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TROUP – The Troup school system and former athletic director and head coach Dennis Alexander have reached a settlement on a suit Alexander had filed. He filed the suit last November, seeking $1.6 million and reinstatement to his former job. He was fired by the school system in March, 2016. He was fired following allegation that he struck a student. Alexander denied the allegation. Alexander told KETK they settled the suit and the school district will pay him $200,000.

TYLER – Five persons have eared the right to be Tyler police officers. At a badge pinning ceremony Monday afternoon, they received their symbol of authority. The five new Tyler police recruits have just graduated from the Tyler Junior College Police Academy. Monday’s ceremony was conducted by Chief Jimmy Toler who give the recruits the oath of office and officially welcomed them as new Tyler Police Officers. The new officers are Jonathan Stone, Jimmy Johns, Jackson Hug, Alejandra Flowers and Aaron Keathley.

KILGORE – A large explosion rocked the Kilgore area, but, there was noting illegal about it.The explosion occurred shortly after 7:30 Sunday evening. The sound was even heard in Smith County and Western Louisiana. Police dispatchers were flooded with calls about the explosion. The Kilgore police department even posted on their facebook page that it was overwhelmed with calls about the explosion and to please not to call them unless it was an emergency. According to the Rusk County Sheriff’s Department, the explosion was caused by folks in the Lakeport area using Tannerite to blow up a tree stump. Tannerite is the brand name of a patented exploding target used for firearms practice. It is legally purchased at sporting goods stores.

TYLER – Early voting begins Tuesday in the March 6th primary elections. The election will include contested races for U.S. and state representatives, judges, district attorney, district clerk, commissioner and justices of the peace. Most of the contested races will be decided in the primary election. The early voting will run through March 2nd. You can vote at the R.B. Hubbard Facility, next door to the Elections Office on East. Ferguson in Tyler; the Lindale Public Library; the Heritage Building on West Bellwood Road in Tyler; the Whitehouse Municipal Court, and the Noonday Community Center. Continue reading Time for Early Voting in Smith County

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler has announced it would be renaming the College of Business and Technology. It will now be know as the Soules College of Business. The new name is part of an agreement for John Soules Foods to make a major investment supporting the college. The amount of the contribution was not disclosed. But the Chief Communications Officer at U-T Tyler, Lucas Roebuck, told KTBB, the investment will be the largest single private contribution to the university in its history. It will augment the university endowment, providing funds in perpetuity for Soules College of Business student scholarships, business innovation grants and research. Continue reading A Major Contribution to UT Tyler

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in TxDOT’s Tyler District during the Week of Feb. 19. A key ongoing effort in Smith County is the FM 849 Bridge Replacement Project at the I-20 interchange. Expect daytime single lane closures on I-20 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. as work is conducted on the concrete barrier wall and metal beam guard fence. Bridge superstructure work continues as do earthwork on the north and south sides of I-20. You can go to http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/tyler/008-2018.html for a full rundown of the coming week’s work around the district.

TYLER — Big changes could be approved Monday night for Tyler ISD’s middle schools and attendance zones. The school board will consider a number of items, including a specialized elementary/middle school with an emphasis on fine arts at Caldwell Fine Arts Academy. Other highlights on the list of suggested changes include districtwide science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) opportunities; middle school/high school feeder alignment; and repurposing of Dogan Middle School. The agenda says realignment of attendance zones is a necessary part of the process. Continue reading TISD Board to Consider Major Middle School Re-Design

KILGORE — The paint shop of General Dynamics in Kilgore was destroyed Saturday evening by a fire that caused crews to re-direct trafic for a time. KETK reports the fire broke around 5:45. The plant is located at Business 259 and Longview Street; both thoroughfares were shut down in the immediate area while teams from the Kilgore Fire Department, Sabine Fire & Rescue, and the Longview Fire Department extinguished the flames. No one was injured, and the cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known.

