KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – An Overton man has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Being held in the Smith County Jail under a $45,000 bond is Kevin Wade Cooper, 40. He is accused of hitting his ex-wife’s daughter with his car. The incident was reported Monday night on County Road 2228, just south of Tyler. Cooper was later stopped by Whitehouse police who had received a description of his vehicle. The girl is said to be in stable condition at a Tyler hospital.

LONGVIEW — LeTourneau University students Rahsheen Lewis Jr., a freshman engineering technology student from Longview, and Sha’Donnaver Young, a junior kinesiology/exercise science major from Houston, have been selected to receive UPS Scholarships provided by the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas (ICUT) Foundation and its national partner, the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). According to a news release from LETU, CIC teams up with the UPS Foundation to distribute $120,000 in funding to 40 low-income students at private institutions across Texas. CIC is an association of over 700 nonprofit independent colleges and universities advancing institutional excellence and enhancing public understanding of private higher education’s contributions to society, according to the release.

LONGVIEW — The murder trial is underway for a Longview man charged in the fatal shooting of a Gladewater man outside a nightclub in 2017. According to our news partner KETK, a jury was picked Monday to hear arguments in the case of Kyron Delyn Adams, 39, accused of shooting Thomas Lynn Harper, 34, after a fight outside J’s Place on February 4, 2017. According an arrest warrant filed by Longview police, Adams shot Harper in the back after a fight. Adams faces charges of first-degree murder and third-degree unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Adams has been held in the Gregg County Jail on $600,000 bond and a Texas Department of Criminal Justice parole warrant since Feb. 9, 2017.

TYLER – The Smith County grand jury has indicted a Henderson County man for murder in connection with a fatal accident. Sean Eammon Waite, 34, of Murchison was arrested after leading law officers on a chase on his motorcycle in mid June. It started as Waite was being chased by Tyler police on Highway 31 West towards Toll 49. Sheriff’s deputies then joined in the chase. It ended when the motorcycle crashed at the intersection of Highway 31 West and Farm Road 2661. Waite was arrested after a short foot chase. His passenger, Alicia Ann Adams, 28, was dead at the scene. Waite remains in the Smith County Jail on bonds totaling nearly $1 million.

TYLER — Judicial records show a Tyler man has been indicted in the death of his 4 month old daughter. Sofia Ibarra died after being removed from life support in a Dallas hospital in late June. Her dad, Andres Ibarra, 19, is charged with capital murder. He remains in the Smith County Jail under a bond of $1 million. He told sheriff’s department investigators that he hit the child in the ribs and abdomen with his fist four or five times and then threw her. After the incident, he went outside and smoked marijuana and then went to sleep. He discovered the next morning the child was pale and not breathing normally and took her to a Tyler hospital and was later transferred to Dallas.

TYLER — East Texans are making their way to the Carolinas help with Florence recovery. A group from Tyler’s Green Acres Baptist Church says it’s ready to ship out. According to our news partner KETK, the group has supplies and all hands on deck if they are needed. Director of Local Missions Andria Horton says, “God tells us to be the hands and the feet of Jesus Christ to give out, to just do basic hospitality for our neighbors and to take care of them whenever a time of disaster has come.” This isn’t the first time they’ve helped people in need. They tell us 13 years ago they shipped out to New Orleans to help during Hurricane Katrina.

TYLER — We’re used to being on the lookout for deer while driving — but come mid-fall, you’ll want to be super careful. Deer mating, or rut, season is fast approaching; that’s when does go into heat. Smith County Game Warden Chris Swift says the bucks will have one thing on their mind. Swift says the bucks are very elusive for 95 per cent of the year. But he cautions that once they get on a doe, they’ll run through a back yard — and are sometimes seen in downtown Tyler. According to Swift, “It’s just kind of a crazy time” of the year, though it only lasts for two or three weeks. Swift says the rut season in East Texas runs from Halloween to Thanksgiving, but it’s earlier closer to the coast. He says it keeps troopers busy answering car versus deer wrecks.

