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HALLSVILLE — No serious injuries were reported when a truck stalled on the tracks near Hallsville was struck Saturday by Amtrak’s westbound Texas Eagle. According to the Longview News-Journal and our news partner KETK, a truck being towed stopped on the tracks at Stephens Road east of Hallsville when a towing strap broke, said Lt. Jay Webb of the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. The Amtrak crew saw the vehicle but was unable to stop the train, which was traveling about 60 mph, in time to avoid collision. No one was in the truck and no injuries were reported on the train as a result of the incident, though three passengers were treated for heat exhaustion in the aftermath. Continue reading Amtrak Train Strikes Vehicle Stuck at Crossing

GREGG COUNTY — A woman accused of trying to sell her daughter for sex after a Longview police sting has been indicted on charges of sexual performance on a child, promotion/possession of child pornography and attempted trafficking of a person under age 18. According to the Longview News-Journal and our news partner KETK, the indictment of Carrie Songer Kelly, 44, of Lone Oak stems from an investigation that led to her arrest June 12. She remains in custody in the Gregg County Jail on a $200,000 bond. Kelly, formerly of White Oak, is accused of engaging in sex acts with her 8-year-old daughter and trying to sell the girl for sex after the Longview police sting led to the discovery of graphic videos on her phone. Continue reading East Texas Woman Indicted by Grand Jury following Sting

LAKE PALESTINE – There was a near drowning Friday on Lake Palestine. It happened around 10:00am near Eagle’s Bluff. Our news partner, KETK, reports a man fell from a ladder while he worked on a boat house. He was injured as he fell into water that was around five feet deep. A friend pulled him from the water and started CPR. The man was flown to the hospital where he is said to be in critical condition. His name has not been released.

LONGVIEW – A Gregg County Jail inmate showed no signs or problems before he was found hanging in his jail cell. Tony Waters, 55, of Kilgore was found hanging in his cell last month. He had used his clothes to fashion a makeshift rope and was found hanging in his cell shower. He died in a Longview hospital several days later. He had been arrested in connection with a Tyler shooting that left two persons dead and one injured. The Longview News Journal says Waters showed no signs of mental or psychological problems before hanging himself. That information in contained in a report that has been sent to the state attorney general’s office.

EAST TEXAS – Unemployment in Tyler and Longview continues to drop. The Texas Workforce Commission reports the state’s unemployment rate stood at 4% for the second straight month. That’s just below the national jobless figure of 4.1%. Tyler has both of them beat. Tyler’s July unemployment rate fell from 3.9% in June to 3.7% last month. A year ago it was 4.1%. Longview’s unemployment fell from 4.4% in June to 4.3% last month. It was 5.2% a year ago. Texas added about 23,500 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs in July, marking 25 consecutive months of employment growth in the state.

GREGG COUNTY — A Longview woman has been indicted for arson causing death in connection with a fatal fire. According to our news partner KETK, Kimberly Nicole Bruton, 32, of Longview, was originally arrested on March 10, 2018, but released the following day on lack of evidence. On March 9, officials responded to a fire on 103 Cherie Lane in Longview. Lisa Tesmer and Randall Russell, a father and daughter, were identified as the victims and the residents of the duplex. The search warrant says Deputy Fire Marshal Clint Steelman arrived on the scene to find Bruton, “Standing outside the residence holding a 32-ounce bottle of charcoal lighter fluid.” Continue reading Longview Woman Indicted for Arson following Fatal Fire

TYLER – There was a pretrial hearing in Tyler Thursday for capital murder suspect Gustavo Zavala-Garcia. He is charged with the November 2016 death of 10 year old Kayla Gomez Orozco. She was killed after being abducted from a Bullard church. During the latest hearing, Judge Jack Skeen heard from a DPS forensic expert. She said the first two dozen DNA samples submitted for trace analysis have been completed. The results should be ready in 60 days. The next pretrial hearing is September 13th. At a scheduled hearing on October 18th, it will be decided if more DNA tests are needed. The trial is now set to be held next March.

FRANKSTON – One person has been killed and one injured in a two vehicle accident in Anderson County. Killed was 76 year old Glenda Jo Bain of Frankston. Treated and released from a Tyler hospital was 72 year old James William Moore of Frankston. The Departmnet of Public Safety says Bain was traveling on Farm Road 318. As she crossed State Highway 155, her car was hit by Moore’s pickup. Bain was flown to UT Health-Tyler, where she later died. The accident happened shortly after 8:45 Thursday morning, just over 3 miles south of Frankston. The accident remains under investigation.

LONGVIEW – A Longview burglary suspect is free on bond. Lorenzo Ta’rell Lloyd-Wallace, 17, of Arp was arrested, along with two juveniles, earlier this week. A Jordan Valley Road resident came home to find four persons in her home. They ran from the house, but police say they were able to find three of them. The 4th was later identified. Besides burglary of a habitation, Lloyd-Wallace was also charged with evading arrest. He is currently free on bonds totaling $22,000.

