KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LUFKIN – One person has been killed and one injured in a two vehicle accident near Lufkin. The crash occurred around 1:00 Sunday morning on U.S. Highway 69 just north of Loop 287. Killed was Victor Songcuan, 51, of Lufkin. The Department of Public Safety reports his motorcycle rear ended a car driven by Gloria Taylor Martines, 61, of Nacogdoches. Songcuan died about six hours after the accident at Lufkin’s Memorial Hospital. Martines is hospitalized at Lufkin’s Woodland Heights Medical Center.

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

SMITH COUNTY — The Texas Department of Transportation’s annual preventative maintenance program known as “District-Wide Seal Coat” is scheduled to begin work later this week in Smith County, weather permitting. Crews are scheduled to apply a seal coat to the following roads:
*State Highway 31 between West Loop 323 and Farm Road 206 (Old Goodyear Plant);
*State Highway 57 (West Grande Extension) between State Highway 155 (Frankston Highway) and Farm Road 2493 (Old Jacksonville Highway);
*Farm Road 2964 (Rhone’s Quarter Road) between State Highway 110 in Tyler and Farm Road 346 in Whitehouse;
*Farm Road 346 between State Highway 110 in Whitehouse and State Highway 110 in Troup
Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two lane areas. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

Also this week in Smith County, construction crews are scheduled to continue several weeks of nighttime work on Tyler’s WSW Loop 323 between State Highway 155 (Frankston Highway) and Bellwood Drive, which is just south of the railroad overpass near West Front Street.

Crews are scheduled to work from 7:00pm to 5:00am, Sunday-Thursday repairing and then resurfacing the roadway. Temporary lane-closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and motorists should be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

Finally in Smith County, TxDOT maintenance crews are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on Farm Road 16 in Lindale on either side of U.S. Highway 69. Daytime lane closures will be in effect, and flaggers will control traffic.

GREGG COUNTY — The Texas Department of Transportation’s annual preventative maintenance program known as “District-Wide Seal Coat” is scheduled to continue work this week in Gregg County, weather permitting. Crews are scheduled to apply a seal coat to:
*Farm Road M 1252 between State Highway 135 near Liberty City and SH 42;
*Farm Road 2087 between Loop 281 in Longview and Farm Road 349 in Kilgore;
*Farm Road 3053 between State Highway 31 and Rusk County Line
Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two lane areas. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

Also this week in Gregg County, TxDOT maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin ditch work on State Highway 149 between Farm Road 2906 (Easton Road) and the Rusk County Line. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin approximately two weeks of pavement repairs on U.S. Highway 79 east of Henderson between the city limits and the Panola County Line. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers and pilot vehicles will control traffic.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin seal coat operations on Farm Road 1653 between Farm Road 858 in Martins Mill and State Highway 64. Once that work is complete, crews are scheduled to perform the same work on Farm Road 17 between State Highway 64 in Canton and Interstate Highway 20. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application.

Also this week in Van Zandt County, TxDOT crews will be performing edge work on Farm Road 2339, between Farm Road 773 and Farm Road 279 in Edom.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — TxDOT maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin edge work on Farm Road 855 between U.S. Highway 69 in Mount Selman and Farm Road 2137. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations on Farm Road 753 southwest of Athens between State Highway 19 and Farm Road 59 in Cross Roads. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

ANDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations in various locations on Farm Road 860, between U.S. Highway 287 and State Highway 19. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

TYLER — The Historic Aviation Memorial Museum at the old Tyler Pounds Field hosted the Historic Aviation Memorial Saturday, giving East Texans a chance to see history up close and personal. KETK reports the motto was “Keeping history alive.” The presentation was a static display preceding the Thunder Over Cedar Creek Air Show. Pilots flew in on bombers, jets, and other aircraft from Houston, San Marcos, and other areas of the state. All of the planes were manned, and kept up by volunteers, who say they put in the work not out of a duty to keep history alive; instead they call it an honor. And with shows like these, they say it gives visitors a chance to take part in living history.

