KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Smith County will receive the Texas Association of Counties Best Practices Award for cost reductions made through the County’s Compensatory Time Management Program during a ceremony Thursday night. According to a county news release, each year TAC’s Leadership Foundation recognizes and highlights select county programs for outstanding innovation, achievement and delivery of services.

Officials say the Smith County Compensatory Time Management Program began in 2008 as a joint effort of the Auditor’s Office and Sheriff’s Department, to reduce the ever increasing and costly pay out and accrual of employee earned compensatory time. At that time, Smith County had more than $735,000 in accrued liability recorded for comp time — and more than $600,000 of the accrual was solely attributed to the Sheriff’s department and the Jail. Today, officials say, the comp hours have been reduced by 48% in the Sheriff’s office and 41% in the jail for a total reduction of more than 44% department wide. According to officials, that reduction has reduced the county’s accrued liability by more than $350,000.

“We are very proud of the leadership in our Sheriff’s Office and Auditor’s Department. They stepped up and thought outside the box to reduce our accumulated comp time and ultimately save hundreds of thousands of dollars for the County,” said Comp Time Committee Member and Smith County Precinct 4 Commissioner JoAnn Hampton. Representatives from Smith County will be presented with the award during a ceremony at the TAC Annual Conference in Austin, Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

LONGVIEW — Police in Longview warn of a robbery scam. At around 9:50 p.m. Tuesday, Longview Officers were dispatched to 600 West Avalon Avenue in reference to a robbery that just occurred.

The victim told officers she was inside her apartment, when she received a knock at the door. The victim answered and a man told her that she had left her vehicle headlights on in the parking lot. The victim went to the parking lot, turned off her lights, and returned to her apartment. She then received another knock at the door. When she opened the door, the first man was there with a second man, who was armed with a handgun. The men entered the victim’s apartment and took her purse before fleeing the location. The suspects were last seen running south through the apartment complex parking lot.

The victim described one of the suspects as a black male, in his early 20s, with a slim build, wearing an oversized white t-shirt, baggy black gym shorts and a black hat with a shiny gold sticker on the bill. Police are warning you to be cautious of anyone that you don’t know who comes to your door. Ask the person what he or she needs without opening the door — and if you are suspicious, call police.

TYLER (AP/Staff) – Tyler police say a second person has died following a double shooting Tuesday. Gunfire blamed on a tenant killed the owner of the tenant’s residence — and the renter died later from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officer Don Martin says the renter, 47-year-old Alice Aguilar (pictured), died Wednesday at East Texas Medical Center in Tyler. Police on Tuesday afternoon received a call of shots fired at a multi-apartment residence and discovered the body of 70-year-old Socorro Nunez in one unit. Martin says Aguilar was found unconscious, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, in another unit. Police are investigating what led to the shootings and whether financial problems were involved.

TYLER — Staff members from the office of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, recently presented several WWII military service medals to Mrs. Billie Bob Hickman, wife of the late Charles “Hick” Hickman, who passed away before receiving the medals he was authorized to receive. After being contacted by Hickman’s son-in-law, Enoch Freeman, earlier this year, Sen. Cornyn worked to secure Hickman’s overdue medals, including the Bronze Star, WWII Victory Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, and the American Campaign Medal. Sen. Cornyn’s staff delivered the medals to Mrs. Hickman’s Tyler home and hosted a ceremony during which Hickman’s grandson, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Freeman, presented the medals to his grandmother. Freeman currently serves in Iraq with the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division — the same unit his grandfather served in during WWII.

“It is always a great honor to have a hand in securing long overdue medals for American heroes and the family members who supported them during their service. Sadly, WWII veteran Charles Hickman passed away before receiving the medals he was due. But thanks to the hard work and persistence of his family members, I was able to help them obtain Mr. Hickman’s medals, including the prestigious Bronze Star,” Sen. Cornyn said.

The Senator added, “In a poignant act of remembrance, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Freeman, grandson of Mr. Hickman, who today serves in the same unit his grandfather did in WWII, was able to present these medals to his grandmother while he was on leave from his tour in Iraq. Thanks to this family’s love and respect for the late Charles “Hick” Hickman, his legacy and service to our nation will be celebrated and remembered for generations to come.”

