KTBB News, Weather, Talk

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

GREGG COUNTY – Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin hot mix resurfacing operations on three area roadways, including: Farm Road 349 between the Kilgore City Limits and Farm Road 2276; Farm Road 2011 between Farm Road 349 and the east bound Interstate Highway 20 on-ramp at Farm Road 2087; and Farm Road 2605 between Farm Road 1845 in White Oak and the end of state maintenance. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic. Continue reading TxDOT Project Updates

TYLER — One person is in custody in connection with a Tyler stabbing death. Charged with capital murder and being held in the Smith County Jail under a $1 million bond is John Alfred Grimes IV, 25, of Tyler. He was served with a warrant in the death of Tony Jeter, 65. He was found dead in his home at 502 East Bow Street shortly after 11:00 Saturday night. Investigators say he died from a single stab wound to his chest.

TYLER — Tyler police have begun a murder investigation after a man was found stabbed to death at 502 East Bow. Officers were called to the address shortly after 11:00 last night. They found the body of Tony Jeter, 65. Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the Tyler Police Department, at 903-531-1000, or Crimestoppers at 903-597-CUFF (903-597-2833).

TYLER — A teenager has been injured in a Smith County ATV accident. It happened around 12:30 Friday afternoon on County Road 46. The Dixie Fire Department tells KETK the 13 year old was injured when the ATV rolled over. The youth was airlifted to a Tyler hospital and later transferred to a Dallas hospital in Critical condition.

LUFKIN — The first giraffe to be exhibited at the Ellen Trout Zoo has died. Rafiki, a male Maasai Giraffe, was found dead in his stall on Thanksgiving day. A news release from the zoo says it appears as if giraffe had died suddenly and collapsed. It took nearly eight hours to perform a necropsy on the animal. The test results, which could help determine the cause of death, should be available in several weeks. Rafiki arrived at the Lufkin zoo in June of 1999. He had been born at the San Diego Zoo several years earlier.

CANTON — A Canton couple have died in a motorcycle/pickup truck accident in Van Zandt County. It happened just before 5:00 Friday afternoon at the intersection of State Highway 198 and Short Street. Killed were Joe and Dorothy Brents, both 70. Both were on a motorcycle. The Department of Public Safety says a pickup, which was heading north, turned in front of the couple and was hit broadside by their motorcycle.

NEW SUMMERFIELD — A barn filed with hay in northern Cherokee County has been destroyed by fire. It was reported shortly after 10:00 Friday morning. It took firemen several hours to put out the blaze. There were no injuries and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

LINDALE — A Smith County mobile home has been damaged by fire. It was reported Friday morning the 18000 block of Smith County Road 4116, near Highway 69 in the Lindale area. Damage was extensive. The cause has not been determined. No one was home when the fire started and there were no injuries. KETK reports the homeowner was concerned about an antique bible that was in the mobile home. The bible, with minor damage, was found and returned to its owner.

LONGVIEW (Staff/AP) – One victim remains hospitalized in critical condition following Tuesday’s fatal stabbing attack at Longview’s Good Shepherd Medical Center. Two other injured people were treated and released hours after the stabbings Tuesday morning. Hospital spokeswoman Victoria Ashworth says the other wounded person was discharged Thursday. A candlelight vigil has been set for Monday night to remember the victims of the attack, which left a nurse dead along with wounding the four others. The suspect, Kyron Rayshawn Templeton, was not hurt in the attack at the hospital’s Ambulatory Surgical Center that left Gail Sandidge dead. Templeton (pictured) remains in custody. The center is across the street from the main hospital. Monday night’s vigil will be in the hospital parking lot.

MT. ENTERPRISE — A two vehicle accident in Rusk County has left one person dead and five injured. The accident happened around 6:30 Wednesday night just east of Mt. Enterprise, at the intersection of Highway 84 and Farm Road 95. Killed was Debbie Masters, 54, of Malone, Texas. She died after being airlifted to Tyler’s Mother Frances Hospital. The Department of Public Safety says the accident occurred when one of the vehicles ran a stop sign.

APPLE SPRINGS — A Trinity County convenience store has been destroyed by fire. It was reported shortly after 6:00 yesterday morning at the Polk Pick it Up store and gas station in Apple Springs. KETK reports it’s believed it was an electrical fire in connection with a heater in the building. There were no injuries.

SMITH COUNTY — A truckload of chocolates and pretzels has been destroyed in a fire on Highway 271 south of Interstate Highway 20 in Smith County. KETK reports several fire departments responded around 7:30 yesterday morning. Officials say it appears the 18-wheeler had a tire blowout. Sparks caught the truck on fire and then spread to the trailer. No one was injured.