AUSTIN – The Texas Education Agency has released the new A through F grading system for the state’s school districts. The Tyler school system received a “C” while Longview received a “B.” The Lindale School Districts got an “A.” The district ratings are calculated using three areas: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps. The achievement and progress scores account for 70% of the rating, while the closing the gaps score is worth 30% Some educator groups are criticizing the ratings, saying that it’s an unfair and incomplete assessment of student success. You can go to https://txschools.org to view the 2018 state accountability ratings for districts and campus grades.

HENDERSON COUNTY – Overnight drug raids in Henderson County resulted in the arrests of 5 persons. Four persons were arrested at a residence on County Road 1405 just west of Athens. One of the arrests was on a warrant for theft. Then, on Red Robin in the Woodwilks Subdivision of Gun Barrel City, one person was arrested for drugs and flushing some of the drugs down the toilet.
. Continue reading Five Arrested in Henderson County Raids

TYLER – The new Chair of the Department of Health Policy, Economics, and Management at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, School of Community and Rural Health, is Dr. Michael H. Kennedy. He has served as interim chair since last October, and prior to that as associate professor. Prior to joining UT Health Science Center at Tyler in January of last year, Dr. Kennedy was an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Services and Information Management at East Carolina University.

TYLER – A Chapel Hill teacher, arrested on Tuesday, has been fire by the school district. The firing of 38 year old Charles David Applegate was announced Thursday by the school district. They said the district will make all required reports to state educational authorities. Applegate was found passed out in his car, which was in the high school parking lot near the band hall. He was conscious but had vomited on himself. Applegate was said to be intoxicated and was in possession of a used aerosol can. It is believed that he was huffing the fumes from the aerosol can. He was charged with public intoxication and possession of inhalants and is currently free on a $760 bond.

MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department has issued a warning about the one ring phone scam. The victim receives a call from an unknown number with a local area code, but the call only rings once. The caller hangs up before the person can answer the phone. They say not to call the number back. If you do, it could ring an international hotline number, which begins charging hefty fees just for connecting the call. And, if you stay on the line, the fees go up. There are variations of the same scam. This includes leaving voicemails about misplaced shipments, financial opportunities and other scenarios, enticing the person to call back. Your best bet, don’t return calls to numbers they don’t recognize. You can find out more about the scam on the Marshall Police Department’s Face Book page.

TYLER – An animal found in Tyler has tested positive for rabies. The Texas Department of State Health Services says the disease has been confirmed in a bat that was found on Wilma Street. The persons who may have been exposed have been notified. Officials remind you not to handle bats, skunks, raccoons, or other wild animals. If you know of someone who has been bitten, you must report it to the local rabies control authority for proper investigation. Ordinances in Tyler and Smith County require regular rabies vaccinations for all dogs and cats. Make sure your dogs and cats rabies vaccinations are up to date.

TYLER — One of Smith County’s major bond-funded road projects has been completed while another is starting, County Engineer Frank Davis reported this week. During Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting, Davis gave his monthly progress report of Road and Bridge Bond Improvement Projects for the last month. County Road 220, off Highway 64 East near New Chapel Hill, and CR 223, from CR 220 to FM 3226 have been rebuilt and repaved. Just more than three miles of CR 220, also known as Old Henderson Road, was improved. Work included repairing the edges and the roadway, then overlaying it with new asphalt. Final clean up and striping are being done this week. You can go to https://www.smith-county.com/Home/Components/News/News/126/97 for more details.

PALESTINE – A chemical spill Tuesday closed Palestine’s city hall and the police department. City Hall is now open, but the police department will remain closed until further notice. The spill happened when a shelf in the evidence storage room gave way. An unknown quantity of amido black, a mixture of luminol and methanol used in crime scene investigation, spilled onto the floor. The spill caused the evacuation of both city hall and the police department. According to the Hazmat clean up team on site, the chemical did not warrant any additional assistance from the state or federal government. The police department is working with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department to provide service and dispatching. All emergency calls are operable at this time. Three employees were taken to Palestine Regional Medical Center for observation. All other employees near the scene were treated on scene and released.

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler recently announced it has received a $25,000 gift from the Texas Council on Economic Education to support economic and financial education in East Texas. According to a news release, the gift was presented in recognition of the UT Tyler Center for Economic Education and Financial Literacy’s impact on the education of East Texas students from pre-school to graduate school. University officials say CEEFL was established in 2011 with a mission to improve the economic and financial literacy of students across the educational continuum.

TYLER – Smith County commissioners have approved new dispatch software that will aid both first responders and those seeking help. The new software is from Genesis PULSE, which was created by The Genesis Group, a Tyler-based company. Currently, the sheriff’s office has to contact the cell phone companies to ping someone’s phone to get their approximate location. With the new software, they will automatically get an extremely accurate device location. Plus, the new system will display known road closures, traffic crashes, or weather alerts that could cause delays during responses. Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said he believes the new software could potentially be a “game changer.”

