KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – Information about an unfamiliar test raised a lot of questions for Tyler ISD parents who were introduced to the STAAR End of Course (EOC) Exams. STAAR is the new statewide testing program for Texas high school students, which begins with this year’s 9th graders. TISD officials say parents of John Tyler High School freshmen listened carefully as Tyler ISD administrators explained various aspects of the new tests at a parent meeting last week.

The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, will replace the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, or TAKS, starting in the 2011-2012 school year. Students in grades 3-8 will be tested under STAAR, and first-time high school freshmen and middle school students taking core high school courses will take STAAR EOC exams. Students in grades 10-12 will continue testing under the TAKS program.

STAAR will include more difficult testing and require a higher level of student performance. STAAR is designed to measure a student’s college and career readiness, starting in elementary school. “With the testing dates quickly approaching, we are working diligently to prepare our students,” Marty Barbieri, Tyler ISD Director of Guidance and Counseling, explained to a group of parents. “There are many new aspects of this testing program that both students and parents need to understand,” she continued.

Tyler ISD began to modify its curriculum to prepare students for the STAAR assessments four years ago. In all grade levels and subjects, students are required to use critical thinking, a skill they will need to apply on the STAAR assessments. Tyler ISD teachers are using higher level questioning to give students the opportunity to analyze and solve real life problems. Teachers are also regularly checking each student’s progress and offering numerous tutoring and focused learning opportunities for students struggling with a specific lesson or concept.

To further inform parents about STAAR, Tyler ISD has provided additional resources on its website, . Parents are encouraged to go to http://www.tylerisd.org to download or print the guides that contain information relevant to the STAAR tests at the elementary, middle or high school level.

The next STAAR EOC information meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 9, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Robert E. Lee High School. The information will be presented in Spanish in the library and in English in the Little Theatre. This meeting is for parents of current freshmen from both high schools, and parents of middle school school students enrolled in core high school courses. STAAR testing begins in March.

LONGVIEW – Drugs are said to have been responsible for the death of a woman whose body was found in Longview last month. The body of Melissa Gonzales, 39, of Longview, was found by a hitchhiker along Interstate Highway 20 just before noon on January 11th. It was near the Estes Parkway exit, behind a concrete barrier in the westbound lane.

According to the autopsy performed by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, Gonzales died from acute cocaine intoxication. Officials say the investigation is ongoing as to the location of her death.

TYLER — The Discovery Science Place and The University of Texas at Tyler have combined resources to enhance the educational programming available to the community. “We are excited to partner with the Discovery Science Place. Providing quality education is a mission that we share, so it’s natural that we would work together on this initiative,” said UT Tyler President Rodney H. Mabry.

While Discovery Science Place will remain a standalone museum with its own governing body, officials say the UT Tyler Ingenuity Center will strengthen the educational programming DSP offers. The Ingenuity Center will design programs based on its STEM outreach, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The Ingenuity Center also will serve in an advisory capacity for the museum.
The Discovery Science Place board will continue to maintain creative control over the museum’s permanent and traveling exhibit portfolio, branding and fundraising activities while serving in an advisory role in education and programming.

“Collaborations of the kind DSP and UT Tyler are implementing are quite common in the museum field,” explains Discovery Science Place CEO Phil Lindsey. “By doing so, a new stable and sustainable operating environment will allow DSP to refocus its significant community support toward immediate impacts to the museum in new exhibitions and content programming instead of underwriting operational needs.”

The UT Tyler Ingenuity Center has worked with DSP on educational and programming projects in the past. Officials say this initiative simply expands that relationship for the next three years. Under this initiative, DSP employees will become UT Tyler employees, and the ultimate goal will be to develop Discovery Science Place into a full standalone UT Tyler Center. UT Tyler and Discovery Science Place will immediately begin implementing joint programming and content planning in preparation for the spring and summer events.

NOONDAY – At least one person has been injured in a two vehicle accident southwest of Tyler. The accident was reported Sunday night on State Highway 155, south of Loop 49. The highway, which was shut down for several hours, was reopened around 11:00 Sunday night. Reports indicate a car and a truck collided. When the driver got out of the car, they were hit by a third vehicle. No other information was immediately available.

