KTBB News, Weather, Talk

MARSHALL – One person has been stabbed to death and Marshall police have a suspect in custody. Gwindle Cofer Anderson, 61, was found in a house in the 200 block of Hickory. She later died from her injuries at Good Shepherd Medical Center-Marshall. Arrested at the scene was Frank Lee Nickerson, 47, of Marshall. He has been charged with murder and bond set at $300,000.

NACOGDOCHES – An 11 day old Nacogdoches girl is hospitalized after suffering severe hot water burns. The little girl’s dad brought her to a Nacogdoches hospital emergency room around 9:30 Wednesday morning. He said he was bathing the girl when she suffered the burns. The youngster has since been flown to a Galveston hospital. The Nacogdoches Police Department along with Child Protective Services are investigating the case.

QUITMAN – Two Tyler residents have been arrested in Wood County and charged with burglary. Taken into custody was Marshall Glenn Kea, 41 and Alexa Rae Richmond, 24. The owner of a building says he caught the two removing a variety of items from his building.

TYLER – One person has been arrested as Tyler police execute a narcotics search warrant at a residence located at 2821 Van Highway. Taken into custody was Kevin Dwayne Williams. Officers recovered from the residence just over 8½ pounds of marijuana, narcotic distribution materials, money, firearms, and body armor. Williams was booked into the Smith County Jail for felony possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of body armor by a felon.

TYLER – A call of criminal trespassing has led to a chase of a naked man through Tyler. Police say it all started when a constable responded to criminal trespassing call at Liberty Arms Apartments, 2601 North Broadway. After the suspect got into an argument with the constable, he fled. KETK reports that during the chase, the man ripped off his clothes. He was caught in the 500 block Barrett.

TYLER – Tyler school trustees have announced that Laura K. Jackson has accepted the role as Director of Communications for the Tyler Independent School District. Her hiring was unanimously approved at Thursday’s school board meeting. Jackson currently serves as the legislative liaison for the University of Texas at Tyler. She starts her new duties August 15th. “We are excited to have Ms. Jackson on our team,” said Dr. Randy Reid, superintendent of schools. “She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the District in the area of public relations.”

Jackson holds master of public administration and bachelor of science in political science degrees from Texas A&M University. She has served as a field coordinator and legislative assistant in the office of then State Senator Todd Staples and was campaign manager for State Senator Robert Nichols and State Representative Mark Shelton. She has also served as a political consultant to eight legislators, a Supreme Court justice and an attorney general.

Jackson has been the principal consultant in the creation of statewide Forest Legacy Program application that is intended for nationwide implementation, advised a state agency on Sunset Legislation procedures and strategies, created a system to monitor state agency projects in order to ensure timely and satisfactory completion and prepared a statewide program brochure to highlight achievements of completed projects.

LINDALE — More details are released after one person was killed and one injured in a two vehicle accident near Lindale. Killed in the Thursday morning wreck on Farm Road 16 at County Road 498 was Terry Grant, 62, of Holly Lake Ranch. He was thrown from his vehicle during the accident. Suffering minor injuries was Glenn McLain of Lindale. The Department of Public Safety said McLain, who was pulling onto Farm Road 16, didn’t see Grant’s dump truck because the sun was in his eyes. The dump truck hit McLain’s car, ran off the road and hit a creek embankment.

TYLER — The Tyler Junior College Board of Trustees Thursday announced results of a recent performance appraisal of President Dr. Mike Metke and a related three-year contract extension. The extension takes Dr. Metke’s contract through August 2014. “We are pleased with the direction he’s taken Tyler Junior College and we believe the communities we serve are pleased as well,” said TJC Board President Clint Roxburgh. “He’s managing the college in very tough economic times and during dramatic enrollment growth. Even so, TJC is still meeting the needs of our students and our local employers.”

Officials say enrollment has soared to record levels, nearing 12,000 during the 2011 spring semester. According to a TJC news release, under Metke’s leadership, TJC has created new partnerships with businesses and other institutions; opened new locations in Jacksonville, Lindale and Rusk; and created several new career and professional programs. Metke says those programs will “grow our own” skilled professionals who he says are needed for current and future job openings in East Texas.

