TxDOT Project Updates


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.

$2,000 Grant for Discovery Science Place

Discovery Science PlaceIRVING — 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.”

Salvation Army Food and Fan Drive

Salvation ArmyTYLER — 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.

Shakespeare Festival’s Economic Impact

Shakespeare FestivalKILGORE — 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.

Police Investigate Drive-By Shooting

Tyler PoliceTYLER — 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.

Foul Play Suspected in Woman’s Death

Crime Tape
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.

Wright “Humbled” By Council Win

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.

Possible Murder-Suicide

Possible Murder-SuicideTYLER — Authorities feel they have a better understanding of what happened over the weekend in the deaths of a Tyler lawyer and his ex-wife. It happened Saturday night in Smith County’s Hidden Hill Lake subdivision where the bodies of Thomas Blow and Kinsey Lynn Lewis-Blow were found. Both had been shot to death. Authorities believe Thomas Blow shot his former wife and then turned the gun on himself.

KETK-TV reported a woman, who authorities say was a friend of Blow’s ex-wife, had dropped her off and was waiting in the drive-way for her to come out. When she never came back to the car, the woman went looking for her, and found the bodies. The couple’s two young boys, ages 5 and 7, who had been staying with their dad for Father’s Day, were not injured.

I sure have missed KDOK and it’s great music. Do you think there will ever be another radio station that will play that kind of music?

I sure have missed KDOK and it’s great music. Do you think there will ever be another radio station that will play the kind of music KDOK played in Tyler? There is not a radio station in the area that plays the 60’s,70’s music. Can’t pick up KLUV, station from Dallas. Thank you for a reply.

ANSWER

I cannot speak for other broadcasters in the market. There is always a
chance that one of them will make the business decision to change formats on
one of their stations to something similar to what KDOK did. When and under
what circumstances that might occur, I cannot say.

I miss KDOK, too. I liked listening to it a lot. But it was not a growing
business and it was taking away resources that were necessary to protect and
grow our core franchise, which is news and talk. Playing music on the radio,
and particularly music from a “frozen” playlist, in other words a playlist
that does not continually take in new material, has become a very different
business than it used to be. The proliferation of personal music devices and
the ability to easily interface those devices to the sound system in one’s
vehicle has dramatically chnaged the game for FM radio music broadcasters.

In order to keep time-spent-listening to KDOK at competitive levels, I was
having to spend a ruinous amount of money every year doing focus group
research on the KDOK playlist in order to determine which songs were getting
burned out and which songs needed to be brought back into rotation. The
truth is, it is hard to compete with a person’s iPod. The playlist on a
person’s iPod is the absolutely perfectly researched playlist for that
person. It is particularly true in a format that doesn’t regularly introduce
new music, such as an oldies station like KDOK, that constant music research
is necessary or the audience will not spend as much time listening and that
ratings will suffer.

KLUV in Dallas conducts continuous music research in order to address this
issue. The problem for a similar station in a market like Tyler is that it
costs the same amount to do the research in Tyler as it does to do the
research in Dallas-Ft. Worth. The cost of research as a percentage of KLUV’s
revenue, however, is a fraction of that same cost as a percentage of KDOK’s
revenue.

Thus, we made the decision regarding KDOK and, despite the fact that I miss
KDOK, it has proven to be a good business decision.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Paul L. Gleiser

TJC Volleyball Coach Dana Hatch to Retire

Coach Dana Hatch, the only women’s volleyball coach in Tyler Junior College history, has announced her resignation as the College’s volleyball coach, effective July 1.

Hatch, who started the program from scratch in 1996, has been one of the most successful volleyball coaches in the NJCAA. Prior to the 2009 season, Hatch was eighth in wins among all NJCAA Division 1 active volleyball coaches. She captured 347 wins in fourteen years at TJC with a .602 winning percentage. Including her high school coaching career, Coach Hatch has won over 600 volleyball matches.

All-Americans coached by Hatch include Angela Robinson (honorable mention, 2009), Leticia Kuhn (1st team, 2007), and Felicia Thompson (honorable mention, 2002).

