Local Officials Patrol for Sex Offenders on Halloween

TYLER — No lights, no decorations, no trick-or-treaters this Halloween for sex offenders. Officials tell KETK they will be checking on the nearly ninety sex offenders in Smith County to make sure they’re staying indoors, and away from the public and, they say this year, like in years past, they don’t expect any problems, but there is always a need to be cautious. Robert Gray with the Intensive Supervision Unit in Smith County says “We’ll be going by there doing checks and we’ll be going by their houses to make sure they are at home because they’re also to be at there house as well during that time and make sure they’re not answering the door for other than police and emergency.”

Rusk County Traffic Fatality


MOUNT ENTERPRISE – A one vehicle accident in Rusk County has left one person dead. The wreck, just before 8:45 Sunday night, killed Matthew Karl Tompkins, 43 of Mount Enterprise. The accident occurred on Farm Road 95, about four miles northeast of Mount Enterprise. According to the Department of Public Safety, Tompkins car drifted off the road to the right and he overcorrected and hit a tree.

Longview STEP Report Released


LONGVIEW — The Longview Police Department has released the year-end statistics for the recently concluded Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (S.T.E.P.) that ran from October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011. Off-duty Officers working on the grant program put in a total of 1,142 hours of additional traffic enforcement in the City. During this period Officers issued 3,468 traffic citations and made 78 arrests during the year. The breakdown of citations and arrests were:
*Speeding citations: 2,227
*Adult Seatbelt citations: 597
*Child Seatbelt/Safety Seat citations: 34
*Other citations: 610
*DWI arrests: 32
*Other arrests: 46

In the category of other arrests, S.T.E.P. Officers made on-view arrests for charges including Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Minor in Possession of Alcohol and a variety of other misdemeanor charges. Officers also served a total of 98 outstanding arrest warrants.

The Comprehensive Selective Traffic Enforcement Program is funded by a grant awarded to the Police Department by the Texas Department of Transportation, using federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The program supplements traffic enforcement efforts of the Department by utilizing off-duty officers, working overtime, to conduct traffic enforcement without the interruption created by other duties that must be handled by on-duty officers. The STEP officers are able to focus solely on traffic enforcement, targeting the offenses of speeding, DWI, and seatbelt and child restraint violations. Although the program focuses on those offenses, all traffic offenses witnessed by the officer are also enforced.

Henderson Man Jailed for Woman’s Attack


LONGVIEW – A Henderson man was jailed in Longview, accused of beating and stabbing his common law wife. Placed in the Gregg County Jail under bonds totaling $40,000 was Ronnie Alan Montalbano, 29. The woman was taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center Sunday where she told officers Montalbano had stabbed her in the shoulder with a pair of needle nose pliers. He is also said to have punched her in the face and stomped on her head. She also received bruises and abrasions which she said she got when she jumped from his moving vehicle.

Woman Arrested for Blocking Traffic


LONGVIEW – A person reported standing naked in a Longview street has been taken into custody. Arrested Sunday afternoon was Sandra Lois Smith, 57. Police describe her as a local transient.

Arriving officers said they found the woman fully clothed and blocking traffic in the 3100 block of 4th Street. Officers told her she was free to leave as long as she stopped walking in the middle of the road. However she walked onto the north bound lane of 4th street, causing cars to stop. She was escorted from the street, but continued to walk back into traffic. It was then she was arrested. At her arraignment Monday morning, a mental health evaluation was ordered.

Search Warrant Nets Arrest


WILLS POINT — After a month-long investigation, authorities in Van Zandt County make a methamphetamine bust. This past Friday, the Sheriff’s Office along with the Wills Point Police Department and the Constable of Precinct #3 executed a search warrant on VZCR #3825 in Wills Point. An undisclosed amount of methamphetamines was recovered. Kimberly Dawn Marshall, 25, was arrested, placed into custody, and booked into the Van Zandt County Justice Center. Marshall was charged with manufacturing and delivery, and her bond was set at $10,000.

