KTBB News, Weather, Talk

KILGORE – M. Roberts Media is expanding its holdings in East Texas. The company, which recently purchased the Tyler Morning Telegraph, is now buying the Kilgore News Herald. The company also owns the Longview News Journal and the Marshall News Messenger. The paper says it can trace its roots back to the early days of the East Texas oil boom and has changed hands several times. Terms of the deal between M. Roberts Media and News Herald owner Bluebonnet Publishing Company were not disclosed.

One person has died in a one vehicle accident in Harrison County. Dead at the scene was Steven D. Alexander, 38, of Marshall. The Department of Public Safety reports his car was traveling at a high rate of speed on Macedonia Road when the accident occurred. His vehicle left the road and hit a travel trailer. The accident, which remains under investigation, was reported shortly after 9:15 Thursday night, just under 5 miles northwest of Marshall.

TYLER — Union Pacific Railroad has closed Palace Avenue and Elm Street at the railroad crossings for maintenance and repairs. Work is expected to be complete by 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15. Travelers are encouraged to find an alternative route and to pay attention to all traffic signs and workers.

MARSHALL – At Thursday’s meeting, the Marshall City Commission voted to appoint Mark Rohr as city manager. Support Services Director Jack Redmon has been serving as acting city manager since April. Rohr has 31 years of local government experience. That includes 29 years as a city manager. He most recently served as city manager of League City, Texas, from March 2014 to December 2016. Rohr will tentatively begin his duties in Marshall next month.

ATHENS – The Athens school board is scheduled to vote on going to a four day school week during a noon meeting on Friday. School district employees learned about it during a district wide meeting earlier this month. In order to comply with the state’s requirements for a minimum number of instructional minutes during a school year, the instructional day would increase by 50 minutes. They have been studying a possible change for the past six months. If approved, it would start next year and it would be launched as a three-year pilot program.

RUSK – A Cherokee County jury has found a Bullard man guilty possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. The jury sentenced John Michael Lydy, 46, who is a habituation offender and a registered sex offender, to life in prison. According to a news releases from the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office, Lydy was distributing methamphetamine from his mobile home in the Shady Brooke subdivision near Bullard.

TROUP – There has been a change in the Troup Christmas Parade. It had been scheduled for 6:00 Thursday evening. But, because of the rain in the area, the parade has been rescheduled for next Tuesday evening.

TYLER – Friday will be graduation time at Tyler Junior College. U-T Tyler will hold graduation ceremonies on Friday and Saturday. TJC will hold two ceremonies on Friday. Both will be in Wagstaff Gym. They will be recognizing 639 candidates for graduation who are earning a total of 752 degrees and certificates. UT Tyler will have two ceremonies on Friday and two on Saturday, recognizing over 1,500 degree candidates. The ceremonies will all be held in the Cowan Center. Continue reading Fall Graduation Is at Hand

TYLER – Three Smith County road improvement projects have been completed while others are about to begin. That was the report Smith County Engineer Frank Davis presented to county commissioners this week. Completed last month was work on County Road 1113, Lake Placid Road; County Road 220, Old Henderson Road and the first section of County Road 223, Old Overton Road. Getting underway this month is work on County Road 2171, Willingham Road, County Road 1302 and the second segment of County Road 223. And, there is an additional nearly 6 miles worth of overlay projects currently out for bid. And, with weather permitting, they plan on 1 1/2 miles of asphalt paving this month.

TYLER – The Tyler city council has signed a memorandum with the Texas Music Office to begin the process in designating the city as a Music Friendly City. The next step in the process would be a community workshop, where the Texas Music Office would provide training for city officials, music industry professionals and local venues, and artists. The city would also need to demonstrate partnerships with the community’s music related nonprofits, music education programs and schools. According to the city, designating Tyler as a Music Friendly City would help promote the growth of the music industry within the community. Cities that have received this designation include Lindale, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Denton.

MARSHALL – A Marshall man is behind bars accused of indecency with a child. Arrested by Marshall detectives was Terry Lynn Jones, 27. The Tuesday arrest stems from a report filed late last month. Jones is accused of inappropriately touching a juvenile under the age of 14. He has been charged with indecency with a child sexual contact, He was booked into the Harrison County Jail under a $100,000 bond.

