KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LONGVIEW — Beginning Monday, October 8, Green Street in Longview will be closed from the north side of the Tyler Street intersection to the south side of the Cotton Street intersection to allow for construction projects. East/west traffic on Cotton Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction. North/south traffic on Green Street will be closed between Cotton and Tyler Streets. East/west traffic on Tyler Street will be closed at the Green Street intersection. Drivers are urged to drive cautiously in these areas for the safety of construction workers. It is anticipated that this partial closure will remain in effect until May 6, 2013.

This street closure is part of the Downtown Parking Streetscape Improvements project approved by voters in the 2011 Capital Improvements bond package. This project consists of improvements to Green Street in the downtown area, including improvements to paving, storm sewer system, sidewalks, streetscape, and landscaping. The project also includes increasing vehicular clearance under the train crossing at Green Street. For additional information, contact the City of Longview Public Works Engineering Department at 903-239-5504.

TYLER — Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics has issued a message about media reports regarding steroid injections. According to a TMF statement, there have been several cases of meningitis associated with epidural steroid injections. Thus far, the focus has been narrowed to compounded steroids manufactured by the New England Compounding Center. According to the TMF statement, this does not affect patients of The Trinity Clinic Center for Comprehensive Pain Medicine. TMF officials say they do not use compounded steroids for their epidural steroid injections, and that all of their steroids come directly from the manufacturer.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — A child was thrown from a vehicle in a wreck Friday morning in Cherokee County. KETK reports it happened just after 7:00 a.m. on Hwy. 69 between Alto and Rusk. There were three people in the vehicle at the time. According to Cherokee County DPS, a tire blew out on their vehicle and they ran off the road into trees. The boy was flown to a Tyler hospital. A man and woman who were also in the vehicle were taken to the hospital by ambulance. No word yet on the extent of their injuries.

LONGVIEW — A 43-year-old man is in the Gregg County Jail after police said he was spying on his estranged wife. Dean Jeff Johnson was arrested on an outstanding warrant that accused him of improper visual recording after his estranged wife, Melody Johnson, reported finding hidden cameras in her White Oak home. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Officers confiscated numerous tapes from Dean Johnson’s house containing recordings that were videotaped inside her house. An IT specialist with the White Oak Police Department is examining the tapes to see if any contain explicit material. The case remains under investigation. Johnson’s bond was set at $50,000.

GILMER — At least two people were ejected in two separate car wrecks in Upshur County on Thursday afternoon. Officials in Upshur County and the City of Gilmer were dispatched to the first wreck at 3:48 p.m. at the intersection of FM 2685 and Evergreen Rd., just south of Gilmer. Gilmer Fire officials tell KETK they arrived on scene in just enough time to assist with a landing zone for an emergency helicopter in the middle of FM 2685, and then were immediately called to another ejection accident within the city limits of Gilmer. That call came in at 4:09, only 20 minutes after the first wreck. It was on Cherokee Trace in Gilmer. At least one person was ejected in this wreck, but received minor injuries. The status of the people involved in the initial wreck on FM 2685 has not yet been released.

TYLER — Tyler Police have reported a fatality in an early Friday morning wreck. It happened around 12:35 in the 3200 block of Grande Boulevard. Witnesses told officers that the vehicle had driven off the roadway and flipped several times. The driver of the vehicle, Rocky Lee Padgett (pictured) 29, Malakoff, died at the scene. The passenger, Darrell Grayer, 25, Tyler, was taken to East Texas Medical Center Hospital for non-life threatening injuries. The crash is still under investigation by the Tyler Police Department.

WINNSBORO (AP/Staff) — Actress Daryl Hannah has been arrested along with a 78-year-old northeast Texas landowner while protesting construction of a pipeline designed to bring crude oil from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries. Hannah’s manager, Paul Bassis, says Hannah was arrested Thursday evening. Bassis says Hannah and landowner Eleanor Fairchild were standing in front of heavy equipment brought onto the woman’s property in Winnsboro. Both women were taken to the Wood County Jail. Hannah has since been released.

Hannah, who starred in “Splash” and “Kill Bill,” also was arrested in August 2011 while protesting the Keystone XL pipeline in Washington.

