KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – One person has been killed and two injured in a five vehicle accident in Smith County. It happened shortly after 8:45 Friday night on State Highway 110, about three miles north of Tyler. Killed was Muelen Lee Follis Jr., 39, of Brownsboro. Listed in fair condition at East Texas Medical Center are Gregory Taylor and Barbara Jean Brown, both of Tyler. According to the Department of Public Safety, Follis was southbound when he attempted to pass another vehicle. When he saw oncoming traffic he over corrected and hit the oncoming traffic, left the road and hit a fence.

TYLER – A weekend fire has closed a Tyler apartment complex. The fire in the 500 block of East Houston was reported just before 5:00 Saturday morning. A fire alarm alerted one resident, who in turn altered the others. No injuries were reported but about a dozen families were displaced. The initial report was the fire may have started from a cigarette around a sofa.

ATHENS — After 34 years with the Texas Department of Transportation, Athens Maintenance Supervisor Tony Buford is set to retire effective August 31. Buford started with TxDOT on June 1, 1977 and performed all the typical roadway maintenance jobs until his promotion to assistant maintenance supervisor in the Mineola Maintenance Section in January 1994. Buford came home to Athens upon his promotion to Maintenance Supervisor in May 2000.

Buford and his wife, Cameron, both Athens natives, have been married 25 years and have two children, Megan, 22, and Joshua, 20.

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

PALESTINE — The Texas Transportation Commission, TxDOT’s governing body, approved $705,700 in funding at its regular August meeting to the Palestine Municipal Airport for planned improvements including pavement repairs and drainage improvements. The funding comes from TxDOT’s Aviation Facilities Grant Program, which preserves and improves the state’s general aviation system, along with matching funds from the city of Palestine.

This year, TxDOT expects to provide approximately $60 million in funding for planning, constructing and maintaining community airports, of which approximately 275 are eligible for funding through this program. Arrivals and departures from community airports account for more than three million flight hours per year and provide aircraft facilities for agricultural, medical, business and commuter use.

Also this week in Anderson County, TxDOT maintenance crews are scheduled to continue resurfacing work on Farm Road 320 between Farm Road 645 and West Loop 256. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

HENDERSON COUNTY — TxDOT maintenance crews are scheduled to perform shoulder work on Ranch Road 2970 from Farm Road 753 to the end of state maintenance, an on Farm Road 2709 between State Highway 19 and Farm Road 316. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

GREGG COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue base and pavement repairs on State Highway 135 near the traffic circle in Kilgore. Daytime lane closures will be in effect 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 begin approximately two weeks of work on various Interstate Highway 20 frontage roads, including between State Highway 64 and Farm Road 859 near canton, and later between Farm Road 17 and the Oakland/Colfax exits. Crews are also scheduled to perform resurfacing work on the State Highway 19 underpass at Interstate Highway 20, and on FM 17 just south of Grand Saline. 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.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews on Thursday are scheduled to perform pavement repairs in and around the intersection of U.S. Highway 69 and U.S. Highway 80 in Mineola. Crews are also scheduled to perform resurfacing operations on Farm Road 2088 between State Highway 37 in Quitman and Farm Road 14 in Oak Grove, on U.S. Highway 80 from Farm Road 1253 east to Farm Road 1799, and on US 80 from Farm Road 2422 east to 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.

TYLER — There’s a congressional town hall meeting in Tyler today with Congressman Louie Gohmert. It is being sponsored by Grassroots America – We the People. The Congressman will speak for about 30 minutes, followed by a Q&A period. Questions from the audience will be submitted on cards and posed by a moderator in order to maximize the time for questions. The meeting takes place from 6:00 to 8:00pm at Lakeview Church of the Nazarene, 10818 University Boulevard, Spur 248, two miles from the Loop 323 intersection. Organizers urge people to come early since there is limited seating. Doors will open by 5:15.

