Angelina College settles race discrimination lawsuit, pays $315k

LUFKIN — According to our news partner KETK, Angelina College has reportedly agreed to a $315,000 settlement with a former employee in a race discrimination lawsuit. Dr. Monica Peters-Clark, a Black woman and a longtime staff member who helped establish the college’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness, claims she was unfairly passed over for the position of executive director in favor of an unqualified white candidate. Her legal representatives at Hightower, Franklin and James, PLLC, in Nacogdoches argue that the hiring decision was discriminatory.

Peters-Clark began her career at Angelina College in 2005 as the Learning Outcomes Coordinator and the Quality Enhancement Plan Coordinator. By 2007, she was made the college’s Coordinator of Institutional Effectiveness.

However, in 2017 she was laid off during a round of “administrative restructuring.” According to her lawsuit, after her position was eliminated, the college created a new position based on her old role. (more…)

Six injured in Highway 69 crashes

LUFKIN – According to our news partner KETK, six people were injured on Saturday night in two crashes that happened on Highway 69 South. Huntington VFD said that Fuller Springs Volunteer Fire Department was was called out to a crash scene in the 6000 block of Highway 69 South at around 5 p.m. on Saturday. Huntington VFD had just finished training at a house they burned down and so they responded to the scene as well. Four riders who were on three motorcycles were injured in the crash and were taken to the hospital to be treated after Allegiance Mobile Health arrived on scene, according to Huntington VFD.

Officials had blocked off the southbound lanes of Highway 69 when another crash involving three vehicles happened just before where they had blocked off the road. (more…)

Texas Rose Festival reveals this year’s theme and queen

TYLER – Organizers are already hard at work for this year’s 92nd annual Texas Rose Festival Parade according to our news partner KETK. On Friday, they unveiled this year’s theme and introduced the world to the newest Rose Queen, Avery Armstrong of Tyler. This year’s princess of the Rose Festival is Mary Dial of Tyler. This year is a special for Mary as her sister was last year’s Rose Festival princess.

At their annual Winter Gala at the Willow Brook County Club, the Texas Rose Festival Association said that “A Tapestry of Tales” is the theme for this year’s festivities. At the black tie optional gala on Friday, they also revealed this year’s queen’s court which includes the princess, ladies-in-waiting and attendants.

KETK is the official home of the Texas Rose Festival Parade so be sure to follow us for everything you need to know leading up to this year’s festivities in October.

East Texas warming shelters open for cold weather

TYLER – As East Texas prepares for the first cold weather of 2025 coming in on Monday, several East Texas locations are opening their doors as warming centers and shelters.

Our news partner KETK has compiled the following list of locations opening to the public – please visit this link for a regularly updated list of warming shelters.

East Texas cities are preparing roadways for winter weather

TYLER — As East Texas prepares for winter weather, TxDOT crews are getting ahead by pre-treating roadways in Tyler and Lufkin. According to our news partner KETK, TxDOT will be completing a pre-treatment of bridges and other roadway areas susceptible to wind and ice to ensure East Texans feel safer when driving through winter weather.

KETK’s meteorologists are advising East Texans to be prepared for a strong cold front to move into the area late Sunday, bringing showers and thunderstorms some of which may be strong, particularly in Deep East Texas. By Monday morning, temperatures will be in the 20s while next week highs will struggle to get above the 40s with lows in 20s, meaning a hard freeze likely. There is also some potential for some wintery mix. (more…)

An aspiring nurse, a football star, a single mother and a father of 2 killed in New Orleans attack

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An 18-year-old girl dreaming of becoming a nurse, a single mother, a father of two and a former Princeton football star suffered fatal injuries when the driver of a white pickup truck sped down Bourbon Street, packed with holiday revelers early Wednesday morning.

Officials have not yet released the names of the 15 people killed in the New Orleans New Year’s Day truck attack, but their families and friends have started sharing their stories. New Orleans Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna said in a statement late Wednesday that they will release the names of the dead once autopsies are complete and they’ve talked with the next of kin. About 30 people were injured.
Nikyra Dedeaux

Zion Parsons of Gulfport, Mississippi, had been celebrating New Year’s Eve at his first night on Bourbon Street when a vehicle appeared and plowed into his friend, 18-year-old Nikyra Dedeaux, who he said had dreamed of becoming a nurse.

“A truck hit the corner and comes barreling through throwing people like in a movie scene, throwing people into the air,” Parsons, 18, told The Associated Press. “It hit her and flung her like at least 30 feet and I was just lucky to be alive.”

