KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority and contractor CH2M Hill are announcing that beginning the week of August 6, there will be traffic switches taking place at State Highway 64 and Toll 49. CH2M Hill is putting the last touches on SH 64 in preparation for moving motorists onto the final roadway. Motorists will be switched onto the permanent roadway configuration and bridge for SH 64 at Toll 49 sometime between Wednesday, August 8, and Saturday, August 11. Drivers are asked to be prepared for potential traffic delays around the construction area.

DALLAS (AP) — Officials of a small East Texas town and the county where it’s situated have agreed to steps aimed at ending racial profiling to settle a four-year-old class-action lawsuit. Federal court filings late Friday show Tenaha and Shelby County have agreed to an “impartial policing policy” to better document and monitor traffic stops. The documents show defendants also have agreed to pay $520,000 in legal fees. The lawsuit accused former officials of shaking down innocent motorists. Former Shelby County District Attorney Lynda Kaye Russell and four other ex-law enforcement officials were named as defendants when the suit was filed. The suit alleged that the officials forced motorists, most of them black, to forfeit their cash or face criminal charges. Tenaha is a town of 1,160 residents near the Louisiana border.

KILGORE — A one-vehicle rollover that killed a woman is believed to have been caused by a tire blowout. According to KETK, it happened shortly before 3:00 Friday afternoon on Interstate Highway 20 westbound, near Highway 42 in Gregg County. According to the Kilgore Police Department, a man, woman, and child were inside the SUV at the time of the crash. The ages of the victims are unknown. The woman has been pronounced dead, and the baby was flown to a Longview Hospital. Authorities could not confirm the condition of the man. DPS is still investigating the cause of the accident.

TYLER — Some 500 Trane employees are out of work, at least for now, in what’s termed a seasonal layoff. According to KETK, Ingersoll Rand Director of Communications Maria Weber released the following statement in regard to rumors that Trane would be laying off employees:

“On August 3, 2012, Ingersoll Rand Residential Solutions announced a seasonal layoff of our hourly production staff in Tyler, Texas. This action eliminates approximately 500 positions. The workers were notified on August 3, which is their last day. Our business operates on the demand for our heating, ventilating and air conditioning products. In Tyler, over many years, we have established a pattern of adjusting our production staff.”

The company reached agreement with its workers on June 14. Ingersoll Rand and union workers had been involved in labor negotiations for several days.

TYLER — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is now accepting applications for emergency farm loans due to the drought for the period beginning January 1, 2012, and continuing. Smith County Senior Farm Loan Officer Michelle King asks farmers who want to apply for emergency loans to submit their applications as soon as possible. The deadline for applications is March 12, 2013, but King says if farmers wait too long, a backlog will develop and cause delays. Officials say generally, farmers who have lost 30 percent of their production or sustained any physical loss due to drought are eligible for the emergency loans. The FSA office is located at 4209 Republic Drive in Tyler.

BEN WHEELER — Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office officials tell our news partner KETK they are working a double homicide in Precinct 4. Officials say the two bodies are of an unidentified man and woman at a house on County Road 4812 in Ben Wheeler. Authorities are not sure at this time how or when they died. Van Zandt County officials called Texas Rangers to process the crime scene. Deputies were alerted to the incident Friday morning, according to Sheriff Pat Burnett.

LONGVIEW — Police are close to making a positive identification of a dead body found Thursday in Longview, according to officer Kristie Brian. The body, a black male, was found near a field behind the retaining wall near Buffalo Wild Wings. A customer leaving the restaurant discovered the body around 1:45 Thursday afternoon. Police say the body had been there for at least 24 hours. They are now trying to determine the cause of death along with the man’s identity.

GILMER — Authorities are searching for a man suspected of injuring a Department of Public Safety trooper and fleeing during a traffic stop in Upshur County on Thursday, Trooper Jean Dark said. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Trooper Brandon Love was attempting to arrest Sawyer Zane Lacaze of Pittsburg after finding narcotics during a traffic stop, according to Dark. She said Lacaze struck Love’s leg and fled on foot. Love was taken to East Texas Medical Center in Gilmer and treated for minor injuries. He has since been released.

