KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Smith County Commissioners approved a budget Tuesday morning. According to KETK, the budget calls for 33 county job cuts and a property tax increase. In a crowded room, a handful of taxpayers gave their final words to the court before Commissioners decided on a final budget. They voted to increase property taxes by $.025.

During the discussion, Commissioner Bill McGinnis says he does not like the tax rate, and he thinks it should be higher. The votes for the budget and tax increase were 4-1 when Commissioner Terry Phillips voted against both. Phillips says, “I just feel like there was more that could have been done to lower the tax rate.” The 33 job cuts include 17 Road and Bridge, six administrative, five Judicial, three Public Safety, and two Agricultural Extension jobs.

TYLER – Tyler police say one woman is dead after being shot, and another — suspected in the fatal shooting — is in critical condition at ETMC/Tyler with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police identify the slain woman as 70-year-old Socorro Nunez; the other woman is named as 47-year-old Alice Alvarez Aguilar. Police initially responded to a report of gunshots that came from inside the residence around 12:34 p.m. When officers arrived, they found Nunez’s body on the floor in Apartment #1. Officers searched the area for the suspect and located her unconscious in the adjacent apartment with the self-inflicted wound. Police say investigators are attempting to determine the motives behind the deadly shooting.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Fire Department responds to a fire in the 1400 block of Lake Drive around 9:00 Tuesday morning. Officials say a man was removing the fuel pump from the gas tank of a car when a spark igniting the fuel in the tank. The blaze was extinguished with no damage to any other structures. The man suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns but refused to taken to the hospital. The car was a total loss.

TYLER — Tyler Junior College officials are clarifying the tax rate increase approved last week for the new fiscal year’s budget. Trustees approved a rate of 18.29 cents per $100 valuation — the amount originally proposed. That’s 33.57 percent higher than the current rate — and 31.62 percent higher than the effective tax rate, which is the figure that would bring in the current year’s revenue.

ELKHART – A weekend shooting in Anderson County has left one person dead and one person in custody. It happened around 1:00 Sunday morning on County Road 1121 near Elkhart. Shot to death was Jacob Kennedy, 27. Arrested later that morning was Larry Warren, 35, of Palestine. He was taken into custody at a Tyler hospital where he was being treated for a gunshot wound. He was reportedly wounded by another man in a struggle over the rifle used to shoot Kennedy. Investigators say the shooting stemmed from an argument over a woman.

QUITMAN — A Wood County employee was killed Monday will trimming trees along County Road 2775. Killed was Mathew Crowell, 31, who was part of a county work crew. He was critically injured just before 11:45 yesterday morning when a tree limb he was cutting fell on him, pinning him between the limb and another tree limb. He died about an hour later at East Texas Medical Center-Quitman. An autopsy was ordered.

TYLER — Tyler Police are investigating an aggravated assault reported just before 2:00 Tuesday morning. It occurred in the 3700 block of North Broadway. A woman tells officers she was northbound on Broadway in her vehicle when a white Ford 4 door approached her from behind. It hit her rear bumper and she pulled to the side of the road thinking it had been an accident. Two black males approached her and one of them hit her in the face. When she fell to the ground two men rummaged through her car. They then returned to their vehicle and left. She was treated at the scene by ambulance personnel. There is no additional suspect or vehicle information at this time and the case remains under investigation.

LONGVIEW — One person received minor injuries in a Longview fire. The fire, in a carport, was reported shortly after 10:15 yesterday morning at 4307 Price Lane. Firemen say they found a small fire in the carport and it was quickly brought under control. The occupant of the mobile home sustained a minor injury while attempting to remove a vehicle from the carport. The vehicle was also damaged while it was being backed out of the carport. According to Interim Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary, “the cause of the fire is unintentional.”

BULLARD – The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department says the search continues for the person responsible for a shooting death in Bullard. According to KETK, the victim has now been identified as William Earl Baker, 52. He was shot to death around 7:00 Friday night on his driveway at his house in the Shadybrook subdivision, and authorities say it’s foul play. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing and anyone with any tips or information in this case is asked to call the Criminal Investigations Division of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department at 903-683-2271. All calls will be confidential and callers may be left anonymous.

TYLER — Smith County Purchasing Director Kelli Davis has been nominated to serve on the Board of Directors for the Texas Public Purchasing Association in 2011. The new board lineup will be announced at the organization’s 2010 State Conference, to be held in Smith County. The nomination comes from current Board Member and Past TxPPA President Jack Beacham, Purchasing Director for Tarrant County. “Mrs. Davis is absolutely the quality of purchasing professional to take TxPPA to its next level of success,” Beacham said in a letter nominating Mrs. Davis. “She will make an outstanding contribution to this association and will be one of the future leaders in Texas Public Procurement.”

Mrs. Davis has been the Purchasing Director for Smith County for five years and recently won the bid for Smith County to host the Fall 2010 TxPPA State Conference. “From my perspective, they could not select a candidate with better credentials,” County Judge Joel Baker said. “She will be a strong voice for Smith County and all of east Texas to that organization.” The 2010 TxPPA Fall State Conference could bring 300 or more Purchasing Directors from across the state into the county. Officials say Smith County was chosen to host the state convention for its central location and its innovative purchasing methods.

