KTBB News, Weather, Talk

MINEOLA (AP/Staff) — Investigators say a pilot inolved in an East Texas plane crash did not have a pilot’s license. The small plane crashed in a wooded area, slightly injuring the pilot. Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Tom Vinger says the accident happened Wednesday morning near Mineola. Vinger says Mark England, 54, of Tyler sustained minor injuries in the crash of the Bearcat Airplane. The DPS has turned the investigation of the case over to the Federal Aviation Administration.

JACKSONVILLE — After several calls to the Police and weekend gang fights involving college students, Jacksonville residents beg for more security. Now, they may finally be getting it. According to KETK, President Miles McCall is laying down some rules, starting with a curfew at the Inn. It’s 11 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends. Other security measures being taken are barricades to block off back entrances and more student expulsions. “One thing is in a small town like Jacksonville, things get more attention. It puts more burden on us to do a better job and we drop the ball sometimes.” The school is also hiring more security officials. Dr. McCall says they will expel any students involved in this week’s fights once police release names.

BUFFALO — A Tyler mail carrier has died in a two vehicle accident On U.S. Highway 79 in Buffalo. The accident, around 1:30 yesterday afternoon, occurred as the driver of a pickup was texting and hit the rear of a stalled 18-wheeler. Killed was Kerina Kaybee Bundy, 20, a passenger in the pickup. She was not wearing her seat belt. The Department of Public Safety reports she died about an hour after the accident at East Texas Medical Center in Fairfield. The pickup’s driver, Jourdon Shadoe Martin, 20, a mail carrier from Chandler, is listed in stable condition at the Fairfield hospital.

GARRISON — A Nacogdoches County man has died while trying to put out a fire that had gotten out of control. Authorities report finding the body of Bill Franklin Smith, 78. He was still holding a rake when his body was found yesterday afternoon on County Road 282 near Garrison. It is felt that he either suffered smoke inhalation or a heart attack. The fire, which spread because of the dry conditions, burned down Smith’s home.

WICHITA, KAN. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department has targeted more than 60 hunters nationwide for allegedly poaching deer during guided hunts at a Kansas club run by two Texas brothers from Nacogdoches County. The scope of the grand jury investigation was revealed in a court filing in a related case involving the facility called Camp Lone Star.

The brothers are James Bobby Butler and Marlin Jackson Butler, both of Martinsville. A federal grand jury in Wichita, Kansas, returned a 23-count indictment against the brothers on May 25th. Federal prosecutors contend the two sold guided hunts to non-resident hunters for the purpose of illegally hunting and killing white-tailed deer and mule deer. Federal authorities say James owned the club while his brother served as a guide.

SCOTTSVILLE — Two workers have been injured in a small explosion at Penn Virginia Oil and Gas LLP, in the Harrison County town of Scottsville. The accident happened around 12:15 Tuesday afternoon as the men were welding on a damper device that was filled with a nitrogen bladder. Investigators say the explosion occurred when the device possibly overheated. One worker was airlifted to LSU Medical Center in Shreveport. The other worker is being treated at Good Shepherd Medical Center-Marshall. Their names have not been released.

TYLER — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White makes another visit to Tyler, this time to promote business growth. He stopped at Stanley’s Famous Pit BBQ to make his case. White supports re-examination of the Texas Enterprise Fund, created to support job creation projects. The former Houston mayor says many firms that took money from the fund have not added jobs. White says economic development money should be put in the hands of chambers of commerce, other professionals, and business people representing their regions — not the hands of politicians.

JACKSONVILLE — Some Lon Morris students have been sent packing following a weekend fight. KETK-TV reports Jacksonville Police responded to a fight at the Inn, which houses more than 300 Lon Morris students. The makeshift residency hall is the Best Value Inn on East Rusk Street. According to Lon Morris President Dr. Miles McCall, “We’ve already sent eight students home; It’s not that we’re not trying to do what we need to do. When you have a lot of kids, you have some that don’t behave right.” Following the incident, school officials enacted a curfew for students living at the inn. It’s from midnight to dawn on Fridays and Saturdays and 11:00pm till dawn on Sundays through Thursdays. McCall is also having a closed meeting with residents in the surrounding neighborhood this week, and he added that security is being increased in the area.

LUFKIN — A woman caught in the middle of a couple’s fight is still recovering. It happened in the 1400 block of Warrant Street Saturday. According to KETK, Lufkin police say the woman was visiting a friend when an argument broke out between the couple. At one point, police say, the woman tried to stop it, but the man got angry and hit her on the back of the head with a glass beer bottle.

JACKSONVILLE — Jury selection began Monday for a Jacksonville man accused of beating a toddler to death. According to KETK, Jamie Backshire faces capital murder charges. He allegedly hit 18-month-old Michael Alexander on his head, torso, arms and legs. His trial is underway today.

TYLER — Tyler Police make one arrest and continue to search for other suspects after a reported robbery Monday night. It happened around 11:30 at the Dovetree Apartments 1600 Rice Road. Police say the victim thought a friend was at the door, when the suspects forced their way into the apartment. The suspects reportedly had a gun and rummaged through the apartment, taking an undisclosed amount of property before fleeing the apartment.

