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KILGORE – Kilgore College will have honorary homecoming king and queen Saturday. The honor goes to a pair of military service dogs. On the homecoming court nomination list were Duke and Lulu. They are service dogs who aid two military veteran students on campus. They received enough votes to make the final homecoming court ballot. Since it’s against homecoming bylaws for the king and queen to have four legs, the college decided to name Duke and LuLu as “honorary” homecoming king and queen as a tribute to military veterans. The college said this would be a great way for the school, not only to promote veterans and their service, but also a way to educate people about the trained animals that help veterans navigate civilian life.

AUSTIN – A Gregg County man has been named to to the Sabine River Compact Administration. Governor Gregg Abbott has reappointed Jerry Gipson of Longview for a term to expire on July 12th, 2022. The compact is made up of two representatives from Texas, two representatives from Louisiana and one representative from the United States. The commissioners are responsible for administering the provisions of the Sabine River Compact entered into by Texas, Louisiana and the United States. Continue reading Jerry Gipson Reappointed to State Panel

TYLER – An associate professor of accounting at The University of Texas at Tyler is a 2016 recipient of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants’ Outstanding Accounting Educator Award. The award goes to Dr. Veronda Willis. The statewide award honors Texans who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and who have distinguished themselves through active service to the accounting profession. Willis has been at UT Tyler since 2009. As the former faculty adviser for Beta Alpha Psi, Willis helped UT Tyler students achieve state and regional recognition.

LONGVIEW – A Longview businessman has been taken to a Dallas hospital after being severely burned. Dudley Lang, owner of Dudley’s Cajun Café, suffered second and third degree burns Wednesday afternoon. He was airlifted to Parkland Hospital in Dallas for treatment. According to the Longview News Journal, Lang was burned by a flash fire after apparently trying to light a pilot light on a burner in the restaurant’s catering trailer. Lang, who was the only person in the trailer, was able to put out the fire himself.

MABANK — A petition is being circulated to bring back Mabank’s library cat. “Whisper” was kicked out of the Tri-County Library October 1 after the city of Mabank took control of the facility from a nonprofit. She called the place home for eight years. Animal lover Sydney Busch of Cedar Creek Lake brought her in as a kitten. Busch says, “She’s not a sit-in-your-lap cat, but she would come and sit on the table where you were reading or working, and if you wanted to pet her, she would let you pet her, and she was everywhere — everywhere that she was wanted.” Busch says she’s gotten more than 150 signatures on that petition to reinstate the friendly feline. The Mabank City Council will put Whisper’s fate to a vote when it meets on Tuesday.

TYLER — Officials have released the name of the woman killed in a hit and run in Tyler. Jana Dykes, 41, Tyler, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The accident happened around 7:45 Wednesday night on Highway 64, just west of Loop 323. The vehicle, described as a 2001 or 2002 gold Honda Civic, left the scene. Authorities said it will have passenger side front end damage and possibly a damaged or inoperable passenger side headlight. A second vehicle struck Dykes but remained at the scene.

EAST TEXAS — A wreck involving an overturned 18-wheeler has the right eastbound lane of I-20 closed, the left lane is open. The wreck happened just after 6:00 this morning near the Hideaway exit. Drivers can expect delays.

EAST TEXAS — The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that two missing teenagers, 15-year-old Abigail K. Logsdon and 14-year-old Joshua Young were found Wednesday night at approximately 11:30 p.m. According to KETK, the two teenagers went missing on Tuesday, October 25. An Amber Alert was not issued because Logsdon was considered a runaway, the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office tells KETK. Young went missing from the Kilgore area. The Gregg County Sheriff’s Office say they received information earlier this week leading them to believe Logsdon may have been with Young.

PALESTINE – A Palestine police officer has been arrested following his indictment by the Henderson County Grand Jury. Facing criminal charges is Corporal Joseph Hesseltine, 35, of Malakoff. Jail records show he has been charged with injury to a child/elderly or disabled person, criminal negligence and two counts of abandoning or endangering a child with criminal negligence. He was arrested on Tuesday. His bonds total $15,000. Nate Smith, the city’s Communications and Best Practices Officer says the police chief has placed Hasseltine on temporary unpaid leave.

