KTBB News, Weather, Talk

CENTERVILLE – A Tyler teen was one of two persons killed in a Leon County traffic accident. It happened around 5:15 Thursday morning on State Highway 7 about two miles east of Centerville. Dead at the scene was Courtnee Nicole Odom, 19, of Tyler, and Christopher Michael Hicks, 19, Frankston. The Department of Public Safety reports Hicks was west bound when he entered a curve and veered into the east bound lane of traffic. His SUV hit an 18-wheeler and then flipped over several times. The Waco truck driver was injured.

MARSHALL – A Marshall coach, who has been under suspension with pay, has had his job terminated. The action came Thursday after the Marshall school board met in executive session to act on the superintendent’s recommendation to fire Christian Block. He was an assistant football and power lifting coach at Marshall High School. He was suspended July 19th pending an investigation. District officials will not discuss the nature of the investigation. He becomes the second member of the coaching staff to be fired. Recently, Athletic Director Thed Harris also had his contract terminated following an investigation.

TYLER – A suspect is in custody in connection with the death of a one year old boy. Simon Lopez, 26, has been taken into custody in Querétaro, a state in North-Central Mexico, by the Mexican Federal Police Thursday. Lopez, who was A U.S. Marshals “15 Most Wanted” fugitive,
was expelled from the country, and U.S. Marshals transported him from Mexico to Houston Friday. There he will be arraigned by a District Judge on the Capital Murder charge in the death of Jeremy Silva, 1, of Tyler. Authorities have been searching for Lopez since late last November when a warrant was issued for his arrest. Lopez fled after he dropped the 18-month-old boy off at the home of one of the boy’s aunts, according to Tyler police officials. The boy was not breathing at the time.

Lopez was babysitting his girlfriend’s two children while she worked in Lindale that day, and had reportedly left the children home alone while he took his girlfriend, Emma Torres, to work. The young boy was pronounced dead after being rushed to the hospital by his aunt. An autopsy report showed that his death was caused from a torn atrium in his heart, a result of blunt force trauma to his chest, officials have said. The report also indicated that Jeremy suffered prior abuse, including several broken ribs and bruising to his body, according to Tyler police.

“We said from day one that we would not stop until Simon Lopez was caught and that there would be justice for Jeremy Silva,” said Dan Phillips, Acting U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Texas. “All of the officers on this case have put in long hours and have been incredibly vigilant in ensuring that we did everything we could to get him in custody. Their efforts are a testimony to the fact that we will not rest until justice is served.”

TYLER — Authorities say Curtis Gene Cotton, 31, has been arrested in a Tyler undercover prescription drug sting. The Drug Enforcement Administration in Tyler received information that Cotton was allegedly selling prescription medications illegally. The DEA tells KETK they then contacted Cotton in an undercover capacity to purchase 500 Xanax tablets for $1,000. Undercover officials met with Cotton in the parking lot of The Abby Apartments in Tyler and say he agreed to sell them the Xanax.

After receiving the money, Cotton reportedly began saying he was being “ripped” of the funds, then transferred the money to other people. Authorities say DEA then arrested Cotton in the apartment parking lot and followed the others to a nearby trailer park to continue their investigation. Cotton was allegedly found to be in possession of a small amount of cocaine, prescription medication and a .45 caliber pistol. He was transported to the Smith County Jail. The investigation is ongoing.

TYLER — State preliminary accountability ratings have been released to the public on the Texas Education Agency website. Final ratings are published in the fall after all appeals have been considered. Tyler ISD received a rating of Academically Acceptable (AA) and posted ratings for 2 Exemplary (EX), 4 Recognized (RE), 17 Academically Acceptable, 3 Academically Unacceptable campuses (AU), with 1 of the AU ratings pending appeal. The district has appealed the rating for Dogan Middle School, and based on preliminary conversations with TEA TISD officials say they believe that Dogan’s rating will be elevated to Academically Acceptable in the coming weeks. District officials say the appeal was filed when the district discovered that the state had inaccurately counted a student’s test scores due to a flaw in the state’s accounting system. The other Tyler schools rated as academically unacceptable are the city’s two high schools, John Tyler And Robert E Lee.

