KTBB News, Weather, Talk

RUSK – Two persons are dead in Cherokee County in what appears to be a murder/suicide. The bodies of 61 year old James Allan Garner and 58 year old Patricia Garner were found in a yard Monday morning on County Road 2303 South of Rusk. Both had been shot by a shotgun. Authorities feel the man shot his wife and then turned the gun on himself. Their bodies were sent to Tyler for autopsy.

LONGVIEW – A resident of Buckner Westminster Place in Longview, Puett Willcox, was recognized Tuesday afternoon by Congressman Louie Gohmert. Willcox, who is believed to be the last prisoner of World War II remaining in East Texas, received nine awards. Wilcox was 17 days shy of his 20th birthday in May, 1944, when his B-24 was shot down over Austria. He was a ball turret gunner aboard the plane. He was captured by the Germans and declared a prisoner of War. He would be held captive for a year before being released. In a special ceremony, Wilcox was presented such awards as the Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal, A Korean War Service Medal, 5 bronze oak leaf clusters & 4 bronze service stars.

TYLER — A Tyler man was arrested in Caddo Parish after agents allegedly found methamphetamine in his vehicle. According to KETK, on October 19, agents conducted surveillance at a home on Herndon Street in Shreveport, where they saw a truck and its driver believed to be involved in drug activity. Authorities said they found a pound of meth hidden in a compartment inside the truck. The meth was valued at $53,760. The driver, Juan Olvera, 25, was arrested and booked into the Caddo Correctional Center for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

LONGVIEW – A man is dead, a woman critically injured in a weekend Gregg County wreck that occurred as the two were on their way to the first annual Riders, Rockers, and Ribs biker rally. Around 9:07 Saturday morning, troopers responded to a one vehicle crash on U.S. 259 in Gregg County near Longview. According to DPS, preliminary crash investigation revealed that a group of motorcyclists were traveling northbound on 259 when the group slowed to make a right turn. A rider in the group braked, losing control of his motorcycle, ejecting both rider and passenger. Continue reading Fatal Gregg County Wreck

ATHENS – A Henderson County man, who was arrested in Smith County, has been indicted in an Athens murder. The Henderson County grand jury indicted last week Jeremy Robert Lane, 25, of Athens, He had been charged with the August 6th murder of Mark Groendyk, 27, of New Jersey. The victim was stabbed multiple times at a party early that morning. Lane was arrested around 17 hours later at a friends home on County Road 1100 near Flint.

MARSHALL – A 100-year-old time capsule has been discovered on the Campus of East Texas Baptist University in Marshall. It was found in the Marshall Hall building’s cornerstone. Inside the the cornerstone capsule were items dating from 1916 when the University’s Marshall Hall building was constructed. The items were displayed during the Founder’s Day celebration over the weekend. According to the school’s website, the capsule included a copy of the Marshall News Messenger paper from February, 21, 1916 as well as a wheat penny, Indian head penny, bread tag, Baptist Standard issue and a copy of The Harrison County Newspaper from February 17, 1916. The university first learned of the capsule last fall when a freshman began research on the Marshall Hall building and its cornerstone. Added to the items from 1916 will be items from 2016. The time capsule will be sealed and placed back into the cornerstone for future generations to discover.

LONGVIEW — Police are asking the public’s help in finding a runaway Longview teenager. Mirtha Martinez was last seen around 10:00 Thursday night at the Flamingo Mobile Home Park on Pine Tree Road. According to the police department’s Facebook page, they do not have a clothing description of what she was wearing when last seen. Officials ask anyone with information about Mirtha’s whereabouts please call Longview police at 903-237-1199.

LONGVIEW – Starting today, a new traffic signal is operating at Fourth Street and Eastman Road (US 259) in Longview. It will be flashing yellow until October 31, at which point it will become a fully operational traffic signal. Motorists are asked use caution while work is being completed. This traffic signal work is funded from the available street bond funds as well as private funding. This project consists of installing a traffic signal with ramps and pedestrian walk-way.

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the Week of October 24th. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues.

Smith County – Tyler Maintenance plans to conduct base repairs on FM 15 between Troup and Wright City. Edge repairs will be performed on FM 1995. Expect lane closures at both locations with flaggers providing traffic control. Continue reading TxDOT Road Projects

GILMER – A missing Gilmer woman has been found and is hospitalized in Tyler. Olivia Torres, 30, of Gilmer, who is 8 months pregnant, disappeared on Friday.Torres said she was going to work at the Union Hill booth at the East Texas Yamboree. Her family said her car was still parked at the Gilmer Church of Christ where she left it on Friday. Her family said she was found besides South Mimosa Road in western Upshur County and taken to Tyler’s Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital. She is said to be in stable condition. Her unborn twins are also said to be OK.

LUFKIN – A woman who had just moved to Lufkin has died in a two vehicle accident. Killed in the Friday night accident was Brennan Lucille Fisher, 20. The accident occurred On East Loop 287 at Martin Luther King Drive. She was a passenger in a car that was using a crossover at the intersection. An 18-wheeler was also attempting to use the crossover. The car in which Fisher was riding passed the truck and pulled into the path of a pickup, which T-boned her car on the passenger side. Four persons were injured. The driver of Fisher’s vehicle, Emily Pharris, 19, of Lufkin, was ticketed for no driver’s license and failure to yield at an intersection.

