Today is
Thursday November 28, 2024
AUSTIN – The Governor has named a Wood County woman to a state committee. Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Carol Hollen of Mineola to the Texas Poet Laureate, State Musician and State Artists Committee. Her term will expire October 1st of next year. The committee selects the state poet laureate, the state musician, the state artist representing 2-dimensional media and the state artist representing 3-dimensional media. The candidates are submitted by the Texas Commission on the Arts. Hollen is a retired human resources consultant and business development executive, and carries the designation of Licensed Professional Counselor.
GILMER – A Longview man, identified as a steak thief, is heading to prison. Mario Lacrae Rogers, 50, has been sentenced to 9 years in prison as a repeat offender and enhanced punishment because of prior state jail crimes. Investigators say Rogers has gone to Brookshire stores and placed meat and steaks in his pants and grabbed beer and fled the stores. He has done this before in several area counties. The prison sentence was for a January incident, following his last release from state jail. He is said to have gone in the Brookshire’s store in Gilmer and left with 7 ribeye steaks in his pants. Gilmer police stopped him as he was leaving the store’s parking lot.
TYLER – A man buying lottery tickets in Tyler has been robbed. It happened shortly after 10:30 Tuesday morning at the Fuel Plus Gas station on East Gentry Parkway. A man had purchased $40.00 worth of scratch off lottery tickets when a man approached him from behind and hit him in the head with his fist. He then grabbed the lottery tickets and ran out the door. The suspect left in a 4-door Chevy.
AUSTIN (AP/STAFF) – Part of the Texas state Capitol has been briefly evacuated as police officers and a bomb squad checked a suspicious package and letter delivered to a lawmaker’s office. The Department of Public Safety said in a statement Tuesday that a “limited area” of underground offices “was evacuated as a precautionary measure,” but later reopened when the scene “was cleared and no viable threat was discovered.” First word came from a Facebook posting by Tyler State Representative Matt Schaefer. It said, “DPS has evacuated my staff in our Capitol office along with other offices in the vicinity due to a suspicious package. If phones are not answered, leave a message.” The incident affected a small enough part of the building that the Capitol remained open, with tourists and others mostly coming and going as normal.
TYLER – A UT Tyler professor is using a federal grant to support victims of human trafficking. Associate Professor of Nursing, Dr. Cathy Miller is using a $450,000 grant from the United States Department of Justice. The grant is specifically for programs that offer mentoring and support services to victims of commercial sexual exploitation and domestic sex trafficking. It also provides community awareness activities to help prevent further victimization. She says Texas has a huge problem with human trafficking, which she says is really a public health problem. As a nurse, she says she tries to help decrease the mental and physical health problems these victims and survivors have.
BEAUMONT – The U.S. Attorney’s office is ready, should any complaints surface concerning next week’s general election. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Englade of Beaumont has been appointed to serve as the election officer for the Eastern District of Texas. The district covers 43 counties, from Texarkans to Beaumont. She will be responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington. Plus, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. Tyler and Lufkin are among the East Texas cities with FBI offices.
MARSHALL – In state district court in Marshall on Monday, Gary Lynn Gorman, 36, pleaded guilty to escaping from the Harrison County Jail. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his escape. In June Gorman was with a crew that took out trash to the jail dumpster and he didn’t return. He was spotted in the Woodlawn area of Harrison County a few days later. A DPS helicopter, with infrared radar, found him hiding in some brush and directed ground crews to his location. As he attempted to flee, he was tackled by a sheriff’s deputy who held him until other officers arrived. His mother has also been arrested. Donna Slinkard, 58, has been charged with hindering apprehension. She is said to have harbored Gorman during some of the time he had escaped. She is scheduled for jury selection on December 3rd.
AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott has appointed three persons to the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners. The board is responsible for regulating the practice of chiropractic. Among those named to the board was Debra White, D.C. of Nacogdoches. She was named for a term set to expire on February 1, 2023. Dr White is the owner of Advanced Chiropractic Center.
TYLER – Educators with Tyler school system will soon have the chance to further their own education as part of a new joint program with the University of Texas at Tyler. The TeamONE Tyler program, which is called the Tyler ISD Leadership Pipeline Initiative, was announced on Monday. It paves the way for a select group of Tyler ISD educators to earn their master’s degree through UT Tyler online programs. The Tyler ISD will shoulder the cost of the program, at no cost to the educations enrolled in the program. They must make a 3 year commitment to ensure they remain in Tyler school system for at least that time.
TYLER – The Literacy Council of Tyler is excited about the results of their annual assessment by the Texas Workforce Commission they have just received. They exceeded state averages in every measurable category. The performance summary measures the success of each program by rates of student retention and student progress. They say they owe their success in large part to their volunteers and donors. Read the rest of this entry »
MARSHALL – The Marshall Police Department is very pleased with the results of its drug take back event last Saturday. They dropped off 6 boxes, 116 lbs, of unused and expired medications at the DEA office Monday morning. They still have their permanent dropbox located in the lobby of the police department. They say it is available 24/7.
TYLER – The Smith County Sheriff’s Department is seeking the public’s help in locating a fugitive. April Nicole Moore is wanted for burglary with intent to commit assault and interference with emergency request for assistance. If you know where she can be found, you are asked to call detective Josh Hill at 903-566-6600.
LONGVIEW – A Gilmer police officer is free on bond after being charged with driving while intoxicated. Arrested in Longview around 2:15 Sunday morning was Cody Davidson, 24. He first was stopped for a traffic violation. When the officer smelled alcohol, a sobriety test was administered. Gilmer police have started an internal investigation and Davidson has been placed on administrative leave.
TYLER – North American Midway Entertainment, which has its corporate headquarters in Farmland, Indiana, has signed a three-year contract to continue to be the Midway provider for the East Texas State Fair in Tyler. The company describes itself as “the world’s largest traveling outdoor amusement park.” Danny Huston, owner of North American Midway Entertainment, said they bring “40 rides and tons of games and food to the East Texas State Fair.
WHITEHOUSE – Highway 110 between Troup and Whitehouse was closed for a while today. It was closed when an oversized load pulled down a power line at the intersection of State Highway 110 and Farm Road 344. Now that the problem has been repaired, the highway has been reopened.