KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – Two African elephants from San Diego, California, are now living at Tyler’s Caldwell Zoo. They come from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. They are both 8 years old. Such a big transfer takes a lot of time and effort. It has taken over two years to plan the transfer. The move to Tyler came as a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan. All AZA-accredited facilities work together to manage populations, participate in breeding programs, and promote conservation and education goals. Zoo officials say the elephants have made the transition even quicker than expected. Continue reading New Tyler Zoo Arrivals

TYLER – A capital murder defendant appeared in a Tyler court Thursday for a pretrial hearing. Gustavo Zavala-Garcia, 26, of Bullard, is accused of the November 2016 death of Kayla Gomez-Orozco, 10. Her body was found days later inside a well on the suspect’s property following her abduction from a Bullard church. During the hearing, several routine motions were handled. Still pending are defense motions to suppress statements he made to authorities after his arrest and a defense request for a change of venue. State District Judge Jack Skeen said those will be handled at a later date.

TYLER – Don’t be surprised to see a Tyler Fire Department truck on the campus of U-T Tyler Friday night. The truck will be there in connection with the school’s homecoming activities. One of the events is a fireworks display. It had originally been scheduled for Saturday evening. But, with rain in the forecast, the fireworks were moved to Friday night. The fire truck will be on stand-by during the fireworks to provide services, if needed. The display is expected to begin at around 9:00pm and should last for 15 to 20 minutes.

HENDERSON – The Henderson Police Department is alerting area residents of a SWEPCO scam. Someone has been calling claiming they work for SWEPCO. They say that the person they called needs to make a payment with them or their services will be cut off. The company says they don’t make such calls. They say, if you are in doubt, call SWEPCO using your bill statement to check billing inquires. The SWEPCO number is 1-800-611-0964.

FLINT – Night work has started on the new Farm Road 2493, Old Jacksonville Highway, project in Smith County. The project, with limits from Farm Road 2813 in Gresham, south to Farm Road 346 in Flint, will widen the existing two-lane road to five lanes with curb and gutter and bike lanes. Night work started Thursday night at the intersection of FM 2493 and FM 346 in Flint. Motorists can expect a slow-down in their evening commutes at this location with work being conducted daily from 8:00pm to 500am. The contractor will be placing detour pavement in preparation for concrete paving work at the intersection. TxDOT says the anticipated completion date of the $14.5 million project is the fall of 2022.

EAST TEXAS – A discount store chain is closing some of its stores around the country, including several in this area. Fred’s discount chain is closing 159 stores. The Memphis-based company said the closures are taking place at “underperforming” and “unprofitable” stores. Included on the list are stores in Tyler, Whitehouse, Lindale, Kilgore and Gladewater. The company plans to close the stores by the end of next month.

EAST TEXAS – State troopers in East Texas are joining others in the state in being equipped to combat opioid overdoses.The state troopers are receiving NARCAN kits, along with tactical emergency training. The kits can help reverse a known or suspected opioid overdose. This tool can also help save the lives of law enforcement or first responders who may be exposed to a lethal levels of substances such as fentanyl on the job. Last year state troopers seized 94.5 pounds of fentanyl, which constitutes more than 23 million lethal doses. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 80-100 times stronger than morphine.

TYLER – A Tyler man is heading to prison after pleading guilty to a Smith County shooting death. Larry Cowart, 41, entered his guilty plea in state district court Thursday morning. Cowart had been charged with murder. In a plea deal, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Judge Christi Kennedy sentenced him to 13 years in prison. He was accused of the shooting death of Heath Bearden, 43, last June. The shooting occurred at a home on County Road 1145.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council Wednesday awarded a contract to conduct a traffic study to the firm Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., a national company with offices in Dallas. According to our news partner KETK, the firm said it will spend about a year looking at the city’s varying types of equipment and technology. Engineers say much of that equipment and technology is out of date. The city operates more than 160 traffic lights and none of them are automated. Many of them have been deemed obsolete or structurally deficient. Continue reading Tyler City Council Awards Contract for Traffic Study

TYLER – Tyler has recorded its first 90 degree day of the year. The National Weather service says Tyler’s downtown station recorded 90 degrees at 3:00 Wednesday afternoon. The airport’s high was 89. The 90 degree reading in Tyler is about three weeks earlier than normal. The last 90 degree reading in Tyler was last October 4. There were new temperature records recorded on Wednesday by five Texas cities. Del Rio hit 107 for their highest reading ever in April, and Rio Grande Village in Big Bend also hit 107. It was 99 in both San Angelo and Midland and it was 93 in Austin.