Elsewhere in Smith County, Lindale ISD received a district rating of Recognized from the TEA. Four campuses — Lindale High School, Lindale Junior High School, Velma Penny Elementary School and College Street Elementary School — also received ratings of Recognized. E.J. Moss Intermediate School received a rating of Exemplary, the highest rating awarded by the TEA.

Other area schools rated as academically unacceptable:
SMITH COUNTY
Azleway Charter School
Azleway Charter School Willow

GREGG COUNTY
Longview High School
J.L. Everhart Magnet El.
South Ward El.
Ware El.
Pine Tree El.
PineTree Int.

RUSK COUNTY
Overton High School
Overton El.
Carlisle School
West Rusk Middle
West Rusk El.

UPSHUR COUNTY
Gilmer El.

TYLER — On Monday, Aug. 15, in time for the beginning of the fall school semester, Tyler Transit will launch improved fixed-route bus lines and schedules. Officials say the new routes will feature improved service to Tyler’s higher education institutions, downtown, and the medical district. In addition, the Red Line will now feature two buses providing direct service every 35 minutes.

To help customers become familiar with the new routes and create new itineraries, Tyler Transit staff will be available on Monday, Aug. 1, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., and on Tuesday, Aug. 2 from 10 a.m. to noon, at Tyler Fire Station #7, 344 Troup Hwy., next to the transfer point. Residents who are unable to attend either of these sessions may call (903) 533-8057 and a member of Tyler Transit’s staff will be available to help them create their plans over the phone.

“This is the first major route improvement since Tyler Transit started the Yellow Line service in 2001. Since then, major shifts in traffic patterns and developments have made it necessary to improve the routes and update the schedules to ensure that Tyler Transit customers are provided the best possible service,” said Heather Nick, transit manager. “The goals identified in the study include reducing waiting times for buses, reducing the number of transfers required to make a trip, and eliminating delays at the transfer point.”

In 2009, Tyler Transit partnered with the Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to develop a route study. This study was developed with input received from a steering committee whose members include local employers and civic organizations, and input from residents that was gathered at public meetings and from more than 570 questionnaires that were filled out by riders and residents citywide. Findings from the route study were presented to the Tyler City Council in October 2010. Since that time, City staff has developed detailed schedules as well new signs, a redesigned webpage and new brochures to help educate residents about the change.

One of the major changes the new routes will bring is the relocation of the main transfer point to downtown Tyler for four buses: 1 Red, 1A Red (including service to the medical district), 2 Green, and 4 Blue. The main transfer point will be relocated to the Cotton Belt Train Depot, 210 E. Oakwood St. (pictured), where riders may purchase passes, tickets and tokens. The transfer point will also offer amenities including shelters and access to restroom facilities. The Yellow Line, 3 Yellow, will transfer with each route at locations throughout the city including: the University of Texas at Tyler, Broadway Square Mall and the intersection of Walton Road and Frankston Highway. You can visit http://www.tylerbus.org to see new route maps and schedules. Brochures will be made available on all Tyler Transit buses.

CANTON — Van Zandt County authorities have arrested a man for allegedly assaulting a peace officer. On Thursday the Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the area of 291 VZCR 1507 in reference to a suspicious vehicle. Authorities say a DPS trooper was the first officer to make contact with the suspect vehicle and identified himself as a peace officer to the suspect, named as Adam Morris Plocheck.

Authorities say at one point, Plocheck began to fight with the trooper. During the altercation, the suspect allegedly bit the trooper on the arm. The first deputy reportedly arrived on scene to find the trooper defending himself against the assault. According to authorities, the deputy assisted in gaining control over Plocheck, and the two officers were able to place handcuffs on him. Even with the handcuffs on, authorities say Plocheck continued to fight and resist arrest. The second deputy arrived on the scene and assisted in taking Plocheck into custody. During the altercation, the first deputy was injured and eventually had to be transported to the hospital via ambulance.

