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LINDALE – Two Lindale area burglary suspects are in custody today. The two had been spotted rummaging through farm equipment on property near Hideaway Lake on Farm Road 16 west of Lindale. As officers were talking to the suspects they were able to escape and run into some near by woods.

Dustin Myles Adams, 22, of Lindale, pictured here, was later arrested after leading law officers on a manhunt. The second suspect, Timothy Robin Nelson Jr., 26, of Lindale, was taken into custody while walking down FM 16. They have been charged with felony theft, felony possession of fire arms and evading arrest.

TYLER – A Tyler jury has sentenced a woman to prison for using a deadly weapon during the burglary of a habitation. It took the jury in 241st State District Court about an hour yesterday to sentence Maricela Aguilera Rodriguez, 52, to 30 years in prison. The panel had earlier deliberated several hours before convicting her.

Seven months ago, Rodriguez, who was who was disguised as a man, complete with hat and fake moustache, broke into an apartment to collect $15,000 for her vehicle. Following her arrest she told officers she broke into the wrong apartment.

Once in the apartment Rodriguez then tied up a woman and her three daughters with duct tape. They were able to free themselves and escape through a bedroom window. They were not seriously injured.

LONGVIEW – The director and two employees of the Longview Housing Authority have been reprimanded. The action came after an investigation turned up a culture of favoritism and strong-arming.

The Longview News-Journal reports Housing and Community Development Director Anji Johnson, pictured here, Housing Supervisor Cheteva Marshall and senior caseworker Tonya Pierce threatened at least two property owners and made other exceptions for the benefit of Longview Housing Authority client LaTonya Ivory.

The three employees were placed on six months’ job probation, while Johnson and Marshall served two-day suspensions without pay. Marshall returned to her job yesterday.

MT. ENTERPRISE – Electrical wiring around a cooler is thought to be responsible for a fire that destroyed a Rusk County convenience store. The fire started sometime after 4:00 yesterday morning at Jeanie’s Corner Exxon and Pizza Pro convenience store at the intersections of Highways 259 and 84. The store was not open when the fire started and no injuries were reported.

MARSHALL — One person has been killed after two tractor trailers collided on Interstate 20 in Harrison County. Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Sylvia Jennings said troopers were dispatched at about 6:00 yesterday morning to the crash near Farm Road 31 west of Marshall. Dead at the scene was Andrew Mayfield, 35, of Beckville No word this morning on the person injured in the accident.

Officials say the wreck happened when one 18-wheeler hit the back end of another, and in the process, damaged a bridge support column. According to KETK, eastbound lanes on I-20 were closed and will remain so until the bridge can be repaired. TxDOT expects the project to take several weeks.

KILGORE — Kilgore police say seven people have been indicted in a local drug trafficking ring. According to police, in May of 2011 the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) joined in the efforts of local law enforcement agencies, the Kilgore Police Department and the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, to bring down a methamphetamine trafficking organization. According to KETK, police say the organization was responsible for the purchasing, selling and distribution of large quantities of crystal methamphetamine (ICE) in the Kilgore and Rusk County Areas. In November of 2011, after an extensive investigation, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas indicted the following alleged members of the trafficking organization:

David Christopher Wheeler, 29, of Kilgore
Raelene Dawn Ferguson, 26, of Kilgore
Bret Glynon Bates, 49, of Kilgore
Terri Rhea Young, 49, of Kilgore
Matthew Dean Willis, 24, of Kilgore
Devyn Leigh Quada, 19, of Jefferson
Harold Burgess Dickens, 41, of Mesquite

They were each indicted on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of pure methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. All seven have been arrested on the indictments and are currently awaiting trial.

