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TYLER — Smith County was awarded a certificate of compliance for receiving high marks in cleanliness and safety during its annual inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. Officials say the inspection was held on December 18. According to a county news release, Smith County passed its surprise inspection without any deficiencies in the more than 650 compliance areas checked. Those included cell cleanliness, secure lock systems, proper medical screening of prisoners, proper staff training, adequate shower and toilet facilities, and sanitary food preparation within the jail system.

“We are very proud to receive such a positive report. These results are a clear indication of how former Sheriff J.B. Smith left the department,” County Judge Joel Baker said. Judge Baker added that Smith County’s record of positive inspections is notable because it has been done with the added burden of transporting inmates in and out of the county due to overcrowding. The executive director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, Brandon Wood, said the certificate represents the outstanding leadership of the staff in complying with minimal jail standards.

According to the news release, newly elected Sheriff Larry Smith praised the hard work of the previous administration and said he looked forward to carrying on the tradition of excellence that has been established. “I look forward to working with the Commissioners Court and County officials to continue the superb work they have done to keep the Smith County jail running smooth and in compliance,” said Sheriff Smith.

AUSTIN (AP/Staff) – Former Associated Press fashion editor and foreign correspondent Nadeane Walker Anderson has died. Anderson, a native of East Texas, was 91. Anderson’s daughter said Tuesday her mother, who used her maiden name Nadeane Walker as her byline, died Monday in Austin. Anderson became AP’s European fashion editor in 1947, shortly after marrying AP correspondent Godfrey Anderson in Paris. She interviewed some of the biggest names in fashion at the time, including Coco Chanel and Christian Dior. Yves Lanvin even named a dress after her. Born in Canton, Anderson worked for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram after graduating from North Texas Teacher’s College in 1942. She enlisted in the Women’s Army Corp and joined The Stars and Stripes newspaper in Paris in 1945. She also worked for the International Herald Tribune and the Dallas Times Herald.

DALLAS (AP/Staff) – Dallas police have charged a Longview man with murder in the fatal shooting of a University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center employee in a campus parking garage. Police on Wednesday arrested 41-year-old Ferdinand Glen Smith. The case involves Tuesday night’s attack on 40-year-old Karen Smith, who was an executive assistant at UT Southwestern. Online jail records also indicate Ferdinand Smith faces a charge of assault-family violence. Police did not immediately confirm any possible relationship between the Smiths. A UT Southwestern official described the slaying as an apparent isolated domestic incident. No bond was immediately set for Smith. Online jail records did not list an attorney for him.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council approved several items on the agenda at Liberty Hall Wednesday morning, including moving forward with a planned convention center. According to KETK, members approved changing the name of their comprehensive plan from Tyler 21 to Tyler 1st. They also launched a new city website, which is said to be more user friendly and interactive. The council unanimously passed a contract with Garfield Traub Development LLC to bring a new convention center to Tyler. They will now move into a pre-development phase, including document negotiations and construction.

Other items passed were: new traffic signals on Front St. and Broadway as part of the “Revitalize downtown” initiative. Speed limit change on Earl Campbell parkway from 30 MPH to 45 MPH. And reduce speed limit to 25 mph and add a new school zone on Shiloh Road near Cumberland Academy.

Also, City Manager Mark McDaniel announced several organizational changes. Keidric Trimble has been appointed chief financial officer (CFO). The position was vacant after the retirement of Daniel Crawford in May 2012; Trimble has been serving as acting CFO since Crawford’s retirement. Susan Guthrie has been appointed assistant city manager. Guthrie has worked for the City of Tyler for five years, most recently as the managing director of external relations. And Russ Jackson has been appointed manager of the Solid Waste and Vehicle Services Departments due to the impending retirement of Dan Brotton. Jackson has been with the City of Tyler since 1986.

MOUNT PLEASANT — A Mount Pleasant woman accused of stealing hundreds of identities while working at the Texas Department of Health and Human Services has been arrested. According to the Longview News-Journal, Selena Patino, 38, was arrested at her home and charged with fraudulent use or possession of identifying information and credit card abuse.

Patino worked at the state agency in Mount Pleasant, where authorities said she stole the identity of clients who came to get vaccinations. Authorities said Patino used the client information and stolen or copied credit cards to apply for new credit cards — which she then maxed out. Titus County sheriff’s deputies said they began looking for Patino after they received multiple complaints from county residents during the first week of 2013.

TYLER — A woman has been hospitalized after her house caught on fire. It happened Tuesday night just after 10:00 along the 1600 block of Chilton Avenue. According to KETK, flames are said to have started in a bedroom. The first floor of the two story home was destroyed. One woman was burned and taken to a local hospital.