She won two Conference Championships (2002,2007), and one Regional Championship (2002). Coach Hatch’s 2002-2003 squad was her most successful team on the court, winning the District Title and advancing to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. The squad finished with a 41-13 record, which still ranks as the most wins in a season in school history.

“I couldn’t have picked a better place or people to have spent the final years of my career. I believe Tyler Junior College allowed me to be the best possible coach that I could be.” Hatch said.

“I deeply respect the job that Coach Hatch has done for Tyler Junior College and our athletic program,” said Athletic Director Dr. Tim Drain. “She brought a tremendous amount of passion and fire to her job, and she loved working for TJC. She obviously succeeded on the court, but her influence off the court with her players and the life lessons that she taught is what I will always remember and value. I wish Dana and her husband Larry all the best in their future endeavors, including continuing their Trail Creek Christmas Tree farm in Lindale (trailcreekfarmfun.com).”

Hatch served as teacher and coach at Chapel Hill High School during the 1995-96 school year. She previously served as teacher and coach at Austin High School in Austin, 1992-95; and as teacher and coach at Tascosa High School, Amarillo, 1979-1992.

She was named the Mizuno Coach of the Year and the Austin American-Statesman Coach of the Year in 1992; was the Texas Girls Coaches Association All Star Coach in 1985 and 1988, was the Texas Girls Coaches Association volleyball chairman in 1990. She was the Texas Girls Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 1992-93. Hatch was honored with a Special Achievement Award by the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 and 1982, and has served as clinic speaker and volleyball camp clinician for a host of clinics and coaches associations.

Dana Hatch Tyler Junior College Record Through the Years

1996-1997 3-17
1997-1998 17-18
1998-1999 27-14
1999-2000 29-17
2000-2001 29-17
2001-2002 37-16
2002-2003 41-13
2003-2004 27-19
2004-2005 22-18
2005-2006 25-22
2006-2007 22-21
2007-2008 34-6
2008-2009 15-16
2009-2010 19-15

TOTAL 347-229

LeTourneau Names Terri Deike New A.D.

Just four months after Terri Deike was named LeTourneau University’s senior woman administrator for athletics, she has now been named the new Yellow Jacket athletic director, according to Executive Vice President for Business and Administration Bill McDowell on Tuesday. Deike’s promotion is effective immediately.

Deike, who came to LeTourneau from the University of Texas in Tyler, will keep the title of senior woman administrator in addition to her promotion to athletic director.

“We are excited to have a person with Terri’s abilities, experience and passion,” McDowell said. “Terri Deike is genuine. She’s the real thing. She loves people, loves athletics and knows what it means to build winning programs. I am delighted to have her lead the athletic department for LeTourneau University.”

Prior to coming to LeTourneau, Deike was the head women’s basketball coach at UT-Tyler where she amassed a 90-61 record, including guiding her teams to ASC East Division Championships in 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2007-08. She earned the ASC East Co-Coach of the Year after the 2005-06 season.

While at UT Tyler, Deike was responsible for leading the school through the four-year NCAA provisional membership process. That helped gained active membership status as a result of reports, policies and procedures created and instituted under her leadership.

Deike, a veteran of the East Texas high school basketball ranks, coached at Whitehouse, Hallsville, Belton and Overton, spending 22 years as varsity head coach before becoming UT-Tyler’s first head coach. She spent 11 years at Whitehouse, where she guided the school to the District Championship in 1990-91 and 1993-94. Her 1991-92 team was District Runner-Up. Deike’s 1995-96 and 1997-98 teams won the Bi-District Championships.

“I am honored to be named Athletic Director for LeTourneau University and look forward to working with the staff to move the department into a new era,” Deike said. “We have a great coaching staff dedicated to the overall educational and athletic experience of student-athletes. President Lunsford has a vision and passion for athletics that will enable us to reach new heights.

“I believe God has prepared me for this role after 30 years of public school coaching, teaching, and athletic administration duties and I am grateful for the opportunity,” she said.

Deike and her husband, Dale, have two children, Dylan and Taylor. Deike’s husband works for Anadarko Production Company. They live in Tyler.

