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TYLER (AP) – Jurors in the Tyler trial of a retired dentist charged with killing his 71-year-old wife have heard his 911 call in which he told a dispatcher he shot her and she died. Prosecutors on Wednesday played a tape of the call made by Bobby Nichols admitting he shot his wife twice after an argument. The Tyler man is on trial over the death of Rosalind Nichols, his wife of 26 years. Nichols has acknowledged he “screwed up” the night of June 29 and said he shot his spouse in their home. His stepdaughter’s husband, David Dial, testified the two men got along well but he did see Bobby and Rosalind Nichols argue and Bobby “lose his cool.” If convicted, Nichols faces up to life in prison.

LONGVIEW — A Longview man is charged with assaulting a public servant after police said he fought jail staff while being booked. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Gaylon Bradley, 31, was taken into custody for walking on the wrong side of the road late Sunday. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, staff at the Gregg County Jail tried to place Bradley in his holding cell when he became combative. Officials said jail staff was forced to use their Taser to attempt to gain compliance over Bradley, but he continued to resist. He was held on a $10,000 bond.

NECHES — Neches ISD officials closed schools for the day Wednesday due to an overturned tanker truck on FM 2574 and FM 19. That’s near an elementary school. School authorities tell KETK the district has been unable to run buses and has been forced to cancel classes as a precaution. Hazmat crews headed to the scene. Neches ISD classes had already been delayed until 10:00 a.m. Wednesday due to weather.

TYLER — One suspect is hospitalized, one suspect is still on the loose following an armed robbery. It happened around 4:45 Wednesday morning at the Food Fast gas station, 4201 University Boulevard. According to Tyler Police, the clerk claimed he was outside smoking when two armed black men wearing ski masks approached him and demanded money. The suspects fled on foot. Officers along with a K-9 unit were searching the area behind the store when one of the suspects, identified as Jaqun Jamel Dawson, 17, Dallas, was found with a gunshot wound to the leg. Police found the gun and other evidence linking Dawson to the crime. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his injury. Investigators will be seeking an arrest warrant for aggravated robbery on Dawson.

Officers set up a perimeter, but were not able to locate the second suspect after several hours of searching. Anyone with information 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). This case remains under investigation.

LUFKIN — Authorities release the name of two of the four young men who allegedly tried to set a Lufkin washateria on fire. According to KETK, four young hispanic men were captured on surveillance video attempting to set the R&R Washateria on fire. It happened on January 12th around 5:30 a.m. According to an arrest affidavit from Angelina County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1, all four were identified by the mother of one of the suspects. Luis Alberto Ramirez was arrested and charged with arson. They’re looking for Francisco Cordero. The other two are minors.

TYLER — Tyler Police search for a potentially armed man in the area of UT Tyler. According to KETK, two suspects committed a robbery at a gas station on Univesity Blvd. and Old Omen Rd. Officers established a perimeter behind the Ornelas Activity Center on Old Omen Road and arrested one of the suspects who had been wounded. The second suspect is still at large in the area. Authorities said there is no indication that the suspect is on campus, however, they are urging students and faculty to use caution. They say if you are on campus, be aware of your surroundings. The only description of the subject at this time is a black male, approximately wearing dark clothing and some type of black hat.

LINDALE — Lindale school trustees have approved a $14,800 budget amendment Monday night for additional safety measures at the district’s elementary campuses.

The amendment will allow for the purchase and installation of buzzers, intercoms and television monitors at all five of the elementary school buildings.The installation of these additional security measures will change access to Lindale ISD schools. Building entrances will be locked during specific school hours and visitors will be required to speak into the intercom and talk with an office staff member. The staff member will be able to see the visitor from monitors attached to security cameras facing the entrance of the building. Once the visitor is cleared for entry, the office staff member will then press the buzzer allowing the door to open.

The new security measures will be installed at Lindale’s Early Childhood Center, College Street Elementary School, Velma Penny Elementary School and the east and west campuses of E.J. Moss Intermediate School. The security upgrades will be made at these campuses due to the architectural design of the buildings. The district’s other two schools, Lindale Junior High School and Lindale High School, have newly constructed doors that restrict those entering the front of the building to channel through the main offices for access to the school. The elementary buildings are older district facilities.

