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TYLER – Tyler’s teen curfew, which has been in effect since 1994, remains in effect after the city council renewed the measure. State law requires the city council to renew the measure every three years, which the council did at yesterday’s meeting. Under the law, teens have to be home by 11:00pm Sunday through Thursday and by midnight on Friday and Saturday. Last year Tyler police cited 52 teens for violating the law.

LUFKIN — As a result of a study that began in September 2010, the Postal Service has made the decision to move some mail processing operations from the Lufkin Processing and Distribution Facility to the Tyler Processing and Distribution Center. That’s according to a U.S. Postal Service press release. Local mail service will not be affected by the move, the release stated. And, contrary to earlier reports, the Lufkin facility will not close.

Still, officials are acknowledging the impact the move will have. “Given the drastic decline in mail volume the Postal Service has experienced, with a decline of 26 billion pieces this past year, we must take action to reduce the size of our mail processing network,” Dallas District Manager Victor Benavides stated in the release. “Consolidating operations and placing our people where we need them is necessary if the Postal Service is to remain viable to provide mail service to the nation. I understand our employees’ concern over this move, but the consolidation makes sense given the fiscal realities. The Tyler Processing and Distribution Center has the capacity to handle the additional workload and we can realize significant savings by shifting operations there.”

According to the release, the transition is now underway and will be completed by July 2011. Some employees may be reassigned to the Tyler plant or to other vacant positions as a result of the move, the release stated.

AUSTIN — Governor Rick Perry has appointed Kerry ‘Dan’ Woodson of Mount Pleasant as judge of the 76th District Court of Morris, Camp and Titus counties for a term to expire at the next general election. This appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.

Woodson is an attorney in private practice, and is admitted to practice law in the U.S. District Courts of the Eastern and Northern districts of Texas, and the Fifth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. He is a member of the Titus County and Northeast Texas Bar associations, and the State Bar of Texas. Woodson is a fellow of the State Bar College of Texas and past panel chair of the District 1B State Bar Grievance Committee.

Woodson received a bachelor’s degree from East Texas State University and a law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law.

ELYSIAN FIELDS — Investigators are trying to determine if an East Texas child died from swine flu. Trenton Lindsey was a sixth grader from Elysian Fields, in southeast Harrison County. Following his death at a Shreveport hospital, rumors spread via Facebook that the child’s death was flu-related. At this point, Chris Van Deusen with the Texas Department of State Health Services says that has not been confirmed. He says, “We’ve not gotten any sort of official report on a pediatric flu death.” Van Deusen adds that hospitals are required to report a flu-related death within one business day.

LONGVIEW — According to City Secretary Shelly Ballenger, three candidates have filed to run in the May 14 General Election for Longview City Council District 3 (Southeast Longview). They’re 42-year-old business owner Wray Wade, 37-year-old home health administrative representative Kasha G. Williams, and 65-year-old Victoria Wilson, who’s self-employed. The seat is currently held by Sidney Bell Willis, who will reach her term limit in May. Carlton W. Mitchell has filed his Certificate of Withdrawal from the City Council District 3 candidacy.

TYLER – Four separate wildfires kept Smith County firemen busy Tuesday. The largest was a 20 acre blaze off County Road 3186 near Winona. That fire started from a rekindled controlled fire. On Monday, the landowner had burned some brush and the fire extinguished. It smoldered and Tuesday’s winds caused it to reignite. It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze. No injuries were reported.

AUSTIN — State Senator Bob Deuell of Greenville has filed legislation aimed at reducing instances of multiple concussions and long-term brain damage suffered by high school athletes. Senate Bill 835 increases the amount of time student athletes are required to sit out after a concussion is suspected, and requires them to be evaluated and cleared by a special team of medical professionals before being allowed to resume playing.

“Concussion symptoms can sometimes take days or weeks to develop,” Deuell said. “If our students are cleared to play before being properly evaluated, the risk of permanent damage or even death increases.”

The NFL and the Texas State Athletics Trainers’ Association have become strong supporters of concussion prevention and management measures, and the TSATA assembled a concussion advisory team which included physicians, brain trauma research specialists and licensed athletic trainers, to review the bill and offer recommendations.

“With the help of the NFL and new research, we are finally seeing what the long-term effects of concussions are on teenagers,” Deuell said. “In Texas, sports are a way of life and these added precautions are long overdue.”

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 135,000 five to 18-year-olds are admitted to emergency rooms for sports-related concussions, and sports are second only to car accidents as the leading cause of traumatic brain injury among 15 to 24-year olds.

