KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LONGVIEW – Some Longview residents are making efforts to fight local gang activity, with a city department helping lead the charge. KETK reports Lyndell McAllister is the Mentoring and Bridges program director under the auspices of the city’s Partners in Prevention initiative. “If we’re gonna do prevention we’re particularly thinking about elementary and middle school,” says McAllister. “By high school students have figured out which way they’re gonna go.” The program offers mentorship and a new initiative, “Hope for Youth,” aimed at keeping children involved in positive activities. Continue reading Longview Residents Address Gang Problem

HAWKINS — A trustee of Jesus Christ Open Altar Church in Hawkins says the city is wasting taxpayer dollars on a lawsuit over the “Jesus Welcomes You To Hawkins” sign. Mark McDonald claims the city has spent more than $50,000 suing the church to have the controversial sign removed. McDonald says he’s started a petition to help gain support for the city to drop the lawsuit and to protect religious rights. Continue reading Jesus Sign Controversy Continues in Hawkins

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the Tyler TxDOT district during the Week of February 13, 2017. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Slow down and pay attention when traveling through work zones.

In Tyler, motorists are encouraged to avoid the Loop 323 project at SH 31 with nighttime demolition operations being implemented at 7 p.m. Sunday, February 12, to remove the shoofly bridge. The work will cause major delays with traffic being moved for safety purposes to the alternate lanes of where work is occurring. Continue reading TxDOT’s Weekly Roadwork Update

TYLER – Tyler was in the picture as GOP town halls were held across the state Saturday so U.S. senators could discuss Obamacare – and hear concerns and comments from people in their states. KETK reports Senator Ted cruz had a lot to say to health care professionals as he visited the Rose City. He says the country has many problems in the area of healthcare, but there are solutions. He says the first thing to be done to move healthcare in the right direction is to remove Obamacare. Continue reading Ted Cruz Visits Tyler, Discusses Future of Healthcare

TYLER – A new hospital is open in south Tyler today. The south campus of CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital opened at 7:00 on South Broadway at Cumberland Drive. Dr. Mark Anderson, Chief of Emergency Medicine, CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System, says it’s a state-of-the-art, 41, 200-square-foot hospital. He says the state-of-the-art facility offers a 24|7 emergency room, eight inpatient beds, onsite imaging and lab services, and five surgical suites. Continue reading A South Tyler Hospital Opens Its Doors

TYLER – A promotion and two retirees will be recognized by Tyler Fire Department. The fire department will promote District Chief Michael Frost to the position of Assistant Fire Chief at a ceremony Monday afternoon at the Tyler Rose Garden Center. Chief Frost will be assigned to the Administrative Division, and will be responsible for the planning of budgets, grants and emergency management training and drills. Two retires will also be recognized. Captain Daniel Ledkins recently retired after serving for more than 34 years. Driver/Engineer Mark Hockman has served the City for almost 30 years.

LONGVIEW – Some lanes will be closed on Longview’s Hawkins Parkway starting Monday. Hawkins Parkway will be reduced to three north lanes between Eastman Road and the first set of driveways at the Target/theater retail center. This closure is scheduled for 2 months. Then, the construction will be moved to the north side of Hawkins Parkway. The lane closure will allow for street repairs of the dip on Hawkins Parkway at U.S. Highway 259. Drivers are encouraged to use the shopping center’s driveways on US 259 for access to the Target/theater shopping center to avoid construction and delays. The closures will be effective to August.

BULLARD — One woman is dead after a wreck involving a motorcycle Saturday afternoon. According to KETK, the DPS says 52-year-old Robert Hart was driving down FM 346 near County Road 185 in the Bullard area when he failed to follow a curve. The motorcycle left the road and hit a tree. Mr. Hart was thrown from the bike along with 52-year-old passenger Vicki Hart. Mrs. Hart was taken to the hospital and later died. Mr. Hart was hospitalized with serious injuries. An investigation is underway.

SULPHUR SPRINGS – A former Wood County jail administrator is currently being held on charges in the Hopkins County Jail. According to KETK, judicial records show David Jawayne McGee, 40, has been arrested on Wood County charges of permitting/facilitating escape from a corrections facility and tampering with government records. His bonds total $200,000, $100,000 for each offense. This arrest came after the Texas Rangers uncovered additional allegations of misconduct. Officials say a document was forged which allowed an inmate, identified as Samantha Melvin, to be released. Melvin was re-arrested and booked into the Wood County Jail on $50,000 bond on an escape charge. Continue reading Former Jail Administrator Arrested

