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BATON ROUGE, LA. (AP) — A Northeast Texas logger faces one count of felony timber theft following an investigation by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. On Thursday, forestry agents arrested Ronnie Dale Clayton of Linden, Texas, and booked him into the Caddo Parish Detention Center. Clayton is accused of cutting an 80 acre tract of timber in Rodessa in Caddo Parish without first obtaining consent from 80% of the landowners. Agents say Clayton assisted a landowner in securing a Texas notary, who notarized 15 falsified timber cutting agreements. They say Clayton paid the owner $35,000 for the timber. Agents found numerous heirs that had no knowledge the timber had been cut. Clayton posted a $20,000 bond and was release.

LONGVIEW — It’s been the talk of Longview, but as of Thursday, it’s official. KETK reports former Mayor Jay Dean announced his candidacy for District 7 state representative. During his time as mayor, Dean says he reached out to the community through bi-monthly town hall meetings. He says it’s important for him to know what matters to residents — “to be a voice for all people but also to understand from the citizens in this district exactly what they consider the issues. We work hard to do that.” Continue reading Dean Officially Announces State House Run

WHITEHOUSE — One person has been wounded and one person charged in a Smith County shooting. It happened around 2:00 Thursday afternoon in the 7600 block of County Road 2193, near Whitehouse. Initial reports are that a man and a woman had gotten into an argument. The man was said to have been holding a gun. When the woman tried to knock the gun from his hand, the weapon fired, the bullet hitting her in the shoulder. She was taken to the hospital for treatment. The man, identified as Justin David Tracy, 26, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon family violence and unlawful possession of a firearm. His bonds total $575,000.

HUNTSVILLE (AP) – Texas death row inmate Gregory Russeau has been executed for the slaying of a 75-year-old Tyler auto repair shop owner 14 years ago during a crack cocaine binge. The 45-year-old Russeau became on Thursday the nation’s 17th convicted killer to receive a lethal injection this year and the ninth in Texas. The U.S. Supreme Court last October refused to review his case, and no additional appeals were filed for him in the courts. Russeau was sentenced to die for the May 2001 death of James Syvertson, who was beaten, robbed and whose car was stolen from his shop in Tyler. Continue reading Man Executed for Tyler Slaying

WHITEHOUSE — One person has been wounded in a Smith County shooting. It happened around 2:00 Thursday afternoon in the 7600 block of County Road 2193, near Whitehouse. Initial reports are that a man and a woman had gotten into an argument. The man was said to have been holding a gun. When the woman tried to knock the gun from his hand, the weapon fired, the bullet hitting her in the shoulder. She was taken to the hospital for treatment. The man was taken into custody by sheriff’s deputies. Their names have not been released. The shooting remains under investigation.

LONGVIEW — Acting on a tip, law officers arrest a woman wanted by Gregg County authorities. Gregg County Crime Stoppers had been seeking the public’s help in locating Lisa A. Campbell. She was wanted for injury to a child/elderly/disabled with intent to commit bodily injury. Authorities had said they felt she was still in the Longview area. They announced Thursday that she had been arrested. No word on how the arrest was made.

MANSFIELD (AP) — A coroner says methamphetamine intoxication caused the death of an East Texas man while he was in custody on drug charges. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office also determined the death of Wendale Webb, 44, of Emory was accidental. Fort Worth police arrested Webb on April 5 on suspicion of marijuana possession. Webb, who was located inside his vehicle, was transported to the Mansfield City Jail. He was found unresponsive the following day in a holding cell and later pronounced dead. Autopsy results were released Wednesday.

WHITEHOUSE — One person has been wounded in a Smith County shooting. It happened around 2:00 Thursday afternoon in the 7600 block of County Road 2193, near Whitehouse. Initial reports are that a man and a woman had gotten into an argument. The man was said to have been holding a gun. When the woman tried to knock the gun from his hand, the weapon fired. She was taken to the hospital for treatment. Their names have not been released. The shooting remains under investigation

NACOGDOCHES (AP/STAFF) — Although the center of a tropical depression has moved into Oklahoma, a trailing band of the storm system continues to bring rain and flooding to portions of Texas. Police in Nacogdoches said that voluntary evacuations were taking place at an apartment complex along swollen Banita Creek west of Pearl Street. Also South Fredonia in the Magnolia Street area, South Pecan and South Church areas. The Nacogdoches Recreation Center at 1112 North Street has been opened as an emergency shelter for evacuees. According to the Nacogdoches Police Department, the following streets were closed as of 10:15 this morning:
West College from Pearl to the creek
* Pearl Street from Main Street to Powers
* Ellington Street from Pearl to the creek
* West California from Pearl Street to the creek
* South Pecan from Cox to the City Garage
* South Fredonia from Magnolia Street to the Creek
* West Hospital from North Street to Pearl Street
* Powers Street from Pearl to Old Tyler
* Press Road from Lake Street to Hunter Road Continue reading Flooding Still a Problem in Texas

