KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – The East Texas Food Bank has received a nice donation. Members of the The Rotary Club of Tyler were on hand Thursday morning to present a check for $50,000 to the food bank. The funds will benefit the recently built Tyler Rotary Repackaging Room. The Rotary Club’s fundraising efforts for this project began in 2017. The repackaging Room is part of the East Texas Food Bank’s capital campaign project. It is titled “More Space. More Meals.: Our Blueprint to Fight Hunger.”

AUSTIN –The Texas Senate has approved religious liberty legislation coined the Chick-fil-A bill. State Senator Bryan Hughes of Mineola authored it. Hugues says, “If you’re an individual or you’re a business, and you have an affiliation with a religious organization, this bill says the government cannot discriminate against you — they can’t deny you a contract, loan, license; they can’t revoke your tax-exempt status.” In March the San Antonio City Council voted to block Chick-fil-A from opening a restaurant at San Antonio International Airport due to the fast food chain’s legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior.

TYLER – In his 2019 State of the City address for Tyler Wednesday, Mayor Martin Heines shared obstacles and important issues the city faced in 2018 and steps the city has taken to improve them. According to our news partner KETK, one of the big ones that was also on last year’s list is traffic. But the city is working to ease that concern by upgrading the traffic light system that’s been used since the 70s in an effort to better serve the growing city. One other effort is projects by TxDot that promise to expand widely used roads and improve their safety features. Mayor Heines also touched on water, sewer, drainage, and street improvements, as well as celebrating the most recent public safety campaigns and upgrades to city parks.

TYLER – Tyler police are asking the public’s help in locating a man wanted for aggravated sexual assault of a child. He is Yoni “Johnny” Elia Cuadra-Venture, 19, who is pictured here. He is driving a 2005 Dodge Ram 4dr P/U gold in color, last known license plate is TX temp tag 15823Y6. If you know where he can be found, you are asked to contact detective Erbaugh, with any information, at 903-531-1099.

EAST TEXAS – The Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation continues to monitor flooded roadways following storms from a week ago. Crews in Gregg and Wood counties are monitoring the impacted roads throughout the day. Current road closures include:
GREGG COUNTY•Farm Road 2087 – Closed due to flooding from south of Loop 281 to 454 feet east of Interstate Highway 20. This road appears in the picture. The water could recede by late Friday but more rain is forecast.
WOOD COUNTY•Farm Road 1804 – Closed due to flooding from 607 feet south of U.S. Highway 80 to 269 feet north of U.S. Highway 69. With more rain in the forecast, it could be Monday or later before this roadway opens to traffic. Continue reading Some Area Roads Are Still Flooded

WINONA – A man has been killed in a Smith County industrial accident. It happened around 8:45 Wednesday morning at a business at the intersection of Interstate Highway 20 and State Highway 155. Dead at the scene was Jose Pena Garcia, 48, of Texarkana. He was pouring concrete at the hose end of a boom when the weight apparently shifted and the boom hit him in the head. OSHA will be investigating the accident.

TYLER – Rain damaged roads continue to show up in Smith County following last week’s storms. Smith County Engineer Frank Davis said that road crews have found road wash outs this week that had been unreported. He said motorists had reportedly been driving around a damaged road, through the ditch. He is urging residents to report any county road wash outs or trees down from last week’s storms. He said don’t assume they have already been reported. He also cautioned drivers to never drive when there is water over the road because the road could be unstable. While giving his monthly report on road bond projects to county commissioner’s this week, Davis said recent rains have delayed some of their progress. However, the county is meeting, or exceeding, its goals for the year on road bond projects.

TYLER – The race for a spot on the Tyler city council next year has its first candidate. Tyler businessman James Wynne has announced he will run for the City Council District 4 seat in next May’s election. That post is now held by Don Warren. He announced earlier this month he would be running for Mayor next year. Wynne, a Tyler native, is the owner of TDI Air Conditioning in Tyler. Wynne says he believes his business background and experience serving on city committees will be an asset in working as a member of the City Council.

TYLER – HealthFirst TPA, a division of UT Health East Texas, has been recognized among the nation’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare. The recognition comes from Modern Healthcare magazine. The recognition program honors workplaces in the healthcare industry that are focused on providing outstanding care. Winners were selected based on interviews with leadership and an employee survey. A ranked order will be revealed at an awards dinner. It will be held in September during Modern Healthcare’s Workplace of the Future Conference in Dallas.

TYLER – Tyler K-9 Officer Garrett Martin and his K-9 Izzie brought back two awards from the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association Conference held in Ft. Worth. Upon completion of the training, all 120 K-9 teams participated in a narcotics detection competition. Officer Garrett Martin and Izzie we’re awarded the 1st place trophy in the competition. They also received the Bark, Bandit Trooper Award for the top score for all dogs over 5 years of age. Another award went to Tyler K9 PACO, who recently retired. PACO was awarded the Meritorious Service Award at the conference for his over 8 years of service to the Tyler Police Department.

