KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – Union employees at Tyler’s Trane plant have approved a new four year contract. The agreement between union employees and Trane was ratified last night. There is no word on the provisions of the agreement or the vote margin.

A news release from Ingersoll Rand, the parent company of Trane, quotes plant manager Mike Swift as saying, “We are pleased by the vote outcome. This new contract provides competitive wages and benefits for our employees while providing the business the flexibility needed to make us competitive in the marketplace.”

LONGVIEW – A Longview home has been extensively damaged by fire. It was reported shortly after 6:30 yesterday morning in the 300 Block of Ramblewood Drive. Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary says the fire started in the engine of a car in the garage. It then quickly spread through the garage and into the home’s attic. No injuries were reported.

TYLER — Home sales in Tyler are up from the same time last year. KETK reports they jumped in May by nearly 7%. 289 homes had a “sold” sign out front in May; 253 sold in April. Although home prices aren’t increasing as much as realtors or sellers would like, buying trends show the economy might be on the mend.

TYLER – There’s some good news on state test results in the Tyler ISD, but room for improvement as well. This school year, ninth grade students and seventh and eighth grade students enrolled in high school courses began taking the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) End of Course (EOC) exams rather than the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests.

School officials say TISD saw improved performance in math, an area where some Tyler ISD students have struggled in the past. School district leaders say they’re specifically pleased with the performance of African-American and economically disadvantaged students on the math tests. Science has also been an area of focus for Tyler ISD, and officials say the hard work of teachers and staff has again paid off. The average number of Tyler ISD students who passed the Biology EOC exam equaled the statewide average of 87 percent.

On the flipside, only 63% of Tyler ISD students who took the English I Reading EOC met the Level II passing standard, and on English I Writing, 45% of Tyler ISD students passed. Although these results are reflective of a statewide trend, they are below Tyler ISD’s expectations. Officials say the school district is committed to better prepare students for success on STAAR by analyzing the data provided by the state and leading training sessions for teachers targeting low performing categories. You can go to the “In the News” tab at http://www.tylerisd.org/ for more on the STAAR results.

LONGVIEW — For the second year in a row, Longview I-S-D teachers will not get a pay raise. According to KETK, the school board voted to freeze salaries in anticipation of millions lost in state revenue. Despite the pay freeze, though, Longview ISD is still one of the highest-paying school districts in East Texas.

GILMER — A jury is selected in the trial against a man accused of killing his sibling. Glenn Myers Jr., 54, of Big Sandy is charged with the shooting death of his sister, Cindy Espinoza, last July in Upshur County. According to KETK, the trial should begin Monday and is expected to last up to three days.

LONGVIEW — Charges against a 21-year-old Longview man, who has been held since May 17 in connection with the deadly ambush of a former Kilgore College football player, have been upgraded to capital murder, according to the Longview News-Journal. Brendan Douglas is held in the Gregg County Jail under bonds totaling $1 million. Also, a Gregg County prosecutor said Wednesday a decision is yet to be made on whether to try as an adult a 16-year-old-arrested this past week in connection with the death of DeAundray Rossum. 16-year-old Deion Reed was arrested along with his brother, 17-year-old Torry Reed, in connection with the May 15 shooting.

GLADEWATER — Authorities make a big haul in an East Texas drug bust. On June 13th around 6:30am, the Gladewater Police Department, Upshur County Sheriffs Department, and the Gregg County Code Unit served a warrant for 58-year-old Larry Duraso. He was arrested on the 3000 block of George Richey Road in Gladewater. During a search of the property, officials say they found 3.6 pounds of marijuana, about $8,200 in cash, a truck, and two motorcycles. Duraso is charged with two counts of delivery of marijuana and was taken to the Upshur County Jail.

The warrant was the result of a lengthy investigation by officials. The Gladewater Police and Upshur County Sheriff’s Departments tell KETK that they are “steadily working hand in hand to rid our communities of drug dealers, to protect our citizens, and make our city and county a safer place for our families.”