Plocheck was arrested for assault on a public servant and transported to The Van Zandt County Justice Center without incident. At last report, Plocheck was still in custody and waiting to be arraigned.

TYLER — All along the Texas Gulf Coast, residents and emergency officials are gearing up for the first tropical storm of the year. While a coastal community may seem far from East Texas, The American Red Cross says families here should be preparing too by creating a family communications plan.

According to a Red Cross news release, “Personal preparedness can help keep people safer during an emergency. Having an up to date family communications plan can alleviate fear and provide peace of mind. In preparation for Tropical Storm Don, and subsequent storms, it’s important to speak to your loved ones about their evacuation plans in advance of landfall. Coastal areas often flood after major rainmakers, but inland flooding followed by evacuations is just as likely. So regardless of geography, all Texans should know who they’re going to call in the event of a major crisis.

The Red Cross says a communication tool that families can integrate into their plan is the Red Cross Safe and Well website. You can go to http://www.redcross.org to access it. The news release continues, “This public website allows those affected by disaster to register themselves as ‘safe and well’ by posting standard messages that indicate they are at a shelter, home, or hotel and will make contact when they are able. Concerned family members who know the person’s phone number or a complete home address can search for the posted messages. In addition to bringing peace of mind to those outside of the disaster area, use of this tool helps mitigate congestion of public and cellular telephone lines and reduces the burden on emergency responders.”

Red Cross officials add, “Now is the time to become familiar with Safe and Well. It’s also the time to reach out to loved ones along the coast to be sure you know their evacuation plans and to inform them about the Safe and Well website. Tropical Storm Don is the first potential Texas landfall of the year, but he may not be the last in what has already shaped up to be an active hurricane season. It is important to note that the Safe and Well website safeguards the registrant’s privacy. Standard messages are enough to provide peace of mind, but the site does not reveal the registrant’s specific location or contact information.”

Red Cross officials add that you can go to http://www.sanoysalvo.org for a Spanish version of the Safe and Well website. People without access to a computer, without electricity or in need of help from an interpreter can call the Red Cross at 1-800 RED CROSS to register. For more information on hurricane preparedness and Safe and Well, contact the Smith County Chapter of the American Red Cross at 903-581-7981, visit http://www.redcross.org or call 1-800 RED CROSS.

GREELEY, Colo. (AP) – Pilgrim’s Pride says it’s closing a chicken processing plant in Dallas, eliminating 1,000 jobs, as it looks for ways to cut costs. The Greeley, Colo.-based company said Friday that the plant would be closed within 60 days. It said production from the plant would be shifted to several of its other facilities in the area, including the processing and prepared-foods plants in Mount Pleasant.

Pilgrim’s Pride said it expects to be able to offer jobs at other facilities to employees who are losing their jobs. It also said it would offer transition programs to help those workers who don’t stay with the company. The announcement came as the company announced it lost money in the second quarter because of higher feed costs, lower consumer demand and an oversupply of chicken.

MARSHALL – One person has been stabbed to death and Marshall police have a suspect in custody. Gwindle Cofer Anderson, 61, was found in a house in the 200 block of Hickory. She later died from her injuries at Good Shepherd Medical Center-Marshall. Arrested at the scene was Frank Lee Nickerson, 47, of Marshall. He has been charged with murder and bond set at $300,000.

NACOGDOCHES – An 11 day old Nacogdoches girl is hospitalized after suffering severe hot water burns. The little girl’s dad brought her to a Nacogdoches hospital emergency room around 9:30 Wednesday morning. He said he was bathing the girl when she suffered the burns. The youngster has since been flown to a Galveston hospital. The Nacogdoches Police Department along with Child Protective Services are investigating the case.

QUITMAN – Two Tyler residents have been arrested in Wood County and charged with burglary. Taken into custody was Marshall Glenn Kea, 41 and Alexa Rae Richmond, 24. The owner of a building says he caught the two removing a variety of items from his building.