LONGVIEW – A man has been arrested after being accused of assaulting a nurse at a Longview hospital. Jail records show Jason Carroll Wellborn, 35, of Gilmer is charged with assault on a public servant and a warrant for contempt of court disobedience of court order. The Longview News Journal reports a nurse went into a trauma room to check on why Wellborn was moaning. The nurse said Wellborn punched and scratched him after he gave Wellborn a pen and paper to write down why he was moaning. When Wellborn was medically cleared to leave the hospital Longview police arrested him.

BIG SANDY — Classes started at their normal time on Thursday in Big Sandy. They were canceled Wednesday following an online threat. On the district’s Facebook page, school officials say they have been working with a variety of law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Texas Rangers. They say “persons of interest” who may have created a Snapchat post in which the school system was threatened have been identified. The investigation is continuing. Our news partner KETK says all of this comes almost one year after Big Sandy I.S.D. was put on a precautionary lock-down following an online threat.

AUSTIN – Sales tax allocations from the state continue to increase for Tyler and Longview. The April sales tax allocations for the cities are based on sales made in February. Tyler’s April check is for $3,463,204.44. This is a 12.3% increase from April of last year. Tyler’s year to date total comes to $15,158,370.77. The reflects a 7.77% hike over the same period last year. Longview’s April check is for $2,427,165.18. This is an increase of 8.49%. And Longview’s year to date total has increased by $3.88%, to $10,982,782.18.

LONGVIEW – Bond has been increased on a Longview man accused of assaulting a woman. Daniel Odell Wright, 28, is accused of assaulting a woman and then pouring gasoline on her. He was arrested Monday night after police responded to a family violence call on Harmon Drive. He was charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and bond set at $10,000. But, during a Wednesday afternoon hearing, State District Judge Alfonso Charles assessed a new bond of $100,000. District Attorney Tom Watson said ” domestic violence in Gregg County will not be tolerated.”

TYLER – The Smith County Peace Officers Association held a luncheon Wednesday to honor a former Tyler policeman. The luncheon honored retired officer Herbert Hayter. He joined the Tyler police department in June, 1995. He retired in May, 2008. While over the police department’s training unit, Hayter was instrumental in starting up the Tyler Junior College Police Academy in 1999. In March, 2014, he accepted the position of Academy Coordinator at the police academy as was promoted to Lieutenant for the Tyler Junior College Police Department. As one officer said, “he is one of the best leaders I have ever had the privilege to work under.”

TYLER – Thursday night at 6:30, Habitat for Humanity of Smith County will hold an information meeting in Tyler for potential new homeowners. The session will be held at Tyler’s Glass Recreation Center. They will look at the applicant’s level of need. They also look for families who are willing to put in 300 to 500 sweat equity hours on their homes. And they also review their ability to repay the mortgage loan with an affordable monthly payment. There are other qualifications, including criminal and background checks. You can go to http://www.smithcountyhabitat.org for detailed information.

TYLER – Area law officers are gathering in Tyler today to receive special training in child abduction. The training is provided by special agents of the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team, which is known as CARD. The officers on hand are receiving training based on the FBI’s Child Abduction Response Plan. It is the national model for best practices when responding to and investigating cases involving children who are missing under mysterious or suspicious circumstances. The CARD team has nearly a 90% success rate in identifying and apprehending child abductors.

BIG SANDY — Classes were canceled at Big Sandy I.S.D. Wednesday following an online threat. Big Sandy Police, the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department and the Texas Rangers are all investigating the threat. According to our news partner KETK, school officials were made aware of a social media threat around 10:00 Tuesday night after parents notified the district. After reviewing the post, Big Sandy I.S.D. made the decision to cancel all classes scheduled for Wednesday. This comes almost one year after Big Sandy I.S.D. was put on a precautionary lock-down following a threat made online.

TYLER – A Tyler man is one of the four finalists to become the next president of Tyler Junior College. School trustees narrowed the list during a Tuesday meeting. The four finalists are:
*Dr. Juan E. Mejia, President for Branch Locations and District Provost at Tyler Junior College
*Dr. Robert J. Exley, President of Snead State Community College in Boaz, Alabama
*Dr. Elizabeth U. Lewis, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas
*Dr. Deana Sheppard, Vice President of instruction at Lone Star College – CyFair in Cypress, Texas Continue reading TJC a Step Closer to Getting a New President

LONGVIEW – A convicted felon has been arrested by Longview police on drug and weapons charges. The Longview News Journal reports the arrest of Thomas Ricardo Hubbard, 39, of Longview, came after a police SWAT team and the Gregg County Organized Drug Enforcement Unit executed a search warrant at his residence. Jail records show Hubbard charged with three counts of manufacture or delivery of between 200 and 400 grams of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. He is in the Gregg County Jail on bonds totaling $250,000. He was arrested at his home on Hubbard Street just before 9:45 Monday morning. Police say they found crack cocaine in his vehicle and crack cocaine, methamphetamine, PCP and weapons in his home.

