KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Tyler Police search for three aggravated robbery suspects. Officers responded to the 900 block of East Locust around 6:30 Monday morning after a 25-year-old Hispanic man claimed he was robbed at gunpoint. The victim says he walking when three suspects pulled up in a truck and asked if they could use his phone. Two of the suspects reportedly got out of the vehicle and started assaulting him in attempt to take his phone. The third suspect, who was driving the vehicle, pointed a handgun at the victim and told him to give them the phone and all his money. The victim received minor injuries from the assault.

The suspect’s vehicle is described as a white, 1990 to 1994, GMC, extended cab pick-up, with a partial license plate of Z90, possibly no front bumper and a chrome toolbox in the back. The suspects were approximately 19 to early 20’s of age. One suspect was said to be about 6′ with a very thin build. Another was describes as five f5’10 and is very stocky. And the 3rd was said to be husky. All three were wearing purple shirts and garden type gloves. Anyone with information about the suspects involved in this crime are urged to contact the Tyler Police Department.

LONGVIEW — A 30-year-old man is arrested, again, after Longview Police are called to the Hampton Inn on North Eastman on a report of suspicious activity. It happened Monday morning around 2:00. Hotel employees told officers that a man had used several different types of fake identification to rent a room and then paid for the room with a credit card that was possibly stolen. Officers located the man outside of the hotel and he initially tried to flee from officers. He was apprehended and identified as Raymond Bradley Roach, who is known to officers from previous forgery cases.

Inside the room rented by Roach, officers discovered a handgun, six grams of methamphetamine, a credit card believed to be stolen and a small amount of marijuana. Roach’s vehicle yielded a passport, various identification cards and equipment used to manufacture fraudulent identification cards. None of the identification cards located were in Roach’s name. He was booked into the Gregg County Jail for credit card abuse, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana and an outstanding warrant for forgery.

LONGVIEW — Longview Police conducted an undercover tobacco sting to test the compliance of Longview area tobacco retailers in regards to Texas tobacco laws. The undercover stings use 14-16 year old minors, accompanied by police officers, who entered stores and attempted to purchase tobacco products. The undercover officer/minor teams went to 112 Longview area tobacco retailers and of those, 12 retailers sold tobacco to the undercover minors. The locations that sold the tobacco products were:

Food Fast #22, 1101 McCann Road, OXXO, 301 S. Mobberly Avenue, Food Fast #24, 2851 N. Eastman Road, Zippy J’s No. 5, 2001 N. Eastman Road, La Michoacana Meat Market #20, 1419 S. Green Street, Cowboys Quick Stop #10, 3601 Gilmer Road, Brookshire Food Store #45, 3354 Gilmer Road, Murphy USA # 7086, 2430 Gilmer Road, Mr. C’s, 2578 Alpine Road, Food Fast #25, 2300 Gilmer Road, Smart Stop, 1721 E. State Hwy 31 and Lone Star, 2401 H.G Moseley Parkway.

Citations were issued to the clerk at each location that sold tobacco to the undercover minor and the clerk will have to appear at the Longview Municipal Court to resolve the citation. The stings are funded through a grant issued by the Texas Comptroller’s Office. The Texas Health and Safety Code states that it is unlawful for a person to sell, give or cause to be sold or given a cigarette or tobacco product to someone who is younger than 18 years of age. A violation of this statute is punishable as a class C misdemeanor and the fine is over $500.00.

TYLER — Tyler Police release a photo of two suspects wanted in an alleged robbery. It happened June 28th on 3400 block of Cain Street where a 33-year-old Hispanic man says he had met two men earlier in a club and was later lured outside the club. One of the suspects got out of a 2006 to 2008, Gray, GMC Yukon and approached the victim’s car while the other suspect stayed in the vehicle. The victim was repeatedly beat in the head and robbed of his wallet. He was able to run into a wooded area to get away from the suspects. The suspects are described as a white male 25 to 27 years-old and a Hispanic male 20 to 23 years-old. Anyone with information about the suspects involved in this crime is urged to contact the Tyler Police Department, at 903-531-1000, or Crimestoppers, at 903-597-CUFF (903-597-2833).

MARSHALL – A fugitive on the run from Tulsa, Oklahoma has been caught in Marshall after making his way through parts of East Texas. According to KETK, 19-year-old Gregory Carter is a suspect in the murder of a 21-year-old who was found dead Friday morning. Detectives say Carter held someone at gunpoint and forced that person to drive him from Tulsa to the Super 8 at Highway 59 and Interstate 20 in Marshall. U.S. Marshals and Marshall police arrested Carter at the motel; he was there with his infant daughter. Carter’s awaiting extradition to Oklahoma.

HIDEAWAY — A weekend fire has destroyed a family’s home at Hideaway, in northwest Smith County. The fire, said to have been caused by a lightning strike, occurred around 3:30 Saturday afternoon at 229 Winged Foot Drive. No injuries were reported.

HUDSON – A one vehicle accident in Angelina County has left one person dead. The wreck occurred around 9:45 Saturday night on Farm Road 945. Dead at the scene was Ruben Esparza, 39, of Lufkin. The Department of Public Safety report said Esparza’s pickup left the road on a curve, hit a curve signed and then flipped over several times. The cab of the pickup was crushed when it came to rest upside down.