PANOLA COUNTY — TxDOT has approved selling a section of Farm-to-Market Road 1794 between State Highway 43 and FM 959 in Panola County to Luminant, and it will be closed to traffic beginning Monday. Rick Berry owns a home off the road and is very concerned about the effects of the road closure. According to Berry, “It is really the only major route across the northern part of Panola County east-west.” Berry says meetings surrounding the closure took place in Austin, and the public had no opportunity for input. The move was approved by the Panola County Commissioners Court. TxDOT says the Texas Transportation Commission deemed the road excess property during an April meeting.

TYLER – Officials have released more details on a five-vehicle, two-fatality crash Wednesday afternoon on IH-20 in Smith County. The mishap shut down a portion of the interstate for nearly three hours, backing up traffic for miles. According to the Department of Public Safety, at troopers responded to the wreck at approximately 3:22 p.m. It occurred in the eastbound lanes near the 578 mile marker, about 7 miles east of Winona. Continue reading Details Released on Two-Fatality Crash

TYLER — Tyler city officials have scheduled an open house at which residents may provide input toward the Old Jacksonville Highway (FM 2493) Corridor Study. The open house will be held tonight from 5:30 to 7 at Lane’s Chapel United Methodist Church, located at 8720 Old Jacksonville Hwy. in Tyler. The portion of road being studied is bounded by Loop 323 in Tyler and Highway 69 in Bullard. According to a news release, the study will analyze the current conditions of traffic, travel lanes, and signals and make recommendations for upgrades as the corridor grows. Continue reading Open House for Old Jacksonville Highway Corridor Study

LONGVIEW — A Longview man has died when the car he was working on rolled on to him and crushed him. Killed was Manuel Rodriguez, 32. He was found with a wheel of the car on his chest. The accident was reported shortly after 8:00 yesterday morning at a mobile home park on Lafamo Road. Gregg County Justice of the Peace Pct. 2 Tim Bryan told the Longview News Journal, “For whatever reason something happened and caused the vehicle to roll over on him.” Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene.

HOUSTON (AP/Staff) – A man convicted in the fatal beating of a 75-year-old auto repair shop owner in Tyler is facing execution tonight, with no court appeals pending. Gregory Russeau is scheduled for execution this evening for the May 2001 death of James Syvertson. Russeau was driving the victim’s car when police pulled him over in front of a known drug house in Longview. Police found Russeau about eight hours after relatives of Syvertson found his body. Court records indicate Russeau was on a cocaine binge and on parole at the time. DNA, fingerprint and palm-print evidence helped convict Russeau of capital murder. The 45-year-old Russeau would be the ninth inmate executed this year in Texas.

MOUNT PLEASANT — A one vehicle accident in Titus County has killed a truck driver. Killed when his 18 wheeler left the road and hit a concrete bridge was Miguel Costilla, 51, of Laredo. The accident happened on Interstate Highway 30, about 12 miles east of Mount Pleasant. The accident occurred shortly aft 4:00 Wednesday morning.

TYLER — The former Chief Financial Officer of Shelby Regional Medical Center has been sentenced to federal prison. Joe White, 68, of Cameron, Texas, pleaded guilty on November 12, 2014 to making a false statement. He was sentenced yesterday to 23 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael Schneider. White was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $4,483,089.09 to Medicare’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program. Continue reading Former Shelby County Hospital CFO Sentenced

ATHENS — A Henderson County firefighter has been treated and released after being hit by a vehicle while directing traffic. It happened around 9:30 Tuesday night on U.S. Highway 175. According to KETK, the Log Cabin volunteer fireman was stopping traffic on the highway to allow an engine to back out when hit by a car driven by a 74 year old woman. Because of concussion concerns, the firefighter was rushed to ETMC Athens and later flown to Tyler. The woman driving the other vehicle was not injured.

