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LONGVIEW – Children hospitalized at Longview’s Good Shepherd Medical Center got some special visitors Monday. The Longview Police Department’s SWAT Team members, dressed as superheroes, rappelled down the hospital’s walls at 10:00am. Following that: a visit with the children in their unit and delivery of gifts. Longview Police Department public information officer Kristie Brian says Operation Christmas Cheer lets them demonstrate their abilities to the community and bring joy to children spending the holidays in the hospital. The hospital’s Clinical Director of Pediatrics and ICU, Metosha Brantley, says the children get very excited about the visit from the superheroes. This is the third straight year for Operation Christmas Cheer.

TYLER — The holiday season brings an increased risk of highway accidents — and Mothers Against Drunk Driving of East Texas is up and going with its annual “Tie One On for Safety” holiday campaign. Executive Director Leslie Watson says you may have noticed the red ribbons on cars, aimed at reminding you to drive safe, sober, and buckled up. You’re also advised to call a cab or ride-sharing service if necessary to ensure a safe ride home — and show support for increased law enforcement activity during the holidays. “Tie One On for Safety” is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, making it MADD’s oldest public safety awareness effort.

TYLER — Tyler Police are searching for two armed robbery suspects. Officials said a resident was taking out the trash at 2605 Old Henderson around 12:15 Monday morning, when he was reportedly held up by two black men, one armed with a handgun. The suspects forced the victim back into his home and demanded money and jewelry from a woman. The suspects reportedly threatened to shoot both victims, then assaulted the man. He sustained minor bruises to his head and knee. The woman was forced to the ground and the two suspects fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of case and jewelry. Continue reading Tyler Police Search for Armed Robbery Suspects

TYLER — Tyler Firefighters responded to a 2-story structure fire near the intersection of Border Avenue and Selman Street around 10:15 Sunday morning. The eight residents were able to escape the home without injury. The house suffered heavy fire damage. No word on the cause of the fire. A Tyler firefighter was transported to a local hospital following a medical issue that occurred outside of the structure during the incident. The firefighter was undergoing additional testing and treatment. No word on his condition.

KILGORE — A Kilgore College student indicted this past month on conspiracy to commit sex trafficking is out on bond, under house arrest. According to the Longview News-Journal, Malik Antoine Brown, 18, of Brazoria, was arrested in November at a private dormitory in Kilgore. The judge set Brown’s bond at $50,000 before permitting his release under certain conditions. Brown — among other stipulations — must participate in a home confinement program that includes electronic monitoring, avoid contact with any victims, report on a regular basis to a pretrial service agent in Houston and stay away from places where minors are likely to visit. Continue reading Kilgore College Student Charged with Sex Trafficking

TYLER — Strong wind gusts caused issues as the cold front was coming in to East Texas. Power outages were reported in Tyler Saturday night. According to KETK, maintenance crews responded to the intersection of Charlotte and Tulsa around 5:30 regarding a tree that had fallen on a car. The tree fell on power lines causing power outages throughout that area. Oncor reported 113 people in that neighborhood were without power.

KILGORE — Kilgore Detectives, along with FBI Tyler, are investigating a bank robbery. It happened just before 5:00 Friday evening at the Citizen’s National Bank, 410 N. Main Street. The suspect was armed with a handgun and fled the location with an undetermined amount of cash. He’s described as a Hispanic man, between 5’4 and 5’8, with a slim build, in his 30’s or 40’s. He was said to be wearing a black jacket, black pants with a stripe and a black “beenie” hat. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information in regards to this crime can contact Detective Sergeant Trae Portwood at 903-218-6905. Please refer to case #1612-0991. Continue reading Kilgore Bank Robbery Under Investigation

TYLER – When Zackary Hammack of Flint came to Tyler Junior College his interest was in architecture. He now has designs on outer space. Hammack became immersed in TJC’s engineering design technology courses. With his change of focus, he applied and was accepted in the the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars program. He was one of only 41 community college students to be accepted. This summer he spent some time at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. He graduates in May with an Associate of Applied Science degree in engineering design technology. He’s now applying for an internship with NASA.

