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Murder-suicide in Smith County
Owentown 7/9 -
A tragic scene this morning Owentown, near Winona. Smith County authorities were
first called to the scene of home by a man who said his stepson had called him,
asked him to come to the house and pick up a child. Once there, the man found a
note asking him to call 9-1-1. When authorities arrived, they found Fernando
Alvarado and his wife dead in the shop behind the home. Smith County deputies
say Alvarado beat his wife to death with a baseball bat and then hung himself.
The investigation is ongoing but authorities suspect the couple was going
through a divorce. Alvarado was a paramedic for many years with Champion EMS in
Lindale. Both bodies have been sent to Southwest Forensics in Tyler for
autopsies.
Big Catfish
Splash this weekend on Fork
Lake Fork
7/7 -
Hundreds of anglers are expected
to turn out this weekend at the fifth annual Big Catfish Splash, hosted by the
Lake Fork Chamber of Commerce. Fishermen will compete for their share of $60,000
in cash and prizes. The tournament will kick off on Saturday and run through
Sunday afternoon, following registration on Friday. The city of Yantis is also
hosting a parade to celebrate the event. Tune in as KMOO will, once again, be
the only station providing live updates, three times an hour during the
tournament.
Inmate
recaptured in Sheriff's office truck
Van Zandt County
7/3 -
After a two-hour man hunt, East Texas authorities have captured an escaped
inmate. Van Zandt County Sheriff Pat Burnet said the inmate was showing deputies
places he had burglarized, when he saw a chance to escape. The inmate, still in
handcuffs, climbed over the back seat and fled in an unmarked pick-up truck.
Deputies caught up with the inmate, two hours later and re-arrested the man
Skeeter Owners Tournament Results
Lake Fork
6/22 -Richard Meyer from Belton,
won this weekend's 15th Annual Skeeter Owners Big Bass Tournament on Lake Fork with a 10.88
lb bass caught on Saturday.
Storms bring
high winds and heavy rain
Winnsboro
6/17 -
Thunderstorms brought heavy rain and strong winds to
East Texas Tuesday afternoon. The storms moved across the area just after noon,
downing tree limbs, causing car accidents and even flooding some city streets.
The heaviest rain was reported near Winnsboro where rain rushed several inches
deep along Main and Elm Street. Wind gusts caused a tree to fall across SH-37
just north of Winnsboro, blocking the road and backing up traffic for several
minutes while fire crews cleared the debris. Water was also reported over SH-19,
north of Emory. At least one person was temporarily trapped in a vehicle after a
tree fell on the car. Large hail was also reported in Smith County as the storms
moved southeast.
170 show up for Lake Fork plant program
Lake Fork
6/13 -
More than 170 people, some with plants samples in hand, showed up last night to
hear about the vegetation growing in Lake Fork. Lake residents, business owners
and anglers filled the meeting room at the Land’s End Volunteer Fire Department,
forcing several to stand at the back, while representatives from the Texas Parks
and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and the Sabine
River
Authority (SRA) told about their efforts to control invasive weeds.
After a brief introduction by Michael Rogge, president of the
Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association, the organization which hosted the meeting,
Rogge introduced the experts on aquatic vegetation.
“The last plant survey was conducted in the summer of 2007,”
said Kevin Storey with the TPWD. He, along with Howard Elder, an aquatic habitat
biologist with the TPWD, displayed photos of invasive weeds, including Hydrilla
and Alligator weed, and showed maps indicating where on the lake the weeds had
been found.
There were audible gasps in the audience when Storey
described Hydrilla as a “beneficial” plant even though it is also considered
invasive. Most local residents consider the plant to be “taking over” in some
areas of the lake near their homes. Storey also noted that Amer ican
Lotus and Pennywort could also be a problem at times. After the meeting, Elder
said the largest threat at the moment was probably Water Hyacinth, which he said
could pose an even larger threat if left untreated.
During the meeting, Elder also explained the process by which
TPWD applies herbicides to areas of invasive vegetation and noted that which
treatments typically occurred on a regular basis, over the past three years, it
had become extremely difficult to treat many areas of the lake due to the low
water levels caused by the recent drought.
Elder explained how residents could treat areas on their own
private property by filling a formal proposal with TPWD. The SRA’s Bill Kirby
said his office, located on the lake, could assist residents in completing the
proper forms.
Elder also explained how his office is attempting to use
beetles to help control vegetation on the lake by harvesting specific types of
bugs and relocating them to Lake Fork. Elder said the bugs, also called “bio
control”, is generally cheaper and more effective over the long term than
chemical treatments. In response to a question about how quickly the beetles
could help, he noted, “it could take years.”
The speakers also emphasized the need for residents to be on
the look out for new, invasive species cropping up on the lake. “Have you seen
this plant?” screamed the headline from a brochure handed out by Kirby. The
flyer, which has been posted as several local marinas, warns of the dangers of
Giant Salvinia.
Rogge told audience that fighting invasive plants like Giant Salvinia and other
while maintaining beneficial natives was important for anglers and residents
alike, and thanks all those in attendance.
