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NACOGDOCHES — Nacogdoches police are trying to solve a couple of possibly connected robberies. KETK reports the first one happened Sunday night shortly before eleven at a store at Main and University Drive. Two men came in, pulled a gun, and managed to get away with some of the store’s cash. The second robbery happened about 48 minutes later. This time two men targeted the Holiday Inn on South Street. Police say they entered the lobby, pulled a gun, and demanded cash from the clerk.

SMITH COUNTY — Authorities say a 2-year-old child underwent emergency surgery last week after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by her mother’s fiancé. That’s according to KETK. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the incident on the 11,100 block of FM 848 the night of November 20, when the mother, Amanda Golightly, returned home from errands and found her little girl unresponsive. Golightly told deputies the child was fine when she left her in the care of her fiancé, Joshua Robert Williams, 28, who also lives at the location. When the mother returned home, the 2-year-old was in respiratory arrest and had severe injuries. Emergency crews were immediately contacted and the toddler was taken to a local hospital.

Following a medical official’s discovery that the girl had been physically and sexually abused, she was sent to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas the next morning in critical condition. The child suffered kidney failure, and doctors had to perform emergency surgery to save her. At last check by local officials, the 2-year-old’s condition had greatly improved; officials say she’s likely stay in Dallas to recover for a few more days. The name of the toddler has not been released by authorities.

Detectives were able to gather enough evidence to determine the child’s injuries were beyond those of a fall, and they appeared to be caused by blunt force trauma. Williams was arrested Monday and charged with injury to a child. His is being held on $250,000 bail

TYLER — A warrant has been issued in a Tyler shooting that has killed a Tyler man and critically wounded another at a Tyler motorcycle clubhouse. Killed was Keeston Dwone Fields, 26. John T. Woods, 33, is listed in critical condition. The shooting happened around 2:00 Monday morning at the Hyena clubhouse, 2126 North Grand. Both victims were transported to Mother Frances Hospital by private vehicle.

Named in the warrant is Marquel Jermon Scott, 32, of Tyler (pictured). He is charged with one count of homicide and one count of aggravated assault. His bonds are set at $750,000 and $500,000. Anyone with information on Scott’s location is encouraged to call the Tyler Police Department, at 903-531-1000, or Crimestoppers at 903-597-CUFF (903-597-2833). Crimestoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest and charges filed against the suspects in this case or any felony case.

TYLER — City of Tyler crews spent last week and the first part of this week decorating downtown with thousands of Christmas lights in time for the 27th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. It’s to be held on the T.B. Butler Fountain Plaza following the Jaycees Christmas Parade scheduled for 6 p.m. this Thursday.

The centerpiece of the ceremony, a 26-foot Leyland cypress donated by Jackie and Debbie Merket of Merket Christmas Tree Farm in Beckville, has been covered in more than 9,600 lights. The tree will be lit by one-year-old Daniela Guzzetta, who was named the 2012 Miracle Child, representing the Children’s Miracle Network at Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics. There will also be live music by the East Texas Christian Jazz Band and a performance by Artistic Dance Concepts.

TYLER — Beginning tomorrow morning at 9:00, the Tyler City Council Meetings will be held at Liberty Hall, 103 East Erwin, while the Council Chambers at City Hall are remodeled. Anyone attending the meeting is encouraged to park in the lot on the corner of Elm and Broadway or at the vacant lot near City Hall on Erwin and Bonner. A shuttle will be available to transport people to the meeting at Liberty Hall from 8 a.m., throughout the meeting, until everyone has been brought back to his or her car. If you have any questions about where to park for the meeting, you’re asked to call Gary Smith at 903-520-3166.

TYLER — With over 19 years of service as a board member and volunteer for local non-profit organizations, including three years as a member of the board of directors for PATH, Greg Grubb has been named executive director for PATH – People Attempting to Help. Introduced at a media event by Dr. Stuart Baskin, president of the PATH Board of Directors, Grubb was selected from a field of over 100 candidates.

Along with his non-profit credentials, Grubb is a self-proclaimed “numbers-man” whose professional career includes over 30 years in the oil and gas industry. Grubb retired from that career to pursue charity and ministry-related opportunities. In between volunteer roles, he has been involved in Tyler real estate development as the owner and managing partner of Tyler Stonegate Development Partners, a high-end residential developer.

