KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Preparation for the Smith County jail expansion project gets underway. According to KETK, the 16-month project is expected to bring road closures and limited parking for nearly a year. According to information from the county, the city of Tyler is barricading one lane of Spring Avenue from Elm Street to Erwin Street, and traffic will flow north only. One lane on Erwin will be blocked from Spring to Fannin, and traffic will flow eastbound only. One lane of Fannin Ave. will be closed from Erwin to Elm, and traffic will flow southbound only. These lane closures will only affect a one block radius around the construction site.

Some business owners are concerned, but at least one admits there’s a price to be paid for progress, “and you learn to live with it.” County Commissioner Jeff Warr says the effect on drivers should be minimal — and the nearly 100 construction workers should bring extra business to downtown restaurants.

GILMER — Two men are being treated at a Tyler hospital after their single engine plane crashed near Gilmer. The plane went down just southeast of the Gilmer airport shortly after taking off. The two Texas men aboard the plane are identified as Mike McClendon of Southlake and Brian Jones of Joplin. Their injuries were not thought to be serious. The FAA will attempt to discover why the plane crashed.

TYLER — The president of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Dr. Kirk A. Calhoun, is one of 16 people appointed to the committee that will advise The University of Texas System Board of Regents on the selection of the next president of The University of Texas at Arlington. Board of Regents Chairman Gene Powell named the members of the advisory search committee yesterday. The committee will recommend a list of potential candidates, without ranking them, for the board to consider. The next president of UT Arlington will succeed President James Spaniolo, who in June announced his intention to leave the top post once his successor is in place.

In 2011, Dr. Calhoun also served on the board of regents’ search committee that recommended candidates for president of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

LONGVIEW — Next week, Gregg County will adopt its 2012-2013 budget, including a quarter-cent tax rate decrease. Despite that, revenue will go up by about $480,000. Officials tell KETK higher property values and new construction are responsible for the extra money.

TYLER — It was always a bit of a long shot. But one local doctor-owned hospital decided to take on the new health care law and its restrictions on facilities like theirs. KETK reports Texas Spine and Joint Hospital was in the midst of a $22 million expansion when the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, was passed. It restricted hospitals owned by doctors, who take Medicare and Medicaid money, from expanding beyond a certain point. The feeling is, such facilities have a vested interest in ratcheting up the bill for treatment.

Now, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the hospital should have used the standard procedure for challenging a Medicare rule. That involves finishing your expansion, treating your first patient, being denied reimbursement, and then challenging the rule. The expansion continues within the rules allowed by the healthcare law, and the hospital’s owners have some decisions to make. They could ask the 5th Circuit for a review by the entire 5th Circuit, not just one panel. Or they could appeal directly to the Supreme Court.

TYLER – A 35-year-old Zwolle, Louisiana man has pleaded guilty in Tyler Federal Court to drug trafficking charges. Kinte Vanness Garner pleaded guilty Tuesday in Tyler to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith K. Guthrie. According to federal prosecutors, up until September 2011, Garner conspired with another person to acquire and distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine throughout the Tyler area. A federal grand jury returned an indictment on Oct. 5, 2011, charging Garner with federal violations. Garner faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

SMITH COUNTY — Officials with the Jackson Water Supply Corporation in eastern Smith County say a boil water notice issued last week is still in effect. The affected area is South of Hwy. 31 East and North of CR 223. You can go to http://www.jacksonwatersupply.com/ to keep up to date.

TYLER — Residents had another chance to weigh in on the city of Tyler’s proposed budget during today’s City Council meeting. As part of the proposed 2012-13 budget, Tyler is planning to decrease its property tax rate by $.0012, to 20.77 cents per $100 valuation. A hearing was held at 9:00 this morning. Another hearing and final adoption of the budget are scheduled for September 12.

MARSHALL — A 54-year-old former Gilmer man, now living in Tyler, has been sentenced to federal prison for child pornography violations in East Texas. Patrick Edward Wornick pleaded guilty on June 1 to possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison on Aug. 20. Wornick was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,000.

According to information presented in court, on October 6, 2011, law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Wornick’s Gilmer residence for suspected child pornography after images were reported to being uploaded to an internet website from Wornick’s internet provider address. During the investigation, Wornick admitted to downloading child pornography and subsequently gave permission for the search of his computer. A forensic analysis revealed 600 images of child pornography, some of which depicted prepubescent minors under 12 years of age engaged in sadistic or masochistic conduct.

