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BALTIMORE (AP/Staff) – A Titus County resident has died in Afghanistan. The Pentagon says 25-year-old Staff Sgt. Chauncy Mays of Cookville was one of two soldiers assigned to the Aberdeen Proving Ground who were killed. Mays and 22-year-old Spc. Christopher Stark of Monett, Mo., died Monday in Wardak province when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 63rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion, 20th Support Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground.

TYLER — Several sentences were handed down Tuesday and Wednesday in Tyler in federal cases involving methamphetamine-related cold pill purchases. All the defendants pleaded guilty to possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine.

The defendants include two Kilgore men sentenced Wednesday. Larry Don Howell, 30, pleaded guilty on Sep. 1, 2010, and was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison. Calvin Lee Sickler, 28, pleaded guilty on Aug. 6, 2010, and drew a 51-month prison sentence. According to prosecutors, on Apr. 17, 2009, Howell purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Wal-Mart in Kilgore, in addition to making several other purchases up until Nov. 3, 2009. Sickler admitted to purchasing cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at various stores in Longview, Kilgore, Henderson, and Tyler between September 2009 and March 2010. A federal grand jury returned a 273-count indictment on May 6, 2010 charging Howell, Sickler, and four others with federal drug violations.

44-year-old Brett Everett Myers of Tyler pleaded guilty on Sept. 7, 2010, and was sentenced Tuesday to 57 months in federal prison. According to information presented in court, on Dec. 22, 2008, Myers purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Drug Emporium in Longview. A federal grand jury returned a 256-count indicted on Feb. 2, 2010 charging Myers and several others with federal drug violations.

26-year-old Brandi Nicole Cochran of Beckville was also sentenced Tuesday, getting 37 months behind bars. She’d pleaded guilty September 7 after purchasing cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Drug Emporium store in Longview on April 10, 2009. A federal grand jury returned an indictment on Apr. 8, 2010, charging Cochran and others with federal drug violations.

LUFKIN — Lufkin Police Department on Tuesday released the name of the man who died Monday at a Brookshire Brothers warehouse. Clayton Johnson, 44, died when a loading dock ramp fell on his chest, according to LPD spokesman Det. JB Smith. Memorial Medical Center – Lufkin marketing director Yana Ogletree said Johnson was transported to the hospital, where he died shortly after noon from blunt force trauma.

Johnson served as a maintenance employee at the warehouse behind the corporate offices on Ellen Trout Drive. The police department determined Johnson’s death was a work-related accident and will not continue any kind of criminal investigation. Brookshire Brothers business development director Emily Watts said this is the company’s first fatality in more than two decades, and the first time she can recall of one happening on the premises of the company. An 18-wheeler accident more than 20 years ago marked the last casualty the company experienced. Watts said Johnson had been with the company for about four years.

LONGVIEW — Opening arguments kicked off the trial of an East Texas man accused of murder. Toronto Lockridge, 34, is on trial for the September murder of Kelvin Muckleroy, 33. Muckleroy’s body was found inside the torched remains of his Chappell Street home in September of 2009. Investigators determined he was shot before the house was torched. Lockridge remains in the Gregg County Jail, held since December 7 on $150,000 bond for threatening a witness in Muckleroy’s homicide. If convicted, Lockridge could face between 5 and 99 years or life in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

TYLER — Tyler Police say two suspects are now in custody after reportedly stealing copper wiring. It happened around 12:55 Wednesday morning at Gander Mountain. An officer in the area noticed a suspicious vehicle pull around the back of the store. A male and female had tools and a large amount of copper pipe. Authorities say the copper was cut from the roof of the store. The suspects, Jordan Kyle Wilson, 23, and Karrie Gomez, 34, both from the Dallas area, were booked into the Smith County Jail.

SMITH COUNTY — At least one person is sent to the hospital Tuesday night after getting hit by a vehicle. The accident took place on the 3300 block of north northeast Loop 323 near highway 271 in Tyler a little after 8:30. Tyler Department of Public Safety is investigating.

