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PALESTINE (AP) — Testing of a nearly three-mile section of track to link the tourist attraction Texas State Railroad to commercial Union Pacific Railroad has been postponed.

Texas State Railroad officials say Tuesday’s scheduled testing will be rescheduled within the next week. Spokeswoman Janet Gregg says the railroad’s information was not yet entered into UP’s dispatching computers.

UP spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza says there were some mechanical issues with a Texas State Railroad locomotive.

Backers hope the connection in Palestine will help lead to short-haul freight contracts and new revenue. The last time the route was used commercially was by the Texas South Eastern Railroad in 1969.

Gregg says her organization this fall cleared and upgraded what had been 2.8 miles of abandoned track in an effort to link with UP’s yard.

LONGVIEW — Two East Texans may soon be in the race for Texas House speaker. According to KETK, the Texas Tribune is reporting that Representative David Simpson of Longview has been asked to consider a run for the post. Simpson has not filed yet, but if he does, he would join incumbent Joe Straus of San Antonio and challenger Bryan Hughes of Mineola. Simpson was on his way to Austin Tuesday and unavailable for comment.

LONGVIEW (Staff/AP) — A Longview man remains jailed, charged with setting his sleeping roommate on fire. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Jeremy Kellum, 32, was arrested around 5:30 Monday afternoon. He was charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury after he lit Raymond Hellwig’s legs on fire Saturday. This is according to the criminal complaint filed by investigators for his arrest. According to the complaint, another roommate, Donnie Mayo, told police he saw “Kellum put lighter fluid on Hellwig’s pant legs and set Mr. Hellwig’s legs on fire.” The two had reportedly argued earlier that night, and Kellum allegedly made threats to burn the building in the 1200 block of Alpine Road to the ground.

Investigators said they spoke with Hellwig at Good Shepherd Medical Center, where he was immediately taken before being moved to the Burn Unit at Parkland Hospital in Dallas. According to the criminal complaint, Hellwig and Kellum were arguing about an assault Kellum committed on Mayo. Hellwig told police Kellum told him he would “burn him up.” Hellwig woke with “extreme leg pain” and “looked down at his feet and saw that his pants/legs were on fire,” according to his arrest affidavit. Hellwig had burns on his left leg below the knee and his right leg around the ankle, according to the criminal complaint. A nurse told police Hellwig had second-degree burns. He’s now listed in fair condition. Kellum is held in the Gregg County Jail on $250,000 bond.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — A Cherokee County man was arrested after officials discovered he was allegedly in possession of several stolen items from recent burglaries in the area. KETK and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department report that authorities arrested Jody Glenn Smith, 43, of Bullard, on December 2. Investigators executed a search warrant around 8:30pm at a house on the 300 block of Caroline St. in the Shady Brook subdivision near Lake Palestine. Smith has been charged with having a prohibited weapon, possession of marijuana, and theft of a firearm. Bonds have not yet been set, and more charges are expected in connection to other burglaries and thefts that took place over the past month.

Investigators have been contacting surrounding counties to see if any missing property can be matched to the items found in the house. Another search warrant has been executed at another location where stolen property is believed to be stored. No arrests have been made as a result of the second warrant.

Investigators have been contacting surrounding counties to see if any missing property can be matched to the items found in the house. Another search warrant has been executed at another location where stolen property is believed to be stored. No arrests have been made as a result of the second warrant.

TYLER — Many Tyler businesses submitted their beer and wine applications immediately after the local option votes were canvassed on November 19. At last report, the city of Tyler had received 41 completed applications and had completed 22 site visits. Both the city and TABC tell KETK the fastest and most efficient way to get through the application process is to approve them in lumped groups. For example, Brookshire Grocery Company has applied for seven of its locations. Jerry Kidd Enterprises applied for five of its Kidd Jones locations. City officials say that allows them to go through site inspections more quickly.

JACKSONVILLE — There’s no guarantee that the auction of Lon Morris College will take place later this month. KETK and the Jacksonville Daily Progress report that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is intervening in the school’s bankruptcy proceedings. Court documents say it’s to protect charitable endowments and ensure a level playing field for unsecured creditors trying to get their money. Abbott is attempting to block a half-million dollar loan the college bankruptcy estate is seeking. The school says it’s to pay staff and maintain the campus through the conclusion of that impending auction and sale, scheduled for December 13.

