Van Zandt County Traffic Fatality


CANTON — A one vehicle accident in Van Zandt County had left one person dead and three injured. The wreck occurred around 8:30 Friday morning on U.S. Highway 64, Just east of Van Zandt County Road 4126. Killed was Shonnie Bryan, 39, of Hobbs New Mexico. Bryan died about an hour after the accident at a Grand Saline hospital. Injured was Breanna Yates, 15, Hannah Tamez, 7, of Canton, and Shaila Bryan, 17, of Hobbs, New Mexico. The Department of Public Safety says Bryan’s car was east bound on Highway 64 when it left the road and hit a concrete culvert. The report said the driver was not wearing a seat belt.

Lufkin Woman’s Death Investigated


LUFKIN – Lufkin police continue their investigation of the death of a woman who was struck by a car while standing in a driveway. Iris Simmons Rigsby, 75, of Lufkin, was pinned between two cars in a driveway on James Street early Thanksgiving afternoon. She died the next day at a Lufkin hospital. Another woman hot by the car suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from the hospital. The car was driven by J.W. Samuel, 78, of Beaumont. He told investigators he accidently hit the gas instead of the brake.

OSHA Cites Longview Business

LONGVIEW — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Weatherford International Ltd. of Longview with one alleged willful, 30 alleged serious and two alleged repeat violations following a safety and health inspection at the company’s facility in Longview. Proposed penalties total $261,500.

“This company jeopardized the safety of its workers by exposing them to hexavalent chromium hazards, which could possibly result in severe and adverse health effects,” said Stephen Boyd, OSHA’s area director in Dallas, Texas. “OSHA’s safety and health standards must be followed to prevent injuries and fatalities.”

OSHA began its inspection on May 24 at the company’s facility on Farm Road 2751 after receiving a complaint alleging workers were experiencing headaches and nosebleeds from exposure to hexavalent chromium during chrome plating and cleanup operations. A willful violation was issued for failing to ensure employees’ airborne exposure to hexavalent chromium did not exceed OSHA’s permissible exposure limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter of air. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements, or with plain indifference to employee safety and health.

The serious violations include failing to train workers on OSHA’s hexavalent chromium standard, failing to implement proper hygiene practices and housekeeping procedures, and failing to have high temperature alarms on hardening and tempering tanks. A serious violation is one in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

Repeat violations include failing to provide adequate point of operation guarding on lathes, and failing to ensure containers used for dipping and coating operations were marked and labeled. A repeat violation is issued when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of any standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.

The company, which manufactures oil well rod pump barrels and plungers, has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s Dallas Area Office or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Another City Bans K2

HENDERSON — Another East Texas city took a stand against synthetic marijuana called K2. A Tuesday night vote by Henderson’s city council outlaws K2 in that community. Henderson joins a growing number of East Texas cities saying no to the synthetic drug, including Tyler, Longview, Troup, Overton and Bullard. Some other towns are also considering a ban.

Man Has Heart Attack, Dies After Pit Bull Incident


CANTON (AP) – An East Texas man has died after suffering a heart attack when he tried to help his mother-in-law stave off an attack by her neighbor’s pit bulls. Van Zandt County Sheriff Pat Burnett said the mother-in-law tried to intervene when the pit bulls attacked her two dogs Thursday, but was knocked down and bitten by one of the pit bulls. Burnett said the pit bull that bit the woman was stabbed and killed with a pocket knife by her son-in-law, who later had a heart attack while the woman was being treated. Burnett says paramedics could not revive the Van Zandt County man. He said the woman was hospitalized and the pit bulls were to be tested for rabies. Burnett said no charges were immediately filed.

Two Die in Nacogdoches County Wreck


NACOGDOCHES – Two persons have been killed and one injured in a two vehicle accident in Nacogdoches County. The wreck was reported around 1:45 Thursday morning on State Highway 7, four miles east of County Road 341. Killed were Johnny Ikner IV, 27, of Nacogdoches and Guadalupe Martinez, 30, of Center. A passenger in Martinez’s pickup, Eva Maria Flores- Garcia, 24, of Center, is in stable condition in a Nacogdoches hospital. According to the Department of Public Safety, Ikner was westbound when his car crossed the center line and hit Martinez’s pickup head on.

Tyler Burglary Suspects Arrested


TYLER — Two Tyler burglary suspects are in custody. The two were arrested following an auto burglary around 4:00 Thanksgiving morning in the 2900 block of McDonald Road. According to police Sgt. Michael Burge, the two men are accused of burglarizing a pickup. The electronic equipment the men are accused of taking was returned to the pickup’s owner.

Salvation Army Feeds Thousands


TYLER — It took a small army to feed the thousands who turned out for the annual Thanksgiving Day dinner hosted by Tyler’s Salvation Army. Over 200 volunteers helped prepare the meal, which included around 900 pounds of turkey and all the timings, and then serve it. The final tally showed around 2,000 people were served Thursday, which is an increase over last year’s figure.

Busy Plumbing Day Expected

TYLER — Local plumbers say the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for them. It’s because after the holiday meal, people get rid of waste in lots of ways, like the kitchen drain, the garbage disposal, even flushing it down the toilet. One plumbing company says people think disposals and toilets are trash cans. Tommy Griffin with Rudd Plumbing says East Texans putting bones down the kitchen disposal keep him busy. He says putting too much food in the disposal stops up the kitchen sink drain, sometimes moving down and stopping the main sewer. Griffin’s advice: use lots of water when putting anything down the disposal.

“Shop Nacogdoches First”

NACOGDOCHES — Black Friday discounts could mean saving money here and there. But according to KETK, for shoppers in Nacogdoches County, buying locally puts them in the running for bigger prizes. The Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel reports Nacogdoches County organizations and businesses banded together to offer extra incentives for the “Shop Nac First for the Holidays” contest. For every $25 spent at any store in the county, shoppers enter for a chance to win from more than $2,000 in prizes. If you’d like to know more, check out the Daily Sentinel.