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TYLER — Tyler Junior College’s Center for Earth & Space Science Education played a prominent role in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. On Saturday, the center hosted a full day of activities for all ages. Programs in the Hudnall Planetarium included moon-related dome shows and guest speakers. A special Moon Academy offered activities such as model rocket building. Lunar University, geared toward advanced students and adults, offered such items as a study of lunar rocks and a video presentation on the Apollo trajectory. A week earlier, TJC alumnus Charles R. Price discussed his 50 years of service as a NASA engineer, including his work on the Apollo 11 mission.

KILGORE — DPS troopers headed to the scene of a small plane crash Saturday evening at Airport Road and Norris Road in Kilgore. DPS Sgt. Jean Dark says the sole occupant was taken to Good Shepard Medical Center-Longview with non-life-threatening injuries. Dark says the FAA has been notified. She didn’t immediately release further information.

MALAKOFF — For one East Texas woman desperately looking for her late son’s dog, it’s an answered prayer. Thursday, Renee Peterson drove from her home in Malakoff to San Antonio after getting word that a family there may have had the dog, named Milo. After Peterson played an audio recording of her son’s voice, it became apparent that there was no doubt that the blue heeler puppy was indeed Milo. She said her son had trained Milo in German commands and this turned up in the recording. The family that took Milo in after he wandered onto their yard made ID tags with his name on them, in case the dog was Milo. On her way home, Peterson noticed that the family took it one step further. She said, “I noticed it said, ‘In loving memory, Ben Olson, always in my heart.'”

MARSHALL — Pre-k students at Marshall ISD will have all-day classes when the new school year starts. Communications director David Weaver says the only thing holding up the process was a facility that was too small to take on all the students all day long, so officials had to split the program into two sessions. Now the district is retrofitting a much larger school campus that’s been out of use for several years to house the all-day pre-k. Weaver says the extra hours of pre-k level instruction will be invaluable to Marshall’s youngest students.

KILGORE — Nearly 3 dozen young women realized hopes and dreams on Friday morning. 34 young ladies were selected as the newest members of the world-famous Kilgore College Rangerettes dance and drill team. The announcement culminates a week long process of 91 “Hopefuls” vying for a position on the 80th Rangerette line. The new Rangerettes will join 36 sophomores to make up the 70 member team. For more information, visit https://www.rangerette.com/media/press-releases/2019/rangerettes-select-80th-line

TYLER — The health science center has announced a three-year award of $750,000 from The Health Resources and Services Administration. It will establish a residency program in rural Northeast Texas. The goal is to increase rural mental health outcomes. The health science center was the only institution in Texas to receive the award. The new rural residency track will begin interviewing candidates in 2020. The new program will be hosted in Pittsburg, where the health science center says they have already experienced great success with their residency program for rural family medicine.

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler signed a partnership with Kilgore College on Friday afternoon. With the alliance, undergraduate students admitted to the Kilgore College Associate Degree in Nursing program planning to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree will be offered admission to UT Tyler, provided they meet admission requirements. The co-partnership will define a pathway for students to complete degrees at both institutions.

TYLER — A Smith County jury has found Colby Viers guilty of driving while intoxicated in his 3rd conviction of that offense. Viers was sentenced to 7 years in the Texas Department of Corrections. Court proceedings revealed that Viers was stopped for speeding by Bullard police when he admitted to drinking alcohol and subsequently failed a field sobriety test. At sentencing, the jury heard evidence of 2 prior DWI convictions, as well as other prior convictions including theft, evading, false report to a peace officer, and attempted burglary of a building.

TYLER — The 6th annual back to school event “#SchoolisCool” is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 1 at Harvey Hall and the Rose Garden Center. The gathering helps children prepare for the new school year. Free backpacks filled with supplies are given to the first 2,000 school-aged children in line. The time is set for 4:30 p.m to 7:00 p.m. The committee is asking for donations and sponsorships from local businesses and organizations. Both monetary and supplies donations are needed. To donate or obtain a vendor application, visit http://www.SchoolisCoolTyler.com.

TYLER — A former T.K. Gorman assistant basketball coach accused of attempted sexual assault has a trial date August 19 . According to our news partner KETK, Jakeal Lockett, 25, was accused of breaking into a UT Tyler student’s apartment around 1:00 a.m. on February 24 and attempted to kiss her numerous times. Lockett was the middle school boy’s basketball coach and assistant varsity boy’s basketball coach at Bishop Gorman Catholic High School in Tyler. Lockett was arrested in March for assault and has since been held in the Smith County Jail on a $250,000 bond since that arrest. If convicted, Lockett will face five years to life in prison.

