KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Dr. David Scott will be this weeks 2020 Great Decisions Speaker on Wednesday. The meeting will take place at noon at the Tyler Public Library. Dr. Scott will be speaking on “Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.” In the Fall of 2015, Dr. Scott began working at The University of Texas at Tyler, after a thirteen year career in municipal policing in Texas. Continue reading 2020 Great Decisions Continues Wednesday

TYLER — Tyler City Councilman Broderick McGee will officially kick off his re-election campaign for City Council District is next Monday. The launch takes place at the Rose Garden Center from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m, on February 10th. On Monday the Councilman told KTBB, “I am excited about the future of Tyler.Even before I came onto the council, one of the things we realized we needed was a new type convention center, and now we are in the design phase of the New Rose Center.” Continue reading McGee To Hold Re-Election Kickoff in coming Days

NACOGDOCHES — The Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office has found Macy Lyn Taliaferro, 27. She was reported missing by her husband on Saturday but is now reported safe and in good health. Authorities are voicing their appreciation to those who helped in the search.

FLINT — Residents in South Tyler are ready to stand up and voice their opinions. In a meeting held Saturday, more than 200 people attended to learn more about the proposed concrete batch plant that will possibly be built off Burkett Road. According to our news partner KETK, Tycon Ready Mix has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for the ability to: authorize construction of a permanent Concrete Batch Plant located at the following driving directions: from the intersection of Hunters Trail and County Road 139 (Burkett Road), go north on County Road 139 for approximately 180 feet, site entrance will be on the right, Flint, Smith County, Texas 75762. Their application was submitted to the TCEQ on December 20. Continue reading Concrete Plant Responds to Concerned Flint Community

TYLER — A Tyler man accused of attempted rape and kidnapping at Rose Rudman Park last year has been indicted on new charges of biting and punching three jail guards. According to our news partner KETK, James Roberts, 33, was charged with kidnapping and sexual abuse in March 2019. Roberts allegedly tackled a woman in the park and dragged her into the woods. According to new court documents, Roberts allegedly attacked three Smith County jailers on October 17, and proceeded to bite and punch them. The jailers were eventually able to subdue him. Continue reading Accused Rose Rudman Attacker faces New Charges

TYLER — When Traditions opened twenty years ago in Tyler, they did so by giving to the Salvation Army. On Friday, Cindy Bell told KTBB the gift came at a crucial time, “we were just in the beginning stages of building the Center of Hope that today houses over 150 men, women, and children each night, serves over 5,000 meals per week, and provides daily support and opportunities.” Traditions will continue to honor their heritage on Monday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., when the cafeteria will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from all dine in guests to those in need, and give patrons an opportunity to also get involved.

FLINT — Residents in Flint raised concerns on Thursday over a potential concrete plant attempting to make their way into the area. According to our news partner KETK, the plant expects to build off Burkett Road near Flint Baptist Church and many family residences. People who live in the Forest View subdivision say they are concerned about air quality and noise. Continue reading Opposition to New Concrete Plant in Flint

TYLER — Tyler Junior College enrollment numbers continue to rise with the Spring attendance numbers released. TJC’s numbers climbed to 11,672 for Spring 2020. Kim Lessner, TJC vice president for marketing and enrollment services and chief communications officer, reported those numbers on Thursday during a scheduled meeting of the TJC Board of Trustees. TJC President Dr. Juan E. Mejia said, “We are enthused and excited as we correlate enrollment with providing access to families from our communities.” Continue reading TJC Sets Record in Spring Enrollment

TYLER — An accident on Thursday afternoon on Chandler Hwy claimed the life of a Chandler woman. Tammy Jo Mahon, 48 died in the fatal accident. Tyler police say the cause of the accident is still being investigated. A pick up truck struck another vehicle traveling in the same direction. The truck exited the roadway and rolled, partially ejecting Mahon. The second vehicle had 2 occupants that were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

TYLER –Fifty-Five-year and older seniors will be eligible for free tax services at the Tyler Senior Center starting on Monday. The service will continue Monday’s and Wednesday’s through the tax deadline April 15th. AARP’s Certified Public Accountants will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Services will be rendered on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants must bring their 2019 Tax Documents. Continue reading Free Tax Services Scheduled for Seniors

LONGVIEW — The Texas State Teachers Association filed a lawsuit Thursday against Longview Independent School District, accusing the district of violating the percentage of a district’s students who can be enrolled in charter schools. According to our news partner KETK, the total Longview enrollment is 8,457 students with six campuses converted to charters. The number of students enrolled in charter school was 2,908 which is more than double the 1,268 who account for the maximum limit. Representatives for LISD were not immediately available for comment.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man has been arrested following a fatal shooting Thursday afternoon. It happened around 11:30 at Ware Meadows Apartments on High Street. According to Longview Police, Brandon Keith Harris, 36, reportedly walked into the apartment complex and shot a female victim. He is said to have fired several more rounds, then ran into the neighboring woods. Police set up a perimeter and located Harris. The victim was taken to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. Harris was booked into the Gregg County Jail on a capital murder charge. His bond was set at $1 million.

