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SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Sheriff’s Department is warning the public of a possible door-to-door scam in the area. Lt. Tony Dana says they’ve been getting reports of aggressive salesmen for Advanage Wonder Cleaner. The product has been flagged on the internet as a “bait and switch” scam which says the product used in demonstration works very well, but the product that is sold does not work well, or sometimes not at all.

Lt. Dana says if you choose to purchase the product, use cash, not credit, debit cards or checks. There have been reports of identity theft linked to the company. Dana says at least one of the salesmen has a felony record in Smith County. No charges have been filed against the company in Smith County at this time. Lt. Dana says don’t let strangers into your home and report any suspicious activity.

NOONDAY — Noonday Firefighters were on the scene Wednesday night battling a small structure fire behind a home off County Road 159 near Highway 155. According to KETK, it was a shop or wood shed behind the residence. Firefighters were able to contain the flames before it spread to the woods. Fire officials say even though it is wet, there are still dry areas that may catch fire, so use precautions.

TYLER — American hero and Fox News correspondent, Oliver North, will make his way to Tyler this month. Colonel North will be at the Barnes and Noble with his new book November 14. The book is called American Heroes in Special Operations. According to KETK, North is a New York Times best selling author and was at the center of national attention during the Iran-Contra Affair scandal during the 1980’s.

TYLER — Two East Texas men have pleaded guilty in federal court in Tyler to firearms violations. Michael Shane Donald, 42, of Kilgore, and Scott Randall Terry, 39, of Gilmer, Texas, both pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Everingham, IV. Both face up to 10 years in federal prison at sentencing. Sentencing dates have not been set.

According to federal prosecutors, in May, Donald and Terry were in Upshur County when both were discovered to be in possession of a sawed-off shotgun with an obliterated serial number. Further investigation revealed that both men were convicted felons, Donald having been found guilty of assault, family violence in 2004 in Upshur County, and Terry having been convicted of possession of a controlled substance in 2007 in Upshur County. Convicted felons are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition. The men were indicted by a federal grand jury in July and charged with federal firearms violations.

LONGVIEW — LeTourneau University has won nine awards in the 2010 MarCom Awards competition that recognizes outstanding creative achievement by marketing and communication professionals. LETU won two platinum awards, three gold awards and four bronze awards.

The university’s NOW magazine Winter/Spring 2010 Floor Lore issue and the Authentic fall travel admissions brochure took top honors, winning platinum awards which are presented to those entries judged to be among the most outstanding entries in the competition.

Gold awards are presented to those entries judged to exceed the high standards of the industry norm. The university’s NOW magazine Summer 2010 Faculty Focus issue, New Logo Banners and Bell Tower in Seasons video all won gold awards.

Winning four bronze awards were the university’s NOW magazine Fall 2009 Welcome Home Aviation issue, Realities admissions magazine, the LEGS highlight video and Pilot Summer Camp highlight video.

MarCom entries come from corporate marketing and communication departments, advertising agencies, PR firms, design shops, production companies and freelancers. The competition has grown to perhaps the largest of its kind in the world. A look at the winners shows a range in size from individual communicators to media conglomerates and Fortune 500 companies.

TYLER — Some changes have been made to a local food establishment order. Officials say a public hearing was held October 28 by the Northeast Texas Public Health District (NETPHD) Board to consider revisions to the Food Establishment Order 2007-1. Officials say the board considered revisions that would enhance the education and enforcement of regulations governing the retail food establishments in Smith County. The Board approved revisions amending District Order 2007-1 to be superseded by District Order 2010-1.

According to health officials, partnering with the food industry is essential to safeguard public health from foodborne illness and provide to consumers food that is safe and honestly presented. Robert Westbrook, President of the Texas Restaurant Association and owner of CiCi�s Pizza, attended the public hearing and supported the proposed changes. Officials say NETPHD provides education as well as code enforcement to work with the food industry on keeping food establishments safe. The revised District Order is effective as of November 1.

Previously each food service establishment that prepared food for the public was required to have at least one Certified Food Manager employed. The revision will now require a Certified Food Manager on duty during the food service establishment operations. A six-month period will be given to allow owners and operators time to obtain additional certified staff. Certification is achieved by successfully passing an accredited food safety test available through accredited Internet providers or the continuing education program at Tyler Junior College. A registry system was also approved requiring food service establishments register each Certified Food Manager with NETPHD as proof of compliance.

