KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in TxDOT’s Tyler District during the Week of Jan. 2. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Slow down and pay attention when traveling through work zones.

Starting Tuesday, January 3, motorists in Tyler are encouraged to take alternate routes to avoid work on the West Loop 323 project at SH 31. The contractor, Longview Bridge and Road, will be placing the final pavement surface on the roadway. Work will be conducted between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. starting with the northbound lanes. Expect lane closures and delays with traffic reduced to one lane at various times throughout the week. Continue reading TxDOT’s Weekly Roadwork Update

DALLAS — A year ago there was no drought in Texas, and now there is. 7 1/2 percent of the state is in drought, and more is abnormally dry; Northeast Texas and the Panhandle are the hardest hit, despite recent rains in our area. Larry French with the Texas Water Development Board says this has been developing for some time. Continue reading Drought Conditions Return to Texas

GILMER — A Gilmer-area church has been destroyed by fire. KETK reports Concord Missionary Church, north of Gilmer near the intersection of Dahlia Road and F.M. 2263, caught fire Saturday morning. The Gilmer Volunteer Fire Department was one of seven departments called to help fight the massive blaze. According to authorities, no one was hurt. The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately available.

TYLER — Well-known personal injury lawyer Keith Miller of Tyler has been arrested in Smith County for possession of marijuana. According to KETK, county jail records show Miller, 59, was found in possession of under two ounces of the drug on Friday. He was later freed on a $500 bond. Miller’s TV commercials have helped make him a well-known figure in the region for a number of years.

TYLER – A memorial service for longtime Baptist leader Dr. Paul Powell is scheduled for today at 2:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler. According to the Stewart Family Funeral Home website, private burial will follow at Cathedral In The Pines Cemetery. Powell, who was 83, died Wednesday. He served for 17 years as pastor of Green Acres and had previously pastored four other Texas churches. Over the years, Powell served in numerous offices with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, including a term as president from 1985–87. The author of 36 books, Powell was selected as Distinguished Alumnus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1990.

EAST TEXAS — East Texans are gearing up for a new year, and there’s lots to remember when it comes to playing it safe. For starters, officials remind you that thousands of people, often children and teens, are injured each year while using consumer fireworks. There are city ordinances in Tyler and Longview that ban using fireworks within the city limits. And remember, you cannot discharge a firearm in the city limits. Those bullets are going up in the air and they have to come down somewhere. Continue reading Officials: Play It Safe This New Year’s Eve

LONGVIEW – A Longview man has been arrested following a burglary report. A witness told officers they saw a man exit an apartment on Pine Tree Road through a window. He was carrying a flat screen TV. Arriving officers found the suspect’s vehicle trying to leave the property. Inside his vehicle the found a flat screen TV and a rifle. In his pocket they found a semi-automatic handgun. They also found several clear plastic baggies containing a crystal-like substance, believed to be methamphetamine, in his pants pockets. Arrested was Reagan Cole Schriver, 24, of Longview. He has been charged with possession of a controlled substance, unlawful carrying of a weapon and two Class C misdemeanor warrants. He has been booked into the Gregg County Jail.

LONGVIEW – A Friday afternoon traffic stop in Longview resulted in drug charges against two Gregg County women. Their vehicle was stopped in the area of Bancroft Circle and Sheffield Drive for a traffic violation. Officers learned a passenger, Stephanie Leigh Garner Robertson (pictured), 34, of Longview, had an outstanding warrant for violation of probation/driving while intoxicated. She was arrested on the warrant. During a search of the car officers found a pill bottle in the console which contained a quantity of a crystal-like substance, believed to be methamphetamine, and a plastic baggie with what appeared to be marijuana behind the driver’s seat. Robertson and the driver, Ashlee Babb Tubbs, 26, of Kilgore, were both charged with possession of a controlled substance. Officers also located additional suspected methamphetamine on Tubbs at the Gregg County Jail.

