By Brad Kellar

Greenville – A more than $20 million project designed to treat the City of Greenville's sewer discharge is nearly halfway complete.

Officials broke ground on the project last July. The new Sequencing Batch Reactor Wastewater Treatment Plant is being built next to the current Wastewater Reclamation Center along Division St. The facility will replace the existing building, which had become outdated.

As of this week, the project was reportedly 53 percent complete.

By Scott Harvey

Commerce – Just as Covidien was announcing plans to close its Commerce plant, the community learns that several other companies may be on their way in, after a sale of university-owned property toward the development of a multi-use retail site.

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents this week approved a proposal by A&M-Commerce to sell the more than seven acre tract on the southeast corner of Highway 50, just south and west of Whitley Hall.

By Scott Harvey

Commerce – Nearly two dozen children participated in last Saturday's bike safety rodeo, presented by the Commerce Police Department.

In partnership with the Commerce Wal-Mart, officers and volunteers were able to inform bicycle riders of numerous safety tips. At the end of the day, Campbell resident Julian Padilla was awarded a bicycle, donated by Wal-Mart.

By Cindy Roller

Cooper – On Saturday, the family and friends of Dale Migura, a 2010 Cooper High School graduate who was tragically killed five months later, will be honoring him with a Birthday Bash Benefit on the Square from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m.

There will be food, live music, games and a raffle with all the proceeds going towards a monument fund and funeral expenses.

COMMERCE – A global healthcare products leader that's been a significant player in the local economy is closing their doors, leaving more than 300 workers without jobs.

By Scott Harvey

Paris – One adult and an eight-month-old infant were airlifted to local hospitals following a seven vehicle pileup in Paris.

The accident occurred Thursday afternoon just before 3:30 p.m. in the 5100 block of Bonham Street.

Preliminary evidence indicates a pickup truck traveling eastbound at that location may have struck a line of vehicles from behind that were apparently stopped for road construction.

By Scott Harvey

– Just under 3,000 residents in the Dallas-Fort Worth area were still without power Thursday morning after Tuesday's storms that brought wind, hail and tornadoes.

The National Weather Service has now confirmed nine tornadoes hit the region, with 3 more likely tornadoes yet unconfirmed.

By Scott Harvey

College Station – http://ketr.org/media/KETRimages/PDFa/Faculty%20Letter%205%2025%202011.pdf

By Scott Harvey

Quitman – A Wood County woman is ordered to pay over $27,000 in restitution for the care given to more than two dozen horses seized from her property in February.

67-year-old Linda Gale Hurley, of Yantis, is currently awaiting trial on nine counts of animal cruelty.

A judge also this week awarded custody of the horses to True Blue Animal Rescue in Brenham.

By Scott Harvey

Paris – A Lamar County Jury has found William Aaron Hart competent for a retrial on sexual assault charges against a Paris teenager.

Hart is the mentally challenged teenager who was sentenced back in 2009 to 100 years in prison after being found guilty in his first trial. The decision by Judge Eric Clifford to stack the five sentences, rather than have them run concurrently, drew criticism.

Reports indicate Hart, then 19-years-old, had a mental capacity of no more than a six-year-old and an IQ of 47.