TYLER (AP/STAFF) – Investigators say a tire blowout caused an overloaded SUV to crash in East Texas, killing two boys and three girls. Department of Public Safety trooper Jean Dark says three other children and two adults were hurt in the single-vehicle rollover Monday near Van. One adult and one child were uninjured in the crash.

The SUV was being driven by Federico Acuna, 35, of Marshall. Acuna lost control of the GMC Envoy, which rolled several times before stopping on its top. Investigators say the SUV did not have child safety seats and that nine of the children were ejected from the vehicle. Because the children were not restrained, the driver, who lost two daughters, two nieces and a nephew in the wreck, could be charged with five counts of criminal negligent homicide.

DPS identified the children who died as: Rosvaelia Jaimes, 13; Omar Jaimes, 7; Saideth Acuna6; Ulisa Acuna, 3 and Urit Jaimes, 2. All were from Marshall. They were reportedly on their way to Splash Kingdom waterpark.

LUFKIN — The Lufkin Daily News is reporting that a 10-year-old boy was taken by helicopter to a Houston hospital after being hit by a truck while riding his bicycle Monday afternoon on Atkinson Drive. The accident happened around 4:45 p.m. Monday when the boy crossed Atkinson Drive at Trenton Avenue on his bicycle and was struck by an ABC Auto Parts truck driven by Misty Haffner, 31, of Lufkin. According to the Lufkin Daily News and KETK, an emergency room nurse who witnessed the accident said she saw Haffner attempt to stop. She estimated the truck was going around 40-45 mph. Lufkin Police and Fire blocked Atkinson Drive to allow a medical helicopter to land.

The boy was then moved from an ambulance into the helicopter by his flight nurses and airlifted to Memorial Hermann in Houston with a possible head injury, according to his father. Haffner was arrested on an unrelated warrant.

TYLER — Tyler school trustees have decided not to put a bond issue on the November ballot. Instead, they are looking at next May to present the issue to voters. The action came Monday at a special session of the school board. Interim Superintendent Gary Mooring says the board has had a tough time coming to a conclusion on how to proceed and when to call a bond election. Mooring tells KTBB the trustees want to make the right decision at the right time for the community — and that they need more time to do it.

Grassroots America – We the People board member and Chairman of the Tyler ISD Watchdog Committee Rick Eisenbach applauded the school board’s action. He told school trustees, “The economic climate in which we live today makes it ever more difficult for people to vote for more debt.” He said there are too many things to be considered before voting on a bond election. “Until the Board puts forth a bold, decisive plan to deal with the recent failing ratings of the two high schools, addresses a new academic covenant with the community, and faces the discipline problems head-on to give teachers relief, we cannot give a favorable nod to a bond election of any kind.”

JoAnn Fleming, Executive Director of Grassroots America – We The People, told school trustees there are five ways the district’s long-range plan is incomplete. She said these matters should be addressed before a bond election is called. According to Fleming:

1. Prove up cost estimates. Construction costs per square foot are too high when compared to other school construction projects in Texas. Rethink adding “bells and whistles” that drive up costs.

2. Clarify the district’s timeline for redrawing attendance zones. Parents deserve to know where children will attend school before they vote to approve a plan.

3. Prove up and justify proposed new academic delivery system. Dr. Reid’s plan to create fifth- and sixth-grade centers should be backed up with evidence demonstrating that such a plan has measurably improved academic success where this plan has been implemented.

4. Prove up and justify estimated reduced annual operating costs in the proposed plan with detailed itemized cost centers for each facility and the district as a whole.

5. Address why TISD has abandoned portions of its 2001 Covenant with the Community regarding academics. The document, which was compiled after months of study by all three presidents of local higher education institutions (TJC, UT-Tyler, and TX College) was intended to dramatically raise the bar and produce measurable improvements in academics.

TYLER — A Louisiana woman is facing up to life in prison after pleading guilty to robbing the Regions Bank on Tyler’s South Southeast Loop in March. Vanessa Ashley Ashford, 28, of Shreveport, entered her plea Monday in an appearance in 241st State District Court. She decided to let a jury decide her punishment.

The bank was robbed by a woman with a large knife. Witnesses were able to get a partial license plate of the woman’s car. Tyler Police Officers responding to the area located a black Chevrolet Impala at University/Lazy Creek in Tyler and initiated a traffic stop. The officers found a bag full of money and an exploded die pack in the trunk of the woman’s car.

