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NACOGDOCHES – A teacher in the English Department at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches is still winning on the TV game show Jeopardy. Seth Wilson made it nine wins in a row on Thursday. With his latest winnings of $18,100, Wilson’s grand total is $209,801. He will try to make it ten games in a row on Friday.

MOUNT ENTERPRISE – Rusk county authorities are continuing their investigation into a body found earlier this week. The man’s body was found on Tuesday off State Highway 315 in Mount Enterprise. The body was sent to a Tyler lab for autopsy. Sgt. David Roberts says they hope to have an identity within the next 48 hours. They are investigating the death as a homicide until the autopsy tells them differently. Officials say they have been searching for Floyd Thompson, 60, of Mount Enterprise. He has been missing for about a month. They can’t say yet if the body they found is that of Thompson.

WHITEHOUSE – A Tyler man has been arrested after fighting with two men in a church parking lot. One of the men was a Whitehouse police officer. An off duty officer called for a backup to stop a fight. When the arriving officer tried break it up, JaMarqus Simmons, 18, is said to have started fighting the policeman and continued fighting with the other man. Simmons was finally arrested and charged with assault, assault on a public servant and resisting arrest. He was booked into the Smith County jail with bonds totaling $12,500.

TYLER – A Smith County murder suspect is back in jail today. Louise Anderson, 48, of Tyler was booked into the Smith County Jail on Wednesday for insufficient bond. She was arrested last December for the shooting death of her boyfriend, John Wayne Pierce, 58, of Tyler. The shooting, which occurred in the parking lot of the Game Room on Highway 31 West, followed an argument between the two. Anderson had been free on a $100,000 bond. Her bond is now set at $200,000.

CANTON – Two persons have been arrested for grave thefts in Van Zandt County. Charged with theft from a grave is David Mark Davis, 56, and his sister. Their arrests follow and investigation that started in February. Authorities estimated up to 40 graves have been effected around Edgewood, Fruitvale, Grand Saline and along U.S. Highway 80. When Davis was arrested, a stolen vehicle was also recovered. There could be other grave theft cases that have not been reported. If you have found items missing from a grave in Van Zandt County, you are asked to contact authorities.

PALESTINE — Fields of marijuana are sprouting up like weeds across East Texas — and one official thinks he knows where they’re coming from. More than a dozen have been found since the end of June. Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor says two were in his county — resulting in the seizure of nearly 10,000 marijuana plants. He believes they are cartel-related. “This is not your little Johnny’s grow out in the back field,” says Anderson. “This is definitely a sophisticated criminal activity.” He says the bad guys set up shop on property that, while it may be owned by someone, is rarely visited. They set up camp, complete with irrigation systems and campsites. He believes some of the people doing this are from Mexico and some are U.S. citizens with ties to the cartels. Once a field is discovered, the plants are destroyed. SOC

KILGORE – A Kilgore festival is being shelved and economic conditions are among the reasons for the actions. The Board of Directors of the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau have decided to cancel the long-running Snowhill Festival. Chamber president Cindy Morris said “due to many factors, including financial support and volunteer resources, the board has chosen to eliminate this event from the Chamber’s programming in 2016.” But, in the absence of that festival, the Kilgore Chamber will be lending its support to the Kilgore Historical Preservation Foundation in creating a new energy to the annual Christmas in the Patch event. This features the Derrick Lighting on November 17th.

TYLER — Liberty Utilities announced Wednesday that the company will seek to suspend a widely disputed rate hike. Liberty Utilities provides wastewater services to nearly 3,800 Smith County residents under the names of Tall Timbers Sewer and Woodmark Sewer. Under the proposed increase, some Tyler customers would see their rates go from $27.75 a month, to just over $96 by next March. Smith County home owners could see an increase ranging from 44% to 75%. Liberty Utilities released a statement: “Liberty Utilities has announced that it will seek to suspend the pending rate application for Liberty Utilities (Woodmark Sewer) Corp. and Liberty Utilities (Tall Timbers Sewer) Corp. until further notice. Continue reading Liberty Utilities Seeks to Suspend Rate Increase

TYLER – The Tyler City Council has ratified the appointment of the city’s new fire chief, David Coble. The action came at Wednesday’s city council meeting. Coble, who comes to Tyler from Fort Worth, will officially start his new job on November 7. Coble served as the executive assistant fire chief for Fort Worth for the past seven years and was the acting fire chief for most of 2015. He managed two of the department’s three divisions, including the Educational and Support Services division which includes the functions of training, EMS, supply, fire equipment services, fleet management, communications and emergency management. Coble succeeds Tim Johnson, a 35-year veteran of the City of Tyler Fire Department. He retired in April.

