KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz will be in Tyler Tuesday afternoon to tour the Genesis World Group Headquarters. According to our news partner KETK, a press release from his office states that the tour will begin around 12:30 p.m. and he will take questions from the press an hour later. According to their website, Genesis “develops, tests, and supports industry-leading software for mission critical and business critical two-way communications networks.” After the tour, Cruz is scheduled to go down to Diboll where he will take place in a closed roundtable discussion with East Texas leaders near Whispering Pines Park. Continue reading Sen. Cruz to tour Tyler software company

TYLER — Tyler ISD approved a one-time incentive to give $500 to eligible district employees who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. According to our news partner KETK, Tyler ISD said the funding will be provided with Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER funds. The incentive was approved at the Tyler ISD Board of Trustees School Board Meeting on Monday at 7 p.m. Carthage ISD was another school district that announced they will be offering a $500 incentive. The U.S. Congress provided financial support for districts and schools though the ESSER Fund to address to ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue reading Tyler ISD approves one-time incentive to give $500 to fully vaccinated employees

TYLER — A stretch of Old Bascom Road in Tyler is now open for travel after shutting down Saturday afternoon. Police say the road was closed from Old Omen Road to Southwood Drive after previously heavy rains caused a portion of the road to collapse. Tyler police officers responded over the weekend as road crews got busy addressing the issue.

TYLER – A Tyler man is accused of trying to wreck into his ex-girlfriend’s car that held his 4-year-old child, according to multiple arrest warrants obtained by our news partner KETK. Cory Stokes, 35, is charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of endangering a child for allegedly trying to run them off the road and then reportedly attempting a head-on collision. The documents allege that the victim believed Stokes did this “because of a current custody battle.” She told investigators the incident began after Stokes pulled up behind the woman and child at the intersection of Old Henderson Highway and Loop 323 in Tyler. Stokes is jailed on a combined $950,000 bond. He has past convictions in Smith County on drug possession charges, one in 2012 and two in 2014.

TYLER – TxDOT is planning to conduct another round of construction and maintenance work in the Tyler District this week. On Tuesday, base repairs are set for the eastbound outside lane of Loop 323 just before US 271. Longview Maintenance plans to conduct patching and bridge channel maintenance on various state roadways around Gregg County. Click here for the complete rundown of work around the district.

LONGVIEW — In response to the current rise in COVID-19 cases in the district and surrounding community, Longview ISD has issued what’s termed a temporary mask mandate, effective Monday, Aug. 23. According to a news release posted on the LISD website, all students, staff, and visitors at Longview ISD must wear face coverings at district facilities. The move comes amid legal uncertainty about such mandates as the governor’s order banning such moves makes its way through the courts. Known cases of COVID-19 among LISD students and staff are currently higher than they were last year and positive cases are emerging at alarming rates, according to the news release. The web posting says all virus-related protocols are subject to change as circumstances warrant. Click here to read the full release.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — An investigation is underway following a fatal vehicle/pedestrian accident in Van Zandt County. It happened around 10:45 Friday night on SH-64 approximately three miles southeast of Canton. According to DPS Troopers, the driver of a 2021 Buick Encore was traveling west on SH-64 and struck a pedestrian on the roadway. The pedestrian, identified as Devin M. Hill, 30, of Tyler, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was not seriously injured.

SMITH COUNTY — Department of Public Safety Troopers are investigating a fatal head-on collision Sunday afternoon on Spur 364 just west of Tyler in Smith County. 48-year-old Holly Lewis, of Brownsboro, was pronounced dead at the scene. A 17 year-old female passenger in Lewis’ vehicle was transported to UT Health East Texas in critical condition. 19-year-old Jeffery Harmon, of Tyler, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. The preliminary report indicated Lewis crossed into the eastbound lane and struck Harmon’s vehicle.

LONGVIEW — Longview police arrested a man after they found a person lying on the floor with several gunshot wounds on Sunday. According to our news partner KETK, Longview Police arrested 20-year-old Willie Brasher III of Longview. Brasher was taken to the Gregg County Jail and booked on an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge. At 1:15 a.m. Longview PD were dispatched to the Loop apartment complex located at 2801 Bill Owens Pkwy after a shooting. Continue reading One arrested, one hospitalized after shots fired at Longview apartment complex

TYLER — With reports of a possible turkey shortage this year, Tyler’s Sam Greenberg of the Greenberg Smoked Turkey Company has an update. Fire wiped out all the company’s holiday sales last year, but Greenberg says rebuilding is almost complete and business will be back to normal in October. While some have reported a turkey shortage, Greenberg says that’s not been a problem in Tyler — noting that his company only lost half its turkeys. He adds that customers have been unbelievable since hearing about last year’s fire. The company ships all over the world.