More Stolen Property Recovered in Nacogdoches County


NACOGDOCHES — The Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s office is following up on its discovery of a large amount of stolen vehicles and property last week. KETK reports that law officers executed search warrants Monday at two more locations where stolen property was located. Several more vehicles, trailers, and ATVs have been recovered. Sheriff’s officials reported their initial find Friday at a residence in Briar Forest subdivision. On that day, authorities reported that vehicles and ATVs that were stolen from Panola, Rusk, and Shelby Counties had been recovered.

Recovery Centers Available to Wildfire Survivors

EAST TEXAS — Here’s an update on mobile disaster recovery centers available in the coming days to survivors of the recent East Texas wildfires:

Smith County
Bethel Baptist Church
13108 Highway 64 East
Tyler, TX 75707
Monday, Oct. 31
1 pm – 6 pm
Tuesday, Nov. 1 and Wednesday, Nov. 2
9 am – 6 pm
Closes Wednesday, Nov. 2

Henderson County
Emergency Operations Center Building
622 S. Prairieville Street
Athens, TX 75751
Monday, Oct. 24
1 pm – 6 pm
Tuesday, Oct. 25, and Wednesday, Oct. 26
9 am – 6 pm
Closes Wednesday, Oct. 26

Marion County
Jefferson Visitor Center
305 East Austin Street
Jefferson, TX 75657
Monday, Oct. 24, through Friday, Oct. 28
9 am – 6 pm
Closes Friday, Oct. 28

Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property. Disaster loans up to $2 million are available to businesses of all sizes and private, nonprofit organizations to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery, equipment, inventory and other business assets.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) up to $2 million are available to small businesses and most private, nonprofit organizations to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster, regardless of whether the business suffered any property damage. The maximum business disaster loan is $2 million for any combination of property damage and working capital.

Interest rates can be as low as 2.5% for homeowners and renters, 4% for businesses and 3% for private, nonprofit organizations, with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the U.S. Small Business Administration and are based on each applicant’s financial condition. SBA can also lend additional funds to homeowners and businesses to help with the cost of making improvements that protect, prevent or minimize the same type of disaster damage from occurring in the future.

Applicants may also apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela — SBA’s secure Web site. Residents and business owners may obtain information on SBA disaster loans by calling SBA’s Customer Service Center toll-free at (800) 659-2955, visiting SBA’s Web site at http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance or contacting [email protected] via e-mail. Individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing may call (800) 877‑8339. The filing deadline to return applications for property damage has been extended to December 8, 2011. The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 6, 2012.

Craft-Turney Boil Water Notice


CRAFT — Due to conditions which have occurred recently in the water system, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required Craft-Turney Water Supply, south of Jacksonville to notify all the customers involved in the repair area to boil their water prior to consumption. According to KETK, the area included in this boil water notice is on FM 347 South, from Smith Wrecking Yard on both sides of FM 347 to and including County Roads 3101, 3103, 3145, 3147, 3148, 3159 — and from the intersection of FM 2138 and FM 347, south ½ mile down FM 2138 on the west side of the road.

Officials say to ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to consumption. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes. In lieu of boiling, you may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source. When it is no longer necessary to boil the water, water system officials will notify you. If you have questions regarding this matter you may contact Rhonda Briggs, Office Manager, at 903-586-9301.

Officials: Lake Nacogdoches Could Be Empty in a Year


NACOGDOCHES — When it comes right down to it, if people don’t conserve water now and a deluge of steady rain doesn’t hit Nacogdoches County soon, projections show that Lake Nacogdoches will be empty in less than a year. That’s according to KETK and the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel. “Not only are we running out of water, we’re using more water,” Nacogdoches City Engineer Steve Bartlett said. “We have had a 25 percent increase in a one-year study period in our sprinkler account.” Brad Randall, chief operator at the Nacogdoches Surface Water Treatment Plant, says the process of preparing water from the lake for consumption hasn’t changed, but the city is contemplating mandatory conservation regulations as the ongoing drought has worsened.

