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TYLER – Smith County Fire Marshal Connie McCoy-Wasson has received two awards from the local chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. They are the Fire Safety Commendation Award and the Law Enforcement Commendation Medal. The medal is intended to recognize exceptional service or accomplishment in the field of law enforcement. The fire safety award is presented for accomplishments and/or outstanding contributions in an area of fire safety and service. McCoy-Wasson has been the Smith County Fire Marshall since 2015. She was reappointed by the county commissioners to another two year term last December.

CONROE – A Conroe man has been arrested on child pornography charges. Authorities feel there could be more victims in East Texas. Being held on a $250,000 bond is Chadrick Lashun McNeal, 23. He is accused of extorting inappropriate images online from girls all over the world using a variety of social media platforms. The DPS Special Crimes Bureau Chief, Tyler Dunman, says they believe there could be hundreds of child victims across the country and even worldwide. They are asking anyone who has interacted with McNeal or has additional information about his activities to immediately contact their law enforcement agency. The DPS says he has operated under the SnapChat usernames pboi58, jayyboyy56, and koolkids6.

TYLER – Six women have been honored in Tyler for their accomplishments in their careers and their public service. They were honored by group called Women in Tyler. It was founded in 1999 to as a way to celebrate Women’s History Month and to honor women who have contributed to the quality of life in the community. A planning committee selects the women who are honored at the yearly banquet, which has as a theme this year, “Women With A Passion.” Continue reading Tyler Women Honored

TYLER – It is time for the annual Azalea and Spring Flower Trail in Tyler. This year marks the 60th year of the trail. It features mile after mile of blooming azaleas, dogwoods, and spring flowers. The official ribbon cutting, and opening ceremony, was held at the Pyron home at 212 West Dobbs Street, starting Friday morning at 10:00. The ceremony is always free and open to the public. Activities include a quilt show, arts and crafts fair and even an Alice in Wonderland movie and tea party. Activities run through April 7th. You can go to https://visittyler.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/AzaleaTrail19-fullweb.pdf for a look at the many activities going on for just over two weeks.

NASHVILLE – The largest Christian retail chain in America has announced plans to close all 170 stores this year and shift its offerings entirely online. A couple of months ago LifeWay Christian Resources announced plans to reduce its locations this year due to declining sales and financial pressures. LifeWay now announces it will close all of its stores. That includes the Tyler store on South Broadway and the Longview store on North Eastman Road. LifeWay says all of its brick an mortar stores will be closed by the end of the year. The Baptist Press reported LifeWay hadn’t had sales exceed its operating expenses in more than a decade. The margin between the two grew from $2.3 million in 2010 to $35.5 million in 2017.

MARSHALL – A Harrison County jury has handed out a lengthy sentence for sexual assault of a child. The jury took less than an hour to convict Christopher David McCartney, 29, of Harleton, of five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. They deliberated around half an hour to determine his punishment. Our news partner KETK reports he was sentenced to 75 years on each charge. And since the judge ordered that the sentences run consecutively, at the request of on an assistant district attorney, that means McCartney was sentenced to 375 years in prison.

TYLER – Beginning Friday, and running through August first, Robertson Avenue will be closed to through traffic where it intersects with Sunnybrook Drive. This schedule is subject to change due to weather conditions or other unforeseen issues. The action is needed because workers will be replacing an existing drainage structure as part of the Sunnybrook Drive structure replacement project.

TYLER – A suspect has been arrested in an attack on a woman running in a Tyler park last week. He is James Earl Roberts Jr., 32, of Tyler. Investigators were able to locate a fingerprint on the victim’s phone that was found in the park by police that eventually led to the identity of Roberts. He is said to be the man who attacked a jogger at Rose Rudman Park. She was attacked around 7:30 last Thursday evening. The woman was running on the paved trail in the middle of the park when a black male grabbed her from behind and dragged her into a wooded area. Officials said the suspect attempted to sexually assault her as she fought and screamed to keep him away. The man fled on foot. Roberts has been charged with aggravated kidnapping. He is now in the Smith County Jail under a $350,000 bond.

AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved just over $16 million in competitive local park grants. The money will help fund projects that will create and enhance outdoor recreational opportunities like nature trails, native gardens, playgrounds, splash pads, dog parks and sports fields at 38 community parks across the state. The grants, allocated to local government entities, appropriate state and federal funds for facilities in Texas on a 50/50 reimbursement match basis. Once funded, all grant-assisted sites must be dedicated as parkland in perpetuity, properly maintained and open to the public. Continue reading Park Grants Awarded From the State

TYLER – Two Tyler campuses are now part of the Adopt-a-Spot program. It is hosted by Keep Tyler Beautiful. Through the program, the community can adopt a street, park or campus and vow to keep it clean from litter. In 2017, Tyler Junior College was the first to adopt their campus. Now, the University of Texas at Tyler and Texas College have both officially adopted their campuses, joining the Keep Tyler Beautiful program. Each quarter the adopted campuses are to be cleaned by student groups. Keep Tyler Beautiful’s Adopt-a-Spot program has 38 miles of roadway, seven parks and now three college campuses adopted. Anyone can adopt a street or park in the City of Tyler. You can go to http://www.KeepTylerBeautiful.com for adoption agreements and program details.