LONGVIEW – No charges have been filed in a Longview accident in which a man was hit by a car. It happened around 6:00 Wednesday evening in the 3400 block of Gilmer Road. Officers arrived they found Kirk Foreman, 58, of Ore City, lying in the roadway. He had been struck by a car driven by Vicki Johnson, 59, of Longview. Foreman was wearing all black clothing in an area not well lit and was attempting to cross Gilmer Road near the intersection of Nikki Drive when he was hit. He was taken to Longview Regional Hospital where he is being treated for serious injuries.

CANTON — Van Zandt County Crime Stoppers has designated another $1,250 in rewards for the latest anonymous tips that led to the arrests of three individuals on various charges in the county. One of the tips, which alerted deputies to the sales of methamphetamine, led to the arrest of a Canton woman on charges of selling and distributing drugs. Crime Stoppers set aside $450 for that anonymous caller. Two other tips led to the arrests of a Wills Point man whom deputies had sought on a felony theft warrant and a Mineola man who was wanted on a robbery warrant. Those two tips yielded the anonymous callers $400 each.

“Crime Stoppers continues to generate good tips that are helping deputies and police throughout the county catch criminals,” said Andy Flowers, president of Van Zandt County Crime Stoppers. “We are more than happy to keep paying out generous rewards to keep those calls coming in to 903-567-STOP. Everybody wins when callers can get no-questions-asked cash rewards for helping put criminals away.” Calls to the Crime Stoppers tip line, 903-567-7867, are always kept completely anonymous. Callers are given a code for their tip, and when the arrest is made, they can collect the reward for their tip. “With the holidays coming, it’s a good way for people to pick up some extra money for gifts,” Flowers said. “We say, turn in a criminal and have a merrier Christmas.”

Crime Stoppers always offers cash rewards for anonymous tips that lead to the arrest of a criminal offender who has either just committed a crime or is wanted on a warrant. The Crime Stoppers number is 903-567-STOP (567-7867). Rewards of up to $1,000 are financed by criminal court fines and donations. More information about Crime Stoppers is available online at http://www.vanzandtcrimestoppers.org or on Facebook.

KILGORE — The City of Kilgore is looking to expand its city limits. According to KETK, officials are considering annexing 261 acres northeast of town. It’s also known as the Fredonia community. With both Kilgore and Longview growing, Kilgore wants to get the land before Longview. Kilgore annexed 260 acres earlier this year after stressing the need for more housing options. The Fredonia land could be annexed as early as mid-December.

LUFKIN — A convicted Nacogdoches murderer turned himself in Monday as a suspect in a Lufkin rape. Rickie Griffin, released on parole in October 2002 for the 1988 stabbing death of a man, was taken into custody after a woman he knows told police he raped her Oct. 30.

Griffin is being charged with second-degree felony sexual assault. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison on the new charge. He was to be on parole until 2021 on the murder charge, according to public information.

ANGELINA ANGELINA COUNTY — A Lufkin woman remains hospitalized after her car was crashed into by a man who authorities say admitted to being drunk and high on methamphetamine Tuesday night.

Kaley Linton, 20, is now recovering at Woodland Heights Medical Center with a broken pelvis and back after Marshall Lucas Jr., 27, reportedly ran a red light and struck her driver’s side door around 11:00 Tuesday evening. Linton had to be cut out of her mangled Ford Mustang by Lufkin Fire paramedics while Lucas hopped into the back of a squad car and asked to be taken to the hospital. Lucas then jumped out of the vehicle and told the officers not to take him in. He then reportedly resisted arrest. Lucas remained in the Angelina County Jail on a collective $3,000 bond.

LONGVIEW – A Longview man is accused of the sexual assault of a four year old girl. Taken into custody is Jon Allen Hughes Jr., 30. He was arrested at his home on State Highway 300 after the girl told a family member Hughes had sexually assaulted her. He was booked into the Gregg County jail and bond was set at $50,000

QUITMAN – The Wood County Sheriff’s Department is for asking the public’s help in locating a missing woman. Marquita Gutierrez, 55, of Alba, was last seen on October 14th. She reportedly borrowed her mother’s pickup to go to Canton for a doctor’s appointment but never showed up at the doctor’s office. Her mother’s pickup is described as a white Ford F250 with Texas license plate AX47520. Authorities say the woman has an extensive medical history. Contact the Wood County Sheriff’s Office with any information.

