KTBB News, Weather, Talk

BULLARD – According to Jacksonville fire authorities, an ambulance caught fire on its way from Jacksonville to Tyler Saturday afternoon around 4 o’clock. KETK reports it happened on Highway 69 near Bullard. We’re told there was a passenger on board at the time, but no one was injured. One person on scene says a problem with the engine apparently sparked the blaze. The ambulance is a total loss.

LONGVIEW – Five Gregg County jail workers and supervisors either were fired or resigned Friday. According to KETK and its news partner, the Longview News Journal, the moves come after a week-long investigation revealed misuse of Taser devices at the jail. The employees reportedly used the Tasers on each other in acts of horseplay, which officials term a direct violation of Sheriff’s office policies and procedures.

TYLER — Tyler police officers make an arrest in a vehicle burglary. Police responded to a burglary of vehicle in progress call Saturday at around 4:40 p.m. in the 800 block of East Front. A man identified as Willard Loggins had allegedly entered a vehicle without the owner�s consent in a parking lot in the 500 block of Mulberry St. Police say the suspect then left on foot. According to authorities, an alert citizen observed the incident and called TPD Dispatch. The citizen followed Loggins to the 800 block of E. Front St., where Loggins was apprehended by officers. A backpack that was taken from the vehicle was recovered with the assistance of the witness. The property was returned to the rightful owner.

ELKHART (AP/Staff) – The state agency that oversees foster care in Texas continually dismissed allegations of abuse at an Elkhart home that took in dozens of children before the same charges led to a successful criminal prosecution. Court records show how the Department of Family and Protective Services ruled out allegations of sex abuse against foster parent James Vick on three occasions before he pleaded guilty to 18 counts of indecency with a child and was sentenced to 20 years in prison last year. Foster care experts say the mounting allegations, even if unproven, should have been a red flag. The district attorney who prosecuted the case says it shows how agency investigations are flawed. An agency spokesman says mistakes were made, but they aren’t indicative of a larger problem.

ATHENS (AP/Staff) — A memorial service is planned Wednesday in Dallas for the slain son of former Governor Bill Clements. Henderson County Sheriff Ray Nutt says the body unearthed on Howard Granger�s property on County Road 4609 was positively identified Sunday as Ben Gill Clements. He had been reported missing on October 21. Authorities had been trying to determine whether the body found over the weekend was that of Clements. Nutt says a wallet belonging to Clements, who was 69, was recovered as authorities worked to identify the body. Clements, a neighbor of Granger�s, was first reported missing on Thursday. When authorities on Friday went to search Granger�s ranch, officials say he began shooting at them and Granger was killed. Officials later found Clements�s body in a shallow grave on Granger�s property.

TYLER — The Tyler Red Cross is helping observe October as National Fire Prevention Month. Red Cross staffers say the biggest disaster threat to families across our nation every day isn�t floods, hurricanes or tornadoes; it�s fire. On average, nationally, the American Red Cross responds to more than 63,000 fires each year. That�s about 170 responses a day or one every eight minutes. Locally the Smith County Chapter responds to approximately 150 of those fires each year.

Red Cross officials say home fires can strike quickly and without warning, devastating lives and property. But unlike other disasters, officials say, most home fires can be prevented. The Red Cross says it’s committed to giving people the information they need to reduce their risk of home fires, and to helping people recover after a fire happens. At any time of day or night, trained Red Cross volunteers respond to the scene of fires and provide food, shelter, and emotional support to those affected.

The Red Cross encourages people to remember two key fire safety steps to protect their home and loved ones from fires: Get a smoke alarm, and have a fire escape plan. Red Cross staffers say smoke alarms save lives. Statistics show 65 percent of home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or with smoke alarms that don�t work. Staffers advise:

– Make sure you have a smoke alarm on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.
– Test your smoke alarm once a month by pushing the test button, and replace the batteries at least once a year.

According to Red Cross officials, fires can spread throughout your home in minutes, so when every second counts, having a plan can help you escape. Officials say home fire escape plans should include at least two ways to escape from every room of your home. Also, you’re advised to select a meeting spot at a safe distance from your home where family members can go after escaping. After discussing your plan with all members of your household, officials say, you should practice the plan twice a year. You can visit http://www.redcross.org/homefires for more information on how to reduce your risk of home fires or to help your neighbors recover after a fire.

Red Cross staffers also say that while big, visible earthquakes and hurricanes often bring donations into the Red Cross, they often struggle to pay for smaller disasters like home fires. You can help people affected by disasters like fires as well as other local crises in our area by making a donation to support your local American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Staffers add that your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters. You can visit http://www.smithcounty.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS to make a donation. You can also text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation from your mobile phone. Contributions may also be sent to the American Red Cross Smith County Chapter at P. O. Box 8588, Tyler, TX 75711.

TYLER — PATH’s annual Coats for Kids coat drive is coming up short and needs more community support, according to PATH staffers. The drive began October 1 and continues through the end of the month. PATH holds this special drive each fall to collect warm, winter coats for children ages infant-18 years. Right now, donations are down — and with the end of the month approaching, PATH officials project the need of 1,500 additional coat donations before the November distribution. The agency reported Thursday that only 80 coats had been donated. PATH community outreach coordinator Becky Duncan says, “In order to accommodate 1,000 children – which is how many we gave coats to last year, so we could easily have more this year – we are going to need about 1,500 coats.”

