KTBB News, Weather, Talk

UNDATED — The Texas Department of Transportation’s “Don’t Mess with Texas litter-fighting superheroes, The Litter Force, will be touring schools in East Texas this week. Hawk, Bolt, Ultra, and K-900 will teach students that throwing trash on the playground is just as bad as littering on Texas roads.

New research shows that 88 percent of Texas third-graders who�ve seen the Litter Force know Don�t Mess with Texas means don�t litter (compared with 53 percent when they were in first grade). Kids are now beating out their adult counterparts: The 2009 Litter Attitudes and Behaviors study shows that 82 percent of Texans know what Don�t Mess with Texas means. Students who see one of the 50 shows on the Litter Force�s statewide tour will receive a Litter Force activity book and are encouraged to go to http://www.dontmesswithtexas.org/litterforce to play games and learn more about the superheroes.

TxDOT, responsible for keeping roads clear of hazardous, ugly litter, is using a research-based campaign to work toward creating a litter-free generation. TxDOT wants to work with students to instill the importance of a cleaner Texas, which will lead to future savings.
In 2009 alone, TxDOT spent nearly $46 million on litter pick-up costs.

The remaining schedule for East Texas is as follows:

Tuesday, Nov. 2
� Elkhart Elementary, 8 a.m., 301 East Parker, Elkhart 75839
� Westwood Primary, 1:30 p.m., 1701 W. Point Tap Road, Palestine 75802

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010
� Griffin Elementary, 9 a.m., 3000 N. Border, Tyler 75702
� Orr Elementary, 1:45 p.m., 3350 Pine Haven Road, Tyler 75702

Don’t Mess with Texas has been educating Texans about litter prevention since 1986. TxDOT�s litter prevention program includes Adopt-a-Highway and a grassroots partnership with Keep Texas Beautiful. Don�t Mess with Texas activities also include a spring �Trash-Off,� community outreach, a scholarship, a corporate partner program, and a new photo album where Texans can share their iconic Texas images. You can visit http://www.dontmesswithtexas.org for more information. TxDOT�s goals are to reduce congestion, enhance safety, expand economic opportunity, improve air quality, and increase the value of transportation assets. You can visit http://www.txdot.gov for more information.

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

SMITH COUNTY — Construction crews this week are scheduled to begin several days of resurfacing work on Farm Road 14 between North Loop 323 in Tyler and Interstate 20. Delays caused by the work may be lengthy, and motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

Also this week, Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations of Farm Road 3271 northwest of Tyler between State Highway 110 and U.S. Highway 69.

Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue edge and pavement repairs on Ranch Road 2588 between LaRue and the end of state maintenance. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform edge repairs on SH 294 between the Anderson County Line and State Highway 21 in Alto. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue several days of resurfacing operations in various locations on Farm Road 13 between State Highway 42 and Loop 571 before moving to perform the same work in various locations on State Highway 42 north of Farm Road 13. A second crew will be performing pavement repairs in various locations on State Highway 322 south of the airport. 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.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repair operations on Farm Road 1395 between Farm Road 47 and Farm Road 859 north of Edgewood. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

ANDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs on Farm Road 322 (Sycamore Street) inside Loop 256 in Palestine. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

TYLER — Officials with Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics announce the opening of what’s termed the region’s only continuous inpatient monitoring unit, The Trinity Mother Frances Epilepsy Center, located at Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler. Officials said the Center provides comprehensive care for patients with seizure disorders — offering inpatient and outpatient diagnostic testing capabilities, medication management, inpatient monitoring and surgical procedure options to treat epilepsy.

“For patients with epilepsy and seizure disorders, everyday life is anything but ordinary,” said Ashley Lesniewski, Program Coordinator. “Helping you get your life back to normal is the first priority we have at The Epilepsy Center. Continuous monitoring helps the medical team to localize your seizures so that an individualized treatment plan can be formulated. We are excited to be able to offer this new facility to our patients.”

BULLARD — Another “Come Pray With Me” rally happens tonight –election eve — at Bullard’s Panther Stadium. The organizer, Pastor Dan Cummins, says the object is to pray for the country’s political and spiritual direction. On KTBB “Staff Meeting,” Cummins says the first such rally, held in September, drew nearly 1,000 people — and he was excited “to know that people are willing to come together with perfect strangers to pray for America.” Rev. C.L. Bryant of Shreveport will keynote. Cummins says Bryant is a big backer of the rally — and has in fact invited Cummins and his followers “to join with him and start doing these ‘Come Pray With Me’ rallies across America.”

