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HENDERSON — A Rusk County Sheriff’s deputy discovers a load of marijuana during a routine traffic stop this week. Officials say the deputy stopped an SUV on Highway 59 in the southeast region of the county after he noticed the SUV had a defective license plate lamp. Officials say during the traffic stop, he noticed several things indicative of criminal activity. The deputy asked the driver for consent to search the vehicle. Authorities say the driver denied the consent, but the deputy used his certified narcotics dog, Caro, to do a “free air” sniff of the vehicle.

Officials say Caro alerted on the vehicle, so the lawman conducted a probable cause search of the vehicle based on the alert. According to authorities, the deputy discovered two large duffel bags in the rear cargo area of the SUV. Authorities say numerous bricks of marijuana were inside the bags. Authorities report that the lawman seized the marijuana and charged the suspect with possession of marijuana. Officials say the total weight of the marijuana was 204.6 lbs, with an estimated street value of $100,000. The suspect was placed in Rusk County Jail.

LONGVIEW (AP) – An East Texas county has halted electronic fund transfers after cyber hackers believed to be in Russia allegedly stole $200,000 in tax-related funds. The Longview News-Journal reported Tuesday that Gregg County, state and federal authorities are investigating. Tax assessor/collector Kirk Shields said Monday that local tax payments destined for schools and cities were hijacked. Shields says confirmation of Nov. 23 theft, discovered in progress and traced to a website in Moscow, has led to changes in the county’s method for moving funds. Thieves use malicious software, known as malware, to infect the computers of unsuspecting users by e-mail. Shields says a county employee who mistakenly unleashed the virus has been suspended for violating cyber-security policy. Efforts continue to retrieve the funds and identify the hackers.

GILMER — A Honduran national is sentenced to life without parole Monday. Miguel Espinal-Gomez, 26, pleaded guilty to stabbing a Gilmer couple to death on New Year’s Day. He admitted to killing the victim and his paraplegic wife. Gomez claims the man inappropriately touched his wife.

AUSTIN — A Tyler lawmaker files a bill which calls for the arrest and imprisonment of anybody who tries to enforce the new health care reform law. State Representative Leo Berman’s proposal calls for 2 years for state employees, 5 years prison for federal employees who do anything to enforce “Obamacare” in Texas. It also allows individual citizens to file lawsuits against the officials for money damages. The Tyler lawmaker says government mandated health care is unconstitutional and should be declared null and void in Texas.

LONGVIEW — A two vehicle accident in Gregg County has left one person dead. It happened around 3:00 Monday afternoon on U.S. Highway 259 at the east bound entrance ramp to Interstate Highway 20. Dead at the scene was Ashton Wayne Yates, 19, of Kilgore. His SUV was north bound on U.S. 259 when he hit the trailer of a south bound truck that was turning onto the east bound entrance ramp. The Dallas truck driver was not injured.

TYLER — The City of Tyler at 11:00 this morning will activate the outdoor warning system and the Tyler Emergency Alert System (Sudden-link Communications). The Outdoor Warning System will be activated starting with a test message. That message will be followed with approximately a 30-second steady tone, followed by an approximate 30-second alternate steady tone, followed by an approximate 30-second pulsed steady tone, followed by Westminster Chimes. The test will end with a test message. The test message is “Attention: This is a test of the City of Tyler outdoor early warning system. This is only a test. If this were an actual emergency, you should tune to your local radio station, 600 on your AM dial.

TYLER – The Tyler School District has a new Special Education Director. At a workshop yesterday afternoon, school trustees named Dana Pate to the post. Pate will be responsible for providing district-wide birth through age 21 services for students with disabilities, including planning, development, communication and evaluation of all initiatives and projects. She will report to the Deputy Superintendent of Schools. Pate holds more than 20 years of experience in education and is currently Executive Director of Special Programs in the Mexia Independent School District in Mexia, Texas.

“I look forward to bringing Ms. Pate on board,” said Tyler School Superintendent Dr. Randy Reid. “She has a wealth of experience and impeccable references. We are pleased that someone of her caliber is joining Tyler ISD. ” She officially begins her new duties Tuesday.

TYLER — Dr. Greg Wang, professor of human resource development at The University of Texas at Tyler, was appointed editor of the Journal of Chinese Human Resource Management. That’s an international scholarly journal, launched by Emerald Group Publishing Ltd this year, that focuses on human resource management and development research with implications for China. The announcement comes from Dr. Jerry Gilley, Department of Human Resource Development and Technology chair at UTT.