TYLER — A Henderson County man has pleaded guilty in Tyler federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Frankie Darrell Durant, 50, of Athens, pleaded guilty Tuesday during a hearing before United States Magistrate Judith K. Guthrie. Durant was indicted by a federal grand jury on a 1 count indictment on September 12th.

According to federal prosecutors, on or about July 26, 2011, Durant possessed three firearms in Smith County. The firearms were located in a storage room that that he rented. Durant also admitted that the he previously had been convicted of possession of a controlled substance, a felony offense, in 2007. Durant faces no more than 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a term of not more than 3 years of supervised release. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

BULLARD — A portion of the city of Bullard now has beer and wine sales for off-premise consumption. KETK reports three businesses in Smith County Justice Precinct 2′s portion of the city got their licenses. Justice Precinct 2 and the city of Tyler approved beer and wine sales for off-premise consumption in the November election. .

JACKSONVILLE— The man accused of killing a beloved Jacksonville coach has been indicted on a capital murder charge by the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office. KETK reports Jimmy Deshawn Mosley turned himself in on October 20, 2012. He is believed to have shot and killed “Coach” Stacey Hunter, 43, outside Stacey’s Club around 4:00 that morning. The alleged shooter was indicted on December 17. Authorities found Hunter dead inside the club, shot twice in the arm and chest. No other court dates have been set at this time for Mosley.

Hunter grew up in Jacksonville, playing for the Tribe football team in the 80s. Since then, he coached kids in everything from Pop Warner to Little Dribblers to little league baseball. Coach worked for Jacksonville Public Works for about 20 years, most recently as a code enforcement officer.

AUSTIN (AP/Staff) – After overcoming a challenge from an East Texan, House Speaker Joe Straus (pictured) has started his third term in the powerful post by calling public education the priority of the new Texas Legislature. Straus also said Tuesday that lawmakers must take “bold, substantial action” in the next 140 days to address a mounting water crisis in the face of a rapidly growing population. Straus won re-election unopposed Tuesday after tea party favorite David Simpson of Longview withdrew his speaker candidacy during a defiant 10-minute speech to a packed House floor before bowing out. Simpson told lawmakers the House should operate without a “fear of retribution” from leaders in the chamber.

Straus is presiding over the most inexperienced House chamber in four decades. More than a quarter of the 150-member body are freshmen. One of those freshmen, Republican Matt Schaefer of Tyler, remarked, “If Rep. Simpson had been on the ballot, I would have voted for him. He pursued my vote with zeal, and I was persuaded by Rep. Simpson’s strength of character, conservative philosophy, and fresh ideas.” But in a statement, Schaefer continued, “The will of the House has been exercised and it is now time to move on, work together, and do the people’s business. I truly believe that Speaker Straus listened to the concerns raised by Rep. Simpson and those that supported him, and it is my hope that he will take those concerns to heart as we move forward.”

MARSHALL — Two longtime teachers, a janitor, and a self-described housewife were among eight people selected Monday to decide whether Gregg County is to blame for the 2010 death of a jail inmate. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report the federal jury panel is to begin hearing evidence Jan. 22 in the wrongful death suit brought by the children and mother of Amy Lynn Cowling. U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap of Marshall sent the five-woman, three-man jury home Monday with strict instructions not to discuss their assignment, including on social media. Gilstrap said he expected the trial to run for about five days.

Cowling was 33 when she was brought to the Gregg County Jail Christmas Eve, after a traffic stop revealed two out-of-county misdemeanor theft warrants and some unpaid tickets. She died in a separation cell Dec. 28. Defense attorney Robert Davis told the panel during selection process that Cowling’s cause of death was “…a product of having abused drugs for years.”

A recovering opiate addict of seven years, Cowling was under a methadone regimen prescribed by a drug-addiction clinic in Tyler. She also was taking prescription medications. Those drugs, including the methadone, are not on the list of approved medications allowed by jail policy. Cowling’s family says the seizures and inability to communicate into which she lapsed were the result of withdrawal from her prescribed medications. Four jailers were fired within a week of Cowling’s death.

TYLER — The Smith County Elections Office is in the process of relocating to a new building within the downtown County campus. The new home of the Elections Office is at 304 E. Ferguson, just two buildings east of its previous location in the Smith County Courthouse Annex. The office is open and fully staffed while the transition is taking place. Anyone seeking the services of the Smith County Elections Office can visit the new location during normal business, 8::00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday, or call the Smith County Elections Office at 903-590-4777.