Accident claims life near
Lake Fork
Yantis
6/03 - Under clear
blue skies, just a few yards from a white cross marking the
site of another fatality accident, firefighters directed
traffic as wrecker crews pulled the remains of a white
pickup onto a tow truck. Moments earlier, fire crews and
paramedics had worked to safe the life of a 10-year-old
child who was a passenger in the truck when it ran off
FM-514 and into a tree. The child was flown by helicopter
from the scene to a hospital. DPS officers said the driver,
unfortunately, did not did not survive accident. The
accident happened just after 12 noon, when the truck was
traveling west on FM-514. By the marks on the roadway, it
appeared the driver ran off the road, over-corrected and
then struck a tree. Traffic on the road was blocked for more
than two hours while crews worked at the scene. The names of
the victims have not been released although people at the
scene said they were from the local area.
Canton Senior drowns after
picnic
Canton
5/30 - Tragedy
strikes this afternoon in Canton as a high school senior
drowns. A local official says three senior boys left the
official senior picnic held earlier this afternoon to go
swimming on their own at Canton’s New City Lake. While there
one of the boys, identified as Daniel Perez, went under the
water. Rescue divers located Perez’ body nearly 40 minutes
later. He was pronounced dead by Justice of the Peace Pct 1
Don Kirkpatrick. Police say the investigation is ongoing.
Canton’s graduation is scheduled for tomorrow evening.
Four missing in Sabine River
bottom
Mineola
5/26 - Mineola fire
fighters and Wood County game wardens spent last night
looking for a three adults and a child who got lost in the
Sabine River bottom Memorial Day. Authorities began
searching an area east of US-69 and just north of the Sabine
River in Wood County around 10:30 last night. Searchers were
able to communicate with the lost group by telephone and
used the lights and sirens of fire trucks to help direct
those missing to an area where they could be rescued. An
East Texas Medical Center helicopter located the group just
before midnight. They were then able evacuate the group to a
command post set up on FM-1804. No word yet on how the group
got lost or if they suffered any injuries.
Major damage reported in
Winnsboro
Winnsboro
5/15 - Trees several
feet in diameter were uprooted and debris scattered the
roads as a possible tornado touched down in northeast Wood
County just before 1 a.m. this morning. The National Weather
Service issued a tornado warning for northeast Wood County
at 12:45 this morning. The alert woke up Rick Brown’s wife
and she hustled the them and their dogs into a linen closet,
with just seconds to spare.
"We heard a thump," said Rick Brown, standing next to the
thee which had toppled onto the roof of his home during the
morning's storms.
Audio (See photo
at left)
Across town, Renee, whose husband is also a fire fighter, said they
woke to the sound of wind.
"My husband handed me my daughter and a tree came through our
bedroom ceiling. He pushed me out of the way." She then
added, "He saved my life."
Audio
Driving around Winnsboro this morning, it was hard not to find a
street without at least some trees or limbs down. Most roads
and yards were covered with bits of green blown off trees
and bushes. A half a dozen trees taller than 30 feet were
knocked over like toys in the elementary school playground.
Thousands of customers were without power following the storms and
fire fighters from at least four departments combed the area
for more damage for the rest of the night. They found a home
at South Chestnut and Carnegie in Winnsboro with a tree
across the roof.
Amazingly, no injuries were reported in connection with the storms.
Yantis and Como-Pickton school districts closed their doors for the
day due to power outages and storm damage in the
communities. Winnsboro has announced a 2-hour delay, and
began classes at 10 a.m.
For more photos, click
here.
Five departments called out
to battle fire
Mineola
5/14 - Fire destroyed
a large home in Wood County this morning. It was about 9:45
when electric company workers noticed smoke coming from the
home in a private subdivision, east of Mineola. By the time
fire crews arrived, the home was fully engulfed in flames.
The owners reportedly live in the Dallas area and were not
home at the time the fire began. Fire crews from five
departments battled the blaze. Crews are still on the scene
at this hour trying to bring what’s left of the fire under
control.
For more photos, click
here.
Local Lindale landmark gutted
by fire
Lindale
5/7 - Fire fighters
from four departments responded to a fire at the Donut
Palace in downtown Lindale Wednesday. Highway 69 was closed
for more than an hour while crews stretched water hoses
across the road. After beating back the flames, fire
fighters then began the process of pealing back portions of
the building and hosing down the insulation on fire inside
the walls. No one was inside the building at the time of the
fire.
Prosecution seeks death
penalty in 2 cases
Mineola
5/5 - Rains County
Prosecutors will be seeking the death penalty for two of the
four suspects charged with killing a mother and her two sons
earlier this year. During an arraignment hearing today,
Charles Waid and Charlie Wilkinson both pled not guilty to
charges they shot and stabbed the Caffey family as they
slept in their home. Waid's girlfriend is also charged in
the case. She pled not guilty as well and prosecutors said
they would not seek the death penalty in her case. Attorneys
could not comment further due to a court-imposed gag order.

