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LONGVIEW – Residents in northern Gregg County want beer and wine sales in their area. The Longview News Journal is reporting that a petition of more than 2,000 signatures has been submitted to the Gregg County Elections department. It is asking that the Commissioners Court call an election to approve off-premise beer and wine sales in Precinct 1. The commissioners will likely will discuss the petition at their March 25th meeting. Gregg County Elections Administrator Kathryn Nealy told the paper the earliest that the court could call an election would be in November.

HALLSVILLE – The pilot involved in a fatal Harrison County crash on March 9th, was not certified to fly the plane. According to FAA records, William Robert Kendrick, of Huffman, was certified to fly a single-engine aircraft. The plane that crashed was a twin engine craft. The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report also said that Kendrick’s pilot log shows he had not flown in nearly 14 years. His plane, which was on its way to New Orleans, crashed 10 miles from the East Texas Regional Airport. Also killed in the crash was the pilot’s wife and daughter and her boyfriend.

SMITH COUNTY – Wednesday is Texas Tobacco-Free Kids Day. There will be at least 70 students and faculty at each of 5 Smith County high schools wearing the Texas Tobacco-Free Kids Day shirts. The number 70 represents the number of people that die every day in Texas from tobacco related cuases. At each participating school there will be an announcement about what’s in a cigarette, such things as rat poison, ammonia and nail polish remover. They will remind the students that they have the power to be tobacco free. The Campus Crimestopper student board members came up with this plan after attending a Texas Tobacco-Free Teen Leadership Conference. The participating schools are: John Tyler High School, Robert E. Lee High School, Early College High School (Tyler ISD), Chapel Hill High School and Whitehouse High School.

MARSHALL – An East Texas man has died in a Tyler hospital from a Harrison County accident. Killed was Tristen Alexander Jackson, 20, of Humble. The Department of Public Safety report says his car went off the roadway to the right and the driver over corrected to the left and went off the road. The car hit a culvert and became airborne, hitting a tree. He was not wearing a seat belt. The accident happened around 1:30 Saturday morning on U.S. Highway 59, Nearly 5 miles north of Marshall.

MARSHALL – One person has been arrested in a Marshall murder. The shooting was reported shortly after 11:30 Monday night on Elsie Street. Rushed to a Marshall hospital, where he later died, was Tyshun Darty, 22, of Marshall. The shooter was identified as Nathan “Nate” Irving,(pictured) 20 of Marshall. He was found, and arrested without incident, Tuesday morning. Irving has been booked into the Harrison County Jail on a murder charge

FRANKSTON — Frankston ISD announced on its Facebook page the death of junior high basketball coach and history teacher, Reginald Clark. Clark “recently became very ill and has passed away,” FISD said in the post. “Coach Clark was an excellent teacher, and we will all miss him very much.” The post added that Clark’s family “would like you to know he loved his students and colleagues very much.” According to our news partner KETK, the district will have counselors available to help student “during this difficult time.”

PALESTINE – Two nursing students at the University of Texas at Tyler-Palestine campus, have been elected to leadership roles in the Texas Student Nursing Association. Elected president was Rachel Barbey of Palestine and elected vice president was Allison Sheridan of Elkhart. The two students, who hold the top positions of the board of directors, will serve for a one-year period and attend board meetings throughout the year. The Texas Nursing Students Association is an organization dedicated to promoting professionalism and leadership for today’s nursing students. There are more than 3,000 members representing over 100 nursing schools in Texas.

TYLER – The Smith County Clerk’s Office’s Official Public Records Department, housed in the Annex Building basement, remains temporarily closed to the public. County Clerk Karen Phillips said crews are still working on remediating a flood that occurred in the basement over the weekend. Official public records include land records, assumed names, and cattle brands. Public records can be found online at ttp://smithtx.officialpublicrecords.us in case you need access to them. They will be receiving land records for recording on the 3rd floor of the Annex through this Friday. Books will not be available at this time since the basement is still not accessible. They will also be making copies, and receiving e-filings.

AUSTIN – Tyler is one of six pilot sites in the state selected to take part in an initiative to increase access to clinical mental health treatment for military service members. The Andrews Center in Tyler, along with the Burk Center in Nacogdoches, were selected to take part in the program. The six centers provide services to veterans across 39 Texas counties. Veteran counselors were recently hired at the pilot sites using existing program funding. Training for the new counselors was completed a couple of months ago. They are able to provide acute mental health services to military service members, veterans and their families. Among the areas they are skilled in are suicide prevention and intervention. Continue reading Enhanced Mental Health Treatment for Veterans

TYLER – Several units of a senior living community have been damaged by fire. The two alarm fire occurred around 8:15 Sunday evening at the William Booth Garden Apartments. The independent living and assisted living apartments are located on Golden Road at the Old Henderson Highway. No injuries were reported, but fire marshal Paul Findley said three apartment units suffered flame damage, while three units suffered smoke and water damage. The fire started on a porch area of one of the apartments. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.

