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KILGORE — The five Kilgore ISD students charged with vandalizing 39 school buses earlier this month have been transferred to an alternate facility to complete their school year. School officials say the students, who are all seniors, will still be able to graduate this year. Kilgore ISD Superintendent Jodi Clementes says the students will also pay for the more than $3,000 in damage to the buses on April 8th, forcing the school to close for the day. The case has been transferred to the Gregg County District Attorney’s office for all criminal charges.

TYLER — More than a year ago, the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Tyler was added to the long list of East Texas churches destroyed by arsonists. The picture shows what it looked like then. But on Easter Sunday, a new chapter began for the congregation. After months of construction, the installation of a brand new roof, and a high tech alarm system, the church officially reopened its doors for services. Members say they’re thrilled with the new building. Says one member, “We’re just so grateful that it worked out this way and everything just fell into place to rebuild. We’re just grateful that the community supported us so, from all over, and not just Texas, but (from all over) the United States, we received donations to help us rebuild this church.”

The church was one out of a string of ten suspected arson cases linked to two East Texas men, Jason Bourque and Daniel McAllister. Both pleaded guilty and will serve life sentences in prison for the crimes. The congregation met in nearby First Presbyterian Church while awaiting repairs.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department along with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is hosting a Prescription Drug Take Back Day. This event will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Super One Foods located at 3000 WNW Loop 323 in Tyler. Police say there will be “no questions asked.”

According to authorities, the purpose of this National Take Back Day is to provide a venue for persons who want to dispose of unwanted and unused prescription drugs. Police say a prior take back effort was a huge success in removing potentially dangerous prescription drugs, particularly controlled substances, from the nation’s medicine cabinets. There were approximately 3,000 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the nation that participated in the event. All told, the American Public turned in more than 121 tons of pills on the first National Take Back Day.

Due to what’s termed the overwhelming success of the first event, DEA has scheduled the second National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Police say it’s a great opportunity for those who missed the first event, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted or unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of them.

Police say the initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. More than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Each day, approximately, 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time according to the Partnership for a Drug Free America. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.

LUFKIN — To raise money for an affliction called osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, a member of the Texas State Guard is marching from Lufkin to Conroe on foot. Captain Allen Rush of the State Guard’s Tyler Medical Response Group says he’s doing it because his great nephew, Jack Wolf IV, died of brittle bone disease at the age of five weeks. The distance between the two cities is 105 miles. Captain rush is trying to make 20 miles a day so he can make it to the Jack Wolf iv Memorial Foundation Golf Tournament Saturday in Conroe. You can go to http://www.jack-wolf.org for more information.

LUFKIN — Angelina County sheriff’s deputies arrest two men on aggravated robbery charges. Brandon Jones, 38, and Jeromy Holt, 19, are accused of the beating and robbing of a 25-year old Pollok man last week. The two men allegedly planned to rob the victim for gas and beer money.

LONGVIEW — Police in Longview say a couple of retailers were cited for selling alcohol to minors. On Thursday, April 21, the Longview Police Department, partnering with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) and Longview Partners in Prevention, conducted off-premise and on-premise minor stings at area retailers. The purpose was to validate compliance with Texas law prohibiting the sale of alcohol to minors. 41 alcohol retailers were checked by the undercover teams. Police say the locations that sold to minors were Food Fast #18 at 1316 Alpine Road and Cheddars Casual Cafe at 3074 N Eastman Road.

At these locations, police say, the individuals that 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 authorities say the reports will be filed with the Gregg County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. In addition, the TABC issued administrative citations to each business.

NACOGDOCHES — A Nacogdoches man died Sunday evening after the vehicle he was traveling in was run off the road by a vehicle coming from the other direction. Justin Pete Powell, 17, died at 5:06 p.m. Sunday at a Nacogdoches hospital. Jerry Glenn White Jr., 19, is listed in good condition at a Nacogdoches hospital.

According to the Department of Public Safety, White was driving a 1996 Dodge pickup southbound on County Road 817, 19.6 miles north of Nacogdoches. Powell was his passenger. A green Jeep driving southbound failed to give up half the roadway and White took evasive action to avoid hitting the Jeep. White overturned, and Powell, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle. The driver of the Jeep fled the scene.

