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HALLSVILLE — A Hallsville man is in good condition at Dallas’s Parkland Hospital after helping his family escape from a fire that destroyed their home over the weekend. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report that John Ridge, his wife, and their two young daughters woke up to fire in their residence in the Big Oaks Mobile Home Park Saturday. Ridge was injured after he went back inside the burning structure to help his wife and daughter, who were confused in the smoke.

NACOGDOCHES — A Stephen F. Austin State University student told police he was robbed at gunpoint after two men pulled up next to him between 9:30 and 9:45 p.m. Monday in the parking lot between Hall 14 and Lumberjack Lodge on the campus. According to KETK and the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel, SFA Police Chief Marc Cossich said the vehicle’s passenger reportedly got out of a gold Toyota Camry, showed a silver semi-automatic handgun, and demanded the student’s wallet and cell phone. Cossich said the student gave the wallet, which included credit cards, and a cell phone to the man, who then reportedly got back in the vehicle and drove off.

The passenger is described as a mid-to-late 20s, dark-complected black man, about 6 feet, 2 inches tall with a slender build, wearing a gray shirt with a white undershirt, a black stocking cap and dark pants. The driver is described as a medium complected black man with short hair, possibly in his early 20s.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man will be released from the hospital this week after shattering both hands in a New Year’s Day fireworks accident in White Oak. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, 19-year-old Jonathan Causey has had three surgeries and lost part of one finger. Causey says people need to pay attention to warnings on fireworks packages.

TYLER — The executive director of the Tyler ISD Foundation is lining up some major speaking engagements. Goddard takes the podium as the first Tylerite selected to speak to the Texas Association of Partners In Education (TAPE). Goddard, who serves on the board of directors for the statewide organization as well as President Elect, will speak on “Secrets of a Successful Education Foundation” at the state conference to be held in Austin January 28th.

In March, Goddard will speak at the National School Foundation Association (NSFA) and in July at the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA. Both are national conferences and highly competitive for speakers. He had cleared the first round to speak at the international Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) with members from all over the world. If selected, he will share the venue with President Bill Clinton and Oscar nominee Queen Latifah.

Goddard has won numerous awards for educational marketing and public relations including last year’s Best News Release, a first for an educational foundation professional, as well as two consecutive Crystal Awards in best campaign and best event in 1,100 school districts in Texas. He was awarded the highest honor in public relations for public education, 2010’s Key Communicator. National awards for public relations as well as international recognition for fundraising for education are part of Goddard’s past 24 months.

Goddard will also speak to the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA), the National School Foundation Association (teaches credential courses), the Association of School Foundations Alliance (ASFA), and the international conference of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Goddard’s topics include what not to do in educational fundraising, how to leverage positive community relations with sophisticated public relations, and best practice communications.

LONGVIEW – A Longview police officer was struck by two vehicles Sunday night. Police say Officer Chris Dotson was on routine patrol at approximately 8:45 p.m. in the area of Pine Tree Road and Silver Falls Road when his patrol unit was struck by another vehicle. According to police, that vehicle was driven by Kilie Roy Levoy, 36, of Longview. While Officer Dotson was being transported to the hospital by ambulance, the ambulance was struck by another vehicle. Authorities say that vehicle was driven by Dusty Wynn Doigg, 20, of White Oak. According to police, Doigg left the scene of the accident but was apprehended a short time later.

After further investigation officers say they determined Levoy was intoxicated. He was arrested for driving while intoxicated 2nd offense and driving while license suspended. Police say Doigg was also determined to be intoxicated, and he was arrested for driving while intoxicated 2nd offense and accident involving damage to vehicle greater than $200. Officer Dotson suffered non-life threatening injuries.

SMITH COUNTY — Arsonists Jason Bourque and Daniel McAllister left their mark on ten East Texas churches. Now those congregations are rebuilding. The latest sanctuary to re-open: the new Dover Baptist Church in Smith County. The church now is nearly three times its original size. Pastor A.R. Wynn showed our news partner KETK a pair of pews saved from the destruction of the old church. Wynn says they pay tribute to the past and says the arson didn’t split up the congregation. According to Wynn, “Actually I think it pulled the church closer together, and I’ve heard the people from the other churches talk about how it drew them together. They had to unite to get through this time and certainly this church has done well with that.”