TYLER — As of 1:00pm on August 21st, a stretch of Old Bascom Rd is closed. It is closed from Old Omen Road to Southwood Drive. Recent heavy rains have caused a portion of the road to collapse. Tyler Police officers are on scene and road crews are responding to address the issue.

TYLER — Tyler Police have made an arrest in a homicide case. According to officials, Manuel Mendez Prieto II was charged with murder Friday and is being held in the Smith County Jail on a $1,000,000 bond. Prieto had previously turned himself in on an unrelated outstanding warrant for aggravated robbery with a $250,000 bond. On the morning of August 17, police were called to Front and Palmer regarding a truck that had hit a utility pole. Police say the driver, identified as Michael Lee Tucker, 29, Tyler, had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation led detectives to a residence on South Palmer, where the shooting appears to have occurred.

TYLER (AP) – A federal judge has issued a ruling that keeps in place Texas’ Medicaid agreement. The decision Friday blocks an effort by the Biden administration to rescind the deal. Texas is one of only 12 states that have resisted expanding Medicaid coverage under a key provision of former President Barack Obama’s health care law. Instead, state Republican leaders negotiated waivers to provide billions of federal dollars in reimbursements to hospitals that serve the uninsured. Texas received its first Medicaid waiver a decade ago. The waiver was set to expire next year after the Biden administration rescinded the Trump administration’s 10-year extension of it.

TYLER — Texas Veterans Land Board Chairman George P. Bush announced Friday that the Watkins-Logan State Veterans Home in Tyler has been awarded a grant totaling $1,589,503.50 through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The grant is for federal assistance towards the cost of replacement for HVAC controls, the nurse call system, and air handling units at the home. “Texas Veterans have sacrificed so much for our great nation and it is crucial that the Veterans who call our communities home continue to receive the quality care they deserve,” said Bush as quoted in a news release. “We welcome these funds from the VA to update the facilities and provide additional support for our Tyler-area veterans.” The Veterans Land Board applied for the grant earlier this year.

TYLER — Tyler Police are investigating an early morning stabbing. Police responded around 6:45 Friday morning to Third Street where a male victim was located and taken to a local hospital in critical condition. A female suspect has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault and evading arrest/detention. Investigators believe the stabbing happened at a gas station on WNW Loop 323. Friday afternoon, police identified the suspect as 19-year-old Yesenia Bailon of Tyler. She has been booked into the Smith County Jail. The victim is now in stable condition.

MARSHALL — Harrison County sheriff’s deputies and personnel from other agencies have located the body of Rayah Hicks, 24, of Marshall, who was recently reported missing. Sheriff’s Lt. Jay Webb says her vehicle was found in Shadowood Lake Thursday afternoon. Hicks was last seen Sunday evening at a lakeside social gathering. Webb says the vehicle was discovered after Marshall PD investigators reviewed security camera video from Sunday evening showing the vehicle driving into the Shadowood area but not leaving later in the evening. Continue reading Missing woman’s body found

TYLER — Keep Tyler Beautiful will host its annual daffodil bulbs sale once again this fall. The online sale opens Aug. 21 and runs through Sept. 30. A ready to plant fifty-count bag of Carlton Yellow Daffodils will cost $20 each. This year the bulb orders are online only. The bulbs will be available to pick up on Nov. 13 at the Downtown Recycle Center on N. Bois D’Arc Avenue. If the bulbs are not picked up on Nov. 13, buyers can pick up their order from Nov. 18 through Dec. 17 at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden Center. For more information, you can visit this link or e-mail Belen Casillas, Keep Tyler Beautiful Community Coordinator, at KTyB@tylertexas.com.

HAWKINS — Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins is offering free covid-19 vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer for people age 16 and over. Following a Friday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. availability, the effort will resume Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The vaccines will be available in the E.W. Rand Center Varsity Gymnasium on the Jarvis main campus. Security officers at the front of the campus can direct you to the building. Vaccines for meningitis and HPV also are available. For more information, contact Janet Ragland at (903) 241-5109 or by email at jragland@jarvis.edu.

TYLER — East Texas hospitals are struggling with staff shortages as COVID-19 patient numbers rise everyday. According to our news partner KETK, Gov. Abbott announced the state is stepping in to help recruit out-of-state medical workers. One of the hospitals to receive the help is UT Health East Texas. UT Health’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Thomas Cummins said about 20 nurses and respiratory therapists made it to East Texas with more expected to arrive in the coming days. “Having experienced ICU and medical nurses and ER nurses to be able to help take care of patients is an invaluable asset to have and certainly helps bring some relief to some very tired staff members,” Cummins said. Continue reading State deploys nurses to help East Texas hospitals with staffing shortages

TYLER — Drivers and pedestrians can expect traffic signal outages at College Avenue and Ferguson Street in downtown Tyler Friday morning due to a planned Oncor power outage between midnight and 5 a.m. Motorists are reminded to treat intersections as four-way stops if traffic signals are out or flashing red.

