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TYLER – A new film festival was announced Thursday by the film working group of the Downtown Tyler Arts Coalition (DTAC). The Downtown Tyler Arts Film Festival will take place Oct. 12-15 at Liberty Hall. Members of the DTAC filmmaker group are serving as organizers. “Show Us Your Shorts” is the theme of this year’s festival, which concentrates on comedic short films of 15 minutes or less. The event will kick off with a VIP street party on Oct. 12, with films available for viewing Oct. 13-15 at the newly renovated Liberty Hall. Additional activities will be announced at a later date.

“Independent film production is becoming a major industry,” said festival Director Chris Abraham, a volunteer with DTAC. Abraham pointed out that major media distributors have a growing interest in small, start-up studios, and filmmaking is now a very popular area of study on college campuses. Abraham continued by saying that new distribution avenues are opening lucrative business models for new media producers. “A film festival is not only great fun, but it is also a very smart business move for Tyler,” Abraham said. Also organizing the event are experienced film festival producers Stephen Self and Donna Gatewood.

The film festival is also capitalizing on Tyler’s relatively new concept of Rose Season, an effort to expand upon the economic impact of the Rose Festival by incorporating a variety of events to extend the season to three weeks. “This event was planned intentionally to complement the Rose Festival dates and offer additional activities for residents and visitors alike to enjoy,” said City of Tyler Main Street department leader Beverly Abell. “We hope the film festival will only add to the wonderful schedule of events available during Rose Season.”

Entries in the film fest are limited to live-action or animation. All films must have at least one producer or director who is a resident of Texas. Live-action movies must have had at least 75 percent of their principal photography completed in Texas. Entries must be received by Aug. 31, and only 25 will be selected for showing. Go to http://www.tylerfilmfest.com for more information on the event. “We also encourage people to ‘like’ the festival on Facebook and keep up with events on Twitter,” Abell said.

ALTO — A Cherokee County town will furlough its police force for six months, believing it the best way to save the city money. The Alto City Council voted to cut off for six months the wages and benefits for Alto’s police chief and four police officers, effective June 16. That’s despite Mayor Monty Collins’ warning that such a move is a mistake. The furlough would turn over law enforcement for the town of about 1,200 residents to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies recently took over law enforcement down the road in the town of Wells. That’s after the governing council in that town of 800 residents laid off its only police officer.

TYLER — This week, Precinct 3 Constable Dustin Rust, asked the Smith County Commissioners Court for an additional $5,800 to cover the rest of the fiscal year in fuel costs. He says with rising gas prices, the county didn’t give them enough. Precinct 2 Commissioner Cary Nix says the Constable is in a unique situation, but he says thinking ahead and staying within budget is the issue. The Commissioner says the court will discuss the matter next week.

LUFKIN — A 20-year-old Lufkin man was arrested Tuesday for having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl. Hayden Shaw McCleskey is being charged with two first-degree counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, an arrest report stated. The girl, who is now 14, was spending the night at McCleskey’s home with his sister on two separate occasions when the acts took place, the first in February and the second in March, according to the report.

The alleged sexual assaults were reported by the victim’s father, according to Lufkin Police Lt. David Young. In an interview with police, the girl said McCleskey knew she was only 13. After McCleskey was taken into custody, he admitted to having sex with the girl twice and that he was aware of her age, the report stated. McCleskey was booked into the Angelina County Jail, where he made a collective $50,000 bond a short time later. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.

LONGVIEW — Three people have been arrested in connection with a fight and a robbery that occurred at the Days Inn, in the 3100 block of Estes Parkway, May 23rd. Arrested were Robin Wilson, 28 and John Pack, 19, both of Longview. Pack’s Twin brother, Joshua, was also arrested. Police say the brothers saw Wilson, who is said to be a girlfriend of one of the teens, at the motel with six other people. In the fight that followed, the brothers are said to have used a gun and a knife to rob the group. When they fled the scene, Wilson is said to have left with them. One person was injured, but not seriously, in the fight.

LONGVIEW – Gregg County authorities are looking for two suspects in the burglary of an ATM Machine. The burglary occurred at Zippy J’s convenience store at the corner of State Highway 31 and Farm Road 2767. The suspects are said to have cut a hole in a rear wall of the building, and then used a bar to pry open the ATM. They are said to have taken $46,000 from the machine. The store’s surveillance video shows two suspects wearing dark clothing, masks and gloves.

