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GRAND SALINE – Authorities are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing Van Zandt County woman. Grand Saline police say Amanda Michelle Pettis, 31, was last seen around 8:30 Monday evening. She was said to have been in a small blue SUV with an unknown white man who had a heavy build. She was wearing blue jeans, a blue t-shirt and tennis shoes. She is described as being five feet tall, weighing around 150 pounds, with brown eyes and brown shoulder-length hair. If you know where she may be found contact the Grand Saline Police Department or your local law enforcement agency.

AUSTIN – The state comptroller’s office is sending out over $629 million in local sales tax allocations for September.These allocations are based on sales made in July. And the figure is down from the same period last year. And the local figures are also running lower. Tyler’s sales tax allocation for the period is $2.9 million. This is down 6.63% from last year. For the year, Tyler’s sales tax allocation exceeds $29 million. This is off 4.38% for the year. And the results in Longview are comparable. Longview’s September allocation is $2.1 million, or 4.11% under the same period in 2015. For the year, Longview’s sales tax allocation is over $22.4 million, or 4% under for the year. We’re not alone. The cities of Houston, Midland, San Antonio saw decreases is sales tax allocations. But Dallas and Plano saw noticeable increases.

TYLER – More mosquito samples collected in Tyler have turned up positive for the West Nile Virus. The latest samples taken by Tyler Mosquito Control, which showed positive for the disease, were collected near the intersection of Thigpen Drive and Gatewood Drive in South Tyler. The samples were collected on August 30th. Twice in July, positive samples were collected on Kidd Drive in South Tyler and once on Donnybrook Drive, across from rose Rudman Park. Each time, Tyler Mosquito Control treated the areas and conducted a door-to-door campaign to inform and educate residents in the area about West Nile Virus virus and preventative measures for it. Continue reading Tyler Mosquito Control Finds West Nile Virus in Testing Sample

TYLER — Tyler police have released the results of the latest No Refusal Campaign conducted over the Labor Day Holiday. According to officials, the results are from September 2nd through September 5th. Total DWI arrests for the No-Refusal initiative for all agencies were 18. DPS had 11 DWI , Tyler PD had 4 DWI arrests, Bullard PD had 1 DWI arrest, Lindale PD had 1 DWI arrest and Smith County Sheriff’s Office had 1 DWI arrest. Total number of search warrants for blood obtained was 4. DPS obtained 3 search warrants for blood and Tyler PD obtained 1 search warrant for blood. This is a grand total of 18 DWI arrests with 4 (22%) search warrants for blood obtained.

TYLER — The City of Tyler has started renaming several streets. According to KETK, some of the areas in question right now are Sunnybrook Drive, West 8th Street past West 9th Street, Frankston Highway, between West 7th Street and Earl Campbell Parkway and South Palace Street that runs into a dead-end. The city says they are looking at renaming those areas to help clear up any confusion with duplicated names for EMS.

NACOGDOCHES COUNTY — A jailer in Nacogdoches County has been presented an award for saving the life of an inmate who attempted to hang himself. According to KETK, the incident took place in mid August, when jailer Ricky Eberlan was making his rounds inspecting each cell. He had been by the cell earlier passing out food trays to the inmates. The inmate was not scheduled to be checked on for another 25 minutes, but Sheriff Bridges said it’s very thorough and came back six minutes later, and that is what saved the inmate’s life. Continue reading Jailer Recognized as “Life Saver”

LONGVIEW – One person is in custody in connection with an Longview shooting early last month. Arrested late last week was Traymon Lamarius Davis, 25, of Overton. He has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with a shooting on August 13th on Raney Street. Two persons were injured. Davis was arrested for a traffic violation the day after the shooting. He was released on bond. He was rearrested after a Texas Department of Public Safety forensic scientist matched a shell casing found in Davis’ car with a shell casing found at the Raney Street shooting. He remains in the Gregg County jail under a $100,000 bond.

LONGVIEW – A Gregg County jail inmate is facing an additional criminal mischief charge. Justin Keith Webb, 26, of Gladewater was being held on a bond of $25,000. And while playing homemade football in the jail’s gym, Webb is accused of ripping a fire alarm signal off the wall after the football knocked off the alarm’s grate. A jailer noticed it missing and then noticed Webb hiding something in his pants. When asked, Webb pulled out the alarm. The Longview News Journal reports Webb told jailers he had planned to use it to make a tattoo gun so he could give other inmates tattoos in exchange for commissary items.

