KTBB News, Weather, Talk

SMITH COUNTY — It took firefighters about an hour and a half to control a blaze that destroyed a Winona-area home and vehicle Monday afternoon. The fire broke out on Devonne Drive near the dead end of Landry Lane. There were no injuries, and luckily, nobody was in the house at the time. However, authorities tell KETK that at least one pet may have been killed in the fire. The cause of the fire is not clear at this time, though authorities say that it began on the right side of the house. Firefighters say that the high winds made it difficult to extinguish the fire.

LONGVIEW — A homeowner was able to catch vandals throwing eggs at vehicles in Longview over the weekend. Longview police say they have received multiple reports of vehicles being “egged” around the Pine Tree High School neighborhood. The latest incident, which was captured on surveillance video early Sunday morning, shows several people get out of a car and throw eggs at what looks like a van.

A homeowner who shared the video tells KETK this is the third time he has been vandalized. The man claims his car and a few others parked on the street were targeted by the vandals. The miscreants were reportedly on the street for about three and a half minutes. If you have any information on the reported vandalism, you’re asked to contact the Longview Police Department at 903-237-1170.

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County is seeking public input from citizens on county related services and issues. A short questionnaire is available on the Smith County Website. Commissioners will also hold a series of community meetings to encourage public input, information and ideas concerning county services. County officials said they plan to use the information gathered during the Public Input Project for the upcoming budget year and in long-term comprehensive planning.

All Smith County citizens are encouraged to fill out a short “Public Input Form” online at http://www.smith-county.com or at any of the community meetings scheduled in March and April. Citizens can also give input by calling their designated Precinct Commissioner directly at 903-590-4605.

TYLER — Smith County Road and Bridge crews Monday began culvert renovations on Sunset Drive in the Lake Tyler subdivision of East Shore Estates. Delays are expected as traffic will be reduced to one lane. Motorists should plan on an alternative route if possible.

Crews are working across the county to patch roads and clear trees from the right-of-way this week. County officials ask you to please report potholes and downed trees to the Smith County Road and Bridge Department at 903-590-4801 or use SeeClickFix – a free phone app that allows you to upload pictures and reports directly to the County from your phone or home computer. Click here for a link to the Smith County SeeClickFix Website: http://www.smith-county.com/Residents/SeeClickFix/CountyIssues.aspx

ATHENS – Funeral services are scheduled Wednesday for former Henderson County Sheriff Charlie Fields, 89. He died Saturday in Athens. Fields was sheriff of Henderson County from 1978 to 1986, when he retired. Funeral services are scheduled Wednesday afternoon at 1:00 at Oaklawn Memorial Park. That follows a visitation Tuesday from 5:30 to 7:30pm at Carroll-Lehr Funeral Home.

ANGEL FIRE, N.M. (AP/Staff) — A plane owned by a company in Scottsville, Texas, in Harrison County, has crashed in the northern New Mexico community of Angel Fire. Four persons died after the single-engine plane crashed as it was taking off.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford says the cause of the crash was unknown, but noted that the area was experiencing heavy winds at the time of the crash Sunday afternoon. The plane’s destination wasn’t immediately known.

No information was available about the two adults and two children aboard the single-engine Mooney plane, except that they were members of a San Antonio family. State police say there were no survivors in the crash. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA headed to the site.

Angel Fire is located 150 miles northeast of Albuquerque.

TYLER — Two persons have been injured and one person is in custody following a fight on Tyler’s southwest side. It happened Sunday morning just before 11:45 at Super Monterey grocery store, 510 South Southwest Loop 323. Arrested was Gerardo Tavira Bastida 46 of Tyler.

Witnesses say Bastida began assaulting an elderly male with a crutch inside the store. He suffered a head injury. A store employee attempted to stop the assault and was stabbed by the suspect. Employees of the store detained Bastida until police arrived. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on two aggravated assault charges.

GREGG COUNTY — Gregg County authorities are investigating an aggravated assault. It happened Early Saturday morning at Club Enigma on Hwy 31. According to the Gregg County Sheriff, a deputy was flagged down near the intersection of Highway 31 and 3053 by a woman who was transporting two stabbing victims to the hospital. The woman, an employee of the club, said her two passengers, Hispanic males, had been stabbed at the club by an unknown man. EMS and DPS Officers responded to the location to assist.

