KTBB News, Weather, Talk

KANSAS CITY — Former Whitehouse standout and current NFL Super Bowl MVP for the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes has signed a 10-year contract extension. Mahomes still has two years left on his current deal. The expanded contract will keep him with the Chiefs through 2031. According to Adam Schefter, the elongated deal is worth 427 million dollars, over the life of the arrangement.

KILGORE — The city of Kilgore has temporarily closed the city pool, as a precautionary measure, after a notification of two positive coronavirus cases by pool employees. In a post on social media, the city announced Monday, that they have notified patrons who had direct contact with those two individuals. Anyone else who attended the pool should simply continue following CDC guidelines. No date has been released for the reopening.

TYLER — Longtime community leader and the first African-American Smith County commissioner, Andrew Melontree died at 89. According to our news partner KETK, Melontree served as precinct 4 commissioner for 20 years from 1983 to 2002 and was a Tyler councilman from 1979 to 1982. Melontree broke the color barrier in being the first County Commissioner, he was also the first African-American to work at Medical Center Hospital and the East Texas Tuberculosis Hospital. Continue reading First African-American Commissioner in Smith County dies at age 89

TYLER — Repairs are scheduled for a storm sewer pipe under parts of East Grande Blvd. The City of Tyler began work Monday that is expected to run through the 20th. The eastbound lanes of East Grande Boulevard are closed from Rhones Quarter Rd to HWY 110 through out the project. Eastbound traffic on East Grande Boulevard will be detoured north and south onto Rhones Quarter Road. Westbound traffic will not be affected by this closure.

TYLER — The second week of early voting restarted Monday for the primary runoffs that were postponed due to the coronavirus. The amended voting day is July 14 . Early voting paused for the Holiday weekend . Polling sites will be available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Friday. Gov. Abbott extended the voting period earlier this year to allow for more social distancing as cases of coronavirus spike across much of the state. Election Day is Tuesday, July 14.

TYLER — A staff member of the Discovery Science Place in Tyler has tested positive for the coronavirus. According to our news partner KETK, the attraction will be closed through July 10. The staff member has not been at the museum since last Wednesday and they will remain closed for the safety of everyone. Extensive cleaning beyond day-to-day operations will take place during the time of closing.

TYLER — Several East Texas hospitals are preparing to receive increased cases of remdesivir. According to our news partner KETK, Governor Greg Abbott announced additional administrations will be available of the anti-malarial drug, with the goal of treating COVID-19 patients. Smith and Gregg County are two of the counties preparing for the shipment. Continue reading More Remdesivir is heading to East Texas

TYLER — Healthcare workers in Tyler received a special salute this holiday weekend. According to a media brief, the flyover tribute for the medical district came about from the East Texas Veterans Community Council and the Cedar Creek Veterans Foundation. The parade of air attractions included the B-25 Devil Dog, P-63 King Cobra, the B-17 Texas Raiders, and the SB2C Helldiver. Each unit was part of the inaugural Rose City AirFest at the Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.

TYLER — With many professional fireworks shows being cancelled this year, many will take on personal displays over the Independence Day Weekend. Smith County Fire Marshal Jay Brooks told KTBB, “We want everyone to have fun, but we do want them to maintain safety. We want to keep people from getting hurt and have a good time. First and foremost, we never want to allow children to handle fireworks. It’s just that simple. Older kids we want to make sure there is adult supervision with them.” Continue reading Smith County Fire Marshal urges fireworks safety

LONGVIEW — The Gregg County Sheriff’s Office is addressing questions on the enforcement of the governor’s executive order for masks. According to the office’s Facebook page, a business has the right to refuse you service for not wearing a mask. If the sheriff’s office is placed in a position where enforcement is necessary, officials say they will start with education and requesting voluntary compliance. Finally, if deputies encounter an individual who refuses to voluntarily comply, verbal warnings and or written warnings will follow. As a very last resort, a citation can be written at the discretion of the deputy, according to the Facebook page.

NEW YORK (AP/Staff) – Grammy-winning country singer and East Texas native Kacey Musgraves and her musician-husband, Ruston Kelly, have filed for divorce. Representatives for both singers confirmed the news Friday to The Associated Press. In a joint statement, Musgraves and Kelly said they’ve “made this painful decision together.” The 31-year-olds were married in 2017. Musgraves — a native of Golden in Wood County — has been a success since releasing her major-label debut album, “Same Trailer Different Park,” in 2013. It won her the best country album Grammy. At the 2019 Grammys, the superstar’s critically acclaimed pop-leaning country album, “Golden Hour,” won all four awards it was nominated for, including the coveted top prize, album of the year.

TYLER — Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith announced on Friday that his office will not enforce Gov. Abbott’s face mask order with fines. That’s according to our news partner KETK. “While we encourage the public to take all precautions, we will encourage voluntary compliance regarding wearing a mask and will not be issuing citations for failure to comply,” said Smith. The sheriff did go on to write that a business in the county would be well within its rights to refuse to serve a customer who refused to comply with a mask requirement and could ask the customer to leave. Elsewhere in East Texas, Upshur County has also announced it will not enforce the order with fines. Rains County has applied for an exemption from the order.

TYLER — As a reminder, there will be no early voting in Smith County on Friday and Saturday in observance of the July 4th holiday. Early voting will resume on Sunday from noon – 5 p.m. The last week of early voting, July 6-10, the hours are 7 a.m. -7 p.m. Go to https://www.smith-county.com/ for the full rundown.

TYLER — A number of military, historic, and aerobatic aircraft will utilize Tyler Pounds Regional Airport as the base airport for a scheduled performance at the Thunder Over Cedar Creek Lake Airshow on Saturday. Most of the aircraft will be parked at the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum and available for public view. This year marks the 15th year of the patriotic air show that was established as the primary fund raiser for the Cedar Creek Lake Veterans Foundation. For more information about the air show, check the air show web site at http://www.tocclairshow.com.

TYLER — An assault at the Smith County Adult Probation Office in Tyler has resulted in a Tyler man being arrested. A Smith County Deputy was on scene at this location and had been run over by a probationer who had fled in his pickup. The Deputy was transported to Christus Trinity Mother Frances ER for treatment. Authorities say when Anthony Avelar, 20, of Tyler, was informed that he would be arrested for an outstanding warrant, Avelar ran to his truck in the parking lot. Continue reading Deputy run over by fleeing suspect

TYLER — Pleasant Hill Baptist Church notified KTBB, that they are cancelling their annual celebration of Independence Day. The event was scheduled for Friday night. In a post to social media the church says, “It is with great sadness that we are announcing that we have made the tough decision to postpone our annual fireworks display. We did not come to this decision lightly.” The show is planned for later this fall.

JACKSONVILLE — A Jacksonville teen is behind bars this morning after an early-morning bust by multiple agencies. According to our news partner KETK, Cayden Lyons, 17, was taken into custody on Nacogdoches Street around 4:45 a.m. Friday morning. Lyons was booked for Engaging in Criminal Activity. Bond has been set at $1 million. No details were released on what Lyons is accused of, but Chief Joe Williams called his arrest a “high-risk operation.” Lyons was also charged with possession of marijuana. “This joint operation is the culmination of weeks’ worth of investigations and is just the first step in arresting individuals engaged in illegal activities in the Jacksonville area. We are very appreciative of the support from our law enforcement partners.” – Chief Joe Williams.