KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — A portion of South Broadway Avenue (between Rowland Place and East Charnwood Street) will be closed to northbound traffic Wednesday, Sept. 8, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to remove a large dead tree from the right-of-way. Northbound drivers will be detoured onto East Dobbs Street where they can turn left onto South Donnybrook Avenue. There, motorists can continue north to East Charnwood Street where they will be able to turn left to go west, back to South Broadway Avenue. This will only affect the northbound traffic on South Broadway Avenue. Drivers are reminded to obey all traffic signs, flaggers, detours and slow down in and around the area.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The City Council in Portland, Oregon will vote Wednesday on an emergency resolution that would ban the purchase of goods and services from Texas in response to the new law prohibiting most abortions there. The resolution would also bar city employee travel to the state. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office said in a news release the Portland ban would be in effect until Texas either withdraws the abortion law or it gets overturned in court. The news release said the Portland City Council stands unified in its belief that all people should have the right to choose if and when they carry a pregnancy. The Heartbeat Act was authored by Senator Bryan Hughes, of Mineola.

TYLER — Tyler police say a portion of Front Street is now clear following a Monday morning wreck. Police had been asking drivers to avoid the street in the area near the PATH building after the wreck left power lines across the roadway, temporarily shutting down traffic in that vicinity.

TYLER – TxDOT is planning to conduct another round of construction and maintenance work in the Tyler District this week. Tyler Maintenance plans to have crews performing base and edge repairs on FM 838. Flashers will be used to direct traffic. A second crew will be performing draining maintenance on FM 16. Flashers will be used to direct traffic. Longview Maintenance will be cleaning ditches on FM 1844. The crews will continue work on bridge channel maintenance on FM 2275 and FM 2204. Herbicide operations were also due to begin on various roadways. Expect lane closures with flaggers providing traffic control. Click here for the complete rundown of work around the district.

TYLER — Pipeline Analysis will continue smoke testing sewer lines in sewer meter basins 13 and 17 as part of the City of Tyler’s ongoing sanitary sewer inspection program. Officials say smoke testing helps locate breaks and defects in the city’s sanitary sewer system. The information is used to repair and improve the sewer system, according to a news release. The testing will be conducted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7 through Friday, Sept. 10 in two areas. Continue reading Smoke testing locations for week of Sept. 7

TYLER — 20-year-old Javier Valenzuela-Avila of Tyler has been arrested for murder and jailed on a $1,000,000 bond following the death of a 25-year-old woman. Police say Valenzuela-Avila was initially admitted to a local hospital for self inflicted wounds but later released and jailed. According to a news release, officers responded to an E. Dawson St. residence shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday on a welfare concern and found the body of Laura Garcia. Police say the case remains under investigation.

TYLER — Friday, September 3, through Monday, September 6, the Tyler Police Department will be putting additional officers on the streets utilizing the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP). Police say the program is based on crash data in the city allowing officers to pinpoint target areas that are a problem. With increased traffic conditions in Tyler for the Labor Day holiday, officers will be specifically watching for hazardous violations such as speeding, intersection enforcement, seat belt violations, and most importantly, impaired drivers. Police especially remind you not to drink and drive.

MARSHALL – The Wonderland of Lights Committee has unanimously agreed to expand the dates for this year’s event. Committee Chair Veronique Ramirez says thanks to donor contributions, the showcase attraction in Marshall will continue having the lighting ceremony the day before Thanksgiving. She adds that volunteers are needed November 24 and 26. The committee had earlier announced it was making changes to the longtime event. This year, it runs November 24-December 23 but will be closed November 25 for the Thanksgiving holiday. Continue reading 2021 Wonderland of Lights updates

MARSHALL – Harrison County sheriff’s deputies have recovered a body from a pond, and it’s believed to be that of 46-year-old Jessica Adair, who had gone missing days earlier. The body was found near her home on Harris Road, where she had last been seen when her son reported her missing Monday night. According to our news partner KETK, the body will be sent for autopsy. A $3,000 reward had been offered for information leading to the location of Adair, who had a medical condition. During the search, authorities said Adair needed to take medication every day. She also did not have her purse, medication, or cell phone with her.

TYLER – A Pensacola, Florida, man has pleaded guilty in Tyler federal court in a sweeping fraud scheme that stretched into East Texas. According to a news release, Perry Lewis Crenshaw, Jr., 27, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and is the fifth indicted defendant to enter a guilty plea in the case. As quoted in the release, Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne said, “Mr. Crenshaw preyed on vulnerable elderly Americans by impersonating the IRS.” As part of his plea agreement, Crenshaw has agreed to pay restitution of $1,284,649 and forfeiture of $32,112.50. He also faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation.