Volunteers came to help with the rebuilding of Dover, and some spent nearly a year doing so. To honor those who helped rebuild and the businesses who made donations, there will be a dedication to them February 6.

CANTON — Jason Bourque and Daniel McAllister were handed multiple life sentences in Smith County for their role in a series of East Texas church arsons about a year ago. Now KETK reports there are more charges against the pair, this time in Van Zandt County. 20-year-old Bourque and 22-year-old McAllister were each indicted for arson. Bourque received two indictments, McAllister one. Van Zandt County authorities say the next step is their arraignment. The pair also were recently indicted in Henderson County.

TYLER — The Tyler Ministerial Alliance holds its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Interaith Rally today. This popular program, now in its 25th year, celebrates the legacy of Dr. King. Organizers say his calls for pluralism, racial equality, and social justice still need to be heard and celebrated in our day. This year, the keynote speaker is Texas State Senator Kevin Eltife, sharing his personal thoughts about the progress of race relations in East Texas over the past years.

As always, the program began with a rally on the Downtown Square at 9:30 a.m., followed by a march down Broadway to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception — the site of a 10:00 service with prayers for peace, awards, Eltife’s keynote presentation, and musical presentations. Dr. Jerome Milton, who first brought the march to Tyler and has continued to organize it, says he and the ministerial alliance will be stepping down after this year and passing the baton to the Tyler Together Race Relations Forum. Milton says he wants to thank the public for its cooperation, prayers, and motivation over the years.

You can go to http://www.cityoftyler.org/Home/tabid/36/ctl/NewsCategory/mid/865/Default.aspx for the city’s holiday schedule.

TYLER — The Tyler Ministerial Alliance held its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Interaith Rally Monday, and outgoing event chairman Dr. Jerome Milton is pleased. Milton says the usual crowd of 800 to 900 turned out in spite of the weather, and he said State Senator Kevin Eltife offered up a “phenomenal” keynote address.

Eltife shared his personal thoughts about the progress of race relations in East Texas over the past years. He pointed out that when he became mayor in 1996, Tyler didn’t officially observe the day — but the city council passed a resolution about six months later making it an official city holiday. Eltife says that’s just one example of efforts around the city. He remarked that every year, race relations have continued to improve in Tyler, and the community just has to keep working on it. Eltife says honoring Dr. King’s legacy “is not a one day a year event” — that people should live out Dr. King’s dream every day.

As always, the program began with a rally on the Downtown Square at 9:30 a.m., followed by a march down Broadway to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception — the site of a 10:00 service with prayers for peace, awards, Eltife’s keynote presentation, and musical presentations. Milton first brought the march to Tyler 25 years ago and has continued to chair it. Now he and the ministerial alliance are passing the baton to the Tyler Together Race Relations Forum. That announcement was made during the rally, and Milton says it was well-received.

GRAND SALINE (AP) – Many East Texas farmers are giving up on sweet potatoes, saying it’s become hard to find properties that are big enough and they must fend off wild hogs and weevils that can devastate their crop. Texas used to be one of nation’s top growers of sweet potatoes. The Texas Department of Agriculture says it ranked No. 3 in 1970 with 13,500 acres. This year, it was No. 8 with only 1,300 acres. Tony Phillips of Grand Saline tells the Houston Chronicle there were 70 or 80 growers when he joined his father’s and uncle’s sweet potato business in 1978. Now he thinks there are about 15. And Phillips isn’t earning a living growing sweet potatoes. He farms during the day and works at night at the Morton Salt Mine.

LONGVIEW — Two men are jailed after law officers in Longview make another drug raid. Around 2:45 p.m. Friday, the Gregg County Organized Drug Enforcement Unit executed a narcotics search warrant at 313 Graham Street. Police say say agents made entry into the residence without incident and a large quantity of hydrocodone and Xanax was located. A firearm and an undisclosed amount of money were also discovered. Darryl Washington, 47, and Jefferson Jonathan Taylor, 27, both of Longview, were arrested. Washington was arrested on two charges of possession of controlled substance, an outstanding possession of controlled substance warrant, and possession of marijuana. Taylor was arrested for possession of marijuana.

LONGVIEW — The development of the Gregg County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan is currently underway, and officials say participation is needed from area agencies and industries as the process moves forward. The purpose of the plan, which is mandated by the federal government and is required for several grant funding sources, is to help reduce the potential for damage to the community caused by natural, technological, or man-made hazards. The plan considers a variety of hazards such as tornadoes, ice storms, transportation accidents, hazardous materials, utility outages, and epidemics.