An annual fee for service was approved to provide services to school cafeterias necessary to the inspection requirements of the Texas Department of Agriculture. Other revisions included adjustments to certain food service establishment permit fees, clarification on the frequency of and location of temporary food establishment operations, risk based assessments for inspection frequency, and minimum food establishment permit suspension of 24 hours in the case of imminent health hazards.

Copies of the District Order 2010-1 will be posted on the website http://www.healthyeasttx.org and will also be available at the Northeast Texas Public Health District, 815 North Broadway in Tyler. You contact the Environmental Health Department at 903-535-0037 for more information.

TYLER — The citizen action group Grassroots America – We the People will sponsor Governor Perry’s “Fed Up!” book tour stop in Tyler. The governor is fresh off a resounding victory in the midterm elections. The book tour stop is Friday, Nov. 12, at 11:30 a.m., at Lone Star Event Center, 4036 FM 2767. The tour is being arranged by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. The book’s full title is “Fed Up — Our Fight to Save America from Washington.”

According to materials from the foundation, “Governor Perry has asked that all proceeds from ‘Fed Up!’ book sales benefit the research and outreach activities of the Texas Public Policy Foundation�s Center for Tenth Amendment Studies so that the Foundation can continue to ensure that Texas is a national leader in the cause of liberty and respect for a limited government.” Grassroots America Executive Director JoAnn Fleming says, “Grassroots America – We the People is happy to sponsor the Governor’s book tour stop in Tyler. We welcome his limited government Tenth Amendment message because it’s high time ‘We the People’ put the federal government back into a Constitution-sized box.” You can go to http://www.texaspolicy.com for more details.

WHITE OAK — The city of White Oak will stay dry following Tuesday’s election. According to KETK, voters defeated two propositions. One would have allowed the sale of mixed drinks in restaurants. The other would have permitted beer and wine sales in stores for off-premise consumption.

TYLER — Tyler Police Department will be participating in a DWI enforcement program that will include every weekend in the month of November. The enforcement detail of officers will be on the look-out for intoxicated drivers in the City of Tyler. This enforcement program is funded by a state grant that was awarded to the department for DWI patrol. Officers urge everyone who is drinking and considering driving to have a designated driver, or to hire a cab to get home safely.

Also, during the Thanksgiving Holiday the police department will participate in a seat belt enforcement program also funded by a state grant that will run from November 22nd through November 27th. This effort is to promote safety for drivers and passengers traveling on very busy streets and highways during this holiday season.

LONGVIEW � A man killed in a Longview accident has been identified. He is Trent Ruchti Hepler, 32, of Longview. He was killed in an accident in the 4000 block of Estes Parkway shortly before 10:45 Tuesday morning.

Investigators say a state trooper had been traveling southbound on Estes Parkway in route to an accident scene when he lost control of his Chevrolet Tahoe and left the roadway, crossing the northbound lanes of traffic. The Trooper�s vehicle went through a chain link fence and struck a natural gas meter before coming to a stop. The trooper was not injured.

Two motorists, who had witnessed the accident, stopped to check on him, parking on the southbound shoulder of the roadway. As they were checking on the trooper, a large truck pulling a trailer attempted to avoid slowing traffic and lost control of his vehicle. The truck and trailer hit three pickup trucks and one of the two motorists, who was out of his vehicle. The motorist was pronounced dead at the scene by Gregg County Justice of the Peace Sam Lawson. A driver of one of the pickup trucks was transported to a Longview hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

TYLER — Two elections in Smith County may hinge on as-yet uncounted ballots. Elections Administrator Karen Nelson says these fall into two categories. One is provisional ballots — ones that were cast even though an individual’s eligibility to vote was in question. Nelson says there are 77 such ballots in the county. The other category is overseas military ballots; Nelson says about 100 of those are still out. One of the elections involves the Tyler ISD bond proposal; the other will determine whether beer and wine can be purchased for off-premise consumption in J.P. Precinct 4. Both measures were behind when all regular ballots had been counted — but by razor-thin margins, with the votes split virtually down the middle.