SHREVEPORT — Authorities have identified an East Texas man who died following a motorcycle crash last week in Shreveport. KETK reports that officers were dispatched Saturday to a two-vehicle crash in the 5100 block of Bert Kouns Industrial Loop involving a motorcycle and a truck. When authorities arrived on scene, they discovered a man driving a motorcycle had died following a collision with a pickup. The cyclist was later identified Joseph Miciotto, 34, of Deberry, Texas.

Witnesses told police Miciotto was heading east on Bert Kouns Industrial Loop when the driver of the truck, Raymond Johnson, 81, of Shreveport, allegedly pulled out of a private lot into the path of Miciotto’s vehicle. The motorcyclist then hit the driver’s side of Johnson’s truck. Emergency crews arrived on scene shortly after the accident and pronounced Miciotto dead. Johnson, who was not hurt in the wreck, was taken to an area hospital for standard toxicological test. While no cause has been given, investigators believe speed may have been a factor in the deadly crash.

TYLER — The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler has been reaccredited for five years – the maximum term of accreditation – by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). UTHSCT is home to physician residencies in family medicine and occupational medicine, as well as serving as the program sponsor for an internal medicine residency program at Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview. The ACGME is a private professional organization that accredits 8,887 residency education programs. It also monitors institutions that offer residency programs to make sure they provide enough educational, financial, and human resources to support these programs.

“By reaccrediting us for a full five years, the ACGME has shown confidence in our ability to offer a first-class education to the physicians enrolled in our residency programs,” said Jonathan MacClements, M.D., UTHSCT’s director of medical education. The committee that reviewed UTHSCT commended it for “its demonstrated substantial compliance with the ACGME’s institutional requirements.” The Health Science Center is accredited through September 2017.

Residency programs provide physicians just out of medical school with intensive, hands-on training in primary care – family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics – or in a specialty such as cardiology or pulmonology. UTHSCT residency programs have provided East Texas with a steady supply of new physicians for more than 25 years: about 60 percent of its 123 family medicine graduates and 50 percent of the 26 occupational medicine graduates now practice in this region. UTHSCT officials say that’s important because the Association of American Medical Colleges projects a shortage of 45,000 primary care doctors in the United States by 2020 and a shortage of 65,000 primary care doctors by 2025.

SMITH COUNTY — A Tyler Firefighter tells KETK that Jalen Smith has died at a local hospital after a wreck Friday night left him in critical condition. The rollover accident also injured two other Jackson Heights Volunteer firemen. According to DPS officials, the accident happened on Farm Road 2767 in Smith County just after 10:00. The injured were identified as C.J. Redwine, 21, and Gary Robinson, 18. Redwine and Robinson are said to have suffered minor injuries.

The three fireman were on their way to the fire station to respond to a tractor accident in the area when the wreck happened. Smith was ejected from the vehicle. The accident remains under investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Smith is a 2010 Chapel Hill High School graduate. He attended the fire academy. He also worked at Atwoods Ranch and Home store in Tyler.

BRYAN — Three men are behind bars after a routine traffic led to the discovery of more than $75,000 worth of drugs. According to KETK, it happened Saturday around 1:30. The Bryan Police Department reportedly conducted a traffic stop in the 5000 block of east State Highway 21 which led to the discovery of 9 ½ lbs of hydroponic marijuana, valued at approximately $75,500, and a little over $5,000 cash. Kevin Michael Zehnder, 23 (pictured) and Dakota James Zehnder, 20, both from Tyler, and Taylor Jerome Gadus, 21, Elgin were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana. Bond is set at $9,000 for each alleged dealer.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tyler Congressman Louie Gohmert appeared on FOX News Monday talking about the “fiscal cliff” negotiations. He said the president’s current proposal is not serious. According to KETK, Gohmert also said the debt ceiling is leverage for the Republicans. Gohmert observed, “No bill can get passed, no amount of money can get appropriated, not a dime — unless the House is part of it. That’s leverage.” According to Gohmert, it’s important to fix the country’s overspending problem before the U.S. turns into Greece or Spain.