LONGVIEW – The Gregg County grand jury has indicted a Kilgore man this week in a fatal accident this past spring. Indicted for intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle is 33 year old Thomas Elliot Henkel. Police say he caused a wreck that killed a Harleton teenager on June 8th. Henkle was driving on West Loop 281 when his vehicle crossed over the center median hitting a car driven by 16 year old Lauren Elrod. She was ejected from her vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Henkle remains free on a $100,000 bond.

LONGVIEW – LeTourneau University has been named to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s list of the Best College Values nationwide for 2017. The school earned the #78 spot on the magazine’s list of 100 best values among private universities for the second consecutive year. Kiplinger’s quality measures, which are weighted more heavily than cost, include the admission rate, the percentage of students who return for sophomore year, the student-faculty ratio and the four-year graduation rate. Cost criteria include sticker price, financial aid and average debt at graduation. Unlike other rankings, which include subjective criteria in their assessments, Kiplinger restricts its analysis to measurable standards of academic quality and affordability.Texas schools that made the top 100 private schools list were, in ranked order, Rice University in Houston, Trinity University in San Antonio, Baylor University in Waco, LeTourneau University in Longview, and Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

TYLER — Tyler Police are asking for the public’s help with returning an elderly man home. Authorities responded to the Sleep Inn, 555 S. Donnybrook, in response to a confused elderly Hispanic man wondering around the front of the hotel. The man told officers his name was Deojenes Vella, age 91. Officials said they were not sure of the correct spelling and they had no record of him. They also said they have not received any calls reporting the man missing. Anyone with information is urged to contact Tyler Police, 903-531-1000.

Authorities continue looking for the suspects wanted in the Spin-Win game room robbery. It happened around 8:15 Thursday morning when two armed men entered the business. A security guard began to fight with the men. The fight moved to the parking lot where the employee fired at the suspects. It is not known if they were hit. A witness said the suspects fled in a white SUV, possibly a 4-door Jeep Patriot.

TYLER – Some Tyler schools were temporarily locked down following a Smith County robbery. Texas College, Dogan Middle School and Griffin Elementary were locked down for a short time Thursday morning. Officers received a report that several men suspected in an earlier robbery were in North Tyler. When authorities arrived, two men jumped in a car and led law officers on a chase. It ended when the car crashed at North Grand and West 28th Street. The two fled but later were arrested. It was first thought they may be connected with another robbery on Highway 31 West. The investigation showed the two were not related. Marcus Ballesteros, 23 (pictured) and Juan Avelar, Jr 23 , were charged with evading arrests and there may be additional charges filed against them.

AUSTIN – A Cherokee County man is one of three persons appointed by the governor to the Texas County and District Retirement System Board of Trustees. Cherokee County Judge Chris Davis was named to the board for a term that expires December 31, 2021. The board exists to provide Texas County and district employees with retirement, disability and survivor benefits. Also named to the board were William “Bill” Metzger of Sunnyvale, A Dallas County Justice of the peace, and Deborah Hunt of Georgetown, the Williamson County Tax Assessor-Collector.

LONGVIEW – Longview police have found the driver involved in a hit and run accident. They plan to file charges against the driver for felony hit and run. It happened shortly before 9:00 Thursday morning on North Eastman Road.The accident occurred when a northbound Hyundai Sonata changed lanes. It hit a an SUV heading in the same direction. This caused the SUV to cross the median where it was hit head-on by a truck. The driver of the SUV, Rowena Hunter Jackson, 79, of Longview, is hospitalized. Continue reading Hit and Run Driver Located in Longview

LUFKIN – The Grinch has turned up in Lufkin. A man portraying Santa at the Lufkin Mall reported someone stole his iPad Air 2 valued at $700. He said it disappeared from a break room while he was posing for pictures with children. It is thought to have happened between 6:00 and 8:00 Wednesday night.

TYLER – The staff and volunteers with the Salvation Army in Tyler will be busy on Friday and Saturday. It’s time for the annual Angel Tree distribution. This year, over a 4 week period, the community adopted over 2,500 angels. Some of these are underprivileged children. Others are senior adults 65 and over who are living on a fixed income. The distribution will take place at the Salvation Army’s community center just north of downtown Tyler. Lindsey Galabeas says they anticipate serving around 100 families an hour from 8:00am to 3:00pm on Friday and from 8:00am to 11:00am on Saturday. During distribution, the families will not only receive their gifts, they will also receive a food bag with groceries for a Christmas meal.

