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FLINT (AP) — American service members are twice as likely as civilians to take their own lives. For decades, discussions of suicide prevention skirted fraught questions about firearms. But some families who’ve lost a loved one to suicide want to talk openly. They believe if the United States wants to get serious about addressing an epidemic of suicide, it must find a way to respect a veteran’s right to own a gun, but keep it out of their hands on their darkest days. One mother who lost her 25-year-old son to suicide says the military must do more to keep guns away from its soldiers in crisis. She leaned out of the tent at a small-town summer festival, hoping someone would stop to ask about her tattoos, her T-shirt, the framed pictures of her son on a table in the back of the booth. Barbie Rohde has made herself a walking billboard for this cause. She feels called to say the words, as much as they sometimes rattle the people who stop at her booth: “veteran suicide.” Continue reading Veterans more likely than most to kill themselves with guns

TYLER – East Texas will experience cold weather throughout the next few days and most people will use their heaters for the first time in many months. KETK reports that temperatures will get as low as the mid-30s through the next few days and experts are advising people to use their heaters correctly. “This time of the year it is very common for everyone to use space heaters,” said Tyler’s Fire Marshal. Hooton said the way to prevent fires is by putting heaters in safe locations. Hooton advises people not to use extension cords for their space heaters as they can get too hot. People who have plants outside should bring them inside if they want them to survive. They need to be covered with blankets, light plastic. Once the weather starts to rise back up to the 60s and 70s late this week, the plants can go back outside.

WHITEHOUSE – According to our news partner KETK a man was arrested in Whitehouse for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Sunday. Deputies responded to a County Road 2183 residence around 11:30 p.m. When they arrived deputies were reportedly told that Alejandro Guebara was inside the residence with a shotgun. A woman told officials that Guebara allegedly put the shotgun to her head and threatened her. When deputies approached the residence they began to try and talk to him but officials said he fled out the back window into the woods behind the home. Neighbors informed officials that a gunshot had been heard inside the home before they arrived. Whitehouse PD, Troup PD and TPWD Game Warden assisted in trying to find Guebara. He was found and arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, terroristic threat of a family/household, evading arrest, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and a parole violation warrant.

CHEROKEE COUNTY – The Texas Department of Public Safety said that one person is dead after an ATV and vehicle crashed on State Highway 21 on Saturday night. Our news colleagues at KETK report that around 9 p.m. on Saturday, a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe was travelling southwest on State Highway 21 when a 2007 Honda ATV turned State Highway 21 west. According to Texas DPS, the driver of the Tahoe had limited visibility and could not see the ATV clearly. The Tahoe and the ATV collided and the driver of the ATV, Ronterreal Mumphrey, 36 of Alto, was ejected from the ATV. Mumphrey was pronounced dead at UT Health in Tyler. The driver of the Tahoe was taken to a hospital in Jacksonville. DPS is continuing to investigate the crash.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office has reported the arrest of an East Texas man in connection with a Canton shooting incident on Sunday according to our news partners at KETK. On Sunday, Canton police and Van Zandt County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of shots fired at an address on State Highway 64 near Canton. Officials reportedly found a male standing outside shooting a firearm and at one point he allegedly shot in the direction of officers. No one was injured. Richard Homer, 64, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault against a public servant and disorderly conduct discharging firearm and has since bonded out on a $100,000 combined bond, according to the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office.

TYLER – A former Tyler ISD teacher was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty on Monday to sexual assault of a child and having an improper relationship with a student. According to our news partner KETK, authorities arrested 29-year-old Andre Jefferson of Tyler in February when the grandparent of a middle school student’s friend saw messaging between about her relationship with Jefferson.
Continue reading Ex-Tyler teacher sentenced to 10 years for sex assault

TEXARKANA – According to our news partner KETK the Texarkana Police Department are looking for a suspect they believe killed three people and injured three others in a mass shooting at a party Saturday night. Officials said a fistfight broke out between two men at the party in a backroom of a business in the 700 block of North Stateline Avenue around 9 p.m. Officers said at least two men pulled out rifles and started shooting. One man died at the scene. Another man and a woman died overnight in the hospital. Three other victims, two men and a woman, suffered life-threatening injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment. Police are searching for a suspect, 20-year-old Breoskii Warren. The TAPD asks that anyone with information on this case or where Warren might be to call them at (903) 798-3116 or submit an anonymous tip to Texarkana Crime Stoppers at (903) 793-STOP.