TYLER – One person has been killed in a Tyler industrial accident. Killed in the weekend accident was Kaspar Holland, 22, of Tyler. The accident occurred at the Brookshire Grocery Company warehouse. Details of what happened have not been released. The company said in a news release they have operated warehouse facilities in Tyler for nearly 70 years. This is the first on-the-job injury of this severity at one of their warehouses. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation into the accident.

TYLER – TxDOT is planning to conduct the following construction and maintenance work throughout the district during the week of March 18. Schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues.

In Smith County, the Farm Road 2493/Old Jacksonville Highway widening project from Gresham to Flint, gets underway with right-of-way clearing operations. Motorists will notice a new construction speed limit of 45 mph in place throughout the work zone. Daily lane closures could also be at play as needed. Motorist should expect a change in their daily commutes. Continue reading TxDOT Road Projects Update

TYLER — Tyler’s Old Bascom Road is closed from Southwood Drive to Old Omen Road, and that stretch will remain shut down through this Friday, weather permitting. Crews are making emergency repairs to a drainage culvert. No through traffic will be allowed. Travelers are encouraged to find an alternative route and to pay attention to all traffic and construction signs.

LONGVIEW — Longview plans a street closure this week for railroad track maintenance. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Green Street near Nelson Street and the UPRR Underpass will be closed daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Drivers are encouraged to use alternate routes. If you have any questions related to construction, call the City Engineer, Alton Bradley, at 903-237-1067.

LONGVIEW (AP) – Ten trumpet students at a Louisiana university are offering to play Taps at veterans’ funerals, rather than leave the haunting farewell bugle call to a mechanical device. “A lot of people get a recording, and play it over a speaker. It means something because it’s the song. But when you have an actual person with the horn … and you hear the horn ring over the fields, it takes the breath out of your chest,” Kody Jernigan, a music education major at the University of Louisiana in Monroe, said in a telephone interview. The senior from Longview is a member of Talons for Taps, named because the university’s mascot is the Warhawk — a nod to the World War II-era Curtiss P-40 Warhawk airplane. All are members of the ULM Trumpet Studio: seven trumpet majors and three other students taught by Assistant Professor Eric Siereveld. Continue reading University Trumpeters Offer Taps for Veterans’ Funerals

HARRISON COUNTY – Authorities say a body found in Shreveport was that of a man who’d been sought in a deadly shooting near Waskom. According to Harrison County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Jay Webb, officials conducted a welfare check on a possible homicide victim at a home on Boggy Road. According to our news partner KETK and the Longview News Journal, that death is believed to be connected to a Caddo Parish hostage situation and shooting Wednesday night. Continue reading Police: Body Found in Shreveport was Man Wanted in Waskom Shooting

MINEOLA — Mineola police have opened an investigation into a 3-year-old boy’s death last week. According to our news partner KETK, police and EMS were called to a home on West Buchanan Street March 6. Police say the boy had fallen in the home and was unconscious when officials arrived. The boy was transferred to UT Health-Tyler and then flown to Dallas Children’s Hospital. He remained in critical condition before dying from his injuries on March 9. CPS is also investigating.

HENDERSON COUNTY — One man is dead following a Thursday night shooting in Henderson County. Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said deputies were called to the scene on Valley View Drive, in the Brierwood Bay subdivision, shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday. Jaylon Ward, 21, was pronounced dead at the scene with an apparent gunshot wound. Natalie McKenzie, 41, was found wounded by gunfire. She was airlifted to UT Health-Tyler and was last reported in critical but stable condition. Ward’s body was sent to Dallas for autopsy. No arrests had been made at last report.

TYLER — Tyler Police are searching for a suspect accused of attacking a jogger at Rose Rudman Park. It happened around 7:30 Thursday evening. Officials said the female was running on the paved trail in the middle of the park when a black male grabbed her from behind and dragged her into a wooded area. Officials said the suspect attempted to sexually assault her as she fought and screamed to keep him away. The man fled on foot. He’s described as 6′ tall, medium build, 30-years-old, wearing a dark hoodie and sweat pants. The woman suffered minor injuries. Anyone with information is urged to contact Tyler Police at 903-531-1090 or Crime Stoppers at 903-597-2833. Tyler Police remind all runners to be cautious when running at night and pair with another runner when possible for safety.

