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TYLER — A fire at a Tyler restaurant temporarily shuts the business down. The blaze happened Sunday night around 9:30 at the Taco Bell on 5th Street. Fire officials say someone had discovered a cigarette in the flower bed outside of the fast food restaurant, causing the fire to break out in the mulch underneath the plywood and spread to the inside of the men’s restroom wall. The fire was contained quickly and no injuries were reported. The business re-opened for business at 10:45 Monday morning.

LONGVIEW — Longview Officers went undercover to arrest known prostitutes last Friday. During the sting, which lasted for about six hours, eight people were arrested on prostitution related charges and one was arrested for burglary of a vehicle. The burglary happened in the area where the undercover operation was taking place. Those arrested during the sting included:

Teresa Bean, prostitution, possession of drug paraphernalia,
David Tabor, promotion of prostitution,
Ashley Senate, prostitution, fail to ID fugitive,
Stacey Garcia, prostitution 2nd offense,
Shawntel Wion, prostitution,
Terri Johnson, prostitution 2nd offense,
Shana Mestas, prostitution,
Marsha Craver, prostitution 2nd offense,
Dejuan Cheatham, burglary of vehicle, fail to ID.

GILMER — One person has been killed in a one vehicle accident in Upshur County. It occurred shortly before 2:45 on Sunday morning. Dead at the scene was Anthony Melton, 25, of Gilmer. The Department of Public Safety reports Melton’s SUV left the road and he overcorrected. He came back across the road and the vehicle rolled over and hit a tree. State trooper Walter Smith said the accident happened east of Gilmer on Farm Road 1650, three miles west of Sharon Road.

DALLAS (AP) — The state teacher retirement fund’s investment managers received more than $8.2 million in bonuses this year more than double what every other state agency’s top employees have received combined since 2007, according to a newspaper’s analysis.

The Dallas Morning News reported the results of its analysis in Sunday’s edition at a time when about 300,000 retired teachers have gone 10 years without a pension increase and state lawmakers struggle with a budget shortfall that could leave tens of thousands of teachers out of work. Teacher Retirement System Board Chairman R. David Kelly says lush incentive pay is needed to keep investment managers with the most expertise.

State Senator Kevin Eltife of Tyler tells The News that the Legislature should consider ending incentive pay and replace it with competitive salaries.

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

ANDERSON COUNTY — The Texas Department of Transportation’s annual preventative maintenance program known as “District-Wide Seal Coat” is scheduled to kick off Monday, May 2 in Cherokee County, followed by the same work in Anderson County. Crews are scheduled to apply a seal coat to State Highway 110 in Cherokee County between U.S. Highway 79 in New Summerfield and U.S. Highway 84 in Rusk on May 2, then move to U.S. Highway 84 in Palestine between U.S. Highway 287 and Farm Road 3266 east of town.

Staying in Anderson County, the work is scheduled to move to Farm Road 645 between Farm Road 320 and U.S. 79, Spur 324 between U.S. 287 and Farm Road 321, and US 287 between the Freestone County Line and FM 321.

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. Loose gravel may be
present for several days following a seal coat application.
Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

The District-Wide Seal Coat program, which will seal approximately 300 miles of roads as it passes through all eight counties in the Tyler District before the end of August, uses a two-step process of spraying down hot asphalt and covering it with rock to add years of life to existing pavement. “Just because a highway has a smooth ride now doesn’t mean it will for long,” said TxDOT public information officer Larry Krantz. “Once a hot mix surface gets to be 2-to-3 years old, it’s time to start thinking about seal coating. Once cracks start appearing in the surface, it’s only a matter of time before you start seeing bigger problems like base failures. Base failures mean lane closures, and lane closures
mean inconvenience.”

The hot asphalt oil penetrates any cracks or imperfections in the roadway surface to seal water out. Just that little bit of preventative maintenance can sometimes add up to seven years of nearly maintenance-free life to a roadway. In a district that has nearly 3,600 centerline miles of highways throughout eight counties, any road that doesn’t need constant attention saves taxpayers money. Resurfacing a mile of a two-lane Farm-To-Market road with the standard two inches of hot mix costs around $131,000 in material alone. Seal-coating that same roadway, which will likely help the roadway last longer than the more expensive overlay, costs roughly $21,000.

“Highway maintenance is all about getting the biggest return for the tax dollar,” Krantz said. “As with many things, prevention is much cheaper than the cure in the long run. Seal coat is our best and most cost-effective method of prevention.” The sprayed asphaltic oil also provides an adhesive layer for the rock spread on top to stick, providing a new driving surface. “We can’t just spray down that much asphaltic oil and drive off. It would be too slippery,” Krantz said. “By adding that rock on top, we’re giving motorists a roadway that gives their tires something to bite into in wet weather and in case of an emergency braking maneuver.”

Maintenance sections plan years in advance to determine which roads will get a seal coat and when. “The idea is to get roads in a given section into a seven-year rotation for seal coat,” Krantz said. “Our maintenance sections work hard to get their ‘seal coat roads’ ready each year. Most of them began preparing their roads for seal coat last summer, and they’re all planning their 2012 and 2013 seal coat roads now. In fact, a majority of work performed by maintenance sections is in preparation for District-Wide Seal Coat, from repairing potholes to repairing edge damage to drainage work. Crews work to get as many imperfections taken care of and get the roadway as smooth as possible so the seal coat can cover it all and help those repairs last. “It’s all part of a bigger picture,” Krantz said. “It’s all part of getting ready for seal coat.”

