KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – Here’s a look at work planned in TxDOT’s Tyler District during the Week of Jan. 16. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Slow down and pay attention when traveling through work zones.

Longview motorists should consider alternate routes as a new construction project gets underway Monday on Loop 281. The Loop 281 at FM 1845/Pine Tree Road widening project limits are from US 80 to Shofner Drive. The project will have a major impact on traffic causing travel delays as roadways are reduced to one lane in all directions. The contractor is Longview Bridge and Road. Additional information is available in the Gregg County section of this story. Continue reading TxDOT’s Weekly Roadwork Update

EAST TEXAS — East Texans observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. The Tyler Together Race Relations Forum presented the 31st Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Interfaith Community Program. This year’s theme was “The Time is Always Ripe to do What’s Right.” The downtown event featured a short program, a march, and an interfaith service. The keynote speaker, popular chef Kevin Belton, said honoring Dr. King means getting to know people who are different from you. Belton told KTBB, “I just want everybody to take the time to get to know their neighbor — know something about someone else… that speaks a different language or from a different culture — learn something about them.” He said another good idea is to share a meal with family and friends. Continue reading East Texans Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

TYLER — A Tyler family’s house has gone up in flames, and they’ve lost a pet. According to KETK, neighbors say the only people living inside the residence on Woodland Hills Drive were a couple in their fifties. They had several pets in the home, and one dog died. But the couple was able to get out safely. 3 neighbors say the sound of an explosion woke them up around 2 Saturday morning. That’s when they saw it was a fire and called 911. Continue reading Dog Dies, Family Homeless in Tyler Fire

KILGORE — A Kilgore police officer is recognized by her city for not giving up on a former Marine. In September of 2015, someone discovered a box containing cremated human remains, with the name Donald Krell, in a Walmart grocery cart. Over the next year, Angela Burch, who has been on the force for 21 years, learned Krell was a veteran who was supposed to be buried in a nearby county. They didn’t want him interned there. She tracked down his daughter in England, who gave her his death certificate. Burch then arranged to have him laid to rest in the Kilgore Memorial Cemetery, in a donated plot, on Veterans Day last year. As to why she was so tenacious, Burch says it was “because he’s a human being, and he was a veteran, and he deserved all our respect to give him a…final resting place.” Krell served in Korea. He was in his late 70s, and he died in Palestine.

TYLER — The City of Tyler Traffic Department will be closing parts of eastbound and westbound Sunnybrook Drive and Earl Campbell Parkway at Frankston Highway, State Highway 155, to remove existing striping and install new striping to create two lanes for eastbound traffic. The lane closures will get underway at 6:00 Sunday morning and will last until around noon that day. Drivers are advised to use caution when traveling in this area. Frankston Highway will not be affected by this work.

TYLER — Bergfeld Realty Co. and Fuddruckers made a joint announcement Friday evening about a new development across from UT Tyler on University Boulevard. In a release, Andy Bergfeld said ground was broken over Christmas break for Patriot Corners. The land was purchased several months and final plans for construction are underway. The mixed use development will include Fuddruckers, Cooley Cosmetic Family Dentistry and a drive-thru donut shop. The shopping center is expected to be complete in May 2017. “With the groundbreaking on the new business school at UT Tyler, which is right across from our property, I think the timing is great. Continue reading Shopping Center Under Construction Near UT Tyler

MARSHALL – One of Marshall’s “Most Wanted” suspects has surrendered to authorities. Vuntarius Lamar Brown, 20, turned himself in Friday. He had an outstanding warrant for deadly conduct. Police Chief Jesus “Eddie” Campa said it was the members of the community who viewed and shared information on social media regarding Brown’s case, along with countless hours the department’s detectives spent on this case, which ultimately led to Brown’s surrender.

NACOGDOCHES – We occasionally hear of a student getting into trouble for bringing a weapon to school. We now have a report of student who got into trouble for bringing a venomous snake to school. It happened Thursday at Nacogdoches High School. The school’s staff and students told administrators about the snake. The district’s law enforcement then contacted the Nacogdoches Fire Department to come get the snake. The school district’s Facebook page says the incident remains under investigation.

LONGVIEW – The Longview School District webpage has posted video of the construction of the district’s new Montessori school. The school, which will be about 150,000 square feet, is set to have 64 classrooms, a band hall and fine arts area, a cafetorium, a gym, a library and more. It’s located at Eastman Road and Marshall Avenue. When completed, it will be the school district’s second largest building, only behind Longview High School. Since it is far all of the students in the district, the building is centrally located. It will serve will serve all Head Start, pre-K and kindergarten students in Longview ISD, teaching them with the Montessori method. The $31.25 million facility should start welcoming students for the first time this fall. You can go to https://youtu.be/7MG0lg_EGZ8 to view the video.

