KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the Week of March 2. These work schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions or equipment related issues.

Note: Generally, crews will spend much of the week doing routine maintenance necessitated by last week’s ice and snow storms. This includes such tasks as patching potholes, making edge and base repairs, and inspecting and repairing vehicles and other equipment. This work will require moving operations so remain alert during your daytime travels. Continue reading TxDOT Project Updates

AUSTIN – State Representative David Simpson of Longview has filed House Bill 2165 to strike all references to marijuana offenses from the Texas statutes. This represents a comprehensive repeal of marijuana prohibition in Texas. “We can’t fix all of the past wrongs caused by prohibition, but at least we can stop perpetuating them,” said Representative Simpson. According to a news release from Simpson’s office, this is perhaps the first bill of its kind in the nation that proposes to simply undo prohibition and avoid the big government approach taken in other states that basically re-regulate the plant.

“I am proposing that this plant be regulated like tomatoes, jalapeños or coffee.” Rep. Simpson continued, “Current marijuana policies are not based on science or sound evidence, but rather misinformation and fear. All that God created is good, including marijuana. God did not make a mistake when he made marijuana that the government needs to fix. Let’s allow the plant to be utilized for good, helping people with seizures, treating warriors with PTSD, producing fiber and other products, or simply for beauty and enjoyment. Government prohibition should be for violent actions that harm your neighbor, not of the possession, cultivation, and responsible use of plants.”

In 1914 during the height of Pancho Villa’s revolution in Mexico, many refugees and young Mexican men seeking work began moving across the Texas border. In response, the City of El Paso passed the first ordinance in the nation outlawing use of the marijuana plant as a means to address what were perceived as foreign and rowdy young men disturbing the peace.

A few years later the Texas Legislature passed its first marijuana prohibition law with little fanfare besides an alleged racist statement on the senate floor about Mexicans. The American national story of prohibition is not much different. Many scholars believe that these laws were originally motivated by racism and perhaps some industries seeking to control competition from hemp in commodities markets.

The Simpson bill is poised to reframe the current marijuana discussion by bringing it back to the basics: limited civil government, individual liberty, and personal responsibility.

TYLER — Dr. Kenneth Gay, principal of John Tyler High School, was recently honored by the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) with the UIL District NSDA Principal of the Year Award. Thirty-three schools compete in the UIL District. Dr. Gay was nominated for the award by John Tyler High School students.

“Throughout his tenure here, Dr. Gay has worked to change the face of academics at John Tyler High School,” April Caldwell, speech and debate coach, said. “He has consistently attended local and state competitions to show support for our debate team. He has also increased the school’s pride in participating in academic events by holding pep rallies to support speech and debate students, as well as other academic teams in our school. More importantly, Dr. Gay is one of the very first to congratulate our students in victory as well as encourage and uplift them in defeat.”

The NSDA Principal of the Year Award recognizes outstanding secondary school principals. The program annually honors principals who have succeeded in providing high-quality opportunities for students in speech and debate programming as well as demonstrating exemplary contributions to the profession.

HARRISON COUNTY Law enforcement agencies in Harrison County worked together to arrest a man who allegedly led authorities on a dangerous chase through East Texas. According to KETK, the pursuit began on Interstate Highway 20 in Hallsville and ended on Woodall Street in Marshall around 6:00 Saturday evening. The driver has been identified as Anthony Christian, of Longview, who is suspected of being involved in a hit and run in Gregg County. Officials say he was followed by a civilian until a Hallsville police officer found him on I-20 near the exit for Farm Road 450. Christian refused to pull over and was pursued eastbound by Hallsville police, the Harrison County Sheriffs Office (HCSO), and the Department of Public Safety. Continue reading Police Chase through East Texas Leads to Arrest of Longview Man

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department’s 2014 Officer of the Year is Officer James Lenderman. Lenderman, a veteran of nearly 30 years with the department, was one of many honored at TPD’s Annual Awards Banquet Friday evening at the Ornelas Activity Center. According to information presented at the event, “He stays busy throughout his shift and has a higher production rate than almost everyone on his shift. This officer is often overlooked because he sits quietly and doesnt call attention to himself like many officers like to do. He simply does his job, does it well, and comes to work prepared every day. He sets a great example for young officers with his work ethic and quiet leadership. He rarely asks for supervisors’ help and is there to help others when needed. He encompasses so many traits that are hard to maintain for 30 years of service.” Continue reading Lenderman Named TPD Officer of the Year