It all begins at 7 p.m. Admission is one new toy or non-perishable food item for Bullard’s Mission House. You can go to http://www.ComePrayWithMe.org or call (903) 894-WORD for more information. You can also go to http://www.ktbb.com/audio to listen to the “Staff Meeting” show online beginning early Monday morning.

NACOGDOCHES — Human remains were found in a wooded area off Highway 21 Friday night near Nacogdoches. Authorities believe those remains belong to Torchie Jolene Boyd, who went missing about two years ago. According to KETK, Boyd was last seen running into the woods near a campground where she lived with her common law husband, Earnest Alton Young. Police believe even if the remains aren’t Ms. Boyd’s, they suspect foul play in the death of the person found. The body was found wrapped in a tarp.

TYLER — Tyler Police are investigating a reported robbery at an apartment complex yesterday morning. It happened around 1:10 at 3301 South Broadway Ave. The victim, a 32-year-old woman, says she was walking to her apartment when she was reportedly approached by a black male wearing a black cap, brown leather-like jacket and dark colored pants. The victim stated the suspect produced a dark color handgun before taking her purse and running westbound on Amherst Street.

The woman described the suspect as about 5’10”, 210 pounds and around 30 years of age. The victim also stated there was a second suspect hiding in the shadows during the incident who fled the scene with the first, but could only describe him as a black male. The area surrounding the apartment complex was searched and no one matching the suspect’s descriptions were located.

Anyone with information about the suspects involved in these crimes are urged to contact the Tyler Police Department, at 903-531-1000, or Crimestoppers, at 903-597-CUFF (903-597-2833).

TYLER — Tyler Police respond to a shots fire call early this morning. It happened around 12:05 at Campbell’s Towing, 3053 Old Henderson Highway after officers received a call regarding a loud gunshot. While en route to the business, officers received a description of the suspect’s vehicle. Arriving on scene, police found the front of the business had sustain damage from the gunfire, however, no one was injured and none of the vehicles surrounding the business were damaged. The area was searched, but officers were unable to locate the suspect vehicle.

TYLER — Tyler Police arrest a suspect wanted in a reported aggravated assault. Sergio Santiago, 48, Tyler, was contacted by Tyler Police at his residence after the reported incident. The weapon used in the shooting was recovered at his home. Santiago was booked into the Smith County Jail on three counts of Aggravated Assault.

The incident happened around 7:30 at 114 N. Ross. Authorities say several Hispanic males confronted a male resident and at one point, fired two shoots at the victim with a pistol. The suspect’s fled south on N. Ross in a black pickup and a gray four door pickup, possibly a Dodge Ram.

TYLER — Tyler Police say they have located a missing teen. Authorities say they found Devonta Sears, 13, today at Lindsey Park with a friend. He reportedly spent the night with a friend and did not let his mom know. He was reported missing last night around 11:20. Authorities say Sears was dropped off at Moore Middle School last night around 7:20 and never returned home.

HENDERSON — Defendant Michael David Mason Jr. pleads guilty and receives a nine-year prison sentence for evading arrest in a vehicle. A jury had already been seated and trial was set to begin in Henderson when the plea was made. Officials say Mason pulled away as a Rusk County deputy was trying to make a traffic stop last July. According to prosecutors, Mason then led officers on a chase for a number of miles in western Rusk County — exceeding 100 miles per hour at several points and running at least two stop signs at high speed. Mason was finally caught after abandoning his vehicle and fleeing on foot. The judge ruled that Mason’s car was a deadly weapon during the chase, so Mason will have to serve at least half his sentence. He was subject to a maximum ten-year sentence.

JACKSONVILLE — Due to a recent water outage, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required the West Jacksonville Water Supply Corporation to notify all customers to boil their water prior to consumption. The water should be brought to a vigorous boil and then boiled for two minutes. In lieu of boiling, you may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source. Customers will be notified by water system officials when it is no longer necessary to boil the water. You may call (903) 586-7063 with any questions.

