KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LONGVIEW – Charges against a former White Oak high school band director have been dropped. Jacovia Cartwright had been facing charges of indecency with a child/sexual contact. In 2016, White Oak officers found what they said were inappropriate pictures of children on his phone. One of the students in the pictures says Cartwright touched her inappropriately during a band trip. Messages retrieved from his Facebook messenger show messages from the student saying she “kind of lied” to the police. In her motion to dismiss the case, prosecutor Stacey Brownlee said they were unable to approve the case beyond a reasonable doubt. The Longview News Journal reports, as part of the dismissal, Cartwright permanently and voluntarily surrendered his state educator’s certification.

EAST TEXAS – Illness among students and faculty is causing some East Texas school districts to call off classes The flu and other illnesses are causing some school districts to close the doors and to thoroughly clean buildings. Closed Thursday, as well as Friday: Karnack, Mount Vernon, LaPoyner, Eustace, DeKalb, Linden-Kildare and Jefferson school districts. Gladewater schools, which were dismissed Thursday morning because of a power failure at two schools, will also be closed on Friday. East Texas currently ranks first in the country for the highest population percentage with the flu, with the Dallas-Fort Worth area in second place.

TYLER – Some Tyler Junior College students have received scholarships thanks to the school’s faculty and staff. Thirty-three TJC students have received $1,000 scholarships for the spring semester. The funds come from the annual TJC Employee Campaign. The scholarships were presented during a luncheon this week. In all, 501 TJC employees gave a total of $87,831. After the scholarship money was handed out, the remainder went to various sources. Some went to directly to Promises to Keep Scholarships for TJC students, while other funds went to the TJC Annual Fund, TJC programs and activities and the United Way of Smith County.

SMITH COUNTY — A Smith County Jury Wednesday sentenced Yoerlan Suarez-Corrales, 39, to life in prison for engaging in organized criminal activity involving gas pump skimmers. Suarez-Corrales, along with two other suspects, were arrested in June after they were caught on video attempting to steal information from skimmers they had installed. The three suspects were also caught on video at the Sam’s Club in Tyler using victim’s identifying information on re-encoded credit cards that had been stolen from gas pumps by skimming devices across Texas. Suarez-Corrales had been on probation for credit card skimming in Louisiana for three months when he committed the offense. He will be eligible for parole in 30 years.

TYLER – For the third day in a row a new temperature record has been recorded in Tyler. Wednesday morning’s 68 degrees was a record high minimum temperature for February 6th. The previous record high minimum temperature was 67, which was set in 1911. The 68 degree low temperature Wednesday morning is also the 2nd highest low minimum temperature ever recorded in Tyler in February. The current record is 69 degrees, which was set in 2017. Tyler’s weather records go all the way back to 1883.

AUSTIN – Tyler and Longview’s sales tax allocations continue to run ahead of the previous numbers. The State Comptroller’s office is sending Tyler a February check of $4,648,037.66. This is 4.66% above the same figure from last year. The year to date figure comes to $8,286,561.80, an increase of 5.37%. Longview’s February check is for $3,562,214.14. This is an increase of 6.58% from last year. Longview’s year to date figure of $6,186,953.91 is an increase of 4.29%. The state is sending out checks totaling $953.9 million. This is up 4.6% from February of last year. These allocations are based on sales made last December

MARSHALL – A Marshall arsonist is heading to prison. A state district judge has sentenced Willie Earl Elder, 59, of Marshall, to 15 years in prison. The Marshall News Messenger also reported that Elder was ordered to pay the management company of the Navajo Trail Apartments nearly $14,000 in restitution. The fire was reported early in the morning of May 5th, 2017. Fire officials say it was fortunate that no one was home when the fire started.

AUSTIN – If you are planning a trip to Tyler State Park, or any other state park, planning that trip has been made easier. New on line features have been unveiled with the state parks’ reservation system. The new options allow visitors to reserve a specific campsite, buy day passes in advance and buy or renew a Texas State Parks Pass online. State park officials say the system includes online features that are mobile-friendly and easy to use. For some of the parks, you can even set your arrival time. Anyone planning overnight trips at a Texas State Park can now choose a specific site when making reservations up to five months in advance. Photos and details of campsites, shelters and cabins are available online. Larger families and groups can also select and reserve neighboring sites, so they can enjoy the outdoors together. You can visit visit http://www.texasstateparks.org/reservations for more information about the system, or to make a reservation to a state park.