TYLER – One person has been arrested as Tyler police execute a narcotics search warrant at a residence located at 2821 Van Highway. Taken into custody was Kevin Dwayne Williams. Officers recovered from the residence just over 8½ pounds of marijuana, narcotic distribution materials, money, firearms, and body armor. Williams was booked into the Smith County Jail for felony possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of body armor by a felon.

TYLER – A call of criminal trespassing has led to a chase of a naked man through Tyler. Police say it all started when a constable responded to criminal trespassing call at Liberty Arms Apartments, 2601 North Broadway. After the suspect got into an argument with the constable, he fled. KETK reports that during the chase, the man ripped off his clothes. He was caught in the 500 block Barrett.

TYLER – Tyler school trustees have announced that Laura K. Jackson has accepted the role as Director of Communications for the Tyler Independent School District. Her hiring was unanimously approved at Thursday’s school board meeting. Jackson currently serves as the legislative liaison for the University of Texas at Tyler. She starts her new duties August 15th. “We are excited to have Ms. Jackson on our team,” said Dr. Randy Reid, superintendent of schools. “She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the District in the area of public relations.”

Jackson holds master of public administration and bachelor of science in political science degrees from Texas A&M University. She has served as a field coordinator and legislative assistant in the office of then State Senator Todd Staples and was campaign manager for State Senator Robert Nichols and State Representative Mark Shelton. She has also served as a political consultant to eight legislators, a Supreme Court justice and an attorney general.

Jackson has been the principal consultant in the creation of statewide Forest Legacy Program application that is intended for nationwide implementation, advised a state agency on Sunset Legislation procedures and strategies, created a system to monitor state agency projects in order to ensure timely and satisfactory completion and prepared a statewide program brochure to highlight achievements of completed projects.

LINDALE — More details are released after one person was killed and one injured in a two vehicle accident near Lindale. Killed in the Thursday morning wreck on Farm Road 16 at County Road 498 was Terry Grant, 62, of Holly Lake Ranch. He was thrown from his vehicle during the accident. Suffering minor injuries was Glenn McLain of Lindale. The Department of Public Safety said McLain, who was pulling onto Farm Road 16, didn’t see Grant’s dump truck because the sun was in his eyes. The dump truck hit McLain’s car, ran off the road and hit a creek embankment.

TYLER — The Tyler Junior College Board of Trustees Thursday announced results of a recent performance appraisal of President Dr. Mike Metke and a related three-year contract extension. The extension takes Dr. Metke’s contract through August 2014. “We are pleased with the direction he’s taken Tyler Junior College and we believe the communities we serve are pleased as well,” said TJC Board President Clint Roxburgh. “He’s managing the college in very tough economic times and during dramatic enrollment growth. Even so, TJC is still meeting the needs of our students and our local employers.”

Officials say enrollment has soared to record levels, nearing 12,000 during the 2011 spring semester. According to a TJC news release, under Metke’s leadership, TJC has created new partnerships with businesses and other institutions; opened new locations in Jacksonville, Lindale and Rusk; and created several new career and professional programs. Metke says those programs will “grow our own” skilled professionals who he says are needed for current and future job openings in East Texas.

RUSK — Rusk police are following up on an accident that critically injured a motorcyclist. According to KETK, around 5:00 Wednesday morning, a truck hit a telephone pole on U.S. Highway 69. The telephone pole and line were knocked down with the cable falling into the roadway. Within a few minutes, a motorcycle driven by Mark Edward Schnackenberg, 44, of Gonzales, La., struck the cable causing him to lose control of the motorcycle and crash in the roadway. Schnackenberg was taken to a hospital in Tyler, where he remains in critical condition with head injuries. He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. Schnackenberg is a welder working at the power plant in Sacul. Schnackenberg was staying at the KOA campground in Rusk, and was on his way to work when the accident happened.

