KTBB News, Weather, Talk

SMITH COUNTY – The storms that came through East Texas Wednesday afternoon continue to leave challenges in their wake in Smith County. In the most recent development, County Roads 2186, 26, 247 and 1133 are closed because of wash outs and culvert damages. Crews have continued to deal with trees down, road hazards, and utility problems throughout the county. County Road 2273 has one lane closed because of a partial wash out. Portions of Smith County Roads 26 and 2186, which were already closed from recent rains, remain closed.

WHITE OAK — For hours, White Oak police say their 911 phones were down. They report that the service has been restored, and in case of an emergency, 911 is available.

EAST TEXAS – Some area roads remain closed because of the storms that passed through the area Wednesday afternoon. TxDOT crews continue to monitor road conditions and will open roadways to traffic once the water recedes and it is safe to do so. Current road closures include:

GREGG COUNTY- State Highway 135– north bound and south bound closed at Farm Road 2207 in Gladewater due to water over the road. Caution advised as this location typically floods and recedes several times before it’s totally clear of water. Continue reading Storm Road Closures Update

TYLER – A Tyler robber is heading to prison. A Tyler jury, after finding Brant Miller, 19, guilty of aggravated robbery, sentenced him to 50 years in prison. Miller was arrested a short time after the robbery which occurred in the parking lot of the Foundry Apartments on Varsity Drive last November. He had ordered pizza and then robbed the delivery driver of his money and the pizza. When arrested, officers recovered the pizza and the gun used in the robbery. The gun had been reported stolen during an auto burglary five days earlier.

MARSHALL – The National Weather Service confirms that an EF1 tornado touched down north of Marshall, in Harrison County, during Wednesday’s storms. It caused no damage. Thousands are still without power because of the storms. While many have had power restored, there are many still without it, and SWEPCO says it could be days before the power is completely restored. Our news partner KETK reports Longview alone had a peak of 32,000 residents without electricity during the storms. SWEPCO is estimating it will be Monday night before all of Longview’s power has been restored.

TYLER – Tyler’s Beauty and the Box program has seen three more signal boxes sponsored and wrapped. The beautification program began in 2016. It takes traffic signal boxes and transforms them into beautiful works of art by local artists. It started as a pilot program with ten boxes. It has now grown to 36 vinyl-wrapped boxes. The latest are:
*South Broadway Avenue and Amherst Drive: sponsored by The Alzheimer’s Alliance of Smith County, artwork by April Moore.
*Ferguson Street and Bois D’Arc Avenue: sponsored by Edward Broussard, artwork by Linda Schooley.
* S SW Loop 323 and Briarwood Road: sponsored by Linda Davidson, artwork by Linda Davidson.

MARSHALL – A fatal Marshall accident remains under investigation. The accident occurred just before 6:15 Wednesday evening at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 north and Loop 390. Marshall police say the accident happened when a south bound car was making a left turn onto the loop and was hit by a north bound tractor/trailer rig. The two men in the car were pronounced dead at the scene. Both are from Louisiana.

TYLER – A man wanted for kidnapping in Cherokee County has been arrested in Tyler. A tip led authorities to a Tyler hotel where they found Bryan Heath Cannon, 33, of Jacksonville. He had outstanding warrants for aggravated kidnapping/family violence and as well as two misdemeanor warrants. The kidnapping warrant is said to have stemmed from an incident in the Mt. Selman area in early April. He is said to have forced a woman at gunpoint to leave her residence. He later returned her to her home where she was able to escape and call authorities.

TYLER — A Smith County jury Wednesday found 29-year-old Jared Lynn Monk of Tyler guilty of sexual assault of a child and sentenced him to six years in prison. According to a news release from the district attorney’s office, during a Child Protective Services investigation, the victim made statements that led the CPS worker to recommend a forensic interview at the Smith County Children’s Advocacy Center. During that interview, she claimed she was being sexually assaulted by Monk. During an interview with a sheriff’s detective, the defendant reportedly admitted he had sexual intercourse with the victim, knowing she was 14. Officials say he also admitted he was under the influence of marijuana and alcohol during the offense. Monk will be required to register as a sex offender for life. He faced probation or up to 20 years in prison.

EAST TEXAS – Schools around East Texas have delayed classes or canceled them altogether Thursday due to the effects of the storms that swept across the the region Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK, districts canceling classes are Pine Tree, Gladewater, Quitman, Union Grove, Elysian Fields, Waskom, and Winnsboro. Also, Longview Christian School has called off classes in its Early Learning Center and K-12.