LONGVIEW — Longview Police remembered one of their own Thursday morning during a public ceremony. They dedicated a table with a plaque in memory of fellow Officer Ellyn Goodan. The table is near the entrance to the Roy E. Stone Training Center located at 302 W. Cotton Street. The memorial was purchased with donations from Police Department employees.

Goodan died last December after being shot in the head. Her husband, and former 911 communications administrator Harry Goodan, has been charged with her murder. He was originally held on $500,000 bond. However, District Judge David Brabham ruled the bond was excessive and lowered it to $75,000 after Goodan’s father-in-law, Jimmy Rice, and Goodan’s ex-wife, Jonna Goodan, testified on his behalf at a January court hearing.

Under the stipulations of his lowered bond, Goodan is barred from possessing a gun, alcohol or illegal drugs; must remain home between 7:00pm and 6:00am daily; he must wear a monitoring device at all times; and he must report weekly to authorities. Goodan’s trial date has yet to be set in the 124th District Court. Goodan also has a pending civil case for “parent child relationship” in the interest of his and Ellyn Goodan’s son, Nicholas Goodan.

MANGUM, OKLA. (AP) — Two more prospective jurors have been chosen for possible jury service in the trial of a former warden’s wife accused of helping an inmate she fell in love with escape from prison. Prosecutors have accused Bobbi Parker of helping Randolph Dial escaped from the Oklahoma State Reformatory in 1994 and then running away with him. Defense attorneys say Dial kidnapped Parker and held her captive until she was rescued in 2005 at a Shelby County, Texas, chicken ranch. Defense attorney lawyer Garvin Isaacs said Wednesday two more people were added to a panel of prospective jurors that now totals 14. Isaacs says attorneys want to pick 22 prospective jurors before using challenges to select a 12-member jury. Jury selection continues today; it began on May 16.

TYLER — East Texas Medical Center says it’s responding to the external economic climate by streamlining operations. According to a written statement, this means becoming more efficient by reducing non-critical staff positions and finding ways to make processes more cost-effective, as officials say the organization has throughout its 60-year history. ETMC has declined to disclose any exact numbers regarding reduction of positions. According to the statement, reasons for the current economic challenges include lessening reimbursement from third-party payors, and federal and state reimbursement cuts. Hospital officials say the uncertainty caused by healthcare reform legislation is also driving this situation to some degree, both locally and nationally.

Throughout the United States, ETMC officials add, other hospital systems are experiencing similar situations. The written statement says that as the market demands reductions in healthcare costs, ETMC is doing its part to adjust operations and trim costs, while continuing to fulfill its mission.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) joined a bipartisan House coalition voting against a debt limit measure Tuesday night. The legislation would increase the federal government’s legal debt limit by $2.4 trillion, raising the limit to $16.7 trillion. Gohmert commented, “Raising the debt ceiling is not only irresponsible, it is, again, spending money the United States does not have. I could not vote to raise the debt ceiling without a major decline in negligent spending. Here and now, Washington must change the way it does business.

“We desperately need to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment with a cap on spending in the House and Senate and send it to the States for ratification. We must also stop the insane spending of $105 billion to implement the bureaucracy of Obamacare – which should ultimately be deemed unconstitutional. These are the immediate things we can do to show the world financial sectors we are serious about reining in renegade spending.

“There is absolutely no reason for the Administration to refuse to organize payments so we meet our public debt obligations and keep our commitments to those Americans who are supposed to receive them. Treasury Secretary Geithner should spend his time setting these priorities instead of playing Chicken Little and demagoguing this important issue.

“The future of our nation is at stake. Raising the debt limit will only dig America into a deeper, darker pit – one from which escaping will be difficult, if not, impossible. Out-of-control spending must end, and the Senate must finally pass a budget to solidify our commitment to solving this crisis. That’s the only way America will remain ‘the shining city on the Hill.’”

LONGVIEW — A Longview man is jailed after a chase and a wreck that injured five people. Jailed under a $40,000 bond on a variety of charges is Earnest James Survia Jr., 22. In his vehicle during the chase were his wife and two children.