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Beginning Monday, Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to make pavement repairs on U.S. Highway 79 at its intersection with U.S. Highway 69 (Rusk Street and South Jackson Street), and then move east on US 79 making the same repairs in various locations. This work is scheduled to last throughout the week. US 69 and US 79, working in and around the intersection; and US 79 east of US 69. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base repairs in various locations on U.S. Highway 259 north of Henderson between Farm Road 2276 and Farm Road 850. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform pavement repair operations in various locations on State Highway 37 in Winnsboro between State Highway 11 and Farm Road 515, and south of Winnsboro near Farm Road 1647. 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.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform fog seal operations on Farm Road 751 north of Wills Point while a second crew resurfaces Farm Road 47 between State Highway 243 and State Highway 198. 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.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on Farm Road 85 between the Navarro County Line and State Highway 274 in Seven Points. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

LONGVIEW (AP/STAFF) – A worker injured at a scrap metal yard in Longview has died after being seriously burned in a tank explosion while he used a cutting torch. Casey Scott Wallace, 36, of Union Grove, died at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital. Longview police spokeswoman Kristie Brian says the accident happened Friday morning at Youngblood’s Scrap and Metals. Brian says the accident involved some type of flammable substance in a fuel tank, which exploded. Some nearby residents called police to report what they thought was a possible earthquake.

TYLER – A driver has been charged in connection with a Tyler accident that killed a young girl and injured 6 others, one critically. Charged with one count of intoxicated manslaughter and one count of intoxicated assault was Jesus Soto, 33. Killed was Alexandria Castillio, 12. She died around 2:00 Saturday morning at East Texas Medical Center. Cynthia Daneilla, 9, was treated at ETMC and the flown to Dallas Children’s Hospital, where she is listed in critical, but stable condition. Soto received minor injuries.

The wreck happened around 9:00 Friday night at the intersection of West Gentry Parkway and North Bois D’Arc. Investigators say Soto’s car was east bound on Gentry and attempted to turn north onto Bois D’Arc. The car turned into the path of a pickup, with the truck hitting the passenger side of the vehicle. Four other passengers in the pickup received minor injuries.

TYLER – A woman is in custody in a Tyler stabbing. Officers were called to East Texas Medical Center about the stabbing around 4:00 Saturday morning. The victim told investigators he was stabbed by his live-in girlfriend following an argument at their residence in the 2300 block of Bellwood Road. Officers contacted the suspect at the residence and following the investigation placed the suspect under arrest. She was booked into the Smith County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Tyler police say the victim’s injuries are serious but not life threatening.

TYLER – Seven persons have been injured, two critically, in a two vehicle accident in Tyler. It happened around 9:00 last night at the intersection of West Gentry Parkway and North Bois D’Arc.

Investigators say a car was east bound on Gentry and attempted to turn north onto Bois D’Arc. The car turned into the path of a pickup, with the truck hitting the passenger side of the car. Two teenage passengers in the car received possible life threatening injuries. The girls were taken to East Texas Medical Center and then flown to Dallas Children’s Hospital. Four person in the pickup received minor injuries.

The man who was driving the car received minor injuries and was taken to ETMC for treatment. Investigators believe the car’s driver may have been drinking. After being treated at the hospital he will be booked into the Smith County Jail on two counts of intoxication assault.

WINONA – Firemen have contained a grassfire off County Road 3104 near Winona. It was reported around 6:00 last night. The fire is said to have rekindled from a blaze firemen fought last Sunday. They once again had to bring in a plow to help contain the fire.

TYLER — Tyler’s Rose Garden is getting national attention. The website http://www.livability.com ranks it as one of the ten most inspiring gardens in the country. The Rose Garden has more than 32,000 varieties of roses. City staffers tell KETK getting national recognition for something the city is known for is an honor.

GRAPELAND — A former Grapeland city councilman is arrested for the second time this month. Aaron Pennington, 30, was arrested Tuesday by the attorney general’s office on a charge of sexual assault of a child. Pennington was arrested earlier this month on child pornography charges. A follow-up investigation led to the additional charges.

LUFKIN — A Lufkin man spent three days in jail this week for admittedly exposing himself to a woman at a washeteria Tuesday. Deadrion Haynes, 19, also had to pay a $300 fine and $243 court cost. On Tuesday, he reportedly walked into R&R Washeteria on Denman Avenue with his hands in his pants around 11:30 a.m., according to Lufkin Police Lt. David Young. A woman was inside washing clothes at the time. “The woman told us he walked in and went straight to the bathroom. When she walked outside to her car, she said he came to the window and just pulled his pants down, exposing himself,” Young said.

NOONDAY — Two Noonday volunteer firefighters return from helping fight those West Texas fires. The area where they fought was in Graham, west of Fort Worth. They tell our news partner KETK they arrived Monday morning and worked for three days straight. Noonday Assistant Fire Chief Jonathan McLish called it “intense.” McLish says ten Anderson County firefighters also helped in the effort. In all, more than 1500 firefighters are working endlessly across the state to get those fires put out. In Possum Kingdom alone, fire has destroyed about 160 of the 3,000 homes.

LONGVIEW (AP) – A worker at a scrap metal yard in Longview has been seriously burned in a tank explosion while he used a cutting torch. Longview police spokeswoman Kristie Brian says the accident happened Friday morning at Youngblood’s Scrap and Metals. She says the 36 year old worker, whose name was not immediately released, was transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, which has a burn unit. Brian says the accident involved some type of flammable substance in a tank, which exploded. Some nearby residents called police to report what they thought was a possible earthquake.