Tyler Morning Telegraph from Tyler, Texas • 9

-f VV" 4- i 4-' -Vsrjm IK -v-' 4v j- g-'4 VAr-" Movies Page 3B Obituaries Page 4-5B Wednesday March 21 2007 2007 Tyler Morning Telegraph Assistant Managing Editor: Danny Mogle 903-596-6256 newstylerpapercom www tylerpapercom Clears PATH For New Low-Income Housing Were being very careful in planning these homes to ensure theyre easy to maintain and will last a long time Development was postponed a year ago when elected officials urged developer Kirit Patel to work out a compromise with the neighborhood The concessions including special lighting a privacy fence and foliage received a lackluster response from the neighbors but the City Council approved the plan in July The plan is back before the commission and the City Council because of revised flood plain information within 24 months she said In other business on Tuesday the commission gave its approval to an amended site plan for a hotel near the intersection of South Broadway Avenue and Grande Boulevard The plan was approved with some modifications suggested by both neighbors and city staff members including a masonry or brick facing on a parking structure visible to nearby residents The three-story 1 25-room hotel would be part of the Hilton Garden Inn Suites chain By ROY MAYNARD Staff Writer Tyler Planning and Zoning commissioners on Tuesday approved a set of zoning changes to allow People Attempting to Help (PATH) build 10 new homes for low-income families We have several years worth of CDBGHOME grant funds for this project said PATH Executive Director Christina Fuisom We already own the lots Well have to do a couple of demolitions but we hope to begin construction within a couple of months Theres a need for such housing she added The homes available at what some of our clients can afford are either in poor condition or in poor areas or both she said So our goal is to provide more safe affordable housing The homes will be on North Bois dArc Avenue Pegues Avenue and West 32nd Street The Planning and Zoning Commission approved zoning changes from R-2 (two-family residential) to R-l (single-family residential) for seven lots The changes will go before the Tyler City Council for final approval in April Mrs Fuisom says her agency is excited about the project These will be two- and three-bedroom homes with slab foundations and brick exteriors she said They will be very energy-efficient which is crucial to our clients we dont want them to be unable to pay their utility bills Were being very careful in planning these homes to ensure theyre easy to maintain and will last a long time The homes could be completed Christina Fuisom PATH Executive Director See HOUSING Page 2B News Station Sampling Goodies 4-rm i I -I In Tyler Subject Of Reality Show I if i Theyre going to be bringing quite a bit of money here and its going to be spent in the community 'XL' Phil Hurley President General Manager CBS 19 By GREG JUNEK Business Editor Tyler citizens and their community could be part of a national television reality show as early as this summer showcasing a Tyler television news department and the coverage of daily events On Tuesday Phil Hurley president and general manager of KYTX CBS 19 told the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce board the Fox network had ordered six episodes of the comedy Anchorwoman to be shot at the CBS 19 studios The show is 100 percent reality Hurley and producer Brian Gadinsky said Gadinsky owner and president of The Group in Hollywood and the first American Idol producer is under contract to produce the six episodes Cameras will follow model and actress Lauren Jones through the ropes of learning what it takes to cut it in the small- to mid-size town television news business Anchorwoman will not have a cast the other characters will be CBS 19 personnel and people in Tyler and East Texas Out of about 100 television stations CBS 19 was selected as the site and the backdrop of the senes Hurley said Ms Jones will be a CBS 19 employee and perhaps start as a producer and work her way up to the anchor chair he said She will be required to follow the stations path of advancement to each level That includes producing reporting and using a news camera Hurley said Also members of the stations news team appearing on the show will be monetanly compensated he said -4 4 Staff Photo By Amy Peterson Above Dee Arcenaux gets two plates from the Edom Bakery and Grill booth Tuesday at the Taste of Tyler fundraiser for the East Texas Restaurant Association and Pilot Club of Tyler held at Harvey Convention Center Below rows of desserts line the table at Carinos Italian Grill at the event See REALITY Page 2B Overton Police Chief Residents Try Out New Cuisines At Taste Of Tyler Fired Over Citys Lack Of Confidence street watching me He also said Williams followed him in his vehicle Ronnie Daughertys concern stemmed from a previous experience with the police after he said $10000 worth of his tools were stolen last February He said Williams told him some of the tools had been recovered but they have yet to be returned to him I want to press charges and from my understanding the DA still hasnt received a report Overton Mayor Robert Young said problems that led to Williams termination included his lack of supervision over the police department and the four other officers employed and returning inaccurate mileage reports Young also said Williams told the city manag- By STEPHANIE JETER Staff Writer OVERTON Overtons chief of police was fired at Tuesday nights City Council meeting due to the councils lack of confidence