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SMITH COUNTY – The Department of Public Safety has released the names of the three victims in a fatal accident on Interstate highway 20 on May 22nd. The four-vehicle accident caused hours of traffic tie-ups on the interstate in Smith County between Highway 155 and Farm Road.M 2015. The dead have been identified as Antonio Dixon, 45, of Longview, Jose Luis Mendoza-Lopez, 27, of Huntsville and Nemanja Spaasic, 29, of Coconut Creek Florida. The crash occurred when a car hit a pickup towing a flatbed trailer in the eastbound inside lane. At the same time, the driver of a truck tractor towing a semi-trailer, also traveling eastbound, took evasive action to the right and then left to avoid the collision. That action caused the truck and trailer to cross the center median and overturn in the westbound lanes, where it was hit by a westbound truck tractor towing a tanker trailer.

PALESTINE – A man said to be responsible for bomb threats in Palestine has been arrested. Charged with making a false alarm or report was Randall Smith, 54, of Palestine. Since the first of the year, there have been 17 bomb threats to businesses and the Palestine Regional Medical Center. Investigators say Smith is responsible for 16 of those threats. He was arrested at his home late Tuesday night. Smith is currently being held in the Anderson County Jail with bonds totaling $1 million. Additional charges are pending.

TYLER – Caldwell Zoo reports they have had to humanely euthanize their 46 six year old African Elephant matriarch. The action was taken after Rolinda, who had been in declining health over the past several months, was found down in her exhibit yard. It is believed she died from cardiac issues. Rolinda came to Caldwell Zoo in 1978 from the Catskill Game Farm in New York. She was the zoo’s first African elephant and a companion to its Asian elephant Kimbo for a number of years. Zoo executive director Hayes Caldwell said they have been working with the African Elephant SSP program to get more elephants to reside in the newly renovated African Overlook elephant habitat.

TYLER — Stonewater Roofing Company in Tyler is looking for the man deemed responsible for two break-ins — and he was caught on surveillance video. According to our news partner KETK, Stonewater says both happened Monday night– the first at 11 p.m., the second at 11:30. The burglar wore two different hoodies, one pink and one yellow. The company says he broke down a door and stole two Macbook laptops, and an i-pad. Stonewater is offering a $1,000 reward for the return of the computers. If you know anything about this case, contact Tyler police.

HARRISON COUNTY — In Harrison County, seven bridges along Interstate 20 have been approved for repairs. According to our news partner KETK, the bridges are at Loop 281 in Longview, County Road 3110, Sewell Creek, FM 968, FM 3251, and Texas 43. The repairs begin in August and should take 21 months to complete. Some of the work will require road closures and detours.

TYLER — For the 15th year, the East Texas Islamic Society opened its doors to the community Tuesday evening for its annual open house, held during the month-long Ramadan observance. Master of ceremonies Zikriyya Shaikh says he was pleased with the large turnout. Shaikh told KTBB, “I think it went really well. It was a really enjoyable night. We had a really good turnout. I hope next year we have even a bigger turnout.” He added, “I think what’s really good about this…occasion is we have the opportunity to interfaith dialogue — something we don’t always get a chance to do. Sometimes we get robbed of that opportunity. But I think it was a great opportunity to do it tonight.” The event featured presentations by mosque members, questions and answers, socializing, and plenty of food.

TYLER (Staff/AP) – Services are set Friday for the man who founded Cavender’s Western Wear, which is headquartered in Tyler. Company Chief Financial Officer Jim Thompson says James Cavender, 87, died Tuesday morning at UT Health Tyler. There will be a private funeral Friday along with a public memorial service, the latter set for 3:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Pittsburg. Cavender’s death was initially announced on the company Facebook page, RattayCavenders. From the first clothing store, which opened in the mid 60s, Cavender’s has grown to over 80 stores in Texas and nine other states.

LONGVIEW – A Longview man is the Gregg County Jail under a $10,000 bond after being charged with intoxication assault with vehicle causing serious bodily injury. Dakota Don Brown, 21, is said to have been driving in the wrong direction when his pickup hit a car. The accident happened around 1:30 Tuesday morning on State Highway 31 in Gregg County. The car’s driver was flown to a Tyler hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Brown was arrested after being released at a Longview hospital. The Longview News Journal reports a state trooper administered a breathalyzer test to Brown, which had a reading of .201, nearly three times the legal limit.

KILGORE – It is time for the Kilgore Police Department to begin its annual Operation Snow Cone program. It is something that will help youngsters in Kilgore beat the hot summer heat. Officers will be looking for kids exhibiting good behavior. They want kids who are being helpful, respectful, courteous or kind. Those kids, if seen by an officer, will get a coupon for an ice cold sweet snow cone. So, for youngsters in Kilgore, be on your best behavior this summer and that snow cone coupon could be yours.