TYLER — No tricks, just treats for Tyler ISD classroom teachers and students for Friday�s �Spooktacular� Grant Day from the Tyler ISD Foundation as more than ten campuses receive twelve grants totaling more than $25,000, according to Larry Goddard, Executive Director of the Tyler ISD Foundation. An additional $40,000 in grant awards will be announced at a later date, making the total grant awards more than $65,000 for the full academic year.

�We honor the teachers, teams of teachers, administrators and staff who wrote innovative, forward-thinking projects to help inspire learning, enrich teaching and enhance opportunities for Tyler ISD�s students,� said Goddard. �We received a record number of grant proposals�close to 70�and we used creative grantor decisions to make as many of the programs come to life as possible,� said Goddard. �Our range is from pre-kindergarten proposals to advanced math and science, state of the art technology, to duct tape and cardboard science events�you name it, the teachers have come up with remarkable ideas to help their students. I love the fact that many of the teachers say the grant program �allows them to dream.’ That�s priceless�a teacher�s dream for his or her students�what a wonderful faculty and staff we have at Tyler ISD to spend their time in creating opportunities for their students.�

The recipients for the 2010-2011 academic year are as follows:

1. Dixie Elementary, �Reporters Are Better Readers and Writers� – Diann Darden, Mary Perry, Ashley Henderson, Wheeler Jones, Tracy Schweizer, Mario Moreno, Natasha Balfour, Connie Wood. More than 90 students will be involved in this Reading, Language Arts and Science project. Students will learn to use the program Newsmaker combined with a web cam and microphone to produce well-organized self-written presentations that clearly and concisely convey concepts and information. Emphasis will be made for the fourth graders to improve their delivery on fluency, rhythm, pacing, intonation and expression of their written scripts.

2. Griffin Elementary School, �Read Me a Great Book� – Debra Ketchum, Cynthia Gilbert, Martha Ramirez. Thirty students plus parents from kindergarten to second grade will be involved in this project which supplements the literacy instruction of the school by equipping parents to have what’s termed a fun and engaging read-aloud time at home with their student. Studies show that the single most important activity for building knowledge required for eventual success is reading aloud to children.

3. Bell Elementary Global Communications Academy, �iTouch: Touching Lives in the Classroom and Beyond� – Dr. Keri Hampton, Lisa Brown, Cathy France, Sarah Jane Walker. Impacting 506 students and almost 30 teachers, this campus grant will bring subject areas such as Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Technology together in using iPod Touches to support and enhance classroom instruction by reinforcing foreign language skills, learning sight words, listening to audio books, note taking, and reinforcing math concepts through iPod applications and podcasting. This program will teach students to examine every new technology for its potential to educate.

4. Andy Woods Elementary, �Dancing with the Facts� – Happi Deason, Ashley Phelps. Over 700 students will be impacted by this grant that will provide three sets of Geo-Fitness Mats (75 total student mats); Geo Motion mats help reinforce colors, shapes, math facts and letters.

5. Bonner Elementary, �There�s a Fraction Beat in My Pizza Meat!� – Mrs. Derrell (Debbie) Broughton. With 500 students served, school officials say students will learn a fun and exciting method of exploring and understanding fractions beats in music. By using large and small hand drums, students will learn how to visualize fraction parts in a whole pizza pie.

6. Caldwell Elementary Arts Academy, �All Aboard�for a Journey Through Time� – Laura Lee Field and Sherrill Echols. Kindergarten through fifth graders will be part of a what’s termed fun and educational approach of introducing young students to the classical periods of Art History. The kids will study classical art as well as create drawings, paintings, sculptures and heritage crafts to reinforce the art period and styles of culture.

7. Owens Elementary, �Stop Summer Brain Drain!� – Linda Payne, Jennifer Taylor, Pat Bickley. Over 600 students will be impacted with the goal of lessening summer learning loss � a researched phenomenon. Officials say all young people experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. Using five grade level workbooks containing eight weeks of lessons over fifteen bonus activities created by ThinkStretch, the sessions will be a fun time for students and encourage students and volunteers throughout the summer, according to school officials.

8. Hubbard Middle School, �The Sky�s the Limit� – Deanna Malloy. Over 300 students in construction technology will build this high-flying rubber band powered model airplane. Entitled, �Shoebox Rises Off the Ground Project� the goal is to get the shoebox to fly for forty seconds in a gym and outdoors. This is the starting point for students to learn about the four forces of flight and aerospace technology using alternative energy.