KILGORE –Kilgore College announced on Thursday that registration is currently underway at Kilgore College for two human resource classes offered by Workforce Development-Community Education. The classes include SHRM Learning System® which will start on Feb. 18, and SHRM Essentials of Human Resources® will begin on March 23. Space is limited so students are encouraged to enroll as soon as possible. Deadline to register for the SHRM Learning System® class is Feb. 10. Continue reading Registration Underway for Two Human Resource Classes in Kilgore

TYLER – On Thursday, the Tyler ISD board of trustees approved TISD Athletic Director Greg Priest’s recommendation of Joe Willis as the new head football coach for Robert E. Lee High School. When asked about his State Title in 2012 Coach Willis told KTBB, “you know anytime you accomplish that kind of goal, a lot of things had to go right. There’s got to be a lot of good things in place, there’s got to be a great administration that supports athletics and believes in the mission of football really, and then you’ve got to have great kids, and you put those kind of combinations together. I’ll be honest, I would not be here today, if I did not feel like that could happen right here in Tyler and you can have something special. You play right next to Christmas and that’s really what our goal is.” Continue reading Willis Hired as New Tyler Lee Head Football Coach

TYLER — Students in the Tyler ISD Fire Academy program experienced a unique learning opportunity in class on Wednesday. Jennifer Hines told KTBB on Thursday, “Fire Academy teacher, Mike Baker, ignited hay inside of a scaled dollhouse to initiate a smoke and fire situation. By doing that they were able to see first hand the processes of heat transfer, things like smoke and flame production, also the spread and ventilation of uncontrolled fires.” Continue reading TISD Firefighting Students Learn in Live Simulation at CTC Academy

TYLER — The 8th year of Lighten Up East Texas is underway and it’s not too late to register, but time is running out. Terrance Ates told KTBB on Thursday, “the “weigh-in-period” and registration ends on Friday. Every person who weighs-in will need to return to your weighing location between, April 27th through May 1st.” Entrants who have lost at least 5% of their registered starting weight by May 1st, 2020, will become entered into our Grand Prize Drawings scheduled for May 14. One person is going to win a $5,000 cash prize. More details are available by clicking the link. https://www.fitcitytyler.com/lightenupeasttexas

TYLER — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office and the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office are looking for information regarding two aggravated robberies committed about two years ago by what appear to be the same white male suspects. On January 25, 2018, around 10 p.m., the Aces High liquor store in Winona was robbed at gunpoint. The suspects took several hundred dollars in cash as well as several bottles of liquor. The suspects used a camo duffle bag and a red Adidas duffle bag to carry the money and liquor. Continue reading Authorities Seek Leads in 2018 Robberies

CHAPEL HILL — Chapel Hill students are said to be safe after a student was detained with a BB gun Wednesday. That’s according to our news partner KETK. In a statement, school officials say “the administration will take appropriate disciplinary action in line with the district’s code of conduct and district policy. We want to stress that at no time today was there any immediate danger to any students or staff members. The procedures that we have in place allowed us to handle this situation with little disruption to other students in the building, most of whom were unaware that a weapon had been brought to school.”

LINDALE — An Indoor Triathlon is coming to Lindale at the Trinity Mother Francis Lindale Center. On Wednesday Debra Abbuhl told KTBB, “Particpants will Swim, Bike & Run through the event comprised of a 20-minute swim, 20-minute stationary bike ride and 20-minute treadmill run timed on a 60 minute running clock for distance.” The total distance traveled in 60 minutes will determine 1st, 2nd & 3rd places for each co-ed division. For more details click the link. https://www.facebook.com/events/christus-trinity-mother-frances-health-and-fitness-lindale/202020-indoor-triathlon/2173421909653322/

LONGVIEW — Effective Feb. 1, the city of Longview’s base sanitation rate will increase $1.25 per month for all residential and commercial customers due to an increase in recycling costs. According to a news release, the rate increase was discussed by the City Council on Dec. 12 and approved on Jan. 9. The increase comes after Rivers Recycling, the local material recovery facility, increased the cost per ton for the city’s recyclable materials. Since 2017, U.S. recycling exports to China, previously among the largest international buyers of recyclable material, have massively fallen off as China increased the standard of cleanliness required to accept shipments. Visit https://www.longviewtexas.gov/2550/Rates-and-Fees to view Longview’s full rate schedule.