TYLER – A man is facing weapons charges following a Smith County traffic stop on Tuesday. His car was stopped by a state trooper on Highway 155 North, just south of Interstate Highway 20. The trooper saw an open black bag in the passenger seat with a couple of handguns and handgun magazines. He was also wearing body armor and was found to possess multiple firearms including both pistols and rifles. He also had several high capacity magazines and multiple knives. During the interview he made several statements about threats to himself and others. Smith County sheriff’s deputies took him into custody and took him to a hospital for evaluation. When the evaluation is completed, he will be taken to the Smith County Jail on weapons charges.

CHAPEL HILL – On Tuesday, a sheriff’s deputy, who is assigned as a school resource officer for the Chapel Hill school system, found Charles David Applegate, 38, of Crockett, passed out in a car. The vehicle was in the high school parking lot near the band hall. He was conscious but had vomited on himself. Applegate who is a teacher at the school, was removed from the vehicle. Applegate was said to be intoxicated and was in possession of a used aerosol can. It is believed that he was huffing the fumes from the aerosol can. He was arrested and taken to the Smith County Jail. He was charged with public intoxication and possession of inhalants. Bond was set at $760.

TYLER – Smith county is preparing to help residents in time of disaster. Smith County commissioners on Tuesday approved an agreement with the East Texas Communities Foundation to create the East Texas Disaster Relief Fund. The foundation will pass donations along to local nonprofits, organizations, the county or any other entity that needs the funds. The money can be used for planning and preparation, first response, recovery and rebuilding after a disaster or community crisis. Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran said creating the disaster fund falls in line with the county’s focus on improving its emergency preparedness and response in the upcoming fiscal year.

TYLER – A University of Texas at Tyler graduate student, Alisha Khanal has been awarded the $9,500 Trent R. Dames and William W. Moore Fellowship from the American Society of Civil Engineers. The fellowship is intended to further the exploration of new applications of geotechnical engineering or the earth sciences to social, economic, environmental and political issues. Khanal, a civil engineer, is from Nepal. After a devastating earthquake in her country in 2015, she decided to dedicate the next phase of her educational career to developing a better understanding of earthquake effects in hopes of preventing future fatalities. One of two students nationwide to receive this fellowship, she is studying with UT Tyler assistant professor, Dr. Gokhan Saygili, who is an expert in the geotechnical field. Continue reading Engineering Fellowship for a U-T Tyler Student

TYLER – Tyler police are asking for the public’s help in locating a known gang member. They are looking for Jeremy Tramaine Hawkins, AKA “Lil West,” 34 of Tyler. He currently has a 1st degree felony warrant for manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance list in penalty group 1. If you have any information on his location contact Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000 or call Tyler Crime Stoppers at 903-597-2833.

LINDALE – A school bond issue will be going before Lindale voters in November. School trustees on Monday approved a $32.4 million bond proposal. With the funds, the district will add 23 new high school classrooms, expand the cafeteria and add an auxiliary gym. They also plan to make improvements for extra-curricular activities for the high school. Security was also on the minds of school board members. They plan upgrades for over 500 cameras and an electronic entry for all exterior doors. The district recently hired two officers for the upcoming school year.

KILGORE – The president of Kilgore College has received a new lengthy contract. The school presidents have usually received two year contracts. On Monday, school trustees gave Dr. Brenda Kays a five-year contract. With the new contract, her salary will remain the same. Dr Kays became president of the school in January 2016, succeeding Dr. Bill Holda, who held the post for 24 years. The trustees also approved the school’s new budget of $36.1 million. This is an increase of over $1.6 million above the current budget

GILMER – Upshur County officials are investigating marijuana plants found growing in the county. The 30 plants, averaging two to three feet tall, were found growing just over a week ago. A work crew found the plants just off a right-of-way near Saunders Road in the southwest part of the county. The plants were easily accessible through the right-of-way by vehicle. Investigators say there is no evidence that the owner knew the plants were there. They encourage land owners to have their land checked routinely. The plants were cut and taken to the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office evidence room.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Three East Texans have been arrested on drug charges in Henderson County. Arbra Leon Peavy, 53, and Miranda Arnold, 37, were arrested at a residence in Payne Springs after a search warrant was served Monday. Peavy was charged with manufacturing and delivering. Arnold was wanted on several outstanding warrants out of Seven Points. Continue reading Three Suspects Arrested following Drug Investigations

LONGVIEW – Longview ISD has developed a plan to ensure equitable access to education opportunities. The action follows the lifting of a 1970 federal desegregation earlier this year. During Monday night’s school board meeting, school trustees unanimously adopted a Voluntary Desegregation Plan for magnet school programs in accordance with the United States Department of Education Magnet Schools Assistance Program Grant. Under the federal desegregation order, the district was required to submit reports and documentation to the Justice Department, and any changes to school attendance zones or campuses required court approval. According to a news release on the district’s web site, School Superintendent Dr. James Wilcox explained that, while Longview ISD is no longer under the direct federal oversight, the district “will continue to ensure all of Longview’s students have fair and equitable access to our best educational opportunities.” Continue reading A Voluntary Desegregation Plan for Longview Schools