TYLER (Staff/AP) – Tyler police are looking into the possibility of financial problems as they seek a motive in a case they’ve labeled a murder and attempted suicide. Police say the murder suspect’s landlord is dead after being shot, and the suspect is in critical condition at Tyler’s East Texas Medical Center with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police identify the slain woman as Socorro Nunez, 70. The other woman is said to be Alice Alvarez Aguilar, 47, who is pictured here. Police initially responded to a report of gunshots that came from inside the residence at 118 S. Beverly Street around after 12:30 yesterday afternoon. When officers arrived, they found Nunez’s body on the floor in Apartment #1. Officers searched the area for the suspect and located her unconscious in the adjacent apartment with the self-inflicted wound.

GREGG COUNTY — A Gregg County man is in court today charged with sexual assault of a child. The trial starts today for Tracy Antonio Bonner, 43, Longview, accused of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl back in 2000. KETK reports, officials with the Gregg County District Attorney’s office says if convicted, Bonner faces up to 99 years to life in prison.

BULLARD — Officials with the City of Bullard Utility Department say water came back on late Wednesday morning. This comes after an early morning water main break. A boil water notice has now been issued to all residents who have city water. Another notice will be issued when the water is clear to drink without boiling. According to KETK, officials still don’t know what caused the water main break, which canceled classes Wednesday in the Bullard ISD and at Brook Hill School.

TYLER — Tyler ISD says two more elementary campuses are beginning implementation of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. They are Jones MST Elementary Academy and Ramey Elementary School.

AVID Elementary is designed to bring academic success to all students by combining “best teaching practices” with AVID Elementary’s framework of Writing to Learn, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading to Learn. The targeted grade level(s) implement and embed AVID Elementary strategies and methodologies into grade-level expectations and classroom procedures. All students in the target grade level are exposed to the strategies and tools of the AVID Elementary Program.

“With college-readiness as our motivation, teachers will begin incorporating the AVID Elementary components into their daily teaching practices, wherein the high expectation of success for EVERY student will always be at the forefront of the days’ activities and lessons,” said Lillian Bowens, Tyler ISD AVID Director. “AVID Elementary is part of a district-wide effort to increase college-ready students, and because of the successes of our first AVID elementary campus, Peete Elementary, Tyler Independent School District will begin implementation of two additional AVID Elementary campuses, Jones and Ramey, in the 2010 school year.”

The AVID program is currently being implemented at: Peete, Jones and Ramey elementary schools; Secondary Certified sites are: Boulter, Dogan, Hogg, Hubbard, Moore, and Stewart middle schools; John Tyler and Robert E. Lee high schools.

TYLER – Tyler police are looking for a Hispanic male on charges of unlawful restraint. Officers were called to East Texas Medical Center around 9:00 Monday night. A woman told officers she had been abducted while going to the hospital.

She said she was in the area of South Beckham and East Erwin streets when a Hispanic Male offered her ride to ETMC. She told officers the man immediately deviated from the route to the hospital and would not allow her out of the vehicle. The man transported her victim out of the city at a high rate of speed. She was unable to get out of the vehicle until they were in the area of County Road 211 and Farm to Market Road 850. She said she jumped from the vehicle. She was found by a Smith County Sheriff’s deputy. She was then transported to East Texas Medical Center for treatment of her injuries.

The Hispanic male is described as being in his 40’s with a light beard, wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. The suspect’s vehicle is described as a dark green two door, possibly Ford Ranger with dark tinted windows. The vehicle also had a piece of plywood in the bed protruding over the tail gate.

TYLER – A 45-year-old Beckville woman has pleaded guilty to federal drug violations related to cold pills. Heidi Lynn Beall pleaded guilty to possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. The plea came Tuesday in Tyler before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love.

