KTBB News, Weather, Talk

MT PLEASANT – Two persons have been killed when two trucks collide in Titus County. The fiery accident happened shortly after 4:45 Monday morning on State Highway 49 East of Mt Pleasant. Involved in the wreck were a Pilgrim’s Pride truck and a refrigerated truck out of Kansas carrying Red Baron Pizzas. There’s no word yet on the victims’ names.

LONGVIEW — Longview Assistant Fire Chief Kenny Southwell is retiring after twenty years of service with the Longview Fire Department and 25 total years as a firefighter. A retirement reception will be held from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m., Monday, December 20, at the Longview Fire Department Training Center, 411 American Legion Blvd.

During his time with the Longview Fire Department, Southwell served many roles including firefighter, paramedic, fire driver, paramedic instructor, interim chief, and more. Officials say most notably, Southwell served as Emergency Management Coordinator and played what’s termed an extremely vital role in the development and success of the City’s Emergency Operation Center, now known as the East Texas Regional Command. Officials say Southwell’s leadership provided advancement in emergency management and impacted the role Longview plays at both the regional and state level. Southwell’s last day on the job is Friday, December 17, with an official retirement date of Friday, January 7, 2011.

TYLER — Tyler Police responded Monday morning to a major traffic accident involving a Tyler ISD school bus. The wreck was reported just before 8:30 on the 6100 block of Wilderness Road. Authorities issued a ticket to the driver of the bus for an improper turn. Officials say the driver of the bus was at fault in the morning wreck. The bus driver reportedly took a corner too sharply, causing the back rear tire to run over the front of a car. No one in the car was injured. Two students were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

LONGVIEW — A space heater is to blame for a fire that killed a Longview man early Monday morning. Longview Fire Marshal Johnny Zachary says Ronald Clark Smith, 62, was sleeping in his fifth-wheel travel trailer when a couch near his space heater caught on fire. Smith lived alone in his trailer on the 200 block of West Lynnwood in Northwest Longview. Neighbors said Smith was very friendly and would look out for their homes when they were gone. No working smoke detectors were found in the trailer.

AUSTIN — Measures filed in the legislature would exclude illegal immigrants from essentially every aspect of life in the state. State Representative Leo Berman’s bills would prevent illegals from filing lawsuits in Texas courts, something he says is necessary to cut down on traffic accident fraud. He says, “An illegal alien will take a Texans into court and sue him for everything he’s worth.” Berman adds, “If he’s in the United States illegally, and in Texas illegally, he shouldn’t have access to to our courts.” Berman, of Tyler, has also proposed denying illegals all state benefits, including welfare, loans and professional licenses and denying the children of illegals Texas birth certificates.

LONGVIEW — Three women have been charged with theft after being accused of shoplifting at the Longview Mall. Arrested late Saturday afternoon were Chelvarlier Quentice Brown, 26, Beshundra Lashay Tucker, 28, and Temika Rochelle Broussard, 29, all of Houston. Longview police say the women acted as a team. While one of the women distracted a store employee, the others took clothing from The Buckle store. They were discovered when items started falling from under one of their dresses.

TYLER — Only minor damage was reported in a fire on the roof of the under construction portion of Birdwell Elementary. The fire was reported around 6:00 Saturday night. The flames were quickly extinguished.

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

TYLER — Construction crews on Monday are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations on Tyler’s West Loop 323 on either side of the State Highway 64 intersection. Weather permitting, the work should take approximately one week to complete. “We’ve done a lot of paving work at night lately,” said TxDOT spokesman Larry Krantz. “But in the summer, minimum pavement temperatures aren’t an issue like they are in the winter. In an effort to get this work done sooner rather than later, the contractor will need to work during the day when the pavement is warm enough to meet that minimum surface temperature.” 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.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to be at work on the following roadways in and around Wood County:
*Farm Road 69 north of Farm Road 515 in Coke;
*Farm Road 778 between State Highway 37 in Quitman and U.S. Highway 80;
*Farm Road 2966 north of Quitman; and
*Farm Road 49 east of Farm Road 14.
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.

KILGORE — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to make spot pavement and base repairs in various locations on U.S. Highway 259 Business in Kilgore. Crews will also be sweeping the bridges and overpasses on State Highway 31 between Longview and the Kilgore Bypass, and the bridges and overpasses on the bypass. 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.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on State Highway 42 between Farm Road 13 in Price and Farm Road 1513 near New London. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs on the eastbound Interstate Highway 20 service road between State Highway 64 and Farm Road 859, and ditch maintenance on Interstate 20 near the State Highway 19 interchange.

Contract crews will also be trimming trees on Farm Road 751 and Farm Road 1255. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin several weeks of edge repairs in various locations on U.S. Highway 175 between Jacksonville and Poynor. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

TYLER — The East Texas Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, will present Congressman Louie Gohmert with the Distinguished Citizen Good Turn Award at a luncheon in his honor to be held on Monday. The event will take place at Green Acres Baptist Church Crosswalk Conference Center, Tyler, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Speakers will be Paul Powell, Dean Emeritus of the George W. Truett Seminary; Paul Williams, award winning singer/songwriter; and Jed Babbin, author and former editor of Human Events. Emcee will be Senator Kevin Eltife. Scouting officials say the Award is given annually to an individual or couple who have made a significant impact toward enriching the way of life in East Texas. Congressman Gohmert, an Eagle Scout, has served the citizens of the First District of Texas in the United States House of Representatives
since January 2005.

