KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – We should know this week who will be the next president at Tyler Junior College. The four finalist for the post were hosted last week. Each candidate spent a day participating in a variety of visits, interviews, and forums attended by the TJC Board, community members, faculty and staff. School trustees will meet in a closed session Monday afternoon to deliberate on the new president. The board will meet Wednesday for their regular meeting at which time they are scheduled to announce the sole finalist. A 21-day waiting period will then begin. On May 23, the TJC Board will announce the seventh president of Tyler Junior College, who will take office on July 1. Continue reading TJC, Close to a New President

CHEROKEE COUNTY — A one vehicle wreck involving a Breckenridge Village van has left one man dead, several injured. According to the Department of Public Safety report, the accident happened around 7:45 Saturday morning on US-69, one mile south of Alto. The driver of the 2003 Ford E350 passenger van, Sylvester Conrod Jr., 55, of Tyler, was pronounced dead at the scene. The van was traveling south on 69 when the vehicle ran off the roadway, struck a concrete culvert and an electrical pole. A passenger, identified as Grady Marshall, 66, of Tyler, was transported to a Tyler hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Twelve other adults were passengers of the van but were not injured. Continue reading Driver Dies following Wreck Involving Breckenridge Village Van

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Twins who were sent to separate foster homes at age 14 recently reunited in Springfield after losing touch for 60 years. RoseMarie Henson and Rosalie Turner found their way back to one another this month with the help of family and DNA testing, the Springfield News-Leader reported. Turner’s daughter, Tina Henderson, started looking for her mother’s twin after a family member completed a DNA test through Ancestry.com. Henderson said she and her cousin were eventually able to locate Henson in Springfield. Turner’s daughters eventually drove her through the night from Longview, Texas, to reunite with her sister in Springfield. Continue reading Twins Separated in Foster Care Reunite after 60 Years

TYLER (AP) – Southside Bancshares Inc. on Friday reported first-quarter earnings of $18.8 million. The Tyler based bank said it had earnings of 56 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for amortization costs, came to 59 cents per share. The holding company for Southside Bank posted revenue of $68.6 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $52.9 million, falling short of Street forecasts. Southside Bancshares shares have increased 8 percent since the beginning of the year. The stock has fallen almost 4 percent in the last 12 months.

SMITH COUNTY – The county commissioners have voted to approve an order authorizing fireworks sales over the Memorial Day holiday period. The sales will run from May 22nd through the 27th. The state legislature previously approved three additional holidays for fireworks sales, as long as county commissioners authorize it. The extra holidays are Texas Independence Day, San Jacinto Day and Memorial Day. County Fire Marshal Connie McCoy-Wasson said Smith County residents are allowed to pop fireworks throughout the year, and are only restricted on when they can buy them.

ELYSIAN FIELDS – One person is in custody in connection with a Harrison County shooting caused by an apparent domestic dispute. It happened shortly before 7:15 Friday morning at a store in Elysian Fields. Arrested in Panola County in the shooting was Cortney Tramane Manning, 33, of Marshall. He was arrested on drug and weapons charges out of Harrison County. Injured was Koteshia Endsley, who was taken to a Shreveport hospital for treatment. She had earlier called 911 to report that Manning was following her. Harrison County authorities say the two had had previously dated.

LONGVIEW – A man has been arrested after a child showed up at school with a variety of injuries. The staff at Ware Elementary found visible injuries on the child’s back and lower and upper legs from a cord. The injuries are said to have occurred on Tuesday at the Boys and Girls Club in Longview. Arrested Thursday in the case was Ladarrian Demarcus McGee, 31, of Longview. He is being held in the Gregg County Jail under a $50,000 bond. The Longview Police Department along with Gregg County District Attorney’s office and Child Protective Services is continuing to investigate the incident.

MARSHALL – A former babysitter is heading to prison for the sexual assault of a teenager. Zoya Grace Rogers, 28, of Kilgore, was charged with two counts of sexual assault of a 16-year-old. She was also charged with abandoning and endangering the teen’s 10-year-old autistic sibling, who was left home alone while taking the teen on a joy ride to a Longview strip club. Rogers pleaded guilty to all three charges. She was sentenced to five years for each sexual assault count, and 18 months on the abandoning charge. The sentences will run concurrently. Rogers was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

TYLER – A Smith County Jury has found Jessie Liggins, 38, of Arp, guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child. The jury then sentenced him to life in prison without parole. He was arrested by Smith County sheriff’s deputies last July. Investigators learned the suspect has assaulted the girl, under the age of 14, on various occasions over an 18 month period. The last assault was witnessed by a family member, who reported the incident to authorities.

