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MOUNT PLEASANT (AP/STAFF) — Three people are dead in Titus County as part of two failed efforts by a man to rob his family members. Titus County Sheriff Tim Ingram said Michael Laplace, 29, of Mount Pleasant, and an accomplice, attacked Laplace’s relatives in an effort to steal money. It looks like both suspects were high on drugs at the time. Laplace is said to have tried to kidnap a cousin early Wednesday but the cousin was able to break free and a gunfight followed. Killed in the exchange were Laplace and a second cousin, Johnny Burleson. It was later determined that Laplace had gone to his grandfather’s house on Tuesday to rob him. It looks like Laplace strangled Sylvester Harnden Jr. when he wouldn’t cooperate. Continue reading Three Killed and One Injured in Titus County Shooting

AUSTIN – The state comptroller’s office will be sending out over $619 million in sales tax allocations for March. This is nearly 6% more than last March. For the most part, local sales tax allocations are running ahead of last years’ pace. Tyler’s check for March is $2,823,408.24. This is nearly 24.97% ahead of March of last year. For the year, Tyler’s sales tax allocation IS $10,407,447 million. That’s 4.65% more than last year. Longview’s March check is 2,097,579.76, or 2.85% over last March. For the year, Longview’s sales tax allocations are over $7,670,523.68. That is 0.33% more than last year.

TYLER — The City of Tyler Street Department has closed South College Avenue between West First Street and West Second Street to bring down a tree in the City right-of-way. Officials expect to have the street reopened to traffic by 3:00 this afternoon.

MARSHALL – A Harrison County mother, first charged with endangering a child, has now been charged with murder in one of her twins’ death. Arrested Wednesday morning was April Gibbons, 33. She has been charged with the February murder of one of her 18 month old twins. She first told police one twin rolled on top of and smothered the other one. But investigators found she had given both twins adult sleeping medication. Also arrested were Gibbons’ parents, Gary Evans, 60 and Carla Evans, 57, who have been charged with endangering a child.

TYLER – CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System has named Chris Glenney, FACHE, as President and Chief Executive Officer of the region’s largest integrated health care system. According to a news release, The announcement comes alongside the recent expansion of CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System in Northeast Texas and the addition of CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs. Glenney has been a part of the System since 1998, and has extensive operational and clinical leadership experience across the organization. Continue reading CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System Names New President/CEO

LONGVIEW — A suspect arrested in connection with a September home invasion has been named as one of two suspects in the Dec. 10 shooting of an 18-year-old Longview man. According to the Longview News Journal and KETK, Trekeymian Jamal Allison, 19, Carthage, and Keandre Bailey, 18, Longview, have been named as suspects in the homicide of Daxtan Rashaad Castleberry. Allison (pictured) was also arrested in connection with a September 2016 home invasion. On the night of December 10, police responded to a home on the 400 block of Plainview Street after reports of gunshots in the area. Upon arrival, Longview police found Castleberry dead inside the home with multiple gunshot wounds. Two witnesses identified Allison as a suspect. Continue reading Burglary Suspect Connected to Longview Homicide

TYLER – The Texas Department of Transportation says there will be work on State Highway 64 in Tyler for the next couple of weeks. The work will impact traffic flow. The contractor is scheduled to work for about four days from east Loop 323 in the inside westbound lane to the U.S. Highway 271 intersection. Work will then move to between State Highway 155 and U.S. Highway 271 for another six days. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes to avoid the daily lane closures and delays on Highway 64.

TYLER – Two men have been indicted in a child trafficking case in Smith County. Quintus Blaylock, 24, of Tyler (pictured) and James Ray Ellis, 21, of Addison, were arrested for human trafficking in December. They are accused of trafficking two 15 year old girls from Dallas. The district attorney’s office says the two were indicted March 2nd. The charges include trafficking of persons under the age of 18. Ellis has also been charged with sexual assault of a child and Blaylock has been charged with indecency with a child. Both remain in the Smith County Jail, Blaylock under a $450,000 bond and Ellis under a $355,000 bond.

TYLER – A professor at the University of Texas at Tyler has been named to serve on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] Non-Governmental Organization Liaison Committee. Dr. Teresa Kennedy will serve a two year term representing the International Council of Associations for Science Education. Dr. Kennedy joined The University of Texas at Tyler in 2009 and holds a joint professorship appointment in the Colleges of Education and Psychology and Engineering. She also serves as the assistant vice president for international programs and senior international officer, leading all activities conducted by the university’s Office of International Programs. She is currently serving as president of ICASE, an international organization created in 1972 by UNESCO to extend and improve science education worldwide.