TYLER — A fire at a Tyler restaurant temporarily shuts the business down. The blaze happened Sunday night around 9:30 at the Taco Bell on 5th Street. Fire officials say someone had discovered a cigarette in the flower bed outside of the fast food restaurant, causing the fire to break out in the mulch underneath the plywood and spread to the inside of the men’s restroom wall. The fire was contained quickly and no injuries were reported. The business re-opened for business at 10:45 Monday morning.

LONGVIEW — Longview Officers went undercover to arrest known prostitutes last Friday. During the sting, which lasted for about six hours, eight people were arrested on prostitution related charges and one was arrested for burglary of a vehicle. The burglary happened in the area where the undercover operation was taking place. Those arrested during the sting included:

Teresa Bean, prostitution, possession of drug paraphernalia,
David Tabor, promotion of prostitution,
Ashley Senate, prostitution, fail to ID fugitive,
Stacey Garcia, prostitution 2nd offense,
Shawntel Wion, prostitution,
Terri Johnson, prostitution 2nd offense,
Shana Mestas, prostitution,
Marsha Craver, prostitution 2nd offense,
Dejuan Cheatham, burglary of vehicle, fail to ID.

GILMER — One person has been killed in a one vehicle accident in Upshur County. It occurred shortly before 2:45 on Sunday morning. Dead at the scene was Anthony Melton, 25, of Gilmer. The Department of Public Safety reports Melton’s SUV left the road and he overcorrected. He came back across the road and the vehicle rolled over and hit a tree. State trooper Walter Smith said the accident happened east of Gilmer on Farm Road 1650, three miles west of Sharon Road.

DALLAS (AP) — The state teacher retirement fund’s investment managers received more than $8.2 million in bonuses this year more than double what every other state agency’s top employees have received combined since 2007, according to a newspaper’s analysis.

The Dallas Morning News reported the results of its analysis in Sunday’s edition at a time when about 300,000 retired teachers have gone 10 years without a pension increase and state lawmakers struggle with a budget shortfall that could leave tens of thousands of teachers out of work. Teacher Retirement System Board Chairman R. David Kelly says lush incentive pay is needed to keep investment managers with the most expertise.

State Senator Kevin Eltife of Tyler tells The News that the Legislature should consider ending incentive pay and replace it with competitive salaries.

UNDATED — Here’s a quick look at work planned in the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation.

ANDERSON COUNTY — The Texas Department of Transportation’s annual preventative maintenance program known as “District-Wide Seal Coat” is scheduled to kick off Monday, May 2 in Cherokee County, followed by the same work in Anderson County. Crews are scheduled to apply a seal coat to State Highway 110 in Cherokee County between U.S. Highway 79 in New Summerfield and U.S. Highway 84 in Rusk on May 2, then move to U.S. Highway 84 in Palestine between U.S. Highway 287 and Farm Road 3266 east of town.

Staying in Anderson County, the work is scheduled to move to Farm Road 645 between Farm Road 320 and U.S. 79, Spur 324 between U.S. 287 and Farm Road 321, and US 287 between the Freestone County Line and FM 321.

Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in
progress and flaggers will control traffic in two lane areas. Loose gravel may be
present for several days following a seal coat application.
Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

The District-Wide Seal Coat program, which will seal approximately 300 miles of roads as it passes through all eight counties in the Tyler District before the end of August, uses a two-step process of spraying down hot asphalt and covering it with rock to add years of life to existing pavement. “Just because a highway has a smooth ride now doesn’t mean it will for long,” said TxDOT public information officer Larry Krantz. “Once a hot mix surface gets to be 2-to-3 years old, it’s time to start thinking about seal coating. Once cracks start appearing in the surface, it’s only a matter of time before you start seeing bigger problems like base failures. Base failures mean lane closures, and lane closures
mean inconvenience.”

The hot asphalt oil penetrates any cracks or imperfections in the roadway surface to seal water out. Just that little bit of preventative maintenance can sometimes add up to seven years of nearly maintenance-free life to a roadway. In a district that has nearly 3,600 centerline miles of highways throughout eight counties, any road that doesn’t need constant attention saves taxpayers money. Resurfacing a mile of a two-lane Farm-To-Market road with the standard two inches of hot mix costs around $131,000 in material alone. Seal-coating that same roadway, which will likely help the roadway last longer than the more expensive overlay, costs roughly $21,000.