TYLER — The 8th annual Art of Peace celebration is underway in Tyler, and this year it’s getting some unexpected international attention. Again this year, the festivities include a peace poetry anthology, published under Art of Peace co-founder Anne McCrady’s literary imprint, InSpiritry. McCrady recently heard from the teacher of two high school students in Bhutan whose poems are included in the anthology, “Sowing Seeds of Peace.” He let her know that Art of Peace, InSpiritry, and his students were honored with a front-page story and full-cover photo in Kuensel, the national newspaper of Bhutan. As quoted in a news release, McCrady said, “For me as a peace advocate and for all of us with Art of Peace, having an international impact is a dream-come-true.” Continue reading Art of Peace Celebration Underway; Gets International Attention

TYLER – When the East Texas State Fair opens in Tyler on Friday, new regulations will be in place on items allowed to enter the fairgrounds. The new rules, which are designed to keep visitors safe, are similar to rules set by other events, stadiums, and fairgrounds across the country. The fair will be using metal detector wands and bag searches to aid in the enforcement of rules prohibiting potentially hazardous items. These items include: permitted and non-permitted firearms, knives, or other weapons, tobacco, alcohol, illegal drugs, oversized bags, ice chests/coolers, pets, obscene material, unauthorized marketing, drones, hover boards, and non-permitted golf carts. Persons trying to bring any of these items to the fair will not be admitted into the fairgrounds. Continue reading New Security Measures at the East Texas State Fair

TYLER – Here’s a look at road work planned in the Tyler district of TxDOT during the week of September 17th. Schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Slow down and pay attention when traveling through work zones.

Tyler Maintenance and Special Jobs crews plan to continue milling operations on Farm Road 14 between U.S. Highway 271 and Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard. Once complete, crews will move the operation to Farm Road 2015 at US 271. Base repairs are ongoing on Farm Road 2908 just north of Farm Road 2767. Expect lane closures with flaggers providing traffic control at all work locations. Continue reading TxDOT Area Road Projects Update

TYLER -Tyler Junior College will observe its 92nd Founders Day on Monday. The ceremony begins at 7:30am at Windsor Plaza, located at the corner of Apache Pass and South Mahon Avenue on the TJC main campus. The annual event celebrates the day the school was founded , September 17, 1926. It also serves as a time to remember TJC employees and board members who passed away last year. This year, TJC will honor the memories of: John Burket, Noamie R. Byrum, Gene Carney, Kenneth English, Norman Hoot, Steve Morrow, Tracy Rea, Ann M. Snyder, William L. “Bill” Thomas, and William W. “Bill” Wilmeth. The public is invited to addend the ceremony.

LONGVIEW — Additional details are still not available concerning a Longview shooting that left one person dead and one injured. Both were taken to to Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center where Lee Brightman Jr., 29, died. An 18-year-old suffered non-life threatening injuries. His name has not been released. According to the Longview Police Department’s Facebook page, the shooting happened around 3:45 Thursday afternoon at a business on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. . Continue reading One Man Dead, One Injured in Longview Shooting

LONGVIEW – A suspicious vehicle call has resulted in the arrest of a Longview man. He is Jace Martin Laws, 33. He was found sitting in a car in the area of Farmer Street and West Pliler Precise Road. He ran from arriving officers, but was arrested after a short foot chase. He is said to have fought with the two officers and all three received injuries. They were taken to Longview Regional Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries. Laws was booked into the Gregg County Jail on 2 charges of assault on a peace officer and a charge of evading arrest.

RUSK – A Bullard woman has died in a Cherokee County accident. She is Nona Kay Bickerstaff, 79. Her pickup was was crossing over to the northbound lanes when she pulled out into the path of a truck driven by Clemente Martinez-Mendez, 33, of Jacksonville. Bickerstaff was pronounced at the scene. Martinez-Mendez was transported to UT Health-Jacksonville in stable condition. The accident happened just after 11:00 Thursday morning on U.S. Highway 69, nearly three miles north of Rusk.