MARSHALL — A Marshall resident and former state trooper accused of sexually abusing a child has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Louis Paul Weems pleaded guilty to indecency with a child on Dec. 3. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and register as a sex offender. According to the Marshall News Messenger and our news partner KETK, Weems was stationed in both Marshall and Marion County as a DPS officer. He was originally suspended from his law enforcement position in November 2017 after allegations of misconduct surfaced and a criminal investigation was launched by the Texas Rangers. Weems was indicted in April by a Cass County grand jury for continuous sexual abuse of a child, indecency with a child by contact, and indecency with a child by exposure. Weems had been employed with the department since September 2008.

TYLER – The city council on Wednesday received a presentation on the results of a resident survey about Tyler. The survey shows most respondents have a positive perception of the city. Over 80% of those surveyed indicated that Tyler is a good place to live, raise children and retire. The survey was conducted during the summer by the ETC Institute. The six-page survey was originally mailed to a random sample of households in the city. A total of 406 residents completed the survey. Continue reading Survey Shows Tyler is Great But Not Perfect

SMITH COUNTY – Smith County authorities say that Jhoel Hidalgo Sevilla, 33, was the man killed over the weekend. The shooting was reported shortly after 9:30 Sunday morning in an apartment on County Road 382 in the northeastern part of the county. He died from an apparent gunshot wound. There is no other information on the case as the investigation is continuing.

AUSTIN – Sales Tax rebates for Tyler and Longview continue to grow. The state comptrollers office is sending out sales tax allocations for December. They are based on sales made in October. Tyler’s check tops $3.6 million. This is an increase of over 16% from last December. So far this year, Tyler’s sales tax allocations top $43 million, for an increase of 7 1/2%. Longview’s December check is for over $2.6 million, a hike of over 19%. For the year, Longview’s checks exceed $32 million, for a 10% increase. The over all state figure for the month is $761 million, for an increase of 9 1/2%

TYLER – The Tyler Rotary Club has a special guest speaker on Thursday. He is former Baylor University President Kenneth Starr. He is also a former federal appeals court judge, who resigned to become U.S. solicitor general under President George H.W. Bush. In August 1994, Starr became independent counsel responsible for overseeing several investigations involving the Clinton administration, including Whitewater and the Monica Lewinsky scandal. The Tyler Rotary Club meets at the Hollytree Country Club.

CHEROKEE COUNTY – Two Cherokee County Sheriff’s deputies are being honored for saving the life of a motorist. The commendation goes to deputies Houston Munsinger and Keith Jones. They were flagged down last month by a woman whose husband had a heart attack and was unresponsive. Because of the deputies’ actions, the man regained his breathing and heartbeat. Sheriff James Campbell says a check at Tyler’s CHRISTUS Mother Francis Hospital has shown the man is doing fine.

TYLER – TJC student Lorenzo Luna, of Henderson, has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship from the Clifford H. “Ted” Rees Jr. Scholarship Foundation. It’s a charitable foundation of the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, and the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. The foundation recently announced scholarship awards to students nationwide who are studying to become technicians in the HVACR and water heating industry.

MARSHALL – A woman posing as a nurse has been indicted by the Harrison County Grand Jury. Stephanie Garcia, 30, of Henderson, has been indicted for fraudulent use/possession of identifying information and two counts of nursing regulation violations. The Longview News Journal reports she used a registered nurse license number as identifying information on a job application in March of last year. The indictment also says Garcia practiced professional nursing without a license twice in July of that year. The investigation began following a complaint to the Texas Board of Nursing by former patient at Davita Dialysis in Marshall.

TYLER – A member of the Tyler Police Department has received the Blue Ribbon Award at the Wednesday city council meeting. It was presented to financial crime detective Jeff Roberts for the month of December. The city’s financial crimes unit has become experts on credit card skimming cases. Detective Roberts has taught classes on credit card skimming all over the state and with federal agencies in different parts of the U.S. The Blueprint Blue Ribbon Award goes to city employees who have placed the highest premium on responsiveness to the public’s needs.