LAKE TYLER – A Whitehouse High School student has drowned in Lake Tyler. The school system has identified him as high school junior Ti’Auje’ Reaves, who was known as T.J. A variety of agencies were called to the lake. Tyler police received the call shortly after 12:45 Tuesday afternoon. The initial report was a teenager was swimming toward a buoy when he disappeared near the Lake Tyler Marina. A helicopter was called in to aid in the search. The investigation into the drowning continues.

SMITH COUNTY – A traffic stop on Interstate Highway 20 has resulted in drug charges against a Smith County man. Arrested shortly before midnight on Monday was Anthony Dewayne Toliver, 24, of Winona. During the traffic stop, the sheriff’s deputy found a small amount of marijuana and two large zip-lock baggies with over 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine. Toliver has been charged with possession of marijuana and manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance. He was placed in the Smith County jail under bonds totaling $8,000.

TYLER – Tyler’s Luby’s Cafeteria will be auctioning off all remaining furniture and equipment. The store was permanently closed at the end of February. It had been in Tyler for 55 years. When it closed, the general manager for Luby’s in Longview told our news partner KETK the store had foundation issues. Besides the furniture and equipment, they will be auctioning off all the building fixtures. You can go to this Craigs List link https://easttexas.craigslist.org/bfd/d/tyler-auction-lubys-tyler-texas/6852720960.html for photos and inventory.

TYLER – Smith County officials are reminding you that they’ve cancelled jury duty for Wednesday. Smith County residents who were planning to report for jury duty on Wednesday with their yellow cards don’t have to make the trip to the Smith County Courthouse. However, if you have been asked to return for jury duty by a specific court, you must still report.

TYLER — Officials across Smith County continue working to fund a regional anti-gang center in Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, Tyler police are now submitting documents to take the next step in the application process and then assign personnel from the department. The center will join six other “TAG centers” already in operation across the state. Chief of Police Jimmy Toler says centers such as these will not only tackle gang activity, but also organized crime such as card skimming. Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith says he hopes the center will be up and running by September.

RUSK COUNTY — A single vehicle wreck Monday night claimed the life of a Jacksonville man. David Allan Cooper, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene just before midnight. According to the DPS report, Cooper was traveling south on US-79, about 5 miles outside of Henderson, when his vehicle drifted off the west side of the roadway, struck a culvert and went airborne. The vehicle rolled several times and ejected Cooper. He was not wearing a seatbelt. A crash investigation is underway.

LONGVIEW – A woman is in custody of Dallas police in connection with a Longview murder over 41/2 years ago. The Longview News Journal, quoting Dallas County online records, says Latoddra Quenice Pratt, 24, was arrested last Thursday on a murder warrant out of Gregg County. She will soon be returned to Gregg County. She is being held in the death of Tyson Patterson, 33. He was one of two persons shot just before 4:00am on August 28, 2014. The shooting occurred at an apartment on West Garfield Street. While Patterson was killed, another man was treated and released from the hospital after being treated for injuries in the shooting.

TYLER – In a couple of weeks there will be a partial closure of Tyler’s Old Bullard Road. The partial road closure is to improve drainage structures on Old Bullard Road near Rice Road. It is expected to begin on Monday, April 22nd and should be closed through late August. The project will include the installation of three additional 5’ x 3’ concrete box culverts under Old Bullard Road, as well as new curb inlets and channel improvements just upstream. Motorists can expect delays throughout the construction period. Southbound traffic will remain open to one lane, having through access along Old Bullard while northbound traffic will be rerouted along Rice Road to Richmond Road to Timberwilde Drive. Four electronic message boards are up notifying motorists of the upcoming construction.

TYLER – A student at Tyler’s T. K. Gorman High School is a finalist in the National Merit Scholar Program. He is Aidan Boyne. According to the school’s Facebook page, he has earned a perfect composite score of 36 on the ACT test.

TYLER – The Macy’s building on South Broadway in Tyler is getting a new tenant. Officials with Hobby Lobby have told our news partner KETK that its store is moving into the building. The store is expected to be open in the 65,000 square foot building in July.