“Highway maintenance is all about getting the biggest return for the tax dollar,” Krantz said. “As with many things, prevention is much cheaper than the cure in the long run. Seal coat is our best and most cost-effective method of prevention.” The sprayed asphaltic oil also provides an adhesive layer for the rock spread on top to stick, providing a new driving surface. “We can’t just spray down that much asphaltic oil and drive off. It would be too slippery,” Krantz said. “By adding that rock on top, we’re giving motorists a roadway that gives their tires something to bite into in wet weather and in case of an emergency braking maneuver.”

Maintenance sections plan years in advance to determine which roads will get a seal coat and when. “The idea is to get roads in a given section into a seven-year rotation for seal coat,” Krantz said. “Our maintenance sections work hard to get their ‘seal coat roads’ ready each year. Most of them began preparing their roads for seal coat last summer, and they’re all planning their 2012 and 2013 seal coat roads now. In fact, a majority of work performed by maintenance sections is in preparation for District-Wide Seal Coat, from repairing potholes to repairing edge damage to drainage work. Crews work to get as many imperfections taken care of and get the roadway as smooth as possible so the seal coat can cover it all and help those repairs last. “It’s all part of a bigger picture,” Krantz said. “It’s all part of getting ready for seal coat.”

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Beginning Monday, Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to make pavement repairs on U.S. Highway 79 at its intersection with U.S. Highway 69 (Rusk Street and South Jackson Street), and then move east on US 79 making the same repairs in various locations. This work is scheduled to last throughout the week. US 69 and US 79, working in and around the intersection; and US 79 east of US 69. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base repairs in various locations on U.S. Highway 259 north of Henderson between Farm Road 2276 and Farm Road 850. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform pavement repair operations in various locations on State Highway 37 in Winnsboro between State Highway 11 and Farm Road 515, and south of Winnsboro near Farm Road 1647. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform fog seal operations on Farm Road 751 north of Wills Point while a second crew resurfaces Farm Road 47 between State Highway 243 and State Highway 198. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on Farm Road 85 between the Navarro County Line and State Highway 274 in Seven Points. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

LONGVIEW (AP/STAFF) – A worker injured at a scrap metal yard in Longview has died after being seriously burned in a tank explosion while he used a cutting torch. Casey Scott Wallace, 36, of Union Grove, died at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital. Longview police spokeswoman Kristie Brian says the accident happened Friday morning at Youngblood’s Scrap and Metals. Brian says the accident involved some type of flammable substance in a fuel tank, which exploded. Some nearby residents called police to report what they thought was a possible earthquake.

TYLER – A driver has been charged in connection with a Tyler accident that killed a young girl and injured 6 others, one critically. Charged with one count of intoxicated manslaughter and one count of intoxicated assault was Jesus Soto, 33. Killed was Alexandria Castillio, 12. She died around 2:00 Saturday morning at East Texas Medical Center. Cynthia Daneilla, 9, was treated at ETMC and the flown to Dallas Children’s Hospital, where she is listed in critical, but stable condition. Soto received minor injuries.

The wreck happened around 9:00 Friday night at the intersection of West Gentry Parkway and North Bois D’Arc. Investigators say Soto’s car was east bound on Gentry and attempted to turn north onto Bois D’Arc. The car turned into the path of a pickup, with the truck hitting the passenger side of the vehicle. Four other passengers in the pickup received minor injuries.

TYLER – A woman is in custody in a Tyler stabbing. Officers were called to East Texas Medical Center about the stabbing around 4:00 Saturday morning. The victim told investigators he was stabbed by his live-in girlfriend following an argument at their residence in the 2300 block of Bellwood Road. Officers contacted the suspect at the residence and following the investigation placed the suspect under arrest. She was booked into the Smith County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Tyler police say the victim’s injuries are serious but not life threatening.

TYLER – Seven persons have been injured, two critically, in a two vehicle accident in Tyler. It happened around 9:00 last night at the intersection of West Gentry Parkway and North Bois D’Arc.

Investigators say a car was east bound on Gentry and attempted to turn north onto Bois D’Arc. The car turned into the path of a pickup, with the truck hitting the passenger side of the car. Two teenage passengers in the car received possible life threatening injuries. The girls were taken to East Texas Medical Center and then flown to Dallas Children’s Hospital. Four person in the pickup received minor injuries.