MARSHALL — A man whose body was found in a ditch along Interstate Highway 20 in Marshall has been identified, and a suspect has been arrested in the case. Marshall authorities say the victim is Charles Steven Ledbetter Jr., 31, of Jefferson. He had died from several stab wounds. During their investigation, Marshall police obtained a warrant for David Wayne Brown, 54, who is pictured here. He was later arrested.

MARSHALL — A second Harrison County student has been diagnosed with H1N1 flu. Ashley Craver, five-year-old Washington Early Childhood Center student, is said to be in critical condition at Sutton Children’s Hospital in Shreveport. She has been in the hospital since February 24th when she was diagnosed with the disease.

Earlier last month a 13 year old boy died from the disease. Trenton Lindsey of Elysian Fields was rushed to a Marshall medical facility Valentine’s Day after his temperature spiked to almost 103 degrees. He was then transferred to a Shreveport hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with having H1N1. Despite using new experimental treatment, they couldn’t save him.

LONGVIEW — An expanded playground in Longview offers new recreational opportunities for children of all ability levels. Located at Spring Hill Park, the Neal McCoy Playground has been transformed into a universally accessible play area with wheelchair access throughout the structure. The expansion more than doubled the size of the playground, including the addition of new play equipment and new solid-surface flooring. The project was made possible by more than $350,000 in contributions from Longview AMBUCS Too. Also, the City of Longview is in the process of adding a bathroom at the playground.

The official ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony for the AMBUCS Too Universal Park Extension of the Neal McCoy Playground was be held Wednesday morning at Spring Hill Park, 738 Fenton Rd.

According to Director of Community Services Laura Hill, “We are thrilled to be able to offer this resource to the Longview community. This project simply wouldn’t have happened without the fundraising and guidance provided by Longview AMBUCS Too. They saw an opportunity to provide this incredible playground, and then they did everything necessary to make it happen.”

TYLER — Tyler Police are seeking a suspect after officers were called to Birdwell Elementary School, 2010 Talley Street, just after 1:30 Tuesday on a report of a gun being pointed at a fifth-grade student. The incident occurred around 7:30 that morning in the 1900 block of Talley as the student was walking to school. Police say while the student was walking south on Talley from Fifth Street, an older model white van with windows down the length of the vehicle and a scratch on the driver’s door pulled alongside the student. The driver, described as a Hispanic male with a black mustache wearing a black shirt, pointed a black semi-automatic handgun at the student. The student ran into the school, and no injuries were reported.

The incident was reported to school officials by the student Tuesday afternoon. Anyone with information about the suspect 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 the arrest and charges filed against suspects in this or any felony case.

TYLER – A 54-year-old Palestine woman has been sentenced to federal prison for bank larceny. Betty Smith pleaded guilty on July 12, 2010, to information charging her with bank larceny and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison Tuesday in Tyler by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider. Smith was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $126,664.72. According to information presented in court, from 1991 to 2009, Smith abused her position as assistant branch manager at Capital One Bank in Palestine to steal approximately $165,000.00.

LONGVIEW — The City of Longview Environmental Health Division is encouraging restaurants to ignore fraudulent phone calls from individuals claiming to be restaurant inspectors. Several local retail food establishments claim that they received telephone calls from individuals representing themselves as state inspectors. The caller attempts to schedule food inspections and asks the restaurant to provide the caller with a “code” received from an automated telephone system. The fraudulent caller then provides food establishment operators with a telephone number to call the Texas Department of State Health Services. Restaurants are encouraged to disregard these fraudulent phone calls.

The City of Longview Environmental Health Division is responsible for conducting all inspections for retail food establishments in the City of Longview. The Environmental Health Division does not schedule routine retail food inspections by appointment. In Longview, retail food establishment inspections are conducted randomly without prior notification provided to the food establishment. As a reminder to residents, you can go to http://www.LongviewTexas.gov to view the most recent restaurant inspection scores. For additional information about restaurant inspections, you can call the Environmental Health Division at 903-237-1285.