“We have many security measures in place to provide a safe learning environment,” Lindale ISD Superintendent Stan Surratt said. “Securing the front entry doors at our elementary campuses is just one additional measure to protect our students and staff members.”

Visitors will still be required to enter the office of all campuses and present a driver’s license or other acceptable form of government-issued identification for use with the RAPTOR electronic visitor management program. The system checks the visitor’s identification against a nationwide database of registered sex offenders. After the database check, the visitor receives a badge to wear while in the building.

Also discussed during Monday night’s school board meeting was the employment of additional school resource officers. LISD currently employs two fulltime resource officers to assist with district security issues.

“We are reviewing other potential safety measures to make our campuses even safer,” Surratt said. “We need to make sound, well-educated decisions concerning additional safety measures. We will continue to review our current safety procedures and discuss and initiate new security measures. Student and staff safety in our schools is our top priority.”

BEAUMONT – A Nacogdoches man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations. Tremaine Smith, 27, pleaded guilty on September 5, 2012, to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. He was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark to 63 months in federal prison. On June 20, 2012, a federal grand jury returned a 10-count indictment charging 10 defendants, including Smith, with drug trafficking violations.

According to information presented in court, from 2008 to June 20, 2012, Donald Dixon, a.k.a. “Black”, Cedrick Fowler, a.k.a. “C” and “C-Murder”, Kerry Wayne Griffin, a.k.a. “Big Boy”, Omar Paunetto, Jose Angel Bustillos, Michael John Pereira, Rodney Stevenson, a.k.a. “Arod”, Darius Thorn, a.k.a. “Bs” and “Beez”, Tremaine Smith and Anthony Fowler conspired to traffic cocaine and crack cocaine throughout East Texas.

Smith’s role in the conspiracy was to acquire powder cocaine from C. Fowler and then convert it into a “crack” cocaine base. Smith would then redistribute the crack cocaine to others in East Texas.

ATASCOSA COUNTY — Two East Texas men have been seriously injured in an oilfield accident in Atascosa County. KETK reports it happened just before 7:00 Monday night at an oilfield site on a ranch about 16 miles south of Charlotte. That’s in the southwestern portion of the county. The men have been identified as William Crabb, 30, of Tyler, and Christopher Barrios, 29, of Chandler. Crabb and Barrios were working on a trailer with what officials called a “pipe gun” used in oilfield work. The equipment exploded while they were handling it.

Atascosa County Sheriff officials say first responders arrived on scene to find the men severely burned on their arms, faces, and abdomens. They were taken by helicopter to the San Antonio Military Medical Center. As of Tuesday afternoon, there was no word on their conditions. OSHA is investigating the incident.

EAST TEXAS — A number of area school districts will have delayed openings on Wednesday for weather-related reasons. Here’s a list from our news partner KETK:
CENTRAL HEIGHTS ISD – Classes begin at 10:00am, Buses will run two hours behind their regular schedules.

CUSHING ISD – Classes begin at 10:00 am. Buses will run two hours later than regularly scheduled.

ELKHART ISD – Classes begin at 10:00 am, buses run 2 hours later than the usual schedule.

FRANKSTON ISD – Classes begin at 10:00 am.

GARRISON ISD – Classes begin at 10:00 am.

HALLSVILLE ISD – Classes are delayed one hour, buses will run their routes an hour later than usual.

LANEVILLE ISD – Classes begin at 10:00 am.

MARSHALL ISD – Classes will begin at 9:00am. Teachers and staff are asked to be at work no later than 8:30.

MARTINSVILLE ISD – Classes begin at 10:00 am.

MT. ENTERPRISE ISD – Classes begin at 10:00 am.

NACOGDOCHES ISD – Classes begin two hours late. Buses will also run two hours behind regular schedule.

NECHES ISD – Classes begin at 10:00 am.

PALESTINE ISD – Classes begin at 10:00 am. Buses will run two hours behind their regular schedule.

SLOCUM ISD – Classes begin at 10:00 am.

WODEN ISD – Classes begin at 10:00 am.

YANTIS ISD – Classes begin at 10:00 am.

EAST TEXAS — Freezing rain and sleet contributed to several wrecks Tuesday morning that stalled major roads near Longview. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers worked a series of crashes beginning at 7::00am on Texas Highway 31 at the Sabine River bridge. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report that crashes occurred in both directions on the roadway. The first crash involved four vehicles. There were three vehicles involved in a second crash, and then there were more. No one was transported for injuries in the crashes.

