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LINDALE — Since President Obama announced his plans for tighter gun control laws, Second Amendment supporters have been rallying all over the United States. Saturday at noon, a group of local supporters gathered at the Kinzie Community Building in Lindale, according to KETK. Members from the Texas Nationalist Movement of Smith County and others came together in an effort to expand their network of gun rights supporters on the local level.

The goal of Saturday’s meeting was to “Stand up for Texas” and Second Amendment rights. Local chapters from the Texas Nationalist group presented information about the history of gun control. The organizer of the rally, Larry Elwood, says it’s to help educate more people about the Constitution and bring people together to make a change. Elwood says, “The American people need to stand up and fight together, this immoral Government that we have, we just have to come together.” The group plans to have more information sessions and rallies in the future.

TYLER — All the power is back on following an outage that hit the Main Tyler Junior College campus around 11:20 Saturday morning. There were around 250 students on campus who were impacted by the loss of power. College spokesman Fred Peters notified KTBB Sunday afternoon that the power had been restored. “Apparently,” said Peters, “water somehow got into the main power cable that is about five inches thick and underground. Very unusual. Obviously crews will work to make certain there is no breakage in the replacement cable to allow a recurrence.” Peters added that further electrical work will need to be completed at a later date as the outage caused significant damage to underground power lines.

The outage forced the cancelation of an SAT exam and the postponement of men’s and women’s basketball games. One building, Genecov Science Building, was evacuated because of smoke caused by the sudden loss of power to electrical motors. Students taking the SAT exam in Jenkins Hall were asked to leave, and the exam was canceled.

The Hudnall and Bateman residence halls were not affected by the outage, which involved a main power line near the intersection of Baxter Avenue and Lake Street. Men’s and women’s basketball games against Paris Junior College were rescheduled for Sunday afternoon in Wagstaff Gym. All scheduled classes and activities for Saturday were canceled. Resident students of halls without power were offered the opportunity to move temporarily to Bateman and Hudnall halls.

JACKSONVILLE — Hundreds turn out for a bittersweet “final homecoming” Saturday at Jacksonville’s First United Methodist Church: a celebration of the life and ministry of fading Lon Morris College. The sermon was delivered by Rev. Ted Campbell, an alumnus who’s now an associate professor at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology. Campbell said, “The loss of the college is very much like the loss of a family member.” He harked back to Lon Morris’s heyday, when “person-to-person education was a hallmark.”

Longtime faculty member Peter Hoheisel echoed Campbell’s feelings about the college’s classroom intimacy. With the growth of computer-based education, Hoheisel told KTBB of his fear that we’ll be seeing less of “this type of college, where you would have an actual relationship with a teacher — small class size, fifteen, sixteen.” Professor Emeritus Dr. Jimmie Reese led a prayer and a statement of faith during the service. Speaking to us afterwards, Reese called his 39 years at Lon Morris “a tremendous journey for me…an absolutely superb time.” The saddest thing of all, says Reese: “This did not need to happen. It was preventable.”

After the service, many attendees headed across town, where the dormant campus’s Scurlock Center came alive one more time with a sale of branded Lon Morris merchandise. Officials say money raised from the sale will be given to employees who have missed paychecks since the school’s financial troubles began. Lon Morris is now going through bankruptcy proceedings; on February 4, a federal bankruptcy judge will take up results of a recent auction at which the college’s property was sold off.

TYLER — Police in Tyler are trying to solve a weekend aggravated robbery. The incident occurred shortly before 1:30 Sunday morning in the 1800 block of ESE Loop 323. The victim told officers she was walking home when she observed an older model white car pull up beside her. A black male got out of the car, pointed a small black pistol at her, and demanded her cell phone. The victim handed over her purse and phone. The suspect got back into the car and fled westbound on the Loop. The victim said that she observed four black males inside the car as it drove away.

The suspect is described as approximately 5’09,” 180 lbs., and wearing a gray hat. The victim was unharmed during the incident. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Tyler Police Department.

