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AUSTIN – Sales tax allocations are in the mail from the state. Tyler and Longview continue to run ahead of last year’s pace.The May allocations are based on sales made in March. Tyler’s check comes to $4,074,315.95. This is nearly 9% more than the same period last year. For the year, Tyler’s sales tax allocation is $18,138,592.75, an increase of over 5 1/2%. For Longview, the May allocation is $2,922,537.72, an increase of over 5%. For the year, Longview’s total comes to $13.494,587.17, and increase of 7.32% over the same period last year.

TYLER – A Tyler man is heading to prison for aggravated robbery. Jarode Detwin Wilson, 30, was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison. He was arrested last July for a Tyler carjacking. Police say Wilson had asked an acquaintance for a ride around 1:00 that morning. During the trip, Wilson reportedly pulled a gun and threatened the victim. The victim pulled over and jumped out of the car. Wilson took off in the vehicle but was caught by Tyler police a short time later.

LONGVIEW – One person has been killed in a duplex fire in Longview. It was reported just after 11:00 Wednesday morning on Loring Lane. The man’s body was discovered by firemen as they were putting out the fire. We will have more information when it becomes available.

LONGVIEW – A Longview man has learned, the hard way, it does not pay to run from the law. Catavion Stinson, 23, was arrested Tuesday night following a traffic stop. When the vehicle was stopped at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Rayburm Drive, Stinson, who was a passenger, ran away. The foot chase through a wooded area, which lasted only a couple of minutes, ended with Stinson’s arrest for evading arrest or detention with a previous conviction and 3 outstanding warrants. Due to Stinson’s prior attempt to evade, his evading charge was increased from a Misdemeanor A to a state jail felony He was booked into the Gregg County Jail.

WACO – Two Smith County residents have had charges against them dropped in connection with a Waco shootout. The shootout between members of two motorcycle clubs occurred at the Twin Peaks Restaurant on May 17th, 2015. Police arrested 177 bikers following the shooting. Tuesday, felony charges against 62 bikers were dismissed. Among them were James Larry Gray of Tyler and Jason Lee Cavazos of Arp. McLennan County prosecutors said they were dismissing the cases while focusing on those who were more at blame in the shooting. Continue reading Two Area Residents No Longer Charged in Waco Shooting

LONGVIEW — An arrest warrant affidavit has revealed a Longview ISD employee charged with sexually assaulting a child was also the victim’s pastor. According to our news partner KETK, court documents show Richard Leland Williams, 25, of Longview, is a pastor of the child’s family. A search of social media shows the suspect is the pastor of Hebron Missionary Baptist Church in Longview. Williams began a sexual relationship with the victim in August or September 2017 when she was only 16, according to the arrest affidavit. Continue reading LISD Employee Charged with Sexual Assault Was Victim’s Pastor

TYLER – One person was injured when a vehicle crashed into a Tyler building. It happened around 12:45 Tuesday afternoon at the Christus Mother Frances North Park Medical Plaza on East Houston. The elderly driver said she accidentally pushed on the accelerator, causing the SUV to drive into the building. The accident pinned an employee between her desk and the vehicle. She had to be freed by Tyler fireman. She was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

TYLER – The speed limit is going up on a section of Toll 49. On their Facebook page, the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority said it is raining the speed limit to 70mph on the toll road between State Highway 110 and State Highway 31.

KILGORE – Kilgore College and East Texas Baptist University in Marshall have signed a partnership. The agreement was signed by school officials late Tuesday morning. As part of the agreement, ETBU will offer courses on the Kilgore campus leading toward a bachelor’s degree in Education, early childhood through sixth grade, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The agreement includes ETBU tuition rate discounts and scholarships for students in Phi Theta Kappa. ETBU also gets a office on the Kilgore campus for recruiting, student services and advising for Kilgore College students and graduates. The courses that will be offered on the KC campus are part of the Tiger Transfer Track Program that ETBU offers to community colleges and universities in the region.

TYLER – The city of Winona will be getting assistance in housing stray dogs. Smith County Commissioners Tuesday approved an interlocal agreement with the city of Winona to take its stray dogs into the Smith County Animal Shelter. According to the agreement, Winona will be responsible for responding to animal control matters within its city, then transporting the dogs to the shelter. The city will pay any fees associated with impoundment, testing, medical treatment or other services. Whitehouse will pay Smith County $50 per dog that is brought to the shelter, as well as an additional $35 for each dog requiring euthanasia. The commissioners court has approved similar agreements with the cities of Troup, Arp, Bullard and Whitehouse.