LONGVIEW — The City of Longview will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the soon-to-be constructed Longview Animal Shelter and Adoption Center. The ceremony will take place at 2:00 p.m. today at 303 H.G. Mosley Parkway. In January, Longview City Council approved moving ahead with the construction of a new 20,885-square-foot animal shelter, to be operated by the city. Currently, the city does not own or operate a shelter, but instead contracts with the Humane Society of Northeast Texas to provide those services. Continue reading Longview Animal Shelter Groundbreaking Today

TYLER During March, in recognition of Colon Cancer Awareness Month, UT Health Northeast and the Tyler Parks and Recreation Department will sponsor free community events to educate the residents of the Tyler area about colon cancer prevention and screening. About 52,000 people in the United States die each year from colon cancer, which is the second-leading cause of all cancer deaths, and the most preventable cancer when caught early, according to press materials. Continue reading UT Health Northeast, City of Tyler Promote Colon Cancer Awareness

LONGVIEW Another candidate has filed in the May 9 city election in Longview. Business owner David Wright, 58, joins Ben Shelton, 34, in the race for the unexpired City Council District 5 seat. Shelton is director of operations at Pathway Church. The seat is being vacated by Richard Manley, who faces two opponents in the mayoral election.

AUSTIN The Texas Education Agency Friday released accreditation statuses for school districts and charters across the state. KETK reports one East Texas school has been warned following what was termed a poor performance, either financially or academically. More than 400 students attend the UT Tyler Innovation Academy’s three campuses in Longview, Tyler, and Palestine. In the most recent accountability ratings, the Longview location was listed as “improvement required.” According to the TEA, an Accredited-Warned status means a district or charter exhibits deficiencies in academic and/or financial performance that, if not addressed, could lead to probation or revocation of its accreditation status. Continue reading UTT Claims Issue Resolved Regarding Accredited-Warned Status

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler and Tyler Junior College have strengthened their collaboration and partnership through the Patriot Pathway program, according to a UT Tyler news release. The “Patriot Pathway” articulation agreement was signed Friday on the UT Tyler campus to officially establish the program. It includes strategies that will provide a seamless transition of TJC graduates to UT Tyler, according to the release. The Patriot Pathway will increase educational access for students throughout East Texas, said Dr. Ross Sherman, UT Tyler interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. Students will be able to transition from TJC to UT Tyler to achieve their baccalaureate degree without loss of credit, time or additional expense. Continue reading UT Tyler, TJC Establish Patriot Pathway

TYLER — The East Texas Human Needs Network (ETHNN), the Tyler Area Business Education Council, Educate Texas, Smith County independent school districts and area colleges and universities have partnered on a FAFSA Super Saturday today. According to press materials, the event is intended to provide assistance for prospective college students and their parents to apply for federal financial aid. Volunteers will man computer stations at four Tyler locations from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., to help individuals complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and thus become potentially eligible for financial assistance for post-secondary attainment. Continue reading FAFSA Super Saturday Targets Prospective College Students

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Van Zandt County law enforcement is looking for a man and his wife allegedly connected to a recent theft. According to KETK, the Van Zandt Co. Constable Precinct 4 Office says Jacob Aaron Cooksy is wanted by authorities for theft greater than $1,500. The fugitive has been jumping from house to house in the Van/Jamestown/Garden Valley/Enchanted Lakes area and only stays for a few hours at a time in one place, according to officials. Continue reading Man, Wife Sought in Recent Theft

LONGVIEW — Three members of a family facing charges related to selling synthetic drugs from three Longview stores are scheduled for arraignment next week on a new indictment that would increase their prison time and fines. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report the superseding indictment against Jeremy Chad Tidwell; his wife, Shanna Peek Tidwell; and his brother, Brian Tidwell, was returned this past week in Tyler. The indictment includes notice that the government intends to seek criminal forfeiture of millions of dollars in cash and property seized in a Dec. 3 raid on three smoking paraphernalia stores owned by the married couple. The notice to seek forfeiture also lists a home in Upshur County, the Longview Candle Store on Estes Parkway, a semi-automatic 9mm pistol, and ammunition. Continue reading Three Face Arraignment in Synthetic Drug Case

FRANKSTON — Funeral services are set for Ray Wakeman, who was serving as Coffee City mayor when he died Wednesday at age 78. Services will be held at 4 p.m.today at Autry Funeral Home Chapel in Frankston with Chaplain Robert Fisher, according to the funeral home website. Interment will be at Frankston City Cemetery. According to KETK, Wakeman’s son says the mayor suffered a major stroke. Wakeman was sworn into office in December 2012. He lived in Coffee City for more than 30 years and previously served on the city council. According to his Facebook page, Wakeman attended Marshall High School.