RUSK — Rusk police are following up on an accident that critically injured a motorcyclist. According to KETK, around 5:00 Wednesday morning, a truck hit a telephone pole on U.S. Highway 69. The telephone pole and line were knocked down with the cable falling into the roadway. Within a few minutes, a motorcycle driven by Mark Edward Schnackenberg, 44, of Gonzales, La., struck the cable causing him to lose control of the motorcycle and crash in the roadway. Schnackenberg was taken to a hospital in Tyler, where he remains in critical condition with head injuries. He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. Schnackenberg is a welder working at the power plant in Sacul. Schnackenberg was staying at the KOA campground in Rusk, and was on his way to work when the accident happened.

The Rusk Police Department is seeking the public’s help in locating a 2003 to 2009 Dodge truck. The truck is allegedly a 3/4 ton or one ton truck. Investigators believe the truck has damage to the passenger side, including a mirror missing and the passenger side window broken. The truck may have a welding bed or steel bed replacing the regular pickup bed. This bed will have damage to the passenger side also. If you have any information, contact your local sheriff’s department, police department or the Rusk Police Department at 903-683-2677.

LONGVIEW — One East Texas school district may face a two and a half million dollar shortfall. According to KETK, Longview public schools will dip into their district’s fund balance to cover the budget for this year. The district’s losing over $5 million in federal funding for the upcoming school year. Longview schools are still working on the budget for next year and will approve it in August.

LINDALE — Lindale police say Troy Shelton, the owner of Lindale Tire, is currently in a local hospital after being served with an arrest warrant during a raid. According to Lindale officials, Shelton was weighing drugs when they arrived. Shelton fell and had to be taken to a hospital.

Law enforcement found more than 31 pounds of marijuana along with meth at his house. Shelton was allegedly growing “low-grade” marijuana in his backyard and importing “high-grade” marijuana from California. According to KETK, Lindale police also found more than 100 weapons, including crossbows, brass knuckles, shotguns and handguns. Cash amounting to $6,000 was also confiscated. Shelton has since called Lindale police and apologized and informed them that he was going into heart surgery. Authorities will arrest Shelton as soon as he is out of the hospital.

TYLER — The latest burn ban information for Smith County is now available by phone through the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office. You can call 903-590-2656 and choose option 5 to check up-to-date information on the current burn ban in place for Smith County including specific information about restricted activities and ticketable offenses. Smith County has issued more than three dozen tickets for fire-related activities since the the ban was instated on July 5. Anyone with questions about fire-related jobs or activities is encouraged to call the information line.

The Smith County Commisioners Court voted on July 12 to extend the Smith County burn ban for a period of up to 90 days, contingent on weather conditions and other factors including the Keetch-Byram drought index, temperature, humidity, wind speed and the volume of calls for emergency service due to fires. Section 418.173 of the government code provides that failure to comply with this plan or with rule, order or ordinance adopted under this plan is an offense of a fine not to exceed $1,000 or confinement in jail of a term up to 180 days. You can also to http://www.smith-county.com for additional burn ban information.

TYLER — Tyler’s St. Paul Children’s Foundation is making lots of progress on its Bridge Campaign. Officials announced $1,386,302.41 has been raised toward the $1.5 million campaign goal. Board President Phil Jensen says, “The campaign goal of $1.5 million was established to take the Foundation from temporary to permanent financial solutions. Your continued help is needed.”

Dr. Duane Andrews, honorary campaign chairman, adds, “St. Paul Children’s Foundation is a light to our community. Without it many, many children would have no place to see a doctor for a cold, for immunizations, for serious illnesses, or simply well-child checkups. Without St. Paul, dental care would be non-existent for those without insurance.” For additional information on the campaign, you can visit http://www.stpaulchildren.org or call Interim Executive Director Sharlyn Cannady at (903) 531-9455.

BULLARD — Officials in Bullard say a portion of Old Jacksonville Hwy, in front of City Hall, was blocked off for a time while crews cleared a downed power line laying across a vehicle. Bullard Police say a passing truck hit a downed line, forcing it onto a McCoy’s work truck following behind. The line then snagged on the McCoy’s work truck. Oncor headed to the scene to shut power off to the line so that crews could remove it from the truck.