While the stabbing victims were being cared for, a vehicle traveling east bound on Highway 31 struck the back of a DPS patrol unit. The driver, an intoxicated female, was arrested for DWI and transported to the Gregg County Jail. No one was injured in the crash.

One of the stabbing victims was life-flighted to Trinity Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler. The other was transported by EMS to Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview. Both received stab wounds to the upper body and they are in stable condition. The suspect in the case has not been identified at this time.

Anyone with information are asked to contact the Investigator Floyd Wingo at 903-237-2532 or Crime Stoppers at 903-236-STOP.

LONGVIEW — Two space heaters plugged into the same extension cord, which overloaded the breaker box, is said to be the cause of a fire that destroyed a Longview home. The fire, just after 10:30 Sunday morning, was reported in the 1100 block of East Level Street. One of the three persons in the home was injured. Jamar Smith, 22, was taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center for treatment of minor burns on his feet and hands.

LAKEPORT — It is believed an electrical problem cause a fire that damaged a Lakeport restaurant. The Sunday afternoon fire started in a rear storage area of Adams Rib Pit Bar-B-Que at the intersection of Estes parkway and Jet Drive. Employees and customers were able to flee the building and were not injured. The cause remains under investigation.

FORT WORTH (AP) — Former President George W. Bush says the late pianist Van Cliburn spread peace and love through his music. Bush spoke to about 1,400 people attending Cliburn’s memorial service Sunday in Texas. Cliburn, who grew up in Kilgore, died Wednesday at 78 after fighting bone cancer. Bush spoke of Cliburn’s winning the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958. At the height of the Cold War, the win helped thaw the icy rivalry between the United States and Soviet Union. Bush said Cliburn charmed friends and foes alike and essentially was a diplomat. Cliburn played for every U.S. president since Harry Truman, plus royalty and heads of state worldwide. In 2003, Bush presented Cliburn with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man is arrested for burglary. Barry K. Smith, 48, of Longview was arrested after police said he broke into an air conditioning unit to steal the copper wiring. According to KETK, officers said they found Smith vandalizing the air conditioning unit of an abandoned building in the 1500 block of Marshall Avenue where he was living. Smith was charged with burglary of a building and public intoxication. He was booked in the Gregg County Jail under a $10,000 bond.

GREGG COUNTY — A Longview man has been sentenced to prison after being convicted on a two-count indictment charging him with assault family violence with prior conviction and aggravated assault. According to the Longview News-Journal, after being found guilty, Michael Dean Perry, 53, was sentenced to 60 years in prison and a $10,000 fine on each count. He has numerous prior convictions dating back to 1984. The latest convictions stem from his October arrest at his Longview residence. Perry’s niece told Longview police that he broke down the door to her bedroom where she and her friends were visiting and “came at her with a knife.” He was drunk at the time.

In 2007, Perry sued members of the Gregg County Jail staff on civil charges of harassment and retaliation. At a 2011 trial in federal district court in Tyler, jurors deliberated 15 minutes before finding the jailers not guilty.

TYLER — One suspect has been arrested for intoxication assault after a hit and run accident. It happened just before 8:15 Friday night at Highway 110 and Loop 323. According to Tyler Police, a red Chevrolet Silverado, driven by Antonio Sanchez, was stopped for a red light at Hwy 110 when he was rear-ended by a 1997 blue GMC Sierra. The Sierra fled the scene north bound on Hwy 110. Sanchez’s passenger, Estella Alonzo was transported from the scene by EMS for claimed neck and back pain.

Several minutes later, the Sierra was located abandoned on Hwy 110 several miles outside loop 323. The driver flee the vehicle on foot, according to witnesses. A short time later, police were called to CR 45 where Michale Miyienda, 22, was trying to report the truck stolen. After further investigation, Miyienda was arrested for four outstanding traffic warrants as well as Intoxication Assault and Felony Hit and Run. He was booked into the Smith County Jail.

TYLER — Tyler’s Junior Achievement hands its 2013 Laureate of the Year award to Brookshire’s Grocery Company. That means Brookshire’s has been inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame, the highest honor given by JA. It all happened at a Thursday reception at Tyler’s Rose Garden Center.

