KTBB News, Weather, Talk

SMITH COUNTY — On Wednesday Night Smith County Deputies were sent to a rest area off of I20 at mile marker 573 in regards to a body found adjacent to the park. A Texas D.P.S. Trooper found an unoccupied vehicle belonging to James Tate reported missing out of Dallas. The Trooper checked the area on foot and located Tate in a wooded area adjacent to the park. Smith County officials had the body removed to Forensic Medical in Tyler for an autopsy. Tate was 56. The cause of death is undetermined at this time.

TYLER — A Smith County Detention Officer was arrested Wednesday after investigators received a tip that Officer Lance Watson was bringing contraband into the jail and distributing it to numerous inmates. Specified items were found inside the pods of those inmates. When Watson came in on Wednesday evening, he was quickly approached. A look through Watson’s lunch box revealed 6 hamburgers with several items of contraband and a cellphone that had been “sandwiched” in between the buns. Continue reading Smith County Sheriff’s Office Arrests Detention Officer

JACKSONVILLE — Heavy rains took it’s toll this week at County Roads Rescue. Our news partner KETK caught up with Stephanie Hassell on Wednesday. Hassell found help in temporary shelter for the 30 plus animals after finding at least 6 inches of water inside the shelter during the storms. “The first thing I did, I came in and I checked on all our dogs to make sure that they were ok, I ran and checked on our cats to make sure nobody was just sitting in water.” Continue reading Community Rallies for Shelter in Jacksonville

ATHENS — Seventy-nine-year-old John Stevens is charged with criminally negligent homicide and injury to a child. According to our news partner KETK, the Athens ISD bus operator was behind the wheel when a train hit the school bus he was driving in January of 2019. Thirteen-year-old Christopher Bonilla, was killed, and his cousin Nine- year-old Joselyn Torres was hurt. On Wednesday Steven’s attorneys took steps to prove that the train conductor was at fault for the crash. To this point, counsel for Stevens says they have been denied the ability to interview the engineers. Continue reading Lawyers Petition to Depose Engineers in Fatal Crash

CHAPEL HILL — An Arp man was wounded and transported to the hospital after driving his car through an empty house off of HWY 64. According to our news partner KETK, the accident happened after 7 a.m. Thursday morning. James Donald Londo, 62, was driving West on HWY 64 before leaving the roadway, strikeing a mailbox, clipping a UHAUL truck, then driving through the desserted structure just outside of Chapel Hill, off CR 274 . An official on the scene said that Londo had a badly injured left hand, but would make a full recovery. Continue reading Arp Man Crashes through Empty House

TYLER — The annual Chick-fil-A Soup Drive produced 5,887 bowls of soup which will soon be on the way to The Salvation Army. Operators Jeff Johnston and Ikey Eason will be presenting the donation to The Salvation Army March 11th. In addition to the soup being presented, Joshua Johnson, operator of the Chick-fil-A at Broadway Square Mall will be presenting 559 cookies. His store conducted a cookie drive during the same time. Over 8,000 meals are served every month at The Salvation Army. Continue reading Chick-fil-A to Present Soup Donation to Salvation Army

TYLER — Former Douglas Elementary School kindergarten teacher, Dorothy Dietering, impacted the lives of many students with her 27-year teaching career, much of that by instilling her love of reading with children every day. Tyler I.S.D. say’s that although Ms. Dietering died five years ago, her fondness of reading continues to inspire children through her daughter, Bea Taylor. Every year Taylor donates a free book to every kindergarten student at Douglas Elementary, and on Thursday, Ms. Taylor will be at Douglas to deliver this year’s books to students.

TYLER — Southside Park in Tyler will be closed beginning on Wednesday due to safety reasons and for repairs. Plans involve setting a fence around the perimeter as soon as the weather allows. The Parks and Recreation Department had scheduled a meeting on Wednesday with the original contractor that built the playground to discuss further action steps. The park is located on Shiloh road, will be closed until further notice.

TYLER — Congressman Louie Gohmert won his primary easily, taking 90% of the votes on Tuesday. Following the election Tuesday night the District 1 Congressman told KTBB why he remains “possessed with passion”, “we’ve come so far in this country, we have made so much progress and yet I see it slipping away.” The U.S. Congressman continued, “I can’t believe people are wanting to go down this road where we have an Orwellian all powerful government. I am passionate about it. Think about the millions that have fought for our freedoms and yet there are people willing to just throw it away just to have government take care of everything. So it’s a fight.”