Several acres of Fairchild’s farm have been condemned by TransCanada. She says she opposes TransCanada’s plan to transport heavy tar-sands crude from Canada to the Gulf Coast. The proposed route of the pipeline takes it through eastern Smith County.

LONGVIEW — Pine Tree ISD broke ground for its new athletic stadium on Thursday morning. At 11:00, students and school representatives met at the site of the stadium, on West Loop 281, just east of the Enterprise and Pine Tree Parkway intersection. KETK reports the stadium’s construction is part of a bond package passed by voters in 2011. The bond was $29.9 million and included multiple projects.

TYLER — A 50-year-old Deberry man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug violations in East Texas. Jimmie Gaston Langston pleaded guilty on April 3 to possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine and the manufacture of methamphetamine on premises where children are present. He was sentenced in Tyler yesterday to 120 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider.

According to federal prosecutors, Langston purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a CVS store in Marshall as well as additional purchases in Shreveport, Louisiana, with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. The manufacturing of the methamphetamine took place at Langston’s residence where one or more young children were present at the time.

TYLER – Today, Tyler will be awarded the Community of the Year award from the American Association of Planners – Texas Chapter (APA) at their annual conference being held in Ft. Worth. The APA Texas Planning Awards Program recognizes individuals, organizations and communities for outstanding contributions to planning in Texas. The Community of the Year award is given to a town, city, or county for providing an outstanding contribution to planning. Tyler is receiving the award for the Industry Growth Initiative (IGI) plan launched in 2010.

According to a city news release, “In an unprecedented joint effort between the Tyler City Council and several community boards, the IGI was formally adopted as a shared vision for Tyler’s strategic economic growth in the next 20 years. Boards represented included the Tyler City Council, Smith County Commissioner’s Court, Tyler Independent School District Board of Trustees, Tyler Junior College Board of Trustees, the Tyler Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce.” Also represented at the meeting were members of the Leadership Roundtable, including the University of Texas – Tyler, UT Health Science Center, Texas College, East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System, the Tyler Economic Development Council, Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics, and others.

“I don’t know of another time in Tyler’s history that so many of its elected boards held a joint meeting to adopt a single measure,” commented Mayor Barbara Bass. “This level of support demonstrated the need for the entire community to speak with one voice and work cooperatively for the sake of Tyler’s economic future.”

In early 2009, Mayor Barbara Bass and Senator Kevin Eltife brought together a group of community leaders to discuss shared issues facing the city and region. One of the first items that was raised by this Leadership Roundtable was the need to market Tyler and to determine the industries that made the most sense for Tyler to pursue given our unique assets.

Consequently, the Leadership Roundtable began the development of the IGI in mid-2009. The resulting report recommends 10 primary building blocks that Tyler should develop to foster an Innovation Economy and take the Tyler region into the next twenty years of economic prosperity and growth.

LONGVIEW — Election administrators in Gregg and surrounding counties reported Wednesday a stout increase in the number of voters registering in September. According to KETK, with the registration deadline less than a week away, election officials said they are preparing for a large East Texas turnout November 6th. October 9th is the deadline to register to vote in the general election, which includes a White House battle between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Paul Sadler also are vying for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison. Kathryn Nealy, Gregg County elections administrator, said her office at the Gregg County Courthouse has received about 100 registrations a day since September 24. Gregg County is seeing a traditional amount of people registering as first-time voters leading up to a presidential election, said Nealy, who has 23 years of experience in the county’s elections. Election officials for surrounding counties also reported seeing a large number of voters registering during the final days before the deadline.

BEAUMONT – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a Lufkin man with attempting to rob an east Texas post office. Keith DeWayne Bailey, 29, is charged with attempting to rob the United States Post Office in Woodville, on October 1, 2012. If convicted, Bailey faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine not to exceed $250,000 or both.

ATHENS – Three men have been arrested at various place around Athens and charged with the weekend abduction of a man in Frankston. Charged with aggravated kidnapping was Al Gene Fulton, 29, pictured here, Lamontoe D. Rodriguez, 18 and Bryson Bowman, 17. They are said to have abducted a man and forced him to withdraw all his money from his bank account. The three are said to have then beaten the man, left him in west Athens and drove off in his car. Authorities used video surveillance at ATM machines to help identify the suspects.

