KTBB News, Weather, Talk

EAST TEXAS – Weekend rains have caused some area burn bans to either be lifted or modified. Gregg County lifted its burn ban Monday. County Judge Bill Stoudt said the county has received sufficient rainfall, and drought conditions have abated. Rusk County commissioners on Monday rescinded an unconditional ban and enacted a provisional one. Rusk County residents can burn outdoors if they take the proper precautions. This means they can burn out doors by using a burn barrel under certain circumstances. There are still burn bans in place in Smith, Cherokee, Upshur, Wood and Harrison counties.

TYLER – Tyler police have arrested a man they say was trying to pawn stolen items. Wendell Halkman, 23, of Fort Worth is said to have broken into a Tyler home on Sunday. He then took the items he had taken from the home to First Cash Pawn on South Broadway. When they saw he was not familiar with the value of the items he was trying to pawn, they called police. As officers started arriving, he fled on foot. They later found him hiding in a dumpster at Broadway and Amherst. He is being held in the Smith County Jail for burglary of a habitation and evading arrest. He is also wanted in Fort Worth for robbery.

TYLER – Free rides are being offered, for a limited time, to Tyler Junior College. Tyler Transit and TJC have partnered to create the “Invest in our Future” campaign. It allows students, parents and guardians to ride the Tyler Public Transportation System’s fixed routes for free when riding to TJC. The campaign will run through the end of the month. Registration for fall classes at TJC continues now through August 26. A bus stop is located on the TJC main campus at the corner of Fifth Street and Baxter Avenue. Continue reading Free Rides to TJC

DALLAS – Mail processing operations are resuming at a Mentroplex postal facility. Postal officials have announced the North Texas Processing and Distribution Center in Coppell resumed daily operation on Monday. Last Tuesday the facility was shut down when mercury spilled from an improperly mailed package. Mail on its way to the Tyler area is routed through this facility. While the north Texas mail center was shut down, mail was diverted to other mail processing facilities in the Metroplex area. This slowed and delayed mail coming to this area. But now, since the plant has been cleaned and certified to be safe, mail delivery is returning to normal.

FLINT — Texas Rangers are investigating a fatal standoff in Smith County. According to our news partner KETK, on Sunday afternoon, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office received a welfare concern call on Neely Drive in Flint. When authorities arrived, a woman on scene appeared erratic. Officers made their way inside the house and found the woman had a pistol. After the woman refused to put the gun down, she was shot once in the arm by a deputy. After hours of negotiating with deputies, the woman shot and killed herself. Her name has not been released.

TYLER — The St. Paul Children’s Foundation has announced the formation of the Smith County Food Security Council, and the group holds its first meeting Monday at 4:00 p.m. Participants will gather at Tyler’s Marvin United Methodist Church to discuss current anti-hunger activities in the community and ways to work together and expand efforts. Organizers point out that 1 in 5 Smith County residents struggles with food insecurity. The council’s leadership team includes representatives from a variety of organizations. Among other things, organizers plan to discuss and recruit members for workgroups to focus on different areas. Anyone interested is asked to attend or contact St. Paul pediatrician Dr. Valerie Smith at (903) 531-9455.

TYLER — TxDOT is planning to conduct a variety of construction and maintenance work throughout the Tyler District during the week of August 13. In Tyler, work continues to construct right turn lanes on Grande Blvd. at Old Jacksonville Hwy. Expect delays on both roadways with daytime lane closures in place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Longview maintenance crews are conducting pavement repairs on FM 2087 from Loop 281 south to the railroad tracks. Expect lane closures with flaggers managing traffic control. Go to https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/tyler/035-2018.html for a complete rundown of work throughout the district.

LONGVIEW — Longview police have been searching for a woman with a medical condition, who has been reported missing. According to our news partner KETK, Jennifer Lynn Sisco, 30, was last seen wearing black shorts, a black shirt, and white tennis shoes. She walked away from her home on Cleardale Drive near the Leland Street intersection Saturday around 3:30 p.m. Police say Jennifer has been listed as a missing person because of her medical condition and needs to be located. If you know where Jennifer is or have seen her, contact 911 or the Longview Police Department at 903-237-1170.

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County deputies have arrested a man after a shooting linked to a car repossession. According to our news partner KETK, the vehicle was being repossessed around 4 p.m. Thursday when the car’s owner came out of his residence on CR 274 and fired shots in the direction of the repossession truck driver. No one was injured. The suspect was arrested for possession of a sawed-off shotgun, a prohibited weapon. His identity and further details were not immediately released.