TYLER – Over six miles of major roadwork was completed In Smith County last month, while another 18.5 miles of road construction projects are getting under way. That’s the report that Smith County Engineer Frank Davis gave to the commissioners court this week. He said only 2.96 miles of roads were paved last month because of rain. More than 5 miles of roads are scheduled for paving in this month and next month. And he feels with good weather they will meet or exceed that goal. Continue reading Smith County Road Report

TYLER – Tyler police have released the city’s crime statistics for 2018. Overall, crime in the city dropped. The report shows crime in Tyler was down nearly 3% last year. The Part 1 crimes, the major crimes, dropped by just over 4% compared with the previous year. But there was a nearly 35% increase in sexual assault. There were 105 sexual assault cases last year, compared to 78 in 2017. The least serious offenses, Part 2 crimes, were down about 1%. But, sexual offenses that were not rapes were up by 83% last year. Police Chief Jimmy Toler it was a challenging year, but the over all crime stats are heading in the right direction, down.

LONGVIEW — 64-year-old Neal Woods III of Longview is accused of punching a firefighter Saturday at a free standing emergency room. According to our news partner KETK, Longview police say Woods is charged with assault on a public servant . The firefighter did complain about some pain but was checked out and is okay.

TYLER — Tim Vaughn, the former mayor of White Oak and Gregg County GOP Chairman, is facing decades in prison after being indicted on multiple charges of lying to banks. According to our news partner KETK, Vaughn has been charged in federal court on two counts of making a false statement to a bank and two counts of aggravated identity theft. A federal grand jury returned the indictment on Feb. 20. An initial trial date is scheduled for May 13. According to the indictment, Vaughn is accused of making false statements to Southside Bank (then First Bank & Trust East Texas) on March 18, 2016, and then to Texas Bank and Trust on March 29, 2016. Continue reading Former White Oak Mayor Indicted in Bank Scam

LONGVIEW – Residents in northern Gregg County want beer and wine sales in their area. The Longview News Journal is reporting that a petition of more than 2,000 signatures has been submitted to the Gregg County Elections department. It is asking that the Commissioners Court call an election to approve off-premise beer and wine sales in Precinct 1. The commissioners will likely will discuss the petition at their March 25th meeting. Gregg County Elections Administrator Kathryn Nealy told the paper the earliest that the court could call an election would be in November.

HALLSVILLE – The pilot involved in a fatal Harrison County crash on March 9th, was not certified to fly the plane. According to FAA records, William Robert Kendrick, of Huffman, was certified to fly a single-engine aircraft. The plane that crashed was a twin engine craft. The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report also said that Kendrick’s pilot log shows he had not flown in nearly 14 years. His plane, which was on its way to New Orleans, crashed 10 miles from the East Texas Regional Airport. Also killed in the crash was the pilot’s wife and daughter and her boyfriend.

SMITH COUNTY – Wednesday is Texas Tobacco-Free Kids Day. There will be at least 70 students and faculty at each of 5 Smith County high schools wearing the Texas Tobacco-Free Kids Day shirts. The number 70 represents the number of people that die every day in Texas from tobacco related cuases. At each participating school there will be an announcement about what’s in a cigarette, such things as rat poison, ammonia and nail polish remover. They will remind the students that they have the power to be tobacco free. The Campus Crimestopper student board members came up with this plan after attending a Texas Tobacco-Free Teen Leadership Conference. The participating schools are: John Tyler High School, Robert E. Lee High School, Early College High School (Tyler ISD), Chapel Hill High School and Whitehouse High School.

MARSHALL – An East Texas man has died in a Tyler hospital from a Harrison County accident. Killed was Tristen Alexander Jackson, 20, of Humble. The Department of Public Safety report says his car went off the roadway to the right and the driver over corrected to the left and went off the road. The car hit a culvert and became airborne, hitting a tree. He was not wearing a seat belt. The accident happened around 1:30 Saturday morning on U.S. Highway 59, Nearly 5 miles north of Marshall.