TYLER — Authorities have arrested Justin Wayne Staples, 30, of Tyler in the Thanksgiving weekend death of Chad Everett Davis, also of Tyler. Staples is charged with manslaughter, a 2nd degree felony. Bond is set at $100,000. Staples surrendered to authorities on November 30 and was booked into the Smith County Jail. Earlier, the investigation into Davis’s death revealed that he was killed by a vehicle that struck him in a wooded area. According to police, the vehicle was driven by a male acquaintance with whom Davis, 38, had been drinking that night.

Tyler Police received a call around 1:15 a.m. November 23 from East Texas EMS regarding an individual they were transporting to the East Texas Medical Center emergency room. EMS stated the man had somehow sustained serious injuries and police assistance was needed. Officers responded to the scene, which was located within a heavily wooded area northeast of Blue Mountain Boulevard in southwest Tyler.

Responding officers secured the scene and began speaking with those present at the time the individual was injured. During that time, officers were contacted by hospital staff and learned the individual, identified as Davis, had died. Major Crimes Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators were notified and responded to the scene. Davis’s body was sent to Dallas for autopsy.

AUSTIN — The reward for Jimmy Ray McMillan, 42, a Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender and this month’s featured fugitive, has increased to $13,000 for information leading to his capture if the tip comes in during the month of December. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, in 1988, he twice sexually assaulted a 9-year-old girl whom he was babysitting in Dallas. KETK reports he is currently wanted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Texas Crime Stoppers tips are guaranteed to be anonymous. McMillan’s last known address was in Nacogdoches, and he has family in the Dallas area, where he was born. He has also been linked to Springfield, Ohio, and Hot Springs, Arkansas. He has been known to work construction, roofing, and carnival jobs.

McMillan is 5 feet 10 inches tall and was last known to weigh approximately 155 pounds. His tattoos include “TEX” on his right arm and “J+V” on his left arm, and he has scars on his abdomen and right forearm. Authorities say he should be considered armed and dangerous. You can view McMillan’s wanted poster at: http://www.dps.texas.gov/Texas10MostWanted/SexOffenderDetails.aspx?id=164 for more information.

One offender from the Texas 10 Most Wanted Program is featured each month in hopes the higher reward money from the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division will generate additional tips. The higher reward amount will only be paid if the tip comes in the same month the fugitive is featured. All calls, texts, e-mails and Facebook tip messages are anonymous. Anyone with information can provide anonymous tips on the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).

PALESTINE (AP) — A lieutenant at an East Texas prison has been charged with attacking his corrections-employee wife at their home.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office says Elton Shawn Sims was arraigned Monday on counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, deadly conduct and interfering with an emergency call. Bond is $32,500 for Sims, who didn’t immediately have an attorney.

Sheriff Greg Taylor told the Tyler Morning Telegraph that alcohol may have been involved Sunday. Sims allegedly beat his wife and fired a gun into the air. Further details on the woman weren’t immediately available.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark says the lieutenant’s employment is pending the outcome of the investigation. Sims works at the Gurney Unit. Clark declined to release details on the wife’s job.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A congressman who represents part of East Texas has become the oldest member ever to speak on the floor and cast a vote in the U.S. House. 17-term Congressman Ralph Hall of Rockwall is 89 years old and was re-elected in November. Congressman Pete Sessions of Dallas recalls that he and Congresswoman Kay Granger of Fort Worth once missed a flight “because Ralph Hall was telling the funniest stories.” Sessions says Hall was really mentoring Granger and himself. Hall cast his 18,549th vote in Congress last week.

WOOD COUNTY — A man wanted in a Dallas shooting is thought to be in the Wood County area. According to KETK, Dallas Police officials are looking for Curtis Steward, 34. He is believed to have been involved in a shooting November 11th, in which the victim was shot once in the face. A warrant has been issued for Steward. Authorities said he may be in the Hawkins or Mineola area. Steward is described as 5’4” and 125lbs and is thought to be driving a 1998 White 4-door Jaguar with an Oklahoma license plate 510FFV.

Anyone with information regarding this suspect or the Jaguar is asked to contact the Dallas Police Department Crimes Against Persons Division, 214-671-3584 or Detective Chris Anderson, 214-671-3616 or Crime Stoppers.

