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TYLER — Southside Bancshares, Inc., the parent company of Southside Bank, announced the completion of the merger of OmniAmerican Bancorp, Inc. with and into Southside and the merger of Omni’s wholly owned subsidiary, OmniAmerican Bank, headquartered in Fort Worth, with and into Southside Bank, all effective on December 17, 2014. The combined company will continue to trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “SBSI.” Continue reading Southside Bank Completes Merger with OmniAmerican Bank

LUFKIN (AP) – A Lufkin couple accused in the death of a 2-month old baby, have been found guilty. The jury found DeQuisha Jackson, 19 and Isaiah Tolliver, 20, guilty in the death of Imauri Jackson. Then, after five hours of deliberations, Jackson was sentenced to 15 years in state jail and fined $10,000 after being found guilty of manslaughter. The father, Isaiah Tollivar was sentenced to 2 years for endangering a child by omission. A pathologist testified that the 2013 death of the East Texas baby occurred due to malnutrition and dehydration. Dr. Candace Schoppe testified for the prosecution in the trial. Schoppe, who took the stand Tuesday before prosecutors rested their case, says the infant was very small, and severely dehydrated. Autopsy results indicated the baby weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces at birth. He weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces when he died in October 213. The death was ruled a homicide due to neglect.

LONGVIEW – Two Longview families have been displaced by a fire in a duplex in the 300 block of Tammy Lynn Drive. The fire in northwest Longview was reported around 3:00 Wednesday afternoon. Two people in one duplex escaped the flames. The residents in the other duplex were not home. There were no injuries. Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary said the fire was started by unattended cooking.

TYLER — Tyler is responding in the aftermath of recent police-related deaths in Ferguson, Missouri, and Staten Island, N.Y. Tyler resident Ambra Phillips is organizing what she terms a peaceful rally, scheduled for this afternoon at 4:30. Phillips is working with a new group known as Tyler United. She says the rally will begin at Front & North Broadway, with a march up Broadway to the downtown square. According to Phillips, activities on the square will include a short program and a candlelight vigil to promote peace. Participants may join the group on the square if they don’t wish to take part in the march. Continue reading Rally Planned in Tyler Following Ferguson, Staten Island Incidents

FLINT — An East Texan is one of 20 people granted clemency Wednesday by President Barack Obama. KETK reports the moves consisted of eight commutations and twelve pardons. One of the individuals, Claire Holbrook Mulford of Flint, was pardoned for a December 1993 drug-trafficking crime. Mulford was sentenced to 70 months imprisonment and two years of supervision upon release after being convicted of using a residence to distribute methamphetamine. Individuals from Dallas and San Antonio were also pardoned by President Obama from other drug-related convictions.

TATUM — Workers have been trying to restore water services for the city of Tatum. KETK reports a contractor performing work on telephone lines cut into a 6-inch water main, causing the water for the city to be cut off. As soon as water is restored, a boil water advisory will be issued asking all Tatum residents to boil their water for two days.

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TYLER — Tyler police are following up on a stabbing near UT-Tyler that prompted a campus lockdown. According to KETK, Tyler PD spokesman Don Martin says a person was stabbed in the 3200 block of Lexington Drive at shortly after 2:45 yesterday afternoon. Martin stated a homeowner arrived at his duplex to find two black males taking items from his home. Tyler police say one suspect immediately fled in a vehicle that had been driven into the victim’s garage. Continue reading Suspects Sought after Home Invasion, Knifing

TYLER – A bomb threat at John Tyler High School turned out to be false. School administrators received the bomb threat yesterday morning from a caller claiming to be a detective. After a search of the campus and surrounding area turned up no suspicious activity, the school continued to operate as normal. The Tyler fire marshal is performing a criminal investigation into the validity and origin of the threat. There was no immediate word on any possible connection with an email threat that caused Bullard High School to close early Wednesday.