GREGG COUNTY — A Longview man who is a suspect in an apartment complex standoff has been arrested and charged. Shayne Daniel Afzal, 20, of Longview, is being held in the Gregg County Jail on bonds totaling $200,000. Public Information Office Kristie Brian said officers responded at 5:46 Thursday, February 19, to an “unknown problem” call at the Saddle Brook Apartments located at 1400 H.G. Mosley Parkway. Police found there was a person in an apartment at the complex and there were believed to be gunshots from inside. Continue reading Longview Apartment Standoff Suspect Arrested

MARSHALL — A 19-year-old East Texan died in a fiery one-vehicle crash near Marshall. According to KETK, DPS says shortly after 8:45 Wednesday night, Mason Duvall’s truck was traveling north on Farm Road 1997 at an unsafe speed while on a curve. The vehicle left the east side of the road, hit a tree, and caught on fire. Duvall was pronounced dead at the scene. DPS said the road was wet at the time of the accident.

LONGVIEW — The Pine Tree ISD Foundation Thursday announced a memorial fund set up in honor of a former student murdered in Cedar Park on February 17. According to KETK, the Katie Eager Memorial Endowment will be open to receive donations starting on Monday, March 2. The money will be used to help fund teacher grants and unique opportunities for children, according to the foundation. Continue reading Memorial Fund Set Up for Ex-Pine Tree Student Killed in Cedar Park

AUSTIN — State Representative Matt Schaefer of Tyler has filed a bill requiring photo identification and the recipient’s name on food stamp cards. The District 6 Republican says the cards would also include the fraud hotline number and a statement saying, “Paid for by the American taxpayer.” Claiming there’s a lot of fraud in Texas, Schaefer says right now the cards don’t even have the person’s name on them and that they’re being sold and used for currency. According to Schaefer, “If the state of Massachusetts can put photo ID and the names on the food stamp cards, we can do it in Texas. We need integrity in our food stamp program.”

TYLER — Tyler has joined Lumina Foundation’s Community Partnership for Attainment, according to a news release from the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce. With support and oversight from the Tyler Area Business Education Council, a cross-sector group of community members will work with Lumina, according to the release. Officials say the group will develop and execute strategies that will increase the percentage of residents who possess a postsecondary credential. Tyler is one of the final 20 cities in Lumina’s 75-city community-based attainment network. “The selection of Tyler as one of 75 cities to work with Lumina and other national thought leaders shows that the work in this community is being recognized on a national level,” said Tyler Mayor Martin Heines. Continue reading Tyler Joins National Network to Increase Post-High School Attainment

MINNEAPOLIS (AP/Staff) – A federal judge has cleared the way for Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson to be reinstated. U.S. District Judge David Doty issued his order Thursday, less than three weeks after hearing oral arguments. Doty overruled NFL arbitrator Harold Henderson’s previous denial of Peterson’s appeal. The league suspended the former Palestine star through at least April 15 for his involvement in a child abuse case. But Doty said in his 16-page ruling that Henderson “simply disregarded the law of the shop and in doing so failed to meet his duty under the” collective bargaining agreement.

WOOD COUNTY — One person is dead after a two-vehicle collision around 9:30 Wednesday morning in Wood County. According to KETK, DPS says emergency crews responded to the accident on Highway 11, nearly 7 ½ miles east of Winnsboro. A tractor-trailer traveling westbound crossed over the center line when driving into a curve and struck a car heading eastbound head-on. The driver of the car, identified as Velma Dismukes, 42, of Winnsboro, was pronounced dead at the scene by Judge Cindy Weems. Dismukes was taken to Beaty Funeral Home in Winnsboro. The driver of the semi, Mitchell Bartram, 56, of Euless, was not injured in the crash. There was no immediate word on possible charges.

