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EAST TEXAS – Fires in East Texas have left several families displaced. In the Winona area, a home was extensively damaged by fire. It was reported around 11:00 Christmas morning in the 12000 block of Smith County Road 316. Several county fire departments extinguished the blaze, which is thought to have started in the home’s attic. No injuries were reported.

Off Cherokee County Road 3409 in the Mt. Selman area, a family lost everything when their mobile home was destroyed by fire Christmas morning. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Continue reading Fires Displace Three Area Families

Kilgore, Texas (KETK) — Police have identified a woman who was killed Thursday afternoon in a Kilgore crash. Assistant Chief Roman Roberson said at 2:04 p.m., emergency crews responded to a two-vehicle crash at U.S. Highway 259 North and I-20. Investigators determined a car heading southbound on 259 hit a truck-trailer which had exited I-20.

The car struck the back of the truck-trailer as it was trying to cross the highway. The driver of the car was identified as Ashley Brooke Norris, 31, of White Oak. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the truck was not injured. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

If you witnessed the crash or have any information related to this case please contact KPD Officer Josh Sims or Detective John Rowe at 903-983-1559.

NACOGDOCHES – Authorities are searching for three burglary suspects in Nacogdoches County following a chase that started in Rusk County. It started around 3:00 Wednesday morning. According to a news release from the sheriff’s department, the men are suspected in the burglary of a Longview Pharmacy. The chase with the car containing four suspects started on U.S. Highway 259. During the chase, two of the men were let out of the car on Highway 259 near County Road 915. Another suspect exited the car on Highway 204. The driver was later taken into custody near Cushing. Sheriff Jason Bridges says all of the suspects are from the Houston area and may be trying to return there. All are described as black males wearing all dark clothing. According to Sheriff Bridges, “Area residents should make sure that their vehicles are secured. The subjects are not believed to be armed; however they may be very desperate at this point from being out in the cold weather for so long.”

NEW YORK (AP/STAFF) — “The Interview” has been put back into theaters, now that Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced a limited Christmas Day theatrical release. And it might be showing in East Texas. It’s the latest twist in a topsy-turvy trip for the film from the producers to the screen. The comedy provoked an international incident with North Korea and outrage over its canceled release. Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton says Seth Rogen’s North Korea farce will be in a number of theaters beginning Thursday. He says Sony also is continuing its efforts to release the film on more platforms and in more theaters. Kilgore’s 4 Star Cinema owner Byron Berkley said he has put in a request to show the movie. He should know the first of next week if his request is granted. Continue reading Sony’s “The Interview” May be Shown in East Texas

AUSTIN — There’s more reaction now that the East Texas killer made famous by the hit flick “Bernie” will get a new sentencing hearing following a recent decision by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Bernie Tiede has been out of prison since May. He was released 17 years into a life sentence for the murder of a wealthy Carthage widow. Family spokesman Ryan Gravatt wants the judge to ask the district attorney to bring in all the evidence — “Tiede forging checks before and after he killed Marjorie Nugent, and weigh this with the justice that’s the equivalent of what’s deserved for a man who conned and killed and executed an elderly woman in order to keep her money.” He says the Nugent family has released those checks and that Tiede stole millions from Nugent over six years. He says the family would be highly disappointed if the judge went along with the district attorney and released Tiede with time served.

TYLER — The Smith County Jail had once again passed the Texas Commission on Jail Standards inspection. The announcement was made by Sheriff Larry Smith. “I would like to recognize and congratulate the jail staff and detention officers on a job well done. I continue to be in awe of the dedication exhibited constantly by employees of the Smith County Jail and Smith County Sheriff’s Office as a whole.” The sheriff added, even though they have faced recent challenges, the employees continue to strive for excellence and go the extra mile.

DALLAS (AP/Staff) — The city of Dallas and a North Texas river authority are at odds over the price of lake water after six years of failed negotiations, and an East Texas lake is in the picture. The Dallas Morning News reports Dallas has asked the Texas Public Utility Commission to block the rate set by the state-created Sabine River Authority. The river authority decided to charge Dallas $24.1 million a year for water after negotiations failed. The city this year started drawing from Lake Fork, which provides about 13 percent of water coming out of Dallas faucets. Dallas officials say the price could be passed on to consumers, which would add about $4 a month to the average residential water bill. The commission has scheduled a hearing for Jan. 6 and will determine if it has jurisdiction in the dispute.