Green Retires as Game Warden


TYLER — Smith County sheriff hopeful Chris Green hung up his game warden badge over the weekend at his retirement party. According to KETK, Green served 16 years as Smith County’s game warden and 20 years in the state. Green says family, friends, and other wardens came in from all over Texas to see him off. Although he’s retiring as game warden, Green says it’s only the beginning of a new chapter in his life. He says, “You know, we’re having a good time tonight. It’s kind of a closing chapter to my career as a game warden…we’re off to bigger and better things.” Green announced his run for sheriff earlier in the year. He says he’s ready to serve the public in a larger capacity.

Burn Ban Includes Jack-O-Lanterns

SMITH COUNTY — Halloween is just around the corner and the drought is putting a damper on those decorations. If you’re thinking of putting out jack-o-lanterns, think twice about using an actual candle to light it up. With the burn ban still in effect, Smith County Fire Marshal Jim Seaton says pumpkins are no exceptions. He confirmed that all outdoor burning of any combustible material is prohibited, which includes candles burning in pumpkins. Seaton suggests LED lights as an alternative.

Alleged Drunk Driver Jailed after Wreck

LUFKIN — A Lufkin man with a blood alcohol concentration twice the legal limit was booked into the Angelina County Jail after crashing his truck into a pole Friday night. Witnesses at the scene of the accident in the 1900 block of East Denman Avenue said a man driving a silver Ford pickup truck hit the pole, then backed up and drove away. Because the truck sustained extensive damage from the crash, it broke down about 200 yards west of the accident.

The man, later identified as Miguel Garcia, 50, of Lufkin, ran into a nearby wooded area, according to witnesses. When police found him hiding in low-lying grass near the edge of a wooded area, they discovered he was intoxicated. After being transported to the jail, Garcia provided breath samples that indicated his blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit. He was booked on a charge of driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of the accident.

Teen Jailed after Fatal Hit and Run

LONGVIEW — A Longview teenager is in custody after a fatal hit and run. Ashley Nicole Lambert, 19, faces a charge of failure to stop and render aid, a third degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. She remained jailed on $10,000 bond. Police say, for more than a month, Lambert eluded police despite a grand jury indictment for the March 28th collision on Loop 281 that killed Harold Grady, 57, Farmersville. Authorities search for Lambert ended Oct. 17, when the 19-year-old motorist was arrested after what was at least her second wreck of the year. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for Friday.

Early Voting Begins


TYLER – Early voting is underway in Texas in the November 8th constitutional amendments election. Ten proposed amendments to the Texas constitution are being presented to voters. Early voting will take place at the Smith County Courthouse Annex Building, 200 East Ferguson Street. According to the Smith County website, the election hours are:

10/24/2011-10/28/2011 Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
10/31/2011-11/02/2011 Monday-Wednesday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
11/03/2011-11/04/2011 Thursday-Friday 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.

Food Bank Program for Senior Citizens


TYLER –The East Texas Food Bank will soon be signing up senior citizens for the Commodity and Supplemental Food Program. The program is designed to improve the health and nutrition of senior citizens.

Dennis Cullinane, the executive director of the food bank says the program will provide the East Texas Food Bank more resources for which to serve the area’s senior population. “We are eager to start providing nutritious boxes of food for our seniors.

Participants must meet two requirements to be included in the program: be 60 years of age or older and meet gross income requirements. Proof of age and income is required. Those who are already enrolled in SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps, Medicaid or SSI will automatically qualify, pending proof of enrollment.