The renovated facility at 304 E. Ferguson also features a new multi-purpose facility space that can be used for large gatherings, town hall meetings, jury pools, and other future needs. Details of a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Elections Office and multi-purpose facility are soon to come.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council gears up to hear a presentation this morning on the status of the City’s comprehensive plan, Tyler 21. Tyler 21 was originally adopted by the City Council on November 14, 2007, after nearly 18 months of community involvement and input. Officials say the 20-year plan created a strategic framework for future actions for the City and is a community-based plan. According to a news release, it defines a vision for the future linked to overall goals and policies, and it contains strategies and action items for achieving the goals.

The plan calls for annual reports to City Council on the status of implementation as well as a comprehensive review every three to five years to revisit the vision, goals, and principles. “This month we will launch a comprehensive five-year review of the plan,” said City Planner Heather Nick. “We have already begun preliminary work and analysis and are eager to involve the community in updating the plan.”

“Tyler 21 was an unprecedented effort by the citizens, elected officials and City staff,” said Mayor Barbara Bass. “The plan’s success can be largely attributed to the extensive involvement of the community in its development. This plan is truly the vision of the people and we want to make sure it remains reflective of current opinions.” Go to http://www.cityoftyler.org/ for more information. You can visit http://www.cityoftyler.org/Tyler21.aspx for more information on Tyler 21.

ANGELINA COUNTY — Of the 44 licensed and registered day care facilities in Angelina County, 30 have received citations within the past 24 months for not conducting proper background checks on employees, in addition to other state-weighted high-risk deficiencies. According to the Lufkin Daily News and KETK, inspection reports made available by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services indicated that many local childcare facilities were inspected and given citations for high-risk violations such as improper background checks, not having required fire inspections, improper CPR training, not having required immunizations, and unsafe playground equipment. Some were also cited for workers not demonstrating competence, good judgment and self-control in the course of their duties.

TYLER — A Tyler City Council member has resigned to accept a job with newly elected Ted Cruz. According to KETK, Jason Wright will be the East Texas Regional Director for Senator Cruz. He made the announcement Monday afternoon. Wright said his new office will be in Tyler. Wright, a member of Grassroots We The People, was a big supporter of Cruz during the election.

LAIRD HILL — Last month, a number of East Texas school districts made a list of districts not in compliance with school safety measures. One of those was Leverett’s Chapel. But on Monday, that district completed the paperwork to be in compliance. School officials tell KETK the safety audit was completed, but a miscommunication kept the audit from ever being mailed. But after last month’s Connecticut school shooting, the district took one more look before sending off the paperwork. Superintendent Donna Johnson says, “We felt secure enough, but we went back and did make some changes in our plan, and it’s gonna be like a living plan. We’re gonna add to it all the time.” The district mailed the audit off after a special school board meeting Monday afternoon.

GULFPORT, MISS. (AP) – In a case with an East Texas link, U.S. District Judge Walter J. Gex III of Mississippi has sentenced a mother and daughter from Texas to prison terms on charges of bank robbery. The Sun Herald reports that Evie Mearlene Herrin, 58, and Amelia Darci Crew, 30, both of Cleveland, Texas, were fined $5,000 each. Gex sentenced Herrin to 5 years and 10 months in prison for using a BB gun to hold up a Regions Bank on U.S. Highway 49 in Gulfport, Mississippi, on March 26, 2012. Crew was sentenced to 3 years and 10 months.

Herrin and Crew pleaded guilty October 1. They are charged in Louisiana with robberies of a bank in Kinder, La., in February and another in Sulphur, Louisiana, in March. They are charged in a February heist in Henderson, Texas.

TYLER — The East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System Monday unveiled two new emergency transport helicopters, valued at over $9 million. Officials say they’ll provide patients in East Texas with critical, fast access to the region’s only level 1 trauma center at ETMC Tyler. The Eurocopter, EC135 P2+ helicopters will be stationed at ETMC Tyler and Titus Regional Medical Center in Mount Pleasant. The EC135 that currently is stationed in Tyler is being upgraded and will be positioned at ETMC Athens. Officials say this allows ETMC to provide high quality care and rapid transport to residents within a 150-mile radius around each helicopter base, covering 38 counties in East Texas.

Art Chance, vice president of operations for ETMC, says, “Reducing transportation time to ETMC Tyler’s level 1 trauma center, helps severely injured or seriously ill patients arrive within the ‘golden hour,’ significantly improving their chances for recovery.” Operations coordinator Jim Speier adds, “The new helicopters have updated safety features, including a terrain avoidance warning system that gives an audible voice alert message if an obstacle appears along the flight path. They also have a traffic collision avoidance system to warn the pilot of another aircraft in close proximity.” Additionally, the helicopters have updated medical equipment, including a new ventilator. Other features include live weather radar, a black box recorder system, and more.