QUITMAN (AP) – An agreement reached between attorneys for a company building a Canada-to-Gulf Coast oil pipeline and various groups protesting the project could signal a retreat on the part of demonstrators. The Longview News-Journal reports lawyers for TransCanada obtained a permanent injunction in Wood County District Court against Tar Sands Blockade, Rising Tide North America, Rising Tide Texas, and others. Under the injunction, protesters agreed to several things, including not going onto TransCanada property to protest and not preventing access to the company’s right of way easements or equipment or that of contractors. A spokesman for one of the anti-pipeline groups, Stop Tarsands Oil Pipelines, did not immediately return an email seeking comment on Saturday. TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline is designed to carry tar sands oil from Canada to Texas refineries.

LONGVIEW — Longview police have arrested 24-year-old Roger Hall of Marshall and transported him to the Gregg County Jail. He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He remains in jail on a $250,000 bond.

Longview Police say Hall, suspected of setting fire to the laundry room of a Longview apartment complex earlier this week, is believed to be the same person who shot three people shortly afterwards. KETK reports the fire was set at the Village South apartment complex on Tuesday night. Fire officials got the call around the same time as a reported shooting in the same area of the complex.

On Wednesday, fire and police officials were trying to determine if the fire and the shooting were connected. After investigating, authorities now believe Hall set the fire, but was caught by someone who had come down the stairs to check on the fire alarm. Hall then allegedly shot the witness and ran into a random nearby apartment. He then allegedly shot two additional people who were inside the apartment. A struggle ensued, and Hall was stabbed with his own knife after the gun and knife had been wrestled away from Hall, according to police. Officials say all four people were hospitalized for treatment. The case remains under investigation.

TYLER — Smith County USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Farm Loan Officer Joseph Grier has announced that beginning farmers and ranchers in Texas now have a new Microloan credit option to consider. On Jan. 17, FSA started offering Microloans which are designed to help farmers and ranchers with credit needs of $35,000 or less. The loan features a streamlined application process built to fit the needs of beginning and the smallest of family farmers and ranchers. “The microloan application process is simpler and requires less paperwork than traditional operating loans,” said Grier in a news release. “This loan program will also be useful to specialty crop producers and operators of community supported agriculture.”

In 2012, the Farm Service Agency provided $196.4 million in farm loan assistance to agricultural producers of all sizes in Texas, according to the release. That year, operating loans accounted for the majority of the loans extended, totaling $129.4 million, while farm ownership loans totaled more than $61 million. In 2012, $5.7 million in emergency loans were made to producers in Texas recovering from natural disasters. “The current interest rate for Microloans is 1.25 percent and the maximum term for microloans is seven years,” according to Grier. “Producers can contact their local FSA farm loan office for details about the Microloan Program.”

Microloans can be used to pay for initial start-up expenses such as hoop houses to extend the growing season, essential tools, irrigation, delivery vehicles, and annual expenses such as seed, fertilizer, utilities, land rents, and marketing and distribution expenses. As financing needs increase, applicants can apply for an operating loan up to the maximum amount of $300,000 or obtain financing from a commercial lender under FSA’s Guaranteed Loan Program.

In response to tighter financial markets, USDA has expanded the availability of farm credit, helping farmers obtain loans across the U.S. Since 2009, USDA has provided more than 128,000 loans to family farmers totaling more than $18 billion. In Texas, more than 70 percent of the loans went to beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. For more information on Microloans and other FSA programs, contact The Smith County USDA Service Center at 903/561-6042, Ext. 2.

