KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – The Smith County American Red Cross Chapter will honor its outstanding volunteers and donors at its annual tonight. Each year the Smith County Red Cross Chapter responds to hundreds of family disaster victims who may need food, clothing, medications, shelter, and grief counseling. This assistance is free to families, made possible through financial donations from citizens. Volunteers donate time to help families with immediate disaster recovery needs, class instruction, military cases, and office tasks. According to staffers, the Red Cross works with the City of Tyler and the Smith County Emergency Management Offices to provide a safe place for disaster victims.

The public is invited to join the celebration and learn more about their local Red Cross Chapter. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. with dinner at the Lanes Chapel United Methodist Church located at 8620 Old Jacksonville Hwy. You can call 903-581-7981 to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

TYLER — Again this year, several thousand turned out for Tyler’s Juneteenth activities. UT Health Science Center at Tyler President Dr. Kirk Calhoun was grand marshal of this year’s parade. He remarked, “To receive this kind of honor and recognition by the community leaders who are responsible for this parade — words can’t express how excited I feel about it.” June 19, 1865, marks the day Texas slaves learned of their freedom. That wasn’t lost on Calhoun, who commented, “Slavery was a tragedy in our country, and we overcame it, and we’ve become a better and stronger country because of overcoming it.”

Along with the parade, Saturday’s events included a celebration at Woldert Park and a Gospel Explosion at St. Louis Baptist Church. Juneteenth Association spokeswoman Serrena Johnson was pleased that the activities drew attendees from as far away as Houston and Dallas.

JEFFERSON — Visitors to Lake of the Pines in East Texas will not to be able to swim there till at least later this week due to E. coli. All seven of the beaches at the lake have been closed. Bobby Hamrick with the Army Corps of Engineers in Jefferson says they tested the waters again Monday. If the tests show that the E. coli in the lake is within state standards, the beaches could reopen Thursday. If not, they’ll remain closed and another test will be run.

TYLER — Smith County Tax Assessor-Collector Gary Barber was sworn in as the President of the Tax Assessor-Collectors’ Association (TACA) of Texas during the annual TACA conference this month in Abilene. “I am proud to have the opportunity to serve as president during a legislative year,” Barber said. Barber said the Tax Assessor-Collectors’ Association is an organization that provides support to its members and serves as a watchdog group for tax-related legislation in Austin. “We have a lot of contact with the taxpayers in our counties, and we try to look out for any legislation that may affect them,” he said.

Barber was elected Tax Assessor-Collector of Smith County in 2005. He was the recipient of the prestigious TACA President’s award in 2009. “TACA is so important to me. Without this organization, I would not have made it through my first year as Tax Assessor-Collector. This is why I want to be active on their board and someday I might help other members, the way they helped me,” Barber said.

TYLER — Here’s a quick look at events and work planned in the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Public Transportation.

GREGG COUNTY — The Texas Department of Transportation’s annual preventative maintenance program known as “District-Wide Seal Coat” is scheduled to resume this week in Gregg County.

Crews are scheduled to be at work today applying a seal coat to the northbound lanes of State Highway 31 between Interstate Highway 20 and Loop 281 in Longview, followed as early as tomorrow afternoon by Farm Road 3272 (White Oak Road) between Farm Road 2275 and U.S. Highway 80. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two lane areas. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

Also this week in Gregg County, TxDOT maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform pavement repairs in various locations on Loop 281 between Jaycee Drive and Estes Parkway. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

SMITH COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue pavement repairs on westbound Interstate Highway 20 between U.S. Highway 69 and Farm Road 849. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and motorists are should be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform seal coat operations on Farm Road 804 between Henderson County Road 4700 and Farm Road 607 in New York, and on Farm Road 1305 between Farm Road 315 and the end of state maintenance. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to conduct several days of resurfacing operations on Farm Road 1795 north of Hawkins, and continue base repairs on U.S. Highway 80 and Farm Road 2869 north of U.S. Highway 80. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin a week of pavement-repair operations on U.S. Highway 79 in Jacksonville west of U.S. Highway 69 between the post office and the end of the curb-and-gutter. Crews will be grinding up old pavement and replacing it with fresh hot mix. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs on Farm Road 47 between Interstate Highway 20 and State Highway 243 west of Canton. Daytime lane closures will be in effect, and flaggers will control traffic. Crews are also schedule to continue making repairs to flood damage on Farm Road 3080 between Farm Road 316 and State Highway 198, and expect to have the road re-opened to all traffic by Wednesday, June 30.

ANDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations in various locations on U.S. Highway 287 between Farm Road 59 and the Trinity River. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

IRVING — First Choice Power has awarded Tyler’s Discovery Science Place its Reduce Your Use Grant. First Choice Power officials say the grant provides funding for energy-efficiency products and services to reduce nonprofits’ energy usage and costs now and in the future. “These grants enable nonprofits around Texas to decrease their energy use, allowing them to dedicate their time and resources toward the long-term vision of achieving their missions,” said Brian Hayduk, president of First Choice Power.

26 nonprofits agencies will receive the grant across Texas, each located in a community served by First Choice Power. The Discovery Science Place will use the grant funds to replace standard light bulbs with CFL bulbs. First Choice Power officials say the energy efficient lighting must be retrofitted for use with the existing tube lighting fixtures.

“We’re very excited to have been selected as a recipient of the Reduce Your Use Grant” said Michael Shanklin, executive director of The Discovery Science Place. ”As a non-profit organization that is also a hands-on museum with a focus on science and technology, the ability to demonstrate the importance of energy conservation while reducing our energy usage and costs is important to us, our guests and our supporters.”

TYLER — Lone Star Self-Storage has partnered with The Salvation Army in Tyler to sponsor a “Food and Fan Drive.” You can donate non-perishable food items or a box fan and receive your second month of storage free. Donations can be made through the last day of June, Monday through Friday 9-6, Saturday 9-5, and Sunday 9-2 at Lone Star Self-Storage, 3521 Frankston Hwy. Salvation Army staffers say food and fans are needed to help ess-fortunate East Texans beat the heat this summer.

KILGORE — 2010 marks the Texas Shakespeare Festival’s 25th season, and the TSF Foundation is highlighting the festival’s impact on the East Texas economy. Among the examples:

• More than 96% of available seats were sold during the 2009 season.
• 75% of attendees were from outside the Kilgore area.
• More than 75% ate out in the region before/after attending performances.
• Almost 30% spent the night in the area as a result of attending performances.

• TSF has worked with more than 1,139 theatre artists from forty states, the District of Columbia, and eight foreign countries.
• The Festival has staged 110 productions for more than 1,181 performances including 28 plays of the Shakespeare canon, many of them more than once; 22 non-Shakespearean classics; fifteen American musicals; nine productions of a history play based on the East Texas oilfield; 24 productions for children, many of them original scripts; and a world premiere of the musical, Reveoco.

Also of note: Recognizable TSF alumni include Michael Hall, Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actor and star of the HBO series “Six Feet Under”; Glenn Kessler, Emmy-winning writer and co-creator, writer, and executive producer for the FX series “Damages” with Glenn Close; and Danny Pino, in his seventh season as Detective Valens on the CBS series “Cold Case.” You can go to http://www.texasshakespeare.com for more on this year’s festival.

TYLER — Tyler police are investigating an early Sunday morning drive-by shooting. Police responded around 1:00 a.m. to a residence in the 400 block of Cochran Street and found a woman inside who had sustained a single gunshot wound. She was transported to East Texas Medical Center Hospital by ambulance. Police say her injury is not believed to be life-threatening. According to authorities, the incident involved several shots being fired from an unknown vehicle as it passed by the residence.

Anyone with information about the suspects involved in this crime is urged to contact the Tyler Police Department, at 903-531-1000, or Crimestoppers, at 903-597-CUFF (903-597-2833). Crimestoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information that leads to arrests and charges filed against the suspects in this or any felony case.

SMITH COUNTY — The body of a young woman was found on a dirt trail Saturday. Now, according to KETK, deputies say they’re looking for help in what could be a case of murder. Smith County detectives say a passerby found the young woman’s body off County Road 219 just south of Tyler. They have yet to identify the woman.

Deputies say clues at the scene indicate the body wasn’t there for very long. “We believe she’s been here for less than 24 hours,” said Lt. Tom Dana of the Smith County Sheriff’s Department. “We do believe there’s foul play involved in this death.” Detectives describe her as a young black woman between 18 and 35 years old. She was wearing capri style pants, a black blouse, and white shoes.

TYLER — Jason Wright says he’s humbled to have been elected to Tyler’s City Council. The local businessman bested runoff opponent Kara Camp Saturday, 867 votes to 816, in the race to succeed Charles Alworth in District 6. Wright commented, “What an honor it is…to have the opportunity to be a servant-leader in a city that you love.” He says he can’t wait to get to work and is looking forward to meeting with city officials and staff so he can start learning his way around City Hall. Wright said the Council race was long and hard, but well-run. He added that both he and Camp love the city and want to serve it in any capacity possible.