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LUFKIN — Two Xanax pills tucked into her bra in the Angelina County Jail cost a Lufkin woman five years in prison Monday, three months after she was found not guilty on an unrelated murder charge. Kendall Thompson, 20, sobbed as state District Judge Barry Bran sentenced her Monday afternoon. She had pleaded guilty July 13 to possessing a prohibited substance while she was in jail in 2009.

One month after being found not guilty of murder in the drive-by shooting death of Joseph Cooper, 63, in January 2010, Thompson gave birth to a baby girl. When Thompson’s attorney Al Charanza put her on the stand Monday, she explained how the combination of motherhood and having been scared by the criminal process had set her on the straight and narrow.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Fire Department responded to the scene of a house fire yesterday morning in the 2900 Block of Letourneau. The structure fire was reported around 9:00 and was extinguished a short time later. The family was at home when the fire started and was able to escape safely. No injuries were reported. Authorities say the blaze started in a front room of the house but the exact cause is still under investigation.

ANDERSON COUNTY — The Texas Forest Service said a 150 acre wild fire in Anderson County has been contained. Fire Officials had been on the scene of the fire on County Road 335 and Highway 19 since Monday evening. Officials believe the fire started when a tree branch fell onto a power line.

TYLER — Tyler Police are searching for several suspects accused of stealing credit cards and using them around East Texas. Security footage showed two men using the stolen credit cards after a Flint woman reported her purse stolen out of her car, which was parked in her garage Thursday. Authorities say the cards were used several times that day. Police say the majority of recent car burglaries are due to unlocked cars and open garage doors. Officers remind you not to leave any valuables in plain sight.

ALTO — No action was taken on the Alto Police Department status on Monday’s city council meeting, despite the council members going into executive session with the city attorney to discuss the matter. The entire Alto Police Department was shuttered on June 15 due to budget cuts. The plan is to bring back the department in December. The Cherokee County sheriff’s department tries to keep a patrol car in the area at all times.

Fourteen days after the Alto City Council sent its police force on a six-month furlough, the Wall Street Journal got wind of the story and ran an article entitled “The Day the Law Left Town.” The next day, Forbes and the Business Insider caught onto the story. Sheriff Campbell said national coverage has not yet greatly increased the number of crimes committed by outsiders. He said most of the crimes committed in Alto are done by locals.

TYLER — One person has been arrested in connection with a Tyler fire. The Tyler Fire Department responded to the two-alarm fire in the 2800 block of North Whitten Avenue yesterday afternoon. Fire crews reported heavy smoke conditions upon arrival. Five engines and one ladder company, along with a district chief and an investigator were on the scene. No injuries were reported. Taken into custody was John Edward Beck, 49, of Lancaster. He is identified as the ex-boyfriend of the woman who lives in the house.

TYLER – In Tyler federal court, a Panola County woman has woman has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking violations. In an appearance yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love, Penni Sue Mooney, 48, of Carthage, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. She faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

According to federal prosecutors, on March 21, 2010, Mooney purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Rite-Aid store in Shreveport, Louisiana and attempted to make an additional purchase that same day in the area with intentions of bringing the cold pills to Panola County where they would be used to manufacture methamphetamine. Mooney was named in a federal indictment returned by the grand jury on several months ago and charged with drug trafficking violations.

LONGVIEW — Two teens are under arrest for robbery. Joshun Pickens, 17, and Lacorian Dewayne Davis, 19, (pictured) both of Longview, are charged with robbery. Their bond was set at $7,500. Longview Police say they were arrested around 11:45 Sunday morning in the 1500 block of Mobberly Avenue.

SMITH COUNTY — Firefighters were dispatched to the 10,000 block of Littlefield Drive, just south of the UT Health Center off of Hwy 271, for a reported structure fire. According to Smith County Fire Officials, the blaze started around 2:00 and has now been contained. They say a storage unit behind a house was slightly damaged. No injuries were reported.

ANGELINA COUNTY — The Angelina County Commissioners Court voted Monday to adopt a plan that would abolish justice of the peace and constable precinct 4. The plan, which will placed on the agenda for formal resolution on Aug. 23, would combine precinct 4, which includes Zavalla, with precinct 3, which includes Huntington. Upon approval of a formal resolution order by the court, the proposed changes would not immediately come into effect, as Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace Claude Marshall is in the first year of a four-year term.

LONGVIEW — Former Harrison County Judge Richard Anderson is in discussions with supporters about trying to return Northeast Texas to Democratic representation in Congress. It would be a long shot for a Democrat to unseat incumbent Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, in a congressional district that leans heavily Republican.

