KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Tyler leaders have learned that the Texas Department of Transportation’s “Turnback” program is voluntary. The program has been under consideration by the State Transportation Commission. Mayor Pro Tem Martin Heines (pictured) and City Manager Mark McDaniel traveled to Austin Tuesday to present Tyler’s case against the program and to ascertain the status of TxDOT’s current position on the proposal.

According to a city of Tyler news release, the original communication from TxDOT suggested the transfer of 1,900 miles of state highways in urban areas to local governments. The impact to municipalities could be significant depending upon the amount of roadway under consideration in a particular city. Continue reading TxDOT Executive Director: Turnback Program Is Voluntary

KILGORE — A Kilgore pastor charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child is out of jail on bond. KETK reports 62-year-old Glenn Barton is accused of sexually assaulting a child within the last four years. Barton has been the pastor at Calvary Way Church since 1999. The church declined to comment about Barton’s arrest.

CANTON — Van Zandt County has joined the long list of East Texas counties prohibiting outdoor burning. The order covers unincorporated areas of the county. Commissioners have instituted the ban until at least September 24, when they’ll reconsider it. There are a few exceptions to the Van Zandt County ban. You can go to http://www.vanzandtcounty.org/ and click on the “Burn Ban” link to get all the details.

TEXARKANA, Texas (AP/Staff) – The East Texas woman accused of mailing poison-laced letters to President Barack Obama and others is due in federal court. A detention hearing for Shannon Guess Richardson is scheduled for today in Texarkana, Texas. Authorities say Richardson tried to set up her husband for sending letters laced with ricin to Obama, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and to a leader of the mayor’s gun-control group. She was charged with two counts of mailing a threatening communication and one count of making a threat against the president following her arrest in Mt. Pleasant. Richardson is an actress from New Boston, Texas, near Texarkana. She remains in custody after giving birth in July.

KILGORE — The Kilgore College Fire Academy will pay tribute to the memory of the 343 firefighters who died on 9/11 at its 88th graduation today in the Bert E. Woodruff Adult Education Center in Kilgore. The ceremony is set for 6:30 this evening, the twelfth anniversary of the deadly attacks on New York City. Fifteen fire academy students are set to graduate. Continue reading Graduation Tonight at the Kilgore College Fire Academy

NASHVILLE — Two East Texans have received nine nominations from the Country Music Association for the 2013 CMA awards. The list is led by Mineola native Kasey Musgraves who has received six nominations. She is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, Single of the Year (“Merry Go ‘Round”), Album of the Year (“Same Trailer, Different Park”), Song of the Year (“Merry Go ‘Round) and New Artist of the Year. Her sixth nomination is for co-writing Miranda Lambert’s hit song “Mama’s Broken Heart.” Continue reading Two East Texans Get CMA Award Nominations

EMORY — The Rains County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing man. He is Larry Jones Culberson Jr., 56, of Emory. He was last seen at his home on County Road 4320 on September 3rd around 6:00pm. The next morning his car was found abandoned near a wooded area near his residence. Culberson is described as being 6’4″, medium build, blonde hair and blue eyes. He has a medical condition that has caused his lower leg to be swollen and he may be walking with a limp. If you have any information about Culberson, you are asked to contact the Rains County Sheriff’s office or the nearest law enforcement agency.

LONGVIEW — Pine Tree head football coach and Athletic Director Derek Fitzhenry has been conditionally reinstated. The action was taken following a three hour meeting by school trustees. The school board said it supported action for the superintendent to carry out conditional reinstatement. Fitzhenry was at football practice Tuesday afternoon. School officials said they would not disclose the conditions of the reinstatement because they were legally and ethically bound to not discuss personnel matters. Continue reading Pine Tree Football Coach Conditionally Reinstated

PAYNE SPRINGS — A man shot by a Henderson County Sheriff’s deputy Monday night, has died. He has been identified as Daniel Richard Vasquez, 33. Around 9:15 Monday evening, deputies executed a narcotics search warrant in Hidden Hills Harbor. The shooting occurred during the execution of that warrant. Details concerning the circumstances surrounding the shooting have not been released. The Texas Rangers have been called in to investigate the shooting.

TYLER — The Tyler Fire Department was dispatched to a natural gas leak in the downtown area Tuesday afternoon. The initial call was received shortly after noon at the new Smith County Jail construction site when a construction crew contacted a 4 inch gas line while digging, causing it to rupture. Along with the Tyler Fire Department, officers with the Tyler Police Department and representatives with CenterPoint Energy were on-scene throughout the incident. Air monitoring was conducted in the area and the atmosphere was deemed safe for area residents, workers, and visitors. Area streets were blocked off while personnel worked to repair the line. CenterPoint Energy crews successfully stopped the leak around 1:30pm. Work at the site has resumed and there were no reported injuries.