“I’ve been blessed with a passion for helping those in need,” explained Grubb. “I am extremely excited and believe that working with PATH is a unique opportunity. I look forward to working with the volunteers and staff to fulfill the mission of this wonderful organization.” Grubb replaces Wayde Klein, who began filling in as interim executive director after Christina Fulsom stepped down several months ago.

TYLER — The trial for Bobby Ray Nichols was scheduled to begin in Tyler Monday morning. B the trial was continued until January 14th. Nichols, 76, is a retired Tyler dentist. He’s accused of killing his wife of 26 years, Rosiland Nichols, 71, on June 29. Nichols claimed at the time of the shooting he couldn’t recall what happened when she died, according to the Tyler Police Department.

Investigators were able to determine at around 5:00pm, Dr. Nichols arrived at his home on Allen Street. After a short while, Nichols and his wife began to argue, and a little later, he went out to his vehicle to get his gun and went back into the house. The argument continued, and authorities say Dr. Nichols shot Rosiland Nichols twice. Nichols was released July 3 on a $750,000 surety bond. He is charged with murder, a first degree felony.

SULPHUR SPRINGS – Several persons have been injured in a fire at a Sulphur Springs apartment Complex. The fire was reported Sunday afternoon at the Quail Ridge Apartments. Several persons were treated for smoke inhalation and two firemen were injured extinguishing the flames. Over a dozen apartments were damaged by fire and numerous other ones received smoke and water damage. The American Red Cross said those displaced by the fire were being offered emergency housing Sunday night at a Sulphur Springs church. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

VAN – Lawmakers are stacking up bills for consideration in the next legislative session that would change what kids are taught, and one East Texan is weighing in. Bills have been filed to ban tracking devices in student IDs; another measure would allow districts to avoid the STAAR test. There’s even a measure that would mandate the teaching of sign language for the deaf. But Van Republican Dan Flynn wants something more basic. Flynn says many high school students have very limited knowledge of the Constitution, and he’d like to see that change.

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

TYLER – Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue pavement repairs on State Highway 64 (Glenwood Boulevard) between State Highway 31 (Front Street) and the water tower. 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 -Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin approximately one week of pavement-repair work on U.S. Highway 79 Business (East Main Street) between US 79 and Marshall Street. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers and pilot vehicles will control traffic. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

GREGG COUNTY -Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin approximately two weeks of pavement-repair operations on both eastbound and westbound Interstate Highway 20 main lanes and various entrance and exit ramps between State Highway 322 (Estes Parkway) and the Harrison County Line. Daytime lane closures and various temporary ramp 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 begin pavement-repair work on State Highway 31 at its intersection with State Highway 274 in Trinidad, followed by the same work on SH 31 in Brownsboro between Farm Road 607 and Farm Road 314. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zones.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY -Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to resume resurfacing operations on State Highway 243 between Canton and the Kaufman County Line. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers and pilot vehicles will control traffic.

CHEROKEE COUNTY – Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue shoulder work on Farm Road 855 between US 69 in Mount Selman and U.S. Highway 175 near Cuney. Daytime lane closures will be in effect 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 edge repairs in various locations on Farm Road 1801 east of Mineola, and on Farm Road 515 and Farm Road 2225 near Lake Fork. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

ANDERSON COUNTY – Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to make base and pavement repairs on Farm Road 1137 between U.S. Highway 84 and the end of state maintenance. A second crew is scheduled to begin making edge repairs along various highways throughout northwestern Anderson County. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

EAST TEXAS — Now that Cyber Monday is here, the Better Business Bureau’s Michelle Mills reminds you to beware of scammers. There will be a lot of websites selling Ipads, TV and other hot items on some not so legitimate web sites. Mills said as soon as give them your financial information, they’re gone the next day. Mills spoke with KETK and said to make sure the web site you’re shopping on is secure. It will have https in the address.

PARKER (AP) — Many tourists are bringing flowers to Southfork Ranch in memory of Larry Hagman, who played the infamous J.R. Ewing on the TV show “Dallas.” Hagman, who just two weeks ago appeared at the Cowan Center at the University of Texas at Tyler, died in Dallas on Friday at age 81.