TYLER – Funeral services are scheduled for one of the founders of Tyler’s Southside Bank, Bill Hartley. Hartley was 88 when he died on Monday morning. Hartley and Murf Wilson founded the bank in 1960. He served as chief executive officer until 2014, when he retired. Hartley continued to serve as chairman emeritus of the board. He served the community in many ways. His philanthropic efforts in East Texas will long be remembered. Funeral services will be Friday morning at 11:00 at Marvin United Methodist Church in Tyler. A private burial service will follow.

TYLER – A summer outreach program for veterans is starting in Smith County. The program was kicked off Tuesday by the Smith County Commissioners Court and the Veteran Services Office. The program is designed to aid the over 17,000 veterans in the county. The county will provide information to the public about services offered by the Smith County Veteran Services Office and will ask for feedback about how the county can better serve the local veteran community. The office provides information and advocacy services to veterans and their families throughout the claims, appeals and benefit processes with U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. Continue reading A Smith County Veterans’ Outreach Program

TYLER – A Tyler man is going to prison for stealing cattle in 2016. The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association reports Jeremie Del Ral Ford, 30, was found guilty for stealing three cows from eastern Smith County. On Friday, a jury sentenced Ford to 12 years in prison. He will also have to pay over $4,000 in restitution to the victims. Ford was identified as the seller of two of the cows at a local livestock auction. A feed sack found at the scene also led investigators to Ford, who was arrested by Kilgore police in February of last year.

SMITH COUNTY — A woman is wanted by the Smith County Sheriff’s Office for questioning in a burglary of a habitation investigation. According to our news partner KETK, officials are searching for Kashira D. Ochoa, 32. Ochoa is described as 5’1″, around 125 pounds, brown hair and brown eyes. If you have any information pertaining to the location of Ochoa, contact the SCSO at 903-566-6600 or Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000. If you have recently purchased items from Ochoa, please contact the detective assigned to the case at 903-590-2784.

LONGVIEW — Beginning today, Longview’s Graystone Road will be closed to all traffic at Grace Creek. Local traffic is asked to use Gilmer Road to access all destinations west of Grace Creek including Clarkway Place and McCann Creek Road. Local traffic is asked to use George Richey Road to access all destinations east of Grace Creek including Syble Lane, Osprey Place, Grey Hawk Lane, and Cippele Drive. This street work is part of the 2016 Bridge and Culvert Improvements project. The closure is scheduled for four weeks. Any questions should be directed to city Project Manager Bob Watson at 903-239-5504.

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in TxDOT’s Tyler District during the Week of May 28. In Smith County, crews will be conducting work on pavement edges on the Loop 323 Extension between Loop 323 and US 271, and then move the operation to SH 110N just north of FM 724. A second crew will address ditch maintenance on the south side of Loop 323 near Red Lobster, and various other locations. In Gregg County, crews are scheduled to conduct base repair work on US 80 between Gladewater and White Oak. Expect lane closures with flaggers providing traffic control at all work locations. Go to https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/tyler/021-2018.html for a full rundown of projects around the district.

GREGG COUNTY — Jury selection set for Tuesday in Gregg County has been canceled, the District Clerk’s Office reported. According to the Longview News-Journal, residents who received a summons to report Tuesday may disregard it. Their names will be reshuffled into the database for future jury service.

TYLER — Tyler police are continuing to search for a car thief. Officers said just before 3:30 Saturday afternoon, an 85-year-old woman was eating dinner at Yami Buffet, on Troup Highway, when her purse was stolen. A witness notified the woman. She checked the parking lot for her vehicle and realized it had bed stolen. The vehicle is described as a 2016 dark blue Kia Forte, “Surviving Spouse” License plate 8HC. The suspect was described as a Hispanic male, 5’4″, medium build, dressed in a blue t-shirt with white letters on the front. The male also wore tan cargo shorts and a gray base ball cap, backwards. The victim was not harmed. The incident is under investigation.

UPSHUR COUNTY — A Gladewater man has been indicted on a charge of capital murder in the fatal shootings of his ex-girlfriend and one of her sons in Upshur County. According to our news partner KETK, Joseph Lee Adkins, 53, was arrested March 6 in the death of Lisa Moore, 49, and her son, Dylan Moore, 19, at her home in the 1000 block of PR 1999 in the Gladewater-Union Grove area. Authorities say Adkins also wounded another of Moore’s sons. Investigators at the time said they suspected the homicides were connected to an ongoing domestic dispute between Adkins and the victims. Adkins remains in the Upshur County Jail under $2 million bond.

HENDERSON – A former Tatum police officer is being charged with second-degree sexual assault. Arrested Friday was Terry Lofties, 26. He is accused of assaulting a 60 year old woman. Pending an investigation, he was suspended from the police department when the complaint was filed earlier this month. He has since been fired from the department.