TYLER — Tyler police make some headway in their investigation of a June 29 stabbing at the Moore Grocery Loft Apartments, 408 North Broadway. According to a news release, investigators have acquired the assistance of a forensic artist with the Texas Rangers Evidential Art and Facial Identification Unit to provide a composite drawing of the suspect. Further suspect description is as follows: black male, 5’10” to 6’0” tall, thin build, not muscular, short hair, thin mustache, wearing a pastel pink short sleeve crew neck t-shirt and blue jeans. Officers determined that an altercation occurred inside the apartment building on the 29th, and they located a 40-year-old woman with multiple stab wounds. She was transported to ETMC.

Anyone with information about the suspect involved in this crime is urged to contact the Tyler Police Department, at 903-531-1000, or Crimestoppers, at 903-597-CUFF (903-597-2833). Crimestoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information that leads to arrests and charges filed in this, or any, felony case.

TYLER — A delegation from Selcuk University in Konya, Turkey, is currently visiting Tyler Junior College and The University of Texas at Tyler, as the institutions discuss the possibility of a faculty exchange program. Selcuk University President Dr. Hakki Gokbel and Vice Presidents Dr. Musa Ozcan and Dr. Ibrahim Ercan will meet with TJC President Dr. Mike Metke and UT Tyler President Dr. Rod Mabry. They will also meet Mayor Barbara Bass, tour the TJC and UT Tyler main campuses, and visit local landmarks and businesses.

Selcuk University has hosted travel study groups led by TJC Government Professor Dr. Manoucher Khosrowshahi for many years. Khosrowshahi has served as guide and tour organizer for Turkey travel study on 24 occasions. Metke and Mabry participated in 2010. Khosrowshahi said exchange programs between colleges and universities help to “promote peace and mutual understanding between nations.”

As part of its international initiatives, UT Tyler launched its Global Awareness Through Education program in fall 2011. GATE is designed to increase global awareness among students, according to Dr. Jill Blondin, UT Tyler Center for Global Education director. Among its annual international activities, TJC conducts International Day for students of all ages each April. The daylong fair is organized by Khosrowshahi. TJC and UT Tyler also partner in a community service program in Costa Rica each spring. Selcuk University has an enrollment of approximately 90,000 students and is one of the largest universities in Turkey.

HOUSTON (AP/Staff) – Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson has been arrested in Houston on a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest. That’s after an early Saturday morning incident in which it reportedly it took three officers to subdue him. The 27-year-old Peterson was a star at Palestine High School. He was released from jail later Saturday on a $1,000 bond. Team spokesman Bob Hagan says the Vikings “are aware of the situation and are gathering more information.”

SMITH COUNTY — Fire crews say one home has been destroyed in a northern Smith County blaze that started as a grass fire and spread. KETK reports that Red Springs, Lindale, and Dixie volunteer firefighters responded. Crews were initially called to a structure fire at 1790 Montgomery Gardens outside Tyler. The fire broke out just before 3:00 p.m. on Friday. No injuries have been reported.

TYLER — Two kittens were illegally dumped at a Smith County veterinary clinic in June, and the hunt is on for those responsible. Surveillance video from the clinic shows two people in a pickup truck driving up to the West Tyler Veterinary Clinic on the 13000 block of Hwy. 64 West just before 6:00 a.m. June 28 and dropping off two male kittens in a box. Officials with the clinic say that they get illegal dumps all the time, and their business is not intended to be a drop-off spot. Veterinarian Shelley Williams tells KETK that the clinic neutered the kittens, and they were adopted later that day. If you have any information about the people involved in this crime, you’re asked to contact local law enforcement.

TYLER (AP) – A retired Tyler dentist says he regrets fatally shooting his wife of 26 years. Dr. Bobby Nichols told The Associated Press on Friday that he misses and loved his wife. He said, “We just got in a fight and I screwed up and killed her with a gun.” Tyler police arrested the 75-year-old and charged him with the June 29 death of 71-year-old Rosiland Nichols. He’s charged with murder and free on $750,000 bond. Nichols said he’s never been in trouble, but after a few drinks with his buddies he came home and his wife began nagging him. Nichols said he doesn’t really “remember what happened” before the shooting. He said it was “almost like blacking out,” so he had hoped it was only a dream.