Some went to Southfork on Saturday because they had heard about Hagman’s death. Others hadn’t heard the news until arriving, and said being there was special. Southfork is a ranch north of Dallas. Viewers knew the ranch as the Ewing family home, as exterior shots of the house and pool were shown when the show aired from 1978 to 1991. The show wasn’t filmed there, though.
“Dallas” was recently revived on TNT this summer, and all of the scenes were filmed at Southfork or other places in the Dallas area.

LONGVIEW — A pedestrian critically injured in a Longview wreck has died. Lynden Bell, 24, of Longview died Friday night in a Longview Hospital. He had sustained life-threatening injured when hit by a vehicle just before 7:00 Wednesday evening in the 1900 block of Lee Street. The vehicle’s driver, Sarah Reeves of Longview, was booked into the Gregg County Jail on a charge of driving while intoxicated. Now that Bell has died, that charged will likely be upgraded to intoxicated manslaughter.

KILGORE — Two pounds of marijuana, hydrocodone pills, and a pistol, KETK reports that’s what Kilgore police say they found while checking on what was called in as a “disturbance” on Beckley Street. Police say they also found other drug paraphernalia. James Ferguson and Cecil Babb were arrested. Both men have been charged with possession of marijuana. Babb was charged with several other crimes as well. Eight More people in the house were given tickets for alleged possession of various drug paraphernalia.

RUSK COUNTY — Three malnourished horses are seized from a Rusk County property Wednesday and taken to Safe Haven Rescue and Retirement in Upshur County. According to the Longview News-Journal, Richard Fincher, the executive director of the horse rescue center, said law enforcement had been watching the horses. He said authorities rank the condition for horses on a scale of one to nine, with one being extremely malnourished and nine being obese. He said the seized horses would be ranked a two. A hearing is set for 10:00 Tuesday morning.

GILMER – A Houston man has posted bond in Upshur County after being accused of stealing a car with an infant inside. The vehicle was taken at the Texaco store on Highway 271 around 12:30 Wednesday afternoon. According to KETK, a woman reported to authorities that a man had jumped into her van drove away with her child in a car seat. The baby was found a short time later unharmed, sitting on the side of Holly Road in the car seat. The van was discovered a few miles away on Lime Tree Road.

The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Public Safety, and Gilmer Police Department received information leading them to a home in Gilmer where the suspect, Andrew Lowell Crane, 31, was found. He was arrested without incident. He was charged with aggravated kidnapping, abandoning and putting a child in imminent danger, tampering/fabricating physical evidence and unauthorized use of a vehicle. The suspect was treated at a hospital for self-inflicted injuries and was booked into the Upshur County Jail.

RUSK COUNTY — Plans for a $181 million refinery in Rusk County remain on track, though slightly behind schedule, after the company involved requested an extension on the timeline to secure funding, a spokesman for Gregg County Refining said Wednesday. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report the company received approval for issuing $181 million in tax-exempt bonds this summer, with Nov. 15 set as a deadline to secure financing by selling those bonds. Rob Latsha, spokesman for the bond review board, which administers the tax-exempt bond program, said Gregg County Refining filed for an extension Nov. 15 on the deadline for funding. Latsha said several companies, including ExxonMobil, also have applied for the tax-free bonds should Gregg County Refining not be able to secure financing.

But John Kennon, vice president of business development for Community Education and Development, the consulting firm handling the finance portion of the refinery project, said Wednesday that the request for an extension was granted by the governor’s office and the project will come to fruition. “It is complex,” Kennon said. “There are so many little details. Snags are expected in a project like this. We anticipated we would need a little more time. We asked for it and received it.” He said one reason for the complexity of getting the project off the ground lies in its rarity. The refinery, planned on 165 acres on Texas 323 near New London, will be the first of its size built in the United States in more than 30 years, Kennon said. It will refine light sweet crude oil into gasoline and diesel

TYLER — The Salvation Army of Tyler will be serving a Thanksgiving meal from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm on Thursday at the Center of Hope, 633 N. Broadway Ave. Tyler. Over 1000 guests are expected, and hundreds of volunteers will be on site.

Meanwhile, the Kettle Campaign continues. The Salvation Army got an early start on its bell ringing season by sending ringers out this past Monday to Broadway Square Mall and the Chick-Fil-A restaurants on Troup Hwy. and South Broadway. According to Salvation Army officials, “Holiday donations are already down, and the Salvation Army must begin now raising funds which will help support them through 2013.”