TYLER – A former Tyler auto dealer has been named in one of multiple indictments returned this week by a federal grand jury in Tyler. The indictments were announced Wednesday.

A superseding indictment was returned against Mohammad Moosa Yahya, a/k/a Muhammad Moosa Yahya, 36, of Tyler. He has been charged with multiple counts of wire fraud and engaging in monetary transactions with criminally derived property in connection with an investment scheme. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, and supervised release of not more than 3 years.

The superseding indictment alleges that beginning no later than May 2011, Yahya devised a fraud scheme related to investments made in EMN Global Trading, a Texas corporation that operated a used car dealership located in Tyler, under the name Tyler Automax. Yahya, who has served as president of the company since approximately 2004, solicited individuals to invest in the business by representing that their funds would be used to purchase vehicles that would then be sold by the dealership. Yahya further represented that the investors would be paid profits from those vehicle sales. Instead, Yahya misappropriated the wired investment funds for his own personal use and benefit.

In another case, Allen Ray Curtis, 37, of Malakoff, was indicted on charges of failure to register as a sex offender. If convicted, he could receive imprisonment of not more than 10 years and a fine of not more than $250,000, or both. In addition to the term of imprisonment, if convicted, Curtis will receive a term of supervised release of not less than five years or up to life and a mandatory special assessment of $100.00.

Victor Vasquez, 34, of Fairfield, Texas, was indicted on charges of possession of an unregistered firearm, felon in possession of a firearm, and felon in possession of ammunition. If convicted, he could receive imprisonment of up to 3 years and a fine of not more than $250,000, or both for each charge. In addition, the defendant will receive a term of supervised release of not more than 3 years and a mandatory special assessment of $100.00 for each charge.

LONGVIEW — A planned adult bookstore has some turning their heads in Longview. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, a sexually-oriented business permit was filed with the city to open an adult bookstore on FRJ Drive. It wasn’t until last week that many business owners along the street found out they’d have such a business for a new neighbor. The city says as long as the business meets requirements, nothing can be done. But one business owner says the bookstore is against his beliefs. The application is still being processed by the city. There are two other sexually-oriented businesses located within the Longview city limits.

TYLER – Two defendants in a Tyler child scalding case, Kenneth and Shelley Walker, were sentenced Wednesday to 25 years in prison each. According to KETK, the couple will begin serving their sentences immediately and will not be eligible for parole until 2025. Kenneth Walker, 55, and Shelley Walker, 60, were taken into custody in February. The couple was convicted Tuesday of placing their 2-year-old granddaughter into scalding water in a bathtub at a house on Aberdeen. The toddler was severely burned on her feet and ankles. She was flown to a Dallas hospital for treatment. The Walkers faced anywhere from probation to life in prison.

TYLER — A scientist at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler who investigates life-threatening lung disease has been awarded his first research grant from the National Institutes of Health: $550,800 over five years. Torry Tucker, Ph.D., will use the money to probe the mysteries of pleural fibrosis, a lung disease caused by bacterial infections, exposure to asbestos, and heart bypass surgery. “Our research could allow people with scarred lungs to take 30 steps without being out of breath, rather than just 10 steps. That’s the difference between going to your front door and walking to your mailbox,” Dr. Tucker said.

TYLER — Judge Jack Skeen has accepted a plea deal proposed by Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham in the case against former Smith County Precinct 3 Constable Dustin Rust. Skeen had first ordered the case to go to trial, and that trial was set to begin Wednesday. According to KETK, Rust pleads guilty to operating a security company without a license, which is a class A misdemeanor. Rust must pay $7,698 in restitution, and will be under 2 years of probation. He will not receive any jail time. The felony charge against him has been dropped.

Controversy has swirled around Rust ever since he was indicted for misuse of county property in April 2012. He is accused of using his deputies for a private security detail in Smith County neighborhoods.

TYLER — Tyler police say they’re continuing to find clues in the theft of four assault rifles from a local Wal-Mart. Wednesday morning at 10:30 police recovered the vehicle allegedly involved in the heist. Police say the suspects had left the vehicle at a residence just northwest of Tyler Pipe. The homeowner said he did not know whom the vehicle belonged to when he discovered it in the home’s carport.

