KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER � No injuries were reported, and damage was limited, in a two-alarm fire Tuesday afternoon at Tyler Junior College. The Tyler Fire Department responded to Wise Auditorium with five engines and one ladder company, along with a district chief and an investigator. The fire was reported at yesterday afternoon just before 1:45. All units had cleared the scene within 40 minutes of arrival. Fire department personnel say workers using heavy machinery nearby contacted underground electrical lines, which caused the fire to ignite in the auditorium basement. While the basement was filled with smoke, actual fire damage was contained to a small electrical box on the basement wall.

MT. PLEASANT � More than 100 pounds of marijuana is seized in a Mt. Pleasant-area drug bust. Around 8:30 Monday night, a DPS trooper stopped a 1999 Ford Expedition on IH-30 near Mount Pleasant. Authorities say during the course of the traffic stop, with the driver identified as Jhovony Chacon, 26, of Fenton, Missouri, signs and indicators of criminal activity were observed by the trooper. Officials say verbal consent to search the vehicle was asked by the trooper and granted by Chacon. According to authorities, the search revealed 102 bundles of marijuana in a false compartment in the roof of the vehicle, with a street value of $102,000. Officials say Chacon was arrested and booked into the Titus County Jail without incident on a charge of possession of marijuana, over 50 lbs. � less than 2000 lbs., a second degree felony.

EAST TEXAS � Senator John Cornyn makes a swing through East Texas. One stop: the Tyler-based East Texas Food bank, celebrating the first anniversary of a community garden that grows fresh produce for the needy. Cornyn commented, �I think it�s a great model that could be copied around the state and around the country. We know there�s a large unmet need.� The land is worked by numerous volunteers under a community partnership initiated by Sheriff J.B. Smith.

Cornyn continued to laud East Texas for what he terms its business-friendly environment. He pointed to drilling plans for the Haynesville Shale in Texas and Louisiana. The senator remarked, �We�re not afraid to produce domestic energy here at home as opposed to importing it from abroad, which seems to be unfortunate national policy right now.�

Cornyn also shared his frustrations and his hopes, about Capitol Hill activity. He hopes lawmakers can agree on serious spending cuts and make such programs as Medicare sustainable for the future. But he also hopes legislators can �relieve the private sector of some of the unnecessary regulation, and then will get people back to work and decrease unemployment.� Along with his Tyler stop, Cornyn scheduled meetings with business interests in Longview and Marshall, along with a health care-related discussion at a Texarkana company.

MARSHALL � A Gilmer man has been sentenced to federal prison today for firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales. James Franklin Bracey, 35, pleaded guilty on Jan. 6 to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 34 months.

According to information presented in court, on Dec. 7, 2009, Bracey was found to be in possession of a rifle with an attached scope in Upshur County, which he was using to conduct surveillance on a neighboring Wal-Mart store and then steal items from the store. Further investigation revealed Bracey was a convicted felon, having previously been found guilty of burglary. Convicted felons are prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition. Bracey was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 14, 2010 and charged with federal firearms violations.

UPSHUR COUNTY — Department of Public Safety officials confirmed Tuesday that a Diana man was killed in a one-vehicle crash in Upshur County. According to DPS officials, James Dicks, 45, was traveling eastbound on SH 154 around 10:15 p.m. Saturday in Upshur County when his vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. Officials said he was wearing a seatbelt when the crash occurred.

HENDERSON � A Tatum teen was arraigned Tuesday morning and his bond set at $15,000, charged in the weekend stabbing that sent one man to the hospital. According to Rusk County officials, Joseph Deem, 19, was arrested in Gregg County Saturday after a reported stabbing on Rusk CR 2174. Deputies were dispatched to the residence at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday in connection with an assault. Once there, they found a 22-year-old Tatum man with stab wounds to the back. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he underwent surgery for injuries sustained in the stabbing. Rusk County officials said an arrest warrant was issued for Deem within hours of the stabbing.

TYLER � Tyler Police release the results of the Memorial Holiday �No Refusal DWI Campaign� May 27th through May 29th. Reports show the total DWI arrests for the No-Refusal initiative for all agencies were 29. The Department of Public Safety DPS had 20 DWI arrests, Tyler Police had 7 DWI arrests, Texas Parks and Wildlife had 1 DWI arrest and Bullard PD had 1 DWI arrest. The total number of search warrants for blood obtained was 7. The Department of Public Safety obtained 7 search warrants for blood.

TYLER — A one vehicle accident has sent a man to East Texas Medical Center for treatment. It was reported just before 9:00 Monday night in the 1500 block of East Commerce. According to KETK, arriving officers found an SUV had struck a utility pole, split the pole in half, and caught fire. It was quickly extinguished by Tyler firemen. The driver�s name has not been released. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

TYLER � Tyler police are looking for the man who robbed the Dollar General Store at 4031 South Broadway. It happened around 5:15 Monday afternoon.