It all started just after noon Tuesday afternoon in Longview at the intersection of Annette and Arthur. A state trooper said he saw someone trying to break into a car. Authorities say the chase started when the trooper tried to stop the man. According to officials, it ended when the man ran a stop sign in the Pine Tree area, striking another vehicle.

RUSK COUNTY — A Garrison man is in custody charged with charged with assault, endangerment of a child and resisting arrest. Around 3:30 Monday afternoon, Rusk County Deputies responded to a welfare concern. Authorities say Bradley Dale Koonce, 39, used a small child as a barricade to keep deputies from arresting him. Koonce was eventually apprehended and booked into in the Rusk County Jail with bond set at $40,000. A protective order has been filed against him.

LONGVIEW — A stretch of road is open again in Longview following a Wednesday morning spill. Part of Eastman Road was shut down at around 8:00 a.m. after hydraulic fluid spilled from a Longview Asphalt truck. Fire department officials said the eastbound exit ramp to Eastman was shut down at the interstate, along with the outside northbound lane on South Eastman Road to Neiman Marcus Parkway. Longview Fire Chief J.P. Steelman said a hazardous materials team was sent to the scene to assist in cleaning up the spill near the intersection of Eastman and Interstate 20. Police spokeswoman Kristie Brian said the fluid started spilling from the asphalt truck while the motorist was driving, and there was no reported wreck with the incident.

LAKE O’ THE PINES — Marion County officials confirmed Tuesday a 4-year-old Jefferson boy drowned Saturday evening at Johnson Creek at Lake O’ the Pines. According to a Marion County investigator, Mykael Evans was pronounced dead about 6:30 p.m. at the Johnson Creek swimming area.

TYLER – Tyler police are looking for a suspect in a Tuesday night shooting. Around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday, officers were alerted to a traffic flow problem in the 2500 block of West Front Street. The car’s driver said he had been the victim of a shooting.

He told officers he was meeting with the suspect in a nearby park when a disturbance broke out between the two of them. The victim attempted to leave the area, but the suspect began following him. The suspect managed to catch-up to the victim and fire several gunshots at the victim. He wasn’t hit but his car was disabled. The suspect had fled the area by the time officers arrived.

TYLER – Funeral services are pending for former John Tyler High School principal Nathan Hollis. Hollis died suddenly Monday night. He serviced as the John Tyler principal from 1994 to 2000. He had also served as principal at Boulter Middle School and was an assistant principal at Hogg and Stewart middle schools. Hollis was 62.

MANGUM, OKLA. (AP) — Greer County prosecutors and defense attorneys have settled on two more jurors in the trial of a former warden’s wife accused of helping an inmate she fell in love with escape from prison. Defense lawyer Garvin Isaacs said two people were chosen during Tuesday’s proceeding, bringing the overall number to 12. Isaacs says attorneys want to pick 22 jurors and use their challenges to whittle the number down to 12. Jury selection continued Wednesday.

Prosecutors allege Bobbi Parker ran away with inmate Randolph Dial after helping him escape from the Oklahoma State Reformatory in 1994. But her attorneys have said Dial held Parker captive until she was rescued in 2005 at a Shelby County, Texas, chicken ranch.

TYLER – A man who pleaded guilty earlier this month to the shooting death of a Longview teen has been handed a hefty prison sentence. Gregory Dewayne Polley, 26, of Longview, was sentenced by State District Judge Christi Kennedy to 50 years in prison Tuesday morning. He also relinquished his right to appeal. He had pleaded guilty to last year’s Christmas Eve shooting death of Nicole Cartwright, 15. The shooting occurred at a car wash on West Bow Street in Tyler.

Investigators say the teen had come from Longview to meet with family and friends, who were also from Longview. While they were at the car wash, a disturbance occurred in the parking lot involving four females in two separate cars. Shots were fired, and Cartwright was struck; she later died at a Tyler hospital. Investigators say the bullet was not intended for the girl, she was just an innocent bystander.

Polley is the second man to be arrested in connection with Cartwright’s death. Adrian Earl Blankenship Jr., 22, of Longview, also is charged in the teen’s death. He remains in Smith County Jail on $500,000 bond and his trial is scheduled for July. Polley was initially arrested January 4th for a parole violation in Longview, with Smith County officials tacking on the first-degree murder charge after an arrest warrant was issued.