TYLER — Westbound traffic on north Loop 323 near Texas College Rd. in Tylerhas been resolved due to malfunctioning railroad arms that wore stuck down. Also a traffic signal problem following an accident on Hwy. 69 N. at Loop 323 has been corrected. All traffic lanes at both locations have been restored and are flowing freely.

TYLER — Since 1926, the Mercedes-Benz brand has delivered a unique luxury car experience. On Tuesday, General Manager, Mike McGlaughlin told KTBB, “many times people are suprised that Mercedes-Benz has such a competitive price point. I’ve had clients say why would I pay this, when I can get into a Mercedes-Benz at such a contending price with all the safety and time tested luxury that this brand offers.” Continue reading Mercedes-Benz to Celebrate Grand Opening Thursday in Tyler

TYLER — Tyler Police are searching for a gunman involved in a fatal shooting Tuesday night. On Wednesday Andy Erbaugh told KTBB, “it is the result of a drug deal gone bad. It happened around 11:30 at The Foundry Apartments on Varsity Drive.” Responding officers found two gunshot victims. One victim, Armani Jewel Fields, 20 of Lufkin died at the scene. A woman not involved in the altercation, was shot in her apartment, and was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Continue reading Fatal Tyler Shooting under Investigation

TYLER — For voters casting their ballots in the Whitehouse area: there is no wait time at First Baptist Church Whitehouse, while the polling place at the Whitehouse Municipal Court Building has long lines. For people voting in the Lindale area: skip the long lines of First Methodist Church-Lindale and cast your vote at the Hideaway Member Services Building with no line! Continue reading Polling Line Updates for March Primaries

TYLER — The Polls closed at 7 p.m. for the March Primary across Texas. Here are the latest unofficial results of ballots counted in Smith County.

Republican for the 114th District Court in Tyler.
Austin Reeve Jackson 7,081
Jarad Kent 5,787
Mitch Adams 1,935

Republican County Chair
David Stein 7,386
Ron Shaffer 6,819. Continue reading Super Tuesday Results Continue in Smith County

TYLER — Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn made an Election Day campaign stop at a local restaurant in Tyler Tuesday afternoon. He spoke to a gathering of about 50 people on the subject of Texas’s long-standing status as a Republican state and the expectation that more than 11 million votes will be cast this year in Texas, an increase of more than three million. Sen. Cornyn also cited success in working with President Trump to confirm 190 federal judges, pass a tax cut package and pass the USMCA trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.

ATHENS — A Tyler man now knows his sentence for his part in a 2017 Henderson County shooting. According to our news partner KETK, Dennis Metcalf, 42, of Tyler, was found guilty of manslaughter by a Henderson County jury. Metcalf received 20 years for the crime, he had faced a charge of of murder. Metcalf was arrested in October 2017, after admitting to a late night shooting, that killed 24-year-old James Arthur Featherston, of Murchison. Continue reading 20 Years for Tyler Man found Guilty of Manslaughter

LONGVIEW — A cemetery in Longview has released a statement after memorabillia, flowers, and personal items, were thrown away at the property. According to our news partner KETK, signs were posted at all entryways of Lakeview Memorial Garden to inform family members that they would be cleaning up the property. The clean-up took place last Wednesday. The cemetery said the signs were posted several weeks ahead of the expected clean up day. Continue reading Cemetery Releases Statement following Clean Up

TYLER — A Tyler woman has exercised her right to vote, from the hospital. According to our news partner KETK, Lauren Perry, discovered she had a brain tumor, and is recovering from surgery to remove it. Perry’s social media account lists her as a former Sabine high school teacher, and Adjunct Faculty member at UT Tyler, says she was able to have her voice heard thanks to an emergency ballot. On her social media account some of the feedback included a former student who said, “I’ve graduated but you are still teaching me.” Another person replied, “You are still being you, getting out the vote from your hospital gown, not just thinking about you. YOU ARE THE WOMAN.”

MARSHALL — The Harrison County Census 2020 Complete Count Committee is embracing forces with Marshall Independent School District, Harrison County schools and the United States Census to help assure the 2020 Census tallies all children living in the county. According to the Census Bureau, an estimated 1 million children under the age of 5 were not counted in the 2010 census. Starting on March 12,homes in the United States will receive invitations to respond to the 2020 Census. For the first time, everyone will be invited to respond online, mail or by phone. For more information, visit 2020census.gov. The Census is safe and has no questions regarding citizenship.