LONGVIEW – A fire that appears to have started in a kitchen has extensively damaged a Longview apartment. It was reported around 3:30 Sunday afternoon at the Magnolia Ridge Apartments in the 1600 block of Eastman Road. Smoke and water damage was reported in neighboring apartments. No injuries were reported.

SMITH COUNTY – Toll collection began Monday at 12:01am on the newly opened segment of Toll 49, which connects State Highway 155 in Noonday with State Highway 31 west of Tyler. The segment, officially known as Segment 3A, opened to traffic on November 9.

The toll for the six-mile segment is 60 cents with a TxTAG, and 80 cents for customers without a TxTAG. The TxTAG rate for driving Toll 49 from SH 31 to State Highway 110 in Whitehouse is $1.55, and $2.05 without a TxTAG.

Customer service representatives from TxTAG, the toll tag that can be used on any toll road in Texas, will be on duty to open new accounts or service existing accounts between 8:00am and 6:00pm Tuesday-Thursday this week only in the rear parking lot at Harvey Convention Center in Tyler, just across from the Rose Garden Center main entrance. “If you still need a TxTAG, this is your last chance for a while to buy one in person,” said TxDOT spokesman Larry Krantz. “These three days you can walk in with a need and walk out with a TxTAG, put it on your windshield and go.” Texans can purchase TxTAGs anytime by logging on to http://www.txtag.org or by calling TxTAG customer service during regular business hours at 1-888-Go-TxTAG.

TYLER — Here’s a quick look at work planned in the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation.

SMITH COUNTY — After a planned Monday wrapup of their work on State Highway 64 (Glenwood Boulevard), TxDOT maintenance crews are scheduled to move to State Highway 31 east of Tyler for one day’s work near Farm Road 850 on Tuesday. Once that work is complete, weather permitting, crews are scheduled to begin pavement-repair work on State Highway 64 inside West Loop 323 between the Loop and Glenwood. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

WOOD COUNTY – TxDOT contract crews this week are scheduled to begin about two weeks of base and pavement repair on Farm Road 2966 between State Highway 154 in Yantis and Loop 173 in Quitman. The work is being done in preparation for a seal coat application next summer. Also this week in Wood County, TxDOT maintenance crews are scheduled to perform edge repairs in various locations on Farm Road 1801 east of Mineola, and on Farm Road 515 and Farm Road 2225 near Lake Fork. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

HENDERSON -Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue pavement-repair work on U.S. Highway 79 Business (East Main Street) between US 79 and Marshall Street. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers and pilot vehicles will control traffic. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

GREGG COUNTY -Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue approximately two weeks of pavement-repair operations on both eastbound and westbound Interstate Highway 20 main lanes and various entrance and exit ramps between State Highway 322 (Estes Parkway) and the Harrison County Line. Daytime lane closures and various temporary ramp closures will be in effect while the work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

HENDERSON COUNTY -Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin pavement-repair operations on Farm Road 2636 south of Malakoff between Farm Road 3441 and the end of state maintenance. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY -Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform fog seal operations on State Highway 243 between Canton and the Kaufman County Line. A second crew is scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on Farm Road 47 between Wills Point and the Rains County Line. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers and pilot vehicles will control traffic. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid lengthy delays associated with fog seal work.

CHEROKEE COUNTY – Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue shoulder work on Farm Road 855 between U.S. Highway 69 in Mount Selman and U.S. Highway 175 near Cuney. A second crew is scheduled to perform resurfacing operations in various locations on State Highway 204 between U.S. Highway 84 and the Nacogdoches County Line. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

ANDERSON COUNTY – Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to make base and pavement repairs on Farm Road 1990 between U.S. Highway 79 south of Palestine and State Highway 294. A second crew is scheduled to continue edge repair operations along various highways throughout northwestern Anderson County. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

ANCHORAGE (AP) — A man charged in the death of an Alaska barista has killed himself, and authorities say he was linked to at least seven other slayings or possible slayings in three other states. Israel Keyes was found dead in his Anchorage jail cell Sunday morning. Officials say it was a suicide. Keyes was facing a March trial in federal court for the murder of 18-year-old Samantha Koenig, who was abducted from an Anchorage coffee kiosk last February. He was later arrested in Lufkin, Texas after using the victim’s debit card.

