KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Smith County fire officials tell KETK crews on the scene that a stolen car was found in a wooded area that caught fire on Wednesday. Officials believe the fire began from a lightning strike in Tuesday night’s storms. The fire now is under control, but officials do not have an estimate of how much burned. There’s no word yet on who might own the stolen car. Officials say the fire was called out just before 2:00 Wednesday afternoon in the 10000 block of FM 850 outside Tyler. Arp, Chapel Hill, and Jackson Heights Fire Departments responded.

TYLER — Texas Department of Transportation office manager Lesia Main has been getting the same phone call over and over for the past few weeks. “There’s a dead tree on the right of way and it’s about to fall,” Main said, describing the repeat calls, then after a moment, adds, “some are more polite about it than others.” The record-setting drought has taken its toll on lawns and gardens across East Texas, and the trees and grasses along the highways are no exception. But just because a tree is brown and without leaves doesn’t mean it’s dead, or even near death.

“The trees are doing what they need to do to survive,” said TxDOT spokesman Larry Krantz. “They can’t go sit down in the air conditioning and have a glass of sweet tea, so they have to conserve what little water they’ve managed to pull from the ground. Their leaves are the key to that process, so by dropping their leaves, the trees are going into conservation mode. It probably looks worse than it is because the trees aren’t all turning at once like they would in a typical fall.”

Krantz said the trees turning a few at a time, and dormant trees standing next to green trees, are probably behind the rash of calls to TxDOT offices demanding immediate action. “We can’t just go out and cut down every tree that looks dead,” Krantz said. “Part of the reason East Texas is so special is because of the number and variety of trees that live here. If we react rashly and start cutting down every tree that might be dead, there won’t be many trees left next spring.”

Ironically, Krantz said, dead trees don’t pose anywhere near the danger to motorists that live trees do. “It’s the live trees that cause the most trouble for us during weather events,” Krantz said. “With their leaves acting as sails catching the wind and limbs heavy with water, a live tree is a lot more likely to fall during high winds and a dead tree. It takes a dead tree years do decompose to the point where it could fall, and since dead trees don’t resist the wind like a live tree, they’re not as likely to be blown down as they are to crumble in place.”

Krantz added that with that slow decay comes time for TxDOT to identify which trees are dead and which are simply in conservation mode. “At any given time we could have as many as eight tree-trimming and removal contracts going across the Tyler District, and they’re focused on what poses the greatest danger to the traveling public.” As for mowing, TxDOT has plans to conduct one more cycle this fall in an attempt to cut down taller-growing grasses.

“A single spark or hot object can cause a fire under these conditions,” Krantz said. “So if a car has to pull off the roadway and it pulls into grass tall enough to touch its exhaust system, that could start a fire. Cutting the grass low to the ground is going to reduce the fire danger and have the added benefit of the thatch trapping moisture close to the ground.”

LONGVIEW — Longview Police identified and arrested Adam Everett Williams, 40, Longview, on a charge of theft. He was booked into the Gregg County Jail. On August 18, Officer Doug Pickering responded to the 2400 Block of Gilmer Road. When he arrived at the scene the victim, 92-year old Harry Nash of Longview, told Officer Pickering his wallet had been stolen. Mr. Nash said he was paying for his items and set his wallet down on the check stand. He forgot to pick it up and walked away for only a few seconds. When he returned he saw someone paying for items at the register. He said he did not see his wallet and the man had been the only one there at the time he walked away from the register. Williams was observed on video taking the wallet and placing it in the left front pocket of his shorts.

MT. PLEASANT — An early morning fire broke out at the Pilgrim’s Pride feed mill in Mt. Pleasant. Firefighters are still working to contain the blaze. No word on the cause of the fire or extent of damage.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Van Zandt County Sheriff Officials say one teen was flown to the hospital after a rollover accident on Hwy 198 near Canton. It happened just after 7:30 Wednesday morning. The teen’s mother was transported to the hospital by ambulance. No word at this time on the conditions of either of the people involved. Officials are investigating the cause of the crash.

GREGG COUNTY — An East Texas man received the maximum sentence for DWI after he jumped bail. Delwin Gawone Fletcher, 31, of Easton, received a two-year state jail sentence Tuesday for driving while intoxicated with a child passenger in the vehicle, but a conviction for bail jumping will keep him incarcerated even longer. The offense occurred in May 2009. Fletcher was scheduled to enter a guilty plea on the charge in December, but authorities said he jumped bail and remained on the lam until his March 2 arrest by Gregg County sheriff’s deputies. He remained jailed on $51,000 bond since that time. Under a plea agreement, Fletcher received sentences of two years for drunk driving with a passenger younger than 15 years of age, and eight years for bail jumping, with two other cases pending as well.

LUFKIN (AP) – Investigators say a homeless man has been accused of drowning a woman while allegedly taking turns to see who could hold their breath longer under water. Lufkin police have charged 55-year-old Winfred Kilgore with murder and evidence tampering. The body of Joy Bybee was discovered Aug. 11 under a bridge near a creek. An affidavit says Kilgore told police he was thinking about his time serving in Vietnam when he “blanked out” and accidentally held Bybee’s head under water too long. Defense attorney Al Charanza says he wants to review the autopsy report and obtain Kilgore’s military records. Charanza is a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps reserves and says he’s dealt with people with post-traumatic stress disorder. Kilgore was arrested Friday and is jailed on $260,000 bond.

MANGUM, OKLA. (AP) — A defense attorney for the wife of a former Oklahoma prison warden accused of helping a convicted killer escape 17 years ago planned to begin questioning his own witnesses at the woman’s trial. Defense lawyer Garvin Isaacs says prosecutors are expected to rest their case today against Bobbi Parker, 49. Isaacs said he would then begin questioning witnesses he has subpoenaed to testify on Parker’s behalf.

