KTBB News, Weather, Talk

ATHENS — In an effort to give students a real-life food service opportunity, the Athens Masonic Lodge #165 has partnered with the Athens High School Culinary Arts Class. The AHS Culinary Arts Class will prepare a dinner for the Masons’ meeting each month. The Masons pay the Culinary Arts Class for the food. The objective is to give students a chance to demonstrate what they have learned in a very tangible way.

LONGVIEW — Nonprofits TexProtects and Buckner Children and Family Services will be hosting a legislative wrap-up Thursday morning at the Longview Public Library. The meeting is from 10 a.m. to noon and is open to the community and will meet in the Moeschele room. The goal of the meeting is to unpack issues related to child welfare discussed during the 86th legislative session and how they relate to East Texas. The second hour of the event will be a policy round table discussion and encourage participants to share their input.

TYLER — Traffic is back to normal today following an accident Monday evening that knocked out power to the traffic signal at the intersection of SH 155 & Grande Blvd in Tyler. The signal was out of service for several hours while crews rebuilt the control box. Motorists did experience minor delays as traffic slowed down going through the intersection, but quickly returned to normal with the repair.

ANDERSON COUNTY — An Anderson County family was in court yesterday following an earlier discovery of 23 dead horses and other livestock on their 240-acre ranch. According to our news partner KETK, Monday’s hearing would decide if the 95 surviving animals would be awarded back to the Dear family or remain in the custody of the state. The Dear family says it was confusion between them and a hired fencing contractor accidentally locked the animals from a water source at the vacant home. Continue reading State to Auction Remaining Livestock from Dear Ranch

PALESTINE — The Palestine Public Library will be having a large sale this week at the Book Sale Room inside the Palestine Mall. All proceeds benefit the Palestine Public Library. The special sale is this Friday from 3 to 6 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm. The library says they will have thousands of books on sale from $2.00 for hardbacks to ten cents for small romance novels. Continue reading Palestine Library Book Sale This Week

TYLER — City of Tyler Managing Director, Heather Nick, AICP, has been elected president-elect of the American Planning Association (APA) Texas Chapter. She is an award-winning planner with more than 15 years of performance. Nick is a certified planner and holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Texas at Tyler. She also graduated from UT-Tyler summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. Nick received two associates degrees in Computer-Aided Drafting and Design as well as in Information Systems from Tyler Junior College. Texas is the 3rd largest chapter and Texas benefits approximately 2,600 members. The APA is the world’s largest planning organization with 45,000 members from over 100 countries. Nick will begin her two-year term as President-Elect on Nov. 8, 2019. Afterwards, she will serve an additional two-year session as President of the APA Texas Chapter.

LONGVIEW — An officer involved shooting happened in Longview late Sunday night involving a Longview Police Officer. The incident happened after the officer originally conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the parking lot of the Sunset Motel on W. Marshall Avenue. The officer removed two people from the vehicle, and then a 3rd man attempted to pull away from the scene. The driver did not follow the officers commands to stop. The vehicle was driven in the direction of the officer and the officer fired at the vehicle. The driver fled the scene and another fled on foot. Police are presently searching for the vehicle and the suspects that left the scene. Continue reading Longview Police Officer Involved in Shooting

TYLER — A group of cyclists is riding this week from Tyler to Corpus Christi, to change lives. According to our news partner KETK, 114,000 people are awaiting an organ donation, 10,000 of those are in Texas. To help bring those numbers down, a group of bicyclist will spend the week riding for organ donations. On Sunday, riders arrived at Tyler Christian Fellowship. The 11 travelers are each carrying a name on their back, representing someone whose life was changed by a donation. Continue reading Cyclists Travel State Championing Organ Donors

TYLER –National Voter’s Registration Day is Tuesday, and the League of Women Voters is ready to sign up East Texans to vote. The League of Women of Voters of Tyler/Smith County has nine different locations ready to bring awareness to the community on the importance of voting and the ease of signing up. The deadline to register to vote for the upcoming elections is October 7. To find their locations, click the link. http://lwvtyler.org/

HENDERSON COUNTY — A vehicle theft report lands an East Texas man in jail. According to the Henderson County Sheriff, a deputy was responding to a report of of someone possibly stripping a stolen vehicle in the Payne Springs area Sunday. The deputy was able to confirm that the vehicle had been reported stolen earlier that day. Joshua Rhodes, of Gun Barrel City, was arrest for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He was booked into the Henderson County Jail. The vehicle was released back to the owner.