LINDALE — Smith County Firefighters battle a house fire in Lindale. Officials say the call came in about 5:40 Thursday morning. The home is located in the 14000 block of County Road 496. Authorities say the fire was under control by later in the morning. No word on whether there was anyone home at the time of the fire.

LONGVIEW –- A cooling system malfunction was being blamed this morning for grounding an American Eagle flight Wednesday evening at East Texas Regional Airport. It was a scary landing for passengers aboard the American Eagle flight 4777. When the plane from Dallas landed shortly after 5:15, smoke was reported in the cabin. After the plane landed, the pilot taxied off the runway and all 47 passengers evacuated the plane safely. They’re still trying to determine what caused the smoke. –

TYLER – A Tyler jury begins the punishment phase of the trial of the man it convicted for robbing a pizza delivery man. The jury in state district court deliberated around ten hours before finding Victorino Betancourt, 26, guilty. He was accused of robbing and threatening to kill the victim.

MOUNT PLEASANT – The Occupational Safety Health Administration is investigating the death of a Pilgrim’s Pride employee. It happened around 1:00 Wednesday morning at the company’s protein conversion plant in Mount Pleasant. Pilgrim’s Pride spokesman Gary Rhodes said night supervisor Jimmy Bynum was pinned under the back wheels of a truck that was backing into the protein conversion bay. Bynum, a 25 year employee with Pilgrim’s Pride, was first rushed to Titus Regional Hospital. He was the flown to Tyler’s East Texas Medical Center, where he died.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council Wednesday received a presentation on the outcomes of the Spring 2011 Neighborhood Empowerment Works (NEW) Program. Officials say the NEW Program is designed to enhance the quality of life for residents through the concentrated delivery of services and programs provided by the City. Working in partnership with the neighborhoods, the City’s goal is to raise awareness of code and zoning ordinances, provide information on accessing City services and promote clean and safe neighborhoods.

During the 11th NEW Program, officials say, City of Tyler Departments came together and made many improvements to a neighborhood in City Council District Two. The boundaries of the neighborhood selected as the 11th NEW were Walton Road east to Walker Street, south to Foster Street, west to Barnes Street, southwest to Old Noonday Road, south to Luther Street, west to S.E. Palmer Highway (Highway 155) and northeast to Walton Road.

Officials say the NEW program enhances the quality of life for Tyler residents – one neighborhood at a time – by concentrating City services in a specific area for four weeks. Various City departments use information gathered from the neighborhood meeting, as well as an examination of the area, to identify services that could make an immediate impact on the neighborhood.

Outcomes from the 11th NEW program include:
· 24 junk vehicles were tagged for removal;
· 92 lots with high vegetation were mowed;
· 31 trashed lots were cleaned;
· 1,844 square feet of street base repairs were performed;
· Three and one-half miles of right-of-way were mowed;
· Six street signs were replaced;
· Five street lights were repaired;
· Three and one-half miles of streets were swept;
· 2,200 feet of sewer main were cleaned and inspected;
· The Tyler Police Department issued 35 written warnings and made eight arrests. They supplied a total of 92 man hours;
· The Solid Waste Department removed 738.5 yards of solid waste; and,
· Trees were trimmed and 194 cubic yards of waste removed.

“Since its inception, the NEW program has been an important tool to stop neighborhood decline in its tracks,” said City Council Member Donald Sanders. “By involving the neighbors and leveraging City services, the program has proven to be successful in encouraging reinvestment in Tyler’s older neighborhoods. Get rid of the grime…get rid of the crime.” The next NEW program will begin this spring and will be held in District Four.

KILGORE — Kilgore’s City Council votes down a controversial bill. According to KETK, it is still legal to text and drive there. The council voted Tuesday night not to place a ban on texting while driving in the city. Officials discussed a similar proposal earlier this year, but they wanted to see if the Texas Legislature would pass a statewide ban instead.

TYLER — In the Tyler City Council meeting Wednesday morning, officials passed the One-Half Cent Sales Tax proposal for the 2011-2012 budget year, which allows money for capital improvements to the city. The project will expand 220 projects over the next 10 years, including road and airport construction.

