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LONGVIEW – A northeast Texas woman has died in a four vehicle accident that shutdown Judson Road, just north of Hawkins Parkway. Cathy Hall Davis, 51, of Paris was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident happened shortly before 1:45 Tuesday afternoon when Davis’ SUV pulled from a private drive into the path of two vehicles. As the result of the accident a fourth vehicle was hit. Three occupants of the vehicles were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

TYLER – A social media posting caused a third of the students at Tyler’s Three Lakes Middle School to stay home on Tuesday. The posting followed an incident between two students in class and a perceived threat. A TISD news release said a Three Lakes student made an inappropriate response to unacceptable taunts. They said the incident was investigated thoroughly and the issues addressed through the student code of conduct. There was no word on what disciplinary action was taken or if the student would be allowed back on the campus.

LONGVIEW – Longview’s Green Street Bridge has claimed another victim. The latest vehicle to get stuck under the bridge was a Dixie Paper truck. It became stuck around 11:00 Tuesday morning. The driver let the air out of the tires and the truck was removed from under the bridge and the road was reopened. Height barriers were installed at the underpass last summer. Besides serving as a visual sign, they also make noise when they hit the tops of vehicles. Several years ago, as part of a reconstruction project, the roadway was lowered just over a foot, making the clearance 11 feet and four inches. But, all of this did not keep the bridge from capturing another vehicle.

BIG SANDY – Through a team effort, an unwelcome visitor to Big Sandy has been relocated. The visitor was a six foot long alligator. It was found around 8:45 Monday morning in the middle of Tyler Street. Police Sgt. Manfred Gilow, along with rancher Jeff Davis, took matters into their own hands. The Longview News Journal reports it took them 30 minutes to bring the gator under control. The two put a rope around it and then duck-taped the mouth. After a ride in a patrol car, the visitor was released into the Sabine River.

TYLER – In the wake of the school shooting at Santa Fe, Texas, Tyler School superintendent Marty Crawford has released a letter concerning school safety in the Tyler school district. While he said he could not publish the more intricate systems that are in use, he did point out some of the actions taken toward keeping TISD safe. It starts with a district police department with certified officers. Then there are badge access equipment, security gates and high definition cameras across campuses and others on school buses that also included digital recording devices. Dr. Crawford said he wrote the letter, not only as the school district superintendent, but also as a parent of two students in the school system. You can go to https://www.tylerisd.org/cms/lib/TX01918383/Centricity/domain/4/.homepage/2017-2018/School%20Safety%20Letter.pdf to see Dr. Crawford’s full letter on school safety.

TYLER — Though a proposed name change for Robert E. Lee High School was taken off the June Tyler ISD board agenda last week, it’s clear the issue hasn’t gone away. According to our news partner KETK, a rally was held Monday evening by black community leaders. That was followed by a school board meeting attended by some who who had been at the rally, along with a number of Robert E. Lee students who showed support for a name change. 26 people took the podium at the board meeting, though the board was not allowed to comment since the item wasn’t on the agenda. There was no immediate word on any specific followup to Monday’s events.

WHITEHOUSE — Two people have been taken to the hospital after a crash involving a Whitehouse Independent School District bus and a vehicle. The crash happened at the intersection of FM 346 and Rhones Quarter Road around 6:45 Tuesday morning. According to our news partner KETK, a vehicle struck the bus on its side. No children were on bus No. FB8 at the time of the wreck. The driver of the vehicle and the passenger, said to be a WHS student, were taken to a local hospital with unknown injuries.

SMITH COUNTY – A man who barricaded himself in his home on County Road 262, east of Tyler, is in the Smith County Jail. Arrested following a standoff of around 2 hours was Larry Coleman Hicks, 46. The standoff started when Hicks, a parolee, cut off his leg monitor. A parole officer, who went to check on Hicks, was pushed out of the house and the door was locked. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team was called out and they talked Hicks into surrendering.

TYLER – Voting began this morning in the Democratic Party runoff election for governor. There were 86 early votes cast in Smith County in the run off. The contest is between former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez and Houston businessman Andrew White, the son of former governor Mark White. They got the most votes in the field of 9 candidates in the March Primary Election. The polls will be open from 7:00am until 7:00pm at 10 polling locations throughout Smith County. Continue reading Runoff Voting Continues Today

LONGVIEW – The Longview school district is pulling the plug on its free college program. Parents in the district recently received a letter saying the district was ending the Early College High School Program, which started several years ago. According to the Longview News Journal, the district will still pay the tuition and fees and associated costs for juniors and seniors already enrolled in the program. But no freshmen or sophomore will be accepted in the new school year. This school year, the district has paid out around $230,000 for the 79 students enrolled in the program. The financial strain on the district is said to be the reason the Longview school district is taking the action.