According to police, the suspects are still on the run, and police need your help in locating them. Investigators currently hold warrants on both Jeremy Lee Wilson, 34, a white male, and Jamie Lee Miller, 33, a white female. They are charged with theft of a firearm. Also, information led officers to a location in town where the weapons were dropped off. Officers recovered all four of the weapons from the location.

The four semi-automatic rifles were taken from the Wal-Mart at 3820 Highway 64 West. Surveillance video made around 1:30 Monday morning shows a white male breaking into the gun case in the sporting goods section and removing the weapons. He was accompanied by a white female who acted as a look-out. Police say the man placed the rifles in a shopping cart along with a gun bag and hunting jacket. The two removed the stolen merchandise from the store without paying for the items. They then got into a silver Dodge or Chrysler mini-van. The van is described as having only one hubcap located on the left rear wheel.

Anyone with information about the suspects involved in this crime is urged to contact the Tyler Police Department, at 903-531-1000, or Crimestoppers at 903-597-CUFF (903-597-2833). Crimestoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information that leads to arrests and charges filed against the suspects in this case or any felony case.

HENDERSON COUNTY — An East Texas man has been indicted by a grand jury in Henderson County for capital murder. Jackie Guthrie, 22, was also indicted for theft of a firearm. He’s accused of kidnapping his pregnant girlfriend, Tiffany Hurd, 19, after fatally shooting Chantel Barret, 18, in Coffee City July 19th. Guthrie was found the next day in Galveston and taken into police custody. Hurd was with him and not injured. Guthrie remains jailed on a bond of $2 million.

FIRE – A Tyler home has been extensively damaged by fire. It was reported shortly after 9:15 Tuesday night in the 1500 block of Bowie Drive. No one was at home when the fire started and no injuries were reported. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

TYLER – Awards were handed out Tuesday night at the annual banquet of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce. Peaches and Lewis Owens won the T.B. Butler Award, which is given to the city’s Most Outstanding Citizen. Rabbi Neal Katz of Congregation Beth El in Tyler received the W.C. Windsor Award. That goes to the city’s most outstanding citizen under the age of 40. Business awards were also handed out last night. Named as large business of the year was the Hospice of East Texas. The small business award went to Davis Green Paint and Body. Volunteer of the Year is the Chamber’s new chair-elect, Rosemary Jones. The new Chamber chair is Mary Elizabeth Jackson.

TYLER – Mother Frances Hospital Regional Health Care Center, a part of Trinity Mother Frances Health System, has received an increased bond rating from Fitch Ratings, Inc., an international financial ratings firm. According to Health System officials, the increase from a BBB rating to a BBB+ is based on numerous factors including a stable rating outlook and rapidly growing utilization of health system facilities. Moody’s Investor Services recently reaffirmed its Baa1 rating with a stable outlook for Mother Frances, a rating comparable to Fitch’s BBB+. “We are very pleased that these two well-respected agencies gave us their vote of confidence,” said Joyce Hester, CPA, chief financial officer, Trinity Mother Frances Health System. “Bond ratings are important and an indication of the overall health of a company.”

GRAND SALINE — Grand Saline ISD held a vigil for the safe return of Charity Pulley, who has been missing since September 18. KETK reports the event took place this morning at 7:30 at the high school’s flagpole. Everyone was invited to attend.

Authorities with the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office and the Grand Saline Police Department have been looking for Charity, 17, a sophomore at Grand Saline High School. The girl’s father, Jewelus Pulley, is a pastor at the Grand Saline Central Pentecostal Church. He says family members noticed Charity was missing early in the morning, and noticed that the screws had been removed from her window and the screen. Mr. Pulley says that it is not normal for his daughter to run away, and that she seemed fine the evening before her disappearance. He says she had been texting a boy, and may have sneaked out for a date with him, but if so, he never brought her back.

Pulley also says that Charity’s glasses, contacts, wallet, and house key were left behind. The teenager is legally blind in one eye, so Mr. Pulley says it would be highly unlikely she would leave all this behind. Charity is 4’11″ and about 115 lbs. She was last seen at 9:30pm on September 18th.