“We could not be more pleased or excited about this year’s nominee for the 2013 Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame award,” said JA board member and Regions Bank president Chad Cargile. “Brookshire’s Grocery Company is well known for their outstanding contributions to the Tyler community and for being a role model for all aspiring business leaders and entrepreneurs. Their actions and support embody the spirit of what JA represents as an organization, which is to inspire and prepare young people for our global economy.”

According to press materials, “The core purpose of Junior Achievement is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. The JA programs provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship.”

SMITH COUNTY — Various dignitaries highlighted a Saturday ceremony honoring the transfer of Toll 49 from TxDOT to the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA). Jeff Austin III of Tyler is a former chair of the NET RMA and a current member of the Texas Transportation Commission. Austin says credit for making the project happen goes to the cities, Tyler, Noonday, Whitehouse, and Lindale, along with the county, elected officials, and the Tyler Metropolitan Planning Organization. The transfer became official last Thursday. The next big happening is the opening of Toll 49′s Segment 3B, connecting the toll road to Interstate Highway 20 for the first time. That’s expected around March 29.

TYLER — The City of Tyler is installing a new valley gutter on the west side of the intersection of Vine Avenue and Houston Street. The west side of the intersection will remain closed to through traffic until Monday, March 18, to complete the work. Motorists are encouraged to find an alternate route during this construction.

LONGVIEW — Cherokee Street closed Monday at Anniversary Drive to Royal Oak Drive for through traffic. The closure is for Water and Sanitary Sewer connections as part of improvements for the development of the Pine Tree ISD Stadium. The closure will be effective for approximately one week. Through traffic will be detoured down Anniversary Drive to Willow Springs Drive to Royal Oak Drive. The work is being done by Porter Services of Longview, Texas. If you have any questions about the construction, please call the City Engineer, Mark Adas, at 903-237-1053.

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

RUSK COUNTY – Construction crews from Texas Department of Transportation contractor Longview Bridge and Road have closed Farm Road 1798 to all traffic on either side of U.S. Highway 259 between Henderson and Mount Enterprise so crews can begin building the overpass structure across US 259. The work is scheduled to be completed by July 4, but meanwhile traffic will be unable to access FM 1798 from US 259. Marked detours will be in place.

Also this week in Rusk County, TxDOT maintenance crews are scheduled to continue base and pavement repairs on Farm Road 782 northeast of Henderson between Farm Road 1716 in Oak Hill and State Highway 149 near the Gregg County Line. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

WOOD COUNTY – A second project on State Highway 154 west of Quitman is beginning construction this week. On Monday, crews from contractor D.L. Lennon, Inc., of Commerce, began a $5.8 million project to add shoulders between State Highway 37 in Quitman and the Lake Fork Reservoir bridges. The project is in conjunction with the ongoing bridge project on SH 154, which widened the bridge to include shoulders. The bridge project is scheduled for completion this summer, while the new shoulder-widening project is scheduled for completion next year.

Also this week in Wood County, construction crews are scheduled to complete resurfacing operations on State Highway 182 between Alba and Quitman, and continue work on Farm Road 1804 (Hoard Road) between U.S. Highway 80 and the Smith County Line.

Finally this week, TxDOT maintenance crews are scheduled to make base and pavement repairs in various locations on Loop 564 in Mineola. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

GREGG COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue pavement-repair work on State Highway 42 between Farm Road 2206 west of Longview and Farm Road 1252 north of Kilgore. Recent work in this location has produced lengthy delays for traffic and motorists are strongly encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

HENDERSON COUNTY – Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform edge-repair work on Farm Road 317 east of Athens between Farm Road 607 in Leagueville and Farm Road 315 in New York, and on Farm Road 607 between Farm Road 804 and U.S. Highway 175 in LaRue. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location 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 resume resurfacing operations on State Highway 243 west of Canton, between State Highway 198 and Farm Road 47. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers and pilot vehicles will control traffic.