The man who was driving the car received minor injuries and was taken to ETMC for treatment. Investigators believe the car’s driver may have been drinking. After being treated at the hospital he will be booked into the Smith County Jail on two counts of intoxication assault.

WINONA – Firemen have contained a grassfire off County Road 3104 near Winona. It was reported around 6:00 last night. The fire is said to have rekindled from a blaze firemen fought last Sunday. They once again had to bring in a plow to help contain the fire.

TYLER — Tyler’s Rose Garden is getting national attention. The website http://www.livability.com ranks it as one of the ten most inspiring gardens in the country. The Rose Garden has more than 32,000 varieties of roses. City staffers tell KETK getting national recognition for something the city is known for is an honor.

GRAPELAND — A former Grapeland city councilman is arrested for the second time this month. Aaron Pennington, 30, was arrested Tuesday by the attorney general’s office on a charge of sexual assault of a child. Pennington was arrested earlier this month on child pornography charges. A follow-up investigation led to the additional charges.

LUFKIN — A Lufkin man spent three days in jail this week for admittedly exposing himself to a woman at a washeteria Tuesday. Deadrion Haynes, 19, also had to pay a $300 fine and $243 court cost. On Tuesday, he reportedly walked into R&R Washeteria on Denman Avenue with his hands in his pants around 11:30 a.m., according to Lufkin Police Lt. David Young. A woman was inside washing clothes at the time. “The woman told us he walked in and went straight to the bathroom. When she walked outside to her car, she said he came to the window and just pulled his pants down, exposing himself,” Young said.

NOONDAY — Two Noonday volunteer firefighters return from helping fight those West Texas fires. The area where they fought was in Graham, west of Fort Worth. They tell our news partner KETK they arrived Monday morning and worked for three days straight. Noonday Assistant Fire Chief Jonathan McLish called it “intense.” McLish says ten Anderson County firefighters also helped in the effort. In all, more than 1500 firefighters are working endlessly across the state to get those fires put out. In Possum Kingdom alone, fire has destroyed about 160 of the 3,000 homes.

LONGVIEW (AP) – A worker at a scrap metal yard in Longview has been seriously burned in a tank explosion while he used a cutting torch. Longview police spokeswoman Kristie Brian says the accident happened Friday morning at Youngblood’s Scrap and Metals. She says the 36 year old worker, whose name was not immediately released, was transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, which has a burn unit. Brian says the accident involved some type of flammable substance in a tank, which exploded. Some nearby residents called police to report what they thought was a possible earthquake.

NACOGDOCHES — Two people are in jail after Nacogdoches County Pct. 4 constable’s deputies seized a large amount of marijuana from the trunk of a vehicle. Clarence Manning, 34, and Shalauna Collier, 26, both of Jonesboro, Arkansas, were charged with second-degree felony possession of marijuana following a traffic stop on April 16, Pct. 4 Constable Jason Bridges said. Authorities say they seized 72 pounds of marijuana.

QUITMAN (AP/Staff) — A Louisiana man wanted in his home state after failing to appear in court on animal abuse charges has been arrested in Wood County, and 79 snakes have been seized. Wood County deputies say David James Beauchemin, 45, of Oakdale, Louisiana, was arrested in Quitman on Wednesday on 22 outstanding warrants accusing him of failure to appear in court as ordered in Allen Parish, Louisiana.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Kilan Polk tells the Tyler Morning Telegraph that deputies rescued 79 boa constrictors, pythons and anacondas, some as long as 20 feet. The serpents have been turned over to the Humane Society of North Texas in Fort Worth. Beauchemin remains in Wood County Jail without bond pending extradition and any Texas charges.

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. (AP) — The Alabama fan accused of poisoning his rival school’s famous trees has gone a radio show, saying he is going to get what he deserves. Harvey Updyke is accused of poisoning the oak trees at Auburn’s Toomer’s Corner. Updyke is a former Lufkin resident. He also served as a state trooper in south Texas.

He told Birmingham radio show host Paul Finebaum on Thursday that he has “done a lot of good things, and undoubtedly that wasn’t one of them.” He says he doesn’t want to be remembered as “Harvey the tree poisoner.”