TYLER — A jury has sentenced 20-year-old Dikembi Spencer of Tyler to 50 years in prison for engaging in organized criminal activity. According to the Smith County district attorney’s office, Spencer and two others arranged to buy marijuana at a Tyler apartment complex in November 2017. Authorities say Spencer and Davonte Black went in and robbed the drug dealer at gunpoint, making off with the marijuana and another gun. Police detectives were able to recover a video posted by Spencer showing him and Black displaying the stolen goods and the guns used in the heist. Continue reading Prosecutors: Ranking Gang Member Gets 50 Years for Robbery at Gunpoint

SMITH COUNTY – The east bound lanes of Interstate Highway 20 in Western Smith County are now open. According to a tweet from the Tyler TxDot Office, “The repairs are complete and all travel lanes of I-20 at Caney Creek are open and normal traffic flow resumed.” Monday evening, after a sinkhole developed at the bridge abutment at the creek, traffic had to be rerouted around the area. Crews opened the outside eastbound lane on Wednesday. The other lane was opened on Thursday.

AUSTIN – Texas game wardens have completed a two day operation to find businesses who were trying to circumvent laws regulating commercial seafood operations. More than 50 facilities, including seafood restaurants, fish markets, and wholesale commercial fish dealers, were targeted in the operation. More than 60 warnings and citations were issued for a range of commercial seafood health and safety related violations. At a Wood County business, game wardens seized around $1,600 worth of oysters packaged in 37 undocumented one gallon plastic storage bags. Investigators also took possession of undocumented oysters in Gregg, Nacogdoches and Angelina counties. They promise they will be conducting more frequent inspections in the future with warnings replaced with citations and arrest warrants.

EAST TEXAS – A line of severe thunderstorm caused heavy damage around East Texas Thursday morning. The storms brought severe lightning and straight-line winds which included winds up to 50 and 60 miles an hour. One hard-hit area was Kilgore, where thousands of homes were damaged and power knocked out. The damage calls to the city started coming in around 3:15 Thursday morning. City crews and emergency responders spent Thursday working to clear trees from streets. Officials said The Kilgore College Parks Fitness Center, on Laird Street west of Broadway Boulevard, is open to the public. Anyone in need will be able to shower and charge their electronic devices.

TYLER – According to new data from Terminix, 7 Texas cities are on the company’s list of the Top 50 most termite-infested cities in the United States. Number 7 on the list is Tyler-Longview. According to the company’s web site, as temperatures increase, so does termite activity. They say the average cost associated with treating and repairing damage from an infestation is over $8,000. Termites cause around $5 billion in damage in the U.S. every year. Continue reading Two Area Cities on the Most Termite Infested List

PALESTINE – A man accused of robbing a Palestine gas station last month, and setting a customer on fire, has been indicted by the Anderson County grand jury. Robert Lawrence Thompson, 40, is charged with two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of arson. He is said to have bound the employee and a customer with duct tape. He then doused both women with lighter fluid and set the customer on fire. She was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas for treatment. Thompson was later arrested at another Palestine gas station. He remains in the Anderson County Jail under bonds totaling $4,000,000.

TYLER – The Smith County Fire Marshall’s office has not been able to find the cause of a that killed a mother and her daughter last month. Killed were Alejandra Mayorga Chavez, 66, and Herlinda Beltran, 35. The February 12th fire was reported shortly after 5:15 that morning in their mobile home in Chapel Hill. Assistant Fire Marshall Chad Hogue said his office and the ATF, have completed their investigation into the fire. He said, while the cause of the fire is undetermined, foul play is not suspected.

MOUNT PLEASANT – East Texas businesses have been alerted to watch out for checks written by John Granger. He has been passing hot checks around the area. The Mount Pleasant Police Department reports he has written over $85,000 in hot checks in their area. He has bought vehicles, jewelry and other expensive items. And he hasn’t stopped there. His checks have also turned up in Marshall, Gilmer, Pittsburg and Omaha. And they expect many more hot checks will be reported. They say he is on the run and is extremely deceptive. They believe he is driving a new truck purchased with a stolen check. Continue reading Hot Check Artist Alert

TYLER – The deadline for filing income tax returns is fast approaching. Senior adults in the Tyler area have some help in preparing their returns. The Tyler Senior Center is partnering with Tyler AARP to provide help for local seniors. The Senior Center on Garden Valley Road is 1 of 4 locations to provide help with Free Tax Aid Preparation Service. Every Monday and Wednesday from 9:00am to 1:00pm, on a first come first serve basis, seniors can meet with accountants and enjoy coffee and popcorn while waiting. Since the service is free, service and assistance is not guaranteed on a given day if demand is high. The service will run through April 15th. You can call the Tyler Senior Center at 903-597-0781 for more information.

PALESTINE – Palestine police have increased patrols during spring break. The increased enforcement will focus on speeding, seat belt, safety seat, and DWI violations. The police department will utilize the Texas Department of Transportation Selective Traffic Enforcement Grant to fund overtime for off-duty officers to work this increased enforcement effort in an effort to help eliminate traffic crashes and fatalities. The increased enforcement will run through March 24th.