LONGVIEW – A victim of a domestic disturbance in Longview is now listed in stable condition following surgery. KETK reports the incident left one person dead and the other critically injured. The couple were found Thursday night in a car in the parking lot close to Planet Beach Tan on West Loop 281. Kenneth Jack Jordan (pictured), 54, of Longview was dead at the scene from a gunshot wound. Officers found a severely injured Diana Jordon, 46, of Longview, his wife, in the front seat of the vehicle with a gunshot wound. She underwent the surgery Saturday for what was initially deemed a life threatening injury. It appears as if the man shot his wife and then shot himself. Diana had filed for divorce last month and a protective order was issued against Kenneth on Thursday.

PALESTINE – A Palestine man has been sentenced to 99 years for possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. KETK reports Darryl Wayne Lewis, 44, was sentenced Friday by an Anderson County jury after his conviction the day before. Lewis was arrested in 2014 after Palestine Police Department officers and a SWAT team executed a “no knock” search warrant at a home occupied by Lewis and his wife, Gina. Once inside the home, officers found methamphetamine pipes, a set of digital scales, a cell phone, and Lewis’ parole ankle monitor station. Officers downloaded the recovered phone and discovered multiple text messages sent by Lewis. Police Sgt. Matt Kerr testified that the texts indicated Lewis was selling methamphetamine. Lewis is a habitual offender. He has been incarcerated 4 times on 6 different felony cases out of Anderson County beginning in 1992.

LONGVIEW – A Gregg County man has been sentenced to 75 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child. KETK reports Cody Miller was sentenced Friday for a June 11, 2014 incident. During cross examination, Miller admitted to sexually assaulting at least eight different child victims of both sexes ranging in age from 4 to 14. Judge Alfonso Charles held Miller in contempt of court for refusing to answer questions regarding Miller’s now approximately 9-year-old-nephew.

KILGORE – Kilgore College’s Mary Hawley was recently named Support Specialist of the Year by the Texas Association of Literacy and Adult Education (TALAE). Hawley, a support specialist for the school’s Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) program since 2010, was recognized at the association’s annual conference earlier this month. This is the second year in a row a KC employee has won the award with Betsy Rodriguez, AEL support specialist, earning the same distinction last year. The KC AEL program offers a full range of free services to help adults improve their lives including ESL, basic literacy skills, exam preparation, GED, Integrated Education/Training and Intensive College Readiness preparation. Day and evening classes are offered at 26 locations.

MARSHALL – East Texas Baptist University has received generous endowment gifts that will be used for scholarships. The school has a received $200,000 from the James A. “Buddy” Davidson Foundation. It will be used to start the James A. “Buddy” Davidson Endowed Ministry Scholarship. The grant is one of the largest foundation grants to ETBU in the last two decades. Another significant endowment gift comes from Johnny Mosley. He contributed $100,000 to launch the Johnny Eugene Mosley Endowed Scholarship. It is designed to help students of strong Christian character and leadership who are in financial need.

TYLER – Ardent Health Services and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler have announced a newly formed 10-hospital health system . It is being created by the purchase of East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System, which will be named UT Health East Texas. The Ut System board of regents approved the partnership at Thursday’s meeting. UT Health East Texas will include the 502-bed East Texas Medical Center in Tyler, UT Health Northeast hospital and clinics, and the UT Health Northeast MD Anderson Cancer Center. Also included are eight regional hospitals, more than 50 clinic locations and an EMS fleet of more than 45 ambulances and four helicopters. The sale is projected to close March 1. Continue reading A Major Medical Partnership in East Texas

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Staff/AP) — President Donald Trump Friday signed Kari’s Law, a bill named after an East Texas woman and filed by Rep. Louie Gohmert of Tyler. Introduced first in 2015, Kari’s Law of 2017 will ensure anyone who dials 911 can reach emergency personnel even if the phone typically requires the user to dial a prefix such as “9” or “7” to reach an outside line. The bill is named in memory of Kari Hunt Dunn, who was fatally stabbed in December 2013 by her estranged husband in a Marshall hotel room. The couple’s 9-year-old daughter tried to dial 911 four times during the struggle, but was unsuccessful because she didn’t realize she had to first dial an access number or an extra “9” to get an outside line. Continue reading President Trump Signs Kari’s Law