TYLER — Nearly 1,000 guests turned out Thursday as the Tyler Salvation Army served its annual Thanksgiving meal, and they weren’t the only ones who enjoyed the event. Volunteer Jason Rhodes told KETK, “I just think it’s a blessing to be able to serve the community…I think it’s very important that we take the season for what it’s really supposed to be for.” Rhodes was joined by numerous other volunteers who joined hands to serve the needy in the community.

TYLER — The East Texas Human Needs Network will hold its first ever Annual Conference on Human Needs on Monday, December 2, from 1:00 to 4:00pm at the Tyler Junior College West campus, 1530 WSW Loop 323. According to a news release, members and guests will begin the conference with a plenary session in Room 104 of the Regional Training & Development Complex. During the plenary session, results and analysis of the Network’s recent Community Needs Assessment will be presented. Continue reading First Annual Conference on Human Needs

NEW SUMMERFIELD — A Troup man was killed in a one vehicle accident late Wednesday night in Cherokee County. According to KETK, the DPS says the accident happened just after 11:00 p.m. on Highway 79, about four miles east of New Summerfield. Authorities say 30-year old Gabriel Marino Sanchez of Troup was traveling west, passed a vehicle, then lost control of his pickup. Sanchez ran off the road and hit a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Officials say Sanchez was wearing a seatbelt.

LONGVIEW — A man accused of kidnapping a White Oak girl has been transferred from Oklahoma to the Gregg County Jail. Jeremy Wade Jones, 29, is accused of kidnapping the youngster in the early morning hours of November 17th, from her home in the 200 block of East Center Street. Jones is a cousin of the victim. A little later that morning the Miller County Sheriff’s Department in Texarkana, Arkansas, contacted White Oak officials saying they had located the child walking down Highway 549 in the rain with just her pajamas on and no shoes. The victim stated Jones had taken her from the house. Jones was located by local police in Antler, Oklahoma, where he was arrested on the kidnapping warrant and placed in the Pushmataha County Jail. He was brought to Longview on Monday and remains in jail under a $250,000 bond.

LUFKIN — A former counselor at Lufkin’s Pineywoods Community Academy is free on a $3,500 bond on child porn charges. John Carter is accused of wanting “dirty talk” from a 10-year-old female student. KETK and the Lufkin Daily News report Carter turned himself into police Tuesday after he admitted to telling a student, “I’m going to ask you to tell me things your mom probably wouldn’t approve of.” As part of the investigation, police have searched his home computer.

MT. ENTERPRISE — A two vehicle accident in Rusk County has injured six persons, including an 11 month old. The accident happened around 6:30 Wednesday night just east of Mt. Enterprise, at the intersection of Highway 84 and Farm Road 95. Two of the injured were flown to Tyler’s Mother Francis Hospital for treatment.

TYLER — A Tyler home has been damaged by fire. It was reported shortly after 2:00 yesterday afternoon in the 900 block of West Nutbush Street. Fire Marshal Paul Findley says arriving firemen reported light smoke coming from the structure. Firemen quickly extinguished the blaze and ventilated smoke from the structure. Findley says the small fire started in the oven. There were no injuries and damage was reported to be light.

LONGVIEW (AP) – Two people remain hospitalized after stabbings at an East Texas medical complex left a nurse dead and four other people wounded. Longview police Officer Kristie Brian on Wednesday had no immediate update on the investigation of the attack that killed nurse Gail Sandidge, 57. A suspect in Tuesday’s stabbings at Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview remains in custody. Kyron Rayshawn Templeton, 22, Longview, was being held on a murder charge and four counts of aggravated assault. His bond is set at $2.6 million. Continue reading Two Remain Hospitalized after Deadly Stabbings

TROUP — Cherokee County authorities seek clues after numerous items were stolen this month from a home and shed in the Troup area. According to KETK, deputies were called to a home in the 1900 block of Highway 110. It is believed that between the hours of midnight on Tuesday, November 12, and noon on Wednesday, November 13, unknown suspects entered the residence and took the items. The owner of the residence was not living there at the time and was using the home as a storage area for his tools and equipment. The property owner stated that he was at the property the previous evening. When he returned, he noticed tire tracks leading up to the mobile home and a padlock cut from the door to the home, as well as a window broken out on the storage shed. Continue reading Suspects Sought in Troup-Area Burglary