HENDERSON — Three men have been killed in a one vehicle accident in Rusk County. The accident happened around 9:00 Saturday night on State Highway 42, just north of County Road 4118D. Dead at the scene was the car’s driver, Blake Elliot Winfrey, 19, of Henderson, and his passengers Nicolas Ramon Garza, 17 and Tomas Garza, 21, both of Selman City. All three were wearing their seat belts. According to the Department of Public Safety, their car was northbound when it veered into the southbound lane. Winfrey is said to have over corrected and the vehicle veered off the road and hit a tree.

TYLER – A Tyler police officer has been injured in a wreck caused by a suspected drunk driver. The accident happened shortly before 2:15 Sunday morning at the intersection of South Broadway and Front Street.

Investigators say officer Ayasha Eddins was southbound on Broadway when pickup driven by Danny Charles Harper, 29, of Tyler, ran a red light and hit Eddins’ patrol car. She received minor injuries. Harper was charged with driving while intoxicated, 3rd or more, and booked into the Smith County Jail.

KILGORE – What appears to be an accidental fire has damaged a Kilgore home. It was reported just after 9:45 Sunday morning at 511 Nolen Street. The fire was said to have been under control about an hour later. No injuries were reported and the cause remains under investigation.

LUFKIN (AP) — Jury selection is entering a third week in Lufkin the case of a former dialysis nurse accused of killing five patients by injecting them with bleach. Kimberly Saenz faces the death penalty if convicted of capital murder. At least eight jurors are still needed, including four alternates. Opening statements and testimony are scheduled for March 5.

The 38-year-old Saenz, from Pollok, was arrested in April 2009. Authorities say two witnesses saw her pour bleach into syringes and traces of it were found in dialysis machine tubing. She’s also charged with five counts of aggravated assault for injecting bleach into five other patients who survived.

Saenz’s lawyer says she’s being blamed for mistakes at the now-closed clinic where she worked for eight months.

TYLER — The Smith County Young Lawyers Association (SCYLA) is staying busy with a number of activities, designed to help both young attorneys and the community at large. On KTBB “Staff Meeting,” SCYLA President Danny Noteware says just one activity is the “Real World Law School,” aimed primarily at college students. According to Noteware, “For those who may be interested in the legal profession who don’t know what it’s about, it’s just a good opportunity to learn more.” Prospective attorneys interact with a panel of law school admissions counselors, judges, young lawyers, and law students. For more information on SCYLA, you can check its Facebook page or contact Noteware at 903-597-8311. You can also go to http://www.ktbb.com/audio to hear the “Staff Meeting” show in its entirety.

QUITMAN — The second annual Feral Hog Hunt happened over the weekend in Wood County. Event organizer Mike Gilmore says the hogs are a big problem there. According to Gilmore, they cause hay meadow problems, root and start erosion problems, and run off other wildlife. He says the event allows hunters to bring the hogs in dead or alive. In the deceased category, he explains, they have to come in dead by hunting; in the alive category, they must come in alive, hog hunt officials weigh them, and there is a buyer onsite. The event is not only an effort to cut the feral hog population, but also is a fundraiser for the Quitman FFA scholarship fund.

TYLER — Here’s a quick look at work planned in the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation.

ANDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin pavement-repair operations on southbound State Highway 155 between Farm Road 321 and the Palestine City Limits. Once that work is complete, crews are scheduled to perform similar work on Southwest Loop 256 between U.S. Highway 287 South and U.S. Highway 84 East in the area in front of Palestine High School. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zones.

GREGG COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue several weeks of pavement repairs on South Loop 281 between Farm Road 2205 (Jaycee Drive) and Estes Parkway. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

MOUNT ENTERPRISE — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs of Farm Road 2496 between Farm Road 1798 near Laneville and U.S. Highway 259 near Mount Enterprise. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations in various locations on the eastbound side of State Highway 31 between Murchison and Brownsboro. A second crew is scheduled to continue several weeks of edge work on Farm Road 1803 north of State Highway 31, Farm Road 804 between U.S. Highway 175 and Farm Road 604, and on Farm Road 604 between US 175 and SH 31. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations in various locations on Farm Road 1995 between State Highway 110 near Garden Valley and Farm Road 314 south of Van. A second crew is scheduled to perform fog seal operations on U.S. Highway 80 between Edgewood and the Kaufman County Line and perform resurfacing operations in various locations on Interstate Highway 20 frontage roads. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations in various locations on State Highway 110 between New Summerfield and Troup, and south of Rusk. Also, crews are scheduled to level-up approaches to bridges on U.S. Highway 79 between Jacksonville and the Rusk County line, and in various locations on Farm Road 2064 between State Highway 135 in Tecula and SH 135 south of Troup. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

