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SMITH COUNTY — Some statistics from the Smith County Assistant Fire Marshal. Between July 1st and August 16th, 2011, 213 burn ban violation citations have been issued in Smith County. Officials do say that is an unusually high number. It’s been since 2006 since Smith County was under a burn ban. Many of the recent fires have been blamed on burning trash and debris.

LUFKIN — A 45-year-old homeless man was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication after he was seen running through a sprinkler at a home on Willow Bend Drive. Edwardo Reyes, also known as “Eddie” or “Wolf,” was taken to jail on the charge just four days after being released on a criminal trespass charge. He was being held in the Angelina County Jail on a $500 bond.

LUFKIN — A Lufkin man was arrested Wednesday after admitting he broke his girlfriend’s 4-month-old son’s leg Aug. 12. Jimmy McClelland, 25, was taken into custody on a charge of second-degree felony injury to a child. McClelland initially told police at the hospital that he was rocking the child and heard a pop. A CPS investigator also responded to the emergency room, noting further injuries, including retinal hemorrhaging consistent with shaken baby syndrome, but without brain swelling. McClelland is out of the Angelina County Jail on a $35,000 bond.

LUFKIN — A Lufkin man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for intoxication manslaughter. Leobardo Nieves, 20, accepted a plea bargain yesterday in an Angelina County courtroom. The accident happened January 29th when Nieves ran a red light on Loop 287 and Lotus Lane in Lufkin and struck another vehicle driven by 45-year-old Connie McKay. The teacher was pronounced dead at the scene. her teenage daughter was thrown from the vehicle, but survived. Nieves fled the scene and was arrested a short time later by Lufkin Police.

TYLER — Nearly two dozen people were allowed to return to their homes in eastern Smith County Friday morning. They were evacuated Thursday because of what’s now described as a 415-acre wildfire on the Smith/Rusk County line. Officials say the fire is 90% contained. Some roads that were closed have since reopened.

TYLER — A small fire has been extinguished near Tyler State Park. It took only about an hour to put out the blaze that was reported around 3:00 Thursday afternoon. It was said to have been caused when a tree limb hit a guide wire to an electrical pole, which it turn hit a live wire that caused sparks that ignited the tinder-dry vegetation.

TYLER – Testimony continues for a second day Friday as the owners of the proposed Double D Restaurant appear in state district court in answer to a temporary restraining order against the business. Toys R Us, which owns the land where the restaurant is located, alleged breach of a commercial real estate lease. Judge Christi Kennedy said last week it had been hoped that the parties would settle the matter behind closed doors. But, when that did not happen, the judge extended the temporary restraining order and increased the bond to $200,000. The current hearing in 114th State district court, which began Thursday, is to determine if the restraining order is tossed out or if a permanent injunction is issued.

TYLER – Texas shoppers get a break from state and local sales taxes today through Sunday, the state’s annual tax holiday. And, when buying clothes this weekend, you can help area school districts.

Shop any of Goodwill Industries East Texas’ stores on Tax Free Weekend, and Goodwill Industries of East Texas will be contributing 15% of their store sales to each of their 13 local school districts. Goodwill Industries of East Texas has 15 store locations in: Tyler, Longview, Marshall, Mineola, Palestine, Kilgore, Jacksonville, Henderson, Gladewater, Cedar Creek, Carthage, Canton and Athens.

This weekend, state law exempts most clothing and footwear priced under $100 from sales and use taxes, which could save shoppers about $8 on every $100 they spend. Backpacks under $100 and used by elementary and secondary students are also exempt. A backpack is a pack with straps one wears on the back. The exemption during the sales tax holiday includes backpacks with wheels, provided they can also be worn on the back like a traditional backpack, and messenger bags. The exemption does not include items that are reasonably defined as luggage, briefcases, athletic/duffle/gym bags, computer bags, purses or framed backpacks. Ten or fewer backpacks can be purchased tax-free at one time without providing an exemption certificate to the seller.

The 81st Texas Legislature passed HB 1801 in2009, which expands the list of items qualifying for exemption from Texas state and local sales and use taxes during the annual sales tax holiday in August. In addition to clothes, footwear and some backpacks, Texas families also get a sales tax break on most school supplies priced at less than $100 purchased for use by a student in an elementary or secondary school.

