is still a Republic and our statehood was illegal. He’s angry about what he terms illegal annexations.

Concerned Citizens member Pam Drost is a Coffee City alderman, and her concern is transparency and fiscal responsibility. Drost and Councilmember Darlene Jordan walked out of a recent Council meeting when the parody website was brought up; Drost later came back, then walked out again. Drost says even though Savage operates the Concerned Citizens website, the parody site doesn’t have anything to do with them. “It was not sanctioned by our group. The people that run it…they are Concerned Citizens…I don’t condone everything that is on that site, but I certainly condone his right to have that website,” Drost said. The arguments show no sign of ending anytime soon.

JACKSONVILLE — Lon Morris College will hold fall classes on campus in Jacksonville next semester. The announcement comes amid fears the school may close its doors, after recently filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy. Last month, our news partner KETK learned that the college would move forward with online classes, but officials with the school say that they will now be able to offer a full core course curriculum, although no athletics will be offered. Other programs, such as band, may be offered, depending on interest from the incoming student body. Dawn Ragan, the chief restructuring officer for the school, says tuition will also be reduced by a third. “Tuition last year was $13,500,” said Dawn Ragan, “but this next semester it will be scaled back to $9,000.”

The school will continue to offer federally funded financial aid, as well as funded scholarships. Ragan says any unfunded scholarships will no longer be offered. Registration for the fall semester has already begun. Lon Morris expects a good number of students for the fall semester, as many interested students have already registered. Those registered consist of both new and returning students. Lon Morris officials are in the process of contacting these students to see what their interests are, and to let them know what courses will be offered.

Ragan says that some of the faculty will also be returning as well, based upon who is still available after the furlough earlier in the year, and what the school will be offering. Some new faculty members may be hired. The school is still pursuing a financial partnership with another institution. Though it is not yet complete, the Lon Morris website already has information about registration and students are able to register. The completed website will be announced soon.

TYLER — The Smith County United Way’s 2012 campaign goal is $1.7 million. The news came at Wednesday’s campaign kickoff at Brookshire’s on Rice Road. Officials say the campaign funded 32 local programs last year that helped 64,000 people in Smith County — 1 out of every 3 residents. This year’s campaign theme is “Think Local. Give Local.” United Way President Nan Moore says, “As a community, we are all connected. We have been reminded over the past year that what affects one of our Smith County neighbors will in some way affect all of us. That is why we ask you to please join us in ‘Living United’ in 2012.” You can visit http://www.unitedwaysmithcounty.org to learn more. For more information about how you or your business can get involved, call 903-581-6376.

TYLER — As part of the City of Tyler’s plan to boost emergency response times and meet the needs of the growing community, the Tyler Fire Department celebrated the opening of the new Fire Station 5 on Wednesday. The opening was celebrated with a “hose cutting” ceremony and tours of the new station, located at 1532 S. Bennett. The new station will replace the existing Station 5, located at 2815 Frankston Highway, which has been in use since the mid 1980s. The $1.7 million structure was paid for in cash, with funds from the Half-Cent Sales Tax as well as a one-time donation from the Cascades Development.

“Moving Station 5 closer to the West Loop provides better spacing and coverage for a larger portion of Tyler,” said Fire Chief Tim Johnson. “The citizens of Tyler will benefit from the new station placement by having a more uniform response time.” Councilmember Darryl Bowdre added, “The Fire Station Number 5 relocation demonstrates the strong commitment of the Tyler City Council towards public safety. Most of us will remember that general public safety was one of the top concerns expressed by Tyler residents during the Tyler 21 planning process.” The new fire station was built with an expected lifespan of 50 years. You can visit http://www.cityoftyler.org for more on the new fire station.

CARTHAGE — Language changes included in the $140 million highway funding bill signed into law Friday are expected to speed completion of the state’s long-awaited Interstate 69 project. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, completed highway segments not connected to an existing interstate highway can now be added to the Interstate Highway System, paving the way for U.S. 59 to become part of the I-69 system. The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority board of directors met Tuesday in Carthage to discuss the impact the change will have locally.

“This bill puts I-69 back to the way it was when the interstate system was first started in the 1950s,” said Charles Thomas. Thomas, a member of the Alliance for I-69 Texas, said the I-69 project, which will run from Brownsville to Texarkana in Texas and ultimately to the Canadian border, has been in the planning stages for more than 25 years. Because of the change in federal law, about 100 miles of I-69 routes already at or near interstate highway standards, including U.S. 59, can be part of the I-69 corridor. The exact I-69 route has yet to be determined, but is getting close, said James Carlow, who represents the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce for the I-69 project.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council has unanimously voted to authorize Walker Parking Consultants/Engineers, Inc., to proceed to the final design stage for a parking structure in downtown Tyler and for construction of the garage, which will be named the Fair Plaza Garage. The Council previously authorized Walker Parking to conduct preliminary design in January 2012. The project has reached the 50 percent design stage and will now proceed into final design.

“This project is long overdue and key to the revitalization of downtown,” said Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass. “We are now prepared to move forward with this important project. The garage will be an integral part of the entry point into downtown. “We are particularly pleased that the façade will be in keeping with the look, history and feel of our downtown.” Go to http://www.cityoftyler.org for more details on this story.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council has unanimously voted to accept a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) totaling $7,605,000 for the new Taxiway Kilo construction and environmental assessments to reconstruct runway 4/22 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. The grant will pay 90% of all eligible expenses related to this runway safety improvement project. “These funds will be used to address needed maintenance and safety improvements at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport,” said City Manager Mark McDaniel. “We are pleased to see this award as quality transportation services are very important for boosting local economic growth.”

