KTBB News, Weather, Talk

WASKOM — The city of Waskom says a ground water source has tested positive for E. coli. KETK reports the sample tested positive on Thursday. The city says the well in which the sample was taken has been disconnected from the water system and is no longer online. Crews will disinfect and clean the well before putting it back into operation. The process is expected to take 10 days. E. coli can cause illness and is a particular concern for infants, young children, and people with weakened immune systems.

TYLER — The City of Tyler has promoted two long-term key leaders to the positions of managing director of development and social services and managing director of culture, recreation and tourism services. Stephanie Rollings has been promoted to managing director of culture, recreation and tourism. Rollings has worked for the City of Tyler for more than 12 years in various leadership roles, most recently as the director of Parks and Recreation. In that role she oversaw operations for Parks and Recreation, Rose Garden, Harvey Hall, Keep Tyler Beautiful and Library Services. Her new role will include those duties as well as Main Street, Liberty Hall, oversight of the Innovation Pipeline and contract management of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Rollings is a graduate of Texas State University and recently completed a Master of Public Administration degree at the University of Texas at Tyler. Continue reading City of Tyler Appoints New Managing Directors

TYLER – Tyler ISD will hold a special Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday evening at 6:00 on the future of the school district’s 46-year-old desegregation order. Trustees and the public will hear a presentation by Friedman & Feiger on Unitary Status for the district, which would mean removing the 1970 order. Following the presentation, there will be a time for public comment. This will be the second presentation to the Board by Friedman & Feiger, the first presentation occurring during the Board Workshop held on May 9. You can go to http://www.tylerisd.org to read the first presentation in its entirety. A lengthy process is anticipated before any action would be taken on the matter.

TYLER — One person has been killed and two injured in a two vehicle accident in Tyler. It occurred shortly after 11:15 Friday morning on the North Northeast Loop between East Commerce and East Erwin. The initial report was a north bound minivan crossed over to the southbound lane and collided with a an 18-wheeler carrying logs. The woman driving the minivan, 36-year-old Tanya Palmer of Tyler, was killed, and two in the truck have been hospitalized. Traffic began moving normally through the area after several hours of tie-ups.

KILGORE — There was a brief lockdown Friday afternoon at several Kilgore schools. The lockdown began after shots were reported in the area, but not at the schools. The lockdown, which began shortly after 2:45 Friday afternoon, was lifted about ten minutes later. The Lockdown occurred at Kilgore Middle School, Kilgore Intermediate School, Chandler Elementary and Kilgore Primary School. The gunfire, in a wooded area, was determined not to be a threat to the schools.

TYLER – A woman is in custody, charged with a Tyler Robbery. It occurred at the Valero convenience store at at 4833 Troup Highway around noon on Friday. She has been identified as Karen Rasberry, 49 of Tyler. The clerk said a woman with a diaper wrapped around her hand came in, claiming she had a gun, and demanded money. Officers found the suspect across the street at the entrance to Wal-Mart. Rasberry was booked in to the Smith County Jail on the charge of Robbery, a 2nd degree felony.

TYLER — A former Smith County Sheriff’s dispatcher is free on bond following her arrest. Christin Rae Kelm, 30, has been charged with aggravated perjury and tampering with government records. She resigned several weeks ago. She had been on paid administrative leave during an internal investigation. This followed a citation for class A assault stemming from a domestic dispute.

LONGVIEW — Longview police have arrested a woman found in a stolen vehicle. It started Thursday night with a report of a suspicious vehicle. It was found in the 2300 block of Pine Tree Road. Driving the truck was Lacy Miranda Tiffin, 24, of Longview. In the vehicle they found numerous items that were stolen in some vehicle burglaries earlier that evening. Tiffin was booked into the Gregg County Jail on charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and burglary of a vehicle.

LONGVIEW — For the second time in five months, a Longview teen has been charged with a weapons violation. Samuel Reese, 17, was arrested around 9:30 Thursday night as he tried to runaway from police. Reese was arrested near the intersection of Fredonia and Hughes Streets. That’s when they found a .22 pistol in his sweatpants. He was free on bond following a January arrest for a weapons violation and possession of marijuana. Reese, said to be a Longview gang member, has been charged again with unlawfully carrying a weapon.

LONGVIEW — A woman has been arrested following a report of an assault at Ingram Park on 10th Street in Longview. A woman told officers Kaitana Sharday Thomas, 24, of Longview assaulted her with her fists. She was said to have first pointed a 9 mm handgun at the victim. But, as Thomas tried to put a round in the chamber, the gun jammed. She was said to have then handed the gun to a man and struck the victim. Thomas was charged with aggravated assault and booked into the Gregg County Jail.

