Troup ISD…..Bobby Dyess, Troup High School
Chapel Hill ISD…Kacy Walsh, Wise Elementary School
Winona ISD….Jerome Ptak, Winona Middle School
Lindale ISD….Sandy Devisscher, E.J. Moss Intermediate
Arp ISD…..Jennifer Anderson, Arp High School
Tyler ISD…..Karen Brashear, Bonner Elementary School
WHITE OAK — A marine from White Oak is injured in an explosion in Afghanistan. Lance Corporal Eric Richardson and several marines were injured after a roadside bomb exploded Saturday. Richardson’s recovering from a leg injury at a hospital in Maryland. According to KETK, he’s undergone three surgeries and will undergo another one soon. He will be awarded a purple heart.
FORT WORTH (AP) — A passing bicyclist saved a woman and a 7-year-old girl from the Trinity River but was unable to rescue a man, whose body was later recovered from the water. Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman Tim Hardeman says the family apparently had been on a rocky crossing when the girl fell into the water, and the husband and wife tried to save her. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man who died Monday afternoon as 47-year-old Richard Walker of Winnsboro. Jeff Harrison says he was cycling through Trinity Park when he saw three people in the river and jumped in the water. Harrison says the girl seemed fine, but he had to do CPR to revive the woman. Hardeman says the woman and the girl are expected to recover.
TYLER — A local attorney claims two East Texas courts ignored the law in the case involving teen murder suspect Byron Truvia. Truvia allegedly stabbed teacher Todd Henry (pictured) to death last September at John Tyler High School. Truvia’s defense attorney Jim Huggler filed the brief last week. According to KETK, Huggler says the lower courts ignored a required mental evaluation before trying Truvia as an adult. The brief was filed at the request of the Supreme Court.
TYLER — A suspected homicide at Winters Park in Tyler is still under investigation. Officers say they found the body of Ronnie Kemp, 48, Tyler, Monday night in the park on Peach Street. According to KETK, family members say Kemp called them and told them he was in trouble. Neighbors to the park say they are concerned for their safety. Police say they believe Kemp knew his attacker and that he had a criminal history in Smith County.
TYLER — Investigators say a toddler who died Monday afternoon accidently drank paint thinner. According to authorities, 18-month old Nathaly Velazquez was riding in a vehicle containing paint supplies. The paint thinner was in a water bottle and investigators believe the youngster drank it, thinking it was water. The youngster’s father drove her to the Mother Frances Hospital emergency room where she died. The Tyler Police Department and Smith County Child Protective Services continue to investigate the death.
TYLER — Tyler police say they’ve apprehended a burglar. Just after 1:00 Monday afternoon, officers responded to a report of a house being burglarized in the 800 block of West Dobbs. According to a police report, officers arrived on the scene and caught a suspect, identified as Terry Desmond Vaughn, 34, of Tyler, inside the house. Police say Vaughn surrendered to officers without incident. Vaughn was booked into the Smith County Jail for burglary.
TYLER — Investigators are looking into the death of a Tyler toddler. The 18 month old was brought in to the Mother Francis Hospital emergency room Monday afternoon for the accidental ingestion of unknown poisonous substance. The girl quit breathing and could not be revived and died at the hospital. Investigators from Tyler Police Department and Smith County Child Protective Services were called and the incident is under investigation.
TYLER — Tyler police say they’ve apprehended a burglar. On Monday at 1:01 p.m., officers responded to a report of a house being burglarized in the 800 block of W. Dobbs. According to a police report, officers arrived on the scene and caught a suspect, identified as Terry Vaughn, 34, of Tyler, inside the house. Police say Vaughn surrendered to officers without incident. Vaughn was booked into the Smith County Jail for burglary.
TYLER — The Tyler ISD Foundation has experienced a great number of successful achievements in the past few years, but it has now been singled out as the best public relations foundation in the nation, according to the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). The national organization is composed primarily of school districts across America and awards 43 Golden Achievement honors. This year, 42 of the awards went to major school districts for their achievement in image building through good public relations. But for the first time, the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) awarded one of its Golden Achievement Awards to the Tyler ISD Foundation — the charter award for an education foundation in the United States. The award will be given at the association’s national conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, July 10th through 15th.
“This is the highest honor we have ever received,” said Larry Goddard, Executive Director of the Foundation. Goddard will be making the trip to Charlotte to pick up the award, which honors the overall public relations campaign. “Positive community awareness is essential in fundraising,” said Goddard. According to Goddard, the foundation needs to tell prospective donors that it does things well, and awards such as the national Golden Achievement honor do that for the foundation. Goddard thanked the local media of Tyler, from radio, to newspapers, to weeklies, to magazines, and cable companies with helping the nonprofit’s community awareness of serving donors and supporting the District.
