KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Tyler Junior College is hosting a summit with legislators on ways to implement programs to create a smooth transition after graduation. According to our news partner KETK, Tuesday was the reception for all 50 presidents from every community college in Texas to talk with the U.S. representatives who are in the House Education and Workforce Committee. Community college leaders want to see creativity and innovation take place on their behalf in Congress.

“We’re excited about the opportunities and the dialog that we can have between legislative champions and leaders of community colleges,” said Juan Mejia, TJC president .

On Wednesday, the legislative summit will begin with a dialogue on how to bring more money in for programs that will tie directly to jobs in their area. Continue reading TJC hosts summit with community college leaders and congressmen

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Law enforcement officials are searching for a man who reportedly stole a dump truck Tuesday morning. According to our news partner KETK, Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson says a man in a gray t-shirt stole a dump truck and trailer from a county work site on CR 4211 out of Jacksonville. The man went north to Highway 110 and reportedly forgot to release the vehicle’s air brakes, which led to the tires of the truck smoking and catching fire. He reportedly bailed out of the dump truck in front of the Whitehouse Volunteer Fire Department on Highway 110 and ran away from the scene. TDCJ dogs were unable to find the person and the search was called off, according to Sheriff Brent Dickson.

LONGVIEW – Ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton, several Longview Fire Department members are traveling to assist. According to our news partner KETK, the fire department said six of their water rescue team members were activated on Monday to travel to Alabama and assist the Texas Task Force. Officials added that two others from the LFD are on stand-by for the Emergency Medical Task Force.

According to the Associated Press, Milton, a current category four hurricane, is on the path to directly hit Tampa Bay and is expected to make landfall on Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning.

“Please keep these members in your thoughts and prayers for a safe deployment as well as the citizens in the affected area,” Longview FD said.

BULLARD – The City of Bullard has hired a new city manager. According to our news partner KETK, the new city manager is Pam Frederick. Frederick is not unknown to city hall. She was formerly the mayor and a city council member from 2003-2022. Frederick is currently the Smith County Commissioner for precinct 1.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue serving our community,” Frederick said. “The experience, knowledge, and relationships I will bring with me to this position will have a positive impact on Bullard as we continue to grow.”

According to a release from the city , the previous city manager, David Hartman, accepted a role for the City of Henderson. Frederick will assume her position as city manager Nov. 12.

SMITH COUNTY – On October 7, 2024, a jury sentenced Defendant David Lloyd Stanley to life in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for committing the offense of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child. Prosecutors presented evidence at trial proving that the Defendant sexually abused the child victim from the ages of 7 to 12. Prosecutors also proved that the Defendant possessed thousands of images of child pornography on his cell phone. The cell phone evidence further established that the Defendant had solicited underage girls for sex. The case was tried by Assistant District Attorneys Richard Vance, Catherine McQueen, and Scott Severt in the 475th District Court with the Honorable Judge Taylor Heaton presiding.

SMITH COUNTY – The Smith County Commissioners Court voted on Tuesday, October 8, to issue a burn ban for the county. As of Tuesday morning, the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) for Smith County was at 709. The KBDI ranges from 0 to 800 and is used to determine forest fire potential. Smith County saw about 50 grass fires from September 23 through October 6, Smith County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue reported.

On Monday, October 7, a controlled burn that was left unattended damaged two buildings and burned more than 2 acres, he said. Hogue said the humidity is expected to drop this week. That, and with no rain in sight, the fire danger is increasing.  He recommended that the Commissioners Court issue the “Order Prohibiting Outdoor Burning.”

The burn ban order is in effect for 90 days, unless conditions improve, and the Commissioners Court approve terminating the order early. Continue reading Smith County issues a burn ban

LUFKIN — The Ellen Trout Zoo has announced that their director, Gordon Henley, is retiring after 48 years of service to the Lufkin-based zoo, according to our news partner KETK. “Serving as the director of Ellen Trout Zoo has been a true honor,” Henley said. “I have cherished every moment spent creating a magical experience for our visitors, and I am profoundly grateful for the support of our community.”

Henley’s journey with the zoo started back in 1976 after moving to Lufkin with his wife Charlotte from Oklahoma where he worked at the Tulsa Zoo.

“After an amazing 48-year journey, Gordon will be seeking new adventures. We want to take a moment to reflect on the cherished memories created at Ellen Trout Zoo,” the zoo said. “Join us in celebrating his remarkable legacy and the magic he’s helped cultivate for generations. Here’s to new adventures, Gordon!” Continue reading Ellen Trout Zoo director retiring after 48 years of service

NACOGDOCHES – The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has awarded Stephen F. Austin University a $250,000 grant to enhance its nursing program. According to our news partner KETK, SFA was selected out of 26 other institutions to receive the Student Success Acceleration Program 2.0 grant in order to help address the shortfall of nurses nationwide.

Dr. Marc Guidry, associate provost for the Division of Academic Affairs said in a release, “This grant supports two of SFA’s marquee programs at once, nursing and social work. I am especially pleased that all the money goes to students in the form of scholarships, stipends and supplies. The resources provided by this grant will enable more of our nursing students to persist and graduate with their registered nurse license while providing hands-on training for our graduate social work majors. It is a double-win for SFA and the state of Texas.”

MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department (MPD) issued a statement Monday afternoon warning residents of a recent spike of a popular scam. These scams involve individuals “pretending to be law enforcement officers from the Marshall Police Department or the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office,” according to a statement. On their Facebook page, Marshall PD said that these individuals can reach out via call, text or email, “[…] claiming you owe fines or have legal issues that can only be resolved by making payments through gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or other unusual methods.” MPD urges those who have their suspicions to call them at 903-935-4575.

RUSK – Rusk ISD schools briefly were on lockdown status Monday morning after an accused murderer reportedly escaped from Rusk State Hospital. According to our news partner KETK, Juan Carlos Vasquez Rojas has been at the hospital since September after he was arrested for felony murder in Harris County. Rojas reportedly escaped while being taken from one part of the hospital to another.

Schools in the area went on lockdown while the Rusk and Cherokee County law enforcement searched the area. Rojas was captured not long after and the lockdown was lifted. Liberty County district court sent Rojas to Rusk State Hospital for a competency assessment before he can stand trial for the murder charge.

LINDALE – Our news partners at KETK report a road extension project that has been in the works for almost seven years has broken ground in Lindale. According to City of Lindale officials, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the extension of East Centennial Boulevard on Saturday. East Centennial Boulevard, that intersects Highway 69 and runs between Lowe’s and Walmart, will extend to meet Jim Hogg Road. Lindale Mayor Gavin Rasco took part in the groundbreaking and said construction is set to begin. Continue reading Extension of Lindale’s East Centennial Boulevard begins

AUSTIN - A Longview resident claimed a top prize winning ticket worth $1 million in the Texas Lottery. The ticket was purchased at a Food Fast convenience store, located at 3305 South Eastman Road, in Longview. A release from lottery officials said, the prize winner has elected to remain anonymous.
 

NACOGDOCHES – The Nacogdoches Police Department said that one person was critically injured after a reported shooting at a private club on Sunday morning. According to our news partner KETK, Nacogdoches PD Sgt. Brent Handy said that 911 calls came from the private club at 1600 E. Main St. at around 12:46 a.m. on Sunday. When officers arrived, Handy said, they could tell there had been a disturbance at the scene and then they were called to a local hospital where a shooting victim had been privately taken.

According to Handy, the victim was in critical but stable condition as of 2:40 p.m. on Sunday. Nacogdoches PD is investigating the shooting.

AUSTIN (AP) — A Texas man set to die this month is at the center of another push for clemency in the U.S., this time backed by several GOP lawmakers and bestselling author John Grisham, who say a father’s 2002 conviction for killing his infant daughter deserves a second look. Their pleas to spare Robert Roberson, of Palestine, who is set to die by lethal injection on Oct. 17, comes after Missouri and Oklahoma carried out executions last month over calls to grant two condemned men lesser punishments, underlining how rare clemency remains for death row prisoners.

The cases highlight one of a governor’s most extraordinary powers — whether to allow an execution to proceed. In Texas, the state’s parole board and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott have yet to weigh in on Roberson, whose defenders say was convicted based on faulty scientific evidence. Continue reading A Texas execution is renewing calls for clemency. It’s rarely granted

SULPHUR SPRINGS – Our news partners at KETK report the Sulphur Springs Police Department is asking the public to help identify a man who was seen in security footage during a robbery on Saturday. Sulphur Springs PD said that the aggravated robbery happened at the Eagle Food Mart at 500 Main Street at around 11:04 p.m. on Saturday. They described a man seen on video from the store as a 6-foot-tall man who was wearing all black. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sulphur Springs Police Department detective Brian Shurtleff at 903-885-7602 or Crime Stoppers at 903-885-2020.

PALESTINE – Our news partners at KETK report the City of Palestine has announced that there will be a planned water outage from 6 p.m. on Monday to 4 a.m. on Tuesday. The residents in the following areas will be under the temporary outage:
N. Sycamore St. from Spring St. to Erwin St.
Crawford St. from Houston St. to John St.
W. Oak St. from N. Sycamore St. to Queen St.
Magnolia St. from W. Crawford St. to Main St.
Any questions can be directed to the City of Palestine Public Works Department by calling 903-731-8423.

EAST TEXAS — The Atlanta District of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced repairs for 15 bridges in East Texas will get underway in the coming months, according to our news partners at KETK. “We will be making repairs to the concrete decking, replacing bearing pads, and cleaning joints,” said TxDOT Mount Pleasant Area Engineer Wendy Starkes. The work is expected to start in December and will take about 22 months. Titus, Morris and Bowie Counties are all slated for repair projects.“Bridges scheduled for this work are on Interstate 30 in Titus, Morris, and Bowie counties and on State Loop 151 in Texarkana.” Continue reading TxDOT: 15 bridges in East Texas slated for repairs

LONGVIEW – The Longview Police Department said that a 19-year-old was arrested on Saturday after a fatal shooting on Baylor Drive, according to our news partners at KETK. Longview PD said that officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 1300 block of Baylor Drive at around 12:40 a.m. on Saturday. When they arrived at the scene they reportedly found the body of Robert Rayson, 25 of Longview, who had died from the shooting. A statement from Longview PD reported that the shooting occurred after an altercation started inside a home on Baylor Drive. Everyone at the scene of the shooting was interviewed and Longview PD said those interviews led to the arrest of Deleontre Mitchell, 19 of Longview. Mitchelll has been arrested for murder and was taken to the Gregg County Jail, according to Longview PD.