To give information about Lacaze’s whereabouts, contact local authorities. Lacaze is described as a white man who is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 165 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing black pants and no shirt.

MARSHALL — A man died Wednesday after being accidentally electrocuted on the campus of East Texas Baptist University. According to the Longview News-Journal, a worker from Fason Tree Service of Marshall died from injuries sustained while removing a dead tree near Marshall Hall and North Grove Street. The victim was identified as Michael Noel. Officials said Noel was using an extension saw to cut a tree that had been struck by lightning. He was in a scissor lift with a bucket when he was apparently electrocuted. Marshall Fire Department EMS Supervisor Bob Cole said the victim was pronounced dead at Good Shepherd Medical Center-Marshall. Cole said officials were waiting on the autopsy results in order to determine the cause of death, but confirmed he suffered severe electrical burns.

TYLER — A scientist at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler has been awarded a $1.2 million federal grant to investigate ways to control the inflammation involved in a life-threatening illness called septic shock. Jian Fu, Ph.D., a UTHSCT assistant professor of biochemistry, will use the five-year grant from the NIH to investigate the role of an enzyme called Sirt1 in the inflammation process associated with septic shock. Sirt1 and other enzymes regulate the rate of chemical reactions inside a cell. Dr. Fu thinks that understanding the role Sirt1 plays in inflammation caused by septic shock could lead to better ways to prevent this devastating disease.

About 750,000 cases of septic shock occur each year in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health. It kills 40 percent of the adults and 25 percent of the children who contract it. Septic shock occurs when a person is overwhelmed by a massive bacterial or fungal infection. In response, the body’s immune system floods the bloodstream with infection-fighting chemicals. However, these chemicals also cause widespread inflammation throughout the body. The inflammation triggers tiny blood clots that keep nutrients and oxygen away from vital organs. The organs stop working, blood pressure plummets, and the person can die.

Dr. Fu is one of about 30 biomedical researchers at UTHSCT. In the past two years, they were awarded more than $25 million in research dollars to support their world-class programs investigating lung disease, cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes, and aging. The NIH provided over $11 million of those funds.

TYLER — A Lindale firefighter was arrested over the weekend for allegedly driving while intoxicated in a November 27, 2011, wreck. According to KETK, 26-year-old Christopher Michael Combs of Lindale is accused of crashing into a Tyler gas station drunk. According to jail records, Combs’s blood alcohol content was allegedly higher than .15. He was arrested and released Sunday on a $5,000 bond. According to Tyler police, the incident happened shortly after 2:30 a.m. at the Exxon station on the 1200 block of W. Gentry.

Combs had previously stated he fell asleep at the wheel and drove off the roadway, hitting several gas pumps and causing major damage to the business. Tyler Fire Department Haz-Mat responded to the scene to control gas leakage in the parking lot. There was no report of any fire that occurred from the crash. Combs was taken to a local hospital following the wreck.

LONGVIEW — Longview police have released the names of two victims as they continue to investigate a recent shooting at the Cloud Nine Club. They men are identified as Joshua Pierce, 23, and Adrian Parker, 26, both of Longview. Shortly after 2:15am on July 26, officers responded to a shots fired call at the club, in the 1100 Block of West Marshall Avenue. When officers arrived they saw a car leaving at a high rate of speed. Witnesses told police there were several males who were involved in an altercation. According to witnesses several shots were fired and two people were wounded.

Police located Parker in a vehicle at the scene. He was transported to Good Shepherd Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. A short time later officers were advised that Pierce had been brought to Good Shepherd by private vehicle with a life-threatening gunshot wound. According to authorities, police later found the vehicle they saw leaving the scene. No arrests have been made at this time. Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Detective David Cheatham at 903-237-1147. If the tipster wishes to remain anonymous, he or she can contact Gregg County Crimestoppers at http://www.greggcountycrimestoppers.org or 903-236-STOP (7867).

LONGVIEW — Longview police Thursday have released more details in a mid week shooting. Just after 10:30 Wednesday morning, police were dispatched to a shooting that had just occurred in the 200 Block of Birdsong Street. When officers arrived, they were able to locate the suspect, Anthony Strange of Longview, 26, and take him into custody.

