KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LONGVIEW — Early efforts by the city of Longview to control the mosquito population reduced the number of daytime mosquitoes, but there’s still an abundance of the West Nile-carrying Culex, city officials said Wednesday. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Longview Environmental Health Department Supervisor Buck Farrar said, “This mosquito (Culex) got the upper hand early and may have ousted the others.” Continue reading Longview Spraying Doesn’t Reduce West Nile-Carrying Mosquitoes

NACOGDOCHES — Two Nacogdoches women were arrested Wednesday evening on multiple drug charges at a residence on County Road 915. KETK reports the suspects are Evelyn Ward and Judy Suarez, both 56. Sheriff Jason Bridges stated that an ongoing drug investigation led to the seizure of nearly two grams of methamphetamine, marijuana, numerous pills, and a handgun along with other drug paraphernalia. Continue reading Two Arrested on Drug Charges

LONGVIEW — One East Texas community college is looking to expand its horizons. KETK reports Kilgore College-Longview is aiming to build new facilities south of its current campus, which sits on Cotton Street. New construction would be along South and High Streets, on property already owned by the college. The new facilities would be used to help expand current programs in industrial maintenance. And college officials say it’s needed. According to one official, “There are a number of career fields that are in need of having more education and training and we need more space to do that.” The plans right now are still in the preliminary phase, and no timetable has been set for the expansion.

EAST TEXAS — Two weeks without rain has East Texas fire officials concerned about Fourth of July fireworks. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. The West Harrison Volunteer Fire Department has battled three small grass fires since Saturday and will staff firefighters at the fire station all day Thursday, said spokesman Ryan Freeman. “Most fireworks burn at 1,200 degrees,” said Freeman, who has been part of the West Harrison VFD the past nine years. “Grass will burn at 200 to 300 degrees. We’ll have people at the station and on standby all day.” Continue reading Dry Independence Day Conditions Worry East Texas Fire Officials

TYLER — East Texas will hold numerous Fourth of July celebrations. One of the biggest: the Tyler Jaycees Fireworks Show at Lindsey Park. Gates opened at 4:00pm, admission is $10 per car, concessions will be provided, and the show will start after dark.

LONGVIEW — Longview firefighters have extinguished a fire at an oil well facility on Lake Lamond Road. The fire happened around 2:00 Wednesday afternoon between Cotton and U.S. Highway 80. Fire officials tell KETK crews on the scene that the workers were doing a pipe removal on a shut-in gas well when there was a flash fire. The work area of their trailer was damaged, and one employee who was working at the site has been hospitalized for smoke inhalation. Part of Highway 80 was closed between Gilmer and Bill Owens Pkwy. so firefighters could work the scene.

LAKE FORK — Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Game Wardens have identified the victims involved in a double fatality boating accident Monday evening on Lake Fork. KETK reports they were Justin Douglas Wilcox, 34, Oglesby, Texas, and Walter Edward Serbon Jr., 69, Yantis, Texas. A child in one of the boats was severely injured and flown by helicopter from the scene to a Dallas area hospital. One of the boats involved sank at the scene and has been successfully raised by the Game Warden statewide Dive Team and Accident Reconstruction Team with specialized flotation lift bags and has been towed to shore for further investigation. Continue reading Lake Fork Boating Accident Victims Identified

TYLER — Tyler Junior College will award 100 scholarships to students majoring in science, technology, engineering or math in Fall 2013, thanks to a grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. TJC received a $263,200 grant from the Coordinating Board. The Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or T-STEM, scholarships will provide awards of up to $2,500 per student for the 2013-14 academic year. Eligibility is based on high school grade-point average and the completion of courses toward a STEM career. Continued eligibility beyond the fall semester is dependent upon academic achievement and completion of coursework. Continue reading TJC Grant Creates 100 New Scholarships for Fall 2013

GILMER — On Tuesday, under the authority of the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, the SPCA of Texas seized and took custody of 27 allegedly cruelly confined dogs, including puppies, from a property in Gilmer. That’s according to KETK. SPCA officials say half of the dogs were living inside a feces-filled, urine-soaked house on the property and the other half were living in the front yard outside the residence. Continue reading 27 Dogs Seized from East Texas Property

LONGVIEW — A man identified as Henery Onias Bolanos, 61, of Longview has died following a motorcycle wreck in Longview. Shortly after 9:30 Monday evening, Longview Police responded to a one vehicle accident in the 900 Block of West Loop 281. When police arrived they found the driver and passenger of a 2004 Harley Davidson motorcycle lying in the roadway. Continue reading Driver in Monday’s Motorcycle Wreck Dies

KILGORE — Gregg County deputies arrested two people on drug charges at a local motel. KETK reports the bust went down Monday at the Executive Inn in Kilgore. Inside one of the rooms, deputies found Curtis Howard, 39, and April Connally, 29, both reportedly in possession of eight grams of crystal meth and drug paraphernalia. Both Howard and Connally are charged with manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance.

