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LONGVIEW — Eleven persons are the latest to graduate from the City of Longview Citizen’s Police Academy. They join the ranks of the over 500 citizens who have completed the academy during the past twenty years. During the past 7 weeks, the students attended classes twice a week and learned about the inner workings of the police department. Academy courses were taught by current police officers and other guest speakers, including the District Attorney, Agents from the County Organized Drug Enforcement Unit, and a demonstration by the SWAT team.

Students were also given the opportunity to participate in the Police Department’s firearms simulator. This program is used to train officers how to react in different situations. The exercise allowed Academy students to experience, firsthand, the type of training Longview Police Officers complete on an annual basis. Students also had the opportunity to participate in the Department’s ride-along program. The ride-along program allows the individual to accompany and observe an officer as he or she performs daily patrol duties. The class is offered every September and is free of charge.

The current graduates are:
1. Lisa Clark
2. Charlotte Erickstad
3. Roger Erickstad
4. Tiffany Ethridge
5. Steve Hunt
6. Evelyn Jackson
7. Everett Johnston
8. Hans Manhave
9. Debbie Hanhave
10. Stacey Martinez
11. Brenda Nutter

TYLER — According to officials at Centerpoint Energy a new gas pipeline is being installed on East South East Loop 323, beginning at the intersection of Paluxy, going west and ending between South Broadway and Old Bullard Road. There will be intermittent lane closures until the end of the year, which will affect the outside westbound lane and possibly some intersections along that route. Some of this project will be worked during late evening and night time hours. It’s hoped that installation will be completed on or before the end of year. Drivers are urged to use extreme caution while workers are present and anyone utilizing this road is encouraged to temporarily seek alternate routes.

TYLER — Smith County Road and Bridge crews have closed a section of County Road 3111, also known as Joy Wright Mountain Road, for an urgent and immediate bridge repair. KETK reports that a failed inspection prompted the move. The bridge, located just north of Farm Road 1252, will be closed to all directions of traffic for three to five days, Smith County Road and Bridge Administrator Doug Nicholson said Thursday. Nicholson said, “We apologize for any inconvenience the closure may cause. Our crews are working to address this issue so that motorists can safely return this road as quickly as possible.” Motorists in this area are being asked to exercise caution and plan to use an alternate route.

KILGORE — The Kilgore College Institutional Advancement office has announced that a new scholarship, “The Chelsea Kirkland Memorial Scholarship,” will be created in memory of a KC Twirler. Chelsea Kirkland, from Tatum, was the head KC Twirler and a member of the Ranger Band. She died Oct. 25 as a result of a car accident. According to college officials, the Twirling Alumni Association has made a commitment to make sure the scholarship is endowed and given each year to a twirler in memory of Kirkland. To make a donation to this scholarship, send checks to: Once…Always Kilgore College Twirling; Kilgore College; 1100 Broadway’ Kilgore, TX; 75662-3299. Make checks payable to Kilgore College, and the memo line should read “Chelsea Kirkland Scholarship.”

For additional information, contact Paula Jamerson, Coordinator of Alumni Relations, at [email protected] or 903-983-8187. You can also contact Sherry Ransom, Institutional Advancement Administrative Assistant, at [email protected] or 903-983-8182.

TYLER — Tyler police say a man tried to evade officers Thursday morning after he was caught dealing drugs. He is now behind bars. Authorities tell KETK they saw Brian Pullins, 31, of Tyler, dealing drugs at around 10:00am in the 800 block of West Wilson. Police say when Pullins noticed he was being watched, he took off in his vehicle but crashed nearby.

TYLER — This morning around 8:30 a.m., Cambridge Road at the Jeff Davis Drive intersection was closed for removal of a dead pine tree. Northbound traffic is being detoured down Oakway Drive, back to Robert E. Lee Drive, and southbound traffic has the option to go on Oakway Drive to continue southward, or go to Jeff Davis Drive to go east. Work should be completed by 2:30 p.m. Drivers are urged to use extreme caution while workers are present, and anyone utilizing these roads is encouraged to temporarily seek alternate routes.