LUFKIN — A Lufkin Police officer was assaulted while working security at movie theater late Saturday night. According to our news partner KETK, Det. Ron Stubblefield was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for a broken arm following the incident, which occurred around 11:35 p.m. at 109 Miles Way. Theater staff requested that Stubblefield ask a group of roughly 20 people to leave the movie Downton Abbey because they were recording the movie and being disruptive. When Stubblefield approached the group, the suspect – described as a younger black male, 5’9-5’10, thin build, wearing a white hoodie – aggressively bumped into the officer. A confrontation then ensued in which Stubblefield was assaulted and forced to the ground, breaking his arm near the elbow. Continue reading Lufkin Police Officer Assaulted at Movie Theater

LONGVIEW — This month, state-funded Buckner Project HOPES celebrates its five-year anniversary serving parents in the Longview community and announces it has been approved for another five years of funding. “The year before we received the funding, Gregg County was ranked as the third highest in the state for being at risk of teen pregnancy, early substance abuse, and family violence, including child abuse,” said Project HOPES Director Michelle Heflin in a news release. “Those numbers are a big reason Buckner was awarded the program contract for the counties of Gregg, Upshur, and Harrison.” The program is intended to address child abuse and neglect prevention by focusing on community collaboration in high risk counties. Go to https://www.buckner.org/project-hopes to learn more.

MARSHALL — Renovation work to Marshall’s Memorial City Hall Performance Center is nearing completion. City officials say the project will bring the vision of a state-of-the art performing arts and conference center to a reality. There are still limited opportunities for the public to leave a legacy through various fundraising efforts that include theatre boxes, dedication plaques for theatre seats, and commemorative custom-made benches. The facility was first constructed in 1907 as Marshall City Hall. MCHPC’s premier season will run from October 2019 to April 2020. For more information, visit http://www.memorialcityhall.com or contact or MCHPC manager Glenn Barnhart at 903-934-7992.

TYLER — East Texas native and Tyler Junior College alumnus Bill C. Malone was a key component in creating Ken Burns’ eight-part documentary, “Country Music,” airing this month on PBS. That’s according to a news release from the college. Widely recognized as country music’s senior authority, Malone is an author, musician and noted historian of traditional American musical forms, according to the release. College officials say his groundbreaking 1968 work, “Country Music U.S.A.,” was the first definitive and still stands as the most authoritative academic history on the subject. Burns and his associates credit Malone’s book as their roadmap for crafting the series. Continue reading Book by TJC Alumnus Serves as Guide for “Country Music” Documentary Series

PALESTINE — The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after 31 dead animals were found on a property near Slocum. After ACSO deputies received a tip on September 13, they went to the property and found 21 dead horses and 10 dead cows. Authorities tell our news partner KETK they believe the animals died from lack of water. With the help of local cowboys, deputies also seized dozens more animals that were still alive, including 80 cows, 11 horses, four goats, and a mule. Those animals are now being cared for by a third party. Continue reading 31 Dead Animals Found on Property near Slocum

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) – Two Louisiana inmates who fled a minimum-security building are back in custody. The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office says 21-year-old Brenden Jackson and 20-year-old Kodie Byrne were captured Friday afternoon in Tyler, Texas. The sheriff’s office says the men were located together at a business after the car they were in ran out of gas. The men were discovered missing from the work release building during a head count about 11 p.m. Thursday. The building is separate from the main jail. Authorities say Jackson and Byrne were arrested without incident. Jackson was being held on a charge of simple burglary and parole violation while Byrne was serving time for a parole violation. Authorities say each will face additional charges.

WHITEHOUSE — The Whitehouse ISD Education Foundation (WISDEF) is eager to announce it is awarding $100K in grants to Whitehouse ISD employees next Friday. A parade of the First Ladies and drum line and will lead a team of more than 30 community volunteers to all seven campuses. The group will be making educator’s dreams come alive handing out grants that employees applied for over the summer.