CAYUGA – Criminal charges are being considered after authorities seized some horses and donkeys in Anderson County. They began the investigation early last week after receiving a tip. Late Friday afternoon a seizure warrant was served at the property on County Road 2608 near Cayuga. They seized six horses and four donkeys. The horses were said to be in very bad shape. A disposition hearing on the seized animals has been set for Friday afternoon.

TYLER — Starting today, Claude Street in Tyler will be closed permanently at the railroad crossing at Palace Avenue. Vehicles will no longer be permitted to exit eastbound on to Palace Avenue from Claude Street and cars from Palace Avenue will no longer be permitted to turn left or right onto Claude Street. Claude Street will continue to be accessible from North Ross Avenue and Grand Avenue. Closing Claude Street will enable Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) to install gates at the Palace Avenue railroad crossing. The work to install gates on Palace Avenue has already begun and is the next step toward the City’s application for a quiet zone. Drivers are urged to seek permanent alternate routes.

TYLER – One person is in custody in connection with a Tyler shooting. It occurred early Saturday morning in the 500 block of Valentine Street. Listed in stable condition, with a gunshot wound in the chest, at East Texas Medical Center is Sergio Armando Ayup, 19. He tells officers he was shot by someone in the group. During the investigation, officers identified the shooter as Alejandro Zavala, 42, of Tyler. He was arrested and booked into the Smith County jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

RUSK – A one vehicle accident in Cherokee County has left one person dead. The accident occurred about 5:45 Thursday afternoon on U.S. Highway 69, just over 2 miles north of Alto. Dead at the scene was Lindsey Oliver, 30, of Rusk.

The Department of Public Safety says she was heading south when her pickup veered off the road and into the median. She is said to have overcorrected. Going back across both southbound lanes and overturning. Oliver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was partially ejected from the vehicle.

LONGVIEW — Toronto “Trigger” Lockridge has been found guilty of murder in the 2009 slaying of Kelvin Muckleroy, 33. Lockridge faces a possible life prison sentence. Police found Muckleroy’s body inside the charred remains of his Longview home. Prosecutors argued that Lockridge shot Muckleroy, then set his house on fire. Lockridge’s first trial ended in a hung jury. Brandon Quadnell Horne of Longview had already been convicted of murder in Muckleroy’s death.

TYLER — Sergeant Bill Goecking retires after 34 years of service with the Tyler Police Department. A ceremony in Goecking’s honor was held Friday afternoon. Goecking was hired by the Tyler Police Department on July 19, 1977, where he worked a deep cover Vice operation at Robert E. Lee High School. In 1978 he worked the Patrol Division Midnight and Second Shift Patrol Operations. In 1980, he went back to the Vice Unit working undercover narcotics, gambling and prostitution abatement enforcement.

In 1982, Goecking went to the Detective Division where he worked Crimes Against Persons, Homicides, Robberies and Assault cases with secondary assignments in Internal Affairs Investigations and Crimestoppers Assistant Coordinator. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on December 9, 1993, and was transferred to Second Shift Patrol Division. In 1997 Goecking was assigned to supervise the North Substation Detective Unit until 1999, when he was again assigned to Second Shift Patrol Division.

Goecking was assigned to the Major Crimes, I.D. and Juvenile Divisions in 2000 and once again went back to the Second Shift Patrol Division in 2002. In 2003 he supervised the Community Response Unit until he was assigned back to the Second Shift Patrol Division in 2006. Goecking was then assigned to Day Shift Patrol Division in 2007, where he remained until his retirement.

TYLER — The Tyler ISD is investigating an employee for possible misconduct toward a student. TISD released the following statement:

“The campus and district began an investigation immediately upon learning of these allegations. It is currently an ongoing investigation and all appropriate precautions are being taken. Any time there is an investigation affecting the safety of our students, the employee in question is placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.”