NACOGDOCHES — The price tag reaches over half a million dollars as Nacogdoches County authorities continue to investigate farm equipment thefts. The sheriff’s office tells KETK it’s found stolen farming equipment at a fourth residence. Authorities say Friday’s arrests of Antonio Centeno and Lucia Centeno are the only ones made in connection to the thefts. Once all the equipment is processed, they’ll go back to determine if more arrests are required.

TYLER — It’s on our coins, and a growing number of East Texas governments are adding it to their chambers too. Wednesday Tyler’s City Council voted to add the motto “In God We Trust” to its chambers. Council members tell KETK adding the signage is appropriate because the people of Tyler openly express their faith and support the phrase. Private funds will be used to display the motto. Smith County is second in the nation to have all incorporated chambers displaying “In God We Trust.”

TYLER — Smith County commissioners are moving forward to build the downtown jail addition. According to KETK, that’s one phase of the $35 million dollar bond package approved by voters. The jail system’s low to medium risk facility near Highway 69 and Loop 323 will be revamped by July 2013. The downtown jail expansion will adjoin the downtown facility on the corner of Fannin Avenue and Erwin Street. It will add 384 high- to medium-risk, double-occupancy cells and cost between $25 million and $28 million.

TYLER — Our rainfall deficit measures in feet these days, and Tyler’s City Council met Wednesday to review ways to deal with a shrinking Lake Tyler. Emergency projects are unfolding to deal with receding water levels, seven and a half feet below normal as of midweek. City staffers tell KETK this past summer wasn’t a normal one, with demands on the system increasing by about ten million gallons per day on average. The meeting ended with plans to continue to design and construct the Charleston booster station. Its estimated cost: around $230,000. The city is still encouraging water customers to continue conservation efforts.

ANGELINA COUNTY — Authorities identify a man who committed suicide after being stopped by authorities Wednesday in Angelina County. It happened on U.S. Highway 59 north after the truck driver was pulled over by a state trooper. Investigators say the man who shot himself is identified as Mason Burks, 46, from Springfield, Missouri. Troopers say they found 603 pounds of marijuana in the sleeper of the truck’s cab. The trooper was making a routine stop on the driver on 59 North just south of the river bridge to check the driver’s log book and credentials. As Trooper Mike McClain approached the truck’s window, he heard a gunshot. McClain took cover, and after backup officers arrived stepped back up to the window. He found Burks dead from a gunshot wound to the chest.

DOUGLASS – A two-vehicle accident in Western Nacogdoches County has left one person dead and one injured. The wreck, around 7:00 Wednesday morning, killed Daniel W. Rhodes, 63, of Nacogdoches. His pickup was hit by a tractor-trailer rig driven by Douglas H. Ayala, 43, of Houston. He is being treated in a Nacogdoches Hospital. The Department of Public Safety says Ayala’s west bound truck went out of control and into the east bound lane where it struck the victim’s pickup. The wreck occurred on State Highway 21 near Douglass.

COOPER – Four days after he was reported missing, the body of a Cooper teenager has been found. The body of Stephen Martin, 16, was found Tuesday in a creek some 300 yards from the home where he had been living with his grandmother. He was last seen Friday afternoon when he went for a walk. An autopsy has been ordered. Investigators feel the teen may have committed suicide.

TYLER – A motorcyclist has been injured in a two vehicle accident in Tyler. It happened just before 7:00 Wednesday night in the 5,000 block of the Troup Highway. Taken to East Texas Medical Center was Nathan Roberson, 37. He was northbound on the Troup Highway when he was hit by a pickup. Police reports indicate the pickup’s driver, Louis Dickey, 66, was attempting a left turn into a private drive and turned into the motorcycle path, failing to yield the right of way. Investigators say Robertson, who wearing a helmet, sustained non-life threatening injuries.

TYLER – A three month long theft investigation has resulted in a Tyler man’s arrest. It came Tuesday night as a contingent of officers raided a home in the 500 block of Meadow Creek Drive. Taken into custody was Clinton Daniel McCaa, 31. Investigators say McCaa is accused of stealing items and then training them for methamphetamine. His arrest is said to be in connection with a raid on a Tyler warehouse last summer. That July raid turned up a half a million dollars worth of stolen property.