FRANKSTON – Two people have died and one has been injured following a late Friday morning shooting at the Quik Stop convenience store on East Pine Street in Frankston. According to our news partner KETK, police say 51-year-old Tammy Wynette Stevens died from a gunshot wound to the head. 73-year-old James Jones was injured by the same bullet that killed Stevens. 78-year-old suspect Grady Howell was later found dead of an apparent suicide at a Henderson County home. Video footage showed a man walking into the store, where Stevens and Jones were playing video games. He walked up to Stevens, shot her after exchanging words, and fled. The investigation continues.

LONGVIEW – The Gregg County Sheriff’s Department is reporting that people are once again getting the IRS scam phone calls. Someone is calling, claiming to be an IRS official, wanting payment for a past due tax bill. They try and con the victim into sending cash, usually through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. They may also leave “urgent” callback requests through phone “robo-calls,” or via phishing email. The IRS says, this is not the way they operate. If you don’t owe back taxes, or have no reason to think that you do, don’t give out any information, just hang up.

ATHENS – A Silver Alert has been issued for an Athens woman. The Department of Public Safety issued the alert for Diana Lynn Musella. She was last seen leaving her apartment around 9:00 Wednesday morning. When she never arrived at her destination that day, she was reported missing. She is said to be driving a silver or beige Toyota Corolla with the Texas license plates DNZ2279. If you see her, you are asked to contact the nearest law enforcement agency.

EAST TEXAS – Another area county has been added to the burn ban list. There are over a dozen counties on the list, including Smith and Gregg counties. That latest to join the list is Wood County. Sheriff Tom Castloo say the county is now under a burn ban effective immediately.

TYLER – The annual United Way campaign in Smith County is off and running. The campaign had its kickoff Thursday as it attempts to raise funds to support 34 programs in the county. Through these programs, the United Way serves an average of 60,000 persons each year. Their goal this year is to increase its donor base by 20% over last year. That would bring it to just over 6,100 donors. And, again this year, anyone contributing $5 or more per week to the Smith County United Way campaign is automatically entered in a drawing for a car.

TYLER – UT Tyler’s Innovation Academy has been rebranded. The kindergarten through 12th grade charter school’s new name is University Academy. Dr. Jo Ann Simmons, the University Academy superintendent, said the name is appropriate because their students will graduate with an average of 30 hours of college credit from a UT institution. Operated by the UT Tyler College of Education and Psychology, University Academy enrolls more than 750 students on campuses in Palestine, Longview and Tyler. The charter school was founded in 2012. It will graduate its first class in the Spring of 2019.

KILGORE – Kilgore College employees have returned to work following a Friday morning partial evacuation because of an oil spill. The school was notified of the spill by the Kilgore Fire Department shortly before 10:00am. They evacuated all buildings on campus, east of Highway 259, administration buildings, and the East Texas Oil Museum. There are no students on campus. The all clear was given shortly before 11:00.

MARSHALL — An East Texas woman accused of shooting a man in Marshall was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison. According to our news partner KETK, Maurine Parker claimed she shot the victim in the face in self defense after he reportedly slapped her. Her attorney argued his client feared for her life because she said the man admitted to killing her sister. Parker’s sister was found dead six months prior to this altercation. It took the jury — of all women — less than two hours of deliberation before finding her guilty.

TYLER – Tyler ISD Athletics has announced a new bag policy for CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium. It is being implemented for the 2018 football season to enhance security measures. Fans are encouraged not to bring any types of bags inside CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium during football games; however there are exceptions. Continue reading A New Bag Policy for Rose Stadium

COPPELL – Area mail service has been disrupted because of a hazardous material spill in the Metroplex. Tuesday, there was a mercury spill at the processing and distribution center in Coppell. Mail on its way to Tyler is routed through this facility. The spill, which came from a package that had been mailed, caused delays in mail distribution. There is no official word as to when normal mail service will be reestablished. We understand it may not be until early next week. Meanwhile, the Postal Service has temporarily suspended operations at the North Texas facility, and mail is being redirected to other processing facilities.

PAYNE SPRINGS – The fire chief in Payne Springs has been suspended following his arrest. The volunteer fire department’s Face Book page says Randy Harley, of Mabank, has been suspended indefinitely. This follows his arrest for bribery and tampering with a governmental record. He was arrested by the Henderson County Fire Marshal’s Office. Harley was booked into the Henderson County Jail on Thursday. He was later released under bonds totaling $60,000.