LONGVIEW — The Longview United for Growth Committee has turned in signed petitions to the City of Longview for verification. More than 9,000 signatures have been collected in the petition to get alcohol sales approved for the remaining dry portions of Longview. Longview United for Growth is the group heading up the push for alcohol sales. The group told KETK in December that it had reached the number of signatures needed to get the measure on the May ballot. The group began the petition in November, and within 6 weeks had gathered at least 6,000 signatures.

Longview United for Growth’s treasurer, Kimberly Fish, tells KETK, “I think everybody in the community understands that the way to get economic development to come to the area is to allow grocery stores and convenience stores to sell beer and wine.” The City of Longview secretary now must confirm the signatures before the issue can be officially put on the ballot.

TYLER — The City of Tyler is currently considering a request to change the ordinance dealing with off-site estate and garage sale signs. Residents can share their opinions through Tyler Speaks on the City of Tyler web site: http://www.CityofTyler.org

According to a release from the city, officials will read the statements and incorporate them into their decision process. The first discussion topic, off-site estate and garage sale signs, has been posted and residents may post their opinions on the page after registering.

The City of Tyler currently does not allow off-premise advertising of estate/garage sales. The City Council is considering a proposed Ordinance Amendment that would allow up to four off-premise directional signs on private property with permission
from the property owners.

To protect Tyler’s natural beauty, signs may not be posted on the light posts, traffic signal posts, sidewalk, fire hydrant, or any other public properties and rights-of-way.

TYLER — A portion of the John Soules Food plant north of Tyler has been damaged by fire. The fire on Farm Road 14 started when a transformer blew, starting the blaze in a storage building. No major damage was reported to the main building and no injuries were reported.

RUSK — Authorities are looking for two men who robbed two women at a Rusk business. It happened late Sunday night in the 100 block of North Main Street. One of the women was said to have been pistol whipped and pushed to the ground by one of the men. KETK reports the two suspects then fled on foot, both heading in different directions. If anyone has any information, you can contact Rusk Crime Stoppers at 866-586-7878.

MARSHALL — A professor at Wiley College in Marshall has been killed in a motorcycle accident. Killed was assistant professor of biology Valentyn Siniak, 37. Investigators say Friday night Siniak was westbound on his motorcycle on U.S. Highway 80 and a pickup was eastbound. The collision occurred when the pickup turned north onto Loop 390. Siniak was rushed to Good Shepherd Medical Center in Marshall where he later died.

PALESTINE — Authorities search for armed robber in Palestine. It happened Saturday night around 8:15. According to KETK, officers from the Palestine Police Department were dispatched to the Family Dollar Store located in the 300 block of East Spring Street in reference to an armed robbery. Officers were advised that a black male had entered the store armed with a hand gun and demanded money. The suspect was given the money from the cash registers, then left the store with an undetermined amount of money. No one was injured during this incident.

Witnesses stated that the suspect was a black male just over 6 feet tall and had a thin build. The suspect was wearing a white jacket, white gloves, dark pants, and black shoes. The suspect was also armed with a black handgun. The suspect had some type of clothing, possibly a t-shirt covering part of his face. Police arrived on the scene within minutes of receiving the call and began a search for the suspect. After an extensive search of the area the suspect was not located. The Palestine Police Department is asking that anyone with information concerning this incident please call Detective Cathy Weber at 903-731-8422 or CRIME STOPPERS at 903-729-TIPS (8477).

GREGG COUNTY — Despite soaring prices and dwindling stock, gun and knife enthusiasts descended Saturday on a Longview gun show in force, pressing shoulder-to-shoulder in the hope of finding a rare deal. According to KETK, some shoppers waited more than 30 minutes to enter the exhibit building at Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Complex when the Classic Arms Productions Gun & Knife Show began at 9:00.

Twice in recent months, news events have caused gun sales to skyrocket. First was the re-election of President Barack Obama. Second was a mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school and the increased gun control rhetoric that followed. From Nov. 23 to 25, an FBI database shows 283,423 background checks were performed nationally, an increase of more than 30 percent from the same period in 2011.

Before doors opened Saturday at the gun show in Longview, a hundreds of buyers had formed long lines. Some shoppers said they waited almost 45 minutes just to get in. But vendors, many of whom travel from gun show to gun show, were not overwhelmed with the traffic and said that for the past month, guns and ammunition have been sold faster than they can be replaced. Ammunition also was in high demand at Saturday’s show. Large pallets of ammunition dwindled quickly as the day progressed, dropping from stacks of seven or eight boxes per stack to one or two.