PALESTINE – Anderson County authorities have released the name of a teen found shot to death just before Christmas. It happened on County Road 350 around 8:45pm on December 23rd. Authorities found Dustin Shane Mann, 19, of Huntsville, with a gunshot wound to the head. He was first taken to a Palestine hospital, and then transferred to a Tyler hospital where he died. So far, the investigation is pointing to the death as an accidental shooting.

TYLER – Tyler police have arrested two men accused of human trafficking.It started with an investigation into credit card abuse. That led officers to a hotel on the Loop at Highway 69 North. There, they found two Dallas girls under the age of 18 who were being used for prostitution. Arrested were Quintus Kentrell Blaylock, 24, of Tyler (pictured) and James Ray Ellis, 21, of Addison. Both are charged with trafficking of persons under the age of 18. Blaylock was also charged with indecency with a child sexual contact and Ellis is charged with sexual assault of a child. The two girls were sent back to the Dallas area on a directive to apprehend by the juvenile courts.

A Longview kidnapping has ended with the victim escaping and a suspect in custody. The call came in to police of a robbery in progress just before 6:15 Thursday night. Officers learned a woman had entered a home on Airline Road and kidnapped a woman at gunpoint. The victim was Alexa Evonne Blair, 19, of Longview, the daughter of Kilgore College Rangerettes Director Dana Blair. She wAs later able to escape and call police. A short time later they found and arrested the suspect. Nancy Alice Motes, 57, of Kilgore, is charged with aggravated Kidnapping. She was released on a $500,000 Friday afternoon. The police are still trying to determine a motive for the kidnapping.

TYLER – Visitation for Dr. Paul Powell is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Stewart Family Funeral Home in Tyler. Funeral Services are pending for the former pastor of Tyler’s Green Acres Baptist Church. Powell, who was 83, died Wednesday. Powell, who never went to church until he was 14, served for 17 years as pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church. He had previously served as pastor a four other Texas churches. Over the years, Powell served in numerous offices with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, including a term as president from 1985–87. The author of 36 books, Powell was selected as Distinguished Alumnus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1990.

LONGVIEW – A young Longview boy has been taken into custody by Child Protective services. The action was taken after a police officer found the boy’s home littered with feces and the mother was said to be too drunk to care for him. The boy said he had not eaten in several days. The Longview News Journal reports the officer had been conducting a welfare check on the family at the Willow Lake Apartments. The officer reported the boy’s mother came staggering to the door and she was an alcoholic and had been drinking a lot. Arrested and charged with abandoning or endangering a child, criminal negligence, was Sybil Jewett Gray, 40. She is being held in the Gregg County Jail with a bond of $5,000.

LONGVIEW – A Longview burglary suspect has been busted with the goods. A police officer was responding to a call around 9:00 Wednesday night when he saw 34 year old Jose Luis Carnejo of Longview walking down Bolten Street. And he was carrying a television. As he stopped to investigate, he heard a call of a burglary on Birdsong Street. He was told a TV had been stolen. The TV Carnejo had matched the description of the stolen TV. He’s been charged with burglary of a habitation. Bond was set at $20,000.

WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration reports the recall of a green bean casserole sold in Brookshire’s Grocery Stores. Farm To Market Foods of Santo, Texas is recalling the green bean casserole, because it may contain undeclared Peanut Allergens. The green bean casserole was sold as 32 oz. retail trays and were included with Holiday Smoked Turkey and Ham Dinner Kits at the retail deli departments. Persons who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanut allergens run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the product. No illnesses have been reported to date. Continue reading Casserole Recalled from Brookshire’s Stores

TYLER – A Tyler robbery is under investigation. The robbery occurred shortly after 11;30 Wednesday night at the Game Room on South Vine Street. An employee told officers she had been robbed by a Hispanic male. He was about 5′ 10″ with a heavy build. He was wearing a face mask, hooded shirt and shorts. left the business on foot with an undisclosed amount of currency. No injuries were reported.

LUFKIN – An investigation has led to the firing of an Angelina County jailer. Fired Wednesday was Roger D. Grimes. He was arrested and charged with official oppression, a class A misdemeanor. Sheriff Greg Sanches said the arrest came after Grimes was alleged to have assaulted an Angelina County inmate on December 19.