TYLER — The Eastern District of Texas has reached an agreement with Smith County to ensure deaf, hearing impaired, or vision impaired people can communicate as effectively as others. According to a news release, the matter began with a complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice. Under the agreement, the county is updating its website to contain sufficient information on how the aforementioned population can access aids or services. The county will also provide Title II training to staff under the Americans with Disabilities Act — and will ensure sufficient auxiliary aids or services are available at the county courthouse as required by the 2010 ADA standards. Continue reading EDTX reaches ADA resolution with Smith County

TYLER — The NET Health Board of Directors has considered the substantial increase of COVID-19 cases that has occurred locally since July 1, 2021, which is due in large part to the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant and has contributed to the stress being experienced by area hospitals treating the sick in our community, COVID-related and otherwise. The percentage of East Texans aged 12 years and higher who are fully vaccinated are generally 40% or less, with some counties only around 33%. Continue reading NET Health Board of Directors approves resolution

EAST TEXAS — Several East Texas school districts remain closed due to COVID-19 concerns, with the upcoming holiday also playing a role. According to our news partner KETK, schools in Rains ISD will be out of session through next Tuesday. Eustace, Alto, Cross Roads, Yantis, Fruitvale, Frankston, Gladewater, Leverett’s Chapel, Murchison, and Wells ISDs will remain closed through Labor Day.

CARTHAGE – A former Spring Hill ISD employee was arrested and charged with online solicitation of a minor. According to our news partner KETK, 27-year-old Joseph Schaetz was booked into the Smith County Jail Wednesday on $75,000 bond and bonded out later that day. The victim was a 14-year-old Panola County girl who was not enrolled in Spring Hill, according to Panola County District Attorney Danny Buck Davidson. Davidson said Schaetz resigned from Spring Hill earlier this week and was arrested Wednesday. The Panola County Grand Jury will be looking at the case next time it meets, which Davidson says is usually about once a month.

RUSK – More charges are being added in a recent kidnapping that prompted an Amber Alert. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office says 32-year-old Jesse Schmidt now faces charges of aggravated kidnapping and continuous sexual abuse of a child. Schmidt was already charged with kidnapping. The alert was activated early Tuesday for two children who were later found with Schmidt at a Kilgore motel. Schmidt remains jailed in Cherokee County on $500,000 bond. The sheriff’s office says the case remains active pending further investigation. According to our news partner KETK, 11-year-old Desmond Wells and 10-year-old Ashlynn Wells had last been seen in the Rusk area Monday afternoon when the alert was activated. Officials say they have now been released to CPS custody.

WASHINGTON (AP/Staff) – President Joe Biden is lambasting the Supreme Court’s decision not to block a new Texas law banning most abortions in the state. The law was spearheaded by state Senator Bryan Hughes of Mineola (pictured). Biden said Thursday he is directing federal agencies to do what they can to “insulate women and providers” from the impact. Hours earlier, in the middle of the night, a deeply divided high court allowed the law to remain in force in the nation’s biggest abortion curb since the court legalized the operation nationwide a half-century ago. The court voted 5-4 to deny an emergency appeal from abortion providers and others. The Texas law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks and before most women know they’re pregnant.

MARSHALL — East Texas Baptist University is accepting donations for Texas Baptist Men’s Disaster Relief efforts to help individuals affected by Hurricane Ida in Louisiana. The items listed below may be dropped off at ETBU’s Ornelas Student Center at the marked donation drop-off point through Tuesday, September 7. This is the same building where community members visit Chick-fil-A. Among the items being sought: gift cards from Home Depot or Walmart for families, bottled water and bottled Gatorade, infant and/or adult diapers, baby wipes, and work gloves (sizes L and XL). Continue reading ETBU collecting donations for those affected by Hurricane Ida

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) – Authorities at Grand Canyon National Park say they are scaling back the search for a Texas man who has been missing for nearly three months. Park officials say 49-year-old Charles Lyon of Tyler was last seen at a hotel in Tusayan on June 10. They say Lyon abandoned his vehicle on the canyon’s South Rim along Desert View Drive near Lipan Point on or around June 11 and was believed to be traveling alone. Beginning on June 11, crews searched extensively by ground and helicopter in the vicinity of Lipan Point and along Desert View Drive but there was no sign of Lyon. Park officials say the search will continue in a limited and continuous mode.

WASHINGTON. D.C. – A Washington, D.C., federal judge has granted an emergency motion by a Carthage native charged in the Capitol riot to allow him to travel to Louisiana with the Cajun Navy to help with the Hurricane Ida cleanup. According to our news partner KETK, 34-year-old Alex Harkrider is out on bond awaiting trial. There was no opposition to the motion from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Kira West, Harkrider’s head defense lawyer, wrote that he “can effectively be monitored by Pretrial Services for this volunteer effort. There is no threat to the community posed by Mr. Harkrider.” The motion also said Harkrider has “volunteered by selling tickets, making t-shirts, and working at a fundraiser in his community for a fellow marine who has cancer.”

KILGORE – Kilgore Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 18-year-old woman. According to our news partner KETK, Dakota Conert went missing between 12:30 and 1:30 Monday morning. The department said in a Facebook post that she left her apartment in a pickup truck and her family has not heard from her since. She was last seen wearing a gray quarter-zip jacket and shorts. If you have any information regarding her whereabouts, contact Detective Joshua Sims at 903-218-6907 or [email protected]. To submit an anonymous tip via text message to the Kilgore Police Department, text KILGORE and your tip to 847411 (tip411).

