KTBB News, Weather, Talk

Tyler – Having a last will and testament is important. But safeguarding it is vital. Smith County has a service that does this and its inexpensive. Smith County Clerk Karen Phillips talked to KTBB and explained the filing procedure.

“All they have to do is come in, with will in hand, with 11 dollars and their drivers license. They fill out an envelope. The envelope has name, address, listed there three times. They have to have three people and their attorney that drew it up for them. We give them a case number and then we give them a piece of paper that has my name on it. It’s got the signature of the deputy and it has their case number written in. if someone finds that, they can see that has been deposited in the county clerks office for safe keeping.”

The Smith County Clerk’s Office is located on the third floor of the Smith County Annex, at 200 East Ferguson Avenue. To get more information go here.

JACKSONVILLE – An 18-year-old has died after a two-vehicle crash in Jacksonville on Monday morning. According to the Jacksonville Police Department, around 10:23 a.m., police and firefighters responded to a two-vehicle crash involving a white box truck and a silver SUV in the 1200 block of East Rusk Street. Officials said that first responders determined that the box truck was traveling eastbound in the 1200 block of East Rusk Street when the SUV failed to yield the right-of-way from a private drive and entered onto the street, causing the two vehicles to collide. The driver of the SUV, Zara Jazmine Homes, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene, while the box truck driver was not injured, officials said.

TYLER – Dr. Yanira Oliveras, an associate professor of education with The University of Texas at Tyler College of Education and Psychology, has been selected to serve on the Texas Education Agency Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System Stakeholder Advisory committee. T-TESS is designed to improve teaching practices and student outcomes through a comprehensive evaluation process. Oliveras will contribute her insights and expertise to TEA as a committee member. Continue reading UT Tyler education faculty to serve on TEA committee

OVERTON– A Leverett’s Chapel ISD school bus was involved in a crash on Tuesday afternoon near the school. According to our news partner KETK, the crash occurred on Highway 42, approximately two miles north of the school. The district said the bus was rear-ended by another vehicle; however, all of the students and the driver of the bus were unharmed. The driver of the other vehicle was also uninjured.

“The safety of our students remains our highest priority, and we appreciate the prompt response of all who assisted,” Leverett’s Chapel ISD said.

LONGVIEW – The Spring Hill ISD Board of Trustees is asking voters to consider approving a tax rate increase and a $20 million bond proposal for facility maintenance and improvements. According to our news partner KETK, the bond package is designed to address the district’s important needs without increasing the district’s current tax rates. It’s been broken down into three propositions, with all three focusing on upgrading campus facilities, including renovating the district’s junior high school, improving its tennis complex and updating the football stadium.

Proposition A ($17.2 million) focuses on renovations to the junior high school and HVAC replacements.
Proposition B ( $1.975 million) addresses updates to the district’s football stadium.
Proposition C ($802,256) looks to improve the district’s tennis complex, including its restrooms.

The tax increase would provide the district with over $300 thousand in additional funding to help with increased pay for teachers and staff. The extra funding would also support Spring Hill ISD’s extra-curricular activities and provide the district with new instructional materials. Continue reading Spring Hill ISD ballot includes bond proposal, tax increase

RUSK — According to our news partner KETK, a 19-year-old woman was arrested in Rusk on Monday night after she fled from Bullard Police and sped up to 110 miles per hour through East Texas cities.
Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson said he received a call around 10:30 p.m. Monday concerning a person who was being pursued out of the Bullard area while driving a vehicle on U.S. 69.

According to Bullard Police Department Sergeant Judith Tuell, officers initiated a traffic stop when Hannah Sweet fled the scene. She then made her way through Jacksonville toward the Rusk area while reaching speeds of up to 110 miles per hour. Officials with the Rusk Police Department deployed road spikes as Sweet was approaching the city limits coming from Jacksonville. Sweet was stopped and arrested by members of the Bullard Police Department and booked on charges of evading arrest with a vehicle and possession of a controlled substance.

