KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LONGVIEW — Considerable damage is reported in a Longview fire. Officials say at or around 2:00 a.m. on Monday, the Longview Fire Department responded to a detached garage at the residence located at 300 N. Lane Wells. On arrival, fire crews found a fully involved stand alone structure. The content, which included a pickup truck being restored, was a complete loss; the garage was also a total loss. The cause of the fire was faulty electrical wiring. The fire was unintentional, and no injuries were reported.

TYLER – In an effort to better educate communities throughout the U.S. about smoke alarm recommendations, the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA ) is promoting “Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With!” as the theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign. Fire Prevention Week runs Oct. 3-9, and the Tyler Fire Department is it supporting locally. NFPA has been the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for 88 years.

“Many homes in the City of Tyler may not have any smoke alarms, not enough smoke alarms, alarms that are too old, or alarms that are not working,” says Paul Findley, Fire Marshal of the Tyler Fire Department. “We want residents to understand that working smoke alarms are needed in every home, on every level (including the basement), outside each sleeping area and inside each bedroom. And, if a smoke alarm is 10 years old or older, it needs to be replaced.”

According to Findley, smoke alarms can mean the difference between life and death in a fire. NFPA statistics show that working smoke alarms cut the chance of dying in a fire nearly in half. But they must be working properly to do so. The association’s data shows that many homes have smoke alarms that aren’t working or maintained properly, usually because of missing, disconnected or dead batteries. Roughly two-thirds of all home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

NFPA and the Tyler Fire Department agree that interconnected smoke alarms offer the best protection; when one sounds, they all do. This is particularly important in larger or multi-story homes, where the sound from distant smoke alarms may be reduced to the point that it may not be loud enough to provide proper warning, especially for sleeping individuals.

“Most people have a sense of complacency about smoke alarms because they already have one in their homes. Fire Prevention Week provides an excellent opportunity to re-educate people about smoke alarms, new technologies and expanded options for installation and maintenance,” says Judy Comoletti, division manager for NFPA public education. “Ultimately, we want this year’s campaign to serve as a call to action for households nationwide to inspect their homes to ensure that their families have the full smoke alarm protection that’s recommended.”

The Tyler Fire Department offers the following tips for making sure smoke alarms are maintained and working properly:

· Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button, and make sure everyone in your home knows their sound.
· If an alarm “chirps,” warning the battery is low, replace the battery right away.
· Replace all smoke alarms, including alarms that use 10-year batteries and hard-wired alarms, when they’re 10 years old (or sooner) if they do not respond properly when tested.
· Never remove or disable a smoke alarm.

To find out more about Fire Prevention Week programs and activities in the City of Tyler, you can contact the Tyler Fire Department at (903)535-0005. Visit NFPA’s Web site at http://www.firepreventionweek.org to learn more about “Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With!”

LONGVIEW — A man is in custody after police say he bit an officer. According to a police report, at around 12:01 Monday morning, a Longview officer stopped a vehicle for speeding in the 3100 block of South Eastman Road. Once the vehicle was stopped, the officer made contact with the driver, but police say the driver fled from the officer on foot. According to authorities, the officer caught the driver, Devarduus Hawkins, on Lilly Street. But police say as the two struggled, Hawkins managed to escape by removing his shirt. Authorities say the officer continued to chase Hawkins and captured him again in a wooded area.

Officials report that as the officer attempted to get Hawkins under control and into handcuffs, Hawkins bit the officer twice on the arms. Other officers arrived to assist, and police say Hawkins was finally handcuffed and placed under arrest. The 22-year-old Hawkins, of Longview, was booked into the Gregg County Jail for assaulting an officer, evading arrest, and possession of dangerous drugs. The officer was treated at Good Shepherd Medical Center for non-life threatening injuries.

LONGVIEW — In an effort to improve services to citizens, the Longview Police Department has implemented an on-line service for obtaining copies of traffic accident reports. This service will allow the public, and their insurance companies, the flexibility of receiving reports on-line and will eliminate the need to travel to the Police Department to obtain an accident report.

To search for an accident report, you must have the report number OR date of accident AND last name of the driver. The report is then immediately displayed and available for printing. The cost of the on-line service is $9.00 per report. Citizens will still have the option of coming to the Police Department to obtain a report for $6.00. Only reports for accidents that have occurred after September 1, 2010 are available on-line.

The Longview Police Department recommends that you allow a minimum of five working days after the accident has occurred before attempting to access the report. Some accidents may require additional time to process. Go to http://www.longviewpolice.com to locate the link to the online accident reports under the “quick links” section.

