KTBB News, Weather, Talk

EAST TEXAS — East Texans hit the road Friday morning in Red Cross emergency response vehicles to help out with the tornado devastation that hit nine states. Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers have either headed in that direction or are already on site — providing food, shelter, relief supplies, blood products and equipment. Sonya Meador is an experienced Red Cross volunteer who showed up Friday morning to be deployed. She told our news partner KETK, “All I can do is what I’ve been trained to do, is to be available — whether it’s staffing a shelter or feeding, running a vehicle through neighborhoods, helping people clean up, whatever — just to be available.” Forty Red Cross emergency vehicles are involved in the response effort. More than 1600 people already have taken advantage of Red Cross shelters following the tornadoes and flooding. This is believed to be the deadliest tornadio outbreak in more than 35 years.

HENDERSON – Three East Texas suspects were arrested Thursday for theft of livestock after allegedly stealing two head of cattle from a pasture near Reklaw. KETK reports John Frederick Hinds II, 26, Reklaw; his wife, Kellie Dawn Hinds, 22, Reklaw; and Bobby Addrian Askew, 24, Jacksonville, were admittedly high on methamphetamine at the time of the theft. The suspects hired a commercial hauler to transport the cattle to a livestock auction barn in East Texas. Livestock company employees immediately saw multiple signs of possible theft and reported it. The cattle were later identified as stolen and returned to the owners.

“These cattle were quickly identified and returned to their owners because employees at the livestock market stepped forward and voiced concerns they had about the sellers,” said Larry Hand, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) special ranger. “Thanks to the collaboration between TSCRA and sheriff deputies, we were able to track down the suspects and take them into custody.” Hand advises ranchers to brand their cattle and count them regularly, especially now that cattle prices are at record highs. Hand led the investigation in cooperation with deputies from the Panola and Rusk County sheriff’s departments, the Rusk County district attorney’s office, TSCRA Market Inspector Pat McGuigan and TSCRA Special Ranger Jimmy Dickson.

TYLER — A Tyler woman is sentenced to 8 years in prison for hurting her step-daughter. According to KETK, 43-year-old Martha Lorena Camargo pleaded guilty to cutting the eight-year-old with a butcher knife because she wasn’t eating a meal fast enough. Authorities maintain Camargo also jammed her fingers down the girl’s throat and pulled her hair.

TYLER — A 29-year-old Kilgore man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug violations in the Eastern District of Texas announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales Friday. Russell Eugene Shepherd pleaded guilty on Sep. 2, 2010, to possession of pseudoephedrine knowing it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine and was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison Tuesday in Tyler.

According to information presented in court, Shepherd admitted to purchasing cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at various stores in Longview, Kilgore and Henderson between March of 2009 and January of 2010. These pills were purchased in furtherance of a conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine utilizing these pills with other co-defendants. Shepherd was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 6.

RUSK COUNTY — A Henderson man was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday morning in connection with the aggravated robbery of a convenience store almost a year ago. Phillip Wayne Moss Jr., 19, was arrested July 2010 and charged with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony and possession of marijuana. Officials said Moss pleaded guilty before District Judge Clay Gossett Thursday morning and took “full responsibility for his conduct.”

According to previous reports, Moss used an air pistol, which resembled a firearm, threatened the clerk and demanded money from the cash register. Police officials said Moss, and an accomplice who was identified as a minor, took money from the cash register and fled. Officials had said the minor’s case was being handled through the juvenile center.

LONGVIEW — LeTourneau University students and faculty will be in Kenya from May 5 through May 31 to work with disabled children and conduct research to assess how well the children’s wheelchairs work for them. LETU Assistant Professor of Biology Karen Rispin and two students, Taylor Geyman of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and Sam Nemati of Altadena, California, will travel to partner with Bethany Kids at Joytown Special Primary School for the Disabled as part of the Wheels project at LETU. Wheels team members made a preliminary trip to Joytown in June of 2010 and have facilitated the donation and shipment of two types of pediatric wheelchairs to the school.

