KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — The Eastern District of Texas has reached an agreement with Smith County to ensure deaf, hearing impaired, or vision impaired people can communicate as effectively as others. According to a news release, the matter began with a complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice. Under the agreement, the county is updating its website to contain sufficient information on how the aforementioned population can access aids or services. The county will also provide Title II training to staff under the Americans with Disabilities Act — and will ensure sufficient auxiliary aids or services are available at the county courthouse as required by the 2010 ADA standards. Continue reading EDTX reaches ADA resolution with Smith County

TYLER — The NET Health Board of Directors has considered the substantial increase of COVID-19 cases that has occurred locally since July 1, 2021, which is due in large part to the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant and has contributed to the stress being experienced by area hospitals treating the sick in our community, COVID-related and otherwise. The percentage of East Texans aged 12 years and higher who are fully vaccinated are generally 40% or less, with some counties only around 33%. Continue reading NET Health Board of Directors approves resolution

EAST TEXAS — Several East Texas school districts remain closed due to COVID-19 concerns, with the upcoming holiday also playing a role. According to our news partner KETK, schools in Rains ISD will be out of session through next Tuesday. Eustace, Alto, Cross Roads, Yantis, Fruitvale, Frankston, Gladewater, Leverett’s Chapel, Murchison, and Wells ISDs will remain closed through Labor Day.

CARTHAGE – A former Spring Hill ISD employee was arrested and charged with online solicitation of a minor. According to our news partner KETK, 27-year-old Joseph Schaetz was booked into the Smith County Jail Wednesday on $75,000 bond and bonded out later that day. The victim was a 14-year-old Panola County girl who was not enrolled in Spring Hill, according to Panola County District Attorney Danny Buck Davidson. Davidson said Schaetz resigned from Spring Hill earlier this week and was arrested Wednesday. The Panola County Grand Jury will be looking at the case next time it meets, which Davidson says is usually about once a month.

RUSK – More charges are being added in a recent kidnapping that prompted an Amber Alert. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office says 32-year-old Jesse Schmidt now faces charges of aggravated kidnapping and continuous sexual abuse of a child. Schmidt was already charged with kidnapping. The alert was activated early Tuesday for two children who were later found with Schmidt at a Kilgore motel. Schmidt remains jailed in Cherokee County on $500,000 bond. The sheriff’s office says the case remains active pending further investigation. According to our news partner KETK, 11-year-old Desmond Wells and 10-year-old Ashlynn Wells had last been seen in the Rusk area Monday afternoon when the alert was activated. Officials say they have now been released to CPS custody.

WASHINGTON (AP/Staff) – President Joe Biden is lambasting the Supreme Court’s decision not to block a new Texas law banning most abortions in the state. The law was spearheaded by state Senator Bryan Hughes of Mineola (pictured). Biden said Thursday he is directing federal agencies to do what they can to “insulate women and providers” from the impact. Hours earlier, in the middle of the night, a deeply divided high court allowed the law to remain in force in the nation’s biggest abortion curb since the court legalized the operation nationwide a half-century ago. The court voted 5-4 to deny an emergency appeal from abortion providers and others. The Texas law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks and before most women know they’re pregnant.

MARSHALL — East Texas Baptist University is accepting donations for Texas Baptist Men’s Disaster Relief efforts to help individuals affected by Hurricane Ida in Louisiana. The items listed below may be dropped off at ETBU’s Ornelas Student Center at the marked donation drop-off point through Tuesday, September 7. This is the same building where community members visit Chick-fil-A. Among the items being sought: gift cards from Home Depot or Walmart for families, bottled water and bottled Gatorade, infant and/or adult diapers, baby wipes, and work gloves (sizes L and XL). Continue reading ETBU collecting donations for those affected by Hurricane Ida

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) – Authorities at Grand Canyon National Park say they are scaling back the search for a Texas man who has been missing for nearly three months. Park officials say 49-year-old Charles Lyon of Tyler was last seen at a hotel in Tusayan on June 10. They say Lyon abandoned his vehicle on the canyon’s South Rim along Desert View Drive near Lipan Point on or around June 11 and was believed to be traveling alone. Beginning on June 11, crews searched extensively by ground and helicopter in the vicinity of Lipan Point and along Desert View Drive but there was no sign of Lyon. Park officials say the search will continue in a limited and continuous mode.