According to Longview police, there were also multiple wrecks on Interstate 20 near the Estes Parkway intersection. Traffic in the westbound lanes was stalled. A winter weather advisory was placed in effect for our area till 9:00pmTuesday.

JACKSONVILLE (AP) — The state’s oldest junior college remains on the auction block after it filed for bankruptcy last year. The auction of the Lon Morris College campus began Monday at a Dallas law firm and continued Tuesday. The two-year United Methodist school is in the small East Texas town of Jacksonville, about 125 miles southeast of Dallas. Auction firm AmeriBid says the 112-acre campus is being auctioned off in 16 sections, or lots, that include one or more buildings or athletic fields. Lon Morris filed for bankruptcy in July. The college then suspended classes in August after the U.S. Department of Education decided not to allow students to use federal aid there. Federal statutes disqualify schools that file for bankruptcy.

TYLER — Tyler school trustees have unanimously approved Gary Mooring as the TISD superintendent. A a Monday meeting school trustees approved a 2 1/2 year contract for Mooring. Last month, he was named the lone finalist for the post.

“I am honored to be named Tyler ISD Superintendent,” Mooring said. “I am committed to the District, and to this community. I will continue facing challenges head-on while working closely with the Board and District staff to make decisions that uphold our Core Beliefs.”

Mooring has been serving as interim superintendent since last August. That’s when superintendent Randy Reid left Tyler for the Keller school district. He has also served Tyler ISD in other various roles, including: interim executive director for special programs, interim transportation director, and consultant to develop the district’s operations manual. In 2010, Mr. Mooring joined Tyler Junior College as the director of dual credit.

TYLER — Tyler police are looking for the suspect who robbed the Family Dollar Store at 510 South Southwest Loop 323. It was reported around 9:45 last night. According to the clerk, the suspect entered the business, raised his shirt and displayed a handgun while demanding money. After taking an undetermined amount of cash the suspect exited the business and ran north across Front Street and into a wooded area. The suspect is described as a black male between 6’0″ and 6’2″, 160 to 175 pounds wearing a dark colored ski mask with a shark emblem, a white shirt with a dark colored hoody, dark colored jeans and a sty under his right eye. No injuries were reported.

AUSTIN (AP) — Lawmakers have defeated the vast majority of measures tea party legislators tried to pass into the Texas House rules to boost transparency in the Legislature. Republican Representatives David Simpson of Longview (pictured), Van Taylor, and Bill Zedler saw most of their measures fail Monday.

TYLER — The murder trial of a retired Tyler dentist is beginning in 7th State District Court. Dr. Bobby Ray Nichols is accused of killing his wife of 26 years. Nichols was in court for pretrial motions Monday. Jury selection was set to begin in the case Tuesday.

Last summer, Nichols told the Associated Press he regrets fatally shooting his wife. Dr. Nichols said 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 Nichols and charged him with the June 29 death of Rosiland Nichols, 71. 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.

TYLER — Smith County Republican Chairman Ashton Oravetz resigns from his post effective this Friday. Oravetz tells KETK the national and state GOP are run by the establishment. He says they don’t follow the rules and are acting unethically. Oravetz says he’s not getting out of politics but will concentrate his full efforts on Grassroots America – We the People.

LONGVIEW — Suspects are sought in a Gregg County home invasion. Shortly after 10:30 yesterday morning, Gregg County Deputies and Texas DPS Officers responded to 6873 Judson Road in the Longview area for a reported burglary. Upon arrival, Deputies located the resident, an elderly female, bound in the trunk of her vehicle. The woman reported that three men entered her residence and then assaulted and robbed her. Afterward, she was bound with tape and placed in the trunk of her car. The suspects then took property from the residence and left the scene.

One suspect was described as a tall slim black male with no facial hair and a short haircut. He was wearing a dark colored hoodie. A second suspect was a shorter black male wearing a dark ski mask and hoodie. The third suspect was not seen by the victim. All three left the scene in a white mini-van type vehicle. You’re asked to forward any information regarding this case to Investigator Terry Mitchell at (903) 237-2529 or call Gregg County Crime Stoppers at (903) 236-STOP.