LONGVIEW — Authorities recently conducted another set of alcohol stings and cited five retailers. On Friday, June 9, the Longview Police Department, partnering with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) and Longview Partners in Prevention (PIP), conducted off-premise minor stings at area retailers. 31 retailers were checked. The locations that allegedly sold to minors were:

1. 3305 S. Eastman Road – Food Fast # 77
2. 514 S. Eastman Road – Easy Access
3. 1001 Young Street – Cowboy’s # 13
4. 1910 Judson Road – E – Z Mart Store # 443
5. 3122 Estes Parkway – Brianna’s Stop n Shop

At these locations the individuals who allegedly sold alcohol to the undercover minor were listed in offense reports for making alcohol available to a minor. This offense is a class A misdemeanor, and the reports will be filed with the Gregg County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. In addition, the TABC issued an administrative citation or citations to each business.

NACOGDOCHES — A mother may be facing injury to a child charges after intervening in a fight between her teenage daughter and another girl. According to KETK, the two 14-year-olds started fighting just before 9:30 on Wednesday night in the 1100 block of Orton St. in Nacogdoches. According police, the mother of one of the girls became involved in the fight and allegedly assaulted the other teenager. There were no serious injuries reported but the family of the girl she attacked may press charges against the woman. Injury to a child is a third degree felony. So far, no arrests have been made. The case is still under investigation.

TYLER — A Tyler man charged with capital murder was back in court for a pre-trial hearing. Authorities said Dramon Rashon Green, 20, is charged in the death of his daughter, A’yanna Webb, 2. Green was arrested back in August after investigators determined that he assaulted his daughter outside his apartment located on the 4400 block of Paluxy.

Investigators were initially called to the emergency room at ETMC August 19, after personnel reported a child with suspicious injuries. Officers learned that the child had been brought to the hospital by her parents and was being treated for major, life threatening internal injuries. A’yanna underwent emergency surgery to stop bleeding in her abdomen. In spite of the best efforts of the medical personnel, she died as a result of her injuries.

Green remains in the Smith County Jail with bond set at $1,000,000. A court date has been set for next year.

GREGG COUNTY — The Longview Fire Department and the Judson Metro Volunteer Department plan to let an oil lease blaze burn itself out. Those two departments responded after the fire was reported Thursday morning off Highway 259 north of Longview. Authorities say there’s no worry of the flames spreading because of the heavy rain that soaked the area Thursday morning. Officials said the fire may have been caused by a lightning strike.

LINDEN (AP) — A judge has set an August trial for a Texas man accused of contributing to the death of his 13-year-old son by failing to feed him. Bill Hudson appeared in a Cass County courtroom Tuesday. He faces three child abuse charges in the 2008 death of Samuel Hudson.

The Texarkana Gazette reports that Hudson’s attorney asked a judge to not allow prosecutors to try three child abuse charges against Hudson at once. The judge agreed and said August’s trial will focus on a single child abuse charge that alleges Hudson withheld food from Samuel.

Hudson and his wife, Cynthia Hudson, adopted Samuel from foster care along with two of his siblings. Cynthia Hudson was convicted of capital murder in the death but an appeals court overturned that conviction.

LUFKIN – Beginning this fall, Angelina College will be tobacco free. According to the college’s website, school trustees approved the policy at Monday’s meeting.

The change makes the entire AC campus, including all off-campus centers, 100 percent tobacco-free. Smoking will not be allowed on-campus at any location except within the confines of a private vehicle. This will include the use of “e-cigarettes” and other such devices.

Angelina College president Dr. Larry Phillips said the decision has been pending for quite some time. “We have been discussing this policy for over a year, and we’ve conferred with both students and faculty members in that time,” Phillips said. “It is absolutely the right thing to do. A number of colleges and universities around the state are going, or have gone, to tobacco-free environments on-campus.”