LONGVIEW — A murder charge has been filed in a Longview shooting that turned fatal. The move follows the death of Jerrad Hunt of Longview nearly three weeks after he was shot at a gas station. “I can confirm that Jerrad Hunt did pass away around 6:00 p.m. on Monday at Good Shepherd Medical Center,” Hunt’s attorney, Kirby Portley, said Tuesday. The charge filed against the suspect, identified as Christian Earl Sibley, 21, of Longview, has been upgraded from aggravated assault. Police say they responded to the gunshot call in the 3000 block of Estes Parkway just before 10:30 a.m. February 3. When they got there, Hunt, 22, had already been taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

TYLER – Area schools and businesses are getting back to normal following Wednesday’s snowfall. The Tyler Municipal Court opened at noon. All dockets for the court have been canceled from 8:00am through noon. The Municipal Court will mail out resets for these docket settings. Call the Municipal Court at 903-531-1266 for further information.

EAST TEXAS — Numerous weather-related outages have been reported in the East Texas area, especially in Gregg County. According to KETK, over 20,000 customers had been affected in the region Wednesday at one point. Oncor reported scattered outages in the Tyler area, and Upshur County Rural had quite a few as well. Crews have continued working to restore power.

AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas Senate Transportation Committee has approved a plan funneling part of the revenue from the state’s vehicle sales tax into building and maintaining roads. Sponsored by Sen. Robert Nichols, a Jacksonville Republican who chairs the committee, Wednesday’s vote means the proposal can be considered by the full Senate. Taxes collected on vehicle sales currently flow into the state budget’s general revenue. Nichols’ plan would divert tax collections over $2.5 billion annually for road infrastructure beginning in 2018. Nichols said it could generate more than $2 billion annually. Governor Greg Abbott has made transportation infrastructure spending a priority, fast-tracking related bills through the Legislature. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick oversees the flow of Senate legislation and praised the plan, saying the Legislature previously had “relied too heavily on debt and tolls.”

TYLER — The Tyler City Council Wednesday approved a special use permit and zoning change for the Cenikor substance abuse treatment center. KETK reports planners had proposed the site on Gentry Parkway, but some companies in the area voiced their concerns about it hurting their business. Cenikor said the location makes sense because it’s located near the medical district. Cenikor Sr. Vice President Jerry Hall says the rehab center will provide help for those with all types of substance abuse problems. Hall remarks, “The Tyler-Longview area in just the last 12 months has referred almost 500 of the residents of this area to our Waco program, and less than half of those people could actually attend because of the transportation barriers.”

LONGVIEW — A Longview family is displaced after its house was damaged in an early morning fire Wednesday. KETK reports the blaze sparked just before 2:30 Wednesday morning in the 800 block of Noel Drive from a controlled fire in the fireplace. Due to deteriorated joints in the chimney, the embers escaped and began burning parts of the chimney and attic, according to authorities. Crews were able to contain the fire before it could destroy the house. No one was injured, and the residents went to stay with other family members. Around 9:00 in the morning crews were called back out to the house due to a rekindling. They were able to put it out before it could do any more significant damage.

UNDATED (AP) — A federal jury says Apple should pay nearly $533 million to resolve claims that the payment system tied to its iTunes product infringes on patents issued to a business named Smartflash. Smartflash said in a 2013 complaint that the patents cover a portable data carrier for storing data and managing access to it through payment information rules. Apple Inc. says it plans to appeal the decision and that Smartflash was “exploiting our patent system to seek royalties for technology Apple invented.” The litigation was filed in the Tyler, Texas, division of the U.S. District of Court, Eastern District of Texas. In 2011, a federal judge reversed another jury verdict against Apple from a Tyler patent trial in which the software company Mirror World was awarded $625.5 million.

TYLER — The City of Tyler Fire Department and Emergency Management officials continue to monitor the weather conditions in our area.
Emergency service capabilities are at full strength and City departments are in frequent communication with each other to ensure that all necessary preparations are in place, according to officials. Additionally, officials are in communication with the local school district, County and State Emergency Management offices, and local EMS. Emergency Management officials continue to monitor the situation and will respond as appropriate, according to a news release. Continue reading Tyler Emergency Management Officials Monitoring Weather Conditions

TYLER — TxDOT crews are again out inspecting roadways and treating them as necessary to make driving conditions as safe as possible for the traveling public, according to a news release. Click on this link for TxDOT’s Winter Safety Guide — http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/safety/winter_guide.pdf — which includes information pertinent to driving in current weather conditions, and more information on winter driving. Continue reading TxDOT Responds to Wintry Conditions