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TYLER – The Tyler ISD Foundation’s New Administrative Director is Betsy Jones. She has been involved with the Tyler ISD Foundation board since September 2017. Jones brings to the position over 10 years experience in the nonprofit world including work with the Council of Tyler PTAs, local campus PTAs, Junior League of Tyler, Women’s Symphony League, and Nacogdoches Junior Forum.

EAST TEXAS – Area residents are invited to join other Texans in talking advantage of a tax free weekend. It starts on Saturday and will run through Monday. The tax free items are emergency preparation supplies. The list includes:
*batteries, fuel containers and flashlights priced at less than $75;
* hurricane shutters and emergency ladders priced at less than $300; and
* portable generators priced at less than $3,000.
There’s no limit on the number of qualifying items you can purchase.
There are some things that do “not”qualify.
You can go to https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/publications/98-1017.php for more on the emergency preparation supplies.

MURCHISON – A Henderson County man is accused of sexually assaulting two young girls. Arrested Thursday on two charges of aggravated sexual assault was Randy Dean York, 59, of Murchison. The charges were filed after the girls told child advocates he sexually assaulted them. Both are said to be under the age of 13. York is currently free on bonds totaling $150,000.

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler says overwhelming demand has caused it to withdraw numerous full scholarship offers under its new Presidential Fellows program, but no students from Texas will be affected. One prospective student, from Nepal, says he received a notice of acceptance in December — only to learn a few months later that he will instead be getting the Patriot Scholarship, which offers $5,000 for up to four years and in-state tuition rate. The university explained that qualified scholarship requests – more than ten times greater than previous years – exceeded budgeting for the current year and an oversight caused the over awards. All students who are now no longer eligible for the Presidential Fellowship have been offered Patriot scholarships. University officials say even after the change, UT Tyler is still offering more merit aid for first-year freshmen than ever before.

TYLER – Tyler Junior College has received the largest gift in the College’s history. The school says it may be the most significant monetary gift from an individual to a Texas community college and largest gift to an institution or organization in the city. The announcement was made Thursday by TJC officials. The gift is from the estate of Virginia and Jim Gatewood. When Virginia died last year, it resulted in the creation of the James F. and Virginia Hawkins Gatewood Memorial Fund at TJC. The school is working with the estate to determine the final dollar amount. The funds will ensure the long-term support of the TJC Presidential Honors Scholarship Program. The program helps attract academically talented student from throughout East Texas. Presently, 220 students benefit from the program.

LONGVIEW – Keep Texas Beautiful has named Keep Longview Beautiful a Gold Star Affiliate. Only 65 of of the statewide organization’s nearly 400 affiliates received this designation this year. Keep Longview Beautiful has received this recognition for the past 6 years.

TYLER – The Tyler city council has approved improvements at two of the city’s parks. The city council accepted a $40,300 donation for batting cages at Faulkner Park. The Rose Capital West Little League brought up the interest in funding construction of a batting cage. The cost of the project is being funded by the little league. And the City Council has approved spending nearly $32,000 on improvements to the irrigation system at Lindsey Park. By repairing a well pump at the park, the city should save around 50% in irrigation costs at the park.

TYLER – The Gustavo Zavala-Garcia capital murder trial is still on schedule for October, for now. Zazala-Garcia is charged with the November, 2016 death of 10 year old Kayla Gomez-Orozco. She was killed after being abducted from a Bullard church. At a pretrial hearing Thursday morning, DNA evidence and trace evidence analysis from the Texas Department of Public Safety was presented. But further DNA testing can be done on some of the evidence. A pretrial hearing is set for May 10th to determine which items will need additional testing.

TYLER – John Tyler students got a first hand look Thursday of the impact of drinking and driving. Juniors and seniors were dismissed to go to Lion and Leon Drive where they found a mock accident. Tyler police, fire and EMS units were there as was the Air 1 helicopter. There was even a coroner and a hearse on the scene. Some of the injured had to removed from the wreckage by jaws of life. Even a student portraying a drunk driver, was arrested at the scene. The Shattered Dreams event was designed to allow the students to experience the sensations of being involved in an alcohol-related collision.

GLADEWATER – Vandals have hit an historic Gregg County building. The vandalism was discovered Monday night at the Rock Springs School House on Old Highway 135 just south of Gladewater. The one teacher school was built with donated lumber in 1849. It ws in use until the 1930’s. The building was recorded a Texas Historic Landmark in 1966. The building has also been used for other functions, including a church. A sheriff’s deputy patroling the area noticed at open door at the building. He then found a significant amount of vandalism to the building. If you can help identify the vandals, you are asked to contact the Gregg County Sheriff’s Department.