WOOD COUNTY — Wood County emergency officials say an injury sustained by a firefighter Monday was a serious hand injury, not a head injury as initially reported. Randy Selman with Wood County Emergency Management tells KETK that a Holly Lake firefighter was injured during a house fire on Monday morning. The firefighter seriously cut his hand while working a fire in the Holly Lake subdivision in Wood County. While he was being treated, he began to have heart complications as well. He was flown to a Tyler hospital.

TYLER — The Tyler Salvation Army is responding to the cold weather that has hit East Texas. On Sunday, 24 people came into The Salvation Army lodge to escape the cold weather. Temperatures dropped below freezing starting Monday and are expected to continue as such for at least part of the week. Many men, women, and children suffer through the winter temperatures with little food to eat, no shelter, and inadequate clothing to keep warm. The Salvation Army’s doors are never closed as they welcome everyone to come in from the cold. Blankets, warm meals, warm showers, safety, and a place to rest are all readily available every day of the year.

As people enter and exit the shelter or come in for assistance from Social Services, the supply of blankets, coats, and other items continues to deplete. In preparation for the spike in lodge residents, The Salvation Army is in need of more blankets, coats, twin size sheets, pillowcases, and large and small towels to ensure that there is plenty of supply on hand for everyone. You can make your donation to 633 N. Broadway Ave. Tyler, TX 75702. You can also make a monetary donation by going to http://www.salvationarmytyler.org or visiting the office.

TYLER — The Tyler Together Race Relations Forum announces the 27th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Interfaith Community Program for 2013. It’s set for Monday, January 21. This year’s theme is “A Perspective on Character, Color & Courage in America.”

Individuals and groups will meet downtown on the Square at 8:30 am for a short program and then begin the march at 9:00 am to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The program at the church will begin at 10:00 am. The keynote speaker is Fred McClure, who is the Director of the George H.W. Bush Library Foundation at Texas A&M University. Organizers are encouraging groups to come out on the Square, bring your banner and signs, and participate in the march to the church.

For more information you can either visit the Tyler Together Race Relations Forum’s website at http://www.tylertogether.org or contact the Chair, Herwanea Lewis-Sirles, at (903) 372-9791.

SMITH COUNTY — Officials reported Monday that one person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries due to a Smith County fire Saturday. Multiple crews responded to the fire in the 5300 block of County Road 314. Officials say the fire started in the garage, and because of the high winds, spread quickly throughout the house. Six people were inside the house, but all of them made it out. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the owner of the home says the fire was apparently started by a blown generator.

HOUSTON (AP) – The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to review the case of an East Texas man on death row for a robbery a decade ago where three people were abducted and shot, one of them fatally. The high court Monday without comment rejected the case of Richard Cobb, 28. Cobb was 18 in 2002 when evidence showed he and a companion, Beunka Adams, walked into a convenience store in Rusk and announced a holdup. They took two female clerks and 37-year-old Richard Vandever from the store and drove to a remote area where one of the women was raped. All three captives were ordered to kneel and were shot. The women survived and one was able to summon help. Adams was executed last year. Cobb doesn’t yet have an execution date.

TYLER — Jury selection is underway in Smith County for the Whitehouse man accused of murdering a female acquaintance. Larry Joe Smith, 69, is charged with murder for fatally shooting Sandra Greenshaw on the front porch of his home on County Road 2171 in Whitehouse. According to KETK, Smith said someone broke through his front window and tried to break into his house, when he fired a shotgun in that direction. Authorities found Greenshaw on the porch with a single gunshot wound to her upper body. She died at a local hospital. Officials said evidence found at scene did not match up with Smith’s story.

TYLER — Tyler Police have arrested a man suspected of robbing a gas station. It happened around 2:45 Monday morning at the Food Fast, 805 West Houston. Two officers riding in the same patrol car pulled into the parking lot and noticed a black male exit the store. The clerk told the officers that she had just been robbed by the man. Both officers immediately ran towards the suspect in attempt to detain him. The suspect ran from officers, eventually climbing a fence leading into a residential back yard. Additional officers arrived in the area and surrounded the residence. Robert Jackson, 34, Tyler, was taken into custody a short time later. An undisclosed amount of cash was recovered at the scene. Jackson was booked into the Smith County Jail and charged with robbery.

