KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LONGVIEW – Police say an elderly man drove his Suburban through the Skinner’s Grocery store in Longview shortly after 10 a.m. Friday. According to KETK, it happened when the driver was pulling out and hit a car in front of the store, then backed into a metal pole at a gas pump and pulled forward into one side of the store and out the other. The manager says the driver told him it began when his foot got stuck on the pedal. Witnesses say the man collapsed after getting out of his vehicle and was taken to the hospital. Nobody inside the store was injured. The supermarket closed for the day Friday, but should be open again Saturday.

TYLER — The Red Cross is doing its part as Veterans Day approaches. “On November 2, every adult citizen in the community had the right and privilege to go to the polls to elect our leaders. We had that liberty because over the years people have stood up and been willing to die to give us all the freedom to do so,” said Tammy Prater, executive director of the Smith County Chapter of the American Red Cross. “That is why we, the Red Cross, are participating in the Hometown Heroes Veteran Appreciation week to thank the over 18,000 veterans residing in the East Texas area,” continued Mrs. Prater.

As a kick-off to the Hometown Heroes Veteran Appreciation week the local Red Cross, hosted two Library of Congress Veterans History Project trainings November 4 at the Red Cross office in Tyler. Dr. Stephen Sloan, oral historian from Baylor University instructed 50 individuals on how to collect, preserve, and makes accessible the first-person accounts of American wartime veterans and civilian workers who supported the war efforts by preserving their stories of service to our country. Visit http://www.loc.gov/vets if you’re still interested in learning about or participating in the Veterans History Project.

The Red Cross also announced the start of the local “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program. The Holiday Mail for Heroes program is a joint effort between the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes to enable all Americans to send a touch of home this holiday season to members of our U. S. Armed Forces, veterans and their families, many of whom will be far away from home and serving in harms way this holiday season. You can visit http://www.redcross.org/holidaymail for up-to-date information about the program including the mailing address to where cards should be sent, the deadline for sending cards, and additional guidelines.

There a number of other activities too, arranged in conjunction with the Military Officers Association of America. You can visit http://www.help4soldiers.com to find a complete listing of all of the Hometown Heroes Veteran Appreciation Week activities.

ATHENS — Several East Texas alcohol options failed in Tuesday’s election. Now another city may give it a shot this May. According to KETK, a group in Athens submitted petitions requesting two alcohol propositions to be added to the ballot. One asks for the sale of mixed beverages by restaurants, and the other would allow for beer and wine to be sold in convenience or grocery stores. Over a thousand signatures are on each petition, well over the number needed to get it on the ballot, if each signature qualifies.

COFFEE CITY — Right outside the Smith County line, Coffee City makes its money with beer, wine, and liquor. In fact, Coffee City’s Mayor Tony Moore says 90% of the city’s revenue comes from alcohol sales. However, this year’s election had three alcohol-options in smith county, which could have taken Coffee City’s lifeline. One liquor store owner says if Justice of the Peace Precinct Four would have gone wet, it would hurt the most. He says, “If you can get around driving the thirteen miles to get out here, certainly you would do just that.” According to KETK, Mayor Moore says he wants to bring hotels and restaurants to the city so they don’t have to be as dependent on alcohol sales.

LINDALE — Smith County Fire Marshals confirm a gas line was hit Friday morning at Petty’s Cafe in Lindale. It happened at 309 North Main Street just before 8:30. According to KETK, there’s no word yet what kind of gas line it is, or how it was hit, but officials say the restaurant was evacuated.

LUFKIN — A Lufkin man was arrested for allegedly burning down his mother’s home with a meth lab last week. Angelina County Sheriff’s Office investigators got a warrant for James Durham’s arrest after a state fire marshal ruled the Thursday blaze arson. Durham was arrested Tuesday afternoon at the motel room Red Cross provided his family following the fire. His mother says she had no knowledge of the meth lab. Last Thursday,investigators discovered components of a portable “shake and bake” meth lab in Durham’s bedroom, where the fire began on FM 1475. Durham was being held in the Angelina County Jail on a $25,000 bond for arson.

ANGELINA COUNTY — A 79-year-old Lufkin man was arrested for allegedly fondling an 8-year-old girl. James Watson was reportedly with the girl at a hunting lease in Nogalus Prairie Oct. 29 when the girl told her mom of the abuse. The girl told her mother Watson touched her inappropriately through her clothes while at the hunting lease. According to KETK, Watson was being held in the Angelina County Jail on a $75,000 bond.

FRUITVALE — The pilot of a private plane has been injured in a Van Zandt County crash. The extent of his injuries is not yet known. The plane went down Thursday night near Fruitvale off County Road 1915.

DALLAS (AP) – A 114-year-old East Texas woman is now considered to be the oldest person in the world. Eunice G. Sanborn of Jacksonville gained that distinction after 114-year-old Eugenie Blanchard, a nun who was considered the world’s oldest person, died Thursday on the French Caribbean island of St. Barts. The Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group listed Sanborn as being born on July 20,1896. Blanchard’s birth date was Feb. 16, 1896. Dr. L. Stephen Coles told The Associated Press that, with the death of Blanchard, the group considers Sanborn the oldest person in the world. Coles also says he spoke to Sanborn’s family Thursday and “she’s doing well. There’s no doubt.” Sanborn told the Tyler Morning Telegraph, in an April interview, that she loves everything about her life and has “no complaints.”