TYLER — A 25-year-old illegal alien living in Tyler, has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking. Francisco Velazquez-Banderas pleaded guilty last August to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine. He was sentenced yesterday to 46 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael Schneider. Velazquez-Banderas was also ordered to forfeit $10,000.

According to federal prosecutors, on November 2, 2009, Velazquez-Banderas was arrested following an investigation into methamphetamine trafficking in the Tyler area. It was also determined that he was illegally in the United States. He will be deported to Mexico after he has served his prison sentence.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment on July 14, 2010, charging Velazquez-Banderas and three others with federal drug trafficking crimes. Armando Velazquez-Castro was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison, Saul Velazquez-Castro was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison and Jose Francisco Moreno was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison.

TYLER – A trial date has been set for a teenager found with a gun at Robert E. Lee High School. The 15 year old was found with the gun on his backpack on the campus on February 8th. He has been in custody since he turned himself in following the lockdown at the school. The teen was the subject of hearing yesterday at the juvenile attention center. He will remain there until his trial, which is scheduled for March 7th.

The student’s family says the boy is willing to face the situation maturely, but the family also feels that the situation could have been prevented. John Runnels, the family’s spokesperson, says that Tyler ISD security is missing something. “There’s some things lacking,” Runnels says, “That’s something that needs to be checked into.”

TYLER — The woman who died in a weekend Tyler fire has been confirmed to be Ceola Jones, 52. Fire officials say information regarding the cause of death will be released at a later date, pending further autopsy results. On February 20, the Tyler Fire Department responded to the two-alarm structure fire at approximately 12:30 a.m. in the 1200 block of Charles St. Firefighters discovered a female victim upon entry into the one-story residence.

TYLER – Smith County residents will have a jail bond issue on the May 14th ballot. The Commissioners Court approved the measure at a meeting Tuesday. The price tag is $35 million. The plan is to expand the existing downtown jail facilities and eliminate the need for out-of-county inmate transport. The project includes an in-house infirmary, estimated to save the county $600-800,000 per year in hospital expenses, and an additional 384 beds to eliminate the average $2 million annual cost for housing Smith County inmates in alternate facilities. County officials say the plan will eliminate pressing safety issues, increase operating efficiencies and cut costs.

The proposal was discussed earlier this month at a town hall meeting. “In good and bad times government needs to strive to improve efficiencies and cut costs. There is never a good time to build a jail, however this plan offers the greatest impact at the lowest cost to the taxpayers,” said Precinct 1 Commissioner Jeff Warr, who worked to develop the plan.

“The facts are black and white. We have to keep criminals off the street and it makes more sense to own the space they are in than to rent it,” Precinct 2 Commissioner Cary Nix said. The plan offers few new amenities but reorganizes existing resources to operate more efficiently.

“The kitchen and laundry facilities are being moved to the low-risk campus to allow trustees full access to work there,” Commissioner Warr said. “The visitation space will be replaced by an infirmary and all visitation will be done by remote video, increasing safety and eliminating the need for jail employees to monitor this function. Lack of contact with family members also works as an added deterrent for offenders.”

“This plan is about organizing and maintaining efficient operations for our criminal justice system, not creating any extra comforts for those who are in jail,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Terry Phillips said. The plan, if approved in May, would add one cent per $100 valuation to the Smith County tax roll for 15 years or a cost of about $13 per year to the average Smith County household. “This proposal addresses numerous situations that our Sheriff’s office has dealt with for years in severely inadequate conditions, which will ultimately lead to greater safety for our deputies and jail personnel,” Precinct 4 Commissioner JoAnn Hampton said.

County Judge Joel Baker said that cooperation and extra work done by members of the court, along with the work that the District Attorney and the Judges have done to expedite the judicial process, will have significant benefit for all our Smith County citizens.

LONGVIEW — The City of Longview is encouraging citizens to focus on emergency readiness during Severe Weather Awareness Week, which is February 20 – 26. Sponsored by the Texas Division of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service, the purpose of Severe Weather Awareness Week is to urge all citizens to prepare for severe weather events and to educate themselves on safety strategies. Examples of severe weather in Texas include flooding, tornadoes, hail storms, straight line winds, thunderstorms, and other severe emergencies.

According to Fire Chief J.P. Steelman, “We know that each year brings the potential for some kind of severe weather, so we encourage residents to take steps to prepare. As we see on a daily basis in the Longview Fire Department, when individuals make preparations before an emergency, their emergency response and recovery are usually much better.”