“What is really exciting is that our Wheels team’s research study has the potential to make a huge difference, not only to the children being fitted with these donated wheelchairs, but to children around the world using wheelchairs provided by the organizations with the same wheelchairs in this study,” Rispin said. David N’gan’ga, who is an administrator at Bethany Kids, said, “The one thing that most impressed me about the Wheels project was their commitment to follow up and do research to see if their donations work well for the children.”

While in Kenya, the Wheels team will collect data on maneuverability, ease of rolling and durability, as well as gain questionnaire input on how well each type of wheelchair worked for the kids as they played with friends and went to school. Kris Riseling, a physical therapist from Ontario, and Janet Welch, a wheelchair seating specialist from North Carolina, will accompany the Wheels team and will repair wheelchairs and ensure the chairs are fitted properly for the children. The organizations that manufacture the two types of wheelchairs are both eager for feedback that will inform their design and help them to provide more functional wheelchairs.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Economic Development Corporation (LEDCO) announced Thursday that American Home Patient, Inc., one of the nation’s largest home health care providers, will be expanding its Patient Contact Center Operations into Longview. LEDCO officials say the company will occupy an existing building in Longview and will employ up to 220 people when fully operational.

“The economic impact to the Longview area will be significant,” said Steve Metcalf, president of LEDCO, the economic development arm of the City of Longview. “American Home Patient will invest in new equipment and facilities in the City of Longview, Gregg County and the Longview Independent School District. The total payroll, benefits, capital investment and taxes paid will reach $80 million over the next ten years.” Local governments and LEDCO worked together for several months to attract the company to the area. LEDCO will provide a $1.1 million performance grant over a 7-year period.

TYLER — The citizen group Grassroots America – We the People (GAWTP) endorses the Smith County jail bond proposal on the May 14 ballot. According to a statement from the group, the sheriff and commissioners court have more than adequately demonstrated the need for the jail beds to be added under the plan. The group also says the sheriff and commissioners court have done a good job communicating the details of the plan well in advance of early voting, which starts Monday.

Among the key points made by GAWTP in its statement:

“Smith County has been under a remedial order since 2004 from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards for non-compliance due to overcrowding. Smith County has tried on three different occasions to get in compliance with jail plans that included much higher bed counts to meet long-range 10 – 20 year projections, but the voters have said ‘No’ because the plans were too expensive or included court facilities that drove up the costs. Now is the opportunity, at a reasonable cost, to remove the remedial order for a jail – not a courthouse – with approval of the $35 million jail bond proposal.

“We well understand the economic challenges made worse by out-of-control government spending that piles up debt. Our members are actively at work on those issues; however, this jail project is not about ‘wants.’ It is about a ‘need’ to house inmates locally at the lowest possible price and to stop spending millions of dollars in other counties. It is about saving tax dollars on lower medical costs for inmates and lower transportation costs by having our inmates housed locally next to the courts. Most importantly, this jail plan is about assuming responsibility for the safety of the men and women who wear the law enforcement uniform and are now having to manage inmates in unsafe conditions.”

GAWTP defines itself as a non-profit, non-partisan, conservative group of citizen activists. The only announced opposition to the jail plan comes from the Tyler Tea Party. That group cites several reasons including a perceived lack of transparency, timing, and issues regarding the arguments used to support the plan.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council has unanimously adopted the Lake Tyler Master Plan. The plan, which was compiled by Freese and Nichols and Planning Concepts, took nearly two years to complete and includes input received from stakeholder meetings, town hall meetings, a public survey, the Lake Tyler Roundtable and City staff. “The Lake Tyler Master Plan came about from concepts laid out in the Tyler 21 plan,” said Councilman Sam Mezayek, chair of the Lake Tyler Roundtable. “Lake Tyler is truly a jewel and this plan will help us shine it up and make it more enjoyable for the residents of Tyler.”

