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JACKSONVILLE (AP) – An East Texas city that’s the self-proclaimed home of 665-pound concrete tomatoes has offered smaller versions of the inedible artwork. The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce this week began selling 175-pound concrete hunks in the shape of tomatoes. President Peggy Renfro said Tuesday that the bigger undecorated versions were so popular that chamber officials have about 40 smaller ones available at $150 apiece. Chamber officials sold more than 335 of the larger concrete tomatoes since the paint-it-yourself artwork was unveiled in 2012. Those cost $250 apiece. Renfro says people are very competitive when they want to decorate the tomato-shape concrete blocks that can be seen throughout Jacksonville. The city’s 31st annual Tomato Fest is set for June 13.

TYLER — Tyler based manufacturer, Trane, will be adding jobs to the East Texas Workforce. The staffing company announced they have already created more than 300 manufacturing jobs to build units. According to KETK, on top of that, they are adding another 150 new jobs that have yet to be filled.

LONGVIEW – A former Longview resident has been named the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Rookie for 2015. She is Ashley Smith, 24, now a resident of New York.. According to a bio on the magazine’s web site, “I went to high school in Austin, but before that I lived in a real small, middle-of-nowhere town called Longview — ranches, cowboys, big trucks, nothing but BBQ places. I always felt different from a young age and liked people that other people didn’t, until I got to eighth grade and started hanging out with the punks and the goths. If you got bored, you’d just put another safety pin through your ear. What else are you supposed to do in a small town where there’s nothing to do? Sports Illustrated says Smith was discovered at a concert during the South by Southwest music festival in Austin. Smith is said to be a designer for a line of clothes for California-based streetwear company RVCA.

GLADEWATER — The Gladewater Police Department has identified an inmate who was found dead in her jail cell from a believed suicide last week. According to KETK, police say Charlotte Lea Willis of Gladewater was found deceased in her cell on the morning of February 11. The Texas Rangers are currently investigating the death of Willis, and the Gladewater Police Department will continue to assist with the case. An autopsy has been ordered and the findings will be released upon its return, according to officials. Willis was being held at the Gladewater jail for multiple municipal charges and for alleged forgery of a financial instrument in Gregg County. Police say she was alone in her cell at the time of her death.

TYLER — A suspect has been apprehended after being accused of inappropriately touching women in a Tyler department store. On Monday, Tyler investigators arrested Chaz Aaron Sansone, 25, of Jacksonville, on three counts of assault by contact, a class C misdemeanor. He was placed in Smith County Jail, and his bond was set at $9,000. According to police, three independent female victims pressed charges against Sansone for allegedly touching them inappropriately while they were shopping in Marshall’s. One of the victims took a photo of the suspect’s truck as he fled the store after the incident occurred, according to law enforcement. Police say Sansone was identified by the public after he was displayed on Tyler Police Department Facebook and local media web pages.

QUITMAN — Power was restored Monday afternoon following an outage that affected some 300 customers of Quitman-based Wood County Electric Cooperative. A spokesperson tells KTBB the outage began Monday morning after a dumpster truck hit a power pole in the Garden Valley area and broke it in half. People in the Lindale, Emory, Quitman, and Hawkins areas were affected.

LONGVIEW — The trial for a Longview man accused of murdering a Kilgore College football player in 2012 has been postponed until next month. According to KETK, judicial records show the trial for Brendan Xavier Douglas, 25, was scheduled to begin at 9:00am yesterday morning, but has since been pushed back to March 23. Douglas is accused in the May 2012 shooting death of DeAundray Rossum. According to witness statements, Douglas may have been plotting with two other men who ambushed Rossum and others. Rossum, a former Kilgore College student and football player, was found fatally shot in a vehicle at a South Longview apartment complex. Continue reading Trial Pushed Back until March in Murder of Former Footballer