TYLER — A suspended Smith County constable Wednesday completed his six-month federal sentence. According to our news partner KETK, Henry Jackson was released from a halfway house where he’d been placed in mid-April. That was after he served time in prison for willful failure to file federal income tax returns. Jackson pleaded guilty to four counts in 2017. He was sentenced to the six-month term and ordered to pay more than $150,000 in restitution. Jackson has been an elected constable since 1999.

TYLER — Tyler Animal Control is conducting a rabies clinic tonight at 6:00 at Fun Forest Park on North Forest. Springtime brings renewed concerns about the disease. In recent days, Smith County reported two rabid skunks in the Hideaway area, and Longview officials issued an advisory about potentially rabid bats. Rabies vaccinations are $10 tonight, and microchip & registration is $5. You can get more information by calling 903-535-0045.

LONGVIEW – An Overton man has been arrested in a Gregg County murder that occurred nearly three years ago. In the Gregg County Jail under a $75,000 bond is Joseph Scott Brown, 36. He is charged with the October, 2015 shooting death of 24 year old John Allen Franco. Brown was recently indicted by the Gregg County grand jury in the case. Franco was found shot to death in his car on a county road in Liberty City. Brown’s brother, Jessie Clifford Brown, 36, was arrested in the case last October

TYLER – A man who tried to rob a Tyler bank has been arrested. Arrested Wednesday at a home on East Erwin Street was 30 year old Robert Michael Freeman. He is now in the Smith county jail, charged with aggravated robbery. Tyler Investigators received a tip that led led to his identity and his vehicle, in which evidence from the bank was recovered. Freeman is said to be the man that entered Texas Bank and Trust last Saturday morning. He handed the teller a note telling her of the robbery. The man got nervous when the clerk started to walk away. He then took the note and ran away without getting any money.

HAWKINS – A Hollywood actor is scheduled to receive a degree from an East Texas College. Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins will award an honorary doctorate degree to Terrell, Texas native Jamie Foxx. The degree is for his achievements in music, film and television. According to the School Facebook page, Foxx will be awarded the degree during the 2018 Spring Commencement activities May 5.

TYLER — Based on preliminary results, charities in 32 East Texas counties brought in a total of $755,428 on East Texas Giving Day. According to a news release from the East Texas Communities Foundation, which powered the event, more than 2,475 donors took part. Tuesday’s online fundraising effort began at 6:00 a.m. and ended at midnight. Preliminary results show Smith County charities leading the charge with Hiway 80 of Tyler receiving the most overall contributions for a total of $102,585, followed by The Mentoring Alliance raising $76,247 and Newgate Mission of Longview with $52,657.

SMITH COUNTY — Smith County and the City of Tyler are being sued in a dispute about ambulance service. Smith County Commissioners have hired an outside attorney to handle the case filed by Champion EMS, which is affiliated with the Christus Trinity Mother Frances Health System in Tyler. Champion brought the suit as a counterclaim after ETMC EMS, part of UT Health East Texas, sued Champion. That lawsuit claims Champion was infringing on a contract ETMC has with the City of Tyler, Smith County and the Smith County Emergency Management Service. ETMC has asked the court to order Champion to stop performing ambulance services in the region, while Champion contends ETMC conspired to form an illegal monopoly.

GREGG COUNTY — A Longview man was jailed Monday after police said he admitted to choking a 5-year-old boy “by picking him up by his throat and placing him up against the wall.” According to KTBB’s news partner and the Longview News Journal, Colbe Jace Bisetti, 40, remained in jail Monday on $5,000 bond, charged with injury to a child with intent of serious bodily injury. He will not be able to post bond until he appears in the 124th District Court. Gladewater police arrested Bisetti on Monday morning after the children of an ex-girlfriend told a school counselor about incidents involving Bisetti from 2012. Bisetti admitted to choking the boy in another incident because “he was tired from working 30 hours and was frustrated.”

HENDERSON COUNTY — A Henderson County Grand Jury has indicted a Larue man for capital murder in the death of an 11-month-old infant. According to KTBB’s news partner KETK, Mark Carson, 26, of Larue, is charged with causing the death of a person under 10 years old. He is being held in the Henderson County Jail on a bond of $2 million. Carson was arrested in January after an investigation into the death of the child. Henderson County deputies responded in October to a medical emergency call from a home in Larue. Law enforcement and medical personnel found the child unresponsive. The child was taken to a hospital in Athens, then to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, where he was pronounced dead. After an autopsy, the child’s death was ruled a homicide.

KILGORE – The train that had been blocking a Kilgore crossing has finally moved. The railroad crossing at Lantrip Street and Commerce Street had been blocked since Monday. Trains in the area ground to a halt because of a Union Pacific train derailment in Texarkana. That had to be cleaned up before other trains could start moving. The train in Kilgore started moving early Tuesday evening.