TYLER — A Smith County jury sentenced Jeromy Stewart, 38, to two years in state jail for burglarizing Classic Toyota in Tyler. On August 24, 2018, Stewart entered the auto shop and stole various tools. Tyler Police recovered several of the tools from local pawn shops. Officers also found numerous other tools Stewart had stolen during his brief stay in Tyler. He had previously been convicted of multiple felonies for theft, burglary and cocaine possession. The jury assessed the maximum jail sentence and a $4,400 fine.

LONGVIEW – The investigation continues into a fatal accident in Longview. It happened around 10:15 Tuesday night in the area of Nelson and Green Street. Harold Garrett, 62, of Longview was hit by a vehicle that left the scene. He was found lying in the highway and later died at a Longview Hospital. Green Street was closed from Nelson Street to Melton Street during the investigation, until 12:15 Wednesday morning. Anyone with information is asked to call the Longview Police Department at 903-237-1170 or Gregg County Crime Stoppers at 903-236-7867.

TYLER – Officials with Tyler and Smith County have signed a resolution which supports a bill creating a utility district in southern Smith County. The utility district would be in an area between the cities of Tyler and Bullard, an area that is predominately serviced by private utility companies. The area would be known as the Rose City Municipal District, or MUD. The bill was introduced in the current legislative session by State Representative Matt Schaefer of Tyler. The proposed district would have the authority to issue bonds, impose fees, and provide sewer and wastewater services and contract with the City to operate and maintain the district’s sewer and wastewater facilities. Officials feel, if the new district becomes a reality, residents in the area may one day see better sewer and wastewater services at lower costs. Continue reading Work On a South Smith County Utility District

WHITE OAK – A man picked up in White Oak, following a domestic dispute, is now facing a weapon’s charge. Arrested was Fabian Hugo Castro, 19, of Longview. A search of the man, after he was placed in handcuffs, turned up an Uzi submachine gun. It had 24 rounds in the clip and it had a retractable stock, which would allow the user to turn it into a rifle. They feel the weapon may have been stolen, since the serial number had been filed off. Now, besides the weapons charge, Castro also has outstanding warrants from Smith and Gregg Counties. He remains in the Gregg County Jail under bonds totaling $30,000.

TYLER – Tyler city employees who go above and beyond the call of duty are presented the Blueprint Blue Ribbon Award. That award has been given to Lauren Justice, City of Tyler accounting manager. Justice began her career with the city as an accountant in June 2012. She is currently an accounting manager and the staff liaison regarding both internal and external audits and works closely with the city’s Audit Committee.

NOONDAY – Smith County Road 1133, northwest of Noonday, is closed until further notice for a culvert replacement. The part of the road that is closed is between County Road 1131 and Farm Road 2661, in Precinct 1.

TYLER – Three Tyler Junior College students have been accepted for paid summer research fellowships. The funds come from the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program, which is funded by the National Science Foundation. Jeannie Nghiem, a TJC biology and chemistry major from Tyler, has accepted a fellowship at The University of Texas at El Paso, a Division 1 research institution. Martin Morales Alvarez, electrical engineering major and Marco Rodriguez, engineering major, both from Tyler, will both be participating in summer fellowships at UT Tyler.

SMITH COUNTY – The Smith County sheriff’s office has completed a compliance check of registered sex offenders who live in the county. Sheriff Larry Smith said it took two days to conduct the check with around 40 officers from 8 different agencies. Of the 406 persons who were checked, four were found to be out of compliance and two others were not at home and notices were left. The unannounced and comprehensive residential verification checks of this type are conducted on a regular basis in the county. The sheriff said sex offenders have strict requirements. If they violate any of their registration requirements, a warrant will be issued for their arrest.