According to online records, Jackson has several previous arrests including DWI and most recently in December for public urination.

TYLER — A stolen vehicle has been found on fire at a Tyler auto dealership. Around 8:15 Sunday night, officers were dispatched to a service station at 1516 South Vine. A man told officers he parked his 1999 Chevy Suburban in front of the business and walked inside. A short time later, when he left the business, his vehicle was gone.

About 30 minutes later the Tyler Fire Department received a call of a vehicle fire at Tyler Ford at 2626 WSW Loop 323. The vehicle on fire turned out to be the same one that had been stolen from the gas station. Several new vehicles that were parked in the dealership parking lot were also damaged due to the fire.

LONGVIEW — As the number of confirmed cases continues to rise, influenza vaccine is getting tougher to find across Longview. “We’re getting lots of phone calls asking if we have the shots,” said Shawn Sams, a pharmacist at Louis Morgan Drug No. 4, one of the few places in the city that still has a healthy supply of the vaccine. “People come in and say, ‘I tried this place and that place but they were all out.’” According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Sams said 125 people were vaccinated at the pharmacy Thursday, setting what he believes is a record. It was the same story Friday across Longview, with one pharmacy after another running out of flu vaccine as well as the antiviral prescription medicine that helps lessen symptoms.

Cheryl Herbert, executive director of infection prevention at Good Shepherd Medical Center, said the hospital still had plenty of vaccine and Tamiflu despite being inundated with patients suffering from the viral infection. “This was a rapid attack,” she said. “There were no cases, and suddenly, boom, a large number of cases quite rapidly.”

LONGVIEW — A normally quiet Longview neighborhood was stirred when a K-9 unit police chase ended with an arrest in a resident’s front yard. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Longview police spokeswoman Kristie Brian said officers responded Friday to a report of a vehicle burglary in progress at the Texas Department of Health Services building in the 1700 block of North Eastman Road. Three people were arrested, but one ran from police across U.S. Highway 259 and into the neighborhood on the other side of the road.

Betsy Dunnavant, who has lived in the Robbinwood Place neighborhood for years, said she was in her front yard when an officer on a motorcycle advised her to go inside. “We were amazed,” she said. “It is always very quiet in this neighborhood. Once the street was closed off, people only come in here if they need to be here.” Several years ago, the city closed streets to stop traffic from passing through the neighborhood to Tryon Road.

Dunnavant said she watched from her window as five police vehicles and a K-9 unit pulled into her neighborhood and began a search for the suspect who was found, hiding in bushes, just before noon. “We don’t usually have many cops in here, thank goodness,” said Jimmy Johns, a longtime neighborhood resident. The suspect, who had not been identified, was charged with hindering apprehension and evading arrest. Of the three others, one was charged with possession of marijuana, one with six outstanding city of Longview warrants and one with burglary of a vehicle. All four were taken to the Gregg County Jail.

BULLARD — Volunteers are sought for this coming week’s construction of the Bullard Kid’s Park. Planners say the park is a “very unique” interactive park for kids of all ages, with separate areas for younger and older children. Guy Martin of the Bullard Rotary Club says 1,200 volunteers will be needed January 16-20, working four-hour shifts. The total cost of the two-acre playground is $250,000. When completed, the playground will be given to the City of Bullard, which will assume responsibility for its repair and maintenance. You can go to https://www.facebook.com/BullardTexasCommunityPlayground for more information.

TYLER — American Cancer Society supporters gathered this past week at a local home to kick off the 2013 Cattle Barons’ Gala, “Rigs to Riches — Drilling for a Cure.” The event is a major fundraiser for ACS. This year’s Gala is set for Saturday, June 8, at the 1500-acre Rio Neches Ranch.

A number of support levels are available. Baron’s Level supporters will be treated to a private reception, becoming the first visitors to the ranch’s new winery, Pella Legna Vineyards. They’ll also be treated to gourmet cuisine provided by Eddie Deen Catering. All guests may purchase tickets to win a suite of jewels from Susan Robinson Jewelry, and there’ll be a drawing for a special edition pickup truck from Hall GMC. Tickets to the Gala are $100 and available by contacting the Tyler ACS office. You can email [email protected] for more information on the Gala.