TxPPA is the first and only multi-agency organization for Public Purchasing Professionals in Texas. The Texas Public Purchasing Association is comprised of 600 Purchasing Directors from Texas cities, counties, school districts and colleges.

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler has received $893,475 from the National Science Foundation to support the new Noyce Scholars Program, Dr. Arlene Horne, vice president for research and federal relations, announced. The five-year grant provides academic scholarships for high achieving juniors and seniors seeking degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) who will also seek teacher certification through the university’s UTeach program.

“The UT Tyler Noyce Scholars Program encourages STEM majors to become teachers by supporting them through the most rigorous portion of their program – their upper division content courses and their field-based pedagogical courses including apprentice teaching,” said Dr. Bambi Bailey, UT Tyler associate professor of science education and program co-coordinator. “There is a high need for STEM teachers in our region. This program will support the development of over 30 new STEM teachers over the course of the next five years.” The first five Noyce Scholars will be chosen early this fall.

Noyce Scholars will teach in high-need secondary schools one year for each semester of support they receive. In addition, the program supports freshman and sophomore STEM majors considering entering the UTeach program. Dr. Michael Odell, UT Tyler Roosth professor of science education and engineering; and Dr. Fredericka Brown, UT Tyler assistant professor of mechanical engineering, also serve as program coordinators. UT Tyler last year received grants totaling $1.4 million to establish the UTeach program, which originated at UT Austin in 1997.

According to UTT officials, the core elements of the UTeach program include active recruitment and incentives, such as:
– Offering the first two courses for free;
– A compact degree program that allows students to graduate in four years with both a degree and a teaching certification;
– Strong focus on acquiring deep content knowledge in math and science, in addition to research-based teaching strategies focusing on teaching and learning math and science;
– Early and intensive field teaching experience, beginning in the UTeach students’ first semester;
– Personal attention and guidance from highly experienced master teachers, faculty, and successful public school teachers.
For more information about the UT Tyler Noyce Scholars Program, contact Bailey at BBailey@uttyler.edu or 903.565.5937.

TYLER – 38-year-old Joann Morgan of Carthage has pleaded guilty to to possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. The plea was entered Monday in Tyler before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love.

According to prosecutors, on Feb. 17, 2009, Morgan purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a Walgreens in Marshall, in addition to making three other purchases that same day at other Walgreens stores in Marshall, Longview and Kilgore. Authorities say that was in addition to numerous other purchases at other stores on other days, all in furtherance of her methamphetamine manufacturing activities. A federal grand jury returned a 54-count indictment on Apr. 8, 2010 charging Morgan with federal drug violations. Morgan faces up to 20 years in federal prison at sentencing. A sentencing date has not been set.

EAST TEXAS — A capital building fund has been launched to support the efforts of the recently established Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or SPCA of East Texas. Tyler attorney Deborah Tittle-Dobbs formed the non-profit SPCA of East Texas this year, to respond to and investigate animal cruelty and neglect as well as house rescued animals for adoption. Currently, neither the city of Tyler nor Smith County has a local facility to house stray or neglected dogs for any length of time. All lost dogs and strays from the city are transported by animal control to a shelter in Cherokee County. Euthanized animals must then be transported back to Tyler for disposal by animal control. On average 60-100 dogs from our community are euthanized each week because of the lack of a community shelter.

The SPCA of East Texas hopes to remedy thE situation and is seeking private donations to build a shelter in the Tyler area. You can mail your donation to the SPCA, P.O. Box 2026, Tyler, TX, 75710. Other programs will include humane education in schools, spay/neuter awareness and pet overpopulation, “Critter Camp” a children’s day camp and a community event center for animal organizations and public events.

Additionally, the first SPCA cruelty investigator has been hired with Smith County District Attorney drug seizure funds. Former Tyler police officer, Roy Linn will investigate calls received through the SPCA hotline at 903-596-SPCA.

LUFKIN — Lufkin Police are investigating an apparent double murder that happened on Davis Street Sunday morning. Officers responded to a call of a man and woman lying in the front yard bleeding around 7:27 a.m. at 319 Davis Street. They arrived to see 23-year-old Brianna Shaw, of Lufkin lying on the front porch with a gunshot wound to the back of the head and the tenant, Artha Griffin, 64, lying beside her with a gunshot wound to the face and head. They were pronounced dead at the scene by Judge Esther Barger. According to the Lufkin Daily News, the deaths are under investigation.

TYLER — Tyler police are looking for the lone gunman who robbed the Quality Inn at 2843 West Northwest Loop 323. It happened shortly before 8:45 Sunday night. The desk clerk told officers the suspect never spoke, but used a hand-written note to convey his intentions.

The suspect fled the business on foot. It is not known at this time, whether he used a vehicle to leave the area. A green colored “Astro”-type van was seen behind the business around the time of the robbery. It is unknown whether this vehicle was involved in the crime.

The suspect was described as a white male, in his late 20’s to early 30’s, about 5’5” to 5’7” in height, about 160 lbs in weight, with an athletic build. He was wearing all black, with black gloves and a black ski mask. He displayed a chrome colored revolver during the robbery.

Tyler police say suspect took an undisclosed amount of cash. There were no injuries.