LONGVIEW – The board of the Longview Economic Development Corporation has agreed to provide funds for starting the East Texas Advanced Manufacturing Academy. At Monday’s meeting, the board agreed to provide over $1 million to get the project started. Several school superintendents, along with the chamber of commerce president, approached the board about the funding. The academy will teach and train students to work for area manufacturers. Several area companies have either signed on to help or shown strong interest in the project. Pine Tree School Superintendent TJ Farler told the Longview News Journal the academy should be able to start classes this fall.

LONGVIEW – LeTourneau University’s “Sting” Precision Flight Team placed 5th overall at the 2018 National Intercollegiate Flight Association SAFECON flight competition. It was hosted by Indiana State University, in Terre Haute, Indiana. The school’s 5th place finish was the highest overall ranking in the competition in LETU program history. Contributing to the 5th place 2018 overall score, LETU was ranked 4th place in Ground Events Championship and 7th place in Flight Events Championship.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — There is a reported multi-vehicle crash westbound on I-20 near the 518 mile marker. The DPS says motorists are urged to use caution in this area and use alternate routes. We’ll have more information as it becomes available.

TYLER – Trane has celebrated the one-year anniversary of the its residential heating and cooling research lab at The University of Texas at Tyler. Located on the university’s campus, the lab is made up of two, identical looking homes. One was built with standard construction techniques. The other was built with high-performance, energy-saving measures. It contains such things as energy-efficient windows, spray-in foam insulation, a tight building envelope, solar panels, and more. The lab is expected to lead to new products for the market within the next two or three years. Mayor Martin Heines joined with Trane and school officials for Tuesday’s celebration.

TYLER — The Postal Service says those seemingly safe blue mail collection boxes seen all over town are a known hot spot for mail fishing — a technique thieves use to fish deposited mail out of the collection boxes. It’s a trend Tyler Police Detective Andy Erbaugh says can be stopped if we all pay attention. He tells our news partner KETK that if you see such an incident and think there might be something illegal happening, you can call Tyler police or 9-1-1 and report a suspicious person. Mail theft is a federal crime punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

TYLER (Staff/AP) — A death row inmate from Smith County is now due to be executed September 26. According to our news partner KETK, the 7th District Court set the date Monday for 50-year-old Troy James Clark. In 1998, Clark was condemned for the torture and drowning murder of his former roommate, Christina Muse, 20, of Tyler. Evidence showed that Clark and co-defendant Tory Gene Bush hit Muse with a stun gun, beat her, bound her, and kept her in a closet before drowning her in a bathtub. Prosecutors said the two then stuffed Muse’s body into a barrel with cement mix and lime before dumping it in a ravine. Her body was discovered five months later. Authorities say Clark and Bush feared Muse would snitch on them for using and selling methamphetamine. Bush pleaded guilty in 2000 to a murder charge and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

LUFKIN — The father of an East Texas child who died after being found submerged in a motel pool has turned himself into authorities. According to our news partner, KETK, Rondarius Smith, 26, of Lufkin, surrendered to officials on a charge of injury to a child in connection with his daughter Arianna’s death. An arrest warrant states Smith failed to adequately watch his daughter when he fell asleep after using drugs and alcohol. On March 20, police say Arianna exited the room and entered the pool area due to a broken gate latch. Arianna was submerged for 10 minutes. The child was taken to a Houston hospital where she died the following day. Continue reading Police Arrest Father of Toddler who Drowned in Local Motel Pool

LONGVIEW – English Professor Dr. Stanley Coppinger has been presented with the Robert H. Selby Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award was presented over the weekend during the spring commencement ceremonies at LeTourneau University. The award is the highest recognition the university offers for excellence and effectiveness in teaching.

PALESTINE – Palestine police chief Andy Harvey will be meeting with religious leaders on Tuesday. The meeting at 10:00am is to discuss ways to develop a closer partnership with the police department. A notice on the meeting said the primary goal is to create a bond between the community and the police department in order to better respond to crises events and ease anxieties affecting faith groups. The meeting will take place at Palestine city hall.

