KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — A former T.K. Gorman assistant basketball coach accused of attempted sexual assault has a trial date August 19 . According to our news partner KETK, Jakeal Lockett, 25, was accused of breaking into a UT Tyler student’s apartment around 1:00 a.m. on February 24 and attempted to kiss her numerous times. Lockett was the middle school boy’s basketball coach and assistant varsity boy’s basketball coach at Bishop Gorman Catholic High School in Tyler. Lockett was arrested in March for assault and has since been held in the Smith County Jail on a $250,000 bond since that arrest. If convicted, Lockett will face five years to life in prison.

AUSTIN — On Thursday, Governor Abbott celebrated two East Texas-linked bills he signed into law in June. At two state capitol events, Abbott re-signed laws dealing with religious liberty and lemonade stands. The controversial “Chick-fil A Law” was authored by State Senator Bryan Hughes of Mineola. That law prevents local governments from discriminating against companies like Chick-fil-A due to its financial support of religious organizations. Abbott was surrounded by some of the children who testified before the state legislature earlier this year in favor of a law legalizing lemonade stands. That bill grew out of an Overton case, and Abbott called the measure common sense.

TYLER — Old Bullard Road in Tyler between Timberwilde Drive and Rice Road reopened on Thursday afternoon. According to Tyler City Officials the project involved the installation of three additional 5′ x 3′ concrete box culverts under Old Bullard Road among other items. Construction began in May and was scheduled through late September. The project was completed 5 weeks ahead of schedule.

TYLER –The University of Texas at Tyler Hibbs Institute reports the Tyler Metropolitan Statistical Area doing favorably in terms of gross domestic product. The Per Capita Real GDP is just over $64,000 dollars. In fact, the city ranks second out of 12 Texas cities in GDP (the total value of all final goods and services, adjusted by population and inflation) – 2nd only to Dallas. For more information click the link… https://www.uttyler.edu/hibbs-institute/files/briefs/2019/hibbs-brief-a-simple-explanation-of-gross-domestic-product.pdf.

SMITH COUNTY — Construction is underway on County Road 168, in front of Owens Elementary School. The road is currently one lane with a pilot car directing drivers. The work includes widening the entire length of the 3.5 mile project, replacing a box culvert and widening the turn lanes in front of the school. The project has two stages. Currently work is concentrated in front of Owens Elementary. This chapter should be finished before school starts. The contractor has two additional months to complete the rest of the project.

TROUP — An interlocal agreement approved by Smith County Commissioners Court and Troup City Council has plans for County Road 2185 moving forward. Smith County Road and Bridge has already started prepping for the project. Smith County crews will be updating CR 2185, which turns into the City of Troup’s County Line Road; it is also being improved at the same time. Smith County will also pave Church Street and Pascal Road. The city of Troup will pay Smith County for materials and labor done to its roads. Road and Bridge crews are expected to begin paving next week.

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler announced on Thursday that Dr. Mary Fischer, professor of accounting in the Soules College of Business, has been honored for her many contributions to the accounting industry. Fischer received the 2019 American Accounting Association Government and Nonprofit Section’s Enduring Lifetime Contribution Award in recognition of her impeccable career of service for a lifetime contribution to government and nonprofit accounting. Fischer has taught accounting at UT Tyler since 1996.

LONGVIEW — A missing Longview woman has Longview Police asking for your help. According to our news partner KETK, Shantay Levee Brown, 49, was last seen by her family at the end of June. She reportedly is five feet tall and weighs about 110 pounds. Police says she has black hair and brown eyes, along with a scar in the center of her chin. If you have any knowledge of her whereabouts, contact Longview Police or Detective Terry Davis at 903-237-1199.

GREGG COUNTY — Two family members are jailed in Gregg County after reportedly shooting each other with BB guns. According to the Longview News-Journal, the mom and son duo were arrested Tuesday morning following a deadly conduct call. 56-year-old Michelle Williams Preston and 36-year-old Shawn Phillip Moore, both from Kilgore, have been charged with aggravated assault with a weapon. Preston was also charged with terroristic threat against a peace officer and resisting arrest, search or transport. Preston admitted to firing the handgun toward Moore during the altercation. Continue reading Mother and Son Arrested following BB Gun Shootout

HENDERSON COUNTY — Thousands have come to the defense of a school bus driver in East Texas. They’ve signed a petition appealing to the Henderson County District Attorney to drop charges against John Stevens. The 78-year-old bus driver with the Athens school district was indicted on two separates charges related to a crash with a train that killed a 13-year-old boy and injured a 9-year-old girl. Court papers say Stevens had stopped at the crossing before driving onto the tracks. A change.org petition now has more than 4,000 signatures. Some of the signers say they’re familiar with that crossing and it’s dangerous. One called it a “death trap.” Continue reading Support Grows for Athens Bus Driver Involved in Deadly Crash