CHEROKEE COUNTY – Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to make base and pavement repairs on Farm Road 343 east of U.S. Highway 69 in Rusk, and continue edge work on Farm Road 855 near Mount Selman. 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 resume spot resurfacing work on Farm Road 1990 between U.S. Highway 79 in Palestine and State Highway 294. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

FORT WORTH (AP) — Hundreds of people attended the visitation in Fort Worth for celebrated pianist Van Cliburn, remembering him as a great musician who charmed those he met with his warmth. Cliburn, who grew up in Kilgore, died Wednesday at 78 after a fight with bone cancer. The Saturday visitation at Fort Worth’s Broadway Baptist Church was open to the public, as will be Sunday’s funeral at the church. Cliburn had played for every American president since Harry Truman, plus royalty and heads of state around the world. But he is best remembered for winning the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958, as the height of the Cold War. Fort Worth Symphony president Amy Adkins says, “Every time you spoke to him, he made you feel like you were the only person in the room.”

TYLER — February 28 and March 1, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office conducted a verification check of sex offenders who reside in the county. According to a news release, of the 304 individuals who were investigated, 18 will require additional investigation and follow up, and arrest warrants may be issued. Officials with the sheriff’s office said that verification checks of this type are unannounced and comprehensive. The check included a team of approximately 50 officers, including members of 12 different local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, which comprise a U.S. Marshals Task Force.

“Verification checks are conducted randomly, which sends a message to all sex offenders that they will be arrested if they are found in violation of their probation agreement,” said Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith. “Normally, an offender has strict rules tied to their release, which can include a specific area in which they are allowed to and are designated to live. If they are found to be living somewhere other than that location, or if they violate any other aspect of their release agreement, then we take them to jail.”

According to Sheriff Smith, “It took two days to conduct this verification check, but it took a lot of task force members hundreds of hours of planning and coordination to make it happen. Having the right people and the right number of people assigned to this effort was key and I am grateful to each one of them for their hard work.”

Recently, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office moved existing personnel to patrol and extended patrol shifts to 12 hours, which will provide more deputies year round and not just during warrant sweeps and verification checks. “Since extending shifts and adding deputies, I have already seen better response times for our residents,” said Sheriff Smith. “Our citizens deserve this level of law enforcement all of the time. I believe the new patrol schedule and staffing will continue to deliver that.” To report information on a sex offender, call 903-590-2680.

WASHINGTON – Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) released the following statement Friday concerning President Obama’s press conference on the sequester and funding cuts:

“Every single hardworking American taxpayer had a 2% tax increase on January 1st with the payroll tax increase President Obama wanted. Now, the Obama administration is screaming gloom and doom for basically having the same amount of reduction in available spending money because of the sequester. But, it is incredible that the President is acting so indignant when we know and he stated numerous times that the sequester was his idea. Jay Carney has now acknowledged that. Every report of the President’s speech today should include a transcript of the interview he did with the Des Moines register last October, the day after his Iowa debate:

“‘[T]he good news is that there’s going to be a forcing mechanism to deal with what is the central ideological argument in Washington right now, and that is: How much government do we have and how do we pay for it? So when you combine the Bush tax cuts expiring, the sequester in place … we’re going to be in a position where I believe in the first six months we are going to solve that big piece of business. It will probably be messy. It won’t be pleasant. But I am absolutely confident that we can get what is the equivalent of the grand bargain. (October 23, 2012, in Des Moines, Iowa)

“It is clear by President Obama’s own previous words in different settings that he not only wanted the sequester cuts to go through, he also expected that the Bush tax rates would end and everyone’s taxes would go up. For him to now criticize the very ideas he came up with, he supported, and he originally wanted to occur is grossly inappropriate. The 2% cuts are actually a reduction in the automatically increased spending rather than a real cut and slows the Obama growth in government from 20% to 18%. He refused to sit down with Congress to work an agreement until he finished his expensive nationwide fear tour condemning Congress for not working with him, until the day after the cuts were reality.

“Now, his administration has released arrested criminal suspects, is threatening to furlough or cut law enforcement, not protect our border, leave our military in harm’s way without adequate support, cut out vaccinations to children, fire teachers they do not even hire, and now pull FAA personnel from 168 airports –all to punish the country. We have never had an American administration intentionally try to do this much damage to American lives as part of a tantrum demanding more money for government. This is a very serious and sad time for America.”

FORT WORTH (AP/Staff) – A weekend funeral is scheduled for Van Cliburn, the celebrated pianist whose virtuosity triumphed over the Cold War. Family spokesman Tom Stoker says a funeral is scheduled for 3-5 p.m. Sunday at the Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, where Cliburn worshipped for decades. Entombment at the mausoleum at Greenwood Memorial Park will follow. Stoker says services will be open to the public, as will a 4-6 p.m. Saturday visitation at the church. Cliburn, who grew up in Kilgore, died Wednesday at 78 after fighting bone cancer. He had played for every American president since Harry Truman, plus royalty and heads of state around the world. But he is best remembered for winning the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958, as the height of the Cold War.