SAN ANGELO – A former Smith County youth minister is heading to prison for sexually assaulting a teen. Before Clinton Douglas Brackett, 34, was the director of youth ministries at First United Methodist Church in Lindale, he was employed at a church in Ballinger. It was there where he began a sexual relationship with a girl younger than 17. The San Angelo Standard-Times reports that Brackett, on Wednesday, pleaded guilty to one of the four counts of sexual assault of a child. In a plea agreement, he was sentenced to eight years in prison. He will now have to register as a sex offender.

TYLER — A Smith County deputy is being treated for injuries following a rollover crash Wednesday evening on Toll 49 at Hwy 64. According to our news partner KETK, the deputy was responding to a call to assist another deputy when the wreck happened. The deputy reportedly lost control of his patrol vehicle when it hydroplaned, left the road and rolled. The unnamed deputy is being treated for non-life threatening injuries at a local hospital.

TYLER – A state trooper with the highway patrol in Athens is now a Texas Ranger. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced that Justin Cuellar has been promoted to a Texas Ranger, Texas Rangers-Company “D”. Ranger Cuellar, who joined the DPS in 2007, will be stationed in Beeville starting the first of next month.

TYLER – A Tyler jury has found Daniel Aylor, 34, guilty of driving while intoxicated, second offense. In May of last year, he had been stopped in Smith County for speeding and failing to maintain a single lane. A blood sample showed his alcohol concentration was twice over the legal limit. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22nd.

TYLER – A portion of a proposed large development in south Tyler has received city approval. The development, proposed by the Genecov Group, is in the Hollytree subdivision. The approval was for 294 of the proposed 318 acres. What was not approved was around 20 acres of apartment buildings. The vote came following several hours of comments from the area residents. Many of then felt that the Gennecov proposal would adversely affect their property values.

TYLER – A Chapel Hill School District employee has been arrested for election fraud. Arrested by Smith County sheriff’s deputies was Carolyn Lewis, 68 of Winona, who turned herself in at the county jail. The problem stems from 4 absentee ballots that were witnessed by the same person, which is a violation of the Texas Election Code. The ballots were for a position on the Chapel Hill school board. When an investigator contacted her in the parking lot of the high school, Lewis was in possession of two additional absentee ballots and appeared to be filling them out. The school district has placed Lewis on leave, pending an investigation. She has been charged with unlawfully witnessing absentee application, which is a Class B Misdemeanor and is currently free on a $500 bond.

ALTO — Victims of tornadoes in Cherokee County are finding hope through a Facebook page. Many people lost their homes and belongings during the tornadoes that ripped through Alto. Now, a Facebook page called “Tornado of 4/13 Lost and Found” is helping people find some of their lost belongings. Missy Whittington is posting items on the page. She found someone’s teddy bear. She says, “I’m taking care of it. I’m gonna foster him until I find his home.” And someone with a metal detector is offering to help as pictures of jewelry, family recipes, and tattered toys show up online — with the hope of connecting these with families who have lost so much in the storms.

TYLER — Due to a traffic crash at N. Broadway and Gentry Parkway in Tyler, the traffic control signals are not working. The lights are now flashing red in all directions until they are operational again. Expect delays if you choose to drive in that direction.

JACKSONVILLE – OSHA is investigating a fatal accident at the Stryker Creek Power Plant in Cherokee County. Our news partner, KETK, reports a man was working on a crane Tuesday afternoon when he came in contact with a voltage box and was electrocuted. His body has been sent to a Tyler lab for an autopsy. The man’s name has not been released.

TYLER – Two teens have been arrested by Tyler police following an attempted robbery. Keith Whittington, 17, is charged with aggravated robbery and evading arrest. A 16 year old boy was charged with robbery. They are said to have tried to grab purses by force from a mother and daughter, knocking both to the ground and injuring the mother, but not seriously. The teens ran off and were chased by several persons who witnessed the incident. They caught both suspects before they were able to leave the area. They were both brought back to the scene on East Erwin, in downtown Tyler, where the 17 year old fled again and was later arrested by officers.

TYLER – Tyler police are asking the public’s help in identifying a woman who spray painted the Green Acres Baptist Church building. She rode up on a bike and spray painted the building with blue paint. It happened last Thursday shortly after 11:15pm. If you can identify her you are asked to call Detective Mike Kieny at 903-531-1045 or call Tyler crime stoppers at 903-597-2833.