MARSHALL – One person has been arrested in a Marshall murder. The shooting was reported shortly after 11:30 Monday night on Elsie Street. Rushed to a Marshall hospital, where he later died, was Tyshun Darty, 22, of Marshall. The shooter was identified as Nathan “Nate” Irving,(pictured) 20 of Marshall. He was found, and arrested without incident, Tuesday morning. Irving has been booked into the Harrison County Jail on a murder charge

FRANKSTON — Frankston ISD announced on its Facebook page the death of junior high basketball coach and history teacher, Reginald Clark. Clark “recently became very ill and has passed away,” FISD said in the post. “Coach Clark was an excellent teacher, and we will all miss him very much.” The post added that Clark’s family “would like you to know he loved his students and colleagues very much.” According to our news partner KETK, the district will have counselors available to help student “during this difficult time.”

PALESTINE – Two nursing students at the University of Texas at Tyler-Palestine campus, have been elected to leadership roles in the Texas Student Nursing Association. Elected president was Rachel Barbey of Palestine and elected vice president was Allison Sheridan of Elkhart. The two students, who hold the top positions of the board of directors, will serve for a one-year period and attend board meetings throughout the year. The Texas Nursing Students Association is an organization dedicated to promoting professionalism and leadership for today’s nursing students. There are more than 3,000 members representing over 100 nursing schools in Texas.

TYLER – The Smith County Clerk’s Office’s Official Public Records Department, housed in the Annex Building basement, remains temporarily closed to the public. County Clerk Karen Phillips said crews are still working on remediating a flood that occurred in the basement over the weekend. Official public records include land records, assumed names, and cattle brands. Public records can be found online at ttp://smithtx.officialpublicrecords.us in case you need access to them. They will be receiving land records for recording on the 3rd floor of the Annex through this Friday. Books will not be available at this time since the basement is still not accessible. They will also be making copies, and receiving e-filings.

AUSTIN – Tyler is one of six pilot sites in the state selected to take part in an initiative to increase access to clinical mental health treatment for military service members. The Andrews Center in Tyler, along with the Burk Center in Nacogdoches, were selected to take part in the program. The six centers provide services to veterans across 39 Texas counties. Veteran counselors were recently hired at the pilot sites using existing program funding. Training for the new counselors was completed a couple of months ago. They are able to provide acute mental health services to military service members, veterans and their families. Among the areas they are skilled in are suicide prevention and intervention. Continue reading Enhanced Mental Health Treatment for Veterans

TYLER – Several units of a senior living community have been damaged by fire. The two alarm fire occurred around 8:15 Sunday evening at the William Booth Garden Apartments. The independent living and assisted living apartments are located on Golden Road at the Old Henderson Highway. No injuries were reported, but fire marshal Paul Findley said three apartment units suffered flame damage, while three units suffered smoke and water damage. The fire started on a porch area of one of the apartments. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.

TYLER – One person has been killed in a Tyler industrial accident. Killed in the weekend accident was Kaspar Holland, 22, of Tyler. The accident occurred at the Brookshire Grocery Company warehouse. Details of what happened have not been released. The company said in a news release they have operated warehouse facilities in Tyler for nearly 70 years. This is the first on-the-job injury of this severity at one of their warehouses. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation into the accident.

TYLER – TxDOT is planning to conduct the following construction and maintenance work throughout the district during the week of March 18. Schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues.

In Smith County, the Farm Road 2493/Old Jacksonville Highway widening project from Gresham to Flint, gets underway with right-of-way clearing operations. Motorists will notice a new construction speed limit of 45 mph in place throughout the work zone. Daily lane closures could also be at play as needed. Motorist should expect a change in their daily commutes. Continue reading TxDOT Road Projects Update

TYLER — Tyler’s Old Bascom Road is closed from Southwood Drive to Old Omen Road, and that stretch will remain shut down through this Friday, weather permitting. Crews are making emergency repairs to a drainage culvert. No through traffic will be allowed. Travelers are encouraged to find an alternative route and to pay attention to all traffic and construction signs.

LONGVIEW — Longview plans a street closure this week for railroad track maintenance. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Green Street near Nelson Street and the UPRR Underpass will be closed daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Drivers are encouraged to use alternate routes. If you have any questions related to construction, call the City Engineer, Alton Bradley, at 903-237-1067.

LONGVIEW (AP) – Ten trumpet students at a Louisiana university are offering to play Taps at veterans’ funerals, rather than leave the haunting farewell bugle call to a mechanical device. “A lot of people get a recording, and play it over a speaker. It means something because it’s the song. But when you have an actual person with the horn … and you hear the horn ring over the fields, it takes the breath out of your chest,” Kody Jernigan, a music education major at the University of Louisiana in Monroe, said in a telephone interview. The senior from Longview is a member of Talons for Taps, named because the university’s mascot is the Warhawk — a nod to the World War II-era Curtiss P-40 Warhawk airplane. All are members of the ULM Trumpet Studio: seven trumpet majors and three other students taught by Assistant Professor Eric Siereveld. Continue reading University Trumpeters Offer Taps for Veterans’ Funerals