KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – Gov. Greg Abbott is set to attend a Parent Empowerment Night at Grace Community School in Tyler on Thursday, March 9. That’s according to our news partner KETK. The event, hosted by the Parent Empowerment Coalition, starts at 5 p.m. and is free for all to attend. According to an Eventbrite page that can be viewed at this link, Abbott will be discussing “the growing need and desire for parent empowerment.” At a similar event in Corpus Christi, Abbott said, “We must reform curriculum, get kids back to the basics of learning and we must empower parents to be more involved in the education of their children.” Continue reading Gov. Abbott to attend Parent Empowerment Night in Tyler

TYLER — Animal shelters in East Texas are having a big influx of puppies. The executive director of Pets Fur People in Tyler, Gayle Helms, says her shelter is having its biggest surge of abandoned puppies in the 25 years she’s been there. The shelter has received at least 20 puppies in the past few weeks. Helms says the puppies are being dumped at nearby cemeteries and churches. She says it is putting a financial strain on the shelter because of medical requirements and overtime. The Smith County Animal Shelter says it’s also at near capacity. Shelter staff remind citizens that there are numerous low-cost spay and neuter clinics in East Texas.

MARSHALL – Harrison County deputies arrested two suspects on Wednesday an hour after one was released from jail. That’s according to our news partner KETK together with its partners KTAL and KSHV. A caller reportedly told the HCSO a white Chevrolet was parked off the road and people were walking through the woods shining flashlights around the property. According to officials, when deputies responded to the scene on FM 2199 they found Wade Heim and Brandy Wolf, both of Marshall, whom the HCSO says it has encountered many times before. Officials said the suspects had a rifle with the serial numbers removed. Continue reading Suspect arrested an hour after release from jail

TYLER — The 41st Ever Rose City Chili Cookoff is set for March 4-5 at Sharon Shrine Temple on Hwy. 31 East in Smith County. There’s a $25 entry fee for Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) chili on Saturday, with turn in time at 1:00 p.m., and Sunday with a turn in time at 12 noon. It’s a CASI sanctioned event, so you must follow CASI rules. The winner of the Sunday cookoff automatically qualifies to be invited to cook at the Terlingua International Chili Championship in November. It costs $10 to enter beans, which will be turned in for judging on Saturday at noon. Continue reading 41st Ever Rose City Chili Cookoff this weekend

SMITH COUNTY — A custodial death report indicates an inmate who hanged himself in an East Texas Jail February 9 blocked the door to his cell, delaying deputies from rescuing him. Nathan Lee Johns, 28,  used an electrical cord from an inmate phone box to hang himself in the Smith County Jail in Tyler. A statement from the sheriff’s office says Johns tied the cell door to a bunk so that the door could not be opened. Also, the statement says Johns put some sort of debris into the lock, preventing the key from opening the door. Deputies finally were able to enter the cell, but emergency medical responders were unsuccessful in attempting to revive Johns.

TYLER — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating a runaway identified as Kiana Valdez, according to a news release. Kiana has been missing from the family residence on Shady Creek Rd. near Tyler since Wednesday. Kiana is described as a Hispanic female, 17 years of age, 5’2”, 102 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. Officials say the parents do not know what Kiana was last wearing. She does not have any medical or physical issues and is not on any medication. The parents could not provide information on acquaintances or known locations where she might go, and she has no history of running away. If you have any information as to the whereabouts of Kiana Valdez, call the Smith County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 566-6600.

TYLER — The National Weather Service Office in Shreveport issued a tornado watch for Tyler until 10 p.m. Thursday, March 2. Strong to severe thunderstorms will likely continue into the overnight hours. The City of Tyler streets and storm-water crews will respond and intervene during a severe weather event where roads have washed out, and other public facilities may be compromised, according to a news release. If you have an emergency, call 9-1-1, stay on the line and DO NOT HANG UP until your call is answered. Answer all questions and follow instructions. The Tyler Police Department’s non-emergency line (903) 531-1000 should be used for all other calls and notifications, including traffic signal issues. Continue reading City of Tyler prepares for severe weather

TYLER – 114th District Court Judge Austin Reeve Jackson has sentenced Jeremy Moffitt to a combined 166 years confinement for four offenses. According to a news release from Jackson’s court, those include unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, evading arrest causing serious bodily injury, assault of a peace officer, and aggravated assault of a public servant. The charges date to an incident in which Moffitt, a Dallas resident now 30 years old, attempted to evade officers who were arresting him at the Smith County Probation Department for violations of his bond conditions. Jackson says trying four offenses at once hasn’t often been done in Smith County, but that doing so means heightened efficiency, financial savings, and less delay.