Representatives of the East Texas Food Bank will be at the following locations:
Tuesday October 25
9:00am at the Senior Citizens Center, 112 Church Street in Grapeland
1:30pm at the First Baptist Church, 424 West Parker Street in Elkhart
Thursday October 27th
9:00am at First Christian Church, corner of Broad and Holly Street in Oakwood
1:30pm Leon County Senior Center 941½ Hill Street in Buffalo

TxDOT Project Updates


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

SMITH COUNTY — Construction crews on Tuesday afternoon are scheduled to temporarily close part of Farm Road 2767 east of Farm Road 757 for a culvert replacement. The closure is scheduled to be lifted by 5:00pm on Friday. While the closure is in effect, local traffic only will be allowed on Farm Road 2767 between Farm Road 757 and County Road 372, and between State Highway 31 in Gregg County and Smith County Road 239. No traffic will be allowed to cross between SCR 372 and SCR 239. Crews are scheduled to be at work in this location 24 hours per day during the closure to limit the amount of time the roadway is closed. The work is the first phase of a larger construction project designed to widen and resurface the roadway between Farm Road 850 near Tyler and State Highway 31 near Country Tavern in Gregg County. FM 2767 runs roughly parallel and north of SH 31, from East Loop 323 in Tyler and SH 31 near Country Tavern in Gregg County.

TYLER — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue pavement repairs on State Highway 110 in Tyler between West Loop 323 and U.S. Highway 69 (Gentry Parkway). Once that work is complete, crews are scheduled to perform similar work in various locations on the westbound lanes of Interstate Highway 20 between U.S. Highway 69 in Lindale and State Highway 110 south of Van. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zones.

GREGG COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue building a left-turn bay on NB US 259/SH 31 for traffic turning onto Post Oak Road, which is located between the US 259 Kilgore Bypass and Interstate 20. The project is scheduled to take several weeks to complete. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress. Motorists exiting the northbound end of the US 259 Kilgore Bypass will need to merge right once they have transitioned onto US 259/SH 31 to avoid the closure.

RUSK COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue base and pavement repairs in various locations on State Highway 149 between State Highway 43 in Tatum and the Gregg County Line. 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 ZABDT COUNTY– Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on State Highway 19 north of Canton between Interstate Highway 20 and U.S. Highway 80, and on Farm Road 1995 between State Highway 110 and FarmRoad 773. Construction crews are also scheduled to be at work making deep pavement repairs in various locations on IH 20 in between Kaufman and Smith counties. Their work will require some overnight lane closures.Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zones.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations on Farm Road 315 between Farm Road 314 and U.S, Highway 175 in Poynor. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, flaggers will control traffic.

ANDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing and shoulder operations on Farm Road 320 between West Loop 256 in Palestine and Farm Road 645. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on Farm Road 2088 between Farm Road 312 in Oak Grove and the Upshur County Line. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations in various locations on U.S. Highway 84 east of Rusk. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

Gregg County Fire Death

LONGVIEW – A fire at a Gregg County RV park has left a man dead. He is identified as Richard Andrew Hillman, 58, of Longview. The fire was reported just after 5:00 Saturday morning on Farm Road 2011 between Longview and Kilgore. Two campers were destroyed by the fire. The camper where the fire is thought to have started is where the victim was found. Officials are awaiting autopsy results. The fire appears to be accidental.

Former Lufkin Store Manager Pleads Guilty


LUFKIN – The former manager of a Dollar King store in Lufkin has pleaded guilty to improperly photographing his employees in the store’s restroom. Nathan Scott Kesler, 36, of Livingston, will be sentenced following a pre-sentence investigation. A sentencing date has not been set.

Kesler is alleged by police to have put his cell phone on a bathroom cabinet of the business in a position to photograph the toilet using a spy camera application. The two store employees were photographed in the restroom when the application, which uses motion detection, took the photos.

The two women employees who are said to have been photographed by Kesler, have filed a civil suit against him and Dollar King, LLC.

TISD Planning for the Future


TYLER— The Tyler school district is looking to the future. Over the next ten years, TISD anticipates 2,500 students. To meet the demands school officials are talking about building two new high schools. They would be built on the existing sites of Robert E Lee and John Tyler. Currently between the two sites, 31 portable buildings are on use on the two campuses.