LONGVIEW — Longview police are seeking the public’s help as they continue working a stolen credit card case from this past spring. On April 23 at 4:16 p.m., police received a report of a vehicle burglary that occurred in the 3000 Block of Good Shepherd Way. The victim told police that on April 22 between 2-3 p.m. someone had entered his vehicle and removed several credit cards from his wallet. The victim’s credit cards were used at various locations on that same date.

The suspect is believed to be of Hispanic, Asian, or Middle Eastern descent, with black hair, approximately 35-40 years of age, and with an athletic build. The suspect was wearing sunglasses, a long-sleeved button-up shirt, with a white undershirt, and light-colored slacks. Video was obtained at one of the stores where the cards were used. When the suspect left the store, he was seen entering a dark colored, late model four-door Chevrolet Silverado pickup. The driver of the vehicle, who accompanied the suspect inside the store, is described as a younger male with a thin build and may be possibly of Hispanic, Middle Eastern, or Asian descent.

Anyone who has information regarding the identity of the card user is asked to contact Detective Melissa Dobbs at 903-237-1199. If the tipster wishes to remain anonymous he or she can also contact Gregg County Crimestoppers at http://www.greggcountycrimestoppers.org or 903-236-STOP (7867). Longview Police again urge people to lock their vehicles and take their valuables with them.

GILMER — Bond has been set at $50,000 for the Upshur County man accused of hanging a donkey from a tree, according to the county judicial records. KETK reports 35-year-old Anthony Bassler was arrested on Tuesday. It was his second arrest on animal cruelty charges. Bassler claimed that the donkey was dead before he hung it in the tree to be used as panther bait. However, according to Upshur County Sheriff officials, the evidence suggests that the animal may have been alive at the time.

LONGVIEW — Another arrest in connection to a Monday shooting at Willow Park in Longview. According to KETK, five people have been linked to the crime. Billie Beall Jr., Adrian Parker, Tyrell Jerome Allen, Eric Adams, and Bobby lee thompson were all arrested. After a short chase following the shooting, police stopped a car in the front yard of a house on Flanagan Street. officers found an assault rifle and two handguns in the car, along with bullet holes through the exterior. The investigation continues.

OVERTON — One of Texas’ Top 10 Most Wanted criminals was arrested Tuesday night at a home in Overton. On July 2, someone tipped off law enforcement agencies on the whereabouts of William Darrell Richardson, 47. According to KETK, Richardson was wanted on parole violations stemming from a murder conviction. The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office and DPS, including a DPS helicopter, went to the location and arrested Richardson without incident. He was taken to the Rusk County Jail, where he remains. According to authorities, Richardson is a known member of the Aryan Circle gang. The person who tipped off law enforcement will be paid a reward of $5,000.

LUFKIN – The body of a pedestrian killed in a Lufkin accident has been sent to Beaumont for autopsy. The Department of Public Safety says the accident happened just before 1:30 Thursday morning on U.S. Highway 59 near Corley Fenley Road. They are still trying to identify the victim. He was hit by a pickup driven by Reynoldo Solis of Pasadena. Solis and his two passengers were not injured.

SMITH COUNTY – A grass fire off Big Eddy Road in southwestern Smith County burned around 3 acres Thursday. Noonday firefighters brought the blaze under control. No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged. It appears as if the fire was started by someone shooting fireworks.

LONGVIEW – A prostitution deal that fell through has resulted in the arrest of a Dallas couple. Arrested were Airias Ellison, 23, and Sharika Hopson, 20. Police reports say they drove to Longview so Hopson could have sex for $2,000 with a man she met on line. The deal fell through when the man only had $200. The man said when he left the motel on Martin Luther King Boulevard; the couple chased him in their car. He then flagged down a police car and asked for help.

Hopson has been charged with prostitution and bond set at $1,000. Ellison’s bond is $11,000 on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, burglary of a building and promotion of prostitution.