TYLER — A man wanted in a Tyler homicide is in custody. Tyler police have announced that Katyron Jermaine Barrett, also known as Jermaine “Maine” Hartsfield, 29, has been booked into the Smith County jail for murder. His bond was set at $500,000. He turned himself in through his attorney on Tuesday. The weapon used in this homicide was recovered by detectives not far from the location of the shooting. He is charged in the shooting death of Brandon Deroyce Gray, 30. He died at Tyler’s Mother Frances Hospital following the shooting near the Wild Bunch Club at 1714 North Palace Avenue. Continue reading Suspect in Tyler Homicide Arrested

LONGVIEW — U.S. Magistrate John D. Love (pictured) of Tyler has granted a motion from Shanna Peek Tidwell to open the Longview Vapor Store on Fredonia Street provided that she sells only legal products. Tidwell is under federal indictment on federal drug and money laundering charges. Tidwell and her husband and brother were indicted by a federal grand jury last month. The indictment was sealed until earlier this month, following raids on Glass Dragon Stores and Vapor Store. Both Shanna and her husband Jeremy had filed motion to be allowed to operate the vapor store to sell legal products.

TYLER — Child Protective Services says the children they have been located and are safe. They had been seeking the public’s help in locating four children who were last known to be in Tyler with their parents, Bertha Mineros and Jessie Zuniga. The kids are:
*Aidan, 5
*Evelynn, 4
*Nathan, 2
*Nicholas, 1 month

The children have been placed in the home of another family member.

TYLER — An execution date as been set for an East Texas man who was convicted of raping and killing a woman in Tyler nearly 20 years ago. According to KETK, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice reports Robert Charles Ladd, 57, is set to be put to death by lethal injection on Thursday, January 29, 2015, for the rape and strangulation murder of Vicki Ann Garner on September 25, 1996. According to court documents, Ladd also robbed her home before setting it on fire. Continue reading Execution Date Set in 1996 Tyler Murder

TYLER — After executive session Tuesday, the Tyler City Council approved a contract for Edward Broussard to be Tyler’s next city manager effective Feb. 9, 2015. Broussard most recently served as the city manager of Missouri City. “The entire City Council has been extremely involved in the decision,” said Mayor Martin Heines. “We feel confident that we have hired the candidate to meet the unique demands of managing the City of Tyler.” The contract approved by Council provides for an annual base salary of $190,000, as well as authorization for additional health benefits. Continue reading Tyler Names New City Manager

TYLER — East Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert came calling on our troops in the Middle East last week, on a mission to help brighten Christmas for soldiers so far from home. “It seemed to mean a lot to them; it meant a lot to me,” Gohmert told KETK. “Everybody who’s American has some special feelings, if you grew up in America, around Christmas time.” The lawmaker met with some of our allies, leaders, and visiting armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq to make the season a little brighter. He added, “They’re saying members of Congress just don’t normally come to Afghanistan anymore — it’s too dangerous — but I figure if the troops are there, their congressmen can come too.” Gohmert says he ate lunch with some of the Texas troops and toured the special ops headquarters. “It was great to be with Texans!” he said. “One of them was an Aggie, and it was just great being with them.” Continue reading Holiday Greetings as Gohmert Visits Troops in Mideast

SMITH COUNTY – Two persons have been arrested following a standoff with Smith County authorities. Taken into custody is Charles Nathaniel Harder, 24. It started about 10:45 Monday morning with a report of a man holding a gun on a woman in a pickup on Ridgetop Road, south of Tyler. When officers arrived, the pair had moved inside a home. Officials say the suspect left the house a couple of time, fired a gun into the ground, and went back inside. Officers talked to him by phone, and convinced him to leave the house. After being taken into custody, Harder is said to have stopped cooperating with officers, who had to use a stun gun on him. He was booked into the Smith County jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His bond was set at $250,000. The landlord of the home was also arrested for interfering with law enforcement officers.