SMITH COUNTY – Three are dead in a crash Wednesday on Toll 49, 4.2 miles southwest of Lindale. Troopers responded at 12:30 p.m. Preliminary crash investigation revealed that the driver of a Toyota, Barbara Busch Beagle, 62, of Tyler, was traveling south when for a yet to be determined reason, she traveled into the northbound lane. That’s where her vehicle struck a van driven by Kendrick Lamone Hartsfield, 41, of Tyler. JP John Johnson pronounced both drivers dead at the scene as well as a passenger in Beagle’s vehicle, Kei Lei Harding, 34, of Tyler. The impact caused both cars to catch fire. The crash remains under investigation.

TYLER – Expect some temporary delays this morning at Shiloh Road/Rice Road and South Broadway because of the replacement of the signal box. The work had originally been scheduled for Tuesday morning from 8:00 to 10:30 but will now take place Thursday during the same time period. The replacement will take about two and a half hours. During this time, there should be a 30-minute time frame where the traffic lights will be out of service. The Tyler Police Department will have officers at the intersection to direct traffic. Drivers should anticipate delays and travel with caution near the intersection. Officials also note that all repairs are dependent on weather.

COFFEE CITY – A Tyler man has been killed in a Henderson County traffic accident. Pronounced dead at the scene was Charles Edward Price, 78. The Department of Public Safety says he was killed when north bound car entered the south bound lane and hit a car driven Sheryl Anne Keel, 54, of Palestine. Price, who was not wearing a seat belt, was tossed from the vehicle. Keel is listed in stable condition in a Tyler hospital. The accident occurred just before 1:45 Wednesday afternoon on State Highway 155, about a mile and a half north of Coffee City.

KILGORE – Kilgore police say they have a suspect in the vandalism at the Veteran’s Memorial in the city park. Sometime Saturday night, someone drove a vehicle into the park and crashed into the Veterans Memorial wall, a bench, and a sign. They have estimated the damage at up to $5,000. At the time, investigators said they felt this was not an accident, but the act was intentional. With the help of a local resident, a suspect’s vehicle has been identified. Wednesday afternoon detectives found the vehicle and identified a suspect. The investigation is continuing.

AUSTIN – Sales tax allocations from the state continue to show an increase for Tyler and Longview. The May sales tax allocations for the cities are based on sales made in March. Tyler’s May check is for $4,029,887.18. This reflects a 1.09% increase from May of last year. Tyler’s year to date total comes to $19,188,257.95. This reflects at 5.78% hike over the same period last year. Longview’s May check is for $3,310,896.29. This is an increase of 13.28%. Longview’s year to date total has increased 5.92% to $14,293,678.47.

TYLER – An assistant professor of geography at the University of Texas at Tyler has received a grant from the National Science Foundation. The $75,000 grant to Dr. E. Cory Sills will allow her to conduct archaeological research at the Maya Paynes Creek Salt Works of Belize. She will examine wooden architecture and salt-making artifacts preserved underwater in Paynes Creek National Park. The UT Tyler project is part of a collaborative effort with Louisiana State University to investigate how staple goods and resources have been produced and distributed over time in complex societies.

PALESTINE – A fatal vehicle/pedestrian accident in Palestine remains under investigation. Killed in the accident shortly after 2:00 Tuesday morning was Daunte Kemp, 33, of San Antonio. He was wearing dark clothing and was walking in traffic when hit by an SUV driven by Joseph Vaughn, 22, of Rusk.

AUSTIN — A lot of what is debated in the state capitol is serious business. But there are some feel-good stories, including one that originated in East Texas. That was the case this week, in a hearing for a bill that would force cities to allow kids to set up lemonade stands. The star was eight-year-old Branson Burton, who told a Senate committee how he learned about economics by selling lemonade in his neighborhood. Branson said, “Overall, I pulled in over three hundred in revenue — and after repaying my loan, I made two hundred and forty-six in profit.” The bill would legalize temporary lemonade stands operated by minors on private property. It comes in response to a huge story in 2015, when cops in Overton shut down a stand, citing state law.

TYLER – Honors have been passed out at the annual TISD Educator of the Year Banquet. The top teachers were selected from the nominees, who were from each campus. Named as the Elementary Teacher of the year was Kristin Kervin, a kindergarten teacher at Dixie Elementary. The Secondary Teacher of the Year is Steven Barb. He is a special education teacher at Hogg Middle School. They will now compete for the Region VII Teacher of the Year Award and a chance to compete for the state Teacher of the Year Award. For the first time, the Principal of the Year award was handed out. It went to Claude Lane, the principal at Moore Magnet School. The Rookie of the Year honors went to Deanna Hinton of Robert E Lee High School.

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP/STAFF) — A Rusk County man, whose body was pulled from the Red River, has been identified. The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office on Tuesday identified the victim as Nathaniel H. Cozart, 49, of Mount Enterprise. Cozart’s body was spotted in the river Monday morning around 11:45. Authorities say his death remains under investigation.