Phillips cited input from the Coalition in Angelina County, which conducted surveys of students and other institutions of higher education. Those findings suggested wide-spread support for tobacco-free campuses.

“The college has been a non-smoking area in all buildings for quite a while,” Phillips said. “However, going completely tobacco-free should promote public health, save lives and save thousands of dollars in campus maintenance costs.”

TYLER – The East Texas Food Bank announced Wednesday that it has been selected as one of 500 nonprofit finalists in Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program. That’s a major philanthropic initiative in which the automaker is giving 100 cars to 100 nonprofits over the course of 100 days. The East Texas Food Bank was selected as a finalist from more than 4,000 applications nationwide.

Each day, beginning May 14, 2012, 100 Cars for Good will profile five finalists. You can go to http://www.100carsforgood.com to view the finalists. Individual members of the public will be able to vote for whichever nonprofit they think can do the most good with a new vehicle. The nonprofit with the most votes at the end of each day will win one of six Toyota models. Runners‐up will each receive a $1,000 cash grant from Toyota.

The East Texas Food Bank will be up for consideration on Tuesday, June 19th, from 9:00 am – 11:00 pm. “Everyone at the East Texas Food Bank is thrilled to have been selected as a finalist for the 2012 100 Cars for Good program,” said Dennis Cullinane, executive director at the East Texas Food Bank. “We’re grateful for this incredible opportunity to showcase the East Texas Food Bank’s mission to reduce hunger by providing food, support and education to those in need with passion and efficiency. We hope East Texans will help us win a car to increase our impact in East Texas. Please spread the word now and make time to visit http://www.100carsforgood.comon Tuesday, June 19th, to vote for us.”

LONGVIEW — Longview city officials Wednesday morning reported major vandalism damage at the city’s Lear Park. Laura Hill, director of community services for the city, said both soccer concession stands and the baseball concession stand were heavily damaged. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, local police joined Longview Parks and Leisure Services officials on the scene to assess damage. “We don’t have the total estimate on damages yet, that may take a couple of days, and we will have to work with our risk management department on insurance procedures,” Hill said. Hill added that since the soccer season is over, crews will probably get busy repairing the baseball facility first, then move on to the soccer facilities.

TYLER — A 28-year-old Athens man is arrested for allegedly exposing himself to a female jogger in Rose Rudman Park. Tyler police responded to the park around 9:30 Wednesday morning after the jogger called 911, stating that the man had exposed himself twice to her as she was running along the park’s trail. Officers searched the area and located the suspect as he was reportedly attempting to leave in his vehicle. The suspect is identified as James Clayburn Kiser. Kiser was arrested and transported to Smith County Jail, charged with indecent exposure. He has a lengthy criminal history with over 40 arrests on record.

TYLER — The City of Tyler reached a major milestone Wednesday by exceeding $2.4 million in hard and soft dollar savings through the implementation of its Lean Sigma Program. To date, 45 Lean Sigma projects have been completed by City employees trained in the methodology. “Lean Sigma helps identify the waste and variation that occurs in everyday processes,” said Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass. “The program provides a structured approach for improving efficiency – which saves both time and money.”

The City originally launched its Lean Sigma Program in 2009 with the hiring of a Lean Sigma Master Black Belt. Since that time the program has been expanded to include most City departments. A total of 123 Blue Belts (four hours of training), 29 Green Belts (80 hours of training) and seven Black Belts (160 hours of training), have been trained in the methodology. These employees work on Lean Sigma projects in conjunction with their normal job duties. You can go to http://www.cityoftyler.org for more on this story.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council received two presentations Wednesday that could ultimately lead to a new hotel conference center in Tyler as well as an arena. “The genesis for both of these projects was Tyler 21 and the Industry Growth Initiative (IGI),” said Mayor Barbara Bass. There was also follow up tax adjustment activity in the state legislature and city council aimed at expediting the project.