MARSHALL — With the help of a heroic K-9, Harrison County deputies were able to find a missing autistic child quickly. That’s according to KETK. At 2:30 Monday afternoon, authorities were notified of the missing child on Roosevelt Taylor Road. When they arrived, the mother told officials she had last seen her 14-year-old son in his bedroom around 8:00 that morning. Due to the close proximity of Interstate 20 and a heavily wooded area surrounding the house, deputies brought in Bruce, a specially trained K-9. After the dog got a scent from the boy’s clothing, the child was found safe deep in a wooded area near the home. Sgt. Best, the deputy who helped find the child, has extensive training in tracking and utilizing his K-9 partner’s abilities for drug detection and tracking of human scents.

CHAPEL HILL — A football player at Chapel Hill High School is recovering after undergoing emergency surgery on Monday. The Bulldogs head coach, Thomas Sitton, tells KETK the freshman collapsed on the practice field and suffered a seizure-like reaction. Trainers and coaches on the scene immediately worked to stabilize him and were able to keep him breathing during the entire episode. Medical officials told Chapel Hill officials the boy had experienced a subdural hematoma, which is a blood clot on the surface of the brain. The student is in stable condition following surgery. Sitton says the boy had not been hit at practice when he collapsed. His name has not been released.

TYLER – A native of El Salvador, A Mexican national and a man from Mississippi have been sentenced for federal drug violations.

Jorge Sanchez, 28, a Mexican national currently residing in Tyler, pleaded guilty on May 31, 2012, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Sanchez was sentenced Monday to 30 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $50,000.

Jose Lopez, 42, a citizen of El Salvador currently residing in Tyler, Texas, pleaded guilty on May 21, 2012, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Lopez was sentenced Monday to 228 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $50,000.

Roderick McGee, 35, of Water Valley, Mississippi, pleaded guilty on May 31, 2012, to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana. McGee was sentenced Monday to 30 months in federal prison.

All three men appeared in Tyler federal court before United States District Judge Michael H. Schneider.

TYLER — Awards for top citizens and an overview of the past year are among the highlights as the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce holds its annual meeting tonight. It all happens at Harvey Convention Center from 6:00 till 9:00pm.

TYLER — In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, The University of Texas at Tyler has released its 2012 Annual Security and Fire Report, Chief Mike Medders announced. The report includes campus crime statistics, security policies, and other safety services provided by the campus police department and the university for 2009 – 2011. “We are pleased to report that our crime statistics for last year are low, especially in light of the recent incidents that have occurred at facilities near the campus. We want students, parents and the community to know that UT Tyler is a safe campus, and we work diligently to maintain that safe environment,” Chief Medders said.

Recently City of Tyler police have investigated crimes at Cambridge Apartments, an independently owned and operated complex located across the street from UT Tyler. UTT officials point out that the university does not own the complex and is not associated with it. “Due to the close proximity to our campus, we work with the management at Cambridge Apartments to provide a police presence. We recognize that the activities occurring within the complex can affect the safety of our students,” Chief Medders added. UT Tyler police have gate access to both Cambridge and Varsity Place Apartments, and make routine patrols through the complexes.

Other campus policy safety measures noted by UTT officials include the Patriot Alert System. That’s a multi-layered emergency notification system, includes text messages, emails, phone calls, website announcements, outdoor and indoor warning systems, as well as “blue light” phones in 20 locations around campus for immediate contact with campus police dispatch. Campus housing safety measures include mandatory meetings for residents addressing rules and emergency procedures and safety issues. You can go to http://www.uttyler.edu/police/security-info.php to view the full report.

LONGVIEW — Downed power lines due to a fallen tree cause some major traffic issues in Longview. East Loop 281 between Eastman and Hollybrook was shut down for hours. Longview Police say that segment is now open — but the Tryon Rd. exit on both the north and south sides of the Loop remains closed. Drivers are used to take an alternate route as needed. For access to J.L. Everhart Elementary School, parents and staff are asked not to attempt to use the Tryon Road entrance. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, the Loop problem is just one of several downed tree incidents that emerged in the Longview area over the rainy weekend.