The following is an all-inclusive list of qualifying school supplies (if priced less than $100):
Binders
Book bags
Calculators
Cellophane tape
Blackboard chalk
Compasses
Composition books
Crayons
Erasers
Folders; expandable, pocket, plastic, and manila
Glue, paste and paste sticks
Highlighters
Index cards
Index card boxes
Legal pads
Lunch boxes
Markers
Notebooks
Paper; loose leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board, and construction paper
Pencil boxes and other school supply boxes
Pencil sharpeners
Pencils
Pens
Protractors
Rulers
Scissors
Writing tablets

TYLER – Mother Frances Hospital has received the American College of Cardiology Foundation’s NCDR ACTION Registry–GWTG Gold Performance Achievement Award for 2011 – one of only 167 hospitals nationwide to do so. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients, and signifies that the hospital has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.

“The time is right for Mother Frances to be focused on improving the quality of cardiovascular care by achieving ACTION Registry–GWTG standards. The number of acute myocardial infarction patients eligible for treatment is expected to grow over the next decade due to increasing incidence of heart disease and a large aging population,” said John McGreevy, senior vice president of Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics and CEO, Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital.

LONGVIEW — After nearly six years on the run, a Longview man who fled his $95,000 bail in 2005 was arraigned Thursday afternoon. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Jamie Lee Coker, 53, fled while facing two life sentences for two counts of intoxicated manslaughter and three counts of intoxicated assault. Authorities say he was arrested in Mexico. Gregg County officials picked him up Wednesday night at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. According to Gregg County court records, Coker was booked into Gregg County Jail Thursday with bond set at $5 million.

Coker was arrested Feb. 13, 2005, after a two-vehicle crash in the 4500 block of West Marshall Avenue. Authorities said Coker was intoxicated when his Chevy pickup crossed the median and struck a Chevrolet Impala, killing his wife, 43-year-old Sonya Kaye Coker, and Martha Hillin Wallace, a 74-year-old grandmother who was riding with her son in the Impala. He was charged with two counts of intoxicated manslaughter and three counts of intoxicated assault. He posted $95,000 bond on June 15, 2005, and did not appear at his Sept. 29, 2005 sentencing.

After Coker fled, the late District Attorney Judge Bill Jennings, who was serving as an assistant district attorney at the time, told America’s Most Wanted that Coker was the one man he was determined to get into a courtroom. Jennings died Oct. 17, 2009.

LUFKIN — Within minutes of local media outlets publicizing the Lufkin Police Department’s request for assistance in locating Winfred Kilgore, 55, a citizen notified the Department that Kilgore was in Jacksonville. That’s according to information from KETK, the Lufkin Daily News, and Lufkin police. Lufkin Police Department detectives were attempting to locate Kilgore as part of their investigation into the death of Joy Yvonne Bybee, whose body was discovered August 11 beneath a bridge at Chestnut Village shopping center in Lufkin. The detectives did not have information that suggested Kilgore was involved in the circumstances leading to Bybee’s death. But they say they did know Kilgore was with her the previous day and believed that he possessed information that would assist in determining her actions prior to her death.

Upon receiving information that Kilgore was in Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Police Department located Kilgore and notified him of the Lufkin Police Department’s investigation and need to speak with him. Kilgore waited at the Jacksonville Police Department until the detectives arrived from Lufkin and interviewed him.
According to authorities, because of the ongoing investigation into Bybee’s death, the details of Kilgore’s conversation with the detectives will not be released. But the detectives reported that they did receive additional information concerning Ms. Bybee’s actions prior to her death. Kilgore is termed an East Texas-area transient with past arrests in Beaumont and along the U.S. Highway 59 corridor between Longview and Polk County.

TYLER — Tyler Police say a wreck on West Gentry that shut down 2 lanes was caused by a woman suffering from a minor stroke. It was reported around 9:15 Thursday morning and involved downed power lines after the 61-year-old struck a utility pole. A motorcyclist was also hospitalized after he hit a line that pulled him from his bike.

LUFKIN (AP) – A former waitress whose wedding dress was stolen is getting married Saturday in a new gown thanks to $900 from some loyal East Texas diners. Crystal Wilson of Lufkin says she’s thankful for “good people in this world.” Wilson on Monday learned that her dress, which she bought for $100 at a thrift store, was swiped during a break-in at a dry cleaners. She said there was no way to replace it, at the same cost, before her wedding. Wilson stopped by Lone Star Charlie’s Family Restaurant on Monday night. Owner Wade Jabbour said she had been a good worker, word of her plight got out and a dozen customers gave her money. Wilson bought a new gown Tuesday.

