KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – Early voting in the city and school elections in Smith County continues through today. Saturday, May 5th, is the election day. There are two contested races in Tyler. Mayor Martin Heines is being challenged by Joel Rando. The open District 2 city council seat is being sought by Beverly Beavers-Brooks and Broderick McGee. Council Districts 4 and 6 also are up for election, but the races are uncontested. There are also elections for the city of Winona and East Texas Municipal Utility District and school district elections in Bullard and Troup. Continue reading Early Voting in May Elections Continues through Today

AUSTIN – Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush has announced a Tyler student was one of the winners of the 2018 Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach Treasures of the Texas Coast Children’s Art Contest. They were selected from the 2,480 entries submitted statewide. Molly Madsen of the Tyler Art School was a runner up in the contest. She was entered in the third and fourth grade category. Her art, along with the winner’s at and the 38 other runnersup, will appear on the cover of the 2019 Adopt-A-Beach calendar, which will be distributed statewide. The artwork of all winners will be on public display in the South-Central Gallery of the Texas Capitol May 22nd – 29th

MARSHALL – Wiley College at Marshall has received a large, unrestricted gift. When Gene and school trustee Patsy Ponder visited the campus to say goodbye to school president Dr. Haywood L. Strickland, who is retiring in June, they had a check in hand. Their gift is the largest gift by an individual in the school’s 145 year history. The couple presented the school $2 million. It was their way of honoring Strickland and his 18 years of service to the school as well as to the community and to the United Methodist Church.

TYLER – A Tyler man is accused of several offenses, including threatening jailers. Lamarlon D. Adams, 39, was booked into the county jail on Sunday. Late Sunday morning he is said to have thrown a brick through the window of a service station on Gentry Parkway. He is then said to have gone to a grocery on Bow Street and ran out with a case of beer. He was arrested a short time later. While being booked into jail, he is said to have threatened jailers. He is charged with obstruction or retaliation, theft of property and criminal mischief. His bonds total $21,000.

TYLER – The jury duty scam surfaces in Smith County. The sheriff’s Department has received several complaints recently that the scam has targeted residents. They have received a call saying they are named in a warrant for missing jury duty. The caller even uses names of current Smith County Sheriff’s Office employees. The caller then says the person can pay a fine to avoid arrest. According to the sheriff’s department, no one from the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, or any other law enforcement agency, would collect fines by phone. The sheriff’s department is investigating the scam.

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in TxDOT’s Tyler District during the week of April 30. In Smith County, Tyler Maintenance will be performing pavement repairs on SH 110 at Noble Street in Troup on Monday, then moving to Spur 80 in Arp on Tuesday. Additionally, crews will be conducting ditch maintenance on roadways around the county. In Gregg County, Longview Maintenance will continue mill and inlay operations on SH 31 this week between South Street and the Sabine River. Work then moves to Loop 485 in Gladewater. Go to https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/tyler/017-2018.html for a complete rundown of projects around the district.

TYLER – Tyler’s bulky item collection week starts on Monday. The pickup of those large items is sponsored twice a year by Tyler’s Solid Waste Department and Keep Tyler Beautiful. It’s a great time for residential customers to get rid of those large items that would normally require a special fee to pick up. All you have to do is place the items on the curb Monday and a city crew will pick it up. There is no need to call the Solid Waste Office. But you need to note that items may be collected on a different day from your usual scheduled garbage collection. Items that will be picked up, at no charge, include furniture, appliances, carpet, fence material, up to four non-commercial vehicle tires, old toys and other such large items. No liquid waste, limbs or brush will be picked up. Paint must be dried out with oil dry or kitty litter. Continue reading Bulky Item Collection Time in Tyler

CARTHAGE — The Carthage ISD has been hit with a federal civil rights lawsuit, accused of not protecting a female student — and not punishing a student-athlete. The suit claims the district did nothing after a member of the football team secretly took a cell phone recording of a girl undressing and showering in April of 2016. Attorney Jim Dunnam says the then-freshman confronted the athlete. According to Dunnam, the footballer said he would delete the video if the girl kissed him, and she did so reluctantly. But Dunnam says the athlete put the video on social media and that the girl suffered as a result. A call to the Carthage ISD was not returned.

AUSTIN — Governor Abbott has awarded half a million dollars in grants to better prepare Texas kids — including some East Texans — to be a part of the workforce of the future. The money goes to setting up STEM-based hands-on internships throughout the state. These are the first grants awarded though the governor’s Texas Talent Connection program. More than $5 million in TTC grants will be awarded this year. The first six grants are going to Workforce Solutions located in Kilgore, Dallas, Waco, McAllen, Sherman, and Abilene. Abbott awarded the big checks at Samsung Austin Semiconductor — One of the employers where these advanced skills are in demand.