JACKSONVILLE – The Texas Department of Transportation is changing the operation of the traffic signal at the intersection of Bolton (FM 347) and Kickapoo streets in Jacksonville as part of its traffic signal removal process. Beginning today, “STOP” and “STOP AHEAD” signs will be placed on the Kickapoo Street approach to the intersection. Once the signs have been installed, the signal will flash yellow on Bolton Street allowing traffic to proceed through the intersection with caution but without stopping. On Kickapoo Street, the signal will flash red meaning the traffic must stop before continuing through the intersection. Continue reading Change for a Jacksonville Traffic Signal

TYLER (AP) – U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert says Donald Trump is a flawed candidate who is not the “salvation” of the conservative movement but instead is a “reprieve.” The Republican warned that if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency and nominates the next U.S. Supreme Court justice “then this country is done as we know it.” The Tyler Morning Telegraph reports that Gohmert cautioned against voter apathy or even discouragement in the GOP ranks because it may undercut Trump’s efforts to win the White House. He delivered his remarks last week to the Smith County Republican Women’s Club. Gohmert represents Texas’ 1st Congressional District, which stretches across much of East Texas. He’s being challenged in the November 8 general election by Democrat Shirley McKellar.

TYLER – The man accused of the fatal shooting of a deputy constable’s K-9, has pleaded guilty in a Tyler court. In a plea deal, Michael Paul Koch, 36, of Grand Saline, pleaded guilty Friday to interference with a service animal, evading arrest, unlawful possession of a firearm, manufacturing meth and theft. He will serve all sentences concurrently, meaning a 40 year prison term. Koch had been accused of shooting of K-9 Constable Ogar following a traffic stop on on Interstate Highway 20 on January 19th. Koch was arrested in a Dallas Wal-Mart four days later.

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler is a finalist for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s 2016 Star Award. The school has been recognized for its Insight Motivated Marketing 360 curriculum within the Department of Management and Marketing. The winner will be announced at a reception next Wednesday in Austin. According to a news release from the school, UT Tyler’s IMM360 program provides marketing students a set of general and specific marketable skills through a 360-degree view of how suppliers and retailers work together to serve their customers. IMM360 offers a curriculum designed to help students understand the role of data in marketing decision making and uses state-of-the-industry technology and data from resources such as The Nielsen Company, JDA, Learning Evolutions and SAP.

LUFKIN – Following the arrest this week of a Lufkin teacher for improper relationship between educator and student, now a coach in Angelina County has now been arrested. An investigator for the sheriff’s department, along with a Texas Ranger, arrested 31 year old Richard Warren Cratty Jr. of Nacogdoches. He has been charged with online solicitation of a minor. The school district’s website show he is a Zavalla High School baseball coach and also teachers social studies at the Junior High.

LONGVIEW – The Longview News-Journal is presenting a new event in Downtown Longview today. Rockers, Riders and Ribs started the set up late Friday afternoon. Several downtown streets were closed to motor traffic starting at 5:00pm Friday. Barricades were placed on several streets east of Fredonia Street. Continue reading Some Downtown Longview Streets Closed This Weekend

TYLER – You can get rid of old medications in Tyler today. The Tyler Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Agency, are hosting a “no questions asked” medication drop off. It will be from 10:00 till 2:00 at the CVS pharmacy on South Broadway at 5th Street. Tyler police detective Andy Erbaugh says the drive-through event is free and allows you to turn in unused and expired medications for safe disposal. It is important to clean out your medicine cabinet, especially if you have children. Young children may confuse it with something to eat or drink and keeping unneeded medications with teenagers can lead to potential drug abuse. Continue reading Tyler’s Medication Drop Off

TYLER — Liberty Utilities held another town hall meeting for East Texas customers Thursday night. It’s in response to more than 1,000 people protesting a rate increase that would more than triple some customers’ monthly bills. According to KETK, around 100 people attended the meeting for customers who live outside the city limits. After seeing the community fight back, the company asked the Public Utility Commission of Texas to stop processing its rate application until further notice or December 31, 2016, whichever comes first. Continue reading Questions Remain Following Liberty Utilities Town Hall

TYLER – A young boy has been critically injured in a two car accident in Tyler. It happened around 3:00 Thursday afternoon near the intersection of West Gentry Parkway and North Bois D Arc. An SUV heading east on West Gentry ended up crossing over the west bound lanes and into the parking lot of the Family Dollar Store. It then hit a pickup that was leaving the parking lot. The pickup rolled and ended up on its side with the woman driver partially ejected. A 4 year old boy in a rear safety seat in the SUV received life threatening injuries and was flown to Dallas for treatment. The two drivers were hospitalized. Police say alcohol is not thought to be a factor in the accident. The investigation of the crash is ongoing.

GILMER – A two vehicle accident in Upshur County has left one person dead and one injured. It occurred just before 8:30 Thursday morning on U.S. Highway 271 near Gilmer. Dead at the scene was Leno Garza Aguirre, 20, of Mt. Pleasant. Taken to East Texas Medical Center-Pittsburg for treatment was James Fuller, 47, of Jacksonville. The preliminary report from the Department of Public safety says Aguirre was traveling at an unsafe speed on the wet road. His car lost traction and started to skid and rotate. It crossed into the opposite lane of traffic and hit Fuller’s vehicle.