As the crowd scattered in the chaos he ran through a gruesome aftermath of bleeding and maimed victims, hearing gunshots and explosive sounds.

“Bodies, bodies all up and down the street, everybody screaming and hollering” Parsons said. “People crying on the floor, like brain matter all over the ground. It was just insane, like the closest thing to a war zone that I’ve ever seen.”

Dedeaux was a responsible daughter — shorter than all her siblings but the one who helped take care of everyone, Parsons said. Dedeaux had a job at a hospital and was set to start college and begin working towards her goal of becoming a registered nurse.

“She had her mindset — she didn’t have everything figured out but she had the plan laid down,” Parsons said.
Reggie Hunter

A 37-year-old father of two from Baton Rouge was among the 15 people killed early Wednesday when a pickup truck careened down Bourbon Street in what officials called an act of terror.

Reggie Hunter had just left work and headed to celebrate New Year’s with a cousin when the attack happened, his first cousin Shirell Jackson told Nola.com.

Hunter was killed and his cousin was injured, Jackson said.
Tiger Bech

A former high school and college football player from Louisiana was among those who died after a driver rammed a pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ French Quarter, according to an education official.

Tiger Bech, 27, died late Wednesday morning at a New Orleans hospital, according to local media outlets citing Kim Broussard, the athletic director at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette. Bech attended the high school, where he played wide receiver, quarterback, punt returner and defensive back, NOLA.com reported.

Bech played football at Princeton University before graduating in 2021. Most recently he was working as an investment trader at a New York brokerage firm.

Princeton football coach Bob Surace said Wednesday that he had been texting with Bech’s father, sharing memories of the player, who was a school kick returner and receiver from 2017 to 2019. He earned All-Ivy League honors as a returner.

“He might be the first Tiger to ever play for us, and that nickname kind of described him as a competitor,” Surace told ESPN. The school’s nickname is the Tigers. “He was somebody that somehow, like in the key moments, just excelled and was full of energy, full of life.”

Bech has been working at Seaport Global, where company spokesperson Lisa Lieberman could not confirm his death. But she told The Associated Press that “he was extremely well regarded by everybody who knew him.”

Bech’s younger brother, Jack, is a top wide receiver at Texas Christian University.

In a response to a KLFY-TV report posted on X about Tiger Bech’s death, a post from an account for a Jack Bech on the social media site said: “Love you always brother ! You inspired me everyday now you get to be with me in every moment. I got this family T, don’t worry. This is for us.”
Nicole Perez

Nicole Perez was a single mother to a 4-year-old son working hard to make life better for her family when she was killed in the New Orleans truck attack, according to her employer.

Perez, who was in her late 20s, was recently promoted to manager at Kimmy’s Deli in Metarie, Louisiana and “was really excited about it,” deli owner Kimberly Usher said in a phone interview with AP. Usher confirmed Perez’s death through her sister, who also works for her.

Usher said Perez would walk in the morning to the deli, which opened at breakfast time, and would ask lots of questions about the business side of the operations. She also was permitted to bring her son, Melo, to work, where during breaks she taught him basic learning skills.

“She was a really good mom,” said Usher, who started a GoFundMe account to cover Perez’s burial costs and to help with expenses for her son that “he will need to transition into a new living situation,” the donation request says.

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Jack Brook in New Orleans, Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Martha Bellisle in Seattle contributed to this report.

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The story has been corrected to change Tiger Bech’s age from 28 to 27.

Smith County commissioners approve capital improvement plan

SMITH COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, the Smith County Commissioners Court approved the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) on Dec. 31 that could bring many upgrades including a new location for the Smith County Animal & Control center.

The commissioners court approved CIP on Dec. 31 that supports the community and the county’s mission. The CIP is a strategic management tool first created in 2011 that is evaluated and updated in its five-year plan each year.

“This plan, like the prior ones, is intended to establish guidelines and procedures for planning purposes as well as to identify projects, outline costs associated with the projects and formalize the process of adopting and planning for the short-term and long-term capital needs of Smith County,” County Judge Neal Franklin said. (more…)

New Van Zandt County sheriff sworn in New Years Day

VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas (KETK) — According to our news partner KETK, Sheriff Kevin Bridger was sworn in as the newly elected sheriff of Van Zandt County on New Year’s Day.

At the Van Zandt County Courthouse Wednesday morning, Sheriff Bridger was sworn in continuing on a tradition of dedicated service to the citizens of Van Zandt County.

