By Brad Kellar

Greenville – The reconstruction of Traders Road in Greenville is one step closer to getting started, as officials will soon know how much the project will cost.

City officials have begun advertising for bids, which are due by May 11.

Traders Road, which runs between Jack Finney Boulevard and Wesley St, has an average daily traffic count of 5,000 vehicles, but has never been ungraded from its originally paved condition.

By Brad Kellar

Greenville – A punishment hearing is today for a Collin County man, found guilty of securities fraud involving a Hunt County oil company.

A jury last Thursday convicted Chad Hayes, of McKinney, on 17 counts, including acting as an unregistered dealer, selling unregistered securities and securities fraud.

Hayes is one of five defendants indicted in the case. Prosecutors have alleged the five were involved in a scheme to defraud investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

By Brad Kellar

Greenville – Attorneys for Hunt County are hoping for a quick resolution to at least part of a lawsuit involving their Criminal Justice Center.

Attorneys for the plaintiff have filed a motion for partial summary judgment against at least some of the defendants in the case. That hearing is set for Thursday. A trial date has not been set.

By Scott Harvey

Lamar County – A Lamar County man was killed after wrecking his 4-wheeler early Sunday morning.

State Troopers say 35-year-old Rodney Brock Stevenson, of Blossom, struck a dear while traveling along CR 44800. The crash ejected Stevenson from the ATV, throwing his body into a tree.

He was pronounced dead shortly before 4 a.m.

By Scott Harvey

Yantis – Opponents of the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline that would run through parts of East Texas are holding a town hall meeting Monday night in Yantis regarding the Department of State's recent supplemental environmental impact statement.

Eddie Radillo is a member of STOP (Stop Tar Sands Oil Pipeline).

By Scott Harvey

– The Texas Department of Transportation has delayed putting traffic on a newly constructed section of U.S. Highway 380 until Monday.

The section runs from 0.3 miles East of FM 903 to the KCS railroad crossing in Greenville. For the next six months, motorists will be directed to travel on this new roadway while the existing 380 highway and bridges are reconstructed.

By Scott Harvey

Greenville – Three buildings were destroyed and a fourth damaged following a Sunday morning fire in Greenville.

The buildings were unoccupied and no injuries were reported.

The fires occurred at approximately 1:30 a.m. at the intersection of Jordan and Gordon Streets.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

By Scott Harvey

Commerce – Two fire strike teams, made up of crews from Northeast Texas, have returned home safely.

According to Commerce Fire Chief Brian McNevin, firefighter's Jeremy Littlefield and Brian Millard, along with Brush Truck 2 arrived home Friday. The truck is to be cleaned and re-supplied for another possible deployment, with firefighters Josh Cato and Joe Martello standing by.

COMMERCE – The Commerce Fire Department is awarded more than $732,000 in grant funding to develop a program to increase the level of volunteer firefighters.

By Scott Harvey

Austin – State Representative Dan Flynn expresses concern over a proposed redistricting map which would pit him against another GOP incumbent, should the two run again in 2012.