WASHINGTON. D.C. – A Washington, D.C., federal judge has granted an emergency motion by a Carthage native charged in the Capitol riot to allow him to travel to Louisiana with the Cajun Navy to help with the Hurricane Ida cleanup. According to our news partner KETK, 34-year-old Alex Harkrider is out on bond awaiting trial. There was no opposition to the motion from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Kira West, Harkrider’s head defense lawyer, wrote that he “can effectively be monitored by Pretrial Services for this volunteer effort. There is no threat to the community posed by Mr. Harkrider.” The motion also said Harkrider has “volunteered by selling tickets, making t-shirts, and working at a fundraiser in his community for a fellow marine who has cancer.”

KILGORE – Kilgore Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 18-year-old woman. According to our news partner KETK, Dakota Conert went missing between 12:30 and 1:30 Monday morning. The department said in a Facebook post that she left her apartment in a pickup truck and her family has not heard from her since. She was last seen wearing a gray quarter-zip jacket and shorts. If you have any information regarding her whereabouts, contact Detective Joshua Sims at 903-218-6907 or [email protected]. To submit an anonymous tip via text message to the Kilgore Police Department, text KILGORE and your tip to 847411 (tip411).

UPSHUR COUNTY – A small community in Upshur County was rendered almost completely without power after vandals caused a massive outage Wednesday morning, according to a release from a power company. Upshur County Electric Cooperative Corporation released a statement after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday saying that much of Glennwood was in the dark after “vandals broke into the sub and caused significant damage to equipment.” According to our news partner KETK, a company spokesman said the vandals broke into the substation and cut over 500 feet of ground wire, which eventually caused a fire. He described how dangerous the situation was and that he was surprised no one was hurt during the break-in. The UCECC says power has now been restored and the company is working with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department as part of its investigation.

TYLER — Wednesday, lots of new laws went into effect in the state. One law that had lots of people on both sides of the issue was permit less carry. Representative Matt Schaefer, of Tyler, authored the bill. He said, “Second Amendment rights have been restored for millions of of law abiding Texans.” The law will allow Texans ages 21 and older to carry handguns without training or a license as long as they are not legally prevented from doing so. SMU Political Science Professor Matt Wilson says it remains to be seen if this law will have an effect on violence and gun sales. Continue reading Rep Schaefer’s permitless carry law now in effect

CHEROKEE COUNTY –  Two Cherokee County employees were arrested for allegedly tampering with a government document to gain power of attorney, according to Sheriff Brent Dickson with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. According to our news partner KETK, Peggy Cornelius and Suijuan Chen are being charged with tampering with a government document and also giving a false statement to peace officers. The issue did not involve city business, said Dickson. Cornelius and Chen turned themselves in on Friday and were arrested then. Continue reading Cherokee County employees arrested for allegedly tampering with government document

RUSK – A man has been arrested and charged with kidnapping after an Amber Alert was activated early Tuesday morning for two children who were later found in Kilgore. According to our news partner KETK, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office says 32-year-old Jesse Schmidt has been booked into the Cherokee County Jail and his bond was set at $500,000. “This case is still active and more charges are pending at this time,” said the sheriff’s office. 11-year-old Desmond Wells and 10-year-old Ashlynn Wells had last been seen in the Rusk area Monday afternoon when the alert was activated. Officials say they have now been released to CPS custody.

TYLER – A San Antonio man convicted in a head-on collision on an infamous road in Tyler that killed 21-year-old Haile Beasley in 2016 will now have a new sentencing trial scheduled for December 6. That’s according to our news partner KETK. 46-year-old James Fulton was convicted in 2017 of criminally negligent homicide for the wreck on Grande Boulevard. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The new sentencing trial was granted after an appeals court ruled that Fulton received ineffective counsel. Fulton has been out on bond since August 2019.