TYLER – There are some new additions to the board of the Better Business Bureau Serving Central East Texas. Troy Bevill, Jr., owner of Proforma Horizon Total Source has been elected board chairman. He succeeds Paul Ingle, Director of Sales for Design Center Signs, a Comet Signs Company. Ingle remains on the board as immediate past chair. Other officers elected were:
Vice Char/Chair Elect— Camille Brown, Stepping Stone School
Vice Chair – Driedra Brelsford, Brelsford Personnel
Treasurer – Ray McKinney, The Genecov Group
Secretary – Criss Sudduth, Ark Assurance Group
Legal Counsel – David Dobbs, Dobbs and Tittle, PC
Mechele Mills was re-elected president and CEO Continue reading New Local BBB Board Chairman

TYLER – There will be a special celebration at the Watkins-Logan Texas State Veterans Home in Tyler late Wednesday afternoon. They will host a 100th birthday party for one of their residents, Mrs. Leola Shamburger. She moved into the veterans home in 2013 after the death of her husband, US Army Staff Sargent Thomas Jefferson. One of few women living at the Home, the veterans home officials says she is held in high esteem, and her advice and conversation is often sought after by both veterans and staff.

MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department and the Marshall School District are reminding drivers about the new ordinance in effect for the school zone at the Marshall Junior High School. Last October, the Marshall City Commission designated the 2700 block of East Travis Street, Farm Road 31 in front of the junior high, a “No Parking and No Standing” zone. The changes came after numerous traffic violations and unsafe practices occurred in the area. This zone change is designed to keep students from having to walk across a 4-lane roadway to get to school. The signs showing the new ordinance will be put up on Wednesday. Marshall police officers and Marshall ISD officers will remain present in the school zone during drop off/pick up hours to help ensure the safety of all students.

TYLER – Tyler set another temperature record on Tuesday. The morning low of 63 degrees was a record high minimum temperature. The previous record was 61 degrees which was reported in 1911 and 1927. By Friday and Saturday morning, the lows will be around freezing.

TYLER – A man accused of stealing heavy equipment has been arrested by Smith County sheriff’s deputies. Nathan Andrew Yacyszyn, 33, has been charged with theft. The Caterpillar skid steer was stolen off highway 69 north of Tyler Tuesday morning. About a mile and a half from where it was stolen a deputy saw a man with a heavy duty pickup pulling a trailer with a Caterpillar skid steer on it. When it was determined it was the equipment stolen from the construction site, Yacyszyn was arrested.

KILGORE – Texas Mutual Insurance Company has awarded a $100,000 grant to Kilgore College to fund the school’s Risk Management Institute. Jeremy Hansen, manager of safety services for the Dallas region of Texas Mutual presented the check Tuesday morning. This is the 12th-consecutive year the company has given a $100,000 grant to the college. The Risk Management Institute at KC provides free workplace safety courses for community employers, workers and the general public.

TYLER – A man wanted for a Tyler robbery has been arrested. They had been looking for Gabriel Lamando Johnson, 41, of Flint. He was wanted for the robbery of Razzoo’s, on South Broadway, that occurred last November. Tyler police spokesman Don Martin says he was arrested in Nacogdoches late last month during a traffic stop. Johnson remains in Nacogdoches County Jail for numerous drug violations and a parole warrant. He has a lengthy criminal history. His bond on the Tyler aggravated robbery case was sent at $1,000,000.

AUSTIN – The governor is calling for two new anti gang centers in Texas, one in Tyler. Governor Greg Abbott said that we must do more to crack down on the gangs that bring drugs, weapons, and violence into our communities. In his state of the state address, he called for two new anti-gang centers in Tyler and Waco to rid the areas of dangerous gangs. The governor said, by doing this, we will make our neighborhoods safer, dismantle criminal enterprises and put more gang members behind bars.

TYLER – Seven persons have been arrested following a lengthy investigation into drug trafficking activities in Upshur County. All of the suspects are from Gilmer. They were indicted by a federal grand jury in Tyler last month. The indictment was unsealed on Monday after the final defendant was arrested. Several of the suspects were charged with weapons violations. All of them have been charged with with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The charges stem from a multi agency investigation that started in 2017. If convicted, they could each face from five to 40 years in federal prison. Continue reading Numerous Arrests Follow Lengthy East Texas Drug Probe

TYLER — A new report shows that where a child lives can help predict how that child will be treated — or mistreated. Dr. David Lakey of UT Health Science Center at Tyler is chief medical officer for the UT system. He says the system’s work with other state agencies checked out a variety of factors based on zip codes. Lakey says, “We were able to develop a model that predicts the risks of that community — not the individual, but…the health of that community in keeping the child healthy or the chances of maltreatment in that community.” Lakey says the goal is to identify the kids and how best to help them.