TYLER – Traffic was reduced to one lane in each direction for awhile early Friday afternoon on West Grande Boulevard near Shady Oaks Drive in Tyler following a three vehicle accident. Police spokesman Don Martin says one person was injured in the wreck. Martin says an SUV driven by Tiffany Pearson, 31, of Flint, was heading east when she lost control in a curve during a rain shower. She slid sideways into the westbound lanes hitting a pickup and a VPG Taxi that were heading west. Pearson, the only person injured, is hospitalized in critical condition.

LONGVIEW – LeTourneau University signed a Memorandum of Agreement on Friday for a new public and private and corporate partnership with Iowa State University and Eastman Chemical. The new agreement will provide a pathway for LETU chemistry students to enter a graduate program at Iowa State to earn a Master of Chemical Engineering degree, while receiving support and mentoring from corporate partner Eastman Chemical in Longview. A news release from the school quotes the LETU Dean of Education, Arts and Sciences Dr. Larry Frazier as saying, “In this new partnership, qualified undergraduates from LeTourneau University will gain early entry in the Masters of Engineering in Chemical Engineering program at Iowa State University and be able to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with an engineering concentration from LETU and a Master of Chemical Engineering from Iowa State-in only five years.” He said the program may be the first chemical engineering degree program pathway in East Texas.

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department has responded to a major wreck on West Grande east of Shady Oaks Drive. It was reported around 12:20. Traffic in both directions is down to one lane of traffic. Motorist are asked to avoid this area if possible.

LONGVIEW – A study is beginning over the possibility of building an outdoor amphitheater along the Interstate 20 corridor. It would serve as a concert and entertainment venue for the East Texas area. The feasibility study is being conducted by the Longview Economic Development Corporation and the City of Longview. A consulting firm has been hired to study the potential viability of such a project. This would include market demand, site considerations, as well as financial and funding analysis. The project is only under consideration. No funding has been identified for it. According to a city news release, if it proves feasible, there would have to be a major fundraising campaign to raise private and corporate dollars to help fund construction and on-going operation.

LONGVIEW – The Longview Police Department has received the approval of the City Council to provide an officer to the East Texas Area Safe Streets Task Force. The Task Force is under the direction of the FBI. The mission of the task force is to identify and target for prosecution criminal enterprise groups. They are responsible for a wide variety of crimes, including drug trafficking, money laundering, alien smuggling, crimes of violence such as murder, aggravated assault, robbery, and violent street gangs. Longview Police Chief Mike Bishop says he sees this as an chance to formalize the relationship between his department and the FBI and to maximize inter-agency cooperation.”

TYLER – A Tyler motorcycle officer has been injured in a two vehicle accident on Troup Highway, in front of the River Oaks Apartments. According to the department, Officer Ryan Gummer was southbound in the center lane of the highway Thursday evening when he apparently ran into the back of a stopped vehicle. The police report stated that the patrolman noticed a vehicle make a U-turn and when he returned his gaze, the vehicle in front of him had stopped to avoid tree debris in the road. Officer Ryan Gummer remains hospitalized with injuries to his shoulder and wrist. He joined the department in 2006 and has been assigned to the traffic division since 2010.

TYLER — A man and a woman are facing charges after a domestic disturbance in southeast Tyler. Officers responded just after 8:00 Thursday morning to Southpark Drive. The incident involved reported gunfire. Police spokesman Don Martin said their was one shot and it was accidental and was not fired at anyone.

LONGVIEW – The new Republican Party chairman is Gregg County is Tracy Vincent. The Longview News Journal reports Vincent was picked to succeed Tim Vaughn at a Tuesday night meeting. Vincent, a Jacksonville native, has lived in Longview for 25 years. The community organizer has a large volunteer background. When he assumes his new office, Vincent will step down as a board member of We The People-Longview, a local tea party group. Vincent says he’s been a Republican all his life, since he first voted.

AUSTIN – A Smith County school is one of 26 in the state to be nominated for for national 2017 Blue Ribbon Schools recognition. The Texas Education Agency announced Thursday Stanton-Smith Elementary School in Whitehouse made the list. The schools on the list were selected as exemplary high performing schools as measured by state assessments. Each school has an economically disadvantaged population of 22% or greater. Continue reading Whitehouse School Named for Blue Ribbon Honors

LONGVIEW – A report of a commercial burglary in process in Longview has resulted in two suspects being arrested. When officers arrived at the building on West Marshall Avenue, they could hear someone inside. Officers located the suspects in the drop ceiling area of the building, where they had climbed in order to avoid detection. A woman, Rhian Nichole Ahart, 19, of Longview, readily came down. The other suspect, Joe King Powell, 36, of Longview, tried evade officers by crawling around in the ceiling for about 20 minutes until they were able to take him into custody. Continue reading Two Longview Burglary Suspects Busted

KILGORE – Drug busts in Kilgore and Gilmer have resulted in three arrests. The joint law enforcement action was part of a larger operation targeting a heroin and methamphetamine drug trafficking organization. Arrested were 28 year old Andrew Jonathan Hearnsberger of Kilgore and 27 year old Johnny Carol Denton and 24 year old Emily Nicole Maples, both of Gilmer. Seized during the arrests were large amounts of heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana, 20 firearms, large amounts of ammo and over $14,000 in cash.