Nelson says officials have begun processing the provisional ballots to determine, first, how many will be ruled valid. Then officials will count the valid votes, if there are any. Nelson hopes to have the provisional ballots processed and counted by early Thursday afternoon. The deadline for receiving overseas military ballots is Monday, November 8, at 5 p.m. Nelson says officials have until November 10 to count those ballots, and she hopes to have it done by late afternoon on November 9. The canvassing period is November 10-15. Nothing becomes official at least until the canvassing is done — and challenges or recounts could always come into play. KTBB will keep you posted on how things turn out.

TISD board president Ron Vickery said regardless of the outcome, he’s pleased with the heavy voter turnout. If the bond issue passes, Vickery said the school district will move forward with plans for three new schools. In recent days, some opposition has emerged to the proposal for a new Rice Elementary School based on concerns about possibly moving the campus. Vickery says a key piece of any plans for Rice will be setting up public forums in order to get questions about the school’s future answered as quickly as possible. If the proposal loses, Vickery says school district officials will try to “put together a proposal and do it at a time and in a manner that we hopefully will have some wide community input on and support on.” According to Vickery, bond opponents seem to agree that TISD has facility needs, but there’s been disagreement about “what the plan should look like.”

Other local races were decided early. Both Bullard and Whitehouse will allow mixed beverages in restaurants, but neither will allow beer and wine to be bought in stores for off-premise consumption. Also, State Representative Leo Berman and District Attorney Matt Bingham cruised to easy victories; other area Republican hopefuls appeared on the way to similar wins.

TYLER � A 47-year-old Carthage man has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales Tuesday. Bradley Thomas Boren pleaded guilty in Tyler to possession of pseudoephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love. According to information presented in court, on Dec. 13, 2008, Boren purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine from a Wal-Mart store in Longview, as well as on numerous other occasions at other stores in the area, all in furtherance of his methamphetamine manufacturing activities. Boren was indicted by a federal grand jury on Apr. 8, 2010. Boren faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the violation. A sentencing date has not been set.

LONGVIEW — Much-welcome rains mean Gregg County is no longer under an outdoor burning ban. County Judge Bill Stoudt lifted the ban Tuesday afternoon. Persistent dry weather in the area has caused a number of East Texas counties to prohibit outdoor burning.

TYLER — For the past two years, work has been underway to create a veterans’ court in Smith County. That work paid off Tuesday when Smith County Commissioners approved the project. Recently a task force appointed for the veterans’ court presented plans for implementation of the court to the commissioners.

The court is designed as an optional measure for judges to provide help to veterans suffering from substance abuse and mental health problems linked to their time in the service. It is not for serious crimes. Veterans facing misdemeanor or some felony offense charges, who meet certain guidelines, will have the one-time opportunity to avoid jail time, enter treatment and a mentoring program.

Spearheading the project has been social worker Choya Shanahan who has praise for Smith County�s leadership. She recently told KETK, “Their vision, their foresight, and their diligence in pushing this forward has really been appreciated by all 18,000 veterans in Smith County.”

TYLER — North Chase Development officials Tuesday broke ground on the Lake View Apartment Homes, planned as a 140-unit gated senior living community. The project is being developed and constructed, and will be managed, by Lankford Interests of Houston. The one-story complex will contain 44 one-bedroom, one-bath units and 96 two-bedroom, two-bath units. Amenities include a swimming pool and community center that houses a game/recreation room, library, computer/learning center and fitness room. The project benefits low- to moderate-income seniors age 55 or older through Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs tax credits. It is anticipated the first units will be ready for occupancy in Spring 2011.

North Chase, under the direction of Ed Thompson and North Chase Development, is a master-planned, mixed-use development of low-, medium-, and high-density residential areas, along with dedicated greenspaces and mixed-use retail, commercial and office spaces. According to a North Chase news release, eight distinct areas offer residents and visitors the best of modern convenience — all in a natural setting.

Thompson says he wants to revitalize Tyler�s north side through his projects — and he says he’s “ecstatic” that his newest effort has gotten off the ground. On a recent KTBB �Staff Meeting,� Thompson said he�s had success with other northside efforts that initially met with skepticism. Now he�s inviting the public to support his current project, at North Broadway and the Loop. The North Chase package has drawn lots of support from the city. You can go to http://www.northchasetyler.com for more information.