KTBB News, Weather, Talk

MINEOLA – An employee of the Mineola school system has been arrested as the result of an investigation that started last month. Arrested Thursday after being accused of an improper relationship with a student was Todd Karch of Lindale, the district’s Director of Transportation. He is currently free on a $40,000 bond. A news release from school superintendent Kim Tunnel said a student brought to the district’s attention a possible inappropriate relationship between a high school student and an employee. During the initial investigation, Karch was placed on administrative leave. Tunnell said the District then obtained his resignation. The Mineola Police Department is continuing their investigation in the case.

TYLER – Tyler police are looking for a woman who is accused of theft. She is said to have entered the office of a business and stole items from a purse while the employee had left the office. If you can identify her, please contact Detective Wayne Allen at 903-535-0121 or call Tyler Crime Stoppers at 903-597-2833.

TYLER – Another delay is expected in the capital murder trial of Gustavo Zavala-Garcia. He is accused of kidnapping Kayla Gomez from a Bullard church in November of last year. Her body was found in a well on the man’s property. During a Thursday pre-trial hearing, it was learned that DNA evidence in the case, which was expected to be ready at the end of this month, will not be ready until the end of next month. The next pre-trial hearing in the case in January 4th. At that time we could learniof the trail will be pushed back from its scheduled March 19th date.

The second man wanted in a Tyler robbery has been arrested. The United States Marshals Service has arrested 18 year old Dikembi Spencer of Tyler in Forrest City Arkansas. He was wanted for the November 14th armed robbery at the Fox Run Apartments. The suspects are said to have stolen a pound of marijuana along with a firearm. Arrested early last week in the case was 23 year old Devonte Black of Tyler. Besides armed robbery, he is also charged with possession of marijuana and a parole violation.

TYLER – Two Houston men were sentenced Thursday in Tyler federal court in connection with gas pump skimmers found in Smith and Gregg Counties. Dennys Miguel Arias Gonzalez,46, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark to 11 months confinement. Beniurkis Hernandez Rodriguez, 31, got 10 months behind bars. They are among four men found in the area with the gas skimming devices. Another suspect in the case,Tamara Valle, has already been sentenced to 10 months in prison following his guilty plea. A fourth suspect, Tomas Falcon Casanova, has pleaded guilty, and is still awaiting sentencing.

QUITMAN – A one vehicle accident southeast of Quitman has left one person dead. Pronounced dead at the scene was 52 year-old Robert Clifton Wattis of Winnsboro. The accident happened just before 8:00 Wednesday night on County Road 3230, about half a mile south of State Highway 154. The Department of Public Safety Report says the man’s pickup was heading south at an unsafe speed when he went into a skid on a curve, left the road and hit several trees. The vehicle then caught on fire.

TYLER – The 12th Court of Appeals in Tyler has upheld a Henderson County capital murder conviction. On Wednesday, the appeals court affirmed the conviction of Raheem Mark Miller, 22, of Athens. He was convicted of capital murder, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the death of a Malakoff man. Cedrick Collins, 23, was found beside his car on Robbins Road in southeast Athens in June of 2014. Miller, who as 18 at the time, is said to have shot Collins during a robbery.

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County Fire Marshal Connie McCoy-Wasson is asking people to refrain from burning until the area sees a substantial amount of rainfall. There is a chance of rain this weekend. “With the low humidity and high winds, the fire danger is extremely high right now.” she said. With the New Year’s fireworks season approaching, Mrs. McCoy-Wasson cautioned residents who may use fireworks to be extremely careful. If fireworks cause a fire, the person setting them can be held liable, she said. On Wednesday, December 13, the National Weather Service out of Shreveport, La., issued a fire danger statement. Continue reading Smith County Fire Marshal Asks Residents Not to Burn

PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg Police Department has issued a ‘Be On the Look Out’ (BOLO) for a robbery suspect. According to KETK, Jamiriquan Enalls, 19, is wanted for aggravated robbery. He is believed to be in the south part of the city. Enalls is described as 6’1, 245 pounds. Authorities say he is considered dangerous and not to attempt to apprehend him. Call 911 immediately.