UPSHUR COUNTY – A small community in Upshur County was rendered almost completely without power after vandals caused a massive outage Wednesday morning, according to a release from a power company. Upshur County Electric Cooperative Corporation released a statement after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday saying that much of Glennwood was in the dark after “vandals broke into the sub and caused significant damage to equipment.” According to our news partner KETK, a company spokesman said the vandals broke into the substation and cut over 500 feet of ground wire, which eventually caused a fire. He described how dangerous the situation was and that he was surprised no one was hurt during the break-in. The UCECC says power has now been restored and the company is working with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department as part of its investigation.

TYLER — Wednesday, lots of new laws went into effect in the state. One law that had lots of people on both sides of the issue was permit less carry. Representative Matt Schaefer, of Tyler, authored the bill. He said, “Second Amendment rights have been restored for millions of of law abiding Texans.” The law will allow Texans ages 21 and older to carry handguns without training or a license as long as they are not legally prevented from doing so. SMU Political Science Professor Matt Wilson says it remains to be seen if this law will have an effect on violence and gun sales. Continue reading Rep Schaefer’s permitless carry law now in effect

CHEROKEE COUNTY –  Two Cherokee County employees were arrested for allegedly tampering with a government document to gain power of attorney, according to Sheriff Brent Dickson with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. According to our news partner KETK, Peggy Cornelius and Suijuan Chen are being charged with tampering with a government document and also giving a false statement to peace officers. The issue did not involve city business, said Dickson. Cornelius and Chen turned themselves in on Friday and were arrested then. Continue reading Cherokee County employees arrested for allegedly tampering with government document

RUSK – A man has been arrested and charged with kidnapping after an Amber Alert was activated early Tuesday morning for two children who were later found in Kilgore. According to our news partner KETK, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office says 32-year-old Jesse Schmidt has been booked into the Cherokee County Jail and his bond was set at $500,000. “This case is still active and more charges are pending at this time,” said the sheriff’s office. 11-year-old Desmond Wells and 10-year-old Ashlynn Wells had last been seen in the Rusk area Monday afternoon when the alert was activated. Officials say they have now been released to CPS custody.

TYLER – A San Antonio man convicted in a head-on collision on an infamous road in Tyler that killed 21-year-old Haile Beasley in 2016 will now have a new sentencing trial scheduled for December 6. That’s according to our news partner KETK. 46-year-old James Fulton was convicted in 2017 of criminally negligent homicide for the wreck on Grande Boulevard. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The new sentencing trial was granted after an appeals court ruled that Fulton received ineffective counsel. Fulton has been out on bond since August 2019.

TYLER — KTBB news and operations director Paul Berry died Tuesday afternoon of an apparent heart attack. He joined KTBB more than 20 years ago after having previously been the program director and morning air personality on KTBB’s then sister station, KDOK. In addition to overseeing the editorial operation of the KTBB newsroom, he also managed the day-to-day technical operations of KTBB 97.5 FM, 600 AM and 92.1 FM, The TEAM Sports Radio. “Paul and I really loved the radio business,” said KTBB president and owner Paul Gleiser. “We spent a lot of time talking about the work of the great broadcasters that we both admired and we also spent a lot of time looking for just one more way to make this station better. Somewhere in all of that an employment relationship morphed into friendship. I’m going to miss him.” Paul is survived by his close companion Angie Swearingen of Tyler. He was 52.

MARSHALL – The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office said they are looking for a missing woman with a medical condition. According to our news partner KETK, Jessica Adair was reported as missing by her son on Aug. 30 around 7:30 p.m. She was last seen at her home on Harris Rd. Adair needs to take medication every day, according to the sheriff’s office. She is 46, and 5’5.” Adair has blond hair and weighs 155 lbs. She was last seen wearing an “H&W Honda” black t-shirt, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes. Adair also does not have her purse, medication, or cell phone with her. If anyone has information regarding the location of Jessica Adair, please contact the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office at 903-923-4000 or call 911.

TYLER – Tyler ISD announces the hiring of Suzette Farr as the executive director of the Tyler ISD Foundation. The foundation’s board approved Farr’s appointment Tuesday morning. Farr joins the foundation from Mentoring Alliance, where she recently served as Vice President of Marketing & Community Engagement. Farr previously worked as the East Texas corporate marketing director for the American Heart Association and as the marketing and business development director at Cooperative Teachers Credit Union. She is also a former TISD Foundation Board member, serving from 2014-2018. Farr will officially begin her new duties September 7. The foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides grant funds to teachers for projects and programs that are not funded, or are underfunded, by the District’s operating budget.

TYLER – Champions for Children, the Tyler Area Business Education Council, and Texas Home Visiting at UT Health Science Center at Tyler announce they have teamed up with Bright by Text, a national parent texting program. According to a news release from Champions for Children, the participants plan to put expert tips, games and child development information directly into the hands of parents and caregivers in East Texas. According to the release, Bright by Text is a unique resource as many children are learning from home and many families have a difficult time accessing the services they need. The texting service (for ages prenatal to eight years) includes topics on brain development, games and activities, health and wellness, and more. You can learn more by visiting this link or calling (903) 592-1454.