FORT WORTH – A Longview man’s death in Fort Worth in March is being ruled an accident. Ryan White, 25, was found in a Beach Street field near a homeless camp. At the time, investigators said that there were some signs of trauma to his body. He appeared to have been beaten. But the Fort Worth Star Telegram reports White died of a drug overdose in a hypothermic environment. The high temperature in Fort Worth that day was 40 degrees and the low was 25. According to the medical examiner’s report, White had a mixture of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin in his system.

TYLER – Smith County Commissioners have approved the second year of a $39.5 million bond package. The county received eight bids on the bonds, with BOK Financial Securities, Inc. submitting the winning bid at an interest cost of 1.837%. In November 2017, Smith County voters approved the bond package to improve county roads. More than 50 miles of road improvements have been completed in the first year. Steven Adams, managing director of Specialized Public Finance Inc., said once the documents are signed by county officials, they will go the Attorney General for approval. He expected to close on the sale on June 11. Continue reading County Commissioners Approve Sale of Road Bonds

TYLER – A Tyler man is being charged with murder in connection with a fatal shooting last month. Treyvon Dewayne Maddox, 19, had originally been charged with deadly conduct for discharging a firearm. On Tuesday he was charged with murder. Maddox is charged with the shooting death of Keyundta Devor Barrett, 20, of Tyler. It occurred on April 20th on Tidwell Drive, off NNE Loop 323, on the outskirts of Tyler. Also shot were Kentrell Marquie Miller, 21, and Ira Brown Jr., 18, both from the Tyler area. Their injuries were not life-threatening.

TYLER – A Tyler man has been sentenced to federal prison for firearms violations. Heon Jong Yoo, 25, also known as Hank Yoo, was found guilty last November of seven counts of false statements made in connection with firearms transactions and one count of unlawful possession by a prohibited person. On Tuesday, Yoo was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder, III. Yoo was ordered to surrender to immigration officials for deportation after serving his sentence. Federal prosecutors say Yoo, a lawful permanent resident from South Korea, was an undergraduate student at the University of Texas-Tyler, when he falsely represented that he was a United States citizen in connection to seven different firearms transactions. Some of them involved semiautomatic weapons. Continue reading Smith County Man Sentenced for Firearms Violations

TYLER – Area residents are urged to use caution when using the trail at two Tyler parks. The recent heavy rainfall caused erosion in some parts of the city’s walking and biking trails. Two specific trails were affected: the Rose Rudman Trail and the Faulkner Park Trails. A temporary reflective barrier has been placed at Rose Rudman where the ground around the West Mud Creek collapsed, south of Southside Park. Also, the bridge that crosses West Mud Creek at Faulkner Park has been closed with a barricade. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department advises trail users to use caution and to avoid crossing all bridges at the Faulkner Park trails. They also ask users not to ignore or cross the barriers and barricades.

AUSTIN – Sam’s Law, named after an East Texas student, is now on its way to the governors desk. The bill received unanimous approval in the Texas senate on Tuesday. It had previously received unanimous approval in the house. The measure will help students who have seizures. It mandates all school employees watch a video on seizure recognition and first aid, school nurses will watch a much longer video. Plus, the child’s neurologist and parents will give the school a form detailing what to do if that child has a seizure. The bill is named for Samantha Watkins, an 18 year old Kilgore High School student, who died after a massive seizure at home in December of 2016. She’d been showing signs of the epilepsy a few months before.

MINEOLA – A Wood County man has been killed in a one vehicle accident. Dead at the scene was Jonathan Wade Burge, 45, of Mineola. The Department of Public Safety reports Burge was heading west on U.S. Highway 80, at a high speed, and veered into the center median where the vehicle struck a culvert and rolled several times. Burge, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle. The accident occurred shortly before 11:45 Monday night just under 4 miles east of Mineola.

SMITH – A Smith County murder suspect has committed suicide. State prison system K9s have found the body Robert Melvin Galbraith, 63, of Tyler. It was found in a wooded area behind his home on County Road 2122. He is said to have died from a gunshot wound to the head. He had been named in an arrest warrant for the murder of Justin Ray Alec Cross, 18, of Holly Lake Ranch. His body was found Monday night on County Road 2122, off Old Omen Road between Highway 110 and Highway 64. Sheriff’s deputies had gone there Monday night after getting reports of shots fired in the area.

MARSHALL – Marshall police have arrested a man wanted in connection with a chase that left an officer injured. It started early Monday evening with a report of a man with a rifle who was threatening a woman a 3 small children. When officers arrived the man, identified as Antonio Dejuan Trammel, 34, ran off. A pursuing officer, and Trammel, crashed into an apartment window. The officer was injured, requiring surgery to his arm. Trammel ran into a near by wooded area. Even with the use of a DPS helicopter and K9 units, he was not found. Tuesday afternoon the police, acting on a tip, arrested Trammel behind a house on West Rusk Street. He was arrested without incident and booked into the Harrison County Jail. He is being held on an outstanding parole warrant issued by the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole. He will also be charged with at least one additional offense stemming from the Monday night incident.