TYLER – Tyler has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. It is for the fiscal year 2017-2018 budget document. This is the twelfth consecutive year that Tyler’s budget document has received this special recognition. The award, from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada, was presented to the Mayor and Council during the Wednesday’s city council meeting.

TYLER – A Flint man has been arrested for the aggravated sexual assault of a child. Arrested was Levester Cauley, 72. He is currently free on a $250,000 bond. The victim in the case told a family member who told the youngster’s mother, who in turn reported it to the sheriff’s department. After a medical evaluation and forensic interview, investigators determined that the step-grandfather had sexually assaulted the victim. On Tuesday, an arrest warrant was obtained for Cauley. He was arrested the following day.

MARSHALL – A ceremony has been held, as four new Marshall policemen took their oath of office. The ceremony was held late Thursday morning at the Marshall Police Department. All four have been assigned to the patrol division. The men are Cory Lemons of Whitehouse, Jordan Stiff of Waskom, and Dustin Gauthier of Marshall, all who graduated from the East Texas Police Academy last Friday. The fourth man is Michael Spencer of Marshall, who graduated from the Central Texas Police Academy in June of 2015.

EAST TEXAS – East Texans will be joining others around the state to take advantage of a weekend of Tax free shopping. The sales tax holiday comes along at just the right time as families take care of back to school needs. The tax holiday weekend has been an annual event since 1999. The state comptroller’s office estimates shoppers will save $90.3 million in state and local sales taxes Friday through Sunday. The law exempts most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks priced below $100 from the sales tax. This saves shoppers about $8 on every $100 they spend this weekend. You can go to https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/publications/98-490/clothing-footwear.php for a list of the items that are tax exempt and those that are not.

TYLER — Governor Greg Abbott made a stop in Tyler Wednesday for a closed-door roundtable, primarily with African-American leaders. According to our news partner KETK, following the gathering, Abbott said, “I want to take what I learn here, plug it back into Austin to what we’re working on to make sure Texas provides the promise of prosperity for every single person in the great state of Texas.” Rev. Reginald Garrett, a former Tyler city councilman, chimed in, “Ordinarily in most elections most blacks typically vote Democratic, and I think you’re going to see that change as the Republican party pays more attention to the needs of African-Americans.” Republican Abbott faces Democrat Lupe Valdez in the November election. The meeting was seen as especially relevant in light of the name change issue for Robert E. Lee High School, which will be keeping its current name for now.

LAKE PALESTINE — The man rescued from Lake Palestine Tuesday has been charged with possession of a controlled substance. DPS Troopers said Joseph Van, 41, of Flint, lost control of his SUV while texting and driving and crashed into the lake. He was pulled to safety by two nearby boaters. Van was booked into the Cherokee County Jail with bond set at $25,000.

HARRISON COUNTY — A Hallsville ISD parent is arrested Tuesday after she allegedly carried a gun on campus.According to our news partner KETK, 43-year-old Lorraine Haas, of Longview, has been charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon in a prohibited place. She was at the junior high school campus when she apparently showed the gun to another person. Haas was disarmed and arrested by Hallsville ISD police. She was booked into the Harrison County Jail and later released on $10,000 bond. Haas is licensed to carry a concealed weapon in Texas. Citizens, including handgun license holders, are prohibited from carrying firearms on the physical premises of a school building.

LONGVIEW – Thanks to an alert neighbor, two Longview burglary suspects are in custody. The neighbor saw a unique golf cart that belonged to his neighbor being unloaded a block away from the residence into a red car by a man and a woman with blue hair. The resident had previously seen the two walking on Fairmont Street. Officers were able to find the couple leaving the woods in Lois Jackson Park on Bill Owens Parkway. According to the department’s Face Book page, Cassidy Dawn Collier 31, of Gladewater, and Daniel Thomas Barnes 28, of Longview, have been charged with burglary of a habitation. Collier had outstanding warrants for operating a motor vehicle without a license and failure to maintain financial responsibility. Both are now in the Gregg County Jail. Continue reading Burglary Suspects in Jail in Longview

MARSHALL – A man wanted for sexual assault of a child is in custody in Marshall. The arrest was in connection with what was called “Operation Safe Summer.” It is a multi agency operation designed to make sure all registered sex offenders in Harrison County were in compliance and to arrest those with warrants for sex-related offenses. The first time they went to the home of Michael Wayne Baird, 37, of Marshall, who had a warrant our for his arrest, he wasn’t there. When they returned on Wednesday, he was taken into custody. He is currently in the Harrison County Jail under a $50,000 bond.