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TYLER — The trial of Carmel Foster is now set for next Monday in Smith County’s 7th District Court. That’s after Foster made court appearances Monday and Tuesday of this week. According to KETK, Foster is accused of injecting an unknown substance into a woman’s breast during an illegal breast augmentation, after which the victim was hospitalized. She is charged with practicing medicine without a license. Foster, on the right in the attached picture, owns the Queen Divas salon in Tyler, where the procedures allegedly were performed. She faces up to 10 years in prison as well as a $10,000 fine if she is convicted.

TYLER — Tyler ISD trustees met Monday for the first time to discuss a replacement for Superintendent Dr. Randy Reid. Reid was recently named the sole finalist for the superintendent job in the Keller school district. By state law, the Keller ISD board must wait 21 days before finalizing its decision. But Tyler school trustees tell KETK it’s important to move quickly and fill Reid’s shoes. Reid has been with Tyler ISD for the last five years. He says, “We’re excited; we have mixed emotions. Tyler’s been a great place for my family and I. We are excited about the opportunity to move to a larger district and be back close to my family as well.” Reid says he plans to help the new interim superintendent get acclimated before he takes off. The board can’t take action, though, until after July 23. That’s when Reid is on track to be officially named Keller’s superintendent.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating missing a missing Tyler teen. Jadarion Buckley, 18, was last seen around 5:00 Monday afternoon at Trinity Mother Francis Hospital where he was being evaluated. Against medical advice, Jadarion left the hospital. He was last seen wearing a hospital gown and may have been picked up by a waiting vehicle. Jadarion is not in immediate physical danger but is possibly suicidal and in need of further evaluation. Anyone with information on Jadarion’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000.

SMITH COUNTY — A woman falls asleep at the wheel before driving her car off the road. Witnesses tell KETK News the driver was speeding before the crash. It happened on Highway 64 in Smith County around 8:00 Monday morning. The car flipped sideways, and then rolled over into some trees. The driver was taken to a local hospital, where she was last listed in stable condition.

TYLER — In the next week, a random sampling of 2,000 Tyler residents will receive a survey in the mail asking for their input about City services and community planning. This is all part of the five-year update to Tyler’s comprehensive plan, Tyler 21. “It is hard to believe that it has been almost five years since the Council adopted the Tyler 21 Plan,” said Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass. “Much has been accomplished toward implementation of the original goals; however, the plan calls for an update every five years to ensure it remains current and reflects the desires of the community.” The formal planning phase will start in November; however, the City is conducting the community survey now so that the results will be available as the process moves forward.

“A cornerstone of the planning effort is citizen input and involvement, including the citizen survey,” added Bass. “The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete and will aid the City of Tyler in taking a resident-driven approach to making decisions that will enrich the future of the community and positively affect the lives of its residents.” ETC Institute, an independent consulting company, was selected to administer the survey. ETC will compile the data received and present the results to the City. Individual responses will remain confidential.

The mailed survey will contain a link that allows for it to be completed on the web. Also, two days prior to receiving the mailed survey, each of the selected households will receive an electronic voice message informing it about the survey. Approximately 10 days after the surveys are mailed out, extensive phone follow-up will be conducted either to encourage completion of the mailed survey or to administer the survey by phone. “This approach allows us to ensure that the demographic distribution of the sample matches the actual composition of the community,” said City Planner Heather Nick. “This survey is intended to ‘take the temperature’ of the community for a reading on the prevailing concerns on residents’ minds.” You can go to http://www.cityoftyler.org to read up on the background of Tyler 21.

TYLER — A two-alarm fire destroyed a Tyler house in a matter of minutes. Firefighters responded to 3125 Old Noonday Road just after 5:00 yesterday morning. KETK reports the roof of the vacant house was gone when fire crews arrived. All units had cleared the scene by 9:45am. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

TYLER — A Regional Transportation Call Center is one step closer to reality. The East Texas Council of Governments, the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority, Smith County Commissioners Court, NDMJ Ltd. Transportation Services, LLC Transportation, and EasTexConnects have been awarded a $231,000 Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative Capital Grant. The money comes from the U.S Department of Transportation through the Texas Department of Transportation. The grant is to establish a One-Stop Regional Transportation Call Center to provide a resource for transportation and mobility information in the fourteen-county East Texas region. The Call Center is a major component of the Smith County Regional Coordinated Traveler Management System (CTMS) which will be located in Smith County.