LINDALE – A Harrison County man has been arrested following a manhunt in Northwestern Smith County. Tracked down last night by Texas Department of Criminal Justice dogs was Jacob Andrew Brewer, 37, of Hallsville. He was found hiding under a vacant house on County Road 443. KETK reports deputies were patrolling an area because of burglaries when a suspect vehicle from a Sunday night burglary was spotted. Authorities attempted to pull over the vehicle on Farm Road 2710, but the suspect fled. The chase traveled through Lindale, ending on County Road 444, where Brewer fled on foot. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on a charge of evading arrest with a vehicle and theft of property.

LONGVIEW – It’s not often you see Batman, Spiderman and Superman rappelling down a Longview hospital wall. But it happened Monday as the super heroes repelled down the wall of the pediatric wing of Good Shepherd Medical Center. The men in costume were actually members of the Longview Police Department’s SWAT Team. They rappelled from the hospital’s roof to spread some cheer to patients along the way. “The SWAT Team members are excited to utilize their rappelling abilities to make patients’ holiday a little brighter,” said Kristie Brian, Longview Police Department public information officer. The officers waved to patients from outside their room windows, and once on the ground, delivered toys to children who may be spending their Christmas in the hospital.

HENDERSON – Funeral services have been scheduled for former Rusk County Judge Sandra Hodges. She died at her home early Monday morning from natural causes at the age of 75. Hodges did not seek re-election and retired from office December 31st, 2010. She was a seven term county judge, serving 24 years. Services for Hodges will be held Wednesday morning at 10:00 at First United Methodist Church of Henderson. Visitation is from 6:00 to 8:00pm on Tuesday at the Crawford-A. Crim Funeral Home in Henderson.

ANGELINA COUNTY – A preliminary autopsy report indicates an Angelina County couple died in a shootout with each other. Robin Turney, 58, and his wife, Sharon Turney, 59, were found dead Friday in the backyard of their home in the 1500 block of Willie Nerren Road. The two suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Sheriff’s department Captain Alton Lenderman told KETK , at this time, there are no indications any other person was involved. It appears as if a struggle started inside the home before moving outdoors. Two guns involved in the shooting, along with a third weapon, were found at the scene. The couple had reportedly been having marital trouble.

TYLER — Tyler’s All Saints Episcopal School has become the beneficiary of the Estate of Jo Clark Ferguson, whose $5 million gift is intended to support the college preparatory school’s mission of academic excellence centered upon the basic tenets of the Christian faith. That’s according to a news release from All Saints. “The Ferguson bequest extends an extraordinary period of gifts to the school,” noted head of school Randal Brown. Within the past 24 months, says Brown, capital gifts totaling $15 million have allowed All Saints to double its endowment to $10 million, fund the school chapel project, and pay off all remaining school debt. “All Saints continues to benefit greatly from the support of generous donors who recognize the importance of providing the Tyler community with a superior college preparatory school,” added Brown. Continue reading All Saints Receives $5M Gift

OVERTON — People in Overton may soon be charged for ambulance services. This, after an announcement made during Thursday night’s city council meeting. KETK reports Champion EMS will no longer be providing its free service to the city. This means the yearly $50,000 cost will be passed on to taxpayers. City Manager Charles Cunningham says it’s a critical service the community cannot do without. He says, “We could look at other providers, but they’re in the same boat as Champion EMS. I mean it’s not a question of a money grab by the ambulance services; it’s simply they ran out of the subsidy of funding they used to get from the hospital.” Cunningham added that the city has budget reserves to deal with the immediate needs of the service. However, that money will eventually run out and the costs will be passed on to the people in Overton. The next public hearing is set for January 15th.

TYLER — Police are looking for the lone gunman who robbed a Tyler business. It happened shortly after 7:15 last night at Vapor Corner, a tobacco store, at 712 West Houston. The store was robbed by a black male wearing all black clothing. He took an undisclosed amount of cash and merchandise while holding the clerk at gun point. No injuries were reported.

TYLER – Minor damage was reported from a church fire that was spotted during Sunday morning services yesterday. A late arriving church member spotted the smoke coming from the roof of the Voices of Victory Missionary Baptist Church at 201 South Baxter Avenue. Tony Gumber with Tyler Fire Department told KETK “firefighters found some smoldering wood and damage appears to be due to electrical wiring that shorted out.” No injuries were reported.

