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WILLS POINT – A young mother has died after being dragged by a horse. Cheyenne Nicole Ramirez, 18, of Wills Point, died in a Tyler hospital Tuesday following the Monday accident. Investigators say the mother on an 16-month old was mounting the horse when something spooked it. The horse started running, with the teen’s spur caught in the stirrups. Investigators say the horse dragged her about half a mile.

FLINT – A mobile home in the Flint area is nothing more than rubble today because of a fire late Tuesday afternoon. It was reported around 5:00 o’clock on Farm Road 2493. The handicapped resident of the house was able to flee to safety. Firemen rescued the woman’s pet dog from the rubble. No word on what caused the blaze.

KILGORE – A substation malfunction is being blames for a Kilgore power outage. Over 4,700 residents and businesses, including the Kilgore school district and Kilgore College, lost power around 9:00 Tuesday. The power was back on about an hour later. Southwestern Electric Power Co. spokesman Scott McCloud said the outages across the city were caused when eight circuits locked out.

BULLARD — The drought takes its toll on East Texas hay growers. According to KETK, the dry weather is creating a hay shortage. That means farmers and ranchers have to go out of state to buy hay — and pay higher prices. The ASPCA is even offering a $250,000 hay bailout, to be used to help feed animals across Texas and Oklahoma. Bullard hay baler Taylor Hand is among those feeling the pinch. He says current hay sources include Louisiana and Arkansas — even as far north as Minnesota and Canada. Hand says he doesn’t know how much longer farmers and ranchers — his customers — can hang on.

TYLER — The Trinity Mother Frances Health System Board of Directors announced the appointments of Steven P. Keuer, M.D., as President and Chief Medical Officer and Gifford V. Eckhout, Jr., M.D., M.B.A., as Executive Vice President/Chief of Anesthesia. Both physicians have served in their respective roles on an interim basis following Dr. David Teegarden’s retirement in April. Dr. Keuer previously served as Executive Vice President. Dr. Eckhout has served for many years as a Trinity Clinic physician and in other physician advisory positions.

“With the appointments of Steve and Gifford, the Board wishes to affirm our commitment to the vital role that strong physician leadership plays in our organization and in our future. They bring a strong vote of confidence from the members of the Trinity Clinic and the System Board and round out our highly effective veteran leadership team,” said Preston Smith, Chairman of the Trinity Mother Frances Health System Board.

TYLER — The current burn ban in Smith County was extended for 90 days by the Smith County Commissioners Court during a regular meeting Tuesday morning. Smith County Fire Marshal Jim Seaton recommended the burn ban’s extension due to continuing extreme drought conditions and the likelihood of a severe winter fire season. “We are expecting the severity of our fire situation to increase as we enter winter and the little bit of live foliage we still have dies off,” Seaton said.

Since July 1, the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office has recorded 563 fire responses, 372 burn ban warnings, 156 burn ban citations and three counts of reckless destruction of property. Smith County has also had 25 structures and 34 vehicles destroyed or damaged in wildfires. Seaton cautioned that the burn ban extension will restrict many popular seasonal activities and products that involve an open flame including the use of camp fires, porch chimneys and fire pits, “tiki-torches,” mosquito candles and turkey fryers. “We sympathize with burden the burn ban places on the citizens, but we in the fire service see no other alternative,” Seaton said. Supervised outdoor grilling with a covered grilling device is not prohibited under the burn ban. You can visit http://www.smith-county.com for a full copy of the burn ban and all ordinance restrictions.

LONGVIEW — More Longview retailers are cited in the police department’s latest alcohol stings. On Saturday, police partnered with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and Longview Partners in Prevention to conduct off-premise stings at area retailers to validate compliance with Texas law prohibiting the sale of alcohol to minors. Members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving also accompanied several of the officers. 36 alcohol retailers were checked by the undercover teams, and 7 allegedly sold alcohol to the undercover minors. The locations cited were:

1. 1316 Alpine – Food Fast # 18
2. 1917 Judson Road – Road Runner Superette # 2
3. 1800 S. High Street – Super 1 Foods # 632
4. 2001 N. Eastman Road – Zippy J’s No. 5
5. 1123 W. Cotton Street – Anita Food & Fuel
6. 4108 W. Loop 281 # 101 – Kyle’s Kwik Stop # 3
7. 1721 Hwy. 31 South – Smart Mart

At these locations the individuals who allegedly sold alcohol to the undercover minor were listed in offense reports for “making alcohol available to a minor.” This offense is a class A misdemeanor, and the reports will be filed with the Gregg County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. In addition, TABC issued administrative citation(s) to each of the businesses. One of the suspects was arrested on an outstanding Gregg County warrant for sale of alcohol to a minor.