LUFKIN — A Lufkin man was arrested Saturday in connection with the death of his wife in motorcycle accident. Jesse Robert Huerta, 48, was booked into the Angelina County Jail on a charge of intoxication manslaughter, a second-degree felony.

According to an arrest affidavit, just after midnight on June 3, Huerta and his wife Maria, 42, left Wild Willies night club on his motorcycle and headed westbound on Frank Avenue. Huerta told police he thought he saw oncoming headlights in his lane. However, officers found no evidence that a vehicle was in his lane at the time of the accident. Huerta reportedly swerved and lost control, throwing the couple off the bike at Frank Avenue and Lufkin Avenue. When police arrived they found Maria unresponsive and transported her to Memorial Medical Center. She died later that morning from injuries sustained in the accident. Neither were wearing helmets.

TYLER – The owners of the proposed Double D Restaurant head back to state district court today in answer to a temporary restraining order against the business. Toys R Us, which owns the land where the restaurant is located, alleged breach of a commercial real estate lease. Judge Christi Kennedy said last week it had been hoped that the parties would settle the matter behind closed doors. But, when that did not happen, the judge extended the temporary restraining order and increased the bond to $200,000. Today’s hearing in 114th State district court determines if the restraining order is tossed out or if a permanent injunction is issued.

MARSHALL – The Department of Public Safety has identified a man found dead in Harrison County in a stolen car. He is Willie Macklin, 49, of Marshall. He was found in the overturned car on Tuesday morning about a mile north of Blocker Road on State Highway 31. He appeared to have been traveling south at a high speed when the car missed a curve, left the road and flipped, hit a tree and ended upside down. Macklin, who was not wearing a seat belt, ended up in the back seat. An unidentified woman who was with him was arrested on outstanding warrants.

TYLER — Three scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler have been awarded a total of $616,830 in competitive grants. Their research projects could lead to new treatments for diseases such as cancer, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and tuberculosis.

Hua Tang, Ph.D., an associate professor of biochemistry, received a two-year, $382,830 grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate how capillaries, tiny, one-cell-thick blood vessels, form from pre-existing blood vessels.

This process is called angiogenesis and is essential in helping tumors grow and spread. Angiogenesis also has been linked to the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries that causes cardiovascular disease, age-related macular degeneration, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Dr. Tang is studying the role of a natural chemical in the body called protein kinase D2 (PKD2) in regulating the growth of these tiny blood vessels. The idea is that understanding how PKD2 controls blood vessels’ growth can lead to better treatments for cancer and other diseases.

Jian Fu, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biochemistry, received a two-year, $140,000 grant from the American Heart Association (AHA) to examine a specific type of lung injury. He is exploring how a protein called Sirt1 tells lung cells injured by sepsis, a severe illness in which the bloodstream is overwhelmed by a bacterial infection, to die.

Each year about 750,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with sepsis, and it is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Hema Kothari, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research associate, received a two-year, $94,000 grant from the AHA to investigate the role of a protein called tissue factor in the development of tuberculosis.

Proteins are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body’s cells, tissues, and organs; each protein has unique functions. Hormones, enzymes, and antibodies are all examples of proteins.

Tissue factor is the protein that begins the blood-clotting process. People infected with TB sometimes develop blood clots. The purpose of Dr. Kothari’s research is to determine if tissue factor is involved in limiting the spread of TB bacteria or if it helps TB bacteria survive in the body.

Understanding the relationship between tissue factor and TB could lead to new treatments for this infectious disease, which kills almost 2 million people throughout the world each year.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Officials with the Texas Forest Service say a fire in Cherokee County was started by an illegal burn. Authorities say a resident was cooking corn in an outdoor boiler when the fire got out of control. They say he’s likely to face a burn ban violation as well as reckless endangerment of property. Livestock was endangered, a house was evacuated and choppers took to the skies. Michael Batton with the Texas Forest Service says the fire spread rapidly. Numerous departments were called to the scene of the five acre fire on County Road 1615 off of Hwy 69, south of Jacksonville.