PALESTINE – Palestine police will have extra patrols on the street starting on Tuesday. It is part of the police department’s efforts to encourage safe driving over the Memorial Day holiday. The extra patrols will be out through June 4th and will focus specifically on the offenses of driving while intoxicated, seat belt and child seat violations and speeding. The extra patrols are made possible by a STEP enforcement grant from the Texas Department of Transportation.

SMITH COUNTY- Two Smith County roads will be closed to traffic, beginning this week, for bridge replacements. They are County Road, 234 northeast of Chapel Hill, and County Road 356, east of Winona. The roads are expected to be closed through December. Detour signs will be placed on the roads to direct traffic around these locations. Replacing the bridges is part of the Texas Department of Transportation’s bridge replacement program.

LONGVIEW – A Longview traffic stop has resulted in two persons arrested for assault on a public servant. The officer stopped the car at Reed Road and Swan Street Sunday night. During the stop, the car’s passenger struggled with the officer over his taser. The woman driver began pulling on the officers collar, making it hard for him to breathe. A bystander came to the officers aid, allowing him to pepper spray the woman and to handcuff the man. Richard Alan Stansbery Jr., 48, of Longview was also charged with attempting to take a weapon from an officer. Maria Regina Stansbery,43, of Longview was also charged with driving while intoxicated. Continue reading Bystander Helps Longview Officer

OVERTON — Overton school officials say they have followed up on a possible threat and no one is, or has been, in danger. Superintendent Steven Dubose says before school started Monday morning, high school principal Cindy Bundrick was informed of a possible threat made by a student last week. Dubose says the student was escorted to the office upon arrival Monday morning and questioned by school administrators and Overton Police Department officers. The superintendent adds that the student was taken into the hands of OPD and was never in a classroom or around other students Monday. In a statement, Dubose says, “Overton Independent School District takes every incident or threat seriously and will continue to provide a safe and secure environment for our students.”

ANGELINA COUNTY — A Lufkin woman was shot during an argument. According to our news partner KETK, the shooting, identified as Ashleigh Elijah,24, had been on life support at a Lufkin Hospital since the shooting. She’s since been declared “medically dead.” Police said Andre Woods, 21, shot Elijah twice during an Friday evening. Woods remains in the Angelina County Jail on a $1 million bond. He’s charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

TYLER — Here’s a look at work planned in TxDOT’s Tyler District during the week of May 21. A traffic switch is being planned for mid-week on the U.S. 175 Phase III project between Poynor and Frankston to reconfigure the eastbound and westbound lanes. Eastbound traffic will be moved to the north side of the roadway. You can go to https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/tyler/020-2018.html for a complete rundown.

LONGVIEW — The Gregg County Sheriff’s Department is continuing to seek clues about poisonings that have killed 18 calves on a ranch on the north side of Longview. According to our news partner KETK, the department has been looking into the case since 2014, with help from the State Game Warden and a special Ranger with the Texas Cattle Raisers Association. Authorities believe the poisonings are intentional. A Facebook post from the rancher’s daughter has brought new attention to the case. Rancher Buck Birdsong says the property has been in his family since the 1930s. He says the calves are found by a water supply, dehydrated from the poison. The sheriff’s department’s Josh Tubb says authorities will do everything they can to find whoever’s responsible and see that justice is done.

TYLER — The 15th Annual Live Butterfly Release was held Saturday at The Children’s Park in Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, The Compassionate Friends, Inc., organizes it every year to help support families that have experienced the death of a child. Heather Ogg, a member of the Sterling Committee, says she lost her son at 16, “and I immediately reached out to this group. It has impacted me immensely.” TCF is a national nonprofit self-help organization that is dedicated to assisting families toward the positive resolution of their grief. The Tyler Chapter is one of more than 650 local chapters in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Guam. For more information, email info@tylertc.org or call 903-422-0358.

TYLER – The Tyler Museum of Art is turning back the clock. “Rewind: Selections from Private Collections” is an exhibition consisting entirely of pieces borrowed from private East Texas collectors and spotlighting artists who have been featured in previous TMA exhibitions. It opened to the public Sunday and continues through Aug. 12 in the TMA’s North Gallery. Admission is free. The exhibition, organized by the TMA and curated by Caleb Bell, features more than 30 works spanning from early Texas landscapes to contemporary collages. The artists included range from some of the earliest featured at the TMA, such as Elaine de Kooning and Robert Motherwell, to more recently shown talents such as Lance Letscher and Alexis Serio. You can go to http://www.tylermuseum.org to learn more about the museum, its exhibitions, and it activities.