SHREVEPORT, La. – An East Texas man was arrested Wednesday after he reportedly tried to cash a counterfeit check for $2,479 at a bank in Shreveport, Louisiana — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. According to our news partner KETK, police say 26-year-old Brandon Colby Jones of New Summerfield was arrested at the scene with the check and five fake IDs, all in different names. Authorities say a search of Jones’s hotel room turned up blank check paper, several more counterfeit checks, a printer, laptop, drugs, and drug paraphernalia. A female who dropped Jones off at the bank fled the scene and was apprehended. Jones was booked into Caddo Correctional on five counts of unlawful production, manufacturing, distribution, or possession of fraudulent documents for identification purposes and eight counts of monetary instrument abuse. The investigation is ongoing and more charges are possible.

LONGVIEW — The property tax rate will remain the same for Longview residents this year. According to our news partner KETK, City Council members voted to keep the rate around fifty cents per $100 value. Property taxes make up almost a third of the city’s general fund revenue. The money generates revenue for the city budget.

TYLER — Sears in Tyler’s Broadway Square Mall will close its doors for good in December. According to our news partner KETK, this comes as the store’s parent company posted another huge quarterly loss. Sears announced more than 70 store closings in May — and, just last month, another 46. The Tyler store was not on either of those lists then. In May, the mall received zoning approval from the city of Tyler to tear down the Sears building and replace it with new retail space. The store’s liquidation sale starts later this month.

TYLER — The City of Tyler wants to inform Tyler Water Utilities and Municipal Court customers who used the one-time payment option through the Click2Gov online-payment system to notify their banking institution and have a new debit or credit card issued. According to our news partner KETK, It applies to online and in-person options. Fraud cases are still being reported to the Tyler Police Department after the city was notified that an unknown third-party was able to gain access to payments made through the system. The system is used to collect payments for utilities and municipal court fines and fees. The date range of the breach is June 18, 2018, to Aug. 21, 2018. Continue reading City of Tyler Warns Customers after Online Breach

PLANO – A 58-year-old Fort Worth man has been found guilty in three late 2017 credit union robberies, including one in Tyler. Wayne Alan Watson was found guilty of three counts of armed bank robbery Thursday by a federal jury in Plano. Authorities say he hit the Altra Federal Credit Union in Tyler along with locations in Denison and Gainesville. Additional robberies linked to Watson in Austin and Wichita Falls early this year led to his identification as the serial robber. Watson faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each charge. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation.

TYLER — For the first time in its 92-year history, Tyler Junior College has not only reached but surpassed a major milestone with 12,270 students enrolled for the fall 2018 semester. According to a news release, TJC’s enrollment is up nearly 7 percent from last fall’s total of 11,511 students. The previous all-time high enrollment for TJC was 11,881 in the fall of 2011, which officials say was consistent with the last of the recession-driven higher education boom. Officials say TJC has seen growth in the categories of transfer students, high school, and first-time-in college students — while maintaining strong momentum with continuing and returning students.

TYLER – A local dealership is responding after Ford issued a safety recall for the 2015 – 2018 regular cab and super crew F150 trucks. On Saturday, September 22, Tyler Ford will open its service department and complete as many repairs as it can in one day. Any regular cab or super crew F150 owner is welcome, regardless of whether he or she is a Tyler Ford customer. Appointments are necessary and spots are expected to fill up quickly. The service department at Tyler Ford will take phone calls to schedule these appointments through September 22. Free food will be provided. For those who can’t make it on the 22nd, the service department will schedule an appointment for another time. Call (888) 475-5841 or (903) 597 – 9331 to schedule your free repair appointment.