SHREVEPORT — Two East Texas men were taken into custody Tuesday in separate incidents after officials say they were caught with stolen vehicles out of the Longview area. According to KETK, Louisiana State Troopers say on December 16 at 10:22 a.m., authorities stopped an SUV driven by Michael Lawson, 35, of Mt. Vernon, on Interstate 20 in Haughton, Louisiana, after learning the vehicle had been reported stolen in White Oak, Texas. Troopers arrested Lawson, and after the vehicle was recovered, took him to the Bossier Parish Jail for illegal possession of stolen things.
Continue reading Louisiana Authorities Arrest Two East Texans in Vehicle Thefts

BULLARD — Bullard ISD dismissed its high school students early Wednesday after receiving an anonymous email containing a threat toward the high school. The district let students out at 1:00 p.m. Buses transported students to the middle school gym, and exams have been rescheduled. According to a BISD news release, all other campuses were placed on a soft lockdown as an added precaution. Continue reading Anonymous Threat Prompts Early Release, Other Moves in Bullard ISD

TYLER — East Texas Medical Center Tyler is one of the first sites in the United States to offer Inspire therapy for people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to an ETMC news release. Inspire therapy utilizes first-of-its-kind technology — a small, fully implanted system that has been clinically proven to significantly reduce sleep apnea events and significantly improve quality of life measures, according to the release. Continue reading ETMC among First in Nation to Offer New Sleep Apnea Treatment

HENDERSON — A huge haul of stolen oilfield equipment from a Kilgore company has been tracked down by Rusk County authorities, but the thieves are still on the loose. KETK reports four trucks loaded with equipment were stolen from the oil field service company around 2:30 Monday morning. The thieves drove off with more than $500,000 worth of property. But according to authorities, what the thieves didn’t know is that surveillance was rolling the entire time, catching everything on camera. Continue reading Authorities Recover over $500,000 Worth of Stolen Equipment

KILGORE — Kilgore College is safe from asbestos. So says a review by ERI Consulting, according to KETK. That review was presented at the school’s board meeting Monday evening. The report shows some asbestos-containing materials were found in a half-dozen buildings, including the Rangerette Gym, but that the asbestos is inaccessible to students and the public. The review was conducted after a school employee claimed there was asbestos throughout campus.

TYLER – Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith says he sent a personal note of support Monday to U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz for what Smith terms their continuing efforts to secure the border and to fight granting amnesty to millions of illegal aliens. Smith said, The Cromnibus showdown in Washington, D.C., last week demonstrates who is really on the side of law enforcement. We’re proud Louie Gohmert and Ted Cruz are standing firm for the rule of law.

Smith stated, With the rampant spread of dangerous Mexican cartels and transnational gangs on our side of the border, every county in Texas is a border county. I strongly agree with Texas Department of Public Safety Executive Director Steven McCraw that the most significant public safety and homeland security vulnerability in Texas is an unsecured border with Mexico. Our wide-open southern border and the erosion of the rule of law, coupled with the federal government’s failed ‘catch and release’ program, have enabled the Mexican Cartels to become multi-billion dollar international crime syndicates that dominate the U.S. drug and human smuggling and trafficking markets. Multi-agency law enforcement reports have long warned that gang members and criminals associated with the Mexican Cartels are using increasingly aggressive tactics, including military grade weapons and training, as they seek to avoid and evade law enforcement.”

Smith continued, “An overwhelming majority of the men and women in local, state, and federal law enforcement simply want to do their jobs to protect the life, liberty and property of those they swore to serve; however, it is increasingly difficult to do so due to policies that undermine the rule of law and withhold resources needed to fight hardened criminals.”

Smith joins elected sheriffs across the nation calling on all levels of government to “put America, our citizens, our safety, and our security first because illegal immigrants should never come before American citizens.” He concluded, “Our entire criminal justice system and societal order is based on the rule of law – that means the laws will be enforced and applied consistently to everyone. Losing the rule of law is the end of America, the end of security, and the end of liberty. Period.”

LONGVIEW – The pedestrian struck by a truck Tuesday in the 1100 block of McCann Road in Longview has died as a result of his injuries. The pedestrian is identified as Robert Shimeld, 77, of Longview. Police were able to determine that the driver of a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado, Philip Latham, of Longview, was turning left from Glencrest Lane to travel south on McCann Road. As Latham began turning onto McCann Road, Shimeld stepped off the curb and into the path of Latham’s truck, according to authorities. The accident happened around 2:00 Monday afternoon. Shimeld was transported to Good Shepherd Medical Center, where he died. Latham was not cited in the crash.