MARSHALL — 91 Arkansas contract poultry growers would receive $26 million in damages under a ruling issued by a federal judge in Marshall. U.S. Magistrate Charles Everingham found Pilgrim’s Pride was deliberately attempting to manipulate the price of chicken when the company decided to close its El Dorado plant in early 2009. Plaintiffs’ attorney Bob Depper says the turning point in the case was an email concerning the sale of another plant. Depper says when Pilgrim’s had the opportunity to sell the farmable plants it had closed down, there was an internal memo that said the company couldn’t do that because it would foil its plan. Awards to individual growers ranged from $50,000 to over $700,000. The judge indicated there had been difficulty in determining damages because some growers had failed to keep accurate records.

GREGG COUNTY — Gregg County troopers were called to the scene of an overturned semi on I-20 at around 8:30 Tuesday morning. Officials say the 18-wheeler was eastbound when the driver fell asleep and ran off the road. The driver didn’t realize what happened until he woke up overturned in a ditch. The semi was hauling vegetables from California to an unknown location. No injuries were reported. All Interstate lanes had reopened by early Tuesday afternoon.

TYLER – The driver of a car involved in an accident with a Tyler school bus was arrested. The accident slightly injured some students. It happened around 7:00 Monday night near the intersections of County Roads 37 and 35, just north of Tyler . A school district news release said the bus was transporting 26 Dogan Middle School students home from the Ingenuity Center after school program. As a precautionary measure, 18 students were transported to the hospital for what appeared to be minor injuries. Arrested by the Department of Public Safety was Anthony C. Thomas, 43, of Dallas. He has been charged with driving with a suspended license and, according to the jail booking report, driving on the wrong side of the road. His bond was set at $657.00.

TYLER — The Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce holds its annual meeting tonight at Harvey Convention Center. The T.B. Butler Citizen of the Year Award and the W.C. Windsor Award for top citizen under the age of 40 will be presented. The event will also include a review of the past year. Jerry Woolverton will take over as chairman, replacing Lynda York, with Mary Elizabeth Jackson waiting in the wings for the following year. Close to 600 people are expected.

LONGVIEW – A truck driver is in the Gregg County Jail after leading officers on a ten mile chase through Smith and Gregg Counties. Michael Scott Cook, 41, of Moultrie, Georgia, only stopped after a state trooper shot out a front tire. Cook was reportedly pulled over on I-20 for not having a license plate on the front of his truck. Authorities say after becoming testy with officers, Cook drove off. The chase, which began around the 578 mile marker on Interstate Highway 20, came to an end in Gregg County near mile marker 589A on the Interstate. Cook has been charged with charged with aggravated assault against a public servant and evading arrest with a motor vehicle and his bond was set at $50,000.

JACKSONVILLE — Jacksonville Police say two bags of money were stolen from the Wal-Mart on the 1300 block of S. Jackson St. on Sunday night. It happened around 11:30 p.m., when the registers were being changed out and the bags were sitting on a counter. Police could not confirm the amount of money stolen, but Wal-Mart employees tell KETK it was at least $10,000. Witnesses say the thief was an African-American man who ran up behind the Wal-Mart employee and grabbed the bags while her back was turned. Jacksonville Police will be reviewing the security footage from the store to see if they can identify the thief, but officials say they do have a few possible leads.

GILMER — A judge on Monday morning dismissed two charges against Upshur County’s Republican Party chairman. Judge Diane DeVasto dismissed charges of theft and misappropriation that District Attorney Billy Byrd brought against Republican Chairman Ken Ambrose. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Ambrose must repay $6,000. The charges arose after Ambrose used party Primary funds to pay for an attorney. Byrd and Ambrose’s attorney, Scrappy Holmes, agreed to dismiss the charges if Ambrose repaid the money.