PALESTINE — The City of Palestine is issuing notice of possible water outage for Court Drive due to repair of water leaks. The repairs were scheduled to begin at approximately 10 p.m. Wednesday. Depending on the degree of repairs required, a water outage may occur after that hour, according to a news release. Officials say no other streets will be affected by this advisory. If you have questions concerning this matter, you may contact Felipe Garcia at (903) 731-8423.

WASHINGTON D.C.- With opening arguments concluded, Senators begin asking questions in the impeachment proceedings for President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, District 1 Congressman Louie Gohmert told KTBB, “I have sat through a couple days of the proceedings, and the house has still not proved treason, bribery, high-crime, or mis-demeanor. Those are all crimes, and that is what was anticipated.” Continue reading Congressman Gohmert on Senate Trial from Washington

TYLER — Tyler ISD joined districts across the state to train staff and students on how to administer emergency aid. Rachel Barber, Director of Health Services, said, “Knowing how to administer emergency aid during traumatic situations can be the first step in saving lives.” With that thought in mind, the district took Tuesday to train and equip the staff of TISD. House Bill 496, passed by the Texas Legislature, requires public schools and open-enrollment charter schools to be equipped with traumatic injury training and response protocol known as Stop the Bleed. Continue reading Stop the Bleed Training at TISD

KILGORE — Kilgore authorities announced a road maintenance project on Wednesday that will impact Martin Luther King Drive, closing it through Friday. Kilgore police urge drivers to plan ahead and be cautious in the area.The closure will be from Highway 31 to Sanders Street, and will last from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day so that the street department can make necessary repairs to the roadway.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Residents that lost trees in the Tornado seasons of 2017 to 2019 will have a chance to replace them in Van Zandt County for free. According to our news partner KETK, the Texas A&M Forest Service has donated hardwood seedlings that are Cedar Elm and Live Oaks ranging from 18″ to 2 ft. tall. They also have about 350 pine saplings. Trees will be available while they last on a first come first serve basis. The schedule for pick up times will be Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Van Zandt County Fairgrounds on Hwy 64 in Canton. Each family will be limited to four hardwood seedlings and four pine saplings.

TYLER — A UT Tyler student has started an online petition after a decision was made by the university to change the Spring graduation venue. According to our news partner KETK, the petition came about when the school decided to relocate the event outdoors to the new Patriots Plaza and hold just one graduation event, instead of separating schools with in the college. Continue reading UT Tyler Student Starts Petition Protesting New Site

CARTHAGE — The Murder Re-Trial is set for a Kilgore Woman. According to our news partner KETK, on Monday the case was pushed back until May. Deborah Smiley McFadden was found guilty in 2017 for shooting her boyfriend, Edward George Jr. in 2003. McFadden was sentenced to 40 years in prison. In February of 2018, a new trial was ordered, and she is now released on bond.The trail proceedings were changed because her attorney was involved in a federal jury trial and the Special Prosecutor assigned to McFadden’s case did not have adequate time to become familiar with her case.

TYLER –With property taxes due Friday, Smith County Tax Assessor-Collector Gary Barber said his office will stay open later Thursday and Friday, and he will add a drive-thru option on Friday. As of Tuesday, the Smith County Tax Office has deposited $247 million in property tax payments. That is about $14 million more than this time last year. Barber’s office mailed out 186,000 tax statements last October. The bills are due upon receipt, and to avoid delinquency must be paid online, walked in or postmarked by January 31, 2020. Continue reading Smith County Property Taxes Due Friday

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department will be over-seeing the next Civil Service Exam for the position of police cadet on Saturday, February 15th at 9:00 am. The testing will be carried out at Tyler Junior College West on S SW Loop 323. Info App packets can be picked up at Tyler City Hall or by clicking the link. https://www.cityoftyler.org/government/departments/police-department/careers/recruiting/applicant-notification-and-minimum-requirements. Continue reading City of Tyler to Administer Civil Exam