According to information presented in court, on Dec. 24, 2008, Beall purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Walgreens in Longview, in addition to making two other purchases that same day at other stores in the area, as well as on many other occasions. Officials say it was all in furtherance of her methamphetamine manufacturing activities. A federal grand jury returned a 256-count indictment on Feb. 2, 2010, charging Beall with federal drug violations. Beall faces up to 20 years in federal prison at sentencing. A sentencing date has not been set.

GLADEWATER — Sheriff’s officials in Gregg County are investigating a woman’s death. Tuesday morning Deputies and Emergency Medical personnel responded to a residence on FM 2207 North of Gladewater to conduct a death investigation. Sally Coker, 60, of Gladewater was found pinned between a chain and her passenger car at the entrance to her residence. Coker’s grandchild was inside the car at the time of the incident.

“At 10:50 am we received a telephone call from a Gregg County Reserve Deputy who discovered Coker pinned between a chain and the windshield of her passenger car,” Captain Mike Claxton said Tuesday afternoon. The Deputy happened upon this event while traveling on FM2207 and called for assistance. “Unfortunately Coker had no signs of life when found,” Claxton added.

“Investigators have been examining the scene with Judge Talyna Carlson,” Claxton said. Coker’s family has been notified of her death. Carlson has ordered an autopsy on Coker to assist in determining the manner and cause of her death. “It is too soon to comment intelligently on how this incident occurred,” Claxton added. “Initial investigative findings from the scene indicates that Coker was out of her car at the entrance to her property moving the chain to enable access to her driveway when she became pinned between the chain and her car.”

TYLER — Four biomedical investigators at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler recently were awarded a total of more than $2.1 million in grants despite intense competition for research dollars. Officials say the UTHSCT researchers will use those funds to:
* examine ways to prevent the rejection of transplanted insulin-producing cells that could cure diabetes;
* develop new strategies to protect lung cells against damage caused by tobacco smoke, including the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the fourth leading cause of death in the United States;
* explore how to boost the immune system so that it can fight off deadly microbes, such as the H1N1 flu virus; and
* study how changes in the thymus gland may contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes.

Almost $1.8 million of the $2.1 million came from the National Institutes of Health, the premier funding agency in the United States for biomedical research. Each NIH grant is evaluated by other scientists in the same field of study, in a process known as peer review. Grants are awarded based on the scores they receive, and officials say the competition is fierce.

“To receive significant NIH funding now is a remarkable achievement that speaks to the high quality of the scientific work our investigators are conducting. They compete against the leading scientists from top-tier institutions,” said UTHSCT Vice President for Research Dr. Steven Idell, MD, Ph.D. “On average, only the top 15 percent of the proposals submitted to NIH are funded. In some areas of research, the percentage funded is even less,” Dr. Idell said. “More investigators are applying for NIH funding, while the annual NIH budget has remained about the same. In addition, the cost of research has gone up.” It has also become harder for researchers to acquire private, non-governmental funding, he said.

“Grant applications to foundations and other research sponsors have become almost as competitive – sometimes even more so – than applying to the NIH. While this is a very exciting time to be in biomedical science, researchers face great challenges in acquiring and retaining outside funding to support their work,” Dr. Idell said. “The fact that UTHSCT investigators continue to be funded shows the high quality and importance of the science being done within the UTHSCT biomedical research community.”

One of the members of this community, Zhenhua Dai, Ph.D., MD, an associate professor of immunology, recently was awarded a $1.4 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health. These funds will support Dr. Dai’s ongoing study into how to prevent the immune system from rejecting transplanted organs. Sreerama Shetty, Ph.D., a professor of medicine, received a two-year grant for $387,750 from the NIH to examine the roles of two crucial proteins in protecting the lungs from the harm caused by tobacco smoke.

Amir Shams, Ph.D., an associate professor of microbiology and immunology, was awarded a three-year, $325,000 grant from the Flight Attendants Medical Research Institute. He is studying how an innovative technique that boosts the immune system could help people with COPD and other lung diseases to fight infections of influenza. Dongming Su, Ph.D., an associate professor of biochemistry, received an additional award of $71,854 to fund his ongoing research into the thymus, a gland located behind the top of the breastbone.