TYLER – TxDOT’s district wide Summer Seal Coat program is underway in Cherokee, Van Zandt, and Wood counties. Seal coat operations will be conducted on roadways around the eight-county Tyler District for the next several months. Crews are currently working on U.S. Highway 69 in Cherokee County. Work continued Saturday on U.S. 69 as well as on U.S. Highway 80 in Van Zandt County. Seal coat is the department’s preventive maintenance program. It uses a two-step process to cover existing roadway surfaces with a layer of hot asphalt followed by rock. This seals the roadway to keep water. This will add years of life, requires less maintenance and provides a new driving surface for motorists.

TYLER – Memorial Day is just over a week away and Smith County residents will be able to celebrate it with a bang. Earlier this month, Smith County Commissioners voted to approve an order authorizing fireworks sales from May 23 through the 28th. Three years ago the legislature authorized three additional periods that fireworks may be sold to the public as long as the Commissioners Courts authorized it. The other holidays, which were also approved in Smith County last year, are Texas Independence Day and San Jacinto Day. Continue reading Fireworks Sales Approved for Memorial Day

TYLER – Road work started Saturday on a portion of Grande Boulevard. The Tyler Streets Department will be making repairs to West Grande Boulevard between South Broadway Avenue and Hollytree Drive. The work will be on both east and west bound lanes. Daytime lane closures can be expected through next Friday. Closures will be one lane at a time.

TYLER – A fatal house fire is under investigation. The body of a woman was found in the house on East Second Street. The fire was reported shortly after 11:30 Friday morning. Fire Marshal Paul Findley tells our news partner KETK, the woman, thought to be in her 70s, had a a mobility issue. The woman’s caregiver, who reported the fire, said the woman was a heavy smoker. The fire was contained to the woman’s bedroom, where the fire started. Her name has not been released.

AUSTIN – Tyler’s unemployment number continues to be better that the state’s figure. Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.1% in April, up slightly from 4% in March. Tyler’s unemployment number went from 3.7% in March down to 3.4% in april. Both numbers are better than the 3.8% that was reported in April of last year. Longview’s unemployment number dropped from 4.5% down to 4.1% in April. It was 5.2% a year ago.

GREGG COUNTY — A Longview man pleads guilty to aggravated robbery and engaging in organized criminal activity. Devonte Smith, 20, was sentenced to 20 years for each charge. According to our news partner KETK, Smith was arrested last May after he and several others committed armed robberies at the Tree House Apartments and the Summer Brooks Apartments in Longview. Smith is the second of five men to be convicted on charges arising from the incidents. Kaleb Bush was sentenced last month.

TYLER – The proposed name change for the two Tyler high schools is no longer on the school board’s agenda for June. Board president Rev. Fritz Hager, Jr. has announced he has directed the school superintendent to remove the item from the June 7 meeting and return the meeting to its customary time and format for their monthly board workshop. He took the action after school trustees Rev. Orenthia Mason and Aaron Martinez asked to have the item removed from the agenda. Mason said at a Thursday afternoon news conference she would not take away the names of John Tyler High school and Robert E Lee High School. She believes, if the name of Robert E Lee was to be changed, it should have been changed when the school was integrated. Mason said her concern is not the names of the schools, but whether or not the students are receiving a quality education and are prepared for college or some career in life.

DALLAS (AP) – More than a million acres of property in East Texas is changing hands in one of the largest U.S. timberland sales in a decade. The Dallas Morning News reports that CatchMark Timber Trust Inc. has agreed to purchase 1.1 million acres of East Texas timberland for nearly $1.4 billion. The Atlanta-based company is buying the property with a group of investors. The land is situated in multiple locations, mostly south of the area stretching between Tyler and Longview. CatchMark says the timberland is near Austin, Dallas and Houston, three of what the company says are the top five home building markets in the country.

TYLER – A Tyler school trustee say she believe there should be no name change at the city’s high schools. At a Thursday afternoon news conference, the Rev. Orenthia Mason said she would not take away the names of John Tyler High school and Robert E Lee High School. She believes, if the name of Robert E lee was to be changed, it should have been changed when the school was integrated. Mason said her concern is not the names of the schools, but whether or not the students are receiving a quality education and are prepared for college or some career in life. Mason said she and trustee Aaron Martinez are asking that the name change proposal be taken off the agenda for the June school board meeting.

AUSTIN – Longview will benefit from $27,743,911 in flood mitigation assistance grants issued by the Texas Water Development Board. The grants provided are funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and will be used to mitigate flood damages and prevent future losses. Of the13 applications approved, $297,536.30 will be going to Longview for acquisition projects.