Police were told that Strange and his girlfriend had an altercation. Police say Strange’s girlfriend tried to leave, and Strange allegedly fired numerous shots from a high powered rifle in the area. According to police, some of those shots hit nearby homes and the victim’s vehicle as she was leaving. Strange was arrested on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was also arrested on two counts of deadly conduct which stemmed from the homes the stray bullets reportedly struck. Police say none of the bullets struck any people at the scene.

CLARKSVILLE CITY — Clarksville City is pleading with its citizens to use water conservatively after its water department was vandalized overnight. According to KETK, City Manager Billy Silvertooth says the town is struggling to keep up with demand as water is in very short supply. Silvertooth believes sometime very early Thursday morning, a vandal opened a fire hydrant on Whatley Road. The gushing water was not discovered until about 4:30am, when a paper delivery man reported it to authorities. By the time officials were alerted, nearly 300,000 gallons of water had been lost in a system that holds about 400,000.

Silvertooth says the short supply could last for days as officials rebuild their water supply. Citizens are urged to only use water for hygiene, sanitation and cooking. Clarksville City is located between Gladewater and White Oak. About 400 people depend upon the water supply system.

TYLER — A house fire in Tyler has been contained. According to the Tyler Fire Department, they received a call around 8:00 Thursday morning from a person reporting smoke coming out of a house’s attic on Roanoke Lane. Once on scene, fire officials discovered the fire had originated in a closet. Damage was contained to the closet and surrounding areas in the house. Some additional smoke and water damage spread throughout the home. No one was inside the house at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

GREGG COUNTY — Officials with Department of Public Safety told KETK a driver who fled from a traffic stop on foot this morning is now in custody. The chase began when a trooper tried to pull over a Chevy Tahoe on eastbound I-20 at 6:45. The vehicle took off on the interstate, reaching speeds of up to 100 MPH as the driver fled. Barely avoiding other vehicles, the driver eventually exited onto Highway 31 and drove down an embankment.

At that time, due to the erratic driving, troopers fired three shots into the tires of the Tahoe causing the SUV to wreck, and the driver exited and ran away on foot. A Kilgore Police officer arrested him in a wooded area nearby. He has been identified as Jason Ray Ragan, 24, Longview. He is wanted on multiple warrants in surrounding counties.

Meth was found in the vehicle when it was searched. Ragan has been taken to the Gregg County Jail.

CANTON — Authorities are investigating the death of a man found in the median of Interstate Highway 20 near the Van Zandt and Kaufman County Line. The body, said to have been wearing only flannel sleep shorts, was found sometime after 7:00 Wednesday morning. The man is thought to be a 40 year old Grand Saline man, but positive identification has not been made.

HENDERSON — According to the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, mailbox thefts first reported in the county around mid-July are continuing in northern Rusk County. Investigators received approximately 10 additional cases last week. According to KETK, investigators also received a description of a vehicle that may be connected to the thefts. Anyone noticing suspicious activity involving a black Nissan SUV with a white male or white female driver is asked to call the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office immediately. Authorities say anyone discovering mail alongside roadways or any other unusual areas should not attempt to remove it and should contact local law enforcement.

Until the suspects are apprehended, authorities advise citizens to avoid rural mailboxes when sending outgoing mail. U.S. Postal Inspectors are meeting with Rusk County investigators this week. Anyone with information may call the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office at 903-657-3581.

TYLER — A Tyler man will be going to federal prison for mail fraud. Vincent Darnell Hamilton, 41, pleaded guilty on February 2, 2011. He was sentenced yesterday to 21 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Leonard E. Davis.

Federal prosecutors say from June 2007 to August 2009, Hamilton devised a scheme to make fraudulent claims to motor vehicle insurance agencies through the United States mail. Hamilton made fraudulent claims totaling $29,551.02 to Allstate and $4,657.00 to State Farm. As a result of the scheme, Hamilton was paid $14,318.02 for the fraudulent Allstate claims and $968 for the fraudulent State Farm claims. Hamilton was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 7, 2011 and charged with the federal violations.

WOOD COUNTY — A single-engine plane crash sent an East Texas pilot to the hospital with injuries. The plane went down at about noon Wednesday afternoon near Holly Lake Ranch Airport in the Hawkins area. The pilot, whose name has not been released, was taken to a Longview hospital for treatment of minor injuries..