AUSTIN – Thanks to the Texas Lottery and the Dallas Cowboys, a fitness grant of $1,000 is going to Kilgore’s Chandler Elementary School. For the third year, the lottery and the Cowboys have partnered to provide the Funds for Fitness grant program to Texas public schools. The funds are for creating new or enhancing existing youth health and wellness projects. As part of a five-year, $300,000 program commitment, the 2019 Funds for Fitness effort is awarding 15 schools funds totaling $60,000. The Kilgore school is one of the 15 to receive the grant funds.

KILGORE – Kilgore College has received a large gift. The Kilgore College Foundation has received an anonymous gift of $1 million. It will be used to complete a permanent operating endowment fund for the Rangerettes organization. While the Rangerettes have about 90 endowed scholarships with nine additional scholarships seeking endowment, this fund will serve to support operations and travel expenses for the group. No word on who gave the money. The school would only say it comes from a Kilgore College graduate and his wife, who is a former Rangerette.

AUSTIN — Religious liberty legislation killed in the Texas House quickly resurfaces in the Senate, thanks to an East Texas lawmaker. Last week the newly formed State House LGBTQ Caucus killed House Bill 3172 on a point of order. On Monday, Mineola State Senator Bryan Hughes’s companion Senate Bill 1978 quickly passed out of committee. Hughes says, “It ensures that governmental entities can’t take adverse actions against anyone based wholly or partially on their membership or support provided to religious organizations.” LGBTQ advocacy groups oppose the bill. Reverend Erica Wilson of San Antonio’s Awakenings Spiritual COmmunity says, “Religious freedom isn’t and never will be a license to discriminate.”

WHITEHOUSE — A 29 year old man was arrested Monday at McDonald’s in Whitehouse for continuous sexual assault of a child. According to our news partner KETK, Jonathan Scott Evans, of Whitehouse, was booked into the Smith County Jail for continuous sexual abuse of a child, victim under 14. His bond was set at $500,000. “We had a warrant in hand and Jonathan Evans was arrested at 603 Hwy 110,” said Whitehouse Police Chief Ed Morris.

GILMER – Two persons entered guilty pleases in state District Court in Gilmer on Monday. Lasandra Ann Peoples, 40 of Gladewater, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison. In December, 2017, she was armed with a knife when she entered the home of a 75 year old Gladewater woman. She left with an undisclosed amount of money. Continue reading Two Plead As Jurors Were Selected

LONGVIEW – The cleanup continues in Longview following last week’s storms. The Longview Parks and Recreation Department reported continued closures at several parks and trails. Akin Park is closed and Julieanna Trail is closed, both due to several downed trees. Meanwhile, while Cargill Long Trail and Boorman Trail have been reopened, walkers should take care around crews continuing to clean up debris from the area. Residents needing help removing debris from their private property or those willing to volunteer to help their neighbors can email CL@LongviewTexas.gov or call 903-237-1379 during open business hours. You can go to https://www.longviewtexas.gov/civicalerts.aspx?AID=1904 for more information.

TYLER – Tyler police are investigating the weekend burglaries of several cell phone businesses. The burglaries occurred in about a half an hour span from around 2:45 to 3:15 Sunday morning. They first tried to pry open the door of the AT&T store near the Broadway Square Mall. The next alarm came from the Verizon Store on the West Southwest Loop. The third burglary was at the AT&T store on the Loop near the Troup Highway. Nothing was taken in any of the burglaries. At the last burglary, the suspects left in a small silver sedan that had a driver waiting on the two suspects who entered the store. Police Public Information Officer Don Martin says it is believed that the suspects are from outside of Tyler because of multiple break-ins at other stores across East Texas, including Lindale, Mineola, and Canton.

LONGVIEW – A Longview man has been arrested in connection with a fatal Gregg County accident last Friday. Arrested Saturday and charged with intoxication manslaughter is Michael Dean Buenrostro, 61. He was involved in a two vehicle accident on State Highway 42, about two miles south of White Oak. The Department of Public Safety says his car crossed over into the opposite lane of traffic hit a pickup driven by Kim Yvonne Hayes, 61, of Wagoner, Oklahoma. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

WHITEHOUSE – County Road 2171, also known as Willingham Road, will be closed starting Thursday for a bridge replacement. Workers will be replacing the existing bridge with a new box culvert structure, located just south of the Whitehouse city limits. Work on this project is anticipated to last about four months, depending upon weather. The road will be closed to through traffic so drivers need to seek alternate routes while construction is underway.

LONGVIEW – The Longview Chamber of Commerce has been named a finalist for the 2019 Chamber of the Year award. It is presented annually by the Alexandria, Virginia based Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.The group is an association of more than 8,000 professionals from 1,300 chambers of commerce, including 93 of the top 100 U.S. metro areas. The Chamber of the Year winners will be announced July 15 at the group’s annual convention in Long Beach, California.

SMITH COUNTY – An arrest has been made in a weekend Smith County death. James Robert Smith III, 27, of Tyler, is in the Smith County Jail charged with murder. His bond was set at $750,000. He is charged with Sunday’s murder of Donnavon Reese, 27, of Tyler. His body was found in a car that was parked in front of a convenience store on Highway 64 West at Thompson Lane. He had been shot to death. The two men are said to have had altercations in the past.