“Certainly, no decision has been made,” Anderson said of a Democratic run at Gohmert’s congressional seat. “Several individuals have inquired as to whether I would consider seeking the congressional seat now held by him. I have no present plans to make such a race.” He wouldn’t rule it out, either, and the state Democratic Party appears to be holding a place for him.

TYLER – On land off Gentry Parkway, on land with a house donated by the Caldwell Foundation, you find the Tyler Day Nursery. The oldest non-profit day nursery in Texas celebrated its 75th anniversary Sunday afternoon. It was started by the Tyler Council of Church Women with a goal of providing child-care for low-income families. And with today’s economy, the need appears to be even greater. According to Tyler Day Nursery President Mary Meyers, they are currently working on expanding the facility.

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

LINDALE — A new traffic signal at the intersection of U.S. Highway 69 and County Road 474 in Lindale is scheduled to be turned on Wednesday morning. The signal is located just north of Centennial Drive in southern Lindale. Leading up to the signal’s activation, TxDOT crews will complete their work to add shoulders and turn lanes at the intersection and a striping crew is scheduled to be at work in and around the intersection on Tuesday.

SEVEN POINTS — Texas Department of Transportation contractor Nixon Construction is scheduled to begin work today to repair a damaged portion of bridge rail on the State Highway 334 causeway bridge, which is nearest to the Seven Points end. Lane closures will be in effect during daytime hours only, and flaggers will work one-lane traffic. Motorists should expect some delays while the work is in progress. The work is expected to last through Friday.

“We’re going to try to make this as painless as possible,” said TxDOT spokesman Larry Krantz. “We were all reminded around this time last year just how important this bridge is to the communities it serves, and we’ve instructed our contractor to act accordingly.” This work is not related to work done on the SH 334 bridge last year to repair a damaged column.

ATHENS — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform seal coat operations in various locations on Farm Road 2709, Ranch Road 2970, Ranch Road 2588 and Farm Road 2752. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application.

HENDERSON — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue street-sweeping operations in the curb-and-gutter sections of U.S. Highway 79 in Henderson. While lane closures are not a part of street-sweeping operations, motorists are encouraged to drive in the inside lanes to avoid having to merge around street-sweeping operations.

Crews are also scheduled to perform shoulder work in various locations on Loop 571 and U.S. Highway 259, and resurfacing work on U.S. Highway 84 between Reklaw and Farm Road 2753. 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 State Highway 37 between Quitman and Winnsboro. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers and pilot vehicles will control traffic in two-lane areas.

ANDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations in various locations on Farm Road 1990, followed by the same work later in the week on Farm Road 320 between Farm Road 645 and Loop 256. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location, and traffic will be controlled by flaggers.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Fire Department deployed all but one of its engines as it tried to stop a fire that destroyed a home and several classic automobiles late Friday in South Longview. A woman who was asleep when the fire broke out in another part of the house was treated for smoke inhalation, Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary said Saturday. Two firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion. No one was hospitalized. The three-bedroom home and six automobiles were a total loss, Zackary said.

As Longview equipment was being used at the fire in the 400 block of Ridgecrest Drive, equipment from fire departments in Gilmer, Elderville and White Oak was moved to Longview in case it was needed elsewhere in the city. Zackary said the fire was reported about 8:40 p.m., and crews were on the scene well past midnight.

EAST TEXAS — Smoke could continue to rise for days or even weeks from a Friday fire in Overton. More than 40 area firefighters, 14 vehicles and a helicopter were used to battle the grass fire near FM 1639, according to Michael Stanley, spokesman for the Kilgore Fire Department, which was in command operations. Stanley said initial estimates of a fire that covered as much as 300 acres were reduced to about 100 acres after talking with firefighters on the scene. “With that large of a geographical area, it’s difficult to say,” he said.

The blaze reportedly started when a hay baler being used by a crew on his land on CR 1115 caught fire. Volunteer fire departments from Overton, Crims Chapel, Sabine and New London also responded to the fire. The Texas Forestry Service brought two plows and a helicopter to assist. Stanley said Kilgore firefighters cleared the scene about 10:30 p.m. Friday, but the Texas Forestry Service was watching hot spots Saturday. The fire is secure, but Stanley said officials will be watching the area an smoke could continue to rise from the area for days or even weeks.

Kilgore firefighters also responded Friday to a grass fire on FM 2276 east of Kilgore. Stanley said Elderville/Lakeport volunteer firefighters and the Texas Forestry Service assisted in battling the blaze the covered about 40 acres. No structures were damaged in either fire.