KILGORE – Until a full time city manager can be found, Mark Israelson will be Kilgore’s interim city manager. The Kilgore city council named Israelson to the post Tuesday. The Kilgore News Herald reports, as part of the agreement, the City of Plano will grant Israelson professional development sabbatical leave. He was recommended to the council by Strategic Government Resources, a Keller government leadership consulting firm hired by the council in late November to look for a new full-time city manager. The position becomes open at the end of the year when city manager Scott Sellers leaves after three years on the job. He leaves Kilgore to become city manager in Kyle.

CARTHAGE (AP) — An Arkansas man has been accused of stealing about 70 cattle and trying to sell some of the livestock at auction in East Texas. Panola County jail records show Bradley Wayne Guthrey of North Little Rock, Arkansas, was being held Tuesday on counts including livestock theft, burglary and evading arrest. Online jail records don’t list an attorney for Guthrey, who was arrested Dec. 9 in Carthage after a chase. Workers at the Panola Livestock Company Inc. contacted authorities after Guthrey allegedly offered eight unbranded cattle for sale. The animals turned out to be stolen. His bond was set at $10,000 on an evading arrest charge. Guthrey was held without bond on the other charges, including parole violation in Arkansas and a stolen property-related count in Cleveland County, Oklahoma.

WASHINGTON (AP/STAFF) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says approving the Keystone XL pipeline will top the Senate agenda in January. The issue could set up an early 2015 veto confrontation with President Barack Obama. Congressional Republicans have been pushing for approval of the pipeline for years. Obama has resisted because of environmental concerns. The pipeline, which comes through eastern Smith County, would carry tar sands oil from Canada into the United States and eventually to the Texas Gulf Coast. The Republican-led House has repeatedly passed legislation approving the pipeline. But the bills have died in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Republicans will take control of the Senate in January, and McConnell said approving the pipeline will be the first issue on the agenda. McConnell said the pipeline would create jobs.

MARSHALL — Harrison County District Clerk Melinda Craig has been arrested again. The Longview News-Journal is reporting Craig was arrested in her office shortly before 4:45 yesterday afternoon for public intoxication. Craig was arrested in July by the Texas Rangers for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, assault causing bodily injury to a family member, deadly conduct and criminal trespass. She was indicted in August by the Harrison County Grand Jury on misdemeanor charges of assault causing bodily injury, deadly conduct and criminal trespass.

TYLER – An East Texas transportation advocate was surprised Monday by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Texas Good Roads Association when the department’s coveted Road Hand Award was bestowed upon him. Tom Mullins, President/CEO of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce/Tyler Economic Development Council, was presented the prestigious Road Hand Award before his colleagues at a meeting at the chamber. Continue reading TxDOT Presents Road Hand Award to Tom Mullins

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler held fall 2014 commencement ceremonies Dec. 12 and 13, President Rodney H. Mabry announced. 899 degree candidates were recognized in the UT Tyler R. Don Cowan Fine and Performing Arts Center. Continue reading 899 Candidates Recognized at UT Tyler Fall 2014 Commencement

LINDALE — The Lindale Police Department is asking for help identifying a man who allegedly stole a TV from the local Walmart. KETK reports the unidentified suspect is said to have taken the item on December 11 at around 4:15 p.m. If you know this man’s identity or his whereabouts, contact police at 903-882-3313.

ATHENS — In a multi-agency raid, law enforcement executed warrants on several illegal gambling locations in Henderson County, according to authorities. According to KETK, District Attorney Scott McKee said at around 10:00 Tuesday morning, authorities raided game rooms in Eustace, Tool, Seven Points, Cap City, and Gun Barrel City. Officials say the warrants were the result of an almost year-long investigation into illegal gambling operations, money laundering, and organized crime in Henderson County at McKee’s request. The Henderson County District Attorney’s Office, Department of Public Safety, Texas Rangers, State Comptroller’s Office, and Henderson County Sheriff’s Office were involved in the operation. We’ll bring you more information as it becomes available.