9. Boulter Engineering Prep, �Guitars Give Guidance�- Patricia McCormick. During school �improvement period,� the students will be involved in a program designed to put guitars in the hands of at-risk youth in order that they may have a creative outlet in lieu of misbehavior temptations.

10. Hubbard Middle School, �History Happens, Anytime!� – Katherine Bozick, Candace Veatch, Roger Webb, Whitney Figueroa, Jack Pool, Mandy Sawyer, Cindy Nick, Cindy Loughmiller, Alec Tatum. Close to 1,000 students will be impacted by learning history with advanced technology. Teachers will create and upload audio and video to expand the learning experiences in bringing History to life for middle school students. �StudyCasts� will be used to multiply the enhancement for students. In essence, say school officials, history could happen at any time.

11. Stewart Middle School, �Creative Curriculum with Cardboard and Duct Tape�- Mary McGough and Holly Youngblood. Math and science students (more than 140) will use measurement and Physics, the two lowest scoring objectives on the TAKS tests results, to help them improve their understanding. Students must build box cars using at least three different geometric figures. To qualify for this project, students must complete 25 hours in tutorials for Math and/or Science.

12. Hubbard Middle School, �Mathletes in Action�- Rebecca Clements, Nick Smith, Angelica Brown. Seventh grade math students (325) will be involved in a competitive mathematical virtual world for prizes and bragging rights to be the best in the world, mathematical confidence, and achievement.

Funding for this grant cycle is provided by an Anonymous Donor, The Junior League of Tyler, Inc., Bank of America, and the Retail Merchants of Tyler Fund at East Texas Communities Foundation.

TYLER — We�re in the home stretch in the campaign for the TISD bond issue. Many local groups have endorsed the school bonds, but opponents have mounted a well-funded campaign as well. �We�re on the way up. I�m very happy with the direction we�re going,� Superintendent Randy Reid opened. According to KETK, the cafetorium at Owens Elementary School was set up for 160 people. Considerably fewer showed up. At the last meeting, Superintendent Randy Reid was hit with questions about plan specifics, even though he outlined comprehensively where the money was going. Unlike the last meeting, this time the questions were aimed at information, not combat. Many are worried about the future of Rice Elementary School. The main issue seems to be timing in a limping economy.

NOONDAY — Another Noonday fireman resigned Friday and the assistant fire chief steps down from his position. All this after the Noonday fire chief quit Wednesday. According to KETK, a police report says a Noonday fireman’s car was repossessed because he didn’t have insurance. The repo man who spoke to us earlier this week on terms of anonimity says when he went to repossess the car at the fire station, the assistant fire chief threatened him. Then, when he took possession of the car and took it to Glaspy Auto, the repo man says firemen blocked him in with their cars so he could not get out. As the repo man called the sheriff’s office, his wife took pictures of the fireman at the parking lot.

Travis Barnett was one of the four firefighters there. He got a call that the fireman’s vehicle had been stolen. Barnett says he saw the firemen at Glaspy Auto, so he stopped. Smith County Sheriffs showed up shortly after he got there, Barnett says.

“My name was put into it because i was there, but i was not involved at any time with the incident,” he says. Barnett resigned today because he says doesn’t want to be connected to something like this. “I feel like there’s not enough discipline in that department to be run effectively.”

The now-former chief Dave Timmins resigned Thursday because he said he couldn’t trust other firemen or their alibies. Barnett says, “It’s kind of like when you put 20 people in a room and whisper something in someone’s ear and none of the stories are the same.”

The repo man tells us assistant fire chief Gary Aarant was the ring-leader in the situation. Today, Aarant tells us that everything that has been put against the fire department is false, and they’re going to take care of it.
Today, Aarant stepped down from his position as assistant fire chief.

Smith County Sheriffs are no longer investigating. We’re also told the Noonday Volunteer Fire Department Board will handle the matter. Aarant says this board is made up of community members and Noonday volunteer firefighters.

TYLER � In federal court in Tyler, a Dallas man has pleaded guilty to distributing cocaine. Guillermo Fernando Rojo, 25, entered the plea Thursday in an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith K. Guthrie. Rojo faces at least 10 years and up to Life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set

According to federal prosecutors, up until July 9 of this year, Rojo conspired with others to distribute more than 15 kilograms of cocaine throughout East Texas. Rojo was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 14.