The 61-year-old Updyke appeared in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing. Shortly afterward, he told police he was attacked at a gas station. Updyke told the radio show that he doesn’t blame Auburn fans for being angry with him. He ended his appearance on the show saying: “Roll Damn Tide.”

TYLER — Tyler ISD officials say a young student was safely returned to campus after walking off Thursday. According to a TISD news release, at approximately 1:20 p.m., the Clarkston Elementary second-grader left campus without authorization. Officials say it has been determined that the child decided to walk home. According to the campus principal, Kathryn Letsinger, a parent volunteer observed the child near the front of the school. The parent immediately notified a staff member. Campus employees began to search for the child. The Tyler ISD police, district administrators, and the child’s parent were immediately contacted. Officials say within 20 minutes of the initial report, the child was returned to campus by city of Tyler police.

TYLER — Officials say the news is good as the Tyler Police Department releases its 2010 Uniform Crime Reporting statistics. Two types of crimes were tracked by the department. Part 1 crimes are described by Uniform Crime Reporting as homicides, sexual assaults, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries (commercial & residential), thefts, and stolen vehicles. The calendar year of 2010 ended with a 13.24% decrease (834 fewer offenses) in Part 1 crimes compared to 2009. Part 2 crimes are described as simple assault, forgery, drug violations, liquor law violations, weapon violations, runaways, etc. Part 2 crime totals for 2010 decreased by 796 reported incidents (-12.99%) compared to 2009.

Police Chief Gary Swindle says one major factor in the decrease is “working together with the community and citizens reporting things to us and working with the media in efforts to get suspects and videos out there.” Swindle hopes to see even more citizen involvement. His advice: “Be smart, be responsible, use common sense. Don’t leave things in your vehicles in view to the general public.” Swindle adds, “When you see something that’s suspicious or out of the ordinary, report it. Don’t feel like you’re inconveniencing us.” Swindle also says the economic upturn helped limit property crimes, which had experienced a substantial increase in 2009.

GILMER — Darryl Gene Hollie has been sentenced to 99 years in prison for felony aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. On August 5th of last year, Hollie was parked at Glenn’s Grocery Store on Highway 155 in Upshur County waiting for the store to open. When an employee unlocked the door to the store, Hollie walked in, hit the employee in the back of the head, and stomped her with his foot. After he took all of the money from the register, he drove off. Hollie must serve half of his sentence before being eligible for parole.

NACOGDOCHES — The Nacogdoches Police Department is investigating an alleged kidnapping of a woman, which took place near the Stephen F. Austin campus at the Tetco Convenience store at the intersection of University Drive and Starr Ave. at approximately 5:30 a.m. Thursday. The victim was taken to a parking lot near the Azalea Garden off of University Drive. The victim got away and police were contacted. Police are looking for a black man, 6’1″, slim build, short hair, clean shaven with no facial hair, wearing dark colored jeans and a dark colored shirt with an emblem on the shirt.

LUFKIN — All three victims from Tuesday afternoon’s collision on U.S. Highway 69 south outside of Huntington have been transported to hospitals in Tyler or Houston. The crash involved three vehicles, including a Huntington Independent School District bus and a Texas attorney general’s car. The front passenger in the government car, Danna Gordon, 53, was taken by medical helicopter from the scene of the accident to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler, a Level 1 trauma center, according to Department of Public Safety Trooper Joe Wood. Records from ETMC show she was treated and released from the hospital.

The back seat passenger, Dorothy Musick, 59, was initially taken to Memorial, but Wood said she was then driven by ambulance to ETMC. She is listed in critical condition in the ICU unit. The driver, Veronica Burns, 51, was initially taken to Memorial Medical Center-Lufkin and was later flown by medical helicopter to Houston, Wood said. Her condition was not available as of Wednesday afternoon.

After further investigation, Wood said the attorney general’s car had been stopped behind the school bus as it let off students. The green Cadillac, driven by Tonia Sue Pena, rear-ended the stopped vehicle and pushed it into the side of the school bus before deflecting into a field on the opposite side of the highway. Pena later went to the hospital complaining of chest pain from the inflated airbag and an injury to her knee. She was ticketed for not having a driver’s license and failure to control speed, Wood said. Only one child from the school received a bump to the head, according to HISD superintendent Eric Wright. Wood said everyone was wearing their seatbelts.