GILMER – An Upshur County man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the death of an 11 month old boy in March of last year. Javarrious Troy Kimeyan Dixon, 22, of Gilmer, pleaded guilty on Friday to injury to a child with a deadly weapon. The grand jury indictment said that Dixon “intentionally or knowingly” caused the death of 11-month-old Armani Troy Berrospe by “striking him on or about the head, face and neck with the hands, fists, arms or feet” or with an unknown object. The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office said in March, 2017, that deputies responded to a 911 call to Farm Road 2088 near Bettie in reference to an injured child. The child was taken to East Texas Medical Center-Pittsburg, where he later died from the injury. The autopsy report showed the boy died of “blunt force injury to the head.” .

TYLER – The Tyler school district is investigating a video that has turned up on the social media that shows a John Tyler teacher pushing a student. But the school district says the video may not show the whole story. According to a TISD statement, the preliminary investigation reveals the teacher was assaulted first, and the video doesn’t show the entire situation. The teacher has been put on administrative leave. And the district says the student will be disciplined according to the district’s code of conduct.

SMITH COUNTY – Motorists on Interstate Highway 20 are asked to be alert for wet conditions and a fatal accident. The two vehicle accident occurred on the west bound lanes near the 546 mile marker, near the Smith/Van Zandt County line. Expect traffic delays in the area. We will have more information when it becomes available.

LONGVIEW – In state district court in Longview Friday, a Kilgore man pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child. Sentenced to 35 years in prison was Brigido Sanchez. He waived all rights to appeal. Sanchez, who was arrested in May of last year, also has an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold for illegal entry into the United States from Honduras. According to investigators, the sexual abuse happened in 2015 when the victim was 12 years old and also in 2017 when the victim was 13 years old.

CORSICANA – The state representative whose district covers the Palestine area, is asking the governor to call a special session this summer on school safety. The request comes from State Representative Byron Cook. The request comes in the wake of the school shooting at Santa Fe. In his letter to the governor, Cook says he commends the governor on the school safety roundtables that have started. But he says much more must be done. Cook says, if we act now, “we can implement state policy and appropriate funding to ensure that our schools will be safer before the next school year begins.” The letter was sent to the governor the first of this week.

MARSHALL – The East Texas Baptist University Enactus Team has partnered with the Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) clients at Marshall’s Community Healthcore (CHC) center to create a soap-making company. It is called the Heavenly Scents Soap Company. The students developed a marketing plan, obtained initial funding, created a website, and trained IDD clients to make artisanal glycerin and goats milk-based soap lines. They sell their produce to the public through craft shows, boutiques, and an online store. The company currently offers Lavender Goat’s Milk Soap Bars, Strawberry Vanilla Soap Bars, and Vanilla Goat’s Milk Soap Bars for $7.00 each. All profits go back into Heavenly Scents Soap Co., benefiting IDD clients at CHC. You can go to http://www.heavenlyscentsoap.com to learn more about the product.

ATHENS – Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said 21-year-old Matthew Shane Hatchcock of Tool was caught with two stolen dirt bikes after midnight Thursday when he tried to sell one to a buyer who suspected they might be stolen. After seeing a bike-for-sale advertisement, a would-be buyer met the seller, and he noticed another bike that he knew to be stolen from a friend two years earlier, according to Hillhouse. The Tool Police Department was notified, and the Sheriff’s Office staked out the building where the bikes were located. Hillhouse says When confronted, Hatchcock, confirmed he was the owner. Both bikes were reported stolen – one in Tool and the other in Anderson, Indiana. Hatchcock was charged with theft of property between $2,500 and $30,000, and the vehicles were confiscated.

TYLER — A Tyler man has been arrested after police say he fired a gun at his girlfriend. Kendarius Gray, 21, was arrested around 2:00 this morning and charged with aggravated assault. Officers responded to a home off Hwy 69 on a report of shots fired. The victim said she was arguing with her boyfriend, Gray, at a location off 26th Street when he started shooting at her. She was not injured and fled the scene in her vehicle. Her back window was shot out. Officers located Gray a short time later at his mother’s home in Tyler. He was booked into the Smith County Jail.

TYLER – Following the action of the city’s planning and zoning commission, the Tyler City Council has approved some big changes for the Broadway Square Mall. The changes would add nearly 118,000 square feet of new retail space to the property. The plan calls for adding restaurants on outlying sections of the property, along South Broadway, changing the parking layout and adding three retail stores on the south side of the mall. Also included in the changes is the demolition of the building where Sears is located and rebuilding it smaller.

TYLER – Tyler Sister Cities installed Peace Pole in the Tyler Rose Garden. It displays the message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth,” and highlights the international cities that have established formal collaborations with Tyler. The pole stands about six feet high and lists six Sister Cities and points in the direction of each country and provides the distance you would have to travel to reach each city. More peace poles will be placed around the city, as funding allows.The Tyler Sister Cities program began in 1982 through efforts of former UT Tyler President Dr. George Hamm. Continue reading Peace Pole Added to the Rose Garden