MARSHALL — A Marshall man died Friday shortly after being shocked with a stun gun by Marshall police during an arrest. According to KETK, the incident started around 8:30 when police responded to a disturbance call near the intersection of East Houston Street and Scoggins Street in Marshall. According to a police statement, upon the officers arrival, they were confronted by an uncooperative nude black male. A struggle ensued and the black male was tased. Marcus Dewayne Slade, 32, was shocked and arrested and taken to the Harrison County Jail. Officials said an ambulance was called a short time later when Slade was found unresponsive. He was pronounced dead by Harrison County Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Kenneth Alford. An autopsy has been ordered. Slade’s death is under investigation by the Texas Rangers.

GREGG COUNTY — Lawyers for Gregg County and the family of a woman who died in its jail failed to reach an agreement Friday that would have avoided a trial, a plaintiff’s attorney said. Jury selection in the case is set begin Monday. According to the Longview News-Journal, attorney Todd Tefteller, who represents the survivors of Amy Lynn Cowling, also said the trial would begin Jan. 22 in the Marshall courtroom of U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap. Friday is the second time court-ordered mediation failed.

Cowling’s family sued Gregg County in June 2011, six months after she was found unresponsive in a separation cell where she’d been placed after exhibiting symptoms of seizure and disorientation. A recovering opiate addict, the 33-year-old brought prescriptions for methadone, Xanax and Seroquel to the jail when she was arrested on a misdemeanor theft charge and unpaid tickets. But those drugs are not on the list of approved prescriptions set by Gregg County Health Authority Dr. Lewis Browne. The doctor, by phone, prescribed Librium for anxiety and Haldol, an anti-psychotic drug, for Cowling, according to documents filed in federal court by Cowling family attorneys. Browne’s weekly jail visit was the day after Cowling died, the filings stated.

Jailers and other inmates, the Cowling family filing says, reported her crying and howling, shaking uncontrollably and unresponsive days before her Dec. 28, 2010, death, five days after her arrest. The family is seeking unspecified damages in the wrongful death suit.

GREGG COUNTY — The Gregg County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help with finding a missing woman. Jacklyn Arredondo was last seen in the area of Skinner Road in Gregg County at about 8:15 AM on January 4th. She is described as a thirty year old white female, 5’5″, 150 pounds and has shoulder length brown hair with blond streaks. Arredondo was wearing a red hoodie, white jogging pants and black shoes. She was driving a 2005 silver Chevrolet Cobalt with Texas License #DC7B701. Please contact Investigator Cecil Shelton at (903) 738-1034 with any information.

SMITH COUNTY — A Smith County Constable was involved in a three-vehicle wreck Friday morning. According to Smith County DPS officials, Precinct 4 Deputy Constable Bobby Sanders was driving southbound on Loop 323 when he attempted to make a left turn onto American Legion Road around 9:00. According to KETK, a driver in a Ford F-150 pickup truck heading northbound struck Sanders, pushing him into a Fed Ex delivery van that was waiting at the light on American Legion Road. Smith County Precinct 4 Constable John Smith said three people were taken to the hospital but were not seriously injured. Sanders was also checked at a Tyler hospital as a precaution but is expected to be okay. According to Smith County DPS authorities, Constable Sanders was at fault in the wreck.

TYLER — The new Mountain Bike Trail at Lindsey Park is ready for use. The opening ceremony is this morning at 9:30. The event will be held at the south side of the park near the softball fields. That will be followed by a four-hour endurance race.

The completion of this trail adds to the already impressive lineup of public biking/hiking trails in the Tyler area including those at Faulkner Park, The University of Texas at Tyler, and Tyler State Park.

“The Lindsey Park Mountain Bike Trail came about through a creative partnership between the City of Tyler, the Tyler Bicycle Club, and the Smith County Justice System,” said Tyler Parks Director Stephanie Rollings.

The trail winds 10 miles through the 130 acres of Lindsey Park on Spur 346 west of town. The entrance and exit can be found across the park road from the parking lot for the lower softball fields.

“Tyler Bicycle Club volunteers, along with Smith County jail trustees and folks doing community service for their probation with Smith County Court-at-Law #3, cut the trail through the forested tract during the past 18 months,” added Rollings. “The City of Tyler is so excited to offer to our citizens this type of recreational opportunity at now two of our park facilities. It is with these types of partnerships that such great projects come to fruition.”