Sweet was also charged with evading arrest with a vehicle by the Bullard Police Department.

TYLER – A party with legal claim to The Oil Palace in Tyler has requested that the venue be sold, due to failed obligations, according to Smith County records. A document dated Aug. 7 shows the Oil Palace and Bobby Manziel as the borrower of $3.94 million on Dec. 4, 2017. The sale of the building is required to fall under Section 51.002 of the Texas Property Code. That means the must be put up via an auction held between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. of the first Tuesday of a month. The Tyler Gun Show scheduled for Sept. 13 and 14 at the venue is canceled. The last event to be held at The Oil Palace was the 2025 God & The Great Outdoors Hunting & Fishing Expo.

TYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler was given a $971,195 grant that will support research on treatments for pleural infections that cause fluid buildup in the lungs, according to a report from KETK. The research is being led by Professor of Cellular and Molecular Biology Dr. Andrey Komissarov with the UT Tyler School of Medicine.

Komissarov, along with the biopharmaceutical company SignaBlok, will conduct projects that give students the opportunity to analyze data, perform lab research and present scientific findings.

According to UT Tyler, 65,000 people in the United States are affected by empyema every year, which is caused by pneumonia. Treatment options are not always safe and could possibly lead to other complications, leading Komissarov’s team to find other methods. Continue reading UT Tyler receives $971K research grant

CHEROKEE COUNTY — A Texas man has died after a fatal crash on Sunday evening southeast of Alto, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

Pye Kervantez Jr., 41 of Wylie, was traveling north on US 69 at around 6:20 p.m. on Sunday when his vehicle went off the road and into a ditch. There, he hit a culvert and went airborne, causing him to be thrown from the vehicle.

DPS confirmed Kervantez was pronounced dead at the scene.

Update: Lindale Police reports a car crash in downtown Lindale has been cleared for through traffic. No significant injuries were reported.

LINDALE – Lindale Fire Department reports a serious crash at Main Street near Texas National Bank in downtown Lindale early Tuesday afternoon. Emergency crews are on hand. No details have been provided on the number of vehicles or if any injuries had occurred. Officials ask drivers to avoid this area for the time being.

MINEOLA – Due to an eight inch break in a city water main, a boil water notice is in effect for Mineola. City officials say the break is on Old Tyler Hwy behind Joe Tex Diesel, then South to Loop 564 to Sanderson Farms and CR 2724. To make sure all bacteria is destroyed, water should be brought to a boil for two minutes and then cooled before consumption. Bottled water can also be used instead for drinking and cooking until the notice has been lifted.

GILMER – The head of the Texas Education Agency made a stop at Gilmer ISD on Monday, happening days after the TEA released this year’s report card for schools across the state, according to a report from our news partner, KETK.

Gilmer Elementary is celebrating their success in the classroom after the school saw a 7-point jump this year. In this year’s TEA ratings, the school raised from 83 to 90, scoring them an A.

Overall, the district scored a B in this year’s TEA ratings. Gilmer Elementary School principal Gina Treadway said the better grade is in part thanks to a new math and phonics program but that the students and teachers are who are really to thank. Continue reading Gilmer Elementary receives high Accountability Test score

TYLER – A bill that would expand access to Ivermectin and permit it to be bought over the counter is now a priority in the Texas House.

State Rep. Joanne Shofner of Nacogdoches is proposing the bill as she believes it would give patients easier access to Ivermectin if passed. The bill would allow drugs like Ivermectin, which was created to kill parasites, to be bought over the counter with no prescription required. The proposal has received a priority bill number from the House Speaker, which makes Shofner hopeful that the bill will be added to the agenda for the current special session.

“What it says is that House District 11 is very, very important to the state capital and that, you know, sometimes rural Texas needs to jump up higher and louder to overtake some of the big cities,” Shofner said.