GILMER (AP) – A grand jury has indicted a former Upshur County commissioner and his son on charges accusing them of holding a state game warden at gunpoint. The incident happened Oct. 6 when the state game warden checking for hunting law violations on private land was disarmed and held by two armed men. An Upshur County grand jury in Gilmer indicted former Commissioner Lloyd Allen Crabtree and his 28-year-old son, Todd Crabtree. They’re both charged with multiple counts that include aggravated assault on a peace officer. A Texas Parks and Wildlife Department statement says the men turned themselves in to authorities Friday afternoon and remain jailed with bonds of $1.5 million each. Online jail records list no attorneys for the pair.

TYLER — The Smith County Sheriff’s office says the body of Shannon Michelle Johnson was found in Tyler Friday night. KETK reports Johnson was found in her car by a Tyler Police Department patrolman behind the Good Samaritan building on Beckham Avenue. Authorities say it appears Johnson had a self-inflicted gun wound. The Smith County Sheriff’s office will be handling the investigation. We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

On Friday, officials with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office announced they were looking for Johnson, 38, who lived between Troup and Whitehouse. Johnson was reported missing Thursday evening around 7:30. Officials said Johnson was in possession of a 9MM Ruger Model P85 semi-automatic pistol.

TYLER — The Smith County-based Humane Society of East Texas gets a new name. According to a press release, “We are repositioning the Humane Society by telling a different story and communicating a different message. The Humane Society has changed its name to Pets Fur People…because love is a four legged word.” This year marks the agency’s 45th anniversary. Last year, according to the news release, some 800 families adopted from the Humane Society. The agency became a selective-admission, no-kill animal sanctuary about three years ago and remains the only one of its kind in East Texas, according to the release. You can go to http://www.petsfurpeople.org/ to learn more.

EAST TEXAS — The two biggest metro areas in East Texas show up very well in a new economic survey. The Longview metro area ranks #6, with Tyler #9, out of 179 small city metro areas in the nation. That’s according to the 2012 edition of the annual Milken Institute national economic survey, which ranks the nation’s best–performing large and small cities. Longview moves up from #9 in 2011, while Tyler jumps into the top ten from a #20 ranking in the 2011 survey. You can go to http://www.milkeninstitute.org to learn more.

WHITEHOUSE — The Whitehouse Committee for Growth Friday turned in signed petitions to the City of Whitehouse for verification. The group needed to collect approximately 785 signatures of registered City of Whitehouse voters. The petitions would allow a vote for the legal sale of beer and wine for off-premise consumption only. This will only allow beer and wine sales in businesses such as grocery and convenience stores but will not allow package liquor sales or liquor stores. Whitehouse officials will have 30 days to verify the signatures before the petitions must be presented at the next regular meeting of the city council. If the required number of valid signatures has been reached, officials are required to put the local option on the May ballot.

NACOGDOCHES — Officials in Nacogdoches County tell KETK 3 teens have been taken into custody by the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office in connection to several burglaries. Deputies responded to Shinn Road to investigate a burglary of a residence. Deputies spoke with several neighbors and found evidence at the scene of the crime that was linked to three suspects. Deputies began speaking with the juveniles who confessed to committing the crimes. The three juveniles, whose ages range from 15 to 17, were arrested and charged with three counts of burglary. They were taken to the Juvenile Detention Center. More arrests are pending with other ongoing burglary investigations in the county.

Sheriff Jason Bridges says all property that had been taken was recovered, but there was several thousand dollars worth of damage done to the inside of one of the houses during the burglary.

TIMPSON (AP) – East Texas has had a minor earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 4.1 magnitude quake happened at 1:01 a.m. Friday and was centered about two miles west-northwest of Timpson. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office had no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Timpson is a town of about 1,200 located 165 miles southeast of Dallas. An earthquake earlier this week in the Dallas area had a 3.0 magnitude. Experts say Tuesday night’s quake was centered about five miles north-northwest of Irving.

SMITH COUNTY — A Smith County wreck has left a Tyler teenager dead. It happened around 5:55 Thursday evening on Texas Highway 155 North near the intersection of County Road 313. According to the Department of Public Safety, Caleb Luther, 17, was headed south when he veered into oncoming traffic. He struck a northbound vehicle head-on. Luther was pronounced dead at the scene. Another car following the northbound vehicle was unable to stop and rear-ended the 2nd car. Those two occupants were taken to ETMC-Tyler with non life threatening injuries.