SMITH COUNTY — A public celebration is being held Saturday morning at 10:00 to mark the transfer of Toll 49 to local authorities. It happens on the roadway, about a half mile south of the bridge at I-20. The primary parties involved are the North East Texas Regional Mpbility Authority and TxDOT. The celebration is to commemorate the transfer of Toll 49 from TxDOT to the NET RMA, approved Thursday by the Texas Transportation Commission. Slated speakers include Chair of the NET RMA Linda Thomas, TTC member and former Chairman of the NET RMA Jeff Austin III, Senators Kevin Eltife & Robert Nichols, County Judge Joel Baker, and City Mayors Barbara Bass of Tyler and Robert Nelson of Lindale.

Activities include the Robert E. Lee Southern Belle Drill Team, Lindale ISD Band Drum Line, a vintage car show, Corvette Club representation, food & beverages provided by Collin Street Bakery & Villa Montez, and the Team Texas High Performance Driving School with 2 NASCARS & an Indy car on display. Segment 3B of Toll 49, connecting the toll road to I-20 for the first time, is expected to open around March 29.

LONGVIEW — Pine Tree High School went into lockdown Friday after a burglary suspect was reported loose in the area. Shortly before 1 p.m., according to KETK, school administrators decided to close down the school as a precautionary measure. The school lifted the lockdown after a short time. There were no known injuries. Further information wasn’t immediately available.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department wants citizens to be aware of a new scam of which police were made aware Friday morning. This scam involves someone calling the victim on the telephone and telling the victim that he or she is going to be receiving a new Medicare card in the mail. The caller is asking the victim to verify his or her information by telling the caller his or her social security number and bank account information. Police say, “PLEASE remember to never give out personal information over the phone to anyone. If you feel that the call may be a scam get as much information about the caller as possible and call police to make a report. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. Don’t fall victim to scams by giving out your personal information.”

CARTHAGE (AP) – The sheriff of an East Texas county has been arrested in a public corruption investigation involving alleged theft, abuse of power and fraud. Texas Rangers and the FBI on Thursday arrested Panola County Sheriff Ron Clinton, who took office in January. Department of Public Safety Trooper Jean Dark says Clinton faces charges of tampering with a government record defraud/harm, abuse of official capacity and theft by a public servant. He’s free on $50,000 bond. Clinton did not immediately return a message for comment Friday. A statement provided Friday from the sheriff’s department in Carthage says two outside agencies conducted the investigation and to contact Texas Rangers.

TOKYO — A court in Japan sentenced two American servicemen Friday to jail terms of respectively nine and 10 years for the rape of a Japanese woman in October 2012, while the men were on duty at a U.S. military base in Okinawa. According to KETK, the arrest of the Aviation Machinist’s Mate Airman Christopher Browning, Athens, Texas (pictured) and Aviation Electrician’s Mate Skyler Dozierwalker, both 23, prompted outraged reactions from Japanese officials and resulted in the imposition of a curfew by the U.S. military on its troops in Japan. They were both based in Fort Worth.

TYLER — The man who robbed the Capital One Bank on South Main St. in Lindale last year has been sentenced in a Smith County courtroom to 40 years behind bars. KETK reports Anthony Rios, 43, of Lindale, pleaded guilty to Aggravated Robbery for the incident before Judge Jack Skeen in the 241st District Court. In September of 2012, armed with a gun and face covered with a towel, Rios robbed the bank and drove away. His car was found in the airport garage at DFW airport in Dallas. It was covered in the red dye from the bank’s security device. He was found later in the Philippines, and was taken into custody at DFW airport after arriving back in the U.S.

TYLER — Tyler police are continuing their investigation of a fatality accident. The one vehicle wreck happened around 9:00 Wednesday night at the intersection of Loop 323 and Old Jacksonville Highway. Authorities said the vehicle, driven by Eugenia Matthews, 30, Whitehouse, left the roadway and struck a traffic light pole at the intersection. She was pronounced dead at the scene.