WHITEHOUSE — Smith County Road 2191, also known as Oscar Burkett Road, will be closed for improvements for two to four weeks starting Monday at the construction site of the new Brown Elementary School in Whitehouse. County Engineer Frank Davis said a contractor will install storm and sanitary sewer lines 21 feet deep, along with doing necessary roadwork. Detour signs will be placed along Rhones Quarter Road and other connecting roadways, alerting drivers to use alternative routes. Road improvement will continue after the roadway is opened back up to traffic. Sections of the new elementary school will be widened and improved, and will have curbs and gutters installed by contractors with the Whitehouse Independent School District and Smith County. The Smith County Road and Bridge Department will also be performing road improvements and overlaying portions of the road this summer.

MARSHALL — National retailers Hobby Lobby and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet plan to open stores this fall and early next year as anchor tenants at the newly renamed “Marshall Place,” formerly known as Marshall Mall. In a news release, Marshall city officials say it’s part of a significant redevelopment and recruitment initiative made by the city and the Marshall Economic Development Corporation to attract and retain new businesses and retail opportunities. The Marshall Hobby Lobby store is expected to hire 35 to 50 employees, with full-time employees earning $15.35 an hour, and part-time employees earning $10.23 an hour. City officials say Ollie’s is currently expanding into the Texas market and Marshall will be one of the first stores, if not the first one, opening in Texas.

MARSHALL — The Marshall Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying the man who burglarized a coin-operated machine. Surveillance video captured the incident around 4:08 a.m. this past Monday at the A&W Coin Laundry on N. Lafayette Street near East Grand Avenue. The man is described as white, wearing a Batman shirt, dark pants, a cap, and tennis shoes. The vehicle he was driving is believed to be a 2015-2017 model Ford F-150 crew cab. Anyone with information is urged to call Marshall police at 903-935-4575. Those wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call Marshall/Harrison County Crime Stoppers at 903-935-9969. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the Marshall/Harrison County Crime Stoppers Facebook page or P3 app.

LONGVIEW – Some Longview policemen rode the train on Friday. It was part of Operation Lifesaver. They were watching for drivers who disregarded the railroad crossing signals. The goal of the partnership is to bring awareness to the dangers of crossing the railroad tracks when the lights are flashing or the arms are down, or both. Yes, they did write several citations.

TYLER – State District Judge Kerry Russell on Friday sentenced Dekenndrick Lekeith Ross, 41, to life in prison. He was found guilty earlier this month of prostitution and human trafficking. Last June, Ross and Crystal Leshae Lilly, 26, also of Tyler, were arrested following a Department of Public Safety investigation of a human trafficking organization in the Tyler area. Lilly’s trial date has not yet been set.

AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott has appointed three persons to the Sabine River Authority of Texas Board of Directors. Their terms will expire on July 6th, 2023. One of those named to the board is Janie Walenta of Quitman. She is is a retired telecommunications manager. She is currently on the One Call Board of Texas. Her term on that board expires at the end of August.

MARSHALL – Marshall police say two March robberies have been solved. Acting on tips from the public, Marshall police have arrested Kiandre Handy, 19, of Marshall. He is charged with the March 1st robbery of the Coin Laundry on North Lafayette Street. And he is said to be the man wearing a witches mask who robbed a West Grand Avenue convenience store on March 13th. He is facing two charges of aggravated robbery. He remains in the Harrison County Jail under bonds totaling $300,000.

ATHENS – A Henderson County woman accused of killing her two children last year, will be getting a competency hearing. At a Friday hearing for Sarah Nicole Henderson, 30, of Mabank, a judge granted the request. A meeting was set for Monday to work out the details. The next hearing is scheduled for later this year. Henderson is said to have shot her children at their home. Continue reading A Competency Hearing for Woman Charged in Her Kids’ Deaths

TYLER – The Tyler ISD Foundation’s New Administrative Director is Betsy Jones. She has been involved with the Tyler ISD Foundation board since September 2017. Jones brings to the position over 10 years experience in the nonprofit world including work with the Council of Tyler PTAs, local campus PTAs, Junior League of Tyler, Women’s Symphony League, and Nacogdoches Junior Forum.

EAST TEXAS – Area residents are invited to join other Texans in talking advantage of a tax free weekend. It starts on Saturday and will run through Monday. The tax free items are emergency preparation supplies. The list includes:
*batteries, fuel containers and flashlights priced at less than $75;
* hurricane shutters and emergency ladders priced at less than $300; and
* portable generators priced at less than $3,000.
There’s no limit on the number of qualifying items you can purchase.
There are some things that do “not”qualify.
You can go to https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/publications/98-1017.php for more on the emergency preparation supplies.