MARSHALL — A Marshall teenager is in custody following the Wednesday night stabbing death of his stepfather, William Ashley Alford, 39. According to the Longview News-Journal, the youth’s name or age has not been released due to his age, but he was being held in the Willoughby Juvenile Detention Center on a charge of first degree murder. Marshall police said emergency personnel responded to the 500 block of West Meredith Street around 11:30 Wednesday night, where they found Alford with multiple stab wounds. Alford later died at Good Shepherd Medical Center – Marshall.

TYLER (AP) – A jury has returned a 20-year prison sentence for a retired Tyler dentist convicted of murder in his wife’s death. Prosecutors had been seeking a life sentence for 76-year-old Bobby Ray Nichols in the shooting death last summer of Rosalind Nichols, his wife of 26 years. However, the Smith County jury found Nichols acted out of “sudden passion” when he shot his 71-year-old wife at their home last June. Nichols will become eligible for parole after 10 years in prison. In his closing, defense attorney argued that Nichols was abused by his wife and that he killed her in a fit of passion. Prosecutor Richard Vance argued that any sentence less than life would suggest a tacit endorsement of Nichols’ actions.

ALTO — More details are released after an officer involved shooting in Alto left a man dead. According to KETK, authorities were dispatched Wednesday afternoon to the scene on Highway 69.

At around 4:40 p.m., a thief attempted to rob a local business of cigarettes and charged an officer in the 200 block of Highway 69 after leaving the store, according to officials. The DPS names the alleged thief as 48-year-old James Eric Griffin. The Alto police officer, identified by DPS as Brandon Michael Smith, then shot the man dead as he was being rushed. Smith has been placed on administrative leave. Officials say it is unknown if Griffin was in possession of a weapon when he died.

The Alto police chief says the Texas Rangers will continue investigating the shooting, with findings to be turned over to the district attorney. The body of the alleged robber has been sent to the Dallas Forensic Center for autopsy. The street was crowded with bystanders throughout the night, and the victim’s body was not removed from the roadway until around 7:30 p.m.

MARSHALL — A juvenile is facing murder charges after he allegedly killed a man on Wednesday. That’s according to KETK and its news partner KMSS-TV in Shreveport. At 11:30 p.m., Marshall police were dispatched to reports of a stabbing in the 500 block of W. Meredith. When officers arrived, they found a man, later identified as William Ashley Alford, 39, with several stab wounds. The victim was taken by ambulance to an area hospital, where he later died from his injuries. The boy was arrested and taken to the Willoughby Juvenile Detention Center, where he will face a first degree murder charge. Due to his age, his name will not be released. The investigation is on going.

SMITH COUNTY — Homeowners in one Tyler-area neighborhood are concerned about a strong odor. KETK reports a water company and pond are nearby, and some people are concerned about their water supply. Gina Adams lives off County Road 2265 and Highway 31. She says, “When you breathe (the smell) in, you can feel your throat burning, and it smells almost like a burning tar mixed with sulphur. It smells just like a very strong chemical; it’s horrible. We’ve contacted 911, they’ve sent out the fire department, and they basically told us they couldn’t do anything.”

The environmental crimes officer in Smith County confirms there has been some illegal dumping going on at the Basic Energy Services plant, an oil well down the road from Adams’s house. Adams says she’s witnessed some suspicious trucks dumping something in the middle of the night. She doesn’t know what they were dumping, but Adams believes it was a deadly chemical called hydrogen sulphide.

The environmental crimes officer turned over the investigation to the Texas Railroad Commission to do an investigation. The commission says, “Our Kilgore district office sent out an inspector to the commercial disposal well facility, Basic Energy Services, on Tuesday, Jan. 22. This inspector found no violations of Railroad Commission rules. Additionally, the RRC inspector checked the hydrogen sulfide levels and found no detectable levels.” But the question remains: what is that smell? Whatever it is, people in the area remain concerned.