TYLER – Local, state and federal authorities have started arresting Mexican Nationals believed to be invloved in numerous marijuana fields in East Texas. At a Tuesday afternoon news conference, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith announced 13 state arrest warrants have been issued by 114th State District Judge Christi Kennedy. Only three of the suspects have been located and arrested. The group is said to be responsible for fifteen marijuana cultivation sites around East Texas. The organization is said to be linked to the Los Zetas Cartel. From July 2015 to last November, around 77,000 individual marijuana plants were seized from the sites. The value of the plants have been estimated at over $101 million. Continue reading Arrest Warrants Issued in Connection to East Texas Marijuana Fields

TYLER – Tyler’s CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital is being ranked 45th among the nation’s Top 100 Hospitals. The honor comes from Truven Health Analytics, which evaluates clinical and operational performance in 11 areas. This includes such areas as inpatient mortality, complications, 30-day risk-adjusted readmission rate and the patient rating of the overall hospital performance. Researchers evaluated close to 3,000 short-term, acute-care, nonfederal hospitals for the survey. Christus Mother Frances Hospital had previously earned this award six times, most recently in 2014 and 2016.

TYLER – Two persons arrested in Louisiana for a Tyler robbery have been transferred back to Smith County. Booked into the Smith County Jail on Monday was 32 year old LeTroy Merritt and 20 year old Zaira Patterson, both of Shreveport. They were arrested on February 28th for the robbery three days earlier at the Walmart on South Broadway. A pedestrian was hit by one of the suspects’ vehicles as they fled. They suffered minor injuries. Minutes after the robbery, police took into custody three other suspects. They, also are residents of Shreveport.

BULLARD — The Texas Department of Transportation is developing plans for improvements to Farm Road 2493, and a public meeting on the item will be held this evening from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Bullard High School Gym. The plans pertain to the stretch of the highway from Farm Road 346 in Flint to U.S. Highway 69 in Bullard. Proposed improvements will help ease congestion and improve safety through the area, according to TxDOT officials. At the meeting, project information will be presented in a come and go format with no formal presentation planned. Rather, citizens will have an opportunity to review the preferred alternative, provide additional input, voice concerns and get answers to their questions. The preferred alternative was selected based on feedback received during a public meeting held last spring.

WELLS – A groundbreaking ceremony Monday morning signaled the start of the widening of U.S. Highway 69 in southern Cherokee County. The $18.1 million project will widen the highway in the Wells area. The schedule shows the permanent west side construction, and traffic switch to be done by the end of of the year. East side construction of the road is projected to be done by next spring. Till then, you can expect single lane closures and delays during the detour construction. Expanding the road from two to four lanes will help reduce congestion since Highway 69 in Cherokee County serves as a hurricane evacuation route. Continue reading A Wider Highway 69 in Cherokee County

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler has awarded notable faculty members the inaugural Crystal Talon Award, sponsored by the Robert R. Muntz Library. The library’s Crystal Talon Award recognizes outstanding scholarship and creativity of faculty from each college as determined by their dean.

Award recipients include:
Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy – Dr. Jonathan Cho, clinical assistant professor of clinical sciences and Dr. Simi Gunaseelan, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences. Continue reading 1st Crystal Talon Awards Handed out at UT Tyler

KILGORE – Two teens are in custody following a Monday morning burglary in Kilgore. Arrested were Markell Jerome London, 17, of Kilgore and a 15 year old girl from Kilgore. Officers responded to a report of suspicious activity in a residential area between Highway 42 and highway 31. They then started getting residential alarms. Arriving officers chased the two persons they saw running from the area and were able to catch them. The investigation into their activities is continuing.

UPSHUR COUNTY — Randell Jay Phillips, 42, of Big Sandy, was indicted following a 2016 DWI crash in which his 2-year-old grandson died. According to the Upshur County District Attorney’s Office, on October 29, 2016, Phillips, while intoxicated, was speeding on FM 49 with his grandson unrestrained in the front seat of the vehicle. Authorities say Phillips went off the roadway and hit a tree causing his grandson to be crushed underneath the dash. Before the fatal accident, Phillips had been convicted of two DWIs. Continue reading East Texas Man Indicted for Murder

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in TxxDOT’s Tyler District during the Week of March 6. 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.

Mill and inlay operations continue on US 69 in Jacksonville at the start of the week before moving to SH 64/Fifth Street in Tyler around mid-week. This type of work requires lane closures that cause traffic delays. The contractor, Madden Contracting Company, will conduct work between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Continue reading TxDOT’s Weekly Roadwork Update

TYLER — City of Tyler Manager of Water Quality Mike Norris has received The Daniel C. Allen Memorial Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Water Utilities Association (TWUA). This is the Association’s second highest award. Winners of this award are those who have fifteen or more years of service within the water utilities industry and active participation at the state level of the industry. In addition, the recipient must indicate a sincere interest in the protection of the public health and environment, as well as support others within the organization to devote themselves to these goals, according to a city news release.