TYLER — BBB is warning consumers about an area carpet cleaning contractor whom they say took their money without completing the work. Several Tyler and Longview area consumers are reporting that Steam Tech did not provide services they paid for. Responding to roadside sign advertisements for carpet cleaning at $12.95-$20 per room, customers are alleging the contractor comes in, sprays water on the floor (to let it soak), asks to be paid in cash, and leaves the premises without completing the job. Another consumer told BBB that she went to look at the room, and by the time she realized he hadn’t done anything, he was gone. “I gave him $210, and he said he was going to write up an invoice”, one consumer stated. “Next thing I know, I hear his motor running; he just took the money and ran.” Continue reading East Texas Residents Taken to the Cleaners

BULLARD – The Bullard school board has announced that Todd Schneider, the assistant school superintendent in Katy, is their choice as lone finalist for superintendent of schools. According to the district’s web site, the board has followed a lengthy process in determining the finalist. In August, the Board hired Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Executive Search Services to direct the search. TASB consultants met with staff and community groups September 9 to discuss desired characteristics of the new superintendent. The profile developed from these meetings was the standard used by the Board and consultants in evaluating the applicants for the position. The board selected six applicants for initial interviews. Three applicants were invited back for a second interview. The Board is scheduled to vote to offer a contract to Schneider January 5, 2015. Continue reading Bullard ISD Names Lone Finalist for Superintendent’s Post

TYLER — More details are emerging on a case that came to light over the weekend involving an alleged hit man. Tyler police investigators Friday arrested Chip Patrick Owens, 34, of Tyler for reportedly contracting a hit man to kill his wife and another male. Over the past few months numerous conversations took place between Owens and the person he allegedly contracted for $10,000 to complete the act, according to authorities. Police say they discussed how it would be done and how they would get rid of the bodies and evidence. Owens allegedly provided a 9mm handgun, ammunition, zip ties, and duct tape to the person he hired. Continue reading Police Release More Information on Alleged Hit Man Case

TYLER — Tyler is responding in the aftermath of recent police-related deaths in Ferguson, Missouri, and Staten Island, N.Y. Tyler resident Ambra Phillips is organizing what she terms a peaceful rally, scheduled for Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Phillips says the rally will begin at Front and North Broadway, with a march up Broadway to the downtown square. According to Phillips, activities on the square will include a short program and a candlelight vigil to promote peace. Participants may join the group on the square if they don’t wish to take part in the march. Continue reading Tyler Rally Planned in Response to Ferguson, Staten Island Incidents

MINNEAPOLIS (AP/Staff) – The NFL Players Association has filed a federal lawsuit for Adrian Peterson, asking the court to dismiss an arbitrator’s decision to uphold the NFL’s punishment of the star running back. The petition was filed Monday in Minnesota, where the NFLPA has often gone to contest labor matters with the league. The former Palestine star was suspended without pay for the remaining six games of this season by Commissioner Roger Goodell. That came as a result of the child-abuse case that has kept the six-time Pro Bowl pick out of all but one game this year. Arbitrator Harold Henderson on Friday affirmed the penalty issued by Goodell, which Peterson appealed. The union argued that Henderson’s decision was biased, unfair, and contrary to the collective bargaining agreement.

LUFKIN (AP) – The trial for an East Texas man and woman accused in the starvation death of their 2-month-old son is underway. The Lufkin Daily News reports the joint trial of DeQuisha Jackson, 19, and Isaiah Tolliver, 20, started Monday. Both are charged with murder in the death of their son, Imauri Jackson. In October 2013, someone at the home where the two were staying with a relative called 911 to report that the baby wasn’t breathing. The infant was pronounced dead at a Lufkin hospital. According to an arrest affidavit, the baby was delivered at term and weighed 6.7 pounds. At the time of death, he weighed 5.6 pounds. An autopsy ruled the baby’s death a homicide caused by malnutrition and dehydration.