LONGVIEW — Three suspects are in custody after a neighbor holds one at gunpoint. Kevin Bender, 22, Cleon Smith Jr., 21 and Christopher Lister, 19, all of Longview, were arrested Friday after officers responded to a “shots fired” call at 514 Level Street. When officers arrived, they found a citizen detaining Lister at gunpoint. The citizen told officers he had seen the trio burglarizing a neighbor’s house at 514 Level Street and attempted to stop them when two of the suspects fled in a vehicle. When Lister then exited the house with the victim’s property in-hand, the citizen fired a shot into the air and demanded Lister to get on the ground. Lister complied and was taken into custody by officers.

An officer located the suspect vehicle at 111 Brooks Street. Smith Jr. and Bender were located hiding inside the residence and were taken into custody. All three suspects were booked into the Gregg County Jail for burglary of a habitation.

VAN — Van High School is still battling a staph outbreak, so parents are invited to a meeting to help guard their children from the dangerous infection. Many of the students are infected, most being football players. According to KETK, it’s because football players are more likely to have open wounds. The type of staph infection found at Van, MRSA, is resistant to many types of drugs and can be deadly. The meeting for parents will be at the Van High School library tonight at 7:00 p.m.

MARSHALL — East Texas Baptist University has announced it has received a $500,000 gift from the estate of Frances Louise “Peggy” Nehls. The Nehls Nursing Scholarship will be used to help worthy students to achieve their goal of becoming a nurse. “We are so thankful for the gift that Peggy Nehls has left ETBU and the School of Nursing,” said Leslie Borcherding, ETBU Interim Dean of the Nursing Department. “The scholarships will benefit nursing students tremendously.”

According to the school’s website, Frances Louise “Peggy” Nehls passed away on June 20 in Longview. She lived in Graham and Kilgore before moving to Marshall in the late 1930s. Ms. Nehls, was affectionately known to her many friends as “Peggy.” According to her friends she was a very generous and kind person, helping many throughout her life.

The ETBU nursing program began in 1992 and has produced 319 graduates. Many graduates remain in East Texas to work. The last three graduating classes have achieved a 100% pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) examination. The NCLEX-RN examination is the national licensing exam that students must pass to legally work as a Registered Nurse.

UNDATED — Here’s a quick look at events and work planned in the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation

HENDERSON COUNTY — Preliminary construction work is scheduled to begin this week on the State Highway 198 bridge at Twin Creek Lake just south of Gun Barrel City. The $21 million Twin Creek project, which is being built by the same contractor, Concho Construction Company, Inc., of Garland, will be nearly identical to the Caney Creek project, which was completed in August. The Caney Creek project, which was the first of the three SH 198 bridges on Cedar Creek Reservoir to be rebuilt, called for building a new, two-lane bridge next to the old, existing bridge, then shifting traffic to the new bridge while the original bridge was replaced. The end result is four lanes of traffic on SH 198, with the northbound and southbound traffic running on separate bridges.

“We’ve been very fortunate with our funding when it comes to bridges,” Krantz said. “We’ve had these SH 198 bridge projects ready to go as soon as funding was available, and now we’re working on the second of the three bridges.” No funding has been identified for the third bridge, which is between Twin Creek and Caney Creek.

Also this week in Henderson County, TxDOT maintenance crews are scheduled to continue base and pavement repairs on Ranch Road 2588 south of LaRue, and to perform resurfacing operations on Farm Road 2010 between Farm Road 279 near Edom and Farm Road 315 in Chandler. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue several days of resurfacing operations in various locations along State Highway 43 between Henderson and Tatum before moving to U.S. Highway 84 later in the week.

A second crew is scheduled to perform shoulder repair work on U.S. Highway 259 south of Kilgore. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

ANDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs on U.S. Highway 287 between Cayuga and the Freestone County Line. A second crew is scheduled to perform resurfacing operations in various locations on Farm Road 315 between U.S. Highway 175 in Poynor and Farm Road 837 in Brushy Creek. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue base and pavement repair operations on Farm Road 751 in the northwest corner of the county between the Hunt County Line and Farm Road 47 in Wills Point. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations in various locations on U.S. Highway 80 in and around Hawkins. Crews are also scheduled to perform edge repairs on State Highway 154 east of Farm Road 312, and on Farm Road 778 between Farm Road 49 and US 80. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