To coordinate the planning project, Gregg County invited area entities to participate in the 2011 Hazardous Mitigation Planning Team. Members of the Longview Fire Department were tasked with compiling the team’s efforts into a final document. The federal government mandates that communities develop Hazard Mitigation Plans every five years. Several reporting requirements have changed since the last plan was developed, and there have also been several changes to local resources within the last five years.

According to Gregg County Judge Bill Stoudt, “We have a strong history of entities working together in Gregg County in emergency response. This project impacts all cities, school districts, hospitals, and industries within Gregg County. For this plan to truly be successful, we must receive input and participation from all entities.”

Three meetings have been held so far, and leaders are hopeful that the momentum for the project will continue to grow. According to Longview Mayor Jay Dean, “This is an absolutely vital public safety project for our region as a whole and each entity individually. It’s also important from a financial standpoint, because we know the pivotal role grants can play. I encourage representatives from all the local entities to be involved in the process.”

Locally, agencies have seen that collaborative planning can lead to real results. Longview Fire Chief J.P. Steelman stated, “This is an opportunity to be proactive as a region. By coming together for these meetings, it makes the emergency responders aware of what our regional capabilities are and what our weaknesses are as well. Then, we can take steps to address those needs.” Examples of recent hazard mitigation projects include installation of new generators at water treatment facilities and fire stations, construction of laundry facilities at the Gregg County Fairgrounds for evacuees of disasters, and development of mutual aid agreements between regional agencies.

The first meeting of the Hazard Mitigation Planning Team was held December 1, and the process must be complete by September 2011. The next meeting is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., Thursday, January 20, at the Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Center, 100 Grand Blvd. The January 20 meeting is open to the public. For more information about the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, you can contact the Longview Fire Department at 903-237-1150.

LONGVIEW — The MLK Planning Committee, the City of Longview, and other community sponsors honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with the annual MLK Citywide Celebration. Under the theme “One Community, One Dream,” several events were held, including a couple on Monday:
*The 1st Annual Table of Brotherhood Breakfast from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. at Johnny Cace’s Seafood and Steakhouse, 1501 East Marshall Avenue.
*The MLK March at 11:15 a.m. from the Broughton Recreation Center to Mt. Olive Baptist Church, 306 South MLK Boulevard. Event planners held a Memorial Service at noon, sponsored by the Longview Area Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance.

TYLER — A group of volunteers saved Smith County taxpayers just over $74,000 in unpaid labor hours in 2010. That’s the word from Smith County Volunteer Coordinator Alicia Armstrong. The group of 27 volunteers provides a variety of services for various departments, including converting paper records to electronic files, clerical work, staff support, and archiving for the sheriff’s department, Commissioners Court, justice of the peace offices, and many more.

In the month of December alone, according to officials, Smith County volunteers logged a total of 321 hours at a value of $6,692 to the county. Since the volunteer program began in 2009, volunteers have put in more than 4,700 hours at an estimated value of $99,000 to the county. The oldest member of the volunteer group, 95-year-old George Mason, leads the volunteers in work hours logged, with just over 600 at the end of 2010.

Smith County is currently searching for volunteers interested in working at the Constable/Justice of the Peace Office, Pct. 4 in Winona. For more information on how to volunteer for this position or any volunteer service for Smith County, you can contact Armstrong at 903-590-2786.

TYLER — What do you give someone as a retirement gift after 40 years in the classroom? Tom Rhodes, fourth grade teacher at Tyler’s Douglas Elementary, knew exactly what he wanted as a retirement gift from his students. Rhodes challenged his students to read six million words. The students ended up reading 6,079,472 words. “They had individual goals and I give them all of the credit,” Rhodes said. “These are the most awesome readers I have ever had! And I had the good fortune to be their teacher. There is nothing in life they cannot accomplish. I couldn’t be happier. They busted the goal!”

Friday was Rhodes’s last day with Tyler ISD. He has been with the school district for 35 of his 40 years in education as a teacher at Camp Tyler, Hogg Middle School and Douglas Elementary. Rhodes is looking forward to his retirement, especially spending a lot of time with his young grandson and reading to him.