TYLER — Tyler police invite the public to join them this morning at 9:00 at City Hall to witness a special ceremony commemorating the 12th Anniversary of September 11, 2001. The ceremony will be conducted by Mayor Barbara Bass, the Tyler Fire Department Honor Guard, and the Tyler Police Department Honor Guard. The ceremony will be held outdoors on the east side of City Hall, weather permitting. The ceremony will be moved into the Council Chambers if inclement weather is present.

TYLER — Due to construction, Hollytree Drive from West Grande Boulevard to Royal Oak Drive in Tyler will be closed to traffic Sept. 16-20. Traffic on Grande Boulevard will be detoured to Shady Oaks Drive, then to Royal Oak Drive, and then continue on to Hollytree Drive. Traffic on Hollytree Drive will be detoured to Royal Oak Drive, then to Shady Oaks Drive and continue on to Grande Boulevard.

TYLER — Citing security concerns, Tyler ISD officials announce new hours for runners and joggers who like to use Robert E. Lee’s track. Since the school built a new fence around the perimeter, the hours have changed. Lee’s athletic facilities will still be open to the public, but only during specific hours of the day. TISD spokesperson Dawn Parnell says, “The new hours of the track this year will be from 6:00 to 8:00am, it will be open for the public to use, and it will not be open again until the last coach leaves in the afternoon, and the public is welcome to use it then as long as it’s not being utilized by students.” Parnell added the fence was installed to ensure the safety of the students.

HENDERSON — Fatal accidents are becoming a regular occurence in the city of Henderson.and in Rusk County. Henderson Fire Department Captain Cody Crawford tells KETK, “We’ve seen at least a double in fatality wrecks in the last year and a half to two years.” Since January, 20 people have died in car accidents on Rusk County roads — four in the last two weeks. Crawford and his crew are usually the first on scene of a wreck. And he says there have been many more fatal crashes this year than in years past.

County Judge Joel Hale and other county leaders have called meetings to address this issue. Now they plan to implement the mission from an organization called “Pay Attention East Texas.” According to Hale, “Their mission is something that we will adopt, and we’re still in the process of how we are going to get the word out, and how we are going to disseminate information to people.” Continue reading Rusk County Urges, “Pay Attention East Texas”

LONGVIEW — The Pine Tree school board leaves the case of football coach and athletic director Derek Fitzhenry in the hands of the school district’s top administrator. KETK reports Fitzhenry was placed on administrative leave last week, accused of mistreating student athletes. The board meeting drew a packed house, the majority of them supporting the coach. Four speakers were allowed to give their thoughts. Even some of his players spoke in favor of Fitzhenry. Around 11 Monday night, the board decided any punishment should be doled out by the superintendent. Officials say a decision is due today.

JACKSONVILLE — Some East Texas health officials are taking note as pertussis continues on the rise in Texas. As of August 27, Texas has reported 1,935 cases to the CDC. If the trend continues, Texas may report the highest number of pertussis cases it has had in over 50 years, officials say. According to a news release, the Cherokee County Public Health Department is monitoring the situation. Under State law, health care providers, hospitals, laboratories, schools, childcare facilities and others are required to report patients who are suspected of having pertussis. Officials say the Cherokee County Public Health Department will complete an epidemiologic investigation on all suspected pertussis cases that are reported and work to ensure that control measures are implemented for those exposed to pertussis. One case of pertussis has been confirmed in Cherokee County. Continue reading Cherokee County Notes Increasing Number of Pertussis Cases in Texas

TYLER — Smith County fires that burned over 400 acres over the weekend have finally been contained. What started as 8 small grass fires grew to a blaze that destroyed a mobile home, an empty home and a barn, multiple cars and out buildings. No injuries were reported. While the cause of the fire is thought to be from a spark from a shredding tire, the cause remains under investigation.

TYLER — Tyler school trustees are in the process of selling the old Jones Elementary School property. The sale was discussed at a board workshop yesterday. While the name of the buyer was not announced, school officials say the price tag on the property is $465,000. The sale of the property is expected to close later this month.