Consultants brought in last November have now found that Tyler is uniquely positioned to attract private investors for the construction and management of a full-service hotel conference center. Further, they went on to prioritize potential sites for the facility and suggest a prospective financing plan for the $57 to $75 million project, pending further study. “The hotel conference center would be a public-private partnership with 63 percent of the funding coming from private investment,” said Bass.

The consultants also found that Tyler could benefit from an arena to host concerts, sporting events and other large-scale events. The arena could seat from 5,500 to 8,000 attendees. “This is certainly a project that would enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Tyler,” said Mayor Bass. “However, because the City would need to have a much greater investment in the project, we will not build the arena without going to the voters for their approval.” It is anticipated that 40% of the cost of the facility would come from private donations and 60% from public funds. “Until the private donations are raised, we would not consider approaching voters to approve the public investment,” added Bass. “I really don’t see that happening before November 2013, if not later.”

On June 27, The City Council will consider a contract with the consultants to take the next step for the two projects. That includes seeking and securing potential locations, seeking partners, and conducting preliminary designs for the projects. You can go to http://www.cityoftyler.org for a more detailed look at the planning process for the convention center and arena.

LONGVIEW — Longview Police believe three local men are connected to the May murder of a Kilgore College student. According to KETK, Torre Reed, 17, and his brother Deion Frazier Reed, 16, along with Brenden Xavier Douglas, 22, (pictured) are all suspects in the murder of DeAundray Lamanze Rossum, 23. Douglas was arrested the night of Rossum’s death in connection to an attempted hold-up outside a fast food restaurant. Authorities said bullets found at that crime scene link him to where Rossum was murdered.

NACOGDOCHES — Nacogdoches County commissioners Tuesday discussed a proposed haul route agreement between the county and the TransCanada firm regarding the planned Keystone XL Pipeline. KETK reports that the agreement is patterned after similar agreements the pipeline has with Rusk and Cherokee counties, according to Precinct 1 Commissioner Jerry Don Williamson. Williamson says officials want to be sure contractors would take care of streets and be responsible for any damage caused during construction.

WINNSBORO — The Winnsboro Police Department continues being investigated by the FBI for an incident that happened back in 2008 where 3 officers allegedly planted drugs. Tuesday night, the subject was broached in the city council meeting. Even though the case is a few years old, the defendant, Jason Brumell of Pittsburg, ended up suing the city in a case that was mediated and settled by the city. According to KETK, the FBI is looking into it once again and Wood County District Attorney Jim Wheeler announced in open court that he wouldn’t prosecute any case brought by the Winnsboro PD while the FBI was investigating them.

The subject was talked about toward the end of the meeting, and it was apparent that there is overwhelming support for the department from city officials. The city manager claimed the city isn’t even sure what officers the FBI is investigating but that the city supports the department and every officer in it “innocent until proven guilty.” Police Chief J.L Miller also spoke, saying he stands by his officers 100%. Mayor Carolyn Jones spoke on behalf of the city council saying they support the department as well.

TYLER — A Tyler man has been charged with intoxication assault after a major accident. Lawrence Woodham, 24, was booked into the Smith County Jail around 6:30 Wednesday morning. Tyler Police responded to the wreck on Troup Hwy and Loop 323 just after midnight. According to witnesses, a small 4 door car driven by Casey Patterson, 23, was traveling west bound on Loop 323 in the left turn lane preparing to turn south onto Troup Hwy. As Patterson was making his left turn on a green arrow, the passenger side of his vehicle was struck by a Chevy truck driven by Woodham who was traveling east bound on Loop 323 and failed to stop for a red light. Both subjects were transferred to ETMC by ambulance. Patterson’s condition was listed as critical. Woodham was also arrested December 23, 2011 for driving while intoxicated, according to online Smith County judicial records.