According to a press statement, “The funds that are raised during the holidays make up approximately 25% of the yearly budget for the Salvation Army.” Officials add that “the Salvation Army is pleading with the community to reach deep in their hearts and their pockets” to ensure that the agency can help its many clients. After ringing Monday through Wednesday at the three previously mentioned locations, bell ringers will work all other locations beginning this Friday.

Meanwhile, the Tyler Salvation Army welcomed over a thousand guests to its annual Thanksgiving Day meal. Numerous volunteers helped out during the meal, served at midday at the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope on North Broadway.

LONGVIEW — Police in Longview continue to investigate a rash of criminal mischief cases. During the early morning hours of Wednesday, police were dispatched to around 30 such calls, all involving some type of damage to vehicles. At this time the criminal mischief calls have been mainly in the area North of East Marshall Avenue and West of Bill Owens Parkway. Most of the calls involved vehicle windows being broken out. Several cars were also hit with eggs or some other similar substance. The criminal mischiefs are believed to have occurred in the late night or early morning hours.

Anyone with information on these crimes is encouraged to contact Longview Police at 903-237-1199. If the person reporting the crime wishes to remain anonymous, he or she can also contact Gregg County Crimestoppers at 903-236-STOP. Longview Police encourage anyone observing suspicious activity to call police immediately at 903-237-1170.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department hopes everyone has a safe Thanksgiving weekend. If you plan to get out and shop this weekend there are a few things police would like to remind you not to do.

1. Don’t advertise your purchases. Place items in the trunk of the car before going to your next location to shop. Thieves watch parking lots.
2. Don’t carry large amounts of cash to flash. If you plan on using cash put it in several locations in your purse, wallets or pockets. Thieves can quickly reach into your purse or wallet and grab the cash and run.
3. Don’t leave big ticket item boxes on the curb letting thieves know what new “item” you purchased. Tear the boxes up and put them in the trash can.

4. If you are going out of town, stop your mail and newspaper service. Have a neighbor come over and turn on lights throughout the time you will be gone, move your car around, and anything else that would give the appearance you are still home.
5. Don’t advertise on social media sites you are gone by posting pictures, checking in at locations, etc. Wait until you get back to talk about what a great holiday trip you had.
6. Don’t leave your purse, cell phone, or other personal item unattended in a shopping cart. This is the perfect “shopping” opportunity for thieves to find a little extra cash.

And finally, do call the police if you see suspicious activity in your neighborhood. Authorities say people are always telling the police after the fact they saw a suspicious vehicle or person. Police urge you to be proactive and call when you see something out of the ordinary. According to officials, being proactive could save you and your neighbors a lot of holiday heartache.

GILMER — A one year old has been recovered safely after a van was stolen from a Gilmer gas station. According to the Gilmer Police Department, the vehicle was taken at the Texaco store on Highway 271 around 12:30 yesterday afternoon. According to KETK, a woman reported to authorities that a man had jumped into her van drove away with her child in a car seat. The baby was found a short time later unharmed, sitting on the side of Holly Road in the car seat. The van was discovered a few miles away on Lime Tree Road.

The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Public Safety, and Gilmer Police Department received information leading them to a home in Gilmer where the suspect, Andrew Lowell Crane, 31, of Houston, was found. He was arrested without incident. He is being charged with aggravated kidnapping, abandoning and putting a child in imminent danger, tampering/fabricating physical evidence and unauthorized use of a vehicle. The suspect was treated at a hospital for self-inflicted injuries and was booked into the Upshur County Jail this morning.

SULPHUR SPRINGS – A Sulphur Springs teacher is being accused of having a sexual relationship with a female student. Arrested was Donnie Merle Martin. Police say he confessed to having the relationship with a student. Martin has been charged with having an improper relationship between an educator and a student, a second degree felony. His bond has been set at $20,000.

LINDALE — Three people have been hospitalized following a major wreck in Lindale near Interstate Highway 20. According to KETK, emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle crash in front of the Cracker Barrel shortly after 5:30 Tuesday afternoon. The severity of the victims’ injuries is unknown.