According to officials, the Call Center seeks to increase the value of transportation assets to veterans and other East Texans — along with reducing congestion, enhancing safety, improving air quality, and expanding economic opportunity. Officials say the Call Center will include joint dispatching operation capabilities and offer all residents of the region, particularly veterans and those with mobility challenges, a streamlined service to assist them in meeting their mobility needs. Advanced systems such as inter-operable communications, automated vehicle locators and GPS technologies will be used to improve accessibility and contribute to broader traveler mobility.

“Having a central transportation call station that is easily accessible to all East Texans is a big step in the right direction as we look to the future of transportation in our region,” said Smith County Judge Joel Baker. Smith County Precinct 4 Commissioner JoAnn Hampton added, “County residents will have the means to plan a trip to the grocery store or to the DFW airport with a simple phone call.” EasTexConnects, a transportation coordination committee administered by ETCOG, identified the Call Center as a high-priority strategy in its 2006 Regional Transportation Coordination Plan, which was updated in 2011.

Officials say the project will be executed as soon as the implementation plan, which includes the project schedule, has been approved by the grant recipients. Smith County officials expect the funds to be available in October; they say the implementation plan will be completed prior to that date.

KARNACK – The pilot of a twin engine airplane died when the plane crashed in Harrison County over the weekend. The pilot has been identified as Jerome Jaquin, 52, of Mexico. The plane went down about two miles south of Karnack, near State Highway 43. The wreckage was discovered late Saturday morning.

The Department of Public Safety reports the airplane was flying from Dekalb, Illinois to Brownsville, Texas when it crashed. It appears as if the plane was caught in a thunderstorm and lost its wings and an engine at 12,000 feet, and then fell to the ground. Federal authorities are investigating.

LUFKIN – One person has been killed and one injured in a two vehicle accident near Lufkin. The crash occurred around 1:00 Sunday morning on U.S. Highway 69 just north of Loop 287. Killed was Victor Songcuan, 51, of Lufkin. The Department of Public Safety reports his motorcycle rear ended a car driven by Gloria Taylor Martines, 61, of Nacogdoches. Songcuan died about six hours after the accident at Lufkin’s Memorial Hospital. Martines is hospitalized at Lufkin’s Woodland Heights Medical Center.

TYLER — Here’s a quick look at work planned in the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation.

SMITH COUNTY — The Texas Department of Transportation’s annual preventative maintenance program known as “District-Wide Seal Coat” is scheduled to begin work later this week in Smith County, weather permitting. Crews are scheduled to apply a seal coat to the following roads:
*State Highway 31 between West Loop 323 and Farm Road 206 (Old Goodyear Plant);
*State Highway 57 (West Grande Extension) between State Highway 155 (Frankston Highway) and Farm Road 2493 (Old Jacksonville Highway);
*Farm Road 2964 (Rhone’s Quarter Road) between State Highway 110 in Tyler and Farm Road 346 in Whitehouse;
*Farm Road 346 between State Highway 110 in Whitehouse and State Highway 110 in Troup
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. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

Also this week in Smith County, construction crews are scheduled to continue several weeks of nighttime work on Tyler’s WSW Loop 323 between State Highway 155 (Frankston Highway) and Bellwood Drive, which is just south of the railroad overpass near West Front Street.

Crews are scheduled to work from 7:00pm to 5:00am, Sunday-Thursday repairing and then resurfacing the roadway. Temporary lane-closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and motorists should be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

Finally in Smith County, TxDOT maintenance crews are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on Farm Road 16 in Lindale on either side of U.S. Highway 69. Daytime lane closures will be in effect, and flaggers will control traffic.

GREGG COUNTY — The Texas Department of Transportation’s annual preventative maintenance program known as “District-Wide Seal Coat” is scheduled to continue work this week in Gregg County, weather permitting. Crews are scheduled to apply a seal coat to:
*Farm Road M 1252 between State Highway 135 near Liberty City and SH 42;
*Farm Road 2087 between Loop 281 in Longview and Farm Road 349 in Kilgore;
*Farm Road 3053 between State Highway 31 and Rusk County Line
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. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

Also this week in Gregg County, TxDOT maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin ditch work on State Highway 149 between Farm Road 2906 (Easton Road) and the Rusk County Line. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin approximately two weeks of pavement repairs on U.S. Highway 79 east of Henderson between the city limits and the Panola County Line. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers and pilot vehicles will control traffic.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin seal coat operations on Farm Road 1653 between Farm Road 858 in Martins Mill and State Highway 64. Once that work is complete, crews are scheduled to perform the same work on Farm Road 17 between State Highway 64 in Canton and Interstate Highway 20. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application.