LONGVIEW – A traffic stop near the Longview mall has resulted in two persons charged with drug violations. Arrested Tuesday were Jennifer Lynn Laudner, 34, of Longview and Johnathon Ray Neal, 30, of Huntington. They have been charged with possession of a controlled substance between 4 and 200 grams, two counts of possession of a controlled substance less than 1 gram and possession of a controlled substance less than 28 grams. Neal was also wanted in Angelina County for fraud. Continue reading Two Busted for Drugs in Longview

TYLER – The Tyler City Council has recognized Assistant Chief Steve Sharron for 30 years of service. The action came at Wednesday’s city council meeting. Sharron began his career with the Tyler Police Department in 1986 as a patrol officer and rose up the ranks to Assistant Chief in 2001. Continue reading Special Recognition For Tyler’s Assistant Police Chief

TYLER – A man wanted in a Tyler stabbing is in custody. Officers had been looking for Steven Bryant Chastain, 55. He is said to have stabbed a man on East Commerce Street around 7:15 Tuesday night. The victim was taken to East Texas Medical Center for surgery. Tyler police announced Wednesday Chastain was arrested by Cherokee County authorities. Acting on a tip, he was found in a wooded area and taken into custody. He has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and his bond was set at $150,000.

LONGVIEW – A Gregg County man has been sentenced to 340 years in prison for numerous robberies in Gregg County. Darrin Gerrard Brinkley, 26, of Kilgore, pled guilty to committing 17 robberies. He was given 20 years in prison for each robbery, with the terms to be served concurrently.The robberies were in numerous Gregg County towns, including Longview, Kilgore, and White Oak. His last robbery was on Estes Parkway in January. He led authorities on a chase from Longview to Smith County, where he crashed into a pond off Farm Road 1252.

TYLER – The City of Tyler has been presented a couple of awards. At Wednesday’s city council meeting, budget and beautification awards were given to the city.

The City of Tyler has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its fiscal year 2015-2016 budget document. This is the tenth consecutive year that the City of Tyler’s budget document has received this special recognition. The award comes from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. The city had to meet nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation to be considered for this award. Continue reading Tyler Wins Two Awards

MARSHALL – Marshall police are looking for a man accused of robbing a grocery. The Save-A-Lot store on East End Boulevard South was robbed shortly before 6:45 Sunday evening. A man wearing an oversize raincoat with a hood indicated he had a gun, and demanded money. He left with an undisclosed amount of cash. No injuries were reported. He is described as a white male who stands about 5’6” to 5’8” tall, has a medium build, mustache and is believed to be in his 40s.

LONGVIEW — A former Longview police officer facing several child indecency charges has been released after posting a reduced bond of $30,000, according to Gregg County court records. Michael Patrick Healy, 67, was arrested in August on grand jury indictments of indecency with a child sexual contact and attempt to commit indecency with a child sexual contact stemming from an incident in March 2011. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report Healy also previously was arrested March 18 on a separate indecency with a child sexual contact charge stemming from incidents in the 1980s and 1990s, while he was a Longview police officer. He posted $100,000 bond on that charge and was released the same day he was arrested. Continue reading Ex-Longview Lawman Free on Reduced Bond in Child Sex Case

LONGVIEW — A Gladewater man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual abuse of a child younger than 14. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Assistant Gregg County District Attorney Madison Hood said Chesley Dean Hayes, 40, was sentenced under the 2007 Jessica’s Law that enhances punishment for continuous offenses. “The statute requires at least two or more acts of sexual abuse at least 30 days apart,” Hood said. “There is no parole; the defendant will do 25 years flat.” Hood added that Hayes was also set to plead guilty to Smith County charges that will run concurrently with this punishment. Continue reading Gladewater Man Pleads Guilty, Gets 25 Years in Child Sex Abuse Case

LONGVIEW — A Longview girl who was considered a runaway has been located, according to the Longview Police Department. KETK reports that prior to being found, Mirtha Martinez, 14, was last seen around 10:00 p.m. Thursday at the Flamingo Mobile Home Park on Pine Tree Road. The investigation into why she ran away is ongoing.

