By Scott Harvey

Commerce – Over $16,000 in pledges were received over the weekend at the Commerce ISD's annual Boots N BBQ fundraiser.

"Each year, participation in the event exceeds our expectations, "said Dr. Jack Pirkey, president of the Commerce Schools Educational Enrichment Foundation. "Hearing the budget cuts education is facing, members of our community have shown they value education through their generous donations, even in a struggling economy."

By Brad Kellar

Greenville – Trial is delayed and a new arrest warrant issued after a local woman, charged with aggravated robbery, fails to appear in court.

Vanessa Robles Rodriguez, of Greenville, is one of three people allegedly involving in a violent purse snatching last year outside a store. All three were later arrested after the suspect and a witness to the crime informed law enforcement.

After Rodriguez failed to show for Monday's hearing, her bond was revoked and her immediate arrest ordered.

By Scott Harvey

– The widening of a major thoroughfare connecting Hunt and Collin counties is taking shape.

Beginning Thursday, traffic will be shifted to a new section of U.S. Highway 380 from .3 miles east of FM 903 to the Kansas City Southern Railroad crossing in Greenville.

According to TxDot, the new roadway will eventually become the eastbound lanes of the four-lane divided highway.

By Brad Kellar

Greenville – A Quinlan man will serve three years behind bars after pleading guilty to a 2009 shooting in Hunt County.

20-year-old Ricky Allen Ord entered the plea Monday to one count of deadly conduct. As part of a plea deal, a related charge of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon was dismissed.

By Brad Kellar

Greenville – The five suspects in an alleged securities fraud case involving a Hunt County oil company are due in court this week for trial.

Donald Joseph Dean, Chad Hayes, Kevin Michael Hayes, Michael Day Lamont and Carl Tinsley Ratner, all from Texas, are alleged to have devised a scheme to defraud investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Three of the five defendants had previously indicated they might plead guilty in the case, but at last report, jury selection was still scheduled for Monday.

By Scott Harvey

– The Texas Department of Public Safety is now investigating the death of volunteer firefighter Gregory Simmons.

Simmons, from Eastland County, had previously served in Sachse in Collin County. He grew up in Garland.

A preliminary autopsy report says he was killed by an accidental blow to his upper torso. One report says Simmons died after he jumped out of his truck when it was overcome by flames. Another said Simmons was overcome by smoke and fell in a ditch.

By Scott Harvey

– Another fire team from Northeast Texas has joined in the battle to quell the raging wildfires in West Texas.

Strike Team 6 is currently comprised of personnel from the Royse City Fire Department, in addition to crews from Commerce, Propser and Frisco, who were deployed last week.

According to Commerce Fire Chief Brian McNevin, daily operational periods have been 6:30 a.m. to - 10:30 p.m. each day.

By Scott Harvey

Austin – A bill by State Senator Bob Deuell to require antifreeze manufacturers to add a bittering agent to their products has passed unanimously out of the Senate.

According to Deuell, a republican from Greenville, the Humane Society estimates that hundreds of children and thousands of animals are accidentally poisoned each year from ingesting this highly-toxic but common product due to its sweet taste and appealing color.

By Scott Harvey

– The latest jobless figures by the State of Texas show modest gains in the local workforce.

In Hunt County, the unemployment rate held steady in March at 8.9 percent, while several other area counties experienced a drop of between one to two-tenths of a percent.

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, Hopkins County's jobless rate dropped from 7.3 to 7.1 percent, and Delta County dropped one-tenth of a point to 9.8 percent.

By Brad Kellar

Greenville – The next stage of the ongoing dispute between the City of Greenville and L-3 Communications continues when the two sides meet in court Wednesday.

The dispute centers on a proposed re-plat by the City of Major's Field Municipal Airport.

Attorneys for the defense contractor are asking a judge to require Mayor Tom Oliver and City Manager Steven Alexander to submit to oral depositions, based on allegations the City wants to sell portions of the airport.