Future plans also include a new Rice Elementary, which would be built on a new site and a new Dixie Elementary to be built on the existing site. There is also talk of an ‘Advanced Technology and Career Center’ at a new location that will be shared between the two high schools.

The discussion of the districts needs also include creating 4 middle schools and 4 intermediate schools.

All of this is still in the discussion stage. If the public approves of the plan, somewhere down the road a bond proposal would have to be presented to the public to finance the improvements.

Tyler Restaurant Dispute Ends


TYLER – The dispute over a new Tyler restaurant has come to an end. El Chico Ranch and Toys “R” Us has been settled the lawsuit between the owners. Officials say the restaurant will now be called “Tyler Ranch.” Everything else, including the menus and the uniforms, will remain the same. A dispute arose between the two parties when the old El Chico was remodeled with plans to call it the Double D Ranch.

Longview Man Charged with Domestice Violence


LONGVIEW – A Longview man has been arrested for domestic violence. Taken into custody was Christian Eduardo Reyes, 29. He remains in The Gregg County. No bond has been set.

Reyes is accused of grabbing a woman by her hair and dragging her into their house. He is then said to have beaten her arms and back with a metal pipe. Investigators say Reyes believed the woman, who has lived with him for around ten years and had three children with him, was cheating on him.

Besides the domestic violence charge, Reyes has an immigration hold on him.

Two Jacksonville Stores Robbed

JACKSONVILLE — Jacksonville police are investigating two robberies that occurred across town within a span of 10 minutes Tuesday night. In one of the robberies, two men robbed a clerk at Nu Time Truck Stop at gunpoint and made off with an estimated $5,000 in cash. One robber was allegedly wearing a Halloween mask and another had wrapped a woman’s scarf around his face to hide his identity. It happened around 10:00 at a convenience store on Frankston Street. According to police reports, the store clerk was locking the front door for the night and had a money bag in his hand. As he was locking the door, the two men approached him, one pointing a pistol to the clerk’s head and the other putting a rifle to his back.

The clerk complied, and the men took him back to the cash register where there was more money. They took the money and told the man to give him his cell phone and the money in his pockets. Then they grabbed a package of cigarettes and left the scene on foot.

Minutes prior to the Nu Time robbery, an officer responded to a call from the J N J Food Mart regarding a robbery. A store clerk said a black man wearing a ski mask entered the store and demanded all the cash from the register. When she started emptying the register, she noticed he was holding a pistol. He then demanded that she give him all the money in the store office. She told him there was no money in the office, but the man did not believe her and went to the office and kicked in the door.

The robber then told the clerk to give him all the money in the safe, but she told him she did not know the combination to the safe. Just as the man was threatening to kill her, a customer pulled into the parking lot of the convenience store. The man immediately left the store and approached the customer outside and demanded that he give him all his money. Once the man handed over his wallet, the robber fled the scene on foot. The amount of money stolen from J N J has not yet been determined.

LETU Receives Grant for Engineering Education Research


LONGVIEW — The National Science Foundation has awarded $47, 055 to LeTourneau University mechanical engineering professor Matthew Green’s research under its Engineering Education program, designed to improve how students learn drawing-related concepts in engineering. Green will collaborate with Texas A&M University to development innovative learning systems. This project engages two universities with different educational missions to ensure that the results are widely applicable to other engineering schools. Green is also involved in another National Science Foundation funded project at LeTourneau University, to increase the quality, and scope, of student support structures available for recruitment, retention and career placement.

“We are pleased to have world-class engineers like Dr. Green at LeTourneau,” said Ron DeLap, LETU engineering dean. “Dr. Green’s work has the potential to open new pathways to engineering for under-represented segments of our society. LeTourneau’s
highly successful, student-focused engineering program continues to attract attention from the National Science Foundation and from major universities throughout the United States.”

Green’s engineering education research project builds from previous research on how computer-aided feedback to students improves how the students learn drawing-related concepts in engineering statics. By researching how to integrate rapid-feedback between instructor and student, this project will enable computer-assisted drawing tools to be utilized in introductory engineering statics courses to improve student learning.