RUSK — Cherokee County authorities are on the hunt for a burglary suspect or suspects. KETK reports that on Monday, November 11, a deputy was called to a home in the 7000 block of County Road 1201 outside Rusk. The homeowner had reported that she left for work at 7:00 that morning and returned home at 10:00 that night. When pulling into the driveway she noticed that an 18-foot flatbed trailer was missing from in front of the house. After entering her home, she also noticed that her television and DVD player had been stolen from her bedroom as well. Continue reading Authorities Probe Burglary near Rusk

GILMER — A Gilmer man who allegedly shot his son’s mother at point-blank range during a football game on the Gilmer ISD campus in September has been indicted on a single count of capital murder by an Upshur County Grand Jury. KETK reports Jonathan Ray Shepherd, 32, was formally indicted Monday for his alleged role in he murder of Cheyenne Green. Shepherd is being held in the Upshur County Jail on $1,000,000 bond. The murder charge was upgraded to capital murder and filed Thursday, October 10.

TYLER — Thanksgiving continues to be the leading day of the year for home fires involving cooking equipment, and Tyler firefighters are doing their part to get the word out. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the average number of reported residential building fires almost doubles on Thanksgiving Day alone. Additionally, most of these fires occur between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. This is usually due to some sort of cooking operation. Cooking is, by far, the leading cause of all Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings at 72%. The Tyler Fire Department reminds citizens to follow a few basic tips this Thanksgiving to ensure everyone has a safe and happy holiday season.

· Stay in the kitchen while you are cooking on the stovetop. Unattended cooking continues to be the leading cause of fires in the kitchen.

· Keep children away from the stove. Ensure that children stay at least 3 feet from cooking appliances. Continue reading Thanksgiving Day is Peak Day for Residential Structure Fires

LONE OAK — Funeral services were held Wednesday for a former Wood County coach who was killed in a one vehicle accident in Hunt County. Killed in the Sunday night crash was Robert William Dudley, 51, of Mineola. He had been a coach in the Mineola School system. The accident happened on U.S. Highway 69 just north of Lone Oak. According to the Department of Public Safety, Dudley’s pickup left the road, hit a culvert and overturned. Dudley, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from the vehicle.

MARSHALL — Harrison County Investigators are asking for the public’s assistance in locating two persons of interest allegedly involved in separate incidents. According to KETK, Brandon Byrd currently has a warrant for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Michael Russ has warrants for evading arrest and detention, as well as a felony warrant for tampering with an oil or gas rig. Both of these suspects are believed to be in the Waskom area of Harrison County or in the Shreveport area. Any information regarding the location of these persons of interest may be given directly to the Harrison County Investigations at 903-923-4000 or Crimestoppers at 903-935-9969.

LONGVIEW (Staff/AP) — The suspect in a fatal stabbing Tuesday morning at Good Shepherd Medical Center has been identified. KETK reports that according to the Gregg County District Clerk’s office, Kyron Templeton, 22, was arraigned on murder charges and four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His bond has been set at $2.6 million. Templeton allegedly stabbed five people, including a nurse, Gail Sandidge of Longview, who later died from injuries, Tuesday morning around 7:00. One victim is reported to be in critical condition while three are said to be in good condition. Templeton’s Facebook page says he is a graduate of Longview High School and is employed by Wal-Mart. Continue reading Suspect Charged in Fatal Hospital Stabbing

TYLER — Former City Councilman Donald Sanders has filed for Smith County Commissioner Precinct 4 in the 2014 Democratic Primary. He’ll face longtime incumbent JoAnn Hampton. Sanders, 61, was reared and educated in Smith County and Precinct 4. He retired from the Kelly Springfield Tire Plant after 33 years of employment. Continue reading Sanders Faces Hampton in Commissioners Court Race

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler is one of the leading four-year public universities in the nation for student veterans, Ona Tolliver, assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of students, announced. The Military Times, an independent publication, set out to find the best schools for students veterans among two-year, four-year, and online institutions, while placing a new emphasis on academic rigor. According to a UT Tyler news release, representatives from about 600 schools responded to this year’s survey. In the 2014 results, UT Tyler ranked sixth out of all four-year, public Texas institutions, besting UT Arlington and UT Austin. Continue reading UT Tyler Among Best Universities Nationwide for Student Veterans

TYLER — The Better Business Bureau Serving Central East Texas received several calls Tuesday morning from consumers who have received automated calls claiming to be from Capital One Bank. The message alerts the consumer that his or her credit card has been compromised. The call further instructs the consumer to “dial 1 for a security officer” and is likely an attempt to obtain personal and financial information, according to the BBB. In a news release, the bureau’s Mechele Mills says the BBB has confirmed that these calls are fraudulent. Mills reminds consumers to verify the legitimacy of any call by hanging up and dialing a verified phone number for the company. Capital One’s fraud line is (800) 655-2265.