DENVER (AP) — President Barack Obama said Wednesday his administration has made no decision on whether a Canadian company can proceed with plans for a transcontinental oil pipeline to Texas. A portion of the pipelines route would go through eastern Smith County.

A protester during Obama’s appearance at the University of Colorado Denver yelled that the president should say no to the contested Keystone XL project. Obama said his administration is looking into the issue but had made no decision. He told the protester: “I know your deep concern about it. We will address it.”

The pipeline would carry oil derived from tar sands in Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Houston and Port Arthur, Texas. The 1,700-mile pipeline would travel through Montana, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.

AUSTIN – Wildfire survivors in Upshur, Smith and Rusk counties have one last chance to meet with state and federal specialists at recovery centers opening for a final time in area communities. Starting Thursday, specialists from the state of Texas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration will be on hand to answer questions and provide information on the types of assistance available to survivors. They also have brochures and other written materials on disaster recovery.

The schedule is:

Upshur County
First Baptist Church of Gilmer
304 Buffalo St.
Gilmer, TX 75644
1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28

Smith & Rusk Counties
Bethel Baptist Church
13108 Hwy 64 East
Tyler, TX 75707
1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 1-2

Any Texan with questions about the recovery process or needing help registering with FEMA is urged to stop by a recovery center. Visiting with a recovery specialist is not a requirement for survivors who want disaster assistance, but the centers are termed an excellent way for people to get answers to their questions about disaster aid and help applying for it

Texas homeowners, renters, and business owners can go to http://www.disasterassistance.gov to register online or check on the status of an earlier registration or at m.fema.gov via the web-enabled phone. They can also call one of FEMA’s toll-free numbers: 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 1-800-621-3362. Assistants are available by phone from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. The registration deadline is December 8.

JACKSONVILLE — Four people have been arrested in connection with a robbery in Jacksonville this week, and they may be linked to prior robberies. That’s according to KETK. On Tuesday at around 9:50 p.m., the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office received a call in reference to a hold-up alarm at the Fastrac convenience store located at the corner of FM 2138 and South Bolton Street. Cherokee County deputies and Jacksonville officers arrived on scene within minutes, and were told by the clerk that two men dressed in dark clothing and masks had run from the store. The clerk said one gunman had a rifle, the other a handgun. The robbers took the money from the register and from a customer who was in the store when they burst in.

A trooper located a vehicle at around 11 p.m. matching the description from previous store robberies in the past three weeks. The trooper stopped the vehicle at Love’s Lookout roadside park just north of Jacksonville. After backup deputies arrived, the four passengers, three men and one woman, ages 19-22, all from the Jacksonville area, were arrested and a loaded revolver was found in the vehicle along with Halloween type masks and gloves. According to authorities, it was at that time that one of the suspects ran from the vehicle and into the wooded area behind Love’s Lookout.

Authorities say a K-9 unit and helicopter were called in to assist in the hunt for the runaway suspect. According to the sheriff’s department, once the helicopter arrived, the suspect attempted changing locations again, but was spotted and caught.

The suspects face charges of:

• Aggravated Robbery – 1st Degree Felony
• Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity – 1st Degree Felony
• Unlawful Possession of Firearm by a Felon – 3rd Degree Felony

The female is also charged with:
• Possession of Marijuana less than 2 oz. – Class B Misdemeanor
• Possession of Dangerous Drug – Class A Misdemeanor

LONGVIEW -– Authorities identify the man who died in a one vehicle accident in Longview over the weekend. He was named as Rolando Chinchurreta-Hernandez, 25, Longview. The wreck happened just before 5:00 Saturday afternoon in the 900 block of West Harrison Road. Reports indicate the victim’s SUV was merging into on coming traffic when he over corrected and rolled the vehicle.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department along with (DEA) Drug Enforcement Agency is hosting a Medication Clean-out Event. The event will be held on Saturday, October 29, from 10:00 to 2:00 at the Wal-Mart Super Center, 5050 Troup Hwy. Authorities say you can just drive-up and drop off your unused and expired medications for safe disposal without getting out of your vehicle, no questions asked.