Parker is charged with helping Randolph Dial escape from the Oklahoma State Reformatory on August 30, 1994. Her husband, Randy Parker, was assistant warden at the time. Greer County prosecutors allege Bobbi Parker fell in love with Dial and helped him break out of the prison in Granite. Isaacs says Parker was kidnapped and held hostage by Dial for more than 10 years. They were found living in Texas on a Shelby County chicken ranch.

HOUSTON (AP) – Convicted polygamist leader Warren Jeffs has been moved to his new permanent home – an East Texas prison – to begin serving his life sentence for sexually assaulting one of his child brides at a West Texas compound built and occupied by members of his Mormon fundamentalist church. The 55-year-old Jeffs, convicted last month in San Angelo, was taken Tuesday from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Byrd Unit in Huntsville, where new inmates undergo physical and mental examinations, to the Powledge Unit outside Palestine. Prison agency spokesman Jason Clark says Jeffs will be in protective custody, among the most restrictive forms of imprisonment in Texas. He’ll be alone in his cell daily and be out only for recreation alone and a shower.

TYLER — With the hot, dry summer Tyler is experiencing, managing water consumption and controlling water bills is a challenge. The City of Tyler Water Utilities Department advises focusing efforts on irrigation systems to make the most impact. “Typically, domestic water use – meaning the water used inside the home for drinking, showering and laundry – does not change much from season to season,” said Water Utilities Director Greg Morgan. “However, the use of water for irrigation dramatically changes during hot, dry seasons. This is something that can be managed to avoid costly bills.”

Morgan explains that many residents are not aware of how often, or for how long, their irrigation system is running because it was programmed by someone else. Also, a system is often programmed to run at night or early morning hours, which compounds this issue. “The difference between running your system three days per week versus four can be significant,” added Morgan.

For example, an irrigation system that emits 30 gallons per minute that is running for 30 minutes per day, with six zones, will use 5,400 gallons each day. If it runs three days per week, the monthly consumption will be 64,800 gallons of water. At four days per week, the water use rises to 86,400 gallons per month – a significant difference.

“It is difficult to give a customer advice on how often to water because grass type, soil conditions, and shade conditions differ throughout the city,” said Morgan. “We advise consulting with a turf specialist to determine how often, and for what duration, you should be watering. Don’t just assume that what was programmed into your system is correct. Also, rather than following a set watering schedule, check for soil moisture two to three inches below the surface before watering. ” Morgan also advises installing a rain sensor so that when it does rain, the irrigation system does not run unnecessarily.

Other water saving tips include:
· Make sure that sprinklers are watering the lawn – not the sidewalk, house and street.
· Monitor you water bill for spikes in use. These are good tools to alert you to leaks in your system.
· Check faucets and toilets for leaks. Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak. Fixing it can save up to 1,000 gallons a month.
· Don’t water your lawn on windy days when most of the water blows away or evaporates.
· Set a kitchen timer when watering your lawn or garden to remind you when to stop. A running hose can discharge up to 10 gallons a minute.

LONGVIEW — The Longview area was ranked the top spot in Texas for job growth in the past year. The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M on Tuesday released a report showing the Longview metro area of Gregg, Rusk and Upshur counties posted a 4.2 percent rate of employment growth for the period of June 2010 to this past June. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, that rate outpaced 25 other metro areas in Texas, including Dallas, Houston and Austin. It also topped second place Odessa, which had a job growth rate of 3.5 percent for the year, according to the Real Estate Center. The Real Estate Center website shows the Tyler area #20 in the state, with 0.4 percent job growth.

LONGVIEW The Longview Police Department wants to remind Longview area motorists that with the beginning of school, there are many things to be aware of:

• School zones will be closely monitored by patrol and traffic units and not all school zones have signs with flashing lights.
• Watch for children at crosswalks and other areas near schools where they may be attempting to cross the street.
• When school buses are stopped for loading or unloading and their red flashing lights are activated, it is illegal to pass a bus.
• It is unlawful to talk on a cellular telephone while in a school zone unless a hands free device is used.

BEAUMONT (AP) – A North Texas woman has been sentenced to prison for not paying taxes on more than $1 million that investigators say she embezzled. Federal prosecutors in Beaumont on Tuesday announced 48-year-old Cynthia Watts Riggins of Allen must serve 2 1/2 years in prison for committing tax fraud. Riggins pleaded guilty in March to filing a 2005 false tax return. Investigators say Riggins, who was sentenced Monday, must repay $1.2 million to her former employer, McLean Orthopedics of Nacogdoches, and to the Internal Revenue Service. Riggins was the company’s office manager for a decade. Prosecutors say she failed to report the embezzled funds as taxable income.

TYLER — ETMC EMS has named Neal Franklin as the new director of operations for the East Texas service area. Franklin previously served as EMS director of business development and came to ETMC in January after retiring as fire chief with the city of Tyler. In this new position, Franklin will be responsible for more than 300 paramedics and emergency medical technicians, covering over 16,000 square miles in East Texas, responding to 110,000 requests for service and transportation of more than 77,000 patients each year.

Franklin is from Tyler and received his bachelor’s degree in education from Stephen F. Austin State University. While attending graduate school at the University of North Texas, he became a Dallas firefighter. In 1987, he moved back to Tyler and worked his way up through the ranks of the Tyler Fire Department and eventually served as chief for seven years.

HENDERSON — One person has been hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the head after an alleged accidental shooting. Henderson officers responded around 12:45 Saturday morning to a report of a shooting in the 200 block of Ballow Street. Authorities say one person was air-lifted to a Tyler hospital. An initial investigation indicated that two people were comparing firearms when a shot was fired, striking one person in the head. No word on the victim’s condition. No names have been released and so far, no arrests had been made.