New coat donations can be taken to the PATH office, 402 W. Front St., Tyler. Gently-used winter coats may be taken to any participating dry cleaners displaying the “Coats for Kids” collection site poster including Dry Clean Super Center, Eagle Cleaners, Hart�s Cleaners, VIP Cleaners, Lucky�s Cleaners, Regency Cleaners, Shannon�s Cleaners, West Gentry Dry Cleaners and Lindale Cleaners. The coats will be distributed Saturday, November 20, from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m., and on Sunday, November 21 from 1-5 p.m., across the street from PATH at 411 W. Front St., Tyler. For more information or if you would like to volunteer to help with Coats for Kids, contact Becky Duncan at becky@tylerpath.org or call 903.597-4044, ext. 120.

AUSTIN — September unemployment in the two major East Texas markets follows a statewide improvement trend. Tyler’s rate dipped to 7.3 percent from 7.8 in August — and 8.1 percent in September of last year. In Longview, unemployment fell to 7.1 percent; it was at 7.6 in August and, like Tyler, 8.1 percent in September of 2009.

TYLER — Police are investigating a Tyler accident that injured a child. Around 4:40 p.m. Friday, police received a report that the youngster had been struck by a vehicle at Townsend and Line. Responding officers determined that a van was traveling south when two small children riding bicycles rode out in front of the van and one child was struck. The child was transported to East Texas Medical Center for examination and treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

TYLER — The citizen activist group Grassroots America – We the People is again responding to TISD bond supporters as the group continues its stand against the bond, which is on the November ballot. According to the group’s executive director, JoAnn Fleming, GAWTP “is a bit shocked” and “a little bit confused” at the reaction to word that 50% of the newly built elementary schools will be overcrowded in less than five years. Fleming says, “We certainly didn’t expect to have the new schools be overcrowded so soon. So GAWTP is asking Tyler ISD to take seriously the consulting report that tells them they need to redraw attendance lines so that we can get the population of Tyler ISD dispersed around so that we can maximize the use of the facilities we have, including the new ones.”

Vote Yes Committee spokesman Andy Bergfeld had responded that if the schools do go over capacity, it can be dealt with when it happens � perhaps by building more schools. He even said that would be a good thing � that it would mean the school district is growing and doing some things right. Bergfeld added, �We know overcrowding is an issue � that is why we need to stay the course and build these schools.� At last report, Vote Yes had yet to respond to Fleming’s latest comments.

LONGVIEW — Longview police admit serving a narcotics warrant at the wrong location. On October 20 at around 11:10 p.m., the Longview Police Department SWAT Team assisted the Gregg County Organized Drug Enforcement (CODE) Unit by serving a narcotics search warrant at 825 Beaumont Street. As the SWAT Team approached the residence, one of the narcotics suspects was outside standing in the street in front of 823 Beaumont Street. According to police, this caused Team members to mistakenly believe 823 Beaumont was the target location, instead of the house next door at 825 Beaumont Street. SWAT made entry into 823 Beaumont Street and detained the residents inside. Police say no one was injured during the incident and it was discovered quickly that SWAT was at the wrong location.

Authorities say the Longview Police Department has issued a formal apology to the residents at 823 Beaumont Street and is currently working to repair any damages to the home. According to police, an internal investigation is being conducted to ensure this type of mistake does not occur again.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP/Staff) – UT Tyler gets to keep an administrator who’d been in the running for the top post at another university. The Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System has chosen the system’s vice president for business and finance as the next president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe. System spokeswoman Jackie Tisdell says the board voted Friday for Nick Bruno. One of the three finalists interviewed Friday was Peter J. Fos, provost and executive vice president at UT Tyler. Bruno will replace James Cofer, who left ULM at the end of July to become president at Missouri State University in Springfield.

TYLER — Two suspects are picked up in a Tyler robbery that happened weeks ago. Tyler Police Investigators received a tip on the identity of one of the suspects involved in the robbery of a donut shop located at 1627 S. Vine St. that occurred on September 2. As a result of the information that was given, an investigator was able to identify both suspects who were allegedly responsible for the armed robbery. Arrested were 21-year-old Jeremy Antoine Black and 22-year-old Marquette Bernard Johnson. Both suspects have been charged with aggravated robbery and placed in Smith County Jail on a $300,000 bond.

TYLER — Another drug bust in Smith County. According to KETK, a warrant was served for Eugene Cook Gordon at a house on Highway 14 Thursday. Deputies found 60 pounds of marijuana and a couple of ounces of meth and cocaine — all with an estimated street value of $37,000. They also found two firearms and $4,000 in cash. Gordon is already out of jail.

GILMER — The Gilmer Fire Chief steps down. Mike Melton resigned earlier this week following an investigation into allegations of misuse of money and credit cards belonging to the Gilmer Fire Department. According to KETK, no charges have been filed against Melton and it’s unclear the dollar amount involved.