TYLER — Tyler Junior College and science officials announce an exhibit of the world’s largest oriented pallasite meteorite. Following its stay at the TJC Center for Earth & Space Science Education through May 2012, the meteorite will embark on a world tour beginning in Australia. Officials say it will likely not be on view again in the United States for another 10 years. Also in attendance were approximately 100 students from Moore MST Middle School. Speakers were Dr. Tom Hooten, director of the Center for Earth & Space Science Education at TJC, and Phil Mani, owner of the meteorite.

Weighing in at 1,430 pounds, the world’s largest oriented pallasite meteorite fell to Earth about 10,000 years ago and was excavated from a field in rural Kansas in October 2005. It’s called the Brenham meteorite, after the Kansas town where it was found. According to science officials, when meteorites enter the earth’s atmosphere, they may be traveling at speeds as high as 17 miles per second. Some meteorites break up under the force of atmospheric pressure, while others spin as they approach the surface of our planet. Very few meteorites maintain the same orientation as they burn through the atmosphere and acquire a conical, rounded or bullet-shape as a result of melting and ablation. These shield or rocket nose-shaped meteorites are extremely rare, and are described as “oriented.”

Pallasites are an extremely rare class of meteorite, accounting for only about 1 percent of all known meteorites. Pallasites are packed with translucent crystals of olivine (the semi-precious gemstone peridot) suspended in a nickel-iron matrix, and are thought to have formed at the core/mantle boundary of an ancient celestial body. The Brenham meteorite is the largest pallasite ever recovered in the United States, along with being the largest oriented pallasite in history. For more information, call 903-510-2312.

TYLER —The Texas Department of State Health Services has advised the Northeast Texas Public Health District that a skunk submitted for analysis tested positive for rabies. The skunk was found near 18000 County Road 4116 in the Lindale area on Tuesday. Officials say the known individuals with possible exposure have been identified and addressed. This is the first laboratory confirmed case of rabies in Smith County for 2011. Smith County had 1 rabid dog, 2 rabid skunks and six rabid bats reported last year. Officials say rabies remains a public health threat.

Citizens are advised not to handle bats, skunks, raccoons, or other wild animals. Officials say it is important for children to tell their parents of any contact with wild animals or any sick animals. Anyone who knows of a person being bitten by an animal must report the bite incident to the Smith County Rabies Control Authority for proper investigation.

The Smith County Rabies Control Authority advises all citizens to confirm that their dogs and cats are currently vaccinated for rabies. City of Tyler Ordinance and Smith County Ordinance require annual rabies vaccinations for all dogs and cats. According to officials, preventive immunization for rabies is the only effective defense against this always fatal disease. Anyone with questions on rabies control may contact City of Tyler Animal Control at 903-535-0045.

QUITMAN — The Wood County Sheriff’s Department is asking the public’s help in attempting to locate 55-year-old Marquita Gutierrez. According to KETK, she has an extensive medical history. Gutierrez is from the Alba area in Wood County. Marquita was last seen on October 14, when she borrowed her mother’s white Ford F250 bearing Texas license plate AX47520 to go to a doctor’s appointment in Canton. Marquita never arrived at the appointment and has not been seen since that date. The Wood County Sheriff’s Department is requesting that anyone who may have seen Marquita or her vehicle please contact the CrimeStopper tip line or the Sheriff’s Department.

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler’s Texas Allergy, Indoor Environment and Energy Institute officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the TxAIRE Homes project Wednesday. The event featured Jonathan W. Taylor, director of the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, which awarded UT Tyler a grant to establish the institute and monies for the homes’ construction. “We are extremely happy with the project and believe that what we are demonstrating here will have a significant impact upon how houses are built and operated,” said TxAIRE Executive Director John J. Vasselli. More than 50 local companies have participated in the design and construction of the TxAIRE houses, while technology products from more than 35 Texas-based companies are showcased within the two, he added. Construction began in June.