The council also passed a proposal awarding $1,711,000 to construct Fire Station 5 in Tyler. The station should be open by next summer. According to city press materials, “In September 2009, the City Council authorized the purchase of a parcel of land on Bennett Street from the Tyler Economic Development Council for the new Fire Station 5. Moving Station 5 from its current location at the corner of Frankston Highway and Walton Road will enhance the Tyler Fire Department’s access to surrounding areas and will result in more uniform response times.”

LUFKIN — Three women have been named as co-conspirators in a federal indictment against accused Moffett methamphetamine cook David Dunman, including a Lufkin woman who appeared on national talk shows four years ago to recount the details of the night her cousin was murdered and she was attacked.

The 66-count federal indictment for conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine names Dunman, along with Deanna Sunshine Turner, Crystal LeAnn Keisler and Jennifer Jon Holliday, who appeared on “The Montel Williams Show” and “I Survived” in 2007 to tell her survival story in the death of her cousin Ana Franklin. At the time of the attack, Holliday’s story drew national attention. Moved by accounts of an uninsured woman’s struggle to get medical care for her shattered arm in multiple newspaper articles, the president of Memorial Hermann Healthcare System provided Holliday with necessary care at no cost, according to a 2007 Houston Chronicle story.

The federal indictment claims Holliday and the three others conspired to purchase psuedoephedrine at East Texas area pharmacies from May 2007 to November 2010 with the intention of making meth. Narcotics investigators with the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office said in an interview last year that in the two years they had been watching Dunman, he had never sold directly to them or one of their informants. They believed Dunman had the multitude of women they observed coming in and out of his home moving the drug for him.

TYLER — It’s getting closer to the Aug. 2 deadline to increase the government’s debt limit, and plans pushed by a Republican and Democrat leader aren’t expected to get very far. Some Republicans say the $1 trillion in war-related savings in Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid’s plan are phony. And the same Republicans say the cuts in House Speaker John Boehner’s proposal don’t go far enough.

East Texas Congressman, Republican, Louie Gohmert spoke with KTBB Wednesday morning and said Congress has got to get more serious. He said the government spends around $10 billion, with $4 billion of that being borrowed. Gohmert says a real balanced budget amendment is needed that will prevent Congress from spending too much and make it live within it’s means the way every single state government is suppose to do. He said the bill that Harry Reid is proposing is even worse than the Boehner plan.

Gohmert added, “If the Senate could pass any bill, no matter what it is, the Reid Plan, the Gang of Six plan, anything, then the whole matter would be brought to a conference committee under house rules that has to meet publicly and we get a compromise worked out.”

The congressman insisted that there is not going to be any failure to pay Social Security. He said, “The money is there and there are Treasury notes to cover anything that does not.” Gohmert included the fact that Social Security is paid separately from all other indebtedness. He added that there is plenty of money to pay the debt as it comes due everyday, for some time.

TYLER – A contingent of law officers raided a Tyler body shop Tuesday morning and recovered close to $500,000 worth of suspected stolen property. The property was located in a warehouse district off WSW Loop 323, which had been under surveillance since investigators received information from several tipsters regarding suspicious activity in the area. The serial numbers and identifying information found on the suspected stolen items will be cross-referenced with those on police theft reports. At this time, there are several persons of interest identified and arrest warrants will be forthcoming.

The raid was the result of an ongoing, multi-agency investigation into a theft ring. Agents from the Texas Department of Public Safety, investigators from Smith, Anderson, Cherokee and Henderson Counties, the East Texas Auto Task Force and investigators from Arp, Whitehouse and Tyler Police Departments participated in the coordinated effort.

A property hearing to determine ownership of items recovered will be conducted in Smith County.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Losing money at the rate of $8 billion a year, the postal service is now considering closing more than one out of ten post offices, including a couple in East Texas. Over 3500 facilities are on the review list; those include the ones in Cuney, in Cherokee County, and Sacul, in Nacogdoches County. The government recently announced that the post office in Easton, which straddles the Gregg-Rusk County line, will be shutting its doors. The U.S. Mail has taken a huge hit financially as much of its first-class service has moved to the Internet. Along with closings, also being considered are doing away with Saturday deliveries and some method of reducing the $5.5 billion USPS puts into a retiree medical fund each year.