Further specifics regarding the case weren’t immediately available.

HENDERSON — People living in Henderson were able to buy spirits at their local store this week. Henderson retailers tell KETK business has been brisk, with no problems. Voters passed two propositions in November, allowing the sale of beer and wine in stores, along with mixed drinks at restaurants. One retailer says local sales are a convenience and will help the local economy.

WHITEHOUSE — Whitehouse Police Chief Rick Waller is taking a leave of absence with pay pending the outcome of an investigation. That’s according to KETK. Waller’s had the post for ten years. Waller and Fire Chief Ronny Fite are both being investigated for possible fraud and other charges involving fuel records.

TYLER — The Hastings store in Tyler was burglarized Thursday morning. According to KETK, officers were called to the business a little after 1:00. Security video shows a boy leaving the store with 5 stolen DVDs. Later, officers received a welfare check call and responded on the 3900 block of Old Bullard Road. The boy at the home matched the description of the Hastings burglar. His name was not released because he is a minor.

JACKSONVILLE — Late Monday night, around 40 mailboxes were destroyed on County Road 3108 by Lake Jacksonville. Cherokee County Precinct 3 Constable Eddie Lee tells KETK, he believes the vandals used their pickup truck. “Some of the mailboxes like the wooden mailboxes, they’re just driving right over…if they’re metal mailboxes, it looks like they’re backing up to them and just bending them over,” Lee said. The constable says many of the folks that live along the road are elderly…and they get medicine delivered to their mailbox. Resident, George Douglas, says it’s happened to him 4 times in the last year. Douglas says he and some of his neighbors have set up a $500 reward through the Constable’s office.

TYLER — A 16-year-old Chapel Hill teen was sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to the 2010 shooting death of his sister. Mark Nathaniel “Nate” Anderson was arrested October 2010 in connection with the shooting death of 19-year-old Amanda Anderson. Amanda Anderson was found dead in her bedroom Sept. 15 around 7:20 p.m. in the 10,000 block of CR 2273 in Smith County.

Smith County Prosecutor Matt Bingham said he was certain they had the right person all along, but it wasn’t until last month that Nate Anderson admitted to a psychologist hired by the defense that he had killed his sister.

“This case is unusual because the Andersons are the parents of both the victim and the defendant. My prayers are with the Andersons because they have essentially lost both their children. I can only imagine how difficult this has been for them,” Bingham said.

Following the shooting, Nate Anderson reportedly told officers he went for a short jog in the woods, and when he returned he found his sister dead. He told officers in a recorded conversation, and several times in interviews that he did not enter his sister’s room or touch her, however Nate Anderson’s shirt, pants and shoes showed blood spatter patterns that could only exist if he were in the room at the time of the shooting, arrest affidavits showed. Bingham said the Anderson’s were in agreement with the resolution of the case.

The plea agreement included Nate Anderson waiving his right to appeal and the defense requested that his psychological evaluation be sealed, officials said.

CANTON – A missing Van Zandt County girl and her dog have been found. The search for Zoey Smith, 3, began around 12:45 yesterday afternoon after she wandered away from her home. Authorities concentrated their search south of Canton around County Road 4207. Early last night a man and his son on a four wheeler found her near a creek several miles from where she had last been seen.

TYLER – A Panola County man has pleaded guilty to drug violations in an appearance in Tyler federal court. Keith Earl Kates, 42, of Deberry, pleaded guilty to possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine in an appearance Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love. Kates faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

According to federal prosecutors, last May, Kates purchased cold pills at Walgreens and Wal-Mart stores in Marshall, Texas, all in furtherance of his methamphetamine manufacturing activities. Kates was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 11, 2011.

TYLER – As pretty as the Tyler Rose Garden is, it will even be prettier this spring. Workers recently planted 8,000 bulbs throughout the garden.

“We wanted to add something special that would appeal to spring visitors and to our local residents who come out to enjoy the garden,” said Parks Director Stephanie Rollings. “As these bulbs bloom, it should be spectacular.”