LONGVIEW – The Gregg County Sheriff’s Department is seeking the public’s help in solving a couple of deaths. The cold cases have occurred over the past six years. One is the death of Dkedrik Centrell Lewis, 19, of Marshall. He was shot during a large gathering of people at the Easton Community Center. The shooting occurred early in the morning on March 27th, 2010. He later died at a Longview Hospital. The other death is that of Eugenia Denise Williams, 47, of Longview. She was found on the side Farm Road 349 outside of Kilgore on July 5th of last year. If you can shed some light on these two homicides, you are asked to contact the Gregg County Sheriff’s Department.

HENDERSON — Traffic was stalled for a time Wednesday morning following a wreck involving a school bus on Hwy-259 north of the city of Henderson. The bus has been identified as Henderson ISD bus #13. DPS Trooper Jean Dark said no students were on board the bus at the time. The preliminary information is that the bus collided with a truck tractor semi-trailer. Traffic was diverted on the northbound side up FM-2276 and southbound traffic was flowing slowly near the crash scene until the wreck was cleared.

HENDERSON COUNTY — The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday the arrest of three people during a Labor Day weekend raid. According to KETK, Sheriff Hillhouse and seven deputies executed a search warrant at a home on Lovely Drive, in the Forest Grove subdivision, in Chandler early Sunday morning. Authorities apprehended Laurie Perry, 56, Chandler, Stanton Pearce, 54, Tyler, and James Littlejohn, 30, Flint (pictured). Perry is charged with manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance. The other two suspects are facing possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a firearm.

TYLER — Tyler police are investigating a reported drive-by shooting Tuesday night. Officers said they responded to 826 South Peach around 9:30 and found that one round had been fired into the house. There were several occupants inside at the time, no injuries were reported. Investigators were called out to process the scene and the incident remains under investigation.

LONGVIEW – A Longview man has been arrested, accused of stealing a gun and them pistol-whipping the victim with it. Police were called to Estes Parkway just north of Highway 259 around 4:00 Sunday morning. The victim told officers he had been robbed of a black and silver pistol and then hit over the head with the gun. Officers were given a description of the suspect’s car and an address where the suspect lived. Antonio SiFuentes, 21, was found in his car and in the vehicle was the gun, two magazines and paperwork for the gun. SiFuentes was charged with aggravated robbery and bond was set at $250,000. He was also being held on a on a separate grand jury aggravated robbery indictment.

DALLAS (AP) — Former Cleveland quarterback Johnny Manziel has re-enrolled at Texas A&M after his NFL career was derailed by a series of off-field incidents that included a domestic violence charge still pending in court. A school spokesman confirmed Manziel’s enrollment Monday, saying he couldn’t provide other details because of student privacy laws. Manziel, a Tyler native, played two seasons for the Aggies and was the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy in 2012. He turned pro after his redshirt sophomore season but had two disappointing seasons after the Browns drafted him in the first round in 2014. Cleveland released him in March. A hearing in the 23-year-old Manziel’s domestic violence case in Dallas is set for September 15.

TYLER – At the University of Texas at Tyler, Jerry Stuff has been named the associate vice president for facilities management and capital planning. Stuff has 25 years of experience in higher education where he has been the senior associate university architect and director of project development. His experience includes directing the activities of design professionals and contractors for the design, bidding and construction of more than $150 million in annual capital and renovation projects. Continue reading Stuff to Lead Facilities Management and Capital Planning at U-T Tyler

TYLER – A fund is set up to help a Smith County Sheriff’s deputy who was critically injured in a shooting in 2005. Deputy Sherman Dollison is back in the hospital. Deputy Dollison was shot five times by a gunman at the Smith County Courthouse.The gunman, who was later shot to death, was armed with an AK-47 and was wearing a bullet proof vest. After after months of hospitalization and rehab, Dollison was back on the job, working as a detective for the sheriff’s department. He was admitted to the hospital last week, and is now experiencing life threatening complications directly related to his previous injuries. An account has been set up in his name at Southside Bank. Continue reading Fund Established for Hospitalized Sheriff’s Department Detective

TYLER — Curbside Taco is the first food truck in Tyler to receive a mobile permit. KETK reports the business is now able to travel to public areas to serve food. Before, it was restricted to operating on other private property with permission. This is the first truck to meet regulations for the permit since the city of Tyler allowed food trucks to operate.