QUITMAN — The Wood County Sheriff’s Department is continuing to investigate the death of an elderly man, which is now termed a capital murder case. On Friday, the sheriff’s department received a 911 call in reference to a body that had been found. When they arrived at 2460 West Farm-to-Market Road 852, they found the body of Don Randoll Askew, 81, of Winnsboro. The sheriff’s department, assisted by the Texas Rangers began investigating the scene. Wood County authorities say they do have some leads in the case, they’ve sent off DNA evidence for lab testing, and they are looking for a person of interest. Askew’s body was delivered to the Southwest Institute of Forensic Science for autopsy. Authorities say no further information will be released until the autopsy results are released.

LONGVIEW — A former 911 communications administrator, charged with the death of his Longview police officer wife, has been indicted on a murder charge. Harry Goodan, 40, was indicted Thursday. He has been out of jail since Jan. 25 on $75,000 bond. Gregg County officials said the reason Goodan wasn’t indicted sooner was because Longview police had yet to close the books on the investigation of their fallen officer. Ellyn Goodan died after being shot in the head, reports show.

Goodan said he killed his wife during a fight Dec. 11 at their Towne Oaks apartment, according to arrest reports. Goodan originally was held on $500,000 bond; however, District Judge David Brabham ruled the bond was excessive and lowered it to $75,000 after Goodan’s father-in-law, Jimmy Rice, and Goodan’s ex-wife, Jonna Goodan, testified on his behalf at a January court hearing.

He was released from Gregg County Jail on Jan. 25 after spending more than a month in jail for the shooting death of his wife.

Under the stipulations of his lowered bond, Goodan is barred from possessing a gun, alcohol or illegal drugs; must remain home between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily; he must wear a monitoring device at all times; and he must report weekly to authorities. Goodan’s trial date has yet to be set in the 124th District Court. Goodan also has a pending civil case for “parent child relationship” in the interest of his and Ellyn Goodan’s son, Nicholas Goodan.

LUFKIN – A warehouse accident has killed an employee of Brookshire Brothers. It happened just before noon Monday at the warehouse behind their corporate office on Ellen Trout Drive in Lufkin. According to a news release from the company, the employee was doing maintenance work when the accident occurred. The company did not release details of the accident or the employee’s name.

MURCHISON — Authorities identify two people involved in a fiery fatal accident in Murchison. The driver of an SUV was killed Monday morning after colliding with a semi on Highway 31. Both vehicles were fully engulfed in flames when state troopers arrived on scene around 2:45 a.m. The driver of the SUV was identified as Eugene Thames, 24, of Bastrop. DPS officials say he lost control of the vehicle, slid across lanes of traffic directly into the path of the oncoming 18-wheeler, and died on impact. The driver of the semi, Anthony Galetka, 45, of Ennis, was not injured.

CANTON — The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office will br participating in the annual statewide Texas warrant round-up, starting Saturday, March 5th. County authorities are urging people with warrants to take care of them, so officers don’t have to go and hunt them down. The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office will use its on-duty personnel and Reserve force to complete the task. Class C misdemeanor warrants and traffic-related warrants can be taken care of through the justice of the peace offices by just paying the fine amounts and having them dismissed. If you are unsure if you currently have a warrant from the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office or DPS, call 903-567-4133.

SMITH COUNTY — Smith county officials are investigating a burned body. It was found in a truck Monday morning. The Dixie Fire Department received a call shortly after 5:00am that a truck had caught fire on Patton Lane near Highway 31 West. Firefighters found the body after putting out the blaze. Investigators have not yet identified the person or the victim’s gender.

TYLER — A Tyler dentist accused of secretly filming female tenants has pleaded guilty to burglary of a habitation. According to his attorney, Charles Robinson, 58, will serve 10 years in prison for burglary of a habitation. Other charges are still pending against him, including possession of child pornography and improper visual recording which can carry a sentence of up to 2 years. The burglary of habitation charge was the most serious offense Robinson faced.