TYLER – New details have been released regarding a September 2016 shooting on the Tyler Junior College campus. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office tells our news partner KETK two additional people, identified as TJC students and football players, were arrested in December and have been indicted in connection with the shooting. Lorenzo Hicks was arrested in Dallas County and Anthony Mitchell was arrested in Harris County. Both men were charged with possession of a handgun without a license on a college campus. Both football players were part of TJC football’s 2016 signing class. This makes three arrests in this case. Continue reading Two More TJC Footballers Indicted for September Shooting Incident

LONGVIEW – Longview police have released photos of two bank robbery suspects. They held up the Austin Bank on East Loop 281 shortly after 2:30 Thursday afternoon. The two entered the bank and demanded money. They left with an undetermined amount of money. No injuries were reported. If you have information on the identities of one, or both, of the suspects please contact Detective Rebecca Reeves at 903-237-1170 or Gregg County Crimestoppers at 903-236-7867.

LONGVIEW – The Gregg County grand jury has handed up a capital murder indictment against a man charged in a double homicide. Named in the indictment was Christopher Marvin Bell II, 21, of Longview. He had been charged in the November deaths of Freddie Allison, 41 and Deandra Allison, 38, both of Longview. Their bodies were found last November at the Huntington Hills Apartments on North Eastman Road. Continue reading Capital Murder Indictment Returned in Longview

LONGVIEW – The number of gang members in Longview is increasing. Longview police detective James Bray said the number of gangs operating in Longview has increased to 42, with 274 documented members. The Longview News Journal reports Bray’s comments came Friday at a community meeting hosted by Partners in Prevention, Pine Tree ISD Student Services and the Pine Tree PTA focused on drugs, gangs and sex trafficking in the city. Continue reading Gangs Growing in Longview

KILGORE – Kilgore College is announce its spring enrollment is up nearly 7%. The unofficial enrollment taken on the twelfth class day this semester was 5,354 students. That compares to 5,006 students certified for spring 2016. Of the students enrolled this spring, 1,484 are high school dual credit students. Last spring’s dual credit enrollment was 1,288, marking a 15.2% increase in dual credit students since last year. A news release from the college quotes school president Dr. Brenda Kays as saying, “We’re extremely pleased with our enrollment numbers this semester. I attribute the increase to the progressive vision of our board of trustees and a lot of hard work by our faculty, staff and administrators.”

TYLER – The fifth annual Smith County Warrant Round Up started Friday. The Smith County Judicial Compliance Department mailed out more than 1,800 lavender flyers to people with outstanding arrest warrants for delinquent, court-ordered fines and fees. The people have until February 25 to take care of the outstanding warrants or be subject to arrest and/or a hold on their driver’s licenses. If someone with outstanding warrants are pulled over in their vehicles, they could be arrested and their vehicles impounded, resulting in additional towing and storage fees. Continue reading Smith County Warrant Roundup Underway

JACKSONVILLE – A man wanted in a Jacksonville shooting has surrendered to authorities. Darel Hamilton, 25, of Jacksonville (pictured) surrendered to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department. He had been named in a warrant for aggravated assault. He was wanted in connection with a Wednesday shooting on Skyline Street. Wounded was Carlton Johnson, 27, of Jacksonville. He is hospitalized with at least two gunshot wounds. Police say the shooting followed an argument between the two men.

TYLER — Tyler Police responded to a report of a single car accident on Gentry Parkway Thursday night. It happened around 7:40 when a vehicle traveling northwest Gentry veered across the southeast bound lanes, left the roadway and struck a guide wire for a telephone pole. The vehicle rolled and struck a building on the corner of Shawnee Boulevard. Five people were said to be in the vehicle, one back seat passenger was pronounced dead. He was identified as Harold Wayne Coleman, 58, Tyler. Four others were hospitalized with non life-threatening injuries.

TYLER –Tyler Police arrest a suspect in an aggravated robbery. According to KETK, Kendrick Shaun Warfield, 22, of Crockett, was arrested around 10:45 Thursday morning in the 1500 block of Gay Avenue. Judicial records show Warfield was booked into the Smith County Jail on one count of aggravated robbery and one count of theft of property. His bond was set at $155,000.

GREGG COUNTY — A Longview man was arrested Thursday in connection with a fatal weekend shooting at an East Marshall Avenue club. According to the Longview News-Journal and KETK, Kyron Delyn Adams, 38, was held in the Gregg County Jail on $500,000 bond, charged with murder in the death of Thomas Lynn Harper, 34, of Gladewater at J’s Place early Saturday. Adams also was held and await ed arraignment on a separate charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Longview police were called about 1:15 a.m. Saturday to East Marshall Avenue, where they found Harper dead in the grassy area of a parking lot near the club. Continue reading Arrest Made in Murder Outside Longview Club

LONGVIEW – Longview is reporting a drop in crime. The Longview Police Department has received the final crime stat numbers through the Department of Public Safety. Overall Longview’s crime decreased 3.08% from 2015. Crimes against persons did increase, but property crimes decreased 5.45%. They feel this was in part due to citizens being more vigilant about keeping their property secure and citizens taking an active role in their neighborhoods. Continue reading A Decrease in Longview Crime

LONGVIEW – A two vehicle accident in Longview has left one person dead and two persons injured. The accident happened around 1:30 Thursday afternoon On Gilmer Road at Vicky Drive. Killed was Jeanette Rhoades, 71, of Longview. Police say her car failed to yield the right of way at a stop sign and collided with an SUV. The other driver, Shelly Russell, 30, of Longview and her passenger, Idell Stanley, 82, of Longview, are both hospitalized with non life-threatening injuries.