LONGVIEW – The execution of a search warrant on Swancy Street in Longview has resulted in the seizure of a large quantity of ecstasy. Taken into custody was Terry Glenn Dotrey, 40, of Longview. He was booked into the Gregg County Jail under a charge of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance.

TYLER — Tyler Police continue to investigate an aggravated assault that left one man dead. It occurred shortly before 9:00 Wednesday night in a home near the intersection of Chelsea Drive and Pine Manor Drive. Laterrance Tremayne Cumbie, 29, of Tyler, died at a Tyler hospital where he had been taken for treatment of a gunshot wound. Police spokesman Don Martin says investigators believe the shooting was an isolated incident and was drug related.

LONGVIEW – The Good Shepherd Center for Bariatric Surgery has received an upgrade in its accreditation. The center has been accredited as a Comprehensive Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program. This is a joint program of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. In a news release, center director Dr. Dustin McDermott said the upgrade allows the center “more leeway to develop individualized surgical plans to properly care for each our patients and expands the scope of patients for whom these procedures are available.” Since opening in 2013 the Center for Bariatric Surgery has completed more than 200 procedures with additional patients in the pre-op screening or insurance qualification process.

ANGELINA COUNTY — Two East Texas women have been arrested after allegedly trying to change prices on items at a local retail store. According to KETK, Mary Bishop, 63, (pictured) and Crystal Sanchez, 24, were arrested for theft at Walmart, 2500 Daniel McCall Drive. Police say Bishop and Sanchez changed tags on $238.11 worth of merchandise for a new total of $21.93. Both women were booked into the Angelina County Jail on $1,500 bond. Bishop has since been released, but Sanchez remains in jail.

DALLAS (AP/Staff) – A city administrator who’s worked in Texas, Washington and Florida has been named city manager for Dallas. The Dallas City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved T.C. Broadnax, who’s currently city manager in Tacoma, Washington. Dallas leaders had already picked Broadnax, but the city council vote makes it official. Broadnax starts his new job Feb. 1, replacing retiring City Manager A.C. Gonzalez. Broadnax beat out former Tyler City Manager Mark McDaniel for the job. Broadnax will be responsible for oversight of more than 13,000 municipal employees and a current Dallas annual budget of $3.1 billion. Continue reading New Dallas City Manager Returns to Texas after Tacoma Post

LONGVIEW – Acting on a tip, Longview police have arrested two men on drug charges. The tip was where they could find Brandon Ray Williams, 29, of Longview. They noticed, as he was leaving his house, he was followed by another vehicle. They say Williams began to take evasive actions to try and get away from the officers. He pulled into a mechanic shop and tried to flee on foot. He was captured a short time later. The man in the second vehicle was identified as Waukeem Trevor Williams, 33, of Longview. Officers say they saw him throw a marijuana blunt down on the ground. He was also arrested. A search of the men’s vehicles turned up a handgun, loaded rifle, a large amount of marijuana, and crack cocaine. Continue reading Tip Leads to Longview Drug Arrests

TYLER – A Tyler woman who left her infant granddaughter in a car so she could go to the movies, has pleaded guilty in state district court. Felicia Green, 51, pleaded guilty Wednesday to child endangerment. Court records show she was sentenced to two years in state jail, with the sentence probated for five years. She has also been ordered to wear a GPS ankle monitoring device, prohibited from driving a car unless going to the doctor or church and barred from having passengers in her vehicle. Besides being subject to random in-home visits from a probation officer, she will have to report to her probation officer on a weekly basis. Green has also has been barred from having having unsupervised contact with the child involved in the incident. Continue reading Grandmother Pleads Guilty of Leaving Granddaughter in Car to Watch a Movie

PALESTINE – The City of Palestine health services division is changing locations. City Manager Mike Alexander has decided to move the city’s health department from the Development Services Department to Community Services. Community Services comprises of the former Parks and Recreation department, along with the newly-formed Environmental Services division, a combination of code enforcement and health services. As part of the move to Community Services, Health Officer Rickey Dorsey will now become the Assistant Director for Community Services. Dorsey has moved offices to the department’s offices inside the Palestine Mall. If residents have a health question, they can head to the Community Services Department inside the mall across from JC Penney.