The Rusk Police Department is seeking the public’s help in locating a 2003 to 2009 Dodge truck. The truck is allegedly a 3/4 ton or one ton truck. Investigators believe the truck has damage to the passenger side, including a mirror missing and the passenger side window broken. The truck may have a welding bed or steel bed replacing the regular pickup bed. This bed will have damage to the passenger side also. If you have any information, contact your local sheriff’s department, police department or the Rusk Police Department at 903-683-2677.

LONGVIEW — One East Texas school district may face a two and a half million dollar shortfall. According to KETK, Longview public schools will dip into their district’s fund balance to cover the budget for this year. The district’s losing over $5 million in federal funding for the upcoming school year. Longview schools are still working on the budget for next year and will approve it in August.

LINDALE — Lindale police say Troy Shelton, the owner of Lindale Tire, is currently in a local hospital after being served with an arrest warrant during a raid. According to Lindale officials, Shelton was weighing drugs when they arrived. Shelton fell and had to be taken to a hospital.

Law enforcement found more than 31 pounds of marijuana along with meth at his house. Shelton was allegedly growing “low-grade” marijuana in his backyard and importing “high-grade” marijuana from California. According to KETK, Lindale police also found more than 100 weapons, including crossbows, brass knuckles, shotguns and handguns. Cash amounting to $6,000 was also confiscated. Shelton has since called Lindale police and apologized and informed them that he was going into heart surgery. Authorities will arrest Shelton as soon as he is out of the hospital.

TYLER — The latest burn ban information for Smith County is now available by phone through the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office. You can call 903-590-2656 and choose option 5 to check up-to-date information on the current burn ban in place for Smith County including specific information about restricted activities and ticketable offenses. Smith County has issued more than three dozen tickets for fire-related activities since the the ban was instated on July 5. Anyone with questions about fire-related jobs or activities is encouraged to call the information line.

The Smith County Commisioners Court voted on July 12 to extend the Smith County burn ban for a period of up to 90 days, contingent on weather conditions and other factors including the Keetch-Byram drought index, temperature, humidity, wind speed and the volume of calls for emergency service due to fires. Section 418.173 of the government code provides that failure to comply with this plan or with rule, order or ordinance adopted under this plan is an offense of a fine not to exceed $1,000 or confinement in jail of a term up to 180 days. You can also to http://www.smith-county.com for additional burn ban information.

TYLER — Tyler’s St. Paul Children’s Foundation is making lots of progress on its Bridge Campaign. Officials announced $1,386,302.41 has been raised toward the $1.5 million campaign goal. Board President Phil Jensen says, “The campaign goal of $1.5 million was established to take the Foundation from temporary to permanent financial solutions. Your continued help is needed.”

Dr. Duane Andrews, honorary campaign chairman, adds, “St. Paul Children’s Foundation is a light to our community. Without it many, many children would have no place to see a doctor for a cold, for immunizations, for serious illnesses, or simply well-child checkups. Without St. Paul, dental care would be non-existent for those without insurance.” For additional information on the campaign, you can visit http://www.stpaulchildren.org or call Interim Executive Director Sharlyn Cannady at (903) 531-9455.

BULLARD — Officials in Bullard say a portion of Old Jacksonville Hwy, in front of City Hall, was blocked off for a time while crews cleared a downed power line laying across a vehicle. Bullard Police say a passing truck hit a downed line, forcing it onto a McCoy’s work truck following behind. The line then snagged on the McCoy’s work truck. Oncor headed to the scene to shut power off to the line so that crews could remove it from the truck.

LINDALE — Smith County Firefighters battle a house fire in Lindale. Officials say the call came in about 5:40 Thursday morning. The home is located in the 14000 block of County Road 496. Authorities say the fire was under control by later in the morning. No word on whether there was anyone home at the time of the fire.