TYLER — The 2019 Peace of Mind Conference will be Friday, October 4 at Green Acres Crosswalk Conference Center in Tyler. The convention is designed to educate and encourage individuals and families about mental health issues. “Let’s End the Stigma” is the theme for the 2019 forum, which is now in its 6th year. A generous donor has made the conference possible at NO COST for those attending. However, if you are intending to earn Continuing Education Units, you will be charged $10 at the door. Continue reading 2019 Peace of Mind Conference Free Thanks to Generous Donor

TYLER — The recently retired chancellor and CEO of Tyler Junior College, Dr. Mike Metke has received the Jesse Jones Leadership Award from the North Texas Community College Consortium. This is the 6th presentation of the award that was given during NTCCC’s annual fall leadership conference held at TJC. Recipients are nominated by board members in recognition of contributions made to their respective college in outstanding leadership; dedicated service; and excellence in communication. Metke retired from TJC in June, after serving 12 years at TJC.

TYLER — Tyler officials say Emogene Machey Shaw, age 80, of Tyler has been successfully located. According to Tyler police, Ms. Shaw suffers from Alzheimer’s and had last been seen at her residence on N. Moore Street Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Officials reported late Friday afternoon that she had been found.

TYLER — The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler celebrated the grand opening of their newest addition to campus, the School of Community and Rural Health. Thursday was a red letter day for the university as the school held a ribbon cutting for the 89,000-square-foot structure that will house the latest educational technology for students pursuing a master’s degree in public health or health administration. In addition to classrooms, there is a teaching kitchen, faculty, staff and administrative offices, event space and a mural that spans nearly an entire wall.

LONGVIEW — The tenth annual Rummage Sale sponsored by Mobberly Baptist Church is scheduled for Oct. 4th and 5th at the Exhibit Building of the Gregg County Fairgrounds. Over the last nine years, the annual event has raised almost $170,000 to help Gregg County residents in need. Funds raised go to the Family Services Benevolence Fund, providing residents of Gregg County emergency help with clothing, food, rent and utilities and a variety of other needs. Get complete details by clicking the link. https://mobberly.org/2019/09/19/10th-annual-rummage-sale-to-benefit-east-texas-families-in-need/

TYLER – 58-year-old James Joseph Veeser of Wills Point has pleaded guilty in Tyler federal court to receiving child pornography. According to information presented in court, between January 2016 and January 2019, Veeser received child pornography using the internet and a computer, including three videos containing child pornography. Veeser faces a minimum of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of pre-sentence investigations by the U.S. Probation Office.

HARRISON CO. — A five-year-old boy is fighting for his lifeand his mother and boyfriend have been arrested on abuse charges. According to our news partner KETK, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office received a call on Wednesday of a 5-year-old child having trouble breathing and having a seizure. When deputies arrived the mother and her boyfriend explained that the child fell off the porch earlier in the night while taking out the trash. Continue reading Mom and Boyfriend Jailed, 5 Year-Old Fights for Life

TYLER — The East Texas State Fair officially opens on Friday at 2pm. The Carnival starts rolling at 4pm. The estimated economic impact of the fair is $9.8 Million to the City of Tyler and Smith County. Annually over 250,000 visitors visit over the 10 day event, that ends this year on September 29. More info is available at https://www.etstatefair.com/. Tyler Police have provided tips to make your festival is safe and fun throughout. Continue reading East Texas State Fair Opens Friday

MARSHALL — The Keep Marshall Beautiful Fall Sweep cleanup will take place Saturday, Oct. 5. This event is in conjunction with Keep Texas Beautfiul’s statewide campaign running through the middle of November. Marshall’s Fall sweep will be a citywide cleanup effort to reduce litter and trash across the city. Volunteers will pick up supplies and receive location assignments at City Park. Following the cleanup, a celebration, will take place back at City Park with awards and recognition. Click the link for more details. https://www.facebook.com/events/343747469860490/

LONGVIEW — The City of Longview will be taking comments for the the design of a welcome monument to be installed along a southern Longview entryway. The public meeting is scheduled for October 7th from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. The meeting will focus on two options for the monument at the intersection of High Street, Mobberly Avenue, and Estes Parkway. An earlier meeting presented various themes and gathered input for the monuments development. Continue reading Mobberly Entryway Public Meeting

Tyler – The local Rotary International clubs are accepting entries from public organizations, bands and other groups to participate in the 2019 Rotary Clubs of Tyler Christmas Parade. The parade will be held in downtown Tyler December 5 at 6:00 p.m. The 34th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at the T.B. Butler Fountain Plaza will serve as the finale. This year parade organizers are asking each entry to pay a small entry fee to offset expenses. Complete details available by clicking the link. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-rotary-clubs-of-tyler-christmas-parade-tickets-68524850673?aff=ebdshpsearchautocomplete