KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — The Tyler Red Cross is helping observe October as National Fire Prevention Month. Red Cross staffers say the biggest disaster threat to families across our nation every day isn’t floods, hurricanes or tornadoes; it’s fire. On average, nationally, the American Red Cross responds to more than 63,000 fires each year. That’s about 170 responses a day or one every eight minutes. Locally the Smith County Chapter responds to approximately 150 of those fires each year.

Red Cross officials say home fires can strike quickly and without warning, devastating lives and property. But unlike other disasters, officials say, most home fires can be prevented. The Red Cross says it’s committed to giving people the information they need to reduce their risk of home fires, and to helping people recover after a fire happens. At any time of day or night, trained Red Cross volunteers respond to the scene of fires and provide food, shelter, and emotional support to those affected.

The Red Cross encourages people to remember two key fire safety steps to protect their home and loved ones from fires: Get a smoke alarm, and have a fire escape plan. Red Cross staffers say smoke alarms save lives. Statistics show 65 percent of home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or with smoke alarms that don’t work. Staffers advise:

– Make sure you have a smoke alarm on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.
– Test your smoke alarm once a month by pushing the test button, and replace the batteries at least once a year.

According to Red Cross officials, fires can spread throughout your home in minutes, so when every second counts, having a plan can help you escape. Officials say home fire escape plans should include at least two ways to escape from every room of your home. Also, you’re advised to select a meeting spot at a safe distance from your home where family members can go after escaping. After discussing your plan with all members of your household, officials say, you should practice the plan twice a year. You can visit http://www.redcross.org/homefires for more information on how to reduce your risk of home fires or to help your neighbors recover after a fire.

Red Cross staffers also say that while big, visible earthquakes and hurricanes often bring donations into the Red Cross, they often struggle to pay for smaller disasters like home fires. You can help people affected by disasters like fires as well as other local crises in our area by making a donation to support your local American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Staffers add that your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters. You can visit http://www.smithcounty.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS to make a donation. You can also text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation from your mobile phone. Contributions may also be sent to the American Red Cross Smith County Chapter at P. O. Box 8588, Tyler, TX 75711.

TYLER — PATH’s annual Coats for Kids coat drive is coming up short and needs more community support, according to PATH staffers. The drive began October 1 and continues through the end of the month. PATH holds this special drive each fall to collect warm, winter coats for children ages infant-18 years. Right now, donations are down — and with the end of the month approaching, PATH officials project the need of 1,500 additional coat donations before the November distribution. The agency reported Thursday that only 80 coats had been donated. PATH community outreach coordinator Becky Duncan says, “In order to accommodate 1,000 children – which is how many we gave coats to last year, so we could easily have more this year – we are going to need about 1,500 coats.”

New coat donations can be taken to the PATH office, 402 W. Front St., Tyler. Gently-used winter coats may be taken to any participating dry cleaners displaying the “Coats for Kids” collection site poster including Dry Clean Super Center, Eagle Cleaners, Hart’s Cleaners, VIP Cleaners, Lucky’s Cleaners, Regency Cleaners, Shannon’s Cleaners, West Gentry Dry Cleaners and Lindale Cleaners. The coats will be distributed Saturday, November 20, from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m., and on Sunday, November 21 from 1-5 p.m., across the street from PATH at 411 W. Front St., Tyler. For more information or if you would like to volunteer to help with Coats for Kids, contact Becky Duncan at becky@tylerpath.org or call 903.597-4044, ext. 120.

AUSTIN — September unemployment in the two major East Texas markets follows a statewide improvement trend. Tyler’s rate dipped to 7.3 percent from 7.8 in August — and 8.1 percent in September of last year. In Longview, unemployment fell to 7.1 percent; it was at 7.6 in August and, like Tyler, 8.1 percent in September of 2009.

TYLER — Police are investigating a Tyler accident that injured a child. Around 4:40 p.m. Friday, police received a report that the youngster had been struck by a vehicle at Townsend and Line. Responding officers determined that a van was traveling south when two small children riding bicycles rode out in front of the van and one child was struck. The child was transported to East Texas Medical Center for examination and treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

TYLER — The citizen activist group Grassroots America – We the People is again responding to TISD bond supporters as the group continues its stand against the bond, which is on the November ballot. According to the group’s executive director, JoAnn Fleming, GAWTP “is a bit shocked” and “a little bit confused” at the reaction to word that 50% of the newly built elementary schools will be overcrowded in less than five years. Fleming says, “We certainly didn’t expect to have the new schools be overcrowded so soon. So GAWTP is asking Tyler ISD to take seriously the consulting report that tells them they need to redraw attendance lines so that we can get the population of Tyler ISD dispersed around so that we can maximize the use of the facilities we have, including the new ones.”

Vote Yes Committee spokesman Andy Bergfeld had responded that if the schools do go over capacity, it can be dealt with when it happens — perhaps by building more schools. He even said that would be a good thing — that it would mean the school district is growing and doing some things right. Bergfeld added, “We know overcrowding is an issue – that is why we need to stay the course and build these schools.” At last report, Vote Yes had yet to respond to Fleming’s latest comments.