Navarro Ends Apaches Season

Unfortunately, the third time was not the charm for the Tyler Junior College men’s basketball team Saturday night, as they fell to Navarro 69-59 in the quarterfinal round of the Region 14 Tournament at UT Tyler’s Herrington Patriot Center. The loss to the Bulldogs is the third on the season for TJC and ends their year with a 18-11 mark. With the win, Navarro moves on to Sunday’s semi-final round where they will take 11th seeded Lee College and look to advance to their fourth straight Conference Championship game.

Malcolm Moore led the Apaches in the loss with 24 points and eight rebounds, but was the only TJC player in double figures. Shooting woes hampered the Apaches all night, as they shot a mere 33 per-cent for the game.

In other quarterfinal round action on Saturday, top seeded Paris cruised past Jacksonville 70-52 and Trinity Valley escaped Lamar St. 73-67. Those two teams will face off on Sunday at 6pm with a trip to the title game on the line.

Why can’t I get your station 600 am before 7:30 in the morning?

Yours is a question we get frequently at this time of year as the sun begins rising later and setting earlier. You didn’t specify where you live in the area so my answer will be general in nature. But put simply, as the sun rises and sets, KTBB, like most AM radio stations, changes its power and the direction in which it more strongly radiates its signal.

A little technical information. Radio Frequency energy (RF) in what is commonly called the AM band (535 kHz to 1700 kHz) has a characteristic called the skywave. During the day, ionization of the atmosphere by the sun suppresses the skywave and your receiver detects only the groundwave. But at night, when solar energy is gone, the skywave is “free” to travel great distances. As a result, the skywave of a station in Tyler, Texas can cause severe interference for a station in a state as far away as either coast. The skywave effect diminishes with an increase in frequency (dial position). Therefore, a station that is low on the dial like KTBB at 600 kHz will have a very significant skywave component.

To deal with this physical property of AM radio, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocated radio stations in the U.S. in such a way that some stations are fully powered both day and night, a great many stations are only on the air in the daytime and the rest operate at a higher power by day and a lower power by night.

KTBB is in the last group of stations. Our daytime power is 5,000 watts. Our nighttime power is 2,500 watts. We change power at local sunrise and local sunset. As you know, that time changes with the changing of the seasons. As I write this, our power-up time on KTBB is 7:30 a.m. and our power-down time is 7:45 p.m. As I mentioned, those times change as the seasons change.

As if that weren’t enough, KTBB, like most AM stations, uses a directional antenna system. Simply put, we radiate our signal more strongly in some directions than in others. This, too, is to provide protection from interference to stations in other communities that also operate on our frequency (600 kHz) as well as to stations in other communities that operate on frequencies adjacent to ours (580 kHz, 590 kHz, 610 kHz, and 620 kHz). Our directional pattern changes for daytime and nighttime operation at the same times that our power changes. Our pattern is such that we do not radiate as strongly to the east toward Longview at night as we do in the daytime.

The question that always follows is, “Well, can’t you do something to raise your power.” And the answer that must follow is, “No, we can’t.” The AM Table of Allotments for the United States is a giant jigsaw puzzle. What we do will affect our neighboring AM stations, which will affect their neighbors and so on. So what we have is for all intents and purposes fixed. I hope this answers your question.

You can view a table listing of the AVERAGE HOURS OF SUNRISE AND SUNSET by clicking on the link below:
http://www.ktbb.com/sunhours.php

I appreciate your interest.

Paul L. Gleiser
President

What happened to David Smoak?

ANSWER
David Smoak left KTBB for reasons that we cannot disclose at this time.

Bill Coates is now hosting SportsTalk every weekday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. on KTBB FM 92.1. Bill is an experienced, talented, network-quality sports broadcasting professional with over 30 years in the business and over 19 years at KTBB. Bill brings and encyclopedic knowledge of professional, collegiate and high school sports together with an easy, inviting conversational style. We are excited to have Bill on the air in a long-form format and we expect him to take SportsTalk to a new level in the coming months.