ATHENS — A Mabank woman accused of shooting and killing her daughters has been sentenced to life without parole. According to our news partner KETK, Sarah Henderson, 31, pleaded guilty in the November 2017 deaths of 5- and 7-year-old KayLee and Kenlie Henderson. Police found the daughters with gunshot wounds to their heads. Sarah Henderson was also charged with the attempted murder of her husband. Officials say Henderson had planned the murders for two weeks and was attempting to kill her entire family. After she shot her daughters, she tried to kill her husband, but the gun jammed. Henderson attempted to plead insanity in 2018 but was found competent to stand trial.

TYLER — We now know more from a July 2017 plane crash leaving Tyler Pounds airport. According to our news partner KETK, the plane crash killed two people, including a Brownsboro pastor. William Robert Walls III and Pastor Trevor Morris both died in the crash. Morris left behind five children. The plane’s wreckage was one-half mile from the Tyler Pounds Airport runway. Damage found on scene suggested the right engine was not operating at the time of impact. The reason for the loss of right engine power could not be determined based on available information. The Morris family has a pending wrongful death lawsuit against three different East Texas companies related to the crash.

QUITMAN — A Wood County jury on Wednesday acquitted Jason Walters of murder. Walters, of Mineola, was on trial for shooting 19-year-old Christopher Griffin at the Mineola EZ Mart in 2014. According to our news partner KETK, the verdict came in Wednesday afternoon shortly after 3:15. Mineola police say Walters and Griffin got into an argument that started inside the convenience store and the two went into the outside alley, where the shooting occurred.

KILGORE — The city pool in Kilgore is hosting its second free dive-in movie on Thursday. The 1975 summer blockbuster “Jaws” will play at 8:30 p.m. The pool will be open at 7:30 for a free swim before the show. LED lights will have the pool ablaze in red. Kilgore City Pool reminds people that “Jaws” is intended for an older age demographic, due to violent scenes. For more information on the dive-in movie click the link. https://www.facebook.com/events/444950342994002.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Chamber was among several selected from 1,300 chambers of commerce through out the U.S. and Canada. “Chamber of the Year” is the most prestigious and competitive award presented by ACCE and is the only globally-recognized industry award that celebrates top chambers of commerce. Kelly Hall, CEO and President of the Longview Chamber summarized the Chambers feeling by saying, “This is an exciting time for the Longview Chamber! Our work is strategic, intentional and is being recognized nationwide.”

LONGVIEW — Ashly James is one of two girls selected from Texas that will take part in Girls Nation, a mock-government program. According to our news partner KETK, Ashly was chosen out of 600 girls in the state to be a Girls Nation Senator. Ashly is a senior at Pine Tree High School. Her future plans include studying criminal law or business law. Girls Nation is an annual civic training program run by the American Legion Auxiliary. It’s a virtual reality mock-up event where she and other girls will run for office, elect a president, and even work to pass legislation.

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler announced that the University and Tyler Junior College are collaborating in the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Summer Research Academy. 5 UT Tyler students and 2 TJC students have been accepted as 2019 fellows. The aim is to enhance STEM research and education. The program is also formulated to provide research experiences to undergraduate students from under represented populations and encourage them to pursue graduate-level science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man is set to face a jury in September after making threats to Longview and Kilgore high schools. According to our news partner KETK and the Longview News-Journal, David Alexander Nelson, 22, had his trial moved from July 15 to September 16. The threats were reportedly made on the messaging app Snapchat beginning in October of 2018 against Kilgore High School. Nelson confessed to creating the posts as a prank, according to Kilgore police, but he now faces a charge of making a terroristic threat. Threats to Longview High School resulted in an all-call to parents. The call and concern about the threats led to many parents taking their children home for the day. After two days of investigation, Kilgore investigators determined the threats were made at a residence in Elderville. Nelson was arrested and booked into the Gregg County Jail October 28, 2018.

TYLER — The City of Tyler’s Solid Waste Department recognized twelve drivers for safety excellence from their team of wheelmen. The period highlights the past 6 months of safety, covering January of this year through June. The Solid Waste drivers that received the Semi-Annual Driver Safety Award are Adrian Black, Sharnette Butler, Thomas Blaylock, Cameron Clayton, Alaric Jordan, Quinton Moore, Marquis Johnson, Frederick Jones, Stephen Gaddie, Mark Smith, Michael Williams and James Williams.