After she was arrested for the Regions Bank robbery, she admitted to officers she also robbed the Telco Credit Union on West Front Street in Tyler back on February 29th.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man has been charged with the sexual assault of a teenage girl. Arrested was James Darwin Vance, 31. The 13 year old girl was found walking along a Gregg County road early Friday morning. She told a motorist who stopped to help her that she wanted to be taken to the police station. The victim claimed that she told her mother that Vance had assaulted her, but the mother didn’t believe her. The girl was taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center for an exam.

In an interview with authorities on Sunday, Vance has said the sex was consensual. Following an investigation, Vance was booked into the Gregg County Jail. His bond was set at $100,000.

TYLER — A Winnsboro woman has been sentenced to federal prison for bank fraud. Mellissa Kay Morris, 48, pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. She was sentenced yesterday in Tyler to 27 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider. Morris was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $108,101.28.

According to federal prosecutors, while employed as assistant manager of Pioneer Credit Company in Mt. Pleasant, Morris devised a scheme in which she fraudulently created new loan applications for customers who did not have active loans. Morris used the customer’s name, social security number and other identifying information to create the loan application. Morris would them approve the loan, issue a check in the name of the customer on Pioneer’s account, sign the check on behalf of Pioneer and then forge the signature of the customer on the check. Morris then used those funds for her personal gain. This fraudulent activity resulted in a financial loss of at least $200,000.

TYLER — A Carthage woman has been sentenced in federal court in Tyler to prison for drug violations. Christine Stephens Carroll, 31, pleaded guilty in February to possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. She was sentenced yesterday to 71 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider.

Federal prosecutors say on October 22, 2008, Carroll purchased cold pills containing 2.40 grams of pseudoephedrine from a Brookshire Brothers store in Carthage. Carroll also admitted to purchasing cold pills on 64 different occasions from October 22, 2008 to April 15, 2010, which amounted to approximately 137.78 grams of pseudoephedrine, with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. Carroll was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 6, 2011 along with three co-defendants.

Carroll’s husband, Billy Glenn Carroll, was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison on June 1, 2012. Roy Daniel Tatum was sentenced to 115 months in federal prison on March 29, 2012. Officials say charges are still pending against the fourth defendant, Dean Allen Tucker.

TYLER — The Smith County District Attorney’s Office has filed a motion to dismiss a capital murder charge against Emma Torres, 21, in connection with the 2010 death of her toddler. KETK reports Torres and her boyfriend, Simon Lopez, 28, were indicted last September for the death of Torres’s one-year old son, Jeremy Silva. An autopsy determined Silva died from blunt force trauma. Investigators say Lopez was watching the child in November 2010 when he called one of the mother’s relatives to say the boy wasn’t breathing. Police say Lopez left the youngster with the relative and fled. In July 2011, he was caught in Queretaro, Mexico. Both suspects entered a not guilty plea on January 24. The charges against Lopez remain in place.

GLADEWATER — A fire has destroyed a mobile home in the Gladewater area and left a woman dead. Firefighters were called to the scene just after 3:00 Monday morning. According to KETK, the fire took place in the 16000 block of Smith County Road 3110. A Justice of the Peace was called out to the scene. Officials said a 61 year old woman was found in the wreckage of the home. Her name has not been released.

EAST TEXAS — Dallas County toxicology officials reported that Krystle Carranza, 27, Lindale, had a blood alcohol content of .21 when she was involved in a five-person fatal wreck May 30 near Mesquite. Carranza’s three daughters, 10-month old Aleah, 3-year-old Delaney and 5-year-old Nevaeh, as well as Fred Hammett Jr., 70, of Ramona, Calif. were killed in the wreck. Law enforcement officers reported Carranza was driving her pickup toward oncoming traffic on Interstate 20 when she collided with an SUV driven by Hammett. Carranza was visiting her husband in Dallas, relatives said.

According to records obtained from the Wood County Sheriff’s Department, Carranza had been arrested three times, and had been arrested for driving while intoxicated on April 27, 2006.

MINEOLA — A man who was reportedly sitting in the roadway and a motorcycle rider have been killed in a Wood County accident. The DPS says it happened just before 11:30 Friday night on U.S. Highway 80, 4 1/2 miles east of Mineola. Officials say the motorcycle, driven by Herbert Westly Owens, 52, of Alba, was westbound when it hit Kevin Dale Worsham, 35, of Quitman. Worsham was pronounced dead at the scene; Owens, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered a fractured skull and was hospitalized in critical condition at Tyler’s East Texas Medical Center. The DPS reports Owens died Sunday morning.