TYLER — A Van Zandt County man has pleaded guilty in Tyler federal court to child pornography violations. Jeremy Erwin, 37, of Fruitvale, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. According to information presented in court, on September 29, 2009, law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant at Erwin’s residence and seized a personal computer. A forensic analysis of the seized items revealed 600 images or visual depictions of child porn. Erwin was indicted by a federal grand jury on last October and charged with federal child pornography violations. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

LUFKIN — Lufkin Police investigate a possible injury to a child after hospital personnel reported a suspicious injury. Authorities received a call Saturday morning from an emergency room staff member that Julia Goodwin, 30, Lufkin, brought in an unresponsive 1-year-old child. Testing showed the child may have ingested a dangerous amount of some type of drug. The toddler was taken to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston for further treatment. The investigation is ongoing and so far no charges have been filed.

AUSTIN — The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) recovered nearly $4 million in fraudulently obtained Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits in Calendar Year 2010. TWC investigates and refers to local district attorney offices cases in which UI benefits are obtained through fraud or deception. These funds will be returned to the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund from which TWC pays unemployment benefits to those who lose their jobs through no fault of their own.

In addition to restitution orders, individuals who commit UI fraud can be ordered to pay fines, perform hours of community service and some serve jail time. One Upshur County individual was prosecuted for state UI fraud in 2010 and ordered to pay $4,626 in restitution.

TWC’s Regulatory Integrity Division is charged with detecting and preventing fraud, waste and abuse. The division enforces all regulatory statutes within the jurisdiction of the agency, including Tax, Workforce, Trade Act, Skills Development, Self-Sufficiency, Child Care and all other programs that TWC administers. Prevention, detection and elimination of fraud, waste and abuse in the UI program are top priorities, ensuring that funds are available exclusively to those who meet the eligibility requirements.

LONGVIEW — LeTourneau University online education student Jasmine Cierra Starling of Waco has named a Gates Millennium Scholar. Starling has completed all of her coursework toward her teaching certification to teach Early Childhood through sixth grade and is in her final semester of a one-year internship. The award is renewable for up to five years in any undergraduate discipline and throughout graduate school to a doctoral degree in the disciplines of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics public health or science.

Funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Gates Millennium Scholars Program began in 1999 to provide outstanding African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American students with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in any discipline area of interest. The program has awarded more than $630 million and produced more than 14,000 scholars who have attended more than 1,500 institutions of higher education. The program also provides leadership development services, which has helped to achieve a six-year 90% graduation rate over the past decade, which is double the national average of students from similar backgrounds.

LONGVIEW — A lane closure began Monday for the Reel Road Widening Project at Gilmer Road and Reel Road. The outside southbound lane of Gilmer Road will be closed for a few weeks. Traffic detours and delays will continue in the Reel Road construction zone. Please consider alternate routes. This project was approved by voters as part of the Capital Improvements Bond Election in May 2007. This project is being constructed by East Texas Bridge of Longview, Texas.

ATHENS — The Texas Transportation Commission, the Texas Department of Transportation’s governing body, awarded Athens Municipal Airport a grant of approximately $140,000 at its regular meeting last week for the installation of an automated weather observation system. A contract for the project is expected to be awarded this spring. Project costs will be funded through TxDOT’s Aviation Facilities Grant Program, which preserves and improves the state’s general aviation system, and the city of Athens.

This year, TxDOT expects to provide approximately $60 million in funding for planning, constructing and maintaining community airports. Approximately 275 community airports in Texas are eligible for funding. Arrivals and departures from community airports account for more than three million flight hours per year and provide aircraft facilities for agricultural, medical, business and commuter use.

Also this week in Henderson County, TxDOT maintenance crews are scheduled to continue pavement repair operations on State Highway 31 Business and State Highway 19 Business in downtown Athens, followed by the same work on SH 19 south of Athens. A second crew is scheduled to perform edge repairs in various locations on Farm Road 315 between Farm Road 279 and SH 31 in Chandler. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

UNDATED — Here’s a quick look at other work planned in the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation.