HENDERSON — A Henderson man remains jailed on $1 million bond, charged with two counts of delivery of a controlled substance. Rusk County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Viki Penny said Victor Alejandro Luna, 21, was arrested Thursday in the 100 block of Cross Park just outside of Henderson after the Rusk County and Henderson police tactical drug units executed a search warrant of a residence. During a search of the home, 22 grams of cocaine and five grams of methamphetamine were found. A firearm was also found. Officials said the street value of the drugs is about $3,000. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Penny said the case was being investigated by the FBI.

AUSTIN – Wildfire survivors in 22 Texas counties, including several in East Texas, are reminded that disaster assistance may be available to help repair wells or septic systems that were damaged during the blazes. Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) say survivors who are unsure whether their insurance covers fire damage to a well or septic system may want to confirm with their insurance company. In many cases, water storage tanks, well pumps and septic systems are not covered by homeowners insurance. In these situations, FEMA may be able to help.

Homeowners in all 22 counties designated for disaster assistance for the wildfires on or after Aug. 30 may be eligible for aid to repair or replace damaged septic systems and private wells that are the sole source of water for the home. This assistance may be available even if the home itself was not affected. “The health and safety of survivors is important to us,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Kevin L. Hannes of FEMA. “Survivors who have damage to their wells or septic systems are encouraged to inform FEMA even if they have already registered.”

Survivors should notify FEMA if their private well or septic system was damaged or contaminated due to the wildfires. Homeowners are encouraged to call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 even if a housing inspector has visited the home. Individuals with speech or hearing impairments can call TTY at 1-800-462-7585. Multilingual assistance is also available by phone. Applicants can also visit a Disaster Recovery Center in their area to speak with a FEMA representative in person.

The counties designated for Individual Assistance (IA) under the Texas wildfire disaster declaration are Anderson, Bastrop, Caldwell, Cass, Colorado, Fayette, Gregg, Grimes, Harrison, Henderson, Hill, Houston, Leon, Marion, Montgomery, Rusk, Smith, Travis, Upshur, Walker, Waller and Williamson. The IA program provides grants to eligible survivors to repair or rebuild homes to a safe, sanitary and functional state. Grants are not intended to restore a home to its predisaster condition.

MARSHALL — Harrison County officials were notified Thursday by a Texas State Technical College police officer of an incident involving a deputy and his wife that was reported to them by a school counselor. The incident was reported by a juvenile female student to a counselor regarding inappropriate sexual contact. Once the Sheriff’s Office was notified, the Harrison County District Attorney’s Office and Child Protection Services of East Texas were immediately notified and an investigation began into the allegations.

After interviews, warrants were obtained by the District Attorney’s Office for the arrest of Deputy Eddie Nichols, 49, and his wife, Sharon Nichols, 33, on charges of sexual indecency with a child by contact. The charges are a 2nd degree felony, and both were arrested and placed in jail. Eddie Nichols was also a preacher at a local church.

Eddie Nichols was arraigned and a bond of $200,000 was placed on him. He is currently in the Harrison County Jail. Sharon Nichols was arraigned and a bond of $100,000 was placed on her. She has been released from jail. Deputy Nichols has been terminated.

LONGVIEW — Longview fire officials work a house fire. One person has been taken to the hospital following the blaze on the 1100 block of Bertha Street. Authorities say the injured person had burns on his or her arms and hands. Two others were treated for smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire in unknown at this time.

QUITMAN — A suspect in several Wood County burglaries turned herself in this to authorities. Brenda Bowdoin, 37, turned herself in at 7:45 yesterday morning at the Wood County Sheriff’s Department.

TYLER — A grassfire burning near Wind Dancer road North of Tyler has been contained. Officials say it started around 1:30 Sunday and burned less than one acre of land near Tyler State Park. No word on what started the blaze.