TYLER – The Tyler City Council has awarded contracts for nearly half a million dollars for improvements to Tyler’s water, drainage and sanitary sewer systems. Mayor Martin Heines said all of the projects are part of a $100 million plan to reinvest in Tyler’s infrastructure. At Wednesday’s meeting, the city council awarded to Adams Engineering an $113,616 contract for design and construction of a new culvert at Robertson Avenue. With heavy rainfall bring to the forefront storm water and drainage issues, a Drainage Capital Improvement Plan was developed. Twelve key projects, including Robertson Avenue culvert replacement, were identified. Continue reading Improving Tyler’s Infrastructure

TYLER – The Tyler City Council has approved a contract with Adams Engineering for $306,188 to design and construct an additional 1.46 miles of sidewalk along both sides of MLK Boulevard from Broadway Avenue to Gentry Parkway. “This is the largest sidewalk improvement at one time we’ve done in this area to date,” said Scott Taylor, Managing Director of Utilities and Public Works. “Increasing walkability in the City is important for mobility and safety.” This project is estimated to take 18 months to design and construct. Over the last three years, the city has implemented a districting plan for the Texas College area within the boundaries of MLK Boulevard to 29th Street and Grand Avenue to Glass Avenue. So far, $2,000,000 has been invested to add sidewalks, pavement improvements and district street lights and banners.

TYLER – Two new fire stations are on the horizon for the city of Tyler. At Wednesday’s meeting, the city council approved a $586,000 agreement for the design of fire station 1 and fire station 4. Fitzpatrick Architects were hired to design the new fire stations and to oversee construction management. Construction is planned to begin at the end of next year and both stations are planned to be completed by the end of 2019. Fire Station 4 will move from the north to Cumberland Road and Cherry Hill Drive. This will serve the growth in south Tyler. Fire Station 1 will move to Gentry Parkway and Palace Avenue. This will accommodate the area once covered by Station 4. The location will also have an administration building.

TYLER -The Tyler Police Department (PD) and Municipal Court will be upgrading to new software next year. This will increase efficiency and data collection. At Wednesday’s city council meeting, a presentation outlining a switch to a new ticket book software for the PD and overall system change for Municipal Court was given. Tyler police will make the switch from its current system to Brazos e-citation. Brazos has the software capabilities to deal with state-mandated requirements. The aging of Tyler PD’s current system is not capable of maintaining all the needed data capabilities. According to police chief Jimmy Toler, “This new software and equipment will allow us to create reports that easily collect information that we will have to collect manually beginning January 1st. This program is easier to use and makes data sharing with municipal court reliable and more efficient. Continue reading Tyler Police Department and Municipal Court to Receive Software Upgrades

GILMER – An Upshur County Jury has given a man, responsible for many robberies, a lengthy prison sentence. The jury in 115th State District Court sentenced Gerald Michaul Hiam Jr. 30, of Dallas, to 75 years in prison. He was also fined $10,000. Hiam was accused of robbing a store on Highway 154 back on April 17th. He used the money to buy heroin and then drove to Dallas where he robbed a student at Coppell High School and a mother in a store’s parking lot. He testified in his defense and admitted under cross examination there were multiple crimes he had committed in which he had not been caught.

TYLER – The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle drive continues to inch its way toward this year’s goal. This year’s goal is $375,000. And, with a week and a half to go in this year’s drive, they still need to raise over $180,000. Every dollar raised here by the drive remains here. The money goes to provide food, clothes, and shelter to those needing help in Smith County. Salvation Army Captain Robert Parkersays the funds are critical to their ability to continue to provide much needed programs and services in the community. And he added ” We have faith that people will step up to help us continue to do the most good to the most people in the most need.” Continue reading Red Kettle Drive in the Final Stage

HOUSTON — The University of Houston is heading up a new institute to study hurricanes and their effects on the gulf coast — and UT Tyler is involved. A new hurricane research center backed by universities in Texas and elsewhere will examine hurricane modeling, flood mitigation, and public policy so officials can better anticipate and respond to gulf coast storms. A U of H press release says money funding the research will come from the institutions, cooperative agreements, and outside grants. Besides UTT and U of H, the universities involved are Rice, Texas Tech, Louisiana State, the University of Miami, and the University of Florida. Academics from the seven campuses can apply for the first round of funding for projects that involve collaboration across institutions. Applications are due early next year.

WHITE OAK – Wednesday was the last day of school this week in the White Oak School District. There will be no classes in all White Oak schools Thursday and Friday. School superintendent Superintendent Mike Gilbert said there has been a growing number of students becoming sick with flu- and strep-like symptoms. As they look at what they call an “escalating problem,” it is hoped that two days off before the weekend will give students time to recover. The district’s attendance is usually around 96%. But Gilbert said that has dropped to 85%.

MARSHALL – A new president has been named at Wiley College in Marshall. School trustees have named Herman Felton Jr. to the post. He will be succeeding President Haywood Strickland when he retires next June. A search firm provided several candidates for the post from which Felton was selected. He has served as the President of Wilberforce University in Ohio since 2016. Prior to that he was senior vice president, chief operating officer and vice president of institutional advancement for Livingstone College in North Carolina. Felton said “It is an honor and privilege to be a part of the rich legacy of Wiley College.”