TYLER — A Lindale man accused of setting a hospital bed on fire last August has pleaded guilty to criminal mischief after an arson charge against him was dropped. According to our news partner KETK, 21-year-old Mason Wyatt was arrested last year at the UT Health Main Campus for reportedly setting fire to a hospital bed. No one was injured in the affair. The arson charge was a second-degree felony, and the criminal mischief charge is a simple state jail felony. Wyatt awaits his sentencing with a maximum of two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The hearing is scheduled for August 5.

TYLER — A total of 10 different Tyler fire stations will benefit from a donation from Planet Fitness of Tyler. The workout facility announced Tuesday its donation of gym gear to the City of Tyler Fire Department. The equipment will offer additional resources to local firefighters, in an effort to further their physical commitment and dedication to protecting the city. Assistant Chief Michael Frost will deliver 36 machines on behalf of the health club.

LONGVIEW — Some good news for folks affected by the storms on May 8th. Help is on the way in the form of low interest loans offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. People impacted by the storms may be eligible as a renter, property owner or landowner. The Longview Fire Department Training Center will have agents on hand Tuesday through the following Thursday, July 25th. Applicants may also apply online. The disaster provides assistance to 11 Texas counties impacted including Gregg, Smith and Upshur counties. The deadline to apply is September 9th. The deadline to apply for economic injury is April 10th of next year. For more info go to https://longviewtexas.gov/civicalerts.aspx?AID=2000.

ANGELINA COUNTY — Residents in Angelina County are urged to be on the lookout for mail theft. So far, two suspects have been arrested for stealing mail. According to our news partner KETK, Angelina County Sheriff Greg Sanches said, ““What we’re asking is people to make sure they get with their neighborhood, kind of keep an eye out,” said Angelina County Sheriff Greg Sanches. “If you’ve got cameras you can at least point your camera toward your mailbox.” The sheriff says the thefts are happening in the rural communities. The sheriff also said the thieves have postal service decals on their vehicles and are driving right up to the mailboxes. Continue reading Mail Theft on the Rise in Angelina County

MARSHALL — The East Texas Baptist University School of Nursing has attained a 100 percent pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for the fifth consecutive year. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing recently confirmed that all ETBU Spring 2019 nursing graduates passed the NCLEX. For the Fall 2019 semester, over 195 students have declared nursing as their major. Nearly 500 nurses have graduated from ETBU since the program’s inception in the 1990s.

TYLER — Tyler Junior College continues New Student Orientation sessions this week — July 15, 16, 18 and 19 — for students entering TJC in the 2019 fall semester. TJC will offer the 3 final sessions August 6-8. Orientation introduces students to life at TJC and offers new Apaches an opportunity to register early for their fall semester classes. For more info check the KTBB Calendar of Events.

TYLER — The Texas Department of Transportation has kicked off summer seal coat operations in the Tyler District. Work is currently underway in Cherokee and Rusk counties. The process seals the roadway keeping water out and requiring less maintenance while providing a new driving surface for motorists. Motorists can expect lane closures and travel delays as the work continues for the next several weeks across the Tyler district’s eight counties. The installation of final striping and buttons will follow the seal coat operations.

ATHENS — Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse announced in a press release on Monday his intent for re-election in 2020. He was elected in 2016 and ran on a platform of cracking down on drugs, particularly methamphetamines. “With drug intervention and the changing economy, meth production once common in this county has almost disappeared completely,” he said. So far, Hillhouse is uncontested in his race.

TYLER — The “Golden Anniversary” of Apollo 11 occurs in less than a week, Saturday, Tyler Junior College began celebrations early featuring Tyler Junior College alumnus and former NASA engineer, Charles R. Price. According to our news partner KETK, Price presented, ’50 years with NASA’ covering his work with NASA on Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 missions. Price was on the team designing the path Apollo would take to the moon. July 20 is the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and TJC will host another event called ‘Moon Day’. For more info click here. http://sciencecenter.tjc.edu/event/0dbffe408f2f91176506c96d7b6a3e0f

TYLER — The countdown to the 86th annual Texas Rose Festival continues following Friday night’s Kick Off Celebration at Tyler’s Willow Brook Country Club. Rose Queen Hanna Claire Waits says she’s been busy in the months since she assumed the title. She tells KTBB “it’s been really fun so far” meeting the kids from out of town who are part of the festival and “letting them see what the Rose Festival is really about and…the awesome impact that it has on our community.” As Hanna and her court continue rehearsals, she also acknowledged “the hundreds of volunteers” who “are working backstage constantly, making sure we’re all in the right place, that everybody’s calm.” Public ticket sales begin September 1, and the festival is set for October 17th through 20th. Go to http://www.texasrosefestival.com to learn more.