These drive-through events are free and allow you to turn in unused and expired medications for safe disposal. It is important to clean out your medicine cabinet, especially if you have children. Young children may confuse it with something to eat or drink and keeping unneeded medications with teenagers can lead to potential drug abuse. Medications including prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, veterinary medicine, vitamins, minerals and medication samples are all accepted. Medical equipment such as oxygen tanks, sharps, inhalers, thermometers, nebulizers and IV bags cannot be accepted.

The Medication Cleanout is also sponsored by Wal-Mart Super Center on Troup Hwy. You can go to http://www.medicationcleanout.com for more information.

LUFKIN (AP) – An East Texas woman who faked being an attorney has been sentenced to eight years in prison. The Lufkin Daily News reported today, Kimberly Raven Giacone, 30, also known as Kimberly Raven Foley, pleaded guilty to falsely presenting herself as a lawyer and was sentenced Oct. 14.An affidavit says Giacone in June received $336 from a couple whose son was in prison, in an effort to get him moved to the Rusk State Hospital for psychiatric evaluation. The affidavit says the couple contacted police after Giacone sought more money and they checked with a licensed attorney that she had claimed was as a colleague. Giacone, with two previous theft convictions, was arrested in August. Investigators say the lawyer she had mentioned at one time represented her.

SMITH COUNTY — Kilgore College student Chelsea Kirkland, 19, Tatum, was killed in a wreck Tuesday morning on Texas 31 in Smith County. Kirkland was a sophomore and a twirler with the Kilgore College band who started classes at the college in fall 2009, college officials said. The fatal wreck happened about 9:00 on Texas 31 near the Smith County Road 25 intersection. Officials said a Cadillac was slowing down to make a U-turn when a sport utility vehicle driven by Kirkland came over a hill and clipped the left rear bumper of the Cadillac. Her SUV went out of control and rolled over several times. Kirkland was pronounced dead at the scene.

TYLER — The City of Tyler broke into a category of having two of the most congested roadway segments in Texas. According to data from the Texas Transportation Institute, Tyler had two roadway segments listed in the state’s 100 most congested roadways. The data shows Loop 323 between South Broadway Avenue and Texas Highway 64 west is ranked No. 80 and Loop 323 between Spur 248 and South Broadway ranked No. 93 on the list .

City officials said the latter of the two Tyler segments was on the list the previous year, and construction to improve traffic flow contributed to the rating this year. The section of Loop 323 between Spur 248 and Broadway Avenue was under construction during the reporting time. TxDOT spokes­man Larry Krantz said the two problem areas are being addressed with road resurfacing projects and a new adaptive control system to help with traffic flow.

LONGVIEW – A man who is accused of making numerous threats against a Kilgore woman and her toddler has been arrested in Longview. Taken into custody yesterday was Arsenio LaJuane Thomas, 28. He is accused of making several threats against the woman over the past month. He was even charged with criminal trespass in Kilgore last month after locking himself in the victim’s apartment with the woman and her two year old son. The arrest warrant said Thomas had made 76 calls to the woman’s phone. He is said to have threatened to burn down the apartment complex where the woman lived. He was booked into the Gregg County Jail on a charge of obstruct retaliation and bond was set at $100,000.

CANTON – A traffic stop turned into a brief chase in Van Zandt County. It started when a sheriff’s deputy tried to stop a car for a traffic violation on County Road 1803. But the car’s driver sped away at a high rate of speed. They were finally able to stop the vehicle four miles South of Highway 80 on County Road 1818. The driver, identified as Juvey Daniel Landaverde, 22, of Grand Saline, was booked into the Van Zandt County jail for felony evading arrest and bond was set at $7,500.