AUSTIN — On Thursday, Governor Abbott celebrated two East Texas-linked bills he signed into law in June. At two state capitol events, Abbott re-signed laws dealing with religious liberty and lemonade stands. The controversial “Chick-fil A Law” was authored by State Senator Bryan Hughes of Mineola. That law prevents local governments from discriminating against companies like Chick-fil-A due to its financial support of religious organizations. Abbott was surrounded by some of the children who testified before the state legislature earlier this year in favor of a law legalizing lemonade stands. That bill grew out of an Overton case, and Abbott called the measure common sense.

TYLER — Old Bullard Road in Tyler between Timberwilde Drive and Rice Road reopened on Thursday afternoon. According to Tyler City Officials the project involved the installation of three additional 5′ x 3′ concrete box culverts under Old Bullard Road among other items. Construction began in May and was scheduled through late September. The project was completed 5 weeks ahead of schedule.

TYLER –The University of Texas at Tyler Hibbs Institute reports the Tyler Metropolitan Statistical Area doing favorably in terms of gross domestic product. The Per Capita Real GDP is just over $64,000 dollars. In fact, the city ranks second out of 12 Texas cities in GDP (the total value of all final goods and services, adjusted by population and inflation) – 2nd only to Dallas. For more information click the link… https://www.uttyler.edu/hibbs-institute/files/briefs/2019/hibbs-brief-a-simple-explanation-of-gross-domestic-product.pdf.

SMITH COUNTY — Construction is underway on County Road 168, in front of Owens Elementary School. The road is currently one lane with a pilot car directing drivers. The work includes widening the entire length of the 3.5 mile project, replacing a box culvert and widening the turn lanes in front of the school. The project has two stages. Currently work is concentrated in front of Owens Elementary. This chapter should be finished before school starts. The contractor has two additional months to complete the rest of the project.

TROUP — An interlocal agreement approved by Smith County Commissioners Court and Troup City Council has plans for County Road 2185 moving forward. Smith County Road and Bridge has already started prepping for the project. Smith County crews will be updating CR 2185, which turns into the City of Troup’s County Line Road; it is also being improved at the same time. Smith County will also pave Church Street and Pascal Road. The city of Troup will pay Smith County for materials and labor done to its roads. Road and Bridge crews are expected to begin paving next week.

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler announced on Thursday that Dr. Mary Fischer, professor of accounting in the Soules College of Business, has been honored for her many contributions to the accounting industry. Fischer received the 2019 American Accounting Association Government and Nonprofit Section’s Enduring Lifetime Contribution Award in recognition of her impeccable career of service for a lifetime contribution to government and nonprofit accounting. Fischer has taught accounting at UT Tyler since 1996.

LONGVIEW — A missing Longview woman has Longview Police asking for your help. According to our news partner KETK, Shantay Levee Brown, 49, was last seen by her family at the end of June. She reportedly is five feet tall and weighs about 110 pounds. Police says she has black hair and brown eyes, along with a scar in the center of her chin. If you have any knowledge of her whereabouts, contact Longview Police or Detective Terry Davis at 903-237-1199.

GREGG COUNTY — Two family members are jailed in Gregg County after reportedly shooting each other with BB guns. According to the Longview News-Journal, the mom and son duo were arrested Tuesday morning following a deadly conduct call. 56-year-old Michelle Williams Preston and 36-year-old Shawn Phillip Moore, both from Kilgore, have been charged with aggravated assault with a weapon. Preston was also charged with terroristic threat against a peace officer and resisting arrest, search or transport. Preston admitted to firing the handgun toward Moore during the altercation. Continue reading Mother and Son Arrested following BB Gun Shootout

HENDERSON COUNTY — Thousands have come to the defense of a school bus driver in East Texas. They’ve signed a petition appealing to the Henderson County District Attorney to drop charges against John Stevens. The 78-year-old bus driver with the Athens school district was indicted on two separates charges related to a crash with a train that killed a 13-year-old boy and injured a 9-year-old girl. Court papers say Stevens had stopped at the crossing before driving onto the tracks. A change.org petition now has more than 4,000 signatures. Some of the signers say they’re familiar with that crossing and it’s dangerous. One called it a “death trap.” Continue reading Support Grows for Athens Bus Driver Involved in Deadly Crash

ATHENS — A Mabank woman accused of shooting and killing her daughters has been sentenced to life without parole. According to our news partner KETK, Sarah Henderson, 31, pleaded guilty in the November 2017 deaths of 5- and 7-year-old KayLee and Kenlie Henderson. Police found the daughters with gunshot wounds to their heads. Sarah Henderson was also charged with the attempted murder of her husband. Officials say Henderson had planned the murders for two weeks and was attempting to kill her entire family. After she shot her daughters, she tried to kill her husband, but the gun jammed. Henderson attempted to plead insanity in 2018 but was found competent to stand trial.

