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LONGVIEW — Owners of a Longview bakery who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple have sought legal assistance after receiving online threats. According to the Longview News-Journal, Kilgore couple Ben Valencia and Luis Marmolejo said they went to Kern’s Bake Shop this past week to get an estimate for the cake, but bakery co-owner Edie Delorme told them it was against her Christian faith for the business to be linked to same-sex marriage. Delorme and her husband, David, began receiving threats after media reports of the encounter were published. They then contacted the nonprofit legal organization First Liberty Institute in Plano. Lawyer Michael Berry. He says the family, which was upfront with the couple about their religion, are on firm legal footing.

TYLER — Senator Ted Cruz’s wife made the rounds in East Texas. Heidi Cruz held an event in Nacogdoches on Saturday afternoon and ended the day with a meet and greet at UT Tyler. KETK reports, hundreds of people gathered at UT Tyler to meet the woman that might possibly be the next First Lady. Heidi Cruz said this year’s election is the most important election of our generation. Continue reading Heidi Cruz Campaigns for Husband in East Texas

MARSHALL — Several people are injured Saturday night following a two vehicle wreck in Marshall. According to KETK, an SUV turning westbound onto West Grand from Young Street was struck by a vehicle traveling westbound on Grand causing the SUV to rollover. Three juveniles were ejected from the SUV. Eleven occupants from the SUV, including the driver, were transported to a local hospital. At least one of the passengers sustained serious injuries. No other injuries were reported. The crash is under investigation and charges are pending.

BULLARD — The identity of the man killed in a Friday night wreck in Bullard has been released. DPS Troopers said Jimmie Cagle, 72, Mesquite, lost control of his vehicle when taking a left curve on FM 344 near Smith County Road 187. The vehicle ran off the road, rolled several times and Cagle was ejected. He was not wearing a seatbelt and was pronounced dead at the scene.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department held its annual awards banquet at the Ornelas Activity Center Friday night. Exemplary members of the police department were recognized. Officer of the year was awarded to Officer Mitch Archbell (pictured). Officer Jonathan Holland was named Rookie of the Year. Additional awards such as Supervisor of the year and Unit of the Year were also named. Continue reading Tyler Police Hold Annual Awards Banquet

PALESTINE — The suspect involved in a shooting at Palestine High School Friday night has been identified as Bobby Burrell, 63, Teague. Palestine Police responded Friday night to a shooting at the school around 6:10. The school’s website shows a high school basketball playoff game between Teague and Malakoff at 6:30. The men involved in the incident were from Teague. According to KETK, Captain James Muniz said Burrell reportedly pulled out a handgun and fired several shots at a 63 year old man, hitting him at least once in the upper arm. The suspect then assaulted a 59 year old woman who was accompanying the male victim striking her in the head area with the handgun after the gun reportedly malfunctioned. It is believed that the suspect and female victim had a prior relationship. Continue reading Identity of Suspect in Palestine Shooting Released

TYLER — The Tyler Junior College Dental Clinic will be offering a free clinic Saturday. Beginning at 11:00, the clinic will provide free cleanings, basic fillings and extractions to treat pain and infection. The TJC Dental Clinic is located on the first floor of the Robert M. Rogers Nursing & Health Sciences Center, at the corner of Fifth Street and Fleishel Avenue. Organizers said availability is on a first come, first served basis. Qualified applicants fall below the 200-percent poverty level. Interested persons should arrive at the dental clinic at 11 a.m. for screening and X-rays. A dentist will determine what treatment can be provided in the time available.

ALPINE – A second person has been found guilty and sentenced for the first-degree felony murder of Kilgore native Walter “Trey” Sands. The Kilgore News Herald reports a jury in Alpine deliberated less than an hour Friday afternoon before finding Charles Levi Morrow (pictured) guilty. The sentencing phase of the trial started after the verdict was returned, and Morrow was handed a term of 55 years behind bars along with a $10,000 fine. Earlier this month Keith Allen McWilliams was sentenced to life in prison for Sands’s death. A murder charge against a third suspect was dropped last summer. The men had been accused of beating, stabbing and shooting the 28-year-old Kilgore High School alumnus and burying the man under a half-ton of rocks in the area known as Terlingua Ranch.

TYLER — Two are jailed in Smith County on charges of injury to a child, and officials say the abuse was severe. Sheriff Larry Smith says On November 25, 2015, a 15-month-old child was brought into the East Texas Medical Center emergency room in Tyler by his mother, Brittany Jaynes, and her live-in boyfriend Thomas Dalton. Smith says the child was unresponsive and seizing. During treatment, it was discovered the child had acute head trauma and a brain bleed which was inconsistent with the events reported by Ms. Jaynes and Mr. Dalton, according to Smith. Due to the severe injury, the child was flown to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas for further treatment. Smith says during subsequent treatment and examination at Children’s, it was determined the child’s head trauma was a result of abuse. Continue reading Pair Jailed on Injury to a Child Charges; Severe Abuse Alleged

ATHENS – The Department of Public Safety has identified an Athens man as the victim of a Henderson County wreck. He is 55 year old Eddie Wayne Richards. He was killed in the wreck shortly before 7:45 Thursday night on Loop 7, about a mile southwest of Athens. The DPS says his pickup left the road on a sharp curve and hit a guardrail and then rolled several times. Richards, who was not wearing his seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle.