TYLER — The owner of Where’s Rufus Sports Bar in Tyler is pressing charges against a woman he says stole money from several tip jars Saturday night. Shaun Galbraith said the bar’s surveillance video caught King stealing money and an entire tip jar, putting it into her purse. According to KETK, Galbraith says he reviewed the tape, confronted Molly King, 21, about the incident and detained her until Tyler Police arrived at the scene.

Tyler Police say they have issued a warrant, but the case is still under investigation. They say they need to determine what she’ll be charged with, depending on how much cash was taken, before they make an arrest.

King had been released from the Smith County jail on August 4th after another theft charge. Police say she could face jail time and up to a $500 fine.

SMITH COUNTY – A fire in Eastern Smith County has destroyed a mobile home. The fire was reported yesterday on Goforth Road near the Smith/Gregg County line. Firemen were able to keep the fire from spreading to a nearby wooded area. No word on what caused the fire. No injuries were reported.

TROUP — According to Smith County Fire Officials, a grass fire has been extinguished near the Dollar Store on the 1400 block of West Duval Street in Troup. Firefighters requested the Texas Forest Service helicopters to assist them.

KILGORE – A small fire near the Danville Farm was quickly extinguished yesterday. The Christmas tree farm was not damaged and the fire was contained to a small wooded area east of the farm. It is unknown what caused the one acre fire.

NACOGDOCHES — Nacogdoches County fire departments have been moving throughout the county the last couple of days battling fires caused by intensely dry conditions and low humidity. “All you have to do is go outside and walk in your grass to know why we’re having more fires,” Texas Forest Service Urban Wildland Interface Specialist Jan Amen said. “This is a drought worse than the last 100 years, and we have no end to it in sight.”

Nacogdoches County fire departments and the Texas Forest Service on Tuesday battled a several-acre fire that threatened at least three homes on CR 113 in the North Redland community. A forest service helicopter was dispatched to the fire in an effort to combat the areas which weren’t accessible to fire trucks, said Rodney Witaker, Lilbert/Looneyville Volunteer Fire Department safety officer.

LONGVIEW (AP) – An East Texas man has been accused of killing his father who earlier raised mental stability concerns about the son. The Gregg County Sheriff’s Office says 30-year-old Anthony Cort Phelan of Longview was jailed Wednesday on a murder charge, with bond at $500,000. Electronic jail records did not list an attorney for Phelan, who allegedly had blood on him when he was arrested Tuesday walking near Lake Cherokee. Investigators say 64-year-old Johnny Phelan minutes earlier called 911 to say he was being attacked by his son at their home. Chief Deputy Chuck Willeford says the father apparently was stabbed after calling. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. Deputies on July 23 were also summoned by the father, who reported his son had mental issues and wasn’t taking his medicine.

TYLER (AP) – Some criminal justice students in East Texas will take a crack at a cold case: the 1995 theft of a statue of a former college president. Tyler Junior College President Mike Metke on Tuesday announced renewed efforts to find the bronze statue of Harry Jenkins. Jenkins led TJC from 1946 to 1980. He died in 1983. The $30,000 statue was erected four years later outside Wise Cultural Arts Plaza. Jason Waller, who leads the TJC criminal justice program and worked with Jenkins, says students will help law officers follow up on leads. Crime Stoppers has pledged a $5,000 reward for information leading to the statue, with reported sightings ranging from a fraternity house to the bottom of Lake Tyler.

MARSHALL — A fire that broke out Monday on a Harrison County pine plantation had consumed 450 acres by late Tuesday, fire officials said, placing it among the largest blazes in county history. Firefighters had contained the fire by Tuesday afternoon, Texas Forest Service officials said, after working more than 24 hours at the Phoenix Pine Plantation on Peters Chapel road near Texas 43 North, about 10 miles from Marshall. The property is owned by the family of state Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, who was on site Tuesday surveying the damage. The Simpson family company, Avinger Timber, owns 6,500 acres in Harrison County.

KILGORE — An East Texas teacher was arrested after a search of her vehicle turned up drugs. Nacogdoches County officials arrested Sharon Ann Shaw, an attendance aid for KISD’s Kilgore Heights Campus. Officials said Shaw, 40, and James Hodkinson, 30, of Henderson, were stopped early Tuesday morning because the vehicle they were driving had a tail light out. Officials said officers had consent to search the vehicle and found 11 grams of meth in a can disguised to look like the aerosol lubricant WD-40. The vehicle also had what they suspected was stolen property and tools commonly used in burglaries. The pair were arrested and charged with delivery of a controlled substance and unlawful carrying of a weapon.