According to officials, the TxAIRE Research and Demonstration Houses have been designed to serve as realistic test facilities for developing and demonstrating new technologies related to energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and sustainable construction materials and methods. The TxAIRE Houses are said to be fully instrumented testbeds that make possible full testing and analyses of roof, wall, window, and slab building envelope components. TxAIRE was established in 2007. According to the UTT website, “The overarching focus of TxAIRE is upon high performance buildings, with key elements being indoor environmental quality as it relates to human health, and building systems design and performance, with particular emphasis upon energy efficiency.” You can go to http://www.uttyler.edu/TxAIRE/ for more information.

TYLER — Mediation begins in a Tyler courtroom for a lawsuit against former Gregg County Constable Robbie Cox. A mother accuses the constable and others of wrongful eviction from an Easton home she rented from the constable’s wife. According to KETK, the mother claims the constable threw her belongings, including clothes and furniture, outside in the rain on Christmas Eve 2006. She says her appeal of the eviction is still pending at this time.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council has voted unanimously to purchase playground equipment for City Park, Glass Recreation Center, Griffith Park and Lindsey Park from Game Time Playground Company. In June, the City Council approved a donation in the amount of $60,000 from The Spangenberg Family Foundation to be used for the purchase of playground equipment at City Park and Glass Recreation Center. Because the City of Tyler was able to secure matching grant funds through Game Time Playground Company, a member of the US Communities Purchasing Cooperative, the City will be able to purchase additional playground equipment for Griffith Park.

Additionally, the Parks Department was approached by Tyler Soccer Association (TSA) regarding purchasing playground equipment to be installed near the soccer fields at Lindsey Park. In grouping this purchase with the others and securing further grant dollars from Game Time Playground Company, as well as a generous donation from the Tyler Soccer Association in the amount of $17,808.35, Tyler will be purchasing playground equipment for Lindsey Park as well.

“This is a great gift for our City,” said Mayor Barbara Bass. “Parks play an important role in our community. They are a place where children can enjoy themselves and parents can get to know one another which is the foundation of a strong neighborhood.”

TYLER — The Tyler City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to grant the City Manager the authority to forgive demolition and weed/debris liens up to $10,000 when it is in the best interests of the City to do so. State law grants local municipalities the authority to assess a civil penalty against a property owner for failure to repair, remove or demolish a substandard building declared a public nuisance. In certain situations, this penalty can be imposed through a lien on the land on which the building stood (stands) and is tied to the City’s actual expenses to clean up the property. “The action taken by Council today provides the City Manager the discretion to waive these liens when it makes sense to do so,” explained Mayor Barbara Bass (pictured) Wednesday. “If it means getting the property back on the tax roll, it may be prudent to waive the liens assessed on the property.”

Certain criteria must be met to be eligible for the waiver, including:

* The applicant must make improvements to the land in question at least equal to the value of the lien.
* The applicant must not be the same owner as when the lien was assessed.
* The applicant must pay a $50 processing fee along with the fee for filing the lien release.
* Taxes on the tract are current.
* The applicant must comply with all City ordinances on required permits and has completed improvements that have been approved by the Development Services Department.