HARRISON COUNTY — Christina Davison, who was reported missing in May and arrested in Kentucky earlier this month, was extradited back to Harrison County and had a bond set for $100,000 Sunday, according to Lt. Jay Webb. The Longview News-Journal reports, the Kilgore woman was transported Saturday to the Harrison County Jail in Marshall and faces a charge of possession of a controlled substance. Authorities spent months looking for Davison and believed she had been killed. She was arrested Feb. 4 in Lexington, Kentucky, and officials said they believe she was trying to start a new life. Continue reading Missing Woman, Reportedly Presumed Dead, Extradited to Texas

TYLER — Here’s a look at work planned in the district during the Week of February 16, 2015. Wintry weather conditions could cause changes to these work schedules. Special Crews began pretreating Interstate Highway 20 and U.S. Highway 259 on Saturday in preparation of conditions for the area.

SMITH COUNTY – The Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT’s) Tyler maintenance crews are conducting pavement repairs on Farm Road 1253 between Farm Road 16 and Farm Road 857 this week. Expect this roadway to be down to one lane with flaggers providing traffic control. Motorists should use caution when traveling through these work zones. Continue reading TxDOT Project Updates

HARRISON COUNTY — A woman reported missing from Kilgore and later arrested in Kentucky has been extradited back to Harrison County. Christina Rae Davison was arrested in Lexington for possession of marijuana. The arrest stemmed from an outstanding Harrison County warrant along with local charges in Lexington. Lexington officials booked her into jail on a felony warrant, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was extradited back to Texas Saturday. Continue reading Kilgore Woman Reported Missing Extradited Back to Texas

LONGVIEW — An investigation into an alleged assault by a Longview ISD bus driver on an elementary school student has been turned over to authorities. KETK reports the driver, who allegedly committed the assault Thursday afternoon, is no longer employed with the district. District officials say they were notified about the incident Thursday and immediately suspended the employee pending an investigation. The district has turned the investigation over to the Longview Police Department and the Texas Child Protective Services Division.

GILMER — Authorities say a teen led law officers on a chase in Upshur County and died after his truck drove underneath a tanker and he was thrown from his vehicle. According to KETK, DPS says Lane Buchanan, 18, of Gilmer, was pronounced dead at the scene. At around 7:45 Friday morning, troopers learned of an East Mountain police chase near Gilmer. When the suspect, Buchanan, was trying to cross Highway 271 on North Pleasant Grove, he clipped a vehicle sitting at a stop sign, officials say. Authorities report Buchanan’s truck then traveled underneath a tanker headed north on 271. Once the truck shot out the other side, the pickup struck a car driving south and Buchanan was thrown from his vehicle, according to law enforcement. Continue reading DPS Identifies Suspect Who Died in Upshur Co. Law Enforcement Chase

LONGVIEW — A Gladewater man was indicted by a Gregg County grand jury Wednesday for his alleged relationship with a student. KETK reports Spencer Langdon Brewer, 23, is accused of an improper relationship between an educator and student. He was taken into custody for the alleged second degree felony offense stemming from a reported relationship with a juvenile during his employment at Sabine ISD. According to the Longview News-Journal, the student’s mother reported finding explicit sexual texts between Brewer and her daughter. The woman told investigators she found the texts after learning the girl had engaged in sexual activity with another man, age 19 or 20, in May 2014. The suspect was arrested June 4, 2014, and later released on $25,000 bond.

QUITMAN — A woman accused of killing her two children last July in Quitman has been indicted on two counts of capital murder. According to KETK, court records show Daphne Elizabeth McDaniels was indicted by a Wood County Grand Jury on February 11. Her bond was set at $2 million. She is scheduled to be arraigned on March 3. McDaniels was arrested on November 17, 2014. By that time, she had moved from Quitman to Tulsa, Oklahoma. McDaniels is charged with murdering her daughters, Gabriella Guerrero, 3, and Natalye Price, 1. According to the autopsy, the girls died from blunt force trauma to the head. Two men have also been charged in the case.