LONGVIEW — Evidence in the state’s criminal case against a former Gregg County district attorney has been upheld. KETK reports Longview police officers arrested Rob Foster in February of last year. They found him walking in the North Eastman Road median. He told officers he slid off the road in his truck. Police say he was also holding a glass of Scotch when he approached the officers. Cocaine was also found inside his truck, according to authorities. Foster was indicted this past February for possession of a controlled substance. No trial date has been set.

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County officials confirmed that a lightning strike caused an oil tank to ignite. According to KETK, the Overton Fire Department said that lightning hit the tank on CR 2142, causing a large blaze. Fire crews were moving people away from the scene over concerns that it might have exploded. Fire officials said the plan was to let the fire burn itself out.

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County Sheriff’s Deputies are searching for a robbery suspect. According to KETK, the Dollar General on Northeast Loop 323 and FM 14 was robbed on Monday night. Officials said the suspect, a black male, entered the store at closing time wearing all black clothing & a mask. He reportedly displayed a handgun and demanded cash from the register. The robber ran off with an undisclosed amount of money. Two clerks and an unknown number of customers were in the store at the time. No injuries were reported. The Smith County Sheriff’s Office said they are reviewing store video footage for information.

LONGVIEW — Longview’s National Night Out Kickoff Event is set for tonight from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Maude Cobb Activity Complex. This year’s theme is You + Blue = One Longview. Participants are encouraged to wear blue. Local law enforcement is encouraging all Longview and Gregg County residents to host a National Night Out party in their neighborhood in October. The parties are designed to promote neighborhood alliances that strengthen communities and preserve the quality of life in East Texas, according to officials. If you can’t host a party, authorities say you should plan to find one in your area to attend. Continue reading Longview’s National Night Out Kickoff

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned this week in TxDOT’s Tyler District. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Motorists are reminded to slow down and pay attention when traveling through work zones. To allow for high volume holiday traffic, there will be no active project lane closures until work resumes Tuesday morning. Continue reading TxDOT’s Weekly Roadwork Update

LONGVIEW – LeTourneau University is ranked among the top 100 private universities in the United States, among the 1,200 reviewed by Kiplinger’s list of Best College Values for 2016. LeTourneau University is ranked number 76 in Kiplinger’s list of Best Values in Private Colleges nationwide. In a news release, LETU President Dr. Dale A. Lunsford points out that the list is “topped by Ivy League schools like Princeton, Yale, and Harvard.” He notes that the only other Texas schools on the list were Rice, SMU, and San Antonio’s Trinity University. Continue reading LETU Named to Kiplinger’s Top 100 Universities in the U.S.

LUFKIN — A Lufkin man has been arrested following a fatal shooting Sunday night at the Lotus Lane Apartments in Lufkin. The victim has been identified as Billy Carter, 51. Warren Lewis, 38, remains in the Angelina County Jail charged with first-degree murder. According to police, officers responded to a call of shots fired at the complex at 8:45 and arrived to find Carter lying in the parking lot, wounded. He was transported by ambulance to CHI St. Luke’s Health Memorial Lufkin where he later died. Carter’s death is the department’s first murder investigation of the year.

TYLER — Tyler police are seeking a second suspect in an aggravated assault. Police responded to a report of shots fired at the Economy Inn, Mineola Highway, and the Royal Inn, WNW Loop 323, around 12:15 Monday morning. The suspects were gone by the time officers arrived. Authorities said no injuries were reported but there was evidence of gunfire. Upon further investigation, officers discovered that two men had been arguing and one fired a shot into the air. The other man returned fire at a balcony of the Economy Inn. The two then fled the scene. One of the suspects, Christopher Joseph Johnson, 27, was arrested for felon in possession of a firearm and tampering with evidence. Police say the other shooter remains at large. Anyone with information is asked to contact Tyler Police.

CHANDLER — A Chandler church and connecting daycare has been damaged in a fire Sunday afternoon. According to KETK, Dixie and Chandler fire departments, along with other agencies, were called out to a fire at the First Assembly of God Church on North Broad Street around 11:30. The pastor of the church, Mark Fulks, said the fire started inside the Love and Learn Daycare, and says a broken gas line in the building is to blame. The line, which was attached to a furnace, was ignited by a hot water heater. No one was inside and no injuries were reported. Continue reading Local Church Daycare Damaged in Fire