KILGORE — Nineteen students graduated Tuesday night from the Kilgore College Fire Academy No. 80. The evening marked the final class to graduate under the direction of Mike Earley, the originator of the KC Fire Academy in 1989. Earley, who has served 35 years with KC, will retire in August as Dean of Public Services – overseeing the Fire Academy, Police Academy, Workforce Development and Continuing Education divisions.

The KC Fire Academy is accredited by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection and the State Firemen and Fire Marshal’s Association and approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The academy offers certification schools for NFPA 1001 Basic Structural Firefighter I and II certification, the Texas Volunteer certification, Fire Inspector and Fire and Arson Investigation courses. It is also a designated institution by the Canadian Province of British Columbia.

The following candidates, listed by hometown, are part of KC Fire Academy No. 80:
Campbell River, B.C. Canada: Neil Blasky
Chandler: Brandon Walker
Gladewater: Joseph Bernard
Henderson: Matthew Morris
Longview: Coy Adams, Lance T. Harrod and Taylor Latus
Mineola: Jacob Ledkins and Logan Ledkins
Mt. Enterprise: Justin A. Royer
Mississauga Ontario, Canada: Ryan J.J. Rocha
Osoyoos B.C., Canada: Wyatt Thompson
Palestine: Michael Chance Wesson
Rothesay New Brunswick, Canada: Jonathan Stanley
Salmon Arm B.C., Canada: Brenden Bradley Ramsay
Surrey, B.C., Canada: Jeffery Kyle Allan
Vernon B.C., Canada: Colin Fitzgerald
Whitehouse: Alan D. Miller
Wills Point: Taelor Brewer

GREELEY, COLO. (AP) — A voluntary recall of thousands of pounds of ready-to-eat chicken has been expanded over concerns that the meat could be contaminated with bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Pilgrim’s Pride on Tuesday announced the recall now includes about 7,000 pounds of Pilgrim’s Pride Brand Fully Cooked Chicken Breast Nuggets that were shipped to dozens of Dollar General stores in the following states: West Virginia, Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia, Florida and Alabama.

The recall began last week over fears that more than five tons of ready-to-eat chicken was potentially tainted by Listeria monocytogenes. The Center for Disease Control classifies listeriosis as a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems.

Pilgrim’s says it is not aware of any reported illnesses.

KILGORE — Authorities seek a suspect in a Gregg County aggravated robbery. On Tuesday at about 5:00 a.m., Gregg County Deputies responded to the EZ Mart, 4402 FM 349 outside Kilgore. The clerk reported that a man entered the store and demanded money. The suspect was described as a black male in his mid to late twenties, approximately 5’2” to 5’6”, 160 to 180 pounds. He was wearing a light color gray or blue ball cap, red t-shirt, long khaki cargo shorts, and black and white tennis shoes. The suspect displayed a small silver colored knife. There were no injuries, and an undisclosed amount of cash was taken. There is no vehicle information available at this time. Contact the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 237-2506 with any information.

TYLER — East Texas lakes are taking on a whole new look from our ongoing drought. Lake levels are driving people away — ending a popular summer pastime for many. New sandbars and exposed stumps are potential hazards on the water now. East Texas stands 12 inches behind on rainfall this year. Most boaters can’t even get their craft in or out of the water at area lakes. Smith County game wardens tell KETK they’ve seen 90 percent less activity on area lakes. If the drought continues, some boat ramps into Lake Tyler will close. Boats that are 20 feet or larger are having the biggest difficulties. Anglers and boaters with smaller flat-bottom craft say they’re not having any problems.

TYLER — Smith County has received the Texas Association of Counties 2010 Safety Award for its record of involvement and commitment to safety in the workplace, as well as for controlling workers’ compensation claims. The Award was presented in Commissioners Court Tuesday, during a regular meeting. To qualify for the Texas Association of Counties Safety Awards, a county must have a safety program rated in the top 15 percent of approximately 300 governmental entities that collectively self-insure their workers’ compensation through the Association’s Risk Management Pool. Smith was one of only 23 counties honored with a 2010 award. “We are honored and excited to receive this award from the Texas Association of Counties,” County Judge Joel Baker said.