Also this week in Van Zandt County, TxDOT crews will be performing edge work on Farm Road 2339, between Farm Road 773 and Farm Road 279 in Edom.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — TxDOT maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin edge work on Farm Road 855 between U.S. Highway 69 in Mount Selman and Farm Road 2137. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations on Farm Road 753 southwest of Athens between State Highway 19 and Farm Road 59 in Cross Roads. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

ANDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations in various locations on Farm Road 860, between U.S. Highway 287 and State Highway 19. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

TYLER — The Historic Aviation Memorial Museum at the old Tyler Pounds Field hosted the Historic Aviation Memorial Saturday, giving East Texans a chance to see history up close and personal. KETK reports the motto was “Keeping history alive.” The presentation was a static display preceding the Thunder Over Cedar Creek Air Show. Pilots flew in on bombers, jets, and other aircraft from Houston, San Marcos, and other areas of the state. All of the planes were manned, and kept up by volunteers, who say they put in the work not out of a duty to keep history alive; instead they call it an honor. And with shows like these, they say it gives visitors a chance to take part in living history.

TYLER — Tyler police make some headway in their investigation of a June 29 stabbing at the Moore Grocery Loft Apartments, 408 North Broadway. According to a news release, investigators have acquired the assistance of a forensic artist with the Texas Rangers Evidential Art and Facial Identification Unit to provide a composite drawing of the suspect. Further suspect description is as follows: black male, 5’10” to 6’0” tall, thin build, not muscular, short hair, thin mustache, wearing a pastel pink short sleeve crew neck t-shirt and blue jeans. Officers determined that an altercation occurred inside the apartment building on the 29th, and they located a 40-year-old woman with multiple stab wounds. She was transported to ETMC.

Anyone with information about the suspect involved in this crime is urged to contact the Tyler Police Department, at 903-531-1000, or Crimestoppers, at 903-597-CUFF (903-597-2833). Crimestoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information that leads to arrests and charges filed in this, or any, felony case.

TYLER — A delegation from Selcuk University in Konya, Turkey, is currently visiting Tyler Junior College and The University of Texas at Tyler, as the institutions discuss the possibility of a faculty exchange program. Selcuk University President Dr. Hakki Gokbel and Vice Presidents Dr. Musa Ozcan and Dr. Ibrahim Ercan will meet with TJC President Dr. Mike Metke and UT Tyler President Dr. Rod Mabry. They will also meet Mayor Barbara Bass, tour the TJC and UT Tyler main campuses, and visit local landmarks and businesses.

Selcuk University has hosted travel study groups led by TJC Government Professor Dr. Manoucher Khosrowshahi for many years. Khosrowshahi has served as guide and tour organizer for Turkey travel study on 24 occasions. Metke and Mabry participated in 2010. Khosrowshahi said exchange programs between colleges and universities help to “promote peace and mutual understanding between nations.”

As part of its international initiatives, UT Tyler launched its Global Awareness Through Education program in fall 2011. GATE is designed to increase global awareness among students, according to Dr. Jill Blondin, UT Tyler Center for Global Education director. Among its annual international activities, TJC conducts International Day for students of all ages each April. The daylong fair is organized by Khosrowshahi. TJC and UT Tyler also partner in a community service program in Costa Rica each spring. Selcuk University has an enrollment of approximately 90,000 students and is one of the largest universities in Turkey.

HOUSTON (AP/Staff) – Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson has been arrested in Houston on a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest. That’s after an early Saturday morning incident in which it reportedly it took three officers to subdue him. The 27-year-old Peterson was a star at Palestine High School. He was released from jail later Saturday on a $1,000 bond. Team spokesman Bob Hagan says the Vikings “are aware of the situation and are gathering more information.”

SMITH COUNTY — Fire crews say one home has been destroyed in a northern Smith County blaze that started as a grass fire and spread. KETK reports that Red Springs, Lindale, and Dixie volunteer firefighters responded. Crews were initially called to a structure fire at 1790 Montgomery Gardens outside Tyler. The fire broke out just before 3:00 p.m. on Friday. No injuries have been reported.