SMITH COUNTY — A Smith County business is a total loss following a weekend fire. The blaze at Estes Roofing Company, which is located on Farm Road 2493, was reported around 7:45 Saturday night. The cause remains under investigation, though a storm-related power surge is suspected. No injuries were reported. Owner Danny Estes tells KETK, “Thank God there wasn’t anybody here, so nobody got hurt, and you know, it’s just gonna delay us a little bit. We’re gonna move right over to the next office next door. We’re just gonna move over and keep going.”

TYLER — Here’s a quick look at work planned in the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation.

TYLER — Texas Department of Transportation construction contractor Big Creek Construction this week is planning to do approximately one day of daytime work on the West Loop 323 construction project. The work, which will involve re-shooting the seal coat surface that washed away during Friday morning’s rain, will be conducted during the day because the process is easier to control during daylight hours.

“Seal coating is as much art as science,” said TxDOT spokesman Larry Krantz. “It looks simple enough, but it’s a process that’s heavily dependent on proper weather conditions, including temperatures and humidity. And, as the rain on Friday reminded us, in spite of everyone’s best efforts, the weather can still be unpredictable.” Because of the moderate chances for rain in the 10-day forecast, crews will be standing by to perform the daytime work as soon as the weather permits. “We’re hoping to have this done by Monday or Tuesday, but Mother Nature is in control of things for the moment,” Krantz said. “We’re going to be absolutely sure we have the conditions we need before go.”

Once they get the go-ahead, crews will be reducing northbound WSW Loop 323 to one lane while the work is in progress. Crews have also been instructed not to begin setting lane closures before 9 a.m. After the daytime work is completed, crews will resume nighttime operations, which call for work to be done between 7:00pm and 5:00am Sunday-Thursday. “There will obviously be some inconvenience involved in correcting this,” Krantz said. “To minimize that, we’re asking folks to seek an alternate route of they can.”

GREGG COUNTY — Beginning as early as Wednesday this week, Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews are scheduled to perform pavement repairs on eastbound Interstate Highway 20 between the Smith County Line and Farm Road 3053 in Liberty City. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform seal coat operations on Farm Road 3225 in Tool, followed by the same work on Farm Road 1803 throughout the rest of the week. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers and pilot vehicles will control traffic. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application.

FRUITVALE — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue approximately three weeks of pavement-repair work on U.S. Highway 80, moving into the Fruitvale area. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress. Motorists should be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to make base and pavement repairs on Farm Road 2422 between U.S. Highway 80 east of Mineola and Farm Road 1804, and in various locations on State Highway 182 between Alba and Quitman. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue edge work on Farm Road 855 between U.S. Highway 69 in Mount Selman and Farm Road 346 south of Teaselville. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

TYLER — Tyler school trustees today will consider calling a bond election for November 6. They’re scheduled to meet in special session this afternoon at 5:00 at the Plyler Instructional Complex, moving into an open meeting following an executive session. The open meeting agenda calls for discussion of the potential bond election and opportunity for public comment, followed by consideration and action on the matter. TISD’s last bond proposal, in November 2010, fell short by a narrow margin. Since then, school officials have developed and adopted a long range plan that’s served as a basis for discussion of a possible 2012 bond issue. The plan addresses needs at all academic levels as well as a possible advanced technology and career center. You can go to http://www.tylerisd.org to get more information.

TYLER — The City of Tyler will hold a public meeting today to present the preliminary outcomes of the Medical District and Tyler Junior College Area Development Plan. The meeting’s set this afternoon at 5:30 at TJC’s White Administration Building Board Room, 1327 South Baxter. Meeting participants will have the opportunity to hear conclusions on the Area Development Plan including the planning team’s findings and recommendations.

The City of Tyler initiated the Medical District and Tyler Junior College Area Development Plan study in January, 2011, to build upon recommendations set forth in the Tyler 21 Comprehensive Plan. According to city officials, the purpose of the plan is to further develop East Texas Medical Center, Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals, Tyler Junior College, neighborhoods, and surrounding areas as a vibrant district. Officials say today’s gathering will include plans for long term growth, pedestrian friendly corridors, and ideas to enhance the Medical District and Tyler Junior College area.