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) – Two men and a woman indicted on meth-trafficking charges have pleaded not guilty in the seizure of crystal meth and buckets of wastewater said to contain meth flushed down a toilet. The Sun Herald reports 36-year-old Tosh Humphrey, of Slidell, Louisiana; Roy Lee Tatum, of Palestine, Texas, and Chiquita Acker of Pearlington, Mississippi, both 40, entered their pleas Thursday in U.S. District Court. The three face charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute meth. Each charge is punishable by 10 years to life in prison. They are held with no bond. The three stood together in court, each flanked by an attorney, and were told they are set for trial July 15. If they want to change their pleas, they must notify the court in writing before June 14.

LUFKIN — A brief police standoff has ended with the arrest of a Lufkin shooting suspect, who’s now charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The incident started around 1:15 Thursday morning. It ended about nine hours later with the arrest of Zane Williams, 39, of Lufkin. Williams is accused of arguing with Amos Clary, 35, in the parking lot of the Hidden Oaks II Apartments on Tulane Drive. He is then said to have shot Clary, who is in critical condition in a Houston hospital. He then was said to have taken his girlfriend against her will, and fled. When investigators interviewed the woman, they learned she had not been kidnapped. Lufkin detectives tracked him to a trailer home in Trinity County. After a brief standoff in the Apple Springs area, Williams surrendered.

WILLS POINT – One person is in custody following an attack at a Van Zandt County motel that left one person critically injured. KETK reports the attack occurred around 8:00 Thursday morning at Motel Rest on Highway 80 in Wills Point. The victim has been flown to a hospital for treatment. The suspect, who has not been identified, as been taken to the Van Zandt County Jail.

TYLER — A suspect has been named in a recent Tyler robbery. It happened around 6:45 Wednesday morning at the Dollar General Store at 303 West Gentry Parkway. The suspect, wearing a face mask, black shirt and camo pants, escaped with an undetermined amount of money. After receiving information, an arrest warrant has been issued for Wesley Devoughn Hall, 20, of Tyler. A bond has been set at $250,000. Anyone with information about Hall is asked to contact Tyler police.

TYLER — The FRESH 15 Race in Tyler last week did more than produce funds for charities. It also produced a world record. A 12 year old from Carthage has been certified as the new world record holder for his age group in the 15K race. A news release from Brookshire’s says sixth grader Ethan Wolfe finished the just over 9 miles in 1:13:34. Eathen started training with his parents three years ago. He ran his first marathon when he was ten. And, with a world record now under his belt, he plans to continue running and competition sports.

DALLAS – An Anderson County man, who was sentenced ten years ago to ten months in federal prison for attempting to defraud the government, is the object of an area-wide alert. Area hospitals have been told to be on the lookout for Walter Ray Stall, 54, of Palestine, and Misty Lynn Wallace, 38, of Princeton. The Dallas County Hospital District Police Department says the couple entered Parkland Hospital last week claiming to be adoptive parents. They supposedly said they planned to take a baby from the operating room. They left the hospital without incident. The alert was issued for the couple as a precautionary measure so area hospitals would be on the alert.

AUSTIN — Tyler’s sales tax allocation from the state is down for the May payment and down for the year. The state comptroller’s office reports Tyler’s May sales tax allocation comes to $3.7 million dollars. This is down 2.3% from the same period last year. The allocation is based on sales made in March. For the year, Tyler’s sales tax allocations are down 4.3% Longview is in the same boat with the May allocation from the state down 4.2%. The yearly figure is off 6.7%. Continue reading Tyler’s Sales Taxes are Lagging

TYLER — Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith weighs in on the outcome of the West fertilizer plant explosion. Before he became Sheriff, Smith worked more than 20 years as a certified fire investigator for the A-T-F. Smith says he knows from talking to some of the people involved that there has been a “great amount of research where they reconstructed part of this at the fire research laboratory.” Smith says officials were able to reach a conclusion after going through numerous hypotheses. Officials announced Wednesday that the blast resulted from arson.

TYLER — A memorial service for fallen peace officers was held on the Square in Downtown Tyler Wednesday. Family and law enforcement agencies from several counties came together to remember their own. The ceremony recognized men and women who died in the line of duty in Smith County and across Texas. Tyler Police Public Information Officer Don Martin says the ceremony has been held for “many, many years.” He tells KETK that every year, the honorees’ relatives say they just want to thank participants “very, very much.” Martin adds, “It’s still very touching to them, there are still tears in the eyes — they miss their loved one.”