MARSHALL – The cause of death of an East Texas college student has been determined. Marshall police say Derrick Lockwood, 23, of Jasper died of natural causes. The preliminary autopsy report, which had been released earlier, was unable to pinpoint the exact cause of death. His body was found by officers who had responded to a dorm at Texas State Technical College in Marshall on October 22nd.

PALESTINE – Palestine Municipal Court Judge Alex Nemer II submitted his resignation to City Manager Michael Hornes. This marks the second time Nemer has served in the position. He was Municipal Court Judge from January, 1974 to December 1976. Hornes said “Judge Nemer wished to spend more time with his family and focus on his private practice.” The search for a new Municipal Court Judge is underway.

TITUS COUNTY — Two school districts in Titus County closed Wednesday due to a major gas leak. Officials report the Mt. Pleasant and Chapel Hill ISDs did not hold classes. All of the schools will reopen on Thursday.

TYLER — There are a number of contested races in the Smith County primary elections next March, now that the filing deadline has passed. Among the highlights: Louie Gohmert has an opponent in the GOP congressional race, and two people have filed on the Democratic side. In the state House District 6 contest, incumbent Matt Schaefer will have an opponent, with one independent and one Democrat to appear on the ballot as well. The district attorney race includes two Republicans, and County Judge Nathaniel Moran will face a Democratic opponent in November. Continue reading Long List of Candidates for March Primary in Smith County

CANTON – A traffic stop just before noon Tuesday on Interstate Highway 20 in the Canton area has resulted in a drug bust. During the stop, the deputy’s K-9 alerted him to drugs, and the officer found 220 pounds of marijuana in the vehicle. The suspect is being held in the Van Zandt County Jail pending arraignment for possession of marijuana. His name has not been released at this time.

TYLER – A new county agent for Smith County has been announced. The new county agent, announced at Tuesday’s commissioner’s court session, is Clint Perkins. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Texas A&M and a Master of Science Degree at Texas Tech. Perkins was recently employed with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in Wood County. Perkins said he was proud to be joining an excellent team of extension agents and staff in Smith County, and he looks forward to serving the residents of Smith County.

TYLER – Thanks to the Rotary Clubs in Tyler, some youngsters will be getting a bike for Christmas. The South Tyler Rotary, Sunrise Rotary, and the Rotary Club of Tyler have held their annual joint Bike Build. For the past several years they have joined together for the project. Joined by their children, grandchildren, spouses, and friends, 75 bikes were assembled in 35 minutes. These 75 bikes are part of the over 550 bikes being collected in Smith County by the Salvation Army for children for Christmas. Nancy Crawford, President of South Tyler Rotary, says this is a great example of a service organization giving back to the community.

RUSK – An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death on an inmate in the Cherokee County Jail. The inmate was found in his cell Sunday night. He was rushed to East Texas Medical Center in Jacksonville, where he was pronounced dead. Indications are the inmate died from natural causes, but they are awaiting the findings of the autopsy for conformation. Since they are still contacting family members, the inmate’s name has not been released. As is standard procedure in such cases, the Texas Rangers are investigating the death.

LINDALE – Someone has stolen a package off a porch in Lindale. A photo shows what appears to be an older white female coming up to a house on Abbey Road and stealing a package. It happened on Saturday, November 25th. If you recognize the person you are asked to email Sgt. Mike Lazarine at mikel@lindaletx.gov or call him at 903-882-3313.

HIDEAWAY – Work on the Farm Road 849 bridge over Interstate Highway 20 is moving faster than expected. The bridge over the interstate highway has been completely removed and all lanes of the interstate are open to normal traffic flow. They had expected the normal flow of traffic to return on Wednesday, but the west bound lanes were opened Monday and the east bound lanes were opened today. According to TxDOT Public Information Officer Kathi White, no additional lane closures are planned for this week as work continues on the bridge replacement project.

TYLER – Tyler’s Northside Park will be closed to the public on Thursday and Friday for a vegetation management project. This project will increase the navigable air space within the model airplane fields and will also allow easier access to the model airplane runway.

WOOD COUNTY — Two adults sustained minor injuries in a Tuesday morning school bus crash in Wood County. Troopers responded around 7:24 to the two-vehicle wreck involving a Harmony ISD bus on SH 154 and FM 2869. According to DPS, preliminary reports indicate that the driver of a pickup ran into the back of the stopped bus due to visibility (sun glare). There were 14 children on board the bus, none of whom were injured. The drivers of both vehicles were injured and transported to Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview. The children were picked up and transported to school by another school bus. We’ll have more information as it becomes available.