According to Gilley, Wang is appointed at a time when Chinese HRM theory, research and practice have global implications. The appointment was through an international competition coordinated by the publisher. “Together with Dr. Andrea Ellinger serving as associate editor of Human Resource Development Quarterly, we now have two international journals housed in the Department of Human Resource Development and Technology. This signifies the quality of our newly-established human resource development doctoral program.” Gilley said.

The Ph.D. program in HRD was approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in 2008 and accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 2009. The first class will enroll in fall 2011.

LONGVIEW — A 24-year-old woman is arrested for child endangerment. Around 5:30 Sunday morning, Longview Police responded to a “Welfare” call in the1600 block of Pine Tree Road. When officers arrived a witness told them she had water running into her apartment from the upstairs apartment. Officers were unable to get a response at the residence and contacted maintenance. Officers found Samantha Boland of Longview unconscious in the bathtub. The water was still running at the time they found her. Her 3 month old baby was found on the bed. Officers say the baby had been left on the bed for about 4 to 5 hours. Boland was booked into the Gregg County Jail.

TROUP — Smith County Fire Marshals say a Troup firefighter’s house was damaged by fire Monday morning. They say the fire started at about 3:00 in the 20,000 block of Highway 110 South, between Whitehouse and Troup. Officials say the firefighter was paged about a medical emergency early this morning when he smelled smoke in the house. Reportedly, the roof and ceiling were heavily damaged in the fire. Fire Marshals don’t know the cause of the fire.

GLADEWATER — Smith County Department of Public Safety troopers respond to a Monday morning wreck on Highway 271, South of County Road 3110. Troopers say a child was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital. The wreck reportedly happened when a car hit an embankment. Authorities say the child was in a booster seat that somehow became detached.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man has been charged with arson in connection with a fire that damaged the Princeton Club Apartments in the 3700 block of McCann Road. Arrested Sunday was Preston Mark Eaton, 21. The fire is said to have started as the result of a domestic disturbance.

Officers were called to Eaton’s apartments early yesterday morning in connection to a disturbance between him and his girlfriend. Just before 3:45am, soon after officers left, the fire was reported. Residents in four units of the apartments were displaced by the fire, including Eaton. For the time being Eaton’s residence is the Gregg County Jail.

LONGVIEW — A suspect wanted in connection with a November 24th shooting in Longview has been arrested. Executing a warrant on a Home on Edith Street Friday night, swat team officers arrested Daniel Bradley, 30. He is being held without bond on an aggravated assault complaint. Plus, Bradley is named in an arrest warrant from New York.

Bradley as wanted in connection with an assault took place on Sidney Street in Longview. Witnesses say Daniel Bradley fired several shots at his ex-girlfriend and her children. Alonzo Edwards, 19, was twice shot in the left arm and taken to a local hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

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

KILGORE — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to make spot pavement and base repairs in various locations on U.S. Highway 259 Business in Kilgore. Crews will also be sweeping the bridges and overpasses on SH 31 between Longview and the Kilgore Bypass, and the bridges and overpasses on the bypass. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin pavement repair operations on State Highway 31 between Trinidad and Malakoff, followed later in the week by the same work on SH 31 Business and State Highway 19 Business in downtown Athens. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to be at work on the following roadways in and around Wood County:
*Farm Road 69 north of Farm Road 515 in Coke;
*Farm Road 778 between State Highway 37 in Quitman and US 80;
*Farm Road 2966 north of Quitman; and
*Farm Road 49 east of Farm Road 14.
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.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on State Highway 42 between Farm Road 13 in Price and Farm Road 1513 near New London. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to make base repairs on Farm Road 859 north of Farm Road 1395. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin several weeks of edge repairs in various locations on U.S. Highway 175 between Jacksonville and Poynor. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

LINDALE — A six-year-old child is dead and three people are injured following a one-vehicle accident in Smith County. The DPS reports it happened shortly before 3:45 Saturday afternoon on Interstate Highway20, six miles east of Lindale. Authorities say the vehicle was westbound when it ran off the road and rolled over. Carter Mayes of Longview was pronounced dead at 5:00pm Saturday at Children’s Hospital in Dallas. Three people in the vehicle are listed in stable condition at ETMC-Tyler. They’re named as the driver Paige Mayes, 35, Maggie Mayes, 5 and Cooper Mayes, 7 all of Longview.