TYLER — Two kittens were illegally dumped at a Smith County veterinary clinic in June, and the hunt is on for those responsible. Surveillance video from the clinic shows two people in a pickup truck driving up to the West Tyler Veterinary Clinic on the 13000 block of Hwy. 64 West just before 6:00 a.m. June 28 and dropping off two male kittens in a box. Officials with the clinic say that they get illegal dumps all the time, and their business is not intended to be a drop-off spot. Veterinarian Shelley Williams tells KETK that the clinic neutered the kittens, and they were adopted later that day. If you have any information about the people involved in this crime, you’re asked to contact local law enforcement.

TYLER (AP) – A retired Tyler dentist says he regrets fatally shooting his wife of 26 years. Dr. Bobby Nichols told The Associated Press on Friday that he misses and loved his wife. He said, “We just got in a fight and I screwed up and killed her with a gun.” Tyler police arrested the 75-year-old and charged him with the June 29 death of 71-year-old Rosiland Nichols. He’s charged with murder and free on $750,000 bond. Nichols said he’s never been in trouble, but after a few drinks with his buddies he came home and his wife began nagging him. Nichols said he doesn’t really “remember what happened” before the shooting. He said it was “almost like blacking out,” so he had hoped it was only a dream.

LONGVIEW — Longview police are seeking the public’s help as they continue working a stolen credit card case from this past spring. On April 23 at 4:16 p.m., police received a report of a vehicle burglary that occurred in the 3000 Block of Good Shepherd Way. The victim told police that on April 22 between 2-3 p.m. someone had entered his vehicle and removed several credit cards from his wallet. The victim’s credit cards were used at various locations on that same date.

The suspect is believed to be of Hispanic, Asian, or Middle Eastern descent, with black hair, approximately 35-40 years of age, and with an athletic build. The suspect was wearing sunglasses, a long-sleeved button-up shirt, with a white undershirt, and light-colored slacks. Video was obtained at one of the stores where the cards were used. When the suspect left the store, he was seen entering a dark colored, late model four-door Chevrolet Silverado pickup. The driver of the vehicle, who accompanied the suspect inside the store, is described as a younger male with a thin build and may be possibly of Hispanic, Middle Eastern, or Asian descent.

Anyone who has information regarding the identity of the card user is asked to contact Detective Melissa Dobbs at 903-237-1199. If the tipster wishes to remain anonymous he or she can also contact Gregg County Crimestoppers at http://www.greggcountycrimestoppers.org or 903-236-STOP (7867). Longview Police again urge people to lock their vehicles and take their valuables with them.

GILMER — Bond has been set at $50,000 for the Upshur County man accused of hanging a donkey from a tree, according to the county judicial records. KETK reports 35-year-old Anthony Bassler was arrested on Tuesday. It was his second arrest on animal cruelty charges. Bassler claimed that the donkey was dead before he hung it in the tree to be used as panther bait. However, according to Upshur County Sheriff officials, the evidence suggests that the animal may have been alive at the time.

LONGVIEW — Another arrest in connection to a Monday shooting at Willow Park in Longview. According to KETK, five people have been linked to the crime. Billie Beall Jr., Adrian Parker, Tyrell Jerome Allen, Eric Adams, and Bobby lee thompson were all arrested. After a short chase following the shooting, police stopped a car in the front yard of a house on Flanagan Street. officers found an assault rifle and two handguns in the car, along with bullet holes through the exterior. The investigation continues.

OVERTON — One of Texas’ Top 10 Most Wanted criminals was arrested Tuesday night at a home in Overton. On July 2, someone tipped off law enforcement agencies on the whereabouts of William Darrell Richardson, 47. According to KETK, Richardson was wanted on parole violations stemming from a murder conviction. The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office and DPS, including a DPS helicopter, went to the location and arrested Richardson without incident. He was taken to the Rusk County Jail, where he remains. According to authorities, Richardson is a known member of the Aryan Circle gang. The person who tipped off law enforcement will be paid a reward of $5,000.

LUFKIN – The body of a pedestrian killed in a Lufkin accident has been sent to Beaumont for autopsy. The Department of Public Safety says the accident happened just before 1:30 Thursday morning on U.S. Highway 59 near Corley Fenley Road. They are still trying to identify the victim. He was hit by a pickup driven by Reynoldo Solis of Pasadena. Solis and his two passengers were not injured.

SMITH COUNTY – A grass fire off Big Eddy Road in southwestern Smith County burned around 3 acres Thursday. Noonday firefighters brought the blaze under control. No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged. It appears as if the fire was started by someone shooting fireworks.