HENDERSON COUNTY – Gabriel McBride, 46, has died at a Tyler hospital following a Monday afternoon shooting near Chandler. His daughter, Beverly McBride, 17, was was found on a couch inside the home, dead from a gunshot wound to the head. Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said this was not a random shooting, it was a deliberate act. The Texas Rangers have joined Henderson County authorities in investigating the case.

TYLER — The Tyler Streets Department is closing Old Bascom Road from Shiloh Road to Old Omen Road to make emergency repairs. Repairs are expected to last through 5 p.m., weather permitting. Travelers are encouraged to find an alternative route and to pay attention to all traffic and construction signs.

TYLER — Tyler police say several recent homicides could be drug related and connected. The first homicide happened on North Summitt Avenue. Mario Guzman, 32, was found fatally shot on his front porch early Friday morning. The second murder happened Monday afternoon on West Barrett Street, a few blocks from Guzman’s residence. Bennie Jackson, 65, was also found shot on his front porch. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

TYLER – A woman accused of stealing $100,000 from a wedding venue in Flint has been arrested. Holly Longino Elliott, 42, who also goes by the name of Holly Leann Elliott, is charged with theft of property, greater than $30,000 but less than $150,000. Details of her arrest are unavailable. She is currently in the Smith County Jail under a $100,000 bond.

LONGVIEW – The weather is causing a Christmas celebration in Longview to be canceled. The Christmas Balloon Glow, scheduled for the Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Center, has been canceled for Thursday because of thunderstorms in the forecast. The organization said on its Facebook page, they had previously said “there would be no “rain date” or plan B, but we will let you know if that changes.” The event, which is organized by local balloon pilots in East Texas, is not an official Great Texas Balloon Race event.

TYLER – Two Tyler businesses have won awards in the 2018 Texas Downtown Association President’s Awards Program. ETX Brewing Company was named winner of the Best Downtown Business in towns over over 50,000 population. The microbrewery participates in all of the downtown promotional activities.They also host a monthly game night fundraiser for the Tyler Public Library and Meet and Greets prior the symphony’s concerts. The winner of the 2018 Best Promotional Event – Festival Event was Red Dirt BBQ & Music Festival, which is held in downtown Tyler each May.

TYLER – The holiday season has arrived at the Center for Earth & Space Science Education at Tyler Junior College. Tuesday through Saturday, the center is presenting a variety of holiday related shows in the domed theater. You will learn about the Mystery of the Christmas Star. There is also a “Season of Light,” which recounts the historical religious and cultural rituals practiced during the time of winter solstice. There is even a Laser Holiday show which features a mix of everyone’s favorite holiday music set to fantastic laser artwork. Theater seating is limited, and it is recommended that tickets are purchased in advance on line at http://sciencecenter.tjc.edu or at the front counter. Continue reading Holiday Shows at TJC’s Science Center

TYLER – Someone in the Tyler area is a Texas Lottery winner. There were two winning tickets sold for the grand prize in Monday’s Texas Two Step drawing. The winning numbers are 7, 13, 26, 29 and the bonus ball is 6. One winning ticket was sold in Tyler at the Food Fast on University Boulevard. The other was sold in Lubbock. Both were quick picks. The grand prize was $225,000. That means, before taxes, each winner will receive $112,500, which will be paid out in a single, lump sum.

PALESTINE — A Palestine jury sentenced an East Texas man to 200 years in prison. Troy Mason was found guilty of owning and distributing over 1,500 child pornographic images. Anderson County District Attorney Allyson Mitchell said, “Well, it’s sad that in this day and age that we still have children that are being exploited in this way. There’s people out there like Mr. Mason that have a need — and, sadly, there’s other people out there that are willing to fulfill this need.” Mason still has an upcoming trial for continuous sexual abuse of a young child and other charges.

HENDERSON COUNTY — A homicide investigation is underway following a shooting in Henderson County Monday afternoon. Deputies responded to a residence on Woodridge West, near Chandler, just before 2:00. Beverly McBride, 17, was was found on a couch inside the home with a gunshot wound to the head. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her father, Gabriel McBride, 46, was found on the living room floor. He had also been shot in the head and was airlifted to a Tyler hospital. He remains in critical condition. Texas Rangers are assisting with the investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office at 903-675-5128.