Officials say the Lake Tyler Master Plan was designed to complement existing amenities and enhance the lake for Tyler residents. The plan contains 19 major recommendations and approximately 60 sub-recommendations as well as long- and short-term implementation plans. These recommendations are broken down into three categories: Planning and Development, Recreation, and Water Quality. Highlights of the plan include:

* The addition of way finding signage to guide visitors to amenities and public access areas;
* Mechanisms for managing development and to restrict new uses that do not contribute to the desirable character of the lakes;
* Access and thoroughfare planning;
* Options for programming and marketing the lakes;
* Expanding water quality sampling and monitoring;
* Continuing aquatic vegetation management; and,
* Evaluating development standards throughout the watershed.

“Like the Tyler 21 Plan, we received and incorporated citizen input when developing the Lake Tyler Master Plan,” said Mayor Barbara Bass. “This input is vital to ensuring that we are creating the best plan possible for all of our residents.” Recommendations included in the Master Plan are:

* Development of hiking and bike trails in the vicinity of the marina, Hill Creek and East Side Drive;
* Enhancements to the East Side recreation facilities;
* A timber management program;
* The addition of camp sites, improved picnic stations, restrooms and security lighting;
* The addition of canoe and kayak facilities; and,
* The addition of a Lake Tyler East Marina and convention facility.

LUFKIN — A Lufkin city planner who had used his public Twitter feed to express derogatory feelings about the city and region resigned Wednesday morning after being confronted by city officials about the comments, City Manager Paul Parker said Thursday. That’s according to KETK and the Lufkin Daily News. Attempts to reach City Planner Trent Cantrell for comment Wednesday were unsuccessful. Cantrell in late March posted the message “Lufkin is an armpit. I know (…) I have to live here temporarily.” Months earlier he posted, “Hello there. Just waiting for the heat to leave for good. Of course, Deep East Texas will still be a (expletive) hole.”

Cantrell, who had been an employee with the city since April 2009, apparently removed the posts from the online social networking site Wednesday morning, after The Lufkin Daily News sought comment from city officials about the posts. Cantrell did not return a request for comment left in his office. His Lufkin home phone number is unlisted.

Assistant City Manager Keith Wright said Wednesday that the issue had been addressed but that he could not comment further. “We don’t condone this, and we regret that one of our employees feels that way,” Wright said. “We think our city is a great place to live, a great environment and a great place to have a family.”

LONGVIEW — After seeking a second opinion on the autopsy report for Amy Lynn Cowling, 33, her cause of death was officially ruled seizure due to methadone and Xanax withdrawals. Justice of the Peace B.H. Jameson ruled the manner of death undetermined. Jameson noted that he didn’t think there was any foul play involved. “Nothing was done improperly,” he said.

Cowling, of Gilmer, was pronounced dead at 12:48 a.m. on December 29 after she was found unresponsive in her Gregg County Jail cell. She was removed from the cell after hours of seizures said to be symptoms of withdrawal from methadone, former jail Cpl. Kashena Davis said at the time. Jameson, who pronounced Cowling dead at the hospital, said he sought a second opinion from a Tarrant County pathologist with Cowling’s autopsy results because the manner of death was left up to Jameson to decide and the cause of death was listed as “probable.” Jameson said his precinct was closing Cowling’s case at this time.

TYLER — The City of Tyler hosted a ceremony Thursday to unveil three new Half Mile of History Stones in downtown Tyler. The stones are part of the Half-Mile of History heritage trail and honor W.E. Stewart, D.K. Caldwell and Walter Connally.

W.E. Stewart organized a total of 10 banks in Texas and Louisiana, including the First National Bank of Lindale in 1907. Stewart also served as the first president of Medical Center Hospital, now ETMC. The first Stewart blood bank building, equipment, and furnishings were donations of Stewart and his wife. The blood bank is now a facility of Carter BloodCare.