“Grassroots America is pleased to sponsor this town hall meeting with Congressman Gohmert,” said JoAnn Fleming, Executive Director, Grassroots America – We the People. “This is an opportunity for the Congressman to hear from his constituents about everything from the ‘debt ceiling deal’ to Congressional hearings on the ‘Fast and Furious’ BATF scandal to the administration’s incoherent energy policy. We encourage citizens to come out to the town hall meeting.”

TYLER — A man has been hospitalized in critical condition after passing out while responding to a fire Sunday afternoon on County Road 332 near Tyler. KETK reports that according to neighbors, the fire was started by an illegal trash burn, and multiple neighbors tried to put the fire out by themselves. The neighbor group included the victim, who passed out from possible exhaustion. There was no immediate word on the victim’s identity or other details on the blaze.

LINDALE — The Lindale Independent School District will celebrate the start of the 2011-2012 school year with special ceremonies to dedicate a couple of the district’s newest facilities. A dedication ceremony and open house for the new Lindale Junior High School will be held tonight at 6:00 in the school’s cafeteria. State of Texas Representative David Simpson is scheduled to speak during the ceremony. LJHS students will also participate in the program by reading essays written for the event. The dedication ceremony will be followed by a brief reception and open house. The community is invited to attend the ceremony and tour the new junior high campus. On Thursday, September 1, LISD will also host a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Lindale ISD Performing Arts Center. The ceremony will begin at 5:00pm.

Both facilities were constructed as part of a $42 million bond passed by LISD voters in November 2009. Construction of the new junior high school began in August 2010 and was completed in early August 2011. Students in seventh and eighth grades attend the $24 million school. The new LJHS has 46 classrooms, a large choir room and a theatre arts classroom. Also included are three state-of-the-art computer labs, six science labs, and two band halls. For athletic programs, the school features two gymnasiums, two practice fields and an eight lane track. The $5 million Lindale ISD Performing Arts center was completed just before the start of school. The 1,200 seat facility will host district and University Interscholastic League performances as well as competitions.

The new Lindale Junior High School is located at 1500 County Road 463 in Lindale. The Lindale ISD Performing Arts Center is located adjacent to Lindale High School at 920 East Hubbard.

TYLER — One of the latest scams to hit East Texas consumers involves counterfeit postal money orders. According to the Better Business Bureau Serving Central East Texas, con artists posing as students, tourists, and overseas military personnel ask for help in cashing checks and money orders, or target people looking for love or companionship, in order to exploit their vulnerability. Job seekers and online auctioneers are also at risk. Con artists ship the money order and ask the victim to cash it, keep a portion as a gift or payment for services rendered and wire back the rest, usually to an overseas address.

In a recent case, the victim applied for a position to be a mystery shopper. The “company” sent her first assignment with two postal money orders and instructions to cash the payment and deduct $300 as her weekly wage. Her “job” was to observe the efficiency of the Western Union office and wire the remainder to an individual in Malaysia.

“Americans trust the U.S. Postal Service”, said Mechele Agbayani Mills, President and CEO of BBB Serving Central East Texas. “Consumers often believe that postal money orders and cashier’s checks are legitimate and are not subject to recourse once the checks are cashed, however, bank customers are responsible for the checks they deposit, and victims must repay the bank for bad checks.”

Postal Money Order Security Features

Similar to U.S. currency, postal money orders are designed with colored inks, watermarks, and security threads. The following are security features of genuine postal money orders:
• Watermarks of Benjamin Franklin, visible when held to the light, run through the white oval on the left front side of the money order. Watermarks are also visible from the reverse side.
• A dark security thread runs from top to bottom to the right of the Franklin watermarks. When held to the light, the thread reveals the microprinted letters “USPS” alternating right-side up and upside down throughout the thread. The letters are not visible if not held to the light.
• Warning instructions are printed on the reverse of postal money orders.
• Denominations are displayed in two locations, on the front, with no discoloration around the dollar amounts.
• Maximum value of $1,000 on domestic/$700 on international postal money orders.
BBB reminds consumers that they can sidestep a money order scam by following these simple rules:
Legitimate companies never send emails to strangers offering them work, ask someone they’ve never met to help process payments, and will never ask employees to wire money back to them or to another individual.