Authorities say they have confirmed that Keyes killed a Vermont couple missing since last year. Federal and state investigators said at a news conference in Vermont on Monday afternoon that 34-year-old Israel Keyes provided details about the abduction of Bill and Lorraine Currier that authorities had not released to the public. The bodies of the Curriers have never been found, but Vermont investigators had said they found evidence to support the claims by Keyes that he killed them. Authorities say Keyes also indicated he killed four others in Washington state and one person in New York state, but did not give the victims’ names.

JACKSONVILLE (AP) – The grounds of the oldest junior college in Texas appear to be frozen in time. They’re deserted, but otherwise little-altered as they wait to go on the auction block. The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported Saturday that books still line the library shelves. At the theater building, sheet music and pianos occupy one classroom. Signs designate “cheerleader seating” in the gymnasium. Inside the cafeteria, athletic uniforms and cheerleading items are on tables, along with framed theater photographs and a certificate marking Lon Morris’ 130th anniversary. The only occupied facility is the administration building, where a limited staff continues to work. All of these buildings will go on sale when the college auctions off core facilities Dec. 13 in Dallas. Lon Morris has suspended classes after filing for bankruptcy this summer.

DALLAS (AP/Staff) – Deaths at railroad crossings in Texas have doubled in the last year, renewing questions about whether the thousands of miles of track in the state is being safely maintained and monitored. The deaths include not only the Nov. 15 accident in Midland that claimed the lives of four military veterans on a parade float, but an equally horrific accident that killed three generations of one family in Diboll last March. Figures compiled by The Associated Press from federal data and other sources show the spike in fatalities has reached 32. It comes after a four-year period in which Texas had lowered its death toll significantly. It also comes with the state in the midst of implementing a federally mandated plan aimed at improving rail-crossing safety.

TYLER — The City of Tyler Parks and Recreation Department will be hosting the seventh annual Holiday in the Park and Bazaar on December 7 and 8 at Bergfeld Park. The event includes a “tubing hill,” a snow play area, shopping, entertainment; a kid’s zone featuring pony rides, a bungee jump, and rock wall; plus more than 85,000 pounds of snow.

The fun begins on Friday, December 7, from 4:00 to 8:00pm with “Snow Play” and the Kids Zone in the park. On Saturday, December 8, the Bazaar will run from 10:00am until 5:00pm and will feature more than 50 vendors displaying a wide variety gift items for your friends or family…or maybe yourself. “Snow Play and the Kids Zone” will be open from 11:00am to 7:00p.m. for kids of all ages. Local dance groups and choirs will entertain from 11:30am until 5:00pm. Finally, the evening will wrap up with a showing of “Arthur Christmas” in the amphitheater at 6:00pm. The weekend’s events will also include the unique and exciting arrival of Santa Scirto around 3:45pm on Saturday, December 8. Photo opportunities with Santa will be available between 3:45 and 5:30pm.

The Holiday in the Park event also invites citizens to bring toys, games, and clothing for the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree. Gifts are needed for both children and senior adults. A drop-off station will be located by the snow hill area and can be brought to the event both Friday, December 7 between 4:00 and 8:00pm and Saturday, December 8 between 10:00am and 7:00pm.

LONGVIEW — While holiday revelers are rockin’ around the Christmas tree this year, Longview’s fire marshal is urging the use of safety precautions to keep festivities from going up in smoke. “Our hope here is to prevent a fire during the Christmas holidays,” said Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary. According to KETK, to illustrate the danger, Longview’s fire department staged a Christmas tree fire Thursday at the department’s training facility, 200 Fair St.
Trees were set up, trimmed with all the usual decorations — twinkling lights, glittery garland and shiny ornaments. The trees were placed near living room furniture, just as they typically are placed in homes. In about 30 seconds, the trees were fully engulfed in flames. In less than a minute, nearby furniture was on fire. Thick, black smoke was billowing throughout the room.

GREGG COUNTY — A new animal shelter in Longview will most likely be built on property owned by the Humane Society of Northeast Texas, according to KETK. The 4.3-acre site on Kermit emerged as the favored location after Humane Society board members agreed during their November meeting to convey the property off H.G. Mosley Parkway, near West Loop 281, to the nonprofit group created by the City of Longview and Gregg County.