Past recipients of the Distinguished Citizen Good Turn Award include Bruce Brookshire, Lonnie “Bo” Pilgrim, Jeff Austin, Sr., Eugene Brookshire, C.C. Baker, Jr., Herbert Buie, Congressman Ralph Hall, Douglas V. Smith, B.G. Hartley, Lindsey Bradley, Dr. Peggy and Howard Coghlan, Governor Rick and Anita Perry, Linda Ryan Thomas, Betsy and Elmer Ellis, Carolyn and Michael Northcutt, Sheriff J. B. Smith, Judge Bill Stoudt, Harold Beaird, and Sandi and Dr. Bill Taylor. Sponsorships and individual tickets are available for the luncheon. For more information, call the East Texas Area Council BSA office at 903-597-7201.

MARSHALL — A Marshall lawyer received a five-year probated sentence Friday for failure to register as a sex offender. Michael Bernoudy made an open guilty plea earlier this year in 71st District Court. According to the Longview News-Journal, he was also sentenced to 240 hours of community service, and he will be required to comply with all sex offender requirements for registration and reporting, said Harrison County District Attorney Joe Black. It will now be up to the state of Texas whether Bernoudy keeps his law license, Black said.

TYLER — Tyler Police received a report of a stolen trailer from the Target distribution center. It started around 3:10 Sunday morning after Target management advised authorities of the stolen trailer loaded with an assortment of merchandise. Management told police there was a GPS device attached to the truck and the last location indicated was the 2700 block Old Gladewater Hwy. Officers searched the area but were unable to locate the truck. After speaking with Target personell again, they successfully located the trailer in 400 block of East NE Loop 323.

The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the suspects involved in the crime are urged to contact the Tyler Police Department, at 903-531-1000, or Crimestoppers, at 903-597-CUFF.

LONGVIEW — Longview Police search for three suspects wanted in a Friday night shooting. Officers responded to a house in the 100 Block of Electra Street in reference to a shooting around 7:40. Police say Brandon McLeod, 26,Chris Toliver, 26 and Kevin Palmer, 25, all of Longview, had driven to the scene in an older model, dark-colored, 4-door car. The suspects fired several shots at the victim, 23-year old Shaun Thompson also of Longview. The victim suffered non life-threatening injuries and was not transported to the hospital.

Police are still trying to locate the suspects and ask that anyone with information regarding their whereabouts is encouraged to call the Longview Police Department at (903)237-1170.

LONGVIEW — A Longview Police Officer has been killed during an alleged dispute with her husband. Around 8:30 Saturday morning, officers were dispatched to the 2100 block of Tryon Road. They found Longview Police Officer Jamie “Ellyn” Goodan, 38, dead from an apparent gunshot wound. Her husband, Harry Goodan, was detained for questioning. Mr. Goodan was transported to the Gregg County jail and charged with murder. His bond was set at $500,000. Mr. Goodan is also employed by the Police Department as the 911 Communications Administrator.

The investigation is being continued by the Department with the assistance of the Gregg County District Attorney’s office.

Officer Goodan began her law enforcement career in law enforcement in 1995 as a Gregg County Jailer. In April, 1997, she became a reserve officer for the Longview Police Department and was hired as a full-time Officer in April, 1998. Officer Goodan received 29 commendations for her service to the community and to the Police Department throughout her career. She is survived by one son.

GILMER — Jarvis Hill, 29, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence on federal drug charges, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, earning him 30 years in state jail. He said he robbed the Cash Now store Sept. 30 because he needed money for a defense attorney to fight the drug charge, court records show. Hill has been jailed since he was sentenced on drug charge, which he committed three weeks before the robbery, records show.

TYLER — Officials with the city of Tyler are upbeat about the latest news on sales tax collections. Information from the Texas Comptroller indicates that total city sales tax revenues deposited for the month of December decreased 2.95 percent as compared to December 2009. But officials say that results in a 3.63 percent cumulative year to date increase for the first quarter of the current fiscal year net. While figures for December were slightly down overall, city staffers say a closer look reveals that the current period collections actually increased 0.70 percent; staffers say other audit and out of period collections equated to a 3.65 percent decrease for a net monthly decrease of 2.95 percent compared to last December.

“This means that we are continuing to see a positive trend in current sales tax collections.” said City Manager Mark McDaniel. “Although the City has not yet reached its overall budget goal, this should be easily achieved by year end.” The reported revenue of $2,410,041.30 is made up of of $1,606,694.20 general sales tax revenue and $803,347.10 half-cent sales tax revenue. The figures represent receipts from October 2010 collections, as there is a two-month period before revenue is reported.