LONGVIEW – Following a nationwide search, LETU Professor of Christian Ministry Dr. Pat Mays has been named as the university’s campus pastor. It becomes effective July 1st. He served as an academic missionary to the Czech Republic before joining the university in 2003 to launch the university’s Christian Ministry program. As campus pastor, Mays will be responsible for guiding chaplain interns, planning university chapels,and working with the LeTourneau Student Ministries. He will also be coordinating spring break and other outreach programs, working with life groups and coordinating activities that promote spiritual growth among the university’s students.

TROUP – A historic East Texas church has been destroyed in a Friday morning fire. It was reported around 6:30am at the Mount Rose Baptist Church. It is located near the intersection of Hollis Street and South Front Street in Troup.The church celebrated its 105th anniversary three months ago. No injuries were reported. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire.

LONGVIEW – Two persons are in jail in Longview in connection with a September wreck that killed 2 persons and left one injured. Chad Palmer Malone, 19, of Longview and Davin Blain Davis, 21, of Hallsville were racing at the time of the accident. It occurred near the intersection of North Eastman Road and Hawkins Parkway. Malone and Davis are both charged with two counts of manslaughter, three counts of racing on highway causing serious bodily injury and a charge of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. Both remain in the Gregg County Jail. Continue reading Two Charged in Fatal Longview Wreck

TYLER – Tyler police are searching for the suspect accused of robbing the Walgreen’s on south Broadway. It happened Friday morning around 12:40. Store employees told officers a white man approached the pharmacy staff and demanded drugs. His hand was in the pocket of his jacket, mimicking a gun, and he is said to have threatened to kill the staff if they did not cooperate. The suspect is described as being approximately 6’ tall, heavy set, wearing a black Under Armor hoodie with a white or gray emblem on the front, red, checker pattern ball cap, jeans and boots. He was last seen leaving the parking lot in dark colored 4 door hatchback vehicle. Contact Tyler police with any information.

MARSHALL – The City of Marshall has been named as the winner of the All-America City ShareYourShield contest. It was sponsored by the National Civic League. The purpose of the contest is to help recognize All-America Cities from around the country and showcase all the ways in which cities have used the All-America City logo. The city staff submitted several photos from around the community to the city Facebook page by tagging All-America City and using #ShareYourShield to enter the contest. For winning the contest, the city received free registrations to attend the 2018 National Conference on Local Governance and will be recognized at the 2018 All-America City Award event that will be held in Denver in June.

SHERMAN – A Smith County resident, who was a student at Austin College, has died in a one vehicle accident in Sherman. Rebekah Kristine Bowden, 22, of Flint, died when she failed to negotiate a turn and her car it a tree. The wreckage was discovered around 6:00 Thursday morning. It is not known when the wreck occurred. Bowden was a graduate of Robert E Lee High School. She was a senior at Austin College where she was majoring in business and finance and member of the women’s volleyball team.

TYLER- As witnessed in Florida, you might be confronted with an act of violence. You can be prepared. A free active shooter training class will be held in Tyler next week. It will be next Thursday at the Lone Star Church on West 4th Street. It is being presented by the church along with Sheriff Larry Smith and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office and Smith County Young Republicans. The subject is graphic and not appropriate for children younger than 13. To RSVP for this event, please send an email to rsvpsheriffsmith@gmail.com with the words “Active Shooter” in the subject line. If you have any questions about this training, please contact Sgt. Darrell Coslin at 903-590-2967.