TYLER — The wife of GOP presidential contender and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz will be in Tyler for a meet and greet today. Heidi Cruz will visit the UT Tyler Ornelas Activity Center on Old Omen Road from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The information comes from JoAnn Fleming, Ted Cruz for President Texas TEA Party Chair. Fleming says the indoor event, hosted by The Liberty Club of UT-Tyler, has limited seating. Doors open at 4:30 PM. Those wishing to attend can click https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tyler-tx-meet-greet-with-heidi-cruz-tickets-22125681509 to register for a ticket.

TYLER — The suspects in a recent Tyler drive-by shooting have been arrested. John Matthew Perez (pictured) and Marco Antonio Calles, both 18 and both from Tyler, have been charged with aggravated assault. Bonds are set at $250,000 apiece. The shooting was reported shortly after noon Sunday on Northcrest Drive near the Claude Street intersection. Officers arrived to find a 19-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the upper right thigh. The victim was transported to the hospital by ambulance. The victim told police he and a friend were walking along Northcrest when a car drove by and one of the occupants fired 3-5 shots, striking the victim in the right leg. The vehicle then left the area.

TYLER — After almost 18 years at the helm of The University of Texas at Tyler, President Rodney H. Mabry announced Friday that he would be retiring from that position effective Dec. 31, 2016. Mabry made the announcement Friday as part of an extensive look into the future of the university. In a news release, Mabry said there are “amazing new ventures planned” for UTT’s future,” but that it’s time for him to “someone with new ideas and new energy.” After a sabbatical, he said he plans to return to the university’s faculty in 2018. Continue reading Mabry Announces Impending Retirement, Lays Out Plans for UTT’s Future

GREGG COUNTY — The debate over religious liberty is, once again, playing out at a bakery but this time it’s in Texas. The owners of Kerns Bake Shop in Longview are deeply religious. They’re Baptists. So when a gay couple wanted a wedding cake, they declined, giving them a list of other bakeries. The gay couple claimed discrimination. So, the bakery owners hiring lawyer Michael Berry. He says the family, which was upfront with the couple about their religion, are on firm legal footing.

TYLER — East Texas Mission of Mercy holds a 2-day event providing free dental treatment and eye exams for low income families that cannot otherwise afford care. KETK reports that following Friday’s screening day at Tyler’s Bethesda Health Clinic, people are then assigned an appointment at one of the various treatment sites for Saturday. The screening was set up to determine what treatment is required. The East Texas Mission of Mercy was created when several local dentists realized the tremendous need for dental care in the East Texas community. This is the 5th biennial of this event in Tyler since 2008.

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas police say they’ve asked the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office to present a misdemeanor domestic violence case to the local grand jury against Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. The recommended assault charge carries a maximum punishment of one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Police released a statement Thursday announcing the decision. The former Texas A&M star’s ex-girlfriend alleges he accosted her several times at a Dallas hotel on Jan. 30, and later struck her when they drove back to her apartment in Fort Worth. Neither Manziel’s attorney, Bradley Beckworth, nor the NFL immediately returned emails seeking comment. Prosecutors also didn’t return a call seeking details about their plan. Manziel’s agent and marketing agency have both dropped him, and the Browns have indicated they will release Manziel as early as March 9, when the league begins its new calendar year.

AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott has reappointed Linda Thomas of Longview presiding officer of the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority. Her term will run through February 1st, 2018. The authority is a political subdivision created to finance, acquire, design, construct, operate, maintain, expand or extend transportation projects in North East Texas. Continue reading Longview Resident Reappointed by the Governor

TYLER — The East Texas Human Needs Network (ETHNN), the Tyler Area Partnership for Education, Smith County independent school districts and area colleges and universities have partnered to plan the second annual FAFSA Super Saturday on Feb. 27. Organizers say the event is intended to provide assistance for prospective college students and their parents to apply for federal financial aid. According to a news release, volunteers will man computer stations at seven Smith County locations from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., to help individuals complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Texas Application for Student Financial Aid (TASFA) and thus become potentially eligible for financial assistance for post-secondary attainment. Continue reading “Super Saturday” Planned to Help Students Pay for College

TYLER — The Tyler City Council has adopted an ordinance amending Tyler City Code Chapter 4 to update and clarify regulations related to firearms. Among the highlights: prohibition of guns during open governmental meetings. According to a news release, the council generally has very limited authority to regulate firearms and adopted most of the current firearms regulations in 2007. However, due to recent changes to State Law during the 2015 legislative session, it became necessary to update current firearms regulations, according to the release. Continue reading Firearms Ordinance Passed by City of Tyler

TYLER – The Department of Public Safety is trying to locate a car responsible for a Smith County wreck. It happened around 7:30 Thursday morning on U.S. Highway 64 West, about ½ a mile west of County Road 413. They are looking for a silver, possibly four-door, passenger car that had been eastbound at a high rate of speed. The car passed several motorists when it forced a westbound vehicle to take evasive action in an effort to avoid a head-on collision. That motorist lost control of his vehicle and and ended up in the eastbound lane where it hit a Toyota Camry and was then hit by a eastbound cargo van. Four persons were injured in the wreck.

