KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — East Texas doctors said they are seeing cases of the common cold, COVID-19 and even RSV, but flu cases this season have outnumbered all of them. According to our news partner KETK, cold weather is a notorious time for people to spread and contract respiratory illnesses. Dr. Douglas Curran, a family doctor with the East Texas Community Clinic, said their family clinic saw a total of 60 flu cases in just one day. “It’s that time of year. We are all inside and we are people that just continue to go despite being under the weather,” said Curran. Nacogdoches physician, Loyd Whitley, said this year he’s seen flu cases go through his office at a high rate. “I’m worried that we are on an uptick, and we may see more of it,” said Whitley. Continue reading East Texas doctors see uptick in flu cases

TYLER — The Tyler ISD Foundation awarded 26 grants across 16 campuses totaling nearly $80,000 that will go towards approved projects that will enhance students’ learning. According to our news partner KETK, the grant funds will go toward approved projects that will enhance students’ learning. “So many of us learn better when we’re busy with the information and we’re actually participating and active with it,” said Sarah Starr, a Three Lakes Middle School media technology specialist. Teachers at Three Lakes Middle School will use the grant for what they call “classroom transformation stations.” “I am going to be using it for the reconstruction era of the civil war and we are all going to reconstruct our country with hard hats,” said Jennifer Constante, a Three Lakes Middle School 8th-grade social studies teacher. The middle school will have about 15-20 different themed kits that teachers can check out of the library. Empowering instructors to keep young minds active within their learning environments. Through Tyler ISD Grants for Great Ideas Program, more than seven thousand students will be impacted this school year.

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK a man pleaded guilty to capital murder on Monday for the deaths of two dentists in Smith County. Steven Alexander Smith, 42, of Tyler, was charged with capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for killing Dr. Blake G. Sinclair, 59 and Dr. Jack E. Burroughs, 75, after shooting them at Affordable Dentures & Implants on Highway 31 in March 2022. According the Smith County District Attorney, Jacob Putman, Smith pleaded guilty to capital murder and will be imprisoned for life without the possibility of parole.

Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said Steven was a patient at the clinic who got in an altercation about work on some dentures.  According to the sheriff’s office investigation, Smith got angry at the clinic staff and went to his pickup truck. He later went back to the lobby of the clinic with a handgun and shot the two doctors inside.

SMITH COUNTY – High water has closed two Smith County roads. CR 113, southeast of Tyler is closed between CR 112 and CR 119. At the high-water crossing on CR 2164, southwest of Arp, work crews have put up barricades. To report a Smith County road with high water, call dispatch at 903-566-6600. Also, our news partner KETK has a list for road affected by high water in the region, you can find the list here.

TYLER – Construction began earlier this month on the main entrances to Lindsey Park off Spur 364. Each remodeled entrance will feature an archway. One archway will lead to soccer fields, while the other archway will bring visitors to softball fields. Each archway will have new lighting, landscaping and irrigation. A press release said that the entrances should remain open for most of the construction period. The Lindsey Park entrance project is being funded by the Governor’s Community Achievement Award, which was presented to Keep Tyler Beautiful in 2020. Construction should be complete by Spring of this year.

TYLER – The heavy consistent rain in our area can cause flooding on roads. Our news partner KETK has a list for those roads affected. You can find it here.

TYLER – Our colleagues at KETK report that a Tyler woman was arrested on Monday for intoxication manslaughter in connection the death of her 9-year-old daughter. According to an arrest warrant, authorities responded to the scene of a two-car crash on SH 64 on Jan. 4 where it was determined a red Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV “was driving on the wrong side of the roadway” causing a head-on crash. Both occupants of the Trailblazer, identified as Krystle Medeiros, 38 of Tyler, and her daughter, were taken to the hospital for treatment before troopers arrived to investigate. Continue reading Woman arrested for intoxication manslaughter

TYLER – Months after a cyberattack on UT Health East Texas, their parent company is warning patients their personal information may have been compromised. The ransomware attack from Nov. 23 prompted the parent company, Ardent Health Services, to notify law enforcement and launch an investigation with the help of an outside cybersecurity firm. Though the attack did not disrupt patient care, many hospital systems went offline, with Ardent saying at the time they could not confirm the extent to which patient health or financial data was compromised. Continue reading UT Health cyberattack privacy risks

SMITH COUNTY – Our news partners at KETK report one person was hospitalized Tuesday morning after two separate crashes on the same county road in Smith County. According to officials with Smith County Emergency Services District (ESD) 2, the single-car crashes happened on CR 1125 near Lindsey Park with both cars leaving the roadway and one rolled over. The crashes were reportedly called in at 8:04 a.m. and 8:15 a.m., and officials said the driver in the roll-over crash was removed from the car by a firefighter before being taken to the hospital for treatment. Smith County ESD 2 responded to the scene with two fire engines, two command vehicles, a brush truck and 10 firefighters. The crashes will be investigated by DPS.