MURCHISON – A Henderson County man is accused of sexually assaulting two young girls. Arrested Thursday on two charges of aggravated sexual assault was Randy Dean York, 59, of Murchison. The charges were filed after the girls told child advocates he sexually assaulted them. Both are said to be under the age of 13. York is currently free on bonds totaling $150,000.

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler says overwhelming demand has caused it to withdraw numerous full scholarship offers under its new Presidential Fellows program, but no students from Texas will be affected. One prospective student, from Nepal, says he received a notice of acceptance in December — only to learn a few months later that he will instead be getting the Patriot Scholarship, which offers $5,000 for up to four years and in-state tuition rate. The university explained that qualified scholarship requests – more than ten times greater than previous years – exceeded budgeting for the current year and an oversight caused the over awards. All students who are now no longer eligible for the Presidential Fellowship have been offered Patriot scholarships. University officials say even after the change, UT Tyler is still offering more merit aid for first-year freshmen than ever before.

TYLER – Tyler Junior College has received the largest gift in the College’s history. The school says it may be the most significant monetary gift from an individual to a Texas community college and largest gift to an institution or organization in the city. The announcement was made Thursday by TJC officials. The gift is from the estate of Virginia and Jim Gatewood. When Virginia died last year, it resulted in the creation of the James F. and Virginia Hawkins Gatewood Memorial Fund at TJC. The school is working with the estate to determine the final dollar amount. The funds will ensure the long-term support of the TJC Presidential Honors Scholarship Program. The program helps attract academically talented student from throughout East Texas. Presently, 220 students benefit from the program.

LONGVIEW – Keep Texas Beautiful has named Keep Longview Beautiful a Gold Star Affiliate. Only 65 of of the statewide organization’s nearly 400 affiliates received this designation this year. Keep Longview Beautiful has received this recognition for the past 6 years.

TYLER – The Tyler city council has approved improvements at two of the city’s parks. The city council accepted a $40,300 donation for batting cages at Faulkner Park. The Rose Capital West Little League brought up the interest in funding construction of a batting cage. The cost of the project is being funded by the little league. And the City Council has approved spending nearly $32,000 on improvements to the irrigation system at Lindsey Park. By repairing a well pump at the park, the city should save around 50% in irrigation costs at the park.

TYLER – The Gustavo Zavala-Garcia capital murder trial is still on schedule for October, for now. Zazala-Garcia is charged with the November, 2016 death of 10 year old Kayla Gomez-Orozco. She was killed after being abducted from a Bullard church. At a pretrial hearing Thursday morning, DNA evidence and trace evidence analysis from the Texas Department of Public Safety was presented. But further DNA testing can be done on some of the evidence. A pretrial hearing is set for May 10th to determine which items will need additional testing.

TYLER – John Tyler students got a first hand look Thursday of the impact of drinking and driving. Juniors and seniors were dismissed to go to Lion and Leon Drive where they found a mock accident. Tyler police, fire and EMS units were there as was the Air 1 helicopter. There was even a coroner and a hearse on the scene. Some of the injured had to removed from the wreckage by jaws of life. Even a student portraying a drunk driver, was arrested at the scene. The Shattered Dreams event was designed to allow the students to experience the sensations of being involved in an alcohol-related collision.

GLADEWATER – Vandals have hit an historic Gregg County building. The vandalism was discovered Monday night at the Rock Springs School House on Old Highway 135 just south of Gladewater. The one teacher school was built with donated lumber in 1849. It ws in use until the 1930’s. The building was recorded a Texas Historic Landmark in 1966. The building has also been used for other functions, including a church. A sheriff’s deputy patroling the area noticed at open door at the building. He then found a significant amount of vandalism to the building. If you can help identify the vandals, you are asked to contact the Gregg County Sheriff’s Department.

TYLER — A suspended Smith County constable Wednesday completed his six-month federal sentence. According to our news partner KETK, Henry Jackson was released from a halfway house where he’d been placed in mid-April. That was after he served time in prison for willful failure to file federal income tax returns. Jackson pleaded guilty to four counts in 2017. He was sentenced to the six-month term and ordered to pay more than $150,000 in restitution. Jackson has been an elected constable since 1999.

TYLER — Tyler Animal Control is conducting a rabies clinic tonight at 6:00 at Fun Forest Park on North Forest. Springtime brings renewed concerns about the disease. In recent days, Smith County reported two rabid skunks in the Hideaway area, and Longview officials issued an advisory about potentially rabid bats. Rabies vaccinations are $10 tonight, and microchip & registration is $5. You can get more information by calling 903-535-0045.