LONGVIEW – Gregg County authorities are investigating a body found around noon on Wednesday. A sheriff”s deputy check of a car turned up the body nearby. It was found near the intersection of State Highway 42 and Red River Road. Currently, authorities do not believe this case is criminal in nature. No other information has been released about the case.

EAST TEXAS – East Texans are preparing to usher in a new year. Local officials are urging people to keep safety in mind. They’re fun, but they could be dangerous. Each year thousands of people, often children and teens, are injured while using consumer fireworks. The tip of a sparkler burns at a temperature which is hotter than the temperature that it takes to melt glass. Nearly 90% of emergency room firework related injuries involve fireworks consumers are permitted to use. There are city ordinances in Tyler and Longview that bans using fireworks within the city limits. And remember, you cannot discharge a firearm in the city limits. Those bullets are going up in the air and they have to come down somewhere.

LONGVIEW – One person has died from a injuries received last week in a Longview accident. Lisa Gail Wiley of Longview, 52, died Saturday at Good Shepherd Medical Center. She was involved in an accident shortly before 7:45pm on December 21st at the intersection of Pine Tree Road and East Sycamore Lane. Police say her vehicle failed to yield the right of way to an SUV driven by 27 year-old Kimberly Breanne Ward, of Longview. Ward and two passengers in her vehicle were injured. Police believe that Wiley may have been under the influence of alcohol and cocaine at the time of the accident.

KILGORE – A Kilgore police officer has exhibited a random act of kindness. To a mother with two small kids, he was an angel in uniform. Last month Corporal Jarrett Bradberry found a young mother with a three year old child and five month old child walking along US Highway 259. From another state, she was left stranded by her boyfriend with no means to return home. Bradberry and a concerned citizen helped put the family up in a local hotel until a member of her family could pick her up. They also provided meals. Corporal Bradberry even purchased some clothing items and toys for the children. The nursing staff at the Kilgore Good Shepherd Emergency Room learned of the situation and also chipped in to buy some items the family needed. According to their Face Book page, the department awarded Bradberry a Letter of Commendation for his actions.

ATHENS – A Henderson County man is being charged in his wife’s death. Daniel Joseph Scott, 28, who lives near Log Cabin, was arrested at East Texas Medical Center in Athens early Wednesday morning. He has been charged with the shooting death of Alicia Scott, 29. Further details about the case have not been released. The woman’s body has been sent to a Dallas lab for autopsy. Scott remains in the Henderson County Jail under a $3,500,000 bond. He is also being held on an outstanding arrest warrant, which stems from an assault charge out of Henderson County.

PALESTINE — The Palestine Police Department has arrested three men allegedly involved in producing counterfeit money. KETK reports that after multiple reports of the counterfeit bills circulating through Palestine, early last week investigators received information that led to the alleged source of the crime. Arrest warrants were issued for Christopher Aherns, 43, Carlos Hull, 40, and Michael Sharples, 45. While serving the search and arrest warrants, police say they found several computers, printers, and counterfeit bills in denominations of $20s, $50s, and $100s.

LONGVIEW – A Longview man has been accused of pulling a gun on his sister and threatening her. Arrested was Steven Wayne Gilliam, 54. The incident happened around 4:00 Monday afternoon on West Hope Drive. It was said that Gilliam got into an argument with his sister because of her boyfriend. Gilliam said, he didn’t like him. He has been accused of aggravated assault with a weapon. Gilliam remains in the Gregg County Jail under a $7,500 bond.

LONGVIEW – An East Texas mother reports finding razor blades in shoes at a Longview Wal-Mart. Candi Mace of Tatum told the Longview News Journal she found four razor blades in different pairs of shoes on different parts of the aisle. The shoes were not near each other. She said the blades had been stuck inside the shoe alongside the paper and cardboard that is normally there, so they were pointing up. At last report, the store had not filed a report with the police department. Mace told police department spokeswoman Kristie Brian, the store’s manager told her the store’s security team would handle the matter.