TYLER — Smith County Commissioners approved a budget Tuesday morning. According to KETK, the budget calls for 33 county job cuts and a property tax increase. In a crowded room, a handful of taxpayers gave their final words to the court before Commissioners decided on a final budget. They voted to increase property taxes by $.025.

During the discussion, Commissioner Bill McGinnis says he does not like the tax rate, and he thinks it should be higher. The votes for the budget and tax increase were 4-1 when Commissioner Terry Phillips voted against both. Phillips says, “I just feel like there was more that could have been done to lower the tax rate.” The 33 job cuts include 17 Road and Bridge, six administrative, five Judicial, three Public Safety, and two Agricultural Extension jobs.

TYLER – Tyler police say one woman is dead after being shot, and another — suspected in the fatal shooting — is in critical condition at ETMC/Tyler with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police identify the slain woman as 70-year-old Socorro Nunez; the other woman is named as 47-year-old Alice Alvarez Aguilar. Police initially responded to a report of gunshots that came from inside the residence around 12:34 p.m. When officers arrived, they found Nunez’s body on the floor in Apartment #1. Officers searched the area for the suspect and located her unconscious in the adjacent apartment with the self-inflicted wound. Police say investigators are attempting to determine the motives behind the deadly shooting.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Fire Department responds to a fire in the 1400 block of Lake Drive around 9:00 Tuesday morning. Officials say a man was removing the fuel pump from the gas tank of a car when a spark igniting the fuel in the tank. The blaze was extinguished with no damage to any other structures. The man suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns but refused to taken to the hospital. The car was a total loss.

TYLER — Tyler Junior College officials are clarifying the tax rate increase approved last week for the new fiscal year’s budget. Trustees approved a rate of 18.29 cents per $100 valuation — the amount originally proposed. That’s 33.57 percent higher than the current rate — and 31.62 percent higher than the effective tax rate, which is the figure that would bring in the current year’s revenue.

ELKHART – A weekend shooting in Anderson County has left one person dead and one person in custody. It happened around 1:00 Sunday morning on County Road 1121 near Elkhart. Shot to death was Jacob Kennedy, 27. Arrested later that morning was Larry Warren, 35, of Palestine. He was taken into custody at a Tyler hospital where he was being treated for a gunshot wound. He was reportedly wounded by another man in a struggle over the rifle used to shoot Kennedy. Investigators say the shooting stemmed from an argument over a woman.

QUITMAN — A Wood County employee was killed Monday will trimming trees along County Road 2775. Killed was Mathew Crowell, 31, who was part of a county work crew. He was critically injured just before 11:45 yesterday morning when a tree limb he was cutting fell on him, pinning him between the limb and another tree limb. He died about an hour later at East Texas Medical Center-Quitman. An autopsy was ordered.

TYLER — Tyler Police are investigating an aggravated assault reported just before 2:00 Tuesday morning. It occurred in the 3700 block of North Broadway. A woman tells officers she was northbound on Broadway in her vehicle when a white Ford 4 door approached her from behind. It hit her rear bumper and she pulled to the side of the road thinking it had been an accident. Two black males approached her and one of them hit her in the face. When she fell to the ground two men rummaged through her car. They then returned to their vehicle and left. She was treated at the scene by ambulance personnel. There is no additional suspect or vehicle information at this time and the case remains under investigation.

LONGVIEW — One person received minor injuries in a Longview fire. The fire, in a carport, was reported shortly after 10:15 yesterday morning at 4307 Price Lane. Firemen say they found a small fire in the carport and it was quickly brought under control. The occupant of the mobile home sustained a minor injury while attempting to remove a vehicle from the carport. The vehicle was also damaged while it was being backed out of the carport. According to Interim Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary, “the cause of the fire is unintentional.”

BULLARD – The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department says the search continues for the person responsible for a shooting death in Bullard. According to KETK, the victim has now been identified as William Earl Baker, 52. He was shot to death around 7:00 Friday night on his driveway at his house in the Shadybrook subdivision, and authorities say it’s foul play. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing and anyone with any tips or information in this case is asked to call the Criminal Investigations Division of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department at 903-683-2271. All calls will be confidential and callers may be left anonymous.