NACOGDOCHES COUNTY — A former Kilgore firefighter has been killed and two persons injured in a gas well site accident southwest of Chireno. According to the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Department, the accident happened when a high-pressure water line cap ruptured just before 8:00 Thursday morning at a site off County Road 445. KETK reports that Jeremiah Keith Neely, 34, was pronounced dead at the scene and two others were taken to the Nacogdoches Medical Center. All three men were employees of Platinum Pressure Pumping and were part of a high-pressure pumping unit that uses salt water for fracking. One of the two survivors is in the hospital with serious injuries, while the other man left the hospital on his own.

BULLARD — A wreck between a Frito-Lay truck and a passenger vehicle sent both drivers to a Tyler hospital, according to DPS. The wreck happened during the 1:00 pm hour Thursday at the intersection of Farm Road 346 and the entrance to the Shady Brook community, near Bullard. According to KETK, a woman was pulling out from the entrance when her car went into oncoming traffic and ran head-on into the truck. Both drivers were conscious at the scene and were taken to the hospital by EMS.

LAKE PALESTINE — A mobile home near Lake Palestine is heavily damaged by fire. The blaze at 235 Woodhue Drive in Lakewood West caused damage to about 60% of the home, according to Lake Palestine East Fire Chief Mike Avis. According to KETK, no one was in the home when the fire broke out. An investigation into what caused the fire is now underway. Flint-Gresham and Bullard firefighters both assisted.

LONGVIEW — A group of Longview-area entrepreneurs is working to make natural gas fueling, a lower-cost and cleaner alternative to gasoline and diesel, a reality for local motorists. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Independence Fuel Systems, an upstart Longview-based company, is ready to ante up a sizable investment to have its first compressed natural gas fueling station in operation by the fall.

Within a matter of months, the company plans to have three strategically located fueling stations in Gregg County, said Charles Neuberger, the company’s president. The company has executed agreements for setting up compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations at the Texas Best Travel Plaza on Eastman Road near the Interstate 20 exit; the Bar-K-Ranch Store on U.S. Highway 259 North; and the Gateway Travel Plaza at Interstate Highway 20 and Texas 42. “Our initial target market is going to be fleet business,” said Neuberger. “We feel that as more fueling stations are built, we’ll see more buy-in by consumers.”

LONGVIEW — Longview officials are investigating a stray bullet incident that damaged a firefighter’s personal vehicle at the Central Fire Station on Cotton Street. A Longview Fire Department spokesman tells KETK the firefighter woke up Thursday morning and found a bullet hole in his driver’s side windshield. The lone bullet was found resting on the passenger side of his truck’s dashboard. The firefighter reports last seeing his truck in normal condition around 11:30 Wednesday night. Investigators say the truck was parked just a few feet away from where the firefighter’s living quarters are located. Based on the trajectory of the slug and the location of the vehicle, authorities believe the stray bullet was from someone shooting in the air. No injuries were reported.

CANTON — Van Zandt County authorities say one person is in custody and one is sought following a Wills Point-area burglary. On Tuesday, sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene of a burglary in progress on Farm Road 1395. The homeowner arrived at his residence to find a gray step side Ford F-150 truck quickly pulling out of his driveway and heading towards Farm Road 47. As the homeowner approached his residence, he saw a man crawl out of his bedroom window and begin to flee on foot. The homeowner chased the man on foot but lost him. Deputies say they located the suspect north of the residence hiding in the brush. Tony Allen Lemmon, 37, of Wills Point was taken into custody and booked in on a charge of felony burglary of habitation with a $20,000 bond.

The second suspect who reportedly fled the scene in the truck was identified as Jeffery D. Littrell, a white male who is still at large. If you have any information that would assist the Sheriff’s Office with apprehending the other suspect, you’re asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 903-567-4133 or Crime Stoppers at 903-567-STOP (567-7867).

TYLER — A local man makes sure no one in his community suffers in times of extreme heat. When the temperatures hit 95 degrees or above in Tyler, the Salvation Army opens its doors for people to cool off or even stay overnight. Phil Anderson with the Salvation Army says this is a way he can give back. Anderson says he’s had hard times himself, and someone helped him, so he’s doing likewise through the Salvation Army. The agency also runs a soup kitchen and hands out fans and bags of food for the needy.