The plane is registered to Adam Smith of Lindale. But he was not flying the craft. It was flown by a mechanic/pilot who was taking the aircraft back to the Gilmer Airport from the Wood County Airport. The single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft was said to have suffered engine problems. The plane crashed about 75 feet short of the runway at the Holly Lake Ranch airport. The FAA is investigating the crash.

TYLER — Smith County Judge Joel Baker filed a proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 budget this week that will decrease the tax rate while maintaining the same level of county services for citizens, according to a county news release. Judge Baker, who serves as the county’s budget officer, credits careful financial management, conservative budgeting, and recent signs of economic growth over the past few years for the positive 2013 outlook. With an anticipated $576,594 in additional revenue to be added to the tax roll this year due to new construction, Baker says the future looks more favorable for county coffers. “The overall picture is strong and enables us to make positive financial decisions this year that impact our employees, our citizens, and overall county management,” said Judge Baker.

The Smith County Appraisal District certified the tax roll with a very slight increase in appraised value from the previous year. According to the release, county efforts to streamline operations have also enabled Judge Baker to propose a slight reduction in the tax rate to the effective tax rate for the upcoming year without adversely affecting the quality of services provided to citizens. The 2013 budget allows the county to pay cash for several capital improvement projects that are part of the PAYGO program and the 2008 Master Plan. This includes fulfilling the county’s long term goal of vacating the Smith County Office Building, also known as the Carlton Hotel.

Baker added that the proposed budget looks beyond 2013 needs to long term county goals, including a pilot program for objectively measuring performance of county employees and rewarding high performance. “We also hope to implement a forecasting process that will allow us to better anticipate, plan for, and address county needs, including road and bridge maintenance and future construction,” Baker said.

There will be two public hearings on the proposed 2013 budget. One will be held on August 21st at 5:30pm in the commissioners courtroom in the Courthouse Annex, and another public hearing will be held on August 28th at 9:30 a.m. Following the August 28th public hearing, the court will vote on the FY2013 budget. The adopted budget will go into effect October 1.

TYLER – Ten persons have been arrested following a lengthy investigation into alleged drug trafficking in the Henderson area. Around 6:00 Wednesday morning, a combined task force of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies began executing 10 federal arrest warrants for defendants charged in an alleged conspiracy to distribute over 280 grams of crack cocaine in and around Henderson since September 2010. On July 11, 2012, a federal grand jury returned a 14-count indictment charging 14 individuals with multiple counts of federal drug and firearm violations.

The following defendants are in custody and were scheduled for initial court appearances in Tyler Wednesday: Deric Lamont Sheppard, aka “Big Shep,” 32, of Henderson; Master Markeith Lacy, aka “Kiki,” 36, of Henderson; Justin Lamark Porter, 23, of Overton; Ernest Vantrezes Mallard, aka “Duck,” 30, of Henderson; Derek Lamarcus Horton, aka “Null Null,” 27, of Kilgore; Marcus Derail Porter, aka “Blade,” 30, of Henderson; Kail Demond Lacy, Jr, aka “KJ,” 19, of Henderson; Randy Cameron, 52, of Henderson; Lattoris Dewuan Jackson, aka “Coonjack,” 32, of Henderson; and Cornelius Marquis Murphy, aka “Papa Murphy,” 21, of Henderson. Travis Lanard Porter, aka “Nard,” aka “Travis Deamon,” 35, of Henderson, and Johnny Ray Smith, Jr., 33, of Henderson, will make their initial court appearances next week.

If convicted of the drug conspiracy charge, the defendants face a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison and fines of up to $10 million. If convicted on the weapons violations, the defendants face at least 5 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of any property used to commit or facilitate the crimes or derived from proceeds of the conspiracy.

TYLER — Tylerites turn out in droves Wednesday at local Chick-Fil-A outlets for a national Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day. Residents reported long waits at the counter and traffic backups. At one point late Wednesday afternoon, KETK reported the crowd at the South Broadway eatery was “pretty much standing room only.” The day was organized in response to the uproar over the Chick-Fil-A CEO’s comments opposing gay marriage. Gay rights activists are planning several “kiss-in” protests Friday at Chick-Fil-A restaurants across the country.