TYLER — Smith County Purchasing Director Kelli Davis has been nominated to serve on the Board of Directors for the Texas Public Purchasing Association in 2011. The new board lineup will be announced at the organization’s 2010 State Conference, to be held in Smith County. The nomination comes from current Board Member and Past TxPPA President Jack Beacham, Purchasing Director for Tarrant County. “Mrs. Davis is absolutely the quality of purchasing professional to take TxPPA to its next level of success,” Beacham said in a letter nominating Mrs. Davis. “She will make an outstanding contribution to this association and will be one of the future leaders in Texas Public Procurement.”

Mrs. Davis has been the Purchasing Director for Smith County for five years and recently won the bid for Smith County to host the Fall 2010 TxPPA State Conference. “From my perspective, they could not select a candidate with better credentials,” County Judge Joel Baker said. “She will be a strong voice for Smith County and all of east Texas to that organization.” The 2010 TxPPA Fall State Conference could bring 300 or more Purchasing Directors from across the state into the county. Officials say Smith County was chosen to host the state convention for its central location and its innovative purchasing methods.

TxPPA is the first and only multi-agency organization for Public Purchasing Professionals in Texas. The Texas Public Purchasing Association is comprised of 600 Purchasing Directors from Texas cities, counties, school districts and colleges.

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler has received $893,475 from the National Science Foundation to support the new Noyce Scholars Program, Dr. Arlene Horne, vice president for research and federal relations, announced. The five-year grant provides academic scholarships for high achieving juniors and seniors seeking degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) who will also seek teacher certification through the university’s UTeach program.

“The UT Tyler Noyce Scholars Program encourages STEM majors to become teachers by supporting them through the most rigorous portion of their program – their upper division content courses and their field-based pedagogical courses including apprentice teaching,” said Dr. Bambi Bailey, UT Tyler associate professor of science education and program co-coordinator. “There is a high need for STEM teachers in our region. This program will support the development of over 30 new STEM teachers over the course of the next five years.” The first five Noyce Scholars will be chosen early this fall.

Noyce Scholars will teach in high-need secondary schools one year for each semester of support they receive. In addition, the program supports freshman and sophomore STEM majors considering entering the UTeach program. Dr. Michael Odell, UT Tyler Roosth professor of science education and engineering; and Dr. Fredericka Brown, UT Tyler assistant professor of mechanical engineering, also serve as program coordinators. UT Tyler last year received grants totaling $1.4 million to establish the UTeach program, which originated at UT Austin in 1997.

According to UTT officials, the core elements of the UTeach program include active recruitment and incentives, such as:
– Offering the first two courses for free;
– A compact degree program that allows students to graduate in four years with both a degree and a teaching certification;
– Strong focus on acquiring deep content knowledge in math and science, in addition to research-based teaching strategies focusing on teaching and learning math and science;
– Early and intensive field teaching experience, beginning in the UTeach students’ first semester;
– Personal attention and guidance from highly experienced master teachers, faculty, and successful public school teachers.
For more information about the UT Tyler Noyce Scholars Program, contact Bailey at [email protected] or 903.565.5937.

TYLER – 38-year-old Joann Morgan of Carthage has pleaded guilty to to possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. The plea was entered Monday in Tyler before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love.

According to prosecutors, on Feb. 17, 2009, Morgan purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Walgreens in Marshall, in addition to making three other purchases that same day at other Walgreens stores in Marshall, Longview and Kilgore. Authorities say that was in addition to numerous other purchases at other stores on other days, all in furtherance of her methamphetamine manufacturing activities. A federal grand jury returned a 54-count indictment on Apr. 8, 2010 charging Morgan with federal drug violations. Morgan faces up to 20 years in federal prison at sentencing. A sentencing date has not been set.