LONGVIEW — Officials have released audio recordings of phone calls made to dispatch by a Longview teenager who was fatally shot in the Longview Police Department lobby. According to KETK, police released the audio recordings between Kristiana Coignard and police to the Longview News-Journal on Thursday. You can go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgebKb1Io8o to listen to the audio. Continue reading Authorities Release Recordings of Calls between Coignard, Police

PALESTINE – A Tyler man has died in a one vehicle accident in Anderson County. Killed was Karl Pierre, 20. His SUV was south bound on Highway 155 near Palestine Wednesday morning when the vehicle drifted to the left. The Department of Public Safety says Pierre over-corrected and swerved back into the center median, rolling several times. A passenger in his vehicle, Jaylon Brown, 20, was seriously injured. Brown, a Palestine native, is the half brother of Minnesota Viking running back Adrian Peterson.

LONGVIEW — Due to costs associated with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Mobberly Baptist Church’s Child Development Center will be closing on March 13. Parents of children attending the CDC and CDC staff members were informed of the decision to close the center Thursday during separate open forums. A letter to parents, with details on how the decision to close the center, was distributed, as well. According to church officials, closing of the Child Development Center will not alter in any way childcare and preschool activities provided by Mobberly Baptist Church on Sundays. Continue reading Longview Church’s Daycare to Close Because of Obamacare

ATHENS — The Athens Police Department is asking for the public’s help naming a man who has stolen multiple identities in East Texas. According to KETK, the man pictured is believed to have stolen the identities of four Athenians and used their bank accounts to pass counterfeit checks in Athens, Tyler, and Terrell. He is also allegedly using victim information to counterfeit Texas driver licenses. The Athens Police Department needs your assistance to identify and locate the individual involved with these offenses. If you have any information which would assist this ongoing investigation, contact the Athens Police Department at 903-675-5454 or Henderson County Crime Stoppers at 800-545-8477.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department has identified the two people found dead Wednesday, and the autopsies point to an apparent murder-suicide. KETK reports that Officer Kristie Brian named the victims as Patrick McWhinney and his wife, LaDonna McWhinney. According to autopsies obtained by the Longview News-Journal, LaDonna died from gunshot wounds to the arm and torso, the latter of which punctured her lung and spine. Her manner of death was listed as homicide. Patrick’s autopsy revealed he died of a gunshot wound to the head in an apparent suicide. Continue reading Autopsies Indicate Apparent Murder-Suicide in Couple’s Death

LONGVIEW — Police Thursday identified a man they’d arrested in connection with a Wednesday morning manhunt in Longview. According to KETK, Officer Kristie Brian said police arrested Curtis Howard, 32, of Kilgore, for evading arrest, failure to stop accident involving injury, assault family violence, driving with invalid license, and a parole violation. At around 10 a.m., Howard left the scene of a domestic violence call and led police on a short chase, according to officials. Law enforcement authorities say they caught up to the suspect after he crashed his vehicle at the intersection of Silver Falls Road and Highway 80 near the Pine Tree Elementary School. The suspect then reportedly ran into a wooded area but was found after about a 30 minute manhunt. No bond was immediately set.

TYLER — The Women’s Fund of Smith County Thursday awarded its highest grant to date – $100,000 to Habitat for Humanity – at its 2015 Grants Announcement Reception. Approximately 100 Women’s Fund members and guests attended the event at The Tyler Woman’s Building, which also included a grant of $44,100 presented to PATH (People Attempting To Help), according to a Women’s Fund news release. “In only a few years, the members of the Women’s Fund have given from their hearts to bring us to today’s cumulative total of $800,000 in grant funding,” noted Marty Wiggins, 2015 chair of The Women’s Fund. “These grants have already impacted 18 agencies and countless lives of women and children in Smith County.” Continue reading The Women’s Fund Awards Landmark Grants