Mills advises that you be skeptical of anyone asking you to wire money to overseas bank accounts, or to cash money orders on their behalf. She says business owners should never accept money orders or checks for more than the selling price. Also, you should resist time-sensitive transactions. Scammers want the transaction to occur before it is discovered that the money order is counterfeit. And keep in mind that most counterfeits originate overseas, so the correspondence is typically rife with spelling and grammatical errors. Go to http://www.bbb.org for more tips on how to be a savvy consumer or business owner. To report a fraud or scam, call the BBB Hotline: (903) 581-8373.

GRAND SALINE — Under the authority of the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 35 dogs, 7 of which are puppies, and one bird Friday morning from a Grand Saline property. According to KETK, the SPCA terms the animals “cruelly confined.” The SPCA says the animals were being housed in a feces-filled, urine-soaked trailer on the property and in a small, filthy outdoor pen, and were not receiving proper food, water or care.

According to the SPCA, all of the dogs appear to be small mixed breeds, and most of them suffer from hair loss, eye discharge, flea infestation and extremely long nails. The agency claims the bird, a lovebird, was living in a filthy, roach infested cage and had feather loss and crusty skin. The SPCA of Texas will know more about their conditions after the animals are evaluated by the medical staff.

“We have home remedies that we give them, but sometimes they do get somewhat sick and we don’t now how to cure them,” said Ethan Scott, son of the animal owners. “Usually it’s the puppies and they just die, and we bury them in the yard. We have a whole bunch of dogs buried in the yard.” When asked how he felt Scott answered, “OK. It had to happen one of these days. It should be better now. We’ll save money on dog food now.” The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department contacted the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to provide support for the Scott family.

The SPCA of Texas and the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department received complaints of animal cruelty at the property on August 20. The Sheriff’s Department obtained a seizure warrant, and the SPCA of Texas transported the dogs to the SPCA of Texas’ Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney, where they will be cared for until a custody hearing to be held Sept. 2. If the SPCA of Texas receives custody of the animals, they will be evaluated for potential adoption of placement on a case by case basis.

TYLER — The Tyler ISD The Board of Trustees has adopted the 2011-2012 budgets as they were submitted by the administration. The general fund budget totals $129.9 million, which reflects a $6.9 decrease in state funding. The other budgets adopted were food service for $8.9 million and debt service for $23.9 million. The Board of Trustees adopted the proposed $1.375 tax rate, which reflects no change from last year. By keeping the tax rate flat, Tyler ISD will be able to prepay current bonds and avoid roughly $9.5 million in future taxes.

LINWOOD — An East Texas man is trapped in a ditch in a hail of gunfire, and Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s deputies help Cherokee County Sheriff’s Deputies come to his aid. According to KETK and the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel, they had to shut down Highway 21 and Cherokee County Road 2519 in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Deputies say 52-year-old David Lynn Adams was in a standoff with authorities. They say he’d threatened to shoot anybody who came to the rescue of a man in a ditch near his home. After hours of negotiating, deputies rescued the man and arrested Adams.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) released the following statement concerning the decision made by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg not to invite the first responders and bar prayer from the tenth anniversary ceremony of the September 11th terror attacks:

“Excluding the heroic Americans who responded with courage and strength of steel when faced with one of the greatest tragedies in the history of the United States is not only unpatriotic, it’s disgraceful. We are remembering those who lost their lives on 9/11 and honoring those who ran into the burning buildings that catastrophic day. These brave men and women make up the heart of America. When people were evacuating the World Trade Center running down stairwells, these patriots were running up the stairwells. They stationed themselves in the path of disaster; they saved the lives of their countrymen and comforted countless Americans in their last moments on earth.