TYLER — Tyler developer Ed Thompson is kicking his North Chase project into high gear. Thompson says he wants to revitalize Tyler’s north side through affordable housing along with retail, commercial, office, and green space. On KTBB “Staff Meeting,” Thompson said he’s had success with other northside efforts that initially met with skepticism. Now he’s inviting the public to support his new effort at North Broadway and the Loop. As one example, Thompson says he’d like to hear from you if you know of organizations that might be willing to relocate. According to Thompson, North Chase will kick off with a pair of quality affordable housing communities. The development has drawn lots of support from the city. You can go to http://www.northchasetyler.com for more information. The “Staff Meeting” show can be heard online at http://www.ktbb.com/audio beginning early Monday.

TYLER — The League of Women Voters of Tyler/Smith County holds a candidate forum for the November elections tonight at 7:00 at the TISD Plyler Complex, 807 West Glenwood. The League’s Shirley Hightower says, “We see this as part of our most important mission of informing voters and encouraging voters to have a voice.” She adds that this is your chance to meet the candidates, find out what they’re all about, and then make up your own mind on how you’re going to vote. Local candidates for Congress and the state legislature have been invited, as well as hopefuls for agriculture commissioner and State Supreme Court Place 9. The League will also present the winners of a student video competition on getting out the vote. You can go to http://www.lwvtexas.org to download the League’s statewide Voters Guide. Don’t forget, today’s the last day to register to vote in the November elections.

NEW YORK CITY — The chairman and CEO of Tyler-based Southside Bancshares, Inc., presided over the NASDAQ Opening Bell ceremony Monday morning. B. G. Hartley did the honors at the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York City’s Times Square as part of Southside’s 50th anniversary celebration. Hartley says, “We are honored to celebrate this milestone with one of our most valued partners. Our association with NASDAQ has been extremely positive, providing Southside Bancshares, Inc. increased exposure that has been an integral part of our growth.”

GREGG COUNTY — A brush fire near Longview closes streets and sends smoke in the air visible for miles. According to KETK, it happened Saturday near the intersection of Pliler Precise and Airline. Several fire departments were on hand to put out the blaze, which burned through a pasture across the street from a neighborhood. The cause of the blaze is unknown. The intersection of East Pliler Precise and Airline was closed Saturday afternoon. The fire has been brought under control.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tyler Congressman Louie Gohmert is weighing in on border security following a recent shooting. That’s according to KETK. David and Tiffany Hartley were sightseeing on jetskis on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake when a group of pirates shot David in the back of the head. Tiffany tried to rescue her husband but could not. Saturday morning Gohmert appeared on “Fox and Friends,” where he said if the border were more secure, this wouldn’t have happened. “If we had people on this 16-mile lake who are out there to protect American citizens, then the bad guys know they gotta go somewhere else. You see that all the time in police action. If people know that you are going to defend your land, then they go somewhere else.”

Gohmert is the co-sponsor of a bill that calls for 10,000 more national guardsman along the Mexican border. “It would be really shocking except this is like the fifth reported incident this year, this is not anything new,” Gohmert said.

TYLER — It’s the final day of the East Texas State Fair, and spokespeople say you can “have one last blast” today. Gate hours are 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.; the carnival is open beginning at 11:00 a.m. $25 at the gate gets you admission and unlimited rides; it’s $4 gate admission without an unlimited-ride armband. You can go to http://www.etstatefair.com to learn more.

TYLER — According to East Texas health officials, the national epidemic of obesity has drastically increased over the past few years, and Tyler is not immune. To help combat obesity, organizations from across East Texas have come together to start Tyler’s Fit City Challenge and will be hosting a kick-off event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23, at Bergfeld Park. “The Northeast Texas Public Health District views the concurrent epidemic of obesity and sedentary lifestyles as the greatest threat to the health of Tyler,” said George Roberts, CEO of the Northeast Texas Public Health District. “Doctors who care for children are concerned because kids being born right now are not expected to live as long as their parents.”

Roberts says the Fit City Challenge is a community-wide campaign to promote healthy, fitter lifestyles for Tyler and Smith County residents. Roberts adds that the kick-off event is designed to give the community the information they need to make healthier choices. According to health district press materials, the event will feature healthy activities for all ages, cooking demonstrations, guest speakers, health and nutrition information, fitness and exercise demonstrations, and health screenings. Booth space at the kick-off event is still available. If your organization would like to participate, you can go online to http://www.FitCityTyler.com and complete the application.