TYLER — Tyler Police investigate after being called to a local hospital around 1:00 Thursday morning regarding a man with a gunshot wound, reportedly sustained during a robbery. The victim told officers he was walking on Martin Luther King Boulevard around the intersection of Church Avenue when he was reportedly robbed at gunpoint. He described the suspects as two black males and two black females. The victim was shot in the left thigh during the mugging but was able to drive himself to the hospital. He said the suspects fled in a blue four door passenger car.

TYLER — Due to unforeseen issues in a gas line relocation, the westbound north turn lane on Robert E. Lee Drive in Tyler will be closed through Thursday at 5 p.m. In a brief news release, city officials say the closure is in the 100 block of Robert E. Lee, starting 150 feet east of South Broadway.

PALESTINE – A man has been arrested after trying to beak into the Anderson County Jail. Deputies found Dedric Price, 41, of Groesbeck, banging on a secured door shortly after 6:15 Tuesday morning. He told deputies he was trying to rescue his brother because someone was trying to hurt him. As they tried to talk wit him, Price became combative. They had to use low-level force, along with pepper spray to subdue him. After being arrested, deputies found on Price a syringe and a small amount of methamphetamine. They also found a small amount of meth in his vehicle. Price got his wish. He got into the jail, charged with possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest.

LONGVIEW – The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority will soon be in a position to issue bonds for the expansion of Loop 49. At a meeting in Longview, the panel said they will soon be able to issue $225 million in bonds to expand the toll road from Interstate Highway 20 to U.S. Highway 69 north of Lindale. A committee will be meeting next week with bond houses in New York in preperation for a loan, which includes $60 million to repay the deby to the Texas Department of Transportation. Interim Executive Director Everett Owen told the Longview News Journal, this would put them out of debt with TxDOT and they could fix a price on the bonds by May 24 and close on the package by June 16.

ATHENS — The president of Trinity Valley Community College in Athens has resigned. School trustees have accepted the resignation of Dr. Glendon Forgey. In accepting his letter of resignation, they say they agree with his view that it is in the best interest of the school’s students and employees that new leadership be put into place as soon as practical. Late last month school trustees suspended Forgey with pay pending an investigation into his contract. Monday night, school trustees selected the school’s Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Jerry King, as president pro tem of the college. The announcement came following a specially called board meeting.

AUSTIN (AP/Staff) – Gov. Greg Abbott plans to stop in East Texas as he launches a bus tour to promote his book detailing how he overcame an accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. For nine days beginning May 18, Abbott plans to hit 19 Texas cities. He’ll be at Hastings in Tyler beginning at 11 a.m. on the 19th. Copies of his book, “Broken But Unbowed,” will be at this week’s Texas Republican Convention in Dallas. They go on widespread sale next week. In 1984 at age 26, Abbott was jogging when a falling tree crushed his spine and left him using a wheelchair. Abbott says the book tells his story and his plans to “restore the Constitution.” On Tuesday, Abbott tweeted a picture of a bus stenciled with his face and the book’s title. He wrote: “Get on the bus that will force Washington D.C. to follow the Constitution.”

VAN — Van residents are looking back — and looking ahead — more than a year after a major local tragedy. On Mother’s Day last year, a devastating tornado hit the city. KETK reports that since then, residents have been picking up the pieces from that tragic day. The tornado left dozens of people injured and killed two. But the town has come together with fundraisers and cleanups to help pick up what was left behind by the tornado. And in remembrance of the tragic event, the community came together this week to celebrate its unity. Residents say last year’s hardships made their community stronger. One year later, they’re celebrating life and remembering the two who lost theirs. Continue reading Van Residents Remember Tornado, Look to Future

SMITH COUNTY — Authorities have arrested a man after he was found lying near the roadway on Highway 69 north of Tyler. According to KETK, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office reports 38-year-old Calvin Dewayne Ellison, was spotted just north of County Road 471, on the northbound side of Highway 69 in front of Tyler Pipe. Officials say he was “under the influence of something” and he was taken into custody on warrants. Ellison has a lengthy history with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, with arrests on a variety of charges dating to 1994.

TYLER — Tyler police are investigating an aggravated robbery at the Dollar General on west Gentry Wednesday morning. Officers said just after 6:45, a black male wearing a mask entered the store and reportedly robbed the clerk at gunpoint. The suspect fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of money. No injuries were reported. The suspect was said to be wearing a black shirt and camo pants. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Tyler Police Department.