TYLER — No injuries were reported, and damage was limited, in a two-alarm fire Tuesday afternoon at Tyler Junior College. The Tyler Fire Department responded to Wise Auditorium with five engines and one ladder company, along with a district chief and an investigator. The fire was reported at yesterday afternoon just before 1:45. All units had cleared the scene within 40 minutes of arrival. Fire department personnel say workers using heavy machinery nearby contacted underground electrical lines, which caused the fire to ignite in the auditorium basement. While the basement was filled with smoke, actual fire damage was contained to a small electrical box on the basement wall.

MT. PLEASANT — More than 100 pounds of marijuana is seized in a Mt. Pleasant-area drug bust. Around 8:30 Monday night, a DPS trooper stopped a 1999 Ford Expedition on IH-30 near Mount Pleasant. Authorities say during the course of the traffic stop, with the driver identified as Jhovony Chacon, 26, of Fenton, Missouri, signs and indicators of criminal activity were observed by the trooper. Officials say verbal consent to search the vehicle was asked by the trooper and granted by Chacon. According to authorities, the search revealed 102 bundles of marijuana in a false compartment in the roof of the vehicle, with a street value of $102,000. Officials say Chacon was arrested and booked into the Titus County Jail without incident on a charge of possession of marijuana, over 50 lbs. – less than 2000 lbs., a second degree felony.

EAST TEXAS — Senator John Cornyn makes a swing through East Texas. One stop: the Tyler-based East Texas Food bank, celebrating the first anniversary of a community garden that grows fresh produce for the needy. Cornyn commented, “I think it’s a great model that could be copied around the state and around the country. We know there’s a large unmet need.” The land is worked by numerous volunteers under a community partnership initiated by Sheriff J.B. Smith.

Cornyn continued to laud East Texas for what he terms its business-friendly environment. He pointed to drilling plans for the Haynesville Shale in Texas and Louisiana. The senator remarked, “We’re not afraid to produce domestic energy here at home as opposed to importing it from abroad, which seems to be unfortunate national policy right now.”

Cornyn also shared his frustrations and his hopes, about Capitol Hill activity. He hopes lawmakers can agree on serious spending cuts and make such programs as Medicare sustainable for the future. But he also hopes legislators can “relieve the private sector of some of the unnecessary regulation, and then will get people back to work and decrease unemployment.” Along with his Tyler stop, Cornyn scheduled meetings with business interests in Longview and Marshall, along with a health care-related discussion at a Texarkana company.

MARSHALL — A Gilmer man has been sentenced to federal prison today for firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales. James Franklin Bracey, 35, pleaded guilty on Jan. 6 to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 34 months.

According to information presented in court, on Dec. 7, 2009, Bracey was found to be in possession of a rifle with an attached scope in Upshur County, which he was using to conduct surveillance on a neighboring Wal-Mart store and then steal items from the store. Further investigation revealed Bracey was a convicted felon, having previously been found guilty of burglary. Convicted felons are prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition. Bracey was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 14, 2010 and charged with federal firearms violations.

UPSHUR COUNTY — Department of Public Safety officials confirmed Tuesday that a Diana man was killed in a one-vehicle crash in Upshur County. According to DPS officials, James Dicks, 45, was traveling eastbound on SH 154 around 10:15 p.m. Saturday in Upshur County when his vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. Officials said he was wearing a seatbelt when the crash occurred.

HENDERSON — A Tatum teen was arraigned Tuesday morning and his bond set at $15,000, charged in the weekend stabbing that sent one man to the hospital. According to Rusk County officials, Joseph Deem, 19, was arrested in Gregg County Saturday after a reported stabbing on Rusk CR 2174. Deputies were dispatched to the residence at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday in connection with an assault. Once there, they found a 22-year-old Tatum man with stab wounds to the back. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he underwent surgery for injuries sustained in the stabbing. Rusk County officials said an arrest warrant was issued for Deem within hours of the stabbing.

TYLER — Tyler Police release the results of the Memorial Holiday “No Refusal DWI Campaign” May 27th through May 29th. Reports show the total DWI arrests for the No-Refusal initiative for all agencies were 29. The Department of Public Safety DPS had 20 DWI arrests, Tyler Police had 7 DWI arrests, Texas Parks and Wildlife had 1 DWI arrest and Bullard PD had 1 DWI arrest. The total number of search warrants for blood obtained was 7. The Department of Public Safety obtained 7 search warrants for blood.