CENTER (AP) – The district attorney in an East Texas county with a well-known drug-trafficking route repeatedly allowed suspected drug runners and money launderers to receive light sentences – or escape criminal charges altogether – if they forfeited their cash to prosecutors. That’s according to an Associated Press investigation. As a result, the AP reports, authorities collected more than $800,000 in less than a year using a practice that essentially let suspects buy their way out of allegations that, if proven, would probably have resulted in prison sentences. “They were looking out for the treasury of their county instead of doing the job of protecting society,” said R. Christopher Goldsmith, a Houston attorney who represented one of the defendants.

The system reportedly engineered by Shelby County District Attorney Lynda Kaye Russell is now one focus of a federal criminal investigation that is also reviewing whether Russell and other law enforcement officials targeted black motorists for traffic stops. Interviews, court records and other documents reviewed by The Associated Press show numerous examples of suspects who went unpunished or got unusually light sentences after turning over tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. The money from those and other defendants increased the DA’s forfeiture account by more than two hundredfold and helped ease a tight budget. The county’s former auditor has testified that at least a portion of it was spent on campaign materials, parades, holiday decorations, food, flowers, gifts and charitable contributions.

Russell, who has been district attorney in the county on the Texas-Louisiana border since 1999, did not respond to repeated requests for comment. She announced in June that she was resigning, effective at the end of the year, to care for her sick mother. The Shelby County cases arose from traffic stops on U.S. Highway 59, which runs from the U.S.-Mexico border to Canada and is one of the nation’s most notorious drug corridors.

Russell and other county law enforcement officials have been under investigation by the Department of Justice’s civil-rights division since 2008, when they were named defendants in a class-action lawsuit stemming from traffic stops in the small town of Tenaha. The lawsuit contends that a drug-enforcement program established by the town in 2006 was actually a scheme to threaten innocent motorists, most of them black, with money laundering charges if they didn’t forfeit their cash. FBI agents have interviewed many of the motorists who were stopped in Tenaha, including some who were given leniency. And several Shelby County officials have testified before a grand jury in Tyler.

AUSTIN – East Texas is prominently in the picture as federal disaster aid in the form of Public Assistance has been approved in four more wildfire-scorched counties in Texas. That brings to 19 the number of counties designated for infrastructure repair grants and other supplementary funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Cass, Morris, Navarro and Panola counties join the 15 other counties approved for FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) Grant Program under Tuesday’s amendment to the Sept. 9 major disaster declaration.

The PA program helps reimburse applicants in the designated counties for the cost of removing disaster-related debris from public rights of way, and for measures taken by state and local emergency responders to protect lives and property before, during and after the wildfires. The program also helps defray the cost of repairing roads, public buildings, utilities and other public infrastructure damaged or destroyed as a result of the wildfires.

Supplementary funding under the PA program goes to the state and its agencies, local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations. Under the program, FEMA obligates funds to the state for 75 percent of eligible costs, while the applicant covers the remaining 25 percent. The state forwards the federal funds to the eligible local governments or organizations that incurred costs. The other counties designated for PA reimbursements are Anderson, Bastrop, Cherokee, Colorado, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Hill, Houston, Leon, Marion, Rusk, Smith, Upshur and Walker.

TYLER — A Tyler home has been damaged by fire. The two alarm blaze was reported shortly after 9:45 Tuesday morning at 308 East Queen. Neighbors reported flames coming from the house. One neighbor knocked on the door to alert anyone that might be home, but no one was there. Officials say firefighters had the fire under control by 10:15. The cause is under investigation.

HENDERSON — Another East Texas community is making an attempt to go wet this upcoming election. The early voting started Monday in Henderson as voters headed to polls to make their decision on future alcohol sales in the city. Two propositions are on the ballot: one for the sale of beer and wine at convenience and grocery stores, another to sell mixed drinks at restaurants.

TYLER — Tyler’s sales tax revenues deposited for the month of October have increased 1.3% resulting in a 1.3% year-to-date increase. The reported revenue of $2,743,579 is comprised of $1,829,053 general sales tax revenue and $914,526 half-cent sales tax revenue. The figures, which are reported by the state comptroller’s office, represent receipts from August 2011 collections as there is a two-month lag before taxes are reported and remitted back to the City from the State. “October is the first month in the City’s fiscal year and this increase is a solid start to the new year,” said City Manager Mark McDaniel.