District representatives had been dispatched to Nacogdoches County to retrieve the district’s records found in the vehicle. Kilgore ISD Superintendent Jodie Clements Tuesday night said the arrest of one of the district’s employees of several years came as a surprise to him and co-workers in the district. Clements said the district will terminate Shaw upon receiving legal paperwork confirming her arrest.

JACKSONVILLE (AP) — Former Texas Representative Paul Ragsdale, one of the first African Americans elected to the Texas House since Reconstruction, has died. He was 66. Ragsdale was elected first in 1972 and served seven terms representing a Dallas district. Cherokee County Democratic Chairman Ceasar Roy told the Jacksonville Daily Progress Tuesday that Roy, who died Sunday in Tyler, was amiable and jovial but a “no-nonsense legislator.” Services were set for Saturday in Jacksonville.

With seven other lawmakers, he founded the Texas Legislative Black Caucus in 1973. Records show he authored more than 124 House bills and championed Black History Week in Texas. He’s also credited with getting pictures of black citizens who served in the Legislature and Constitutional Convention before 1900 to be on permanent display in the Capitol in Austin.

LONGVIEW — Reel Road will be open to through traffic today between Gilmer Road and Pine Tree Road. The road had been closed to through traffic since July 25, to allow for intersection construction at Knobcrest Drive and Reel Road.

Although the road has reopened to through traffic, construction will continue on the Reel Road Widening project for approximately another month. Drivers are encouraged to observe construction warning signs. The project was approved by voters as part of the Capital Improvements Bond Election in May 2007. This project is being constructed by East Texas Bridge of Longview.

LONGVIEW — A Longview motorcycle officer was transported an area hospital around 12:45 yesterday afternoon after being struck by a motorist near the intersection of Mobberly Avenue and Cotton Street. Longview police spokeswoman Kristie Brian said the officer, Ricky Mitchell, was transported to Longview Regional Medical Center. Brian said she was unsure about the details of the crash or how serious the victim’s injuries were.

SMITH COUNTY — Chapel Hill area residents forced to evacuate because of a large wildfire were allowed back in their homes last night. Officials with the Texas Forest Service report, as of 7:30 this morning, the fire is not quite 100% contained. Authorities will be on scene all day to make sure the high winds don’t increase the intensity of the remaining fire. The Texas Forest Service will have one helicopter out this morning, and hope to have it fully contained by this afternoon.

The evacuation order was issued yesterday afternoon for the area surrounding County Road 235 and County Road 26. Law enforcement started the evacuation process, even blocking off traffic in the area.

Smith County firefighters battled the grass fire that damaged two mobile homes. Several other structures had been threatened in the 18,000 block of County Road 26. There were reportedly 250 acres burned by the blaze that ten fire departments battled. The Texas Forest Service was called in. Plows from Henderson were brought in and choppers were used to drop water on the flames.

TYLER — Tyler firefighters were called to a house fire shortly before noon yesterday in the 400 block of Virginia at Line Street. Officials say the fire started after dry leaves under the vacant house started burning due to the hot temperature. No one was injured. Authorities say firefighters were able to contain the blaze in about 15 minutes.

LUFKIN — Two Xanax pills tucked into her bra in the Angelina County Jail cost a Lufkin woman five years in prison Monday, three months after she was found not guilty on an unrelated murder charge. Kendall Thompson, 20, sobbed as state District Judge Barry Bran sentenced her Monday afternoon. She had pleaded guilty July 13 to possessing a prohibited substance while she was in jail in 2009.

One month after being found not guilty of murder in the drive-by shooting death of Joseph Cooper, 63, in January 2010, Thompson gave birth to a baby girl. When Thompson’s attorney Al Charanza put her on the stand Monday, she explained how the combination of motherhood and having been scared by the criminal process had set her on the straight and narrow.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Fire Department responded to the scene of a house fire yesterday morning in the 2900 Block of Letourneau. The structure fire was reported around 9:00 and was extinguished a short time later. The family was at home when the fire started and was able to escape safely. No injuries were reported. Authorities say the blaze started in a front room of the house but the exact cause is still under investigation.