The vote was unanimous, said Terry Moore, vice president of the Humane Society of Northeast Texas. Members of Longview’s Animal Shelter Task Force agreed this week the new shelter should be built on the land which was purchased about 10 years ago. At the time, the Humane Society planned to build a new shelter, but financial difficulties stalled those efforts.

ANGELINA COUNTY — Lufkin Police Department Detectives will seek additional warrants for the arrest of Corey Lee Fleming for the offense of burglar of a habitation.

On November 06, officers arrested Corey Fleming after a witness saw him in a neighbors yard. Fleming fled on foot, but officers quickly established a containing perimeter and stopped Fleming’s car in the 100 block of Temple Boulevard. Fleming was sweating profusely, his shoes and pants were wet from contact with the wet grass and shrubbery, and he refused to cooperate with officers. Fleming was arrested for Transportation Code violations, No Driver’s License and Failure to Yield Right of Way from a Private Drive. Authorities then began investigating him as a possible suspect in more than twenty burglaries and attempted burglaries incidents that occurred between August and November at residences in the Lufkin area.

A search of Fleming’s residence resulted in the recovery of evidence linking him to at least one recent burglary. The item had the victim’s name on it. Detectives seized other items from Fleming’s residence for further investigation.

Lufkin PD detectives will seek two warrants for Fleming’s arrest for the burglaries of several other residences where they recovered jewelry linking Fleming to additional burglaries on October 4 and 19. The investigation into the burglaries will continue so that detectives may identify any other burglaries committed by Corey Fleming.

LINDALE — Two people were killed in separate wrecks in the Lindale area on Thursday evening. According to KETK, the first happened on Hwy 69 North near County Road 4148, about a mile north of Lindale, just after 5:00pm. The driver, Lonnie WIlliams, 65, from Lindale, was heading north on Hwy. 69, when officials believe he had a medical issue that caused him to veer off the road. Williams crossed into southbound lanes and hit a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The second wreck happened at 7:45pm on FM 16, about 2.5 miles west of Lindale. Lindale Police officials tell KETK that an officer attempted to pull over the driver, Kamron Vickers Geis, (pictured) 36, of Van, for a minor traffic violation near the Rodeo Arena, but Geis sped away. The officer opted not to pursue Geis, who was heading westbound on FM 16. Smith County DPS officials say that Geis crashed about two miles from the scene of the attempted stop. He had driven off the road, hitting a fence and several trees. Geis was taken to a local hospital, where he later died.

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas court has rejected an appeal filed by landowners who argued a Canadian company did not have the right to condemn their land to build a pipeline designed to eventually transport tar sands oil from Canada to Texas refineries.

The 9th Court of Appeals in Beaumont handed down its decision Thursday, rejecting arguments presented by Rhinoceros Ventures Group, Inc. and Batson Corridor, LP. The landowners’ attorney Robert Wade says they plan to appeal to the Texas Supreme Court.

The court battle is one of many in Texas as landowners fight TransCanada’s construction of the oil pipeline across the state. The larger, cross-border project still doesn’t have the necessary approval to proceed from the U.S. State Department. The portion of the pipeline from Oklahoma to Texas is under construction. A portion of the pipeline is scheduled to go through eastern Smith County.

AUSTIN — Retired chemist and landowner Mike Bishop of Douglass, in Nacogdoches County, comes to Austin to protest the Keystone XL pipeline, and to file the first of several lawsuits. He says when he refused to allow the oil pipeline to go through his land, the pipeline firm said there was no chance of his winning a case against the company. He said the firm told him it has the right of eminent domain as a common carrier. Bishop says his lawyer told him he had no choice but to settle. He says he’s concerned about pipeline spills and the pipeline’s effect on the environment. He’s already filed a lawsuit against the Texas Railroad Commission. He says he also plans to file suits against the Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas Legislature.

TYLER – A man wanted in a Tyler shooting has surrendered to authorities at the Smith County Jail. Tyler police were told yesterday afternoon that Marquel Jermon Scott, 33, of Tyler, had turned himself in. Scott was wanted in an early Monday morning shooting at Hyena’s motorcycle club in Tyler that killed Keeston Dwone Fields, 26 and critically injured John T. Woods, 33. He is now listed in fair condition. Scott is held on one count of homicide and one count of aggravated assault. Bond was set at $750,000 and $500,000 respectively.