AUSTIN (Staff/AP) — State Legislators for Legal Immigration (SLLI) coalition members Leo Berman, Betty Brown and Dan Flynn announced the formation Thursday of a nationwide task force that will develop model state legislation to eliminate what’s termed “the misapplication of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.” That’s the amendment granting citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the U.S. The three East Texas state representatives say the amendment “has been utilized to secure citizenship for the children of illegal aliens and their families.” Currently, the three say, “illegal aliens are incentivized to cross our border to give birth and use their child to secure illegal benefits, residency and American jobs for themselves and for their families.”

“When the 82nd Texas Legislature convenes, taking proactive steps against illegal immigration will be a top priority for me. My colleagues and I are working diligently to formulate public policy proposals to protect taxpayers,” commented Berman (pictured). Rep. Flynn stated, “The people of Texas have made it clear that they want action on this important challenge. While the federal government continues to shirk its duty, the fiscal and social costs of illegal immigration weigh heavily on Texans.” Rep. Brown said, “We must join together to overturn the misapplication of the 14th Amendment and reinstate the intent of the 14th Amendment to ban automatic citizenship for children of non-citizens.” Including Texas, lawmakers from 41 state legislatures have now signed on as members of SLLI. You can visit http://www.StateLegislatorsforLegalImmigration.com for the latest updates.

Support for the 14th Amendment is widespread, while others simply aren’t sure the issue needs to be addressed on a Constitutional level. Last summer, Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona told The Associated Press he remained unconvinced that a change in the Constitution is needed. Instead, he argued that fully securing the border would help to solve the problem.

SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Sheriff’s Department is warning the public of a possible door-to-door scam in the area. Lt. Tony Dana says they’ve been getting reports of aggressive salesmen for Advanage Wonder Cleaner. The product has been flagged on the internet as a “bait and switch” scam which says the product used in demonstration works very well, but the product that is sold does not work well, or sometimes not at all.

Lt. Dana says if you choose to purchase the product, use cash, not credit, debit cards or checks. There have been reports of identity theft linked to the company. Dana says at least one of the salesmen has a felony record in Smith County. No charges have been filed against the company in Smith County at this time. Lt. Dana says don’t let strangers into your home and report any suspicious activity.

NOONDAY — Noonday Firefighters were on the scene Wednesday night battling a small structure fire behind a home off County Road 159 near Highway 155. According to KETK, it was a shop or wood shed behind the residence. Firefighters were able to contain the flames before it spread to the woods. Fire officials say even though it is wet, there are still dry areas that may catch fire, so use precautions.

TYLER — American hero and Fox News correspondent, Oliver North, will make his way to Tyler this month. Colonel North will be at the Barnes and Noble with his new book November 14. The book is called American Heroes in Special Operations. According to KETK, North is a New York Times best selling author and was at the center of national attention during the Iran-Contra Affair scandal during the 1980’s.

TYLER — Two East Texas men have pleaded guilty in federal court in Tyler to firearms violations. Michael Shane Donald, 42, of Kilgore, and Scott Randall Terry, 39, of Gilmer, Texas, both pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Everingham, IV. Both face up to 10 years in federal prison at sentencing. Sentencing dates have not been set.

According to federal prosecutors, in May, Donald and Terry were in Upshur County when both were discovered to be in possession of a sawed-off shotgun with an obliterated serial number. Further investigation revealed that both men were convicted felons, Donald having been found guilty of assault, family violence in 2004 in Upshur County, and Terry having been convicted of possession of a controlled substance in 2007 in Upshur County. Convicted felons are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition. The men were indicted by a federal grand jury in July and charged with federal firearms violations.

LONGVIEW — LeTourneau University has won nine awards in the 2010 MarCom Awards competition that recognizes outstanding creative achievement by marketing and communication professionals. LETU won two platinum awards, three gold awards and four bronze awards.

The university’s NOW magazine Winter/Spring 2010 Floor Lore issue and the Authentic fall travel admissions brochure took top honors, winning platinum awards which are presented to those entries judged to be among the most outstanding entries in the competition.

Gold awards are presented to those entries judged to exceed the high standards of the industry norm. The university’s NOW magazine Summer 2010 Faculty Focus issue, New Logo Banners and Bell Tower in Seasons video all won gold awards.

Winning four bronze awards were the university’s NOW magazine Fall 2009 Welcome Home Aviation issue, Realities admissions magazine, the LEGS highlight video and Pilot Summer Camp highlight video.

MarCom entries come from corporate marketing and communication departments, advertising agencies, PR firms, design shops, production companies and freelancers. The competition has grown to perhaps the largest of its kind in the world. A look at the winners shows a range in size from individual communicators to media conglomerates and Fortune 500 companies.