TYLER — The next vice president for university advancement at The University of Texas at Tyler will be Wendell Jeffreys. He starts on the job August 15th. Jeffreys comes to UT Tyler from Colorado State University, where he currently serves as the executive director of development for the College of Business. There, he manages a staff of seven charged with raising $80 million during CSU’s ongoing $1 billion campaign. Jeffreys follows Jerre Iversen, who retired. “Mr. Jeffreys will be an exceptional addition to our leadership team, bringing a rich variety of experience to UT Tyler. He has proven skills in development, fundraising and personal business that make him an ideal candidate as our next VPUA. I know you will join me in welcoming him to Tyler later in the summer,” President Rodney Mabry said. Continue reading UT Tyler Announces New Vice President for University Advancement

STEPHENVILLE (AP) — A man who was supposed to be watching 240 cattle and horses for an ill West Texas rancher has been accused of stealing and selling the animals. Erath County jail records show Asher Quinn Hoxie of Stephenville was being held Wednesday on a charge of misapplication of fiduciary property over $200,000. Jail records don’t list an attorney for Hoxie, who was arrested Tuesday and bond set at $500,000. The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association says the ill livestock owner was from Odessa. Further details on him weren’t released. Authorities say Hoxie told the rancher that he’d take care of the livestock, but instead sold the 210 cattle and 30 horses in 2012. The investigation began in March. Authorities are still trying to locate the stolen livestock.

TYLER — Crews have removed a tractor-trailer that was broken down in the southbound lane of S. Broadway next to Rose Hill Cemetery. The trailer had to be unloaded on scene and it took a little over an hour to remove the truck. That section of roadway is now clear for drivers.

SAN FRANCISCO — Tyler ranks 8th in the country among cities where medical costs rose the most from 2011 to 2013, based on a study conducted by BetterDoctor, an online consumer health site. According to press materials from BetterDoctor, the health site analyzed the recently released Medicare procedure cost data for 2013 and compared inpatient procedure costs to 2011 prices – when the data was first released. BetterDoctor says there are a few things you can do to combat rising costs. Those include making sure you have insurance coverage, knowing your health and making sure you’re covered by an appropriate plan, visiting doctors in your network who are covered by your insurance plans, and advocating for yourself. Go to http://bit.ly/1G8lkbr to read the full study. You can go to https://betterdoctor.com/ to learn more about BetterDoctor.

KILGORE — Kilgore police believe they may have solved a string of recent trailer thefts with the arrest of a Longview man. Kilgore police have taken into custody John Cody DeWitt, 42, of Longview. He was named in a theft warrant issued by the Longview Police Department. DeWitt has been linked to six trailer thefts in Kilgore and numerous other trailer thefts in Gregg County. And the investigation is ongoing.

SULPHUR SPRINGS – A two vehicle accident in Hopkins County has left one person dead and one injured. The wreck occurred shortly after 5:45 Tuesday morning on State Highway 11 at Farm to Market Road 275. Killed was Michael Wayne Evans, 32, of Winnsboro. His car is said to have crossed the center line and collided head on with a car driven by Jose Manuel Flores, 39, of Commerce.Flores is in stable condition at Hopkins County Memorial Hospital.

TYLER — Smith County is officially eligible to apply for low-interest emergency disaster loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to two notification letters it received from the Texas Division of Emergency Management. In a letter dated June 11, the Texas Division of Emergency Management notified Smith County that it was designated eligible to apply for low-interest emergency disaster loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The loan availability is a result of a Presidential Declaration declared by FEMA for 18 Texas counties, including Smith County. The local Farm Service Agency (USDA Service Center) office will have the details on the program. It is located at 4209 Republic Drive and can be reached at 903-561-2050. The deadline for the loan applications for production and physical losses is February 5, 2016. Continue reading Emergency Disaster Loans Available to Smith County Residents

NACOGDOCHES — Nacogdoches police are looking for two men who are accused of abducting a woman and raping her. The incident occurred between 9:15 and 11:05 Monday night. KETK reports the woman was abducted in the 1500 block of Pruitt Hill Drive. She was taken to an unknown location and sexually assaulted. She was later released on Hope Lane. She describes her attackers as two black males driving a gold Buick car with chrome rims.

SMITH COUNTY — Several fire departments responded to a house fire in northwestern Smith County. KETK reports the fire was in the 13000 block of County Road 4173, off of Highway 110, in the Hideaway Lake area. It was reported just before 11:00 Tuesday morning. The house was destroyed. No one was in the home when the fire broke out. The cause remains under investigation.

NACOGDOCHES — A two vehicle accident in Nacogdoches County has left one person dead and three injured. The wreck occurred shortly after 12:15 Monday afternoon about 7 miles west of Nacogdoches, at the intersection of Highway 7 and Farm Road 2782. Killed was Blanca Abrego-Gonzales, 69, of Douglass. The Department of Public Safety reports she was a passenger in a SUV that failed to yield at a stop sign and hit a pickup driven by Joe Stephen Howell, 38, of Mexia. The accident remains under investigation.