QUITMAN – A two vehicle accident in Wood County has left one person dead. The wreck occurred around 9:30 Saturday night on Farm Road 515 at the intersection of County Road 1516 in Wood County. Killed was James Bryant Latham Sr., 56, of Quitman. He was pronounced dead just before 4:00 Sunday morning at Tyler’s East Texas Medical Center Hospital. The Department of Public Safety reports Latham was critically injured when his motorcycle hit the rear of a vehicle making a left turn.

DAINGERFIELD – Bulldozers and a helicopter were used to put out a fire at Daingerfield State Park. It was reported around 7:30 Sunday morning in the park in Morris County. Around ten acres were burned by the fire. The park, which had been closed for about a year for construction upgrades, was reopened in late June. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

BULLARD — “The greatest casualty is being forgotten.” This is the Wounded Warriors motto. KETK reports that Saturday in Bullard, they aimed to not let that happen. This is the fourth year that Kiepersol Estates has held their Wounded Warrior Celebration. The fifty wounded soldiers and their families were treated to a flyover, parachutists, and country music star Gary Morris. “They are pleased that people recognize the sacrifice that they have made. This will not be a pity party tonight; it will be a thank you for your service,” Morris said. The veterans in attendance did appreciate the gesture. Most of the money raised from the event will go to soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, but more importantly, these brave men and women’s service to their country will not be forgotten.

AUSTIN — Wildfire survivors in Smith and Upshur counties can meet with state and federal specialists at recovery centers in their areas. Starting today, specialists from the state of Texas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration will be on hand to answer questions and provide information on the types of assistance available to survivors. They also have brochures and other written materials on disaster recovery. The remaining schedule is:
*Smith County, County Office, 11325 Spur 248 in Tyler
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4

*Upshur County, First Baptist Church of Gilmer, 304 Buffalo Street
1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7

Any Texan with questions about the recovery process or needing help registering with FEMA is urged to stop by a recovery center. Visiting with a recovery specialist is not a requirement for survivors who want disaster assistance, but the centers are an excellent way for people to get answers to their questions about disaster aid and help applying for it. Texans can register online at http://www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov, or by telephone via FEMA’s toll-free numbers: 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 1-800-621-3362. Assistants are available by phone from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.

TYLER – Less than an area of land burned in a fire north of Tyler. The fire, which was extinguished, was reported Sunday off Wind Dancer Road. There were no injuries and no word on what caused it.

TYLER — To raise awareness of women’s cancer, Tyler Firefighters are urging area public safety officers, businesses, schools and citizens to wear pink today to show that “Tyler cares enough to wear pink”. The entire community is invited to come to the Downtown Square in their pink shirts for the third annual Turn Tyler Pink event from 5:00 to 8:00pm. Turn Tyler Pink shirts can be purchased at:
*Gallery Main Street – 110 W. Erwin
*Holiday Inn South Broadway – 5701 S. Broadway
Proceeds from the sale of Turn Tyler Pink shirts benefit local cancer organizations.

TYLER — Here’s a quick look at other work planned in the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation.

SMITH COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform pavement repairs on US 271 in various locations between Gentry Parkway and Farm Road 2015 north of Tyler. Once that work is completed, the crew is scheduled to perform the same work on State Highway 31 in Chandler on either side of the Farm Road 315 intersection. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs on Farm Road 839 between U.S. Highway 79 and Farm Road 1798. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs on State Highway 64 between Farm Road 773 and Farm Road 1653, and on State Highway 19 near Farm Road 858. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations on Farm Road 315 near U.S. Highway 175 in Poynor, and on U.S. Highway 175 between Farm Road 315 and Farm Road 804 in Baxter. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

ANDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on Farm Road 320 between West Loop 256 in Palestine and Farm Road 645. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

GREGG COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs on Farm Road 1844 north of Longview between State Highway 300 and U.S. Highway 259. Once that work is complete, the crew is scheduled to move to Farm Road 918 south of Kilgore between U.S. 259 and State Highway 42 in Sexton City. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on Farm Road 2088 between Farm Road 14 in Oak Grove and the Upshur County Line. Crews will also be at work on U.S. Highway 80 near Farm Road 1799 west of Mineola, and east of Mineola between Farm Road 2422 and Farm Road 3056. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to resume resurfacing operations in various locations on Farm Road 13 between Troup and Price, and on Farm Road 1911 south of Alto. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