LONGVIEW — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform pavement repairs in various locations on Spur 63 in and around Longview. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs in various locations on Farm Road 1662 between Farm Road 1798 in Laneville and Farm Road 2753 near Anadarko.

A second crew is scheduled to be at work on Farm Road 13 west of State Highway 42 in Price. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

SMITH COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on Farm Road 850 east of Tyler between State Highway 31 and Farm Road 2607. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

ANDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue fog seal operations on Farm Road 1817 between U.S. Highway 287 and Farm Road 323, and on Farm Road 2330 between State Highway 19 and Farm Road 860. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

Fog seal operations require lengthy lane closures and can cause moderate delays to traffic. 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 continue resurfacing operations in various locations on Farm Road 858 between State Highway 19 south of Canton and Farm Road 1653, and on Farm Road 1861 between SH 19 and Farm Road 2339. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to be at work on the following roadways in and around Wood County:
*Farm Road 2088 east of Farm Road 312;
*Farm Road 778 north of Farm Road 49;
*Farm Road 857 south of U.S. Highway 80; and
*Farm Road 49 east of Farm Road 312.

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.

LONGVIEW — A Longview Fire Department recognition and promotional ceremony is set for this afternoon at 3:00. Honoree Wayne Oldham was recently appointed to the position of Battalion Chief. Oldham was recognized as Fire Fighter of the Year in 1994 and Fire Officer of the year in 2007. Another honoree, Jon Eric Johnson, began his service to the city in December 2006 and was promoted to driver in January 2011.

The following service awards will also be handed out Monday:
25 Years – Ron Clower
20 Years – David Bates, Will Edwards, Hilton Jay
10 years – Matt Bryan, Olan Doxey
5 Years – Spencer Wolf, Wes Teague, Ed Thomas

JACKSONVILLE – Tiffany Arnold from Mixon has cerebral palsy. According to KETK, when she was born, doctors told her parents she wouldn’t live past 3. But she did. She’s now 17 years old, and she’s outgrown the minivan her family has used to take her places for the past 17 years. That’s where Brownsboro man Glenn Miller and the “BAM Foundation” come in. They hope to give back to the community by helping others, just as they were helped.

Until May, Miller and the foundation will be selling raffle tickets for a 1967 Chevelle donated by a friend of Miller’s. The car was on display in Jacksonville over the weekend. For $25 a ticket, the car will be given away in May after 1,000 tickets are sold. The money will be used to buy the Arnold family a bigger van, and the old van will be donated to another East Texas family in need. You can go to http://www.cansacrossamerica.net/ to learn more about the BAM Foundation.

TYLER — Rev. Orenthia Mason says if she’s re-elected, her next term on the Tyler ISD Board of Trustees will be her last. Mason made the announcement as she keynoted Saturday’s City Wide Black History Program at the Rose Garden Center. Mason has represented the board’s District 2 since 2005 and is up for re-election this May, with no announced opposition thus far. Mason says board membership can very rewarding but also very stressful. In particular, she cited likely personnel cuts as part of the board’s budget-trimming efforts tied to financial constraints in Austin. Mason is a longtime minister and educator who currently works as director of teacher education at Texas College.

TYLER — The League of Women Voters invites area residents to a free water and water rights seminar today in Tyler, featuring Texas environmental writer Joe Nick Patoski. Spokespeople say the purpose is to learn how Texas water is managed — and to discuss whether new laws and regulations are needed to keep it flowing in ways that protect quality of life.

According to League materials, Patoski will talk about Texas’s rather unique water law and the impact it wields on the future water supply. He’ll be joined by panelists Greg Morgan of Tyler Water Utilities and Glenda Kindle of the East Texas Regional Water Planning Group. Among the questions to be addressed: Who owns Texas water? Have water rights ignited true wars in the West? Will East Texas be next? Is Texas water just a commodity for sale to the highest bidder? It all happens this evening at 7:00 in the fellowship hall of First Christian Church, 4202 South Broadway.