While working for Smith County, D.K Caldwell was influential in the formation of the State Highway Commission and the Texas Highway Department. He was a driving force in formation of the Smith County / Tyler Youth Foundation, which established Camp Tyler, and established the Caldwell Playschools, which existed for 41 years. Caldwell and his wife, Lottie, also started Caldwell Zoo. Additionally, he was responsible for building the first residential home for the elderly in Tyler.

Walter Connally’s business, Walter Connally and Company, grew into the largest machinery firm in East Texas, and one of the best-known firms of its kind in the South. Connally also operated a facility which became one of the largest private experiment farms in the Southwest. Connally Peninsula at Lake Tyler was once part of a large tract of land that he purchased in 1917. Portions of that acreage are now included in both Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East.

The City of Tyler’s historic preservation program, the Half Mile of History, resulted from a recommendation that came out of the Tyler 21 planning process. City officials say the goal of the Half Mile of History is to pay tribute to people, places and events that have contributed to the rich history of Tyler and Smith County. The Half Mile of History is a permanent, outdoor, half-mile loop that surrounds the square in the heart of downtown Tyler. Stone plaques are placed in the sidewalk along the Half Mile of History to commemorate significant people, places or events. You can go to http://www.cityoftyler.org/ to read more about the Half Mile of History program and the most recent honorees.

CUNEY (AP/STAFF) — The founding pastor of Times Square Church in New York City and author of the best-selling book, “The Cross and the Switchblade,” David Wilkerson, has died in a Cherokee County crash. Wilkerson, 79, died yesterday when his car smashed head-on into a tractor-trailer rig. His wife Gwen, 80, was critically injured. She is being treated at Tyler’s East Texas Medical Center. The truck’s driver, Fredrick Braggs, 39, of Beaumont, is being treated at ETMC in Jacksonville.

The accident happened on U.S. Highway 175 at the Neches River Bridge. The Department of Public Safety says, for some reason, Wilkerson’s car, which was east bound, swerved into the west bound lane and hit the truck.

Wilkerson’s World Challenge Inc. ministries confirmed on its website that he “went to be with Jesus.” Wilkerson founded the non-denominational Protestant church in 1987 in an area of Manhattan that was then riddled with X-rated movie houses, strip clubs, prostitution and drugs. Wilkerson also founded Teen Challenge, which uses a biblically based recovery program for drug addicts.

BEN WHEELER (AP) — The National Weather Service says a moderate tornado damaged more than 100 structures in an East Texas storm that left one woman injured. The agency said Wednesday a tornado with winds in the range of 90-100 mph hit a rural area in Van Zandt County on Tuesday. The weather service said three structures were destroyed. That included the mobile home of a woman who was hospitalized after the storm rolled her home and turned it into a pile of debris. Van Zandt County emergency management spokesman Chuck Allen says the tornado left a 1-mile-wide, 8-mile-long path of destruction between the towns of Ben Wheeler and Edom.

LONGVIEW — A late afternoon shooting at a West Longview trailer park sent one man to the hospital with gunshot wounds and another to the Gregg County Jail.

Gregg County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Riverside RV Park in the 3700 block of Texas 42 just after 3 p.m. Wednesday for a reported shooting.

Gregg County officials said they could not confirm the name of the victim or the man who was arrested, but said a man was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries for a gunshot wound to the leg. Initial radio reports indicated the victim had been shot twice in the leg.

Officers were advised the victim and man arrested both lived at the RV park, 10 lots away from one another.

This is the second call sheriff’s deputies have responded to in the past nine months for a shooting at the RV park.

Officers were dispatched to the park July 21 after 34-year-old Brian Keith Barnett was found shot in the head near his trailer. James Nathan Alexander, 34, was arrested a few days after Barnett’s death after an attorney arranged for him to surrender.

Alexander was released from Gregg County Jail on $100,000 bond after two days. He was indicted in October for murder and is awaiting a trial date.