LONGVIEW – East Texas Holocaust survivor Coenraad “Coen” Rood has died. Rood, who was 94, died Saturday. A memorial service will be at 2:00 Monday afternoon at the chapel of Longview’s Rader Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Memory Park Cemetery. His family is asking that contributions be made in Rood’s memory to the Dallas Holocaust Museum or the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

According to the Rader Funeral Home obituary, Rood was born in 1917 and grew up in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The overarching experience of Rood’s life was the 37 months he spent imprisoned in 11 concentration camps. He vowed with his fellow prisoners that if any of them survived, they would bear witness to the atrocities for the rest of their lives, which he did by speaking to schools, churches, civic organizations and anyone else with an interest. His memoirs have been published in German and Dutch. His story is also available at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, through the University of Southern California’s Shoah Foundation Institute, and Yale University Library’s Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies.

LONGVIEW – A Longview home has been extensively damaged by fire. No injuries were reported from the blaze that was reported around 11:50 Friday night in the 100 block of Garfield Drive. Initial reports were the fire started in the living room. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

TYLER — The Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation has announced it would receive just over $32.5 million from the latest round of Proposition 12 funding. The funds were approved Thursday by the Texas Transportation Commission.

The Longview and Tyler Metropolitan Planning Organizations will receive an additional $8.8 million for projects in their respective areas, all of which is scheduled to be spent on expanding TxDOT’s system. The combined TxDOT-MPO funding allocation, and in some cases additional funding from other local entities, will allow 12 otherwise under-or-unfunded projects to move forward around the Tyler District, but only two of them are scheduled to let to contract in the next year. The remainder will be funded in 2013.

The two projects funded and set to let to contract in 2012 will add alternating passing lanes on State Highway 64 west of Tyler between Farm Road 848 in Ben Wheeler and Farm Road 314, and on State Highway 19 south of Athens between Farm Road 1615 and the Anderson County Line. The project on SH 64 is estimated to cost around $7.5 million, and the SH 19 project is estimated at $7 million.

In 2013, the Gregg County, the city of Longview and the Longview Economic Development Corporation are scheduled to add a combined $11 to the Longview MPO allocation for the construction of two extension segments of Farm Road 2275 (George Richey Road) between McCann Road and Spur 502, and from Spur 502 to U.S. Highway 259.

In Tyler, the project to eliminate the West Loop 323 bottleneck just south of State Highway 31 (Front Street) by adding an additional lane in each direction and rebuilding the railroad overpass, is scheduled let to construction in August 2013 and to cost approximately $7.4 million.

Additional projects scheduled to let to construction in 2013 include adding a continuous left-turn lane to State Highway 42 north of Kilgore between State Highway 31 and Interstate Highway 20; adding alternating passing lanes on U.S. Highway 69 north of Mineola between Loop 564 and Farm Road 779; adding alternating passing lanes on State Highway 31 east of Tyler between Farm Road 850 and the Gregg County Line; adding a continuous left-turn lane on U.S. Highway 79 south of Palestine roughly between South Loop 256 and Farm Road 645; adding a continuous left-turn lane on Farm Road 349 in Gregg County between State Highway 31 in Kilgore and U.S. Highway 259; widening the bottlenecked section of State Highway 64 in Henderson between State Highway 322 and US 79/US 259 traffic star; and a left-turn bay on US 259 Kilgore Bypass at Synergy Park.

The Texas Transportation Commission on Thursday approved distribution of $3 billion in Proposition 12 bond funding that will address congested highways, rehabilitate bridges and improve connectivity between the state’s metropolitan areas. The allocations will include $1.4 billion to TxDOT’s 25 districts and $600 million to the 25 Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) around the state according to existing formulas; as well as $200 million for statewide highway connectivity improvements; $500 million for bridges; and provide $300 million to begin developing projects to mitigate congestion in the four most congested regions of the state: Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio.

These funds represent the balance of $5 billion in general obligation bonding authority approved by voters and first authorized by the Texas Legislature in 2007. Construction contracts for the first $2 billion in projects were approved in 2010. TxDOT worked in partnership with MPOs, cities, counties and corridor associations to identify and prioritize needs.