LONGVIEW – A prostitution deal that fell through has resulted in the arrest of a Dallas couple. Arrested were Airias Ellison, 23, and Sharika Hopson, 20. Police reports say they drove to Longview so Hopson could have sex for $2,000 with a man she met on line. The deal fell through when the man only had $200. The man said when he left the motel on Martin Luther King Boulevard; the couple chased him in their car. He then flagged down a police car and asked for help.

Hopson has been charged with prostitution and bond set at $1,000. Ellison’s bond is $11,000 on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, burglary of a building and promotion of prostitution.

NACOGDOCHES COUNTY — A former Kilgore firefighter has been killed and two persons injured in a gas well site accident southwest of Chireno. According to the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Department, the accident happened when a high-pressure water line cap ruptured just before 8:00 Thursday morning at a site off County Road 445. KETK reports that Jeremiah Keith Neely, 34, was pronounced dead at the scene and two others were taken to the Nacogdoches Medical Center. All three men were employees of Platinum Pressure Pumping and were part of a high-pressure pumping unit that uses salt water for fracking. One of the two survivors is in the hospital with serious injuries, while the other man left the hospital on his own.

BULLARD — A wreck between a Frito-Lay truck and a passenger vehicle sent both drivers to a Tyler hospital, according to DPS. The wreck happened during the 1:00 pm hour Thursday at the intersection of Farm Road 346 and the entrance to the Shady Brook community, near Bullard. According to KETK, a woman was pulling out from the entrance when her car went into oncoming traffic and ran head-on into the truck. Both drivers were conscious at the scene and were taken to the hospital by EMS.

LAKE PALESTINE — A mobile home near Lake Palestine is heavily damaged by fire. The blaze at 235 Woodhue Drive in Lakewood West caused damage to about 60% of the home, according to Lake Palestine East Fire Chief Mike Avis. According to KETK, no one was in the home when the fire broke out. An investigation into what caused the fire is now underway. Flint-Gresham and Bullard firefighters both assisted.

LONGVIEW — A group of Longview-area entrepreneurs is working to make natural gas fueling, a lower-cost and cleaner alternative to gasoline and diesel, a reality for local motorists. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Independence Fuel Systems, an upstart Longview-based company, is ready to ante up a sizable investment to have its first compressed natural gas fueling station in operation by the fall.

Within a matter of months, the company plans to have three strategically located fueling stations in Gregg County, said Charles Neuberger, the company’s president. The company has executed agreements for setting up compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations at the Texas Best Travel Plaza on Eastman Road near the Interstate 20 exit; the Bar-K-Ranch Store on U.S. Highway 259 North; and the Gateway Travel Plaza at Interstate Highway 20 and Texas 42. “Our initial target market is going to be fleet business,” said Neuberger. “We feel that as more fueling stations are built, we’ll see more buy-in by consumers.”

LONGVIEW — Longview officials are investigating a stray bullet incident that damaged a firefighter’s personal vehicle at the Central Fire Station on Cotton Street. A Longview Fire Department spokesman tells KETK the firefighter woke up Thursday morning and found a bullet hole in his driver’s side windshield. The lone bullet was found resting on the passenger side of his truck’s dashboard. The firefighter reports last seeing his truck in normal condition around 11:30 Wednesday night. Investigators say the truck was parked just a few feet away from where the firefighter’s living quarters are located. Based on the trajectory of the slug and the location of the vehicle, authorities believe the stray bullet was from someone shooting in the air. No injuries were reported.

CANTON — Van Zandt County authorities say one person is in custody and one is sought following a Wills Point-area burglary. On Tuesday, sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene of a burglary in progress on Farm Road 1395. The homeowner arrived at his residence to find a gray step side Ford F-150 truck quickly pulling out of his driveway and heading towards Farm Road 47. As the homeowner approached his residence, he saw a man crawl out of his bedroom window and begin to flee on foot. The homeowner chased the man on foot but lost him. Deputies say they located the suspect north of the residence hiding in the brush. Tony Allen Lemmon, 37, of Wills Point was taken into custody and booked in on a charge of felony burglary of habitation with a $20,000 bond.

The second suspect who reportedly fled the scene in the truck was identified as Jeffery D. Littrell, a white male who is still at large. If you have any information that would assist the Sheriff’s Office with apprehending the other suspect, you’re asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 903-567-4133 or Crime Stoppers at 903-567-STOP (567-7867).