LONGVIEW — Longview police admit serving a narcotics warrant at the wrong location. On October 20 at around 11:10 p.m., the Longview Police Department SWAT Team assisted the Gregg County Organized Drug Enforcement (CODE) Unit by serving a narcotics search warrant at 825 Beaumont Street. As the SWAT Team approached the residence, one of the narcotics suspects was outside standing in the street in front of 823 Beaumont Street. According to police, this caused Team members to mistakenly believe 823 Beaumont was the target location, instead of the house next door at 825 Beaumont Street. SWAT made entry into 823 Beaumont Street and detained the residents inside. Police say no one was injured during the incident and it was discovered quickly that SWAT was at the wrong location.

Authorities say the Longview Police Department has issued a formal apology to the residents at 823 Beaumont Street and is currently working to repair any damages to the home. According to police, an internal investigation is being conducted to ensure this type of mistake does not occur again.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP/Staff) – UT Tyler gets to keep an administrator who’d been in the running for the top post at another university. The Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System has chosen the system’s vice president for business and finance as the next president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe. System spokeswoman Jackie Tisdell says the board voted Friday for Nick Bruno. One of the three finalists interviewed Friday was Peter J. Fos, provost and executive vice president at UT Tyler. Bruno will replace James Cofer, who left ULM at the end of July to become president at Missouri State University in Springfield.

TYLER — Two suspects are picked up in a Tyler robbery that happened weeks ago. Tyler Police Investigators received a tip on the identity of one of the suspects involved in the robbery of a donut shop located at 1627 S. Vine St. that occurred on September 2. As a result of the information that was given, an investigator was able to identify both suspects who were allegedly responsible for the armed robbery. Arrested were 21-year-old Jeremy Antoine Black and 22-year-old Marquette Bernard Johnson. Both suspects have been charged with aggravated robbery and placed in Smith County Jail on a $300,000 bond.

TYLER — Another drug bust in Smith County. According to KETK, a warrant was served for Eugene Cook Gordon at a house on Highway 14 Thursday. Deputies found 60 pounds of marijuana and a couple of ounces of meth and cocaine — all with an estimated street value of $37,000. They also found two firearms and $4,000 in cash. Gordon is already out of jail.

GILMER — The Gilmer Fire Chief steps down. Mike Melton resigned earlier this week following an investigation into allegations of misuse of money and credit cards belonging to the Gilmer Fire Department. According to KETK, no charges have been filed against Melton and it’s unclear the dollar amount involved.

KILGORE — A wreck kills a pregnant teenager in Kilgore, but the baby survives. Suzanne Williams, 16, died from severe head injuries on Saturday after a wreck forced her to deliver her baby 2 months early. According to KETK, Williams and her fiance were slowing down to make a left-hand turn when another vehicle hit them from behind. Despite being born early, the nearly 3 pound baby boy is said to be doing o-k. Funeral services for the teen are set for Saturday in Kilgore.

TYLER — Organizations from across East Texas join hands to start Tyler’s Fit City Challenge with a kickoff event today from 9 a.m. till 1 p.m. at Bergfeld Park. According to the Northeast Texas Public Health District, “The national epidemic of obesity has drastically increased over the past few years, and Tyler is not immune.” Officials say the Fit City Challenge’s purpose is “to help combat the scourge of obesity.” According to NETPHD CEO George Roberts, “The Northeast Texas Public health District views the concurrent epidemic of obesity and sedentary lifestyles as the greatest threat to the health of Tyler. Doctors who care for children are concerned because kids being born right now are not expected to live as long as their parents.”

Roberts says the Fit City Challenge is a community-wide campaign to promote healthy, fitter lifestyles for Tyler and Smith County residents. According to Roberts, the kickoff event is designed to give community members the information they need to make healthier choices. He says the event will feature healthy activities for all ages, cooking demonstrations, guest speakers, health and nutrition information, fitness and exercise demonstrations, and health screenings.

TYLER — Tyler school trustees have amended some of the day polling locations for the November 2nd election. Thursday night’s action was needed because Smith County had indicated some of them were no longer available for election day voting. The county had indicated that the polling locations for precinct 39 and for precincts 48, 65, and 66 are no longer available. The polling place for election precinct 39 shall be combined with precincts 34, 57, 73, 3401 and 7301 which shall vote on at the Jones/Boshears Elementary School, 3450 Chandler Highway. The polling place for election precincts 48, 65 and 66 shall be Wilhite Landscape Company, 13186 Highway 64 West.

TYLER – Both sides have now rested in a hearing have State District Judge Jack Skeen removed from the upcoming retrial of the man convicted in the Mineola child sex ring case. KETK-TV reports Patrick Kelly’s defense lawyer, Thad Davidson, says that Judge Skeen had favored the prosecution During Patrick Kelly’s trial. Davidson tell KETK-TV that a final decision on Skeen’s future in the case will not be made until November 5th. Presiding over the hearing is retired State District Judge Alvin Khoury of Longview.

TYLER — A Tyler man has been convicted of selling drugs in a drug-free zone and sentenced to life in prison. It took around 30 minutes of deliberations before the jury in Tyler’s 7th State District Court convicted Richard Charles Carter, 50. It took about 45 minutes of deliberations before they agreed upon the sentence. Carter had been accused of selling crack cocaine to an undercover officer near Austin Elementary back in February.