TYLER – Starting next month, the Troup Highway Water Booster Station will begin operation. This will improve water pressure for residents and businesses located within the Troup Hwy pressure zone, which is located on the map. You can click on the map to enlarge it. This $3.3 million investment will provide both immediate and long-term benefits to citizens by improving water pressure within the zone. For those in the zone, you can go to http://www.tylerpublicworks.com/Booster-Station for in depth information on what to expect throughout this process.

ALTO – A man who escaped from an officer in Cherokee County has been arrested, with the help of a police K9. They had been looking for Emmanuel Griffin, 27. He was wanted on a motion to revoke his probation. A warrant officer approached him last week at the probation department. He push passed the officer, ran and hit a locked glass door, breaking the glass, and then ran from the building. A mid-afternoon on Tuesday, deputies, with the assistance of Alto Police Department, went to a residence on County Road 2407 south of Alto. They saw a man run through the woods behind the residence. The K9 led officers to a building, where they found Griffin hiding. Besides the previous warrants to revoke his probation and evading arrest, he will be facing additional charges.

LONGVIEW – The Pine Tree ISD school board has named Steve Clugston, the Callisburg ISD superintendent, as finalist for the same post in Longview. The action came at a meeting late Tuesday afternoon. By law, they must wait 21 days before voting to hire Clugston as their new superintendent. The board is scheduled to vote to offer him the contract on May 17. He is slated to replace outgoing Superintendent Dr. TJ Farler. Clugston has served as superintendent in Callisburg ISD, in Eastern Cooke County in North Texas, since 2012 and has 27 years of experience in education.

TYLER – Tyler police are asking for your help in identifying two theft suspects. The two women entered a business and stole credit cards from an employee’s purse. They then went to Walmart and started charging. If you know who they are, you are asked to contact Detective David Cook at 903-531-1081 or call Tyler crime Stoppers at 903-597-2833.

WHITEHOUSE – Smith County Road 2191 will be closed for several weeks for improvements. The commissioner’s court has approved the temporary closure of the road, also known as Oscar Burkett Road, at the construction site of the new Brown Elementary School in Whitehouse. It could be closed up to four weeks to install storm and sanitary sewer lines 21 feet deep, as well as do necessary roadwork. The work will start as soon as the county can notify nearby residents and emergency services of the closure. Detour signs will be placed along Rhones Quarter Road and other connecting roadways, alerting drivers to use alternative routes.

HIDEAWAY – Two skunks with rabies have been found in northern Smith County. They were found last week in the Hideaway area. Both were shot because of their strange behavior. They were sent off to the Texas Department of State Health Services for testing. Both tested positive for rabies. Smith County Animal Control Coordinator Le’Kisha Stinecipher warns you to be cautious around animals, especially nocturnal animals acting strangly during the day. If you see such and animal, call and talk to an animal control officer at the Smith County Animal Shelter.

TYLER — East Texas Giving Day is in full swing. The drive has already topped this year’s goal and there is still time for you to donate. This year’s event features 158 registered nonprofits from across East Texas. East Texas Giving Day, powered by East Texas Communities Foundation, is an 18-hour, online giving event that kicked off at 6:00 a.m. and ends at midnight. Donors can participate in the event by going online to http://www.EastTexasGivingDay.org to make their donation. You can also go to https://www.easttexasgivingday.org/leaderboards to check the progress of different agencies.

GREGG COUNTY – A news conference that had been scheduled Wednesday afternoon in the case of a missing pregnant woman from Kilgore, has been cancelled. There is no word on why the news conference on Sheryia Grant was cancelled. Grant, 20, who disappeared in August, 2016. Last May, three persons were arrested in the woman’s disappearance. Charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence (human corpse) was Laneshia Lashae Young, 22, and Allen Lamont Sutton, 28, both of Overton. An unnamed juvenile from Arp has also been arrested in the case.

TYLER – Tyler fireman begin their annual Fill the Boot fundraising campaign on Tuesday. More than 160 Tyler firemen will fan out across the city with boots in hand. The money they raise goes to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The funds will be used to find urgently needed treatments and cures for Muscular Dystrophy, ALS and related diseases that severely limit strength and mobility. Through Sunday, you will find the firemen at a dozen locations around the area. Continue reading It Is Time Again to Fill the Boots

TYLER – Three Tyler Junior College professors were surprised in their classrooms Monday. They have been named with endowed teaching chairs for 2018. The program enables professors to nominate and reward their peers who demonstrate excellence as educators. This year’s recipients are:
• Ashleigh Lewis, learning framework professor, The Dorothy Fay & Jack White Endowed Chair for Teaching Excellence
• C. Jeanie Oxler, voice professor and music department chair, The Watson W. Wise Foundation Endowed Chair for Teaching Excellence
• Sherry Seaton, surgical technology professor and department chair, The Dorothy Fay & Jack White Endowed Chair for Teaching Excellence