TYLER — Among current attractions at the Tyler Museum of Art is an exhibition called “Cherokee Beadwork: Finding a Lost Art.” On KTBB “Staff Meeting,” Museum spokesperson Zoe Lawhorn says it was organized by Tylerite Martha Berry. Lawhorn calls Berry one of the only experts in the world on that particular type of art. Lawhorn says the art of Cherokee beadwork has indeed been virtually lost — and Berry “took it upon herself to do some really heavy, in-depth research and to find the remaining examples.” The exhibition remains up for several more weeks, along with another one called “The American Indian through the Eyes of Edward s. Curtis” and the popular “Babar’s Museum of Art.” Go to http://www.tylermuseum.org for more on what’s happening at the art museum. You can also go to http://www.ktbb.com/audio to listen to the “Staff Meeting” show beginning early Monday.

LONGVIEW — An East Texas meeting on air quality standards is set for today. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is hosting a series of meetings around the state to inform the public about, and receive comment on, potential nonattainment boundaries and designations for new ozone standards. These standards were proposed by the EPA in January 2010 and are expected to be finalized in August. Longview’s Maude Cobb Activity Center will host a meeting at 1 p.m. Thursday.

Earlier this year, the EPA announced potential new ozone standards—a primary standard in the range of between 0.060 and 0.070 parts per million and a cumulative secondary standard of 7 – 15 ppm-hours. The EPA has published a compressed schedule for the new standards, with the ozone standards to be announced on August 31 of this year. The state must submit recommendations for which counties should be designated nonattainment for ozone standards by January 2011. Due to the EPA’s shortened schedule, the TCEQ is holding these meetings prior to the standard being finalized to provide available information and receive comment.

The EPA designates areas as either in attainment or nonattainment with respect to National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone. A nonattainment designation may require measures be taken to bring an area into compliance. Officials say the meeting will provide an opportunity for the public to learn about the process the state will follow as it develops its recommendation. The state must submit a recommendation to the EPA no later than January 7, 2011 according to the federal Clean Air Act. You can go to http://www.tceq.state.tx.us to learn more about TCEQ and its work.

TYLER — Scholarships of up to $10,000 each are available for qualified students accepted into a new graduate training program in health information management technology. The program is being delivered through the Northeast Texas Consortium of Colleges and Universities (NETnet) and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler. The one-year program is being offered by Texas State University, which has contracted with UTHSCT through NETnet to provide access to the program for about 25 Northeast Texas students in two groups over two years, said Mickey Slimp, the project’s local director. Slimp is executive director of NETnet and the East Texas Interactive Health Network, a partnership of area health providers from Livingston to Mount Pleasant.

Called the Professional University Resources and Education for Health Information Technology (PURE HIT), the project is funded by a $5.4 million federal grant divided among academic institutions throughout Texas, said Texas State project director Susan H. Fenton. “It is estimated that nationally, 50,000 new health information technology (HIT) professionals will be needed to help hospitals and physicians implement electronic health records by 2014,” Dr. Fenton said. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology awarded the grant to Texas State. Students admitted to the program will take courses on the UTHSCT campus, with instructors at Texas State teaching classes via videoconferencing, said Dr. Slimp.

Dr. Slimp urged anyone who is interested to apply as soon as possible, because scholarships are limited and will be awarded to qualified applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. Classes start Aug. 25. To apply, visit http://www.health.txstate.edu/him/PURE-HIT-Training-Consortium.html for more information and an online application.

FLINT – A mobile home fire sparked while a family cooked dinner. According to KETK, it happened in the Pine Trail Shores subdivision in Flint off of Highway 155 just before 8 o’clock Friday night. Numerous fire departments were called to the scene to help battle the blaze. Fire officials say it appears the fire started while the family was cooking fish. No injuries are reported, but the home is a loss.

LONGVIEW — One person is dead, and ten have been hospitalized in a Longview wreck. On Friday at approximately 9:29 p.m., Longview Officers were dispatched to a report of a major accident in the 4300 block of West Loop 281. Officers arrived to find four vehicles involved and numerous people injured. The Longview Fire Department/EMS transported seven children and four adults involved in the accident to Good Shepherd Medical Center for treatment. One of the adults, 31-year-old Saberina Evette Howard of Longview, was pronounced dead by Justice of the Peace Sam Lawson shortly after her arrival.

As of late Friday night, Traffic Investigators were able to determine that Howard had been traveling northbound in the 4300 block of West Loop 281 in a Buick LeSabre when she rear ended a GMC Canyon pick-up truck that was also traveling northbound. After the initial collision, Howard’s Buick went into oncoming lanes of southbound traffic and struck a Lincoln Navigator and a Ford Taurus. As a result of the crash, West Loop 281 was closed to traffic until approximately 11:15 p.m. Blood samples have been sent to the Texas Department of Public Safety for testing, and the investigation is ongoing.

TYLER — More than 1,700 signatures of people who want to vote for or against an alcohol option are turned in this week. According to KETK, the option is for off-premise alcohol in Smith County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4. Were the option to pass, residents could buy beer or wine from companies and take it home. In a May 2009 election, this same option was given, but it did not pass. However, some voters think there is reason to believe the results may turn out differently this time. Resident Peyton Neill says, “I don’t think it will pass, but if it does, I will not be surprised because of the amount of alcohol people want right now.”
Smith County Elections Administrator Karen Nelson says voter turnout may be higher this time because there’s a governor’s race, which may draw more attention from voters.

JP Precinct 4 touches the north and east side of Loop 323. The number of signatures needed was turned in yesterday, three weeks before the deadline. Officials are now verifying them to make sure there are enough valid signatures to hold the election. Business owners KETK spoke with from stores that are already selling alcohol in Winona say they are worried. If the vote gets on the ballot and passes, it could hurt business.