TYLER – The Smith County Sheriff’s Department is alerting residents to a work at home scam. The scam, referred to as “Repackaging,” is a job found online, forwarding packages that can appear to be legitimate. However, often the merchandise that would be shipped to your residence is paid for with stolen credit card numbers. The scam involves you placing a new shipping label on the box and mailing it to another person, who will then sell the merchandise online. The sheriff’s department says the profits then go to an organized crime group. The person who does the repackaging will soon have detectives contacting them to investigate the illegal activities and will end up not getting paid. If you have any questions about this, contact the Smith County Sheriff’s Office at 903-566-6600.

TYLER – The Women’s Fund of Smith County awarded four grants Thursday during a reception at Tyler’s Willowbrook Country Club. The grants, which totaled $185,128, were presented to programs that benefit women and children in Smith County. A grant of $50,000 went to the Bethesda Health Clinic for its “Women’s Advocacy Initiative.” The Children’s Advocacy Center of Smith County received a $66,000 grant for its Sexual Assault Nurse Exam program. The third grant, for just r $34,128, went to the Meals on Wheels Ministry to start a “Sunrise Senior Servings” program. And the final grant of $35,000 was awarded to Young Audiences of Northeast Texas in support of its Arts in Education Program. Continue reading Grants For Smith County Women and Childrens’ Programs

LONGVIEW – Longview police have made an arrest in a weekend homicide. Kyron Delyn Adams, 38, of Longview, has been charged with the death of Thomas Lynn Harper Jr., 34, of Gladewater. Adams was arrested on warrants for murder and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. His bond for the murder charge has been set at $500,000. The shooting was reported around 1:15 Saturday morning at J’s Club on East Marshall Avenue. Harper’s body was found lying near a dumpster in a parking lot near the club. He was dead at the scene. The shooting is said to have occurred in the parking lot. Investigators determined that Harper was involved in an altercation that began at J’s Place a short time before he was found dead not far from the scene of the altercation.

TYLER – A former Smith County woman is the object of a missing persons report. She is Martha Ann Hawkins, 76. She use to live in the Flint area and has ties to Smith County. She has and been missing since December 21st, 2016. Around Thanksgiving she was discovered in Oklahoma, where she was treated at a local hospital for a mental illness. Hawkins was then taken to The Miracle House, in Dallas. Martha AKA “Marty” has walked away from that facility and is off her medications. Family members indicate there is no activity on her bank account. If anyone has any information regarding Ms. Hawkins and her whereabouts, please contact the Smith County Sheriff’s Office at 903-566-6600.

TATUM – The Gladewater school superintendent will be returning to a school district where he previously worked. On Wednesday, The Tatum school board named Dr. J.P. Richardson as the lone finalist for their superintendent’s post. They have scheduled a March 2nd meeting to make it official. Richardson has been the Gladewater school superintendent since 2008. He succeeded Dee Hartt who retired. Richardson worked in the Tatum school system before coming to Gladewater. He was a school principal and later the district’s director of human resources and community relations.

TYLER – A Tyler curfew for young people remains in effect. The Tyler city council on Wednesday approved reauthorizing the curfew ordinance. The ordinance is reevaluated every three years. The only one to speak on the ordinance was Police Chief Jimmy Toler, who said it was a useful tool for law enforcement. Under the ordinance, the curfew is for persons 17 and younger. It is is in effect from 11:00pm to 6:00am on weekdays and Sunday, and from midnight to 6:00am on Friday and Saturday. It was first enacted in 1994.

TYLER – The 12th court of appeals in Tyler has upheld the murder conviction of a Smith County man in a 2015 slaying. James Bales, 33, was found guilty just over a year ago in the slaying of Bias Lott, 61. He was sentenced to life in prison. He had been accused of using a baseball bat to kill Lott. It happened in March of 2015 in the 22000 block of Lakeway Harbor Drive in Bullard. Deputies initially responded to a disturbance call and, upon arrival, found two men involved in an altercation. Officials said one of the men had been attacked and repeatedly hit in the head with a baseball bat.