LONGVIEW – LeTourneau University Friday received a CFM56 turbine engine from Southwest Airlines for use in the university’s applied aviation sciences department. The turbine engine, which is about the size of a pickup truck, was from one of Southwest Airlines’ Boeing 737-300 aircraft — known as the workhorse of their fleet, according to an LETU news release. This particular engine was in service flying passengers as recently as about two weeks ago. Representatives of Southwest Airlines were on hand for the acceptance of the engine. “This donated turbine engine will greatly enhance our student education experience in the area of larger turbine engines,” said Sean Fortier, chair of LETU’s applied aviation department in the news release.

TYLER — Dr. Michael Tidwell says things are off to a great start in his first two months as president of the University of Texas at Tyler. Tidwell notes that a broad goal of the university is to become the primary educational and economic driver for East Texas. On this week’s edition of “In Focus” on KTBB, Tidwell said while he was considering the job, he was impressed with the search committee. According to Tidwell, “They wanted to focus on community engagement, partnerships. They wanted to focus on what it would take to become a very well-known quantity throughout the region.” Tidwell added, “The faculty have been tremendous. the community has been extraordinarily responsive as I’ve gone out and had those conversations about what UT Tyler should be going forward.” You can listen to the entire “In Focus” show online at http://www.ktbb.com/infocus beginning early Monday morning.

LONGVIEW — Longview police say 25 year-old Idmar Rubio of Longview is in custody following a lengthy standoff Saturday. According to KETK, police received a call shortly after 6:30 Saturday morning about a domestic problem at a home on Diane Drive. Officers say when they arrived they saw Rubio point a weapon at a female from the front porch. They say he then ran into the house and refused to come out. Continue reading One in Custody Following Longview Standoff

EAST MOUNTAIN — East Mountain residents will receive law enforcement protection from the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office for the time being after the city lost its entire four-person police force as of Friday. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. “I want the citizens of East Mountain to feel safe, so I will do what I need to do to keep them protected until this thing in the city is resolved,” Upshur County Sheriff Larry Webb said Friday. “The citizens of East Mountain will have law enforcement service regardless of what is going on with their police department.” Continue reading East Mountain without Police Force; Upshur County to Provide Service

TYLER – The IRS has issued an urgent warning about an old scam which has come back with a new twist — and the Better Business Bureau of Central East Texas says people in its coverage area are being affected. The W-2 phishing scam started out targeting large corporations, but has now evolved beyond the corporate world and is targeting school districts, tribal organizations, and nonprofits. The most recent high-profile victim was the Tyler ISD, as reported this past Friday. Continue reading W-2 Scam Back with a Vengeance

GILMER — A joint narcotics investigation in Upshur County led police to discover a large cache of drugs, including more than 110 grams of methamphetamine, at a house north of Gilmer on Wednesday, the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office said. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Officers with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, the Gilmer Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety also found three pounds of marijuana, 36 grams of cocaine, 10.5 grams of Xanax, and 7.4 grams of Ecstasy at the house. Continue reading Gilmer Police: Investigation Leads to 110 Grams of Meth, More

TYLER – Grassroots America – We The People met Friday, discussing everything from the Trump agenda to fixing illegal immigration. KETK reports Grassroots America’s Executive Director, JoAnn Fleming and Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith were the speakers. They say the country now only follows laws it wants to. Fleming said, “The problem that we are seeing with chaos and unrest has to do with how our government, how our culture how our society believe its okay to pick and choose the laws that you’re going to…obey.” Continue reading Immigration a Hot Topic for Grassroots America

JUDSONIA, Ark. (AP) – A missing 10-month-old Palestine boy has been found safe in Arkansas and his non-custodial parents arrested for interfering with child custody. The White County Sheriff’s Office says Jax Laymance was found in the back of a vehicle Thursday night at a home in Judsonia. Authorities say the child is now in state custody in Arkansas. Chief Deputy Philip Miller told reporters the FBI traced a phone belonging to one suspect to White County and the vehicle they were believed to be in was traced to the home in Judsonia where the child was eventually found with the parents. Police say the mother and father were visiting the boy Thursday afternoon in Palestine when the mother grabbed him and got into a vehicle with the father and they drove away.

LONGVIEW — 22-year-old Torry Jamal Reed was sentenced Friday afternoon to 75 years in prison and a $10,000 fine after pleading guilty in the 2012 murder of DeAundrey Lamanze Rossum. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report Reed faced up to life in prison for the fatal shooting, which ended a confused night of drug-hunting that wound up outside the Signal Hill Apartments. There, prosecutors said during the four-day trial, the defendant and his younger brother walked up from behind an apartment unit and opened fire on Rossum, 23. Continue reading Man Sentenced to 75 Years after Plea in 2012 Longview Murder

MARSHALL – The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information on the location of Sophia Torres, 16. KETK reports Torres was last seen when she was dropped off at Hallsville High School on February 23 by her grandmother. The teen lives at a residence on Highway 80 in Longview with her grandparents. She is described as 5’4”, 125 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a pink, long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and boots. If you have any information regarding her whereabouts, contact the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office at 903-923-4000.