KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – Caldwell Zoo announced on Wednesday that they had been made aware of a scam involving fraudulent tickets. According to our news partner, zoo officials said in release the best way to be sure your tickets are real is to get them from Caldwell Zoo. You can do this in person at the zoo or online here.

KILGORE – The Kilgore Police Department asked for the your help and found a woman with dementia, who her family thought was missing . According to our news partner KETK, 77-year-old Dortha Jackson Wilson was seen turning onto I-20 near Kilgore near noon. Officers were notified they say, “She is fine, and her family has been contacted.”

TYLER – A report from the City of Tyler on Thursday announced that Bergfeld Park has been recognized by the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association as a Great Public Space and joins the Rose Garden as the second Tyler location to earn the honor. The land for the park was initially purchased by the city in 1913 and has seen many additions and renovations since.

EAST TEXAS — Early voting for the March primary ends Friday. Our news partner KETK took a look at voter turnout in East Texas counties ahead of election day. Early voting started last week and Gregg County Elections Administrator shared that the turnout is lower than they’d like to see. “So far during early voting we had 4,372 check-ins, and in 2022 for the governor primary we had 6,762 for the entire early voting period,” Jennifer Briggs, Gregg County elections administrator, said. Briggs explained how they’re not the only Texas county experiencing lower turnout. “I have been conversing with other elections administrators for the state of Texas and they’re kind of saying the same thing. So the turnout is a little bit slower than it was in 2022 for the governor primary,” said Briggs. Continue reading Early voting numbers low

TYLER – The Texas Baptist Men are getting together to aid those who are affected by the ongoing fire in the Texas Panhandle. According to our news partner KETK, the Texas A&M Forest Service latest count as of Wednesday has over 600,000 acres of active wildfires in Texas with the majority being in the Panhandle.

David Wells, director of disaster relief for Texas Baptist Men, said, “These wildfires, a lot of them covered a lot of ground. It did hit the city of Fritch. And then for some of these homeowners, it’ll take a while for their insurance to figure out everything. So for a lot of these homeowners, you’re like six months to a year, if not more, out. You know, that they have full recovery.”

The Texas Baptist Men said that they are planning to set up a temporary help center for residents in Fritch that have been hit by the fire.

TYLER – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office needs your help in finding a missing teen. Missing is 15-year-old Armani Gatewood. Currently he is listed as a runaway. His parents report that Armani ran away from home Feb. 5. Gatewood is a black male, 5’05’, 120 lbs. He has been seen several times with other juveniles in the area of The Ranch apartments in Tyler on Paluxy Drive. On those occasions he ran away when approached. If you have information on the location of Armani Gatewood, call the Smith County Sheriff’s Office at 903-566-6600 or go to their website here.

RUSK – Rusk Rural Water Supply Company announced that they have rescinded a boil notice that they had posted Tuesday. Officials from the RRWSC say they have taken the necessary corrective actions to restore the quality of the water distributed by the public water system used for drinking water or human consumption purposes and has provided TCEQ with laboratory test results that indicate that the water no longer requires boiling prior to use. The Rusk Rural Water Supply thanks their customers for their patience.

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, the SPCA of East Texas announced on Wednesday that they are closing their animal intake for the time being, due to full shelters and intensive cases. SPCA of East Texas said that they already have over 200 animals in their care, with many of them being medical cases. They also recently had a case of critical rescue from neglect where it was later discovered that some of the animals were pregnant, increasing the strain on their resources. Due to these factors, SPCA of East Texas is asking for the help of the community. They encourage the public to consider adoption, donation, or fostering as ways to contribute to their mission. Continue reading SPCA of East Texas exceeds capacity

AUSTIN – The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has received an increasing number of complaints about a phone scam targeting those who use Lone Star Cards and receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

The HHS Office of Inspector General is reporting their Fraud Hotline is getting 10-15 complaints per day about the new telephone scam that involves a technique called spoofing. The scam mimics the Lone Star Card Help Desk, lulling victims into a false sense of security. Victims of this scam report getting a call that lists the Lone Star Card Help Desk caller ID (800-777-7328). The caller, sometimes a prerecorded voice, asks for the client’s PIN, Social Security number and date of birth in exchange for new or increased benefits.
Continue reading State warns about Lone Star Card scam

DIANA – On Monday, the New Diana ISD Board of Trustees announced that they have officially named Marshall Moore as the superintendent of the district.

In a release from the school district, Moore said this about his new job. “I have been in education for 16 years, out of which eight years have been in administration. As an administrator, I have served alongside fantastic staff and communities. I am delighted to bring my family back to East Texas. Growing up in this area and always hearing about New Diana’s long-standing record of tradition and excellence made this an opportunity that was too good to pass up. As I assume this new role, establishing relationships and trust with all stakeholders will be my top priority. I look forward to building upon New Diana’s already distinguished reputation.”

The board of trustees made the announcement of Moore’s hiring official after waiting the required 21 days to do so.

LONGVIEW – According to our news partner KETK, East Texas Congressman Nathaniel Moran stopped at Pine Tree ISD on Monday in hopes to inspire the younger generation to follow their calling. “We’re going to try to be at as many schools as possible,” Moran said. Moran spoke to middle and high school students at Pine Tree ISD in Longview about several topics including possible career paths and what it takes to be successful. Pine Tree ISD Superintendent Steve Clugston said Monday was the first time Moran got to sit down with students. Students had the opportunity to ask Moran questions on subjects like term limits for Congress and school choice. Recently, Moran has made similar visits to several East Texas schools.

“As we’re growing these young people up, what I want to remind them is they have a special and unique call in this life and so, I challenged them by giving them challenge coins to find and follow their call,” Moran said. “Today I got some of the hardest questions I’ve had in any form there is,” Moran said. “That’s because these kids were prepared, they were excited, they were engaged. I love to see that.” Moran said he hopes to inspire students during these visits in any way he can. Continue reading Representative Moran talks to future voters

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, the Smith County Fire Marshal is urging residents to avoid burning. Over the last few days, several wildfires fueled by current windy and dry conditions started across East Texas. The Texas A&M Forest Service reported dozens of East Texas fires since Friday. Between Saturday and Sunday, the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office had to respond to nearly 30 grass fires. Gregg County Sheriff’s Office is also raising awareness of the danger of burning, after battling a 10-acre contained fire that got out of control this past weekend.

“We Responded to 60 wildfires for a total of 5,136 acres with 58 of them in East Texas alone,” said Laura Stevens, Texas A&M Forest Service wildland urban interface coordinator. Continue reading Officials ask residents to avoid burning