TYLER — KTBB news and operations director Paul Berry died Tuesday afternoon of an apparent heart attack. He joined KTBB more than 20 years ago after having previously been the program director and morning air personality on KTBB’s then sister station, KDOK. In addition to overseeing the editorial operation of the KTBB newsroom, he also managed the day-to-day technical operations of KTBB 97.5 FM, 600 AM and 92.1 FM, The TEAM Sports Radio. “Paul and I really loved the radio business,” said KTBB president and owner Paul Gleiser. “We spent a lot of time talking about the work of the great broadcasters that we both admired and we also spent a lot of time looking for just one more way to make this station better. Somewhere in all of that an employment relationship morphed into friendship. I’m going to miss him.” Paul is survived by his close companion Angie Swearingen of Tyler. He was 52.

MARSHALL – The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office said they are looking for a missing woman with a medical condition. According to our news partner KETK, Jessica Adair was reported as missing by her son on Aug. 30 around 7:30 p.m. She was last seen at her home on Harris Rd. Adair needs to take medication every day, according to the sheriff’s office. She is 46, and 5’5.” Adair has blond hair and weighs 155 lbs. She was last seen wearing an “H&W Honda” black t-shirt, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes. Adair also does not have her purse, medication, or cell phone with her. If anyone has information regarding the location of Jessica Adair, please contact the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office at 903-923-4000 or call 911.

TYLER – Tyler ISD announces the hiring of Suzette Farr as the executive director of the Tyler ISD Foundation. The foundation’s board approved Farr’s appointment Tuesday morning. Farr joins the foundation from Mentoring Alliance, where she recently served as Vice President of Marketing & Community Engagement. Farr previously worked as the East Texas corporate marketing director for the American Heart Association and as the marketing and business development director at Cooperative Teachers Credit Union. She is also a former TISD Foundation Board member, serving from 2014-2018. Farr will officially begin her new duties September 7. The foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides grant funds to teachers for projects and programs that are not funded, or are underfunded, by the District’s operating budget.

TYLER – Champions for Children, the Tyler Area Business Education Council, and Texas Home Visiting at UT Health Science Center at Tyler announce they have teamed up with Bright by Text, a national parent texting program. According to a news release from Champions for Children, the participants plan to put expert tips, games and child development information directly into the hands of parents and caregivers in East Texas. According to the release, Bright by Text is a unique resource as many children are learning from home and many families have a difficult time accessing the services they need. The texting service (for ages prenatal to eight years) includes topics on brain development, games and activities, health and wellness, and more. You can learn more by visiting this link or calling (903) 592-1454.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — East Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert is calling for “bold action” by the U.S. in Afghanistan. In a video commentary, Gohmert says, in part, “I am begging you, President Biden — please get off your knees, stop your begging of the Taliban for mercy for American citizens and our Afghan allies, get as many of our weapons to the Pansjirs valley where our allies are, and bomb the weapons you have insanely left with America’s most vicious and savage enemy. As we saw with the Iranian treatment of President Carter’s begging of Iran, such savages do not respect weakness. They will not be rehabilitated. Give our allies those weapons that you can so they can defeat them again.” Gohmert says if Biden can’t do that, he should resign.

EAST TEXAS — The Chapel Hill ISD board of trustees approved a temporary mask mandate on Monday. According to our news partner KETK, masks will be required during indoor classes and activities starting on Aug. 31. Students will be given a mask, if they do not have one. Longview ISD also previously issued a temporary mask mandate. Some East Texas schools have recently closed their doors due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.

LONGVIEW – The month-long search for a missing East Texas woman came to an end Monday when her body was positively identified. That’s according to our news partner KETK. On Aug. 20, Longview police were notified of a body on West Marshall Avenue. The body was sent for autopsy and later identified as 68-year-old Judy Akridge from Marshall. Akridge went missing July 27, and DPS issued a Silver Alert at the request of LPD. Her family members said she possibly had dementia and schizophrenia and wasn’t taking her medication. LPD said there is no foul play expected at this time and Akridge’s family has been notified.