POLK COUNTY – Our news partners at KETK report that a wanted East Texas woman and her passenger were arrested after deputies discovered methamphetamine during a traffic stop, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said. According to the sheriff’s office, deputies saw a vehicle travelling in the Blanchard area commit a traffic violation on Sept. 26 and decided to conduct a traffic stop. “During the stop, officers discovered probable cause to search the vehicle, leading to the seizure of methamphetamine,” PCSO said. The sheriff’s office said the driver, identified as 37-year-old Marlena Anne Toomey, of Livingston, gave deputies a “government document” with false information. Continue reading Wanted East Texas woman, passenger arrested

TYLER – Our news partners at KETK report the Tyler Regional Airport is filled with Camp V and airshow planes for the Rose City Airfest. “I’ve got over 40 vendors and we’ve got static displays, we’ve got the pilots out signing posters, it’s just going to be a tremendous full day of family fun,” said Bob Westbrook, Rose City Airfest chairman. Activities started Friday with an all-new STEM day for local high school students. Continue reading Rose City Airfest Underway

Bullard – Bullard High School is now a member of the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) School Honor Roll. The school received bronze-level honor roll recognition for the success of its 2023-2024 AP programs. Schools earn this recognition by meeting criteria that reflect a commitment to increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximizing college readiness. Continue reading Bullard High School earns AP School Honor Roll recognition

RUSK – Officials from Rusk ISD Friday addressed on a social media post, what they call an “incident” at Rusk ISD, that happened on October 2. Parents say the incident was caught on video, reportedly showing a student being assaulted in an administrative office. The video has been shared extensively on social media. Rusk ISD did not explain the nature of the “incident” in their statement. District officials also said that guardians of all students involved were informed immediately after the incident and they plan to work with the guardians to seek a resolution.

The Facebook post went onto to say, “Rusk ISD will have zero tolerance for this type of behavior from our students and while we cannot discuss individual disciplinary actions, please know that we will follow state education codes and local policies to ensure the disciplinary consequences align with the seriousness of the offense,” according to the district. “The safety of our students remains our top priority, and we will continue to review our policies and procedures to maintain a safe and secure environment for everyone on campus.”

HENDERSON — Over the past decade, public school enrollment has been declining across the nation. Now, that trend is starting to impact at least two school districts in East Texas, according to our news partners at KETK. At Palestine ISD, Director of Public Relations Larissa Loveless said she has worked for their district for 24 years. When she first started, she was an elementary school principal, and their campus had about 740 students. This year, that number is about 670 students. This trend is one her district has seen over the past 3 to 5 years, lower enrollment in lower grade levels and higher enrollment in middle school and high school. This year, their kindergarten class has 188 students, but in previous years, Loveless said they’ve had 225-240 students in that class. Continue reading How low enrollment could affect East Texas schools

WHITEHOUSE – A property owner and Atmos Energy have been at odds over the installation of a natural gas pipeline according to our news partner KETK. With a civil jury trial set, construction continues.

Anthony and his wife Pamela moved to Whitehouse three years ago in search of a dome-shaped home with lots of shade for his medical conditions. “They’ve made my sanctuary into a prison,” Anthony Voss, property owner, said. “I have light sensitivity, being a disabled vet, and eye issues,” Anthony said.

Soon after, they received a letter from Atmos Energy informing the Voss’ they were planning to place a natural gas pipeline through their property. Leading to a long legal battle.

“They just wouldn’t work with us, even though they bored, they’re planning on boring, they could leave the trees, but they decided not to,” Anthony said. Continue reading Energy company and property owner at odds over pipeline

SMITH COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, the Troup Volunteer Fire Department declined to renew their contract with Smith County Emergency Service District 2 (ESD2) after claiming expectations are too high. The ESD provides volunteer stations with necessities otherwise hard to obtain without funding.

Though Troup is situated between Smith and Cherokee county, Troup VFD’s decline to recontract with the ESD will allow them to only serve Cherokee county. Now, ESD2’s Troup station off Wilkinson Street will be handling all calls in the community and claim response time will not be a problem.

ESD2 was created by 11 volunteer fire stations in Smith County back in 2007 to help cover Smith county volunteer stations that were not fully staffed. Now, Chief Dustin Rust of the Troup Volunteer Fire Department said the expectation by the ESD are dwindling their man power from 30 to 5 volunteers.

“We’re a volunteer department, anything we can do to help the citizens is great, but when my numbers start falling and I can’t do my job and I can’t guarantee our level of service to people, it’s time to make a change somewhere,” Troup Volunteer Fire Department Chief Dustin Rust said. Continue reading Troup VFD declines contract with Smith County