TYLER — Gallery Main Street will be revealing the works by Caldwell Arts Academy students with an exhibit opening and reception on Thursday. On Tuesday Amber Varona told KTBB, “the showcasing event happens from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Gallery’s new location inside Plaza Tower on N. College Ave.” The Gallery Main Street Director said, “this an opportunity to meet the young artists and check out our new space!” The free event is open to the public. Continue reading New Home for Gallery Main Street to Open with Caldwell Arts Academy Exhibit

TYLER — The Evolve Women’s Conference is this Thursday, at the UT Tyler Ornelas Activity Center. This year marks the 3rd annual women’s empowerment conference and is held in conjunction with Women’s History Month and the upcoming International Women’s Day. Evolve is presented by a Smith County nonprofit organization, the 1 in 3 Foundation,providing resources for healing and recovery for adult women survivors of sexual trauma. On-site registration will be available the morning of the conference, however seating is limited. For additional information visit evolvewomensconference.com.

LONGVIEW — Longview Police are investigating a shooting that caused non-life-threatening injuries to a 4-year-old around 6 p.m. on Sunday night. According to our news partner KETK, officers were called to a location on Zeola St. regarding a shooting. Upon arrival, they located a 4-year-old child with a gunshot wound. The child was transported to a local hospital for treatment. No Charges have been filed against the residents but the incident remains under investigation at this time. Continue reading 4 Year Old Shot in Longview

KILGORE — On Monday Kilgore College unveiled their training facility of the Esports training room. Professional video gaming – or Esports – has become a multi-billion dollar industry, and Kilgore College held a ribbon ceremony in the Devall Student Center, and tours of the facility that features what officials describe as the best-available gaming computer stations, powered by Dell, with 27-inch monitors and RTX 2080 TI graphics cards.

TYLER — The Tyler Small Business Development Center, has been named the North Texas SBDC of the Year. The clients’ loans and investments of $35,873,276 set a new regional record previously held by the Dallas SBDC. The standards that comprised the criteria for consideration is to meet all of your annual goals for your center. “The main criteria for consideration was to meet all of your annual goals for your center. In a statement from the SBDC Director of Tyler, Don Proudfoot said “Out of 12 centers, we were the only one that met all of our goals.”

TYLER — The Northeast Texas Public Health District says multiple people are being “self monitored” for the Coronavirus. Russell Hopkins told KTBB on Monday, “some of the challenges we are facing is that we are still not sure of some of the presentations before us.” The Director of NET Health’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness went on to say, “how long are you infectious? What causes you to have the severe form of the disease? First is the mild form, and then we don’t know if people will be re-infected later on. It does become a seasonal event.” Continue reading NET Health Continues to Monitor for Corona Virus

WASHINGTON D.C. — Super Tuesday features 14 states holding primary elections or caucuses. You could hear the sarcasm in Congressman Louie Gohmert’s voice as he told KTBB, “I’m going out on a limb, I’m going to say it. President Trump will get the nod on the Republican side.” The Texas Congressman from District 1 got serious as he continued, “But it’s anybody’s guess on the Democratic side. I mean it looks like Bernie is in the driver’s seat, but there’s a lot of Democrats that we are hearing from that are saying wait a minute, the guy is not even a Democrat. He has always proclaimed himself as an independent; really what he is, is a Marxist.” Polls will open across the state on Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. and close Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

ATHENS — The Henderson County Republican Party and the Henderson County Democrat Party are coming together to host an Old Fashioned Elections Night Returns Watching Party. The watch party will start at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday night at the Henderson County Courthouse Annex on Prairieville Street in Athens. The gathering had been a long running tradition for citizens to gather at the courthouse on Election Night to watch poll returns. This will be the first time of the gathering since 2014. Continue reading Election Results Watch Party Planned in Henderson County

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Reaction is coming in after President Trump again announced his intention to nominate North and Northeast Texas Congressman John Ratcliffe to be the director of national intelligence. The president first tried to nominate the two-term Republican from Heath last summer. But Ratcliffe withdrew his name after some former intelligence officials questioned his experience and said the appointment was too political. Daniel Goure is a former defense department official and senior vice president at the Lexington Institute. He says, “We either have to go with true professionals…the long-serving…intelligence professionals like…Mr. (James) Clapper; or you have to go with somebody who has perhaps some background — which Ratcliffe does have — but doesn’t have the decades of experience. This is becoming a very political position.” Continue reading Reaction to Ratcliffe as Possible Intel Chief