TYLER — We now know more from a July 2017 plane crash leaving Tyler Pounds airport. According to our news partner KETK, the plane crash killed two people, including a Brownsboro pastor. William Robert Walls III and Pastor Trevor Morris both died in the crash. Morris left behind five children. The plane’s wreckage was one-half mile from the Tyler Pounds Airport runway. Damage found on scene suggested the right engine was not operating at the time of impact. The reason for the loss of right engine power could not be determined based on available information. The Morris family has a pending wrongful death lawsuit against three different East Texas companies related to the crash.

QUITMAN — A Wood County jury on Wednesday acquitted Jason Walters of murder. Walters, of Mineola, was on trial for shooting 19-year-old Christopher Griffin at the Mineola EZ Mart in 2014. According to our news partner KETK, the verdict came in Wednesday afternoon shortly after 3:15. Mineola police say Walters and Griffin got into an argument that started inside the convenience store and the two went into the outside alley, where the shooting occurred.

KILGORE — The city pool in Kilgore is hosting its second free dive-in movie on Thursday. The 1975 summer blockbuster “Jaws” will play at 8:30 p.m. The pool will be open at 7:30 for a free swim before the show. LED lights will have the pool ablaze in red. Kilgore City Pool reminds people that “Jaws” is intended for an older age demographic, due to violent scenes. For more information on the dive-in movie click the link. https://www.facebook.com/events/444950342994002.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Chamber was among several selected from 1,300 chambers of commerce through out the U.S. and Canada. “Chamber of the Year” is the most prestigious and competitive award presented by ACCE and is the only globally-recognized industry award that celebrates top chambers of commerce. Kelly Hall, CEO and President of the Longview Chamber summarized the Chambers feeling by saying, “This is an exciting time for the Longview Chamber! Our work is strategic, intentional and is being recognized nationwide.”

LONGVIEW — Ashly James is one of two girls selected from Texas that will take part in Girls Nation, a mock-government program. According to our news partner KETK, Ashly was chosen out of 600 girls in the state to be a Girls Nation Senator. Ashly is a senior at Pine Tree High School. Her future plans include studying criminal law or business law. Girls Nation is an annual civic training program run by the American Legion Auxiliary. It’s a virtual reality mock-up event where she and other girls will run for office, elect a president, and even work to pass legislation.

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler announced that the University and Tyler Junior College are collaborating in the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Summer Research Academy. 5 UT Tyler students and 2 TJC students have been accepted as 2019 fellows. The aim is to enhance STEM research and education. The program is also formulated to provide research experiences to undergraduate students from under represented populations and encourage them to pursue graduate-level science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man is set to face a jury in September after making threats to Longview and Kilgore high schools. According to our news partner KETK and the Longview News-Journal, David Alexander Nelson, 22, had his trial moved from July 15 to September 16. The threats were reportedly made on the messaging app Snapchat beginning in October of 2018 against Kilgore High School. Nelson confessed to creating the posts as a prank, according to Kilgore police, but he now faces a charge of making a terroristic threat. Threats to Longview High School resulted in an all-call to parents. The call and concern about the threats led to many parents taking their children home for the day. After two days of investigation, Kilgore investigators determined the threats were made at a residence in Elderville. Nelson was arrested and booked into the Gregg County Jail October 28, 2018.

TYLER — The City of Tyler’s Solid Waste Department recognized twelve drivers for safety excellence from their team of wheelmen. The period highlights the past 6 months of safety, covering January of this year through June. The Solid Waste drivers that received the Semi-Annual Driver Safety Award are Adrian Black, Sharnette Butler, Thomas Blaylock, Cameron Clayton, Alaric Jordan, Quinton Moore, Marquis Johnson, Frederick Jones, Stephen Gaddie, Mark Smith, Michael Williams and James Williams.

TYLER — A Lindale man accused of setting a hospital bed on fire last August has pleaded guilty to criminal mischief after an arson charge against him was dropped. According to our news partner KETK, 21-year-old Mason Wyatt was arrested last year at the UT Health Main Campus for reportedly setting fire to a hospital bed. No one was injured in the affair. The arson charge was a second-degree felony, and the criminal mischief charge is a simple state jail felony. Wyatt awaits his sentencing with a maximum of two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The hearing is scheduled for August 5.

TYLER — A total of 10 different Tyler fire stations will benefit from a donation from Planet Fitness of Tyler. The workout facility announced Tuesday its donation of gym gear to the City of Tyler Fire Department. The equipment will offer additional resources to local firefighters, in an effort to further their physical commitment and dedication to protecting the city. Assistant Chief Michael Frost will deliver 36 machines on behalf of the health club.