GILMER – Upshur County residents are being warned about a telephone scam. Some have been called by someone claiming they have unpaid electric or utility bills. The caller threatens to disconnect service if the bill is not paid. The Upshur County sheriff’s department says local utilities use the mail for collections and not the telephone. If you get one of these calls, you are advised not to give the caller any personal or financial information.

GILMER — Jimmy Ray Tucker, 28, Ore City, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday in Gilmer to aggravated sexual assault of a child, and the law isn’t through with him yet. Before Tucker begins his sentence, he will be benched back to Gregg County to face similar charges involving a different victim. Tucker will have to serve at least half the 20 year sentence before being considered for parole. Once out of prison, he will have to register as a sex offender for life. Officials say Tucker was in a romantic relationship with the victim’s mother and the abuse occurred when the victim, who was under age 14, visited his mother over summer vacation.

LONGVIEW — A man accused of beating a Pine Tree ISD bus driver at a stop on his route last year pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. According to the Longview News-Journal, Michael Jesse Najera, 36, of California, has been held in Gregg County Jail on $1 million bond since he was booked on May 26, the day after police say he beat driver Todd Kelley with an industrial wrench. The Memorial Day assault occurred as Kelley, 47, was dropping off students at a mobile home park entrance. Continue reading Man Guilty of Assaulting East Texas Bus Driver

GREGG COUNTY (Staff/AP) — One fatality and at least two injuries, one with serious burns, have been reported after fire engulfed a group of mobile homes near I-20 and FM 2087 in Gregg County. According to KETK, firefighters from Longview and Kilgore along with the Elderville-Lakeport Volunteer Fire Department were on the scene fighting the blaze, which was reported about 11:00 Wednesday night. The identity of the deceased has not been confirmed. The victim with serious burn injuries was hospitalized in Dallas. A neighbor said about four or five mobile homes were put together to create one home, which had also caught fire about two weeks earlier. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department is warning the public about a recent incident where a child may have been targeted in a sex trafficking operation. According to KETK, police received a report of suspicious activity over the weekend. The reporting party felt she had just avoided a potential sex trafficking situation with her two-year-old child. The mother said she was in line at the grocery store when a couple approached her and showed interest in her daughter. Several things occurred and triggered the mother’s protective instincts and she removed her daughter from the unwanted attention she was getting. Authorities believe this was an isolated event and there have been no similar reports since. Continue reading Longview Police Warn of Possible Sex Trafficking Incident

SMITH COUNTY — Emergency crews responded to the scene of a deadly crash near Toll 49 and Highway 31 West in Smith County Wednesday night. According to the Department of Public Safety, two people were killed when their cars collided head on. According to KETK, DPS Trooper Jean Dark said Austin Elizabeth Allen, 31, Canton, was driving southbound on Toll 49 when her car swerved into the northbound lane hitting another vehicle driven by Kevin Dale Fruia, 58. Both drivers were killed in the wreck. The passenger in Fruia’s vehicle Corrine Elizabeth Hayes, 41, was flown to a Tyler hospital. Her condition is unknown at this time. DPS found an open container of alcohol in Fruia’s vehicle.

LONGVIEW – A man is in custody following a multi-county police chase in East Texas. Taken into custody during lunch time Wednesday was Christopher Cromwell, 40. The chase began as a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 80 in Harrison County. The driver sped away, only to hit a dumpster at Marshall Avenue and Spur 63 in Longview. The Longview News Journal reports Crownwell was then arrested after a brief foot chase.

MARSHALL – The Marshall school district will soon start looking for a new school superintendent. According to the Duncanville school district’s web page, their school board has named Marshall School Superintendent Dr. Marc Smith as the lone finalist to be their new superintendent. He has headed up the Marshall school system since 2012. Prior to that, he was Assistant Superintendent for Fort Bend Independent School District. Under Dr. Smith’s leadership, the Marshall school system has achieved a “Met Standard” accountability rating the past two years from the Texas Education Agency. Last May Dr. Smith led Marshall school through a successful $109cour210 million bond election project, the first successful bond election for the school district in nearly 30 years. State law requires a 21-day waiting period before Duncanville can issue a contract to Dr. Smith.