TYLER — A portion of Rose Rudman Trail will be closed due to bridge repairs. The trail portion under the bridge will be closed, and trail use will be diverted to the sidewalk along Donnybrook Avenue at the trailhead near Lowe’s. The project is funded by the Half-Cent Sales Tax Fund. The project is set to begin Thursday, Jan. 25 and will run through Friday, Feb. 9.

TYLER – A man was arrested for murder after a man was fatally stabbed in Smith County on Sunday. According to our news partner KETK, Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene in the 400 block of CR 34 near Tyler after a 911 call reported a stabbing around 5:15 p.m. When the deputies arrived they found the victim, identified as Noe Luna, 43 of Tyler, had already been taken to a local emergency room by family. Luna reportedly succumbed to his injuries a few hours later.

Letierus Drew, 23 of Tyler, was identified as a suspect during the preliminary investigation, according to authorities, and witnesses told them Drew was not welcome inside the home but had allegedly forced his way in and got into a physical fight with Luna. Drew was booked into the Smith County Jail where his bond was set at $500,000. Continue reading Tyler man arrested in fatal stabbing

UPSHUR COUNTY – A 19-year-old was arrested after a shooting in Mount Pleasant over an alleged drug dispute according to our news partners at KETK. According to police, Shaun Michael Brown was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and booked into jail on a combined $100,000 bond. The shooting reportedly happened around 8:49 p.m. in the 1600 block of Lupine Road. Upshur County deputies and investigators said that an 18-year-old male from Mount Pleasant was “shot multiple times during the course of a drug related dispute over payment for marijuana.”
Continue reading Assault with deadly weapon arrest in drug dispute

BULLARD – The Brook Hill School, which is a a private boarding school located in Bullard, has announced that Braxton Brady is their new Head of School. According to our news partner KETK, Brady is the current Head of School at Evangelical Christian School in Memphis, Tennessee. He also has a Master of Arts from the Covenant Theological Seminary in Missouri. Brady is said to join Brook Hill July 1.

“This announcement marks a significant moment in the life of our school, and we are confident that Braxton’s leadership will further elevate Brook Hill and our mission to educate the next generation for Christ and His kingdom,” acting Head of School and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Stephen Dement said.

MABANK — The Mabank Fire Department shared that Wayne McKenzie, a longtime member of the department, died on Wednesday, Jan. 17. According to our news partner KETK, McKenzie was 63-years-old and served with Mabank Fire Department for 31 years. According to an obituary from Moorhead Funeral Home, McKenzie was a hard worker who loved the outdoors, animals, construction and restoration. “We are saddened to hear of the loss of a great man and firefighter. We pray for his family at home and the Mabank Fire Department as they mourn the loss of a husband, father, friend, and brother. Rest easy brother, we will take it from here.” McKenzie’s obituary said that he worked at Southern Methodist University for 22 years before working in Mabank and then with Kaufman County until he died.

OVERTON – KETK reports that the Overton Independent School District said that Cristian Rodriguez, a student and football player, was injured in a “serious accident” on Friday night. According to the district, Rodriguez underwent surgery on on Saturday. Overton ISD has scheduled a meeting in the high school library at 5 p.m. on Sunday to pray and make cards for Rodriguez. n update that Overton ISD shared on Facebook said that Rodriguez’s surgery went well and that there is more optimism for his recovery.

TYLER – Smith County Emergency Services District 2 confirmed that a home on Holiday Hills Circle was a total loss after it caught on fire on Saturday. According to SCESD2, and our news partners at KETK, the first firefighters on the scene observed heavy fire conditions. The fire was also reportedly burning in trash and grass nearby the home. SCESD2 said they responded to the scene with 14 personnel, four engines, three tender trucks and two command trucks along with 10 volunteer firefighters. The Red Cross has been called into assist the family, according to SCESD2.