LONGVIEW – Longview residents will get a look at the city’s bicycle and pedestrian plan Tuesday evening. The plan follows months of work, including open houses and an online survey, as they work to meet the needs of persons who walk, run or bike in the area. The plan will be covered during a Tuesday open house from 5:30 till 7:00pm at the Maude Cobb Convention Center. You will learn about the development of the plan and specific bicycle and pedestrian recommendations. Plus team members will be on hand to answer questions and share details about the plan.

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in TxDOT’s Tyler District during the Week of May 7. In Gregg County, motorists can expect significant delays on SH 149 at the Sabine River Bridge. The project necessitates reducing traffic over the bridge to one lane in each direction for 40 days as work is conducted during the day and at night. In Smith County, there will be a lane closure on FM 849 in Lindale for work on the Toll 49 project from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 7-18. Crews will be working at the tie-in to complete the relocation of FM 849 on the new alignment. Go to https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/tyler/018-2018.html for a complete rundown of projects around the area this week.

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler has acquired The Reserve Apartment Complex off University Boulevard. University officials say the 320-bed facility will help accommodate the university’s rapid residential student enrollment growth. They add that The Reserve has numerous amenities such as a swimming pool, fitness center, computer lab, movie theater, game room, and beach volleyball court. UT Tyler says it plans to honor all current leases as officials finalize university housing policies designed for the facility. Move-in for UT Tyler students is expected to begin as early as this fall. With the addition of the Reserve, UT Tyler now offers more than 1,700 on-campus beds.

TYLER — Just after 12:30 this morning, officers said they received a report of two people standing in the roadway at Front and Beckham. A short time later, it was reported that the two pedestrians had been struck by a vehicle. The victims were taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the vehicle was not injured and not found at fault for the wreck.

LONGVIEW – A textbook clerk at Longview High School has been charged with sexual assault of a child. Booked into the Gregg County Jail on Friday was Richard Leland Williams, 25, of Longview. His bond was set at $100,000. The police department was contacted about the case on Thursday. Their investigation led to Williams’ arrest the following day. Continue reading Longview ISD Releases Statement on Employee’s Arrest

SMITH COUNTY — Municipal elections took place around the area on Saturday. Tyler will soon have a new city council member — and will keep its mayor for another three years. Saturday’s election results show Mayor Martin Heines defeating challenger Joel Rando by winning about 89 per cent of the vote. In City Council District 2, Broderick McGee defeated Beverly Beavers-Brooks with some 54 per cent of the ballots cast. The current District 2 council member, Darryl Bowdre, will be stepping down due to term limits. Council Districts 4 and 6 were also up for election, but the races were uncontested. Here are the unofficial results: Registered Voters: 66602. Ballots Cast: 3547. Voter Turnout: 5.33%. Continue reading Smith County Election Results

WINONA – An electrocution east of Winona has killed a Smith County man. He is Jerry Wayne Wallace, 58. It happened around 10:30 Thursday morning off County Road 366. Officials said by the time they had arrived, the victim was already dead. Investigators say Wallace used bolt-cutters to cut a power line that was sagging over his camper. Officials said Wallace thought the lines were old and no longer active. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office reminds everyone to stay away from all power lines.

TYLER – A festival is causing some bus detours in downtown Tyler. It is the Red Dirt BBQ festival. Temporary bus line detours are in effect through the weekend. The detours will impact Route 1 Red Line, Route 4 Blue Line and Route 5 Purple Line. The bus detours began at 5:00 Friday afternoon and will run through the weekend. Everything gets back to normal on Monday. Continue reading Bus Detours in Downtown Tyler

LONGVIEW – A student shows up with a gun on a Longview campus. It happened around 8:00 Friday morning at Forest Park Middle School. The student was arrested and the unloaded gun was seized. No threat was made According to a statement from the school district, the “Longview Police Department immediately took the student into custody and secured the campus.” They added they will be following the district procedure with regard to the student.

TYLER – One person was slightly injured when a car was shot at a Tyler intersection. It happened just before 10:00 Friday morning at the intersection of Shelly Drive and Old Bullard Road. The suspect’s car, a silver Toyota Camry had been following the victim’s car when the Camry’s driver shot through the passenger window of the other vehicle. The passenger suffered cuts to his leg from flying glass fragments. The suspect is described as white male in his early 30’s, short brown hair with goatee. The suspect’s car had paper plates.