TYLER- Economist Ray Perryman is optimistic about the economy in 2017. Perryman was in Tyler Thursday to present his annual economic forecast. Perryman says he sees “a lot of things that are looking good for the economy.” He says we’re coming in with some momentum, in terms of output income, employment numbers have been pretty strong and he sees a lot of positive signs. He does see a lot of uncertainty with people not knowing what the new administration will bring, but, on the whole, he says the signs are looking pretty good. Continue reading A Positive Outlook for the Tyler Economy in 2017

FLINT – An elderly Smith County woman has been airlifted to a Dallas hospital after being severely shocked. It happened around noon Wednesday around a downed power line near the intersection of County Roads 1130 and 1131. Smith County Fire Marshal Connie McCoy-Wasson told KETK heavy winds knocked limbs out of tree and into power lines below. A live wire then fell to the ground and sparked a fire. The 86 year old woman did not realize a live wire was on the ground and began trying to stomp out the flames. That’s when she was shocked. She was burned over 30% of her body. Her current condition is unknown and she has not been identified.

LONGVIEW – A Longview motorcyclist has been killed when he hit a pickup that turned in front of him. Killed in the accident on Gilmer Road around 12:15 Wednesday afternoon was Brett Alan Crump, 31, of Longview. Longview police say Crump was wearing a helmet at the time of the collision. The accident occurred when the pickup, driven by Eugene Allen Jones, 47, of Longview, attempted to make a left turn onto Wain Drive, and was hit by the motorcycle. Jones was issued a citation for failure to yield the right-of-way.

AUSTIN – Sales tax allocations are up starting the new year. The same holds true in East Texas. The State Comptroller’s Office is sending out over $647 million in local sales tax allocations for January. This is 4.9% more than in January of last year. And the area sales tax allocations are also up. Tyler will receive $3,252,846.78. This is 6.10% above January of last year. Longview is also up. Their January allocation comes to $2,3338,926.23 . This is up 6.54% from January of 2016. These allocations are based on sales made in November by businesses that report tax monthly.

LONGVIEW – A Longview man, Terry Ray Decaro, 59, was killed Monday morning while trying to cross West Marshall Avenue in Longview. According to Longview Police, it happened just before 7:00. Decaro, dressed in all black clothing, was attempting to cross the street and clipped a motorcycle driven by Kameron Boykins, 24, of Longview. He was then struck by a westbound car driven by Billy Don Watkins, 71, of Diana. Decaro was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say no citations will be issued.

HOUSTON (AP) — Johnny Manziel will be in Houston ahead of the Super Bowl to give fans a chance to take a photo with the 2012 Heisman trophy winner — at a price. Stadium Signatures, a Houston company that sells autographed sports memorabilia, says Manziel will appear at Houston malls in the days before the February 5 Super Bowl at NRG Stadium. He’ll take selfies with fans for $50 and those wishing for more professional photos will need to hand over $99. He’ll provide his autograph for $99. Manziel also will provide an inscription for $29, but it’ll be no more than four words. The 24-year-old Manziel is a free agent who hasn’t signed with a team since the Cleveland Browns released him in March. He starred at quarterback at Texas A&M.

LONGVIEW – A search warrant returned late last week provides new details in the death of Elizabeth Jane Wheeler, 52. She was found dead at the Hidden Hills Apartments on Gilmer Road in early November. Her daughter, Kayla Ann Wheeler, 28, told investigators at the time that she had killed her mother by stabbing her in the neck. The Longview News Journal reports the warrant says “Wheeler said her mother kept calling the cops on her, and had people with guns on her, and kept doing things to her, and she had to make it stop.” The autopsy showed her mother had stab wounds to the neck with a perforation of the jugular vein and carotid artery, muscles and larynx. Her daughter remains in the Gregg County jail under a $150,000 bond.

LONGVIEW – The Gregg County Sheriff’s Department has arrested a man trying to pass a drug test with false urine. The Longview News Journal reports Braydon Alan Peeler, 21, of Hallsville was arrested after he showed up at the Gregg County Adult Probation Office in Longview for a drug test. The report said Peeler was found in possession of a small amount of marijuana and the “Whizzinator,” which delivers fake urine through a plastic bladder and prosthetic penis. He has been charged with falsification of drug test results and possession of marijuana measuring less than two ounces.