GLADEWATER — The Texas Rangers are investigating the death of a 53-year-old female inmate at the Gladewater Police Department Jail. KETK reports that officers found the woman’s body in her cell Wednesday around 10:20 p.m. She was alone and is believed to have committed suicide, according to officials. The woman was being held on multiple Gladewater Municipal Court charges, as well as a Gregg County Grand Jury indictment for forgery of a financial instrument. Continue reading Inmate Found Dead at Gladewater Jail; Suicide Suspected

LONGVIEW — Longview police said Wednesday that a shooting the previous night was connected with the arrival of a man with a minor gunshot wound at a hospital. Names were not released Wednesday. According to KETK, department spokeswoman Kristie Brian said an off-duty officer working at Good Shepherd Medical Center around 7 p.m. reported the gunshot victim about the same time a neighbor outside a home at Hutchings Boulevard and Butler Drive also called police. No arrests have been made.

LINDALE – An undetermined amount of money has been taken in the robbery of a Lindale restaurant. Wendy’s, near Interstate Highway 20, was robbed shortly before 8:45 Wednesday night. The man acted as if he had a weapon, but one was not seen. He was last seen fleeing east on the interstate in a black or dark blue late model Toyota Tacoma pickup with a camper shell. He was described as a black male about six feet tall with a thin build. He was wearing a red hat and a black leather jacket, black pants with a white stripe. No in juries were reported.

JACKSONVILLE – A lone finalist has been named for the Jacksonville school superintendent’s post. Named at last night’s meeting was Dr. Chad Kelly. By state law, school trustees must wait 21 days before voting to hire Kelly. That vote will take place at a special meeting called for March 5th. Dr. Kelly is currently School Superintendent of the Taft ISD. He will be succeeding Superintendent Dr. Joe Wardell.

CANTON — A man who was fatally shot by a woman believed to be defending her home was also the suspect in a recent arson case, officials said Wednesday afternoon. According to KETK, the Van Zandt County Fire Marshal says Christopher Ray Foster, 37, of Edgewood, was the suspect in a Monday night structure fire on State Highway 19 and County Road 1106. The county fire marshal, along with deputies and a justice of the peace, were able to link Foster to the fire by physical evidence found on him at the time of his death. Continue reading Officials: Man Killed in Home Invasion Was Suspect in Arson Case

MINEOLA — A Mineola man has been arrested after police say the investigation into a four-year-old cold case revealed he killed his son. George Wayne Saunders was arrested Wednesday for the murder of his then 16-year-old son, Loren Saunders, on January 18, 2011. Police tell KETK Loren was shot in the chest at a home in an RV park on Wood County Road 1590. Continue reading Man Arrested in 2011 Murder of Son

ATHENS — A Malakoff woman died at an Athens hospital Tuesday after the vehicle she was riding in rolled during a crash. According to KETK, Department of Public Safety officials name the woman as Michelle Nicole Shellenberger, 24. They say Shellenberger was a passenger in a truck driven by Joe Elam, 56, of Athens. Elam was driving on Highway 31 when he lost control switching lanes and crashed shortly before 10:30 a.m., according to authorities. Both passengers were thrown from the pickup. The crash occurred about five miles east of Malakoff. Elam was taken to a Tyler hospital in serious condition.

MARSHALL — A man wanted in a Marshall armed robbery has been captured in Longview. According to KETK, law enforcement officials said a Chevron in the 1000 block of East End Boulevard North, or Highway 59, was held up shortly before 10:00 p.m. Monday. The suspected gunman was later identified as Jade Alfred Washington, 23, of Marshall. Authorities said he left the scene on foot before officers made it there. Washington faces a charge of aggravated robbery.

DALLAS — A young child who was found in a swimming pool in Henderson County Sunday afternoon has died in a Dallas hospital. Family members say Beau House, 3, passed away shortly before 10:00 Wednesday morning, according to a Facebook page supporting Beau. A GoFundMe page — http://www.gofundme.com/Love4BabyBeau — has been set up to support the family. . Continue reading Young Child Dies after Being Found in Pool