POYNOR — A Frankston man has been charged in the death of his brother-in-law, who was killed Tuesday night in Poynor. According to KETK, Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse says Travis Hollis Taylor, 44, was charged with murder. Hillhouse said Taylor allegedly shot his brother-in-law, Michael Barton, with a shotgun during an argument and killed him. At around 9 p.m., deputies were dispatched to a home on N. Elm Street in Poynor. Authorities found the 47-year-old victim with gunshot wounds at the scene. Taylor’s body has been sent to Dallas for autopsy. Continue reading Frankston Man Accused of Killing In-Law

LUFKIN – The victims have been identified following a fatal accident in Lufkin, with one victim flown to a Tyler hospital. The crash occurred around 11:30 Tuesday morning on Loop 281 at Martin Luther King Drive. Lufkin police say the car, driven by Armando Zamora, 59, Lufkin, pulled into the path of a pickup and was t-boned by the pickup. The passenger, Juanita Hernandez, 56, Lufkin, was pronounced dead at the scene. Zamora was flown to Tyler’s East Texas Medical Center. The pickup’s driver, Dee Mark Alan, 27, Center, was taken to a Lufkin hospital.

TYLER – Tyler police are looking for a man wanted in connection with a stabbing. It occurred around 7:15 Tuesday night on East Commerce. An arrest warrant has been issued for Steven Bryant Chastain, 55. He is around 6’03” tall weighs 175 pounds. He has has gray hair and green eyes and may have sleeve tattoos on both arms. The man he is said to have stabbed was taken to East Texas Medical Center for surgery. If you know where Chastain can be located, you are encouraged to call 911 for police assistance or the Tyler Crime Stopper’s Unit at 903-597-CUFF.

ATHENS – A competency hearing held in Athens Tuesday found Stacie Parsons, 27, competent to stand trial in the death of her four year old daughter. A similar hearing back in April found her incompetent. With the latest ruling, Parsons’ trial is set to start November 7th. She has been charged with the death of her daughter Victoria in July, 2014. She went to the Athens Police Department and confessed to killing her daughter. Her body was found in the yard of their home. She is said to have died from head and chest trauma.

BEAUMONT – The Justice Department has made plans to, what it calls, protect the election process in East Texas. Acting United States Attorney Brit Featherston has announced an assistant U.S. Attorney has been named Election Officer for the Eastern District of Texas. Michelle Englade has been appointed to oversee the district’s complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuse in the November 8th election. In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office, including Tyler, and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day.

TYLER – Warrants have been issued for two Tyler robbery suspects. Both were easy to find. They were in the Smith County Jail on other charges. Named in the warrants were Jordan Taylor Devers, 18,(pictured) and Vernon Jones-Bigham, 20, both of Tyler. They are charged with the robbery of The Pac-N-Sac convenience store on the Loop at East Front Street on October 18. Nothing was taken from the store. The store’s clerk threatened the robber with a taser and chased the suspect, who was armed with a pocket knife, from the store. Police say Jones-Bigham robbed the store and Devers drove the get-away vehicle. Investigators are still looking into other armed robbery cases to determine if these suspects may be responsible.

PALESTINE – The Palestine City Council has named a new City Manager. He is Kevin Coleman, who is currently the city manager for Yoakum, which is north of Victoria. He has held that post since December, 2011. He was named to the position Monday night following a 45 minute executive session. Coleman and two other finalists interviewed with city officials October 18th and 19th. They were among the 40 applications from 17 states that were received for the post. The search was conducted by Strategic Government Resources of Keller, a government executive search firm. Continue reading Palestine Selects a City Manager

TYLER – A motorcyclist is in East Texas Medical Center with life threatening injuries following a Tyler accident. It started when a Tyler motorcycle officer tried to pull a motorcycle over for speeding. It occurred in a school zone on North Forest Avenue near Fun Forest Park. According to police spokesman Don Martin, the motorcycle operator, Demarcus Keyshawn Johnson, 29, of Tyler, tried to evade the officer. In the process he wrecked on Garden Valley Road just inside the North Northwest Loop.

LUFKIN – An East Texas coach, who was arrested last week, is now facing another charge. Richard Warren Cratty Jr., 31, of Nacogdoches, was charged last week with online solicitation of a minor. Cratty turned himself in Tuesday morning after a second felony warrant for his arrest was issued. He is now facing the additional charge of improper relationship between educator/student, which is a second degree felony. He is now accused of fondling a student who he had been sending improper emails to. Cratty, who had been a Zavalla High School baseball coach and also taught social studies at the Junior High, resigned on Monday.

KILGORE – The Gregg County Sheriff’s Department is asking the public’s help in locating a teenage runaway. Joshua Young, 14, was reported Tuesday to be a runaway from the Kilgore area. They believe he is still in the East Texas area. Anyone with information about Young is asked to contact Investigator Ben Reynolds at 903-237-2544 or call the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office at 903-236-8400.