TYLER — Keep Tyler Beautiful is searching for vendors and sponsors for an Earth Day Festival on Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bergfeld Park. The Tyler Earth Day Festival will promote a message of conservation and sustainability for the community, according to a news release. Keep Tyler Beautiful says it hopes to inspire a call to action to make a difference. The festival will feature vendor booths, music, food trucks, and other fun eco-friendly activities, according to the release. Admission is free to the public. For more information about this event or to become a vendor or sponsor, contact KTyB Community Coordinator Erin Garner at (903) 531-1335 or via email at KTyB@TylerTexas.com.

TYLER — Tickets are now available for one of the showcase events of Tyler’s upcoming Azalea and Spring Flower Trail. The theme of this year’s Historic Tyler on Tour is “Strolling through Charnwood.” Charnwood is Tyler’s first historic district, and the event, which features a Candlelight Home Tour and Garden Party, is scheduled for April 1 and 2. Five historic local homes will be featured. Click here for more information, and click this link for a complete rundown of this year’s Azalea and Spring Flower Trail.

RUSK COUNTY — A father is in custody after allegedly stabbing his son in Rusk County. According to our news partner KETK, on March 1, at approximately 7: 30 a.m., Rusk County Sheriff’s Office responded to a caller saying someone had been stabbed on County Road 3232. When deputies arrived, they found the victim and called EMS to the scene. The victim was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive his injuries, according to Rusk County officials. Deputies then arrested the father of the victim and charged him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon/family violence.

LINDALE (KRLD) — There’s a reported increase in Texans aged 18 to 20 signing up for license-to-carry training. The owner of Freedom Defense training in Lindale, Ray Barron, says he’s getting a lot of phone calls from parents wanting to sign up their teenagers for gun safety training. That’s after the Texas Department of Public Safety announced in January that young people from 18-20 can get a handgun license. Barron says parents are concerned for the safety of their children when they go to college or otherwise leave home. He says he’s also seeing an increase in women seeking handgun training.

TYLER – A Bullard man was sentenced to four years of deferred adjudication after pleading guilty Wednesday to planting a camera in the bathroom of his Tyler business and recording a woman while she was changing. According to our news partner KETK, an arrest warrant for Michael Blundell, 48, says he was an employer at a medical site and was arrested on Oct. 22, 2021, after he recruited a potential new worker who noticed a small camera sitting by the toilet after she had gone into the bathroom to change into scrubs. The woman reportedly called a friend, and left the business, taking the camera with her after discovering it. She then went to the police, who found a recording of her changing and Blundell adjusting the camera on it. Continue reading Man gets probation for videoing woman changing in bathroom of his business

TYLER — Tyler State Park is under a boil water notice due to a pressure drop in the water lines, according to their Facebook page. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required the 2120042 public water system (Tyler State Park) to notify all customers to boil their water prior to consumption.

SMITH COUNTY — The Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved the creation of the Smith County Reinvestment Zone No. 1 for the area which includes a 412-acre property that will be developed as a new business park and adjacent properties. According to a news release, Tyler Economic Development Council President/CEO Scott Martinez requested that the reinvestment zone be created to encompass an area that includes the new business park planned by TEDC, just south of Interstate 20 and west of Highway 155. Martinez said creating a reinvestment zone would give TEDC a lot of latitude in what it can do with the 412 acres it has bought for an industrial park that will attract new businesses and hundreds of jobs to the community. Continue reading Commissioners Court approves reinvestment zone, tax abatement