“This process is intended to encourage the redevelopment of some of our vacant infill properties where nuisance structures once stood,” added Mayor Bass.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council has unanimously voted to amend city ordinances related to Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East in accordance with the Lake Tyler Master Plan. Revisions to the ordinances include:

* Requirement for building permits, issued through City of Tyler Building Department, for new construction after Nov. 16, 2011 on Lake Tyler leased lots and construction over the waters of the lakes
* Prohibition of encroachment into existing easements and rights-of-way
* Combined annual inspections of piers, boathouses and on-site sewage disposal systems
* Coordination of inspections with lease holders and property owners (Lake Tyler East)
* Prohibition of floating boathouses, piers and other on-water facilities
* Modifications to fees assessed for services provided and annual leases
* Approval requirements and fees for misting systems and insecticides
* New rental rates for leases created after Nov. 16, 2011
* Elimination of barge lot leases

“The Lake Tyler Master Plan came about from concepts laid out in the Tyler 21 plan to help make the lake more enjoyable for the residents of Tyler,” said Mayor Pro Tem Sam Mezayek, chair of the Lake Tyler Roundtable. “The changes in these ordinances are the first steps to putting this plan in motion.”

In addition to these changes to the code of ordinances, the City Council also unanimously adopted an ordinance extending the current extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) to include all City-owned property in and around Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East that are not located in another city’s ETJ. “By making this property part of the City’s ETJ, we will be able to ensure that our property at Lake Tyler is developed in the same manner as property within the Tyler city limits,” said Mayor Barbara Bass. “The Lake Tyler Master Plan is vital to ensuring that we are creating the best possible amenities at the lakes for all of our residents; making this property part of our ETJ will help make this a reality.”

TYLER — Tyler businessman Randy Stevenson has announced his intention to run for the District 9 seat on the State Board of Education, a seat he held during the 1990s. Stevenson is the owner of Stevenson Capital Wealth Management, a retirement planning and investment brokerage firm. As a former State Board member, Stevenson says he recognizes the hurdles facing the public education system in Texas and feels he can be part of the solution. “We have a challenge before us to stop the downward trend of the quality of education provided to the children of this great state,” says Stevenson. The incumbent, Tom Ratliff, was elected to the board last November. Go to http://www.randystevenson.org to find out more.

UPSHUR COUNTY — Officials with the Gilmer Fire Department report two vehicles were destroyed during a house fire on the 3000 block of FM 49 in Upshur County. At least half the home burned in the blaze, which is said to have originated in the garage. Authorities say the fire began around 3:00 Wednesday morning. A family, including a man, woman and small child, were sleeping in the home when the smoke alarms woke them up. No injuries were reported. The cause is under investigation.

RUSK COUNTY — Rusk County has lifted a burn ban for residents. Rusk County Judge Joel Hale said, in a Wednesday news release, that county officials encourage residents to use good judgment and obey fire safety rules. Residents are responsible for any damage due to out of control fires.

CARTHAGE — A Panola County commissioner has been injured and his daughter killed following a wreck in front of the commissioner’s home. The accident happened around 6:00 Tuesday morning. The Panola County Sheriff’s Department says Commissioner Hermon Reed Jr. was injured while trying to stop his daughter from leaving. The truck the daughter, Rhonda Reed, was driving flipped over in a ravine. She was dead at the scene. Commissioner Reed was taken to a Marshall hospital and then transported to Good Shepherd in Longview. He is listed in serious condition.

TYLER – It looks like salaried employees at Tyler’s Trane plant are in for a salary cut. Ingersoll Rand Trane in Tyler plans to cut salaried employees pay by almost 24%. Employees had to sign a letter agreeing to the pay cut by the end of Tuesday’s work day. KETK-TV says the company told them the action was taken because of the tough economic times.

MINEOLA – The home of Wood County Commissioner Jerry Gaskill has been destroyed by fire. The house was located off County Road 2336, northwest of Mineola. Gaskill tells KETK he arrived at home to the sound of his smoke alarms going off. He tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher and water hose but the smoke continued to get heavier and forced him out of the house. There were no injuries reported. The cause remains under investigation.

LONGVIEW – A group from Tyler has approached Longview’s Hiway 80 Rescue Mission to start a similar service in Tyler. The group formed the Committee for a Rescue Mission for Tyler after the East Texas Rescue Mission closed. When the Tyler mission closed, a number of homeless people in the city were left without a shelter. A news release from the Hiway 80 Rescue mission says they have seen an increasing number of Tyler residents coming to them for services. According to Gregg Grubb, the Tyler committee’s leader, ” We hope to spread the word, not only for financial help, but for awareness of the need.”