“I am proud to represent the law enforcement professionals of Van Zandt County and to be your sheriff,” Bridger said. “Van Zandt County is my home, and I pledge to protect that which we all hold dearest, our homes, businesses and families.”

Bridger has served the citizens of Van Zandt County throughout his 20 years in law enforcement and is also a proud veteran of the U.S. Army. (more…)

Three arrested after bomb, guns, drugs found near school

ETOILE – The Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office said that a homemade bomb was found during a traffic stop near the former Etoile Independent School District campus on Monday night.

According to our news partner, deputies conducted a traffic stop near County Road 560 and FM 226 at around 10:15 p.m. on Monday because of an alleged motor vehicle violation. When the deputies approached the vehicle they allegedly smelled the odor of marijuana and saw multiple firearms in plain view, a sheriff’s office press release said. The deputies and Texas Department of Public Safety state troopers searched the vehicle and reportedly found the following items: Two rifles, one of which was reported stolen, two handguns, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, suspected MDMA and a homemade explosive device.

Deputies found the explosive device under the driver’s seat and took it to a nearby home that they advised the residents to leave as a precaution, the press release revealed. (more…)

Beginning Jan. 1, cars registered in Texas won’t need to pass a safety inspection

“Beginning Jan. 1, cars registered in Texas won’t need to pass a safety inspection, but owners will still pay the fee” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

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Most Texas drivers will no longer be required to have their cars pass an annual safety exam after state lawmakers removed the rule from Texas code.

Texas is one of 15 states that mandate annual inspections for noncommercial cars. That will change on Jan. 1 because the Texas Legislature approved House Bill 3297, which eliminates most vehicle safety inspections, in 2023.

Supporters of the bill called the safety inspections time consuming and inconvenient. Opponents of the bill say it could set Texas drivers, and future Texans, on a dangerous path.

“The majority of our business is centered around making sure people’s vehicles are safe,” said Charissa Barnes, owner of the Official Inspection Station in San Antonio, to lawmakers earlier this year. “We need to make sure that their cars, the people joining us in Texas, are safe.”

What did the Legislature change?

The Legislature repealed provisions in state law that mandate annual vehicle inspections. However, the $7.50 fee remains intact under a new name: the inspection program replacement fee. That fee will be paid at the time the vehicle is registered with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

The 17 Texas counties that require emissions inspections will still mandate annual emissions tests regardless of the bill becoming law. They are Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, El Paso, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis and Williamson counties.

Who is affected? 

All Texas noncommercial drivers outside of the exempted counties stand to be affected by the legislation. According to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, there are 26 million registered cars in the state. Annual inspections are used to determine if certain features of a car, such as the tires, seat belts or brakes, are safe to drive with.

A study mandated by the Texas Legislature in 2017 shows that cars with defects, such as bald tires or bad brakes, were three years older than the average registered vehicle, which is nine years old.

Almost a quarter of the people surveyed in the study were asked by a mechanic to fix slick or defective tires during an inspection, potentially preventing more accidents. Another report found that defective cars in Texas were more than three times as likely to be involved in a crash that resulted in a fatality.

Texas roadways are notoriously dangerous. At least one person dies on a Texas road each day. According to the most recent state data, 4,283 people were killed in auto crashes in Texas during 2023. Based on the reported crashes in 2023, one person was killed on a Texas roadway about every two hours.

Who influenced the bill’s outcome? 

Republican Rep. Cody Harris of Palestine and Sens. Mayes Middleton of Galveston and Bob Hall of Edgewood sponsored the bill to do away with annual vehicle inspections.

“These inspections are a waste of time for Texas citizens and a money-making Ponzi scheme used by some shady dealerships to upsell consumers with unnecessary repairs,” Harris said in a statement to ABC 13 in Houston. “Texans are responsible, fiercely independent, and I trust them to keep their cars and trucks safe while on the road.”

Other groups and businesses — such as former Texas Sen. Don Huffines’ Liberty Foundation, Continental Automotive Group, Texas Public Policy Foundation, Texas Conservative Coalition and Tesla — were all witnesses in favor of the bill. Huffines, whose family owns a car dealership empire in North Texas, has been a vocal supporter of the bill.

Representatives with the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas, the Dallas Police Association, the Houston Police Officers’ Union, the Texas State Inspection Association, Toyota Motor North America and more spoke against the bill.

How much will it cost Texans? 

Drivers will still be paying the annual $7.50 when they register their vehicles. The money will go toward the Texas mobility fund, general revenue fund and the clean air account.