PALESTINE — The Palestine Police Department arrested two men after conducting a traffic stop on Wednesday near West Oak Street and San Jacinto Street and located drugs and a glass pipe. According to our colleagues at KETK, the Palestine PD conducted a traffic stop at around 8:34 p.m. and identified the driver as Jason Barnes, 48 and a passenger as Clinton Moore, 37 both of Palestine. Continue reading Traffic stop leads to arrests for drug possession

LONGVIEW – The Longview News-Journal has identified a 33-year-old homeless woman was killed about 11:30 p.m. Jan. 1 while reportedly crawling under a train in Longview. A police report released by the Longview Police Department through a public information request identified the woman as Ashley Nicole Ray. A witness to the incident told one of the responding officers that Ray had tried to crawl under a train on the tracks at the dead end of the 200 block of North Second Street. Continue reading Homeless woman killed by train identified

MARSHALL – Our colleagues at KETK say that Marshall PD has reportedly arrested one man following a shooting incident.Earnest Lee Cooks, Jr., 18 was arrested on five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of deadly conduct discharging a firearm. Continue reading Man arrested in shooting incident in Marshall

LONGVIEW – Our news partners at KETK report that the Longview Police Department says 2023 is on track to have one of their lowest incidents of crime since the 1990’s, as they are still vetting the numbers. KETK spoke with the department to break down these numbers in this KETK investigation. “We’re just not a violent city. We’re not that. If we ever were, we’re not that anymore,” said Captain Darin Lair. Continue reading Longview crime stats trending down

TYLER – A lawsuit aimed at removing Smith County District Clerk Penny Clarkston from office was filed earlier this month. According to our news partner KETK, JoAnn Fleming through her attorney states Clarkston should be removed citing the following alleged offenses: Neglect of duties, the issuing of subpoenas outside her legal authority, warrants issued untimely or without proper authority, a mishandling of jury duty including the refusal to summon a panel and not paying jury fees, falsifying filings.
Continue reading Lawsuit aims to remove Smith County Clerk

TYLER – Thursday, a Tyler woman was sentenced to 12 years in prison for arson in an April house fire that destroyed a house, car, motorcycle and killed a dog. According to our news partner KETK, 52-year-old Ruthie Cassettari was arrested in June after a fire on Kevin Drive in Tyler. Authorities say at that time, the homeowner felt Cassettari may have set the fire. Ring camera video shortly before the fire showed a car parked in front of the home that was the same make and model as the vehicle that Cassettari drove.
Continue reading Tyler woman receives 12 years for arson

WILLS POINT — A Wills Point woman was sentenced to federal prison for fraud violations to an elderly victim and ordered to pay $47,236 restitution. According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, Lisa Lynn Smith, 62, pleaded guilty to wire fraud on an elderly Plano man “by telling him lies about urgent personal and family expenses that she was facing.” Reportedly, Smith also told the victim she would be receiving a lawsuit settlement of over $2.5 million, and would use the settlement money to pay him back. Smith’s lawsuit settlement however, did not pay that amount. Prosecutors said the victim allowed Smith to use their credit card but was not told the specific expenses, that included rented cars, personal and family expenses. Smith was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison on Thursday.

TYLER — Texas has seen a rapid population growth in the last year, with more people wanting to move to the Lone Star State and East Texas, according to our news partner KETK. “Basically that means you are going to have more people, which means more workers, more ability to compete,” said Dr. Ray Perryman, economist and CEO of The Perryman Group. Perryman spoke on Thursday at the 40th Annual Perryman Economic Outlook Conference. The outlook predicts economic trends for the entire United States, Texas and East Texas. Perryman said that expanding industries in the Tyler area are creating slightly more opportunities for work when compared to the rest of the state and nation. “We’re looking for the output in Texas to grow just a little bit faster than Tyler, but the job growth to be a little bit faster in Tyler than in the state,” said Dr. Perryman. Continue reading Economist predicts significant job growth in Tyler

TYLER — According to out news partner KETK the Tyler Police Department is investigating the scene where a person was shot in the leg and another wounded. According to Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh, on Thursday at around 4:49 p.m., Tyler PD was dispatched to a shooting in the 2900 block of North Grand Avenue. One victim was reportedly shot in the leg and taken to a hospital and a second person was reportedly also shot but taken to a local hospital by a private vehicle. Erbaugh said the two victims appear to be from the same incident that police believe was between them and a possible third person. The investigation remains active and police officers are still on the scene. Erbaugh said more information will be shared as it becomes available.

MARSHALL — The Marshall Police Department has issued a warning of a man described as wearing “army gear” and carrying a rifle who reportedly fired one shot in the air. According to our news partner KETK, Marshall PD is actively searching in the West Rusk and Adkins area but have not located the man at this time. Officials urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to 911. They ask people to remain indoors if they are in the vicinity and to avoid the area if possible. Authorities said they will update the public as more information becomes available.