TYLER – Tyler police are investigating after a man who had been struck by a vehicle was found dead in a roadway. Police say officers responded around 1:00 a.m. Thursday to North Broadway between the 26th Street and 28th Street intersections after getting a call. The victim was 38-year-old Devin Thompson of Tyler. Police say the driver of the vehicle involved has been contacted. We’ll provide further updates as they come in.

TYLER — The East Texas Food Bank is holding another mega drive-thru produce distribution Friday in Tyler from 10 a.m. to noon at Lindsey Park. This time has been changed from the summer hours of 8-10 a.m. All such events are open to anyone and there are no eligibility or paperwork requirements. These are drive-thru distributions and walk-ups will not be accepted. Multiple households can carpool. To pick up items for another household not present, a note must be provided. The next drive-thru distribution dates are Tuesday, 8/31, in Lufkin at the George H. Henderson Expo Center from 10 a.m. to noon; Friday, 9/3, in Tyler at Lindsey Park from 10 a.m. to noon; and Friday, 9/10, in Longview at the Gregg County Fairgrounds from 8-10 a.m.

TYLER — The Women In Tyler committee has announced the co-chairs and theme for its 2022 luncheon. This year the theme is “Women With A Voice.” The new co-chairs are Terri F. Sumpter of Christus Trinity Mother Frances Health System and Glenda Bowie, retired from TISD. As a way to celebrate Women’s History Month, Women in Tyler was founded in 1999 to honor women who have contributed to the quality of life in the Tyler community, according to a news release. Continue reading Women In Tyler committee announces co-chairs and theme

ATHENS — An elderly man was arrested Wednesday after he fatally shot a neighbor through the screen door of his home. 85-year-old Huey Edward Nichols has been charged with murder. He was booked into the Henderson County Jail. According to Sheriff Botie Hillhouse, Nichols fired a single round from a 38-caliber revolver through the door, striking the victim in the upper abdomen. He died a short time later at a Tyler hospital. Officials say the unidentified neighbor went to the home to check the welfare of Nichols. There were no signs of forced entry or a struggle, though the Nichols said he was threatened. Continue reading Elderly man charged with fatally shooting neighbor

LONGVIEW — Curbside recycling services in Longview resumed Thursday. The services were shut down Tuesday due to what were termed urgent repairs at Rivers Recycling, the city’s third-party materials recovery facility. Word of the resumption came in Wednesday afternoon.

MARSHALL — The Marshall Police Department is seeking the community’s help in locating Rhaya Hicks, 24, of Marshall. Ms. Hicks was last seen in the area of 1793 and Gainesville Rd. at approximately 3:30 Monday morning. She was driving her 2008 black Lincoln MKZ bearing Texas license plate NKZ 5530. Ms. Hicks was wearing a white, pink, and blue two-piece bathing suit. Anyone with any information about Ms. Hicks’ whereabouts is asked to contact the Marshall Police Department at 903-935-4578, or if you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Marshall/Harrison County Crimestoppers at 903-935-9969 or use the P3 mobile app.

TYLER – A truck ran into a home at South Sneed Ave. and Troup Highway in Tyler on Wednesday, and one person has been arrested. According to our news partner KETK, officers say the man drifted off the road and slammed into the chimney. Tyler Police Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh says the person was being chased on foot by a fire marshal. He was caught several blocks north on Sneed, near the 1st Street intersection. The man is being charged with driving while intoxicated and evading arrest. He could face additional charges as police continue their investigation. No one was at home at the time of the crash.

WASKOM – Waskom ISD has announced that it will close all its campuses through next Monday in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the school district. According to our news partner KETK, for the next few days, campuses will be cleaned thoroughly to ensure a safe environment when students return on Tuesday. WISD Superintendent Rae Ann Patty says officials feel the move is the best option though they “know this is an inconvenience for some families.” On Sunday, Waskom ISD announced it would close its elementary school for a week after staff members got sick with COVID-19. The district says it will have staff available on all campuses to take calls on Monday in case any children develop symptoms.

TYLER — The Tyler Animal Shelter invites the community to come check out the new murals being painted inside the Chandler Highway facility Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. During the come and go event, some of the artists will be finishing up their work or hanging out to talk with people as they stop by, according to information from the city. Officials say five local artists have spent the month of August working on their own murals inside the facility to create an inviting space to foster animal adoptions.