AUSTIN – Three East Texas schools are on the list of Blue Ribbon schools in the state. Earlier this year, the Texas Education Agency nominated 26 Texas public schools for national 2016 Blue Ribbon Schools recognition. The U.S. Department of Education has announced the 26 Texas schools have been awarded Blue Ribbon honors for 2016. On the list are Gus Winston Cain Elementary in Whitehouse, Tool Elementary in Malakoff and Pittsburg Intermediate school. All schools, who went through a rigorous application process, were selected as exemplary high performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. Each school has an economically disadvantaged population of 25% or greater.

ATHENS – A Search warrant in Henderson County nets a drug suspect. For over a month, Henderson County authorities have been investigating a suspected drug dealer. Tuesday, they obtained a search warrant for a residence in a mobile home park on U.S. Highway 175 in Athens. They took into custody Charles Thomas Lastowski, Jr, 34, of Larue. They also found almost five pounds of marijuana, an ounce of suspected methamphetamine and a fully loaded .357 pistol. He has been charged with manufacture and delivery of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana. His bonds total $300,000. Continue reading Two Busted For Drugs in Henderson County

LUFKIN – A teacher in the English Department at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches continues to win big on the TV game show Jeopardy. On Wednesday’s edition of Jeopardy, Seth Wilson made it eight wins in a row. His latest victory came when Wilson knew that Fairfield House in England was the home of former Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie. With the $25,201 won on Wednesday, Wilson’s winnings now come to $191,701. That number should grow as he now tries to win his 9th game.

TYLER — The Smith County Road and Bridge Department completed 5,484 work orders in Fiscal Year 2016, according to a news release from the county. Officials say Road and Bridge employees worked tirelessly throughout much of the winter and spring, clearing downed trees and repairing roads and culverts damaged by heavy rains and tornadoes. Continue reading Smith County Road Report

MARSHALL – The East Texas Baptist University Debate Team competed in the Hub City Swing Debate Tournament.The team returned home with a fifth place team finish, as well as numerous individual honors. Cole Franklin, ETBU’s debate coach, said it was a difficult tournament. “There were a number of much larger schools competing at the event. Our students competed against and defeated opponents from schools such as TCU, Mississippi State, and the University of Tennessee. To finish in the top five universities with such difficult competition speaks well for the quality of our students.”

LONGVIEW – LeTourneau University has announced it will accept credit hours from ITT Technical Institute students who seek to transfer. The for profit school announcement it is closing its doors at all 130 campuses in 38 states. This leaves around 35,000 students without degrees and 8,000 employees without a job. According to a news release from the Longview university, “LeTourneau University has identified complementary degree plans for ITT students, and we welcome them to attend LETU,” said LETU Provost Philip A. Coyle. “We will help ensure they make best use of the credits they have already earned at ITT and elsewhere and will do all we can to help these students complete their academic journey and graduate. We also will work closely with those who desire to pursue any other LETU degree.” Continue reading LeTourneau Accepting Credit Hours From ITT Students

HENDERSON COUNTY — An East Texas man has been sentenced to 75 years in prison for a March 2015 shootout with Henderson County Deputies at a residence near Coffee City. According to KETK, Jamie Lawrence Meador, 31 of Brownsboro, was sentenced Friday to 75 years in prison. Meador was sentenced also sentenced to four additional 20 year sentences for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and evading arrest with a motor vehicle. According to testimony, the events leading up to the shootout began in December of 2014 when Henderson County Sheriff’s Deputy Keon Mack saw Meador on the side of the road in a broken down pickup with its hazard lights flashing. Deputy Mack offered to help Meador when he saw a shiny box shaped case in his pant’s pocket. Meador told Mack that it contained his marijuana. Continue reading Brownsboro Man Gets 75 Years for Shootout with Deputies

LONGVIEW – Good Shepherd Medical Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Certification for total hip and total knee replacement. According to the hospital’s web page, the advanced certification is for Joint Commission accredited hospitals, critical access hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers seeking to elevate the quality, consistency and safety of their services and patient care. According to Good Shepherd Health System President and CEO Steve Altmiller, “Good Shepherd is delighted with the continued recognition of our award winning care. This certification confirms we are succeeding by identifying Good Shepherd as one of the premier facilities across the country for total hip and total knee replacements.” Continue reading Good Shepherd Gets Certification for Hip and Knee Replacement

TYLER – A lone gunman has held up the Citi-Trends store at 1206 West Bow Street in Tyler. The robbery occurred shortly after 8:30 Tuesday night. The man entered the store wearing all black. His face was covered and he was wearing gloves, but the employees said they think he was a black male. One employee, who was not seen by the suspect, was able to hide and call 911 about the robbery. The robber took an undisclosed amount of money from the cash register and fled in an unknown direction. No injuries were reported.