NACOGDOCHES — The Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in locating a minister who is now a sexual assault suspect and believed to be on the run. A warrant was issued Thursday for the arrest of 52-year-old Jose Uriel Rendon in the cases, dating to 2004 and 2005. Sheriff Jason Bridges says Rendon had agreed to meet with investigators Monday morning but never showed up. Bridges says Rendon used his position at Templo De Fe Church in Nacogdoches County to take advantage of and sexually abuse a child over 50 times in 2004 and 2005. Rendon faces a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child, a 1st degree felony. Rendon is known to have family in the Tyler and Dallas areas as well as Mexico. Continue reading Authorities Seek Sexual Assault Suspect

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – An East Texas man shot by a western Iowa officer during a chase has pleaded guilty after making a deal with prosecutors. Pottawattamie County court records say 29-year-old Clifton Wade, of Zavalla, Texas, entered the pleas Tuesday to two felony counts of assault on an officer and other crimes. Prosecutors agreed to drop two counts of attempted murder in exchange for Wade’s pleas. The records say his plea is contingent on his being sentenced to no less than 12 years and no more than 25 years. Wade’s sentencing is set for Oct. 2. Council Bluffs police say Wade sped off May 1 when officers tried to stop his pickup truck at a closed construction site and later intentionally rammed two police cruisers. One officer then shot him.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Troopers are currently on the scene of a two-vehicle crash on U.S. 69 north of CR 1503 in Cherokee County with one confirmed deceased. DPS Sgt. Jean Dark says as more information becomes available and verified it will be released. Motorists are urged to use caution in the area.

LONGVIEW — TxDOT reports the scene is all clear at the site of a gas leak in Longview earlier today. All lanes of U.S. 259 at the George Richey Rd./Henderson Lane intersection had already reopened, and Henderson is now open between Tryon Rd. and U.S. 259.

AUSTIN — Compared to the same period last year, second-quarter Tyler home sales increased 0.4 percent to 825 single-family home sales, while median price increased 5.8 percent to $200,000. That’s the word in the Texas Quarterly Housing Report from the Texas Association of Realtors. Statewide, Texas home sales started the summer selling season on a strong note, increasing 2.8 percent year-over-year to 100,227 home sales, while median price increased 4.4 percent to $238,000. You can go to https://www.texasrealestate.com/about-us/newsroom/news-releases/ to check out the full report. More 2018-Q2 data on the Tyler housing market can be found on page 23 and statewide figures can be found on the first page.

RUSK COUNTY — A date has been set for the execution of a Rusk County man who murdered his girlfriend’s baby. According to our news partner KETK, Blaine Milam, 28, will be put to death on January 15, 2019 for killing Amora Carson. In December 2008, Milam, along with the child’s mother, Jessica Carson, beat Amora to death with a hammer in an alleged exorcism. The pair were found guilty back in 2011. Carson was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) – A Louisiana sheriff’s office is holding sniper school this week for officers from six departments, including the Marshall, Texas, Police Department. Caddo Parish sheriff’s Cpl. Justin Dunn is an instructor for the 40-hour course for marksmen who respond to active shooters and people who have hostages or are barricaded. Dunn says the stress of such situations and the precision required for a larger-caliber gun make the skills different from anything else in law enforcement. Dunn says officers have to be extremely patient and be accurate with all types of weapons. Training includes moving targets, range estimation, sniper deployment, and maintaining data books. A news release says that along with Marshall police, the 11 students include Caddo, Desoto, and Red River Parish sheriff’s deputies; Louisiana State Police; and police from Natchitoches, Louisiana.

TYLER – The Tyler City Council has formally adopted its 2018-2019 operating budget. Sales tax makes up 42 percent of the general fund, providing public services such as police, fire, library, and parks. According to our news partner KETK, Tyler is currently projecting a one percent growth in sales tax revenues. Property taxes make up 30 percent of Tyler’s general fund revenues. The council has approved an increase from the current property tax rate of 24 cents to 24.4452 cents per $100 valuation. The new rate means a home valued at $150,000 would be assessed city property taxes of approximately $360 per household per year, or $30.55 per month. The .4452 cent increase would translate to $6.68 annually.