The reconstruction of runway 4/22 is a priority project within the Airport Master Plan due to the age of the pavement section exceeding 20 years. Additionally the runway weight capacity is below anticipated activity levels forecast within the next five years. The project also includes construction of Taxiway Kilo, which comes from a recommendation in the Master Plan to construct a full-length parallel taxiway along the western side of Runway 17/35 to enable a safe and expeditious transition of aircraft to and from the runway and other airport facilities. The project will reduce taxiing distances for the commercial carriers and improve safety standards on the airfield. The project is also the second step toward opening land on the airport for future corporate and industrial development opportunities.

“The airport’s hangar space and the land available for future airside development is fully occupied, so all future growth for general aviation and aviation industrial facilities will rely on this project moving forward,” said Airport Manager Davis Dickson. “In addition to the improvements to the airfield, this work will help create jobs and bolster the airport’s role as a key economic engine for the East Texas Region.” Visit http://www.cityoftyler.org to read more on this story.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council took a decisive step forward in its effort to improve traffic flow Wednesday when councilmembers voted unanimously to expand the City’s adaptive control system (ACS) to a section of NNW Loop 323. The ACS system uses cameras and radar to detect traffic volumes and makes signal timing adjustments in real time. “The ACS system is like having a traffic engineer at every intersection making constant adjustments,” explained Traffic Engineer Peter Eng. “This will be the fourth corridor where we have installed this technology. We are seeing significant improvements in traffic progression and anticipate a similar impact with this project.”

In addition to the camera and radar detection equipment, the City also will install a radio communication system using a combination of underground wiring and wireless equipment as well as a cable modem. “Tyler will be the first City in Texas to use this cutting edge technology that combines radar and camera detection,” said Eng. “This will allow for detection of oncoming vehicles up to 600 feet and will provide count, speed and occupancy data.”

“Addressing traffic congestion was the number one concern identified in the Tyler 21 comprehensive plan,” shared Mayor Barbara Bass. “The City has taken many steps to improve traffic flow in the last three years and has made a lot of headway. I think this enhancement will keep us moving in the right direction.” You can go to http://www.cityoftyler.org to read more.

TYLER — Grassroots America – We the People has agreed to a one-time showing of videos of the Smith County sheriff’s candidates. The videos show interviews conducted by Grassroots America in its effort to choose a candidate for endorsement; the group ended up endorsing Larry Smith. According to KETK, in June, Chris Green’s campaign asked that tapes of all four original candidates be made public. Now Grassroots has agreed to release only the tapes of the remaining candidates, Green and Smith.

If you would like to see the videos for yourself, you can do so tonight at Lakeview Church of the Nazarene, 10818 University Blvd. (Spur 248), Tyler. The event runs from 6 till 8:30 p.m., including preliminary activities; total run time of the tapes is 2 hours and 15 minutes. Grassroots will not allow recording of any kind at the event, even by the media. Grassroots Executive Director JoAnn Fleming adds, “These videos will not be posted on-line, will not be made available for download, nor will they be reproduced in any way for distribution.” Fleming said her group consulted its attorney before making its decision to show the tapes and implement the rules for the showing.

EAST TEXAS — Officials with the Angelina County Sheriff’s office have linked a 26 year old to theft crimes in several counties. On June 27, Cherokee County officials arrested Ricky Schakosky outside of a hotel in Jacksonville. According to KETK, he was charged in Cherokee County for failure to identify, forgery, and failure to appear in court. He was booked into Cherokee County Jail.

Sgt. Mike Jones, an investigator for Angelina County Sheriff’s Office, filed paperwork to charge Schakosky for several theft cases in Angelina County as well. A hold has been placed on Schakosky, and he will be transferred to Angelina County Jail once he is released from Cherokee County.

WHITEHOUSE — A vehicle struck the YMCA in Whitehouse around 8:00 Wednesday morning. According to KETK, a woman reportedly plowed over a fence, through the playground and into the gym entrance of the building. Police say an 83-year-old member of the YMCA was parking her Cadillac and hit the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal. There were children inside the gym during the crash, but they were not injured. After firefighters pulled her vehicle out of the building, the woman was able to drive away.

LUFKIN – A woman and pet dog have died in a Lufkin fire. Two other persons and a dog escaped. The fire was reported shortly before 1:45 Monday morning in the 600 block of Humason Avenue. The body of Dora Ramos was found nearly ten hours later. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, but investigators feel it started in the kitchen. Authorities say there were no working smoke detectors in the house.

KILGORE – Starting August 27th, Kathryn “Kat” Jackson will be the new leader/instructor for Kilgore College’s new Culinary Arts Program. The late-afternoon and evening classes will be held at Longview High School’s state-of-the-art commercial kitchen.

Jackson has 15 years of industry experience from working with hotels as the senior manager overseeing restaurants/food and beverage. She started with the Marriott at the Renaissance Hotel of Dallas before moving to the Worthington Renaissance Hotel of Fort Worth. In the last year and a half, Jackson started a business that caters medium and large events in North Texas.

“I am very proud to be a new member of the Kilgore College faculty. I have worked in the service industry for my entire professional career, but I can honestly say that I’ve never been as excited about a position as I am now about teaching the new culinary arts curriculum,” Jackson said.