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TYLER — Testimony continues in the Mineola Sex Ring trial. Dennis Boyd Pittman, 47, is the fourth of six defendants to go on trial for the crimes in which three siblings were supposedly groomed to perform sexual acts. On Tuesday, an 11-year-old girl, one of the three siblings, took the stand. Testimony continues today. The other two defendants, Patrick Kelly, 43, and Jamie Pittman, 38, who were convicted and sentenced to life in 2008, recently had their sentences reversed in the 14th Court of Appeals in Houston, and will receive new trials. Those trial dates have not been set. Jamie Pittman is not related to Dennis Pittman.

TYLER — A festive celebration on Tyler’s downtown square Wednesday kicked off this year’s United Way campaign, with its $1.7 million goal. That’s how much the campaign raised last year. United Way President Nan Moore says it’s an optimistic goal, but still conservative based on the current state of the local economy. The good news: 30 percent of it has already been raised. The campaign wraps up in February. 24 agencies will divvy up the funds. Moore hopes to keep their funding levels flat; she says coming up short last year mainly affected the United Way budget, not the agencies. Moore is also expressing optimism that the campaign will bring in some new businesses and develop some new partnerships. With that in mind, she says exceeding the goal is not unrealistic.

TYLER — Officials have issued an after-action report from Smith County’s most recent multi-agency No-Refusal DWI campaign, July 2nd through July 4th, 2010. There were 18 total DWI arrests. Nine were made by DPS troopers, seven by Tyler police, and two by Bullard police. There were five total evidentiary search warrants for blood issued. Three were obtained by DPS, and one each by the Tyler and Bullard Police Departments.

AUSTIN (AP) – The chairman of the Texas House Corrections Committee says he thinks the state jail system may have outlived its usefulness. Rep. Jim McReynolds of Lufkin says recidivism rates for state jail inmates are higher than for regular Texas prisons. McReynolds says the state may need to consider modifying the original model. State jails were established by legislators in 1993 for nonviolent drug offenders, thieves and first-time offenders to be housed in separate lockups, with treatment and rehabilitation programs. Senate Criminal Justice Committee Chairman John Whitmire of Houston, who authored the state jail law, said Tuesday that he wants the program to continue and “the system has worked well.”

NACOGDOCHES – Dozens of employers are seeking to fill positions that East Texas job seekers have the opportunity to apply for at Congressman Louie Gohmert’s East Texas Job Fair at Stephen F. Austin State University today. The event is underway and continues till 2:00 p.m. in William R. Johnson Coliseum, 700 E. College Street in Nacogdoches. It’s being held in cooperation with the Deep East Texas Council of Governments, Stephen F. Austin State University, and Workforce Solutions Deep East Texas. The fair follows a similar one held recently in Marshall.

Rep. Gohmert stated, “Our country’s economy and many East Texans have done some struggling. That is why I am joining with some others to host two Job Fairs in East Texas to bring together businesses that need employees and people looking for jobs. My office and partnering organizations are dedicated to making these events as successful as possible, which will require active participation from both employers and job seekers. All types of employers and job seekers with a range of experiences are welcome to attend these free events. East Texas has a diverse job market and strong workforce, and I hope these fairs will help bring the two together to benefit the economic health of East Texas and its citizens.”

AUSTIN (AP) – Health officials are warning against eating fish caught in parts of the Trinity River in Tarrant, Dallas, Ellis, Kaufman, Henderson, Navarro, Freestone and Anderson counties. Wednesday’s advisory is from the Department of State Health Services. The area includes the Clear Fork of the Trinity River from the Benbrook Reservoir Dam, and the West Fork from the Lake Worth Dam, through the main stem of the river downstream to the U.S. Highway 287 bridge on the Freestone-Anderson county line. Testing found some fish had elevated levels of dioxins and polychlorinated byphenyls, or PCBs. Long-term consumption may cause cancer and other health problems. DSHS says elevated levels of PCBs and dioxins in fish do not pose a health risk for people swimming or other water recreation.

TYLER — Smith County Commissioners Court will adopt their new 2011 budget which will include plans to reduce overcrowding at the Smith County Jail. According to KETK, tax payers wonder if adding electronic monitoring ankle bracelets would solve jail overcrowding issues and reduce the cost on tax payers. Judge Joel Baker says he’s in favor of the devices, but that it’s up to the Smith County Sherriff’s Department to buy them. Whether they’re used to track a person’s whereabouts or their alcohol intake, monitoring devices are used nation-wide. In East Texas, GPS ankle bracelets are used as an alternative to incarceration programs to help keep track of people on probation. The bracelets monitor more than 300 people on felony misdemeanor or civil probation charges costing less than $6 per day.

TYLER (AP) – An 11-year-old boy has testified that he performed videotaped sexually explicit skits for paying adults as part of an alleged child sex ring. The testimony Wednesday in Tyler came on the second day of the criminal trial for a Mineola man charged with forcing three siblings to dance and engage in sexual acts. 47-year-old Dennis Boyd Pittman is one of six defendants facing charges of forcing three siblings as young as 5 to dance and engage in sexual acts for a paying audience in 2005. An alleged victim testified Tuesday that God told her the sexual acts she previously said happened didn’t really occur. After further questioning, the 11-year-old girl said she was given “silly pills” and danced for boys wearing a “sexy outfit.”

TYLER – A Whitehouse man has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges. Jose Zavala, 32, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith K. Guthrie. According to information presented in court, from an unknown date to January 13, 2010, Zavala conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas. Zavala was arrested on January 20, 2010 and charged with federal drug trafficking crimes. Zavala faces up to 10 years in federal prison at sentencing. A sentencing date has not been set.

WHITEHOUSE — Smith County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating an apparent shooting at Outlaws, a club on State Highway 110 just north of Whitehouse. Details are sketchy, but KETK-TV reports it appears to have stemmed from “a gun deal gone bad.” Authorities are looking for a person who fire shots at a person or vehicle during Tuesday night’s incident.

JACKSONVILLE — A one vehicle accident in Cherokee County has left one person dead and one injured. Both were not wearing their seat belts. Killed was Amber Bird, 24, of Jacksonville. The driver, James Dillard III, 25, Jacksonville, is being treated at Tyler’s East Texas Medical Center. The Department of Public Safety reports Dillard’s pickup was southbound when it left the road, hit a dirt embankment, and overturned. The accident happened just before 6:45 Sunday afternoon on Farm Road 2138 South of Jacksonville.

TYLER — The United Way of Tyler/Smith County kicks off its 70th anniversary campaign with a public celebration on the Square in downtown Tyler today from 11:30-1:00. Guest speaker is Mayor Barbara Bass. There will also be check presentations by companies that have “set the pace” for this year’s campaign. A free hot dog lunch is being provided by Brookshire’s and Super 1 Foods, as long as supplies last. Frito Lay is providing chips; drinks are being provided by Coca-Cola, Community Coffee, Tyler Beverages, and Pepsi. The 2010 campaign will continue to remind everyone to “Live United.” You can go to http://www.unitedwaytyler.org to learn more.