“The first responders and those who would pray for them, should not only be invited to the tenth anniversary ceremony, they should be given the places of honor. Our country is only as great as the people who comprise it. Its my hope that Mayor Bloomberg will choose to honor the ones who voluntarily chose to put their life on the line for the security of this nation, while also bringing to the forefront those who can most effectively pray for them. Either Mayor Bloomberg and the memorial leaders are far smarter than the genius of Ben Franklin, or they too should be asked, ‘Do we imagine that we no longer need God’s assistance?’

“When the founders were bogged down and could get nothing accomplished for the first five weeks at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, they were reminded by Benjamin Franklin of what should be noted today: ‘In the beginning Contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. . . And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men. . .’

“That was followed by the proposal of Edmund Jennings Randolf of Virginia that all delegates attend together a sermon on July 4th, 1787, which resulted in the entire Constitutional Convention assembling in the Reformed Calvinistic Church to hear a sermon by Rev. William Rogers. Afterward, they reassembled with a different spirit and pulled together the Constitution. ”

Bloomberg has defended his move, citing space considerations, challenges with deciding which clergy would participate, and concerns with the event’s length. He additionally says the focus of the event will be on families of 9/11 victims. Also, according to media reports, a statement from the mayor’s office says city officials have promised to hold a ceremony at a later date to honor the 91,000 or so first responders and volunteers who helped in the preliminary search and rescue efforts and the subsequent cleanup in the ensuing 10 months.

CANTON — Canton Police say two 17-year-old teens were flown to Tyler hospitals after their 1999 white Ford pick-up truck rammed through a gas station in Canton. It happened a little after 10:00 Thursday night at the Exxon Twin Stop station located in the 400 block of Hwy 243. Officials say the truck left the roadway, traveled about 234 feet, and slammed into the store. Authorities believe the driver may have passed out at the wheel. One teen is reportedly in serious, but stable condition, and the other is in stable condition. A 26-year old cashier was taken to an Athens hospital with minor injuries. The gas station will be closed while the building is being repaired.

JACKSONVILLE — Lon Morris College officials claim the school “engaged in appropriate conduct” in its dealings with a Jacksonville motel last fall. The school is being sued by the motel where the school housed students during the fall 2010 semester. A petition filed in the Cherokee County District Clerk’s office states S.S.M LLC, the company that owns the motel at 1407 East Rusk St., seeks $4.575 million in total damages from the school.

The petition states LMC began negotiations with the motel in 2009, seeking to rent the property to use as dormitory space for students. Conversations for the school to purchase the motel started in spring 2010. In November 2010, school representatives then told the motel’s owners LMC would not purchase the property and would remove all students by Dec. 19, 2010.

LMC used the motel to house about 300 students for the fall 2010 semester. Residents who live near the motel began complaining about excessive noise and other disturbances in the area, to which LMC officials responded by setting a meeting with residents of the neighborhoods adjacent to the motel.

ALTO — Wednesday morning was a busy one in Alto and for the Cherokee County Sheriffs Department. Sheriff James Campbell said there were two burglaries and one attempted burglary in Alto and a disturbance outside the city limits. He said all of them occurred between 3:00 and 4:00 Wednesday morning.

The Alto High School was broken into around 3:15 a.m., said Ray DeSpain, Alto ISD superintendent. He said the locks to the front doors were jimmied open, and doors to the principal and administrative offices were pried open with a crowbar. The band hall, cafeteria and a few classrooms were targeted as well. The culprits stole a couple of hundred dollars in petty cash and funds from fundraising. Vandalism to the school will also cost a few hundred dollars to fix. It’s the third break-in at the high school since spring.

The Dairy Queen was also broken into. And there was an attempted break-in at Dollar General. Authorities believe all the burglaries were done by the same people. The entire Alto Police Department was placed on furlough June 16.