MOUNT ENTERPRISE – Foul play is suspected in the death of a man whose body has been found in Rusk County. The body was found at at 1474 State Highway 315 in Mount Enterprise while officers had been executing a search warrant. The body has not been identified. It has been sent to a Tyler lab for autopsy. Officials say they have been searching Floyd Thompson, 60, of Mount Enterprise. He has been missing for about a month. They have not said if they believe the body is that of Thompson.

TYLER — The City of Tyler will host a town hall meeting Wednesday on a proposed rate increase from Liberty Utilities. The meeting will be held at 5:00pm at the Faulkner Park Police Substation. Liberty Utilities provides wastewater services to nearly 3,800 Smith County residents under the names of Tall Timbers Sewer and Woodmark Sewer. Under the proposed increase, some Tyler customers will see their rates go from $27.75 a month, to just over $96 by next March. Smith County home owners could see an increase ranging from 44% to 75%. Liberty Utilities customers, both inside and outside the Tyler city limits are invited to the meeting. A second meeting on the issue has now been scheduled. It will be on Tuesday, October 4th, at 6:30pm at the Faulkner Park Police Substation.

TYLER – It’s time to start thinking about getting a flu shot. Flu season is starting. Terrance Ates with the Northeast Texas Public Health District says cases start popping up in the area in October. October and November are the months for the fall flu season. It then picks up again in February and March. The NET Health office at 815 North Broadway in Tyler has the seasonal flu vaccine that protects against 4 different strains of the flu virus, which includes protection against the H1N1 flu strain. Continue reading Flu Season Is Here

LUFKIN – A Lufkin man is arrested after being accused of attacking and biting his mother. Jay Ebarb, 50, was arrested shortly before 12:45 Monday afternoon. His 73 year old mother told officers, when her son arrived, she told him to leave because she thought he was on drugs. It was then the man is said to have started tossing her around and biting her arms. A brother tried to help but Ebard is said to have swung a knife at him. When officers found him hiding in nearby woods, he still had the knife with him. While his mother was taken to the hospital for treatment, Ebarb was booked into the Angelina County Jail.

TYLER – The United Way of Smith County has been given the Woman’s Building on South Broadway in Tyler. They held a news conference Tuesday to discuss the gift. The building’s board of directors gave United Way the deed and the keys to the historic Tyler Woman’s Building, which was constructed in 1932. It is currently listed on 3 historic registries: The United States, The State of Texas, and Smith County. United Way of Smith County has outgrown their current facility and for many years has been in searching for a new home. Fitzpatrick Architects has been hired to assess and develop plans for the United Way’s new building, and preserve a Tyler landmark. The next steps include raising the additional funds needed to complete the renovations and rezoning the property. Continue reading Tyler’s Woman’s Building Given to the United Way

HARRISON COUNTY – More marijuana has been found growing in northeast Texas. The latest field was found over the weekend in Harrison County. Texas DPS agents made the discovery Sunday in a field in southern Harrison County. The nearly 3,000 live and dead plants were found in a area that was hidden by large trees. A destruction order was obtained to remove the plants to to an undisclosed location to be destroyed. No arrests have been made. Since mid August, similar marijuana fields have been found in Smith, Anderson, Henderson, Upshur and Van Zandt Counties.

TYLER — Downtown Tyler’s People’s Petroleum Building has racked up its second honor this month. At its recent annual meeting, Historic Tyler handed its yearly Preservation Award to the local landmark — together with Tim and Garnett Brookshire and Andy Bergfeld, the three men spearheading its renovation. Earlier, the structure was announced as one of three Tyler finalists for Texas Downtown Association President’s Awards to be presented in November. Continue reading People’s Petroleum Building Wins Historic Tyler Award

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County DPS Troopers are responding to a report of a hit and run accident involving a TISD school bus. According to authorities, the crash happened at Hwy 155 and Grande. no injuries reported. Additional details were not available.

WHITEHOUSE — Whitehouse residents will soon vote on a $94.8 million school bond. If passed, the bond could bring improvements to facilities across the district, including some new schools. KETK reports, on Monday, the school district held a town hall meeting to give the community a voice, as well as answer any questions they had. “This bond is a fairly large project that is being presented to the taxpayers and what it would do is several major construction projects that would set the course for the district for a number of years to come,” said Superintendent Dr. Chris Moran. After evaluating facilities for three years, Dr. Moran said Proposition One includes more urgent needs, such as the replacement of aging facilities. Continue reading WISD Holds Town Hall Regarding School Bond Issue