AUSTIN — An elaborate plan to expand highways and airports across Texas gets approved by the political group which oversees the highway department. Texas Transportation Commissioner Jeff Austin of Tyler tells staff it’s important to look at how to connect more places than just along current interstates. He suggests taking a look at some of the east-west corridors, much as officials do on some of the north-south routes, such as I-69 and I-35. The state has compiled that document, which reaches out to the year 2035, as a way to connect remote Texas locations.

BIG SANDY — Governor Rick Perry spent part of Independence Day in Big Sandy. KETK reports he spoke for about 20 minutes at the New Beginnings Christian Church for an event hosted by the Big Sandy Rotary Club. The former Republican presidential candidate said, “There’s no better way to spend a holiday, and this truly is a special holiday for people across our great nation.”

Perry also remarked about the nation’s founding fathers. “Today,” he said, “we remember and celebrate the wisdom and the courage of our founding fathers who faced adversity and created a new nation, the greatest nation. I’m not going to say they get it right all the time in Washington D.C., because they don’t. But what a great country we live in. How blessed we are to wake up in a country that was founded on principles. Our founding fathers did get it right.” Governor Perry planned to spend the rest of the holiday in Austin.

JACKSONVILLE — Due to conditions which have occurred recently in the water system, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required Craft-Turney Water Supply to notify all the customers involved in the repair area to boil their water prior to consumption. That’s according to KETK.

The area included in this boil water notice is from the west end of County Road 3108 (Southshore Drive) to Antioch Church, including all of the area on County Road 3111 and Taylor Hill Road – County Road 3109; County Road 3113 (Summit Drive); from the intersection of Farm Road 747 South and CR 3111, continuing south on Farm Road 747 up to County Road 3211 (Earle’s Chapel Road), including County Roads 3205 and 3206.

To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to consumption. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes. In lieu of boiling, you may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source. When it is no longer necessary to boil the water, water system officials will notify you.

TYLER — A Smith County sheriff’s deputy’s son has been indicted on charges of criminally negligent homicide and failure to stop and render aid in the December 2011 hit-and-run death of a 50-year-old Tyler man. According to KETK, police say Jared Stinecipher, 25, left the scene of a crash that killed Arthur Murphy of Tyler. Murphy later died at a Tyler hospital. Stinecipher was arrested after the hit-and-run for parole revocation. He remains in the Smith County Jail.

JACKSONVILLE — Questions abound as trouble continues at Lon Morris College. On Monday night, our news partner KETK received word of a new chapter in the saga, a bankruptcy filing. Currently, Lon Morris is under the care of Bridgepoint Consulting, a firm meant to help the school get its over-extended finances in order. They’ve hired a firm called Capstone Partners to help find another educational institution or strategic partner to team up with the college. Dean of Students David Hubbard was asked was asked what will happen to the name “Lon Morris” if such a deal is struck. His answer: “I’ve had that question asked before. I have no idea. I would certainly hope that the legacy could be preserved. The name as well as historical references.from just a historical standpoint.”

Hubbard also says Summer 2 is starting up with just online classes, and the restructuring firm is still working with the school’s debt situation. They hope to have a modified academic schedule starting in the fall.

GILMER — An Upshur County man is arrested for animal cruelty. According to KETK, deputies were called to Anthony Bassler’s home north of Ore City to investigate. When deputies arrived, they found a starved donkey and a goat hanging from a tree on the property. Bassler told them he was using the donkey as bait and it was already dead when he put it in the tree. According to law enforcement, “He did offer an explanation to what had taken place, but the evidence we saw at the scene did not support his story…and other witness statements did not corroborate his statements either.” Bassler was arrested in January 2009 on animal cruelty charges. A donkey and goat taken from his property were turned over to the SPCA.

CHEROKEE COUNTY – A Cherokee County home has been destroyed by fire. It was reported Tuesday afternoon on County Road 3511. Along with the house, around half an acre of land was also burned. KETK reports there were no injuries and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.