GILMER – An Upshur County woman has decided to accept a plea deal instead of letting a jury set her punishment. When Ashley Nichole Grubbs, 29, of Gilmer, pleaded guilty to selling meth for profit across from Gilmer High School, she wanted a jury to set her punishment. But she changed her mind and entered into a plea agreement. She has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for her part in a three person organized crime group. With the plea bargain agreement, the sentence becomes final and she has waived her right to appeal. Two other persons remain in custody, awaiting trial in the case.

AUSTIN – A Longview judge has received an appointment from the governor. Governor Greg Abbott has appointed judge Alfonso Charles as the presiding judge of the Tenth Administrative Judicial Region. The appointment is for a term that will expire four years from the date of qualification. The region was created by the state legislature last year. It covers 32 counties in east and northeast Texas. Judge Charles is judge of the 124th Judicial District Court in Gregg County. Formerly, he was judge of County Court at Law Number 2. He was appointed as judge of the 124th District court at the death of District Judge Bill Jennings, who died in 2009 after suffering a fatal heart attack while boating on Lake Tyler. Charles was then elected to the post in 2010 after running unopposed. Continue reading Judge Charles Receives Gubernatorial Appointment

TYLER – Earlier this month, the Smith County grand jury returned indictments agsinst 25 persons. Starting Thursday morning a contingent of law officers began arresting the suspects. At last report, 21 of the suspects were in custody. They were arrested in Smith, Henderson and Van Zandt counties. Nineteen of the indictments were for engaging in organized criminal activity, five were for theft and one indictment was for aggravated assault on a public servant. The investigation started in mid December with the arrest of a suspect west of Tyler for stealing a vehicle and a motorcycle. The following investigation identified numerous persons accused of thefts, burglaries and drug offenses in the area. That led to the indictments and Thursday’s arrests. Continue reading Arrests Made in an Organized Crime Ring

GREGG COUNTY — A Gladewater man has been arrested after police said he threatened to shoot White Oak police officers. According to the Longview News-Journal, the threats were made in videos shared via Snapchat. Ross Lagrande Lindsey, 21, was being held in the Gregg County Jail under $50,000 bond, charged with obstruction or retaliation. Gregg County Sheriff’s deputies arrested him Friday. In one video, police said Lindsey posted from inside the lobby of the White Oak Police Department. Lindsey had posted the videos without a username, but officers recalled seeing him in the department lobby and had previously arrested him. Continue reading Gladewater Man Arrested following Online Threats

HOUSTON (AP) – A new analysis finds that Latinos and African-Americans in five Texas metro areas, including Longview, were more likely to be denied a conventional mortgage loan when compared to non-Hispanic whites. The review of millions of federal records by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting found that redlining has persisted in 61 metro areas around the U.S. Redlining is the practice of charging more or denying services such as loans based only on reasons related to such things as race, national origin and religion. In Texas, the review of data from 2015 and 2016 found this modern-day redlining in Corpus Christi, the Killeen-Temple area, Longview, the San Antonio-New Braunfels area and Waco. Fair housing advocates and researchers in Texas say they’re not surprised by the review’s findings.

TYLER – A Mexican national illegally residing in Carthage, has been found guilty of drug trafficking violations in East Texas. Following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Ron Clark, Conrado Depaz Arellano, 48, was found guilty Wednesday of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Arellano also pleaded guilty on Monday to being illegally in the United States after having been deported. Under federal statutes, Arellano faces up to 40 years in federal prison at sentencing. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. Continue reading Carthage Man Convicted of Drug Trafficking

TYLER – A mistrial has been declared in the trial of Smith County commissioner JoAnn Hampton. With both the prosecution and defense reaching an agreement, District Judge Jack Skeen declared a mistrial shortly after 4:00 Wednesday afternoon. The jury was then discharged. Hampton was also ordered to enter a 90-day diversion program. Hampton then apologized to the woman she had been accused of pushing. Hampton had been accused of assaulting the 73 year old woman last April. Hampton and the woman got into an argument about setting up the communion table at their church. Hampton was accused of pushing the woman down. She had been facing two different charges of elderly abuse.