WHITEHOUSE — The Whitehouse City Council Tuesday night discussed the future of the volunteer fire department and whether the city should have its own firefighters. According to KETK, the council decided both were beneficial. Council members voted to keep volunteers and create a municipal fire department. Under the proposal, the city would be responsible for training and certification of firefighters, and the VFD would work as a wing of that department.

TYLER — The City of Tyler announced Wednesday that they will participate in a program to bring closure to unresolved warrants. The Tyler Municipal Court, in a statement, said participation in a “Second Chance Warrant Program” will run from August 1-21. The down payment necessary to enter into a payment plan has been reduced to assist citizens in paying off their fines. To take advantage of this offer, citizens must provide a $150 down payment. The payments thereafter will be $150 per month until the fine is fulfilled. Some restrictions may apply and not all citizens may be eligible to participate.

The news release stated that citizens should be aware that if they accept the terms of this program and fail to make payments their warrants will become a high priority.

For assistance with resolving an outstanding warrant, contact the Municipal Court at 813 North Broadway between 7:00am to 5:00pm, or call 903-531-1266. Warrants can also be paid on line at http://www.CityofTyler.org under the “I Want To” menu at the top of the page.

GILMER — Sheriff Anthony Betterton won his re-election bid, meanwhile confusion at one voting location threw Upshur County’s runoff election into turmoil, leaving one race unsettled Tuesday night. Betterton defeated opponent Larry Webb by 25 votes in Tuesday’s Republican Party primary runoff election. According to KETK, with no Democratic contenders, Betterton reclaimed the office for four more years with 2,318 votes to Webb’s 2,293 votes. With nine provisional ballots still to be counted, Webb said he was uncertain whether he would call for a recount.

TYLER — Smith County Commissioners agreed to place two alcohol propositions on the November ballot. When they met Tuesday morning, the commissioners decided to approve petitions seeking two local option elections for Justice Precinct 2. The propositions would legalize the sale of beer and wine for off-premises consumption, and extend the legal sale of mixed beverages in restaurants to areas of the precinct where such sale isn’t already legal. The city of Tyler made similar moves last week. The local governments’ action comes in the wake of a petition drive organized by the Buy Local First group. The pro-alcohol effort is opposed by a group called Stand Strong for Tyler.

TYLER — An infectious disease specialist at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, has been ranked in the top 1 percent of physicians in his field by U.S. News and World Report magazine. Dr. Richard Wallace is a board-certified infectious disease physician who specializes in treating Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), a rare and non-contagious bacterial infection affecting only one in 100,000 people in the United States.

Dr. Wallace attended medical school at Baylor College of Medicine in the Houston and did his residency and fellowship trainning in Boston. He then came back to Texas and he’s been working as a researcher and medical doctor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler for the last 30 years.

LINDALE — Lindale school trustees have approved $300,000 for new technology purchases that will allow the district to improve the network and cut costs of future computer repairs and upgrades.

The funds will cover expenses to upgrade the district’s technology infrastructure and to implement VDI, Virtual Desktop Imaging. The upgrates include installation of new 10 gigabyte switches for the district’s central server. This will improve the speed of the district’s network and optimize the performance. Virtual Desktop Imaging will allow the district to update the software of older computers and allow them to perform and function as a new computer.

According to the Lindale ISD’s Director of Technology, Jamie Clayton, “This saves the district money by expanding the life of older equipment. This will reduce the rate at which we must replace computers in the district. We are very happy with the school board’s support in this endeavor to bring the best possible performance to our network. Many of out teachers and students rely on a well-functioning network to videos and to complete course work on line. This will help to ensure that things run much more smoothly.”

TYLER — A Gregg County man is heading to federal prison for drug trafficking. Rickey Spratling, 31, of Longview, pleaded guilty on April 10, to possession with intent to distribute ecstasy. He was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison yesterday by U.S. District Judge Leonard E. Davis of Tyler.

According to federal prosecutors, on May 7, 2011, Spratling was found in possession of the drug ecstasy, which he intended to distribute. Spratling also admitted to possessing a gun during a drug trafficking crime. Spratling was indicted by a federal grand jury last October.