The broader significance and importance of this project will be to overcome barriers for integrating effective software tools into critical, large enrollment engineering courses early in the curriculum. The needs of students who are typically under-represented in engineering are addressed in the research project. This project overlaps with NSF’s strategic goals of transforming the frontiers by enhancing research infrastructure and data access to broaden research capabilities as well as innovating for society by supporting the development of innovative learning systems.

Court Orders New Trial for Convicted Killer

TEXARKANA (AP) — The 6th District Court of Appeals in Texarkana has ordered a new trial for a Cass County man convicted of killing his wife. The Texarkana Gazette reports that the court on Wednesday granted David Len Moulton’s request for a new trial.

Moulton, 50, was convicted and sentenced to 60 years in prison in 2010 of the 2004 death of Rebecca Moulton. Her body was found in a pond on the couple’s property in Atlanta, Texas. A cause of death could not be determined.

The appeals court agreed with arguments by defense attorney Jason Horton that the jury was given an improper instruction. The instruction said jurors could convict Moulton if they determined he asphyxiated his wife by unknown means.

Temporary Closures of Old Bullard Road and Shiloh Road


TYLER — Today, from around 7:00 to10:00am, the southbound lane on Old Bullard Road, behind the mall, will be closed and traffic diverted to the turn lane to accommodate equipment that will be cleaning out the drainage channel. Additionally today, from about 7:00am to 2:00pm, the westbound lanes of Shiloh Road at Donnybrook, will be closed and traffic diverted to the turn lane to accommodate equipment that will be removing a large pine tree. Drivers are urged to use extreme caution while workers are present and anyone utilizing these roads is encouraged to temporarily seek alternate routes.

Austin Resigns as Chair of NET RMA


TYLER — Chairman Jeff Austin III submitted his resignation to the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority to accept an appointment to the Texas Transportation Commission. The commission oversees the Texas Department of Transportation.

In February 2005, Governor Rick Perry appointed Austin as Chairman of the newly formed North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA). During his tenure as Chairman, he was responsible for expanding the NET RMA from the forming Counties of Gregg and Smith, to include 12 northeast Texas counties making the NET RMA the first and only RMA to expand in the state. Mr. Austin helped guide the NET RMA by developing the regional concept of a “bottoms up approach” in meeting the transportation
needs in the northeast Texas region. The NET RMA is responsible for the Toll 49 system which includes the portions of Toll 49 that are currently open and under construction by TxDOT but also the proposed expansion that includes the Lindale Relief Route and an outer loop around the north portion of Longview with connection to Marshall. Toll 49 Segment 3B is currently under construction and on its completion, the NET RMA will take ownership of the entire system due to Mr. Austin’s leadership.

Linda Thomas, will be interim Chair until Governor Perry appoints a new Chair. Thomas is a General Partner at Butter Ryan Partners, Ltd., and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA).

Thomas earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin. A resident of Longview, she has served as a Board Member on the East Texas Communities Foundation, Kilgore College Foundation and the Liberal Art Council University of Texas at Austin. She has severed on the Development Councils of University of Texas at Tyler and Longview University Center, UT Health Science Center, Good Shepherd Medical Center Foundation, and the East Texas Area Boy Scouts of America Foundation. Ms. Thomas is Past President of the Longview Rotary Club, Greater Longview United Way, and Longview Economic Development Corporation. She served as Past President for the Junior League of Longview, and as Vice Chair and Board Member of the Trustees for Good Shepherd Medical Center.

Stolen Vehicles, Property Found in Nacogdoches County


NACOGDOCHES — Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s officials have discovered a large amount of stolen vehicles and property at a residence in Briar Forest subdivision. According to KETK, authorities have been attempting to secure a search warrant that would allow them to look inside the residence. So far, vehicles and ATVs that were stolen from Panola, Rusk and Shelby Counties have been recovered.