TYLER (AP) — The editor of the Tyler Morning Telegraph is retiring after 46 years in the newspaper business. The Tyler Morning Telegraph reports Dave Berry, 66, will retire at the end of the year. He’s worked at there for more than 20 years, starting as the managing editor before being promoted to editor five years ago. After graduating from Kansas State University in 1970 he served in the U.S. Army’s information office in Vietnam, reporting stories for military papers for eight months. He then worked on the copy desk for the Tulsa Tribune in Oklahoma. He’s also served as city editor and then managing editor of the Brazosport Facts, editor of the Arlington Daily News, executive editor of Dallas-Fort Worth Suburban Newspapers and editor of the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer in Kentucky.

TYLER — Here’s a look at work planned in the Tyler District during the next two weeks: December 22, 2014 and December 29, 2014.

SMITH COUNTY – Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) maintenance crews in Tyler will be patching on mostly low volume roadways throughout the county during the next two weeks. On Monday, December 22, weather permitting; crews will have a moving operation while patching potholes on Interstate Highway 20. Motorists should watch for safety equipment and personnel in this traveling work zone.

Crews will start patching low volume roads on Tuesday with little impact on traffic. Pavement repair work on Loop 323 between the loop extension and Commerce Street will resume on January 5th. Continue reading TxDOT Project Updates

TYLER – Friday afternoon President Obama signed into law a tax extenders package which includes time-sensitive charitable opportunities for the end of the year, and the Tyler-based East Texas Communities Foundation (ETCF) is responding to the news. The bill, HR 5771, known as the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014, reinstates for 2014 dozens of expired tax provisions, including the IRA charitable rollover and enhanced deductions for donating land conservation easements and food inventory. Continue reading ETCF Responds to Signing of Charitable Provisions Bill

TYLER – CFRE International has announced the most recent class of Certified Fund Raising Executives (CFREs), which includes Robin Rowan, Director, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Trinity Mother Frances Foundation. According to a Trinity Mother Frances news release, these individuals join over 5,000 professionals around the world who hold the CFRE designation. Continue reading Trinity Mother Frances CMN Director Earns CFRE Designation

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County emergency crews responded Saturday morning to an accident with critical injuries, and a toddler was one of the victims. KETK reports the crash happened around 11:30 a.m. on Toll 49, one mile north of Highway 64. State troopers say a small Lexus crossed the center lane for unknown reasons and sideswiped a van before colliding head-on with a Mustang. Troopers say three people, including a 2-year-old, were taken to the hospital. They were last reported in critical condition. No other details were immediately available.

SMITH COUNTY — A Palestine man was killed late Friday night in a head-on collision on Highway 155 in southwestern Smith County. KETK reports the collision happened around 11:30 p.m. near Farm Road 2661. State troopers say the victim was Billy Joe Armstrong, 30. Troopers were still investigating the incident at last report.

LONGVIEW — The Glass Dragon reopening its doors may just happen. KETK reports it was the case that sent shock waves across Gregg and Upshur counties earlier this month. That’s when three people were arrested after a federal, state, and local investigation into the Glass Dragon’s alleged distribution of synthetic marijuana. According to the Longview News-Journal, Jeremy Tidwell has filed a motion in federal court to let him reopen one of his smoke shops to sell electronic cigarettes and other legal items. Some businesses surrounding the Glass Dragon are not happy about the news, though Tidwell’s effort has at least one supporter. Continue reading Longview Reacts to Possibility Glass Dragon Could Reopen

AUSTIN — Following last week’s announcement of its executive leadership team, the 2015 Texas Inaugural Committee Friday announced the remainder of its committee appointments. Three of those chosen are from East Texas. The people on the list were selected by Governor-elect Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor-elect Dan Patrick to oversee January’s celebration honoring the state’s newly-elected leaders. The governor’s appointments include Andrea and Brandon Steele of Tyler, and JoAnn Fleming of Flint is listed among the lieutenant governor’s appointments.

“Each of these men and women has and will continue to play an exceptional role in the planning of the 2015 Texas Inauguration,” said Abbott. “I am grateful to each of these individuals for their proven dedication to this time-honored tradition and look forward to their partnership as we plan this historic occasion.”