WINONA – The investigation continues in Smith County in what is being called a double murder and suicide. Investigators say the father, Vincent Monteagudo, shot his 14 year old daughter Olivia and his 47 year old wife, Karen, and then turned the gun on himself. All three died from gunshot wounds to the head. A motive for the shootings is unclear. It all began Monday afternoon with a welfare check at a home on Dallas Street in Winona. That’s when the three bodies were found. Their bodies were sent to a Tyler lab for autopsy.

TYLER – A Smith County man has won a new car by donating to the United Way of Smith County. Herbert Washington of Tyler was surprised on the job at Trane by United Way representatives. He was presented keys to a Volkswagen Jetta from Patterson Volkswagen. The names of anyone who pledged at least $5 per week to the local United Way campaign in 2018 were put into a drawing and Washington was the winner. Washington not only gave last year, he has given to the United Way campaign consistently each week for more than 30 years.

LONGVIEW – Longview police are looking for a silver Cadillac that was involved in a hit and run accident. It happened just before 12:45 Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of High Street and Avalon. Investigators say a 20 year old man was in the crosswalk when he was hit. He was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler has announced that it will launch a new baccalaureate program this fall. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has approved UT Tyler’s new bachelor of science in chemical engineering program. The University’s new degree program will offer students the option of one out of four concentrations. The choices are biomedical, energy, environmental engineering and material science. The school has also partnered with Houston Community College to allow students to earn a bachelor of science degree in engineering at the UT Tyler Houston Engineering Center.

TYLER – Tyler Junior College officials have announced new leadership roles in the institution’s enrollment management and advancement divisions. The announcement invloves 5 persons. Britt Sabota has been named TJC registrar. She will oversee services including student records management, academic transcripts, enrollment verification, course schedule and registration maintenance, and graduation. Chris Fontaine has joined TJC as director of academic advising. He will oversee services such as selection of appropriate areas of study, test interpretation, transfer requirements, goal setting and academic plan development. Continue reading New Leadership Roles at TJC

SMITH COUNTY – A fatal weekend fire in Smith County remains under investigation. Pronounced dead at the scene was Tammy Kirkley, 52. Her dog was also killed by the fire in her mobile home at the Northgate Mobile Home Park on Farm Road 14. It was reported around 9:15 Saturday morning. They are still trying to determine the cause of the fire, which started in the bathroom. Investigators say there were no smoke detectors in the home.

KILGORE – An Overton teen has been killed in a one vehicle accident in Rusk County. Bagley Mahdessian, 15, died in a Longview hospital following the accident, which occurred around 7:00 Monday night. She was a passenger in a car driven by Demarcus Keshaun Holsome, 18, of Reklaw. The Department of Public Safety reports that Holsome was traveling at and unsafe speed went he went off the road in a curve. He over corrected and ended up in a ditch where the car rolled onto its top. Holsome is said to be in stable condition in a Henderson hospital. The accident occurred on County Road 165, about three miles south of Kilgore.

TYLER – Expect some temporary delays at Shiloh Road/Rice Road and South Broadway because of the replacement of the signal box — but not until Thursday. The work had originally been scheduled for Tuesday morning from 8:00 to 10:30 but will now take place Thursday during the same time period. The replacement will take about two and a half hours. During this time, there should be a 30-minute time frame where the traffic lights will be out of service. The Tyler Police Department will have officers at the intersection to direct traffic. Drivers should anticipate delays and travel with caution near the intersection. Officials also note that all repairs are dependent on weather.

ATHENS — An aggravated robbery outside Malakoff has led to three arrests, according to Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse. The suspects are 18-year-old Robert Hocutt Jr., 27-year-old Stetsen Hall, and a juvenile. Around 3:15 Monday morning, the sheriff’s office got a call reporting that two men had entered the residence on Highway 31 west, one with a knife and one with a gun. According to the caller, the men said they were the “law” and put a gun to a victim’s head, placing him in the closet. After sheriff’s deputies and Malakoff police responded, all three suspects were arrested and charged with aggravated robbery. Hillhouse also says investigators recovered some property that was taken during the home invasion.

TYLER – It’s time for the annual Educator of the Year Banquet in the Tyler school system. Their school administrators and staff selected the winners at each campus. They were selected because they exemplify extraordinary models of leadership and excellence in teaching. This ultimately helps create successful student achievement. Tyler ISD will honor all Campus Teachers of the Year. During the banquet, the secondary and elementary teacher of the year will be announced. The banquet starts at 6:30 at the Crosswalk Conference Center at Green Acres Baptist Church. The high school campus winners are Nancy Caraway at John Tyler and Melinda Tefteller at Robert E Lee. Continue reading Tyler Educators to Be Honored