EAST TEXAS — A capital building fund has been launched to support the efforts of the recently established Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or SPCA of East Texas. Tyler attorney Deborah Tittle-Dobbs formed the non-profit SPCA of East Texas this year, to respond to and investigate animal cruelty and neglect as well as house rescued animals for adoption. Currently, neither the city of Tyler nor Smith County has a local facility to house stray or neglected dogs for any length of time. All lost dogs and strays from the city are transported by animal control to a shelter in Cherokee County. Euthanized animals must then be transported back to Tyler for disposal by animal control. On average 60-100 dogs from our community are euthanized each week because of the lack of a community shelter.

The SPCA of East Texas hopes to remedy thE situation and is seeking private donations to build a shelter in the Tyler area. You can mail your donation to the SPCA, P.O. Box 2026, Tyler, TX, 75710. Other programs will include humane education in schools, spay/neuter awareness and pet overpopulation, “Critter Camp” a children’s day camp and a community event center for animal organizations and public events.

Additionally, the first SPCA cruelty investigator has been hired with Smith County District Attorney drug seizure funds. Former Tyler police officer, Roy Linn will investigate calls received through the SPCA hotline at 903-596-SPCA.

LUFKIN — Lufkin Police are investigating an apparent double murder that happened on Davis Street Sunday morning. Officers responded to a call of a man and woman lying in the front yard bleeding around 7:27 a.m. at 319 Davis Street. They arrived to see 23-year-old Brianna Shaw, of Lufkin lying on the front porch with a gunshot wound to the back of the head and the tenant, Artha Griffin, 64, lying beside her with a gunshot wound to the face and head. They were pronounced dead at the scene by Judge Esther Barger. According to the Lufkin Daily News, the deaths are under investigation.

TYLER — Tyler police are looking for the lone gunman who robbed the Quality Inn at 2843 West Northwest Loop 323. It happened shortly before 8:45 Sunday night. The desk clerk told officers the suspect never spoke, but used a hand-written note to convey his intentions.

The suspect fled the business on foot. It is not known at this time, whether he used a vehicle to leave the area. A green colored “Astro”-type van was seen behind the business around the time of the robbery. It is unknown whether this vehicle was involved in the crime.

The suspect was described as a white male, in his late 20’s to early 30’s, about 5’5” to 5’7” in height, about 160 lbs in weight, with an athletic build. He was wearing all black, with black gloves and a black ski mask. He displayed a chrome colored revolver during the robbery.

Tyler police say suspect took an undisclosed amount of cash. There were no injuries.

TYLER — The Texas Department of Transportation announced that it completed three projects in August and planned to break ground on another four in September. This brings the total number of projects under construction to 29 across the eight-county Tyler District.

“Without a doubt, the biggest project of the three we finished is the State Highway 198 bridge at Caney Creek,” said TxDOT spokesman Larry Krantz. “And right as we’re wrapping that one up, we’re getting another one started at Twin Creek Lake near Gun Barrel City.”

The $21 million Twin Creek project, which is being built by the same contractor, Concho Construction Company, Inc., of Garland, will be nearly identical to the Caney Creek project. The Caney Creek project, which was the first of the three State Highway 198 bridges on Cedar Creek Reservoir to be rebuilt, called for building a new, two-lane bridge next to the old, existing bridge, then shifting traffic to the new bridge while the original bridge was replaced. The end result is four lanes of traffic on SH 198, with the northbound and southbound traffic running on separate bridges.

“We’ve been very fortunate with our funding when it comes to bridges,” Krantz said. “We’ve had these SH 198 bridge projects ready to go as soon as funding was available, and now we’re working on the second of the three bridges.” No funding has been identified for the third bridge, which is between Twin Creek and Caney Creek.

Also in August, TxDOT completed night-work resurfacing projects on U.S. Highway 80 (Marshall Avenue) in Longview, and on U.S. Highway 69 (South Broadway Avenue) in Tyler. Krantz said both projects went smoothly and were completed on time.

In addition to the SH 198 bridge work beginning in September, construction crews are scheduled to begin work on a combined project to widen and resurface Farm Road 59 and Farm Road 753 in Henderson County. Farm-to-Market 59 will be widened three feet on each side and resurfaced between South Loop 7 in Athens and Farm Road 753, and FM 753 will be similarly widened and resurfaced between FM 59 and State Highway 31. The $5.2 million project is scheduled to begin in mid-to-late September and take approximately one year to complete.