LONGVIEW — $4 million of left over money from a Longview ISD bond issue will be used to make repairs to Longview High School. According to KETK, the nearly $267 million bond was passed two years ago to build new schools and make necessary repairs. In September, taxpayers were promised the left over money would go back to them. However, Longview ISD hasn’t received any extra state funding this year, so school board members thought it necessary to dip into the extra bond money. Former school board president Sam Satterwhite is not fond of that plan. He says, “I was against using bond funds for these projects, but I was on the short side of a vote.” The taxpayer money will go toward repairing the high school’s roof, new stadium lights, and repairs to the track.
LUFKIN — A Lufkin couple is facing charges following a fake kidnapping. Last week we told you how Lufkin police were called to a store on North Timberland Drive by a woman reporting seeing a man forcibly shove a woman into the trunk of a car. The witness said she tried to follow the car when it sped away. That started search by a contingent of law officers.
About an hour later a woman returned to the store to tell officers she and her boyfriend had been watching the movie “Jackass” and thought it would be funny to see the reaction to a faked kidnapping. The boyfriend later told officers a similar story.
Sunday, authorities identified the couple as William Short, 25, and Tamara Day, 23. They will be charged with interfering with public duties.
TYLER — Carol Johnson is the facilitator of a peer support group, “Touched by Suicide,” which has been gathering since last August in Mt. Sylvan. On this week’s KTBB “Staff Meeting,” Johnson said it’s for anyone who has lost someone they care about to suicide. Johnson was moved to start the group after her son took his own life. She also aims to create more awareness of suicide and how to prevent it.
Right now, according to Johnson, there’s a need for better services to deal with the problem in East Texas. But her group is growing. It recently received a grant that Johnson hopes will allow it to expand its scope, including achieving 501(c)3 status. Touched by Suicide is also planning a couple of awareness events for this fall. You can call Johnson at 903-574-3127 or e-mail her at caroljohnsonami@gmail.com for more information. You can also go to http://www.ktbb.com/audio to listen to the “Staff Meeting” show beginning early Tuesday.
LONGVIEW — Beginning Tuesday in Longview, Birch Drive between Scenic and Silver Falls Road will be temporarily closed. The closing is needed because of construction work on the Silver Falls Road Widening Project. The road closure will continue through late July. Silver Falls Road will also be limited to southbound traffic only from Pine Tree Road to Spring Street. Northbound traffic on Silver Falls will detour along Spring Street. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes during this construction period.
The Silver Falls Road Widening Project was approved by voters as part of the Capital Improvements Bond Election in May 2007. This project is being constructed by Longview Bridge and Road.
TYLER — Here’s a quick look at events and work planned in the Tyler District this week.
TYLER – The Texas Department of Transportation’s annual preventative maintenance program known as “District-Wide Seal Coat” is scheduled to resume on Tuesday in multiple locations around the district, including Anderson, Cherokee and Rusk counties. The crews are scheduled to be at work this week in the following locations in the order they appear, weather permitting:
First Crew
* U.S. Highway 79 from the Neches River Bridge north to Farm Road 747 north, just west of Jacksonville; and
* U.S. Highway 69 in Cherokee County between Farm Road 2493 in Bullard and U.S. Highway 175 in Jacksonville.
Second Crew
* State Highway 21 in Cherokee County between Alto and the Houston County Line;
* State Highway 204 in Cherokee and Rusk counties between U.S. Highway 84 and the Nacogdoches County Line;
* Farm Road 1798 in Rusk County between Farm Road 839 in McKnight and Farm Road 225 in Laneville;
* Farm Road 840 in Rusk County between U.S. Highway 259 in Henderson and State Highway 315; and
* State Highway 322 in Rusk County between Farm Road 1249 and U.S. Highway 259 in Henderson.
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. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.
SMITH COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform pavement-repair operations on State Highway 135 north of Arp between Farm Road 838 and the Rusk County Line. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.
GREGG COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform pavement repairs in various locations on Interstate Highway 20 in Gregg County and on State Highway 149 between Lakeport and the Rusk County Line. 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.
ATHENS — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform pavement-repair operations on SH 31 in various locations between Loop 7 in Athens and Farm Road 314 in Brownsboro. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zones.
VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue base and pavement repairs on Farm Road 1255 between Interstate Highway 20 and Farm Road 773. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.
WINNSBORO — Beginning Monday, July 12, Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews are scheduled to perform pavement repairs on State Highway 37 between Farm Road 515 and State Highway 11 in Winnsboro. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and motorists should be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.