For drivers with new cars — either the current model or preceding model year that has not been previously registered in Texas or another state — there will instead be an initial fee of $16.75 to cover two years.

All commercial vehicles in all of the state’s 254 counties will still be required to pass an annual vehicle safety inspection and pay the safety inspection fee.

The Texas transportation department estimates that the state’s economy lost $51.4 billion due to car crashes in 2021.

What alternatives were considered? 

No alternatives were considered for the bill, but there was some pushback from other lawmakers. Sen. Nathan Johnson, a Dallas Democrat, spoke against the bill on the Senate floor before it passed.

“It’s really not going to take any time, and if they want to sell me a windshield wiper while I’m there, I’m OK,” Johnson said. “I would at least vote this bill down until one of you brings out a study that says they’re not effective. The evidence I’ve seen says they are.”

Johnson urged fellow members to vote the bill down, saying people’s lives are at stake.

The bill passed on a 109-32 vote in the House chamber and a 20-11 vote in the Senate. Gov. Greg Abbott signed it into law in June 2023.

What’s next? 

The legislation goes into effect Jan. 1.

Disclosure: The Texas Public Policy Foundation, Tesla and Toyota Motor North America have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Correction, June 1, 2023 at 10:39 a.m.:

An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that Don Huffines owns a network of car dealerships. His brother owns and operates the dealerships.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/01/texas-car-safety-inspection-changes/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

TJC Apache Belles remember Jimmy Carter

TYLER — The passing of former President Jimmy Carter has stirred up some memories for the TJC Apache Belles according to our news partner KETK.

In the spring of 1980, they marched in the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in Washington D.C. and were invited to tour the White House. Alumnae of the drill team remember standing in the Rose Garden and Carter appeared with a big smile on his face, ready to greet them.

“It was so exciting. Who gets a chance to meet a president? It’s not very often and once in a lifetime experience,” Dyann Kemp, 32nd line of the Apache Belles, said.

The sixty Apache Belles didn’t think that they were going to have the opportunity to meet Carter.

“He came out and he was larger than life, you know, is everything that you would ever read about him. He was all smiles and happy and joking with us and just being very genuine and personable with us,” Janis Johns, 33rd line of the Apache Belles, said. (more…)

What’s happening in East Texas this New Years Eve?

TYLER – As 2025 approaches, our news partner KETK has compiled a list of festivities in East Texas to ring in the new year. Please see below for New Years Eve activities in our area.

Tyler

True Vine Brewing Company: From 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., True Vine will have live music all night, a complimentary champagne toast at midnight and a breakfast food truck from Juicy J Wings.
Texas Music City Grill & Smokehouse: The NYE party starting at 8 p.m. until 12 a.m. will have a $10 cover fee and live performance with Rick Dudley.
Javis: Join them at 8 p.m. for great food, drinks, mariachi band and a fireworks show over the pond.
Tyler Bingo: Say goodbye to 2024 with some bingo. The doors open at 5 p.m. with only one session. There will be a $700 game payouts and a $1,000 grand payout for one lucky winner. (more…)

Happy New Year from all of us at KTBB 97.5FM and 92.1 The TEAM FM!

Happy New Year from all of us at KTBB 97.5FM and 92.1 The TEAM FM! – May this new year bring you a peace filled life, warmth and togetherness in your family and much prosperity! May all your expectations and goals be fulfilled!

Former Jacksonville ISD Police Chief dies

JACKSONVILLE — Our news partner KETK is reporting that former Jacksonville ISD Police Chief Marvin Acker died unexpectedly on Sunday morning. According to his obituary, Acker began his career with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office as a jailer in 1981 and continued his law enforcement career at the Jacksonville Police Department for 20 years.

Acker then went on to serve Jacksonville ISD in 2002 as a resource officer and from 2006-2016 he served as the chief of police for the school district. At the time of his death he was working with the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office. (more…)

Smith County Animal Control seeks homes for dogs, waives fees

SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Animal Control & Shelter announced on Friday they have ran out of space in their shelter and have since waved fees for adoption. According to our news partner KETK, most of the dogs have been spayed/neutered and are vaccinated. All the dogs are reportedly friendly and do great with other dogs.

“We want nothing more than for them to find a home for the New Year. The following dogs are all at risk for euthanasia unless we can create the space needed for new intakes,” Smith County Animal Control said.

The shelter is located at 322 E. Ferguson St in Tyler and their hours are from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. To see a full list of dogs in the shelter, people can visit the Smith County Animal Control & Shelter’s Facebook.

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