WHITEHOUSE — There were multiple reports of tire slashings all over Whitehouse overnight. According to KETK, Police Chief Craig Shelton says calls started coming in Thursday morning. He is estimating around 15 vehicles were hit — but it might be more. Shelton says police have a few leads, but don’t want to comment on any suspects just yet. He believes that the county also has had some calls.

GREGG COUNTY — A wreck on Texas 31 that set off a chain of events leading to the deaths of two men Friday has spurred a push for improvements to the stretch often referred to as “Bloody 31.” That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Witnesses to the wreck and people who work at establishments along Texas 31 west of FM 2767 this week are calling for the road to be widened, a reduction in the speed limit, installation of lighting, and addition of a turn lane. One employee of an area business says he and his general manager have discussed starting a petition for such changes; he said Friday night’s events made it more important than ever.

TxDOT spokesman Larry Krantz said, “We investigate each fatal crash on our system and are constantly looking for ways to make our system safer and easier to use. We are open to any suggestions from the public and welcome those.”

VAN — The Van Independent School District has become the second East Texas school district and the third in the state to allow authorized faculty to carry firearms on campus. According to a press release from the district, “Board-authorized specific school employees and other persons” will be allowed “to possess certain firearms on school property, at school-sponsored or school-sanctioned events, and at board meetings.”

According to KETK, the district’s campuses are spread across the city, northwest of Tyler, and, according to the statement, there was concern of effective and timely response to emergency situation. The district’s new policy states that only school employees who have a current license to carry a concealed handgun would be eligible to carry on campus. Last Thursday, administrators at Union Grove ISD, a rural Upshur county district, approved a similar measure to allow select, licensed and trained teachers and administrators to have a firearm on campus.

MARSHALL — A 19-year-old man involved in a string of burglaries in Hallsville was sentenced to four years in prison Wednesday by a Harrison County jury. According to the Longview News-Journal, Nathan R. Freeman of Hallsville was 16 years old when he, along with several other teens, engaged in a spree of burglaries throughout Hallsville in 2010, police said. Freeman told jurors he had a heavy drug addiction at the time. Freeman, who pleaded guilty to burglary of a habitation, said the role he played in the crime was taking the stolen goods and trading them in for drugs.

TYLER – A federal grand jury in Tyler returned several indictments Wednesday. Cloyd Ray Knight, III, 57, of Arlington, was charged with making and passing counterfeit $100 bills. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison. According to the indictment, in December 2012, Knight is alleged to have forged $100 bills which he reportedly used at various retail stores across East Texas. In separate cases, Pastor Sanchez-Ortuno, 38, and Pedro Gallegos-Perez, 31, a Mexican national, were indicted for being present in the United States after having been previously deported. If convicted, each faces up to 10 years in federal prison followed by deportation.

TYLER — The East Texas Human Needs Network Thursday conducts a survey of the local homeless population. The network’s Christina Fulsom says it’s part of an ongoing effort to address the homelessness issues in Smith County and around the state. Other agencies throughout Texas will be conducting similar efforts on Thursday. According to Fulsom, “We have to truly understand the scope of the problem in order to improve our ability to plan and implement effective housing and service programs.” Fulsom says last year’s survey turned up 257 homeless people, including 55 children — and “there were many others we did not find that night.” Volunteer registration is now closed, but you can go to http://www.ethnn.org to learn more.

JACKSONVILLE — Confusion has engulfed the sale of Lon Morris college this week. KETK reports several properties were allegedly auctioned off by AmeriBid, the company handling the sale, that were not to be sold — but rather handed over the city of Jacksonville. According to Jacksonville City Manager Mo Raissi, the rodeo grounds, a recreation center, and a practice field were bid on and won by Jacksonville-based office supplier 11 x 17 Inc. He claims real estate auctioned by AmeriBid must have approval of city management, but they never gave approval to the auction company for those properties. Though the real estate has not technically been sold, the sale is scheduled to be finalized February 4. The winning bids were announced Tuesday.