The man entered the store and began walking around. He then approached one of the employees near the back of the store, displayed a handgun and told the employee that he just wanted money. The suspect followed the employee to an office and took an undisclosed amount of money. He fled the store and headed southbound. Several Tyler police officers were near the location and responded within minutes. The suspect was not located at this time.

The suspect is described as an older black male. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, tan cargo shorts, black shoes, and a black and white ball cap. The suspect had his face covered with a blue bandana.

TYLER — Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass keynotes one of the community’s Memorial Day observances, at Rose Lawn Memorial Park. Bass shared some of her thoughts with KTBB.

The mayor remarked, “I think the biggest thing about Memorial Day is just taking the time to remember all of our veterans who have given their lives so that every morning we can wake up to a free country. And I think we can never take that lightly. When you wake up and you don’t have to worry about what your rights are each day, you know that you can come and go as you please, and we still have all of those rights of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to work where we want to, to go to school where we choose — all of those are rights that we should never take for granted. And it’s because we have had a strong military over the years — and we’ve had people who have given their lives, and we have veterans here today who have given of their time and made their commitment that we can have a free country each and every day.

“Recently, we started the Veterans’ Roundtable with the city of Tyler, and we’re looking at improving services to all of our veterans in the area. And in the process of setting that up, we were reminded that the generation now that is in the military — many of those young people have seen nothing but war over the last ten years. And it reminds us once again how important our freedoms are as the United States of America. We must always make sure that we protect those freedoms.”

Also in the Tyler area, Memorial Park Cemetery on Highway 64 West held its annual event. Special guest speakers were Capt. Jim Darwin and FBI Special Agent David Mohr.

TYLER � Tyler City Councilmember Jason Wright will hold a Town Hall Meeting for residents of District 6 this evening at 6:00. The meeting will be held at the One Realtor Center at 2772 SSE Loop 323. �When I was elected as the Councilmember for District 6, I committed to hosting meetings such as this to provide my constituents an opportunity to give me input and also for me to share what is going on with their local government,� said Wright. This is the second Town Hall hosted by Wright since his election in 2010. Invitations to the meeting were mailed to all addresses in District 6. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. with a brief presentation followed by questions and answers. For questions, you can call 903-533-7444.

AUSTIN � East Texas State Representative David Simpson explains why he voted against HB 1, the state budget bill whose final version was passed by the House on Saturday, 97-53. Simpson says HB 1 is the 2012-13 budget, or at least the bulk of it. According to Simpson, �Despite conservative boasts of cost cutting, not raising taxes, and not using the Economic Stabilization Fund or �Rainy Day Fund,� the budget still preserves about $500 million of pork for special interests including film and music makers, video games, and commercials for Fortune 500 companies. Of course this is deemed economic development, but in reality it is a handout to concentrated special interests. These funds could be used for other priorities that promote the general welfare, such as education and care for the weak, or just cut from the budget and returned to the people.

�The �conservative� budget also defers about $4 billion in payments, which is just one of several accounting gimmicks used. Another trick: the budget does not fund the whole biennium. Funds for Medicaid run out in February 2013 and the next Legislature likely will be forced to use the Economic Stabilization Fund to cover the anticipated shortfall. The final spending plan includes $1.5 billion more than the present biennium when you discount the one-time federal stimulus funds, add back the deferrals, and count the anticipated use of the Economic Stabilization Fund in 2013. Funds for K-12 public schools actually increase slightly over the present biennium, but schools will receive about $400 less per student due to population growth.� What Simpson terms �a critical piece of the budget,� education finance, remains up in the air and will now be addressed in a special session.

LONGVIEW � A Longview family was displaced from their home Sunday evening after a barbecue pit ignited and fire spread into the attic of the home. Longview firefighters were dispatched to the 800 block of Dudley Street about 6:30 Sunday evening. Fire investigators said the barbecue pit was sitting too close to the home, and the fire spread into the eaves of the structure and into the attic. The home was reported to be a total loss.

This is the second home to be destroyed this year from a barbecue pit being too close to a structure. On April 17, a home in the 200 block of Solti Street caught fire when the homeowner left his barbecue pit unattended and too close to his house. Longview Fire Marshal, Johnny Zackary, said it is important for residents to keep barbecue pits at least five feet away from structures when cooking.

ALBA � Wood County officials said the circumstances surrounding the death of a 16-year-old boy were suspicious. Loren Saunders was found about last Wednesday morning around 1:30 with a single gunshot wound to the chest at Chaney Point RV Park on County Road 1590 in Wood County. Sheriff�s deputies were dispatched to the residence after Saunders� father reported his son had been shot, and he was doing CPR on him, officials said.

The case was turned over to the Wood County District Attorney�s Office for further investigation after the medical examiner�s office said evidence didn�t add up to the death being considered accidental. At the time, investigator William Burge said Saunders� cause of death was ruled accidental, because Saunders� father told authorities he caught him playing with the .22 caliber handgun at their home in Alba.