TYLER — Tyler Investigators have arrested the suspect in the murder of Rodney Walker, who was shot in his East First Street residence on July 1. The suspect is identified as Christopher Shane Wiley, 39, of Tyler. Wiley is charged with 1st degree murder and was formally arrested in the hospital where he remains under protective custody. Judge Christi Kennedy signed the arrest warrant and set Wiley’s bond at $500,000. Wiley will remain under protective custody until he is released from the hospital and transported to Smith County Jail. Police say Wiley apparently attempted suicide after Walker’s slaying.

GRAND SALINE — A shooting near Grand Saline has left one person injured. The suspect, who is considered to be armed and dangerous, is being sought. The shooting happened yesterday morning. The suspect is identified as William Lee Honea, 31, of Yantis. He may be traveling with Cortney Summerlin, 25, of Camp Wood. Continue reading Grand Saline Suspect at Large

COMMERCE — Congressman Ralph Hall has finalized the donation of his personal papers and memorabilia to Texas A&M University-Commerce. It came yesterday in a signing ceremony with President Dan R. Jones at the A&M-Commerce at Rockwall facility. “I hope the papers in this collection are valuable to you, and I hope they’re a good resource to the students at A&M-Commerce. They are a reflection of my life in public service, and it’s an honor to be a part of the future of this university,” said Congressman Hall. Continue reading Congressman Ralph Hall Finalizes Donation of Papers to A&M-Commerce

TYLER — Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass has appointed a task force to make recommendations to the City Council regarding the potential use of parts or all of the S.A. Lindsey Building at Elm and Broadway as an art center. “We envision this art center serving our art community as well as becoming a tourism destination for the region,” said Bass. The S.A. Lindsey Building was gifted to the City of Tyler in 2010 by the R.W. Fair Foundation and the Fair Estate. It is located at 123 S. Broadway and is currently vacant. The structure has eight floors and more than 50,000 square feet of space. Continue reading Mayor Appoints Arts Task Force

TYLER — Due to what’s termed the overwhelming generosity of the Tyler community, on July 8th The Salvation Army will reinstate the community lunch Monday through Friday 12:15-1:00. This lunch is open to those who are in need but do not reside in the lodge at The Salvation Army. Continue reading Salvation Army Reinstates Community Lunch Meals

SHREVEPORT LA. — Shreveport authorities say an Anderson County man has died after being hit by several cars. Dead at the scene was Curtis Bentley, 51, of Palestine. Investigators say his car hit several curbs and veered down an embankment along Interstate 220. He got out of the car when it came to rest on the shoulder of the interstate. It was then he was hit by up to 5 vehicles. The accident occurred around 11:00 Sunday night. The accident remains under investigation.

TYLER – The Better Business Bureau of Central East Texas reports new activity for a phone scam that’s making the rounds in which the caller claims to be from Microsoft, a trusted household name. The caller offers to repair a wifi network problem or remove a computer virus, all in an effort to gain remote control access to the consumer’s computer. Consumers in East Texas have contacted the BBB to report receiving a phone call from a “Microsoft employee” who told them they ‘detected’ a virus on their computer. The callers identify themselves as being from Microsoft tech support, and claim the consumer’s computer has contracted a virus. They then provide the consumer with instructions on how to get rid of the virus by convincing them to allow remote access to the consumer’s computer. Continue reading BBB Warns of Microsoft Phone Scam

GILMER — A Gladewater woman has been sentenced to 10 years’ probation for theft from Union Grove Water Supply Corporation. KETK reports Janna L. Goza, 45, had pleaded guilty in Gilmer’s 115th District Court to theft of a property over $20,000 but less than $100,000. Continue reading Woman Gets Ten Years’ Probation in Theft from Water Supply Corporation

LAKE FORK — Two people are dead and a 12-year-old child is critically injured after a boating accident in Wood County. KETK reports the wreck happened just before 8:45 Monday night when two boats collided on Lake Fork. The boats were moving fast on a plane just north of the 115 bridge, according to officials. Both boat drivers were killed, and the child was flown to Dallas for care. Names of the victims will not be released at this time due to general policy by the game warden. Both boats have now been recovered from the lake.

CHANDLER — The Chandler Volunteer Fire Department reports three firemen have been taken to a local hospital after a fire erupted in the Point Royal addition. KETK reports the firefighters are believed to be suffering from heat exhaustion or smoke inhalation. Fire crews from Chandler, Westside, Brownsboro and Coffee City all responded to the fire.