TYLER — Two physicians at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler are helping lead a clinical trial of a new drug that they say offers significant hope to people suffering from mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), a rare but serious lung disease. David Griffith, M.D., and Richard Wallace, M.D., are co-principal investigators in the study designed to determine if inhaled liposomal amikacin (trade name ARIKACE) can help patients with MAC and other nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung diseases.

“The rate of MAC lung disease is increasing in the United States. And it is difficult to treat,” said Dr. Wallace, an infectious disease specialist who is nationally known for his success in treating people with MAC. Dr. Griffith, a pulmonary physician at UTHSCT, agreed. “While almost 98 percent of the people who contract tuberculosis are successfully treated, only 75% of people with MAC are cured. This drug offers the remaining 25 percent the hope of better treatment outcomes,” he said.

Dr. Griffith is the lead author of diagnosis and treatment guidelines for NTM approved by the American Thoracic Society and the Infectious Disease Society of America. MAC is the most common NTM to cause infections in people. Dr. Wallace recently was ranked in the top 1% of U.S. physicians who treat MAC by U.S. News and World Report magazine.

TYLER — Police in Tyler have arrested a suspect in what’s termed an apparent family violence incident. Saturday night around 8:30, Travesea Danyet-Shun Mallard, 25, turned herself in. She was jailed on a charge of aggravated assault family violence, with bond set at $300,000. Tyler Police responded to 3200 Rolling Hills Drive around 1:30 Saturday afternoon and made contact with a 23-year-old man who had a stab/cut wound beneath his left arm. EMS were called to the scene and transported the victim to East Texas Medical Center for a non-life threatening injury. Police say Mallard was gone on officers’ arrival.

COLLEGE STATION — Tyler police tell our news partner KETK that a man who robbed a credit union in College Station could be the “Loan Ranger” who hit the Compass Bank in Tyler in May. At about 11:29 Friday morning, officers with the College Station Police Department responded to the FedStar Credit Union located in the 700 block of Harvey Road for a report of an aggravated robbery. Upon arrival, officers were told that a male suspect had entered the bank with a handgun and demanded money. The suspect fled the scene in a vehicle with an undisclosed amount of money.

Suspect Description:

•White male, 6’ tall
•Medium build
•In his 20s
•Stubble-like facial hair
•Wearing glasses
•Ball Cap (black with green shamrock)
•Black basketball shorts
•Black high top shoes
•Black zip up nylon athletic jacket
Vehicle Description: Small blue or silver vehicle

No employees or customers were injured during the robbery. This incident remains under investigation by the College Station Police Department Criminal Investigation Division. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the College Station Police Department at 979-764-3600.

EAST TEXAS — An early Friday morning bomb threat call to a Carmike Theater in Columbus, Georgia, prompts inspections in East Texas. According to KETK, the call did not specify any particular Carmike theater as a target, so theaters across the country were investigated as a precaution. Authorities have the phone number where the threat originated and are working to track down the person who made the call.

Firefighters and police responded to the threat at the Tyler Carmike shortly after 9:00 a.m. Authorities remained on scene until approximately 1:00 p.m. No devices were found, and the theater was expected to be open Friday evening. Also, there’s been no word of any devices at any of the other Carmikes that were inspected. Officials in Tyler have been in contact with the local FBI, and the incident remains under investigation. Authorities say updates will be available as new information is obtained.

TYLER — The Tyler Fire Department battles a two-alarm structure fire after responding Friday morning at 9:07 to 3417 Timberlane Dr. Upon arrival, firefighters reported heavy fire conditions in the home. The fire was primarily located in the garage area. Officials say firefighters made a quick interior attack on the fire and prevented further fire damage to the rest of the home. Heavy heat and smoke damage was sustained throughout the structure. Fire Investigators believe the fire originated in the area around a clothes dryer. The fire was brought under control and all units had cleared the scene by 10:55 a.m. One occupant was transported to an area hospital for evaluation.

SMITH COUNTY — A boil water notice issued Friday affects the Jackson Water Supply Corporation area south of Highway 31 East and north of County Road 223. According to officials, to ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to consumption. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes. According to KETK, when it is no longer necessary to boil the water, water system officials will notify customers. You can go to http://www.jacksonwatersupply.com for further updates. If you have any questions or concerns, you may call 903-566-1320 or 903-216-4992.