EAST TEXAS — A bill has been introduced in the Texas House that would help students who have seizures. Sheri Dudo, founder of the non-profit Purple Warriors says this affects many kids. Sam’s Law would mandate all school employees watch a video on seizure recognition and first aid, school nurses will watch a much longer video and the child’s neurologist and parents will give the school a form detailing what to do if that child has a seizure in school. She says children worry about having a seizure in front of their classmates and how people will respond, and this training will make them safer. The bill is named for Samantha Watkins, an 18 year old Kilgore High School student, who died after a massive seizure at home in December of 2016. She’d been showing signs of the epilepsy a few months before.

TYLER – The Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization has started updating the Metropolitan Transportation Plan. It’s a long range transportation plan for the community. In order to understand the needs and priorities of Tyler’s residents, the Tyler MPO has created a website to get your input. If you go to https://atginc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=85c62f6efa36404da2fa877756c4e3b3, you will open an interactive map where you can zoom into different areas of town. You can then leave them comments about issues and opportunities that you have seen. They will even ask you to tell them about you. This will help them understand who is responding so that they can reach all parts of the community.

TYLER – The TJC Vocational Nursing program achieved a 93% pass rate on the 2018 National Council Licensure Examination. The preliminary results showed that of 131 TJC students who took the test, 122 successfully passed the exam. In addition, TJC was one of only five colleges in the state with LVN programs supporting over 100 students to achieve the “commended” pass rate. The school says the job outlook is strong with vocational nursing expected to grow by 16% over the next 10 years.

TYLER – The UT Tyler University Academy has received a grant from the Texas Education Agency to implement blended learning programs in math. It is designed to improve college and career readiness. The school was one of 15 school districts and open-enrollment charter schools selected in Texas to launch Texas Education Agency Math Innovation Zones for the 2019-2020 school year. Math Innovation Zone is a program that incorporates technology into the classroom in order to develop a personalized and differentiated approach to math instruction. A news release from UT Tyler says Blended learning is an innovative instructional model that combines face-to-face instruction with online learning. Teachers are able to assess students’ prior knowledge and create a unique academic path for each student, adjusting lesson execution based on real-time information about student mastery of a given student expectation.

TYLER – The National Weather Service says Tyler set a new high temperature record for February 4th. Tyler’s high Monday was 79 degrees. That beat the previous high of 77 degrees which was recorded in 1911 and 2008. You need to enjoy these above normal temperatures while they last. A cold front later in the week will result in a high temperature on Thursday and Friday some 30 degrees colder than Monday’s high.

TYLER – The TSA pre-check mobile enrollment, which began January 21 at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport, is being extended once again. The enrollment site was scheduled to be in Tyler through January 25. Because the response was so great, the mobile enrollment center was extended another week, until February 1st. Appointments filled up for the three week period. So, The TSA pre-mobile enrollment center will now be extended a fourth week from February 11 through February 15. The enrollment center is located in the baggage claim area in the airport terminal building. You need to go to tsa dot gov for complete details on the enroll process.

LONGVIEW — Longview prepares for its May 4 city election. According to a news release, as of February 1, there are three candidates vying for two City Council positions. Incumbent David Wright hopes to return to office in District 5, while incumbent Steve Pirtle faces challenger Cierra Evans in District 6. Go to https://www.longviewtexas.gov/2154/General-Election-Candidates for additional information about candidates.

TYLER — The District 3 Tyler City Council position will have a new face this May, with current Councilmember Ed Moore stepping down due to term limits. One of three candidates who have filed for the post in the May election is Shirley McKellar, who has run for Congress four times against incumbent Louie Gohmert. McKellar greeted the public at a Saturday news conference “Under the Bridge” on Valentine Street, a well-known gathering place for the homeless. Along with homelessness, she’s focusing on such issues as economic growth in North Tyler, veterans’ concerns, and human trafficking. Continue reading McKellar, Others File for City Council in May Election

EAST TEXAS – TxDOT is issuing two traffic advisories to East Texans. U.S. 69 at the Union Pacific Railroad crossing near U.S. 80 in downtown Mineola closed at 7 a.m. Monday, February 4, for work on the crossing. The work is expected to be completed and the roadway opened to traffic by Wednesday afternoon, possibly sooner. Traffic will be detoured around Loop 564. Motorists are advised to allow extra time to reach their destinations. Continue reading TxDOT Issues Traffic Advisories for Mineola, Henderson County