TYLER — Officials with Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics announced receiving a three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) National Database. The rating places all 362 cardiac surgical procedures performed at The Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital for one year ending June 30 in the top 15 percent of cardiothoracic programs that submitted data. The Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital is located on the campus of Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler.

According to information provided by STS, National Database participants engage in the process of collecting STS data and utilization of Database-derived information for the purpose of local and national improvement in the quality of cardiothoracic surgical care. Avoidance of mortality, avoidance of morbidity, use of the internal mammary artery and compliance for recommendation with medication usage are the criteria used to determine a program’s star rating.

“This is the first time we’ve received a three-star rating,” said James A. Caccitolo, MD, chief of cardiothoracic surgery section, Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital and sponsor of the data collection program. “It is the result of a great effort by a number of individuals. We have been collecting data here for a number of years now and we have seen steady improvement. With each data harvest, we have implemented programs
and changes. So we are very proud that we were able to achieve a three-star rating.”

Data submission to STS is not mandatory, but officials said that monitoring, submitting and analyzing the information helps improve patient care.

“It is important that we identify areas of improvement,” said Dr. Caccitolo. “We think it is important to maintain outcome-based statistics so that we know how we are doing and we can improve our efforts to treat patients in the best way possible.”

The cardiothoracic team at the Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital includes Dr. Caccitolo, William F. Turner, Jr., MD and Neelan S. Doolabh, MD.

Since Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler launched the area’s first cardiac program 28 years ago, more than 11,000 open heart surgeries, 60,000 cardiac catheterizations, 638,000 cardiac procedures, and hundreds of robotic heart surgeries have been performed.

TYLER — UT Health Science Center at Tyler dedicates its new Academic Center and celebrates the opening of its new Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center. Health Science Center President Dr. Kirk Calhoun says the project will greatly improve his facility’s services. He says it will allow UTHSCT to expand the number of physicians and other health professionals it trains. According to Calhoun, the additions also figure to bring in more research dollars and address gaps in cancer care delivery. Calhoun notes that in the last few years, UTHSCT has won competitive research projects totaling over $107 million. UT System Chancellor Dr. Francisco Cigarroa was among those on hand for Tuesday’s ceremonies.

A quick rundown of what the new additions bring to the campus and community, according to UTHSCT officials:

Academic Center

1. The 85,500 square-foot Academic Center building will expand and build upon UTHSCT’s existing strengths in cancer and specialty care, and will support the expansion of its medical and health professions education programs.
2. The first floor is an expansion of the campus’s current oncology clinical operations and includes both medical and radiation oncology.
3. The second and third floors are currently shelled space; however, once completed, they will contain specialty clinics, an educational auditorium and classrooms, and the only medical library in the region – the Watson W. Wise Medical Research Library.
4. Total Project Cost: $67,000,000 – The cost of Phase I was $42 million. Phase II will finish out the second and third floors at a cost of $25 million.

Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center

1. The hallmarks of the new Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center are the highly-trained and experienced cancer care team, ultramodern technology, and patient comfort and convenience.
2. The tools UTHSCT uses to fight cancer are the most advanced available, including its new four-dimensional CT scanner and its superstar, the Varian TrueBeam – a linear accelerator that represents the next generation of radiation therapy. It is not only faster, but more powerful, precise, and accurate. Treatment that typically takes 15 to 20 minutes can be completed in just 5 to 10 minutes – targeting the cancer and minimizing exposure to healthy tissue.
3. Patient comfort and convenience is the focus of every decision made at the Health Science Center – the cancer physicians’ offices, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and lab and X-ray facilities are all within steps of the front entrance of the Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center. Additionally, patients have convenient access to their primary care physicians, the university hospital, and a 24/7 emergency room – all at one location.