AmeriBid Spokesman Carl Carter responded to KETK via phone. According to Carter, “All [AmeriBid] did was let people bid on it. Nothing is sold until February 4, unless the city wants to sell [the property]. All we did is generate an offer for a property the city wanted sold. [The City of Jacksonville] doesn’t have to take it,” said Carter. “This was a unique situation, a unique sale with different lenders involved. Everything was done with everybody’s knowledge.” Lon Morris, the oldest junior college in Texas, filed for bankruptcy back in July 2012.

CANTON — A woman was sexually assaulted in Van Zandt County Tuesday night. It happened in the area of Interstate 20 and Highway 64. The sheriff’s department tells KETK after following up on leads, investigators were able to issue an arrest warrant for 29-year-old, Christopher Lee Pruitt. At around 1:00 a.m. Wednesday, sheriff’s deputies along with the Texas Department of Transportation executed a search warrant in the 2000 block of Payne St. in Hunt County and arrested Pruitt.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council hasvoted unanimously to accept a Trail Grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife in the amount of $189,200 and to execute a Trail Fund Agreement. The grant project includes construction of approximately 3.75 miles of crushed granite trail in addition to a bridge crossing over Black Fork Creek. This trail will be an extension of the concrete trail currently located at Woldert Park, around Glass Recreation Center. The trail will continue from the original concrete trail back bone around the lake area and will be approximately five-feet wide. “This trail will be similar to the trail currently located at Faulkner Park,” said Parks Director Stephanie Rollings. “We are so pleased that we are able to add to our City trail system with this project.”

The grant is an 80/20 percent match grant with the state funding $189,200 and the City funding $47,300. The City will use general funds and an in-kind match of $20,000 which includes in-house engineering services and design for the project to cover the 20 percent match. Now that the grant has been approved by Council, the City will begin discussions with the adjacent property owner for easements so that work can begin on design and construction plans for the project. Signing the contract is the first step in the process.

TYLER — Tyler’s City Council has approved the purchase of software from Coplogic, Inc. for the purpose of implementing online police reporting. “This service will provide a convenient way to report minor incidents, crime tips and submit forms through an online service, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” said Police Chief Gary Swindle. “Plus, it provides a user friendly interface that even the most novice computer user can navigate.”

The new system will allow citizens to make their own report of certain specified incidents both criminal and non-criminal in nature. Additionally, citizens may file reports in various languages so that reporting is accessible to communities who may have been reluctant to file their reports previously.

According to officials, benefits include convenient online reporting to citizens while also freeing up time for Officers to pursue other duties and responsibilities. Processing time will decrease in the records division, and officers will be able to reallocate resources to proactively focus on crime trends and decrease response time for priority calls, according to officials. “Incident specific messages will provide the citizen with the same information an officer would in the field,” said Chief Swindle. “So there will be no difference between the interactions with the Police Department online or with an officer on scene.”

Once the software has been installed, citizens will be able to go to http://www.TylerPolice.com to file their reports online. Once a report has been submitted, citizens will be issued a temporary report which is traceable in the online system as well as the agency’s Records Management System.
“This is an outstanding example of demonstrated results from our Lean Six Sigma program,” said Tyler City Manager Mark McDaniel. “I am so proud of Lt. David Long for his work on this project.”Upon approval, reports will be issued a permanent case number and an email will be sent to the citizen with a PDF attachment of the report that is suitable for insurance claims.

Coplogic, Inc. requires a one-time set up fee of $12,500 plus $10,000 annually for License and Maintenance. In return, this software will save the department and city $42 per report filed online, in addition to time savings for both officers and citizens, according to officials.