Tyler Police Investigators now say they’ve been able to identify suspects in the case and Channing Javier House, 17, has been arrested on a charge of aggravated robbery. Judge Christi Kennedy, who issued House’s arrest warrant, set bond at $150,000. Investigators say they anticipate additional arrests. Anyone with information is asked to contact Tyler Police.

TYLER — Two persons are in custody in connection with an aggravated assault that occurred just before 7:00 Monday night in the area of Front and Glenwood. The victim told officers that a man assaulted him and threatened him with a firearm. The victim was able to provide a vehicle description, vehicle license plate and indicated that the suspect may live on Outer Drive. The suspect vehicle was located in the 1600 block of Outer Drive.

Officers identified two of the occupants of the suspect vehicle as Liwatha Moore, 49, and Lawetha Swindell, 29. Moore was transported to the Smith County Jail and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Swindell was transported to jail and charged with “false statement/report to a police officer, possession of marijuana less than 2 ounces and “assault A, from the earlier incident.

KEMP (AP) — An east Texas man is jailed on a murder charge in the shooting death of his 23-year-old son after he allegedly spat on his mother. Marcus Russell Sides, 50, of Kemp remained in the Kaufman County Jail in Kaufman on Monday with bond set at $500,000 in the Sunday shooting of Tyler Reed Sides.

A statement issued Monday by the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office says the son had allegedly been drinking heavily all day and became belligerent toward his mother, even spitting on her several times. The ensuing fight between father and son ended with the son shot once in the abdomen. Tyler Sides died later Sunday after being transferred from a Kaufman hospital to one in Dallas.

TYLER — The Democratic challenger in the race for Texas Agriculture Commissioner is charging that incumbent Todd Staples is derelict on the issue of gas pump inspections. But Staples is challenging the allegation. At a news conference Monday, Hank Gilbert of Whitehouse (pictured) said Staples has let too many stations fall through the cracks. The news conference was held Monday at an abandoned gas station on Loop 323. According to Gilbert, “We’re finding routinely 20-40% of the stations that are out of compliance.”

KETK-TV reports as Gilbert spoke to the press, an inspector pulled up and began checking the pumps at that very station. “If you’ll look at the station behind me,” Gilbert told reporters, “it looks like the Texas Department of Agriculture is doing their inspection on those pumps. Because, when we did our Dallas Morning News interview Friday, I highlighted a sticker off of that gas station.”

According to Gilbert, The result of a lax inspection regime is possible overcharging, a problem found in almost 40% the gas pumps in the state between 2007 and now. “We have seen reports and instances filed in particular stations in particular pumps, where people were getting gouged by 12-14 cents a gallon.” He said in Smith County, nearly half were found out of compliance in that period. And how many were referred for enforcement? Only 11%, according to Gilbert. And for that, he blames politicians.

Late Tuesday, the Ag Department released a response to what it terms “recent misleading and inaccurate statistics” regarding TDA consumer protection activities. According to a department news release:

· Since Jan. 1, 2007, TDA inspections have found that 94% of fuel pumps inspected in Texas are accurate. During this same period, TDA’s oversight of ensuring accuracy within the state’s Weights and Measures program has resulted in 379,922 fuel pump inspections statewide.

· During this same time period, the compliance rate for Smith County fuel pumps inspected was also 94%, with 3,675 fuel pumps inspected.

· The unregistered Smith County fuel operator identified in the media this week was found with 6 fuel pumps being accurate; 4 pumps dispensing too much fuel; 1 pump dispensing too little fuel; 4 pumps malfunctioning prior to dispensing fuel; and 11 pumps not in operation. The inaccurate pumps have been shut down, the company is now registered, and further enforcement is pending final investigation.

· Since Jan. 1, 2007, the average amount of time between inspections of registered fuel pumps in Texas has been 2.6 years.

· Since 2007, TDA has quadrupled fines for violations of fuel pumps.

· TDA posts violators on http://www.texasagriculture.gov — the agency website.

· TDA encourages the public to report concerns regarding fuel pumps by calling the 1-800-TELL-TDA hotline.

TYLER — Texas Bank and Trust has selected 14 Tyler Independent School District seniors to serve on its 2010-2011 Student Board of Directors. A reception introducing the Student Board of Directors will be this evening at 7:00 at the Texas Bank and Trust, located at 2323 West Grande Boulevard in Tyler.

TB&T Student Board is a prestigious program recognizing outstanding high school seniors in the community. The students from John Tyler and Robert E. Lee high schools are Maria Araujo, Mickey Cheavens, Meredith Cozby, Raymond Cozby IV, Jessica Emery, Nicholas Freeman, Samantha Hudson, James Landes, Alexandra Lange, Elise Martin, Kaitlyn Martin, Jason McCloskey, Marco Retana and De’Anna Wheeler.

Students were selected based on their grade point average, extra-curricular activities, and afterschool work activities. Students must submit an essay with their application as well as two letters of recommendation from either a faculty member or administrator from the high school the student attends to be considered for the program.

The Tyler ISD seniors who qualified for this year’s program join with 12 other seniors from All Saints, TK Gorman, and Grace Community Schools to make up the senior class for the TB&T program in Tyler.

The student directors will attend meetings throughout the school year where they will learn about banking, budgeting, credit, the stock market, trust and brokerage services, job interviewing, as well as serve as advisors to the bank on three areas of banking technology, the redesign of the bank’s website and the use of social media.