In Anderson County, an $800,000 resurfacing project on U.S. Highway 287 in and around Elkhart is scheduled to kick off this week, between Farm Road 1817 and State Highway 294. The project, awarded to Madden Contracting Company, Inc., of Minden, Louisiana, is scheduled to take approximately two months to complete.

Finally, in Tyler, a $1.5 million Green Ribbon landscaping project to add decorative traffic islands and shrubbery to various intersections along Spur 147 (Gentry Parkway) between West Loop 323 and Farm Road 14 is scheduled to begin by mid-September. The project, awarded to Tyler-based Reynolds & Kay, Ltd. is part of the state’s Green Ribbon Landscape Improvement Program, which allows the state to address new landscape development and establishment projects within districts that have non-attainment or near non-attainment counties. Green Ribbon projects call for planting trees and shrubs, which help clean the air and otherwise mitigate the effects of air pollution.

The Tyler District also awarded contracts for four construction projects in August, including a $75,000 Green Ribbon Project to Encino Landscape, Inc., of Cleveland, Texas, for the Henderson Star area.

The other projects include a $165,000 project to improve camp sites at Tyler State Park, a $2.3 million project to widen and resurface Farm Road 344 in Smith County between Teaselville and Bullard, and a $1.3 million project to repair and resurface a short segment of Interstate Highway 20 between State Highway 110 and the Smith-Van Zandt county line. Projects awarded in August should begin sometime this fall.

TYLER – Lighthouse Graphics, a division of East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind, has formed a legally blind team to compete in the Brookshire’s Firefighter Combat Challenge held at the Broadway Square Mall parking lot Sept. 24 and 25. The six team members all have a visual impairment caused by an eye disease “We are hopeful that our participation in the challenge will provide the community another opportunity to appreciate the abilities of people with visual impairments,” Lee Tillson, combat team captain, said. Lighthouse Graphics is one of five local businesses taking part in the corporate challenge portion of the event. These teams are required to complete the same course as the fire department teams. In preparation for the challenge the Graphics team has practiced on a simulated course designed by local fire fighters.

“Visual impairments won’t slow us down. We might have to work a little harder than the rest, but I’m confident we will be a strong force in the competition. We have good athletes on the team and we all want to win,” Tillson said. The Firefighter Combat Challenge visits approximately 25 cities across the U.S., and this and be the fifth year the competition has come to Tyler. The challenge is an energetic and friendly competition between local and out of state fire department teams — and, for the first time, local corporate teams. The obstacle course is made up of five tasks that simulate real life scenarios that fire fighters face in the line of duty; they include: high rise hose carry, hose hoist, forcible entry, hose advance and victim rescue.

Serving 46 counties in East Texas, The Lighthouse is a 501©3 non-profit organization located in Tyler. The three operating divisions — Horizon Industries, Lighthouse Graphics and East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind Rehabilitative Services — collectively employ 69 blind and visually impaired people. To learn more about the programs and services at The Lighthouse visit http://www.etlb.org or call 903.593.3111.

TYLER — The Tyler-based Lake Country Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is busy developing the region’s health workforce. Director Helen Miner talked about it on KTBB “Staff Meeting.” According to Miner, “We jokingly said it’s ‘catch ’em, train’ em, keep ’em.’ We try to get kids interested — and adults who are interested in second careers.” Miner says rural areas are a key focus — and that keeping sufficient health care in such communities has far-reaching implications. “It has a tremendous impact on business development in the community,” Miner remarks. “If they lose their doctor or their hospital, they’re not going to recruit new businesses.”

Presentations in schools, and partnerships with health care providers and community coalitions, help keep Miner’s five-member staff busy. She’s also available to speak to civic groups and the like. You can log on to http://www.lcahec.net for more information. You can also go to http://www.ktbb.com/audio to listen to the “Staff Meeting” show online beginning early Monday.