From Dec. 16 through Jan. 6, the garden staff planted bulbs in various areas throughout the garden complex totaling about 10,000 square foot. Plantings include:
*3,700 Tulips (blooms in early March to early April)
*2,650 Narcissus (Daffodils or Jonquils) (blooms in early to late February)
*600 Crocus (blooms in early through mid-February)
*500 Hyacinths (blooms in early to late March)
*300 Dutch Iris (blooms in late March to early April)
*100 Allium (blooms in early to mid-April)
*5 Crinum (blooms in late April)
*385 Spider lilies (blooms in late September)

“About half of the bulbs were planted in existing beds within the garden,” explained Rollings. “The other half was planted in turf areas to add to the naturalaesthetic of the garden”.

Areas of the garden that were planted include the Camellia/Shade Garden, the Meditation Garden area (near the Koi pond and gazebo), the Rose Garden Center entrance and several slope areas in the main Rose Garden.

More than 1,000 tulips and 400 daffodil/narcissus were donated from Abbott-Ipco, courtesy of Dr. Pemberton from the Texas Agriculture Extension Agency in Overton.

The Tyler Municipal Rose Garden, located at 420 Rose Park Drive, is open every day of the year from sunrise until sunset. There is no charge for entrance into the garden.

AUSTIN — Governor Rick Perry has appointed three members to the Finance Commission of Texas for terms to expire February 1, 2018. The commission ensures banks, savings institutions, consumer credit grantors and other state-regulated financial entities operate responsibly to enhance the financial well-being of Texans.

Among those appointed to the post was H. “Jay” Shands III of Lufkin. He is president and CEO of First Bank and Trust East Texas, and board chairman of First Bank of Conroe and Balcones Recycling. Sands is a member of the American Bankers Association, Independent Community Bankers of America, and Independent Bankers Association of Texas, and a member and past board member of the Texas Bankers Association. He is also a trustee of the TLL Temple and Fairchild foundations, and a board member and past chairman of the Angelina County Economic Development Partnership, City of Lufkin 4B Economic Development Board and Angelina College Board of Directors. He is also past chairman of the Memorial Health Center of East Texas Board of Directors. Shands received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and is a graduate of the Southern Methodist University Southwestern Graduate School of Banking. He is being reappointed.

The governor also named to the board Victor Leal of Amarillo and reappointed to the panel Darby Byrd Sr. of Orange.

TYLER — State Representative Leo Berman, of Tyler has been released from the hospital after receiving his first chemotherapy treatment.

Berman’s office released the following statement, “I am proud of our medical team. We have some of the finest care givers and medical facilities in the world right here in Tyler, Texas. I hope my situation will encourage others to persevere when they face similar circumstances. My wife, Lou Ann, and I want to give all the glory to God for the healing thus far. We are truly grateful for the expressions of love and concern from friends in our community and across this great state. I will be resting over the next few days at home while overseeing my state duties.”

The Texas house member says he will still be seeking re-election. Berman says his doctors tell him he has Lymphoma, a form of cancer that is treatable. Berman said, “The treatment may slow down my campaigning for a brief time, but I plan to be back on the trail very soon.”

LONGVIEW — Longview Mayor Jay Dean announces his intention to run for re-election. The announcement event was held late Friday morning at downtown’s Heritage Plaza. The official filing period for candidates for mayor and two City Council positions begins Monday and runs through March 5. Dean would be running for a third and, because of term limits, final three-year term.

District 1 (west) Councilman John Sims has indicated he intends to seek a third term. Neither Dean nor Sims faced opponents in their 2009 re-election bids.

NACOGDOCHES — Nacogdoches authorities raided an apartment, resulting in the seizure of drugs, weapons and multiple arrests. The Nacogdoches County Constable Office Precinct 4 and the Nacogdoches Police Department executed a search warrant Thursday morning at an apartment located on Old Tyler Road. The search of the apartment lead to the arrest of four suspects after officers found marijuana, cocaine and weapons inside the residence. Over three pounds of marijuana, one gram of cocaine, two pistols, and one sawed off shotgun along with $1,790.00 dollars in currency was seized from the residence. Drug paraphernalia and items used to package and sell narcotics were also found inside the residence.

Courtney Bell, 25, Corey Roberts, 26, Jerry Bell, 24, and Sharvonte Cannon, 19, all from Nacogdoches, were arrested at the scene and transported to the Nacogdoches County Jail. All subjects were charged with possession of Marijuana State Jail felony and Possession of a controlled substance 3rd felony. Cannon was only charged with possession of marijuana.