in his position After returning from executive session the motion to terminate his employment was passed four to one Chief Ed Williams an Overton Police Department employee since 1992 was asked to turn in his badge and keys that night Williams has eight years of experience as chief for Overton Jay Tatum an Overton resident said hes been here for too long I have filed numerous complaints with the city ever since Ed has been an officer here he said One complaint he was adamant about was harassment Tatum said Williams would sit across the By SHAUNA WONZER Food Editor Harvey Convention Center was turned into a smorgasbord of flavors Tuesday for those wanting to sample a Taste of Tyler About 30 restaurants set up booths filled with samples from their kitchens giving East Texans a chance to try cuisines from many of the citys food establishments As live music and smells of Monte Cristo sandwiches shrimp brochettes crawfish chowder grilled tilapia fajitas barbecue and steak filled the air event goers got in lipe to pick out samples and socialize with friends and family I heard about it last year and wanted to come said Marie Haynes of Ttyler as she sampled a Monte Cristo I didnt expect it to be this big Organizers had no official count of the number of tickets sold at the 23rd annual event or how many attended but Diana Todd catering manager at McAllisters Deli had an idea We have run out of more than 400 cups for tea she said about an hour into the event For the first time Robert Lee Culinary Arts Program students prepared and displayed 16 desserts for auction filling two tables with chocolate icing fruit and layers of cake customers The restaurant serves Pakistani-lndian Their instructor Leona May who oversaw the project said she was proud of the results Students brought in about $430 for their work I learned what I would do different Chris Pipkins said of the project adding that next time he would add a little strawberry glaze to the top of his strawberry pound cake with fresh fruit and cream cheese The event is also a chance for restaurants like Tandoori Kitchen which has only been open on the SSE Loop in Tyler a few months to introduce itself to potential cuisine For those1 who havent ever had the countrys ethnic food before: Its very flavorful said Afshan Ashraf who helped serve Seekh Kabobs made out of ground beef and spices She also served Chicken Biryani which is layers of chicken and rice with gravy Brenda Stewart of Tyler who has been to the event before said its being able to See OVERTON Page 2B New Summerfield Chief Out Before First Week Is Served See GOODIES Page 2B a' Toddlers Life Hinges On Bill Under Debate SI- By STEPHANIE JETER Staff Writer NEW SUMMERFIELD The city of New Summerfield hired and fired their chief of police in less than a week Michael Meissner was hired at Tuesday nights City Council meeting and then told he was no longer part of the citys law enforcement team on Monday Concerns about his past including the discovery of several arrest warrants prompted Mayor Dan Stallings to cut Meissner's career in New Summerfield short Since entering the field of law enforcement 13 years ago Meissner had held 16 positions And according to James Heironimus director of enforcement and licensing for Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education that kind of track record should Department he accumulated two warrants in 2005 one for operating a security company without a license and the other for impersonating a peace officer He paid bond in Smith County in April of 2005 The charges have since been dropped He was arrested in 2006 for a fraudulent substandard degree he claimed to have earned from LaSalle University in Louisiana Heironimus said the school was found to be void and stripped Meissner of his Master Peace Officer Certificate The school was a diploma mill Heironimus said the type of school where a student sends in money in exchange for a diploma He said the degrees invalidity was explained to Meissner but he continued to use it and tried to get a law enforcement job at a Dallas community college said Cockrell Hill Police Chief Catherine Smit Since many jobs base pay on certification Heironimus said a 1 person touting a false diploma like Meissner could make several hundred more dollars without merit That case is still pending Smit said Tf 7 From Staff Wire Reports A dying toddler facing removal of life support systems this week has renewed attention to a bill that would prohibit hospitals from ceasing treatment while a family pursues a transfer or other care Under the current law doctors are obligated to give only 10 days notice after deeming further care medically futile and withdrawing treatment even ove the wishes of the patient and family The bill that could change that is authored by state Rep Brian Hughes R-Mineola We were shocked to learn that in Texas even if you have an advanced directive (living will) saying you dont want medical care withheld and even if I I murntt Mt raise questions He said although some employees change jobs for better pay and position Meissners switching of bosses was kind of excessive As he lengthened his resume he also added to his rap sheet According to information from the Tarrant County Sheriffs AP Photo By Andy Ellis FALLEN AGENT: Msgr James Harris of St John Newman Church leads a procession for fallen Border Patrol Agent Ramon Navarez Jr In Laredo on Tuesday Navarez 23 and David Tourscher 24 of Springfield Pa died after their vehicle rolled Thursday night 20 to 30 miles southwest of Lordsburg See CHIEF Page 2B See LIFE Page 5B ter: i it.