TYLER — Pipeline Analysis will continue smoke testing sewer lines in sewer meter basins 13 and 17 as part of the City of Tyler’s ongoing sanitary sewer inspection program. Officials say smoke testing helps locate breaks and defects in the city’s sanitary sewer system. The information is used to repair and improve the sewer system, according to a news release. The testing will be conducted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, Sept. 3, in three areas. Continue reading Smoke testing locations through Sept. 3

TYLER — For the first time in over 30 years, a new senior pastor is officially on board at the largest church in East Texas. The website of Tyler’s Green Acres Baptist Church shows that Dr. Michael Gossett took over the reins effective Sunday, August 29. He succeeds Dr. David Dykes, who has retired as the longest-serving pastor in the church’s history. Dykes began leading the congregation in March 1991. Green Acres claims over 17,000 members.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – A former Louisiana FBI agent accused of exposing himself to two Tyler teenage girls is now facing charges in Florida. That’s according to our news partner KETK and its sister station WMBB in Panama City, Florida. 50-year-old David Harris is charged in Smith County as well as Louisiana for multiple incidents. He had been assigned to the FBI Field Office in New Orleans, where he investigated child sex crimes. Harris has since been fired by the FBI. The Florida incident dates to July 2019.

TYLER – Starting Saturday, Sept. 11, the Tyler Parks and Recreation Department is bringing back the popular Movies in the Park program at Bergfeld Park. For the 2021 fall season, there will be four movies hosted between September and October: Saturday, Sept. 11, at 7:45 p.m. – “Soul” (2020), Rated PG; Saturday, Sept. 25, at 7:30 p.m. – “Raya and the Last Dragon” (2021), Rated PG; Friday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m. – “Mulan: Live Action Version” (2020), Rated PG 13; Saturday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. – “Suspicion” (1941), Not Rated. For more information or questions, contact Tyler Parks and Rec at (903) 531-1370 or visit this link.

TYLER — The U.S. Postal Service’s pilot offering for neighborhood businesses has added 24 sites in the Tyler area. The USPS Connect Local pilot launched on July 19 at seven Dallas and Houston sites and is now available at 385 Texas postal facility locations. More pilot locations will be added in the coming months as operational capabilities are refined. In Tyler, Connect Local now includes the Tyler Azalea, Tyler Main, and South Tyler Post Offices. According to a news release, USPS Connect Local helps businesses and organizations provide local-to-local same-day or next-day package delivery at affordable rates. Click here for all the details.

EAST TEXAS — Volunteers across Texas begin efforts to help with disaster relief in Louisiana and Mississippi. John Hall with Texas Baptist Men says volunteers headed down Monday for what he’s calling an extensive deployment. The American Red Cross is helping out, too. Volunteers from the north Texas chapter are already in Louisiana distributing cots, blankets, comfort kits and meals to people in hard-hit areas. Over the next few days, more response vehicles and volunteers are expected to be sent out from Abilene, Corsicana and Tyler. Texas is also sending power crews to help.

TYLER – On Sunday, Governor Greg Abbott announced that TDEM, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, will partner with local authorities and open a new COVID-19 therapeutic infusion center in Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, the infusion center will begin accepting patients on Tuesday. It will provide Regeneron’s monoclonal antibodies to treat outpatient cases of COVID-19 who have a doctor’s referral. The treatment will be available at no cost.

TYLER — As a result of the increase of COVID-19 cases in Smith County, the Tyler Municipal Court is now requiring masks to be worn in the courtroom during jury selections and trials. According to a news release, this is in compliance with the Emergency Orders from the Supreme Court of Texas directing judges to take all reasonably necessary steps to avoid exposing court proceedings and participants to the threat of COVID-19. Jurors who appear and refuse to wear a mask will have the option to reschedule for a later date or speak with the judge regarding their concerns. Continue reading Tyler Municipal Court implementing COVID-19 precautions for jury trials