TYLER — A one vehicle accident has sent a man to East Texas Medical Center for treatment. It was reported just before 9:00 Monday night in the 1500 block of East Commerce. According to KETK, arriving officers found an SUV had struck a utility pole, split the pole in half, and caught fire. It was quickly extinguished by Tyler firemen. The driver’s name has not been released. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

TYLER – Tyler police are looking for the man who robbed the Dollar General Store at 4031 South Broadway. It happened around 5:15 Monday afternoon.

The man entered the store and began walking around. He then approached one of the employees near the back of the store, displayed a handgun and told the employee that he just wanted money. The suspect followed the employee to an office and took an undisclosed amount of money. He fled the store and headed southbound. Several Tyler police officers were near the location and responded within minutes. The suspect was not located at this time.

The suspect is described as an older black male. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, tan cargo shorts, black shoes, and a black and white ball cap. The suspect had his face covered with a blue bandana.

TYLER — Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass keynotes one of the community’s Memorial Day observances, at Rose Lawn Memorial Park. Bass shared some of her thoughts with KTBB.

The mayor remarked, “I think the biggest thing about Memorial Day is just taking the time to remember all of our veterans who have given their lives so that every morning we can wake up to a free country. And I think we can never take that lightly. When you wake up and you don’t have to worry about what your rights are each day, you know that you can come and go as you please, and we still have all of those rights of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to work where we want to, to go to school where we choose — all of those are rights that we should never take for granted. And it’s because we have had a strong military over the years — and we’ve had people who have given their lives, and we have veterans here today who have given of their time and made their commitment that we can have a free country each and every day.

“Recently, we started the Veterans’ Roundtable with the city of Tyler, and we’re looking at improving services to all of our veterans in the area. And in the process of setting that up, we were reminded that the generation now that is in the military — many of those young people have seen nothing but war over the last ten years. And it reminds us once again how important our freedoms are as the United States of America. We must always make sure that we protect those freedoms.”

Also in the Tyler area, Memorial Park Cemetery on Highway 64 West held its annual event. Special guest speakers were Capt. Jim Darwin and FBI Special Agent David Mohr.

TYLER — Tyler City Councilmember Jason Wright will hold a Town Hall Meeting for residents of District 6 this evening at 6:00. The meeting will be held at the One Realtor Center at 2772 SSE Loop 323. “When I was elected as the Councilmember for District 6, I committed to hosting meetings such as this to provide my constituents an opportunity to give me input and also for me to share what is going on with their local government,” said Wright. This is the second Town Hall hosted by Wright since his election in 2010. Invitations to the meeting were mailed to all addresses in District 6. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. with a brief presentation followed by questions and answers. For questions, you can call 903-533-7444.

AUSTIN — East Texas State Representative David Simpson explains why he voted against HB 1, the state budget bill whose final version was passed by the House on Saturday, 97-53. Simpson says HB 1 is the 2012-13 budget, or at least the bulk of it. According to Simpson, “Despite conservative boasts of cost cutting, not raising taxes, and not using the Economic Stabilization Fund or ‘Rainy Day Fund,’ the budget still preserves about $500 million of pork for special interests including film and music makers, video games, and commercials for Fortune 500 companies. Of course this is deemed economic development, but in reality it is a handout to concentrated special interests. These funds could be used for other priorities that promote the general welfare, such as education and care for the weak, or just cut from the budget and returned to the people.

“The ‘conservative’ budget also defers about $4 billion in payments, which is just one of several accounting gimmicks used. Another trick: the budget does not fund the whole biennium. Funds for Medicaid run out in February 2013 and the next Legislature likely will be forced to use the Economic Stabilization Fund to cover the anticipated shortfall. The final spending plan includes $1.5 billion more than the present biennium when you discount the one-time federal stimulus funds, add back the deferrals, and count the anticipated use of the Economic Stabilization Fund in 2013. Funds for K-12 public schools actually increase slightly over the present biennium, but schools will receive about $400 less per student due to population growth.” What Simpson terms “a critical piece of the budget,” education finance, remains up in the air and will now be addressed in a special session.