LONGVIEW –- A cooling system malfunction was being blamed this morning for grounding an American Eagle flight Wednesday evening at East Texas Regional Airport. It was a scary landing for passengers aboard the American Eagle flight 4777. When the plane from Dallas landed shortly after 5:15, smoke was reported in the cabin. After the plane landed, the pilot taxied off the runway and all 47 passengers evacuated the plane safely. They’re still trying to determine what caused the smoke. –

TYLER – A Tyler jury begins the punishment phase of the trial of the man it convicted for robbing a pizza delivery man. The jury in state district court deliberated around ten hours before finding Victorino Betancourt, 26, guilty. He was accused of robbing and threatening to kill the victim.

MOUNT PLEASANT – The Occupational Safety Health Administration is investigating the death of a Pilgrim’s Pride employee. It happened around 1:00 Wednesday morning at the company’s protein conversion plant in Mount Pleasant. Pilgrim’s Pride spokesman Gary Rhodes said night supervisor Jimmy Bynum was pinned under the back wheels of a truck that was backing into the protein conversion bay. Bynum, a 25 year employee with Pilgrim’s Pride, was first rushed to Titus Regional Hospital. He was the flown to Tyler’s East Texas Medical Center, where he died.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council Wednesday received a presentation on the outcomes of the Spring 2011 Neighborhood Empowerment Works (NEW) Program. Officials say the NEW Program is designed to enhance the quality of life for residents through the concentrated delivery of services and programs provided by the City. Working in partnership with the neighborhoods, the City’s goal is to raise awareness of code and zoning ordinances, provide information on accessing City services and promote clean and safe neighborhoods.

During the 11th NEW Program, officials say, City of Tyler Departments came together and made many improvements to a neighborhood in City Council District Two. The boundaries of the neighborhood selected as the 11th NEW were Walton Road east to Walker Street, south to Foster Street, west to Barnes Street, southwest to Old Noonday Road, south to Luther Street, west to S.E. Palmer Highway (Highway 155) and northeast to Walton Road.

Officials say the NEW program enhances the quality of life for Tyler residents – one neighborhood at a time – by concentrating City services in a specific area for four weeks. Various City departments use information gathered from the neighborhood meeting, as well as an examination of the area, to identify services that could make an immediate impact on the neighborhood.

Outcomes from the 11th NEW program include:
· 24 junk vehicles were tagged for removal;
· 92 lots with high vegetation were mowed;
· 31 trashed lots were cleaned;
· 1,844 square feet of street base repairs were performed;
· Three and one-half miles of right-of-way were mowed;
· Six street signs were replaced;
· Five street lights were repaired;
· Three and one-half miles of streets were swept;
· 2,200 feet of sewer main were cleaned and inspected;
· The Tyler Police Department issued 35 written warnings and made eight arrests. They supplied a total of 92 man hours;
· The Solid Waste Department removed 738.5 yards of solid waste; and,
· Trees were trimmed and 194 cubic yards of waste removed.

“Since its inception, the NEW program has been an important tool to stop neighborhood decline in its tracks,” said City Council Member Donald Sanders. “By involving the neighbors and leveraging City services, the program has proven to be successful in encouraging reinvestment in Tyler’s older neighborhoods. Get rid of the grime…get rid of the crime.” The next NEW program will begin this spring and will be held in District Four.

KILGORE — Kilgore’s City Council votes down a controversial bill. According to KETK, it is still legal to text and drive there. The council voted Tuesday night not to place a ban on texting while driving in the city. Officials discussed a similar proposal earlier this year, but they wanted to see if the Texas Legislature would pass a statewide ban instead.

TYLER — In the Tyler City Council meeting Wednesday morning, officials passed the One-Half Cent Sales Tax proposal for the 2011-2012 budget year, which allows money for capital improvements to the city. The project will expand 220 projects over the next 10 years, including road and airport construction.

The council also passed a proposal awarding $1,711,000 to construct Fire Station 5 in Tyler. The station should be open by next summer. According to city press materials, “In September 2009, the City Council authorized the purchase of a parcel of land on Bennett Street from the Tyler Economic Development Council for the new Fire Station 5. Moving Station 5 from its current location at the corner of Frankston Highway and Walton Road will enhance the Tyler Fire Department’s access to surrounding areas and will result in more uniform response times.”