TYLER — East Texas cardiologists are the first in Texas to implant an investigational bioresorbable vascular scaffold, similar to a stent except it eventually dissolves, for patients with heart disease as part of a national clinical trial. That’s according to a news release from East Texas Medical Center. Absorb, manufactured by the healthcare company Abbott, is a small mesh tube that is designed to open a blocked heart vessel, restore blood flow to the heart, and then dissolve into the blood vessel over time. The trial is being conducted by physicians of Tyler Cardiovascular Consultants and is being performed at the ETMC Cardiovascular Institute. Dr. Robert Carney with Tyler CVC is the principal investigator and Dr. Frank Navetta performed the first implantation in the trial June 21.

TYLER — Some East Texans could be looking for a new place to live after their home in Tyler caught fire. According to KETK, it happened in the 800 block of South Turner Street around 3:00 Tuesday morning. Neighbors apparently made the call for help when they spotted smoke. So far, no injuries have been reported.

LONGVIEW — Two persons have been injured, one critically in a motorcycle accident in Longview. It happened around 9:30 Monday night at the intersection of Loop 281 and Bill Owens Parkway. KETK reports one of the persons sustained life threatening injuries.

TERRELL — The funeral will be held later this week for a DPS trooper from East Texas. Authorities say Senior Trooper Rex Akin, 67, died of a heart attack Saturday night in Terrell. Funeral arrangements for Trooper Akin are being made for this Friday. Officials say he was a 38-year veteran with the department, and Akin was well-known for giving self-defense tips to female truckers at the Great American Trucking Shows. Trooper Akin’s son is also a DPS trooper, in Wood County.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tyler Congressman Louie Gohmert was less than pleased with the response of Attorney General Eric Holder when he recently met with the House Judiciary Committee. According to KETK and Fox News, Gohmert says Holder, under oath, denied knowledge of the intentional prosecution of a Fox correspondent or other reporters. It was later discovered that Holder signed off on the original warrant for the secret search of the reporter’s email. According to Gohmert, “Well, now we have an attorney general who is saying, ‘No, I didn’t lie to you, because I never intended to prosecute,’ which means the documents they submitted to the court were a lie; it was a fraud on the court.” Gohmert also said we need to clean house of judges willing to sign anything regardless of whether there is sufficient evidence.

GREGG COUNTY — Longview police are looking for a man who stole a vehicle late Sunday, with a 4-year-old girl sleeping in the back seat. According to the Longview News-Journal and KETK, police said the man stole the 2007 Dodge Durango at 10:37 p.m. Sunday when the driver left the car running to enter a store in the 1700 block of Mobberly Avenue. The vehicle was located a short time later in the parking lot of an apartment complex in with the child still asleep and unharmed. Continue reading Police Search For Suspect Who Stole SUV With Child Inside

ATHENS — An East Texas man was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for a 2012 murder. KETK reports Jackie Martez Guthrie, 23, of Frankston, drew the sentence after pleading guilty last month to the July 2012 death of Chantel Barrett. Barrett was found dead outside Coffee City by police last July 19 while they responded to a call about gunshots. Guthrie was identified as a suspect and a manhunt was initiated. Guthrie is believed to have also kidnapped Tiffany Hurd, 19, who was eight months pregnant at the time with Guthrie’s child. 24 hours later, Guthrie was found by a former classmate in Galveston and was taken into custody without incident. Guthrie had in his possession what is believed to be the weapon used to shoot Barrett. Continue reading East Texan Sentenced to Life for 2012 Coffee City Murder

LONGVIEW — He’s waiting for answers to a handful of key questions before finalizing his proposed spending plan for 2013-14, but Gregg County Judge Bill Stoudt is sure of one thing. “This much I can tell you: we’re not raising the tax rate,” he said Friday. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report Stoudt is planning to continue honing the county budget this week, but there are still many unknown elements. Those include how national health care reform will affect insurance premiums. And final property values won’t be certified until later this summer, when all taxing entities will know what tweaking a tax rate up or down will do. Continue reading Upcoming Gregg County Budget Filled with Questions

TYLER — Lindale resident Austin Reeve Jackson Monday filed the paperwork necessary to officially pursue the Republican nomination for Smith County District Attorney. Jackson is a double board certified, third-­generation Smith County attorney. He says he made the decision “after much encouragement and consideration.” He cited his family’s “history of service to this county, state, and nation.” Jackson adds, “I look forward to sharing my ideas for safer towns and lower taxes as well as hearing from the community over the next several months.” Continue reading Smith County Attorney Pursuing Run for DA