NACOGDOCHES – The Nacogdoches Police Department said that two women were found dead in the 100 block of South Stone Street around 4:04 p.m. on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK officers were conducting a welfare check when they found the two women dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Officials believe this to be an isolated incident. The Nacogdoches PD criminal investigation division is on the scene and the public is asked to avoid the area.

LUFKIN – The City of Lufkin said that they’re searching for a suspect who robbed the Bigs convenience store at the corner of Loop 287 and Highway 94 west on Thursday. According to the Lufkin Police Department, a man carrying an umbrella and wearing a skeleton mask entered the store around 8:40 p.m. and set a revolver on the counter. According to our news partner KETK he reportedly demanded cash from the store clerk. He left with an unreported amount of cash. Officials added that there was no one else in the store and that the clerk was uninjured. The suspect is described as 5 foot 7 inches to 5 foot 8 inches and wearing a black skeleton mask, black gloves, a black hoodie and gray sweatpants with three black lines on the side. He also carried a “conspicuous-looking umbrella,” according to a press release. Anyone who recognizes him is asked to call Lufkin Police Department at 936-633-0356 or Crime Stoppers at 936-639-TIPS to remain anonymous.

LONGVIEW – According to our news partner KETK Pine Tree ISD is asking voters to pass a proposed $55 million bond on the Nov. 7 election ballot. The proposed bond would fund numerous projects throughout the district. Full list can be found here. The school board called for the bond election at their meeting on Aug. 14. To learn more about their projects visit the Pine Tree ISD Bond 2023 website online.

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department have identified a suspect for putting graffiti on the New Jerusalem Baptist Church. According to our news partner KETK, the suspect is identified as 49-year-old Ronald Cunningham of Tyler. Cunningham was contacted by law enforcement and issued a citation for criminal mischief.

NACOGDOCHES – From his desk, Steve Bartlett can see Nacogdoches’ historic downtown, beautiful if worn down by centuries of residents who have called this place home. Uneven sidewalks are difficult for residents with mobility issues to navigate. And tightly-crowded roads present unsafe conditions for drivers. Underground, water flows through 100-year-old lines repaired in bits and pieces with PVC pipe. The infrastructure is beyond its useful life and has reached a point where patchwork repairs no longer suffice. “We’re the ‘oldest town’ in Texas and have the oldest infrastructure in Texas,” Bartlett, the city’s director of public works, said, referring to the town’s motto. City leaders in this East Texas town of 32,137 people — which traces its first settlement to 1716 and its first government to 1779 — are asking residents to approve a series of propositions this election that would allow them to borrow $44 million for capital improvements according to reporting in the Texas Tribune. Continue reading Nacogdoches asking voters for $44 million

ANGELINA COUNTY — The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office said that they found more than 39 pounds of cocaine during a traffic stop on Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK, officials said that Lt. Wes Waggoner and Sgt. Chris Carrol with the ACSO attempted to make traffic stop on a Nissan Titan following a violation on Highway 59 north of Lufkin. In the course of trying to stop the Nissan, a Ford F-150 pickup truck came from behind Carrol and Waggoner’s vehicle and passed in front of them, swerving of the highway and almost causing a crash. After avoiding being hit, officials said the two deputies interviewed the driver of the Nissan. Minutes later, the press release said that a Department of Public Safety K-9 trooper showed up and the K-9 conducted a open-air sniff test. Continue reading 39 pounds of cocaine seized during traffic stop