TYLER — A non-native plant is once again taking over East Texas lakes, and has members of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department scrambling to do something about it. KETK reports that the plant is called hydrilla, and the problem is not only how fast it’s spreading, but how thick it can be. Officials say hydrilla can threaten lakes’ plants and fish. TPW crews surveyed the 65-acre Tyler State Park lake for hydrilla Tuesday.

TYLER — Officials with Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics announced that the Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital has received a three-star rating for isolated coronary artery bypass (CAB) and aortic valve replacement (AVR). Of the 1,014 hospitals reporting data to The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), 14% received a three-star rating for CAB and 3.2% for AVR procedures from the STS National Database. The rating places all cardiac surgical procedures performed at the heart hospital for one year ending December 30, 2011, in the top 15 percent of cardiothoracic programs that submitted data. The Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital is located on the campus of Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler.

“As we near the opening of the completed Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital later this year, this is very welcome news,” said John McGreevy, CEO, Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital. “We are grateful to the Owen family for their generosity to build the region’s first freestanding heart hospital and the STS report reinforces that we have committed to honoring their support by doing the best job we can for our heart patients.”

LONGVIEW — Home sales in the multi-county area served by the Longview-Marshall Multiple Listing Service are running 9% ahead of 2011 for the first four months of 2012. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. “This is the best year we’ve had as a company in four years,” said Suzanne Cook of Suzanne Cook & Co. “Sales have been great across all price points and the upper end of the market has really improved.” Through the end of April, real estate agents in the Longview area closed 625 home sales. That was 51 more sales than for the same period a year ago.

GLADEWATER – A one vehicle accident in Gladewater has left one person dead. The wreck occurred shortly after 1:30 Tuesday morning, starting in the 400 block of North Main Street/U.S. Highway 271. Killed was Bradley Naismith, 41. He was southbound in a flatbed welding truck when he lost control on a curve and ran off the roadway, hitting two power poles at Allison Street and North Main. The truck continued south, sideswiping a brick retaining wall at Croley Funeral Home before finally stopping at Gregg Street and North Main Street. Naismith died before emergency crews arrived on scene. He was wearing a seatbelt, and alcohol was observed in the vehicle, but it is unknown at this time if alcohol contributed to the crash.

DAINGERFIELD — Daingerfield Police Chief Doug Stanley died early Monday evening at Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview after a short illness. Stanley had been with the Daingerfield Police Department since 1994. He was promoted to sergeant in 1999, and became chief of police in January 2007. Also in 2007, he was chosen as Emergency Management Coordinator

According to Reeder-Davis Funeral Home in Hughes Springs, services for Chief Stanley will be tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 at First Baptist Church in Daingerfield. Burial will follow at Daingerfield Cemetery.

JACKSONVILLE — Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, the oldest junior college in the state of Texas, sits empty. Furloughs were issued last month to all but 11 employees. Jacksonville native Kay Lewis, who went to Lon Morris for a while before going off to college, asked herself what the community could do for a place that has done so much for so many.

According to KETK, Lewis is responsible for the very popular, “Jacksonville Cares”, a group that brought awareness to driving safety for teens. Now she’s started another group, “Loving Lon Morris.”

Church groups, boy scouts, as well as East Texans with lawn mowers, weed eaters, and time to spare are volunteering to help the school with repairs, painting, grounds keeping and help around the office.

And they can use all the help they can get.

TYLER – Tyler school trustees have named a new principal at Peete Elementary. Starting next month will be John Dees, who comes to TISD from the Grand Prairie school system where he has served as assistant principal since 2007. He started his career in education in 1999 as a second grade teacher, and worked as an art teacher for six years.

He will take over as principal when Freeman Sterling retires at the end of June. Sterling has served as principal at Peete for the past 18 years.

“I’m excited to join a district, campus, and community that share my vision of high expectations for student success,” Mr. Dees said. He added, “Peete Elementary has a history of strong leadership and academic success. I look forward to building on a solid foundation to ensure that our future is even brighter than our great past.”

Dees received his Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, and his Master of Education in Educational Leadership at Dallas Baptist University.