GILMER — Upshur County Commissioners fired 19-year Building Maintenance Supervisor Charles Daniels on Monday after finding he violated trustee labor rules, County Judge Dean Fowler said. According to KETK, commissioners voted 3-0 to terminate Daniels. Commissioner James Crittenden abstained from the vote.

Fowler said he does not believe criminal charges could result from the findings; however, he said they were serious enough that the court had to end Daniels employment. He said the violations are grounds for the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Education to revoke Daniels’ jailer certification.

Video surveillance that county obtained from Sam’s showed that Daniels had left the inmates in a vehicle in the parking lot without supervision while he was inside the store for more than half an hour, Fowler said. The vehicle was marked as belonging to Upshur County.

LUFKIN — Lufkin detectives expect to obtain two warrants for Corey Lee Fleming, a man who is accused of being the “Door Kick Burglar” in Lufkin. According to KETK, the 41-year-old is now charged with burglarizing several houses on Templewood Lane and Summerset Drive. Authorities were able to recover jewelry connecting Fleming to both cases, including a high school football championship ring belonging to Reggie McNeal. McNeal would later go on to play quarterback for the Texas A&M Aggies and played for a short time in the National Football League and Canadian Football League. Fleming, currently is in jail on a $250,000 bond.

HOUSTON (AP) – A federal appeals court has rejected an East Texas inmate’s claims that he’s mentally impaired and ineligible for execution. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ordered another look at IQ scores for convicted killer Rickey Lynn Lewis. The trial court, a federal district court and now the 5th Circuit, in a ruling late Tuesday, agreed the inmate’s intellectual functioning is not “sub-average.” Courts generally have agreed an IQ of 70 is the threshold for mental impairment. Test results on Lewis range from 59 to 79 and his attorneys contend the higher scores are invalid. The 50-year-old Lewis has been on death row since 1994, four years after George Ray Newman was fatally shot during a burglary of his home near Tyler. Evidence showed Newman’s fiancee was raped.

LONGVIEW – Three men from the Metroplex have been arrested in Longview for passing forged checks. Accused of engaging in organized criminal activity are Michael Glenn Patterson, 51, of Mesquite (pictured), Reggie Myers, 22, of Dallas, and Nikolaus Ladae Cross-Exom, 23, of Dallas. Meyers and Patterson were arrested at Austin Bank in the 300 block of East Loop 281 and Cross-Exom was picked up Texas Bank and Trust in the 3600 block of McCann Road. All three were booked into the Gregg County Jail.

MINEOLA — Republican State Representative Bryan Hughes of Mineola continues his run for Speaker of the House, challenging incumbent Joe Straus. Hughes tells KETK he considers Straus a gentleman, has nothing against him personally, and is not running so he can “ram through” his own agenda. He says he in fact hopes to de-centralize power, adding that he’s “proposed some specific changes to the rules that would take power out of the speaker’s office and give it back to the members.” The battle begins in earnest when the Legislature convenes in January

GROVETON – Eleven-year-old Savannah Hurley was located Tuesday in Trinity County, according to sheriff’s officials there. According to KETK, authorities say she was placed in the custody of the sheriff’s office. Sheriff’s officials have arrested her mother, Shelly Jean Hurley. The Trinity County Sheriff’s Department earlier issued an Amber Alert for Savannah, believed to have been abducted by her mother. Shelly Jean Hurley, 46, allegedly kidnapped Savannah after CPS tried to remove the girl from her home.

Shari Pulliam with CPS says the girl was found in a house by police in the Trinity Cove area, about a mile from the home from which CPS originally tried to remove her. Pulliam says Savannah and her mother never left the area. In a twist to the story, earlier Tuesday, Mesquite police found the car authorities believed the two were traveling in, abandoned in their city. Savannah’s grandmother, 64-year-old Patricia Rutledge, has also been arrested and charged with interfering with child custody.

TYLER — The Cystic Fibrosis Clinic at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler is one of only four centers in the United States to be awarded the 2011-2012 Quality Care Award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. “We learned a lot from this process of quality improvement. Achieving the Quality Care Award is very humbling. “It is a recognition of our commitment to providing excellent care to people with cystic fibrosis in Northeast Texas,” said Varsha Taskar, M.D., the clinic’s associate director and a pulmonologist. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States.