Driver
slightly injured in roll-over
Mineola
5/5 - Fire fighters
from Mineola rolled out of bed early Sunday for a
one-vehicle accident on Highway 69. The accident happened
just after 8 a.m. yesterday, about 3 miles north of Mineola
on US-69. The driver of the vehicle was standing near the
roadway when fire fighters arrived, reportedly suffering
only minor injuries. The driver, who ran off the road and
rolled his car into the trees about 50 feet from the road,
apparently crawled out the vehicle through the shattered
rear window. He was taken to a local hospital.
18-wheeler runs off I-20 and
burns
 Lindale
5/1 - "It was a
miracle." That has one first responder on the scene
described the accident in Lindale this afternoon and the
fact that two people were pulled from a burning 18-wheeler,
alive. The 18-wheeler, loaded with cantaloupe and other
produce, was headed westbound on I-20 when it ran off the
roadway and down an embankment between the Hwy 69 overpass.
The truck was stopped by a shoulder barricade on Hwy 69,
where it then caught fire. The truck’s driver and a female
passenger were pulled from the cab before it was engulfed in
flame. Both are said to be in stable condition in a Tyler
hospital. Fire crews worked for more than two hours trying
to clean up the wreck and move the truck onto a wrecker.
(Click on audio link above for excerpt of interview with
Judge James "Red" Cowart")
Statewide
manhunt for Tyler man
Tyler
4/30 - Police
across the state are searching for a 37-year-old Tyler man
who they say shot and killed a Department of Public Safety
Trooper overnight. Brandon Wayne Robertson is suspected in
the shooting death of Trooper in Marion County last night.
Authorities say the trooper pursued Robertson until he
finally pulled over. A short time later, dispatchers
received a radio call from a citizen using the trooper's
radio saying the officer had been shot. Robertson was last
seen driving a blue Dodge Intrepid with license plate number
O39-LCG. Anyone with information about Robertson or the
vehicle is asked to dial 911 immediately. (Photo: Brandon
Wayne Robertson)
Defense rests in Johnson
murder trial
Quitman
4/24
-Attorneys are now preparing their closing arguments after
the defense rested on Thursday in the
trial of William Burnard Kear. Kear is being tried in the
2006 shooting death of Norman Johnson. The prosecution
rested at the end of the Wednesday, but earlier, District
Attorney Jim Wheeler played a recording of Kerr admitting he
had killed Johnson. The recording was made when Kear
testified before a grand Jury in November of 2006. The jury
heard a similar admission by Kear on Tuesday when Wheeler
played a 911 recording. On it, Kear said he had shot Johnson
but did it in self-defense.
On
Thursday, defense attorneys began the day by playing a
recording made by then Deputy Terry Bevill at the scene on
the day of the shooting. On it, Kear told Bevill Johnson
tried to kill him with a tractor and that he shot Johnson.
The defense also brought a parade of witnesses before the
jury, each one testifying to Kear's "peaceable" reputation.
The case has been recessed until Monday morning and will
resume at a 10 a.m. when attorneys from both sides are
expected to make their closing statements.
Bass Classic Updates
Here!
UPDATED!
Live scores from
The Toyota
Texas Bass Classic
Van Zandt ESD #2 to pay board
members
Grand Saline
4/15
-Van Zandt County’s Emergency Services District in the Grand
Saline area has voted to pay itself for time working for the
district. The board met yesterday in Grand Saline and voted
3-2 to pay board members $50 each, for every day a board
member has duties for the Emergency Services District. The
first checks issued will include payments retroactive to
2007. Board Secretary Mary Ann Fisher made the motion saying
that serving on the board was “definitely work.” She added
that other expenses related to board activities also added
up including gasoline.
Two board members, John Teague and Harry Clifford, said they
would rather have the money go to the fire department
instead of their pockets.
“I just don’t think it’s right to pay board members when we
haven’t funded the fire department,” said Teague after the
meeting. He and Clifford told Fisher to give their checks to
the fire department and ambulance service. Teague also asked
about retroactive funding for the fire department.
“If you are going to go back and pay the board for 2007, are
you going to go back and pay fire department bills for
2007,” asked Teague. “Well, put it on the agenda and lets
discuss it,” replied Fisher. The board had previously
declined to pay the department’s bills because the district
had not collected any tax revenues.
The board is paying some of the department’s bills now. Last
night the group approved several bills submitted by the
Grand Saline Volunteer Fire Department. Fisher requested the
board not pay a receipt for a hot water tank the department
replaced at the fire station.
“Doesn’t the city own the building?” asked Fisher, directing
her question to City Administrator Stephen Ashley. “The city
should maintain the property.” Ashley said the city owns the
building but does not charge the fire department rent.
“They’ve always taken care of problems themselves, at their
expense,” he added.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night came during the first 10
minutes of the meeting when the board elected Harry Clifford
its new president. Clifford immediately declined the
position and the board then voted to make Teague president.
Teague, who has served as president of the Grand Saline
School, accepted the position. Doyle Millirons served as the
board’s president until January, when county commissioners
reappointed three members to the board, requiring officers
to again be elected.
The board agreed to meet again next Thursday for a workshop
on board procedures.
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