KILGORE — The East Texas Police Academy at Kilgore College, passed its annual inspection by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) with “no areas of non-compliance.” In the report delivered to the academy, TCOLE noted that the ETPA had also maintained a 99.23% pass/fail rate for the last three years for the academy’s Basic Peace Officer Course. Out of 622 students over the three-year period, 618 passed the state exam on the first attempt. Continue reading Police Academy Excels in Annual Evaluation

TYLER — Three biomedical researchers at UT Health Northeast recently received separate grants of more than $300,000 each to fund important studies in the areas of lung disease and blood clotting. The grant recipients and the amounts of their three-year grants are Amir Shams, Ph.D., $325,500 from the Flight Attendants Medical Research Institute (FAMRI); Sreerema Shetty, Ph.D., $325,500 from FAMRI; and Hema Kothari, Ph.D., $308,000 from the American Heart Association. Continue reading Grants for Three Scientists at UT Health Northeast

LONGVIEW — A Longview man will be going to prison in connection with a shooting death that occurred during a game of Russian roulette on November 17th, 2012. Byron Houston, 30, was indicted on manslaughter charges in the shooting death of Barbara Hudson, 39. She was shot in the back at her home in the 1100 block of North Third Street in Longview. Houston pleaded guilty and was sentenced Monday to 28 years in prison. Continue reading Longview Man Going to Prison for Manslaughter

GILMER — A man has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with a body found August 26 inside an Upshur County residence. Douglas Edward Gilliam, 58, an Upshur County resident, was arrested on August 28th on unrelated charges. His arrest came two days after Jack E. Pierce, 45, of Gladewater was found dead inside a residence in the southwest part of the county. The murder charges were added last Friday and Gilliam was arraigned on Sunday.

TYLER — A Tyler Junior College student has been injured after being struck by a car on a campus parking lot. Shortly after 8:45 Monday morning, Jamie Guerra was struck by a car as she was walking across the faculty/staff parking lot located near the Pirtle Technology building at the corner of East Lake Street and South Mahon Avenue. The vehicle was driven by its owner, TJC employee Zereda “Precious” Ivy. According to reports, Ivy was on her way to work and was driving in the faculty/staff lot and Guerra was hit from the back and fell, with the car rolling over her. Continue reading TJC Student Injured in On-Campus Accident

TYLER — A Shreveport, Louisiana, man has been sentenced to pay over $14,000.00 in restitution and serve 48 hours of community service as conditions of a two year probated sentence for federal wildlife violations in East Texas. Stephen Anderson Sipes Jr. pleaded guilty on June 10 to negligent transportation of wildlife. He was sentenced Monday by U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love. Continue reading Louisiana Man Illegally Transported Deer in Texas

NECHES — Some residents between Jacksonville and Palestine are dealing with some water issues. The Neches Water Supply Company tells KETK a downed pump caused one of its wells to be shut down. People living east of Highway 79 in the area lost their running water. Officials said once service was restored, residents would be told to boil water until further notice.

LONGVIEW — A Longview teen was injured in a wreck Sunday afternoon after he lost control and flipped his vehicle. KETK reports it happened just after 12:30 on H.G. Mosley Parkway in Longview. Police say the 17-year-old was driving 70 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone. They added that the teen lost control of his vehicle while taking a turn. He hit a parked truck and flipped his car multiple times. He was taken to a local hospital.

TYLER — PATH Week 2013 kicked off celebrated September 8 and continues through September 14. According to the website for PATH, People Attempting to Help, “the week is designed to raise awareness of PATH and the PATH programs helping to change the face of poverty, homelessness and hunger in the community.” Continue reading PATH Week Underway

LONGVIEW — A train derailment closed a portion of a Longview street. The Union Pacific train derailed in the area of Gum Springs and East Cotton. No injuries were reported when the two railcars derailed around 12:30 Sunday morning. Longview Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary says they were told the cars came off the track during a switching operation. Gum Springs Road was closed from Eastman to Cotton, but it has since been re-opened. Longview Police and Fire departments were on hand for traffic control.

LONGVIEW — A Kilgore man has been arrested on a variety charges. It began around 10:45 Friday night when Gregg County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Anthony Scott Neckel, 38, of Kilgore on charges of aggravated assault. He has also been charged with resisting arrest and assault on a public servant. His bond has been set at $26.000.

MARSHALL (AP) — A former hotel in East Texas will be used for higher education. The Marshall News-Messenger reports the Hotel Marshall property has been donated to East Texas Baptist University for its graduate school. The owners, Jerry and Judy Cargill and Richard and Christina Anderson, on Saturday announced the donation as part of a three-year project to overhaul the structure. The former hotel is expected to be used for offices, classrooms, labs and living areas. Continue reading Former Marshall Hotel Being Donated to University