Residents are also encouraged to sign up to register for the City of Longview’s Emergency Notification and Weather Warning System, which is a telephone alert system powered by CodeRed. The City of Longview uses the Emergency Notification system to send emergency public safety notifications to the citizens of Longview. The Weather Warning System delivers targeted weather notifications of severe weather within moments of being issued by the National Weather Service. To sign up for the Emergency Notification and Weather Warning System, you can visit visit http://www.LongviewTexas.gov or contact Public Safety Communications at 903-237-2706. You can go to http://www.Fire.LongviewTexas.gov to view emergency preparation tips and severe weather safety strategies.

TYLER – Tyler is among the participants as 23 Texas Red Cross chapters join forces Saturday for the American Red Cross’s first-ever Statewide Disaster Drill. The chapters will simultaneously test their ability to respond to a simulated devastating tornado outbreak. The Mexican Red Cross will also participate in the drill from the San Antonio area. Officials point out that hurricanes, wildfires, thunderstorms, and, tornadoes are all common occurrences across the state. According to a Red Cross news release, “That’s why it’s imperative that the American Red Cross, an organization responsible for bringing comfort to Mother Nature’s victims, is as prepared as possible in advance of any unexpected event.”

The role of the more than 600 disaster assessment volunteers will be to determine the types of residential damage caused by the mock tornado outbreak. Throughout the statewide exercise, volunteers will approach specific pre-selected neighborhoods. On stakes that will be inserted into the ground, the volunteer will have a visual image of a home that has been impacted. They will have to determine the type of damage and then relay that information back to Red Cross and to FEMA Region VI officials. “This important step is the catalyst to all Red Cross services,” according to the news release.

“It’s critical that we have an accurate assessment of impacted homes as quickly as possible,” said Tammy Prater, executive director of the Smith County Chapter. “That step tells us how many meals need to be prepared, how many volunteers need to be activated, how many shovels and rakes we need to have on hand and so much more. It drives the entire Red Cross response.” In the Tyler area, volunteers will report to the Red Cross office located at 320 E. Rieck Rd, Tyler at 8:15am, participate in a briefing, and then hit the neighborhoods by 9:30am. The drill is expected to last until noon, followed by an after-action review from noon till 2:00pm.

“Without question, this drill will help the Red Cross be better prepared for future disasters”, said Mrs. Prater. “We saw with Tropical Storm Hermine last year that disasters can and do affect the entire state. The more we train through exercises like this one, the more we can help our neighbors when they truly need us.”

TYLER — Child Protective Services tells our news partner KETK that there were three children at a Smith County cockfighting ring bust Friday night. According to CPS, a 16 year old, 12 year old and 7 year old were watching and betting on the fights. The children’s mothers were notified when CPS arrived on scene, along with SWAT and SPCA officials, and CPS placed them back in their homes. CPS says the children’s mothers did not know where their kids were at the time, and that their investigation into the case continues.

After the bust, which lasted until nearly daylight Saturday morning, no one was arrested on Primera Road near Tyler. Many are looking for a crackdown on the bloody sport. Deborah Dobbs with the SPCA of East Texas says when she walked up after SWAT had secured the location, she saw 20 Hispanic males kneeling at gunpoint. Then, she saw the bloody aftermath of cockfighting. She also says CPS was there speaking with 2 small children – apparently proud to be gambling on the birds. The Humane Society of the United States has been investigating cockfights in East Texas for over a year. Dobbs says even prostitution is a problem at these events. 44 roosters were seized Friday night. 6 had to be put down immediately because of severe injuries. And now the rest are at the East Texas fairgrounds waiting on the courts to decide their fate.

“These animals cannot be re-domesticated back into a farm setting. So the tragedy for me is that they will probably all likely have to be destroyed…and no one was arrested,” Dobbs said.

The Humane Society of the United States is supporting a bill that would crack down on cockfighting in Texas. If legislation like that had been in place Friday night, Dobbs said everyone present would have been arrested.

LONGVIEW — Police continue to search for a suspect in numerous forgeries in Longview. The suspect, John Blake Tunnell 46, of Longview, is believed to have gone to several banks in the area and cashed forged checks. Tunnell also has numerous outstanding warrants for his arrest in connection to the forgeries. He is also wanted for violating his parole. Tunnell may also be using fake identification information and driver’s licenses in other victim’s names. Tunnell is believed to be with a white female, Jacquelyn Susann Carpenter Schrimsher 41, of Longview. Tunnell is believed to be driving a 2001 dark blue Dodge 4-door truck with possible Texas license plate 81J ZK6.